Stress over her mother’s health led to lack of sleep. Ann became less focused on her personal responsibilities. She narrowly avoided an accident because her thoughts were not on the road, but on her mother who was now declining in assisted living. Ann received a traffic ticket which was a wake up call, and by now she knew that the stress was impacting her. Ann’s annual physical did not go well. Her blood pressure was elevated and she had an arrhythmia. She was advised to see a cardiologist. Now Ann had something else to worry about. Ann’s health was failing too. Ann had to realize that she could not fix her mother, but she still had the ability to fix herself.
She was not only stressed out, but she had come down with a nasty virus. Having the virus meant that Ann could not visit her mom. Weakened immunity is another outcome of Stress. Ann was willing to make changes to bring her life back under control. We reviewed current eating patterns, her nonexistent exercise routine and the supplements she was taking. We looked at her diet and decided to remove wine, snacks after dinner and all “pretend food”. Finally we created exercise goals. We figured out how much she needed and what type of exercise would help her most, given her current condition. We created a personalized path for Ann to get back in balance.
Ann stayed on course and her journey became easier. The exercise helped with stress. Slowly, exercise elevated her energy levels. Without the stress, she was able to sleep better, think more clearly and make better decisions about dealing with her mother. Getting the” pretend food” out of her diet made a big difference. She was able to replace it with real food that truly fed her body. The supplements we selected for Ann helped support her efforts. Finally, Ann reported the arrhythmia became less and less frequent and then disappeared. Ann will tell you this all took time, persistence, and patience. While this accomplishment was not easy for Ann, it turned the course of her life around.
Ann’s situation today is much improved and affirms that commitment to improving our health can lead to positive results if we are dedicated. Tackling the root of a health problem involves looking for the solution that recognizes your unique challenges. Ann was able to get her life back on track.