On December 21st, 2020, we experienced a great conjunction where the planets, Jupiter and Saturn, were almost in total alignment (0.01 degrees or the thickness of a dime). The conjunction was the first since 1623 A.D., but has not been this close or visible since 1226 A.D. This blog photo was captured by my husband at dusk in the Southwest Arizona skies.
It has been theorized that this great conjunction could have possibly been the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem” that the Magi followed as signs to Baby Jesus. According to Colin J. Humphreys, 3 amazing conjunction events served to signal and guide the Magi to the coming of the new King: Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BC, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in 6 B.C., and the Star of Bethlehem, a comet in 5 B.C. when Jesus was born.[i]
So, what exactly does this have to do with health? Well, at first, the visual of this event over successive evenings made me think of coming together. Conjunction, according to Dictionary.com, means the action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space.[ii] As it relates to health, many times there are events that when they occur together can lead to a host of health issues.
To maintain health, it is important to understand that certain concurrent events can place us at increased risk of disease. While one event may precede another, the combination of events together can lead to disease and unwanted symptoms. Examples are numerous but may include:
- Standard American Diet and hormonal imbalances (eg., obesity, diabetes, heart disease)
- Food sensitivities and autoimmune disease (eg, hypothyroidism, Celiac, Crohn’s Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Trauma and gut dysbiosis (eg., Anxiety, Depression)
- Stress and toxin exposure (eg., cancer, sleep issues)
- Hormonal imbalances and chronic stress (eg, obesity, metabolic syndrome)
- Mineral imbalances and digestion issues (fatigue, energy issues)
These are but a few examples of concurrent issues which could ultimately lead to a variety of diseases and symptoms. As individuals, what we do have control over, is to seek opportunities to use concurrent wellness strategies to uncover hidden stressors creating imbalances and to promote wellness. Through these strategies, we can set our own health up for success.
However, it is important to know as individuals, we are all different. We have different genetic “weak spots”, different macronutrient (carb, fat, protein) requirements, and different opportunities for healing. Trained functional health experts understand that individuals are unique and use detective lab work to identify healing opportunities. Then, they use individualized protocols to support an individual’s needs, whether it be to rebalance hormones, improve the gut microbiome, correct nutrient imbalances, or to detoxify the body. Through identifying weak links and imbalances, functional wellness coaches support clients with testing, diet, lifestyle as well as supplementation strategies to rebalance the body’s systems.
So, make sure that your health strategies are “in conjunction” and aligned to light the path to your best health and wellness in the New Year. To learn more tips on how to stay well, or address issues such as inflammation and pain, sign up for my Pieces to Peace Newsletter by clicking the button below.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Peace in Wellness!
[i] http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1991QJRAS..32..389H&db_key=AST&page_ind=0&data_type=GIF&type=SCREEN_VIEW&classic=YES
[ii] https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS925US925&sxsrf=ALeKk00QcUIxf06Gk1NAHcDUgiPtnNLEKQ:1608760980728&q=Dictionary&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONQesSoyi3w8sc9YSmZSWtOXmMU4-LzL0jNc8lMLsnMz0ssqrRiUWJKzeNZxMqFEAMA7_QXqzcAAAA&zx=1608760991525#dobs=conjunction
