Health- The Journey Part 1

I would like to start off by talking about my thoughts about health and food. First a disclaimer: I am not a health professional and although most of the ideas I will express here have come from extensive research and credible resources, much of it is based on my own knowledge and experience. Therefore, please consult your appropriate health care professional before making changes to your health care regime. I am here to share what I have learned in my quest towards health.

Along with my mom, from the age of 12, I have been experimenting with my diet. My mom had been into health ever since she was 18 and I had grown up with organic food and few processed foods. What really fuelled my passion for food and diet was my desire to loose weight. I also suffered from constipation and gas (lovely I know)! Ultimately, both my mom and I were looking for a diet that would allow us to balance our weight and leave us feeling energized.

With each new diet, cleanse, flush, tonic, herbal pill and “miracle powder” was the belief that it would somehow bestow “health” upon us. Instead, it only left us feeling more tired and confused. Here are a few of the diets we tried:

Fat Flush diet (low carb, meat based)

Vegetarian whole foods

Macrobiotic diet

Vegan diet

Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type

Gourmet Raw Food (low fruit)

Wheat free/dairy free

Some of the “cleanses” and “treatments” we tried:

Lemonade Cleanse

Liver Cleanse

Colonics

Chinese remedies

Ayurvedic pills

Bach Flower remedies

Homeopathic remedies

I think I will stop …  we tried just about anything and everything!

Finally we came across Natural Hygiene a philosophy founded by Dr Herbert Shelton. Not a diet, cleanse, powder or potion, but a lifestyle and way of life. The core philosophy of Natural Hygiene is the belief that the body is the ultimate “doctor,” we can not physically heal ourselves, it is only the body that can and does do that. We can only remove the substances causing the symptom and the body will do the rest!

The body is as close to perfect as you can get, it was not designed with fault. It works remarkably well, granted if it is given the correct substances and conditions. But what is “correct?” By “correct,” I am simply referring to the kinds of substances we would be subjected to in our natural environment. Often times, we simply need to step back and rest, letting out body rejuvenate. When I first heard this philosophy I changed my lifestyle that day and never looked back. It was so simple and made so much sense. The information I have learned through studying this philosophy has changed my life in so many ways and left me with a peace of mind, spirit and body that I long to share with those that are interested.

Health is the most desirable possession of mankind. It is the most precious, yet, to some, the most elusive of all possessions. Without its presence all other gifts are but as the feeble flickering of tapers compared with the power and glory of the midday sun, which it represents. The possession of health makes life a perpetual joy. Nothing daunts the man and woman possessed of health —nothing overawes, nothing discourages, nothing overpowers.

— Bernarr MacFadden

Stay tuned for Part 2!