The Difference Between Jill & Sue...

I gave a speech in Toastmaster's yesterday---poor guys---they have to endure all my 'health' related speeches. They give me great feedback before I take my speeches 'to the masses!' Here's how my talk went, in a nutshell:

Please join me in my Virtual Time Machine as we follow 2 women over a 20 year span of time. Jill, from Dallas and Sue, from Chicago. Both women are quite similar: married, 2 teenage children, part-time jobs, very busy with community activities, relatively 'healthy'...and both were raised in a typical 'Western Medicine' lifestyle (have a symptom, take a medication, etc). There is one major difference between Jill & Sue. Sue has watched several family members, friends & coworkers deal with both major & minor health challenges over the past several years and has recently made the decision to 'not go that route'---to take some ownership in her health and health-related decisions.

Our journey starts with Jill & Sue in their early 40's. The first health challenge they both encounter is poor sleep. Jill tells her Dr. about it & is given a sleeping pill prescription. She finds that it helps somewhat, but she's still waking up tired with low energy. Meanwhile, Sue decides to take control. She minimizes her caffeine intake, starts walking a few days/week, settles into a regular bedtime routine & begins using safe, clinically-proven sleep technologies with great success.

The second health challenge is heartburn. Jill has heard all about the 'purple pill' and finds it very easy to get. She has some concerns about being on another medication, knowing that there are side effects---she just hopes she doesn't get the side effects. Meanwhile, Sue had read about heartburn being a symptom of dehydration, so she now drinks at least 1/2 her body weight in ounces of water each day and works on adding more vegetables to her diet, which have an alkalinizing effect. She finds her heartburn gone within a few days!

Next come achy knees. Both Jill & Sue were runners in their early 20's--and now arthritic changes have set in. Jill is given 'NSAIDS' (anti-inflammatories) by her physician. The first one didn't work--neither did the second one--the third one seemed to help (although it had a 'black box' warning on the bottle). When the pain got worse, Jill was given steroid injections in her knees, which, again, helped for a while. Meanwhile, Sue learned that adequate water intake helps with joint health, so she continued on her water drinking plan---along with a safe, clinically-proven joint health supplement, and magnetic & far-infrared technologies with great success: no more pain!

At age 50, Jill & Sue had a DEXA scan (bone density scan) & were both told they had osteoporosis. Yikes! Jill joined the 'Sally Fields Team' taking one of the biphosphonates (even though she has heard about the major side effects, including cancer and deterioration of the jaw bone)--she wasn't aware of any other options, so she just hoped & prayed she wouldn't get the side effects. Meanwhile, Sue learned about a totally safe & clinically-proven bone density-building nutritional product, which she started taking, along with calcium. DEXA scans 2 years later showed Jill with continuing osteoporosis and Sue with normal bone density.

The last two challenges 'popped up' together: high blood pressure and weight gain. Jill has been 'trying' various diets with minimal success & maximum frustration. She decided to 'go for it' with gastric bypass surgery. The thought of surgery scares her--along with the potential complications she was told about, but ultimately decided that this would be the quickest, easiest route to go. The Dr. also prescribed a new medication for her high BP. Meanwhile, Sue is already sleeping well & is drinking adequate amounts of water. Her BP is elevated, but not to the point of Jill's. She makes the decision to make exercise a priority EVERY day (she loves walking---and how it makes her feel!) She also makes a 'deal' with her Dr. to take a BP medication for the short term (no more than 4-6 months) while she ramps up on her exercise and diet, increasing her fruits & veggies to become the main part of her diet. Both women have normal BP readings after 6 months---the difference being that Sue's BP is normal without medication!

Let's take a tally after the 20 years:
Sue is now on 5 regular medications for her health challenges and 2 meds to counteract side effects from the regular medications. She has had 4 knee steroid knee injections & her knees still frequently bother her. She has had 1 major surgery and 1 minor surgery (for gastric bypass complications). She really doesn't feel health--low energy, painful knees, over 1/2 her weight that was lost with gastric bypass has returned--not quite what she was looking for!
Meanwhile, Sue sleeps well at night, has no heartburn or achy knees, is close to her ideal weight and has a normal Blood Pressure---all without meds or surgery. She has great energy & is enjoying this stage of her life, not even feeling like she's 60 years old!

Most of us end up in a 'box' (like Sue) created by Western medicine (pharmaceutical companies, to be exact) where we are led to believe that the only way of treating health challenges is with drugs or surgery. Sue chose to 'step out of her box'...her 'comfort zone' and be in charge of her health.

I leave you with this challenge: Choose your boxes carefully--Get rid of boxes that aren't serving you well--and may you be blessed with great health and long life!
Sana