How you can become your own health advocate and get your health back?

There is something different about new seasons that evoke the desire to make changes. The new season is almost on the horizon and it is like for healing and to inculcate clean eating and clean living into your normal day to day routine. This is the perfect time for you to do some internal resetting and check in to see if there are any bad habits you need to get away from so you can get your health back. I guess you can say, Spring has Sprung and we are about to Dive into Summer! Let’s get started, because our goal here is to feel better and get your health back in check!

Purge Your Pantry
Switch Up Your Produce
Venture Outside
Let the Sunshine In
Declutter Your Mind

Here are some of the ways you can give your health a new start this season

1. Purge your pantry

You should clean sweet your kitchen and get rid of any food item that sabotages your health. This will make it easier for you when making conscious eating decisions and prevent impulsive snacking once you change your eating patterns and start eating more non-toxic items. If it is there, you will eat it.

2. Switch up your produce

Did winters get you tired of eating the same apples, bananas, and root vegetables for weeks? Summer is the perfect time to switch things up as you can reinvigorate your love for fresh fruits and vegetables with some variety. You can try mushrooms, asparagus, berries, apricots, steamed artichoke, and more. Rotating your produce is also beneficial for gut diversity.

3. Venture outside

If you have spent a lot of time in the winters in the gym, summer is the perfect time to go outside. Exercising outdoors has a lot of health advantages including decreased stress, increased energy levels, and more. Studies have found out that working out outdoors is a functional medicine unlike any other as it has a positive effect on vitality your energy, aliveness, and sense of enthusiasm.

4. Let the sunshine in

Due to the lack of sun exposure, Vitamin D levels in your body might have taken a dip during winter but you can refill yourself during summers. You can get Vitamin D via two means food and sunlight. There are a limited number of food items that provide adequate Vitamin D, so the better option would be to let the sunlight in by staying in the open and not in your rooms most of the time. If you are curious about food sources, you can focus on fatty fish, beef liver, egg yolks and citrus juices.

5. Declutter your mind

In the fast-paced world in which we live it is really easy to harbor negative emotions like resentment, anger, jealousy, and sadness. But they are detrimental to not just your peace of mind but to your health as well. This summer, you should make a conscious effort and challenge the negative thoughts inside you. Once you have command over your thoughts, you can decrease the stress levels dramatically and be at peace more often.

Be your own health advocate and observe the positive changes in your life.

There used to be a time when the doctor’s word was considered final their experience and education was considered to be the foundations of unquestionable wisdom. But these days, more and more people have become their own health advocate to improve the way they take care of their health. By being your own health advocate, you will be in total control of the decision making process and be able to reap a number of benefits. By involving yourself in your health life, you will not just gain a greater sense of control, prevent inflammation, get a better health life but you will also get an increased sense of confidence over your decisions, better treatment adherence, and better health outcomes.

Here are some of the ways you can become your own health advocate:

Understanding the way health insurance
Never be afraid of asking questions
Maintaining your own records
Review your medical bills
Know when you should take a second opinion

Click HERE, or on the Pinterest Image just below to watch Lindsay Reno, The Primal Dietitian talk about how to know which supplement you should take and how to get started on a protocol! If you are in the search for a practitioner, click HERE to get started. We can point you in the right direction.

Understanding the way health insurance works.

A lot of people don’t have a clear grasp over the basics of insurance, and understandably so because health insurance is complicated. Knowing how health insurance works will help you

navigate all system with less chance of adding up any costly and unexpected medical bills.

Never be afraid of asking questions

Before going for the doctor’s appointment, you should make a list of all the questions and

concerns you might have later. Many people are nervous that their questions might disrupt the

amicable doctor patient relationship, but this is never the reality.

Maintaining your own records

If you have switched doctors, you will be aware of the hassle it can be to get your records transferred. But if you keep tabs on your own documents, you will not have so much to worry about and you can exactly see what your doctors are seeing. Keep in mind that being organized overall is key to functioning optimally in life, so starting now is just a good idea! Keep it simple, it doesn’t always mean you need a spreadsheet.

Review your medical bills for possible errors

According to the statistics, an estimated 8 out of every 10 medical bills will contain errors that go undetected. Always review the bills and question them, even if your questions seem obvious or ridiculous. I can’t tell you how many times a simple call resulted in a “disregard that bill”. I would always ask for a zero balance statement to be mailed out after that call.

Know when you should take a second opinion

According to the data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one out of twenty Americans falls victim to an outpatient diagnostic error. Even if you are comfortable with the way your doctor is diagnosing you, you should still seek a second opinion as it will save you from any unnecessary medical costs and stress later on.