Unit 9/Final Project

So here is is guys! The dreaded week 9 Project! LOL!!! Enjoy reading! I hope it copies and pastes ok, these projects always look so much better in word! I have enjoyed having all of you in class!

Integral Health

                Integral health is a key to fulfillment of health and happiness in life. To begin this process we need to learn what integral health really is and how to use it to our benefit. Then we have to assess our own situation and see what changes we need to make and what programs and ideas we need to adopt to foster health in our own lives.  We then need to focus on our goals and do what we can to attain them. To have complete integral health we need to have a plan to follow. Last we need to commit to the activities and programs we have chosen so that we can achieve and maintain our process of integral health.

                Integral health is a term that is somewhat new in the western forefront. Many people hear it and think that it is a new age fantasy that only hippies must embrace, but that is not it at all. We are used to modern medicine which is based more on treating the body, rather than treating the whole self. Integral health focuses on all aspects of oneself, the psychological, spiritual and physical realms. When integral health is achieved we are able to determine the cause of illness and discover a proper path of treatment. As a health and wellness practitioner it is key to engage in integral health practices so that you can show your patients how well it works for you and spur them to do the same. When you practice integral health you will be healthier in all aspects of your life so you will be able to share that health with the ones around you including patients you see. It is important to set goals and see how far you have come through the years. It is necessary to see how your health has improved since beginning your journey through integral health. Once you have met these goals you can begin to show others how to do the same thing. It is necessary to learn as much as you can about different techniques so that you will be able to teach others how to do them and see what works best for them. It is also important to understand that not everything will work for everyone, so when teaching or counseling in this you need to be open yourself. Practitioners often tend to rely on what they have learned and only teach that. In the integral health field it is necessary to understand that there are many ways to do everything and many different things to do. Integral health practitioners have a rare opportunity to reach people in many ways, whereas practitioners of western health care normally only see patients in hospitals and medical center settings. So much research has been done in this field to prove that there is a mind body connection. Candace Pert led some important research in this field, when she discovered a series of body proteins called neuropeptides, that circulate throughout the body and carry messages back and forth (Dacher, 2006).  This research proved that the systems in the body work together, and in a way talk to each other. This means that they can actually affect the way that each other function. Dr. Peter Schnall also completed some important research about stress in the workplace (Dacher, 2006). His research proved that stress is only experienced if one perceives it as stress, mid-level business managers who loved their jobs were more likely to enjoy the stressors of the workplace where as people who disliked their jobs were more likely to feel the effects of the stress (Dacher, 2006). This shows us that an integral health program is something that we all need to embrace to make sure that our bodies are functioning properly as well as our minds.

                It is important to understand yourself and see where you need to focus more attention. One way of doing this is by preforming a self-assessment. I am personally new to integral health so I like to look at every area and see where I can use some work. Psychologically I need to work on having more self-confidence and self-esteem. I often have issues remembering that even though my life may not be on the path I originally assumed it would follow, I will still one day get to where I want to be and hopefully help people who have had to go through the same type of experiences as I have. Spiritually I need to focus more on finding a connection to myself and becoming more spiritual in my practices. I need to work on loving myself and keep up my practices of loving kindness. I need to learn to be interconnected with my thoughts and feelings and seek what I truly need in life. Physically I need to maintain good health and continue to work on losing weight and toning my body. Especially now, I need to keep a balanced diet and to maintain a low blood pressure during my pregnancy.  Physical health is an aspect I believe to be necessary. We need to focus on our bodies more and learn what they need and give it to them when they need it. Laziness is not a way to foster health, so I will be implementing little things as I continue on with my pregnancy. According to my physician I will be going on full mandatory bed rest soon to protect myself and the baby, so I will take up small things like quilting and crocheting. Other things that I can do from bed to foster physical health are stretches and meditation.

                Now that an assessment has been made, all the areas need to be focused on and goals need to be set. A psychological goal that I could make would be using mantras to help me remember that I am doing well and I am worth it and life is good. I could say or think something along the lines of “I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.” I could plan to practice this often to plant feelings of happiness and wholeness, and then gradually begin to work with my family to make sure these values are instilled. I could also seek holistic counseling to learn how to control my feelings more efficiently. Spiritually I need to set a goal of maintaining the loving kindness activity on a regular basis. Because if we learn to love ourselves first then we will be able to share and spread that love to others around us. I need to become more interconnected with myself so I will keep a journal, so that I will be able to read my thoughts and see how I am really feeling and make sure that I understand myself. Physically I will keep up my power walking, yoga and meditation practices. After pregnancy I will begin a biking and a fitness program. I will also continue to cook and eat healthy and organically.  Working on achieving all these goals will assist me in achieving integral health.

                Implementing strategies in each of these areas is another step in the integral health process. Psychologically a practice that I could do to maintain optimal health is positive visualization. When using this method I could concentrate on things that are really bothering me, such as a test, and imagine myself doing well on it and getting an A. Another exercise I could do to maintain psychological health could be keeping up with mental fitness and keeping my mind strong. Although I will most likely never be a mental Olympian, I can still try to learn as much as I can to ensure that I am on top of my game.  A spiritual practice that I could do to promote health both spiritually and physically could be a form of martial arts such as Tai Chi Chuan.  By doing this I would become more interconnected with my spiritual side. Another spiritual influence I believe would be perfectly implemented would be painting. I would love to just take some time for myself and paint what I am feeling at the time with no goal other than self-expression.  Some physical exercises that I could use to benefit my integral health process are flexibility exercises and aerobic exercises. Some of the flexibility exercises that I could do are stretching and yoga. Some aerobic exercises I could do right now are swimming and power walking. After giving birth I could implement more things such as hiking, tennis, bicycling and running. Each of these will work to create health in my life. With any exercise a good cool down is necessary as well, so I would also continue with my meditative practices to keep my mind open and clear.

                With any program commitment is necessary. Making sure to choose activities that I feel comfortable doing and know I will do was the first step to committing to them. Short term goals of practicing these things once this week would be a great start. Then when it feels comfortable I would move up to two, then three times weekly to support my health program.  After that I would set monthly goals. Once I achieved a one month process, I would go to a six month achievement process. I believe that once you have been doing these things for a certain time they begin to become routine and I would not have to worry about remembering what to do, or how to do it, or when to do it. Some strategies that can be used to make sure that all programs are followed can be charting and scheduling. By using a computer program and imputing times and days I could make sure that I complete each activity. By doing this I could also be able to see if I miss something so that I can complete it at a later date. I can also begin to shop at stores that have more organic items and make sure that I am not tempted to purchase foods that would not be as acceptable.

                To maintain our own integral health steps have to be followed. We first had to learn about what integral health is. Then we had to assess ourselves in all aspects of integral health. From there we had to choose areas that needed work and develop plans to ensure that we met the needs of each area. From there we had to determine what practices would be best to use to make our goals become a reality. Last we had to decide how to commit to the goals set forth and see how to follow them in the future to get the best benefits from our integral health process. This has made it so that we will have a more accurate view of what we need to do to foster health in our own lives and how to support every area of our mental self. 

Reference:

Dacher, E. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publications, Inc., Laguna Beach, CA.