Sometimes it all comes down to the simple things.
Change how you eat. Relax more frequently. Get off the couch and take a walk everyday. Simple changes you could start immediately with a pinch of effort.
It was in the simple things that one woman discovered something wonderful: a surprising treatment for Uveitis that worked.
I met a woman on a recent trip that told me a moving story of her battle with Uveitis. Uveitis is in the spectrum of autoimmune diseases and involves inflammation of a number of structures in the eye. It is a major cause of blindness in this country, with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimating that almost 20% of cases of blindness in the country are due to uveitis.
This woman was not a client of mine, but when I heard her story it encouraged me to continue focusing the way I do in my practice. She described the beginnings of the problems with her vision and the visits to several eye doctors. After a time a diagnosis was made of Uveitis. She was put on the standard treatment of large doses of oral steroids, which helped some at first. After a few months however, she experienced many of the side effects from the steroids and a decline in her vision and inflammation in her eye. The short term gain of the steroids were just that – short term.
Her description of the interaction with her eye doctor was interesting. “It was impossible to get information from my doctor. They said they had no idea why I had this problem and became very impatient when I asked questions. All I could find on the Internet or at the library was that this was some sort of autoimmune problem, but finding any other information about causes or possible treatment was extremely difficult.”
Not knowing what else to do, she decided to try things three things that might improve her overall health:
1) Diet: She changed her diet, eliminating sugars and simple carbs. She choose instead to eat mostly vegetables, organic eggs and a bit of animal protein.
2) Stress Management: She also knew that she had to address the large amount of stress in her life. So she returned to a practice of meditation that she knew from before and started doing yoga again.
3) Exercise: She had always been very athletic and so she continued her normal exercise routine, making sure to maintain it throughout each week.
In our other writings about autoimmune disease (Click Here to Check Them Out) we have discussed how powerful it can be to change your diet and address the emotional toxins and stresses in your life. In simply trying to be healthy, this woman discovered the path to healing her eye problem.
When I spoke with her, she had no evidence of Uveitis. She stopped the steroids over a year ago and the vision that she had lost had returned. She was grateful and surprised. I was grateful that she had reclaimed her vision and her health. I thanked her for taking control of her own health care and being willing to try something without much support.
I asked her what her doctor had said about her recovery. She said, ”He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t say anything.”
Sometimes, the path that leads you out of a serious disease is easier than you think. You just need to be willing to step out of your routine and look honestly at the situation. Recently on our Facebook page someone shared how she transformed her illness by making similar changes. When we read this here at Organic MD we cheer. Taking these steps holds incredible wisdom and power.
Our hope is for people to know that support does exist. The purpose here at Organic MD strives towards being a home for that support, so that you can find encouragement. You don’t have to do it alone – far from it.
Most importantly, change can occur. People do it everyday and they seriously transform their lives. These two women made simple changes and experienced major results. What things might change if you took the 3 steps our friend with Uveitis made? All kinds of things might change for you.
In the end, you need to do one thing. Just try it.
To Your Health.
