Millions of Americans are feeling the stress of losing their jobs and as a result, their health insurance. But what if I told you that losing your health insurance could actually be a blessing in disguise? What if I told you that there is an opportunity in that loss…an opportunity for growth, and perhaps, with a bit of determination on your part, to reach and maintain your highest health potential?When I was in high school in the ’70s I developed an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa that flipped into bulimia) that lasted 10 years. Sure, I had insurance. But it was the pre-Karen Carpenter era, so no doctors or counselors had a clue—which made my insurance worthless! Nowadays they might prescribe a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but I am so glad those didn’t exist back then. Drugs do not get to the root of the problem and often have side effects nearly as bad, if not worse, than the illness.Convinced I had to heal myself, I took eight university classes in psychology searching for a cure. But nothing worked till I moved to Mexico and got away from all the processed trigger foods. I also started taking super foods like bee pollen and brewer’s yeast, and… suddenly the eating disorder, which had been a 10-year hell for me, simply vanished! 10 years of praying and seeking a cure for my mind by reading psychology and self help books ended. I got well only after healing the body, not the mind.I then knew the importance of nutrition as the principle key to health. Through the years I experimented with health modalities, even got a master’s degree in Chinese medicine and did acupuncture for a while. But I noticed herbs were even more effective than needles. The conviction grew that what a person puts into his or her mouth has the greatest effect of all.When I discovered the cleansing and rejuvenating power of a raw food diet, my health soared! I was free from hepatitis C, PMS that had me depressed three weeks of the month, athlete’s foot, brain fog, herpes, even jet lag! I devoured every book on the raw food diet and came across a multitude of testimonials-people healing from disease without drugs or surgery. Victoria Boutenko, for example, was healed of arrhythmia and her husband of hyperthyroidism. Their son was cured of juvenile diabetes and their daughter of asthma. After just a few months on the diet, they were all going on extended hikes, bursting with energy!Reverend George Malkmus healed himself of colon cancer…David Klein defeated colitis…Roe Gallo conquered a highly allergic sensitivity to the 20th century chemicals…Lou Corona healed from a head tumor…Dr. Lorraine Day reversed breast cancer…Angela Stokes lost 159 pounds… Jenny Smith no longer sleepwalks. The list goes on and on.”But what about accidents?” you might be protesting. Yes, you might want to get a very high deductible insurance in case of accidents. But consider this: I know of people who even used raw foods as a main part of healing from accidents. Take Aajonous Vonderplanitz, for example. Four MDs told him that his son, injured from a car accident, would be brain dead for life. But using raw foods, Aajonous got his son to come out of the coma with a full recovery of his brain and muscles. His son went on to graduate from a university. (Aajonous details the entire story in his book We Want to Live.)Then there is Dr. Joe Dispenza (who appears in the films What the Bleep Do We Know? and What If? and tells his story in his book Evolve Your Brain). Joe was injured in a car accident and was diagnosed with “multiple compression fractures of the thoracic spine with the T-8 vertebra more than 60% collapsed.” The doctors recommended Harrington rod surgery, but Joe was haunted by all the patients he had seen that had had this surgery. They never really healed, never regained their spinal flexibility, and many lived the rest of their lives addicted to pain medications. Filled with the conviction of the body’s innate power to heal itself, he rejected surgery and used raw foods plus visualization to heal himself.Researchers are starting to learn that what you eat impacts your health more than anything, even genetics. What you eat feeds your genes toward health or degeneration. A friend of mine who eats a 100% raw diet says her friends are horrified when they find out she doesn’t have health insurance. She replies, “My health insurance is what I put into my mouth.”Even if you don’t want to eat a largely raw diet, switching to whole foods goes a long way. (Don’t eat anything from a box, can, bag, or jar.) Get more alkaline by eating more greens (salads, green smoothies, wheat grass juice, chlorella, spirulina, blue-green algae). Avoid the worst culprits (wheat, dairy, table salt, sugar, transfats, monosodium glutamate, aspartame).Also learn to use supplements instead of drugs. When I had hepatitis C, I took several pills of milk thistle three times a day. When I went back for a test, the MD was astonished to find that my liver enzymes were to be envied! My sister was hooked on a prescription drug and when she lost her insurance, if she didn’t keep buying it (spending $200 a month!) she couldn’t sleep at all. When I got her a month’s supply of tryptophane and told her to gradually reduce the drug while taking this supplement, she was finally able to wean herself off the costly meds.There are other lifestyle factors besides diet that can make a huge difference in one’s health. One of the most important things is to get rid of the toxins in your environment. Get an air purifier and toss the moldy rugs or mattress (especially if you have asthma). Use natural, nontoxic cleaning supplies, makeup, tampons, personal care products, etc.Exercise is another investment in your health. Vary it so you cover flexibility to prevent injuries and keep the spine youthful (yoga, stretching), endurance and cardiovascular health (walking, running, etc.), as well as strength-building (lifting weights, pushups, etc).Other factors of health include adequate sleep and rest; supporting relationships; positive thinking; pure air and water; and adequate sunshine during the day so you can absorb Vitamin D.The truth is that even if you have health insurance, the copayments can bankrupt you if you get a major disease such as cancer and you decide to go the conventional route. (This topic was brought up in the movie Sicko.) And even if you have 100% health insurance, the tendency is to not be proactive in your health. People who have that attitude wait till they get sick, and then expect some pills or surgery to heal them, and then wonder why they never feel good again. Many of these people end up spending a small fortune on alternative therapies that their health insurance didn’t cover (after they realize that the conventional route didn’t really heal them) because they truly want to regain their health.People tend to leave all of the responsibility for their health to their health insurance. I have come across people who accept jobs they hate simply because they want the health insurance. In San Diego, many teachers are turning down a very generous golden handshake because they don’t want to lose their health insurance.People are selling their souls for their health insurance because they don’t realize that if they change their lifestyle, they can be in near complete control of their health! What is really needed is not universal health insurance, but universal health education.Take responsibility for your health. You may find, after a year or two (as I have), that you go to the doctor only for the annual checkup to confirm that you are on the right path. You may find (as I have) that you have restored the vigor, energy and radiant health you had decades ago. You may find (as I have) that when you are in control of your health, having no health insurance suddenly doesn’t seem relevant.
Tag Archives: nutrition
How to Start a Nutrition Home Business
Most people discuss nutrition daily. How would you like to help people by starting a nutrition home business? It is an industry that is growing and changing constantly.Nutrition is big business and by starting a nutrition business now, you are getting in at the right time. But you first have to find your niche and decide on what type of business you want in this industry. There are several options for you to choose from.The fist option is to sign up with a company that uses nutrition business representatives to sell their products. Many of these companies are Multi Level Marketing companies. The business is yours, but they usually supply training, support, and sales and marketing tools. They tend to have many benefits and few downsides. One benefit is that the public already knows the company name. This helps the nutrition business owner get established and succeed.With this type of nutrition company you will have to advertise locally and build a client base. This will only give you part of your income potential. If you get others to become nutrition business representatives, you will earn residual income from them and those who become representatives under them. The more you help them, and the more they help others, the higher your income.If this doesn’t sound interesting to you or if you don’t want to deal with people personally, look into becoming a business representative for a warehouse distribution company. Some of these companies help people to start nutrition businesses from home, or a variety of other types of businesses, for minimal start up costs.They will usually help you create a website that is linked to their warehouse. The orders are processed from your website, and shipped to your customers directly. This is how you earn your money. The main drawback is that if no one finds your web site you don’t get any orders.You should join affiliations on the internet. These affiliations allow you to put a link on web sites in the affiliation that lead to your nutrition home business website. These affiliations can cost up to hundreds of dollars. Each affiliation is different.Remember, on the internet you have to spend money to drive web surfers to your nutrition home business site. The other thing is to create web site content that is search engine optimized. The higher the keyword in the search engine list, the higher your web site will be to the top of the list.The last option is to go to college and get your degree in nutrition. This option does cost more and takes longer, but upon graduation, your nutrition business options open up wide. Many nutritionists work for themselves, but partner with doctors and hospitals. They establish a practice and see clients in their home or rented office space.Having a nutrition business at home allows you to set your own hours and to work as much or as little as you want. You can specialize in nutritional supplements to help lose or gain weight, sports nutrition, or as a nutritionist specializing in eating disorders. Whichever option, your choices are limitless.Depending on the money you want to spend and what kind of nutrition business you prefer, will help you decide which option is best for you. It is important to choose the option you are most comfortable with, because it is then more likely you will succeed and your business will be profitable.