Integral Health Plan

Integral Health Plan

Integral Health is a concept that embraces developing and fostering all aspects of human health including physical, emotional, and spiritual health.  Its philosophy promotes reaching the highest level of health, human flourishing, by working through a series of steps that address emotional and spiritual issues so that the human reaches a level of peace and harmony wherein the body is able to heal itself.  By achieving human flourishing, the body is not only able to heal itself, but the many diseases brought on by chronic stress such as heart disease, digestive disorders, sleep disturbances, and even some kinds of cancers, can be prevented altogether (Dacher, 2006).

It is important for the health and wellness professional to realize that the mind/body connection is real.  When an individual is suffering from poor physical health, it is important to prescribe activities that will foster better nutrition and physical activity.  When we are physically sluggish, it is difficult to deal with the others areas of wellness; emotional and spiritual.  Our thought patterns, how we deal with stress and stressful situations, and our overall attitudes, all have a profound effect on the body and its ability to ward off illness and disease.  By addressing emotional health issues and learning more effective coping mechanisms individuals promote a more balanced mind/body harmony.  Spiritual development is also an important factor as it allows one to feel connected to God, have fellowship with a community of believers, and make sense of their purpose in life (Dacher, 2006).

I personally struggle in the areas of physical and emotional health, with spiritual health being my most developed and satisfying area of development.  This goes completely against Dacher’s philosophy that in order to have spiritual development you have to be “whole” physically and emotionally.

My physical health is a work in progress.  I have lost a significant amount of weight in the last five years, but hit a wall and have not concentrated on weight loss for over two years now, to my detriment.  I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so I have refocused my efforts on losing the last 70 pounds I need to lose and am so excited to state that I hit a short-term weight loss goal this week!  In addition to my long-term weight loss goal, I have also set a goal to begin my walking program again.  I have the program mapped out and am figuring out the timing in order to fit it in to my busy day.  I also have a goal to continue to watch my carbohydrate intake to promote a healthier diet to support my diabetes diagnoses.  My emotional health has taken a beating over the last several years as I went through a separation and eventual divorce.  My self-esteem was pretty much shattered.  I have had extensive counseling and can say that I have come a long way in five years but still struggle with feelings of self-worth often.  My goal is to rid myself of these negative thought patterns.  This is where my wonderful spiritual life comes in to play, because God’s word tells me I am uniquely created and loved and this is a great sense of comfort and truth for me.  I have grown so much in my spiritual walk through this time, I plan to continue to study the Bible and a goal I have is to join a small group Bible study that is starting at my church in a few weeks.

My practices for personal health include physical exercise and a nutritional diet.  My physical exercise will include a walking program, and I am hoping to re-join the gym soon to start aquatic exercise again.  My habits for good nutrition include planning ahead and cooking at home as much as possible so that I have control over the way my food is cooked and portion sizes.  I can eat more whole foods and have healthy leftovers for lunch.  The practices for my emotional health include continued counseling, and eliminating the negative self-talk and replacing that with positive self-talk.  Spiritual health practices include reading my Bible, spending quiet time meditating on what God’s word has to say to me, and continuing to go to church every week.

The areas in which I need the most growth will be easy to measure by getting on the scale and testing my blood glucose levels, which I do daily.  As I work toward being more physically active and eating better, it should show on the scales with consistent weight loss.  These steps should also help me control my blood glucose which is also easily measured.  Since I have a chronic disease in which diet and exercise play a major role, I will have to maintain these goals for a lifetime in order to manage my disease.  The complications that can come from not managing my diabetes are a motivator for me to continue on this path to wellness.  Emotionally, I cannot imagine incorporating many of the techniques learned in this class on a routine basis.  I enjoy the meditative techniques such as visualization and find them relaxing, but as far as the mental exercises we practiced in this course, I did not get anything out of them other that a sense that practicing breathing techniques is a successful way to reduce stress.  I will incorporate that technique often.  As for my spiritual health, I cannot ever imagine I will not trust and follow the God of the universe that created me and loves me and has a purpose for my life.  Continuing my Bible study and prayer will help me in my spiritual growth.

Reference

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: the Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.