How I got Here; Part One

It was Friedrick Nietsche who coined the phrase, " Better living through chemicals". His philosophy is definitely not one that I admire.
Growing up, I observed the health problems of my family of origin: Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, mental illness, cancer, etcetera. I spent some time in a hospital from a serious accident as an impressionable teenager. I soon figured out that I was not going to get healthier eating the sub-standard processed foods provided there! Being constipated at 13, with no ability to ambulate was sheer agony! I had lots of time to think lying there. A candy-striper (volunteer) came around with a library cart, full of all kinds of great books. While the other kids in pediatrics chose adventure stories of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, I wanted to read about physiology and health. One glorious day, I found Jethro Kloss' book, "Back to Eden". I read it cover to cover, over and over. That book was only the beginning. Determination rose up in me, and I demanded fresh fruits and vegetables from the kitchen, and I got them. While the doctors were telling me I would never have children, I was determined to be a mom someday. I was in constant pain, but I begged my doctors to take me off of the morphine and other painkillers. I was already finding out that the river of anti-biotics coursing through me would cause my intestinal flora to be compromised. I learned that when the digestion process becomes unbalanced, the entire system is thrown off. More on that later.

I have learned since then, that great health is not just a gift of God, but that He entrusts us with a great responsibility, a stewardship. In the Old Testament, there was great care taken concerning the Temple, and even more so, the Tabernacle. Believers in Jesus as The Messiah are now the Temple where He chooses to dwell. Should we not give honor to the only vehicle we get here on earth to display His Glory? How can I serve others if I am all bound up in how bad I am feeling? I know that God uses folks when they are sick, He sure used it in my life, but I cannot help but think that health is His desire for us.

My "take-aways" from those hospital days  ;
1) I was full up with television for the rest of my life!
2) I wanted to live free of chemicals all my life!
3) I wanted to be active and pain free all of my days.

It was a long road to recovery, and I lived with pain for years and years. Even now, if I gain weight, the pain returns. Along the way, I discovered the power of live, whole foods, regular exercise, proper sleep hygiene, the power of hydration, the strength of herbs, the value of chiropractic, massage, sauna, homeopathic and other health-building modalities and most importantly, the care and feeding of the human spirit. I have studied and researched all these years... and have found that, like gravity, their are certain laws that our bodies are governed by, and when I veer off path, my weaknesses arise, and I am humbled by the great Designer and His plan for functioning optimally on our Pilgrim journey, brief as it is on this planet.