Health Creation To-Do List

This is a list I share with all of my clients.  Typically one topic at a time during our working sessions together.  I customize the order depending on each person’s needs and what they are inspired to focus on. They also make a great foundation for a series of Group Visits in managed care or a Group Program (re: longevity or disease prevention) in entrepreneurial practice.

Through the functional medicine lens, I believe these tenets Create Health for anyone.  Everyone.  Please feel free to chime in below:

• What one Tenet particularly resonates with you and one you see in Your practice?
• What might you add as just one more priority tenet in your own unique view through the Functional Medicine lens about what most commonly creates resilient health?

So often, functional practitioners are focused on the Esoteric at the expense of the Foundational aspects of wellness. 

At SAFM we prioritize teaching both.  No one will stay well from a persistent infection that you helped clear if they don’t frequently sleep deeply and at-length.  It will be hard for someone to avoid the atherosclerotic effects of chronic stress if they don’t become regularly more self-aware about how often they are “shoulding” on themselves in the privacy of their own minds (or choosing to live in fear).  No amount of drugs (or supplements) is going to help someone Stay Well if they are eating Crap Food, drowning in Stress, and slathering Toxins on their body every day.

I invite You to customize this list and use it in your own practice. 

You may wish to turn it into an inspiring handout to share with each client.  Perhaps each of these can also be a topic for an inspiring, fact-filled, short-and-crisp blog or emailed article for prospective patients?  Or key content for a multi-session group program?  Or a one-day health breakthrough workshop?  These are all effective ways to start reaching out in earnest to those who are interested in your unique way of sharing wellness inspiration and education.  Use simple, clear language that is easy to follow.  Regular communication is key to building an audience who likes you, trusts you, and who wants to engage with you directly for further support!  

With so much uncertainty and fear at hand with external societal dynamics, many people are looking for support in what they Can do.  Looking for what they Can control to ensure they have more resilient vitality in the face of life’s challenges.

After all, the list below is likely not surprising to You.  It’s not esoteric or sexy or edge-of-technology novel.  But the power of it – the essential nature of all these elements – may surprise many of your patients.  This we know for sure:  the collective list is incredibly effective at maximizing the body’s ability to Get well and Stay well or to prevent disease in the first place, all infectious challenges included.

We focus so much on disease care in the world of “healthcare”.  The truth is that sustainable health naturally repels disease. 

It’s time we start focusing more and more on the art and science of Creating Health.  Proactively.  Sustainably.

Top Tenets for Sustainable Health

1. Sleep.  There’s no getting around this one.  Chronically sleep-impaired people don’t typically enjoy long, vital, vibrant, energetic lives.  Ideally, go to bed at an early enough time that you awaken in the morning at least 90% of the time BEFORE your alarm would otherwise go off.  Go to bed when Your unique body begins to feel sleepy – the first time, not after you’ve already started dozing.  And that may be 8:30 pm for you. Be open to what your body is asking for in terms of the timing of optimal rest.  Practice sleep hygiene.  Unfortunately, that television, email, smartphone, or other full-spectrum light exposure and any type of stressful activity (bill-paying, parenting debates, work, reading the News) in the full hour or two prior to bedtime IS indeed likely affecting your sleep later on.  Let your brain know in that hour or two that you Do want it to wind down and prepare to sleep deeply. Oftentimes, the caffeine we are consuming after Noon during the day is also still being metabolized at bedtime and is actually interfering with the depth and/or duration of our sleep.
2. Play.  Seriously.  So many of us behave as though there is a large prize at the end of life rewarding us for working as many hours as possible and checking off as many things as we can from our ubiquitous work-related to-do lists.  But there’s not! I’t s more likely that regrets and missed opportunities remain.  What if we had a daily play to-do list?  That we treated as just as important – or even More important! – than the work one?  Savor life. Laugh. Play.  Relax. Have fun.  Cultivate joy. Let your recreational or relaxation time involve truly rejuvenating activities vs.  defaulting to an hour or two of mindless TV each night.  We were all ~4 years old at one time and saw the world as truly full of wonder and opportunities for play.  Revive what is Fun for you now.  Allow time for it.  Make time for it.
3. Your Skin is one Big Mouth.  Stop feeding it toxins.  Seriously, whatever you slather on your skin can make its way into systemic circulation.  We really shouldn’t put anything on our skin that we wouldn’t be willing to eat.  Chew on that for a moment…  Start over again on choosing your beauty and personal hygiene products with this truth in mind. And skip both fabric softener and dryer sheets (both of which simply add toxins back to our clothes, after we’ve just finished cleaning them!). These steps can make a dramatic impact on your health deep inside.
4. Eat Real Food, not “edible food-like substances” (M. Pollan).  Most of us wouldn’t buy crap gasoline for our cars just because it was cheap and convenient.  So why do we settle for fueling our magnificent bodies with crap food?  At least 90% of the time, choose to eat exclusively foods you enjoy and that your great-grandmother could have eaten when she was growing up 100+ years ago.  Whole, natural unrefined foods, and beverages.  Vegetables, Proteins, Fruits, Legumes, Nuts/Seeds…  Avoid the huge array of chemical flavorings, preservatives, colors, sweeteners, texture agents, hormones, toxins, and cheap ingredients in food – it is Not fueling your body to heal or be at its Best (think energy, mental clarity, pain-free, clear skin, smooth digestion, good sex drive, resilient good mood).  This isn’t just pretty language for a headline; it’s biochemical truth.
5. Get Fresh Air.  Everyday.  Yes, even if it’s cold.  Or rainy.  Indoor air can become quite toxic due to outgassing from textiles and chemicals and building materials.  This is especially true during the cold months.  And in our own homes!  It’s even worse if you’re using “air freshener” products, which are simply putting chemical-laden, artificial scent in the air (inhaled toxicity anyone?). Even if it’s just a short 4-minute walk around the block or out to the edge of the parking lot and back:  it’s So much better than no fresh air at all.  While you’re outdoors, leave your phone indoors.  Use the opportunity to shift your visual focus to the horizon.  See and appreciate glimpses or deep dives into nature.  Take some deep, cleansing belly breaths.  Allow the exhales to be long and slow and through the nostrils.  Stand or sit up straight, no phone glued to your hand.  Connect with and activate your parasympathetic nervous system mode that allows digestion, relaxation, healing, fertility, and ease.
6. Eat as much Organic food as you can Find and as you can Afford.  Yes, it’s really that bad.  Most pesticides and herbicides are endocrine-disrupting agents and can cause dramatic shifts in hormone balance.  And we have an exponentially increasing rate of estrogen mediated cancers in both men (prostate) and women (breast/uterine).  Many are also obesogenic and promote increases in body fat. Where possible, maximize nutrition by purchasing local, fresh produce on which no pesticides have been used (not all small farmers can access or afford formal organic certification).  At a minimum, make good use of the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen shopping priorities revised each year by the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org).
7. Stop Shoulding on Yourself.  You are a divine child of the universe.  Perfect.  Seriously, you are!  Try opening up to this truth.  Stop being your loudest critic and your biggest source of stress.  Honor who you really are.  Honor what really makes you happy and brings you fulfillment.  In what one small way can you Start Right Now to do this?  Choose activities based on what is Fun and Fulfilling.  Release the need to use words like Should, Must, and Have-to.  Instead, use the word Choose.  And then allow yourself to change your mind when that phrase chokes in your throat.  Honor your truth.  Make time for a spiritual practice that allows you to release the “gunk” of expectations from society/family and reconnects you to Who You Really Are.  This is the item on the list that may seem the most distant from the health of our physical body, yet in truth, it is probably the most impactful.
8. Drink plenty of plain, clean water every day.  Know the real quality of the water coming out of your tap (start with local town source data and ideally test your own too).  If necessary, invest in a water filter, both for drinking water and (yes!) shower water.  Beyond chlorine and fluoride, there are many dissolved toxins found in regular municipal drinking water that your local regulatory organization is not required to measure or inform you about.
   Of particular note, avoid fluoridated water (prevalent in the US). Does fluoride kill bacteria in the mouth?  Yes.  Does it increase calcium uptake in bones?  Yes. But potentially at a high cost. From low thyroid function to calcification of the pineal gland (insomnia?) to reduced IQ in children.  Vitamin K2, magnesium, and a high-quality multi-herb/xylitol/hydroxyapatite toothpaste are good tools for many in helping you meet your dental and bone health goals.
9. Pay attention to the Oils.  After all, they will work their way into your meals frequently. Don’t cook with typical cheap, highly refined, bottled vegetable oils.  Choose pressed (and preferably cold-pressed) vegetable oils e.g. coconut, avocado, olive.  If you eat in restaurants, you will nearly always be consuming highly-refined and at least partially rancid oils, so take care not to increase the frequency of intake by using them in your own home.
10. Check-in with Key Wellness markers.  Being well informed opens up the way to being well.  These markers may not be what your PCP regularly checks on your behalf, but they are all often readily available from local labs.  You can advocate for your right to learn about your body and optimize your health proactively.  Check Vitamin D and, for most, keep it ideally in the 40-60 ng/ml zone to promote immune function that is strong and balanced.  Check RBC Magnesium (not serum) and seek for it to be in the upper third of the normal reference range.  Check HbA1c and aim for it to be 5.2% or less; our carbohydrate tolerance is unique and depends on our genetics, lifestyle, stress, and nutrition. A C-Peptide or Fasting Insulin can catch Insulin Resistance dynamics years before they progress to pre-diabetes or diabetes. Check Triglycerides and aim for them to be 50-100mg/dl.  There are other often overlooked markers that your practitioner may recommend in your particular situation.
11. Foods made with refined grain flours should be in your 10% diet, not the 90%.  Yes, even if it’s gluten-free. We have a true epidemic of insulin resistance and its follow-on states of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes.  This disease progression begins with or is exacerbated by the diet nearly Every time. Even if there is no weight gain. In this arena, we focus so much on minimizing sugars/sweeteners, but forget that refined grain flours act very much like sugar in the body. And very few of us are active enough to counter the glycemic load that these foods present.
12. Be a part of something Wonderful that is Larger than You.  Make your life mean something that Inpires you to the core.  Chronic navel-gazing is often a good pathway to depression.  Or at least boredom.  Find a cause or a contribution that gives you an opportunity to Share your unique talents, history, and/or skills. One that is powerful to you, not necessarily anyone else nearby.  Give regularly of yourself in a way that makes you feel gratified, useful, and part of the larger perfection of life.  If you don’t know where to start, consider beginning a Gratitude Journaling practice.  It’s easy to do.  And easy to start!  Just spend 5-10 minutes every morning (or right before bed) writing down 3 very specific things you are grateful for in that moment.  Not general, easy-to-overlook things like “family” or “my job” – but a detailed description of a particular person or place or event or event that you are grateful for.  Make it come alive by writing it down.  Letting that feeling of appreciation wash over you has very real, biochemical healing power, in part by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.