Photo of four different colored leaves on weathered wood
Dr. Elson Haas
written by
Dr. Elson Haas

Oct 18, 2024

Article Tags: seasonal health | lifestyle | healing | education | integrative medicine clinic

Embracing Change

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” Albert Einstein

Lifestyle Medicine is how I refer to the basic health advice that I offer to my patients and teach about in my books and online courses. I encourage people to look at their daily lives and see where they can take steps that will lead to better health.

Habits are one way we create stability for ourselves in an everchanging world. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I often see it as creating a harmonious rhythm for my life. This could be a daily plan of what and how we eat. It could be a weekly exercise program (check out mine here), paying attention monthly to the lunar phases, or to the cycle of the year.  This is what I wrote about in Staying Heathy with the Seasons.

Whatever we do, we want our habits to be positive and supportive of our physical. emotional, mental and spiritual well-being and this is not always the case.  It is very easy to become fixed and rigid with unsupportive behaviors.

Just looking at the physical level, in our nutrition and exercise habits, we often have too much unhealthy food and too little activity, which is a recipe for weight gain and many health problems. It is interesting to me that foods that we eat every day can often become the ones that cause allergy-like reactions in our bodies, and this includes inflammation and congestion and many health complaints.

Foremost, being willing and able to identify unhelpful and unhealthy habits and change them is really the key.

 How can we do this?

First, we need to identify the poor habits we want to change, and take a break from one or more of them – Look for experienced guidance (inner and outer), and don’t be too ambitious. It is best to build on each small success.

 Second, we need a plan for how we are going change – it helps to be specific and write down what you’ll do as a commitment to yourself.

A good place to begin this process is my free self-guided online program called The 5 Keys to Staying Healthy where I help you review your lifestyle in 5 areas – Nutrition, Exercise, Stress, Sleep and Attitude.

A third factor that’s part of successful habit change is finding support during the process. This could be a friend, partner, family member, or even and online group.

If you want an interactive and personal person habit change experience then my Autumn Detox starting on Oct 26th is designed to meet all three of the above criteria. I offer 3 live webinars with plenty of time for Q&A so we can find the best approach that’s individualized for you. Plus you’ll benefit greatly from the group dynamic. Learn more HERE.

In Staying Heathy with the Seasons, I used the ancient Chinese system of 5 elements and seasons to create an integration of Eastern and Western medicine and I continue to explore this fascinating interface. Recently I was talking about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with my colleague, Efrem Korngold – he’s the co-author of Between Heaven and Earth – one of the best books on the subject. We were discussing the 5 elements and he pointed out that the word “phases” is a more appropriate translation. Elements can seem fixed while TCM is describing how things transition almost seamlessly from one stage to another over time, like the seasons, or the processes and energies in our own bodies. This is an idea that lies at the root of the Western cultural tradition as well. The famous quote, “Panta Rei,” which means “everything flows,” is attributed to the 6th Century BCE Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.

In truth the very nature of our existence is forever in flux, – everything keeps changing, whether we are aware of it or not.             Pema Chodron

Instead of resisting the process of change. let’s embrace it in all areas of our life.

This will help us to Stay healthy!

Dr. Elson