Lately my health has been extremely challenging. The ups and downs of this chronic illness roller coaster are hard. The ups aren't really all that high but any day of feeling even halfway decent is a huge contrast to what I normally feel like these days!

I have been deeply studying the book "Mind Over Medicine" and the docuseries "Rewired" which are both about using the power of the mind to heal the body. If you have ever studied the placebo effect, it is very clear that our mind plays a very powerful role in healing our body. We don't need to take a fake medicine or have a fake surgery in order to tap into the power of the mind to heal.

I have changed my thinking quite a bit trying to use these resources as a guide. Last month for the first time I truly believed with all my heart and not a single seed of doubt that I can beat these illnesses. Until this point there has always been a seed of doubt and a questioning of if this was something I would be dealing with for...

Part Two of what not to say to people with chronic health problems!

I asked one of my clients with multiple health issues if she had anything contribute on this topic and she instantly responded: "Suck it up."

I am grateful I haven't heard this one myself! This one is pretty rude and inconsiderate. I mean our only option while in a health crisis is to suck it up so do we really need to hear it from others? I clearly remember one day last month I was in so much pain and had such a terrible week that I was begging my doctor to put me in a coma and just wake me up when I was better. The last thing I would have wanted my doctor to say is "suck it up" and I definitely wouldn't want to hear it from loved ones either. 

Let's see, what would be a better choice of three words. I would go with "I love you" or if that is too strong, "I care about you." Have some compassion. Speak from your heart. Listen with the intention of understanding not responding. Communicate your concerns or...

 Part One of Four

I know the world can feel hard to navigate these days without offending one person or another so I don't want to add to the list of people you need to take into consideration BUT I think when you love and care for someone going through a health crisis, you want to be there for them in the best way possible.

Not everyone knows what to say or do in these situations so I thought I would share what I have experienced on the receiving end and you can at least see the inner workings of my mind. I think there are already quite a few lists out there on the topic but I am going to do this one slightly different. This will be a weekly series of two things not to say and what you could say instead because I know people want to be supportive and once I tell you all the things you probably shouldn't say, you are going to wonder what the heck you CAN say!

"Well, you look great!" I hear this all the time and I do honestly try to take it as a compliment so it doesn't...

This is my least favorite part about being sick. People that have never experienced fatigue can't even comprehend what it feels like. Most healthy people confuse fatigue with being tired. Let me tell you, I am not tired. Tired to me means sleepy like I want to go to bed. Fatigue means every cell in my body is traveling in slow motion at a rate that feels painful, moving my body feels like air has turned to peanut butter hence every step I take feels like a huge effort, and I am not sleepy - my brain is going to be wide awake as I lay in bed suffering and uncomfortable. Some days I feel like a prisoner trapped inside my pain/fatigue body.

 

 

I have no solution for fatigue. I can drink a quadruple shot of espresso with absolute zero change so caffeine is useless. I haven't found a food, a supplement, a routine, or any natural remedy that helps with it but I have found three things I take comfort in on my fatigue days.

One: Resting in bed with some upbeat...