Dear Doctor:
I had a decidedly mortal experience this week, one that reinforces my immense
gratitude for being an essentially healthy person, inspiring me to pursue a
lifetime of the healthiest expression I can muster.
I’ve been traveling so much recently, that I guess the law of averages caught up
with me, and I must have eaten some bad food. Shortly thereafter, my body had
what Dr. Morter describes as a “perfect response” – in this case, about 36 hours
of serial projectile vomiting and toxic diarrhea.
Hugging the bowl in one of those on-plane bathroom stalls is challenging enough,
but honestly, you haven’t done it all until you’ve hurled into a garbage can at
baggage claim, with the derelicts nodding knowingly and everyone else pretending
not to notice, for fear they might be asked to do something.
I was actually fine with being ignored, unaccustomed as I was to that level of
public humiliation, but while going for the world’s barfing record, a few things
occurred to me.
First, while we refer to the situation I was dealing with as ”getting sick,” it
was really the opposite. This was a concerted effort by my body’s inner wisdom
to clean up the mess and purge the system of the poison, as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
My second thought was that because I was starting with a foundation of health
and wellness, I would probably get through the discomfort faster and better than
someone who hadn’t taken the same responsibilities as me. Even in the midst of
such internal upheaval (not the greatest selection of words, perhaps) I was
convinced that I was better equipped to deal with this turbulence than most, and
somehow it eased my mind, if not my alimentary canal.
Finally, I realized that others were probably suffering similarly, and I wished
them a speedy recovery, knowing that it would depend on just how well their
bodies dealt with this adversity. I hoped they wouldn’t try to interfere and
reduce the “symptoms,” misinterpreting the body’s correct procedure under the
circumstances.
Now, anyone can chow down on tainted grub and risk the same consequences, but I
will say this. Given the difficulty of the scenario, I feel pretty good about
the way I showed up, only missing most of one day of work, but more importantly,
managing my state and attitude for maximum return.
They say that character isn’t built in a crisis, it’s just displayed there, and
that can also be said about the investment we make in our own wellbeing. By
making good decisions and lifestyle choices along the way, we improve our
chances for that “perfect response” to be as comfortable, or at least as
effective as possible, as innate intelligence guides us back toward optimal
everyday function. It certainly is a strong incentive to discover wellness, so
we can reasonably expect to handle all setbacks gracefully.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle
PS You could buy them a fruit cake – or, you can make your gifts count for
something more this year by shopping in The Masters Circle Store! Books, CDs,
DVDs, a subscription to TMCtv – don’t settle for after shave lotion when you can
pick a present that will add something to someone’s life and practice that makes
a difference. Put knowledge, wisdom, motivation and perspective on your gift
list this year, and you’ll feel that you did more than just check someone off
your list -- to see all the options, please go to
www.themasterscircle.com or call
Andy at 800-451-4514. Happy Holidays!
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