By now everyone has an opinion and concepts about the recent health care reform passed by President Obama and the Democrats. For some, it was long overdue, while for others it was only another horrible liberal policy forced down the throat of Americans. As for whether or not it must be good for the Nation, well it certainly would not be any worse than it is now. One thing is certain, something had to happen.

We as Americans are used to being the best, or at the very least, we believe we are the greatest. However, when you look at the current situation, it is hard to ignore just how horrible health care is in the United States. Want some perspective? How about the fact that the United States now sits 38th in the world in term of life expectancy, or that our neighbors to the north live on average 4 to 5 years longer than we do, and have an infant mortality rate lower than ours. Imagine that, not only do you have a higher chance at life in Canada but you live longer too. For many Americans, the thought of a country as liberal as Canada beating us in both of these areas is unfathomable.

Who is in front of us in terms of life expectancy you ask? How about Cuba at 37th, or Malta at 21, higher yet, what about Singapore at 15th and Spain at 6th. Who is on top? Japan is number one. So, it appears as if we are not number one and needed to do something to change it. Only time must tell if this was the appropriate bill and the suitable fix for what ails us. Hopefully it would be, or we would find ourselves back where we started, and that is no good for anyone.

Natural health is timeless. It will never date. It will always be relevant, despite what the media tells you about ‘new’, ‘improved’, ‘scientific’ and all the other gimmicky words that are only employed to impress you enough to buy something.

And, happily, natural health is currently enjoying the comeback it deserves.

To enjoy it, there are at least three really important aspects to address.

The first is your diet. There’s a saying that a quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. Three quarters of what you eat keeps your doctor alive. So if you eat a typical western diet of fast foods, canned drinks and sweets or chocolate, you know you’re heading for disaster.

A natural diet consists of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably raw. Raw isn’t essential, but will take you that extra mile. As long as at least 30% is raw, you’ll do all right. By raw I mean unpasteurised, unheated in any way, un-radiated, unadulterated. Just fresh produce recently harvested.

So fresh produce should be the bulk of your diet. If you can’t see yourself eating a lot of fresh produce, then I suggest you invest in a food dehydrator. That dries fresh food without losing the nutrients in them. Have you ever tried dried strawberries? They are absolutely delicious.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy making your own un-sundried tomatoes, too.

And try foods you haven’t tried before. My neighbour has never tried avocado and yet they could grow in her back yard. Be adventurous!

The next biggest food group is the nuts, seeds, rice, oats and yoghurt

Then come eggs, bread, wheat, cereal, fish, chicken, chocolate.

Then comes the red meat.

Lastly comes artificial sweeteners. My suggestion is to avoid these altogether.

This diet follows the 80/20 principle. Eat 80% alkalising foods (fruit, veggies, whole foods) and only 20% acid food (meat, sugar, processed foods such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, sweets).

If you maintain this diet, it’s amazing what ailments won’t affect you. Make sure 100% of what you eat goes into keeping you healthy, not just alive. And let the doctors starve!

Another really important aspect of natural health is your health care modality. Obviously that’s going to be a natural one. Which you choose is a very personal matter. But I suggest you remain open and honour your feelings. Your feelings will always take you in the right direction. I have long since learnt the folly of following my head over my feelings. It never works!

With evidence now suggesting a link between taking antibiotics and cancer, your choice of a natural health care system will ensure as healthy a body as you can get. All drugs and medication have a knock-on effect with your health. That’s why it becomes a slippery slope – you suddenly find you’re on a myriad of drugs, with one countering another’s side effects.

The last important point of natural health, is keeping your environment healthy. This will almost guarantee you a healthy body. This means your home really is your castle, your sanctuary. Make sure you create a peaceful and happy home. Work on areas that aren’t. Don’t put up with them. It may be your upbringing that makes you a negative person. It may be you are living with people who don’t support you. List those things that aren’t nurturing you and decide what to do about them.

Time spent with animals is invariably calming, as is time spent in nature. Visit the park regularly. Walk on the beach. Watch a thunderstorm. Make sure you have, even if short, time for yourself every day. And use it to recharge your batteries – whether it’s gardening, sun-bathing or walking your dog. Just make sure it benefits you. That without it, you’re more volatile, have less energy or just don’t cope as well.

Many people think they can’t have time out for themselves as they have too much to do. This is not how it works. The more you stress, the less you accomplish. The less you stress, the more you accomplish and in less time.

Natural health is really all about you being in control of you. You create your life. So why not make it as fun, as joyful as possible? You are important. If you’re joyful, it will rub off on others.

Maybe subscribe to a natural health magazine as that will not only help keep you on track, but will also provide you with useful hints and tips.

And lastly, don’t forget that people will readily mock you, with your new found natural health care, because you’ll be showing them up. Don’t let them dissuade you.