Is Your Lifestyle Causing Chronic Illness? Find A Path To Wellness
Triggered by the flu, Jena Ehlers begun experiencing disturbing signs of what was to become a chronic illness. From severe stomach, chest, back and neck pains to food sensitivities, depression and insomnia; she was devastated. Medical doctors only identified IBS as the problem after year-long tests.
It was not until she visited a naturopathic doctor that she started reclaiming her life. This experience triggered her curiosity in matters natural wellness and the causes of chronic ailments. With years of research and her own wellness journey, Jena invites everybody to make the ultimate wellness resolution to lead a clean, healthier and happier life. She shares her wisdom through her blog The Wellness Resolution.
Organic Aromas engaged Jena on this topic and below is the interview;
Q&A Interview With Jena Ehlers
OA: Tell us a bit more about yourself and what you do
Jena: The Wellness Resolution is all about adopting a wellness lifestyle which I feel is something missing in our society. The Wellness Resolution refers to one resolution: to continuously work on living a wellness lifestyle. That is the meaning behind the name. We are not taught enough about the importance of wellness.
You can see that is true based on 2 out of 5 people do not meet federal physical activity guidelines, or that 1 out of 2 Americans don’t drink enough water, or the fact that the majority of Americans consume 3x the amount of sugar that is recommended. I help people to understand the truth about health, what are the lies we are told, why chronic illness is becoming more common, and how to make changes to try and prevent becoming part of 2 out of 5 Americans with a chronic health issue.
The Wellness Resolution is a directional road map on how to take some preventative efforts against chronic illness when the world is becoming incredibly sick. I provide researched facts on why this happening, causes for common chronic illnesses, history, and how to make healthier choices with specific step-by-step ideas.
I have a section devoted to clean eating, general advice on living a wellness lifestyle, flaws in healthcare, toxins, and healthy mind.
OA: You have resources and guides on toxins and how we can live a cleaner life, list for us the top toxins our bodies encounter today
Jena: General categories of toxins that we encounter that affect our health are pesticides, chemical cleaners, skin care products, highly processed foods, and toxins from cooking utensils, plus plastics in general.
Toxins can damage cells and organ systems throughout the body. EWG found babies are born with over 200-300 toxins in their bodies. Every generation is born with a greater toxin load, and then is typically exposed to even more toxins than prior generations in their lifetime. In the last 50 years, food has become increasingly more and more processed. The average person may come in contact with about 100 chemicals just getting ready in the morning. Many are toxic!
Additionally, the CDC reports the average American has traces of at least 29 different pesticides in their bodies. Toxins can damage your DNA making you age faster, damage organs, weaken bones, damage enzymes that are needed for body functions, your neurological health (can cause brain fog), metabolic health (they can cause fatigue), endocrine (thyroid, adrenals, sex hormones), immune health (virus, fungal, bacterial infections), digestion (leaky gut, food intolerances, malabsorption).
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OA: How can we get rid of these toxins, guide us in a few steps
Jena: These are the steps to take
– Read labels, look at sugars, artificial ingredients, and chemicals that sound like a science experiment (fewer ingredients is typically better, unless the ingredients are sugar and sugar).
– If you are unsure of what products are loaded with toxins use EWG website or mobile App. They have a huge database where you can search to see how toxic a product is or search for the safest products in a category.
– Check out EWG Dirty Dozen List for what foods have the most pesticides and try to get organic fruits and vegetables for at least those foods, or at least get farm fresh foods.
– Start with just replacing one category of products (hair care, makeup, soaps, everyday cleaning products) or for food (canned items, snacks, frozen foods, etc.).
– Try cooking more whole food recipes by looking for some paleo recipes. It doesn’t mean you have to go paleo, but it helps you learn to cook with more whole foods.
OA: What role do essential oils play in making sure that we lead a clean life?
Jena: Essential oils can help with a lot of different things including helping with health issues such as allergies, immune health, pains in the body, cognitive health, stress, and more.
Pure, therapeutic essential oils have the benefits of being anti-bacterial, anti-cancerous, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, anti-microbial, anti-tumoral, anti-parasitic, anti-viral and anti-septic. Aromatherapy has been helping people with physical and mental health issues for thousands of years.
Oils send messages to the limbic system (which is in charge of behavioral and emotional responses) and create changes in the body. Essential oils can help with safer skin care products and help with creating safer
cleaning products.
Commercial cleaning and skin care products are loaded with toxins and can be linked to numerous health issues (respiratory problems, lung cancer, heart disease, nervous system disorders, hormone imbalances, birth defects, reproductive problems, allergies, etc.). Essential oils can also help clean the air, be enjoyed for the scents they put into the air, or be used as perfume.
OA: In conclusion, share with our readers 3 misconceptions about health and how we can do better
Jena: One of the biggest misconceptions about health is WHAT IS JUNK FOOD?
We are taught things like: candy, chips, and cookies are junk food. But, anything that is highly processed is junk food. Most packaged food is junk food. We are taught to avoid eating too much sugar.
We are told to eat less sweets, but sugar is hiding in everything! There is a ton of sugar in milk, yogurt, ketchup, peanut butter, bread, fruit juices, salad dressings, soda, etc.
Even foods that are labeled as organic can be loaded with sugar. Also, processed carbohydrates like wheat products turn to sugar in the body, so bread can also be considered junk food. We need to check labels on everything! Track for a day how much sugar you are eating.
Secondly, many people think that there is a QUICK FIX for most health issues.
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People tend to think that if they get sick there is some medication to fix it and everything will be good again. Medication is helpful sometimes, but taking something ongoing can be problematic.
Medication can cause other health problems. For chronic illnesses, it typically doesn’t fix the root of the health issue, and instead just covers up symptoms. Most western medicine tests often don’t get down to the root cause of a health issue either.
For example, sometimes blood work looks normal and a person is told they are fine when they are suffering. Then, a holistic doctor has tests that show there is a problem.
Thirdly, preventative health vs reactionary health is the best idea.
It is super helpful to have an understanding of what causes chronic health issues and work on living a wellness lifestyle. That is what my blog is all about.
Finally, there is a huge misunderstanding on what it means to be HEALTHY.
Society has us thinking that if we have no symptoms or we have the perfect body weight, then we are considered healthy. That is not how health works. Our cellular health is what matters. We have a chronological age based on years on the planet, as well as a biological age based on the health of our cells. With diet and lifestyle changes you can actually turn back the clock on your biological age.
Genes play a role in our health. However, our lifestyle, how we take care of ourselves, plays a much greater role. This is the concept of epigenetics. So in order to do better, we need to pay attention to all areas of wellness: sufficient sleep, drinking enough water, eating more whole foods, avoiding most toxins, managing stress, getting enough exercise, taking proper care of our spine, etc.
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Conclusion
In 1903, Thomas A. Edison in a futurist quote once said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” These words echo true in the present day. Let’s not forget that holistic wellness starts from the mind with gratitude and joy. Voltaire put it this way, “I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.”
