Personal Evaluation of Wellness

In April of 2005, a study of more than 153,000 American adults was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Using a healthy lifestyle questionnaire, the researchers reported that only 3% of adults were living a healthy lifestyle, while 97% were not. This remarkable statistic is even more stunning when we learn that the questions only related to physical health. Studies like this demonstrate the urgent need for people to make changes to live more healthy and vital lives. The good news is that there is a series of small steps that you can take immediately, that can have an extraordinarily beneficial effect on you.

Most of us have the good sense to have an annual medical and dental checkup, but this doesn't really establish our state of health. It is instead designed to see if there are any disturbances in a set of physical parameters: such as problems with weight, blood pressure and cholesterol level. While this health information is valuable and important, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The human body is designed to keep itself in balance, which is the essence of homeostasis. Many of the parameters do not change until multiple systems are already compromised, and by that time it is more difficult to correct a problem. As a simple example, the vast majority of physicians rely upon blood glucose tests to screen for diabetes mellitus. However, if blood glucose is rising it is a sign that the pancreas can no longer supply the amount of insulin needed to keep the levels of glucose normal. The underlying metabolic problem will have been present for an average of twelve years before the glucose begins to rise. So waiting for that event is rather like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Our goal is not simply to have you be free of disease, but instead to be as healthy as you can be. Health is a powerful determinant of your overall level of well-being, and that in turn affects the subtle systems of your body, your thought processes, your relationships and your capacity to work and to serve others. It even has an impact upon your connection with your Higher Self. So over and above that annual medical checkup, I recommend that once a month you do what I call a Personal Evaluation of Wellness (PEW).

Before I go through my recommendations, I would like to make a comment about the importance of regular dental work. There is powerful evidence of a connection between dental problems and other general medical illnesses, including myocardial infarction. The teeth and gums can harbor bacteria that can initiate a systemic inflammatory response. This is also an illustration of another important principle: the body consists of multiple interconnected systems, and a problem in one area can have effects in many others. This is sometimes forgotten in our world of super-specialization: experts are so focused upon their own area of mastery that they can sometimes forget this fundamental interconnectedness. Let me give you an example: I have just been involved with someone who was in a nasty motor vehicle accident, and the orthopedic specialists did not know that he also had some non-orthopedic problems, that were "below their radar."

Your personal evaluation needs to consider all aspects of your health, so a proper evaluation includes an assessment of your physical, psychological, social, subtle and spiritual welfare.

Ask yourself these questions:

Physical
1. What is you current weight?
2. Has you weight changed in the last month?
3. What is your waist size?
4. Has you waist size changed in the last month?
5. Are you ever tired during the day? If yes, then when? Has this changed in the last month?
6. Has there been any change in your sleep pattern?
7. Do you remember any dreams?
8. Do you have excess flatulence or gas?
9. Do you have excessive acid or heartburn?
10. Are your bowels regular? Has there been any change?
11. Do you have any joint pains?
12. Does your spine or the muscles around your spine hurt?
13. How is your muscle tone?
14. Has your skin changed?
15. Do you have dandruff?
16. Do you have any swellings?
17. How do you and your breath smell?
18. Does your urine or do your feces smell unusual?
19. How much water are you drinking each day?
20. Do you take any herbs supplements?
21. Have you checked to ensure that there are no interactions between any of the things that you are taking (e.g. medications, herbs, supplements and vitamins)?
22. What is my resting pulse rate?
23. Have you had any sweating at night?

Psychological
1. Has there been any change in your mood?
2. Have you been more irritable than usual?
3. Have you been feeling depressed?
4. Have you had any feelings of anxiety?
5. Have you ever had a panic attack? When did it occur?
6. Are you in control of yourself?
7. Do you feel calm inside?
8. How good are you at controlling changes in your mood? Has your ability changed at all?
9. Have you found yourself dressing in different colors?
10. Do you have any bad habits, like smoking or drinking to excess?
11. Do you scratch yourself excessively, pull your hair, bite your fingernails or cut yourself?
12. How many times a week are you eating out?
13. What are you eating?
14. Has there been any change in your food preferences?
15. Do you have any food cravings or aversions?
16. Do you ever eat when you are not hungry?
17. Do you accumulate things that you do not need?
18. Are you able to express your feelings?
19. Are you argumentative? Has this changed?
20. Do you have any problems with paying attention?
21. Have there been any changes in the efficiency of your memory?
22. Do your thoughts ever race?
23. How resilient are you to change, threats or adversity?

Social
1. How many friends do you have?
2. How long have you had each of your friends?
3. Are you friendships long- or short-lived?
4. How easily do you make new friendships?
5. Do you have someone in whom you can confide?
6. Do you think that you are fun to be around?
7. Do you think it important to fit in with other people?
8. How often do other people come to you for emotional support?
9. Do you feel important to other people?
10. Do people remember you?
11. If you are in an intimate relationship, are you happy with it?
12. If you are in an intimate relationship is your partner happy with it?
13. Do you want one intimate relationship at a time, or do you feel that you can handle more than one at a time?
14. If you want more than one intimate relationship at a time, then how does your partner feel about that?
15. If you argue with a friend or intimate partner, how often are you right?
16. Do you feel that your relationships take up a lot of energy, or do they give you energy?
17. Do your relationships have much impact on your mood? If yes, then which ones?
18. When communicating with friends or intimate partners, do you feel the need to be secretive about your past?
19. How often are you honest in your relationships?
20. How tolerant are you of other people?
21. Is punctuality important to you?
22. Is punctuality important to your friends or intimate partners?
23. Do you have problems in letting go of relationships that are no longer working?

Subtle
1. Do you wake up full of energy?
2. Are you tired at the end of the day?
3. Do you rely on sugar or stimulants to wake up or to get you through the day?
4. Can you energize yourself without chemical stimulants?
5. How easily can you mobilize extra energy when you need it?
6. What strategies do you use for mobilizing your energy?
7. What strategies do you use for maintaining and containing your energy?
8. How much of your time do you spend moving, even when there is no need to?
9. How often are you restless?
10. Do you ever forget to eat meals?
11. How do you feel if you do not do any physical exercise?
12. Can you feel the effects of different foods on your energy?
13. Have you identified any people who drain your energy?
14. Do your relationships replenish or drain your energy?
15. How sensitive are you to changes in the weather?
16. Do you feel different if you are in Nature or in a city?
17. Is your breathing regular?
18. How quickly do you heal?
19. Can you feel subtle energy currents in your body?
20. Can you feel subtle energy currents in another person?
21. Can you feel subtle energy currents in animals or in plants?
22. Can you feel subtle changes in your energy throughout the day and with the seasons?
23. Have you tried or benefited from any form of work on your subtle systems?

Spiritual
1. Do you have any spiritual beliefs?
2. Have your spiritual beliefs changed over time?
3. If you beliefs have changed over time, in what way have they changed?
4. Do you engage in regular spiritual or religious practices?
5. Have you had any spiritual experiences as a result of spiritual or religious practices?
6. Do your spiritual beliefs provide support for you?
7. Are the spiritual beliefs of your family and friends important to you?
8. Do you try to persuade others to your beliefs?
9. Do you feel that spirituality is important in all aspects of your life?
10. Do you feel a sense of connection with other people?
11. Do you feel a sense of connection with animals?
12. Do you feel a sense of connection with the planet as a whole?
13. Are your spiritual beliefs based on family background?
14. Are your spiritual beliefs based on faith?
15. Are your spiritual beliefs based on direct experience?
16. Could changes in your personal circumstances have an impact on your spiritual beliefs?
17. Does your physical well-being have any effect on your spirituality?
18. Does your mood have any effect on your spirituality?
19. Do you think that spirituality has the power to transform your life?
20. Do you believe that prayer can produce effects in the physical world?
21. Do you believe that prayer can heal?
22. Do you feel that prayer can bring you closer to the Divine?
23. Do you believe that spiritual beliefs are essential to a growing child?