Integrative Way: Living a happy life

Does it ever seem like you were dealt a lousy health hand while others around you thrive and avoid physical ailments?

Well, if you are on a quest for fabulous health, here's a recent book that we highly recommend: "Choosing Brilliant Health" (Perigee Trade, $23.95, 288 pages) by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks, along with Dr. Jen Seda.

Foster and Hicks' previous book, "How We Choose To Be Happy" (Perigee Trade, $14.95, 256 pages), was an exploration of the commitments and practices that lead to happiness and satisfaction in our lives; they traveled the world to identify the habits of happy people.

What Foster and Hicks found in their research was that these practices led not only to great emotional health but also to excellent physical health. They have become internationally known for their work, teaching and consulting with physicians and hospitals as well as patients and businesses, from the Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association to Wells Fargo and General Electric.

So what's the magic in their approach to "brilliant" health? Foster and Hicks outline the basic practices of people who are happy and healthy:

• They are intentional – that is, they set an intention to be well, and to follow the health and emotional practices that are needed to live within that intention.

This is done not only on a moment-by-moment basis but also with long-term vision. They also live in integrity with their deepest core values.

• They are accountable – that is, they take ownership of their lives and their challenges. They are determined to be well and disciplined about their health practices. They give up blaming anyone or anything for their circumstances.

• They identify those things that they love and are passionate about, that bring them joy, and they give those things detailed attention.

• They practice centrality, meaning that they live their passion by actively doing the things that bring them joy, by providing a central place in their lives for the things they love.

• They recast the difficult events in their lives, including illness, meaning that they accept and acknowledge that difficult emotions and events are a part of life. Then they look at them as opportunities for growth and action.

• They look for new options. They believe that multiple new opportunities are always around the corner, and they stay open to those opportunities; they give up thinking that life is supposed to look a certain way.

• They are committed to appreciating everything in their lives in the moment, including the miraculous ways in which their bodies work every day.

If this all sounds Pollyanna-ish to you, you might use that particular thought as a starting place to examine your own attitudes and sense of optimism, and then to assess your own physical well-being. Although these practices may not cure disease or lead to a permanently stress-free life, we are certain they will enhance your health and happiness while leading to much more satisfaction.

We encourage you to try it. Besides, what have you got to lose other than pessimism and pain?

About the writer:

• Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden are medical directors of Sutter Downtown Integrative Medicine program. Have a question related to alternative medicine? E-mail adrenaline@sacbee.com.