Health independence
I like being the one in control of my health. I choose the foods I eat, the exercise I employ and 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, autoimmune 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, acupuncturist 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!
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective,” she looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d Alene clinic. Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.