Funny how life happens in spurts…. its almost as if the universe collaborates all at once to show you a lesson or lead you in a certain direction, or deviate you from another. At least in my life, when I’m heading for change, all the circumstances around me seem to present themselves in a way to sway my decision one way or the other.
Right around the time that I made the decision to stop eating sugar, my thumb nail started to deteriorate. It looked like I had fungus, or my nail was falling off. It was gross and scary. Coincidentally, my father had been on a radio program with a young doctor from the University of Miami who was presenting a different medical philosophy. My dad called me and said, “I really like this guy. He’s fresh, he seems very intelligent and he’s got great energy. You should go see him”
At the time, Orlando went in for a general checkup (after canceling the appointment 3 times because he didn’t want to go!) and came out raving about this guy. He said he was like a Motivational Doctor. This doctor didn’t judge Orlando for his lifestyle or yell at him for being overweight. Instead he told him things like… “just pile on the greens.” That may sound silly but this doctor also believes in the power of food. His attitude and demeanor left an impact on my husband and PLANTED A SEED. Sometimes that is all that is necessary to start the process of change. Just plant the seed. Orlando did not change right away, actually it took him another 6 months. But from that day forward, at least he did start piling on more greens to his meals and that eventually led to a life where we consume more vegetables than anything else. That little comment would later on become one of the cornerstones of our lifestyle.
Once Orlando came home with such a positive outlook on this doctor, I immediately made my appointment to get my disgusting nail checked out. My mother had had a similar nail problem and had gone to a dermatologist who injected steroids into her nail… A very painful procedure, with zero results.
In my case, my doctor took a look at my nail and told me that clearly I did not have enough “GOOD FATS” in my diet. He suggested things like making milk out of sesame seeds and raw almonds. Coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, etc. He told me he would do bloodwork to confirm but that I needed to incorporate these essential oils in my diet. Needless to say that my blood tests corroborated that I was extremely deficient in good fat. My cholesterol was too low, my liver enzymes were slightly elevated… I had all the signs of Hyper thyroidism…but it was as simple as changing my diet. Within 3 months of that visit, my nail was growing back normally and all my blood levels had normalized. The change was remarkable.
It has changed my perspective on food and healing when my doctor recommends ginger for headaches or nausea or almost any other ailment, raw almonds for heartburn, spicy soup for sinusitis, or good fats for a sick nail.
My doctor believes that food IS medicine. What a concept!!!! To think that we do not have to live our lives depending on pills or antibiotics… That our remedies can come from the produce aisle at Publix instead of Walgreens!
Of course, when the time calls for it, my doctor will be the first to prescribe an antibiotic. And there are definitely times when medicine is necessary. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if medicine could be our last resort instead of our first? And we could teach our kids a life of prevention instead of treatment?
That is our goal….what is yours????
For a look at one of my doctor’s interviews, click on the link below. His name is Dr. Virgilio Sanchez.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyQyVWYHYn0&feature=youtube_gdata_player