Your Disease Doesn’t Define You

Shortly after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (probable MS) that had largely disabled me, I was fortunate to be referred to a medical doctor who practiced integrative medicine, which means she combined traditional and complementary medicine. She viewed her patients holistically, looking at the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of their illness as well as the physical symptoms.

She prescribed several homeopathic remedies to assist my healing. These remedies worked wonders to reduce my symptoms, such as muscle weakness, fatigue and cramping. However, the most important thing this holistic doctor gave me was the recommendation to avoid identifying with the MS.  She told me, “don’t put yourself in that box – disease is a sign that the body-mind-spirit is out of balance (not at ease). Just focus on getting more balance and harmony in your body and healing will begin”.

Those words of wisdom changed the course of my illness and my life. While I believe that the dietary changes I made accounted for at least 70% of my healing, I also believe that my mindset shift to not identify with my illness is what truly allowed me to heal in a way that also brought me peace and joy; and allowed my body to return to a state of balance and harmony.

 

Own Your Body and Your Health

So, how does one make sure that their illness neither defines nor owns them?  My answer is short – get to know your body; listen to it and give it what it needs. To be more specific, become your own health and well-being expert.  Most people take better care of their cars than their bodies. They don’t even question the need to study the manuals that come with their computers and smart phones, yet never crack open a book on health.  They leave that to their doctors (with whom they spend an average of about 2-3 hours a year).

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to health and well-being.  Educate yourself.  Be curious about how your body, mind and spirit work and what supports them to be healthy and happy.

In the U.S., we have been trained to look at illness as something outside ourselves, something we inherit, or something that befalls or attacks us. Not until the last decade or two have we even begun to understand that our lifestyle choices and behaviors have a huge influence on our health.

The science of epigenetics is finding more and more evidence that lifestyle choices (healthy habits) trump genes in influencing the development of disease. Some doctors are beginning to understand this as well. Cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones says, “some genes lead to disease. But for most people, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk”.

To avoid being defined by your disease, it is crucial to take a good, hard look at your lifestyle habits, including diet, exercise, stress management, sleep, smoking and drinking. An equally important step is to look at your thoughts and assess if they are mostly positive or mostly negative. Negative thoughts contribute to disease. So do negative emotions. The powerful influence of thoughts and emotions have not been widely recognized and are only now beginning to get the attention of medical professionals and researchers.

 

The Good News

People have the power to influence their pain and suffering, and to create a state of well-being in their bodies and lives.

What is exciting is that everyone has so much control over disease. Genes can literally be turned off or on by your lifestyle habits. That’s powerful. It’s called gene expression.

The next time you are feeling defined by your disease, remember that you have immense influence over your symptoms and can reverse, and oftentimes, eliminate them with lifestyle shifts. Start small. One step at a time. Find a place you can start, and make a difference in your life and in the lives of those close to you.