Thursday, October 22, 2009

Food for Thought: Healing From Within...A Positive Diet & Positive Thinking for Better Health - David Martin, Executive Director, WPA Chapter



“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine,

but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame,

in diet and the cause and prevention of disease.”

-Thomas Edison

That quote is from my recent Arthritis Radio guest’s website … Janet McKee, a board certified Holistic Health Counselor.  Here is an excerpt from my intro to that show:

I don’t know if you’ve seen the iphone commercials – where the tag line in “we have an app for that” … want to order a pizza – we have an app for that … need directions … need to book a hotel – we have an app for that – amazing technology.  It has changed society as we know it … something else that has changed are the levels of stress and anxiety … depression, obesity … overall wellness … are you stressed – we have a pill for that … depressed we have a pill for that – overweight, have pain – we have a pill for that … everything is quick – never enough time and one area that really suffers is what we eat and consume.  Drive-throughs, coffee shops, energy drinks, processed foods, vending machines, microwaves – this has changed society too… and has changed our overall wellness.

I used to think my father was a “fanatic” over what I called his “health foods” … his attention to what he ate and how much of it always resulted in some good-natured jokes as the rest of us stood around with our quarter pounders … he was right.  He was right and is now the healthiest person in my family.  A family that has Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, JRA, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, auto immune disease,  and more… is there a connection?  If you ask Janet Mckee … you would get an enthusiastic yes!

Considering the pills and the drinks and the processed and fast food we consume — what we should be considering what is on the end of our fork.

Please let me know what you think of the interview on Arthritis Radio. Leave a comment and your personal story.  I should add – Are we suggesting you drop your meds and eat “vegan”?  No… but a better diet, a diet and lifestyle that suits our particular bodies can only lead to feeling better.

On part 3 of the interview we also touch on the power of your mind.  I recently read a book entitled “You Can Heal Your Life” by author Louise Hay.  She has a DVD of the same name and the potential that exists of how our bodies and life can change depending on our thoughts and outlook is simply astounding.  How many times have we awoken to a gray, rainy day not having received enough sleep, dreading going to work, having too much on our plate, not feeling 100% and not looking forward to the day ahead.  We plant the seeds for a miserable day – and that is what we get…  What we expected from the moment we opened our eyes.  What would have happened if we had greeted the day being grateful, thankful for the rain and our work day ahead and thoughts of how we expected to feel good.  A different outcome, I suspect.  Louise Hay has been quoted talking about “waking up and thanking the bed for a night’s sleep”!  Now that is grateful.  The idea has been around for centuries.  I first heard of it as a child and came across the book, “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale.  It’s been most recently brought back into popular culture through books like Louise Hay’s and “The Secret”.  Organizations like Abraham Hicks and best-selling authors like Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Jack Canfield and Michael Beckwith have promoted positive thought for a better life. Our thoughts, expectations, imaginations and life-outlook can have an impacting effect on our health and how we feel.  It’s a journey worth taking.

A better diet, positive thoughts, feeling better… sound good?

Check out the interview! To listen to Arthritis Radio Episode 11: Parts I, II, and III - please visit http://arthritisradio.podbean.com or simply search Arthritis Radio in the iTunes store to download it as a free podcast!

We have recently posted another AFWPA “Rheum for Wellness” blog entry about Janet McKee and the “food for healing” aspect of this topic.

View Ashley’s entry, “Food for Thought: Healing from Within” HERE.

To learn more about Janet McKee, holistic health counselor and drugless practitioner, please visit her website at http://www.janetmckee.com



Thank you, and be well!

- David Martin

Executive Director

Western Pennsylvania Chapter

No comments:

Post a Comment