The uncertainty of the American health care system may have a beneficial, unexpected effect: empowerment of personal responsibility. The assurance of health care for our citizens, from the most at-risk to the most affluent, is being debated by politicians and stake-holders; personally, I believe it will require dialogue and leadership that values diverse representation and a commitment to building consensus.

Rather than waiting for some amazing policy change, or sweeping reform, I’d like to offer a way forward: We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. A shift to personally taking charge of our own health, by focused effort on creating our own best lives, is the antidote to a crumbling and confusing health care system.

Affirmations can help you take control of your personal health.

This is the crux of the shift towards wellness, integrative/functional medicine and preventive care. Each of these approaches is built on the foundation of individual capacity to heal and create optimal well-being. As our health care system has focused on sick care and dissected us into separate systems without concern for holistic impact, the drive to find solutions that integrate all of our aspects and empower health have flourished.

So what can we do, here and now, to start building health for ourselves?

The following affirmations are from Deepak Chopra and have been useful for me personally and in my medical approach to patients. I hope they are helpful for you!

MY BODY KNOWS HOW TO HEAL ITSELF AND IS DOING SO EVEN NOW.

The body is naturally a self-healing mechanism. It is constantly maintaining and restoring itself. You know this to be true because your body has been doing it ever since you were born. Think about all the cuts and bruises you’ve acquired that have closed up and gone away.

MY BODY TELLS ME WHAT IT NEEDS.

The body speaks to you in many ways. Sometimes the signals come as hunches or silent impulses; at other times they come through feelings of comfort or discomfort. Listen to whatever the body tells you. It never lies.

I HONOR MY BODY’S WISDOM BY TRUSTING THE SIGNALS IT SENDS.

When you override or ignore what the body is relaying, you interfere with the body’s natural healing process. Sometimes the body does not want to do what you would like to do. When you honor the body’s message, you honor the body’s wisdom.

EVERY PART OF MY BODY CARRIES OUT ITS TASKS EASILY AND NATURALLY.

The body is an intelligent energy system that maintains its inner harmony freely and easily by adhering to the infinite wisdom that supports and sustains it.

MY BODY IS ATTUNED TO THE WISDOM OF THE UNIVERSE.

The body is a microcosm of the universe. Just as the stars move in harmony with that great macrocosm, so are the body and all its parts designed to move in sync with the natural rhythm and harmony of the universe.

JOY IS MY BODY’S KEYNOTE; VITALITY IS ITS SONG.

The body does not know stress, yet when we interfere with the body’s natural healing work through poor diet, lack of exercise, or other unhealthy choices, the body’s ability to function at optimum efficiency is compromised. When you listen to the body and honor your body’s needs, vitality improves and joy awakens in your heart. You know you are in sync with the body’s wisdom when the body “hums” with vitality and joy.

GRATITUDE AND PEACE FLOW THROUGH MY MIND AND BODY LIKE A CLEAR, HEALING STREAM.

Whenever you see and know the truth, whether for yourself or for others, that truth becomes a healing stream that flows out and supports those for whom you pray.

Dr. Brossfield is the medical director at the Eisenhower Wellness Institute and can be reached at (760) 610.7360.