The magic is in ourselves, not a pill
February 5, 2010
By Trisha McCaul
We human beings are funny creatures. In working with the public for 16 years, I’ve seen a lot of the curious mental and emotional machinery that makes us tick. Something that consistently recurs is the eternal quest for the elusive “Magic Pill.” Pharmaceutical advertisements are particularly adept at bombarding us with claims of cures for ailments, real and imagined. Alternative medicine gurus also promise youth, vitality, strength and mental brilliance with just one supplement – and it’s only $19.95. Marketing magic doesn’t counsel that we can’t continue to shun clean water and food and keep putting our bodies through a barrage of physical, mental and emotional stressors. We’d rather that “there’s a pill for that.”
Here’s the bittersweet truth: The “Magic Pill” is a myth.
Of course, herbs, supplements and pharmaceuticals have helped countless people with serious health conditions. We should recognize however, that most often, we’re addressing symptoms of dis-ease. We’re prone to putting band-aids on the symptoms and avoiding the causes. Optimal wellness is encouraged and supported by changing the behaviors, the causes of dis-ease.
On that note, here’s a list of active behaviors that preclude (to a very significant extent) the need for band-aid and Magic Pill treatments.
- Eat your fruits and vegetables. This has been said so many times it’s cliché. Yet, despite endless counsel from grandmothers to government agencies, the average American still only eats 1-½ servings of vegetables and one serving of fruits every day. The recommended daily diet should include at least 5 servings of both per day.
- Drink plenty of water. To figure out how much you need every day, divide your body weight in half, and drink that many ounces. Example: A 100-lb. person would drink 50 ounces of water every day. (100 ÷2 = 50).
- Exercise – Walk – dance. Move your body.
- Get outdoors. Treat yourself to sunshine and fresh air.
These suggestions deal mostly with the physical body. The emotions and the spirit must also be addressed. Lack of emotional fulfillment and/or stressful lifestyle choices don’t serve us.
Support your emotional and spiritual health:
- Keep a journal. Writing in the morning helps to clear the mind. It doesn’t have to be special, just what’s on your mind.
- Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do. Most people have a secret aspiration. Often we avoid it because it requires getting out of our comfort zones. Take the class you’ve been thinking about. Take the trip you’ve been promising yourself. Submit a story to a publisher. You’ve much to gain, and nothing to lose.
- Practice stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, or prayer.
- At least once a month, write a list of everything you’re grateful for. Simple gratitude often puts “problems” into perspective.
- Don’t judge yourself if sometimes you’re not “happy.” Chronic, long-term depression can require the assistance of a qualified healthcare practitioner. Brief periods of feeling disheartened are normal. In our Walmart happy-face, denial-based society, we often think something is wrong with us if we’re sad or depressed. The presence of those feelings doesn’t necessarily mean that something is “wrong” with us. Looking at our world, there’s much cause for joy and laughter, as well as for feelings of sadness and disillusionment. These are perfectly natural and rational responses. In the whole of the human experience, both sadness and joy are present. To honestly recognize them, and feel them is necessary to our wholeness of being.
- A healthy physical lifestyle and respect for our emotional and spiritual well-being brings genuine vitality and wellness. Then we aren’t prey to the next magic pill promise. We don’t want it, we don’t need it. We recognize that we can bring all the magic we need into our experience through choosing to take back control of our own lives.
Sources
Herbes, Kirsten. “Dietary Trends, American.” FAQS. <Http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Diab-Em/Dietary-Trends-American.html> (15 Jan 2010).
Lichtenstein, Alice H. “How Many Portions of Fruits and Vegetables Should I Eat A Day?”
ABC News. <Http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseRisks/story?id=4218214> (15 Jan 2010).
Trish McCaul is a long-time student and adviser in the field of herbal medicine, and is assistant manager of the vitamin and supplement department at Mountain View Market. Her responsibilities require a wide knowledge of herbal and nutritional supplements. She is founder and owner of Mother McCaul’s, a line of locally hand-made organic and wildcrafted herbal health and body care products.
Editor’s note: The tips and suggestions in the article are not intended as medical advice.
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Thank you so much for this wonderful, well researched article, Trisha. I wish your message would be heard every evening during the national news on TV, instead of the glorification of prescription drugs. Imagine what a wonderful awakening society we would have, not numbed and dumbed by drugs.