They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and when it comes to healing your body, nothing could be more true. And so often, that first step you need to take is simply believing that you CAN heal.
Whether you have been dealing with chronic illness for weeks, months, or years, you don’t have to simply resign to the idea that this is just how it is going to be. If you are one of the many people who have seen multiple doctors and tried multiple prescriptions, and your condition only seems to be getting worse and worse, you may be tempted to lose hope.
A Bit of My Story: How I started healing from chronic illness
As a person who experienced chronic illness to the point of being nearly bedridden, I can attest to the fact that it begins to severely affect you emotionally. But my story didn’t end there, because I not only made a full recovery but feel even better than before! And this is why I can personally offer hope.
Ironically, my battle with chronic illness happened about halfway through my studies to become a naturopathic doctor. I had learned enough at the time that I had a pretty good idea of what I was most likely experiencing, and as I began to research more and more to help my body heal, I leaned into what I was learning about the body’s stress response and how it affects us physically. At first, it didn’t make much sense to me that the pathogen my body was fighting couldn’t simply be addressed by knocking down the pathogen. While that needed to happen, that wasn’t the complete picture of what was going on with me.
Autonomic Nervous System
Our body’s autonomic nervous system has two branches. One is the sympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of what you may have heard of as our “fight or flight” response. The other branch is called the parasympathetic nervous system, and its job is to help us rest and digest. We need both, and they need to operate at different times, regulating different processes throughout the day for our bodies and minds to stay in balance. When we get out of balance, and say, our brain gets stuck in a constant fight or flight mode, we begin releasing too many stress hormones, and at inappropriate times. Over time, this elevated stress response begins to take a toll on our bodies, affecting our immune system, our sleep, our digestion, our mood, and ultimately our well-being.
For me, I was staying mostly in a chronic state of fight or flight. As much as I was doing all the things I knew to do to fight off the germ I was dealing with nutritionally until I addressed the fact that stress was trying to eat me alive, I wasn’t able to move the needle enough to allow my body to heal itself. When I began to switch my brain out of the chronic state of stress, my body was much better able to begin to relax and heal. It may sound counterintuitive because the fight or flight response might be what you think you would need to fight off the disease. However, we cannot heal in a chronic heightened state of stress.
Have Hope
So I was a skeptic at first, even though I had been trained about how stress affects a body. I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around the idea that if I simply addressed the nervous system first, my immune system would follow. But I allowed the possibility, and I am so glad I did, because I began to heal, and fast!
Yes, of course, I followed a pretty regimented course of nutrition and herbal and mineral supplements to support my body to heal, all while consciously working to allow my rest and digest functions to have a chance. My adrenals, which take a massive hit when a person is under a ton of stress, needed to heal. My digestion needed a chance to rest and re-set. I had to actively work to recharge my body using age-old, timeless concepts like bare feet on the ground, sunlight, rest, and music therapy. If these sound like a silly thing to you, rest assured, these free, basic, otherwise overlooked principles can dramatically aid you in recovery if you give them a chance.
How I Help Re-Set People in My Practice
Almost 100% of the clients in my practice are stuck in a chronic state of stress which is contributing to their chronic health issues. From poor digestion to low energy to anxiety and depression to Epstein Barr Virus to nutrient deficiencies, and more, every single one of these can be linked to stress and how it affects the body. No one can escape daily stress; it is simply part of daily life that includes driving on a highway in rush hour or unrelenting demands at work or home. That said, we do not have to stay stuck in a constant state of stress hormone overload. There are techniques I teach to take command of your stress, and ways to detox our stress, and if we do get stuck, we have wonderful tools to help shift back into balance. One of the tools I use in my practice is called AO tones, which is customized music therapy that you listen to to reset your brain. It is gentle, relaxing, and highly therapeutic. It is also very underrated and under-utilized as a therapy.
But as I have explained above, many people don’t understand that addressing the nervous system is quite often the best place to start to begin to heal from chronic illness.
If anything I have said here resonates with you and you are one of the many people
struggling to overcome an illness you’ve been struggling with for years, please have hope.Please know there are viable options out there for you.Fortunately, I am able to send AO tones remotely, and I do take virtual clients
If you would like to request an appointment, please email me at:
Brandy@LiveWellMelissa.com
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