This New Year, Let These Six Doctors Help You Experience Vibrant Health
Do you think health is complicated? Many people overcomplicate it, making health and vitality seem out of reach. The reality is it doesn’t have to be that way. Optimal health is within your grasp, and there are six simple actions you can take right now to get there. It’s all about consistency – those small steps add up and make a big difference over time.
Consider this nursery rhyme:
“The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they’ll ease
Your will they’ll mend
And charge you not a shilling.”
– Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990”
We regularly work with these “6 doctors”, and consider them foundational for our patients’ health, vitality, and quality of life. These six informational inputs or prompts send life-enhancing signals to your body. You want to focus on increasing the healthy inputs while decreasing unhealthy ones.
Sunlight
Most healthcare providers emphasize the negative effects of the sun, especially here in sunny Florida. But did you know the sun provides many benefits and that most people don’t get enough? The light spectrum at all parts of the day transmits important cues for life on Earth. Your skin and eyes take in information from the sun, setting off a cascade of biological effects in your body.
Facts about the sun:
- Helps produce vitamin D which is important for bone health, cancer prevention, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, infections, asthma, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, and many more. Here’s a shocking statistic: some studies show that 40%-100% of the US population is vitamin D deficient![1]
- Sunlight may be as effective as antidepressants for the brain.[2] It regulates serotonin production, your happy neurotransmitter (brain chemical). Some people feel more depressed in the winter when the days are shorter. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In this case, you might benefit from a “lightbox” that mimics natural light early in the morning and throughout the day.[3]
- When exposed to sunlight early in the morning, nighttime melatonin, your sleep hormone, releases sooner, so you fall asleep easier.[1]
- Midday sun increases testosterone, estrogen, mood, and sex drive in both men and women.[4]
How to get sun the right way
Even on overcast days, the benefits are still there (the sun is very powerful)! And sorry, but you can’t sit inside to enjoy the benefits through the window – the important wavelengths are filtered out. Some people have an increased risk of skin cancer or take medications that increase their sensitivity to the sun. Follow your doctor’s advice and take extra precautions to protect your skin.
- Start your morning by syncing with the sun to align your natural hormones and circadian rhythms (your body’s natural clock). A morning walk with the sun on your face without sunglasses is best. Never stare directly at the sun as this can damage your eyes. As little as 5 minutes is all that is needed to regulate your biological processes.[5,6]
- Midday sun, between the hours of 10-2 is the strongest and has the most risk for causing damage. Limiting to 12-15 minutes without sunscreen is generally accepted by experts as safe.[1]
- Enjoy the sunset for its beauty and download the unique light spectrum that occurs at this time of day.[6]
Water
We find that most people are dehydrated. Water is critical for every cell in your body and has diverse functions like lubricating and cushioning joints to removing waste by urination, sweat, and bowel movements.
Here are just a few effects of dehydration:[7,8]
- Fatigue
- Affects mental alertness and memory
- Affects motor function including speed and accuracy in completing tasks
- Decreases the ability to exercise
- Elevates your core body temperature and induces high fevers
- Increases your heart rate, affects blood pressure, and can cause dizziness upon standing too quickly
- Increases your risk for urinary tract infections, kidney stones, bladder cancer, gallstones, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, constipation, dry skin, and headaches
If any of these problems concern you, try drinking more water. What an easy (and free) solution!
How much water should I drink?
Your total body water averages approximately 60% of your body weight, so it’s a constant task to maintain it. A good way to tell if you are well hydrated is if your urine output is approximately half a cup per hour. A urine color chart shows that having lighter color urine means you’re hydrated.[7]
- We recommend drinking 100 ounces of filtered water with pink salt and lemon daily. Divide water into 3 glass containers and drink one by noon, one by 3 PM, and one by 6 PM.
- Minimize dehydrating drinks with caffeine, sugar, and alcohol.
Rest
Living in a culture that prioritizes productivity over rest often results in burnout, stress, and a decline in overall well-being. In reality, rest is productive and necessary for vitality. In traditional Chinese medicine, good health is thought to come from the equal balance of yin and yang, or opposing forces that form a whole. In other words, too much productivity, activity, and being on the go (yang) and too little downtime and quality sleep (yin) causes health problems.
Embrace relaxation and downtime
- Consider prioritizing life’s activities and letting go of those that are consuming time and energy that could be used for focusing on your health.
- Prioritize 7-8 hours of quality sleep.
Fresh Air
What you breathe and how you breathe is potent medicine and it’s important to be more intentional about your breathing. Lungs take in oxygen which is circulated to every organ. You can increase oxygen flow to all of your organs with simple breathwork techniques. Breathwork is so powerful that stress relief can be felt almost instantly, and with consistent practice, it can fully retrain your nervous system to be calmer and more resilient.
How to breathe better
- Focus on slow breathing, letting the length of the inhale match the exhale. Or belly breathe by feeling your belly expand with each breath, not your chest. Do these exercises for 5-15 minutes.[9]
- Forest bathing, also known as shinrin-yoku in Japanese, involves being in a natural setting and immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. It turns out that trees and plants release natural compounds which you breathe in as you meander through the forest. These compounds, called phytoncides, have immune-stimulating benefits and lower stress hormone levels.[10]
- What about the salt air at the beach? It turns out that the negative ions – charged molecules you inhale while enjoying the ocean or strolling along the shore – can have a positive impact on your mood and heart health.[11]
Exercise
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Sitting is the new smoking” – it’s pretty bad. A sedentary lifestyle has many risks and can worsen over 40 conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.[12,13]
It should go without saying that the human body was built to move. Movement improves circulation, helping to move waste out and nutrients and oxygen in for nourishment. Regular exercise prevents many chronic diseases and is excellent for mental health.[13,14]
Move your body every day
- A simple daily walk while swinging your arms is simple and impactful.
- Mind-body practices like yoga, tai chi, and qigong are useful interventions for stress reduction, weight loss, lowering blood pressure, improving blood lipid levels, and reducing blood glucose levels.[15,16]
- If you’re an athlete or want guidance on building muscle and endurance, consider working with a coach or personal trainer.
Diet
What you eat is the biggest predictor of your overall health.[17] As the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, stated, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Your diet should include foods that sustain and nourish, rather than cause ill health.
What to eat for health
With so much conflicting diet information how are you supposed to know what to eat? Long-term diet studies that demonstrate disease prevention involve similar factors. Here are our recommendations:
- Prioritize eating whole organic foods from the earth and minimizing overly processed and fast “foods”.
- Eat a Balanced Plate Ratio with 50% veggies, 25% lean protein, and 25% complex carbs.
- Eat fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi to aid digestion and provide beneficial gut bacteria.
Letting Nature Heal You
Imagine this simple routine – you wake up feeling refreshed, drink your lemon water, take a walk outside in the morning sun, and follow that with a healthy breakfast – now that’s hitting the quality of life jackpot! You have full access to the “6 doctors”, but if you need extra guidance with personalized diet, exercise, and stress management strategies, our Integrative Health Coaching Program can help. This year, commit to adding more years to your life and more life to your years!
We’re here for you in your journey to Vibrant Health! To learn more, call us at 407-478-9797 or fill out our contact form and we’ll respond promptly by the next business day.
Located in Longwood, Florida, we serve Seminole County, Orange County and nearby counties and cities such as Longwood, Lake Mary, Winter Park, Orlando, Oviedo, Heathrow, Altamonte Springs, Maitland, Winter Springs, Casselberry, Sanford, Windermere and more. We also offer telemedicine for all Florida residents.
References
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[2] Geoffroy PA, Schroder CM, Reynaud E, Bourgin P. Efficacy of light therapy versus antidepressant drugs, and of the combination versus monotherapy, in major depressive episodes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine reviews. 2019;48:101213.
[3] Young SN. How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN. 2007;32(6):394-399.
[4] Parikh R, Sorek E, Parikh S, et al. Skin exposure to UVB light induces a skin-brain-gonad axis and sexual behavior. Cell reports. 2021;36(8):109579.
[5] Blume C, Garbazza C, Spitschan M. Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie : Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin = Somnology : sleep research and sleep medicine. 2019;23(3):147-156.
[6] Robertson-Dixon I, Murphy MJ, Crewther SG, Riddell N. The Influence of Light Wavelength on Human HPA Axis Rhythms: A Systematic Review. Life (Basel, Switzerland). 2023;13(10).
[7] Medicine Io. Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. In: Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2024: https://nap.nationalacademies.org.
[8] Popkin BM, D’Anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition reviews. 2010;68(8):439-458.
[9] Liu Y, Jiang TT, Shi TY, et al. The effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing relaxation training for improving sleep quality among nursing staff during the COVID-19 outbreak: a before and after study. Sleep medicine. 2021;78:8-14.
[10] Li Q, Kobayashi M, Wakayama Y, et al. Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function. International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. 2009;22(4):951-959.
[11] Jiang SY, Ma A, Ramachandran S. Negative Air Ions and Their Effects on Human Health and Air Quality Improvement. International journal of molecular sciences. 2018;19(10).
[12] Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, et al. Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of internal medicine. 2015;162(2):123-132.
[13] Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine. 2018;8(7).
[14] Carek PJ, Laibstain SE, Carek SM. Exercise for the treatment of depression and anxiety. International journal of psychiatry in medicine. 2011;41(1):15-28.
[15] McBenedict B, Orfao AL, Goh KS, et al. The Role of Alternative Medicine in Managing Type 2 Diabetes: A Comprehensive Review. Cureus. 2024;16(6):e61965.
[16] Li S, Wang P, Wang J, Zhao J, Wang X, Liu T. Effect of mind-body exercise on risk factors for metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in endocrinology. 2024;15:1289254.[17] Katz DL. Diet is the single most important predictor of health. Alternative and Complementary Therapies. 2019;25(6):280-284.
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