~A personal story~

Health can be defined in so many ways and the answer you receive often depends on who you ask. There is no doubt that the year of 2020, with COVID19 deemed as a global pandemic, has us all thinking about our family’s health and wellbeing. How valuable and precious it really is.

Now more than ever, I have found myself evaluating the quality of my own health and wellness. I’ve always considered myself to be a “healthy” person…but I can’t help but ask, “am I really?” I’ve started to think about what health truly means. Health as a whole…physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, environmentally. The whole bit! And I have come to wonder why do so many “healthy” individuals like myself and patients that I work with, often struggle with challenging, chronic health conditions? 

We all know that “healthy” person that has been diagnosed with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, depression, hormone disruption, autoimmune disease, obesity, anxiety attacks, etc. The list could go on! I personally have struggled with several internal health issues over the past 10 years. WHY?! I eat healthy, sleep well, love my career, and exercise on a regular basis. But when I look at my own personal laundry list of chronic health issues, can I truly consider myself to be wholeheartedly healthy? My personal opinion is NO. Many of my personal symptoms are those reflecting organ and tissue dysfunction and chronic inflammation. And when organs are dysfunctional, it is because there is a deeper underlying problem.

But here is the good news, friends! The body can do amazing things and it can heal. I know that my body can be BETTER and HEALTHIER. I don’t have all the answers to my health problems yet, but I do recognize that there are several factors that play a role in decreasing inflammation and helping to obtain a healthier body.

Sleep, stress, nutrition, exercise, environment, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and mental health to name a few big ones. Unfortunately, many of our everyday, personal and environmental products are exposing our bodies to yucky toxins. These many small toxins can add up quickly and contribute to chronic inflammatory issues and disease in the body. Think about the quality of your water, food, supplements, skin care, environment and electronic exposure. It’s quite alarming when you think about it.

We have to look beyond the outside of the body to distinguish true health and wellness. Just because somebody looks skinny, strong, happy and eats their daily servings of fruits and veggies doesn’t necessarily mean that they are wholeheartedly “healthy” on the inside. Mental, physical and environmental health all MATTER. We have to question, what are we putting in and on our bodies that could be helpful and what could be harmful? Remember, our SKIN and our GUT are two of our biggest immune system influencers! A strong, healthy immune system is what we need to fight off exposure to icky viruses like COVID19.

I bring this to your attention today, because I believe that as a society, we all need to do a better job about choosing and advocating for better, safer, healthier and affordable health and wellness services and products…you know, the preventative ones that are not covered by insurance. My goal is to not only help our community in bettering their physical health through therapy and fitness, but also to help inspire, educate and provide resources so that YOU can go out into the World and help better your own health and wellness. 

~Dr. Kaitlin