Do you ever ask yourself why something is the way it is? I used to do this all the time and then somewhere along the way I realized the why is the story you are going to share once you get through it and even while it's happening.
A few months ago I had my first autoimmune flare up after 5 years of keeping it at bay. In the meantime my sister found out she had breast cancer. Definitely not the circumstances either of us wanted to be in or even really expected.
Here's the thing both of us had been working on our health in the last 5 years more than we ever had in our lives. We took steps to eat healthier, reduce the toxic load in our homes, increase our vitamins and minerals, get some exercise and reduce stress. So it wasn't supposed to be this way, right?
Wrong! We found out my sister's cancer was genetic through testing and as for myself; the stress of multiple situations in our lives had brought my autoimmune back out. The crazy thing about your body is that is doesn't recognize stress as good or bad. It just recognizes it and reacts. So while I had been able to start some habits that were reducing my stress; my body had already reacted to the stress it had been under with 2 moves, a pandemic and a few other circumstances that were unavoidable. I actually had no idea the impact until my psoriasis showed back up.
You may think that we would just throw in the towel with these changes that we had made because, "they weren't really doing anything anyway", as some would say. I have also heard some people say it doesn't really make a difference because look where you are at now with your health. It was actually these 2 health issues that really made me realize that what we had been doing for the last 5 years was all worth it plus some.
Let me tell you why. Both my sister and I had bodies that were ready to fight. I have watched my sister go into treatments and surgeries that should be knocking her out and while it definitely hasn't been easy; she has soldiered through it. Her body has fought back with a vengeance. When I write about our complete recovery; I'm going to be telling her redemption story.
When I decided to go head on to fight my autoimmune with Whole 30, supplements, gentle exercise and care under a functional medicine doctor; I watched my body begin to heal quicker than I ever have before. Not only that, I have never felt this good in my life that I can remember. Then after my doctor looked at my blood work, she said, "I have never seen someone with autoimmune and psoriasis with an immune system this strong and a liver functioning this well." Not a coincidence at all with the way I eat, the reduction of toxic ingredients in our home and the natural tools I use to support my body. I'm so thankful!
So what I am saying is taking care of your health is always worth it. It matters what you put in and on your body. It matters that you get movement and exercise. It matters that you reduce your stress. There is no reason to throw in the towel on this when you experience something with your body that you didn't think would happen while you were on a wellness journey. I'm especially learning this as I get older and noticing that my body doesn't really give me a choice. It wants me to focus on my health. I'm not immune to anything. It just matters what I do while I get to take care of myself.
So you can say it wasn't supposed to be this way because you were both working on your health. I would tell you; it is this way and we are stronger for it because of what we have already done to set up our bodies for success in healing. I would also tell you I would hate to see what we would be going through if we hadn't!
So if you have been asking yourself if it's worth it to look at what you are eating, check ingredients in your personal care and household products, take high quality supplements, get exercise and work on reducing stress; from our experience it's not even a question anymore. It's a yes!
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