What is health anyway?
Understanding the difference btw true vitality & the various diets, supplements, and “Biohacks” (cold, red light, sauna, fasting) we use to get there!
Maps are really useful; without one, how do you know where you are or where you are going? And definitions can acts as a conceptual “map of sorts” so we know what the goal is and how we are doing relative to the ideal.
And with a “zillion” health influencers out there pushing everything from olive oil, cold plunges, suana sessioons, paleo, whole foods, and carnivore diets - and a huge variety of different supplements, we need “a” working definition of health so we know roughly where we are and where we are going. And the various key parts that make it up so we can better evaluate our ow ideas, what claims various health influencer make, or what advice we receive from health practitioners.
The reason I am writing this article is to highlight the difference between what health is at a high level - vs the various tools we use to get there. This is super important because I often see many clients and friends mistake a diet, supplement, or methodology as “the end game”. And think they need more of “x” when they don’t get the results they wanted vs zooming out and thinking about what health is in the first place, and then course correcting as needed.
Health is the end game, not the paleo or carnivore diet, “xyz” supplement, cold plunges, dry fasting, stem cell injections; etc. these are all tools! And per above, sometimes we need to zoom out and think about what is health in the first place so we can identify “other healing opportunities aka imbalances” and not “keep doing the same over and over thing and expect a different result”.
And with a working definintion of health, we can establish a map of sorts so we can begin to evaluate via labs, practitioners and our own experience, how we are doing in each of the key areas that make up health.
Alright; here is my shot at a working definition of health:
Health is the harmonious & vibrant interaction of Hormones, Immune System, Digestion, Detoxification Pathways, Energy Production, and Nervous System such that an individual has enough energy to perform their daily tasks, adapt to threats and changes in their environment, and sleep such they are fully recovered and can “play the game of life another day”
And I would add that true health is not just how our bodily systems are doing, but our access too and ability to create a rich community of friends and family to share life’s joys and challenges together!
And lastly, health includes some sort of spiritual connection to “life that is above and beyond us…God…or a higher power, the great chain of being…”
Ok, let’s break down the key bodily systems that helps us stay healthy:
Hormones: include things like Testosterone, DHEA, Estrogen, DHT, and are typically measured via blood or saliva. Low libido, poor sleep, weight gain, etc are signs the hormone systems is not working ideally
Immune System: The simple version is you have Innate and Adaptive branches to your immune system. Th1 is the innate and it’s role is to sequester and seal off invaders. Th2 is the adaptive or “missle command” side of the immune system and its role is to “bring down intruders”
Trouble with the immune system can begin when one side becomes over or under active and it they become chronic, we develop unresolved health issues or develop auto immune related conditions.
Digestion: this is your ability to consume food and break it down into energy. Common signs there is trouble with digestion are a) Frequent belching or gas after meal b) acrid smelling stools c) white coating on the tongue. Not exhaustive by any means, but just a few examples of signals that tell us our digestive processes are sub optimal.
Detox: Your ability to break down and excrete by products from food and toxins from our environment. This is a complex process that cascades from Cells to Organs/Tissue, to your Lymphatic System, then Liver/Kidneys, and eventually your Colon.
Given the plethora of toxins in our modern environement, from microplastics, heavy metals, chlorine/fluoride in our water, pesticides and herbicides, our detox pathways often can be become overwhelmed. Common signs of detox trouble are skin rashes, liver spots, constipation, fatigue, brain fog, to name a few.
Energy Production: This is our bodies ability to produce energy so we can go about our lives, work, socialize, exercise, and enjoy life. A common sign we are struggling is this area is we develop fatigue and what we call “low adaptive reserve” or the inability to handle stress. I used to suffer from Chronic Fatigue, for example, and it took awhile to figure it all out as it was due to mis-alignments in many systems. More for another article.
Nervous System: this is a broad term and in my mind includes our brain and all its parts (limbic, pre frontal cortex, default node network, etc), vagal nerve which has 2 parts; sympathetic / fight or flight and parasympathetic / rest & digest. Common measures for how our nervous system is doing are HRV or Heart Rate Variability and RHR or Resting Heart Rate via trackers such as Oura Ring and or Whoop.
Common symptoms your nervous system is struggling can be anxiety, overwhelm, excessive rumination (thinking thinking and “can’t let an issue or event go…”
So why is this all important? Why do we need a working definition of health?:
So we know what the ideal is and what we are shooting for. Per above, having a working definition helps us know what the goal is and when we might be veering from it.
So we can ask better questions of influencers and any health providers we might consult.
Example: a. How does what a given influencer is promoting actually contribute to innate health in any of the above systems.
Another Example: “Hey Doc, I understand health to be the harmonious interaction btw hormones, immune system, digestion, detox, energy production, and nervous system; how am I doing in each of these areas? How can we measure and monitor my progress? If you ask a doctor that question, they will be impressed and possibly even a little intimidated because most have never had this question nor do they think about it this way.
So we understand the difference between “innate health” and the various systems that make it up - and the tools we use to get there. Diets, supplements, cold plunges, sauna sessions, intermittent, water, or dry fasting - are all tools we can use. But they are NOT the end game. They are not health! When we confuse tools with the end game, the results can be painful or even catastrophic.
I recently attended and completed a 9 day dry fast in Montenegro, Europe. It was one of the hardest things I have every done; no food or water for 9 days! And I did this along with roughly 30 other people from around the world.
And while the experience was transformational for me in terms of my gut, liver, skin health, and energy, other attendees continue to experience many health complications. And some of these folks had done back to back 9 day fasts. That is (2) 9 day fasts with a 6 day food refeed in between. We are talking hard core dedication.
And the answer to their ongoing health challenges was “more dry fasting” which I thought was crazy. For some people, this can be the case where they need to do a 3rd 9 day fast. Author of “Starving in Siberia” by Michelle Slater, is a good example of this. But when we confuse health with a powerful but stressful tool such as Dry Fasting, one can be left thinking they need “more fasting” is the answer, when what the really need is too Zoom Out, think about what health is, and evaluate how they are doing in each of the above areas, and then apply the best tool to address any remaining “healing opportunities”
I have heard/seen too many people with post fasting complications or remaining “healing opportunities” where more “dry fasting” may not be the right answer. For some it might be, but if we have a working definition of health, we can zoom out, see where any remaining gaps might be, and apply the right tool so “we don’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result”.
And Dry Fasting is the most recent example where I have seen folks confuse health with a tool or methodology. Veganism is another example where people keep eating with this approach due to dietary ideaology even though their health starts to decline over time. Or they persist too long in a Carnivore Diet only to mess up their gut.
All of these things are tools. And when we recognize they are not health itself, we can then Zoom Out or In as necessary, course correct and apply the appropriate tool to advance our health. Thanks for reading!
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