Natural Remedies for Health & Wellness

Last couple of years with the Covid pandemic have been tough on all of us impacting our health in more ways than we can imagine. The beginning of the pandemic gave me some time to reflect and research on ways to be healthy and I stumbled upon the concept of Holistic Health & Wellness. I also got an opportunity to reminisce about the time I was a kid and how our grand mother used natural remedies to handle most of our health issues, and it was effective too.

My understanding of Health & Wellness in Holistic way, combined with natural ways we can achieve health has been extremely beneficial for me in more ways than I could imagine. This has prompted me to share my understanding of various pillars of holistic health  and how each of them can be achieved using natural remedies.

Even before we get into the remedies, natural or otherwise, it is important to understand – “What is Holistic Health?” The holistic approach towards being healthy involves understanding and tending to all aspects of one’s health, whether it is Physical, Mental, Social or Spiritual.

The concept behind optimizing our health in a holistic way is to be at our best in any way we can.

The main aspects of Holistic Health and Wellness

Physical Health and Wellness

What comes to mind when you hear “Physical Wellness”? For most of us, getting good physical exercise and being active probably comes first to the mind. However, being Physically healthy doesn’t revolve only around physical activities. It is as much about getting proper rest and relaxation as it is about being active. Getting proper sleep of at least 7-8 hours every night is essential to physical well being.

Treating insomnia naturally can help.You reap the benefits of exercising not during the time you are active but when you are resting and sleeping. Most people are concerned about their weight and want to loose the extra fat from their bodies. This is the main motivation behind doing regular exercise and other physical activities, however the burning of fat happens when you are in deep sleep.

Ways to Manage Stress & Anxiety

The other aspect of being physically sound and healthy is managing your stress and anxiety. On the contrary to the popular saying that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body, I believe it is important to have a healthy and relaxed mind to attain the full potential of physical wellness. In today’s fast paced world, every other person has to deal with lot of stress and anxiety. The top natural remedies for reducing stress and anxiety are:

• • Controlled and conscious breathing exercises – Few minutes of Yoga, especially controlled breathing exercises, can help relieve stress and is a natural way to regulate blood pressure for people with hypertension
  • Natural herbs such as Ashwagandha – Ashwagandha has been around for over 3000 years and acts as an adaptogen, helping you adapt and counter stress
  • Nutritional Yeast – Nutritional Yeast is full of B Vitamins and Vitamin B1 is essential to lowering anxiety
  • Probiotics – It is a scientific fact that gut health is directly linked with mental well being and probiotics are a very good way of maintaining a healthy gut
  • Vitamin D / Sunlight – Vitamin D is one of the best vitamins to anxiety and depression. The vitamin D that we get from Sunlight works wonders to elevate our mood and relieve stress. While vitamin D is thought of as a Vitamin, it is very similar to hormones in its behaviour. Majority of the population is deficient in Vitamin D and going out and basking in the Sun can cause a major difference

Impact of Nutrition on Health

Good Nutrition is paramount to one’s good health. From my personal experience I can say that it is probably more important than regular exercise and training. Nutrition is closely tied with Physical health and nutritional requirements are very different from person to person based on their age, gender, genetics, and activity levels. In the last few decades the nutritional value of food that we consume has gone downhill. To reap higher profits, food companies have introduced lower quality processed products which are full of hidden sugar. Most of the common health problems which are currently prevalent are mainly caused due to simple sugars present in highly processed food that we eat. Some of the ways in which we can get proper nutrition while avoiding low quality food products are:

• • Eat Organic Food – Avoid the genetically modified and pesticide treated food that contain glyphosate. The International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans. Organic fruits and vegetables are free of pesticides and has higher nutritional value.
  • Eat Whole Food – Anything processed depletes food of its nutritional value and causes high levels of insulin in the body, which ultimately leads to conditions such as Metabolic Syndrome (High blood pressure) and Diabetes. Try to eat food that looks as close to its original form as possible, e.g. whole fruits, vegetables etc.
  • Eat Healthy Fats, Protein and complex Carbs – Avoid food that turns quickly into glucose (refined sugar), instead eat high quality fats such as fatty fish, nuts and seeds such as Chia seeds and Flaxseeds. Include in your diet moderate amounts of protein and food with high fibre content such as green vegetables.

How Emotional Quotient (EQ) affects Health

This is one aspect of health that majority don’t pay attention to. Being emotionally healthy means understanding your own emotions and communicating your feelings with others. Keeping to yourself all the time can take a toll on your health and cause lots of issues. There are a few things you can do to handle the rollercoaster of varied emotions that you face through your life:

• • Create a (small) list of close friends you can depend on to share your feelings. Give back to them when they need support to make it a mutually beneficial arrangement.
  • Jot down your thoughts in a journal or start a blog discussing emotional aspects of life without getting very personal.

 

Connection between Wellness and Spirituality

Spirituality is different for different people and can be a strong aspect of one’s personality. Many people depend on spirituality to strengthen their inner self. It gives people a sense of purpose and ideology that they can trust and follow. It also helps people to keep their value system intact. People with same religious beliefs may have a different spiritual journey. Few things that can help your Spiritual well being are:

• • Defining your top core values and following it with all your heart, while reflecting on them and assessing them often. Your actions should be guided by these values and should give you a sense of purpose.
  • Keep side a few minutes of your day to reflect upon your spirituality or practice your belief system. Praying for the well being of your close ones and thanking the higher power for all the good things in life goes a long way in improving your overall spiritual wellness.

 

Social Interactions and its Impact on Health & Wellness

Today’s world is dominated by Social Media platforms that empower people to connect with others. While the advent of technology has made it easier for us to connect with others, instances of forming true and positive relationships are on a decline.

Just like our food our social contacts have become instant. We never truly nurture these connections to build a long lasting and enriching relationship. Research has shown that people who live in a social setup, sharing life and feeling with a larger group of other people are happier in life. Some of the things you can do have a healthy social life include:

• • Not just connect with new people on the social networks but identify like minded connections to have positive and meaningful conversations.
  • Invest your time into existing friends you have lost touch with and revisit the connection you share with them.
  • Dedicate a few hours each week to participate in social gatherings meeting new and existing contacts in person.

Financial Health & Wellness

Financial wellness doesn’t necessarily mean having limitless wealth. To live within your means while striving for improving your quality of life is all it takes to be Financially healthy. Financial wellness may sound like being materialistic but money and finance are a fact of life. You can’t buy happiness with money but managing your financial resources appropriately surely can lower your overall stress that is the bane of our current society. Some of the activities that make you Financially healthy are:

• • Get financially educated and understand the modern financial tools to manage your earnings appropriately.
  • Plan and prioritize to lower debts and increase savings through controlled spending while enjoying the little things of life.
  • Spend on things that improve your quality of life without having to put extra burden on yourself.

Role of Intelligence in being Healthy

Intellectual well-being is not the same as mental or physical well being. You achieve Intellectual wellness by continually utilizing the power of your brain and intellect. Just like your muscles the more you exercise your brain and do complex tasks the better it gets at it. Different people may choose different ways to massage their intellect. Some of us enjoy reading complex subjects such as Evolution, while others like to exercise their brain with hard to solve puzzles. Some of the natural ways to improve you Intellectual health are:

• • Engaging in stimulating conversation on various topics with people who have a different viewpoint.
  • Challenging yourself by enrolling to learn a new and upcoming skillset. Learning a new language is a great way to enhance one’s Intellectual health.
  • Connecting with people from different backgrounds and cultures to get a better understanding of the varied cultural spread of our world.

Importance of Healthy Environment

Environmental wellness constitute your immediate persona environment you are part of. Taking care of and ensuring a healthy environment not jus helps your current self but will be helpful to generations to come. Being mindful of your environment goes a long way in ensuring your own sense of satisfaction and belonging. You can contribute to your environment in multiple ways:

• • Keeping your house and workplace clean and tidy creates positivity around you.
  • Volunteering to certain community services and educating and helping others with managing waste and preserve energy is a good way to give back to your environment.

 

Your Own Pillars of Health & Wellness

You may choose to work on all or some of the above mentioned aspect of Health and Wellness. Taking care of yourself ultimately contributes to a healthy society that eventually results into building of a strong nation. Start with selecting the aspects of Holistic Health you would like to prioritize and take small but firm steps to move towards your Holistic Health goals. If you feel you can contribute to this article in any way, through your suggestions of natural ways to improve any of the aspects of Holistic Health and wellness, please do leave your comments.