Around Christmas 2021, I developed an ulcer in my esophagus that seemed to emerge from nowhere. Following an endoscopy, I asked the gastroenterologist what had caused it — and just what I might do to prevent a different one. “Just take these,” he said brusquely, handing me a prescription for a proton pump inhibitor. Then he was off to the next patient.
I wanted to understand and address the underlying problem, not just paper over the symptoms. Turns out that part would be up to me.
I finally got the insight and tools I desired to heal once I started working with a nutritional therapist. She suggested some simple nutrition and lifestyle alterations in support my digestive health and helped me tap into a deeper understanding of my body. I felt empowered to take my health into my own hands, without relying on a prescription.
I know I’m not by yourself in my frustration with the limitations of conventional American medicine. “We have a fabulous healthcare system to save your life, but it performs poorly in facilitating healing,” explains integrative physician Wayne Jonas, MD, author of methods Healing Works.
Fortunately, we’re not even close to helpless. Many of the most prevalent chronic conditions afflicting Americans — including hypertension, diabetes type 2, obesity, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression — can be treated with nutrition, movement, sleep, social support, and complementary practices, for example yoga, acupuncture, and massage.
Not only are these approaches safer and less expensive than drugs and surgery, but many of them don’t even require a visit to the doctor’s office. That’s a mercy, because the costs associated with those visits are high — and getting higher.
“We have a very expensive system of medicine,” says Kara Parker, MD, a functional-medicine physician in Minneapolis. “But it’s often chasing damage that is preventable and treatable upstream with lifestyle measures.
“Health is made in the home and at the grocery store in the course of day-to-day living. We’re blessed to possess a medical system that backs us up, but our health is primarily in our own hands.”
With that in mind, these are some of the best strategies — free, low-cost, or investment-worthy — to take charge of your health.
FREE
Sleep
Committing to adequate sleep might be the best health investment you may make. Insufficient sleep has been associated with chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes type 2, and cardiovascular disease. One study discovered that people who averaged less than seven hours of sleep a night were about three times more prone to develop cold symptoms than those who slept at least 8 hours.
Integrative physician Frank -Lipman, MD, author of How to Be Well, puts it bluntly: “Lack rest can make you fatter, biologically older, and much more at risk for heart disease and diabetes.” It can also leave you wired for stress, with a nervous system primed for fight-or-flight reactions to everyday challenges.
It's not only quantity of sleep that counts: Quality rest with phases of deep sleep allows the brain to protect itself from toxic proteins that accumulate throughout the day. Syncing your natural body clock by creating a regular sleep and wake schedule, finishing your last meal two to three hours before bedtime, avoiding alcohol before bed, and being mindful of evening light exposure can all help.
Move
We are created to move. “A hundred years ago, humans were up and getting around more than eight hours a day,” says Parker. “Now it's reversed, and we're spending much time sitting.” One recent study found that a quarter of Americans sit for a lot more than eight hours daily.
Sitting and rarely rising is hard on our health, she explains, noting that movement keeps blood and lymph flowing and delivers oxygen and nutrients to our cells.
Incorporate movement into your daily routine by getting out of your chair regularly or utilizing a standing desk or a fitness ball that activates your core when you sit. Park farther from your destination when driving. Choose the stairs over the elevator.
“Design and embed movement in to the routine operations of your life,” advises Jonas, who uses a walking desk for his daily work. “Don't just depend on willpower, or it won't happen.”
Meditate
Although long bouts of sitting isn't good for your health, intentionally sitting still and focusing on your breath can be a powerful tool for improving your well-being, counteracting stress, stimulating the vagus nerve (which affects from digestion to heart rate), and galvanizing clearer thinking and better decision-making. Meditating for as little as 10 minutes a day may also yield profound cognitive benefits, based on Lipman: It improves memory, attention, and creativity, also it potentially lowers blood pressure and eases anxiety.
Apps for example Insight Timer offer free, guided meditations, as well as tools to track and log your daily practice. (For ideas on different ways to achieve a settled state of mind, see “Beyond Meditation”.)
Hydrate
One of the basics of DIY healthcare is simply to drink more water, Parker advises. Hydration helps the center pump blood to the muscles, facilitates healthy bowel function, and nourishes cells. Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces throughout the day, ideally from a filtered source to avoid any contaminants in your plain tap water. (This means if you're 160 pounds, try to consume at least 80 ounces water each day.)
Try Intermittent Fasting
A growing body of research highlights the power of intermittent fasting to help support healthy insulin levels, blood pressure, and liver function, in addition to enhance cellular-repair processes and reduce inflammation.
The most common method involves fasting for around 16 hours between dinner and breakfast, explains Lipman. “This signals your metabolism to burn fat and allows your body to experience a longer-than-normal period of low insulin in the blood, which is a powerful reset.” (To learn more about this practice, see “Everything You should know About Intermittent Fasting”.)
Take Digital Breaks
Our products are designed to tap into the brain's reward system, triggering the discharge of tiny hits of dopamine with every notification we receive, leaving us simultaneously hyperstimulated and exhausted. Taking regular time away from screens can boost emotional and mental health, improve sleep, and fend off the physical side effects of constant digital immersion, for example dry eyes and spinal misalignment from hunching over phones and computers.
“Having space and time when you are not interrupted and can be present in the flow is more and more essential as our digital lives creep out of work and into our home and vacation spaces,” observes Parker.
Lipman advises creating dedicated tech-free periods during commutes, switching off distracting notifications, leaving your phone at home while you go for a walk or run errands, and observing a tech fast for one full day each weekend.
Practice an Elimination Diet
Eliminating particular foods from your diet can be an effective – and informative – strategy when you're not feeling well and suspect that the food sensitivity or intolerance may be the cause. “Everyone wants a quick, easy answer from the lab, but the gold standard for detecting a food sensitivity is to eat an easy-to-digest basic diet after which progressively add back in various food categories to see if you get a response,” says Parker.
If you discover a sensitivity to a food or ingredient, like gluten, you'll know enough to temporarily cure it to relieve your symptoms. And a few months without it might be all that you should fix what was plaguing you.
“If you've celiac, that's one thing,” says Parker, “but [for others] should you change the health of your bowel, reduce leakiness, and holistically repair the gut and reduce stress, oftentimes your diet can once again be expanded.” (For additional on elimination diets, see “The Institute for Functional Medicine's Elimination Diet Comprehensive Guide and Food Plan”.)
Exercise
Just 2 . 5 to three hours a week of moderate to vigorous exercise can help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and coronary disease, as well as bolster cognitive health.
“We need to regularly work through our reserves, after which restore them,” notes Parker. “Balance, stretching, strengthening, aerobic fitness exercise – they're all important, and everybody can choose their own combination to pay attention to at different stages of life.”
Where you fall around the intensity spectrum isn't as important as exercising in a way that you truly enjoy. Do what you could to stay regularly active, and any additional workouts you can integrate into your weekly routine will be supportive.
Use Health-Supportive Apps
If there's any upside to our increasingly symbiotic relationship with our smartphones, it may be the potential they hold to nudge us in the direction of desirable behavior changes. Apps for example Smoke Free take a science-backed approach to smoking cessation, using evidence-based techniques to help users manage cravings and kick the habit. Insight Timer and similar apps offer guided meditations of various lengths, focusing on a variety of issues, including fostering sleep, easing anxiety, and increasing self-confidence. (Many apps offer in-app or premium options that come at a cost.)
LOW COST
Eat Whole Foods, Organic When Possible
“Breaking free from the grip of processed food is a must if you want to claim and own your health,” advises Lipman. Processed foods containing sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and flavors, preservatives, and bad fats have been linked to type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
By contrast, organic, non-GMO vegetables and fruits offer essential fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients the body need to thrive.
When selecting whole-foods – especially produce – opt for organic varieties whenever possible. Pesticides along with other agricultural chemicals can be hazardous to both physical and cognitive health. Each year, the Environmental Working Group publishes the Dirty Dozen, a valuable list of the most pesticide-heavy produce, including strawberries, apples, spinach, kale, potatoes, and more.
Eating clean becomes more important by consuming high on the food chain, says Lipman, noting that antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides tend to target in conventionally farmed meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs. Though organic foods in many cases are more expensive than their conventionally grown counterparts, consider them as an investment in your health that may help avoid costly medical bills down the road.
Try joining a local CSA (community-supported agriculture) group for locally grown, organic produce, or consider services – such as Imperfect Produce – that deliver affordable, organic, cosmetically marred but nutritionally robust produce to your door.
Get Bodywork
Massage and hands-on healing techniques energize and rejuvenate us, increasing our sense of well-being while easing stress, says Sheila Patel, MD, chief medical officer for Chopra Global.
“Massage is an extremely underutilized tool for pain management,” she explains, noting that it can stimulate the release of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters, improve circulation to the muscles and connective tissue, and encourage lymphatic flow and drainage. Research has demonstrated that it can also reduce stress, pain, and muscle tension. “In addition,” Patel notes, “Ayurvedic massage that includes energy work and acupressure can help optimize the body's internal communication via nerve signals, create energy flow, and enhance immunity.”
To benefit from the benefits of massage in a budget-friendly way, try contacting a massage school, where students often offer discounted rates. Or make the most of DIY approaches, such as foam rollers or Ayurvedic self-massage. (For additional on becoming your own massage therapist, see “Be Your Own Massage Therapist”.)
Buy the best Gear
Investing in the proper equipment for your chosen activity will make you more prone to participate and less likely to suffer avoidable injuries. Finding the right shoes, for example, is a must. You will also be more likely to ride your bike on your morning commute if it fits you properly, rides smoothly, and is equipped with lights and a rack. Buy a sturdy helmet that's comfortable to wear. And for those days when you can't make it to the health club or gym, obtain the best set of kettlebells you can afford so you can keep your strength-training routine at home.
In short, should you invest in the appropriate gear, you likely will use it a whole lot more. (To check out the library of how-to workout videos from Experience Life, visit www.experiencelife.com/videos.)
Check Out Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Conventional Western medicine leans heavily on costly pharmaceuticals, however, many traditional healing modalities have incorporated herbs and nondrug therapies – considerably more affordable —- for thousands of years.
“Supporting the body with gentle herbs can be very effective, with fewer side effects than many medications,” says Patel. If you have a complex medical history or are already taking prescription meds, consult with a professional before adding herbs. But when you're seeking gentle support for better sleep or easing stress, try an adaptogenic herb on your own. (For more on herbal anxiety relief, see “Herbs for Anxiety”.)
“The great thing about herbs is that they're supportive, not suppressing – they encourage our natural mechanisms for sleep, calming, and healing,” she says, noting that herbs are best when used in combination with lifestyle practices, for example healthy eating, meditation, and yoga.
Other complementary approaches, for example acupuncture and reiki, may also help manage pain and address chronic issues like insomnia and depression. Look into community acupuncture (services provided in a group setting, often on a sliding scale) for a more affordable option.
WORTH IT
Invest in a Health-Club Membership
“Strength confers resilience, longevity, and protection against disease,” explains Lipman. Weightlifting and body-weight regimens can help to eliminate risk factors for a variety of chronic conditions, including coronary disease. But starting a workout routine from an unconditioned state or without learning proper technique can backfire, causing injury.
Many fitness centers have qualified personal trainers who can help design a strength-training program for the level and goals, and many clubs are well stocked using the equipment you need. All the better should you join a club with a sauna; taking saunas has been shown to offer neurocognitive and cardiovascular benefits.
Consider Lab Tests
For nearly all common ailments, diet and lifestyle modifications can place you on the road back to health. However when you have a stubborn set of symptoms and the interventions you've tried aren't working, it might be worth the investment to ask a functional-medicine doctor to operate a few lab tests. They can peek underneath the hood to see if there are any clues to be found in your levels of thyroid hormones, iron, or vitamin D, or maybe there are other deficiencies or imbalances.
“Testing could be a useful secondary measure if a person is struggling,” notes Jonas. “I always start with the things we know bring about the vast majority of health and healing, but when I find someone needs an assist in getting there, or there are lingering challenges, then some selective testing might help get them over the hump.”
Stool testing, for instance, can be helpful for stubborn GI problems; these tests can detect parasites and other microbial imbalances that may be to blame. Likewise, comprehensive thyroid testing can reveal hormonal imbalances that contribute to unexplained fatigue, weight gain, and hair loss.
Make Connections
Let's face it: Fun often isn't free. The best things in life – love, relationships, leisure, -adventure – may not have a price tag, but the things that nurture them often do. Whether it's family vacations or dinners by helping cover their friends, investing time and money in activities that support relationships and our own sense of fun and enjoyment is rarely a bad idea.
Relationships are key to better health, and experiences inspire greater satisfaction than material things. So the next time the check appears following a night out with friends, raise a communal toast towards the positive investment you just produced in your health.
Seek Out a Health or Nutrition Coach
We often turn to our healthcare providers to provide us the tools we need to stay well, but doctors aren't always the best sources of actionable insight. “As doctors, we're trained to tell you what to do but not how,” explains Jonas, noting that advising someone to lose 100 pounds isn't necessarily helpful.
Health coaches, on the other hand, are often trained in behavior-change science. Whether your goal is adjusting your diet, moving more, or enhancing your mental well-being, a coach will help you develop skills and achieve successes that you could build on. (Find a science-based health coach at www.wellcoaches.com along with a functional-medicine-trained coach at www.ifm.org.)
Nutrition coaches, meanwhile, can pinpoint specific dietary issues and help produce a food plan designed to support your unique needs.
Get a Pet
Research has shown that pet owners tend to live longer and experience lower rates of cardiovascular disease than those without a dog. Canines can enhance our microbiomes, improve our immunity, encourage us to exercise, and support our mental health.
But it's not only dogs that offer benefits for human well-being. Parker loves to watch her pet snake make room her skin. “A pet can be a great way to add stillness and meditation for your life,” she notes. “If you spend five minutes petting any animal, you'll increase your parasympathetic balance.” The benefits of the companionship a dog offers can be especially profound for those who live alone.
Live your Purpose
A Harvard study found that the top predictor of a long and healthy life was not whether study subjects smoked or ate lots of vegetables. It was whether they were regularly engaged in activities they found meaningful. The strongest health benefits of all came from doing positive things for others.
“Start by figuring out what matters for you in life,” Jonas advises. “Why would you get up in the morning? Why are you here?”
Meanwhile, a purpose-filled life doesn't always result in the biggest paycheck – and often a hard-driving career is the thing that's harming your wellbeing the most.
Committing to health may need abandoning a career that's no longer aligned with your personal mission, or perhaps a work schedule that doesn't allow you to partake in meaningful activities, such as spending time with family, making music or art, or practicing self-care.
If you really can afford to take a pay cut but feel afraid to get it done, consider reframing the move like a worthwhile investment in your health and
well-being.
After all, you can't buy back your time in a healthy body, but you can purchase it now.
