By Dr. Jim Starr
Many who have decided to reside in San Miguel chose this particular area of Mexico not only for the history, art, music and impressive architecture, but some have chosen San Miguel de Allende for health reasons. Clean mountainous air, minimal industrial influence, and fresh fruits/vegetables and meats all contribute to its healthy magnetic appeal. But what really is meant by “healthy”? According to the Dorland´s medical dictionary, the definition of health is “A state of optimum balance between mind, body, spirit and emotion and NOT merely the absence of symptoms.”
This definition resonates with the holistic approach to health. While the need for hospitals and modern medicine is vital in times of health crisis, the pharmaceutical industry falls quite far outside of the definition of “health”. If by definition, “health” is a balance of optimum mind, body, spirit and emotion, the focus should be there. Symptom relief via analgesics is necessary at times because no one enjoys pain and suffering!
By investing in balanced health habits before symptoms arise, you can minimize reliance on these chemicals. Let´s look at the optimum balance in each area.
Mind: There is a saying “Meditation is free… not to meditate is costly”. A university study of Buddhist monks who have been meditating for over 40 years, showed many neuro-scientific benefits of meditation:
20 minutes of meditation can be physiologically equivalent to 2 hours of sleep
Stimulation of the Pre-frontal Cortex, the “Executive Center” which helps with decisions, plans, and strategies.
Activation of the Pineal gland and intuition
Improved balance and equilibrium in the two brain hemispheres
San Miguel has a plethora of meditation centers to choose from and the level of expertise is impressive.
Optimum mind health also requires learning new subjects (Art, music, languages, hobbies etc.) essential to your growth. As a green apple is still growing, “When you are green, you are growing…when you are ripe, you are rotting”. Don´t want to let your mind rot.
Body: Exercise, diet, ample water intake and nutritional supplementation all support optimum physical health and balance. Every decade after 30 years of age, you lose approximately 8% of your lean muscle mass without exercise. Resistance exercise (weights, bands, functional exercise all support this. Cardio exercises (walking, treadmill, elliptical, jogging, swimming) all contribute to heart health. As a practicing chiropractor, I´d be remiss if I didn´t mention the value of structural alignment too. Again, San Miguel has multiple gyms and health centers to choose from.
Spirit: Optimum spiritual health requires practicing daily gratitude. By enjoying life in San Miguel, it's almost impossible not to find plenty of reasons to be grateful. Spiritual health also requires the recognition of a Divine Power which, ultimately creates humility. Living one´s purpose/mission adds more meaning to life. Regardless of age and history, we all have some talent to offer as a service to others in one form or another. There are more than 100 non-profit foundations dedicated to this cause.
Emotion: Maintaining optimum emotional health requires adjustments in perception. Wisdom is recognizing that every crisis in life has an equal blessing. There are no victims nor victimizers, only love. Every one has challenges. Everyone has stress. Everyone comes from a “Dysfunctional Family”. That is part of the Divine Design to learn how not to judge, but to love unconditionally. San Miguel offers many well prepared practitioners who can help support the equilibrium of emotions and thus manage one´s emotional health as part of the holistic approach.
“If you want to master any area of your life including financial, you first must learn to master your emotions”. – Warren Buffett
You always move in the direction of your dominant thoughts. If you focus on the optimum balance of mind, body, spirit and emotion, you will no doubt enjoy a healthier, happier life here is San Miguel.
Dr. Jim Starr is a practicing Doctor of chiropractic for over 40 years and resides full time here in San Miguel. He is a published author and professional speaker. He offers workshops in English and Spanish. His signature course called “The Consciousness of the Heart” focuses on personal transformation and overcoming any obstacles that may be getting in the way of discovering your magnificence. He can be reached at drjimstar@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 415-151-0983.
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