A Simple, Natural Life

Ok, I know this blog might seem like a bit of rabbit-trail from our usual mental health conversations, but I promise it’s important. Many years ago my family and I were forced to deal with the effects of our daily products on our health, both mental and physical. It is alarming to discover how everything we use, eat and encounter throughout our lives can impact our hormones, our organs, and our overall health and wellness. If you haven’t begun this journey, I can tell you from experience, it’s a crucial one, but it’s one that should be taken with a grain of salt.

There is so much information out there on natural, wholistic health, so start small. Pick one area of your life, maybe it’s your skincare, or makeup that you will begin to research. Maybe it’s the veggies and fruit in your fridge that you’ll switch to organic and begin researching local farms and their methods. Pick the highest priority area for you and your family and begin there.

Here is our story.

Many years ago, my husband, Jordan got sick. He was really sick. We went to the doctor, and did all the tests. Nothing was detected.

Jordan got sicker.

We went to another doctor. Re-did all the tests. No answers.

Jordan got sicker.

We went to the emergency room.

We were told to go home, and return if he lost consciousness.

Jordan got sicker.

At his lowest weight since being a teen, unable to eat normal meals without excruciating pain, unable to make it through the day without painkillers, and unable to sleep peacefully through the night, we were desperate for answers, and didn’t know where else to turn.

We went to a natural path doctor. We spent an insane amount of money on natural supplements that we hoped would make a difference.

They minimized a few of his symptoms, but they put us into debt. We continued to pay what we couldn’t afford because we didn’t know what else to do.

We felt hopeless, feeling like we would just have to live under the weight of this sickness, and debt until Jordan got better, or worse.

Then my sister recommended some products a friend of hers had shared with her years ago. They were called essential oils, and they were apparently the purest, most natural form of plant oils that have been used for health & wellness purposes since the beginning of time.

I rolled my eyes. Like actually.

But, remember, I was desperate.

So I went to have coffee with the friend. I left with a box of 11 different snake oils, ahem, sorry, I mean pure essential oils, and a diffuser (whatever that is, right). I had just wasted more money, I was sure of, it, but this was cheaper than our visit to the natural path, so I was willing to give it a try.

2 oils out of the box, used consistently for the next 2 weeks changed our lives. Jordan’s symptoms began to disappear, quickly.

At the same time, the Lord was beginning to teach and reveal His plan for our health to us. Healing was a new concept to Jordan and I at that point in our lives. We didn’t really know what God had to say about Jordan’s specific situation, and therefore didn’t know what we could believe for.

This was the start of our oils journey, but it was also a life-changing, turning point in our faith journey. We began to study the word, we listened to solid, faith teaching, and we began to speak in agreement with God’s will for Jordan’s health and life. We began to see incredible things, and we began to see that the Lord truly has given us everything we need to live a life of wellness on this earth.

We began to take the word seriously. We chose to believe that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and therefore we began to take seriously our responsibility to steward these bodies, and our lives, well. We began to learn about how our food was grown, and processed, where it came from, what pesticides it was covered in, and how many synthetic ingredients had been added. This led to some serious dietary alterations.

Once you understand that certain things are only being sold to you by companies that want to make a sale, rather than foster your health and nutrition, you can’t help but change what you buy and from whom.

We do not have processed foods in our home. We limit our sugar and processed flour hugely! Wheat is a rare, and even undesired ingredient. Alcohol is off the table. Dairy is only in the form of whipping cream in my coffee (my guilty pleasure, but also, we have been seriously lied to about heavy fats).

And you know what, we don’t feel restricted. We feel free. Not having these things in our home means we aren’t tempted by them. It even means that we have stopped craving them. My kids don’t even ask for juice, because it’s not something they are used to having in the fridge. When we eat out, or go to a friend’s for dinner we eat what is served gratefully, and enjoy it without guilt, because we know this is a special occasion, not a daily habit.

Health and wellness begin one small change at a time. These small changes build a lifestyle. A lifestyle is something sustainable, not a fad, not ups and downs, and fluctuations. In a lifestyle of wellness there is room for treats (quit calling it "cheating" and enjoy it) because the daily habit is established.

And what about our oils? We never looked back. We ended up replacing every item in our medicine cabinet with a natural alternative, mostly in the form of oils, or oil-infused natural supplements. We realized that God knew what he was doing when he created plants for our well-being. So we trust his methods over the methods of man. This also became another stream of income for our family, and many others (but don’t worry, I’m not a crazy network marketer)

We also began to learn about many other natural methods for taking care of our bodies and minds. And, of course, we made sure to doctor our souls by renewing our minds with God’s word. We continue daily to build our lives on this foundation. We have made His word our final authority, if He said it, we believe it. Sometimes there are questions, and that’s why we are grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us and acts as a teacher, and guide.

We have been learning about natural alternatives for about a decade now, and still it feels like we've just begun, as God’s wisdom and creation are endless. Homeopathy has been a gift to our family. Natural supplements, that have been well-researched (and I don’t mean by some scientist hired by the manufacturer, I mean we have done our own research on the matter), and even tested positively for each of our bodies have found their place in our daily nutrition. Biofeedback and blood screening play a part in how we determine what we invite into our daily regimen.

Does this mean we don’t believe in doctors, or western medicine? Not entirely, but almost.

In fact, as Jordan began to recover and heal (this was over a year after the initial onset of symptoms), we received a call from the walk-in clinic we had visited months prior. They told us that one of the physicians had been reviewing old files, and found Jordan’s test results and wanted us to come in immediately.

So we did!

Upon entering the room, the doctor began to ask Jordan a series of questions about his energy, his diet, how he’d been feeling, which had all dramatically improved as of our recent oil regimen. The doctor said that he was absolutely astonished that Jordan was still standing. He told us that Jordan’s hemoglobin levels had been so dangerously low at the time of the tests, he was surprised he had not been ambulanced to the hospital. He was also incredibly upset that the doctor who initially reviewed Jordan’s tests had done nothing about it.

We like that doctor, and others like him.

Sadly, it's a rare doctor who takes that kind of care in their work to review old cases just to ensure that nothing gets missed, and people are being properly cared for. Rarer still is a doctor who doesn't just prescribe whatever medications will earn him/her a commission. This lovely doctor told Jordan that he was going to keep a close eye on him, and conduct regular tests to ensure that his hemoglobin and other levels continued to improve.

Jordan never required further medical attention and has made a full recovery, after years of struggling to find answers.

There are emergencies, there are things that require specific knowledge and training to deal with, and we don’t always have what we need, or know what we need to know. I am not a doctor, and will never prescribe anything for you, BUT, my family and I do not just go to any doctor, because many have been trained to simply prescribe and observe. We are not interested in being test subjects. We have been called to steward these bodies well, remember.

This is a subject you will have to seek the Holy Spirit on and do as you feel led. I cannot tell you what or who you need. I can only say, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and the peace of God. Research answers for yourself, but not more than you study the word of God. Trust the Lord only. What He says is truth, but it will only produce in your life when you believe it and live it.

Just like a doctor needs your permission to do anything to and for you, the Lord also needs access to perform on your behalf. Trust Him first. Be still long enough for him to answer you.

A doctor may know the facts, but the Lord knows the Truth. This is a topic for another day, but I hope you feel inspired to take the next steps in your faith journey, just as we did.

We live life differently now. We do our best to listen to our bodies. We regularly use essential oils and oil-infused supplements to maintain our health, rather than waiting until there’s a real problem to run to the doctor and pharmacy.

We eat food that is nutritious and nurtures our bodies. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some sweets, or potato chips ever. What it does mean is that we now understand the consequences of our choices. When you know that everything you eat is either fostering health, or feeding illness, you choose differently.

When we are dealing with sickness we take it to the word of God first. We meditate on God’s love for us, on what Jesus did for us on the cross, and on the authority and power of Jesus’ blood and His name, that have been given to us. Then we eat what will nourish our bodies, we use homeopathic remedies, and food and herbs that were created by God to heal and restore. We rest (this is a big one), we read, we pray, we listen to life-giving teaching and worship music. We nourish our body, soul, and spirit to the best of our abilities.

Changes don’t happen overnight. Diet changed first. Then toxic products were phased out and replaced with natural alternatives, one at a time. Now we are right in between eating the occasional slice of pizza while growing plants in the window and selling our house to start a homestead. Someday, we plan to live out in the country with animals and a giant garden, but again, change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s one change at a time.