By the late 1960s it became apparent to physicians and the general public alike that the changes in daily health habits that North Americans had undergone were responsible for the dramatic decline in our health. Actually, the older societies which have practiced natural therapeutics for centuries have known it all along. There have always been small groups of people in modern societies who have advocated healthy living, but until recently they have been largely ignored.

1. Poor Exercise Habits
Americans have changed from an active to a sedentary lifestyle in a short period of time. Until the 1930s eighty percent of us lived on the farm and got lots of exercise. Even salesmen in the cities walked around town to keep their appointments. Until the 1950s, the average American walked for 2 hours a day.

During the 1950s our entire nation became much more sedentary. Salesmen sat at desks on the telephone all day. Families sat in front of T.V. all evening instead of taking a walk together. More and more people rode in cars or public transportation instead of walking.

By 1965 the average American walked only 5 - 10 minutes a day instead of the previous 2 hours. That's not enough activity for the basic physiologic functions of the body to be maintained, even in a young healthy person, let alone someone whose health is declining.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that we go back to the horse and buggy days. We have, however, paid an enormous price for our new sedentary lifestyle. We've traded our health for convenience. We need to start moving our bodies again. But the exercise programs Americans are offered are based on the wrong principles, so they are producing injury and fatigue.

Part 1 of the Systemic Health Home Study Course teaches a completely different set of principles about exercise. It's based on health preservation, not athletic or fitness forms of exercise. It is the perfect way for most of us to start, regardless of our age or health and fitness level, and athletes would do well to follow it's principles. To learn more about Systemic Exercise, and the course, go to the Description of the Systemic Health Home Study Course. To order the course go to the Order Page.

2. Poor Rest and Sleep Habits
Sleep research labs and treatment centers tell us that 90% of Americans don't get into the deeper levels of sleep, in which the body repairs and corrects itself. If we don't sleep deeply, the body develops chronic (on going) health problems. There is more to it than just going to bed and hoping that we will be rested. We need to learn how to get more rest from our sleep.

Part 2 of the Systemic Health Home Study Course teaches effective techniques for improving the depth and quality of our sleep, relearning the habit of staying relaxed throughout the day, and regaining emotional calm even with a hectic schedule. To learn more about Systemic Rest, and the course, go to the Description of the Systemic Health Home Study Course. To order the course go to the Order Page.

3. Poor Eating Habits
A few decades ago, when most people lived on the farm, they ate healthy, organic, nutrient rich foods. During the war effort in the 1940s, the technology for packaged and processed foods was suddenly developed. During the 1950s processed foods became the norm in America. It was all for the sake of convenience and low cost, but what have processed foods really cost us?

Processed foods don't contain as many nutrients as natural foods. When what we eat has a low nutritional content then how much we eat at a meal has to increase. Our bodies crave more food at each meal to get more nutrients. How often we eat also increases for the same reasons. Habitually eating processed foods, or overeating, or eating too often all overburden and weaken the digestive system.

This Digestive Fatigue can lead to nutritional dificiencies and many chronic health problems, such as candidiasis, "leaky gut syndrome," (excess intestinal permeability), and more. It is one of the main causes of weight gain. More about Digestive Fatigue later.

Part 3 of the Systemic Health Home Study Course teaches effective techniques for correcting Digestive Fatigue and safely, comfortably detoxifying the body.

Part 4 of the Systemic Health Home Study Course teaches Systemic Dietetics. It's a comfortable, gradual approach to improving our eating habits. It's and ancient method that puts the emphasis on how foods affect the Three Systemic Functions. It is a powerful tool for preventing or overcoming chronic health problems. To learn more about Systemic Dietetics, and the course, go to the Description of the Systemic Health Home Study Course. To order the course go to the Order Page.

4. Poor Thinking Habits
Our way of picturing oursevles, our families, our society and our spiritual lives has changed in powerful ways since the 1950's. Some of the changes have been good. Some have not.

Negative emotional habits are much more prevalent these days. Families were closer on the most part. There were dysfunctions and injustices within some families, but they stayed together more. People had to face their disagreements and injustices within the family and learn to deal with each other as best they could. These days too many of us just leave.

In the 1950s deterioration of the family unit accelerated. The divorce rate went through the roof. We raised the first generation of children in which most kids grew up in broken homes; if not divorced, then emotionally separated. This created a kind of emotional stress that effected us differently than any other time in American history. It effected the majority of our population, so after awhile we accepted it as normal. Fortunately, family values are back on the rise.

Another major factor is mass media. Humans, especially young humans, watch each other to get their bearings on how to act; how to respond to other people; to life's situations and challenges. With the advent of television and movies, children watch real people around them as role models less than before. We now watch scripted, pretend, unrealistic, exaggerated examples of how to respond to life. Mass media gives us predominantly negative examples to emulate - and we do emulate them.

Our emotions directly effect our physical health. Negative emotional habits interfere with normal, healthy neurological functions. They make adverse changes in our blood chemistry, which cause it to hold on to toxins and prevent it from using oxygen, nutrients and hormones the way it should. All this can deplete our Vitality and lead to many health problems.

On the other hand, positive emotional habits promote the healthy condition of our Vitality, Neurological, and Blood Functions, and have far reaching, positive effects on our health.

Part 5 of the Systemic Health Home Study Course covers effective techniques for changing our negative emotional (attitude) habits into positive ones. To learn more about Systemic Thinking, and the course, go to the Description of the Systemic Health Home Study Course. To order the course go to the Order Page.

Our personal Health Habits, discussed above are the most common Root Causes of chronic illness. Some other Root Causes are structural injuries (from car accidents, sports injuries, etc.), hereditary factors, and emotional trauma. However, it's important to remember that these Root Causes can only produce chronic health problems if they chronically weaken the Three Systemic Functions first. Please read the next page Can We Really Change Our Health?.