Ten years ago, I read that proper nutrition had the power to heal chronic health challenges including fibromyalgia. I said, “Pshaw!” After all, my rheumatologist said to my face, “It doesn’t matter what you eat.” That was good enough for me.

I so, so, so, wanted to believe that.

But, as I researched and read everything I could get my hands on regarding healing (not masking) my symptoms, I kept coming back to the subject of nutrition. I admit it. It was irritating.

It seemed so simplistic.

In my western medicine mentality, I knew that there was a “pill for every ill.” That made sense to me. If I had PMS cramps, I took a pill to alleviate cramps. If my head hurt, I took a headache medication for that. I believed that every system in my body ran independent of the others.

So, every time I tripped over an article that talked about nutrition healing multiple symptoms, I found it ridiculous.

How could one thing like eating whole foods heal so many different symptoms?

Here’s what I understand now, but didn’t get then.

The body is a complex system of functions and processes. When running at optimum levels, every system of the body communicates with efficiency and ease. When things are gunked up (i.e. chronic health challenges such as fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, etc.), the communications go wonky.

If the whole body is out of balance, healing at the root level is the place to begin.

And, nutrition provides healing at the root level.

Here’s another way to look at it.

Imagine going to your local garden center and telling the clerk that you’d like healthier rose bushes. Would you ask to purchase 5 separate fertilizers? One for the roots, one for the stems, one for the leaves, one for the thorns, and another for the blooms?

That’s just silly.

A fertilizer that feeds the rose bush at the root level, feeds the entire plant.

In the same way, healthy, whole, healing nutrition can feed and restore the body at the root level.

My goal now – when working with clients – is to begin the journey of healing through nutrition, and then assess whatever else needs to be addressed.

Alternatively, if we address each symptom as it comes up, we’re only tackling the issues at the surface level. It’s far more efficient to start with the fundamentals of healing – nutrition, and by default, the digestive system. In this way, we can address multiple symptoms at once.

Did you know we can also address multiple diagnoses at once?

This is another confusing topic. How can a few basic principles help many conditions such as fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, arthritis, autoimmune disease, obesity, depression, MS, thyroid dysfunction, hormone dysfunction, cancer and more? Because, when we begin to heal from the inside out, we alleviate the root causes of what creates dis-ease in the first place. Because we’re each unique, our expressions of imbalance differ. So, we may have varying diagnoses, but we can all heal at varying levels, too.

So, now I get it.

Is this something that you’ve found confusing, too? Share your comments below!