When my mother was 30, 40 or 50 years old, was she sick? No.
Did she have any sick friends? No, not that I can recall.
Were she and her friends complaining about arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes or any other chronic illness? No.
My mother didn’t have sick friends. Not one of her friends were obese. They came in all shapes and sizes, but I can’t think of one friend that I would refer to as obese.
Were they health obsessed? No.
When my mother was between the ages of 40 and 50 years old, she was in her prime. I honestly don’t remember any discussions that she may have had with her friends, indicating any health issues. There were no prescription medication comparison between them and no one had a pill box. If those conversations existed, I wasn’t privy to them. My mom and her friends seemed to be having the time of their lives. They partied hard (without recreational drugs). During those years, none of them were regulars at the doctors office.

When my grandmother was 40 years old, she wasn’t sick. Neither was she at 50 or 60 years old. It wasn’t until she was about 70 years old that her health began to decline. Might I add that 70 is still young.  Neither my grandmother nor my mother was health conscious. One thing they had in common is cooking from scratch and a passion for life. My mother throws everything in the oven and my grandma was more of a braising/stewing everything kinda cook. They rarely ate out.
My grandma is 90 years old and still blessed!

Why am I even talking about this?
It hurts me to watch my close friends and relatives suffer and deplete their quality of life from these chronic illnesses. I am 45 years old. I AM YOUNG. I have friends ranging from 30 to 45 and some close to 50 years old and most of them are sick with chronic illnesses that can easily be reversed. Nowadays, every other person I come in contact with are usually suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), thyroid issues, acid reflux, ulcers and a laundry list of illness, that they have accepted as normal. Some try to justify their illness with the thought that they are getting older. When did older equate to sickness? Some are no longer here with us today, because they have transitioned into the next life.
If my grandmother’s health didn’t begin to decline until she was well into her 70’s, then why are 30 and 40 year’s old, so accepting of the health issues she had in her 70’s? Are environmental toxins seeping into our bloodstreams 40 years earlier than they should?
And do you really believe that people nowadays are living longer that our forefathers?
On the SAD (Standard American Diet)? Where?
You can continue to read the ‘so called’ statistics or you can observe what’s really going on.

I don’t treat my grandma like a sick old lady.
I wish most individuals would banish the thought that we’re here to get old and sick.
We are not designed to be sick. Being constantly sick is not normal. Being on prescription drugs for the rest of your life isn’t normal. Owning a pill box isn’t normal. Accepting disease isn’t normal.

Chronic illness is not a life sentence.

Get out there and live!

Eating packaged foods isn’t normal.
That’s my grandma again in the kitchen making sour sop (guanabana) juice because we prefer our juices from scratch. I inherited all the culinary/domesticated genes from her. She refuses to give up her independence, so I allowed her to help in the kitchen.

Some folks stance is that one day we all gotta go.
That’s a fact.
But what quality of life do you wish to have while living?
Would you like to spend countless hours at the doctors office every month?
Would you like to spend all your life savings on surgeries and prescription drugs?
Do you prefer an amputated leg, not being able to go to the bathroom on your own and have to wait for a bed pan or someone to wipe your butt, simply because you aren’t mobile?
Do you prefer prescription drugs, which leads to other prescription drugs and fall into this never ender cycle of prescription drugs that creates a never ending cycle of health issues?
Are you okay with having a pace maker which limits your ability to travel and explore the world.
Do you prefer to have the use of all of your limbs or do you prefer a cane or wheelchair?
Would you like to bond with your long time friends and new grandchildren or do you prefer alzheimer’s disease, not having the slightest inclination who you or they are?
Do you prefer pumping steroids into your 5 year old child who looks like 15, has anger issues and unable to learn, so now they label him/her as ADHD and prescribe more med?
Do you really want to have to choose between buying food and buying prescription drugs?
I could go on and on.
Pick your poison.
We all gotta go BUT how do you want to live? It is up to you to choose your quality of life.

What are some of the things we can we do to combat these problems?
– Love yourself.
– Find your passion. Find what brings you joy and indulge in it.
– Change your diet and your lifestyle.

Eat real food. Eat foods as close to its natural state as possible. Your body has the ability to heal itself from the inside out.
– Eat local. Eat indigenous foods: foods from your environment

Limit package foods as much as you possibly can. Package foods are designed to be addictive.

Exercise

Practice spirituality
Whether you believe in God, Yahweh, Jehovah, meditation, or yoga; mind, body and spirit needs to be aligned.

Find a confidant; coach; close friend or relative; a ride or die, that you can trust.
My grandmother had gall bladder surgery at 82 years old and pumped through that bitch like a champ! Was it because she was health conscious? No.
I was in that hospital bed with her, day in day out, from morning till midnight. I didn’t ask for a pull up chair. I was in her hospital bed, watching TV together, listening to her stories and laughing our asses off. The only time I left her side, was around midnight, so I could go home and sleep, bathe and return the next morning. F%$k my job! I only have one grandma. She took care of me. It was my turn. She trusted me to be there and I trusted the process that God would provide.

Educate yourself
We live in the age of information.

Let go of anything or anyone that doesn’t serve your higher purpose.
Emotions are huge contributors to our health. You can’t be bitter, angry, evil, hateful or stressed and expect to heal.

When your mother was 45, was she sick? How many sick friends did she have?
When your grandmother was 45, was she sick? How many sick friends did she have?
Think about it?
Why is the younger generation (teenagers and adults) having the same type of illness our grandparents used to have?
It’s definitely not old age.

What are your thoughts?