The last 70 years of pharmaceutical medicine have benefited humanity. Penicillin and other antibiotics save lives by killing bacteria and fighting infections. Antidepressants make people feel better, at least for a little bit, and ease suffering. People can think clearer and be more focused with stimulants and not be overwhelmed by pain with opiates.
However, as helpful as pharmaceutical drugs have been, their primary focus is on treating symptoms of illness and disease, not actual health.
Medication without exception does not get to the root cause of disease; it is reactionary medicine that eases side effects, often leaving addiction and chemical imbalance in its wake. Even antibiotics, one of medicines’ great advances, do not make the immune system stronger, and when overprescribed, create resistant bacteria that are more difficult to treat.
The biochemical model of health has served us, but the newer sciences of epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology are providing a clearer picture of health. These two scientific disciplines discuss the intimate connections between mind and body. Epigenetics covers how the environment influences gene expression, and psychoneuroimmunology describes how thoughts and emotions affect immune, endocrine, and nervous system function.
They are a greater understanding of health that shows that we are more than just the chemicals in our bodies. In fact, these two scientific systems declare that the chemicals our bodies produce, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as the strength of the immune system, are a response to thoughts, emotions, diet, exercise, and the environment.
Epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology further validate the holistic model of health. They explain why stress is so bad, why eating certain foods causes inflammation, and why daily movement and exercise improve health. Most importantly, they make clear how the body and mind are interconnected, how what you eat affects your mood and overall health, and what you think and feel affects your body.
The findings of epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology are in accord with the ancient teachings of yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, and Chinese medicine. They are congruent with modern forms of therapy, such as EMDR therapy, where it is taught to listen to emotions and pain instead of drowning them out with medication.
They recognize the human as a whole being, comprised of thoughts, emotions, food intake, movement, and environment. Negative feelings and pain in the body are a message. By tuning into the body’s wisdom and heading its messages, you heal yourself and find true wellness.
Holistic health is about taking your health back into your own hands. Epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology provide the science and explanation behind why it works. Still, it is up to you to start a wellness routine, heal trauma in the psyche, and eat health-giving foods. Change is not easy, but it has never been more straightforward, with epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology providing a clearer picture of health and healing practices such as EMDR therapy.
We welcome you to follow Leanna Organics’ blog; it is dedicated to holistic health and healing!
This article was written by Scott Mollenkopf, owner of Leanna Organics in Westminster, Colorado.
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