6 Steps to Cure Yourself

Feature Image Source: @mandymadd

As part of my nutrition school, I attended a lecture from the amazing Dr. Lissa Rankin MD that inevitably changed my life, career, and personal health. the lecture was on healing, discussing the role that mindset plays in physical healing of everything from IBS to cancer. She talked about a town that never got heart disease (not one single case, while it's the most common cause for death in the U.S.). They drank a lot, ate fried foods, and didn't exercise as often so what was the mysterious reason?

Studies done on the town found that the only difference between this community and every other community in the country is that they were never lonely. They lived in multigenerational homes, celebrated each excited event (like a wedding or graduation) as a community, and kids didn't move away or "fly the nest" when they grew up. The lesson here is that medicine, but also nutrition and exercise, is not the end all be all. Dr. Rankin argues that loneliness, not fried foods or even smoking, is the #1 cause for bad health. So how do you take healing into your own hands and support your body best? Read on for six steps to cure yourself, according to Dr. Lissa Rankin.

1. Belief

Studies have proven that patients are more likely to get better if their doctor believes they will, and even more likely to get better if they themselves believe they will. Belief that everything will be OK relaxes the nervous system, and when the nervous system is relaxed, the body is able to do its job and heal every cell.

2. Support

Finding a support system that you not only trust but believes in your healing is crucial for getting better (FYI, that's why I became a health coach). Whether it's a doctor, therapist, acupuncturist, or health coach, make sure you build a team of people who listen, take time, and give you unconditional support.

3. Intuition

Whenever I'm called an "expert" (humblebrag), I always respond that no one knows your body better than you do. I'm not the expert; I help people realize that they are the expert. No matter what certifications, medical licenses, or experience someone has, they do not know what's best for your body better than you do. If you have an intuition, trust that more than someone else or even test scores.

4. Diagnose

OK, I don't mean diagnose in the way of identifying a name for a series of symptoms. I mean getting to know the root and reason of what's going on in the body. For example, being diagnosed with depression is really just putting a name to a bunch of symptoms that other people have in common, but it doesn't explain why those symptoms are happening. Why is the brain chemistry imbalanced? Is it a vitamin deficiency, unknown food allergy, or unresolved childhood trauma? In another example, maybe your doctor tells you you got strep throat, but why did your immune response shut down and could not fight a virus it typically fights on a regular basis? Were you extra stressed out or eating foods that suppressed the immune system?

5. Prescribe

Your doctor can tell you what medications you need to take, but as for the healing part that is up to you? Ask yourself what your body needs to heal. That's it! What is it saying "no" to, and what are the ways that your health and life is imbalanced? The body knows what it needs; we just need to listen.

6. Surrender

Finally, the hardest part of self-healing is letting go. Did you know that people are more likely to heal if they are spiritual? Surrendering to the healing process, rather than being anxious/nervous throughout your life, is key to achieving health. Know that any kind of illness and disease is an opportunity for a spiritual awakening, and there's a reason for everything. Maybe any symptoms from SIBO to back pain could help us respect the body more, and respecting the body gets us closer to our purpose in life.

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