The basics of staying healthy, part 2 *

Everyone gets sick, there is no way to escape that. But there are things you can do to prevent or postpone it and once you're down, there are very efficient ways to speed up your healing.

In Chinese medicine, specifically the Five Element acupuncture, each person has a set of organs that they use more than other organs. We come with this propensity and it is called the CF or: causative factor. (please look at my previous posts for more detail).

Everyone has a CF but everyone also has all of the other organs so we all have a great range of variation in personality, interests, choices. The healthier you are, the harder it is to see what your CF is. But the theory says every person has one and in several decades of observing humans through this lense, I have never met anyone who is an exception.

Knowing your CF gives you a chance to not just better understand your behavior and focus on optimizing it. Knowing your CF tells you which of your organs are likely to show weakness due to excessive use and therefore gives you an advantage of being able to assist your body and keep it functioning better.

If your CF is Earth (represented by Spleen and Stomach) you are likely to show desire to help others, worry more than other people, have weight and/or mouth issues and possibly find it hard to sleep past 7 or 9 am. Naturally, Earth type also has a tendency towards problems with stomach and spleen organs - ulcers, appetite issues, prolapse or constipation episodes.

And if you're a Earth CF, you should look for connection to Earth, walking barefoot or sitting on the ground, seeking stability in your daily life. You should stay away from sugar, intentionally address your worries, create plan Bs, even plan Cs so you can offset the tendency to worry.

Earth CF people like to connect and stay close to family, more than other types. That need that environment to thrive and they are best when actively taking care of their offspring. Their health will suffer in absence of family connections and they will need to address this if they value stability and long term health.

Earth CF person is likely to have variations in their body weight - it will be easy to gain a lot of weight in a short period of time. Naturally, this is not healthy and as they age, it will be noticably easier to gain than to lose pounds.

Earth CF person usually dislikes running but feels like walking or hiking in nature actually energizes them. Whatever feels like more fun should be done regularly and daily to create a nourishing routine.

Being pro-active and choosing prevention is the natural way to maintain health. Using the CF is not just powerful, it is a win win proposition because none of these things could bring any harm but could prevent disease and accelerate healing.