To go Natural or not? To eat gluten free or not? To drink cow’s milk or not? To be vegan or not? To buy a water purifier or not? To eat red meat or not? To use chemical free house cleaners or not?
Those are the questions. Those are just a few of the mirage of questions that may be swirling around in your chemical laden mind. Questions? Questions? GMO? Gluten free? Chemical free? No parabens? Organic? No sulfates? Dairy? Herbs? Essential oils? Alternative medicine? Probiotics? Plant based diet?
So many topics. So many questions. All of the options and information can become quite confusing and overwhelming to the average person. Whenever you decide to make an important life change it takes major consideration, consultation and wisdom.
When I decided to go natural many of the above mentioned topics other than vegetarian were foreign to me. I decided and made a personal commitment to beat my autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis) naturally. I made a commitment to fire my doctor and my pharmacy company. I made a commitment to take my health into my own hands. I made a commitment to do whatever it took for me to be healthy and enjoy a pain free life. I made a commitment to use extra financial resources to travel down Natural Health Avenue. (Most natural and alternative medicine isn’t covered by insurance, that’s a whole other subject) I made a commitment to become my own Ph. D of natural health research.
My research was based on what I was dealing with and my health situation, everyone’s story will be different based on their journey, level of faith and commitment level. Looks like the key word here is……COMMITMENT for $300 please Alex. Going natural or deciding to have a healthier lifestyle takes commitment. For some people it is a fad, but for me it has been a lifestyle change. A major life change. A challenging change. Deciding to live a natural, healthy, vegan lifestyle or even if it’s a small lifestyle change takes discipline, commitment, determination and perseverance. It can be done! It must happen. You can do it! You will stick with it! It was hard for me to start this journey, but I was determined, so I can motivate, encourage and inspire you.
I am still doing research because the world of natural health is evolving every day. The bible says in Hosea 4:6 that my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. This is a bible scripture, and I am a bible believing Christian, but I believe you can apply this scripture to any area of our life whether you’re a Christian or not. If you are unaware of something it could be detrimental to your well- being. If you lack the knowledge of how chemicals harm your body, this includes what you put on your body as well as what you put in your body, this could continue to harm your body. This lack of knowledge deficit could be affecting you financially, physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually and that part of your life can be destroyed. Quite frankly, I am tired of seeing people destroyed because of a lack of knowledge as it relates to the health care system, side effects of prescription medication, and the toxic chemicals used on a daily basis. I was and still am on a mission to let me body heal itself, because it does have the power to do just that.
Some things that have worked for me on my journey are:
- Talking to other people that have decided to go natural
- Sharing with other people that have/had the same chronic disease
- Visit websites that are about natural health
- Watch natural hair webinars
- Read books and articles ( by reputable authors) about natural health
- Read labels in the store (take a picture) research the ingredients on that label. I bet you won’t buy the product or return it after you research what the ingredients are.
Reading food labels example: there is a certain salad dressing that I love and it’s organic, but it was causing me to have a reaction. Once I read the label more closely I noticed black pepper was one of the main ingredients and guess what? I am allergic to black pepper. When you suffer from severe food allergies you have to read every ingredient CAREFULLY. To be or not to be? Often times our health and livelihood depends on it and we have no choice. Wait! Yes, we do have a choice. I say choose life. Choose to be healthier. Choose to be pain free.
So let’s continue with a few things I did to start my journey list:
- I connected with a wellness mentor/advisor
- Exchanged recipes with other natural, healthy eaters
- Sought out a naturopath (holistic medicine doctor) and nutritionist
Keep in mind most insurance companies do not cover visits to a naturopath or holistic doctor so it may be an out of pocket expense.=Financial commitment.
So I’ll end the same I started: To be or not to be? That is the $1,000,000 question.
Your decision should be based on your experience, your knowledge, your life comfort level and your commitment level. My decision was a life or death situation, a decision I had to make. We have choices in life, but in this situation I had no choice. Pain, lack of mobility, missing days at work, depression to the point of not wanting to live made my choice for me.
I chose to be. To be healthier. To be pain free. To be depression free. To be chemical free. I chose to be! TO BE OR NOT TO BE!