One important reason why you are awesome

Ever feel like the world is just too much? Take a moment to think about all the things you manage in your life. Maybe for you you’re juggling taking care of the kids, managing of finances, keeping track of the news, or even taking care of yourself. Maybe it’s all of these things and more. It can feel overwhelming.

But even as you’re going out and tackling the world, your body is doing its best to keep you in balance. Your body manages thousands of chemical reactions and physiological changes throughout the day. And you don’t even have to think about it.

There’s a concept in medicine called homeostasis. It’s the word that researchers have used to describe the concert of activity by which our bodies constantly manage stressors. Things like moment-to-moment changes in temperature, light, sound, nutrients, chemical or microbial exposures and emotional states. This balance is what helps us handle stress and manage our lives.

How does it do this? It actually does it on the cellular level, influencing gene expression, protein production, hormonal responses and outputs, and even by shifting set points. This whole process happens minutely, subtly and silently as you go about your day. Consider this: every moment, billions of your cells are responding and adapting to subtle shifts in your environment, all with the goal of making sure every part of you has every need met.

What does this mean? It means that you are freaking amazing! Just by being alive, just by having a beating heart and by housing lungs that demand air, you are performing miracles. You are a miracle.

The miracle of you is what we are most interested in in natural medicine. In fact, every natural medicine discipline has a word for this concept. The vis, Qi, and Prana are just a few of the terms--and they all mean something close to each other--life force.

This force is so powerful--you are so powerful--that supporting it is the central goal of natural medicine. It is more powerful than any substance, like a medication for example, because it isn’t the medication that does anything, it is your response to the medication that causes an effect. It is more powerful than any surgery, because, in fact it is your life force that heals you after surgery so that you survive being cut and stitched. Your incredible life force is what we are working with in natural medicine and it is why--you are why--natural medicine is so effective.

This may not make your worries disappear, but it is true that you are a miracle. Maybe knowing that you prove your immense power every moment, just by being alive--maybe that can help you proceed with managing this wild life.