What can ecosystem health teach us about human health?

I had the most beautiful walk along the beach today. I'm so grateful to be able to do this, especially when we (the dog and I) had it ALL to ourselves. I was taking in the beauty, and listening to the lessons. By understanding how healthy ecosystems function, we gain incredible insight into understanding how to enhance human health, and vice versa.

A widely used definition of a healthy ecosystem is “one that is sustainable—that is, it has the ability to maintain its structure (organization) and function (vigour) over time in the face of external stress (resilience)”. (Constanza and Mageau)

On recently listening to a podcast with John Kempf and Arden Anderson, a very similar definition is given for optimal plant and soil health.

And wouldn’t you know it, I believe we could use a similar definition when discussing optimal human health:

Physical health/ biochemistry + life force/ vitality = resilience/ ability to adapt.

Nutritional medicine, herbal medicine and lifestyle medicine (i.e. sleep, movement, sunshine, stress management, personal growth) offer the opportunity for gains to be made in both biochemical/ physical health AND overall vitality/ vivacity.This is what I believe sets Naturopathy apart from so many other modalities. It takes an ecological approach to health enhancement, with the goal to increase physical and emotional resilience to life stressors that inevitably come out way.