Settling my symptoms; a lifestyle approach.

I know a “lifestyle change” isn’t the most realistic for everybody, but, when healing the body and mind, it’s important to consider what your priorities are. What comes first? What is most important to you? What approach do you have to take, to create a lifestyle that suits you and your healing journey?

When I first visited my naturopath, a few of her first round questions had nothing to do with my illness, but everything to do with my lifestyle. She didn’t begin by questioning my symptoms or my diet, she began by questioning my day to day life, my stresses, my mental and emotional health, and my career. After a long conversation about my lifestyle, I finally understood the toll my mental health had taken on me over the years. I was shocked I had been living that way for so long, and ultimately, chose to accept that what I truly needed, was a slower approach to life, the room to breathe and take care of myself. It was time to leave my old life behind.

making a career change

At the peak of my sickness, I was hyper focused on my career. Initially, I was working a 9-5 that drove me to the ground. I was commuting back and forth to the office, two hours a day, and when I worked on location, my commute would often add up to about 5-6 hours a day. I had an incredibly stressful role, with several thirteen hour days, that became my new norm, leading me to feel suffocated, angsty, and utterly exhausted. As much as I wanted to make it work, this job was impacting my quality of life, and I knew I had to leave. After leaving my job, I knew I wanted to pursue a creative freelance business, but I wasn’t quite sure which avenue to take. So, I overcompensated and began working three different jobs. This was absolutely insane, but I continued trudging through it. I was juggling my freelance work as a product photographer and stylist, while traveling around and working for florists to see if maybe floral design was the right fit, while interviewing for a position to be a part time stylist at Stitch Fix. When Stitch Fix came along, I realized my life was sending me signs and signals. Signs to slow down. Signals pointing me in the direction of rest and healing. Stitch Fix was a part time styling job, that allowed me to work from home, which was a much slower pace to what I was used to. But, I knew I had to finally stop and listen. So, I chose to take a major break, I put all of my creative work on pause, and accepted a position at Stitch Fix. My role at Stitch Fix was a blessing, a total God send, especially during this healing period I was about to dive head first into. During my darkest hours, sickest moments, and lengthy treatments, I was given the gift of being able to work from home, three hours a day, on my time, on my terms, when my body was ready.

Taking this lifestyle approach was life changing for me, and it was one of the first aspects of my life, my naturopath believed I needed to change. Our society is obsessed with success, a go-go-go mentality, and the notion that if you’re busy, you’re doing it right. I’m here to tell you, while I sometimes love that, and I used to agree, I can’t agree anymore. This lifestyle truly takes a toll on the human body, and continuous studies and research are coming out with more evidence, stating our health is a result of our environment, and our jobs play a huge role in that.

While I’m not suggesting you immediately leave your job for your health and well being, I share this story to simply pose the question - How is your career effecting your health and well being?

Have you considered your professional role as a source of impact on your health? If your career is in fact effecting your health, is there a way you can tweak your current role, or find something new that better suits you?

My career wasn’t the only piece of my life that was effecting my health. Although leaving my job had the greatest, immediate impact on my health and wellness, there were a few other lifestyle choices I discovered and adopted along the way, that each impacted my healing in their own ways.

sleep

The biggest symptom relief for me was sleep. I stopped telling my body it needed to fight and be awake and go go go, and I just SLEPT. I made the choice to surrender to myself and my body, and I allowed myself to take the rest I needed. I started sleeping about 9-10 hours a night, on a regular basis, especially during the time period when my brain fog, fatigue, weakness, and lightheadedness were at their peek.

breathing, stretching, & meditation

Some may think this next piece of information is cliche, redundant, or woo woo, but I believe in the effects, and have seen a positive impact on my overall health since incorporating it into my life. Yoga. Yoga and meditation have become a religion of sorts, a way of life, a spiritual part of my every day. While yoga is often looked at as a form of exercise, we forget that it’s true purpose is to calm the mind and breath. Deep breathing that is practiced in yoga and meditation, is scientifically proven to activate the vagus nerve, allowing our state of rest and digest to take hold, rather than maintaining our stressful state, otherwise known as fight or flight. The health and function of our vagus nerve is what controls our ability to digest and heal. When this communication is shut off, it creates room for chronic pain and illness.

Although it was difficult to physically go to yoga when I was at my sickest and lowest point, I made sure to keep yoga at the top of my mind when I was feeling strong enough to practice. There were points during my treatment where walking was painful, getting up and going from one end of the apartment to the other was excruciating, exhausting, and I often needed help to do so. During this phase, I steered clear of the physical practice of yoga, for fear of having a dizzy spell and collapsing, but I tried maintaining a practice of mindful breath, that of yoga and meditation.

While yoga works beautifully for me, it may not work for you, and that’s ok! Creating a new lifestyle approach to your health doesn’t mean you absolutely have to implement yoga into your daily life. Maybe yoga isn’t your thing! But, I do believe, finding something that creates a release of mind, a sense of peace, and a space to breathe, will have an immensely positive impact on your healing process.

So, spend some time understanding what your body needs, whether it’s a morning stretch, a light mid afternoon swim, daily deep belly breaths, a cup of hot tea at your local coffee shop, or slow walks in your neighborhood. What makes you feel at ease and at peace? Can you notice what slows your mind and breath?

choosing organic

Eating organic is not a trend, guys!

Do you know the difference between organic and natural? When an ingredient, whether it be meat, poultry, or produce is labeled as organic, it must go through the USDA Organic certification process, while “natural” ingredients are ultimately, left alone. Organic ingredients have to be grown in an environment with lower pollution levels, where the soil has been untouched and untampered with, by toxic chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, synthetic fertilizers, sludge and irradiation for seven years. This certification process also involves further inspections, including a farm to table audit. Ingredients that are labeled “natural”, on the other hand, are allowed to be grown using these toxic practices and environmental factors.

Unfortunately, our environmental toxicity is at an all time high, and increasingly impacting the health of human beings. While we can’t always control the toxicity of our surroundings (other than the personal use of non-toxic cosmetics, cleaning products, kitchenware, etc.) we can absolutely control whether or not we choose to eat food free of toxicity.

People with chronic health issues tend to have compromised immune systems, making it harder for their bodies to soak up nutrients, while simultaneously flushing out toxins. We need all the help we can get. So, why eat toxins and pesticides? Point blank, we shouldn’t. While I prefer (and love) selecting ingredients that are locally grown, by small business owners and families, it can sometimes by unrealistic to keep this practice as consistent as I’d like to. But, today, it’s easier than ever to buy organic ingredients from grocery stores all over the US. So, if you can’t make the Saturday morning farmer’s market, don’t sweat it! Shop your local mom and pop grocery stores, or start getting into the habit of buying from the organic section in Sprouts. Your body will thank you and love you for it, and so will you!

anti-fungal & anti-bacterial plant based cooking

After discovering how sensitive my system was, I began cooking everything I ate, while adopting a heavily plant based diet, filled with fresh and organic anti-fungal and anti-bacterial ingredients. I stopped eating raw fruits and vegetables, to aid in the digestive process. Raw fruits and vegetables carry bacteria and fungus, that we then ingest. This isn’t to say raw fruits and vegetables are bad by any means, but, when the body is susceptible to infection and imbalance caused by food, it’s crucial to find ways to limit the amount of live bacteria and fungus that are being ingested. Not to mention, fruits and veggies are high fiber foods, so they can be difficult to digest without a little help in the kitchen. Softening these ingredients has helped me immensely over time with my digestive process. When my digestive system was hyper sensitive, and unable to digest anything, I began soft cooking my fruits and veggies for every meal. The only ingredients I chose to consume raw, were strawberries, papaya, blueberries, blackberries, and bananas. These specific fruits are high in antioxidants and healing components, so cooking them would kill their power. As I grew stronger and my body didn’t have to work as hard to digest what I ate, I lessened the amount of cooking time, and allowed my fruits and veggies to keep more of their structure.

In addition to plant based cooking, I began implementing anti-bacterial and anti-fungal herbs and ingredients into my food! I started reading up on the healing powers of spices and herbs, broadening my knowledge and range in the kitchen, while understanding how they’re used as medicine. I started consuming turmeric on a regular basis by putting it in my coffee and soups, for anti-inflammatory benefits, brewed peppermint and ginger teas for the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and created savory dishes with rosemary, thyme, and oregano, for their antioxidants and wide range of healing properties.

cooking with anti-inflammatory oils

Not only did I choose organic, plant based, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial ingredients, I chose to learn about cooking with inflammatory versus anti-inflammatory oils. I knew absolutely nothing about this, until I started seeing my naturopath. Certain oils are extremely inflammatory, causing flare ups and affecting the overall function of our systems, while others are anti-inflammatory and even have healing properties. Switching up the oils I cooked with made a huge difference in not only the quality of the food I was eating, but the way my body started to feel. For more on this topic, head on over to How to Choose Healthy Fats to Regulate Inflammation, written by Dr. Starr Ramson.

cut. it. out.

Excuse me as I say this, but, cut out what makes you feel like shit! As simple as that.

ALCOHOL. I cut it cold turkey. This seems like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many people with GI health conditions and chronic illness, continuously consume alcohol on a regular basis. Not only is alcohol technically a poison to the body (please don’t kill me for saying that,) it converts into sugar, which then feeds bacterial and fungal growth.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good glass of chilled white wine after a long day, or a gin and tonic when I’m out with Josh…LOVE…but with a fragile gut like mine, the alcohol had to go.

Next, I cut out what I was allergic to! This seems like another obvious one right? But, doctors don’t often offer comprehensive food allergy panels. Through my naturopath, we ordered a complex food allergy panel, and I discovered I was allergic to much more than I thought. Wheat, of course, eggs, and amaranth. This piece of information drove me nuts, because eggs were a major staple in my diet, and I had no idea they were making me sick! Not to mention, amaranth flour is in almost every gluten free product; pastas, breads, brownie mixes, sometimes even granola. These are just examples, but honestly, something as simple as cutting out an allergy, ended up making a world of a difference for me. Which probably sounds like a “duh, Alandra” moment.

Alongside the food allergy panel, I took a comprehensive food sensitivity panel. This simply means that I learned which items I wasn’t necessarily absolutely allergic to, but what I had an intolerance towards. Intolerances are important to uncover, as they have the potential to develop into allergies over time, and affect the chronic health of our bodies. So, in this case, I cut out shellfish, mushrooms, yeast, sugar cane, and lettuce, which were all a little higher up on the intolerance scale.

If you’ve never had a comprehensive allergy test (no, I don’t mean the kind where they prick your skin and you itch for a few minutes, I’m talking about the kind where you have to have your blood drawn or poop into a container) or a food sensitivity panel, bring this up to your GI or naturopath!

Now that you have an idea of what a lifestyle change could look like, it’s time to collect and reflect! I encourage you to evaluate your lifestyle, and determine where you could use a little extra love, time, and attention. The healing process is long and grueling, and lifestyle changes are no small feat, but taking it day by day, at your own pace, in a way that works best for you, is all you can do.

What does a lifestyle of healing and wellness look like, to you? Leave a comment below, and share yours with the #ABitofThyme community!

health and wellnessAlandra ChavarriaApril 24, 2019healthy lifestyle, healing, healing sibo, healing lifestyle, gut healing, lifestyle approach, wellness, health and wellnessComment