What Health and Disease Have in Common
We think of chronic disease and vitality as opposites but they have something important in common: they both take time.
You didn’t get sick overnight, and you’re not going to get well overnight.
I’m compelled to remind you of this because it’s the New Year and empty promises of weight loss, detoxification and cure-alls abound. We live in a world of quick fixes because that’s what sells. Magic bullets are a result of savvy marketing that don't exist in reality. After all, money makes the world go round, and the wellness craze is not immune to this. The latest and greatest technologies and supplements promise us profound insights into what’s “wrong” with our bodies and offer us speedy solutions. But I’m here today to call bullshit.
You don’t wake up one morning with a chronic disease, and you don’t wake up one morning free of it.
It took 26 years for my detoxification pathways and immune system to breakdown and for me to end up in the hospital. That’s amazing in and of itself, right? 26 years of abuse and my body kept going.
Now, you may be thinking, “Charlotte, you’re exaggerating. You started out just a baby!” Yes, I did. I was just a baby. However, my dad happened to be Vice President of Imperial Sugar AND my parents were solely reliant upon the medical system which means that my food was poisoned and so was my medicine.
And guess what? 17 years later after I hit rock bottom, I’m still healing. In case you didn’t hear me the first time, I’m still healing. It never fucking stops, people. Never.
Thing is, it’s boring and requires an insane amount of discipline and awareness. Intentionally or not, we have created a world that makes us sick – the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, genetically modified foods, our ignorance of electromagnetic fields, vaccines, refined carbohydrates, 80-hour work weeks, our collective fear of herbs, too little sleep, too little exercise (or too much exercise), too much alcohol and caffeine. Are you feeling me? The list could go on and on and on, and the healing process requires that every single minute of every single day we resist these things, just as your disease process most likely required your participation in the things that make us sick.
Look, your vitality isn’t reliant upon some heroic herb, nutrient, probiotic, obscure food from the Amazon jungle, or self-care practice. It’s reliant upon the hundreds of decisions you make each day.
Do you know how it feels to go to bed at 9PM every night for one week? Make 2020 the year you find out.
Do you know how it feels to eat 35 grams of protein in the morning with a liberal amount of fat and no carbohydrates for one week? Make 2020 the year you find out.
Do you know how it feels to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day for a week? Make 2020 the year you find out.
Do you know how it feels to have no caffeine or alcohol for one month? Make 2020 the year you find out.
Do you know how it feels to walk 30-minutes every day for a week? Make 2020 the year you find out.
Do you know how it feels to remove wheat, dairy, corn and soy from your diet for 6-weeks? Make 2020 the year you find out.
I think you get my drift. None of this is exciting. None of these suggestions are sexy or new, but they honor the natural laws of what it means to be healthy and vital and they aren’t found in bottles or even in a healer or doctor.
They are found inside you.
So what you do say we make 2020 the year of gentle medicine? The year of cultivating discipline. The year of nudging the body back into balance and healthy function. Cuz let’s face it, ya’ll…the sledge hammer and wishful thinking ain't working.
I’m not saying that good quality, targeted nutritional or herbal supplements and appropriate testing can’t be useful in your healing process, but stop looking for the ONE thing and stop expecting change overnight and start expecting more from yourself. A tincture of time and daily, sustained effort will serve you well.
Heal in peace, my friends!
Love,
Charlotte
PS - If you like this and want more, please check out my book Eat in Peace to Live in Peace: Your Handbook for Vitality. I am also available for one-on-one consultations. You can make an appointment here. Thanks for reading!