JoAnne's Blog

Are we accumlating wealth only to spend it on our health?

"Most people work hard and spend their health trying to achieve wealth. Then they retire and spend their wealth trying to get back their health."

I imagine you have heard or seen this quote before; but now, that I am retired, I have been thinking about the absurdity and the truth in this statement.  As we age, our bodies begin showing signs of disease like high blood pressure, heart disease, type II diabetes, arthritis, and cancer; just to name a few.  If you have a health plan and follow exactly what the doctor prescribes; then you may fare well.  However, what if you don't have a plan or you decide to treat your disease without the doctor's prescription drugs. You can spend a lot of your own hard earned money, seeking alternative ways to get well. 

Does it have to be this way?  Of course, the answer should be no; but more often than not it is yes.

So, what can we do.  We could lobby for more money but alas governmental funding is already being pulled everywhich way.  We need to do something now, to prevent the onset of disease and to even reverse it.

That something is to take responsibility for your own health.  True enough certain diseases are hereditary; but more often than not a case can be made to prove it's not always so.  What does seem to be hereditary is lifestyle or eating habits.  I have a book entitled, We Are What We Eat that I bought when I was first diagnosed with cancer.  However, since then, I have realized, that a better title would  be We Become What We Eat.  You could also say We Become What We Do or What We Think. 

First and foremost, we all know the health benefits of exercise.  It can help protect you from the above mentioned diseases, relieves back pain and the effects of osteoporosis, can improve your mood and general well-being.

Secondly, we are all aware of the importance of relieving stress in our lives.  Being at rest or at peace with yourself and getting a good night's sleep allows your own body's natural defenses to do their job.

And last but not least, let's look at what we are eating.  Once again, we all know that we should cut back on white flours and their products, eliminate our intake of sugar, increase foods with fibre and drink lots of water.  We are even told to buy organic if you can afford it. This is all good advice. 

But recently, I have been reading about the importance of eating food that is locally grown or even grown in your own garden, as opposed to food that has travelled miles and miles across our country.  Think about this, the food we eat can actually change our DNA over time.  So let's start taking care of our health now so that we can enjoy our lives later.

 

The Power Within

At the end of my e-mails, I sign "We think life has limits; but the power within is limitless."  To that end, I believe that there is nothing that we cannot do if we put our mind to it.  Should problems arise, I have heard it said and I concur that there are no problems that do not have solutions.   We have all been uniquely and I might add miraculously created.

What is it that keeps us from accomplishing what we want in life, from achieving our dreams?  Could it be that we are waiting for the right moment?  That moment may never come.  Are we waiting until we are financially stable?  That feeling may never happen or at the very least take a long time.  Do we need more education, more knowledge?  The best school is the situation we are in right now.  We are constantly learning and everything we need to know is at our fingertips.

Truly, we limit ourselves by what we think or let others dictate to us.  To really succeed, you need to believe in yourself, and trust the wisdom that has been planted in you.

Cancer - The Fear Factor

Diagnosed with cancer?  Perhaps the biggest obstacle to overcome when you hear the word cancer is fear. There are many reasons why so many of us sense fear.  The fear of the unknown is huge.  For a time, we live in a sea of questions. What is going to happen?  How will I cope?  What will my loved ones do?  How will they cope?  But the most frightening part about having cancer is the feeling that you have little or no control over your circumstances. Fear can paralyze you and cause your thinking to be distorted.  I remember the first time I was told that I had cancer. I was so afraid that I would die and not be able to see my very young daughters grow up.  I could not see past the immediate moment. That was approximately 32 years ago. 

A lot has happened since that time; but little to relieve our personal fears attached to cancer. I felt some of the same fears all over again, the second time I was diagnosed, 24 years later. Recent literature states that there is no need to fear cancer anymore; that it does not always mean a death sentence.  It is true that there continues to be an extensive amount of money funneling into research and we have better and more specific ways of detecting cancer earlier. As well, there continues to be improved prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements on the market.  But despite all the scientific knowledge and noble intentions, we are still no further ahead in finding a cure. The mortality rate is still very high and unfortunately, has not changed much over the years.  So the fear remains. 

What makes the difference between one person surviving and another not?  I do not profess to know the answer to that question. What I do know is, that whatever the type, the grade, the prognosis, there is fear.  I have learned that the resolution to fear is in what we choose to focus our attention on. Whether you focus on your family, help from the divine, a future goal, perfect health…the focusing is paramount.

In the beginning, I spent so much time attending to the disappointment, the ‘what ifs’ and the things that I might never have. I had to reprogram my mind to concentrate on the things that truly mattered and by doing so, I simplified my thinking. The only thing that really mattered to me was my family and then God.  I read somewhere that we are wired to believe in something beyond us.  We are wired for God.  As I took comfort in the scriptures, my fears began to subside.  I began to develop a deep relationship with the one person who truly loved me the most and that was in the person of Jesus Christ. 

No longer did I fear that the cancer was controlling my life; nor did I fear death. I was influenced and controlled by my own choice of focus, a focus that allowed me to rest in the knowledge that there was a greater picture and that this journey was mine to own. The fear factor became a non-issue for me as I focused on enjoying my life and the power I had to live it; no matter what path it took.

I Am A Cancer Survivor

I am a cancer survivor.  I think I always knew I would be.  When the diagnosis of cancer came, it wasn’t a matter of whether I would live or die; but that I would get through it gracefully and with dignity.  I am the type of person who does not give up easily.  I can be very determined and have been told that I have a very strong will.  I am also not the type of person to just accept what people tell me.  I need to check things out for myself.   Unfortunately, this does get me in trouble sometimes.  But in the case of cancer, this attitude has served me well.  I did not accept the diagnosis from the oncologist that I would die within the year, if I did not follow his advice.   I didn’t believe it.  I believed there had to be something that I could do.   I sought out alternative methods of healing.  It took a lot of discipline to carry on in spite of the facts before me.  However,  I have a very strong belief system.  I did not listen to my friends who could not agree with what I had planned to do.  I stayed the course.  I believed I would be well. 

The dictionary defines a survivor as someone who lives through an affliction.  It’s not easy to be a survivor.  Anyone who watches the TV show “Survivor” would agree.  It takes a lot of determination and self motivation.  To be a survivor is to carry on despite hardships or trauma.  It is to persevere.  You cannot give up when things get tough or in my case you see very little results.

It’s imperative that you have a reason for wanting to survive.  I wanted to live.  I made the choice to believe that I would live and not die.  Then I didn’t look back.  I searched for anything and everything that would help my body to heal.  I read stories about people who were survivors.  What I found was peace and joy in the midst of the situation.  My peace was based on hope that I found from other survivors and from the hope that is found in the Word of God.  I took great comfort from the Psalms.  I repeated over and over verses such as I will lie down and sleep and wake again, because the Lord sustains me and I will not die but live to declare the works of the Lord.  I believe in the power of prayer and it became a way of survival for me.  It helped me to carry on in the face of much opposition from family and friends.

      
I am a cancer survivor not once but twice and if I have learned anything through my experiences it is to go with what you believe is right and stick to it.  I put my faith and trust in God and the power within my body to heal itself.