In ancient cultures, the assumption that all medicine starts from is: “do not get sick”. This implies a concept of health that has to do with seeking a state of equilibrium and well-being. In Ancient Mexico, for example, healers, curanderos , sobadores , herbalists, bonesetters, etc., said that the human being possesses 4 bodies: the physical body, the emotional body, the mental body and the etheric-spiritual body and that if one of these became ill, then the other bodies were also ill to a greater or lesser extent.
Therefore, before any disease or state of imbalance could be cured, the four bodies had to be healed. At those times, the etheric-spiritual body was cured first and then the physical, mental and emotional body, depending on the origin of the disease. However, the work of a healer is not restricted to curing the disease, but it is about helping to maintain the healthy state of these four bodies.
PHYSICAL BODY: the integral functioning of the human body must be understood in order to keep it healthy. The pillars of physical health are: eat well, exercise, good sleep, taking care of changes in temperature and avoiding excesses. The organism needs three basic fuels: oxygen (exercise), water (quantity and quality of the water we consume) and food (in accordance with the four elements: earth, air, fire and water). Oxygen is the most important fuel for the organism, since we can survive for only 4 minutes without receiving a supply of oxygen. On the other hand, without drinking water (on average) a human being can survive 4 days. Finally, one can subsist 40 days without tasting food..
The problem of sedentary lifestyle: it is said that sedentary lifestyle is the lifestyle characterized by little or insufficient physical activity, according to what is recommended for each person’s age and condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60% of the world’s population has this lifestyle. Thus, in the world, 4 million people die a year from sedentary lifestyle. This means that many people do not oxygenate their organism adequately. Exercising is what will give us the possibility of being well oxygenated and therefore, how our organism works better.
When we hear the word exercise, the first thing that comes to mind is a series of movements that will leave us exhausted. The practice of sports which require many hours of training also comes to mind, and learning them can be tedious and expensive. But here we are referring to the minimum exercise necessary for the optimal functioning of all the systems that make up the organism.
With respect to water, in these modern times not only plain water is consumed, but also carbonated water, as well as sugary and alcoholic drinks. This is why it is important to have adequate consumption (quality and quantity) of this vital liquid. In relation to what we eat, it is said that the nutrients that food provides from the 4 elements should be consumed: air, fire, earth and water. For example, foods of the earth element are cereals, tubers/roots, fruits and vegetables. Water element: fish and shellfish; fire element: red and white meat. Lamb meat is primarily recommended. The air element is only given by the grape.
MENTAL BODY: has to do with thoughts. The vast majority of people focus on the past and the future, ceasing to live in the present tense. This causes an energetic waste for situations that have already happened or that have not yet happened, thus generating negative thoughts which lead to worry and suffering. The importance of living in the present tense, enjoying and appreciating what one has in the moment, as well as generating positive thoughts towards oneself and towards others, is what brings health and well-being to the mental body.
THE EMOTIONAL BODY: as its name indicates, this refers to the emotions and feelings that predominate in the person during daily life. In these times it is very difficult for a person to have or possess everything they need in order to be happy, but they have the possibility of building that ideal state of happiness by cultivating quality interpersonal relationships. It is important to start at home with our parents, siblings, spouse, children and extend this outside the home, that is, to friends, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, etc.
THE ETHERIC-SPIRITUAL BODY: The health of this body is achieved by reconnecting ourselves with the divine, regardless of the religion of each person, because every religion provides psychological, moral and cosmogonic principles that, in addition to raising the origin and development of the universe, indicate the role of the human being in it, both at the collective level and at the individual level. This reconnection implies reestablishing the dialogue with the divine (prayer) and learning to live here and now (mindfulness).