How Long is this Going to Take?

I am often asked:  If I start doing all of the things you suggest today, how long will it take until I start feeling better?   It took me two years of trial and error, reading and research to find out what worked and to get all of the pieces into place. My pain symptoms started getting better with the first step and continued to improve over the time I was developing my plan.  Once I put the last piece of the plan into place, it only took six weeks for all of my symptoms to completely disappear.

That was six months ago.  I have continued to keep chemicals out of my environment, eat very little processed food, and eat mainly whole nutritious foods that are full of anti-inflammatory properties and rich in antioxidants and other nutrients.  I have not had a flareup or return of any of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome that plagued me for years.  I am completely symptom free.

There are doctors and medical researchers investigating this process now.  I find new validation almost every day in the work they are doing that shows that people who get rid of chemical exposure, ditch processed food, and eat whole foods get well.  The time this takes for each person will vary depending on how many chemicals you have been exposed to, how long you have been eating processed food, and how willing you are to be consistent in sticking with the plan.  I had been eating processed food and exposing myself to countless chemicals with little thought of the consequences for over fifty years. 

Once I started making changes the harmful effects of my prior choices reversed. I recovered. It's never too late to start a healthy lifestyle.  I do things every day that would have been impossible for me three years ago.  A few weeks ago I went camping with my grandchildren, hiked through the woods, tromped down to the creek, attended a family reunion, packed and unpacked the camper, drove over a hundred miles from the campsite to our country home to stow the camper, packed the car and drove another hundred miles to our apartment in the city, arrived at seven that night, hauled the luggage to the apartment, and then headed for the grocery store.   When I was sick, attempting to do only a fraction of all that activity would have put me in bed for a week.  But I had a great night's sleep and woke up the next morning refreshed and energized and ready to tackle the tasks of the day.

What do you do between the day you decide to make the necessary changes to improve your health and the day you get better?  You keep on keeping on and you wait.  Having the patience to continually make smart choices for your health while you wait on improvement and recovery is essential.  

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."  

C.S. Lewis