What if an illness is a message your body expresses to help you get back to basic cellular health? What if, at a minimum, that meant eating better and moving more?
What if an illness is a message your body expresses to help you get back to basic cellular health? What if, at a minimum, that meant eating better and moving more?
In January 2019, my mom stepped off a plane from Connecticut to San Diego for a three-month visit. At 86, she was tired, cognitively impaired, and unable to engage. I was shocked to see her decline since she never hinted anything was wrong before her arrival. I remember standing there witnessing her frailty and telling myself “I don’t ever want to be in this position of poor health.”
Frankly, her health was never great. Wondering how the heck she made two plane changes, still standing, I was grateful for the grace of airport staff and her wheelchair. Within three days of arrival, she fell and was hospitalized. By mid-February, my mother entered the hospital again and never came home.
My mother was stoic and carried her physical and mental pain secretly. Her mood spoke for her. I offered solutions to better her circumstances, but in addition to family dynamics, she was resigned to poor health and relinquished any sense of agency over her health.
My generation started out eating real food which became more processed and convenient for busy families. Now I wonder, have we gotten so used to immediate gratification that we’ve forgotten our self-governance for the basics of good health, such as eating real food? Who better discerns what our body needs than us?
What if an illness is a message your body expresses to help you get back to basic cellular health? What if, at a minimum, that meant eating better and moving more?
I understand there are external environmental issues that impact health over which we may not have control. But I ask you, how long will we accept that one’s health equates to “the cards we’re dealt” and relinquish our own agency? Or, are we just so lost on where to start?
How did we learn to expect our doctors and our medications to “fix” us? If a health issue was created over time, why do we expect that it will resolve overnight? How long will we hand over our power to a medical approach that focuses more on alleviating symptoms temporarily with a pill instead of getting to the root problem?
Empowering yourself to partner in decisions about your health may give you the motivation to explore more options that contribute to better health. In addition to conventional allopathic medicine there is functional medicine, Chinese medicine, osteopathy, homeopathy, and chiropractic care to name a few.
Let me be clear, I don’t deny that you might be experiencing deep physical and/or emotional pain and that you may be at a loss for how to better assist yourself. I was there. If you’re like me you might think this is too hard to figure out. You might deny your innate intelligence because you don’t have the letters “M.D.” after your name.
I get it. I was there. I thought healthy people were the “lucky ones.” I was jealous of others’ good health and didn’t own my poor choices. If I think about it, the only thing I hadn’t done was try to improve things for myself. Until…
In 2017, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in a health coaching program to assist my own health with a complete diet and lifestyle overhaul. It was my personal “game changer.” I lost over 30 pounds and have kept it off. FEELING GOOD was the real win. I continue to exercise a minimum of 60 minutes daily and participate in ongoing education for physical and mental well-being.
My improved health has provided a foundation for a better life. I am fortunate that my desire not to suffer as my mother suffered far outweighed the perpetuation of a belief that I had no control over my health. Look, I’m not perfect. I fall down more times than I’d like to admit. I mean, geez … am I going to deny myself the joy of brownies for the rest of my life? Heck NO! Yet, at the same time, I refuse to let my human tendencies and temporary missteps impede my desire to advocate for myself and for others toward improved, balanced health.
Although each of us is positively unique, our bodies all function similarly. We are, after all, “human.”
Felicia Brann works in a health care setting in San Diego. She has been exploring the intersection of bio-individuality, personal agency and self-empowerment to advocate for her own health.
Healthy Suggestions
Eating Better
Improve dietary choices by introducing healthy alternatives gradually: reduce processed foods, increase organic foods. Replace pesticide laden corn, soy or canola cooking oils with organic olive oil, ghee, avocado or coconut oil. Substitute fresh and dried fruits and nuts for processed snack foods.
Prioritize organic choices for foods highly contaminated with the herbicide glyphosate: sugar, oats, wheat, barley and legumes (lentils, chickpeas, soy and dry beans). The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) lists dirty dozen toxic foods and products to avoid.
Moving More
Ask your body whether gentle or strenuous exercise feels good. Begin with simply going for a walk in the park or in nature, or up the street for a few minutes. Walk to a nearby errand instead of driving. Increase duration of activity when able.
Dance or move free form to music at home or outside, or take a yoga or movement class. Swimming and Qigong are the highest rated exercises for physical benefit. Swim year round at your local public pool. Breathe slowly and deeply with all movement to release toxins and oxygenate blood. Sauna and sweating also help to reduce accumulated toxins.
Welcome to the NEW theunion.com Current Subscribers. Set Up Your New E-Edition Access
To set up your new account: Click Login in the top right corner of the website. Click Sign Up Today and register using the same email that you have always used to access your E-Edition. Then set up a new password. You will receive an email to confirm your new account. Please check your junk mail if you do not see the email. Your account will be activated once it is confirmed. Click E-Edition to view the latest E-Edition. If you do not have the email address associated with your subscription call us: 530-273-9565 or email us: circulation@theunion.com As with any change, there may be bumps in the road. Please be patient as we work these out.
