The stronger your focus on improving your overall health, the faster you will return to health. When people have complex problems that involve multiple parts of their bodies, a single intervention rarely fixes everything. Most people know this before they get to my office.

Your body will need help on all fronts to recover. Most health issues come from a combination of things accumulating over time. A tick bite, mold exposure, viral infection or food indiscretion can become the straw that breaks the camel’s back leading to ongoing symptoms. We can do tests to see what we can learn about what is happening in your body. But it is not likely that there is a simple fix that will magically carry you back to the time before you had symptoms. It will take some work. Here’s your work:  

Focus on the reasons that you want to improve your health. What do you want your health for and what will you do once you have your health? Imagine yourself already well and enjoying these things. 

Feed your body only things that will nourish and repair. A healthy diet consists of lots of colorful vegetables. This should be the largest portion of your plate. Avoid simple carbs because fast-burn carbohydrates will not provide much nourishment but they will cause damage to your system.

Move toward minimizing medications. You cannot come off of meds on your own or rapidly, but by moving and eating healthfully you can move toward needing fewer and fewer meds. Any medication you take causes your liver to work, using up vital nutrients that could otherwise help you heal. If you need medications to control blood pressure, mood, blood sugar or cholesterol it is a sign that your body is not getting what it needs for a natural balance. Often when people have those conditions, other are out of balance besides the pressure and sugar levels that we can easily measure. Eating colorful vegetables healthy fats, nuts, beans, eggs and lean meats is a huge step toward getting you healthier, which is the first step toward getting you to stop needing “maintenance” meds.

Drink plenty of clean water.  

Go outside and breathe some clean fresh air every day. Walk around. Look at the natural world and enjoy the awe you feel.  

Move, stretch, move some more. Using your body is a key to feeling good. Gentle exercise, preferably several times per day, will help you tremendously. Keep hope that you will get better.  Keep believing it is worth making changes to get better.

Find ways to feel calm and centered. The molecules your immune system uses for inflammation and the molecules of stress and sadness are the same. While I do not believe that your problem is in your imagination, I do believe that your imagination can be a tremendous help to you. Imagine yourself feeling great, laughing, moving, eating healthy food. Any time you laugh or speak kindly to yourself or feel hopeful you are generating molecules that help your brain and your body heal.