MAHA….Foundations for Health

Make America Healthy Again is a slogan and movement that, although well-intentioned, has been largely hijacked for political purposes. I don’t plan to delve into any political discussion, nor even intentionally discuss any of the core tenants of the MAHA movement. Rather, I intend to present some thoughts about the foundations or pillars of personal health and wellness, which will allow you to consider if you are attending to all of these yourselves, or if you are neglecting parts of your self-care.

In my opinion and experience, there are five pillars of health that we can modify and

regulate to optimize our well-being. These are as follows:

• Diet and nutrition

• Activity and exercise

• Self-regulation and stress management

• Sleep

• Mind-set

  
  

All these facets of self-care have multiple components that we can modulate and

manipulate to improve our health and quality of life. Moreover, the facets are

interrelated, and improvements to one aspect are often beneficial to another. Lastly,

they are all responsive to lifestyle changes and behavioral strategies that you can

implement for yourselves, although guidance can help make change efficient, effective,

and durable.

Generally, most people are familiar with the first two pillars at the very least, due to the

endless marketing of nutritional supplements, arguments over what is the “best” diet,

and ongoing fitness promotions for gym memberships. We all know we should eat

healthily and get more activity; however, individual needs and specific conditions are

variable. Keep in mind that the nutrition and fitness industries are “big-business” and

their goals are profit. So, when you are listening to a podcast or watching a favorite

streamer, ask yourself, “what are they trying to sell?” Often, that is at least part of the

motivation behind the presentation. While a few recommendations, like being more

active, apply to nearly everyone, many recommendations only apply to a small group of

people, within narrow circumstances, or too people without any health concerns. So,

approach with caution, so to speak, and consult with a professional before jumping on

the newest trend.

Now, sleep and self-regulation are less often discussed. Although both are essential for

rejuvenation and recovery from daily stress and energy expenditure, as well as illness,

their importance is often not given enough emphasis. In my blog from March 9, 2026 I

discussed self-regulation as it relates to managing stress in some detail.

Fundamentally, it is the process and practice of training your nervous system to be less

impacted and recover more quickly from stress. This is one way to increase resilience.

Not surprisingly, sleep also increases physical and mental resilience as well. In fact,

there is a reciprocal relationship between sleep and self-regulation in which if you

improve one, the other tends to improve as well. Unfortunately, the opposite is equally

true – if one you don’t do well with one you likely don’t do well with the other. But the

important thing is, broadly speaking, that these facets of holistic wellness can be

optimized through learned skills, behavioral planning, and lifestyle choices.

Finally, I want to discuss the role of mind-set as a foundation of well-being. Your mind-

set is essentially your beliefs and attitudes about yourself, the world, and your place in

it. In general, these perspectives are conditioned subconsciously through life

experiences. They tend to be fixed and rigid rather than flexible, although they may

gradually shift over time. Let me give an example of this as it relates to the larger

wellness conversation. Terms like holistic, whole-person, nature, and natural remedies

permeate the health and wellness landscape. But, 8-9 times out of 10, either in a promotion, podcast, or a patient’s request, when it gets down to the bottom line we are talking about a new “miracle” supplement. We are talking about what “natural medicine” we can take because we, collectively and subconsciously, take “pills for our ills.” Not to dimmish the potential value and usefulness of nutritional supplements, but let’s be honest, none of them in pill or capsule form are “natural.” But, I don’t want to get too far from the key points which are these:

• We often have locked in beliefs that limit how we consider our self-care.

• These beliefs are reinforced by behaviors and vice versa.

• We can change behaviors and broaden our perspectives and opportunities for

  well-being.

• Behavioral change takes commitment, effort, and patience.

• Successful behavioral change increases mind-set flexibility.

  
  

To sum it up, my goal was to offer up a perspective on the components of holistic or

whole-person health and wellness as I see them. It is one that you may find useful as a

framework for self-care. And, tangentially it relates to MAHA in that a big part of making

America healthy again is helping to MYHA (Make You Healthy Again).