Tag: healing

Struggle Management
I have been very public about my own wellness journey and the struggles that I have encountered along the way. I’ve posted articles about my diet, my meditation practice, my first experience with acupuncture, and all sorts of other topics that relate to my health. I’ve even posted a bunch of tips to consider after being diagnosed with an illness. What I haven’t done is discuss how I’ve dealt with the emotional toll of being diagnosed with a medical condition. It’s a disconcerting and frightening time, especially at the beginning. Even the most level-headed person can fall into the trap of imagining worst case scenarios and horrific outcomes. It’s not a good place to be. It is far better to be in a place of hope and positivity, and that is the goal—to make your way to an emotionally comfortable place following a medical diagnosis or any kind of life struggle.

Your struggle may not be an illness— Maybe you’ve lost your job, or maybe you work three jobs as a single parent to make ends meet. Maybe you’re caring for a sick relative, or maybe you’re overwhelmed at work or stuck in a job that you dislike. Whatever your struggle is, I’m confident that you can manage your way through the muck and live a fulfilling life that feels purposeful and worthwhile.

Here are my top tips for helping you navigate the choppy waters. This is how I’ve dealt with all of the major struggles that I’ve faced in life, and I hope you can find inspiration here to continue moving forward.
1. Determine what good can arise from the situation. This is a tough one, but I believe it’s a necessary step in overcoming any challenging circumstance. You might have been dealt a terrible hand, but you need to play it. Your situation may be painful and seem insurmountable right now. It might be difficult to imagine anything good coming out of the struggle, but try to make a list. Can there be any purpose in the pain? Will this struggle help you prioritize what is truly important in life? Will you live each day with more clarity and purpose because you are being faced with this struggle? Will you be able to advocate for others with a strong voice as a result of facing this situation yourself? Will your struggle force you to slow down and find beauty in simple everyday acts? Will you overhaul destructive habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle as a result of your struggle? Will you help your family become stronger as a result of them witnessing your strength during this trying time? Make a list, and see that goodness can flow right out of a not-so-good situation.
1. Maintain a positive attitude. This tip goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip. You must change your thinking. Once you can find purpose in your struggle, or at least something positive that might arise as a result of your struggle, it becomes easier to stay upbeat. Yes, you need to mourn whatever it is that you’ve lost (your good health, a family member, your life savings, your job, etc), but you can’t stay in a deep dark place forever. You have a choice to send positive energy or negative energy out into the world, and I know that you can keep it positive. Remind yourself often that you are strong and capable. Remind yourself that the mind is a powerful tool. You can convince yourself that you are too tired and too weak to overcome your circumstance or you can create a positive environment and talk yourself right into a better mindset where you feel empowered. The choice is yours, and it is up to you to make the right choice.
1. Take control of your health. There is so much that we cannot control about our health, but fortunately, there is a tremendous amount that we can control. Don’t allow a medical diagnosis to crush your spirit. Don’t give up on your body. Do some research and get inspired by natural remedies and foods that can help you feel better. Regardless of the nature of your current life struggle, you can change your diet, implement a daily exercise program, and begin a regular meditation practice to lower stress levels. You can reduce systemic inflammation, boost your immune system, strengthen your bones and muscles, improve the quality of your skin, and generally feel much better than you’d otherwise feel if you gave no thought to your health habits. Get on the wellness bandwagon. You won’t regret it.
1. Help someone else. When you hit rock bottom, it’s hard to think about helping someone else. After all, how can you help someone else if you can barely figure out how to help yourself? I understand, and I get it. But I also know that the tendency during a personal struggle is to focus on me, me, me. Yes, it’s warranted, but it’s also healthy to focus on something else that is worthwhile, and something that will also give you a greater perspective on life. Maybe you won’t have the time to volunteer at the local shelter or organize a fundraiser, and that’s ok… but you’re not off the hook. Figure out another way to be of service to someone else. This may be as simple as joining a support group and sharing your experience with someone else going through the same struggle. Sharing your experience and providing your own unique perspective can be inspiring and helpful to someone else.
1. Sleep. What can I say? I didn’t believe it for a long time, but a good night of sleep can do a lot to transform your state of mind. Feeling blue? Exhausted? Too overwhelmed to even call a friend? Go to bed, and make sure to get plenty of rest. Healing on many levels occurs overnight. It will all seem a bit more manageable in the morning.
July 6, 2015
Healthy Quick Tip: Steaming Greens

Creating a healthy lifestyle does not have to be an overwhelming experience. I’m not sure when “all or nothing” became the mantra for healthy living, but it really does not have to be that way. You can build a healthy life, step by step. Simply start by incorporating one small, healthy change into your routine. My favorite quick tip for better health is to steam leafy green vegetables on a daily basis. This is such an easy way to kickstart your healthy eating plan. In the time it takes to boil a few inches of water in a pot, your greens will be washed and ready to cook.

I do this every single day. Let me tell you why.

Finding Inspiration
When I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness, I went to a natural healing facility to learn how to balance my body and health. I was in tremendous pain, but I did not want to start taking the very harsh drugs that are the usual course of treatment for illnesses similar to mine.

While I was at this healing center, I met a number of individuals with various types of catastrophic illnesses. They turned to this healing facility as a last resort. Many of them were given death dates and told that there was nothing else left to be done medically, and many were told to go see the world and say their last goodbyes. It was only under these dire circumstances that these individuals turned to macrobiotics, a lifestyle and diet to balance the body and mind.

As I spoke to some of these individuals with cancer and tumors all over their body, I learned that some of them were just beginning their macrobiotic journey, but many of them had been living macrobiotically for years and had long since surpassed their so-called death dates. How were these people recovering and healing from illnesses that were deemed terminal?!! It was amazing to witness, and I knew that if they could find healing with these horrific diseases, then I certainly could find healing, too.

I will not go into macrobiotic theory in this article, but I WILL tell you one thing that EVERY one of these sick people did at EVERY meal. They ate large quantities of cooked, leafy green vegetables—leafy green vegetables that are low in oxalic acid (not spinach or swiss chard). Yes, they ate many other very important healing foods, but this is such an easy one for anyone to do! Imagine the health benefits of eating greens three times a day! (Or even once or twice a day.) Who knows what kind of weirdo illness you can help ward off with this very simple habit!

The knowledge that I gained at this healing center was invaluable, and with this knowledge, I have been able to stay out of the hospital and manage my illness without drugs. I have incorporated greens into my daily routine, and I’m here to tell you that it’s easy, and you can do it, too.

Let me show you how.

Step 1:
Boil water in your steamer pot, or if you do not have a steamer, boil about 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of a pot. While your water is boiling, wash your green leafy vegetables in cool water. (Ideally, you will have access to organically grown produce.) In the photo below, I’m working with collard greens.

Step 2:
Slice the leaf along either side of the hard stem, but do not discard the stems! Organic vegetables are expensive, so you will want to use every part of the plant. Dry the stems and save them in your refrigerator for another day. I will post another article and tell you how I use up my collard stems.

Step 3:
Make a pile of the leaf halves.

Step 4:
Start at one end, and begin to roll your stack of greens into a tube.

Step 5:
Hold your tubes of collard greens on one end, and begin to slice your greens from the other end into thin shreds. By slicing the collards into thin shreds, a typically very tough green can be steamed and softened quickly.

Step 6:
Drop your shredded greens into your steamer or into your boiling water. Cover the pot for two minutes. After two minutes, your greens are ready to eat.

You can have your greens alongside your breakfast (which is what I do) or pack them up to eat with your lunch or dinner later in the day. Throw them into soup or chili, or eat them as a side dish with a drizzle of your favorite vinegar. Remember that preparation is key! The greens will not magically appear if you do not prepare them. Give this healthy tip a try. Be proactive about your health, and fuel up on nutrient-dense foods.

If you would like to ease into macrobiotics, Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook, is a great one to try. The “Superhero” diet that she presents is actually a macrobiotic diet. She also includes many vegan and non-macrobiotic recipes that the whole family will enjoy. There is no pressure at all to adapt a new diet and lifestyle…just a lot of encouragement to dabble and enjoy!

February 20, 2014
Open Your Heart to Miracles

Do you have pain that just won’t go away? Pain that affects your sleeping hours as well as your waking ones? Chronic headaches? Lower back pain? Muscle injuries that just won’t heal? If not, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. For the rest of you—I’m with you, I get it, and I want to make a suggestion.

Broadly speaking, I want you to start living with your heart and mind open to possibilities—possibilities for healing that you might not believe in or understand at the moment. Possibilities that even Western medicine and science can’t explain. When the drugs aren’t working and the medical treatments seem ineffective, open your mind, open your heart, and head down the path to alternative healing methods. Not everything in the world is yet understood. Just because it’s not understood doesn’t mean that it’s not real. Open your heart and mind, and you just might find yourself a miracle.

Acupuncture

I had no intention to blog about this topic today, but I am very excited about my experience this morning. I just walked into my house from my very first acupuncture treatment. Yes, acupuncture, with all of those needles everywhere—a total nightmare for someone like me, who is afraid of needles. I decided last week that I would overcome my fear of needles (or at least tolerate the fear) for the possibility of reduced pain. I am so DONE with my back hurting and my leg hurting.

Over the past 6 months, I’ve seen doctors. I’ve had an MRI, and an EMG. I’ve been treated with traction, electric stim, heat, ice, exercise, manual therapy, ultrasound and various rocktaping techniques. Have I improved? Yes, but I am still in pain, and I am sick of hurting.

So this morning, after taking a complete medical history and asking a number of questions about my life, I got onto the table, face down, and the acupuncturist got to work. I know that many people say that you don’t even feel the needles in acupuncture, but that wasn’t the case for me. The needles themselves are quite thin, but I found the insertion of each needle to be quite uncomfortable. I felt a strange muscle cramping sensation under each needle, and I had to quiet my mind and relax my body. Given that I am afraid of needles, I kept my eyes closed the entire time to avoid seeing anything reminiscent of Hellraiser. Interestingly enough, the needles are not just placed at the site of the pain. In fact, I had more needles in my ears and arms than I did in my leg or back.

After a few minutes, the feeling of the needles disappeared into nothingness, and I managed to relax enough to dose off. After the acupuncturist roused me from my little nap, she removed all of the needles, which was a painless procedure, and told me to flip over onto my back. I had so many reservations about doing this. For almost 5 years now, I have been unable to lie on my back for more than a few minutes. The pain in my sacroiliac joint is just too severe. In yoga class, I rest in savasana on my side. At night, I sleep on my side. In physical therapy, all exercises have been modified so that I am never supine for more than a minute or two. I explained my reservations to the acupuncturist, and she tried to make me as comfortable as possible, but clearly, she needed me flat on my back. I crossed my fingers and hoped I wouldn’t be too crippled at the end of the treatment. Again, I closed my eyes, dealt with the muscle cramping as each needle was inserted into my skin, and tried to relax. I think I might have dosed off again because I was startled when the acupuncturist told me that the treatment was over and that I could get dressed.

My Little Miracle

I will never forget the moment when I sat up. I had NO back pain. I mean NONE!!! What the heck? How is that even possible? I’ve been unable to lie on my back for 5 years without terrible pain, and after just 1 acupuncture session, I am able to lie on my back and get up without a trace of pain? Insane. My mind is blown. The acupuncturist explained something about increasing blood flow to the SI joint and unblocking meridians, but it was all “blah blah blah” to me. I was too busy being shocked. I have no idea how long the effects of this treatment will last or if it will ultimately help my hamstring, too, but I am now a believer, and I have already booked my next appointment.

Keep your mind and heart open, folks. You never know where it will lead you.

January 16, 2014