HIPPOCRATES, THE FATHER OF MEDICINE!

Hippocrates' wisdom was way before its time. Even today, our health would be greatly improved if we would follow the following very basic principles.

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”-Hippocrates (377-460 BC), the “Father of Medicine” was on to something, unfortunately 2400 years later, we in America have not followed through. We view drugs as our medicine and that premise has left our country the richest, but the sickest in the world.

Much of Hippocrates wisdom transcends all time as even now the Hippocratic Oath governs the ethical conduct of physicians today. How much better would our health be today if we just followed that one simple quote, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”?

I am constantly reiterating the same message, “you can take ownership of your own health”. Hippocrates knew this in 460 BC. Read what he had to say then, and reflect on how true his statements still are today.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

The US spends more on drugs and procedures than any country in the world. We need to take a hard look at what really works. Drugs are just that, toxins that treat symptoms while the disease continues on. It seems so simple to develop habits (ounces of prevention) that will keep us from disease so we do not have to pay for it later (pound of cure).

“Everything in excess is opposed to nature”

Most people know about free radicals and how they attack our body and create disease. But, did you realize that one of the easiest ways to create an abundance of free radicals was by over-eating? Yes, the extra work put upon the mitochondria in each and every cell creates tremendous damage to the body. In this instance, “excess” kills.

“To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy”

Rest, recovery and recuperation give the body the opportunity to “remedy” the overworked glands and organs, or more specifically, the immune and endocrine systems. Today with all the “chronic” stresses in our lives, we need to manage our stress or this constant will cause illnesses and disease.

“Walking is a man's best medicine”

Walking should not be looked upon as a calorie burner, but a stress manager. Nice walks with a low and constant heart rate helps the body decrease stress levels and improve bodily function. Even the opportunity to get a little bit of the beneficial sun can do wonders for one’s overall health.

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health”

No arguments here. We have come to a time in the history of America that less and less people are dying of “old age”, and more and more people are dying of “disease”. Why? Well, we need to value what Hippocrates said about the value of PROPER nourishment and exercise, because it is the “safest way to health”.

If I could sum up Hippocrates work it would be this; the human body can heal itself and can return itself to good health. This fundamental truth will move people, adults and children alike, toward not only improved longevity but a better quality of life as well.