I like being the one in control of my health. I choose the foods I eat, the exercise I employ, the remedies I use. I am in my early sixties and take no medications. I haven’t had an antibiotic since I was 16, and I enjoy good health. I am an avid student, studying and researching health continually. Education is power, and I believe we all have power over our own health. To enjoy health independence is to take your power back when it comes to decision-making. To be a good decision-maker, you can’t act out of emotional duress, or the antithesis of education – ignorance.
How to begin? First, accept responsibility for the condition of your health. Your health is where it is today because of decisions you have made over your lifetime. Your body doesn’t just say one day “Hey! I have nothing else to do today, maybe I’ll just have a heart attack!” or “I’m bored! Maybe I can stir things up by making my receptor sites resistant to insulin!” Illness also doesn’t just happen when your lab work suddenly goes from “within reference range” to “abnormal” because it shifted by a tenth of a point.
Health deteriorates slowly, over time. By the time you get to the symptom, you’ve been having problems for a long time, but it suddenly degraded to a point that it necessitated sending out a red flag saying “I need help!” “Your attention please!” We call that a symptom.
Now, I’m not referring to things like Lyme’s Disease because of a tick bite, a rash because of an allergic reaction, or a broken bone – those kinds of symptoms are different than what I’m referring to. I’m also not talking about accidents. I’m talking about acquired illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, auto-immune disease, endocrine disorders and organ dysfunction.
Striving for health independence starts in your home. Getting rid of heavily processed foods, junk foods, stimulants, bad fats, sugar, etc. is a great starting place for gaining control over your health. Learning to effectively deal with stress, finding time to take care of you (not everyone else at the exclusion of yourself), and taking the time to get adequate rest are important components as well.
While I believe the most effective professional to seek to deeply inquire into the causative factor of your symptoms is a Naturopath and/or Acupuncturist and/or Chiropractor, for some of you, just admitting that you have a health problem and seeking the care of a medical practitioner, is an important first step. I once heard it said “the most dangerous 5 words are ‘maybe it will go away’.” I concur. While some people run to the doctor or urgent care for every sniffle, others don’t go when they should. Most doctors don’t care if you take alternative measures or medical measures, as long as you take some action. No action can be dangerous.
You have the power to gain independence when it comes to your health. Take control today!
©2018 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
