People who hear about my inflammatory health issues often want to know what I’ve tried and what worked/didn’t, in terms of natural or alternative healing options. Since I enjoy unsolicited advice as much as I enjoy steamed eggplant (so nice on the outside, yet unpleasant on the inside) I won’t tell you what to ingest, or how you can fix your messed up energy field.
The upside of long wait times in our health system was that I had a lot of time to freak out calmly and rationally explore other options. Before surgery, I needed to feel confident that I had tried everything else. Here are the bigger lessons from the years I spent trying to heal myself through natural and alternative treatments.
1. Start slow and try one thing at a time
At one point, I was trying high doses of multiple treatments at the same time. I don’t recommend this, for three reasons. The first was that my issues were so complex that all of this change overwhelmed my system and made me feel sicker, and exhausted. Healing takes time, period. The second reason is that I had no way of knowing which thing was helping. And the third reason is that all this stuff is expensive and time-consuming.
2. Break up with food
Food doesn’t love you the way I do. Just kidding. But not really. I’ve tried eliminating one food at a time from my diet (you may now ignore the previous point). The problem was that I had multiple food sensitivities. For example, I gave up dairy, I was still sick from eggs. What finally worked was that I had a procedure that required a very plain, soft diet for about four weeks. When I added back my “regular” foods, I could really tell what was making me sick.
So what I suggest is cutting back to a handful of things that are relatively safe – for you. Very few people are allergic to brown rice. Apple sauce can be a good choice. Etcetera. I don’t know what you need to eat. Read the labels and watch out for hidden ingredients.
Also, if I had a dollar for every person who thinks I am/should be gluten free – I could afford all-organic everything. I gave up wheat and gluten. No change. I added them back. No change. I had multiple tests, including an intestinal biopsy – which is the only definitive test for gluten intolerance, and includes a nice druggy nap and a full colour high resolution video of your digestive tract. Negative. I know gluten is a big problem for lots of people, but I am confident that it is not my problem.
3. Do I need a second mortgage?
When I started homeopathic, naturopathic, and other types of therapies – I didn’t ask how long it might take, or what the cost might total. And I wouldn’t exactly say the practitioners were quick to share this information. Several months into an expensive homeopathic regime that seemed to be making me sicker, I learned that it could take up to three or four years! I surrendered after one year and a couple thousand bucks. Essences of twigs and berries or whatever were hurting my tummy feelings and my bank account.
4. Natural can hurt
Related to the above point, a number of the natural treatments were quite the catastrophe sensory immersion experience. I’ll spare you the details. As far as I can tell, the difference from mainstream medicine is that the effects are attributed to the release of your own personal toxicity, rather than the medicine itself. Deep down, where it really matters, I must be really toxic.
5. Weird can work
I’ve tried a lot of stuff. Some of the least likely options on the holistic healing menu have actually proven to be helpful and enjoyable. Some of the healers turned out to be extraordinary human beings. Some things didn’t help the physical symptoms, but instead helped me regulate my energy, and make peace with my situation and journey – and that made it easier to deal with the physical and medical stuff.
6. Trust your gut
When I’m in pain and/or exhausted, I’m not very good at relying on my intuition and making good decisions. I want someone else to solve my problems or take care of things. Once I started a therapy and began investing time, money, and hope, it was hard to know when to give up and pull the plug. If I didn’t connect with a practitioner or particularly like them, I felt like I needed to give it more of a chance. Now that I’m feeling better and I have learned to trust myself more, this situation has improved quite a bit. I recently tried something new, hated it, and gave up part way through the first session. I’m a better quitter. For me, that feels like progress.
7. Ask your doctor
This tip sounds banal, but for awhile, I lost hope in mainstream medicine and stopped going to my family physician. One day, I happened to mention my muscle spasms. To my surprise, he had a solution that was quick, free, and flipping amazing. We found our way back to each other. He had lost a little hope along the way too. It happens. We’ve worked it out. Cursing at each other helps.
8. A few staples I turn to for an inflammation flare-up:
Juicing: pineapple, grapefruit, carrot, ginger, turmeric (plus whatever else is in the fridge).
Elvis Parsley (a liver stimulant that makes your insides shimmy and shake, oddly tasty once you get used to it): orange juice, pureed garlic, parsley, turmeric, a little cayenne, lemon juice, olive oil. From The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods (Jeremy A. Safron)
Carrot – Lemongrass Soup: From the ReBar restaurant cookbook – you can search for the recipe online. I swear this soup can chase away all kinds of bad stuff.
Warm golden milk: cashew milk (or other non-dairy beverage), turmeric, honey, vanilla.
Lemon – Ginger Tea: cut up a bunch of lemons and ginger root, boil in a big pot, add honey and turmeric. Makes the house smell amazing.
Kombucha (cold fermented tea): we brewed it for awhile (and it was not a magic cure), but now I just buy it occasionally. Contact me if you want a great e-book on making it yourself.
Probiotics: Not a recipe, but useful. I like Renew Life brand – 50 Million (units, not dollars!). They make a sturdy capsule that can survive to reach farther into the digestive tract before breaking down. I tried six or seven kinds before I found this one.
If you are on a healing journey – may you find what you need. Namaste.
