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Benefits of Living Healthy: My Journey

"I am valuable enough to simply exist"


benefits of living healthy

What are the benefits of living healthy? You don't consider these things until life forces you to. Prior to my illness, I truly believed that I was living a healthy lifestyle. My definition of Healthy Living was eating well, exercising and having a job I felt good about. Sounds about right doesn't it?

But I neglected the fundamentals of living healthy. My life was not balanced and I was putting tremendous amounts of energy in one or two areas of my life while neglecting others. Healthy living incorporates all aspects of life: the physical, mental and spiritual. You must strike a healthy balance to truly experience the benefits of living healthy.

To truly gain the benefits of living healthy requires that you not indulge aspects of your personality but to fully live from the inside out. I was forced through circumstances to look at my life and truly understand how the choices that I was making had an effect on my physical wellbeing.

Health is a funny thing, you don't think a thing about it until you don't have it anymore. And God knows you have no idea the emotional and physical upheaval that happens when an illness takes over your life.


Going from running marathons, rock climbing, hiking canyons and kayaking to staring at a wall for 15 hours a day was a bit of a transition.

I am the type of person that when I am faced with a problem I attack it head on and I can be rather tenacious. From the first day when the right side of my body went weak and then the left side of my face went numb I was researching to see what the heck was happening to me. But my physical health kept deteriorating and I couldn't control it.

Of course I went to the doctor but I quickly learned the myth of medicine. That is, unless you have a very predictable illness and display those symptoms in a very statistically typical manner it can be years before a doctor can figure out what is happening to you.

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:


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.
Articles
Should you exercise if you have a chronic illness? Well our resident expert Michael Hannon thinks we should! Read Michael's indepth response to one reader's question, "I am dealing with a chronic illness and would like to add some moderate exercise to my daily routine. I have difficulty with exerting myself, my blood pressure drops whenever my heart rate gets too high. Do you have any suggestions." Check out Michael's answer.

Ok, so we have all had one, you know a 'bad doctor'! I had my share of great doctors but I also saw a good number of really bad ones. At the time is wasn't so funny, but now, I can see the humor in it. Read about my experience as well as other readers experiences with BAD DOCTORS!

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

Curious about the Tilt Table Test? Read about my experience with the test and what you can expect if you have to have a tilt table test.

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

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

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

Are you looking for additional resources about Dysautonomia and My Journey? Check out my Resources page.

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