Let me make one thing perfectly clear…
I love red wine, chocolate and I eat meat. In fact, I could probably write a blog post on every one of those topics, but for today, I will write about raw food healing. It probably seems like a oxymoron that I, who am not a perfect raw foodist, will share my insights about how powerful it is to the system and how amazing it makes you feel.
I am not perfect and to be honest, I debated about even writing this blog post because I always felt that in order to talk-the-talk, you had to walk-the-walk. In other words, do it all-or-nothing 100% of the time. But in the great words of Arthur Ashe, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Last month, I attended a raw food healing retreat with a life long friend who has been diagnosed with MS. It was a ten day retreat in Atlanta where we were taught how to prepare raw food dishes and raw veggie smoothies. We also learned about different types of emotional healing techniques, colonics, and massage (the trifecta of any good holistic retreat).
I am a big believer in preventative measures, it’s the main reason I have invested so much time and money into learning how the body heals itself. This goes against the typical American viewpoint of “wait-until-I’m-on-my-deathbed-before-making-changes”. I was one of twenty six people who attended the retreat and one of only two who were perfectly healthy. Everyone else had some kind of issue and chronic disease they were dealing with. Let me tell you this: when you are faced with some kind of health challenge, it can be very hard to make choices about your treatment plan, especially if it goes against the mainstream. Friends, family, even the Western medical establishment will think you are crazy to try anything different than “status quo”.
This is precisely why you need to educate yourself now. It will give you peace of mind when you need it most.
There are several raw food retreats you can attend around the U.S. and abroad, but they are very expensive. Having attended several of these, I can tell you the basis is the same for all of them, and being completely submerged into a raw food lifestyle is paramount to success (for me anyway). However, I have also done a three week DIY raw juice retreat with my friend at her house and been just as successful. (For the record, the best bang for your buck as far as a retreat goes is the Joe Cross Reboot. http://www.rebootwithjoe.com)
But what if you don’t have a lot of money and want to learn about the same healing modalities as they teach in these retreats? YouTube and Amazon are your best friends. I am also going to share with you my personal favorite alternative practitioners.
Maurice Loeb Perhaps one of the best speakers I have ever heard. Maurice considers himself an educator of health promoting common-sense medicine. Maurice is called upon to speak on a plethora of health subjects and communicates in a way everyone understands. He is a nationally certified phlebotomist and Certified in the field of Microbiology called Microscopy. He makes the connection of how our emotions can trigger biological changes and how the lack of our inner wellness effects our emotional state. Included in his live blood viewing is a personal assessment of lifestyle, environmental and emotional bioterrain analysis. Maurice will personalize your personal detox program while at home or when attending one his retreats. The retreat experiences are life changing. http://www.vitaldetox.com
Dr. George Love Dr. Love is a doctor in the ancient sense as teacher and he is a physician in the ancient sense as one who knows and understands the physical laws of healing. After thirty years of clinical experience Dr. Love has distilled the essence of illness and the nature of true health into a few select teachings. “Avoid adrenal exhaustion and cultivate your essence with daily Qigong.” Zhen Wu teaches Meridian Qigong in Boca Raton and in Margate at the University of Martial Arts. As Lung Qing Qi Gong lineage holder, Zhen Wu (Dr. Love) continually refers to ancient wisdom. His teachings are the Science of Health and Happiness, a monthly intensive taught ten times a year. The two main courses are Unlock 4 Doors to Health- a weekend workshop and 21 Days to Wellness a four week course. http://www.lovechinesemedicine.com/
Ann Wigmore – She founded the Hippocrates Health Institute and is considered the foremost researcher on the benefits of wheatgrass. Any book written by her is excellent.
Dr. Bernard Jensen – Everything you ever wanted to know about your bowel health and more! His book, Tissue Cleansing for Bowel Management is a classic, selling over one million copies. Find him on Amazon and get every used book he has written.
Healthy Healing by Linda Page
Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation by Andreas Moritz
Gerson Therapy (for chronic diseases) by Charlotte Gerson
The Tapping Solution (for pain management) by Nick Ortner
Those should keep you busy for awhile.
Beyond the natural healing that occurs with eating raw food and juices, one of the things you will notice when you start eating this way, is how much energy you have and how beautiful your skin will look. Like. A. Teenager. Which brings me to my next point, if it’s so great, why don’t I do it 100% percent of the time? GREAT question, and one I ask myself every time fall back into my old lifestyle. I guess it’s because I’m not sick, and I do enjoy the fun times I have when I am sharing a bottle of wine with my friends. Life (to me anyway), is about balance.
I love to be able to experience everything life has to offer without guilt, and to be able to fully be in the moment. I also have developed a routine that supports me (pro-biotics, yoga, supplements, etc.) which help balance some of the lifestyle choices I choose. It works for me. I choose the “will this bring me joy?” question when in doubt, and if does, I do it with no regrets!