Blog#6 Foundational Concepts: Pillars of Health

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“The man who chases [many] rabbits, captures [none]” - adapted from Confucius

Thank you for following along on this journey thus far, and if you're just joining, I encourage you to explore the earlier posts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the foundational concepts I am building this blog upon.

In the pursuit of health and wellness, we often encounter various buzzwords and catchphrases that attempt to encapsulate complex concepts. One such term that has found its way into mainstream medical media is "holistic." While the essence of holistic medicine resonates deeply with the principles of longevity and wellness, its colloquial usage has led to some misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

Now as someone deeply entrenched in the field of medicine and dedicated to bridging the gap between conventional primary care and proactive longevity, I often find myself grappling with the term "holistic." While some patients are drawn to it, particularly for the promise of comprehensive care addressing mind, body, and spirit, the term has been co-opted to encompass alternative therapies and practices that may lack scientific rigor. Conversely, some patients are utterly repulsed by the term. Ask any parent of a toddler if they are keeping up with the ideal of “holistic” practices. Are they getting plenty of sleep? Exercising every day? The typical response is a sadistic laugh.

The word itself thus means nothing and something at the same time. It’s both too broad to be of any substance and too idealistic to be relatable. However, when we strip away the misconceptions surrounding holistic care, we find that it aligns closely with the fundamental tenets of modern medicine that are already the norm. At its core, holistic medicine emphasizes the importance of communication, patient-informed care, and individualized treatment plans—qualities that are central to the ethos of physicians committed to guiding patients through their health and wellness journey.

The challenge lies in refining our understanding of holistic medicine to move beyond a broad, nebulous concept and toward concrete, actionable definitions and practices that are nested within the aims of longevity medicine. Rather than chasing after an elusive ideal of “wellness”, we must focus on identifying and addressing the specific pillars of health that form the foundation of healthy living.

You’ve heard of these pillars of health before. Take a scroll through social media, sit in a company lecture on wellness or “work-life” balance, you’ll find it. Most rattle off the following: physical health, nutrition, sleep, emotional health, and stress management. I love these, but find them still lacking. When I consider my patients’ health, I like to base my schema off Maslow’s infamous Hierarchy of Needs. We have to consider what is vital to your health, in order to develop a plan moving forward. Schae’s Pillars of Health:

1. Exercise and Physical Health

2. Nutritional Health

3. Sleep Health

4. Mental Health

5. Breath Health

6. Natural Exposure Health

Let’s dive into each briefly.

1. Exercise and Physical Healthy - This is really the most obvious category, at least to me. Movement is absolutely fundamental to our existence (just think about the rudimentary action of simply swallowing), but musculoskeletal health is not only limited to its important role in mechanical function. Together, the entire muscular footprint represents the largest endocrine organ in the body. It is one of the main drivers of metabolic health, and therefore, has implications throughout the body. 

2. Nutritional Health - Another fairly obvious but incredibly important pillar. Proper nutrition is of course the fuel that keeps our incredibly complex bodies alive. But nutritional health isn’t just what we consume but also how we consume. It involves an understanding of how our gut microbiota impacts us or even how we might be predisposed to malabsorptive processes.

3. Sleep Health - Despite remaining somewhat of a Pandora’s Box in medicine, adequate rest is crucial for supporting the body's physiological processes and optimizing recovery and repair. Interestingly, sleep is so critical that even optimal exercise and nutritional will fail to make up for inadequate time in bed. 

4. Mental Health - As innately tribal beings through our evolutionary development, it is no surprise that our emotional and psychological well-being are inextricably linked to our physical health. This underscores the importance of addressing mental health, which in my opinion, comprises social health, emotional health, stress management, and even self-actualization. 

5. Breath Health - While it is a notably essential function of our mammalian bodies to respire, this one often confuses folks. It isn’t only about the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide in the lung alveoli, but the quality of our breath that impacts numerous physiological functions, from cardiovascular health to stress management. Appropriate breathing can prevent devastating disease processes (e.g. the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea to not only improve sleep, but to also impact cardiovascular and brain health as well).

6. Natural Exposure Health - A topic that may raise more eyebrows than the aforementioned, this pillar is a result of our manufactured modern world. We see now more than ever before how connecting with the natural world offers myriad benefit for our physical and mental well-being, from vitamin D synthesis and circadian rhythm regulation to stress reduction and improved cognitive function.

By reframing our approach to holistic medicine through these specific pillars, we can cultivate a more direct and specific understanding of what constitutes comprehensive care. Rather than pursuing vague ideals, we can focus our efforts on strengthening the foundational elements of health that underpin longevity and wellness.

Ultimately, my aim is to empower you to take an active role in your health journey. With this framework, you can advocate for more concrete steps with your physician to improve your well-being. By embracing a holistic approach rooted in evidence-informed practices, we can navigate the complexities of modern healthcare with clarity and purpose, ensuring that each step we take brings us closer to our goals of vitality, extending both lifespan and healthspan.