Life is intended to be blissful. Our biological design with its myriad control systems has evolved to ensure harmony between ourselves and our environment. Over millennia, nature has forged this delicate link. Through civilization, a harmonious interrelationship between humans has emerged. This harmony must be protected if we are to survive in the Anthropocene Age. Charles Neil reports
Living With Discernment
Through our daily lifestyle we tune into the integrity of the triad of existence (body, mind and spirit), to align between oneself and the environment and among ourselves. This balance is in peril.
During the Anthropocene epoch, an unofficial unit of geologic time to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history where human behaviour is having an destructive effect on the earth’s ecosystems and climate, the urgency for mindfulness and personal responsibility is paramount.
Quantum mechanics now demonstrates our innate ability to either self-correct or self-destruct. If wellbeing is the priority, then this internal power is understood as paramount in keeping us vibrant. The functional wisdom of our machinery of life cannot be surpassed by the most sophisticated available bio-medical technology.
However, it must be leveraged consciously, especially nowadays where the global operating system is articulated towards instant gratification and glorifying unhealthy distractions and habits, as well as peddling junk foods and products.
Our task is to use evidence-based knowledge in supporting these biological systems and modulate it to fit with the external environment and not to disturb its harmony.
Every human being is the author of his/her vitality or illness history. So a good beginning makes for a good ending. The holistic approach adopted by Integrative Medicine (Health-Oriented paradigm) emphasises the integrity of body, mind and spirit in determining overall health status, vitality and optimal longevity.
The World Health Organization defines health as being “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Maintaining health is an ongoing process and daily personal decisions are vital to personal wellbeing or illness, making sense of the miasma of choices available is both the challenge and the opportunity.
Core Biological Principles
Genetic-Environmental Interaction
Genetics determines the individual physical characters, behaviour and the likelihood of developing certain diseases. Whilst the social and the physical components of the external environment reshape this interaction. Dr Francis Collis, the director of the National Institute of Health, describes this interaction as “genetics load the gun and the environment pulls the trigger.”
Diurnality and Circadian Cycle
The different biologic systems that control cellular and organ-system functions are built in concordance with an internal clock called ‘circadian rhythm’ located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. It synchronises body functions with the environment. This system is vital for regulation of sleep and wakefulness (reticular activating system) cycles, metabolism and energy consumption.
For sound health, these clear patterns of core body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production (e.g. melatonin and cortisol), cell regeneration and other biological activities can be measured and are to be maintained.
However exposure to electromagnetic waves, unbalanced timing of unhealthy meals and night shifts are some examples of the disruptors of the circadian rhythm. Disruption of the circadian rhythm increases the risk for cancer, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular and other diseases.
The Brain Reigns Supreme
The human brain produces millions of neurotransmitters that keep us vital and these chemicals are produced by inputs from our external environment, known as Epigenetics. So the choices we make daily gauge the production of these chemicals. These chemicals include the energy molecule (adrenaline), the confidence and mood molecule (serotonin), the anti-anxiety molecule (GABA), the pain-killing molecule (endorphins), the bonding molecule (oxytocin), the reward molecule (dopamine), and the bliss molecule (endocannabinoids).
Obviously this spontaneous response has been disrupted by digital modern life making us prone to disease. This imbalance cannot be readjusted by a pill to treat anxiety and depression or any other disorder. It can be managed successfully by introducing and sustaining healthy lifestyle choices and radical behavioural changes that return the harmony to brain chemistry. This intentional change brings motivation, vitality and ultimately, increased health-span.
Stress
From the many different social determinants of health, stress is the most important, given its pivotal role in the increase of morbidity. The long-term exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones often disrupts physiological processes increasing the risk of numerous health problems such as cognitive impairment, sleep disorder and heart diseases. In particular, hormonal changes initiated by continuous stress and manifested by high cortisol levels are deleterious to the brain. It is well documented that a persistently high cortisol level causes damage in certain areas of the brain responsible for memory (hippocampus). Don’t let stress control your life. It is of utmost importance to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors of daily life. Daily self care rituals are key: Tai-Chi, Yoga exercise and meditation are excellent ways to mitigate stress.
Sleep
Sleep is the foundation of life. We spend almost one third of our lives asleep. This physiological demand is not a personal option. It is a highly organised physiological event that follows a regular cyclic program each night. The circadian rhythm makes the strongest desire for sleep between midnight and dawn. The quality and quantity of sleep has a direct impact on health, mood, memory, thinking capability, weight control, and sex life. During slumber however, countless restorative biological processes are running to maintain the different cellular and physiological processes that keep our body in optimal condition.
It is the only time our bodies regenerate and heal. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that getting one hour less of sleep than the required 7 to 9 hours per night leads to problems with memory, concentration and attention and puts people at greater risk of cognitive impairment. Chronic sleep deprivation has a wide variety of negative health problems that ranges from fatigue, moodiness to weight gain and increased risk of diabetes, heart diseases and other age-related diseases. So good sleep is a vital part of weight loss and overall healthy longevity.
Spiritiuality
Regardless of one’s faith, cultivating transcendence is the ultimate path to inner peace. There is mounting evidence that an individual’s belief can influence health outcomes and that ‘believers’ are less likely to suffer from health-related issues. Religious participation is considered as a strong determinant of psychological wellbeing.
According to Jeff Levin, a pioneer in Theosomatic Medicine (a new medical branch that deals with the spiritual life from a medical perspective), practising religion or connecting with the Divine promotes healthy behaviour manifested by avoiding smoking and drinking, provides social support and strengthens positive emotions and feelings that in turn have favourable consequences on the quality of life and longevity. Those who regularly attend religious services have lower rates of chronic illnesses and religious people live longer than non-religious people.
Socialising
Building an integrated wellness lifestyle with your family, friends and colleagues - one smart choice at a time - is clearly the bedrock of vitality, together with a non-inflammatory diet and daily exercise.
Workplace
Even post COVID, most of us spend eight hours a day at work. And what we do during those
hours has a profound impact on our overall health. Developing a positive wellness culture promotes overall wellbeing. During working hours avoid being sedentary; get up stretch every hour, take a rest from digital devices regularly, drink water and avoid snacking on sugary foods.
Beware Of…
Smoking
Smoking is the first leading preventable cause of morbidity and death. The US spends over $150 billion annually in treating the complications of smoking. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) cigarette smoke contains 4800 chemicals, 69 of which are carcinogenic. CDC estimates “adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lose 14.5 years of life because of smoking, and given the diseases that smoking can cause, it can steal your quality of life long before you die”. So avoiding smoking is a necessary step towards sustainable vitality and longevity.
Alcohol
Numerous epidemiological studies associate moderate alcohol consumption (not to exceed two drinks for men and one drink for women per day) with protective health benefits on the cardio-vascular system such as reduction of plaque, protection against blood clot and dissolution of blood clot. But in excess it has deleterious effects on cardiac muscle and its conductivity among other deleterious effects. It is better however not to drink but if you drink, drink in moderation.
Beer: 12 fluid ounces (355 millilitres)
Wine: 5 fluid ounces (148 millilitres)
Distilled spirits (80 proof): 1.5 fluid ounces (44 millilitres)
Sun
Although sunlight is pivotal in the production of vitamin D, yet over exposure is associated with diseases such as skin cancer and cataract. Reasonable exposure to mild sunlight, 20 minutes a day is wise. Sunglasses offer protection against excessive exposure to light, including its visible and invisible components. The sunglasses that meet this requirement are labelled as ‘UV400’
Conclusion
Aside from annual medical check ups, cultivating a balanced life - no matter what - is essential to sustainable vitality and longevity. Making intelligent choices that promote the integrity of body, mind and spirit is how we live better for longer.
Action Plan
Understand the biological principles of diurnality and circadian cycle and how they affect your health and wellbeing.
Get enough sleep and keep the quality of sleep high by avoiding unhealthy activities before sleep and moderating the exposure to electronic devices.
Quit smoking and limit drinking and support others in their effort to quit.
Cultivate a positive family and social life and have a spiritual practice to maintain serenity.
Develop healthy habits at the workplace like getting up and moving instead of being sedentary.
Protect yourself from the sun by wearing sunglasses labelled as “UV400”.