Holistic Health Practitioner Visit

A while back, as part of a long weekend, I went to see a local holistic health practitioner. I went because something's up and I don't know what it is. I'm fed up with big pharma and their antibiotics for everything approach.

So far this year I've been sick three times: once with a mild flu, once with what was diagnosed as pneumonia, and once with some kind of stomach bug (38 bathroom trips in a day is excessive, right?). When I started wheezing and coughing up excessive mucous again, I set out not to go to a doctor but to do something that would help.

I've been working on building my health through nutrition the last six months or so. Eating more quality fats like pastured butter, plenty of home brewed eggs, raw milk, uncured bacon, and grass fed beef. I eat very little that's not organic (though that government certificate doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot), and I've really upped my greens. But being sick three times within about two months is abnormal for me. I was beginning to wonder if I was only sick once...

When I told Melissa I wasn't going to a doctor, she found a local holistic health specialist and told me to call. I set up the two hour introductory appointment and made sure to pay more attention to myself and think back on my health and eating habits so I could be as thorough as possible.

On her Facebook, she lists herself as a nutritionist. In person she makes abundantly clear that she is not a medical doctor. She's more of a coach or advisor.

When I showed up to the appointment, I was supremely pleased to see a small shelf full of Weston A. Price Foundation newsletters and Sally Fallon's cookbook book, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. I have been following the Foundation for a few months now and theirs is the diet I've been trying to align myself with.

After talking and explaining my situation and lifestyle, she expressed concern that I may have a high load of environmental toxins in my body. These are essentially byproducts of modern life. Vehicle exhaust fumes, foodborne chemicals, and stale air in the home are a few common sources of these nearly unavoidable toxins.

My recent symptoms of excessive mucous and wheezing may be one of the ways my body is shedding some of these toxins. She explained that the respiratory system is one pathway that the body can use to rid itself of toxins, and she thought that may be the case. Obviously, it's not a diagnosis. Since she's not a doctor, we're not allowed to call it that.

Long story short, I'm taking steps to lessen that toxic burden. Obviously that's easier since it's spring and I spend more time outside. More dietary fiber in the form of beans and oatmeal, properly prepared with an overnight soak is supposed to help my body shed some toxins. I'm also taking an antioxidant supplement to help clean my blood.

Towards the end of the appointment, she and I got to talking about the Weston A. Price Foundation, and she said she's our local chapter leader! Being in school and running a business, she doesn't have a whole lot of time to be very active with it, so I offered to help out.

About three weeks later now, I've become a member of the foundation, and I am going to be calling her for a follow up appointment and to talk about how I can help her with the local activities.

With all we talked about in two hours, I've come to the conclusion that I need to have a farm. There's a lot involved in that conclusion, and it's certainly not happening overnight, but my resolve is strengthened lately to scale our work and involvement here on the homestead and in this community as I work up to that point. I guess all the reading, all the podcasts, all the conversations online and off for the last year have been building to this decision.

More on all that in the future, but I'm scaling the chickens and my good friend and I have started helping other families have access to the milk we've been drinking. So far that's only one family, but it's a start. In the words of Joel Salatin, DO SOMETHING.

I'm doing something, alright :)

Be blessed.
Be fruitful.
Stay relevant.

Nate.

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