On Gratitude for Illness
What if today, instead of diagnosing, monitoring, analyzing, treating and trying to fix your chronic illness you took a moment to step back, do nothing and simply be thankful for its place in your life. Yes, thankful for the thing that causes you pain, fatigue, confusion, loss of control and at times suffering. If you’re all “Yeah whatever lady, I didn’t ask for this, you don’t know what it’s like,” hear me out.
What if today, instead of diagnosing, monitoring, analyzing, treating and trying to fix your chronic illness you took a moment to step back, do nothing and simply be thankful for its place in your life. Yes, thankful for the thing that causes you pain, fatigue, confusion, loss of control and at times suffering. If you’re all “Yeah whatever lady, I didn’t ask for this, you don’t know what it’s like,” hear me out.
Illness is our body telling is that something is out of balance. It’s our body trying to get our attention so we can work towards fixing the imbalance. Having an illness in any form is not something anyone asks for, but if we can view illness as an opportunity to slow down, quiet down, and listen to what is going on internally it can be used as a great tool for healing and personal growth.
Illness, when simply observed with kindness and viewed without judgement can provide us with huge insights into the very core of ourselves. It can act as a catalyst for personal awakening and growth because it forces us to become really aware of what is going on in our bodies and our lives at the most basic level. As a busy society, we get pretty good at ignoring the subtle signals our bodies send us when we are burnt out and trying to keep up with the pace of life, and dulling them down when they become inconvenient. As Lissa Rankin eloquently states in her book Mind Over Medicine,
“Illness offers us a precious opportunity to investigate our lives without judgement, diagnose the root cause of what might be contributing to an illness, realign ourselves spiritually, and do what we can to make our bodies ripe for miracles.” - Lissa Rankin, MD
More often than not in life great catalysts of change come in the form of tragedy or sadness. Illness can be one of these powerful vehicles of change if we let it.
Those who have chronic illness, whether you like it or not, have to become masters at identifying subtle cues in the body and strengthening this mind body connection as a survival mechanism. This can come in the form of paying attention to food and what we put into our bodies, identification of environmental triggers for disease, knowing when to rest and when to keep moving, etc. Although this vigilance can be tiring, annoying, and cumbersome at times it’s ultimately one of the key pieces of living a healthy, robust life.
Here are a few things that having a chronic disease has given me personally:
A strengthened connection between how I feel and what is going on in my body in order to detect imbalances before they become unmanageable.
My life calling and career path in health and wellness.
The ability to be a better nurse and healer for others because of a deeper understanding of the illness experience.
A true appreciation for food and how it’s the key to good health.
Greater connection to nature and the world around me through using food as nourishment and medicine.
A more grounded outlook on life and the things that truly matter.
The deeper ability to understand who I am and what I value at my core (a work in progress).
The ability to know when I need to slow down and take care of myself rather than push through and the wisdom to not judge myself either way (another work in progress).
An open mind about the myriad methods of healing, conventional and alternative.
Connection to a community of like-minded individuals who want to change the way chronic disease is managed in our current health care system.
A fierce appreciation for health, energy and good times!
So today I give you permission (you may totally not need it from me but, hey, sometimes it’s nice to hear!) to give yourself a break, do nothing, and know that what you are doing is enough. Because, OMG it can get overwhelming to be in charge of monitoring and healing these complex bodies of ours on or own. I encourage you to take a moment today to think about or write down what you are thankful for about having an illness. Or if not an illness just something traumatic that happened to you where you made it out alive (and if you're reading this you are most certainly alive). If anything just this act of positive thinking can pull you out of a rut if you are feeling stuck. As my girl Lissa Rankin says,
“Gratitude keeps you optimistic, and as we’ve seen, evidence shows that optimism improves your health. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful. As long as you keep your gratitude vessel full, you’ll avoid the unhealthy plunge into dark places.” - Lissa Rankin, MD
You may not be in a place where gratitude feels possible right now. Maybe the burden of your disease is greater than anything else and that is ok. No matter where you are today, simply try to take one moment to listen to what your body is telling you without judgment. See if you come up with something you weren’t aware of before and see if there is a tiny space for gratitude just for having this moment. One day you will be able to find one shred of it and it may make all the difference.
In Health,
Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC
PS: If you do make a gratitude list be sure to share it with me I would love to see it! As always, if you want to chat more about your health and how you can strengthen this mind body connection I’d love to support you. Click the button below to schedule a complementary Discovery Session with me and we’ll have a chat.
Eating well is one of the main pillars of living well with autoimmune disease! If you're wanting to eat heathy but have trouble know what to eat and finding the time to make it, I've put together an easy, FREE, meal plan to get you started. Click here to download my free guide to batch cooking >>
You’ll get:
+ 7 day meal plan
+ Step by step instructions for how to cook an entire week’s worth of food in just two 2-hour sessions (life changing)
+ Grocery lists
+ Twelve of my favorite, easy recipes!
Enjoy making delicious and nutritious meals in way less time!
Thai Pumpkin Soup Recipe
What to do with those decorative pumpkins and squashes from Halloween and fall festivities? EAT THEIR INSIDES!!! Pumpkins aren't just for carving, they are filled with loads of amazing vitamins and nutrients our bodies need during this time of year. Their bright orange color gives us a clue that they're loaded with beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A) which plays a role in improving vision, maintaining healthy skin, and helping to protect our bodies against cancer and other chronic disease by acting as a powerful antioxidant.
What to do with those decorative pumpkins and squashes from Halloween and fall festivities? EAT THEIR INSIDES!!! Pumpkins aren't just for carving, they are filled with loads of amazing vitamins and nutrients our bodies need during this time of year. Their bright orange color gives us a clue that they're loaded with beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A) which plays a role in improving vision, maintaining healthy skin, and helping to protect our bodies against cancer and other chronic disease by acting as a powerful antioxidant.
Pumpkins and squashes are also full of fiber which can help keep you full longer and aid in sustainable weight loss. Pumpkin seeds contains lots of magnesium (read more about the benefits here) which we are often lacking in the standard American diet. Plus they make a great, healthy snack loaded with protein and fiber.
Sometimes the most intimidating part of cooking with pumpkins is know how to cut them. (I found this little video here totally helpful when cutting my Buttercup Squash). It only takes a bit of effort and you can save the seeds and roast them with some olive oil and salt for a nice little snack or crunchy topping for your soup. If you're watching that pumpkin cutting video and are all, "Ain't nobody got time for that" you can totally use two cans of organic, canned pumpkin puree instead and I won't judge you.
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1, 2-3 pound pumpkin (I used a Buttercup Winter Squash), peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used my homemade chicken bone broth)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 lime
Cilantro to garnish
Roasted pumpkin seeds to garnish
Directions
In a pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and pumpkin and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the stock, coconut milk, and curry paste and cook for 20-25 minutes, adding more stock as needed.
Take off the heat and puree with an immersion blender or regular blender. Or leave chunky if you like!
Place back on the stove and add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat until warmed through.
To serve, place the soup in a bowl and top with the roasted pumpkin seeds, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Beautiful!
xx Christina Tidwell MN, RN
What to Bring to Your Next Doctor’s Appointment
Despite the best intentions of health care providers, our current health care system does not always allow us the time we need to feel cared for. In a perfect world we would have as long as we needed with our providers. We would be encouraged to be our own advocates, and to ask questions not only about our specific health concern but also about how our body is working as whole.
You make an appointment at your doctor’s office for three weeks out, you sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes, you get into the room and your doctor asks you a few questions about what brought you in, writes your prescriptions, types in notes, and is out the door faster than you can say “Echocardiogram”. Does this sound familiar to you guys? You leave thinking of the questions you mulled over for weeks that you meant to ask, and about the answers and care that you did not get. It’s frustrating! And can cause issues we have to slip through the cracks and our overall health to decline.
Despite the best intentions of health care providers, our current health care system does not always allow us the time we need to feel cared for. In a perfect world we would have as long as we needed with our providers. We would be encouraged to be our own advocates, and to ask questions not only about our specific health concern but also about how our body is working as whole.
I do believe that a more holistic view of patient care is on the rise, but while we work within the confines of our current system, here are some tips I’ve learned from personal experience to maximize your time at your next doctor’s visit to get the best care possible:
Write down a list of questions before your visit. This way you won’t forget everything you’ve been thinking of before the visit and have a checklist to systematically go through. You can let the provider know that you’ve prepared these questions and he/she will be more likely to spend the time reviewing your concerns.
Bring another person. Especially if you are feeling stressed out or concerned about your visit, another person can help you remember what was said during the appointment. Doctors often times forget that not everyone knows the medical jargon they use and a lot can get lost in translation. Another trusted person can serve as a note taker, a second opinion and even a support system.
Bring your medications, if taking any, to review with the doctor or nurse. The doctor may ask if you need any prescriptions refilled or may change certain medications, and it’s really beneficial if you have all of them in front of you to avoid double dosing or taking discontinued medications at home. The nurse at the office would be happy to review these with you and make sure everything checks out.
Do your research. Doctors or nurses might be cringing as they read this thinking of the piles of googled WebMD articles that will flood their desks, but I don’t mean it in this way! If you doctor has suggested a new therapy, read up about it and find out everything you can so you can have a meaningful and productive conversation during your visit. Be your own advocate! It is your body and it is 100% your business. You may also come across alternative therapies you may want to suggest to your provider that he/she didn’t think of that could add to your overall health and well being.
Do you guys have any other tips from your own experience? Leave a comment or send me an email and let me know!
xx Christina Tidwell, MN, RN
Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
Bone broth is a great source of collagen, which is a protein found in muscles, bones, skin and tendons. It is essentially glue that holds us together. It's also critically important to form tissue that makes up the lining of the stomach and intestinal tract. It protects and soothes this delicate lining that can get irritated by stress, food, bacteria, antibiotic use etc. It helps to repair the gut and reduce symptoms caused by intestinal permeability such as related autoimmune disorders, food sensitivities, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, and fatigue to name a few. It also provides us with powerful nutrients to help boost immunity (grandma knew this), make our skin firmer and more radiant, and aid in detoxification in the body.
Bone broth has been a hot topic in the health food world lately. You may have seen it pop up on food blogs, at your local health food store, and even in some hip, health conscious restaurants. Although it may seem like another passing health food fad (I actually just saw an article that heralded bone broth as "the new kale"), bone broth has been around FOREVER. It's what your grandmother made when you were sick because she knew it was the best way to heal. And you're not gunna say grandma doesn't know best, are you?? Didn't think so.
So what's with all the hype? Recently, many autoimmune disorders have been linked to the presence of something called "leaky gut" or intestinal permeability. Normally, the lining of our intestinal tract works as a barrier that only lets specific substances in and out to protect our body. Just think, we take in so many things from the outside world through our digestive tract it has to have mechanisms in place to protect us from bad foreign invaders. Leaky gut occurs when the tight junctions in the lining of the intestinal tract get inflamed or irritated causing bigger holes to form. This means that substances that are supposed to be blocked by this barrier get let past the intestinal tract into the blood stream. These substances (food particles, proteins, gluten, bacteria) are too large and can cause our immune system to react in varying ways because the body sees them as intruders that need to be destroyed.
Bone broth is a great source of collagen, which is a protein found in muscles, bones, skin and tendons. It is essentially glue that holds us together. It's also critically important to form tissue that makes up the lining of the stomach and intestinal tract. It protects and soothes this delicate lining that can get irritated by stress, food, bacteria, antibiotic use etc. It helps to repair the gut and reduce symptoms caused by intestinal permeability such as related autoimmune disorders, food sensitivities, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, and fatigue to name a few. It also provides us with powerful nutrients to help boost immunity (grandma knew this), make our skin firmer and more radiant, and aid in detoxification in the body.
Cozy up and make a giant batch!
Homemade Chicken Bone Broth Recipe
Ingredients
1 whole chicken preferably organic, free-range (can be made with beef bones as well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, peel on, sliced in half lengthwise and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peel on, and smashed
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 5 sprigs parsley (optional)
Directions
Place the chicken in a large slow cooker (or stockpot). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on high for about 4 hours or until the meat is tender and falling off bones.
Remove the chicken, leaving the juices in the pot. Let cool and take the meat off of the bones. Place your meat into a storage container in the fridge and return everything else (bones and all other parts) to the crock pot.
Add filtered water to the pot along with the vinegar (vinegar helps draw out the minerals from the bones), veggies, herbs and salt. If using a slow cooker put on “low” setting and cook for at least 10 hours but optimally 24-48. If using a stock pot bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for as long as possible. The longer you simmer, the more medicinal your broth will be.
Strain all the solids from the broth, pour into a container, and store in the fridge. Use within 5 days. If you want it to keep longer, pout it into ice cube trays and store in the freezer.
xx Christina Tidwell MN, RN