Vitally has been better understood by traditional health specialists in some of the older cultures. In India it is called prana; in China it is called qi (chi); in Japan it’s ki; in Hebrew it’s called ruach; in new testament Greek it’s pneuma. In the West we used to call it vim, or vigor. Recently we call it bio-magnetic energy or vital energy. It is the subtle, basic energy that animates all the body’s functions. Perhaps it is best described as the breath of life breathed into every human being.

Most atoms (ions) carry a positive or negative charge. Most cells in the body carry a positive or negative charge. Every organ has its own quality and quantity of bio-magnetic energy. Vital energy is also organized into main pathways that circulate though the body. Key points along those pathways are manipulated by acupuncture and acupressure. In a practical sense, our Vitality is the energy we feel physically, how we feel emotionally, and our mental focus.

Our Vitality is also our emotions. What we habitually think and feel about ourselves, our Creator, other people, and our lives, can make us tired or energetic. Negative emotional habits interfere with our body’s usage of oxygen, nutrients and hormones and cause our blood to hold on to cellular wastes, which causes fatigue and systemic toxemia. Positive emotion (natural Vitality) promotes improvements in our blood quality.

Our emotions and our physical energy
are not only closely related
– they are the same thing!

Example: Several years ago I was cutting firewood out at the woodpile. I was in a worried mood. I was dwelling on some weighty problems I was faced with, and I was getting tired from cutting the firewood. Just as I decided to put down my ax and go into the house and rest, the phone rang.

The phone call was from a friend who had very exciting, positive news about a serious problem he had overcome. I was very happy for him. After the call I continued to think about my friend’s exciting good news. I went back out to the woodpile and cut wood for hours with no fatigue at all. I felt great!

What had changed? Where did all that energy come from? Instead of brooding about negative things in my life, I had thought about someone other than myself, and I had dwelt on positive things.

“A cheerful heart gives health to the bones.”

We all occasionally have experiences like mine at the woodpile. If we are in the habit of dwelling on the negative, it can lead to chronic tiredness and other chronic symptoms. Why not purposely practice dwelling on positive, worthwhile, healthy things the same way we would practice healthy physical exercise to make our bodies stronger? We would be a lot healthier emotionally and physically if we did.

Everything the body does burns up energy.

The body needs energy for basic physiologic activities – digestion, thinking, breathing, heartbeat, etc. The body also needs to clean up cellular waste products and toxins, and that takes energy. Then it needs energy for all our daily activities – work, play, study, etc.

When Vitality is chronically depleted, we lack energy for daily activities. Even worse, our body doesn’t have the energy it needs for it’s own upkeep. It gets behind in feeding, cleaning, repairing and protecting itself, so the body starts to break down, and symptoms must be produced eventually.

In many of the older cultures it has been understood for centuries that the lack of Vitality is at the core of all chronic symptoms. The very first thing that goes wrong is a drop of natural Vitality. Then the body’s processes start to subfunction… then illness follows. Modern people tend to think, “I’m sick, so I’m tired”. Really, a drop in natural vitality always precedes illness.

To preserve our health we must be more aware of the Vitality our body needs. Instead of thinking only about our immediate needs – enough energy to get our work done and get through the day – we need to provide an abundant supply so the body has enough energy to run itself and make repairs.

Our vitality is how we feel
both physically and emotionally.

The post Three Systemic Functions – Vitality Function appeared first on Systemic Health.

1. Incoming Impulses: Reports from the tissues and organs travel along neurons to the brain, which is then able to keep a running inventory on all the workings of the body. The brain monitors all physiological processes.

2. Outgoing Impulses: The brain sends out controlling, corrective commands through neurons to all the tissues and organs. The brain animates and controls all physiologic processes.

Any weakness or impairment of Neurological Function can prevent some commands from passing between the brain and the tissues. As Neurological Function gets weaker, brain and neurological symptoms and diseases often arise. Furthermore, since Neurological Function is systemic, it’s weakness can lead to symptoms anywhere in the body.

Also, the brain and nerves must be fed and cleaned by Blood Function just like any other tissues. In fact, the brain uses more oxygen and certain nutrients and hormones than any other organ.

Even slightly decreased
oxygen, nutrient or hormone levels in the brain
can cause poor mental clarity or memory,
or even serious neurological health problems.

Weak Neurological Function can appear as chronic pain, poor physical coordination, or slow learning ability. It can manifest as poor mental clarity (poor memory, concentration, etc.) and many other symptoms. Symptoms such as these should first be brought to the attention of a professional health care provider. However, a great deal can be accomplished toward improving Neurological Function, and therefore many chronic health problems, by using the techniques taught in The Systemic Health Recovery Course.

We’ll take a look at the third Systemic Function, Vitality Function, in the next post.

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Everyone’s body is different, so it is impossible to predict which tissues and organs will subfunction the most and which symptoms and illnesses will be produced first. The body can break down in many ways, producing many combinations of symptoms.

Knowing that it is weakness in the Three Systemic Functions that produces many different symptom combinations greatly simplifies the job of improving our health. The age old concept of Three Systemic Functions provides a very clear and useful way of understanding how the body works. Let’s take a closer look at each Systemic Function.

Blood Function

Blood Function includes three things: blood quality, blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.

1. Blood quality means the blood makeup or chemistry. Blood quality is determined by the right balance of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, enzymes, water, etc. It includes effective activity of white and red blood cells. The right amounts of cellular wastes in the blood – uric acid, lactic acid, carbonic acid, acetic acid, ammonia and others – also determines blood quality. The dynamic, balanced relationship between all of these elements is also considered part of blood quality. Finally, the concept of blood quality as defined here includes immune function. In fact it is blood quality as a whole that determines immunity and resistance to disease.

2. Blood circulation is the activity of our heart and blood vessels including the capillaries which are the smallest branches of the circulatory tree. It is at the capillary level that the actual exchange between blood and tissues (cells) takes place. When some of the capillaries become chronically constricted – as is the case with 90% of American adults – the bloodstream can’t feed the tissues as effectively. The bloodstream also cannot do the job of cleaning cellular wastes from the tissues effectively, so wastes store in the tissues and are then considered toxins.

Impaired feeding and cleaning of tissues
produces subfunctioning of tissue and organs,
which leads to many chronic health problems.

3. Lymphatic drainage works in conjunction with blood circulation to clean and protect the cells and tissues. Fluid is filtered from the blood through capillary walls into the microscopic spaces between cells (interstitial spaces) and is then called interstitial fluid. This interstitial fluid collects microbes and cellular wastes. Most of the interstitial fluid, laden with wastes, reenters the blood capillaries, but about 15% of it drains into an extensive network of one-way lymphatic capillaries that permeate tissues. At this point the fluid is called lymph or lymphatic fluid. In a healthy individual the lymph is quickly pumped by muscular action through special filters (lymph nodes) and then on to the bloodstream, which finally delivers waste products to the four systems of metabolic elimination (lungs, skin, kidneys and colon).

The metabolic cleaning process described above is essential for immunity and disease resistance. Unfortunately the process is often crippled by poor health habits to the point that we frequently fall prey to avoidable health problems.

The three point description of Blood Function outlined above has great practical value for understanding health and disease. Even though the details are complex, the overall concept is simple:

When cells are fed and cleaned effectively by healthy Blood Function, injured, weakened or fatigued tissues are more easily repaired and the body is protected from infection. If blood quality, blood circulation or lymphatic drainage are poor, cells and tissues are not fed and cleaned effectively and symptoms and illness of some kind are the inevitable result.

Each cell in the body
needs to be fed and cleaned effectively
or tissues will subfunction
and produce chronic health problems.

Poor health habits weaken Blood Function and prevent the effective feeding and cleaning of the cells and tissues. Because Blood Function is systemic, its weaknesses can lead to health problems anywhere in the body. Therefore, it is one of the most common causes of chronic health problems of many types.

We’ll take a look at the second Systemic Function, the Neurological Function, in the next post.

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In conventional health care there has been far too much emphasis on treating only localized symptoms (local functions). Responding to public demand, our health care professionals focus primarily on localized pain and on the failure of individual organs or glands. We need a shift in emphasis so that the system-wide problems that cause localized dysfunction in the first place are addressed.

For example headache is a pain localized in one specific part of the body. We’ve been taught to take medication to stop the pain. However, usually that pain is a valuable signal that something is wrong throughout the body (systemically).

Since poor Systemic Function is usually the cause of the symptoms in the first place, improving the health of the Systemic Functions usually reduces or eliminates chronic local symptoms.

For example, controlling headache pain with medication makes sense for the short term, because it gets us through our day more comfortably, and allows us to get our work done. However, along with this symptomatic treatment, we need to take action to resolve the problem long term. Discovering and eliminating the underlying cause of the headache is a realistic and important goal.

The results of conventional health care
prove that symptomatic treatment alone
does not overcome chronic conditions.

Poor results tend to multiply when symptomatic treatment is used exclusively. Symptomatic treatment alone tends to lead to complexity because it produces side effects which then require treatment, which usually leads to further side effects and so on. There is a cascade effect. The farther this approach is followed, the more complicated it becomes both for the physician and the patient.

Furthermore, when we fail to address root causes and weakened Systemic Functions, they produce other chronic conditions that are seemingly unrelated to the first set of symptoms.

By contrast, when we improve the health of our Three Systemic Functions, many different kinds of symptoms can be reduced or eliminated. It’s like treating the roots of a diseased tree instead of trying to treat each leaf. This approach makes it easier for the physician and the patient. There is an old saying in natural therapeutics:

Focusing on symptoms alone leads to complexity
and confusion for the physician and patient.
Focusing on Systemic Functions leads to simplicity
and clarity for the physician and patient.

The more we learn about Systemic Functions, the easier it is to regain and preserve our natural health and vitality. In the next post, we’ll take a closer look at each of the Three Systemic Functions.

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Most of us have lost track of what true health is.

We can’t remember what it feels like to be truly healthy. Even most health care professionals, who must necessarily focus on pathology (mechanisms of disease), are not clear about what normal health actually is.

True health is more than
freedom from diagnosable disease or sets of symptoms.

What we need is a clear definition of health that will help us realize the degree to which we’ve lost our health. With the aid of a clear definition we can see where we are, set realistic goals for improvement, and feel encouraged as we track our progress towards exciting new levels of health.

If you don’t know what the target is
you’re not likely to hit it.

Systemic Health provides us with a definition of normal health based on principles that have withstood the test of time. Over the centuries this definition and the principles underneath it have worked effectively in many different cultures with different kinds of people experiencing many different kinds of health problems. They have also, just as reliably, withstood modern clinical observation and application.

Be forewarned, however. The definition of health that follows may seem unrealistic to you now, but it is completely realistic – and attainable!

Restoring our health is
more than getting rid of symptoms.

Regaining your health is more than just getting rid of symptoms such as fatigue. It means getting out of bed early in the morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. It’s looking forward to the challenges of the day because you know you have the energy to meet them. It’s having a bounding energy all through the day. Even though you work hard, study hard, train hard and play hard. It’s having just as much vitality during the evening as you do in the morning. It’s being naturally sleepy at bed time, but not exhausted.

Health is more than just being free of symptoms
such as chronic pain.

It means experiencing a new feeling of lightness throughout your body; stretching the muscles and joints produces a pleasant feeling instead of stiffness or pain. Even if you didn’t notice that you had stiff joints before, when you regain your Systemic Health you realize how stiff they were compared to the new freedom of movement you enjoy. Stiffness develops so gradually over a long period of time that you may not have noticed the change.

Restoring your health means more than
just correcting digestive problems…

…and getting rid of symptoms such as abdominal gas and bloating. It’s regaining the highly refined sense of taste and smell you didn’t know you had lost! Foods taste more flavorful. Processed foods don’t taste as good and you find yourself drawn toward the flavors of natural, wholesome foods. You enjoy eating more than ever, but your appetite is back to normal and you no longer have exaggerated cravings or food sensitivities.

Restoring your health means more than
temporarily fighting off an infection.

Whether it’s a child’s chronic ear infection, a respiratory infection, or a more serious life-threatening infection, regaining your Systemic Health means that your immune system rarely allows any infection to get the upper hand.

Consider a quote by the man who taught this author how to restore his health. On the day that I met him, he said:

“If you could somehow experience for an hour
what it’s like to have your natural health and vitality back,
you would be amazed at how wonderful it feels!
You would do everything within your power
to regain it and keep it.”

Because I was very sick, those two sentences stuck in my mind. They became my battle cry! It was my inspiration to do my very best in the fight to regain my health. And he was absolutely right. When I fully regained my natural state of vitality and health, I was amazed at how wonderful it felt!

I felt like a completely new person.

I decided to become a teacher of health recovery and preservation, because I wanted to share the experience with other people. That initial experience has kept me in the health education field for more than 50 years, because it has been a great delight to help people to regain their health.

In the next post you will learn about what we think is the clearest definition of health. What we call Systemic Health is the simplest, clearest understanding of what our health is meant to be.

Health is the normal operation
of the Three Systemic Functions. 

The post The Need for A Clear Definition of Health appeared first on Systemic Health.

Current medical diagnosis and treatment are outstanding and continually improving. However, there is a critical missing element; namely, a practical training method in self care that empowers people to transform their health. This training is available through the Systemic Health approach which draws upon the health traditions of older cultures and modern clinical experience in teaching those methods.

Those older cultures have made a centuries-long science of health preservation and regeneration. There is no reason why we can’t learn from their discoveries, learn from the mistakes of twentieth century modern living, and move into the present century using the most effective health preservation methods together with the best modern medical care. This powerful combination is transforming lives.

There is an opportunity now for individuals who recognize the need for a change to acquire these invaluable health-building resources. If you have children you also have the opportunity to pass on a tremendous life enhancing legacy to them. However, the truth is, unless you investigate and learn how to regain and preserve your own health, then by default, your children will end up with the same sad results as much of our society… poor health.

You can take responsibility and start something now that will transform your health and allow your children and grandchildren to grow up with the positive advantage of optimum health. That is the purpose of The Systemic Health Home Study Course.

We can choose to teach our family something better,
but first we have to learn something better ourselves.
Then we have to put it into action;  we have to change our own health habits. 

The post Can You Truly Improve Your Health? appeared first on Systemic Health.

When you understand why you are doing what you are doing,
you can do it better.

The course has five parts. Each part focuses on one of the five Systemic Health Techniques:

1. Systemic Exercise
2. Systemic Rest and Sleep
3. Systemic Fasting
4. Systemic Dietetics
5. Systemic Thinking –  The Mental / Emotional / Physical Connection

Each part of the course includes an ebook, a few audio presentations and a video that guide you step-by-step through learning that particular technique.

The course is the result of decades of teaching Systemic Health to individuals and small groups in our San Diego clinic, throughout the USA and internationally. It has been taught to people with many kinds of chronic health problems and to physicians of many specialties.

The multi-media study approach
has proven to be the most effective way
to learn Systemic Health Techniques.

It allows you to learn the material at your own pace. It is also convenient and time effective to use – you can review the audio material repeatedly in the car, out walking, or while working around the house. You can view the video, audio and text on your smartphone, tablet or computer. This allows you to learn it thoroughly.

You will learn solid, practical information
that will help you to gradually improve your Systemic Health.

Together with appropriate medical care, you will be able to overcome your chronic health problems. This knowlege will become a part of your family’s health heritage. You will be able to keep yourself and your family healthy for a lifetime, and you will have the thrill of helping others understand their health as well.

The post The Purpose of Systemic Health Recovery Course appeared first on Systemic Health.

It has been my passion, perhaps an obsession,
to simplify the process of learning how to be healthy.

An easy to understand and apply, time efficient and simple to teach program has always been my goal.

I also wanted my children to grow up understanding how to be healthy. I noticed over the years that when parents help their children practice the techniques described in this course as they grow up, the whole family tends to stay healthier. You can start a new tradition of health in your family, too.

Regaining my Systemic Health changed my life completely. I have enjoyed an unusual level of good health for more than 50 years. I’ve also been able to enjoy the rewarding experience of helping others regain their health.

The purpose of this course is to give you the core principles of an ancient way of understanding:

1. what health is
2. why we loose our health
3. how to regain and keep our health

However, it is impossible in this introductory material to effectively teach the five Systemic Health Techniques and the Systemic Health Principles they are based on. Each of the techniques requires thorough instruction. That’s what the The Systemic Health Recovery Course is for. If you are ready to begin your return to vibrant health, your first step is the ebook The Introduction to Systemic Health: Core Principles of Health Preservation. I hope you will take the first step and get started. You will be greatly rewarded if you do.

The post A Magnificent Obsession for Health appeared first on Systemic Health.

During my journey from illness to Systemic Health I learned why some people get sick and others don’t and what caused the increase in health problems in recent decades.

The root causes of my asthma were not being effectively diagnosed or treated. Consequently, during the next several years my asthma got progressively worse and those same root causes produced severe allergies, skin, heart and kidney problems, and I was constantly fatigued. I became allergic to so many foods, the only thing I could eat without a reaction was carrots.

I ate so many carrots my skin turned orange!

I visited more than 20 physicians over a ten year period. The medications I received were a blessing; they kept me alive and much more comfortable. I learned, however, that the use of medications is only an attempt to temporarily manage symptoms. They are not meant to correct the root causes of chronic health problems and would not move me from illness to normal health.

There is a big difference between
medical care and health preservation.

When I was sick I wanted more than managing symptoms. I wanted to get rid of my illnesses entirely. I wanted to be completely well!  After a ten year search, it became obvious that my journey from illness to Systemic Health would have to be guided from somewhere outside the conventional medical community.

My sickly start in life turned out to be a blessing.

It gave me the determination to find out what really caused my ailments and what makes the human body tick. My illnesses caused my parents and I to search for proven, practical techniques that I could use to fully regain my health.

My quest for health led me to study the ancient health preservation traditions of India, China, Israel and Europe. There I found doctor-teachers who understood the root causes of all my chronic health problems. They taught me the principles and techniques that are presented in this course.

Within a year all of my ailments were gone!

I learned not just to control the symptoms, but to address the root causes and completely replace my illnesses with vibrant health.

I found much more than I expected. I discovered a level of Systemic Health and vitality I never thought possible. Here’s a warning though:

As I describe the level of health you can have
you will probably think I’m exaggerating!

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