The Five Pillars of Health

Guiding Principles for a Healthy Life

If you are considering becoming, or have recently become a member of this practice, I want to understand my guiding philosophy. This sets the foundation for the way I approach promoting the health of my patients and preventing disease. It does not ignore the necessity of appropriate treatments and medicines, but underlies the pursuit of optimal health. My philosophy is this:

If one desires a healthy life, one must eat right, sleep well, exercise regularly, belong in a community, and love oneself. 

You may think, “Easier said than done.” But once you’ve integrated these truths into your way of life, you’ll never again think of doing life any other way.

The Five Pillars

These five pillars serve to allow your body, biologically, to be in its optimal state with the most efficient functioning. These pillars fuel and regulate the innate, genetically-coded systems that allow a human being to thrive and flourish, as well as help us adapt to and overcome stressors and adverse conditions.

Optimizing these Five Pillars will not only result in a healthy life, but also a longer life.

They are:

Sleep: Getting regular, quality sleep

Nutrition: Eating real, healthy food

Exercise: Moving and using one’s body well and often

Relationships with Others: Being in meaningful and fulfilling relationships

Relationship with Self: Loving and knowing oneself

In our work together, as your Integrative Health provider, coach, and advocate, every condition we address or disease we prevent starts by optimizing these Five Pillars of Health.

A disease whose cause lies in a deficiency of one or more of these can never be cured by allopathic medicine (the use of remedies) alone.

If the underlying cause is not addressed, most medicines only manage the symptoms and prevent further damage to the body.

An Integrative Approach

These Pillars not only support your mental health and physical health, but they also support each other in surprising ways.

For instance, exercise is known to trigger a release of endorphins – a “feel-good” hormone – that positively affects mood. It can boost confidence and self-esteem, which aids in healthy socialization. It also can increase the desire to choose healthier foods, and improve the quality of sleep the following night.

Alternatively, a deficiency in one can affect the others as they strain to compensate for the extra burden.

For example, if I don’t get enough sleep – 7 hours minimum for me – then I typically crave extra food and sugar all day long, leading to a poorer mood. I might also neglect to exercise due to the fatigue. I might decide to stay home instead of going out, only to end up doomscrolling on the couch, alone, instead.

See what I mean? Something as simple as getting 30 minutes less of sleep can lead to deficits in all the other Pillars.

If you do decide to become a member of this Practice, I encourage you to think about your health in light of these Five Pillars. Consider what your body needs –

• how much sleep do you need to feel good;
• what foods serve your body well;
• which ways of moving help you feel alive and strong?

Consider, too, the relationships that are healthy and life-giving – those people and communities that bring you joy.

Lastly, consider your beliefs about yourself, or mindsets you hold, that either support or hinder you in achieving your personal goals.

If you’re ready to get to work building a healthy life that will carry you to the finish line, get in touch. I’m ready when you are.