7 signs you're not actually healthy
You might have work to do
Doctors will tell you that you’re healthy if you’re not on any meds and have no diagnosed condition.
30lbs overweight? Crooked teeth? Congestion? Fatigue?
“You’re healthy as a horse”
What a joke. Societal standards are so low that anything above debilitating illness is considered “health”.
But that’s a poor definition of health. We should define it based on what you are, not on what you aren’t.
So how do you know if you’re truly healthy? These seven benchmarks for optimal health will give you a good idea.
Why we need this
True health is easily identifiable and remarkably consistent between people.
It can’t be measured in a lab—the “reference ranges” are too wide and based off averages from a population that is chronically ill.
And even so, bloodwork doesn’t capture every variable.
Instead, it’s actually quite easy to determine health, provided you have a benchmark of a healthy human to compare yourself to.
And fortunately we do. Both from anthropological studies of healthy hunter-gatherers, to examples of freakishly healthy “civilized” people, we know exactly what health entails.
If someone has attained it, then it’s possible. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Sadly, most people alive today have ever experienced true health.
Here’s what it looks like.
Disclaimer: the point of this is not to pick on people for being unhealthy. But it’s necessary to have a reliable benchmark for health that you can work towards if you are willing and able.
Skin
The most obvious indicator of a person’s health is their skin. There are just so many variables to look at.
For both men and women, skin should be smooth, soft, tight, lightly oily, free of blemishes and seed oil spots; and clear of pimples, acne, eczema, and cellulite; and of course tan well (as is appropriate for your natural skin tone) without burning.
Age-appropriate wrinkles are about the only commonly-considered “undesirable” feature of skin that is a natural and will occur even if you’re very healthy.
If your skin is not as described, then know that if you choose to fix it, you will be able to.
How you do that might be different for everyone, but it’s well within your genetic capacity to achieve good skin.
Body fat and composition
Weight can be completely controlled.
That being said, the proper lifestyle for fat loss or muscle gain is by no means apparent (if it were, everyone would be fit).
And shaming people into starving themselves is counter productive (easy way to tank someone’s thyroid function).
It might be difficult/confusing/expensive/whatever, but you can do it.
Ideal body fat percentages are something like 10-20% for men, and 15-30% for women.
Moderate amounts of body fat are not necessarily bad, and should vary with ethnicity and the time of year.
It’s also possible for both men and women to be “too skinny”— hyper-low body fat causes increased stress and will lower thyroid function over time.
Often women who are “too skinny” lose their periods, which is how we know that it’s a problem…
Reproduction
Reproduction is such a fundamentally important feature of animals that the body will prioritize that functioning often to the detriment of other systems.
Thus if your reproductive system is not working, it’s an indicator of serious problems.
Erectile dysfunction is not normal, yet 33% of men younger than 50 have it. You should be waking up every day with an erection.
If not, your T levels need work.
For women, menstrual cycles should occur on a consistent and predictable schedule. Missing a period (or not having one at all) is not normal.
And your gynecologist may true tell you it’s fine. It’s not, and the health of any future children you have depends on it.
Digestion
You’ll know that your digestion is ideal when you don’t notice it happening at all.
Any “feeling” is a symptom of something working incorrectly.
No gas pains, nausea, belching, or bloating.
No diarrhea or constipation.
You should poop 1-3x per day, and it should be solid, and easy to pass. Not too hard, not too soft.
Every day.
It also shouldn’t smell bad, nor should it float. Undigested food should also not be present.
Look at cows for an example. They poop a lot, and it’s the same every single time. Consistency is key.
For most, digestion is the most sensitive system they have. Getting this right will mean most other things are working well too.
Energy
Can you wake up early, work, go to the gym, do your chores, and maintain energy until bedtime without stimulants or napping?
Most people cannot.
It’s one of the best tests of health since so many metabolic stars need to align to produce this kind of energy.
Granted, much of modern work life is “unnatural” and it’s well documented that tribal societies occupy much of their time with leisure.
But the falling-asleep-in-class feeling common to studying and working people is an indication that your mitochondria and thyroid are not firing on all cylinders.
(I’m not claiming stimulants or napping are always bad, but if you use them it should not be out of necessity).
Breathing
Can you breathe through your nose 100% of the time? Both nostrils? Even when exercising?
Humans are supposed to breathe through our noses. We are not like dogs who mouth breathe for heat exchange.
Congestion is a clear indicator that something is wrong. The worst part about it is the mouth breathing it induces makes you more unhealthy, since oxygen update doesn’t work as it should.
I personally couldn’t breathe through my nose for much of my childhood, and it caused a lot of problems for me.
Usually, people who mouth breathe also have bad…
Teeth
Teeth should be white, 100% free of cavities, and all 32 (including wisdom teeth) should fit in your mouth without crowding or being crooked.
Like these guys:
Almost none of you will have this, and it’s a testament to the sad state of our health that generations of our people have grown up without a fully and properly formed jaw.
Where do you think “ugly faces” come from? Very little of it is genetic.
Unlike the other things on this list though, there is only so much you can do to fix teeth in adulthood.
At the very least, you can prevent further cavities from occurring, and heal much of the ones that exist (vitamin K2 is your friend here).
And if you take care of this now, your kids’ mouths just might look like theirs.
Conclusion
There you have it. 7 normal qualities that are achievable and normal to every person with human DNA, and which are incredibly rare in modern society.
If you passed the test, then congratulations. Keep doing what you’re doing. Something is clearly working for you.
But if you didn’t, don’t be disheartened. The purpose of this list is to encourage you with what’s possible, not demoralize you about your inadequacies.
How to Fix them
As for how to achieve health like this? That’s the hard part, and will be different for everyone.
All I and other health people on the internet can do is point you in the right direction.
Next week, my paid subscribers will get a high-impact summary of the best protocols for improving each of these seven markers.
Sign up now so you don’t miss it.
thanks for this great overview of the health conditions to be aware of. in addition to what i already knew, i added one more i want to address.
to anyone interested in learning more on breathing and dental health, in addition to the Shut Your Mouth book, i would also recommend book called Jaws by Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich. i wish i had that knowledge before i became a parent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Did you ever make the follow-up article to this? The ‘how to fix them’ article.