The Complexities of Naturally Healing a Chronic Disease

"Just because "they" say there is no cure;
it does not mean that you can't get better.
It only means that "they" haven't figured it out yet.
That's all it means.
It does not mean that you can't get better."
- Catherine Simone

So I have a lot of things going on in my mind right now and I just want to get them off my chest. So sorry if it sounds a little rocky. I just want to stress a few things that are important to understand about natural healing.

So often we are told that Interstitial Cystitis is an incurable, chronic disease. When I was diagnosed, I believed this. I was in pain, suffering, and hopeless, taking pills and not getting anywhere. I did this for a year without really changing any of my other habits, besides for a slight IC Diet modification. After a while, I decided I had enough of all this devastation. I had let IC take over my life and it had crushed my hopes, dreams, and spirit. I had passed the responsibility of my own health onto these strangers who had no idea what causes IC or how to treat it. So, I decided to take my health back into my own hands. I decided to mindlessly stop paying the big pharmaceutical companies because they weren't doing me any good and start finding my own way to heal my body naturally. I decided to search for the cause and the cure to my problems. I did not want to live or "manage" a life with IC anymore.

(Please note that I am not degrading modern medicine, for it does have great uses in lots of different scenarios. However, I believe that it is not helpful for many chronic conditions.)

There is a growing number of individuals out there who are refusing to accept that IC is incurable and have managed to heal themselves of IC. I am one of them. It is possible. But it's not going to be easy.

You've got to remember that there is no quick-fix with IC. It took your body a lot time to build up all those toxins and get sick, so it's going to take a long time to get the toxins out and regain your health. With Western medicine, we are used to these easy-outs, a quick pill that solves all our problems with little effort. But with a chronic condition like IC, this method is not going to cure anything, it is simply covering up the symptom of a much bigger problem. Natural healing focuses on restoring health by detoxifying and regenerating the whole body, and this takes time and effort. But the results of long-lasting health and definitely worth it.

I just want to stress the fact that everyone's healing path is going to be different. So what worked for me, or someone else, may or may not work for you. That's why it is important to look at all your options. Do loads of research in your spare time! Read articles and books, watch documentaries, etc. about IC, diet, and natural healing methods. See what other people have done, learn about the body, and most importantly, learn to listen to your body. Read the signs your body gives you! If your stomach/bladder hurts after you eat something, then what did you eat that caused that? If you have constipation, what do you think caused it? Try to interpret what your body is telling you and make adjustments in your life to attempt to counteract the issue. I advocate the things that I do because they worked for me and I want to spread the message. But my way is not the only way! It may or may not help you. That's why it is important to know all your options and make decisions based on your own situation. I firmly believe that IC has many different causes, so therefore, there will be many different ways to heal it. That is why it is important for you to research, listen to your body, and try to figure out what causes your specific case of IC (and other related conditions). Then you will get a better idea of how to treat it. Once you know the cause, you can try to remedy it.

The fact that there are many different ways to heal brings me to my next point. Healing your IC is about whole body health! A healthy diet is only one part to the whole. Same goes for things like herbs, supplements, physical therapy, yoga, exercise , meditation, getting sun, etc. When using all these different aspects of healing, you will experience much more results than just using one or two.

So really, it's all about lifestyle change. Somehow, our current lifestyle has caused us to get sick with IC and maybe other related conditions too (I had GERD, allergies, lactose intolerance, and eosinophilic esophagitis, others have IBS, fibromyalgia, etc...) It's time to take charge of our health and change the lifestyle that created our health problems. The time is now.

“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it."
-Albert Einstein