Never Too Late
It is never too late to change. If you are trying to get well the struggle is real. We have our jobs, families, favorite foods, and activities that demand our attention. It is hard to make lifestyle changes and some even use sayings such as, “well that’s the way I was raised.” It is easier to accept what is comfortable, and look for the magic medicine or pill to make it go away. But that is a dangerous attitude. There are no quick fixes. Many illnesses are a result of lifestyle, toxins, and trauma in our environment. Still, it is never too late to make changes even if we are undergoing medical treatments.
Lifestyle
So where do we start? Many accept the mainstream answer that the increase in health problems are genetic. Granted, a small percentage are genetic, but that idea leads to a helpless viewpoint for many patients. It also keeps people dependent on prescription medications. Furthermore, today in the United States, our society is reaping the consequences of that behavior. The overuse of prescription drugs to solve physical symptoms is creating a big problem for healthcare. According to Mark Hyman, MD, “90 percent of chronic disease is driven, not by the genome, but by the “exposome,” or the build-up of disease-causing factors in our environments (p. 11, Beat Autoimmune, Kippola, P). It is nearly impossible to take in enough information to problem-solve our illness alone. Seek out professional advice from a Naturopathic Doctor, one who has earned an ND or NMD degree from a naturopathic medical school. He or she studies all the basic medical coursework an MD would study, plus nutrition, botanical medicine(herbals), and mental health studies like psychology or counseling.
Trauma
Life trauma is another stressor that can add to autoimmune problems. In a report by Irwin G. Sarason, Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, report, Stress, Anxiety, and Cognitive Interference: Reactions to Tests, April 1982, test anxiety was analyzed with a new test instrument. The scales of the Reactions to Tests questionaire, (worry, tension, test-irrelevant thinking, bodily symptoms) compared intellectual performance and thought interference. The results were consistent with the idea that the problem of anxiety is mainly a problem of emotional thoughts interfering with thinking. Evolving research is revealing the connection between emotions and illness. “…Illnesses of the emotions, actually illnesses of the brain, are also imbalances of the many brain hormones that work together to produce our feelings” (p. 74 The Balance Within, The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, Sternberg, E.M. MD) So mental and physical health is a chemical response to our emotions, our environment, and our past experiences. Getting help when we need it, creating a less stressful environment, and eating healthy food will help our body maintain a healthy balance and improve our ability to enjoy life.
