Eliminating FEAR of the lack of affordable,  attainable and responsible healthcare is right at the top of my list for becoming more self reliant. If I am not healthy I can't do any of the other activities required to depend upon myself. I am not an "expert", but I don't need to be a physician to know that if I am well I don't need a doctor.

The many reasons for taking complete responsibility for one's own health is more prescient than ever before in the modern Western world. Medical errors in hospitals are now the third leading cause of death in America and largely for reasons other than the one the patient was admitted for. Doctors are quitting in frustration of government oversight and insurance rules, there is an ever growing shortage of nurses, and costs related to healthcare and even many other expenses you might not connect to expensive medical care are skyrocketing. To top it off the United States has now sunk to #35 in ranking of countries in the world with the highest life expectancy.

This is not another rant on all that is wrong with our current systems and practices. Rather this is about us empowering ourselves to be relatively free of the machine that has become so pervasive and insidious. Steps we can take now, by simply making the decision and acting upon it, can change the outcome of our lives. With all the freedoms we gripe about having "lost", why not take back the most essential?

It is my opinion that the hardest part of the process is making the firm decision to change. This can be difficult because it goes against the mainstream thought, involves challenging ideas stated as facts from "experts", and you will suffer the criticism of others who will seek to label you as different. I speak from experience as I was one of those who would tag people as "one of those organic nuts". Now I proudly count myself among those wacky granola crunchers, the gluten free variety to boot.

Each equally important and deserving of separate and lengthy conversations, adequate exercise, sleep and clean water are all essential elements to being well. Aside from these, the rest can be simplified as what you put into your body that boosts or detracts from your health and which toxins your body takes in and is able to purge. How we go about doing this does not have to be complicated or expensive. Let's start with the first potential problem in our programming: the lawn.

Ah the modern dream, to live in a pretty house on a clean street with a manicured lawn absent of weeds. That was me! Wonderful green grass, no pesky dandelions popping up and a sprinkler system on timers to boot, I was living the good life.

But as will happen when one begins to question everything, I made an important discovery. Weeds are a lifesaver. I do mean that quite literally. A weed is defined as: plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially:  one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants. Now who do you suppose helped us to decide what was and wasn't "desirable" and why do these "weeds" usually have such powerful growth?

Dandelions, peppermint, Queen Anne's lace, red clover, burdock, yarrow, chickweed, plantain, milkweed, horse thistle and so many more will grow effortlessly if fertilizer and weed killers have not been applied to their environment. If you don't have a yard to let these helpful plants to grow, they will often do quite well in a container on a patio or balcony. That is why they say, they grow like weeds.

These plants which grow wild can easily be added to our lifestyles with a bit of forethought. I grow peppermint to use in tea for stomach aches. We regularly drink organic dandelion root, sometimes burdock root to detoxify unwanted impurities from our bodies. I have comfrey salve for muscle injuries or sprains and various leaves from medicinal plants to add to our salads.

Another readily available source of natural medicine is found in common kitchen spices, the fresher the better. Basil, rosemary, thyme and cilantro have enormous medicinal qualities. They are anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory aside from a plethora of other great benefits. Once one dives into the treasure trove of free information on the internet, it is hard not to reach the "ah-ha" factor and wonder why this isn't taught in grade school. But this is not that type of article either.

Fresh foods are the next in line for reclaiming complete responsibility for your health. This is where those cliches apply. You are what you eat. (For years I was a chocolate chip cookie, now I'm a strawberry.) Garbage in, garbage out. (That fast food only hinders your metabolism.)

The closer your food is to being alive, the less that has been done to it before it is eaten, the better it usually is for you. This includes eliminating processed foods from your diet, something very hard to do. I have found the simplest way to go about doing this is substitution. Each week, take one item you eat regularly that isn't healthy and replace it with something nutritious that you enjoy. For instance, I replaced my baked potato toppings of butter, sour cream and bacon bits with onions and green pepper sautéed in coconut oil with a smidge of Worcestershire sauce. I substituted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for potato chips. I started packing a homemade salad to go instead of stopping when out and about for restaurant food.

These healthy changes can easily be applied to those with a prepping mentality. Trail mixes of your favorite nuts and dried fruits can be stored for some time. There are endless recipes for fresh foods that are steamed or lightly pan fried to smother those rice and beans with the right spices. Garden veggies canned or dehydrated after being fresh picked are leaps healthier than those processed with chemicals added.

Of course, it is usually possible to find out the source of your food when it is fresh. When produced in your own yard or bought at a farmer's market, you can discover whether it was grown organically and often from what type of seeds. Most farmers who use Monsanto will proudly let you know so you can make the "Round-Up Ready" decision then. Likewise, paying a bit more for chicken or beef that is grass fed and free range raised often also affords the information as to whether they were raised using antibiotics and steroids. These practices have been shown to have a direct impact on your health and you do have choices.

So after the decision is made to take direct responsibility for one's own health, and with fresh eyes and a new potential outlook, a study has begun of helpful (free) weeds, spices easy to produce at home, fresh fruits and vegetables, also producible on patios, in window boxes and small raised beds, there is the matter of belief. Whether or not a person "believes" something will aid in healing them or cause them to be ill can make all the difference.

It has been scientifically proven that when one is certain a cure will work, that it can indeed heal, even if it is a simple sugar pill or distilled water. This indicates that indeed, the mind is capable of participating in, perhaps even directing our bodies to either be repairing or decaying. Even our emotions trigger the production and release of natural chemicals in our system that facilitate or prohibit the healing process. It seems that our bodies are equipped with all the right repairs tools to get the job done so long as we don't stand in our own way.

Absolutely none of this information is new or revolutionary. It has been used successfully for many thousands of years. Documentation shows ancient healers in India, China, Native American cultures, ancient Egypt and the African continent all used various methods of just what this article is proposing you consider to approach health from the viewpoint of keeping your whole self well.

Obviously, the need to rely upon emergency medicine still exists. The ability to be treated for an injury or unexpected severe illness is of the utmost importance. But what we are addressing here is the ability to become healthy, to remain in that state and to become responsible for our own ongoing wellness.

Ultimately, we are responsible for our own choices. Some choose to lament the system we were raised to rely upon where we counted on competent medical advice and treatments from experts.  Others are stepping up and managing their own future. The consequences of this decision will be something each person will have to live with. By eliminating the FEAR and being proactive in personally managing your health, you will have taken a vital step towards being well and thriving regardless of the unknowns you may face.

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2013/09/23/stunning-news-on-preventable-deaths-in-hospitals/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-29/presenting-inflation

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/06/08/obamacare-shoving-doctors-out-of-private-practice.aspx

http://lissarankin.com/10-alternative-careers-for-doctors

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/05/07/ozy-nursing-shortage/8807937/

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weed

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/05/17/10-medicinal-weeds-that-may-grow-in-your-backyard/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/medicinal-herbs-common-uses.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/04/9-healing-herbs-and-how-to-use-them-in-your-cooking.aspx

http://www.ladybridget.com/h/medspcs.html

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/guide/health-guide-medicinal-spices

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Use-Your-Mind-Body-Connection-to-Heal

http://preventdisease.com/news/14/060314_Your-Subconscious-Mind-Can-Do-Anything.shtml

http://preventdisease.com/news/13/120513_Researchers-Show-How-Mindfulness-Thoughts-Can-Induce-Specific-Molecular-Changes-Genes.shtml

http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Herbal-Medicine-The-Most-Ancient-Form-of-Healing

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