Addressing the 5 “Essential Pillars of Health”

In over 34 years as a Medical Scientist and Naturopath, I have seen and helped some very complex conditions ranging from recurrent miscarriage; fertility challenges; autoimmune diseases; low energy; allergies; digestive conditions like IBS and constipation, and sluggish metabolism to Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease or people with a family history of cancer who want to reduce their risk in the future. It’s easy to get bogged down with various pathologies & treatment protocols. I also am on a never-ending journey of learning by attending seminars, reading and working out what helps my clients by experience. One really interesting resource is Dan Beuttner’s book “The Blue Zones” which describes several areas in the world where people routinely live to their 100^th birthday and beyond.

With my background as a Medical Scientist and Naturopath I like to investigate and work out the underlying ‘drivers’ behind someone’s presenting concern. But the longer I stay in practice, the more importance I place on focussing on my 5 “Essential Pillars of Health’ as the first step in helping most health conditions and optimise healthy ageing.

So I will describe these foundations for health that work on improving where needed when dealing with my clients. I also emphasise these basics when I mentor students & other Health Practitioners. Perhaps you could use it as a simple checklist for you to work on to get a head start with whatever health issues you may be dealing with, or to stay on top of your current health and reduce your risk of chronic disease.

1. Sleep

Restorative sleep is essential for healthy immune function, hormones, energy and sanity. Sleep can be influenced by many things including an overactive mind, stress, hormone imbalance (especially in early parenthood and around the menopausal years), sleep apnoea, mineral imbalance, poor digestion and electromagnetic radiation exposure. The ideal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours for an adult. My ‘sleep hygiene’ handout describes setting a routine, turning off the computer and screen after a set time (say 9.30pm at the latest), reducing caffeine through the day, having a warm bath with lavender oil,  and use various targeted support where required. My favourites products that can be prescribed by practitioners include “Neurocalm Sleep” (a Metagenics product);  GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), an amino acid that is a building block for sleep hormones that also helps anxiety; a herbal tonic I mix up with herbs that might  include Withania, Chamomile, Valerian  Zizyphus and Passionflower with Flower Essences, and a calming magnesium powder. In some circumstances such as shift work or international flights, or if there has been a history of breast cancer, I recommend Melatonin, especially when sleep problems are caused by changes in diurnal rhythms. There are also some sleep great apps – my favourite at the moment is “Insight Timer” – a free app that opens up numerous options depending on how much time you have.

2. Stress

Stress seems to be one of the scourges of modern society. Stress comes from many sources including finances, relationships, family dynamics, work, environmental, taking on too much responsibility, situational stress (such as being a carer of an elderly parent or disabled child) and poor health. Sometimes we can’t change the stressor, but change our attitude, like forgiving people who have hurt us in the past and moving on or try to live within our budget and being grateful for what we have (and not be concerned about others perceived wealth). Learning to say no can be a useful skill, especially for women. Learning some mediation techniques can help us become more resilient to stressors. A free ap that I use myself and frequently recommend is ‘Insight Timer”, that unlocks a host of free guided visualisations.

Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from the stress (e.g. change jobs or leave a relationship). Sometime setting boundaries about acceptable behaviour is needed to protect ourselves from poor work practices or negative people. Whatever the source of stress, we can make ourselves more resilient by eating well, sharing our feelings and speaking to people who can help (like a non-judgemental family member, friend, counsellor or psychologist); ensuring we exercise and eat well, and take targeted support if need be. My favourite supportive nutrients are magnesium (particularly a calming powder with some extra nervous system support); omega 3 oils and B vitamins. There are a variety of herbal tablets, depending on presenting symptoms. Some people are ‘wired and tired’; ‘stressed irritable and moody’; ‘anxious and tense’ or “flat and exhausted” and I choose accordingly after my clients fill in a short questionnaire to determine which product might suit best. Or I make up a personalised herbal tonic and add in some flower essences to address the emotional component and may refer for counselling or hypnotherapy. This blog may be helpful: https://www.holistichealth.com.au/why-am-i-feeling-depressed-or-anxious-how-your-gut-can-affect-mood/

3. Healthy Eating

I can cite many examples of people who know they feel so much better, think clearer and have more energy when they eat well. However sometimes we spiral into a downhill spiral when we go off track with our eating, then say to ourselves ‘stuff it, I’ve been bad, what difference is another donut/slice of pizza or takeaway meal going to make anyway or, “I’m too tired to prepare anything” excuse.

If you think about it, we are what we eat and absorb. Nutrients vital to a healthy nervous system includes magnesium (rich in leafy greens, nuts/seeds and whole grains); B vitamins, (rich in whole food including oats and whole grains, legumes, leafy greens, dairy and meat); and omega 3 fats from fish, flaxseed and fish oils. Processed food is mostly stripped of nutritional value, so our eating ideally comes from the fresh produce section of the supermarket or farmer’s market; avoiding packaged products. I recommend lean protein meals with veggies or salad with an oil and vinegar or lemon juice dressing and a small serve of low GI carbohydrates for 2 meals a day; and a healthy breakfast of porridge with a seeds mix; sourdough toast with avocado and goat’s cheese or eggs; or yoghurt, fresh fruit and seeds/nut mix. Here is a week’s meal plan to trial: https://www.taste.com.au/healthy/menus/mediterranean-diet-7-day-meal-plan/fjuiblpc

4. Movement

I’m sure we all well aware that exercise is essential for a healthy life. It may be difficult to believe but there are still many of my clients who don’t make the time to move in their daily life. Our ancestors walked around 18,000 steps daily but many of us have sedentary jobs or watch TV in our down time and barely get to the recommended 10,000 steps. The common saying “Sitting is the new smoking” is supported be research that being sedentary increases inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation is one of the main drivers for most health conditions including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Movement does not need to be a chore or grudging gym workout rather something we enjoy and schedule regularly into our life like cleaning our teeth. The fictitious ‘spare’ time never happens. Some ideas are parking further away from our destination, getting off the public transport a stop earlier, doing squats while you brush your teeth or wait for the kettle to boil, enrolling in a dance class, doing Zumba class in your lounge room on YouTube or participating in a free group fitness class outdoors like “Live Life get Active” run by the local council in Melbourne and Sydney – whatever it takes to get you moving!

5. Relationships

Relationships are the cause of both intense joy and heartache. The most important relationship is with ourselves – ensuring we eat nourishing food, make time to relax, exercise and nurture ourselves and set healthy boundaries with others. If we are not content with ourselves, we cannot rely on someone else to make ourselves complete. If you have a significant other, I liken maintaining healthy relationships to looking after a car. They need petrol (regular loving interactions), regular servicing (e.g. a ‘date night’ or weekend away) and the odd roadside assistance (relationship counselling if your partner is a willing participant). I encourage my couples to read “Men are from Mars, Women from Venus” as men and women’s brains are really hardwired differently. I also highly recommend a book “The 5 Languages of Love”. It explains that we each have one or two main “love languages”: The gifts of service (doing things like mowing the lawn or making a cup of tea); time (being there); gifts (like flowers or jewellery); words of affirmation and physical affection. Problems can arise when there is discrepancy between a couple’s love languages. For example, if your love language is gifts and your partner’s is action, you may buy him something thinking that you are showing him love but he might not really care and shrug it off, hurting you in the process. However, he might feel he is showing you love by emptying the dishwasher, but you might wonder why he never buys you flowers. There are online quizzes to determine what your top love languages are – it’s something I encourage partners going through a tough time to each do and compare notes. But why wait until you are experiencing problems – do some proactive work! Another book I like is “Really Relating – How to Build and Enduring Relationship” by David Jansen and Margaret Newman. It has some great conflict strategies and super sensible advice.

The ‘Drivers’ of ageing.

There are 3 main drivers behind us developing aging and chronic illnesses including cancer, diabetes, cognitive health decline and heart disease. I will briefly explain these ‘drivers’ and how we can measure and address them to help prevent illness and assist in optimising our health

1. Inflammation:
2. Insulin resistance
3. Oxidative Stress

1. Inflammation is a good thing when we hurt ourselves or get a bacterial infection. Our body’s temperature rises, we feel pain and perhaps swelling. These signs tell us not to walk on our damaged knee or play football when sick. However when inflammation becomes chronic (lasts a long time in a low rumbling state) it causes grief in our body. Low grade inflammation can be the reason a healthy non-smoking adult with normal cholesterol levels might drop dead on the squash court. Fortunately inflammation can be measured in the blood through your GP with a test called hsCRP (standing for high sensitive C-reactive protein). Ideally it should be less than 1. Low grade inflammation can be caused be a low grade infection, excessive fat, autoimmune disease, food sensitivities and should be addressed. See my blog: https://www.holistichealth.com.au/natural-support-for-pain-inflammation-and-arthritic-conditions/
2. Insulin resistance is when your body makes adequate insulin (the hormone that shunts glucose into the cells) but the body doesn’t respond appropriately resulting in elevated glucose blood levels. This leads to higher levels of insulin as the body tried to compensate to reduce the glucose levels by making more insulin, but an anemone-like effect occurs and fat starts storing around the abdomen. This is in contrast to type 1 diabetes where your pancreas can’t manufacturer insulin. Insulin resistance seems to be the scourge of modern society – the telltale signs is abdominal obesity – tummy fat. This condition is a precursor to or seen in Type 2 diabetes, dementia, PCOD (polycystic ovarian syndrome), some cancers and cardiovascular disease. It can be measured by checking fasting insulin, HbA1C (a long term marker for sugar levels) and fasting glucose (ideal <5.5). If you have been diagnosed with insulin resistance you can improve things using exercise, dietary changes (reducing sugar and refined carbohydrates) and targeted nutrients such as chromium, Magnesium, Lipoic acid, herbs like Nigella and Gymnema. It’s best under supervision of a health professional to monitor, manage and motivate effective change. See my blog: https://www.holistichealth.com.au/5-top-tips-for-reducing-type-2-diabetic-risk-and-insulin-resistance/
3. Oxidative Stress – There is a tug of war going on all the time inside our bodies between the ‘good’ guys (antioxidants in fruit, green tea, red wine, salads and veggies) and the ‘bad’ guys – (from excessive fat, low vitamin D levels, inflammation, insufficient or excessive exercise, toxins, heavy metals etc.) In the perfect situation, the body’s normal cellular repair functions are able to repair the damage caused from the ‘baddies’. However, if an individual has an elevated level of free radicals and not enough antioxidants to balance them, cellular damage results from oxidative stress (OS). If this is unaddressed it can seriously affect health and performance from mild complaints like fatigue and numerous health issues including serious illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. It can also impact fertility as oxidative stress adversely affects the health of eggs and sperm. You can measure levels of oxidative stress markers through functional labs like Nutripath: https://nutripath.com.au/analyte/oxidative-damage-and-antioxidant-markers/

People who have never seen a Naturopath before sometimes wonder what they do. There are many fields of Naturopathy, and you could go to 10 different Naturopaths and have 10 quite different experiences. However, if we get these basic 5 ‘pillars’ sorted, and check for and address the ‘drivers’ of ill health, we are well on the road to good health and longevity.

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Updated March 2023
www.holistichealth.com.au; E: doreen@holistichealth.com.au