Empowered Health

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Diagnosis; Helpful or Harmful!?

Our Logical Minds Want Concrete Explanations!

If you are reading this article then I presume you or somebody you know has recently been diagnosed with a chronic dis-ease of some sort? It this is the case, I truly empathize! I absolutely understand the relief and validation that often comes with FINALLY having a “name” to describe a set of “unexplainable” symptoms.

At the same time, however, I also understand the frustration, overwhelm, and loss of hope that often ensues when standard conventional interventions, that are covered by insurance, do not help to bring one back to a renewed sense of vitality. And, in many cases the interventions can lead to a new set of issues. It sucks!

When we lose our health it is absolutely normal to seek a diagnosis as a way to give a name and a reason to why we feel so shitty! Our logical, left-sided brain needs and wants explanations for why things happen.

Furthermore, when it comes to acute illness and crisis situations, diagnoses are critical in order to guide an immediate plan of action and perhaps save a life. In these scenarios, I want to be in the hands of Western Medicine!

When it comes to chronic health challenges, however, "diagnoses are merely labels the medical research community assigns to conditions, based on parts we can actually quantify, like symptoms, test results, and which medications improve or worsen symptoms" -Dr. Terry Wahls

You see, names of diseases are pretty much almost always the result of studies that look at what treatments, most often prescription medications and surgical interventions, will make a difference in symptoms in the quickest way possible.

While quantification and symptom suppression surely have their time and place, they do very little, if anything, in terms of helping to the explain the TRUE root causes involved or supporting the sufferer to regain their vitality and create sustainable wellness in the long term.

The Absence of Symptoms Does NOT Equal Health!

Truth be told, the absence of symptoms does not equate to health. Symptoms are our body’s alarm system that signal us that something is awry and needs attention. Just as shutting of the fire alarm in a building that has a small fire going without investigating where or how the fire started will lead to an inferno, suppressing symptoms in a body without properly identifying and addressing the underlying dysfunction that caused it will lead to widespread metabolic chaos®.

ALL disease, REGARDLESS of the diagnosis, is the result of the same core issue that expresses differently from person to person.! And, that core issue is CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION!

Cellular dysfunction is caused by a myriad of epigenetic factors including, but not limited to ongoing psychological distress, compromised digestion, poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle habits, leaky gut, chronic infections, high toxic burden, unresolved trauma, etc.

Your Genes Are NOT Your Destiny!

Epigenetic refers to the popular adage of “Genetics loads the gun but environment pulls the trigger!” In other words, our genes are NOT our destiny but rather warehouses of genetic potential. Whether or not the genes of illness express themselves is largely contingent upon environmental signals to the cells.

The environment constitutes the world around us such as toxic exposures, relationships, diet, lifestyle, etc. and the terrain within our bodies. Dis-ease develops within environments that are conducive for it!

Symptom suppression can be helpful and necessary in the short-term but it does not address any of these issues! In fact, in the long-term, symptom suppression runs high risk of driving dysfunction deeper into the body!

Scientists are discovering mounting evidence each day that nearly ALL chronic diseases are rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, imbalanced cortisol rhythms, & other hallmarks of metabolic chaos; which all of this boils down to CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION and BROKEN BIO-CHEMISTRY!

Yet! Each year, billions of dollars are spent by the drug companies and National Institutes of Health on studying disease symptoms and drugs and/or surgical procedures to control the symptoms. Very little funds, however, are allocated to studying ways to improve cellular function and create optimal health & vitality through lifestyle, nutrition, and other natural, self-empowering interventions.

You Have More Power Than You Have Been Led To Believe!

Looking back on my own journey to recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and many other associated conditions that I was given little hope for from conventional medicine, I now clearly see how this approach and perspective have largely contributed to the broken state of our current medical paradigm. This philosophy simply does not promote or support providing people with knowledge and tools to help them create sustainable wellness and thus put them in the driver’s seats of their own health!

I feel it rather creates a society of people that continually seek “medical experts” to provide quick fix solutions to health issues that took years to develop. Bottom line, there are no magical cures or panaceas. The ONLY way to restore your health from the grips of chronic health challenges, if you are TRULY committed to doing so, is to address all factors that are preventing cells from functioning optimally and then provide the cells with the building blocks that they need to heal!

Is this easy and quick!? NO! But it is possible with the right perspective, level of commitment, approach, and guidance! I am living proof of that. I you are interested in reading about my journey with often disabling chronic illness you can do so HERE!

Word to the wise! …based on my many hard-earned lessons; please do NOT give your diagnosis more power over you than it deserves! Do not allow it to imprison you within a limited belief system and cling to a destructive mind story that defines you such as "I have this diagnosis! In light of this I am doomed to poor health forever!"

I Just Got Diagnosed With X,Y, or Z! What Can I Do To Best Support Myself & Jumpstart My Healing?

If you have recently been diagnosed with a chronic condition such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Autoimmunity, Depression, Neurodegenerative Disease and more, there is MUCH you can do to support your ability to reverse some of the damage and regain vitality! While unraveling chronic health challenges is multi-faceted and requires a bio-individual approach, here are my top 4 suggestions to get you started on both dis-ease reversal and prevention!!

#1: Optimize Nutrition! Give your cells the building blocks they need to flourish! The first step towards doing this is to transition to a whole-food, nutrient-dense, and organic (whenever possible) diet. A good rule of thumb to apply here is “If you could not hunt it, gather it, or fish for it, then you should NOT eat it” or, “If there is a commercial for it, avoid it!”

#2: Make Stress Reduction a TOP Priority! No matter how healthy a diet one eats, the body will not be able to properly digest and assimilate the foods into useable nutrients for the cells if one spends more time in a stress response than they do in state of rest and digest!

#3: Reduce Toxic Burden! Fact of the matter, we live in time where the world is becoming increasingly toxic. Most of us, even super healthy people, are taking in more toxins than our bodies can get rid of. In light of this, we must all take measures to minimize exposure to toxic insults. The first and most integral step in this process is to switch to using non-toxic household and personal care products; especially makeup! You can learn all about which personal care products are the most and least toxic on this website HERE!

#4: Support Your Body With Targeted, Nutritional Supplementation! I am not a big fan of using tons of supplements but I absolutely understand that our food supply contains much less nutrients than it did 100 years ago and thus we need to provide ancillary support.

My Top 3 Recommendations For Basic Supplementation at 10% OFF!!

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#1. B-Complex in methylated form! When we are under stress B-vitamins are readily used up and it is easy to become deficient. “B complex vitamins are critical for many processes inherent to life. They serve as cofactors for enzymatic reactions, and are necessary for gene expression, oxidation-reduction reactions, energy production, detoxification, and formation of other biologically essential compounds. All the B vitamins play a role in mitochondrial function, and deficiencies may be associated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage.” (1)

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#2. Magnesium is another that becomes easily depleted and deficiencies are rampant as a result of widespread soil depletion. “Magnesium acts as a cofactor in hundreds of enzymatic processes and systems. It helps to regulate biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, and healthy blood pressure. It may help support healthy muscle relaxation by inhibiting calcium influx and smooth muscle contraction. Magnesium is important for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis. It may contribute to the development and maintenance of healthy bone structure and is needed for the synthesis of DNA, RNA, and the antioxidant glutathione.” (2)

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#3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids! We simply do not get enough of this critical nutrient in our diets and essential fatty acids, particularly DHA, is critical for brain and nervous system function! “Although the omega-3s EPA and DHA occur naturally together in fish oil and work together in the body, research shows that each fatty acid has unique benefits. DHA is the fatty acid that supports a healthy brain, eyes, nervous system, and mood.”

In fact, at least 20% of the brain is comprised of this vital fatty acid. Research shows that DHA supports memory, cognition, and emotional well-being, in addition to promoting healthy eyes.” (3)

My own healing journey absolutely taught me that no matter how far out of balance somebody has fallen and no matter the diagnosis, there is always POTENTIAL to reverse damage and put a dis-ease process into remission…or at least greatly slow it down and improve or restore cellular function!

If you would like to learn more about the comprehensive, multi-faceted approach I implement in helping clients to unravel chronic health & life challenges and thus help them to become empowered to take charge of their health & life, book an initial FREE Exploration Session using the button below!

References:

  1. The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls MD

  2. The Autoimmune Solution by Dr. Amy Myers MD

  3. A Mind Of Your Own by Dr. Kelly Brogan MD