The Wake-Up Call Before the Wake-Up Call
Are You Hitting “Snooze” On Your Alarm Clock?
I was conversing with someone this week that commented that a lot of people who are in our age bracket are mindlessly moving through their life wondering if this is how it is supposed to be and wishing for something better. In a bit of a rant she asked “But what is it that’s better and what is the cost? We have gotten comfortably numb in our so called safe modes and what we have created around us. There are shackles of doing the right thing, the expectations of others we have allowed to place on us and the big fear of breaking out or even worse, looking up and realizing this is it. If we are holding all those things up, how can we ever let them down? It sure would be nice just to ….. exhale.”
Sound familiar?
In 2008, I had life pretty good. I was running my own IT company that I had started with a business partner in 2005, we were hoping it would take off and make us lots of money. And when it wasn’t, I started really doubting myself. My inside voice (my Inner Fiend) kept calling me a loser, told me the company wasn’t succeeding because I wasn’t good enough. My business partner kept talking to me as if our lack of success was all because of me and I wasn’t being successful selling enough. In hindsight, I realize that he wasn’t really talking to me that way, but that is how I was interpreting it. I was responsible for all the failures. I never stood up for myself, I just kept trekking along hoping things would improve, but they never really did. And then I got sick, with rheumatoid arthritis.
Since then I’ve been on a hell of a journey and if I knew then what I know now, I’m pretty sure I never would have gotten sick. But getting sick was a huge wake-up call for me. If I hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t know what I know now and I wouldn’t be living how I’m living now.
Over the past year and a half, I have constantly been searching for answers to the root cause of dis-ease, and since my disease is an autoimmune condition I have focused more of my readings in that area. The consistent theme that is resonating with me is that the impact of our thoughts has a strong correlation with autoimmune condition. In an autoimmune condition (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, vitiligo, lupus, thyroid condition, etc.), the body is literally attacking itself. The immune system slips into overdrive and attacks the body from within, resulting in an autoimmune disorder. But why? While the medical community still doesn’t really know the answer to that question, there have been many studies that have shown a tie in between our thoughts and the resulting condition.
Have you ever paused to think about your limiting beliefs? Many of us have the same ones. I’m not good enough, I’m not lovable, if I say what’s on my mind I might offend someone, I’m not worthy, it’s all my fault, I’m going to fail, if I don’t do something perfectly I’ll be criticized for it. The list goes on and on. You probably have a few of your own that resonate with you. Maybe you have mommy issues, or daddy issues, or abandonment issues. We all have them. The more I read, the more this tie in makes sense to me, especially with autoimmune conditions. If I was walking around all the time thinking that I wasn’t good enough, it was all my fault, and I was a failure, then I was literally beating myself up on the inside. It also makes all the sense in the world to me that my body would respond in kind and start beating itself up. And in my humble opinion, that’s exactly where my autoimmune condition came from.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year talking to people about limiting beliefs and helping people realize that the beliefs we have really exist only in our own minds. I don’t know anyone else out there that’s telling me that I’m not lovable, I’m a loser, and it’s all my fault. Nope, it’s just me.
So a couple other thoughts have started to show up in a recurring fashion:
- Is there a correlation between our limiting beliefs, stress and other types of disease like cancer and heart conditions?
- If we could understand and shed our limiting beliefs, would we be less likely to develop disease in the first place?
- Even after we develop disease, could we shed our limiting beliefs and have the body return to a condition where it could start to heal itself?
The good news is that there is scientific evidence showing a possibility that all of these things could be true. But you know what, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the scientific evidence. I’m glad it’s there and people that want to look at the scientific side of things can do so, but I just want to be happy. And I want to live every day of my life such that if I were to go tomorrow, I’d have no regrets. There wouldn’t be anything I looked back on wishing I had tried but never got around to it. What I do recognize is that when I’m happy and doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and I’m not beating myself up, then life is really good.
One of the recurring thoughts I have now is “Healer, heal thyself.” And I’m doing the work. And you know what I think of myself now? I am good enough. I’m not a loser. I don’t doubt myself. I’m not responsible for everything around me. That doesn’t mean that fear doesn’t slip in every once in a while and ask me if I’m sure, but I’ve learned how to work with those thoughts.
I’ve also started to get very bold and I want to do something that really makes a difference. My last blog suggested that the possibility of eradicating disease was just around the corner. And I’m sticking to that. And I’m telling anyone that will listen. I’m issuing a Wake Up Call for people to shed their limiting beliefs and start STEPping into their own greatness. I will be encouraging people to recognize what’s going on in their lives that is eating away at them, and to start dealing with those things now before they get the big wake-up call. I wish I had received this wake-up call before my disease gave me a big wake-up call. Having said that, my big wake up call could have been a lot worse.
Everybody is good enough, everybody is perfect the way they are, but not everybody has taken the time to appreciate their own true value. Many are way more worried about the things they can’t do, or how they think they have to take responsibility for other people’s shi+ show. And as soon as people start to realize that they need to take care of themselves first, they can then truly start to STEP into their own greatness. It’s amazing how when they do this, the Universe steps in to help.
“Once we slice away the muddle obscuring our own value, we will have the time.”
“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” (Mark Caine).
Back to that rant from my colleague, I think I’ve answered the question. And now I think I’ll simply ….. exhale.
Is this your wake-up call? Are you going to hit the “Snooze” button?
Love you,
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Namaste, Ken
Written by Ken
Ken Jaques describes himself as a Health Care Evolutionary, Community Builder, and Speaker. True healing begins when we treat root causes instead of just masking symptoms. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2008, Ken has experienced many facets of the health care system. As “the only patient who ever lost their hair on this low of a dosage of chemotherapy” – as spoken by his rheumatologist – Ken has been on an amazing journal of self-discovery, a journey of true healing. In his blog, Ken shares stories of how his beliefs have changed over the past few years, and how they are still changing. Is it possible that our bodies can heal themselves? Do we really have to live without hope after we receive a chronic illness diagnosis? These are the types of questions that Ken encourages people to ask themselves as they embark on their own physical or emotional healing journey.
Ken is creating a platform to connect People, Patients, Practitioners, Partners and Promoters, enabling a collaborative effort to help shift the focus on health from I-llness to We-llness. Check out the pilot at www.myHealthyCommunity.ca.
“When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’, even I-llness becomes WE-llness” ~ Malcolm X
Ken, I’ve been enjoying your blog and your ideas. I’ve been having similar conversations with myself lately. I think I create my own stress with my thoughts. I have to do this and I have to do that and my clients are so demanding and there’s no way I’m going to get it all done, etc etc etc…
Now I’m working on changing the way I think with a Buddhist philosophy. Nothing remains the same and everything changes. It all passes and moves on so don’t let it stress me. Clients come and go and that’s just how life works.
I’m also starting to put limits on what I do. Yes, I can do that, but I really don’t like it so I’m not going to do that anymore. I need to have more focus and be good at a few things. I find when I try to do too much in my business, I become paralyzed and that’s not a good thing.
Hi Im Chris, Both diseases are aumoutmine diseases. in aumoutmine diseases the bodys own cells become overactive and start attacking either one part of the body (as is the case pretty much in these, with aumoutmine hepatitis it is the liver, in Celiac it is an intolarance to foods that are strachy, sugared, etc). In other disease like Lupus, MS, and others they are more widespread and attack the entire body or more bodily functions or systems.I personally have Lupus, Sjgrens and Autoimmune Hepatitis.I Know a little about Celiac disease so I did some research, so I will let you know about how they diagnose that first. Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in products we use every day, such as stamp and envelope adhesive, medicines, and vitamins. to diagnose it they do several things. How is celiac disease diagnosed?Recognizing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. In fact, sometimes celiac disease is confused with irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia caused by menstrual blood loss, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, intestinal infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome. As a result, celiac disease is commonly underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.Recently, researchers discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies in their blood. Antibodies are protective proteins produced by the immune system in response to substances that the body perceives to be threatening. Autoantibodies are proteins that react against the body’s own molecules or tissues. To diagnose celiac disease, physicians will usually test blood to measure levels ofImmunoglobulin A (IgA) anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA) IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA) Before being tested, one should continue to eat a regular diet that includes foods with gluten, such as breads and pastas. If a person stops eating foods with gluten before being tested, the results may be negative for celiac disease even if celiac disease is actually present.If the tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, the doctor will perform a small bowel biopsy. During the biopsy, the doctor removes a tiny piece of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi. To obtain the tissue sample, the doctor eases a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and stomach into the small intestine. Using instruments passed through the endoscope, the doctor then takes the sample.What is the treatment?The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet. When a person is first diagnosed with celiac disease, the doctor usually will ask the person to work with a dietitian on a gluten-free diet plan. A dietitian is a health care professional who specializes in food and nutrition. Someone with celiac disease can learn from a dietitian how to read ingredient lists and identify foods that contain gluten in order to make informed decisions at the grocery store and when eating out.For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet. The small intestine is usually completely healed in 3 to 6 months in children and younger adults and within 2 years for older adults. Healed means a person now has villi that can absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream.In order to stay well, people with celiac disease must avoid gluten for the rest of their lives. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the small intestine. The damage will occur in anyone with the disease, including people without noticeable symptoms. Depending on a person’s age at diagnosis, some problems will not improve, such as delayed growth and tooth discoloration.OK That is the Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment after the diagnosis. Onto The aumoutmine Hepatitis, I will use personal experience and some information from a website.Autoimmune Hepatitis has nothing to do with Hepatitis A, B, or C. It is not contagious in any way shape or form. It can stand alone as it’s own aumoutmine disease or can be triggered by another. Usually either Sjogren’s or Lupus (SLE). Usually Sjogren’s. It can also be called Lupoid Hepatitis.The symptoms most common are an extended painful upper abdomen, jaundice, Enlarged Liver, Itchiness, Fatigue, joint pain, skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, loss of appitite, dark urine, pale or grey stools.I remeber looking 5 months pregnant though I didnt eat.There are several steps of testing. First are abnormal basic Liver function tests AST, ALT, Billirubin, Sometimes a Positive ANA (Antinuclear Antibody, also found in other aumoutmines like Lupus, sjogrens, and others), a positive Anti-Smooth Muscle Test Or its inititls (sp) SMA. The pattern and level of these test help distinquish which disease may be going on. In addition you more than likely will have a liver biopsy. I had one. I had no problems. I had it, woke up was on side, and wanted to leave.. they wanted me to stay. I stayed for awhile. But not all people wake up as well as I do from surgery. I was a bit sore.Right now there are two mainstream treatments, I do not use either one, both do not work on me. Those treatments are Prednison (a class of medical steroids), and Imuran (an Immunosuppresent, used for transplant paitents, and other sutoimmune diseases). In the last several years, They have found that the medication first used for gallstones and galbladder disease called Actigall is very effective along with the natural herb Milk Thisle. Those are what my Rhuemotologists use on me. She swears by both. I was getting very close to a transplant list. I did need some IV chemo, but with that and those two other therapies I am in total remisson. In fact with proper care 7 out of 10 paitents will go into remisson. Many may still have mild attacks, mine come and go. Both disease are not desirable. No aumoutmine disease is, but with proper care and following your doctors orders both can be controlled. I do co-own an aumoutmine support group, we do a lot of Lupus, but we are a mixed bag of everything, mainly females but male and female.Good luckAny questions email me at Im good for the aumoutmine Hepatitis Was this answer helpful?
Celiac Disease:What is celiac diaesse?Celiac diaesse is an immune system disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods with gluten are eaten. Glutens are a form of protein found in some grains-notably wheat, barley, and rye. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients, especially fat, calcium, iron, and folate. Celiac diaesse also may be called celiac sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, or nontropical sprue.What causes celiac diaesse?The exact cause of celiac diaesse is not known, but inheriting or developing certain genes increases your susceptibility. You are more likely to have these genes and get celiac diaesse if you have a first-degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister, son, or daughter) with the condition. In some genetically predisposed people, environmental factors, possibly viral or bacterial infections, may cause changes in the small intestine; then, eating gluten can trigger an abnormal or irregular immune system response, resulting in celiac diaesse.Autoimmune Hepatitis:Autoimmune hepatitis triggers the body to attack its liver cells, as if the liver cells were harmful foreign bodies. Patients with a combination of HCV and autoimmune hepatitis generally suffer from more debilitating symptoms than patients with HCV alone. Autoimmune hepatitis is associated with other autoimmune illnesses, including thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid), diabetes mellitus, and ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the intestines). Although only a few patients with HCV develop autoimmune hepatitis, these patients appear to have a genetic predisposition that makes them more likely to develop autoimmune hepatitis, compared to HCV-infected individuals without that predisposition.Below are some frequently asked questions about the complex relationship between HCV and autoimmune hepatitis.Q. What are the Symptoms of Autoimmune Hepatitis?A. The most common symptom is fatigue. Recurrent jaundice frequently develops in severe cases.Extrahepatic features (those that involve organs and tissue other than the liver) result from the immune system harming] other organs of the body. These symptoms can include amenorrhea (absence of menstrual period), bloody diarrhea (due to ulcerative colitis), abdominal pain, arthritis, rashes, anemia, glomerulonephritis (a form of kidney diaesse), dry eyes, and dry mouth.Symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis tend to develop slowly over a period of several weeks or months.Q. What Causes These Symptoms?A. When the immune system becomes activated, as in the case of an autoimmune diaesse, there is increased production of inflammatory cells (T-cells), antibodies, and other inflammatory mediators (chemicals). The overactivated immune system can lead to systemic symptoms of fatigue and low grade fever. Some of the extrahepatic symptoms, such as glomerulonephritis and arthritis, are due to deposits of antibodies that accumulate in the kidney or joints, leading to damage in those tissues.This should give you some details that may help you understand the difference. Was this answer helpful?