Benefits of Living Healthy: My Journey

That is why I had to find my own way. My own path to living healthy. To read more about my personal story go to My Personal Health Journal

I would love to hear about your personal health story. Click on the link below to share your story and I will publish it on my website Your Health Story

Reader's Personal Health Experiences:

• Postural Hypotension: Jenny's Story

• Pediatric Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: Desiree's Story

• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)- Julie's Story

• Dysautonomia - Katrina's Story

• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome - Danielle's Story

• A Smaller Richer Life: Using Illness as a Chance to Grow - Janine's Story

• Endometriosos: A Misunderstood and Misdiagnosed Condition - Joanna's Story

• A Delicate Balance - Dave's Story Part I and Part II

If you are dealing with a chronic illness you may want to start by reading Tools for Dealing with a Chronic Illness Below you will find a list of links to valuable sites as well as links to articles that I have written or drawn valuable information from to help me maneuver through the medical system, find alternative methods to healing and for support.
Alternative medicine will play an integral part in your life if you are dealing with a chronic illness. Once you have exhausted the traditional medical system you are left with no other avenue but to investigate other options. Included in this article are various alternative approaches that I personally tried and I share my experiences and recommendations. This is a great start to learn about the benefits of living healthy. Alternative Methods to Healing

Having a chronic illness that completely limits your capabilities is a very traumatic situation to go through. It limits you financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually, environmentally and socially. You are left with very few options and ultimately if the illness is debilitating enough, you have to apply for disability. This way very difficult for me but I learned that part of living a healthy life means accepting help. I have always been very proud of my independent nature and to have to apply for disability meant failure to me. It can be a cumbersome and time consuming process and requires support in order to prepare the required forms and present a winning claim in a timely manner. Social Security Disability Tips

Are you dealing with a chronic illness and can't work? Have you been told you will never get Social Security Disability because you don't look as sick as you are? Are you still struggling to get a diagnosis and are afraid you won't be eligible for Social Security Disability? I too, had to deal with all of these issues and I got Social Security Disability Benefits on the very first try. I was awarded my benefits ONLY 6 MONTHS after applying! How did I do it? We came up with a system to maneuver my case through Social Security and we have duplicated that system so you too can get Social Security Disability on your first try! Want to know how? Take a look at my e-book A Practical Guide to Social Security Disability Benefits

Have questions about Social Security Disability? Get the facts! I compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions concerning disability benefits. Read Social Security Disability Q and A

I learned a lot about the medical system when I first got sick. You don't get a diagnosis overnight. If you do you are one of the lucky ones. It took me over a year to get a diagnosis, well the first one at least. Learning everything you can about your disorder is critical to truly gain the benefits of living healthy. To learn more about my disorder and the various related syndromes read my article Neurally Mediated Hypotension

Dysautonomia is a general term used to describe a breakdown, or failure of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls much of your involuntary functions." To learn more read Dysautonomia

After researching several sites, I compiled a list of symptoms associated with both Neurally Mediated Hypotension and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Today research is finally catching up and many of the symptoms I experienced are now well documented. Read Symptoms Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Neurally Mediated Hypotension to learn more about the medical symptoms of both disorders.

During my illness I found it helpful to keep an on-going list of symptoms I was experiencing on a daily basis. The doctors found it extremely useful in diagnosing me as well as with applying for disability. To learn more about the symptoms I experienced with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Neurally Mediated Hyportension read my article Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure

What causes low blood pressure? Learn what disorders and diseases can cause low blood pressure. What Causes Low Blood Pressure?

What are the various treatments available to treat low blood pressure? How to treat Low Blood Pressure

One of the most helpful tools that I found in my journey was biofeedback. It is a method of learning how to control certain autonomic functions in your body. I believe it helps in resetting and balancing your body systems. And personally I feel that it played an integral part in taking me to a healthier place and to living a healthy life. Biofeedback the Path to Healing

If you suffer from a neurological illness, fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome you MUST read this article! More and more studies are linking multitudes of neurological symptoms to Aspartame consumption. There is an epidemic across North America today of Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus and their is one major culprit! Read ASPARTAME - The Silent Killer

Need to know more about aspartame? How about some of the symptoms associated with the consumption of aspartame? Aspartame Side Effects

You never know what to expect in life and you can be sure my partner never expected for me to get sick much less be bed ridden for 3 years. Learn how my spouse felt about having a chronically ill wife and the effect it had on our relationship. 7 Stages of Grief - My Spouse's Journey

Depression is a natural part of dealing with a chronic illness. When your body is challenged physically it can affect your brain chemicals. Not to mention that you are probably dealing with an avalanche of new experiences and changes. Many of them negative and you probably have not yet created an outlet for dealing with these new emotions. Depression is an illness in itself and combined with other medical issues makes for a truly challenging situation. Don't neglect this issue it can deter you from finding your path to living healthy. Read my article on Chronic Illness and Depression

Want to change your life? Finding one's authentic self is a journey we all hope to experience this author was lucky enough to choose to challenge himself to find his true path in life. If you are looking for an inspiring life story this is a must read article. Journey from Pinstriped and Briefcased Banker to Janitor

The National institute of health is great place to find information on the latest research spanning from typical diseases to research on alternative medicine. It a great place to start your research to find the benefits of living healthy. National Institute of Health

This is a wonderful site for anyone living with a chronic illness or a family member or friend of someone living with a chronic illness. It provides wonderful resources, articles as well as a forum and chat room that offers great support for those in need. This site specifically focuses on chronic illnesses that are what we call "invisible disabilities" this means a disability that is not visible to those of us around us. The Invisible Disabilities Advocate And for our Canadian friends The Invisible Disabilities Association of Canada

Below is a list of websites dedicated to providing support for individuals dealing with some form of Dysautonomia or Invisible Disability.

• Dysautonomia Support Network
• National Dysautonomia Research Foundation
• Dysautonomia Information Network
• Rest Ministries

The Life Extension Foundation is a wonderful site to go to for general research on supplements, alternative treatments and chronic illness. I found a wealth of information on this site about the benefits of living healthy. The great thing about this site is that they don't make you become a member to benefit from their research. But I have to admit that I buy 99% of my supplements from this company they make a darn good product. Life Extension Foundation

This is an online community for disabled persons including forums, classifieds, the latest news and articles for people with disabilities and free disabled dating. Don't close yourself off to the world take advantage of sites like this that provide you with an opportunity to get to know other people dealing with similiar circumstances. Disabled World