THE FIVE KEYS TO VIBRANT HEALTH
By Catharine Walkinshaw, Herbal Consultant and Reiki Practitioner

A good recipe for optimal health has the following ingredients, listed in order of importance:

Positive Mental Attitude
Balanced Skeletal and Energetic Structure
Good Nutrition
Regular Exercise
Strong Inherited Constitution

The first ingredient, mental attitude, is the most powerful. The way we think directly impacts the way we feel. Included within this ingredient are spiritual and intellectual development. Next in importance is our energetic and skeletal structure. If these are free of blockages, then our body's systems run the way they're supposed to. After structure comes nutrition, which includes foods, herbs and supplements, and medicines. Just like a car, if we give our body excellent fuels and keep it clean inside and out, we operate optimally.

Exercise and motion are next in importance. We were designed to move. We look and feel better when we do. Finally, our inherited constitution has an impact on our health. While we can't do much to change the genes we were born with, we can learn to compensate for our inherited weaknesses and maximize our strengths. Making sure your life has a portion of all these ingredients on regular basis is what holistic health is all about.

If you would like to submit a question for a future column, please email us at cwalk@mashell.com or write to us c/o Eatonville's Wellness Center, P.O. Box 543 Eatonville, WA 98328.