The goal of improving all of our health-maintaining pathways is to improve our resilience, making us able to both improve our health and increase our ability to function well in our increasingly stressful environment.

The two bodily systems of the utmost importance are the immune and detoxification systems. Maintaining an active, even aggressive, immune system and ensuring that toxins are eliminated from our bodies as efficiently and quickly as possible are discussed in the two largest and most detailed chapters and should be studied first.

Finally, please be patient. Real change, as opposed to alleviating symptoms, takes time. We are not talking here about eliminating symptoms as quickly as possible. We are talking about changing the fundamental course of your health, about establishing total wellness. This will take time and perseverance. Once a system gets way out of balance, reestablishing full function requires careful and rigorous control initially. Once full function is established, maintenance is much easier.

References
1. Kleinman, A., Eisenberg, L. and Good, B.: Culture, illness, and cure: Clinical lessons from anthropologic and cross-cultural research. Ann Int Med 88:251-58, 1978

2. Peterson, W.L., Sturdevant, R.A., Frankl, H.D. et. al.:Healing of duodenal ulcer with antacid regimen. NEJM 297:341-45, 1977