On Health and Being Human – Part 1

How does the human experience influence the process of making healthy decisions?

From exercise, food, sleep, supplements, therapy, to treatments we accept when we are sick, we make decisions about our health every day. Sometimes those decisions are in the forefront of our minds. You might carefully plan treatment options, or schedule your day around going to the gym or getting enough sleep.

Other times we don’t really make a decision at all and rely on habitual behaviors. Some people make going to the gym a routine. They don’t always consciously decide to go. Exercise is simply something they do several times a week, regularly. On the other side, some people stop for fast food for dinner, or choose to watch TV all evening. These could be conscious choices, but typically they are habitual behaviors.

But, why do some people choose to be healthy, some choose to be unhealthy, and still others don’t really make decisions about their health at all?

Being Human

This weekend is the inaugural Being Human conference in San Francisco. Being Human is “for anyone curious about how and why they experience life the way they do, and interested in expanding their orientation towards self, others and the world.” I will be attending the conference in investigation of my preceding inquiry.

The speaker list for this event is full of luminaries in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, cognition, mindfulness, spirituality, and philanthropy such as:

• Jon Kabat-Zinn – Founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine
• Richard J. Davidson – Founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds
• David Eagleman – Neuroscientist and author of the recent release “Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain”
• Peter Baumann – Founder of the Baumann Foundation
• Paul Ekman – Psychologist, Author, and Manager of the Paul Ekman Group
• Tami Simon – Founder and Publisher, Sounds True

I plan to follow closely to discussions related to health as the day unfolds. I’m curious about the conditions that enable us to be aware of the daily health choices we make. It would seem there are a range of factors that cause us to be aware of health, including family environments, mental states, and availability of information. I will report back on more details next week, after the event.

FoundHealth’s Role in Health Decision Making

At FoundHealth, we support decision making in health treatments and healthy lifestyles. Central to our community is a commitment to providing information on multiple health options, in-depth clinical research, and a range of people’s actual experiences in receiving treatments for Health Challenges. We think that making a decision is easier when you know what to expect from each treatments. In this respect, we’re not all doctors, but we can all be a resource for others in their health journey.

Follow along with the Being Human conference this Saturday from 9AM – 5PM PST. They are streaming the entire event on fora.tv. Additionally, I will be tweeting from @foundhealth, and you can also follow the action with @beinghuman and #beinghuman2012. Show up, and give us your ideas on how the experience of being human impacts making healthy decisions.