The Downside of Natural Remedies

Natural remedies sound great, don’t they? Heal a troublesome condition without expensive drugs or surgeries and all their complications and side effects. Instead, just eat good food, get lots of sleep, relax and get some exercise. Sounds like a vacation!

Except when it comes time to make yourself a decent meal, for starters. How am I supposed to find time for that? What would I even make? I can hardly even cook anyway. And I have so many other things to get done.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

This week’s video explores IBS, “a common condition that affects the stomach and intestines, with symptoms that include cramping, belly pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both.”(1)

No doubt you’ve heard of IBS, maybe you have experienced it. Happily, it’s one of those conditions that can sometimes be controlled  by managing diet, lifestyle and stress.” And it is natural to assume that “managing diet” means being careful about what you eat, i.e., identifying and avoiding “trigger” foods. But interestingly, it’s also important to focus on how you eat.

Hidden Solutions

The importance of that “how” piece is what I learned from co-presenting this video with Susan Slowes, a Women’s Gut Health Coach specializing in IBS. Having suffered from IBS herself, Susan knows the simple power of how to eat in a way that calms rather than aggravates the gut.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

So now we’re back to the promising potential of natural remedies i.e., being able to manage IBS naturally through food and eating adjustments. But there’s still the practical problem of 1) getting a wholesome meal on the table to begin with so that 2) it can be eaten in a relaxed, health-supporting manner!

This, of course, is where Meal Making Transformation comes in, which is the strategy I add to the conversation. The most critical piece of the three-part MMT formula is Being New in Our Thinking. It’s the foundation that makes it possible to prepare and peacefully enjoy health-giving meals–which can lead to natural IBS relief.

Being New In Our Thinking

Here are some questions to consider when faced with the common natural remedy dilemma, i.e., “Yes! I want to experiment with Susan’s ideas, BUT, how can I make them happen in my crazy busy Life?”

This dilemma begs a fundamental question:

Do we value health-supportive meal making and eating?

That’s kind of a trick question, because the obvious initial answer would be yes. But the more insightful and helpful answer lies deeper down and takes a little more probing.

The question we really need to be exploring is

Do we see health-supportive meal making and eating as such worthwhile uses of our time that they rank higher on our priority lists than the many other exciting options modern life offers.

Think of the enticing activities that continually present themselves to us: weekend social outings, concerts, sporting events, trips, shopping, workouts, social media, TV, parties, (work of course) and on and on. Sadly many or most of these activities require us to sacrifice the kind of calm, healthy eating that Susan (and almost every other health professional) recommends.

Hidden Strategies

Of course, many of life’s “extra-curriculars” can be accommodated by just strategizing around them. But that takes a little effort and time, which we’ll put in only if we deeply value health-supportive meal making  and eating–so much that it rises to the top of our priority list.

Because after all, good health isn’t free–even if we have a great insurance plan!

Ready to explore your thinking a little more? I hope you’ll watch our video and see if your thinking truly offers the practical support needed to achieve your natural remedy hopes and aspirations.

(1)https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360016