Health

We adopt an integrated approach to individual wellbeing that considers physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions, and we believe in the individual’s responsibility to nurture this dynamic state of positive health and support others in doing so.

Given the rate of population growth and population ageing, health is more than ever a priority. There is a global mental health crisis and a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCD), both of which substantially include lifestyle-related causes. The basic needs of vulnerable populations urgently require systemic solutions best achieved through the collaboration of governments, communities and international agencies. Yet addressing the behavioural component around mental health and NCDs is just as pressing, and it begins with the individual.

We support initiatives that enable populations to know more about positive physical, mental and emotional functioning. We believe that, in addition to combining allopathic and alternative medicine, positive health is generated by reconnecting the personal and the universal, the material and the spiritual.

The experience of being human and true emancipation is enhanced by a sense of meaning and the agency to impact on the world. A healthy connection to self and to others improves individual health and encourages positive citizenship. Reconciling with ourselves and each other are integral to the process of reconciling ourselves to the earth.

We are finally rediscovering the ancient learnings of our indigenous ancestors: the wellbeing of individuals is inseparable from the health of the community, and from the state of nature. Some call it the ecology of being. It is the fundamental logic of the holistic approach that allows for synergies across all areas of impact, from education to the environment and the economy.

It is why we believe the individual to be the critical link that needs to be strengthened, with the ability to self-manage, to adapt to ongoing social, physical and emotional challenges in a state of positive health, and to find and sustain holistic solutions.

Some facts on the health crisis

264 million people suffer from depression globally
Depression is a leading cause of disability, and often includes symptoms of anxiety
800 000 deaths by suicide are reported annually
½ of mental health conditions develop around age 14 and remain undetected and untreated
Average life expectancy in the USA has decreased for the 2nd time in 3 years, with two avoidable causes: drug overdose and suicide
‘Positivity’ significantly reduces risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and infection
Compassion and generosity activate positive-emotion circuits in the brain and improve plasticity
Physical exercise and brain-body coordination benefits the immune and endocrine systems
Antidepressant use among older people has more than doubled in 20 years
95% of the body’s serotonin is found in the bowels and over 30 neurotransmitters in the enteric nervous system govern the gut, otherwise known as the 2nd brain
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the no. 1 cause of death globally, with lifestyle-related causal factors that include hypertension, smoking, cholesterol, diabetes, inactivity, obesity and overweight
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide, with risk factors including excessive salt consumption, diets high in saturated fat and trans fats, low intake of fruits and vegetables, physical inactivity, consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and being overweight

Salt consumption is globally twice the recommended level of (5g or just under a teaspoon) and accounts for an est. 2.5 million deaths annually
80% of salt in daily diet comes from processed foods in many countries
High-sugar diets increase the risk of dying from heart disease
Obesity went from 105 million to 641 million between 1975 and 2014, while 2 billion people were classified as overweight
Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016
Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in 2016
Modern wheat cultivars enhance flavour and volume with extra gluten and yeast (a known allergen) which increase intolerance and gut health issues
Crops are regularly sprayed with the pesticide glyphosate, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a probable human carcinogen
Alcohol is a causal factor in over 200 disease and injury conditions, including maternal and child health, infectious and noncommunicable diseases, as well as many behavioural and mental disorders
Air pollution is a major environmental health risk in both cities and rural areas, estimated to have caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016
In 2016, 91% of the world population breathed in an air quality that did not meet the WHO guidelines

Sources: WHO