The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.”
- Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990
This week we bring you a quirky nursery rhyme that gives us a great check-list for a healthy lifestyle. It is elegant in its simplistic form, but is it as simple as it should be? Do we let these six doctors into our lives as regularly as we should be? Especially considering that they are all free!
This article by Aaron Depledge covers these six 'doctors' brilliantly!
SUNSHINE: This doctor has had such bad press that many people avoid it to the point that it is causing them health problems. Sunlight is the very BEST way to get Vitamin D (needed for: healthy bones, skin, digestion, joints, muscles, lung function, insulin secretion and also mental health. It is also linked to the treatment and prevention of diseases including cancer). Supplements should be just that, only used if you cannot get it naturally.
WATER: As a doctor, water is the ultimate health giver. We all need to drink more water. As a guide, if you feel thirsty then you are already dehydrated and negatively affecting your health. Your body needs water to carry out its daily functions. A car does not run without petrol, do not expect your body to run without water.
REST: Or as we intend to view it, SLEEP. 7-9 hours are viewed as the optimum number of hours for the body to maintain healthy function. In the short term a lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.
AIR: Air is only 21% Oxygen. Therefore we need to make the most of that 21%. Oxygen is our life line, 4 minutes without it and we are DEAD, a little more important than water! Our normal function is to breathe, however we do not breathe deeply enough as adults. Watch a baby breathe, it is called ‘abdominal breathing’, this makes best use of every percentage of oxygen.
EXERCISE: We were born to move, our bodies are complex systems of muscle, bone and joints whose primary function is MOVEMENT! Many common health issues revolve around us sitting down for too long. Move well, move often, but above all, move!
DIET: A word that conjures depriving yourself of anything good to eat! However, the word diet has its origins in the Greek word for lifestyle. Going on and off diets is not good for your health. Try to eat natural food, limit your intake of processed food, and increase your intake of vegetables and lean animal proteins. If this becomes your lifestyle then you will enjoy the health benefits and also reduce the risk of many diseases.
The best six doctors are there for us all to use and enjoy. Daily visits here will reduce visits to the more well known and expensive variety.
A daily example of making the most of the Best 6: After sleeping in a dark room for 8 hours, wake, stretch, drink water, go for a brisk walk in the fresh air enjoying the early morning sun. Return home for a breakfast of fresh natural food. There you go, all 6 doctors visited before you go to work. Now I know this is simplistic, however, it is possible if you CHOOSE to make it so.
The original article can be seen here.
The Hilton Chiropractic Team