This will be my last post on the subject of “My Top Five Ways to Conquer Chronic Illness.” We’ve taken a look at each item one by one, and today I’ll combine items #4 and #5 since they’re so closely related.

As a reminder, here are all five as posted originally on April 27^th:

1) Start somewhere.

2)  Become your own health detective.

3)  Have confidence in your decisions.

4)  Do research.

5) Be open to new ideas.

Let’s take a deeper look at items # 4 and #5:

4)  Do research. Self-educate. New ideas/information won’t reach you if you don’t reach out.

5) Be open to new ideas. Some of most important healing principles were once scoffed at. Stop scoffing. Start deciding for yourself what works and what doesn’t.

Have you ever noticed, that once you learn a new word or concept, you see and hear it a bunch of times right away? Or you immediately have an opportunity to put your new knowledge into practice?

That’s why research is so important. It exposes you to concepts and ideas that may be new. And if they’re not new, it deepens and strengthens your understanding of them.

Research isn’t something you do once. It’s an ongoing process. Encourage in yourself, a deep and abiding sense of curiosity. Take nutrition for example. Why is digestive health so vital to healing? Why are food additives and preservatives linked to poor digestive health? How do you go about healing your body from the inside out?

As you research, write down concepts and ideas that are linked to the topics you review. It’s likely if you look up an article on digestive health, you’ll find references to topics such as acid/alkaline imbalance, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. It’s also possible to find references to things seemingly unrelated such as acne, dandruff, or toenail fungus. It’s your job — as a truth sleuth — to fit the puzzle pieces together and come up with your own picture of wellness.

Once you make it a point to expand your search criteria, your healing and treatment options will expand in kind.

And, by the way, when you’re open to new concepts and ideas, they’ll find you, so get ready….