Four hours of sleep in total in the last forty-eight hours. The saddest part is that was WITH a prescription strength sleeping pill last night. Sigh. My body is going through a weird phase right now. More on that later.
Despite my lack of sleep, the past few days have been filled with A LOT of reading. I’ve finished both of these books:
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by both. I had heard of Gabrielle Bernstein before, but to be honest, never really took her seriously. I bought her first book Add More ~ing To Your Life last spring, got 8 pages in and then returned it to Barnes and Noble. To be frank, at first I didn’t like her. To be honest, I was envious of her success. Still, I kept feeling pulled to read one of her other books, Spirit Junkie, and it was then that I found out how much I have in common with her background, especially with eating disorders, dysfunctional relationships, low self-esteem, and a desire to really be connected spiritually. I finished the book in 2 days and am glad to recommend it to anyone who needs some hope right now. It’s an easy and accessible read with a very positive and inspiring message.
In the past month I’ve really gotten over a lot of my insecurities from the past and now I don’t view people who are more successful than me as threats, but as inspirations. After all, they’re people, I’m people, we can’t be that different, right? There’s not a limited amount of success or happiness in the world, and that’s a cool thought. There’s enough for all of us.
You can light the Patchouli incense now. (Hippy joke)
I’ve also been really nostalgic the past few days, so I pulled out the big book of Greece that I got as a gift from my Aunt Starr a few years ago.
The best part is that I can identify so many places and have my own pictures of the same things. Like this church on the island of Aegina…
And Chania, my favorite town on the island of Crete:
This week, I have made another big change in terms of my health; I’ve started working with a Maximized Living doctor. My cousin Tony and his wife have been seeing this husband-wife chiropractic team who are also Maximized Living doctors and they’ve been raving about them for a good 5 years now. Last week, I accompanied them to an adjustment to talk to one of the doctors about what exactly he did.
I learned that the Maximized Living concept of health is based on 5 components:
- Maximized Mind
- Maximized Nerve Supply
- Maximized Quality Nutrition
- Maximized Oxygen and Lean Muscle
- Minimized Toxins
The basis of their work revolves around the spinal cord, since the spine is what controls everything in our bodies. When there is a problem with the spine or any supportive ligaments, you cannot achieve optimum health. Therefore the first order of business when you start working with a MLD is to correct the spine if necessary so it can do its job, and support the rest of the body.
Another big tenant of ML is looking at the root of any health problem, rather than trying to medicate the symptoms. I’ve suffered with chronic digestive problems my entire life and wouldn’t you know, the ENTIRE part of my spine that is dedicated to regulating digestive issues is misaligned. The area that controls my throid, adrenals, and reproductive system is also misaligned, which could very well account in part for the extreme bouts of depression I was prone to, as well as some other issues.
I went in on Monday to have some x-rays and a preliminary assessment with Dr. Joe and yesterday went back for the results. As he pulled up my x-rays I asked him, “Did I pass?” and he shook his head no and laughed. “You’ve got one of the worst necks we’ve seen.”
Um, what?
“You’ve got three curves and you’re only supposed to have one.”
Damn. Really?
“On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst for someone your age, you’re at an 8 or a 9.”
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that!
However, being recovered from an eating disorder means I get to do a lot of things that I couldn’t before. In recovery, especially early recovery, I had to put a lot of trust into the hands of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists and the model of health I was presented with was very narrow and rigid. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the help I received and I understand that normal eating patterns HAVE to come first in recovery because any type of really restrictive diet or lifestyle can toss someone back into an ED, especially for those who restrict.
But now that I don’t stress about food, weight, calories, etc., I’m bringing my health into the foreground and really deciding for myself what I want it to be and how I want to feel. I don’t want to need sleeping pills and I don’t want to be tired all the time. I don’t want digestive issues for the rest of my life and I want to be able to fuel my body so that I can continue having a positive relationship with fitness. I don’t want my health to just be the absence of major disease or illness, I want it to have the presence of proactive healing. I want my body to feel good and function at its optimum level.
On Monday I go back for a new patient orientation and to discuss my treatment plan, which will also include a bio-meridian component. As I learn more about Maximized Living, I’ll be sure to share it with you. I’m actually quite excited about the prospect of having a team of doctors who is looking out for my optimum well-being, not just keeping me breathing. I really want to promote a proactive approach to health and wellness, so I hope that you will enjoy hearing about this new experience of mine as it unfolds.
Hope you are all having a great week!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Not sleeping kills me, I am hoping you are getting some needed rest!
Thanks, Alex! Same here!
Good luck with the chiropractor! I had some luck with them. I had one that actually ended up leaving me with more pain I had before – finally I gave up. Another one helped with my hips in an amazing way and now I run pain-free as new, but was not able to help with my headaches – seriously, he was puzzled, thinking that chiro helps EVERY issue yet I wasn’t improving. Half victory…
I haven’t read spirit junkie, but I did read Add more ing and started May Cause Miracles. I admit, I don’t really like her, she seems a little fake, a bit of a money-chaser as well, too my hype, and some of the spiritual stuff is a little kookie to me, BUT I she does have some simple, practical and useful steps laid out for self-improvement and life-improvement, thus I kind of ignore the ‘i don’t like her/this’ sections and take the useful parts with me.
Sorry to hear that one chiropractor left you with more pain than what you started with, Kat! That’s terrible! I think it’s a mistake to think that one approach is a one-size-fits all cure. I’m just hoping that some of my symptoms can be alliviated. I can also understand where you’re coming from with Gabrielle Bernstein. Admittedly, I have some of those same thoughts and there’s a bit of arrogance that rubs me the wrong way, but I found Spirit Junkie to be really relatable to where I’m at in my life now.