BEING YOUR OWN HEALTH DETECTIVE
Being your own health detective is about listening, looking and feeling. What does your body-mind tell you? Are there signs of vitality or signs of low energy, pain, bad skin or poor digestion?
When scientific research is conducted and new discoveries are found, about how the body works or new treatments, it can take 5-10 years before this knowledge reaches your general practitioner and becomes common practice. It can therefore be beneficial to educate yourself on your particular health issue(s) to find out what today’s research actually shows. More and more research illustrates that our diet and lifestyle choices have a huge impact on the expression of our genes and our health. This means that even though we all have different genetic predispositions, we can influence whether or not our genes turn on or off by what we eat and how we live our lives.
This knowledge empowers you and me! It gives you the power back! It gives you a chance to take responsibility over your own health!
As I’ve educated myself on my own health issues, I’ve learnt what nourishes me and what causes an inflammatory response in my body. I choose a diet and lifestyle that supports my body’s self-healing ability. When you fuel and treat your body right, your body will automatically go towards health and vitality. This way, you can prevent future health issues and reverse current health issues.
Several years back, I was coming up to ten years being on medication for my autoimmune condition. I had reached a point where I knew, I had to take action myself. It wasn’t good enough that the only thing my doctors could offer me was medication. Medication with side effects! Later I found out that the active ingredient in my medication is listed as a human carcinogen and that my risk of getting cancer is elevated.
Therefore, I started to make changes to my life and my health improved. I changed my diet to a more ancestral diet. I reduced my exposure to toxins in my home. I prioritised sleep and managed my stress. As one of the first changes, I stopped consuming processed sugars and lowered my consumption of natural sweeteners like for example fructose. Within a month my eyes became whiter and clearer. My gums stopped bleeding. My energy level increased throughout the day. Later in the process of changing my diet and lifestyle, I noticed that my gut and digestion improved. My belly button used to smell and now it doesn’t smell. My hands and feet have become warmer. I don’t bruise as easily. I can easily stick to three main meals a day and I don’t feel the need to snack throughout the day.
Meditation and mindfulness was also a huge game changer for me. My mood lifted. I became more patient and I experienced less outbursts of anger. I also became more aware of the signals from my body and mind. It feels like every cell in my body is more calm and not distracted with other things than what they’re meant to do.
This long intro brings me to; why I’ve posted a photo of a mouth mirror J It has been on my list for a while but I finally got around to buying one. I want to keep a closer look at the health of my gums and teeth. Your oral health isn’t separate from the rest of your body. Your oral health is an indication of your overall health. My teeth are the first health problems I can remember. I suffered tooth decay from a young age. It was mainly during my primary school years and I remember getting a new filling with almost every dental visit. It wasn’t because I skipped brushing my teeth. I was very diligent compared to my brother, who only has a few fillings.
It’s fascinating to get a closer look at your teeth and gums. It’s also a great way for your kids to explore their teeth. Suddenly your teeth become a part of your body instead of an unknown part of your body hidden in the dark.
If you want to get started on your own journey, educating yourself on your health issues, I list some of the people that I trust. There’s a lot of information and not all of it is evidence based. The people on my list are very knowledgeable and are doing extensive research before sharing their knowledge.
- Chris Kresser
- Daniel Vitalis
- Nutritious Movement with Katy Bowman
- Mark Sisson
- Nora Gedgaudas
- Ninka-Bernadette Mauritson http://withzing.com/ (English) http://www.ninkasdetox.dk/ (Danish)
- Wellness Mama
- Holistic Lifestyler
- Sarah Hopkins
