Think about the last time you had “too much” of something. Too much food, drink, TV, sun, cold, etc. How did you feel? What was your body telling you in the aftermath? Many times, we like to call this an issue of self-control, and in many cases it may be. But I like to see this as an example of an imbalance. Too much of something led to the absence of something else and ultimately an abnormal human experience. Every concept of our existence is predicated on a balance. From the galaxies in space to day-to-day life; everything requires balance. This balance allows for a natural push and pull which ultimately generates life. I believe examples of natural balance live all around us. Spend 30 minutes outdoors and you will see the beautiful rhythmic dance that occurs in our natural environment. Each concept working together to find balance to create and sustain life. Without the balance we see radical changes such as deserts due to no rain or polar caps due to temperature. And just like that feeling after too much of something, these imbalances of life cause changes, changes that alter the landscape of existence.
In the world of physical health, balance is the focal point of all functions. Every concept in the human body lives on a balance. Every cell, chemical, and organ work to function in a balance to maintain life. When an imbalance arises, we begin to experience an altered human experience. Sometimes it’s a feeling like the heaviness of sadness or the activation of anxiety. Other times it’s the readings of a blood pressure machine or the numbers on a glucose monitor. No matter the issue, the body is responding to something being out of balance. Sometimes these experiences are due to a natural change but other times it’s a result of something much deeper. The blood pressure machine is elevated from 20 straight days of work and little sleep. Or the glucose numbers are elevated due to the consumption of too much sugar and not enough real food. The challenge for many people is how to know what the difference is.
Throughout my career I have had the ability to sit with hundreds if not thousands of people who are unwell. As a provider I did what I was taught; I assessed, labeled, and treated. But for many people the medication or talk therapy did not create a radical change in their life. For some there was great healing but for others there was the short-term management that led to more flare ups and more treatment changes. As a provider I knew there was something I was missing. As I have journeyed to understand the reasons people become unwell, I continued to return to the concept of balance. I began to see the issues people presented with was not the issue but rather an alert telling the body something is wrong. These alerts were sometimes subtle and sometimes so loud that it was impacting daily life. For me the focus was to understand how to find the cause of these alerts. This is how I created the four pillars of health. I believe in the balance of life there are four core pillars: physical, mental, spiritual, and environmental. Each of these pillars dictate the human existence and the ability to thrive within it. Physical consists of the human body, mental consists of thoughts and emotions, spiritual consists of your values and belief on existence, and environment consists of your connections with the natural world. When one of these pillars change the rest of the pillars will respond causing a chain reaction throughout a person’s life. I believe in these reactions is where find the symptoms of illness. Numerous symptoms in numerous domains which ultimately have a root cause. I believe when you move past the symptoms and find the cause you can create balance which leads to healing. So, if you find yourself not feeling the way you would like. Maybe its your emotions or your cognition. Maybe it’s your waistline or the fatigue you feel after a short walk. No matter the issues there is a cause and there is hope for a balance.