“Preventative health” is a term that I didn’t think much about before my health journey, but it’s one that’s tossed around often in natural wellness circles.  Wikipedia notes that preventative health “consists of measures taken for disease prevention, as opposed to disease treatment.”

Simply put, it’s the philosophy that the best way not to get sick is to prevent it.

Of course, we cannot prevent every single sickness.  That would be impossible.  We will always come in contact with viruses and bacteria and pathogens.  Especially when we live with kids 🙂  But as a society, we’ve been mostly taught to only approach sickness after we get sick.

What if there is a better way?

I believe that true prevention is living a lifestyle that empowers our bodies by giving them what they need, which enables our immune systems to stay strong.  That includes concepts like eating a nourishing diet, drinking plenty of water, getting quality sleep, and maintaining low stress levels on a regular basis.  By practicing self-care and being proactive before sickness strikes, we offer our bodies the extra help to fight off germs altogether, or at least to heal more quickly.  Given the right conditions, our bodies will do exactly what they were designed to do – be healthy.

And when we do catch the occasional sickness, which will definitely happen, we can help our bodies heal with extra sleep, extra relaxation, extra nourishing foods (avoiding sugar), and increased natural supports and supplements.

Preventative health means making our health our responsibility.

Yes, there are obvious exceptions, especially in cases of long term health issues.  I am not advocating that we avoid doctors and neglect to treat disease.  But we need to be empowered to support our bodies!  Though our genetics obviously play a role, we don’t have to be victims to them.  We can have hope that our bodies have the capability of healing themselves under the right conditions.  By giving our bodies what they need to thrive, we can help to prevent disease.

Preventative health is our responsibility – not the government, medical doctors, or pharmaceutical companies.

“Medical doctors aren’t trained in prevention.  What they are highly skilled in is diagnosing and treating disease through pharmaceutical and surgical procedures.  Consider, for instance, that doctors aren’t properly educated in nutrition – the foundation of health for every living being on this planet.  How can someone properly help you prevent disease if they aren’t equipped with the tools necessary to help your body ward off illness and heal itself?”

Eric Zielinski, DC., The Healing Power of Essential Oils (pg. 61)

We’ve been taught to see preventative health care simply as getting annual check-ups with our doctors.  But it is so much more than that!  Of course those appointments are important, but we can be even more proactive by supporting our bodies and giving them what they need on a consistent, regular basis.  Living a daily preventative and holistic lifestyle is the path to true health care.

We cannot live a fast food lifestyle while smoking, drinking, and eating whatever we want, and then expect a doctor to make all of those choices go away with a pill.  This kind of lifestyle simply will not prevent sickness.  And using essential oils and supplements to put band-aids on sicknesses won’t be effective if we aren’t living preventatively life otherwise.  I know from personal experience because it simply doesn’t work.  Oils and supplements should be used as a compliment to a holistic lifestyle in order to reap their full benefits.

Living a holistic lifestyle is true preventative health.

By adding small habits into our daily routines, we can all practice preventative health.  Over time, the new, healthy habits will crowd out the old, less healthy ones.  Here are 10 ways to get started:

1. Eat nourishing, wholesome foods that fuel our bodies
2. Get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night
3. Drink plenty of water
4. Maintain a consistent spiritual practice
5. Keep a positive attitude and find joy
6. Foster healthy social relationships
7. Practice small, daily self-care routines and minimize stress
8. Exercise and move our bodies, even in small doses
9. Eliminate environmental toxins and chemicals that can cause allergies and other diseases
10. Use essential oils and supplements to balance and support our bodies and immune systems

It can feel overwhelming to make lifestyle changes, I know.  But if it’s something you want to try, pick just one practice to work on implementing.  Just one.  New habits cannot be adopted all at once and they take time to truly become part of our lifestyle.  A holistic lifestyle is a journey, one that takes years, or even a lifetime, to fully embrace.  So start small and slowly work new habits into your routines.

When we know better, we can do better.