Listen to Your Body

Mother (nature) often knows best

A couple of weeks ago I developed unusual abdominal pain reminiscent of that awful feeling that accompanies intestinal flu. My first thought was nooooooo, I don’t want the flu. My next thought was, ok, let’s see what I can do and how quickly this moves through. A couple of days passed, and I realized that I didn’t have the flu but I still had this twinging that was much worse at night along with uncharacteristic bloating (sorry, trying not to be too graphic). One night, the pain was so intense it woke me up. Oh geez. What on earth is this?!

I felt fine other than this issue, so I put on my layman's lab coat and started to research all the things it could be. By process of elimination, I came to the armchair conclusion that I had most likely picked up some sort of bacteria or parasite in something I ate. Before jumping to see the doctor, I hit the internet to investigate what steps I could take immediately to treat the situation so I wasn’t sitting idle.

Cravings with a purpose
Specifically, the questions I was seeking to answer were: what foods should I be eating to both soothe and heal the upset? Since no other symptoms materialized, I felt confident continuing to treat this on my own. Interestingly, I had already intuitively increased my daily water intake, which is imperative to flush out uninvited guests, and I had such a craving for sweet potatoes I actually baked one for lunch and ate the whole thing…with butter and pepper, of course. I thought it was a bit wacky, but my body was asking for it.

I also had an unshakable urge to try one of these viral one-pan roasted squash soup recipes with the aforementioned squash, carrots, turmeric, onion, garlic, and ginger…so I assembled the pan, roasted the vegetables, and finished with chicken bone broth for good measure. (It proved to be a delicious keeper recipe, by the way. Comment below for the recipe.) Turns out, in my sleuthing, I discovered that my body knew exactly what it needed. For instance, foods high in beta-carotene, which becomes Vitamin A, helps your body resist parasites. Voilà! What may those be? Sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. Even the aromatics and spices that I was craving—the onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric—all help to cleanse the system.

My yearnings for olives (including the juice), vinegar, and cottage cheese also increased. Memories from being pregnant rushed in! Turns out, probiotic-rich fermented foods that rebuild the good bugs are essential for healing, and once again, foods that I was already drawn to—olives, Good Culture cottage cheese, and farmer’s market sourdough bread (more butter)—fit that bill. Pumpkin seeds high in amino acids and berberine are known to damage certain parasites. So, I increased my intake of those. (I especially love sprouted seeds from Go Raw.)

But perhaps my biggest “aha” was honey. The antibacterial properties of this liquid gold date back to 2200 BCE, when it was first mentioned in ancient Egyptian trauma care. As recently as 2021,  a review of studies indicated that the propolis (which is the resin-like material) proved promising against certain kinds of parasites and worms (lovely!). Remembering when I was taking care of my mom and we used medical Manuka honey salve on bed sores, I splurged and purchased the gold standard Manuka honey from New Zealand. Believe it or not, I ate it by the spoonful! Yes, me, who avoids refined sugar, was now—once, sometimes twice a day—dipping a teaspoon into this very expensive honey and licking the spoon clean.

Not to make a long story even longer, after about two weeks of concerted care, I’m happy to say that whatever I had was gone. While I don’t know precisely what it was, the intense pain I experienced subsided a little bit every day, and now I am basically back to normal. It may or may not have been entirely due to my protocol, but it certainly didn’t hurt.

Nature’s wisdom
Our bodies often tell us what they need and warn us about what is coming. For myself, I’ll get a particular type of headache when I’m on the verge of getting ill. (I had a doozy when I got pregnant.) It’s a signal for me to slow down, take extra care, and listen. My husband craves starches when he is coming down with a cold. Apparently, there is solid reasoning behind this. Our bodies' immunity gears up to fight, which often leads to bigger energy demands and requirements. Carbs are quick sources of energy, hence the cravings… which, for my husband, is a cheeseburger. For me, that extra calorie boost came from butter!

To be clear, I don’t only treat ailments naturally; I had promised my husband if my abdominal pain didn’t go away in the timeframe that I was giving it, I’d make an appointment to see a doctor. Although it wasn’t necessary this time, I haven’t hesitated in the past when it was necessary. Several months ago, I wrote about a really nasty bout of shingles that broke out on my face and covered my eyes…super scary. Oddly enough, somehow I knew it was shingles from the very first day: it was the initial thought that popped into my mind when I saw a tiny rash on my forehead and noticed that my eye was watering. Thinking maybe I could treat it, the second day I was slathering on the inner goo from an aloe leaf, but on the third day, I drove myself to urgent care.

Our inner voice
I intuitively knew it was bad and had a gut sense that I needed to seek medical intervention quickly. And, I was right; it turned out to be an intense and potentially dangerous case and I’m thankful that I sought treatment when I did. I don’t think I have any special gift; I believe we all have this innate intuition. It’s simply a matter of listening and acting.

A dear friend and mentor of my husband springs to mind. He was in his mid-seventies and had a nagging malaise for several years, but he chalked it up to all the usual excuses: must be part of getting old, overworked, too much stress… Sadly, by the time he decided to go to the doctor, he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and it took his life within the year.

I would imagine we all know people who avoid going to the doctor and let symptoms persist far too long before taking action… as well as people who are on multiple prescriptions for every little ailment. This latest health episode I had was a reminder to listen carefully to our bodies and reason through the next steps. Unfortunately, I’ve heard disparaging voices in the media ridiculing and dissuading people from doing their own medical research. Although I admit we need to be careful about people diagnosing themselves based on spurious advice online, there are nevertheless reams of sad stories where people have been misdiagnosed for years. Personally, I first do a general search, then cross-reference papers and articles from a variety of sources.

From my experience, knowledge is the first line of defense. I believe we need to strike the balance somewhere in the middle: neither rushing to the doctor at the slightest sniffle nor ignoring our health altogether. Listen to our bodies: arm ourselves with all information available: provide the diet, lifestyle, and care our bodies need, and don’t dismiss the inner voice when it starts ringing alarm bells to seek medical help. Our bodies can tell us the best way to live well, age great.

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