These practices have been integral to the native community of rural Alaska for generations. But by adopting these practices into daily life, living a fulfilling and healthy life can be possible for anyone.
Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash
Cama’i Community Health Centre releases a new guide detailing seven rural Alaskan lifestyle practices for living a longer and healthier life.
These practices have been integral to the native community of rural Alaska for generations. But by adopting these practices into daily life, living a fulfilling and healthy life can be possible for anyone.
Seeking modern solutions to healthcare challenges is the typical road that most healthcare organisations follow. But lifestyle practices of rural Alaska are not modern – and they may offer healthcare benefits that encompass not only the physical body but the mind and spirit as well. These lifestyle practices include:
- Connection to the Natural World
- Outdoor Physical Activity
- Traditional Diets
- Community Engagement
- Holistic Healing
- Cultural Pride
- Adaptability and Resilience
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Rural Alaskan lifestyles may have a lot of benefits. However, living in this part of the country also comes with numerous challenges that can affect one’s health.
A few of these challenges include limited access to healthcare services, transportation difficulties, mental health issues, inadequate sanitation, environmental hazards, frequent inclement weather, and a limited healthcare workforce.
Living in an extreme environment presents rural Alaskans with not only a challenging landscape to live in, but the need to rely on traditional lifestyles in order to face these challenges as a community.
This close-knit community fabric offers a sense of camaraderie and social support that can play a crucial role in mental well-being and greater behavioural health – which ultimately may lead to longer happier lives.
Traditional lifestyles combined with holistic healing practices also offer rural Alaskans a great benefit – as the combination of modern medicine and traditional remedies are often used in tandem.
