Anatomical
This story I’ve told in bits and pieces of before. It may sound familiar. But today I want to change the lens a little to a wider angle. Anatomical (physical) health is the easiest to recognize and usually the first place we feel unhealthy or any dissatisfaction. So to widen the lens allows us to see anatomy as the main player and how it can cause additional issues as well as the possiblity that overlooked issues in other areas may manifest in the body.
Anatomical
Anatomical wellness involves having an awareness that all parts of our body have a purpose, yet are inextricably connected. The health of our cells and our minds greatly impact the health of our physical body. Anatomical wellness therefore includes being open to receiving help and support in order to create new lifestyle habits that lead to engaging in healthy physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, as well as learning to abstain from addictions that harm our bodies, including drugs, smoking, eating disorders and alcohol abuse. Physical well-being is meant to help us feel confident in our bodies and to have the energy and vitality we desire.
My 13-year-old was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2015. Ulcerative colitis is Crohn's Disease but only in the colon, not the whole digestive tract. From what we can tell, his symptoms started seven years ago, so for two years (probably more) his body rejected food, treating it as though it were a harmful substance. By the time we received the diagnosis, he was frail with dark, sunken eyes and failing to thrive. After the colonoscopy, the doctor remarked about the severity of inflammation and tears in the lining of his colon.
Those two years before having answers were horrific for a 6 year old boy as well as for those who loved him. Try being in kindergarten and first grade and feeling embarrassment at having to raise your hand and ask to go to the bathroom several times a day. Imagine starting school and trying to focus on learning while also fearing whether you’ll be able to make it to the bathroom in time. Imagine being invited to play at a friend’s house and needing to take extra clothes just in case. The symptoms of this disease affected education and relationships in ways that I’m not sure we realized until we were through it and looking back.
Of course we took him to the doctor! Blood work was taken and a food intolerance was determined. Wheat, dairy, and eggs. Think about what a six year old boy eats. No more chicken nuggets, pancakes, pizza, ice cream, or corn dogs. Grocery trips became reading every ingredient, looking for those sneaky ways wheat enters salad dressing. Birthday parties became bringing popsicles for him because he couldn’t participate in the partaking of cake.
Then the vomiting started. Several times a week, several times a day. Waking up to the sounds of running down the hall and retching in the middle of many nights. Taking vacations and holding him over trash cans or burying it in sand. We thought we had been careful. We thought we had avoided all the foods that he couldn’t digest. Suddenly he became fearful to eat. We became fearful of what was really happening to his failing, frail body. It was taking a toll on his dad’s and my jobs, draining our energy and giving this sick little guy all our attention while the other two kids patiently and concernedly stood by.
Two months of this and finally we got a referral to an allergy specialist. The specialist asked one question and knew it had nothing to do with food allergies or intolerances. On to a pediatric GI specialist where he received a colonoscopy, endoscopy and an ulcerative colitis diagnosis.
Fast forward to 2019, and thankfully with the help of our wonderful GI specialist and medication taken daily, he is living the life of a normal healthy 13-year-old. The first thing she said to him after prescriptions were written was that he could go home and eat pizza. To this day, pizza remains his very most favorite food.
Ulcerative colitis didn’t just randomly happen to him. He isn’t a victim. Something (probably the perfect storm of something(s)) stressed out his digestive system and fatigued it to the point of wearing down its protective lining in the colon. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease. His liver is running hot in order to keep up with stressors that happened physically and mentally in the early years of his life. That heat carried over into his colon and caused inflammation and became what we define as ulcerative colitis.
But ulcerative colitis didn’t only affect my son’s colon. Physically, it did. But UC seeped into his learning, his friendships, into our finances, our relationships, our ability to do our jobs, and our foundation of faith.
Current update: When I first shared our story with you, we had just taken him to see an Ayurvedic doctor. We were full of hope for him to be equipped with healing. Not only did his colon heal and he has been able to stop taking medication for nearly a year, but he has grown in every way possible. In strength, stature, confidence, intelligence, friendships––and that has seeped into all of the rest of our hearts with a big sigh of relief and lots of pizza to celebrate!
Take a look at what may be physically ailing you. Has it caused a spiral of suffering? Is there something creating even more symptoms felt physically, emotionally and spiritually? And how do these physical ailments affect things like relationships, jobs and sense of self? Let me tell you a little secret: life isn’t changing. That is to say, the world around you isn’t changing. The externals of life are not all in your control to change. Stress isn’t going anywhere. Heartache isn’t going anywhere. Disappointment, grief, loss, frustration, injury—these things can’t be completely eliminated. So as you look at the interconnectedness of body, mind and soul, the physical symptoms don’t begin to even touch on or speak to the affects these have on our ability to be in relationship, to do meaningful work, or to believe that there is anything greater than ourselves holding this whole thing together.
And it is a whole thing.
As you begin to reflect upon your own satisfaction or dissatisfaction in each area of wellness that we will discuss over the next weeks, I encourage you to work through this process:
Honesty: Be honest with yourself about how unhappy, happy, satisfied or dissatisfied you are in this area of your life. How is that impacting other areas of your life? (whether in positive or negative ways).
Willingness: Be willing and open to seeking help and support as a sign of your intention to begin to invest in your health and well-being.
Community: Invite others into the area(s) of wellness that you identify as unhealthy or one you want to make changes in.
Invest: Choose to invest in yourself by engaging in the classes, services, and education offered at Rise Studios. We are here for you to help with your occupational health and wellness.
If you want to talk more about your specific struggles and hopes for your health and well-being, please contact me. We can set up a free consultation to discuss this, as well as a time to discuss what service you could benefit from.
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Join me next time as we explore the relational aspect of our health and wellness.