Well it is now the first day of 2013 and once again, I find myself reflecting on the events of 2012. I'm completely blown away by all that came to pass over the last year. By far the two most momentous events were my graduation from Vanderbilt and my wedding day. Though I am overjoyed to be a new wife, I find myself somewhat uneasy about my professional future. You see, not only did I choose to specialize in women's health but I am also a proponent of integrative, holistic, functional, and yes alternative medicine. I believe that the mind-body connection is central to health and that what we put in our bodies is more influential than our genetic predispositions. I am not a provider who chooses to throw an antibiotic at every sniffle, nor do I believe that a prescription is always the answer. Unfortunately, in our overmedicated, undernourished, plugged-in, disconnected society, this way of thinking is not widely embraced.
My passion for a holistic approach stems from my own pursuit of optimal living and I can attest to trying out just about any treatment modality I would recommend to client. I grew up overweight and in a perpetual state of stress. Everything finally came to head my senior year of college when I diagnosed myself with bulimia. I'll never forget breaking down in tears in my doctors office. She looked absolutely terrified, and though she listened, her first inclination was to hand me a scip for Prozac and send me on my way. I was beyond shocked. This was her answer? I carry that experience with me always, and it influences the way I treat patients.
It takes work to live well, but what choice do we have? I've found that the key is to listen to your body and this can only be done by cultivating mindful awareness. A health care provider can never know you the way you can know yourself. The key is learning to listen. Providers can be a resource and a partner in your pursuit of health, but YOU must take control.
My pursuit of wellness is dynamic and I am constantly tweaking my diet, trying new exercise regimes, and learning as much as I can from sources I trust. Over the last 3 years I've been working on just getting back to the basics: eating whole, unprocessed foods; eliminating common household chemicals, using herbs rather than synthetic medications. It seems the more I research, the more compelled I am to continue to make these changes and more. My latest venture is the Paleo diet. I've decided to embrace this way of eating for the 30 days beginning Wednesday January 9th. I enjoy experimenting and I want to have this experience so that I may share it with others. Though I believe it is essential to individualize ones diet based on what makes one feel best, eating natural, grass-fed, clean food is something everyone should embrace. More to come soon :)
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