Working on the Root Cause of Our Health Issues

“I’m sick”…“Take a pill”…

“I’m in pain”…“Take a pill”…

“I’m depressed”…“Take a pill”…

It is a great frustration of mine that much of the medical industry, as a whole, addresses symptoms and rarely looks at the cause beneath the surface. Medications work acutely rather long term which leads us right back to the beginning.

A lot of what is prescribed are band-aid fixes meaning they are numbing the symptoms but not curing the cause. With that said, of course, there are instances where medications are needed. BUT, we need to start also looking deeper. Look under the surface are what the root causes are for the issues presented.

I’m speaking of these issues for any of our health problems but the ones I want to focus on the most today are anxiety and stress which tie closely with depression. By taking care of the problems we have with these at the root, we can eliminate the overprescribing of medications and find longer-lasting solutions.

So how do we get started?

Getting to the Root Causes of Our Health Problems

Whether you are struggling with anxiety, stress, depression or something like chronic fatigue, or fibromyalgia, it’s rare that we are coached on how to fix the items in our lifestyle that are contributing to these issues. Diet, exercise, getting outside for vitamin D, etc. all play a role in each and every part of our health. But rarely are we told how to work on our nutrition and exercise by our medical providers. They may mention it in passing as they are writing out the prescription we need to try but passing comments rarely stick.

If we don’t start considering and working on the root causes of our problems, we are leaving those causes to continue to wreak havoc on our lives.

I was in this space battling Epstein Barr, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue. I was in pain, inflamed, and drained of my energy.

I was depressed, couldn’t get out of bed, and thought it was the end of my life.

I was suffering mentally, physically, and emotionally, but somehow, I grew the strength to want to try to survive.

When I started taking my immune health into my own hands by changing my diet to keto and paleo, and introducing immune supplements, and movement, I began to heal.

I started with moving around my house, to short walks, then light exercise, and worked all the way up to being able to play volleyball and basketball.

Changing my lifestyle and diet helped me more than my medications but I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. I had to go through an entire mindset shift. Once I came to the decision that I wanted to get better and that the medications weren’t going to be the sole way to do that, I then had to figure out how to get my mindset in the right place to make this happen.

If you have really down days, either physically or mentally, like I do sometimes, here are some tips for working on your mindset so you can start working on finding your better health.

Tips to Work on Your Mindset

1. Start with your why – Almost every decision in life can be made by asking, “Is this serving my why or not serving my why?
2. Remind yourself over and over that it is about the journey, not just the destination – As with every journey, there are going to be ups and downs—but by being present, we get to remain engaged, learn lessons, and appreciate the process.
3. Understand that the fear of failure is much worse than failure itself – Successful people view everything as an experiment: you either hit the jackpot or you realize, “Nope, that wasn’t it, let’s try a different way.”
4. Adversity is an opportunity for growth – Getting out of our comfort zone is how we evolve and become stronger, smarter, faster, better. It’s a way to learn something new.
5. Have gratitude for where you are now – Success begets more wins and successes. Even if it the smallest success. It will only lead to a bigger one the time.

Now that your mindset is in a better place it’s time to tackle the inevitable anxiety and stress that pop up throughout the days and weeks.

There are some things I do and recommend that can help keep anxiety and stress levels in check. Some I do daily and some I alternate based on what my body may need at the time. I encourage you to experiment as well to find what works for you.

Create a morning routine

This can include journaling, meditation, grounding, or a cold shower. Sometimes it can just include spending 5-10 minutes by yourself enjoying a cup of coffee before starting your day. The goal here is to not start your day in a cortisol-filled fight or flight mode but find a routine that will help you start the day in a parasympathetic state.

Practice yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises

Yoga is a great way to get in exercise and also work through anxiety and stress so if you haven’t ever given if a try I highly recommend finding a class or video to try. Starting a regular practice can bring many benefits to your health. But sometimes we don’t have time for a whole yoga session and so a quick meditation or breathing exercise helps me in these cases. There are a lot of great apps out there that can guide you in meditation such as Calm or Headspace. There are also many YouTube videos that can guide you in box-breathing techniques.

Create a supplement stack tailored to you

People frequently ask what supplements they can take to ease their anxiety so here are my top supplements. Remember, you do not need to take all of the supplements listed below. We each have our own bio-individuality so we will all benefit from a different supplement stack. Find what works best for your body’s needs.

• Magnesium
• Skullcap
• L-Theanine
• Rhodiola
• 5-HTP
• Chamomile and Valerian
• Magnolia Bark
• Fish oil
• Holy Basil

I also cycle Rhodiola and Ashwagandha for my anxiety and stress.

Seek professional help if you need it

If you find yourself at the point where your anxiety is interfering with your daily life, whether it’s in the form of panic attacks or just constant worry and dread over everything going on around you, seek professional help. In some cases, the best way to address your feelings may be through therapy or medication. It can also be helpful to speak with a professional who specializes in treating anxiety disorders—they’ll have tools and techniques specifically geared toward helping people overcome those issues.

If you’re struggling with any type of health problem I encourage you to certainly work with your physician but also make sure you are taking steps toward getting to the root cause of the issues. Find routines that will help your mental health, incorporate exercise, diet, and things like supplements and breathing exercises. All of these and more can make a big difference. If you’ve had success with anything in particular, join me over in the ENERGY Formula Facebook Group and let me know what has worked for you. I’d love to hear about it.