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NOURISH - HEAL - SUSTAINABLE LIVING 

Reflections of 2014

12/19/2014

 
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Digital Photo: @JClairePhoto


As we all move into 2014, I want to wish all of you the Merriest of Holidays ahead as well as a dazzling start to 2015. Take a moment in the midst of the holiday festivities to reflect on what the Lord has taught you this year & how He has stretched you in ways that reflect His character.  And embrace the change. My request to all of you is for each of you to join me in practicing immense gratitude for the oceans of love that both surrounds & is within all of our hearts. Share that love!

Through all of the highs & lows that I have journeyed through this year, I have learned lessons that will take my life further into His love & grace. I have learned what 'grace through suffering' actually means.  I have learned His goodness through the darkest of hours.  And ultimately I have learned - looking back - that there was never a dark hour and only His light blinding all of us.

Pour into one another and share that precious love with those in your life. Surprise one another - do that one 'thing' that you are so afraid to do - dance it out - give without expectation - notice the beauty in the mundane - and love without abandon. And if you are holding onto any ounce of fear in your life, leave it behind you because fear does not come from the Lord.  And frankly, fear is a such waste of your precious time.  Leap - run - race - let go - just do it - jump into His vision.  Why not jump first? He is going to catch you if you fall and direct you if you fly. A life committed to the Lord is dreamy, real, exciting, adoring and so incredibly purposeful.

I leave all of you with one of my favorite quotes which translates into all I really want this Christmas and every single day I take a breath!

All my love.

Kelly Lynn

“God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows”
― Timothy Keller

stocking stuffer...healthy organic vegan on a budget by Whitney lauritsen

12/11/2014

 
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I am incredibly proud & thrilled to share with the Snapshots of Wellness community, Healthy Organic Vegan on a Budget written by the wildly successful (and well known across the globe) entrepreneur, Whitney Lauritsen. I was privileged to be on the Editorial Team for this book & thus, it's been an absolute passion project for all involved.

Healthy Organic Vegan on a Budget
is honestly the most comprehensive guide to eating the absolute best organic foods on the market.....on any budget at all....all of the time (YES IT'S POSSIBLE)!!!!!

There is a vast misconception that eating 'organic' - 'healthy' - 'vegan' must be expensive.  I cannot tell you the countless number of people who have said to me 'I would love to eat all organic but it's wayyyy too expensive'.  This book is for all of YOU & truly anyone who wants to eat a healthy & energizing plant based diet yet doesn't even know where to begin with the 'how, what, where, why'.

Given that my career is in wellness, I have read numerous books on eating plant based and everything in between. There are only one small handful of these books that I believe can be used regularly in your wellness arsenal as 'weekly guides' - aka: A book that you repeatedly refer to for a variety of questions via your health.  *Healthy Organic Vegan on a Budget is one of these 'guides' that is so well worth your budget & 'health' to purchase. I compare this book to Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr & The Kind Life by Alicia Silverstone.  Whitney's book is a without a doubt a game changer for how you will approach grocery shopping, the foods you will shop for & how you will budget to afford the most delicious & nourishing plant based foods on the market. And there is just a chalk full of information about buying smart, kitchen cooking tips, 'what' to buy & more. The entire landscape of how & what you will eat has potential to change for the better having you glowing from the inside out, after you read this book. It's also quite empowering to realize that on any budget at all, you can eat nourishing healthy foods.

Read here some of the details this book will offer you!  And if you want to explore the book more before you purchase, check out some of the Chapter Overviews here.

I think Healthy Organic Vegan on a Budget is a seriously fab stocking stuffer for everyone in the family! There isn't one person on your shopping list who wouldn't benefit from this book (even the kiddos)!





why eating meat is so much more then an animal rights issue.....

12/10/2014

 
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Article written by Kate Good, One Green Plant

The debate over whether humans should eat meat is nothing new. While there are people on either side of the issue that provide their personal rationale and beliefs pertaining to whether eating meat is healthy, normal or natural, there are also those who manage to lead happy, normal, healthy lives while abstaining from not only eating meat, but all animal products.

At the crux of the debate is always the question of the ethics involved with killing animals for consumption. In our modern society, eating animals has evolved far beyond the “hunter-gather” method of killing wild animals for survival. It has become a systematic, industrialized process that has very little to do with survival and everything to do with profit. Most people who do eat meat either do not know the reality of what life is like for factory farmed animals, or they prefer to “just not think about it.” Undoubtedly, killing an animal for our consumption isn’t exactly humane, but the manner in which animals are raised and slaughtered in factory farms is enough to turn away even the most avid meat-lover.

In fact, many people who do eat meat dismiss the arguments of animal rights activists who assert animals deserve rights and fair treatment, because they have dissociated the animal from the food item. After all, how many of us know people who love cows and sheep, but still eat meat?

While as animal lovers, we believe that every living being should be given the respect and freedom they deserve, not everyone is willing to make the connection between the animals they love and the food they eat. Or rather, they just haven’t made the connection yet. However, there are many more reasons why our choice to consume meat needs to be reevaluated, as a society, that extend far beyond the singular issue of animal rights.

1. Public Health  Animals kept in factory farms are subjected to a life in an extremely confined space where they are constantly surrounded by their own waste. This life is incredibly stressful for an animal, which can take a toll on their immune system. It is estimated that 80 percent of pigs have pneumonia when they go to slaughter. In an attempt to combat illness, antibiotics are mass-administered to animals in their feed. Animals in factory farms are rarely given veterinary care, so these antibiotics are basically the only medical treatment they will receive in their lives.

However, this overuse of antibiotics has lead to a very serious form of public health concern: superbugs. Superbugs, or antibiotic resistant bacteria, are responsible for the death of over 25,000 people a year. Salmonella, E. Coli and MRSA are the most common strains we have seen and are transmissible through infected meat (cooking does not always kill the bacteria), or through crops that have been fertilized with animal waste. Factory farms also store animal waste in giant lagoons that often leak, transmitting waste into local waterways. Not to mention, Avian Flu and Swine Flu are both airborne diseases that can be transmitted from farm animals to humans.

2. World Hunger Our current food system, which is primarily driven by meat and dairy production, is incredibly inefficient. There are around 850 million people across the world who do not get enough calories every day. Considering the fact that the world produces enough calories to feed 10-11 billion people, these numbers don’t seem to add up.

The reality is, the majority of crops grown worldwide do not go towards feeding people, they become feed for livestock. And this is way more than throwing livestock our leftover scraps. Around 85 percent of soy grown globally is ground into soy meal that becomes livestock feed. Additionally, for every 100 calories of grain fed to livestock, we only get three calories of beef in return. If one person were to skip eating meat for one day and eat only plant-based instead, they could save enough grain to feed 40 people. By diverting the grain we feed to animals to people, on whole we could feed 1.4 billion hungry people.

3. Water Pollution Globally, animal agriculture uses around 70 percent of all fresh water. One-third of that water is used to water crops that eventually feed livestock, but the majority is used in the daily operation of factory farms. In the U.S. alone, the EPA estimates that 75 percent of all water-quality problems can be linked back to agricultural run off.

Waste lagoons can also break and leak into local water ways where the nutrients can cause toxic algae blooms that kill marine life. To give you an idea of the potential impact: in 2011 an Illinois hog farm leaked 200,000 gallons of manure into a local creak and over 110,000 fish were killed.

4. Air Pollution You might not think that a farm would be a driving source of air pollution, but factory farms are veritable pollution spewing machines. On a global scale, livestock production is responsible for a staggering 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. While these emissions come from a mixture of animals, factory farms themselves and through emissions associated with deforestation – animal agriculture is still the leading cause of climate change.

Around 37 percent of human-driven methane emissions come from the livestock industry. On top of that, around 90 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into atmosphere yearly due to the fossil fuel use for fertilizers, transportation and the operation of factory farms. According to the EPA, animal agriculture accounts for 50-85 percent of all man-made ammonia violations in the U.S.

5. Deforestation Agriculture is responsible for around 80 percent of deforestation worldwide. The majority of this deforestation comes from clear-cutting forests to grow corn and soy, the bulk of which goes to feed livestock. In fact, around 33 percent of the world’s land is allotted to growing livestock feed. As the demand for meat grows, so does the demand for feed, which means that more land needs to be cleared to grow additional crops for livestock. What this usually means is that remote areas of the rainforest are destroyed in the process.

Animal agriculture also contributes to deforestation in the form of cattle grazing. In a similar vein, around 26 percent of land worldwide is used to graze cattle. In the Amazon, nearly 80 percent of deforestation has been caused by grazing livestock. What this means is that precious ecosystems are being destroyed to feed our appetite for meat. The Jaguar, American Wild Horse and Grey Wolf are three species that have become critically endangered due to the encroachment of animal agriculture, but there are countless others who are losing their homes to make way for livestock.

A Global Issue Eating meat is a choice that we make, but most people do not realize that in making this choice, they are contributing to these five other major issues. Raising our awareness of the actual damage that meat production causes is the first step towards altering our perception of this industry and making a change for the better. On a positive note, you can help stop these five horrible things by choosing not to consume animal products, whenever possible. You get three opportunities to help save the world a day … why not take them!


rising up from grief

12/8/2014

 
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Happy Monday! I have about 20 minutes to write a piece for you all before I get back to writing deadlines.  This will be a personal blog & only written due to the overwhelming requests to share.

In July of this year, I received a call from my best male friend of 25+ years that he had cancer which was shocking to him, his family & all of us, his friends. What was more shocking then the diagnosis itself was that the cancer was Stage Four and the outlook was ultimately terminal. We began the process of supporting him and showing up at his bedside weekly without fail. This continued through the summer, fall & winter until his last breath was taken on November 30th, 2014. While this was happening, I was also sitting at Northwestern Hospital with my dad who was very ill most of this year and loving him through extreme sickness. My dad passed away this August. And here I sit to deal with the aftermath of the two most important men ever in my life.....and it's called 'grief'.

I have a lot of thoughts about the grieving process and ultimately, that is what this blog is going to be about. My prayer is that this article makes you stop and 'think'. If I challenge any of your mentality on grief, then it was my pleasure to go out on a limb and share my experience.

I have a serious problem with how our society approaches grief which is frankly,  'business as usual', directly after a death. I am shaking my head because we all really need to take a step back and examine why there is so much illness in the United States. We don't even have the time to examine that because we are so over-scheduled. Be confident of this.....a lot of autoimmune conditions and even cancers stem from chronic stress. There is no debating this fact as thousands of medical journals, clinical studies and all spectrum's of academia agree that stress can and will kill you.  And what I find utterly bewildering & maddening is that no one is connecting the dots between illness and lifestyle. So let me connect them for you.....

Here I am. It's Monday. Last weekend, I held my best friend's hand, kissed his head repeatedly, laid on his chest, exchanged repeated 'I love you's' and sat by his side for hours as he struggled to breath. Days later, I then stood in a church praising God along w/ everyone who loved him.  And then I stood at his grave and prayed with his family and friends the day after that. Today, I am supposed to be back to work and showing some semblance of normalcy - life goes on.

Let me reassure you, grief doesn't flow in the direction of 'business as usual' nor do our bodies or minds. It's not realistic nor does it even make any logical sense.

Everyone, we have absolutely got to slow down. We need a new approach to grief because let me assure you, people are flailing - drowning - and lost after tragedies such as what I have gone through. People are then not making healthy decisions and they are just reaching for anything to make the immediate pain go away.  And I am not going to allow that to happen to me nor am I going to allow that to happen to the people that I love. It just won't happen. It's a topic that I will be speaking out about in a capacity that I have yet to decide but it will happen. I will protect myself and those that I love from falling too far and ultimately, it's through my faith in the Lord. He will not allow that because I am going to be holding onto every instruction from Him.

Take in what I wrote above. People go right back to work and their emotions & physical bodies aren't even in a position to function properly. And what begins to happen is that because they do not feel 'well' in the weeks to follow, they eventually head to their doctors for relief and then come the medications, diagnosis(s), etc. It's alarming!!!  And it's so damn obvious what is happening in our country.  There HAS to be a shift.  We can't shift communities but we can shift within ourselves which is where we are to start.

What do I recommend? I am in the thick of grieving and recovering physically & emotionally. It's all very new. I am going to learn as I go here. First & foremost, it's clear we need to build in much needed rest. Yes, people need to return to their jobs but potentially talk to their employers to see if they can carve out a game plan to get their health back on track. Maybe an employer won't provide this but hey, maybe they will. You will never know until you ask. We need to bring back the 'it takes a village' approach to being of service to one another.  I have to say that most people aren't too interested in being inconvenienced these days and in my situation, we all have inconvenienced ourselves to help one another through this. Who wants to go sit with someone who is grieving when you can be having cocktails with your significant other? Me -  I do.  Why? Because God calls us to do this for one another and we-must-do-this. I am certainly blessed and so is my inner circle of loved ones because we are not going to sink.  It's not 'us' I am worried about, it's others who don't have the support that we all have. It's you I am worried about if you are home grieving a loss and don't know who to call. Call me. I mean it. I will listen to you - you have my email or you can contact me through my contact page via this site.

The only way through grief is 1). Faith in the Lord - without Him, you won't make it through healthy - I promise you. And why are so many people not believing Him? We have faith but don't live like we actually believe Him - that's another blog, another time 2). Accepting love - Do you know how to accept love? Accept every ounce of love being offered - all of it 4). Providing every inch of love you have to others & 5). Rest & Nutrition. And finally, the old adage, time (so I am told).

I believe one can rise up through grief even healthier & stronger then before but, it will take an enormous amount of love, courage & commitment to nurturing not only yourself but those that you love. You do this by practicing kindness, patience, non-judgement, adoration & love. It's so simple - just SIMPLE - to be kind. I talk about kindness all of the time with so many people. Pick up the phone, check in on someone who is hurting - say a prayer for them - send a card - hug them way too long - kiss their forehead - tell them that it WILL be OK b/c it actually will be - make them laugh - bring a meal over - do something!  Share love in a way that you are capable of but don't ever be 'too busy' to share your heart with someone's who might be in need of repair. I am in love with love because we are all filled with it.  What are you doing with all of that love? I think it's a great question.

Thank you all for the enormous amount of love that you have given me. I feel enveloped in the best hug I have ever received. I will be OK so, don't worry about me. It's going to take a couple of months of navigation but, I am confident that I will heal because of my faith.

Please just slow down and take care of yourselves. We are all moving at such lightening speed that it's so easy to not even really be in tune with ourselves or feel what we are feeling. And when the grief is uncomfortable, breathe - just breathe. And as my dad would say, just keep swimming. Think of how you can 'shift' in your own life and when you make that shift, you will eventually rise UP.  Promise.



Q&A for Snapshots of WEllness

12/7/2014

 
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I am so grateful for all of you that tune into the blog weekly.  I had not really intended for this site to grow to the level it has but, it's clear that wellness is important to thousands of you as it is me.  I love seeing the graphics as to the number of you reading each week & month as well as getting all of your feedback. So, the biggest of thank you's to YOU & YOU & YOU x thousands!

I have over one hundred questions in my inbox since July.  And as promised, I am going to answer them. I want you to know though that this will take time because there is quite a process with photography, editing & publishing the blog (I don't think people realize all that goes into what appears to be a photo & content).  And then there is the day job of writing & living my life (0: Below are EIGHT of your questions & my answers! Enjoy your Sunday!

1. Would you write more about foods to eat while healing from adrenal insufficiency? Kate, Evanston, IL.
Hi Kate from Evanston, IL. (I love Evanston by the way - super quaint)! Sure, absolutely.  I will do that for you sweet Kate. Let me also share though that adrenal insufficiency is nothing to be messed with on your own (aka googling solutions, trialing supplements, listening to a girl name Kelly on a blog). My recommendation is to see one of the following: Integrative Physician, Naturopath, Functional Medicine Physician. Kate, I have referrals in Chicago if you want to email me.


2. Why don't you ever write about POTS Syndrome? Brian, Scottsdale, AZ.
Hey Brian. I used to write a lot about my personal life on Girl Gone Veg (www.girlgoneveg.com) and I don't do that anymore. Because I live with this health condition, writing about health & wellness is much more appealing to me then reliving what I went through which was traumatic. If you have a specific question about POTS Syndrome, I would be glad to answer it. Also, there truly has to come a time in the healing process where you close certain chapters & look forward as the Lord instructs me to.

3. I love Lifestyle Blogs! I am curious why you don't write more about fashion or Eco-sustainable fashion? And what is your style? Lilly, Chicago, IL.
Lilly, I get asked this ALL of the time and the simple answer is, this is not a fashion blog. My absolute favorite fashion blog is www.thefoxandshe.com. If there is anyone with a fashion sense that I personally love, it's Blair Culwell. As for me & my blog, this is a wellness blog and while fashion can be considered wellness (ehhh stretching it), fashion is just not a priority to me.  You asked what my style is - I'd describe it as classic, simple with a bit of preppy infusion (aka my sweater above in the photo is paired with a grey skirt, black tights and there you have my winter wardrobe). I have a very minimal wardrobe - 4 skirts, 5 sweaters, 2 pairs of boots, workout shoes and flats. My friends joke that I wear a uniform in a sense b/c that's all that I own. I only wear skirts which people ask me about a lot and well, it's just because I like them! When your life shifts so dramatically, so does your entire perspective on well, every single thing and fashion dropped to the bottom of list. It doesn't mean that I don't read The Fox & She weekly though (0; And it certainly doesn't mean I don't love clothing because I do...I am a girl after all (wink).

4.
What do you think is the most important aspect of wellness to 'do first' when healing from MS? Lorrie, Orlando, FL.
Lorrie, sorry you are struggling w/ MS. Don't ever believe that you cannot heal entirely from it, I know so many people who have.  So, hang tough. Message me if you want me to put you in touch with those who are living MS free! In my opinion, diet is the most important 'first'.  I'd recommend the following sites for you to check out: Kris Carr, PCRM & The Wellness Achiever.

5.
How come you do not write more about your faith? I know you are a really strong Christian from when I met you at the sponsored TOMS event -Anne, Bucktown
Anne! Hi there! Loved meeting you - I know exactly who you are (had to think but I remember I really liked your plaid coat - haha). Great question. Ultimately, I'd rather live out my walk with the Lord then write about it. Although, if you scroll down, there is a post about the Lord included yesterday.

6. Are you a vegan or vegetarian? Paul, Lakeview

Hey Paul. I eat primarily plant based. I don't care to label myself anymore by what I eat. I will share that I am very much into animal welfare so, eating these sweet intelligent beings is as foreign to me as eating a dog. I splurge - I cheat - I eat grub too but what makes my energy soar is whole foods - organic - non GMO - unprocessed  - but am finding my way just like all of you!

7. As a content creator, do you think that Pinterest is a thing of the past or valuable in gaining an audience? Maria, Edgewater

Howdy Maria from Edgewater. Wow, great question- I have yet to be asked that before! You know, I have always used Pinterest for fun (my account is
http://www.pinterest.com/snapshotsofw/). And Maria, I am not a content creator.  As far as Snapshots of Wellness, I am just a blogger amongst a sea of bloggers (0: And in my professional life, I am a writer. *I am aware that there are content creators who use Pinterest as a viable resource via marketing their business though. Keep in mind, this is not my business so, I am approaching this from a drastically different angle. This blog was created as a hobby and I never intended for it to turn into what it has become. Grateful -yes -but certainly not planned. I think if you are interested in increasing your own audience, you should speak to a professional content specialist who can guide you - I highly recommend Erin Bassett. I have worked w/ Erin and she is phenomenal.

8. As a new vegan, what are some snacks that you recommend? I feel like what I can eat is so limited, David, Wicker Park
David.....you're a Wicker Park guy. It's one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city! I know EXACTLY where you are - I used to feel the exact same way! Looking back, I cannot believe I felt that way because there is way MORE to eat then when I was eating SAD (Standard American Diet). So, you are asking about snacks. Your options are pretty limitless but I will share five: Hummus & pita chips or veggies, any type of nuts (almonds are my favorite) - make a trail mix, fruit, almond butter & apples are a favorite of mine & just about any energy bar (my favorites are ThinkThin & Vega bars). You will also learn that you can make every single SAD dish and either veganize it or make it a tad bit healthier.

I hope you all get some relaxing into to your day (even if it is 10 minutes) and your week ahead is spectacular! I am happy to be back & thank you for the warm welcome!

Hope Movement....

12/6/2014

 
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d o n ‘ t . s e t t l e . i n t o . a . l i f e . o f . s e c o n d . b e s t s — j u s t . b e c a u s e . G o d s . b e s t . i s . t a k i n g . a . l i t t l e . l o n g e r . t h a n . y o u . e x p e c t e d . i t . t o

God doesn’t give second best, to His children — who He passionately pursues, and calls first. In order to be called first, He needs to see you step up to the plate, ready in your uniform; His Armour — prepared for any position He may choose you for. When He scans the field along the boundary line; He looks for you; and hopes to see you ready, waiting and willing to go.. and there you are, faithfully prepared.. and then, you watch as those around you are sent out to their positions, their bases, their ministries, their most gifted areas to play — and He sits you on the bench and tells you to ‘wait’.

You soon realize you have yet to play on the field you long to play on. but, this does not for one moment mean that God chooses you last. God doesn’t look past you and consider you unworthy — as His best for you, often lies in His preparation, and your willingness to wait. His best for you is found in seeing you turn up for practice, turn up for training, turn up in your uniform ready to play, and humbly taking the bench when He calls someone else equipped and gifted to the base you were sure you’d be given.

And herein lies your decision on whether you will push through to a life of second bests, or you will wait it out for that which He has promised. You can jump team, you can swap uniforms and you can dive head first into a new church, a new ministry or a new city — and serve there immediately or you can remain faithful, committed and humble in your waiting. You can choose patience and blessing, over self righteousness and self-assurance. His best is not always quick or easily attainable. His best is not always seemingly glamorous, or plotted out and written down as we may have imagined it. His best is not “fill this spot” or “warm this seat” but His best is “this spot was made perfectly for you.” His best is “I prepared this seat, for such a time as this for you!” He is personal and timely; so live for a seasonal position on His team.

5 Stages Of Healing From A Chronic Health Challenge

12/6/2014

 
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Welcome back to Snapshots of Wellness! Snapshots is into the thousands as far as readers go and as a thank you for all your patience while I took a hiatus, I thought I would show my gratitude to all of you with specific content that you have all been asking for.  And I apologize for taking this long in responding.

I am going to be doing an interview style article this upcoming week to answer as many questions as I can for all of you. The number of questions I am receiving about health is now into the hundreds which came as a surprise to me! We will tackle all of them but please note that I am not a physician, I have no medical background and my ultimate recommendation will be that you see an integrative physician you trust. What works for me & my health is not a road map for what will work for you & yours. Just keep that in mind.

Today, let's kick off this health series with an article I wrote for MindBodyGreen below. In the days to come, we are going to get into an in depth chat about why I feel Integrative Medicine is critical to anyone's health portfolio.

5 Stages Of Healing From A Chronic Health Challenge


When it comes to chronic health challenges, the healing process is very much like unraveling the layers of an onion. It takes stamina, patience, and a solid strategy. It's complicated, and also highly emotional, and I think many people don't discuss this outside of a counselor's office. Because I've gone through the process, I am on my last phase of healing entirely, and I thought I'd share my top 5 steps to unraveling the onion of chronic health challenges. Note: when I say "chronic health challenges," this can range from MS, to lupus, to depression, to anxiety, or even obesity.

1.  Accept where you are.  

The first step in unraveling this onion of your ill health is to accept where you are. Crying, leaning on friends and family, and praying about it is a combination of first steps that will help you get to a place where you're ready to tackle this once and for all.  Come to terms with the fact that you're going to deal with this by working with your body versus against it. You're not going to curl up in a ball and simply exist, rather you're going to obtain optimal wellness again, whatever it takes.


2. Find a reputable integrative physician in your state.  

An integrative physician is a doctor who practices both Western and Eastern medicine, who also practices Functional Medicine. They tend to look at the body/mind as a whole, provide testing that Western Medicine physicians do not, and approach the root cause of your health challenges instead of band-aiding symptoms with medications.  


3. Eat a whole foods diet.  

It's been scientifically proven that a primarily whole foods, plant-based diet will aid in flooding your body with alkalinity. When a body reaches it's optimal alkaline state, cells began to heal.  I recommend reading The China Study or watching a film called Forks Over Knives to learn more. If you need to see a nutritionist to find out what food will work best in contributing to your healing process, go for it. You must change your diet and be consistent with it.


4. Visit a chiropractor/Cranial Sacral Therapy.  

From my own three-year, complicated battle with chronic illness and recovery, in addition to the stories I've heard from countless others, a critical step is meeting with a chiropractor and/or osteopath who can provide a long series of cranial sacral/chiropractic adjustments. When the spine is aligned, your body systems have the best chance of healing. These treatments alone can aid in helping migraines, brain fog, anxiety, neck/back pain, etc. essentially disappear.  


5. Discover yoga/Pilates/stretching. 

You have to move your body even if you cannot get out of bed. You must move, stretch and help get your blood circulating. This in turn will get your lymphatic system moving. I learned that you can do this even if you are bound to 24-hour bed-rest by rotating your ankles in circles, doing leg lifts, moving your arms up and down, etc. 

If you are functional and mobile, get to a restorative yoga class, breathe, tell yourself that you are accepting healing. Do this four days a week and if you are depleted afterwards, then rest.


These 5 steps are essential to everyone facing a chronic health challenge. A combination of these is going to help you get back a sense of control, calm, and give you more mental clarity and stamina so that you can tackle the next 5 steps. 

I hope this was helpful! After we get through this health series, let's get festive in lining up some holiday wellness activity options for you & your families!








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    Created and curated by Kelly, Snapshots of Wellness encourages all of you to cultivate your 'joie de vivre': Compassion for Animals via food, style & lifestyle.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from goingslo, Mr.Thomas, NRCS_Oregon, Angelbattle bros, Puparrazi PhotographY, Rowley Taylor, Fibonacci Blue, Jinx!, victor408, apardavila, wuestenigel, Lorie Shaull, barnimages.com, infomatique, Tim Fenn, Allie_Caulfield, Mr.Sai, Gabriel Kronisch, Rosmarie Voegtli, Polska Zielona Sieć, PersonalCreations.com, Sébastien Launay, eliduke, Anne Worner, AGRONAUTI, Walakazoo, Emily Carlin, Rob.Bertholf, crabchick, @tc_goatwriter, lovelihood, barnimages.com, Free for Commercial Use, ENICOK
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