Moving Toward Life
For 125 years, chiropractors have been talking about moving toward life and the innate ability of the body to function, heal and repair. Our capacity to resist and/or recover from physical, mental and chemical stresses depends on the nerve system’s ability to recognize and respond to those changes in our environment. We can see life stresses as opportunity for growth and gain, and not just negative events to avoid at all costs. Physical pressure is helpful for lobsters. When a lobster grows, the pressure of its body against the shell is what stimulates the molting process where a new, larger shell houses the lobster.
I first learned about this word a few years ago. It’s become more popular in discussions about health, especially over the last several months. It’s an important distinction to notice, because our actions will always follow our beliefs. The health choices we make for ourselves and our children depend on what type of ‘lens’ we look through.
Salutogenesis
Salutogenesis is “an approach to human health that examines the factors contributing to the promotion and maintenance of physical and mental well-being rather than disease, with particular emphasis on the coping mechanisms of individuals which help preserve health despite stressful conditions.”
Paradigm Shift
This approach is much different than the mainstream medical view of health. Our current “health” care, called pathogenesis, focuses on the treatment of symptoms, conditions and diseases and has little to do with “promotion and maintenance” of health. Here’s a chart to explain the differences:
Sick Care or Health Care?
You can see how vastly different these two views are. The underlying idea here is that you are responsible for your health, not someone else. I’m thankful that we have intervention-driven medical care, emergency rooms and hospitals. These will never create health, but they can get save us in times of crisis