
How to Heal: The Brutal Truths I Had To Face
The other day, I triggered some people on Threads and it gave me an idea for a topic that I want to share with you today.
Because back when I suffered from autoimmune, I didn't KNOW what the immune system really was or WHY it was working against me.
And I know that many of you are probably in that same boat.
So to begin, I want to help you understand that a diagnosis is NOT forever.
It's a sign that the body has reached a critical point where it can no longer be denied.
For those of you who've been told "You'll just have to live with it," I wholeheartedly understand the upset that would come from someone who said...
"God didn't make a mistake when designing the immune system."
Which is what got people on Threads all in a bunch.
I would be pissed off too if I was still battling with chronic illness and the ONLY source of information on it was a body of science that tells me...
All disease is fate.
Everything is genetic.
Your only hope is to be on medication for the rest of your life.
YUCK!
And I was extremely pissed.
For most of my teens, doctors pumped me full of Advil to manage my cramps, antibiotics and decongestants to manage chronic sinusitis and bronchitis. They never asked me about my diet or mental health.
At the age of 21, I went in to see a doctor because I was fainting and had itchy ears.
The doctor, now the THIRD to give me this diagnosis, said it's just Clinical Depression and tried to put me on anti-depressants for the rest of my life.
He then followed that up with saying, they'd just keep upping the dose as my body got used to it.
I KNEW, I had to run!
And I did.
Treatments aren't cures.
They are masks.
And while that industry is great for emergency cases, they fail at prevention simply because they haven't quite caught up with what us Naturopaths have known for centuries...
That disease is caused by a state of dis-order in the body, mind and spirit.
Thankfully, I knew this.
So I took a LONG hard look at my life and admitted that I was in fact a food addict.
I was spending countless hours a day wallowing in self-pity.
And, I wasted a LOT of time on the couch doing nothing because I 'didn't have the energy' to do anything different.
Dis-ease is the body's way of saying "please pay attention to me, please feed me better, please choose a different lifestyle, please stop exposing me to toxins..."
I was told that disease is just FATE, and up until then, I'd bought into the belief that there's NOTHING I could do except numb it.
But there was.
It's called Prevention.
Prevention looks like understanding the 'biological individuality' of the person being 'treated' because not ALL humans have the same root cause.
Prevention looks at nutrient intake to know where the human body is lacking in vital sources of food and hydration.
Prevention works to understand how thoughts, and the environment, impact genetic expression. (aka Epigenetics)
Prevention assesses exposure to environmental toxins such as scented candles, forever chemicals in fabric softener, skin care, and cleaning products.
Prevention looks at the WHOLE human, and their life, to make sense of WHY the symptom is presenting and what the root cause may be of it.
Prevention is saying, "The body is speaking, I'm going to listen instead of silencing it."
Because the body speaks in symptoms, we SHOULD be learning how to listen from a very early age.
Not silencing theses symptoms because they're 'inconvenient' in the moment.
And IF we learned HOW to work with the body, rather than against it from day one, we would see JUST how intelligent this system of 'protection' truly is.
I had extreme cramps because my body was toxic from ultra-processed foods.
I had chronic illness because I was a compulsive over eater.
I was depressed because I used food to put myself into a food coma rather than dealing with the trauma.
And I was fainting because my blood sugar was entirely OUT of whack.
I had to be BRUTALLY honest with myself about this to conquer it.
If you're battling with chronic illness or autoimmune, I KNOW your pain.
And IF you're willing to do the inner work, you'll find, there's hope and possible resolution.
This is why I started coaching back in 2004.
Because once I FOUND the solution, I didn't want anyone else to be without it.
Is the path to recovery easy?
No. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Does it look the same for everyone?
Absolutely NOT.
However, if you can make your purpose BIGGER than just being about you, it will be a little easier.
See, your courage to face these challenges will make way for greater generational HEALTH in your family.
YOU can BE the change you want to see in your family.
And when you attach a goal of this magnitude to the people you love, motivation will work itself out.
You'll be saving them from the dreaded...
"It's just genetic and we can't do anything about it," programming.
You'll be living, breathing proof that there IS something you can do!
So here are FIVE questions I encourage all my clients to ask:
- What are some changes to my diet that would make me feel healthier?
- What are some changes to my mindset that would make me feel happier?
- How can I move more or differently throughout the day that would help me feel better?
- What am I afraid of losing or missing out on by choosing this path?
- Who am I afraid of offending by getting healthy or losing weight? (This is the one that most of my clients struggle with the most.)
See, science shows us that food, mindset, and movement all contribute to our overall health. But our tribe, the family we grow up in and identify with, taught us what health was for 'us'...
Meaning: within our culture.
If we challenge that, we challenge WHO we are and we challenge the place we have within our tribe.
THIS is where people get stuck the most.
When I lost 80 pounds, conquered depression and overcame chronic illness, the feedback I got from family was:
Are you even eating? Yes. I had gone from being morbidly obese to competing in bodybuilding. My meal plan included 8 meals per day.
Are you bulimic ? No. I had become a bodybuilder with very little body fat and lots of muscle so the thought of even screwing up my gains was an absolute NO GO for me.
And my personal favorite...
Where did your boobs go?! 🤣 This loss was a pleasant surprise. I didn't have to worry about the back or shoulder pain anymore and the bouncing while running was gone. This was one of my favorite 'losses.'
Needless to say, the family support was NOT what I expected.
Clearly.
But once THESE changes were made, many of my woes just withered away. And in time, my family learned to lean on me for guidance. Seeing me as proof that our genetics were not fate but were in fact a choice.
So if you're tired of being told 'there's nothing you can do,' but you KNOW there is...
DO THAT.
Your intuition is guiding you to make these changes. Instead of silencing the cues, listen.
Be honest with yourself about where you are right now.
I mean BRUTALLY honest.
And be willing to face the conflict that might come from those who don't understand your commitment.
And before your excuses have a chance to kick in, remember...
This is not a time to settle for just good enough. It's a time to have one of those "Come to Jesus" moments with yourself.
And in that, you'll find some painful and gross things about yourself that you've been trying to suppress for far too long.
This is where change begins. The point we ALL have to reach in order to finally say enough IS enough.
From there, the healing can and WILL begin.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-brain/202501/can-food-change-your-personality
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-022-00009-5
*This article is intended for informational purposes only and in no way is meant to replace medical advice. It is not meant to treat, diagnose or cure a disease.