Stillness 9-23: Be well. As we head into autumn winds of change, shorter days, and flaring news bites, I’m reminded of the importance of our well-being. We need to stay strong and positive, no matter how chilly things get. Our health matters more than it ever did: our physical, mental, emotional health needs to be in balance. Hippocrates, widely known by westerners as the “father of modern medicine,” had a lot to say about our health so I thought I’d share a few tidbits. He was born in 460 BCE on the island of Kos in Greece and lived during Greece’s Classical period. Much of his writings, although attributed to him, were probably written by students and later historians, but he nonetheless continues to be highly-esteemed for his ethics and wisdom two thousand years after his death in 375 BCE. I culled these quotes from his famous “Aphorisms” and “Writings”—some made me smile and I hope they make you smile too.
- Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
- Walking is man’s best medicine.
- The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.
- Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work.
- The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.
- All disease starts in the gut.
- If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool.
- To do nothing is also a good remedy.
- If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.
- Before you heal someone, ask him if he’s willing to give up the things that make him sick.
- It’s more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has. A physician without a knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician.
- Anyone wishing to study medicine must master the art of massage. The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and a scented massage every day.
- There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.
- Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm.
- If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.