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Why do a lot of people who are ill think that a doctor's medicine is the best or only treatment? If a plant is unwell you give it the right mix of nutrients and water to help it heal and get rid of any parasites. You check the roots are not too wet and it's draining properly and getting enough light but not too much and has good airflow - you look at the symptoms like yellowing leaves and treat the plant holistically and most importantly the root cause (often parasites + nutrient deficiency or too wet in my cherry plant's case).
Humans are biological organisms just like plants that needs nourishment, a clean environment and healthy roots to heal and grow. So why is it so hard to use food as medicine just as Hippocrates said thousands of years ago? The best part about using food as medicine is you can use it while taking medicine from the doctor and combine these efforts to heal you.
The human body is an amazing organism that we will never fully understand. But what we do know is that we need clean water (even above food) and that we need food that has good nutrient content with certain vitamins, minerals and amino acids (among other things) for us to live.
Is it too hard to even try to reduce daily agonizing pain or bowel issues by working on supporting and nourishing your miraculous biological body with food? Too hard to stop drinking alcohol or eating chocolate? You can take the medicine the doctor gives you but also take additional steps to help your body heal - that's the easy part - it doesn't need to be one or the other, in fact it should always be both! What is great is that doctors are starting to encourage patients to eat more fibre, less processed foods and use a probiotic with/after antibiotics! A great start, but that is only the minimum you can be doing...
Eat good food, whole food and plant based* - reduce fats, processed foods, animal products, dairy and gluten (at least while you are healing, it doesn't need to be forever). Drink clean, filtered water and use Anthony William's trick of bringing 'processed/dead' water back to life with a squeeze of lemon juice.
The reason plant based is best is because every plant, fruit and vegetable is chockablock full of nutrients and easier for your body to assimilate than animal products. (Just make sure you wash store bough fruit and veges before eating to reduce and remove pesticide residue - if you can, it is really rewarding growing your own food, and knowing that it is chemical and spray free!).
For me I could barely eat for a long time when my health was at its worst... so if I could eat, it had to be nourishing and easily digestible like mashed apple or pumpkin and kumara soup. [You don't want to waste what precious little appetite you have on 'dead' food like crisps, fizzy or candy]. And because my organs were not functioning well and I couldn't eat much I then had to use a range of good bioavailable supplements to hit the spots my diet was unable to - this, with a variety of other treatments (but primarily the nutrients and clean water) is what finally has my health on the mend.
How hard is it to take some supplements and eat more plant based foods to HELP support your doctor trying to help you. Medicine alone can't do it... your body needs to be healthy to heal, to fight diseases and environmental toxins, to work properly in its basic sense and to rebuild itself to be stronger.
Take the medicine for the immediate/temporary relief, and nourish your body with the right food, water and supplements which will in turn support your liver to detox your body, cleanse your blood and support your organs. It's not a matter of one or the other... it's a team effort and you have to play your role in your health - don't just rely on others to fix you.
I feel so sorry for doctors... they only got into the medical profession to help people and now contend with a growing population of chronic illness sufferers that they have no answers for but are often heavily relied on as the only saviors in these health battles. Help your doctor out by being proactive about your health and nurturing your magnificent body so you can recover faster.
There are always options, opportunities, and solutions - make sure you are making the most of what God has given us in this world. We are AMAZING beyond belief and we need to treat our bodies in that way. Nutrition is not woo woo... its scientific fact. (If you need science to quantify your choices).
*If whole food and plant based foods are making you unwell it can be a symptom of 'detox' but also either because the foods might be too rich for your organs to manage in certain quantities initially (like potassium in bananas for people with kidney issues) or that they are cleaning out all the crap that's inside you (parasites, bad bacteria and old stagnant waste, etc.) - if you are concerned about this then I recommend seeing someone who does nutritional response testing to help you out with the right foods and quantities while you heal.
Always remember: you are not alone in your illness and while it might feel hopeless, we are gifted with accessible health care in various forms and many opportunities to see what 'works' for us + the ability to connect with others online and research medical texts ourselves. BUT when it all feels hopeless and there doesn't seem to be an end to the darkness... keep trying, don't give up and nourish your body with nutrition and clean water as best you can.
Thanks for reading.
Amanda Sears
The Wellness Guide
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