Here’s the good news: The information age makes it possible for people with no medical background to heal themselves.
Health tips from books, the Internet, magazines, TV shows and experts abound! We no longer have to be at the mercy of our doctor’s prognosis, because we can get a second, third or fourth opinion on Google!
Access to information should help us make better health decisions.
So what’s the bad news?
Information overwhelm can shut down most healing efforts.
Too much information (some of it contradicting) can create paralysis and confusion, stopping you cold before you start. Which experts to trust? Which diet is best? How to decide?
If your doctor dropped a diagnosis bomb in lap, at least now your symptoms have a name. You’re a relieved to identify the problem but now what? If your doctor is clueless about the cause or treatment or cure (this often happens with IBS, Fybromyalgia or chronic fatigue) then who CAN help? Is it even worth trying?
It’s a lonely, emotional, scary ride. The drugs your doctor prescribed may alleviate some of the symptoms but they don’t address the underlying imbalance and you know it. You don’t want to live like this, but what can you do? You’ve heard stories about people healing themselves with diet. Should you try it too?
Being your own health advocate is hard but you have a super power that your doctors doesn’t, the ability to get instant feedback from your body. You’re the only one with the ability to feel the sensations of your body, and that’s priceless.
Paying attention to what is going on with your body is the key to healing. Not only is your body the source of intuition but it will be your guide if you learn to listen. Bodies don’t lie.
So your friend told you about the miracle cure that worked for her. Sounds promising. You’ll start there.
Self healing is a journey and this is you first step towards your destination. If you’ve picked the wrong path you’ll know it if you just keep checking in with your body. And take some notes too, because memory isn’t that reliable.
The mistake we often make is to get so attached or invested in the philosophy behind the treatment we’re attempting that we don’t acknowledge when it’s wrong for us. We assume it’s because we’re not trying hard enough.
If it’s right for you then your body will tell you.
When you change your diet it’s normal to have cleansing reactions that involve fatigue, headaches, aches and pains, skin eruptions, bad breath and moodiness to name a few. But those reactions should come and go and eventually lift so you feel better.
When I was desperately attempting to heal my Irritable Bowel Syndrome with food I discovered the raw food diet. People were passionate about the healing effects of raw. There were success stories and science that backed it all up. People claimed it cured cancer, digestive issues and autoimmune conditions.
It seemed so logical that it would work. It needed to work! I was suffering so much with constipation, pain and bloat. I stayed on raw food for many months, refusing to accept that it wasn’t working for me, as I felt worse and worse. I chalked it up to a healing crisis. Eating lots of nuts made me nauseous. I ignored that.
Eventually I learned that people with IBS shouldn’t eat raw veggies. Raw food was not for everyone.
My eventual cure involved eating lots of red meat(!) which is pretty renegade according to many healing experts!
But it worked almost instantly. When I found the diet that worked my symptoms were reduced by more than 50 percent in the first two weeks. While my meat-based diet didn’t make sense to most healers, my body was loving it! It was healing nicely.
I am now IBS-free and have been for almost 8 years. Self healing is a process of trial and error but when you try things you have to tune into your body (not your mind) for guidance.
The mind can be marketed to (even if the marketing is coming from a good place) but the body doesn’t fall for the hype.
I learn this lesson the hard way.
What are your experiences with following your body’s intuition? I would love to hear your stories in the comments below.
The free image for this post was provided by www.freedigitalphotos.net
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.
Congrats on your new website and self healing. Thi country has an IBSEN epidemic and I love the way you simplify the information so others can heal themselves! Super empowering!
This is a great article! I suffer from Eczema and had a really bad flare up a few years ago. My body told me how it wanted to heal. Traditional medicine tells of keeping the skin moisturised yet my skin would go worse whenever I did this. It didn't want cream on it. I also had to go through many changes in my diet to find out what worked for me. My body clearly told me to start eating meat again – yet I resisted that for a while as I was vegan at the time. The hardest part is trusting yourself especially when others are critical of what you are doing.
Tabitha, thanks so much for sharing your VERY relevant story. I am glad you found relief and were able to follow your inner guidance. You are way ahead of the people who are critical of you. Congrats on giving your body what it asked for!
Congratulations on your new blog. And yes, it is so important to honor the nutritionist within.
Love “the nutritionist within” that is such a tweetable!
This says it all…the intuition speaks LOUDLY through the body when we listen!
“Paying attention to what is going on with your body is the key to healing. Not only is your body the source of intuition but it will be your guide if you learn to listen. Bodies don’t lie.”