Take Control of Your Health

We would not run a car without checking the gas and oil ourselves at regular intervals. But we run our bodies as if they were some kind of perpetual machine needing no maintenance. . . that is, until they break down. Moreover, we listen to our cars, for the funny whirring or clicking or grinding, and try to take appropriate steps before we grind the gears or blow a gasket.

WESTERN MEDICINE AND PERSONAL CONTROL

But what about our bodies? Growing up in a Western society means becoming responsible for the things we can control, like a car. At the same time, paradoxically, our culture often encourages us to be rather mindless about our own bodies. Instead of great daily care and regular maintenance, we are apt to leave it to doctors to “fix” us after we start falling apart in some way. In other words, on the health dimension, I’m not really a grown up.

Don’t get me wrong, please. When I am truly sick, I am grateful for modern Western medicine that can set my broken arm or offer me an antibiotic for an infection. But I want to be more proactive now, less reactive, less of a child about my own health. I know I have been guilty of running myself ragged and then asking my family health doctor to help put me back together when stressful living left me vulnerable to whatever was going around.

One of the biggest changes I have made over the past year is to become more conscious of how I am at a physical level. I have become to believe strongly in taking care of myself and in using alternative medicineand alternative health products.

TRY A NATURAL “BODY SCAN”

That starts with just paying attention to my body the way I might my car. One of the most basic things I do now to promote this is known as a natural “body scan.” To do one, I sit quietly with my eyes closed and, beginning at the top, with my head, I allow myself a few moments to feel my head without touching it, just sensing the tightness of my scalp or face, noticing the sounds that are entering, or perhaps the breeze blowing a wisp of hair across my face. I try to feel it from the inside out as well. Then I move down to my neck, then arms, hands, trunk, hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, and toes.

Have you ever stopped to feel your fingers, for example, from the inside out? It will put you in touch with any tension that may be there. Do you feel tired at the end of the day? Stopping to note that your shoulders are hunched around your ears, or that you are breathing rapidly or shallowly could make a tremendous difference in keeping your body in tune. You wouldn’t drive 60 mph in second gear, would you? Or with a serious rattle? Okay, now treat your body and daily pace with that kind of care.

This simple practice is just one way that I am regaining control of my own life and boosting my own well-being! Another simple practice is eating well and taking a natural health supplement because I know that no diet is really complete. Natural health alternatives allow me to take charge.

What is one small thing you could start doing to be responsible for your own health. The thing is, you can always buy a new car. . . but we just get this one body. May yours glow with health from the inside out!

"You, Me & My Blood Sugar!"

The other afternoon after my lunch, I was browsing graduation cards in a local shop and overheard the three women on the other side who were really lollygagging in the birthday card section.

“Okay, ladies, it is now all about me and my blood sugar level!” laughed one of them rather loudly, with a tinge of insistence that was unmistakable to me. I looked at my watch—it was nearly 2:30 p.m.

I felt a sudden surge of empathy for her, knowing that she probably was suffering from low blood sugar and feeling the jitters and irritation I used to feel. Frankly, I also admired her light yet assertive way of reminding her companions that she really needed to eat before she fell apart!

I consider myself a self-diagnosed hypoglycemic. My life really changed when I discovered how to manage my own rollercoaster rides with blood sugar. It was by accident really, over 20 years ago. My husband had been officially diagnosed with moderate hypoglycemia after one of those grueling six-hour blood tests, so we changed how and when we eat in order to help him concentrate more and feel less anxious.

Hypoglycemia is a condition of abnormal sugar metabolism resulting in low blood sugar. It can paradoxically be created by eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates. (It can be associated with other disorders, but this seemed to be his problem.)

In a nutshell, we were both eating way too much sugar, white flour and other refined carbohydrates, which are basically empty calories. This causes a spike in blood sugar followed by big drop—and therein lies the problem.

He was given a menu template that we agreed we would both follow just to make things simpler. It basically called for smaller but more frequent meals that were more nutritionally dense: proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fats. We also began taking nutritional supplements.

The results were amazing! Not only did Mark start to be more productive at work and home, but my general mood improved too! No more crying jags and unexplained blues, for a start. I also felt more energy and less irritation. This was my first insight into how “we are what we eat”! I felt more in control of my life again. I am grateful that we could do all of this naturally, without medications.

So no more skipping meals in order to finish a task or because I don’t feel like cooking. I keep stuff like turkey, cheese, nuts, yogurt, and the like for snacks. And no more coffee, sodas, or cookies for a boost, because I know I’ll pay for it double shortly afterwards. I’ve also found lots of great information from free alternative health newsletters that has helped me take more responsibility for how my day goes. There are lots of natural treatments of health conditions, from supplements to enhance our wellbeing. The choice is ours.