A New Life through Holistic Care

Editors Note: Here at NaturalWellbeing we receive a lot great content from our visitors. That content often includes touching and inspiring stories. This one really stood out so we decided to share it will everyone. Enjoy!

I've spent most of my adult life in poor health and severe pain. In my early 20s, I was a naturopathic patient. I didn't have health insurance, and I figured that I would go where I got the biggest bang for my buck - with holistic, natural health care. Those were the days. Things were pretty good back then. I felt great. I was active. I was energetic.

Then I got health insurance. At the same time, I caved into the pressure being applied to my family that I seek "quality" health care from a medical doctor. And so, I stepped away from holistic health and stepped into the medical establishment.

During that period, I was a competitive bodybuilder and fitness instructor. I hiked, bicycled, jogged and played soccer and racquetball. If there was a physical activity to be pursued, I chased it with energy and enthusiasm.

At the same time, I was expanding creatively. My mind was bright and alive. I consumed information voraciously. My thoughts were clear and quick. I was making headway as an author and musician, and supplementing my pitiful income as an artist by modeling. I had the world in the palm of my hand.

One day, I woke up feeling horrible. It was a case of the flu, I thought. Nothing was ever the same again. What followed was years of debilitating pain and exhaustion. It was like flipping a light switch. My brain fogged and I could barely think. My body ached. My skin, which had always had a healthy glow, grew dry and dull. My hair --previously extremely thick and shiny - dulled and started to fall out. I slowly started to put on weight in spite of the fact that I was very careful about what I ate. Over ten years, my weight crept up to 308 pounds.

It was difficult - to say the least. No that's too mild. It was devastating. I felt like I didn't know myself anymore. My entire self-image changed - not just because of my looks, but because I started to wonder if maybe I had some personality flaw that was causing my ill health. I have always believed that there is a mind-body connection in health, and I was certain that somehow I was self-sabotaging and creating sickness for myself. My whole picture of who I was changed, and I felt as if I had checked out of my life.

I used my newly acquired health insurance to go from doctor to doctor, trying to find a solution. The standard answer I got from the medical establishment was that it was all in my head. They told me I was eating more than I told them I was, and that all of my other problems were because of my weight. Not a single doctor heard what I was telling them - that the pain and debilitation came first, followed by the weight.

The truth was, as my weight went up and up, I tried everything I could think of to bring it down. I exercised more in spite of my pain. I ate even less. All this did was made me more exhausted and brought on more pain. I was certain that I must be weak-willed, because if I wanted it badly enough, I would be able to lose the weight. This is what the doctors were telling me, and I was beginning to believe them. I thought maybe I was deluding myself about what I was eating and how much I was exercising. I was beginning to wonder if perhaps I did have some kind of a deep-seated emotional connection to the fat that I just couldn't figure out.

One day I was looking through a natural health book, and something clicked into place. I realized that my health changed severely after I stopped treating my health holistically and started allowing my medical doctors to treat my symptoms rather than pursuing my wellness.

This led me to my current health care provider - a wonderful nurse practitioner/naturopath. As I sat in her office and told her my story, she listened to what I had to say. And then she said what I'd been waiting to hear for years. "There's nothing going on here that we can't get you out of."

I was so overwhelmed and relieved that I cried on my way home from her office that day. For the first time in years, I felt that maybe there was a possibility that I would have my old life back.

What I discovered was that I had an autoimmune form of thyroid disease called Hashimoto's Disease. Essentially, my body thought my thyroid was a foreign body and it was attacking it and killing it. This was responsible for the majority of my symptoms such as the hair loss, dull skin, pain and weight gain.

For years, I had convinced myself that my ill health was somehow my fault. Now I had a name for what was attacking me, and I had a plan.

First and foremost was thyroid support. I started taking Armour Thyroid (yes - that Armour - every part of the pig, including the thyroid), which was a traditional medical cure, in combination with licorice - a naturopathic cure. That in combination with Hair Essentials, a natural supplement to promote hair growth, soon had my hair and skin returning to its former glory. I'd actually forgotten how good my hair and skin could look.

She also prescribed transdermal magnesium, CoQ10 and acetyl L-carnitine to help clear away my brain fog. Boy did it work. My creativity soard, and all of a sudden I remembered things that I had forgotten I ever knew.

For my chronic pain, which was caused by the inflammation associated with the Hashimoto's, she prescribed turmeric capsules. Soon my pain receded and I was able to participate in activities I hadn't done in years. My energy levels rose, and my weight dropped.

For every problem I had, there was a natural solution. I was surprised at how quickly I felt like a new person. So quickly that, even when I was still quite heavy, I had the energy to go on long hikes, play tennis and walk eighteen holes on the golf course.

I can't ever adequately describe what an impact my new state of health has on my life. Every day I wake up in this body that doesn't hurt and can move easily and freely. I have a new life. One in which I can participate actively -- with my husband and with my kids -- without just sitting on the sidelines watching because I feel rotten.

Here's a confession.... each day I wake up surprised to be in my own skin. I spent more than 15 years in a state of crumbling health and constant pain. I looked in the mirror and saw a fat, exhausted woman whose skin was dull and her hair was thin. Now I wake up feeling light and free. When I look in the mirror, I see glossy hair, shiny skin and amazing energy. And every day, I spend fully engaged in my life and loving every minute of it. All because I finally found the right health care provider who wanted to treat the causes of my problems, and not just the symptoms.

I have a new life. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

The History of Holistic Medicine: Chinese Traditions

Holistic medicine - medicine that focuses on the body, mind and spirit as a whole - is rooted in various ancient healing traditions that focused on the achievement of health in harmony with nature.

Chinese traditions of holistic medicine originated thousands of years ago -- around 3494 BC -- during the rule of emperor Shen Nong, who compiled a book on herbal medicine called Shen Nong's Herbal Classic. Furtherment of the holistic belief system in ancient China came about in around 2852 BC. During his rule in that era, emperor Fu Si authored the I Ching, in which the concept of yin and yang was first introduced. And in 2697 BC, emperor Huang Di wrote the earliest known summary of Chinese healing philosophy, Yellow Emporer's Inner Classic.

Taoist and Buddhist philosophy were present in ancient Chinese medicine, which was centered on the belief that human beings were intertwined with their environments. This holistic philosophy of life emphasized the interconnectedness of the physical, mental and emotional in human beings and stressed harmony between individuals, groups and with nature.

Ancient Chinese medicine centered on the restoration of health through the balancing of energies between the patient's body and social or natural order. According to ancient Chinese belief, the body was merely a reflection of the larger system in which it operated.

Treatment of illness, then, emphasized following the Tao in order for the individual to find balance within the universe as a whole. This belief was reflected in the use of herbal medications and dietary traditions. Food was considered an important part of the whole picture of one's health, and foods were eaten with respect to how they acted in the body.

Chinese medical philosophy taught that the body flowed with a universal energy called qi. Yin and yang were the two primal forces in the universe that complimented one another and needed to be balanced in order to lead a healthy life. Also present in the body were the five elements - water, wood, fire, earth and metal - all of which had unique properties that needed to be balanced within the individual in order for the individual to retain good health. Herbal medicines, acupuncture and other forms of energy medicine were then employed as a means of balancing all of these elements.

Chinese medicine remains today in virtually the same form as it was practiced thousands of years ago. It is the oldest continuous form of herbal medicine in the world. Now, as it was then, it is an extremely complex system of holistic care that is practiced by trained and experienced professionals seeking to help their patients balance their energies and live healthy, holistic, balanced lives.

Read the Rest of the History of Holistic Medicine Series.
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Modern Age
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Indian Tradition of Ayurveda
The History of Holistic Medicine: The Ancient Greeks and Holistic Medicine


Photo Credit: Victoria Reay

Essential Tips for Cold and Flu Prevention

Suffering through the sniffles, sneezes, shivers, coughs, and scratchy throats of the common cold isn't something any of us wants to endure. Yet during cold and flu season, we encounter bacteria and viruses galore, all threatening to bring us down in a tissue-covered mound of sorry, human misery.

But how do you prevent a cold or flu from even occurring? Good health and an efficient hand-washing routine will certainly go a long way to preventing infection and warding off the nasty symptoms of colds and flus. These prevention techniques include:

• Balanced nutrition with moderate calorie counts, plenty of variety, and minimum vitamin-mineral requirements -getting enough vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamen E, mixed carotenoids, iron, zinc, and selenium.
  
• Sleep that's both regular and deep.
• Regular, moderate exercise.
  

You should also ensure you're getting regular doses of fun and leisure to boost your overall happiness and wellbeing. All of these things help to bolster your immune system, making it much more effective at fighting off infections and staying healthy.

But you may be able to up the ante and further protect yourself by taking a natural cold and flu supplement. These supplements can either be taken throughout the infectious season, or at the first signs of a flu or cold creeping into your system. Either way, they'll further strengthen your immune system naturally so that your body can fend off the affronting disease.

And if you can avoid getting sick in the first place, that means you can avoid taking conventional, over-the-counter medicines to deal with the symptoms, many of which come with unwanted side effects. That means better health all around.

Photo Credit: tanjila