What works for me (most days), and continually amazes me that it works so well for so many things after years of trying insurance-approved methods that made things much worse instead of better, and after experiencing a medical emergency that required drastic overall lifestyle changes, but may not do a damn thing for others, is:
- I no longer consume meat, eggs, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, gluten, and as few artificially created and highly processed substances as humanly possible...both inside and out.
- I practice daily intermittent fasting....I don't eat solid foods after my evening meal that's served around 7pm and usually finished up by 8ish. I'll sip on herbal infusions, veggie broth, veggie/greens juice, roasted dandelion root tea (tastes a lot like coffee), or sometimes a crock pot hot chocolate made with reishi mushroom powder and cacao if I still feel like I need more or want more.
- Hydrate upon rising each morning with lemon water, various herbal infusions, and a fruit/veggie juice of some variety (usually made with my $4 thrift store juicer).
- I don't eat solid food until 11ish or later in the morning. I used to swear by, and religiously eat a heavy animal based breakfast that definitely had eggs often scrambled with lots of veggies and cheese, sometimes added bacon or sausage, and toast or biscuits drowning in butter along with massive amounts of coffee, as I was convinced I needed that heavy load to get me going, as that was all I'd ever known, and had been advised to consume those types of things by several professionals. I have much more energy now than I recall having in younger years, most days, when the pains of all my previous choices don't get in the way.
- Snacks are usually more fruit if it's before lunch, some nuts and seeds, sweet treats made with dates/nuts/dairy-free chocolate chips, etc., flat breads made from leftover juicing pulp and hummus, chickpea salads used as dips for veggies, etc.
- Lunch is usually around 1ish or 2ish and has lots of greens packed into it, mostly via salads, and often topped with the various hummus concoctions or chickpea salads, or walnut taco "meat", sandwiches made with romaine lettuce boats instead of breads, etc....or leftovers from last night's dinner.
- Supper is typically a roasted/sauteed/grilled/baked/steamed variety of mushrooms, chickpea tofu, veggies, legumes, etc.
- Learning about food combining, the actual digestion process, as well as how well and how soon all the things I consumed were being eliminated was priceless, too. We often create some major gut grenades/traffic jams/chemical reactions/major constipation via the combinations and timing of things we eat, yet it ends up getting labeled and treated as many other things....which is one of the major difficulties I experienced through the years.
- Having vitamin levels/hormone levels/nutrient levels checked regularly can be an eye opener, too, even when one feels they are already eating healthily enough. Our current food supply leaves a lot of nourishment to be desired and isn't as nutritionally packed as we'd like to think, or as the labels/marketing may emphasize.
- I supplement with a spray each day that contains B12, D3, and DHA/EPA...as well as Vitamin C and zinc, especially during the cold and flu seasons, often soak in a hot bath with epsom salts/various herbs depending on the mood, use a magnesium gel combined with coconut oil as a daily moisturizer, dry brush my skin before each shower to keep the lymph fluids moving, keep favorite essential oil scents handy in various forms, and also occasionally use various tinctures and flower essences, based on mood/current symptoms/etc.
- The method to my herbal madness is more intuitive than anything, but has definitely been approached with caution and skilled guidance. I was fortunate to cross paths with two master herbalists in my journey.
- The herbal infusions I drink daily are made with things like ginger root, turmeric root, stinging nettle, burdock root, astragalus root, red clover, wild plantain, milk thistle, holy basil, or whatever herb I feel my body could most benefit from in the moment.
- Learning breathing techniques, like square breathing, rhythmic breathing, alternate nostril breathing, etc. was another priceless experience. Free and available 24/7.
- Learning more about Chinese medicine was an eye-opener, too, as well as iridology. Pressure points, meridian, how your tongue, your eyes, your skin, your nails, etc. can reflect your state of health, etc.
- Smudging myself and my living spaces with sage and palo santo when it feels necessary helps with both the feeling of clearing unwanted energies plus the aromatherapy aspect soothes me, especially after being exposed to artificial and synthetic scents that make me ill.
- Add a big dose of fun to each day via how I choose to move, be it dancing like a fool, hula-hooping, bouncing on a mini-trampoline, diving into nature when the weather allows, etc.
Before doing all of the above, I weighed in at a miserable 324 lbs, was mostly bed ridden, anxiety-ridden, stuck way down deep in the depressive ditches, slept more than I was awake, as it was as close to death as i could get without the commitment, had a list of meds as long as my arm, and was steadily getting worse instead of better.
I've since lost 110 lbs.(it's been three years now), no longer require any prescription meds, blew my doctor's mind multiple times, can feel joy again, and feel I have a better handle on my symptoms than I've ever had before. I still royally f*ck things up, as any human does, and don't expect that to ever end. I've pretty much had to unlearn all I thought I already knew, and what I was being advised to do by many highly educated folks, to make room for the more actual helpful things, and i keep continually being blown away by the results of what I never knew I needed to know, if that makes sense. Sorry for the length of my response. It's one of my favorite topics that automatically turns me into a chatty cathy. Wishing you much wellness along yours.
