It has been said that one cannot fix a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it in the first place.

When I read a book or see a movie or observe life around me, I notice how that observation or event relates to the wellness paradigm. While reading Ekhart Tolle’s book, “A New Earth”, I read a passage that depicts a perfect example of wellness and holistic care versus illness and traditional medical care. It can be found on Page 75 and reads as follows:

“These days you frequently hear the expression ‘the war against’ this or that, and whenever I hear it, I know that it is condemned to failure. There is the war against drugs, the war against crime, the war against terrorism, the war against cancer, the war against poverty and so on. For example, despite the war against crime and drugs, there has been a dramatic increase in crime and drug-related offenses in the past twenty-five years. The prison population has gone up from just under 300,000 in 1980 to a staggering 2.1 million in 2004. The war against disease has given us, amongst other things, antibiotics. At first, they were spectacularly successful, seemingly enabling us to win the war against infectious diseases. Now, many experts agree, the widespread and indiscriminate use of antibiotics has created a time bomb and that antibiotic-strains of bacteria, so-called super bugs, will in all likelihood bring about a reemergence of those diseases and possibly epidemics. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association , medical treatment is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States .”

Tolle points out that the more we put energy into fighting things we don’t like, the more they become empowered. Fighting does nothing to change the environment which spawned the condition in the first place.

The focus of Western medicine is fighting disease. Yet, in spite of the vast resources being directed toward this fight, there is no reduction in the amount of disease people are experiencing. In fact, we find new diseases and new strains of existing ones.

So what are better alternatives to fighting conditions like disease, poverty and crime?

In his book, Tolle proposes raising consciousness rather than waging war against these undesirable conditions. Treating illness as an enemy and perceiving it as evil often makes the conditions worse. Tolle doesn’t advocate ignoring conditions at hand, but ultimately, without changing the consciousness or the environment that led to the situation, our efforts will be futile.

If the body is overstressed, toxic or unhealthy it may become a fertile breeding ground for any number and variety of diseases. One option is to fight and try and get rid of these diseases. Another option is to help restore the body to a healthy state.

The focus of the wellness paradigm is on raising consciousness about how we approach our environment, our bodies and our lives. From this place of awareness and acceptance, we navigate a more constructive and holistic solution. Instead of fighting the symptoms or conditions we experience, we establish positive strategies for optimal living and being. Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration offer positive strategies for adapting to stress and creating a deeper connection to our innate wisdom.

Ekhart Tolle’s books, “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth,” are available for purchase at the Center for Holistic Health.