It’s a funny thing this health business.
One minute it’s low fat, calcium-packed dairy and canning that cancer-causing red meat. Then it’s butter’s back, carbs are out and dairy is ditched [I’m not even going to whisper that S word … because I Quit it!]
It’s not only easy to get caught up in the hype, it’s confusing to know what is true.
So my question is:
How influenced are we by media, social media and health gurus when it comes to our health?
Here’s a little study of n=1 (mine).
Just before I left for a month long holiday in Europe, I was stressed. I was also disappointed in myself that I didn’t feel as Gigi and fabulous as I had imagined I would 6 months prior to my dream holiday. Worse, several alarming symptoms had popped up: problems swallowing, reflux, a lump in my oesophagus, and a patchy skin rash. Dreading an ulcer, I resorted to a 2-week natural healing regime of cabbage soup. I don’t think I’d ever put my clients on such a restrictive protocol, but I needed to heal fast. While it did help a little, it still wasn’t enough. I felt defeated.
Then I flew to Paris. I met up with one of my closest girlfriends I hadn’t seen in ages. We laughed our heads off. We drank wine. We explored the trail of the Divine Feminine and Mary Magdalene throughout the South of France. We ate croissants and the most divine bread I’ve ever eaten, every day. And my symptoms quite instantly disappeared.
We then flew to my soul-land, Italy. We hung out in a Tuscan villa for a week, sitting by the pool, eating truffle pasta, dowsing bread in olive oil, drinking locally produced wines, laughing, talking, sharing, being vulnerable in a way only 2 old friends can truly be. We explored villages and drove into Florence for our second week being both terrified and in hysterics as we tried to navigate Italian traffic/signs/ridiculously narrow streets (and stuffed it up ending up in the middle of a no-go Florence Piazza). We ate more pasta and drank more wine (every day). I added in gelato and tiramisu. I kept thinking as the weather became cooler that I’d never fit into my jeans I’d brought but hadn’t yet worn, yet incredibly, they were looser than when I’d left. And I was left contemplating, “What the F just happened? I should be 10kg heavier with acid burn … why am I feeling so bloody good?”
I was so hung up on being scientifically correct and following nutrition advice that I’d completely forgotten the most important aspect of health; my own mind-body wisdom.
We are so influenced by popular culture and by current trends (and I can tell you, research can be doctored any which way to make it fit a current health trend someone wants you to believe to benefit some industry) that we can often ignore our own body and its innate wisdom to fulfill a mass-cultural belief – to fit in; to be popular; to belong and be accepted (#fitspo).
What I’ve discovered is health is not only about the food you eat. Controversial I know. What is important is what you tell yourself about the food you eat. And what your body tells you about the food you eat. And what your body tells you about your life and the people you’re sharing it with and the work you’re doing and joy in your heart in this very moment. Is that symptom really related directly to the molecular substance you’re ingesting? Look at your deeper emotional response. Keep going until you find the one/s you really want to avoid and have become really good at suppressing … keep going … Go there. Are you lonely? Feeling unloved? Lacking connection? Feeling restricted? Overwhelmed? Hiding grief?
As a naturopath I know, on this physical plane, what we eat and the condition of our gut does have an impact on our physical health. But on a more spiritual level, I promise you our physical body has less to do with the grosser vibration of food and much more to do with the finer vibrations of our mental, emotional and spiritual worlds.
As Dr. Joe Dispenza states, you can’t change matter with matter. To create change, put yourself (mentally or physically but definitely emotionally) into the place that makes your heart sing; that enlivens your soul; that allows you to step away from the mundanity of the world and allows you to feel joy and awe and abandonment. Listen to music, play in the ocean, travel, connect with friends and lovers – be open and vulnerable. This is the truest way to allow your whole body to heal. And if something is not sitting with you, let it stir. Let it pain you. Sit in the discomfort and don’t push it down. Let it ruminate. If you follow it and let it express, your body will respond with balance.
Kate is a qualified naturopath who is passionate about helping women heal from hormonal havoc and inspiring women to know their own power, worth and wisdom.
Kate offers one-on-one Skype consults for irregular cycles, PMS and period pain, endometriosis, PCOS, peri-menopause, mood swings, fatigue and mental and emotional stress.
Simply drop me an email to see how I can help you!
