My Eyes Were Opened In 2005

 I was dealt a pretty serious dis-ease of my own in 2005.  Up until this point, I'd never thought much about what it meant to be healthy.  I was brought up on the typical American diet, which consisted of mostly processed foods, lots of soda and some home cooked meals that revolved around meat every Sunday.  My mother and I had  randomly decided to experiment with vegetarianism when I was 15.  I'd done a research paper on it and it seemed as though there were lots of benefits.  So we both gave it a whirl and it stuck.  Don't get me wrong- it took us awhile to learn how to be "healthy" vegetarians. For the first several years we relied on everything soy and processed fake meats. But we felt healthier and didn't miss regular meat at all.
That's where the "health experiment" ended for me.  I still loved junk food and ate plenty of it (I still struggle with my love for it!) and I was probably the worst kind of vegetarian possible all through college.

I ended up studying abroad in India in 2001 for 3 1/2 months with a group of other students, who many of which were hardcore vegan, Earth worshiping, community loving hippies.  Being around these people for over 3 months straight and learning from them was a huge turning point in my life.  Although I found most of them quite challenging and I certainly wouldn't have sought them out as friends in another arena, they truly played an enormous part of showing me my path.

In 2005 I was diagnosed with my first (what doctor's called) serious health imbalance.  Because I was introduced to Ayruveda in India, aromatherapy, herbs, vitamins & health food by my fellow students on the trip back in 2001- I decided that I would take that leap of faith and try the world of integrative medicine.
 Long story short- I healed myself and I realized what a teacher dis-ease was.  Without having gotten sick, done the work, used the tools- I never would have experienced the power and importance of all the things that are involved with self care, self love, and integrative medicine.  I may have continued into herbalism without having dealt with a disease on my own, but I don't think that the passion I have now for my work would have been quite as strong.

I've been studying herbs, Reiki & integrative medicine going on 10 years now, and I can say with certainty  that almost every little ache and pain, every cough or sneeze, every skin blemish, burp or fart and almost every life threatening or serious illness, is our bodies way of communicating with us.  It's our bodies waving the bright red caution flag, calling out "Hey! I need some help over here!"  The voices may start out small and quiet, usually so much so, that we can live with the discomfort of the symptoms and maybe even accept them as signs of aging. Then our body's signals get louder and louder until sometimes it may reach a point where you can no longer ignore the signs anymore, and you've got a  full blown "situation" to deal with.  Our bodies, do their very best to keep us healthy and strong- but they can't do it alone! Our bodies need our full undivided attention & help!

What a lesson & blessing it can be if you allow dis-ease to teach you  and learn what you can do for yourself to heal.
I'm not just talking about what the wonders of modern medicine can offer us ( which absolutely has it's place and thank goodness we have it...) I'm talking about the healing that comes from whole hearted self care.  Food, water, movement, spiritual/religious practice, playing, whole food vitamins, herbs, essences, aromatherapy, energy work, massage....
When our eyes are opened to see how each of us is so unique & have different needs and that quick fixes and magic bullets are not the long term answer for health & happiness, then we truly become our own best healers.
Taking care of ourselves is a job no doctor, no herbalist, no naturopath or chiropractor can do for us.  Healing & staying healthy and strong is a lifelong path and process you must choose to prioritize for yourself- but if there is a cause that's more worthwhile, I'd like to know what it is.  YOU are your own best healer. xo Amanda



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