Here is my take, based on what I’ve learned the last 9 years since I went from ill to healthy. They KEY to being healthy is being your own advocate and taking responsibility for your own health. We have so much more power than we realize!

• The first mantra I want you to know is FOOD IS MEDICINE.  The right food can heal you*, and the wrong food can actually make you sick!   Unfortunately, for most of us, we are exposed to toxic food choices on a daily basis.  So, we need to educate ourselves on what to look for as we choose the fuel that powers our bodies.  We are often more careful about what we put into our car than we are about choosing what goes in our bodies! Think of whole organic food as insurance to stay well.  We pay for insurance, why not pay for organic food?
• There are keys to wellness. I’ll be talking about those as we address areas that you may have concerns about. If the keys are functioning well, you often have great health.  They are:  inflammation, your body’s ability to detox from toxins,  oxidative stress, thyroid function, environment/immune balance, digestive health, hormonal balance and neurotransmitters, and the power your mind has over your body. Each of these is critical to your body working and functioning correctly. If one is askew, it can disrupt the entire balance cycle in your body. This isn’t hocus pocus, it really works!
• Many doctors are just beginning to realize the power of food and how the wellness keys above are really much more important than they thought.  It isn’t their fault, medical schools didn’t teach this way of looking at wellness.  In fact, medical schools teach the “disease” model.  Which means, they are great at treating illness, but what many docs are discovering is that managing wellness is much more important, as it PREVENTS illness.  However, this is where YOU come in, not your doctor.  He is not responsible for your wellness, YOU are.  Does that mean we’ll never get sick?  No, there is no cure for the common cold, and hernias happen!  But, I guarantee that if you start eating differently, your body will do a better job at fighting infections like the common cold, and you’ll feel so much better, get so much more done, that the rest falls into place.
• Vitamins and supplements are necessary and essential to wellness.  I’ll talk more later about the change over time in the quality of our food supply.  The bottom line is you need them, and we’ll address each essential one in separate posts.  Gone are the days of “if you eat a balanced diet you don’t need a vitamin”.  If you’ve heard that, it is old info.  The research is just not there.  Our food supply has changed.
• Finally, and just as important, is your mental health.  Deal with your issues.  We all have them, some are more blessed by their families of origin than others.  Know that no matter how much you want to not be like your parents, you are bound to repeat behaviors you thought you would NEVER do, and they may be invisible to you!  Brain wiring is a real thing. Treat your family with respect, and learn to listen with an open mind.  And practice being vulnerable with those you love!  Learn to say how much they mean to you, compliment vs. criticize, and take risks.  I’ll post more later on the authors who have helped make me a stronger partner, person and mother.

* I do not mean food can cure cancer, but it can make you stronger, and fight immune disruptions like cancer more effectively.  There is a huge place in our society for western medicine.  Doctors are truly essential to our healthcare system.  It’s just that my take is you have to play a larger role in your health, and incorporate these more “holistic” principles into your self-care.  I would just like to see more people benefit from what I’ve learned, so that you’ll need your doctor less!