By Carmel Reid, Somerset, UK
I am an engineer, and I have come to realise our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering, with extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance, and I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!
In 2002 I was noticeably breathless at the smallest exertion, like climbing a flight of stairs, and my major muscles were weak – with my arms I could not lift my own body weight on parallel bars at a children’s playground and with my legs I could not stand up from a squatting position and my hands were very shaky. My GP checked me for asthma by inviting me to blow into a tube, but I had been attending singing workshops and my lung capacity was pretty good, so he suggested I might have a thyroid problem and gave me a blood test, thinking, as I was overweight at the time, that my thyroid was underactive.
As it turned out, my thyroid was hyperactive; I had a swelling on the right side of my neck and a radioactive iodine test showed a ‘hot nodule’ in the thyroid gland. Then in 2003 on a visit to the gym, my heart rate showed up at 166 on the cycle machine, and a further visit to the doctor gave me a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. He explained that hyperthyroidism can cause weakening of the major muscles (which explained my weak arms and legs) and can also cause atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm). This can lead to clots forming in the heart, which can then cause a stroke, and he recommended I take aspirin to thin my blood.
At the time I was into alternative medicine and didn’t take the aspirin he recommended, but looked at my lifestyle, i.e. what had caused the thyroid to be hyperactive in the first place. When the doctor agreed that it could be caused by stress, I decided then and there to de-stress my life. I stopped doing committee work and generally tried to get less stressed about everything. It took a while because living with stress had become my whole way of being.
Unfortunately it wasn’t enough – I was still living in a stressful way and in 2004 I ended up in hospital with a cold right leg, due to an arterial clot that meant no blood was getting to my leg. Fortunately I didn’t lose my leg – but if I hadn’t sought medical help, I could have done. At that point I surrendered to whatever medication was recommended to me and after leaving the hospital feeling somewhat shaken and subdued, I obediently took both Warfarin to thin my blood and Carbimazole to suppress the thyroid. The other options were surgical intervention to remove the overactive nodule, or radioactive iodine to reduce the thyroid function and it would then mean I would be on Thyroxine for the rest of my life. Neither felt right and the doctor agreed for me to take the Carbimazole for two years, with various warnings about possible side effects, none of which I had.
In 2005 I was introduced to Serge Benhayon, founder of Universal Medicine, and inspired by his way of living, I have made several significant changes in my own life. These have included refining my diet and adopting a much more gentle approach to work, relationships and life in general. I used to do everything in a rush, I was very hard on myself and very critical of others – not a very pleasant way of being I can tell you – and it would seem, my body agreed!
By now eating predominantly what supports me to feel truly well and vital, I have developed far more awareness of how the things I choose to eat or drink affect me and my body – either supporting me to stay feeling clear and light, or making me feel heavier and unfocused.
Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases – thereby showing me that my body is a fine instrument and that clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively.
I have attended numerous courses and presentations with Universal Medicine over the last ten years and have had many individual Esoteric Healing sessions, many of which have helped me to observe how much my way of living affects my body. I can also feel how I am affected by my thoughts, and the tension and discomfort they can sometimes create.
When I look at what the body does – even just the glands and the way they monitor the blood, responding by releasing more or less hormones that are able to keep the body working in perfect condition – it is truly amazing! The body has an incredible, intelligent monitoring system and we can marvel at how delicately it adjusts its internal production of hormones in order to maintain balance and harmony where possible.
What I have come to learn by my own experience is these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.
I am finding the more I refine my diet and let go of my previously constant busy and stressed way of getting through life, the more I am able to feel just how much I have, in effect, been abusing my own body. I can feel the way I am affected by emotions and to some extent even by the actions of other people – or the way I feel drained at the end of a busy day at work if I get lost trying to ‘get it right’, as has been my tendency.
Through all this I am gradually learning to be more still (calm), to be more respectful of my body, to walk through life gently, moving my arms and legs with a greater degree of tenderness, and am finding myself naturally speaking more gently. I don’t get so anxious about getting things done and funnily enough, I’m getting more done because I am so steady. As a result I am far less exhausted at the end of my day and my body feels more relaxed and at ease with the world.
The vitality I now experience is far greater than it was twelve years ago. I stayed on the Warfarin and was allowed to continue beyond two years taking Carbimazole. Usually it is stopped at two years because of the risk of side effects, but I didn’t have any. The symptoms of hyperthyroidism gradually decreased, until in 2010 the endocrinologist agreed that I could come off the thyroid medication (I stayed on the Warfarin as the heart condition had not resolved). My muscle strength has returned and my hands no longer shake. My body regained its natural weight, shedding 41Kgs on the way.
My thyroid is now virtually back to normal, two out of the three measurements are within normal range (T3 and T4) but the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is still suppressed, so I am defined as ‘borderline hyperactive’. I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis in my spine, which can be caused by hyperthyroidism, so the consultant is still concerned and recommends radioactive iodine, but accepts that I still want to work on lifestyle changes before going down that route. At the moment I still feel there is more that I can do to improve my health, but will follow his advice if I am unable to get the thyroid function completely back to normal.
I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring: I will be continuing to take even more tender loving care of this amazing body as time goes on. Regular exercise to increase bone strength will help the osteoporosis, as well as looking at the deeper issues underlying these conditions as revealed by esoteric medicine, such as deep disregard.
The deep disregard rings a bell – I have not taken great care of me or my body – doing everything for others first. So I am working on more self-love, really taking care of my body first – rest, gentle exercise and nutritious food.
Many thanks to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for providing the inspiration for me to make these changes and as a result, turn around my health and vitality in the way that I have. It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much we can do to help ourselves, if we so choose.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
Medicine knows that simple lifestyle changes make a big difference to our health and well-being, though perhaps not why they make such a difference. Medicine is also at a loss on how to help people adopt a more supportive lifestyle on a large scale.
We can never underestimate the power of anecdotal evidence.
I am always amazed at how my body responds to the littlest of changes I make in my life. Even taking one food, dairy, out of my diet produced wonderful results; my nose stopped running, my sinuses stopped aching and my throat was clear of mucous for the first time, probably in my life. But it was when I realised that I had stopped buying so many boxes of tissues was when I accepted that dairy definitely did not have a place in my diet something which my body had been telling me for years – I simply hadn’t listened.
I agree Doug, your comment had me reflecting on high school and how stressful exam periods and assignment deadlines were, and how this was accepted as normal. I have to wonder if the stress lived in the education system becomes a foundation for how we approach life as adults. In the teenage years alone such stress would have a tremendously detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing, let alone how it might set up patterns of behaviour in later life.
“I don’t get so anxious about getting things done and funnily enough, I’m getting more done because I am so steady. As a result I am far less exhausted at the end of my day and my body feels more relaxed and at ease with the world.” The steadiness makes so much sense in supporting you to get more done. I feel the anxiousness to achieve our long list of daily tasks is very pervasive, and in that we have lost the joy of life, the joy of being ourselves as we move through the day, and appreciating all we are and have in our lives. There is so much seriousness around getting things done and achieving.
Carmel – these changes in your Thyroid readings reflect the new choices you are making in your life are definitely a great marker of the body response when we treat it with a change in our movements attitudes and different food choices.
Very much so. It is quite incredible how little changes can make it easier to make more changes which make it easier to make even more changes and so on and in the end the difference can be drastic.
It’s amazing how our bodies respond when we deeply care and look after them. I have been loving swimming and exercise routine, getting a good rhythm going and feeling how that naturally is supporting a more vital me. What I have clocked is the way I am going about it, I am doing it to support and nurture myself, that’s the focus. As opposed to the past when it was all about being fit and to look good. The out comes completely different and I know which one is medicine for my body and being.
I love how the recognition of the delicacy of your body inspired you to be more gentle and delicate with yourself.
What an inspiring blog to read as we can so often be led by the world of “fix it pharmacy’ to put a stop to the symptoms yet this examples show the marriage of western medicine and esoteric medicine where one is willing to get to the root cause to heal for good what has harmed for so long.
It seems that most of humanity are regulars at the “fix it pharmacy”, simply looking for that quick fix to make them better so they can go back to the way they were living before they became unwell and as quickly as possible. The problem as I see it, is when we give our healing over to everyone else to fix we are not taking responsibility for our part in the appearance of the illness or disease, and we definitely always have a part; a very a big part.
I have found that there is a direct correlation between how we live and our health, mainly down to the choices that we make, the more loving our choices are the more supportive they are to our body.
And the more the body responds to this support we are offered increasing levels of vitality to enjoy!
I am finding it is very, very supportive embracing conventional medicine alongside the esoteric. I have just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) and been prescribed a low amount of carbimazole each day for a month which I am taking to reduce the amount of thyroxine my thyroid is producing. While blood tests and waiting for a scan to be carried out and being placed on a list to see an endocrinologist are taking place I am learning to work with the doctor and nurses but at the same time support the connection to myself by asking what supports Me in this moment.
There is no question that our health and well being is our responsibility and when we do take charge we know that what is regarded as impossible by the medical profession is possible because of the truth lived as presented by The Way of the Livingness.
The way that we live has an affect on our health. This is a very well established fact so why do we resist it so much. It can only be that we do not want to take responsibility for our actions. Having said that we cannot make it about “others” don’t want to but “we” do because there may be many areas in our own life that we may not want to be responsible for and it might look different or appear different than others.
I don’t have a thyroid condition but so much of what is shared here is gold as I can see and feel how my ways of being (getting it right), living with stress impact on my body and reading this today brings a greater understanding to how in fact we have the most awesome fine tuned instrument, our body, a feat of engineering and how we treat it is key, and it’s a feedback loop constantly showing us the impact of our choices.
This is indeed a great ‘medical experiment’ and case study which is real evidence of the power of taking responsibility for one’s own health and choosing to make the necessary lifestyle changes that were needed.
The changes in your health are so significant Carmel. When living a life of disconnection and disregard, we can bring our bodies to a state of crisis, but how easy is it to turn it around once we realise the root cause and actually want to change it.
The harder we are on ourselves, the harder we become with others. What a great blog to share that it all begins by making a simple step to choose a more loving approach and the same applies to others.
It has been hugely supportive to learn from Serge Benhayon how my body is far more than the physical function taught in A&P and biology classes & offers far more than the ability to keep up with the demands of day to day life. The fact that though our body we can connect to an inner wisdom and awareness that far surpasses anything our mind can come up with in itself is huge.
It is well worth our while observing the ways in which this exquisitely fine instrument can be compromised or supported and refining our choices so that we truly look after it.
When we heal the energy underpinning our life then the diet, weight, lifestyle choices and the subsequent illnesses and diseases and our relationship with them change, greater than if the energy was not addressed.
There is no doubt that when I eat food to support my body I feel so much more committed to myself and to life but could it be that when I commit to life and what is being asked of me that the food and quantity of food naturally becomes a means of support for my body? Becoming more aware in my life brings about a greater, more loving relationship with food.
Great to read how you took responsibility for the stress levels in your life, by looking at where the stress was and why that was occurring. The way most of us relate to stress is that just ‘happens to us’, instead of feeling that it’s actually a choice, to get stressed or not. It might not feel like a choice to start with, if it’s been our go-to way of responding for so long that it feels automatic, but when we start to give ourselves a bit more space, and just observe the ways that we react to things, our choices and reactions become more obvious – and so does the moment to choose differently.
I love the way that it is always possible to come back to the simple fact that we can take care of ourselves, and when there is illness or disease, this is a place of great holding, of great solace, where we have power and transformation.
It’s phenomenal what can happen with the body when we start to look after it instead of running it into the ground. This blog is an excellent example of how things can be changed around.
We may not like to admit it but the way we live can create illness, heal illness, or prevent illness by supporting our body to be in harmony, to be vital and to work well.
I love reading stories like this one Carmel as it shows us how well the body responds when it is cared for.
Agreed Elizabeth when it comes down to it, it’s the care and love for ourselves that changes everything.
‘The body has an incredible, intelligent monitoring system and we can marvel at how delicately it adjusts its internal production of hormones in order to maintain balance and harmony where possible.’ When we stop to ponder the body it is rather magical as no matter how much abuse we throw at it, it’s natural setting is to always try and heal!
These writings are case reports in themselves. It is great that you share about it in detail to let people know there is another way of healing, working together with medicine but also taking your own responsibility for how you are living.
Super inspiring to read how making simple lifestyle choices by deciding you were ready to address something and committing to self-loving choices as consistently as possible, can have such a dramatic effect on your health. We can choose to be active agents in our own health and wellbeing, and not victims of fate.
Feeling like we have to get things “right” leaves us feeling that there’s a potential for failure and in our society, failure is not welcomed. This raises our stress levels, feeling of insecurity, and can lead to even bigger mistakes, a rigidness in the body and so many other things which we may not even link to this righteous mentality.
There is so much we can look at with how we live which in working with Western Medicine allows us to really support our bodies as we need. Being an active participant in our health and well being allows us to truly see and feel what works for us, and provides us with a feedback loop to see the impact of our life choices.
I would never have thought some basic simple choices that we make that are loving and caring towards ourselves would have such an impact on how we are and what we feel from that moment onwards. The moment we don’t appreciate what it is that we are choosing then we lose sight and feel on how powerful it really is.
I love how Universal Medicine presentations and therapies are supporting people to observe how the way that we live affects our bodies, and that a way of living can be a form of medicine that either harms or heals our bodies.
It’s amazing to feel how Carmel’s body exhibited signs of disharmony within the hormonal control system of her body that directly mirrored the disharmony that she experienced caused by the use of stress to deal with situations in her work life. Our bodies are living miracles during every breath we take.
Our body is amazing with how it works to support us, yet we tend to push it to its limits by the choices we make such as stress, alcohol, lack of exercise or overeating, all of these choices we make that actually if the body could speak it would say no thanks to, yet the more we start to connect to our inner selves, the more we are able to hear what the body wants or doesn’t want, through simply changing our choices.
The experiment continues, I am now living in a very hot country and was concerned that my body would not survive the heat. Most places are air-conditioned but ours is not, neither is the car, which is interesting because I am learning to move in a way that means I stay as cool as possible, timing of activities matters and paying attention to how my body feels is crucial. When it’s humid I sweat buckets and water runs down my face so at home I tend to walk around with a towel around my neck. I’m still having my thyroid readings checked and so far everything is still ok.
What you are describing seems to be recovery from a serious illness that may not be easy to recover from. Well done!
It is amazing how our bodies respond to love so well.
I agree Carmel, our body is a fine tuned instrument and asks us to be very precise and dedicated in how to care for it. While reading your blog I could feel how I can upgrade the appreciation I already have for my body by realising how we live inside this precious, or as you say, exquisite instrument every single day and night and to adjust my movements to how my body feels to move.
Absolutely Carmel, living with a thyroid that’s either over or under-active is not a pleasant way to live. Yet I know from experience how strongly our beliefs and hurts drive us in certain behaviours, that then develop a condition due to that very unnatural way of being. Universal Medicine presentations by Serge Benhayon introduced a whole other way of being in life, which essentially I chose to experiment with – beginning as you say Carmel with ” learning to be more still (calm), to be more respectful of my body, to walk through life gently”.
A very clear self consultation on the effects our lifestyle choices have on our physical body and our responsibility to make changes with the support of conventional medicine.
” It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much we can do to help ourselves, if we so choose.”
This is wonderful Carmel and for sure we all have the possibility of making wiser choices if we want, and our body will verify if the choices are wise or not.
It is such an interesting process when we start to bring attention and awareness to our diet when in the past it hasn’t really been on our radar. I know for me it has been all about trial and testing things out and then giving my body space to respond to what I choose to put into my system or not.
Yes, diet changes can take quite a while.
The power to heal our bodies lies deep within the choices we make. As a humanity many choices should be revisited and looked at as to their benefit to the true wellness of our bodies, and minds, this article is about a thyroid condition, but how many that suffer from a thyroid condition also battle depression? The simpleness in choosing again to care for the body with gentleness and grace is there for each of us. The choice is ours.
Universal Medicine is hugely inspiring and empowering in that “there is much we can do to help ourselves,” and it’s all within our ability to do so. Even if we can’t change our health completely free from a condition we can understand it to such a degree that our relationship with it is more accepting and less resistant and/or ignorant.
This is true, Leigh, I have seen Universal Medicine students who have terminal illnesses defy the normal progression of their illness and go on to live several years more as a result of their healthy lifestyle choices and their attitude to the illness.
“My body regained its natural weight, shedding 41Kgs on the way” – This is incredible, both in the sense that your weight loss wasn’t about achieving an image but a natural figure that was true for you, and also that this process wasn’t a struggle but a releasing of what never belonged in the first place.
True, Susie, all of life is that, really, it shouldn’t be a struggle as we let go of what simply doesn’t belong
Yes.. that letting go of what doesn’t naturally belong applies to all our patterns really, things that we think are part of who we are, are often ways of behaving that we’ve taken on to protect ourselves. Our bodies naturally know their own baseline of harmony. Our job is to start paying attention to what and how we’re feeling, and act accordingly, instead of constantly dismissing, denying or overriding what we can feel.
Carmel I remember always looking for the magic fix, something that can change everything for me and make life amazing without having to do anything for me and whilst allowing me to abuse myself. Funnily enough what I came to appreciate is that it simply not possible and therefore the route forward has been self loving choices, true responsibility and everything that goes with that.
Making self loving choices that support the body is the key to our health and well being. As you have shown Carmel if we put our body under constant stress eventually it has to let us know in the form of illness and disease.
I love your honesty Carmel and I can relate to ‘The deep disregard rings a bell – I have not taken great care of me or my body – doing everything for others first. So I am working on more self-love, really taking care of my body first – rest, gentle exercise and nutritious food.’ It is not always easy to admit to myself that every time there is a deeper level of self love and care to go to and I have felt that to stay at a certain point is actually choosing to disregard my body.
When it comes to looking at reducing stress I used to believe it was about reducing my activity and contact with others. Today I now know that it’s about changing the HOW and not the how much I do. Be that a task or being with other people.
It is amazing how we are able to heal ourselves through making more self loving choices.
Yes indeed our bodies are absolutely amazing and the better we get to know them the more we learn to appreciate them and all that they teach us.
Being our own science experiments in the way you describe, Carmel really is taking greater responsibility for our health and wellbeing.
Upping the self-love. Love it.
Indeed Carmel you are the pin up girl for the ever deepening process of self care and dealing with all the layers that contribute to your ills.
Truly a remarkable story, your approach to adjusting and tweaking what is needed in your lifestyle and diet but at the same time working closely with mainstream medicine is very responsible. You are completely open to what the doctors recommend but empowered every step of the way, I find these qualities an inspiration, the perfect balance self refection and common sense.
Carmel you are amazing, every time I read one of your blogs I’m blown away by how far you have come and the level of responsibility you have taken in your own self care. You are a pin up women for self care Carmel. I love it.
Your healing is remarkable and a testament to choosing to adjust your lifestyle through bringing both awareness and deep care to your body. If embraced like you did, illnesses can be a profound stop point allowing you to truly address the choices you have made that have contributed to your ill health and then move in a way to undo what you have created. You are living proof of the power of this.
Carmel, you are yourself a case study into the combined effects of conventional and esoteric medicine. I have no doubts that the combination of the two is the way forth for our health and wellbeing.
There is a great humbleness in knowing when we need to get medical support and when we don’t, and we need to take responsibility and change our way of living.
This is true, Lieke. Many of us who think we take care of our bodies are already pretty healthy, but there comes a time where standard medical support is a necessity and we are foolish to ignore that help. Working with a combination of Universal Medicine and conventional Medicine means that we can help the doctors to help us. Sometimes in simple ways, by drinking more water so that we are not dehydrated.
That stopping and checking in on how we feel at the end of the day and being honest about what is presenting in our bodies is such a great starting point. What I have found fascinating is the amount of times I don’t want to check in, forget or don’t truly feel how I am feeling so I don’t want to look at the way I am choosing to live my life. But the more I do bring this awareness and attention I feel myself get more confident within myself because I am choosing to connect deeper. Letting go of perfection and just being.
Letting go of perfection has been a good thing to be doing, it was draining me, so now I am learning to observe what is going on, perhaps to explore deeper the emotions I am truly avoiding dealing with, and allow myself to feel the tension of knowing where I am and where I could be, energetically speaking, but without judgment. How to inspire myself, that’s the question. Through my body is the answer – I know that my mind is fed its thoughts and if my body is aligned to the ‘wrong’ energy, then all my thoughts will be aligned to that too, so I can change my alignment through my movements, changing my posture, being more gentle, more tender in my touch and with my breath.
I love this part about refining your diet by listening to your body, this is such an important part of daily life and in all ways too as I am learning that we can actually by constantly refining what feels right or true from the body’s perspective.
Carmel you are so inspirational and a great example of how it is possible to turn your life around by making seemingly simple lifestyle changes. Many try but find it hard to sustain such changes but you approach it with a reverence for all that your body is showing you and a willingness to be in constant communication with what it is revealing to you.
Hm… not always – I find that eating too much or eating foods that are not nourishing can dull my senses so much that I can ignore what my body is telling me. The downside of that though is that my body might have to shout a little louder so that I listen…
“There is much we can do to help ourselves, if we so choose.”
A sentence that says everything, the power is and always has been in our own hands.
Giving ourselves realistic life changes that are not clouded with judgements or expectations from ourselves and others makes the process of self-healing truly life changing, as we get to the root cause of the behaviours that set us into the pattern of harm that without doubt leads to illness and disease down the track.
Life changes includes going into new relationships and discovering that we are repeating patterns from the last one we were in – for example, pandering, trying to please, giving our power away and not making time for ourselves – all these things contribute to exhaustion and misery. Our deeper connection with ourselves is an essential part of being in a healthy relationship and contributing our all.
I had no idea that Hyperthyroidism can cause Atrial fibrillation! Its another example of how our body is so interconnected.
I was also told that I was at more risk of having osteoporosis because of the hyperactive thyroid so yes, Harry, everything is connected, we cannot heal ourselves in parts, everything is part of the whole
Our bodies really are amazing finely tuned instruments forever alert to what they experience and offering us a barometer of how we are in life, indeed we’d be lost without them and not just that we need them to move, but that they show us clearly how we live and the impacts on ourselves. Your story is such a great example of how we can be our own science experiment and with support of medicine and being willing to take responsibility and heal, how our lives and bodies can change beyond recognition.
‘I… generally tried to get less stressed about everything. It took a while because living with stress had become my whole way of being.’
Stress has become the norm for so many of us. But when you consider stress = perpetually living in ‘fight or flight’ mode, this is an incredibly debilitating way to do life. It’s certainly not about developing our beingness in life.
Carmel I love your dedication and commitment to healing yourself with the help of your Medical practitioner and Universal Medicine. To me you had the perfect situation to prove that both Esoteric and Traditional Medicine can work so well together.
You’re a living miracle Carmel.
I love going to the doctor and having my blood pressure taken because it is the same as it was when I was younger – that goes to show that my health is dependent on my state of mind, not my age.
Recently I have been doing some drawing and painting in an environment where ‘getting it right’ was not an option. Oh my gosh it has been a breath of fresh air to do artwork and so enjoyable to not put pressure on myself to try and get it perfect which has been a big behaviour I am gently letting go of.
It is great that you are your own experiment Carmel. The body is the best guide, so why not listen to it…
Being our own experiment is something I would never have done before and would have left it all up to the medical profession thinking that they have all of the answers and that I know nothing about my body. But in actual fact learning to read the messages of our own individual body is far more useful than going with one size fits all.
‘What I have come to learn by my own experience is these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.’ I have asked a lot of my body and chose to be in deep disregard towards my body. This has changed but when I read about the delicate systems I feel there needs to be a deeper appreciation for my body and its systems, underneath my selfcare there is actually still a disrespect and I am not truly responding at the signals my body gives. Love or not love is the only choice to make.
This blog really highlights the fact that there is so much more we can do for ourselves without totally relying on the medical system.
‘I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring: I will be continuing to take even more tender loving care of this amazing body as time goes on.’ The more we connect to our own body the greater our relationship is with it, and the more aware we become of the choices we make and how they affect our body.
As part of an esoteric yoga program currently I have been looking at this rushing thing and how easy it is to rush my movements and activities in the day and also how much of a negative impact this has on my body, and on my day. It is definitely worth staying focused on my body and the quality of my movements and “walking through life gently.”
Rushing is so ‘normal’ that it does take being consciously present with our movements to move with tenderness, grace and harmony.
I enjoy returning to this article, the wisdom it holds inspires me each time I read it. Our bodies are fine tuned machines and I am really beginning to ponder on our health in our world today. Going back 80 or 90 years our diet was much simpler. It was based upon meats, fresh veggies and seasonal fruit with none to very little processed foods. Yet now with our crazy busy life styles and processed and fast foods we find ourselves with illness that sometimes are so multi symptomatic that we don’t know what to treat. In my way of looking at my body and how I feel a return to the diet of the past is now my choice, with a dedication to be still and present with life, hense a huge reduction in anxiousness.
I love the phrase “walking through life gently”. We often hear of reducing our carbon footprint, but might we extend that to reducing our footprint in all types of ways, be it the way we talk, eat, move, rest, everything we do in fact, making gentle, caring living our natural way.
Love this Stephen! Our ‘energetic footprint’ could be just as important as our carbon footprint to our health and the health of our world.
When we take an active part in our own healing from a still and steady place miracles happen. They have certainly happened for me and many people I know.
Absolutely Elaine, we are our own doctor/healer when responsibility is taken for our own choices.
Reading this reminds me that medication or natural supplements alone are not what is going to ‘fix’ the problem. I too have a thyroid condition along with a few others things that are all linked in some way. I’m yet to take pharmaceuticals for it but am on many supplements to assist the inner workings of my body. But, in saying that, if I continue to live a life that has me running around like crazy, taking other people’s stuff on and not expressing my true self in full, then I have zero hope of healing the thyroid.
I love the irony that you are getting more done because you are steady and still. Nothing in the world (except Universal Medicine and the amazingly intelligent body) says that to become still and steady within ourselves is actually the way we can be more purposeful and productive. Without all the distractions of getting stressed, anxious and overwhelmed, life and what needs to be done becomes clear and simple.
There is much we can do to work with the medical profession. We currently have a crazy situation where doctors are making themselves ill with overwork caring for their patients because we are so sick and resources are so scarce, and when you consider that much of our illnesses are lifestyle related, not only are we killing ourselves, we are killing our doctors and nurses too.
A patient with the willingness to heal and not just being cured by the doctors, that is the true collaboration of patient and physician that is required for both to contribute their best to the healing process.
I agree Alex. This is what is missing in the current health care equation. Patients have given their power away to the idea that ‘doctor knows best’ and passively wait to be fixed by the doctor. Medicine can only do so much if we don’t play our part. It was our ways that created the disharmony that become disease, so it is our responsibility to actively undo those ways.
Carmel thank you for sharing your ongoing journey with your health. I can see from the comments that you are still refining what you eat. When we work with our medical professionals it is a powerful combination. There is so much we can do to bring about our own healing.
What we eat affects our body in a huge way – we may simply eat too much in order to numb our feelings, or choose sugary foods that make us racy and stop us from reading situations, but we can also choose foods that affect our blood. For anyone on Warfarin, eating too many greens is a bit of a no-no because they counteract the blood thinning properties of the medicine. So life becomes a balance – eating a few healthy greens but not so much the medicine dose has to increase to keep blood clotting rate within the target range to avoid having a stroke.
It’s crazy really how fixated we are on our every email and social media notification. Like a bear with a nose for honey we can’t resist finding out how many likes we have got. Yet all this time we wilfully ignore and disregard the messages our body is constantly sending us. ‘I’m sorry but not today..’ we repeatedly seem to say, imagine if we treated a friend this way? Our body truly is our greatest buddy in the world, never leaving our side or deserting our cause. Even when it’s at a loss, it uses its incredible engineering to mitigate this and helpfully let us know there is something amiss. We marvel at big bridges, new cars and high technology but what would our life be like if we reserved our highest regard for our beautiful body? Thank you Carmel, this blog is a great notification from God.
I have lived in this body for almost 60 years and the more I get to know it the more I am in awe of it.
“I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring: I will be continuing to take even more tender loving care of this amazing body as time goes on”. So true – we are all living breathing medical experiments. Change x, y or z about our life and our body and mind can change too. Science is so keen on wanting evidence-based results yet they ignore people’s own personal individual lives, which are also experiments – empirical evidence.
I find it interesting that we can find so many ways to self sabotage – going to bed late is one of them – I can procrastinate, put something off that really must be done and end up doing it in my sleep time.
“What I have come to learn by my own experience is these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.” We are our own bodily medical experiment. By changing the way we eat, sleep and live – and changing the quality with which we do things – our body adapts and loves us for it. Miracles can happen! Lifestyle is so important and can outweigh the effect of our genes.
I have recently come across a report that links the consumption of sugar to thyroid issues and I used to be a complete sugarholic. Apart from the fact that sugar made me buzzy, it seems that it was also affecting my gut and that is where, according to this report,’…close to 20 per cent of T3 (active thyroid hormone) production happens in your gut.’ The report also says:
‘The presence of bad bacteria decreases production and causes the release of endotoxins (chemicals released by bad bacteria), which lead to leaky gut. Leaky gut has been linked to thyroid dysfunction and numerous autoimmune conditions.’
Reference: I Quit Sugar blog 20 November 2016
There are always deeper levels of self care that we can go to, refining our diet, becoming aware of what energy we move in, how hard we go when we try to get anything right, or try to get things done. If we give our bodies absolute top priority, we might not make the deadline we have set ourselves, but the quality of work will be far greater.
Your blog Carmel is testament to the changes we can make if we listen to our body, and food is something our body is actually super sensitive to. The more I eat to support my body, the clearer I become and the more aware I am of just how much our body is a truly remarkable instrument that defines the way we are living. It is Christmas and I had a food I would not normally eat and I had instant stomach ache. Before Universal Medicine I would have ignored this and just thought it was the amount I was eating. Our body can tell us instantly if something is not right if we are willing to stop and listen.
To see the human body as a superlative piece of engineering is a great analogy, Carmel. To see it in the light of day, we could ask how we would treat our body if it were an expensive car, or an innovative new computer? Surely we wouldn’t abuse it the way we do and we would take far more care to move gently, rest and feed it great food!
I love how you have turned your life around and still keep refining aspects to support you to feel truly well and vital, ‘I have developed far more awareness of how the things I choose to eat or drink affect me and my body – either supporting me to stay feeling clear and light, or making me feel heavier and unfocused.’ A continual unfolding.
Healing hyperthyroidism seems a great success if it is true, as one website states, that “Hyperthyroidism is characterised by relapses and remittances”.
I have met people who have had recurrences but that is because they have not changed their lifestyle one iota. In my case I have made, and am still making huge changes, and the symptoms have not returned in six years. Both T3 and T4 readings are within normal range although TSH is still low, hence my being diagnosed as ‘borderline’. (These are the medical blood tests they do.)
I have noticed how much doing things in a rush puts my body under tension and how that tension then affects everything, how I feel and my bodily functions. It makes sense that there can be long term consequences from this. It also makes sense that rushing is difficult to drop as rushing has the benefit that we seem to have lots of energy, things seem to get done more quickly, it seems more efficient and, especially, it is a good tool to numb ourselves from what we feel at that moment.
In our society, we are taught from the word go to be there for others and do things for others. There is of course nothing wrong with this, however, there is the importance of making sure that we care for ourselves equally so – “The deep disregard rings a bell – I have not taken great care of me or my body – doing everything for others first. So I am working on more self-love, really taking care of my body first – rest, gentle exercise and nutritious food.” – I love the changes you have taken on board Carmel, and it is so beautiful to hear how this has impacted in a positive way on your body!
Carmel thank you for this, I’ve learned more about the effects that an overactive thyroid has on our body, I didn’t realise strokes could happen as a consequence of hyperthyroidism.
I know of numerous others (including myself) whose health and well-being have turned around in seemingly miraculous ways through the inspiration and presentations of Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness. One day the bankrupt health systems of the world will start to discover what is on offer here and that the answers many are seeking are already available and accessible to all equally.
I love how you describe your body as a fine instrument – this is a far cry from so many of us who drive our bodies like a work horse then wonder why they break down on us.
Isn’t it odd Carmel that we see engineering limited to machinery and technology. What you say reminds me that every part of this world and our life is beautifully and intricately designed. There is never a time our body is wrong, it just communicates information all day long, which all we need to do, is listen with an open ear to.
There are a lot of great examples here of the power we have to heal ourselves. We made ourselves sick in the first place so it’s no surprise that we have access to the answers. Thanks Carmel for a very interesting read!
‘I am finding the more I refine my diet and let go of my previously constant busy and stressed way of getting through life, the more I am able to feel just how much I have, in effect, been abusing my own body.’ And there it is – the bottom line. Yes, self-abuse is surely at the heart of much if not all of the conditions we manifest for ourselves.
‘I stopped doing committee work and generally tried to get less stressed about everything. It took a while because living with stress had become my whole way of being.’ I hear you – on both aspects Carmel! Committee work can be enormously stressful and in the nonprofit or voluntary sector (where much of the committee work you mention takes place and it’s all about ‘doing for others’) health problems related to stress abound. How many of us though, women in particular – be it via donating time to charities or causes, mothering or in our working lives – adopt ‘doing for others’ and hence stress as our prime motivator and ultimate way of doing life?
Our bodies are instruments finely tuned with such precision we would weep with joy if we but let ourselves truly feel it.
“I don’t get so anxious about getting things done and funnily enough, I’m getting more done because I am so steady. As a result I am far less exhausted at the end of my day and my body feels more relaxed and at ease with the world.” . . . Hi Carmel, you have clearly demonstrated just how we can be our own worst medicine or we can turn it all around and be our own best medicine. It really is up to us.
Like you Carmel, I have a thyroid condition, albeit the reverse of yours – an under-active thyroid, and with an auto-immune component. Recently I received the good news that my inflammatory markers had reduced by half. Why? I strongly feel I had manifested the condition because I too was living in a way that ran 100% counter to what my body and being actually knows as natural – in a kind of stressed ‘normal’ I had created for myself. Over the 3 and a half years since diagnosis I have focused on learning to live in a far more harmonious way and I feel this has made an enormous difference. Interesting to see 2 people with conditions at each end of the thyroid spectrum finding the exact same lifestyle changes are needed.
Carmel you have demonstrated your engineering skills in engineering your way back to a vital body, and I’m sure your specialists and doctors would be taking note of the lifestyle choices that supported your body’s return.
As an engineer, no doubt you are accustomed to carrying out stress tests on ‘things’, so an interesting experiment to carry out a stress test on your own body to reveal where the weaknesses lie.
“My thyroid is now virtually back to normal” Thank you Carmel for sharing this miracle it is one of the many amazing miracles that have been inspired by Serge Benhayon. When we start looking after ourselves it is priceless.
Carmel knowing you now it would not be obvious that you have had all these problems with your health, it just shows that when we work on ourselves and look at all aspects of our life style, especially observing areas where we are not taking care of ourselves we can truly reverse illnesses and diseases. The body is an amazing finely tuned instrument yet we tend to forget this and expect it to function without taking steps to lovingly support it.
As I was reading your amazing story Carmel these words popped into my mind “I am not this body – it is an instrument for my use”.
As a practitioner Carmel, what you’ve shared is profound… this is unheard of in the medical world, you are diagnosed with such a condition for life.
I keep telling the Endocrinologist that I am a walking miracle and that lifestyle changes are what makes the difference – I know that he is beginning to accept lifestyle changes because that is what he referred to in his last letter to my GP, which is pretty cool.
This is such an important blog to read, “I am finding the more I refine my diet and let go of my previously constant busy and stressed way of getting through life, the more I am able to feel just how much I have, in effect, been abusing my own body.” This is a moment where we have a choice, react to the choices we have made and possibly blame other or make another choice…
Reading your blog Carmel I was struck by the fact that if we can create illness and disease through our lifestyle choices/disregarding ways then we can also heal ourselves if we choose to make more loving choices. It is all entirely up to us.
We make life so complex sometimes by not choosing to listen to our bodies; this is a beautiful example of the difference lifestyle choices make to our health and wellbeing when we learn to love ourselves enough to listen to the basic things our body needs like sleep, gentle and loving movement, exercise and food that supports us; it makes so much difference to how we feel and function in the world.
We are all so delicate yet the way we currently live in society is often a far cry from honouring that delicacy. Like you Carmel I have found it amazing how much my body has benefited from making simple life style changes.
This is awesome Carmel. There are too few who are prepared to take such responsibility for their health instead relying on the medical fraternity to “fix” them. It must be very inspiring for the medical practitioners to have witnessed your increased wellbeing through the lifestyle changes you made which in turn may help them to inspire others in their care from what you’ve shown them to be possible.
I too am finally coming to understand the intricacies and the delicateness of our amazing body, and how treating it without care for even a short period of time can have such a disastrous and often long term effect. But even though I have found that coming to this understanding so late in life does offer the opportunity to for us to make changes in our lifestyle which can improve our health, what a difference it would make if we were introduced to the amazingness of our bodies from a very early age; our quality of life, our health statistics and our hospital waiting lists would certainly reflect this in so many ways.
Carmel you tell a familiar story of living in a certain way, which presents a certain disease, then changing the patterns which support the body to heal and reverse the original diagnosis. I have also cleared asthma completely, being overweight, and raciness which was leading me down the path of disease, but slowing down and listening to my body supported the return to vitality.
That is amazing Carmel, I’ve known many, many clients with Thyroid conditions over the years and I have yet to see a reversal in anyone who didn’t make substantial changes to the way they lived. The most common theme in those who have, has been exactly as you’ve outlined for yourself. Winding back the tendency to race through life, doing, doing at a fast pace and a great deal of ‘push’, is not easy… but the health benefits are clearly enormous. We are not designed to ‘run’ that way… and the body shows it.
Carmel, this is amazing to re-read how you have addressed your hyperthyroidism. As a natural health practitioner, I know how severe hyperthyroidism can be and how much a risk one takes if one does not work with medical support. It is one of those conditions you do not want to be wasting too much time, and though there is an enormous amount that can be offered as support through Natural medicine, lifestyle changes, diet/nutrition and supplements, etc, the medical aspect of support plays a crucial role too! It is a clear case where the two married together (western medicine and natural medicine) need to work together to give the best possible outcomes for the person. Well done for turning things around, for being open to exploring the western medical approach and working on all levels to support yourself through this!
It would be amazing to teach kids from an early age how incredible the human body is, and instil a sense of both wonder and value. I know growing up (and now as an adult) I had very little understanding of just how amazing the body is. Globally we seem to disregard the body to a great extent, so I wonder if education about the body to develop awe, respect and value, as well as supporting kids and adults with body awareness, might turn this around.
Yes Melinda this would be a great change that could see more students showing an interest in subjects like Biology and Human Biology. My memories of school was to spend hours remembering copious amounts to information on body parts and functions and fixating on the spelling of words just to pass rather than stopping to fully understand how the body runs and how our choices directly effect the response the body makes down the track. I wonder whether this style of teaching that links the western with the esoteric would see more students loving this subject as it would bring so much realness and relevance to the world.
When we address the case of why we have an illness or medical issue there is room for true healing. Medication is there to support us in a beautiful way whilst we are healing and often is a vital part of our healing. But it alone cannot truly heal, there is a part that only we can make and that is about how we live and involves our responsibility.
Well put Nikki, Western medicine is needed but it alone does not heal what we have done to ourselves unless we arrest what we are doing that has harmed us/put us in position to need medicine.
Responsibility can be avoided but the consequences will always find us.
Recently I realised how much drive I have been in for most of my life and so I dropped it. I had a very challenging transition period and for a week I found it very challenging to even move as I was exhausted. It was as though my body was suddenly letting out what I had been masking. Now, if I go into drive, at the end of the day I’m shattered. What I have found interesting is how tired it makes my body. I was living with that tiredness and exhaustion all along, but by consistently going into drive I was able to hide it. I know that had I not addressed the problem I was on the road to adrenal exhaustion and thyroid problems. I had tests done around this time which confirmed this as I was on the very low side of normal function for both the thyroid and the adrenals.
What an amazing turn around Carmel! and I love what you said about “coming to learn by your own experience that these internal systems (of the body) are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.”You have shown that it is indeed possible for us to make a difference and that the choices we make on an everyday level, do have an impact on how we feel, and the quality of life we can also choose to have.
This is an incredible story, what an awesome approach to illness and diseases, your exploration of the body is a real inspiration to all that are blessed to read this article.
What a difference lifestyle choices make – eating true for the body, exercise, self-love, moving gently, being aware of stressful situations etc.
The name of these diseases sound complex. Have we made it that way? Can it be a lot simpler? I like how Carmel explains the intricacies of the bodily systems working together and how delicate and refined they are in their purpose to do a job. If we interfere with their job by making silly choices against the body we are in effect giving them an extra role. Extra roles puts pressure on the interrelated systems that will give in and break.
This actually scares me and most feel this when they can get that dreaded diagnosis. Esoteric Medicine can help with pinpointing the root cause. And we can support ourselves by simply looking at what your body is honestly showing you. I can feel just how delicate I am and how much this is the one important job I have – deeply taking care of myself.
A great example here how life indeed can be our best form of medicine
It is easy to treat our body with recklessness and abandon, letting it bear the brunt of our brutal way of living, and expecting it to keep bouncing back whenever we need it, but if we were to understand the potential the body holds for us, to connect to a deeper dimension of sacredness and divinity that we all hold within – one that can hold steady supporting us to not get affected by the excesses, the drama and the assault of the world, then we might start to honour and treat our bodies with more respect and nurturing – allowing it to be our greatest friend and guide back to the light we are truly from.
I like this Annie, for most of my life I didn’t realise the potential my body had for me to connect to a much deeper level than that which we mostly live from. This is heaven embodied.
The onslaught of the world seems very much designed to keep us in stress, anxiousness, rush, pressure of deadlines and self-criticism for any imperfection – and so the work of organisations like Universal Medicine is hugely supportive in helping us to reconnect to our own body, and truly take the driver’s seat over our health and well-being. This is true self-empowerment to accept absolutely 100 percent responsibility over our choices and listening to how we are feeling at any moment. If more of us chose this way, we could even see big shifts in how workplaces are run, how schools and teachers work, how we are in families, how life in general treats us and how we treat each other.
Carmel knowing you I know the incredible changes that you’ve made in your life and real vitality that you now shine and inspire others with. I was not aware of the detail of thyroid conditions but understood they were very difficult if not unheard of conditions to heal. What this shows is we are responsible for our health and your responsibility in the love and care for yourself has not only supported you but has meant one less burden for the medical system to try and manage. A win, win.
I like the fact that you are your own medical experiment Carmel, quite often we go to the doctors and take the meds prescribed but then leave it at that, without saying to ourselves but what can I do for myself, how can I experiment with changes in my life to support my improved health. After all why shouldn’t we be our own medical experiments, especially as we live with our bodies and can feel everything it is going through.
You provide a great account and precise details of the medical condition as well as the energetic factors that led to it, a wonderful and truly beneficial combination that helped heal your hyperthyroidism.
Gosh these blogs are amazing, what you are describing here is actually a miracle. I agree our bodies are incredible pieces of engineering, what they can heal and what they do every single day is astonishing, and your blog and your experience really shows just how responsive our bodies are to the way we live – what an amazing story!
What this blog has offered me is a great example of what being committed to our health really does. To commit to looking at what we feed ourselves, how we behave during the day, and have a willingness to look at what we are stressed about, is all part of an ongoing commitment and dedication that is needed to address any physical issues we may be experiencing. It really is the way forward for us.
A great re-read today. Our bodies clock every choice we make and they live with the consequences, even though we often think we get away with them. It is interesting how even as we refine our diets we can still use ‘healthy’ foods to mask what is going on and dull our awareness. We have to be super honest with ourselves about every choice we make, and therefore its resulting impact.
I have learnt so much over the years about listening to my body and seeing where I need medical support or medical intervention. There is a partnership to be had with all medicine and what is clear from your blog is the importance of choice and responsibility as being an equal partner in any intervention.
I find it interesting how it wasn’t until Carmel met Serge Benhayon that she felt truly inspired to make real and sustainable changes to the way she was living. What does this tell us about the current trend in alternative therapies? Are they actually so alternative that they are unable to offer the human frame the truly deep healing that it is calling out for?
‘I used to do everything in a rush, I was very hard on myself and very critical of others – not a very pleasant way of being I can tell you – and it would seem, my body agreed!’ I find it so interesting how even one negative thought can affect my physiology so that I can go racy, hard, sad, frustrated and so on just by it entering my head! There is so much here that is not in the common awareness yet, but it makes so much sense that when we rush or push or are judgmental this impacts the body in a negative way. How much more healthy and vital would we all be if we were to choose to stay gentle and to learn how to not react?!
Reading this blog again reminds me of what changes can occur when we take responsibility for our health. Being open to feeling the hurts we have been numbing with food and emotions can be quite daunting but once we allow ourselves to feel what is underneath all of the hurts we realise there is something much more lovely and steady to access. This blog goes a long way in support of the understanding that with a consistent approach to diet and lifestyle choices we can dramatically improve our health and well being as we live much more in tune with who we naturally are.
Your story is amazing Carmel and shows the degree of love and care you now take to look after yourself. The combination of medicine, esoteric healing and lifestyle choices is definitely the way to go to truly heal the body.
I used to think I could get away with living the way I wanted to with no regard to supporting my body which is ridiculous and unwise. It is so interesting reading your story Carmel, and the progress you have made with your health. When we deeply care for ourselves there is so much we can do. It is also wise to work with medical professionals as you are. The combination of self care and healing and western medicine gives us the best foundation for health and our wellbeing and your body is reaping the benefits.
So very inspiring Carmel, thank you for sharing what is possible when we make the choice to listen to our bodies, and take responsibility for our own healing.
It is true Carmel, if we give it a chance the body is indeed a fine instrument, able to give instant feedback on what is supportive and what is detrimental.. and so we can register these signals and respond, or ignore and override. Ever so slowly I am learning that it is wiser to honour the signals – and the consequence is a far greater level of vitality and natural energy.. no longer surviving with coffee to haul me through to the end of the day.
Awesome sharing Carmel. It is such an important read, I have friends who are struggling with some of the conditions you mention and it is not often recommended or suggested by medical professionals to look after our health and make different lifestyle choices, but your blog points out the importance of this – that our health isn’t something that happens to us, it is the result of the choices we have made.
‘Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases’. This is interesting. Having refined my own diet over the past few years, I would agree that this is a significant factor in being able to feel more clearly and to be more aware. I have found that I need far less food than I once ate and understand that I have used food to stop myself from feeling what is there to be felt. This does not deal with anything in a healthy way of course – but just temporarily stops me from being able to feel. It is using food as a form of medication and in the longer term this lifestyle simply leads to more problems.
Working with Esoteric Medicine in my life has been a revelation. For the first time in my life I have made a connection with this ‘fine instrument’ that is my body – after 52 years. It doesn’t make much sense really as the body is so fundamental to life and yet, the feeling I have is that in general we, as human beings take them for granted rather than honour them as the amazing piece of ‘engineering’ they are. It is curious to me that appreciating our bodies and how they work in such beautiful ways is not one of the very first lessons we learn in life. The body is in constant communication with us and if we learn to read its messages, we could respond and make adjustments long before we become what we currently see as unwell or in disease. How might life be if we worked in harmony with this ‘fine instrument’?
With our National Health Service in the UK seriously overwhelmed with demands that are increasing year on year it would seem to make sense that we take more responsibility for our own health and work with the medical profession rather than simply expect them to pick up the pieces cause by our poor lifestyle choices. It makes even more sense that we work with our bodies and their innate harmoniousness rather than over work and overload them with unreasonable levels of expectation.
“The body has an incredible, intelligent monitoring system and we can marvel at how delicately it adjusts its internal production of hormones in order to maintain balance and harmony where possible.” Yes our body is incredible and very beautiful and knowing this creates so much more understanding why we need to treat it with delicacy and respect. Taking our bodies for granted is so normalised in society but the rates of illness and disease show us that this is actually not working. So blog like these are so precious and to learn from.
Yes, because our bodies can handle a lot and the initial messages are so subtle we can ignore them, and we think we are ‘getting away with it’ but when we feel into how truly exhausted and depleted we are, we cannot but listen and make some different choices.
I agree with both of you here but it starts with us. I see a very overwhelmed health service dealing with millions, we deal with ourselves, so we need education in the community on personal responsibility, accountability to our own bodies and consistency in following through with care plans. The more we have this conversation the more inspired others will be to be the change they want to see in their bodies.
I was really struck by this sentence…”What I have come to learn by my own experience is these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.” We underestimate the delicateness of the internal organs because they are protected by our outer shell, yet they are incredibly delicate and do vital jobs…hence the name vital organs! You remind me of the respect I must have in all my choices as the consequence will be felt by these amazing and delicate delicate vital organs.
Well said Lucy, we do have vital organs that need to be treated with care and respect.
Beautifully said Lucy. In fact our whole body is very delicate and knowing this I can see how I use it at times so recklessly. Not just with food but also with how I move or how I push through at times. Feeling the delicacy of my body really inspirers me to take this delicate loving care to it as well.
I am realising this daily. The feeling I get when I wake up some mornings is like I am getting sick, I have been afraid of that feeling but yesterday I wondered if this is what feeling fragile feels like and what it would be like if I embraced that feeling and moved accordingly rather than panicked and pushed through. The feeling kept me really present in my body and really tender and gentle with myself. I wasn’t getting sick, I was feeling!! More of that please.
Exactly Lucy, I have felt this too. “Is everything alright with me?”, I would wonder but then actually when I stopped fighting it and surrendered to just simply feeling what there was to feel, I felt amazing and indeed nothing ‘wrong’, I was just feeling and surrendering to more stillness and tenderness.
Good point, Lucy – ‘Is this what feeling fragile feels like?’ I must admit I wake up sometimes feeling old – and it reminds me I need to exercise to stay flexible, eat so I don’t wake up with a stomach ache, and generally be a bit more tender with how I live in this amazing body.
That is beautiful Carmel. To respond to our bodies messages not with beating ourselves up, but with understanding and true movement forward, as in seeing it asks for more exercise or more tender care.
I wonder if in this day of replaceable goods we almost apply the same to our bodies, we use it till it wears out and then replace the body part most in need…a knee, a hip, a heart.
Yes, Joseph, we do take our bodies for granted, we definitely do not treat them as well as we would maintain a delicate mechanical instrument, mainly, I feel, because they can tolerate abuse and still function. I say ‘function’ but they are not functioning as fully as they are capable of and we are so dulling our sensitivity that we are not aware of the damage we are doing and of what we are missing.
What I am hearing in your words Carmel is how our body is so far from being deficient. In fact it is so super efficient it can make do and seemingly survive on the slimmest of rations. Sadly this super power can mean we take it for granted, instead of cherishing it as you do here as a divine piece of engineering divinely arranged down to the last hair to navigate us towards healing.
Thank you Carmel, I have recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so your story is just so wonderful and inspiring to read. I say just recently diagnosed, but my GP had been saying that my thyroid was borderline under active for the past few years, but I didn’t want to accept or take responsibility for it. I didn’t even want to know more about what that could be doing to other parts of my body, I was in a lot of denial. In true refection of how I have dealt with and felt about by body most of my life. It has only been in the last 6 months that I finally sought proper treatment and only the past month where I am finally taking medication. It is early days, but am slowly feeling the difference in my body. Thank you for sharing that in making changes to our daily choices, to be more loving and gentle, so much can change and heal.
Thank you for sharing your story too, Raegan, yes, we can get a lot of help from our doctors and we can help them back – our good health is definitely a partnership between the two – they have spent years studying the human body and are great at diagnosis and pharmaceutical support and we, knowing our own bodies, can take greater care with nutrition, gentle exercise and good sleep.
It is great to have others share their experiences here and as you say Carmel, it is in the partnership that we come to feel the support that is there for us.
I am now just really beginning to understand the power of illness and disease and that it’s not something to be ashamed of, but to be open, as it’s a great opportunity for the body to heal from past abuse and behaviours. It’s our body giving us another chance to clear and start afresh. I feel we really under estimate the power of healing our body is offering.
Beautifully said, Amita, it is indeed a great opportunity to clear and start afresh, our bodies are signalling to us all the time, reflecting how we are living, and it’s entirely up to us to choose to pay attention and change – or not.
Thank you for reminding me of the delicate nature of our body.
‘If chosen soon enough’ yes, and what if we made a choice to live differently before the symptoms arose . . . ?
Thank you Carmel. It is so important to read stories like yours about how changing your lifestyle supported your health and well-being. It makes it very clear that our health is in our hands in that our choices either support or hinder us.
I have returned to read again your article Carmel, what you share is truly amazing, and very stilling. The very real truth that we are the masters in control and that health and wellbeing can be returned to our bodies, with the simpleness of dedicating to our bodies, deep, loving, care is deeply felt.
Learning what deeply loving means is a challenge – we may think we are being caring, but there is always a deeper level of care and tenderness to explore beyond where we are now
I agree Carmel, there is a depth of love I know innately, because I feel it, the challenge though is in choosing this depth of love as I live moment by moment. The thing that is inspiring me to go there, to live from what I know is true, is the still steady way I feel in my body and how deeply I actually love others when I choose to be with it.
I suspect simple lifestyle changes could help heal just about any ailment if chosen soon enough.
Great point Brendan – even though we have put our bodies through so much disregarding treatment the ability of the body to support us in healing when new choices are made is incredible. I’ve often thought that I should not feel as great as I do now when I look back at what I have put my body through in the past but that’s the thing – it’s letting go of the old choices and healing the reasons for making them that allows so much to be discarded from the body.
And our bodies don’t judge us – they simply show us what is going on – no need to beat ourselves up for anything we did in the past – just change what we do from now on and our bodies will respond. Not everything will go back to perfect harmony, but it’s surprising the changes that do take place when we start to live with love and respect for our body.
As an update: I was recently diagnosed as having some osteoporosis in my spine and am now undertaking daily exercise with weights to strengthen my bones – it has made such a difference to my posture – I am now much more aware of how I stand brushing my teeth, washing up, carry thing things, or simply walking – my body is loving me back and it feels great!
Thanks for the update Carmel, just goes to show how effective positive lifestyle choices have on our overall health.
Your blog is a beautiful testimony of the intelligence of our body and the messages it provide for us to heal whatever needs healing. I am very interested in learning to listen to my body on a much deeper level and to honour this magical vehicle I have been given. We may see ourselves as an intelligent species but in this field we still have much to learn. The possibility of a life far grander than we live it today is a truth our bodies behold.
Carmel this is a case study all on it’s own. I have known many women over the years who have had thyroid problems and it is one of those illnesses which I always thought needed medication to be taken for the rest of your life. So it just goes to show how much we can learn from our bodies when we give it the opportunity to tell us gently, without it having to shout at us.
Julie – it is incredible what the body can offer us if we simply listen to it. How amazing that we can come back from complicated illness simply by making a commitment to change and to listen to our bodies. Carmel’s experience is absolutely this, and she is a walking case study for a beautiful woman who is no longer living in her head but with total respect to her body.
So very inspiring you are Carmel, thank you for sharing what is possible when we make the choice to heed the call of our bodies, and make choices accordingly to support our body to heal itself.
Carmel indeed is very inspiring in the way she chose to honour herself and her body, never giving up on the possibility of true healing. Grace to Universal Medicine for showing us that connecting to our bodies is key in connecting to ourselves on a far deeper level we generally do today.
This is so true Sally – if we worked more ‘with’ the body than ‘separate’ to the body, and began to view illness and disease as an opportunity to take responsibility for our choices, the health care system as we know it would experience a massive overhaul, and would be far less a cost to our nations.
I find this deeply inspiring to continue to reflect on my own choices and way of living, thank you.
If we look at the extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance, it stands to reason that we are by nature very delicate. I realise the more delicate I can be with myself the more this will support me to be my natural self.
That’s an incredible realisation Rosanna, and really makes sense. It’s just like the amazing balancing act we can observe in Nature, where all the various bacterial, fungi, plant, and animal systems work in perfect harmony and balance together until we as humans have interfered with those systems by disrupting their balance. Perhaps the simplest way to solve all our environmental problems is to live in the way Carmel has described, taking deep care of our bodies, and the way you have posed, by appreciating our true delicacy of our own bodily systems, which would help us see how we can’t abuse the environment and expect there to not be major consequences. The same goes for our bodies, if we fill them full of junk food and move and express them in harsh ways, the results will only be illness and disease, just like if we dump toxic waste into rivers and oceans, it will destroy whole ecosystems.
This is true, Michael, that Nature reflects back to us the delicateness. Because our bodies can cope with a lot it is easy to forget just how delicate they are, and we dump toxic waste into them by eating and living in a way that upsets that delicate balance. When we respect what our bodies need and live in a way that truly nurtures and supports us, then harmony happens in all areas of our lives.
Very true, the more delicate I am with myself the more I notice my body love it and respond accordingly. The reflection nature offers is often a very timely reminder.
Thank you Carmel, really amazing all that you have shared. It is such a great example of absolute responsibility. That when diagnosed, you didn’t just accept it, you took charge, understood that the illness was related to how you had been living and choose to turn that around. I also have been diagnosed with a Thyroid issue, but mine is the other ‘hypothyroidism’, where the thyroid is under-active. I am just working with medical doctors and a naturopath at the moment to look at things from a medical and supplement perspective, but equally I am looking at how I am living, the choices I make around how I interact with people and myself. So thanks for your inspiring article, as it has shown me evidence that one can overcome these types of illnesses through love, self care and responsibility.
I agree Raegan, it always felt to me that Thyroid issues were around expression and that means how I relate to others, and the heart issues are related to my closing myself off from being truly intimate with anyone. I have made great headway in letting go of judging others but am only now beginning to catch the many ways I knock myself back with simple thoughts like, ‘I can do this but . . .’ rather like this sentence I just wrote. It is very subtle but the effect is profound.
Your reference to our body being a finely tuned instrument is so spot on Carmel. There is no running away from the fact that our choices determine exactly how tuned in we are to this body of ours and all that we are experiencing.
That’s the bottom line Vick. Whatever we choose directly affects our relationship with our body either by improving our connection with it or dialling it down so that we are less aware of our feelings.
This article is a great example of how health issues and symptoms are not the end. They can be embraced in our unfolding, as a way that our body communicates with us and provides reflection with which we can deepen our understanding of life, our choices, and responsibility. And of course Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine’s modalities and teachings catapult one to a whole new level of appreciating and honouring the blessing that is our body.
Beautiful words, Golnaz, the body does indeed teach us a lot and through its wisdom we can come to that deeper level of understanding that nothing outside of ourselves can provide.
Yes Golnaz that is very true, health issues and symptoms are not the end but can be embraced. Much can be learned about ourselves and our choices if we allow it and are willing to take responsibility.
So true Katinka, symptoms are our body’s way of telling us there is something to learn. How awesome is that?!
Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon have indeed introduced a level of appreciating and honouring that has been ground breaking. The level of attention to detail and that every single choice you make will either support and nurture the body or not is all encompassing. I for one have not meet any other organisation that presents such truths and do not waver in any way shape of form. The dedicated consistency that Serge Benhayon and the teaching of Universal Medicine offer are a way of living that needs to be studied. Known as The Way of the Livingness and the results are phenomenal.
I so agree Golnaz. Well said.
“I have developed far more awareness of how the things I choose to eat or drink affect me and my body – either supporting me to stay feeling clear and light, or making me feel heavier and unfocused.” This I can so relate too as I have been becoming so aware as my body becomes more sensitive, it quickly shows me the effects of what I eat. One minute I can be clear and light and if I eat something slightly out my body becomes heavier and tired within minutes. This tiredness is hard to clear as it takes a few days, the more I have been experiencing this the more I have been saying to myself it really is not worth eating things that are not supportive. I prefer to feel light and sensitive as, I have so much more energy and vitality. I am therefore for ever refining what I eat.
Hi Amita, thank you for writing about this, I find that sometimes when I am called to step up, that’s when I am most likely to fall down because my body feels uncomfortable with the tension of how I am living compared with where I could be, and I instantly revert to old patterns of numbing with eating and TV. Although my health generally has improved immensely, there is now a level of refinement that I need to pay attention to – the details of how I am in every moment, my thoughts, how tidy my house is, how I dress. It is a never ending journey of unfolding my sensitivity and awareness. At the same time I can appreciate fully what has been achieved but cannot rest there, because evolution is an ongoing process, and my delaying my part in it is a disservice to humanity.
What an amazing stop you were given Carmel by your body. But what a beautiful opportunity it has been for you to address the deep disregard and choose to live by following the impulses of your body re food requirements, sleep, exercise, which are self nurturing and self loving. So many people can learn from your experience – thank you for sharing it with us, with honesty and truth.
If we have the power to immensely support the health systems of our countries by taking responsibility for our own health first, before seeking medical treatment. What then are we able to overcome through our relationships, places of work, international relations, if we were to take this same approach of personal responsibility, and really live it in full, throughout every aspect of our lives?
So true Shami – our potential to resolve so much of the ills in this world that exist both personally and publicly lies in taking self responsibility to a whole new level. Carmel’s story has shown what is possible when just one person steps up, so if that was multiplied out by the billions of people in this world real progress could be harmoniously achieved.
The changes you describe putting into place and developing in your life Carmel sound really simple but are ones that so many often find hard to actually implement. It’s a great testament to Universal Medicine that it supported you to implement these changes and consistently so.
Yes, Fiona, the support from Universal Medicine and all the Esoteric Practitioners has been amazing – there has been no judgement, no push, just simple reflections that have enabled me to make my own choices and how fast or slow I make changes has been entirely up to me.
Continuing that same thought, when we wear the body out early with too much aggressive sport, marathons or drugs, we get a huge message to see through the damaged joints, pain or physical changes, how we have abused it. So it’s still a great message to learn, and if it has to be like that, so be it.
The great thing is that the body is always sending us messages regardless, and how big of an impact the message sent needs to be often depends on how much we have been prepared to listen!
Our bodies are beautiful markers of where we have been and how we have lived our lives. I distinctly remember thinking it won’t matter what I do to my body as a teenager (I can feel the arrogance and irresponsibility I had) because I couldn’t envisage how I would be when I was older. When we are taught about our own health in schools and integrate young and old people together, we may get an earlier message to care for ourselves because the body needs not to wear out before we are ready to leave it.
Good point, Gill, having elders visit schools to pass on the wisdom of their lived years and remind children how healthy they can choose to be in the next 60 years.
And young colleagues at work who kneel on hard floors or who don’t bother wearing gloves . . .
In this article it is easy to see the actual blessing that illness and disease is. It gave you Carmel a stop moment to consider how you were living and then the opportunity to change it. If we all saw illness and disease like that we would have a more true health care system.
Carmel what a great healing for me to read your blog. In some points it seems my health is a carbon copy of your ailments. Tests are being done on me but the disregard my body has suffered over the years is now made clear. I have considerably slowed my pace of living and do take far more care now than I ever did. And rather than avoid doctors I now know the big part they play in my returning back to full health.
Western Medicine definitely has its place and we can surely help because there will always be more layers of ill health to uncover as we refine our way of living
A really great article Carmel, and an amazing turnaround with your health issues, the body is truly amazing in how it can heal, if we just listen to its wisdom and bring tender loving care in the way we treat it.
I just looked up hyperthyroidism – about 2% of all women have it and it is one of those conditions that can lead to serious long term consequences. It is quite an achievement to have come off that condition, Carmel.
Hi Christoph, yes, on looking back, the symptoms I had were quite severe, but the worst thing was, I didn’t realise it at the time – it was only when my mother commented about my being breathless after one flight of stairs that I became aware and went to the doctor. He tested me for asthma and when that was ruled out, suggested that I have my thyroid checked. I have been truly blessed with great doctors all along the way, who have offered diagnosis and sound advice, and who have listened when I have talked about making lifestyle changes before considering surgery.
. . . and in terms of long term consequences, my heart is still beating irregularly with atrial fibrillation and is distorted as the ventricle had to grow bigger in order for it to continue functioning as a pump. A more recent development is that I have osteoporosis in my spine, also possibly caused by hyperthyroidism.
Coming to the realisation that we are responsible for our own wellbeing and that the lifestyle choices we make will determine the quality of health we will enjoy.
The changes you have made are outstanding Carmel as is the turnaround in your health. It takes real dedication and huge amounts of love for yourself to go against everything that had become ‘normal’ to you and persevere with a new way of living. Your story is amazing.
I had been into alternative health for years to help with endometriosis and depression to name a few. It wasn’t until I met Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine that I had a far deeper and clearer understanding about health and well-being. Since then, (attending workshops, courses and having sessions with Universal Medicine Practioners) as well as starting to take true responsibility for my health, this has completely turnaround and ailments have not only healed but I feel healthier on so many levels than I have ever done before.
That is it Gill, to see the disregard, recognise it and then make the simple changes. I love this “and it’s not finished yet, I know there’s more to go”, Yes from me.
I can relate to this Gill. Even after simply putting cream on my face on a regular basis for the last year or so I now realise how much of a disregard NOT applying cream was, especially because I do swimming and my face can get dry quite easily. It’s the little things that matter 🙂
Thank you Susie,
I read this comment and felt how – while I had quickly slapped some moisturiser onto my face this morning (!) – my face (and hands) were a little dry at the end of the day and craving body cream and gentle touch. I have just allowed space for this before replying to your comment, and it felt incredible to honour this – my hands feel warm and my face feels cared for and lighter. I am now committing to this level of care, and deepening the quality I bring to it, on a daily basis too 😃
Our bodies are indeed delicate and amazing pieces of engineering. I know my view and appreciation of the body changed forever when I studied Anatomy and Physiology. I remember thinking at the time that everyone would benefit from studying the body. So often we walk around in our bodies not being aware of how they work or how they are. Awareness of the body feels like a basic requirement for every day life
Yes our bodies are remarkable engineering, and Anatomy and Physiology offer a great preliminary insight into the workings of it. I have loved the deeper insights offered by the Ageless Wisdom presented by Serge Benhayon, providing a much deeper awareness and appreciation as yet untouched with any of the text books and academia I have come across, and they are so simple and very practical in daily life. It inspires a deep responsibility and joyful engagement with the unfolding of our lives, as so beautifully shown in Carmel’s story outlines here.
I recently read a leaflet on the female reproductive system (although energetically and physically it is much more than a reproductive system). The Fallopian tubes are pencil-thin, our eggs are as tiny as a grain of sand and the ovaries as small as almonds; it made me see and realise just how delicate our body really is.
It’s interesting you make the connection between how hard you were on yourself and how hard you were on others too.
I suspect these things are linked.
I know myself as I have gradually softened my approach to many things, I am naturally less harsh on all others. I don’t need them to be perfect. I do need to be gentle with me, and all else falls into place.
Incredible to hear how much you have changed your life around; I have also found that the lighter I eat, the more I can feel and the more I become aware of – which requires a big commitment to honesty and responsibility, but it is definitely worth it!
It’s wonderful stories of change like these that help us to realise if we put our hearts into a change of lifestyle and really consider our current livingness, we can honestly assess if it is serving us. If not then we, do have another choice, we can allow for true change to occur and the “all” is never lost! In your extreme case Carmel, you could have so easily given up on yourself, thinking that there was no hope of change, and very likely there were times that you did. Serge Benhayon offers us this blessing every time through his presentations. Today is another day, the same day..are we going to make the same choices this day or are we going to try another way forward? One that points in the direction of true health and true love and towards a more authentic, joyful, graceful YOU!
This is an incredible account of what is possible for us when we make a true commitment to our wellbeing and action tiny incremental changes to support us in life.
Well said, this account of hyperthyroidism is a testimony to the fact of how much choice and influence we have when we start looking after ourselves and support what the medical system has to offer.
I agree Irena – often we associate lifestyle change with a large amount of up upheaval and lots of will power when in fact making small self-loving changes gradually build into a way of constantly refining our lifestyle to be of true support to us and a healthier way of living.
Carmel shares something very poignant here that actually speaks to a larger trend within people all over the world. Carmel shared that she proposed to her doctors that she try making lifestyle adjustments before receiving particular medical interventions. While this is not always the appropriate course of action, my understanding is that lifestyle changes are not given weight by many practitioners as being agents of change in medical conditions. This, I feel, comes from the fact that so many people are presenting with chronic illness that has sprung from a disregarding or self abusive way of living that this way of living has become the norm.
Yes, I was once diagnosed with Athlete’s Foot and when I mentioned changing my diet the doctor said ‘What do you mean?’ I stopped eating anything fungus-y or yeasty (no mushrooms, sugar or honey) and the symptoms disappeared and since I eat less of those things, and definitely no mushrooms, it hasn’t recurred. Such a simple cure.
That is true Kate, doctors do not really giving advice for healthy lifestyle changes, it seems that is easier for them to prescribe medications.
Goes to show you can be an extremely bright and intellectually aware person but no amount of brains could ever come close to the simple wisdom from our bodies. It takes a lot of responsibility and humbleness to truly honour and live our body’s wisdom, but it is sure far wiser than hiding out in our minds, where we can be caught in an irresponsible web of untruths and illusions.
Joshua you have shared some great wise words here. “It does take a lot of responsibility and humbleness to truly honour and live our body’s wisdom” . We all have so much wisdom within us, we all just need to connect to it and allow it to flow.
I am learning it is so super simple to live from our body but yet it can be the most challenging and confronting way to be
Very true Joshua. Our minds have us running around like headless chickens when our bodies are calling out to be still, be cared for and lived in connection with.
Our body can be very busy on a physical level but our minds can often be millions of miles ahead, living in a rapid busy-ness of thoughts and ideas. When we consider how much we actually live in the busy-ness of our minds and not the simplicity of just being in our bodies in each moment of our day, it actually feels very very crazy and very very tiring.
Having studied anatomy and physiology to some depth I have never stopped being amazed by the amazingness of the human body. However, it was not until encountering Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine did I begin appreciate to listen to the wisdom of the body to guide me. What a revelation.
And the obvious changes that you have made for you and your body are huge. You feel now so much more alive and vital then you have been ten years ago. I remember the fotos where you had some kilos more and your eyes did not reflect any light as it does today. You are an amazing indicator for what has worked for you. Thank you Jonathan for being a great light and inspiration.
“I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!”. These words speak so very loudly to me, and I know, to many others, who have learned from their lived experience, that to not appreciate our amazing bodies and think that they will just keep on going in spite of the amount of abuse that we heap on them, is simply setting the scene for illness, injury and disease. Today I am really committed to caring very deeply for my body, but there are times I still treat it less lovingly than it deserves. I acknowledge that deepening this level of care is a work in progress and there is the potential for more listening and more love – I have come to realise that my body can deal with all the love I give it, and more.
Having created a deep level of stress in running my life it has taken some time to become aware of how entrenched the running ill patterns have become, but thanks to Universal Medicine practitioners and the modalities, there are now moments of feeling back to my natural state of being. Even moments of how I once felt as a child. This is a wonderful marker as each time I can gain greater awareness of how and when I choose to step back in to the old patterns and also why I chose that step.. and one day the whole choice will be fully understood and known, and from there a different choice can be made. This is true self-empowerment and the steps towards true healing.
This is beautiful, Annie, and in line with what I am finding – that there are different levels of stress and as we deal with each one, another is revealed for us to clear. Allowing the child-like playfulness to break through is a lovely feeling.
This is a great discussion Annie and Carmel. What once was a stress may no longer be, but I too am learning that there are different levels of stress and tension depending on what is being learnt at the time. There are experiences we may never have exposed ourselves too had we not brought more understanding and awareness and learning to other areas.
So true Annie, it starts with our choice to make a change to what has not worked for us and from there a different choice can be made.
So true Carmel, there is so much we can do to help ourselves if we so choose. How supportive that can be, not only for us but also for the health professionals treating and supporting us. The pressure is taken off them to try and ‘fix’ us and the beauty of taking responsibility for ourselves is extraordinarily empowering for us as I have also come to discover.
In this way, Jeanette, responsibility for fixing lies with both us and the medical profession, we can work together, which is always way more fun. I recently had another blood test to check my thyroid and the readings are still ‘borderline hyperactive’, so I still have some work to do there, but I also had a cholesterol test and that is down to 4.1, which is where the doctor suggested it needed to be and I haven’t had to take Statins to get it there, simply adjusted my diet.
I remember the time when I had made the decision to change to a healthy lifestyle and food, wow I could feel the changes in my body and it inspired me that much that I started to study nutrition in my forties. I love what I do and how I can talk and present from my own experiences with food and lifestyle.
Bravo Carmel, what an education on both appreciation for the delicate intricacies of our physiology and the huge impact self responsibility can have on our health – if we but choose it. Thank you!
What I notice in this blog by Carmel, is how she has accepted the fact that she is worth making the lifestyle changes for, that a life of ill health is not worth the effort it takes to sustain, and not only that but that there is yet more to discover in her own vitality and awareness about her own body. This is beautiful and such a joy to read.
Great observation Shami, for that is indeed the key – accepting that we are worth making changes for. Taking care of ourselves is a path which takes dedication and constant refinement – as Carmel’s blog so beautifully illustrates.
Thank you Shami, we are indeed worth taking great care of because our bodies reward us tenfold with the smallest degree of care we take.
Lifestyle changes is what our world needs today and this amazing blog is confirming that things can change in a BIG way if we start to make choices that actually truly support our body.
Serge Benhayon has been presenting simple and practical ways that we can apply that truly support our body and this story and thousands of others including my own are living anecdotal evidence that it is possible.
I am blown away how one man can bring so many answers to our world today and for the record YES he is pro medicine.
It all makes so much sense. The simple example of looking after plants shows that with care and tenderness they flourish and without it they suffer, and at times if something has got out of hand advice is required. It is the same with our body, but somehow we impose a different set of rules here and think it is okay to drive ourself with harshness and ignore all our body’s signals, until we are stopped. Carmel’s story and thousands of others are living proof that simple and practical ways of living with care and tenderness works wonders and it is what we all deserve.
You’re a living proof of Universal Medicine Carmel. What has changed through listening more and more to what your body is asking for, expressing, you’ve not only recovered inmensely, but also have shown the power we have when we connect and live from our own love – which is within everyone. Thank you for sharing. This should be available everywhere. Hospital, clinics, GP’s, schools, etc.
‘the power we have when we connect and live from our own love’ this is something I am still exploring and it will be interesting to see if the number of heart conditions around the world changes as more and more people learn this. I imagine it may increase first as many are resisting that love, even though it is more easily available than ever before, we have to learn to trust something that feels very different from the experience we thought was love.
This makes me smile Carmel, sometimes the magnitude of simplicity is hard to fathom! The simple shift in choices that you made brought such life changing shifts.
Rosanna when I was at the doctor recently they had their prescribed route on how to “fix” a problem but within that their was nothing else if that did not work, their was no mention of my part in the process, in the condition, or what that meant. It struck me that without Esoteric Medicine we are not getting the true healing and evolution we could be, people keep getting sicker but their is very little true discussion about why and what our role is. Yet as Carmel and many others now have shown the world is that simple changes in the way we live and approach life is what makes a true difference.
It’s crazy when you think about it! as you said…”their was no mention of my part in the process, in the condition, or what that meant”. I find it hard to believe that it is a person that the doctor is treating, yet does not fully embrace the person and their choices in the story the body presents. How can we, the patient, NOT be part of the story and the healing?
It really just shows the reader in this article how much our everyday life choices affect our health and vitality. This is a truly informative article that many should read. Having known people throughout my life who have experienced health issues in relation to their thyroid and heart, I can appreciate how hearing from someone like you Carmel could offer a refreshing perspective. I will most definitely share this article around….
Rachel, there are so many people who have a thyroid or a heart condition, these are very common conditions, what Carmel has shared is a great article and definelty worth sharing with others. Giving them a choice that they no longer have to suffer there are other ways to work towards good health.
What an astounding case study Carmel, there are so many layers you have addressed in terms of taking self-responsibility in living your life. Rather than a hard disciplined routine of fixing problems though, I feel your gentle tender loving care to look at your health issues, lifestyle, diet, relationship to work and others and the above all the quality that you live in. Truly inspirational and achievable for us all if we wish to take responsibility and apply this broader definition of true medicine to our lives.
Ha, yes, Jenny, when I reflect back on how I used to barge my way through life, in a very heavy-handed, heavy footed way and heavy full stop, the lightness of touch, of step and of being is profound.
Agreed Gill, it is an ever refining process of the quality in which I eat, move and treat my body. This includes the quality that I relate to other people in. The more tender and self-loving I am to myself, and allow others in, the more the hardness and protection drops away from my body.
This blog tells a great story of how the choices we make in our daily living have a huge impact on our health and well-being. How simple choices on the quality of what we do, does affect the functioning of the body, and also affects the emotional and psychological aspects of us. The simple teachings of the Ancient Wisdom as presented by Serge Benhayon are valuable, attainable tools for health and well-being.
Yes lisa “the choices we make in our daily living have a huge impact on our health and well-being” and what is amazing is that it does not have to be a huge arduous change, just little small changes which feel to be the ones to go for make profound changes.
That’s right Golnaz, simple choices like what foods to eat and not eat, the choice to just feel how we feel in any moment, the choice to be tender and gentle with ourselves, great change can come from the simplest of choices.
Your blog is a great reminder to our world today Carmel that by making new responsible choices that actually support our body is the way forward to healing our self and this is not about any particular diet or exercise regime but by simple self loving and self caring lifestyle choices.
I too have “healed” myself after major surgery by applying the teachings of Serge Benhayon as this man has the answers. I was always visiting the GP and hospital and yet have not been once since 2008. I am living proof today that I am no longer a medical statistic because I have made simple lifestyle changes.
For the record – just like Serge Benhayon, I am pro-medicine and if there was ever anything I need to get checked out I would be the first to go to my GP.
‘I am living proof today that I am no longer a medical statistic because I have made simple lifestyle changes.’ Well claimed, Bina – such a simple way to turnaround our health
You could be considered a medical wonder Bina. Lifestyle changes are so often overlooked in the medical world, but you are a walking talking example of the difference it makes. Serge Benhayon does have the answers and the moment you meet this man you can also feel that he lives what he shares – it’s no textbook subscription but a way of living that he has explored, experienced and now enjoys on a daily basis. This is the ultimate inspiration for me. But as you say, the two go hand in hand, and I too love visiting my GP when needed, to get all the support modern medicine offers.
Thank you Carmel for sharing your story and what a journey it has been for you, to recognise the marvel and preciousness of our body and to choose to uphold and support the body, is to build a body that will allow the divinity we are to use it to live and serve with.
This is a brilliant example of a patient taking responsibility for their health and well-being in connection and a working relationship with their doctor. Observing the body, feeling more deeply what is needed to support the body, monitoring and constantly refining – feels like great medicine to me as the physical body benefits as well as the person who is working on a deeper and more committed relationship to themselves and their well-being.
This is a powerful statement, Sarah, especially the words ‘feeling more deeply what is needed to support the body, monitoring and constantly refining’. It’s not only me and my body that benefit, the doctors benefit too as their doctor-patient relationships becomes more of a collaborative joy.
That’s a great point you make Carmel, about the doctor-patient relationships becoming “more of a collaborative joy” when patients take responsibility for their health and well-being. The pressure on Doctors must be intense with the majority of their patients presenting with a demand to be fixed without being willing to look at how their lifestyle choices have contributed to their condition.
If we show them even a little bit of love and tenderness our bodies repay us with huge dividends, as Carmel shares. So forgiving are they that it takes years of abuse and sending us messages that go largely ignored before they finally break down. And even then they can recover if we change our ways – they are amazing instruments of the divine governed by universal law.
The body is so willing and ready to heal and clear all that we find ill affecting us, it’s like we are sitting on gold. And our part, our choices are not big, scary, too much responsibility or any of that. It’s a simple choice and we make choices constantly. With the support of Esoteric Medicine and Universal Medicine the re-training of our choices can allow this marvellous body to come back from amazing places as Carmel has shared.
I agree Leigh, our choices are simply, step by step with our body, showing us the way if we listen to it and are loving with ourselves, not getting mental about the way we think things should be. I am quite amazed by what I have been able to let go of and it has not really been that hard.
Yes Josephine, you have summed up the human body beautifully here. “They are amazing instruments of the divine, governed by universal law.” It is absolutely miraculous how our bodies are able to heal themselves, given the correct support love and care that they need in order to do this.
I have more awareness and appreciation of what my body does for me now and when I think of the ways I have abused it in the past, it bewilders me as to how I didn’t realise I was being abusive to myself. Even now I am still discovering things I do that I would call abusive, as the marker has changed and my awareness of what abuse is is always changing and evolving.
It’s inspiring to read Carmel, how simple changes to our lives can make such a huge difference, even to go as far as to cure or improve a medical condition. Stories from real life down to earth people who are proving that, the way we live can and does make a difference to our health.
Julie – your honesty and deepening relationship with yourself blows me away. To become more and more honest with what is abuse, is a huge healing in our bodies and empowers us to say no to what is not abusive. The more we listen to our bodies and the more love we offer them, the more they respond and the easier it is for miracles to happen such as improving medical conditions simply by how we live.
Such an inspiring story Carmel, and what an amazing testament you are – showing us all that by taking more loving care of our body through changes in our diet, and lifestyle our body positively restores itself to optimal health.
What I find interesting, Loretta, is the layers of health – when you deal with one, another reveals itself, that we either didn’t realise was there, or that we were ignoring. We are indeed, the multi-symptomatic man, and our bodies are more sick than we have allowed ourselves to truly feel.
I am finding that as I understand more about my responsibility for my body, so it is highlighting aspects I haven’t fully understood. My thyroid went out, a short burst of medicine helped it to balance but my hair is showing that something needs attention again. In the past I might not have addressed this but now I am taking charge of my health, working with what my body is showing me, with the doctors support.
Thank you Carmel for your very inspiring sharing for us all. What a case study to reflect on! The amazing engineering delicacy and divinity of our bodies and the exquisiteness we truly are is such a treasure to be honoured and truly respected and treated from the inside out in every moment. True health, vitality, wisdom and knowing is part of who we are and how we live as the love we all are.
I have the same wonder concerning the mechanisms that continually balance and monitor the body’s homeostasis…”When I look at what the body does – even just the glands and the way they monitor the blood, responding by releasing more or less hormones that are able to keep the body working in perfect condition – it is truly amazing!” The divine order and simplicity that occurs within to support our health is a wonder and I am appreciated more every day.
Yes Samantha, the exquisite sensitivity of the mechanisms of the body and how they respond to our choices, always in fact supporting us to come back to truth, if we will only listen, feel and take note, is a daily miracle really.
Yes Samantha, I too have often marvelled at how amazing our bodies are. The way all our internal systems just keep on working to keep us in balance, and all while we just carry on doing what we are doing, and often oblivious as to what is actually going on inside us. Gosh, when you really stop and consider this, you cannot but be in complete awe of the miracle of the human body. Surely this is something to honour deeply and to have the utmost respect for how it does it’s utmost to maintain it’s stability.
Likewise Sandra – our bodies are amazing pieces of machinery that really know how to support us – and with our choices to help this, we can completely change how we are living. To honour our bodies and respect them, rather than abuse them as we have welcomes as the norm in society, is to allow them to flourish. There is so much education needed on the miracle of the body and how important our relationship with the body is.
As a case study, this should be taught in all medical schools.
Just by honoring and feeling what the body needs is the most effective type of preventative medicine available, keep doing what you are doing Carmel because it’s obviously working.
Joe keep doing what you’re doing because I love the way you share.
“Shedding 41Kgs” – a simple byproduct of you reconnecting to yourself and changing your lifestyle choices to truly support you. This simple one-liner, reveals what is possible when we reconnect to ourselves, and that the glorified is not the weight loss, but the awareness and relationship you now have with you and your body. Thank you for sharing the importance of every choice!
I am sure that your appreciation of the intricate interconnected way our body’s function and a positive attitude towards healing has helped your body heal. Listening carefully to the body and accepting treatments the medical system has to offer is very wise. thank you for sharing Carmel.
It is so true Bernard, that it is the quality of the relationship we develop with our bodies that allows it to heal. If we can listen and feel into what medical or complementary interventions are right for us and allow for the body to do what it inherently knows best, be in harmony and equilibrium.
I love how the simple thing of changing your diet and your relationship with food, and your body, can support a massive change in your life. “Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases”.
I agree Rik, making the choice to listen to our body and to implement the changes needed returns to us absolute love. Being faced with such extreme health conditions can make us feel vulnerable but the commitment to ‘Whole’ health that Carmel has made is inspiring and proof that there is another way and the marriage between conventional medicine and Esoteric medicine will support us all.
Rik and Carmel I totally agree – this is something that when you read it you go – oh yeah of course that makes sense. But when you actually make those changes and really start to listen to your body, then this feels completely different. It really does change your life in a way that can only every be felt by you making those choices to connect deeper with your body and listen to it.
I agree, Natalie – when Serge Benhayon says ‘Listen to your body’ it’s easy to think we are paying attention, but then, when we REALLY pay attention and honour the wisdom that is held in our bodies, we can learn so much more.
It’s amazing how Universal Medicine modalities and tools coupled with western medicine has great results. I know from my own experience that the two work well together with amazing results.
I really appreciate the ongoing complementary support Universal Medicine provides. My experiences with Universal Medicine have taught me a lot about how I can offer this same level of support to others and to be simply more considerate and understanding with what people may be going through.
I see your point Natalie and second that, the two work perfectly together and in such a way that can only be described as a miracle on all levels. Understanding my body now like never before due to my continuous development with Universal Medicine, I have been moved by quite how much we have control over once we have the understanding of how the body truly works and what is actually required for our bodies to be themselves. Universal Medicine is a science and one that needs to be taught to everyone worldwide.
EM for Am
I agree, Felicity, there is great scope for the medical profession and complementary medicine to work hand in hand, as in we do our best to look after our bodies and the doctors share their medical expertise and training with us.
How life is actually determined by simple (choices) to be one of Love or not. The fact that your blog is so revealing and is a miracle in itself says also a lot about the fact how far away we – as a Human race – actually live from an innate Truth that is living within everyone. And as long as we don’t want to face the Truth and our personal Truth, nothing changes. The choices within that are not actually stemming from our Love will not leave, let alone heal out of the blue. They will only heal by choosing more Love and the choice to let (slowly) go of so much stubbornness, arrogance and ignorance. For me it is allowing myself that I am Truly part of something Grand and that in Truth, that what I called ‘I’ doesn’t know anything. Not anything. There’s only impulses to be followed or not. No arguments, no reasons needed. They’re actually taking me away from me. For someone who’s invested A LOT in a smart mind, this is quite a pill to swallow. As well as it is just a choice.
It is a bitter pill for us to swallow that our non loving choices may have created the imbalance and disease in our bodies. Also an arrogance to think we can continue over-riding this beautifully organised body that must adhere to the natural laws of harmony.
I agree with you Jenny, and I ask myself how can or could I have over-ridden such a well ordered natural law of harmony that exists within my body.
Thank you for your comment Mary that drew my attention to Jenny’s pertinent words that it is a bitter pill to swallow that the disharmony, ill and dis-ease in our body reflects our own unloving choices … This I can relate to and have struggled to accept in full the choices I have made that have contributed to illness in my body. It is incredibly important for me to be very tender and loving with myself when facing this fact so that I can honestly receive the grace and gift my body presents in this awareness, to surrender, and no longer resist in hard and only further harming ways!
Appreciating the natural harmony our bodies are truly capable of and saying yes to this is something I also wish to choose.
I love how you respectfully interweave the input of your medical professional yet also fully examine all your lifestyle choices and see how you live as a vital part of the equation to be overhauled. This is such gold, when we take excellent care of ourselves and are willing to look at the deepest patterns we have lived, and are then willing to commit to truth, we then can find a way forward, with the expertise of medical professionals integrated and respected as part of the picture. This is true complementary medicine, and this coupling of the impact of individual responsibility along with medical expertise will prove to be the only model that works effectively in the future I suspect.
It is very beautiful to read this interweaving of medicine with self responsibility. I love Carmel, your transformation from someone in resistance (perhaps rebellion 🙂 ) to conventional medical care to a woman who embraces it as part of her overall self care program.
Years ago I staged a rebellion, refusing proper medical care for my asthma. I was 21 years old and fed up with the meds, so I stopped. The result was a stop! of huge proportions…4 days in hospital on corticosteroids. I was so sick after this that I meekly went back on my sprays. It was a great lesson to take the medicine that is needed.
Indeed it is puzzling that we don’t view taking care of ourselves includes engaging in conventional medical care and taking responsibility for the havoc we have created in our bodies.
So true Jenny. Let’s do it all! Take the medication, go on the programs suggested by our doctors and dentists, and look after ourselves. What power would this bring to our healing.
How interesting, Rachel, that you call it rebellion, because that is often how it felt when I overate this or that – there is still an element of that – an old pattern, if you will, in direct response to my ‘trying to be good’. For example, at the moment, even though I KNOW it makes my heart beat faster, I am still eating lots of fruit and occasionally foods with processed sugar in. The underlying thought is ‘It’s not killing me so I’m going to eat it.’ Our bodies can put up with a great deal of abuse, but why should they? As you so rightly say, eventually it will bring us to a stop – how bad does it have to get before we listen? Doctors have a huge task ahead, brought on mainly by the irresponsibility and the rebellion we all have with our bodies.
You make me smile Carmel. I love the notion that if I am not dead at the end of this…………. (fill in the blank with sausage roll, cigarette, ecstasy tablet, bad relationship, awful job, whatever your thing is…even too much fruit) then it must be OK.
I too still stage my rebellions, as subtle as they are. They still have the ring of foot stamping and defiance. Yet what am I fighting?
Is it myself and the loveliness that I can so easily feel when I do not fight and resist?
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if all my patients stopped eating too much sugar? Took care of their teeth? Would I be instantly made redundant? I cannot think of anything more wonderful, not that people do what I say, but that they cut the fight and care for themselves in way that liberates them from their need for the dentist. That is a redundancy I would welcome.
I love your last reply, Rachel – to make all dentists and doctors redundant because we are looking after ourselves and our teeth – that may be some way in the future yet. And yes, I feel sometimes that I am fighting myself when I know that by simply allowing, all the beauty and light is there to be felt. It doesn’t make sense.
The two must blend; medicine and self-responsibility. One without the other is like a car without a driver… a train without a track.
What a gorgeous response Dean. A trackless train can make little true progress, no matter how shiny its carriages and how skilful its driver.
Interesting story about the meds Rachel, I found with meds it was always a balance between taking them if necessary but making sure I was looking deeply at how I could avoid the need for them in the future. Medicine can provide us a stable stopping point but long term reliance is something we should look to avoid through lifestyle choices where we possibly can.
That is true Stephen. It is a balance, but one that I did not get correct until I met Serge Benhayon. Here is the funny thing. I gave up dairy and within 6 months I had no asthma…after a lifetime of asthma. Medications required – nil.
I love how you have summed up what happens in esoteric healing sessions and how this is useful for you to see the impact of how you have lived.
Indeed I have found that when I have a physical issue to deal with, as well as taking on board what is prescribed by conventional medicine, the esoteric sessions are a great support for me in developing an understanding of my part in creating the issue I am faced in. Not only is this empowering for me in my own healing, but it invariably provides insights with which I can turn my whole life round. In this way illness and disease become not my enemy but a friendly nudge towards me embracing a fuller and more responsible expression of who I am.
This article makes huge change entirely possible for anyone Carmel. Our bodies are the most amazing instruments and communicators and you’ve shown a way that works in partnership with these qualities – with amazing outcomes.
What a lovely acknowledgment of the amazing gift we have in our body “I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!” I agree with you there. I am blown away with the intricacies of how our bodies work, and the harmony with which every part works with every other part, and with every thing else in life (unless we mess it all up with our choices that is). I also so very much appreciate that through my body I have my own personal reflection of the truth of how I am living. Our mind often makes some very unwise choices and we can kid ourself about the benefit of the choices, but our body does not pull any punches and lets us know. My body is one of my most powerful teachers as I learn to deepen the level of love, harmony and honouring in my life.
Great sharing Carmel, you demonstrate the amazing transformations that occur to our health and wellbeing when self care and simple lifestyle changes are applied to our life.
Wow, Carmel, I like your article and the way you share very much. Your humbleness and love for your body I can feel while reading is touching me. Years ago, when I was 30, I had taken on so many stuff from living regardless and abusive with myself and others, that my body looked like tired and sad, and back then I thought, I would never feel myself as being beautiful again. My experience is, since then, that it is amazing, how the body on the one hand reflects everything and is on the other hand able to recover and rebuild in an amazing way. When I am witnessing myself and the people around me, inspired from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, who are constantly making self-supportive and self-loving choices, it is almost a miracle, to see how their bodies and radiation is changing and how being beautiful always comes to even more depth and wealth.
I love what you have shared Stefanie. Our bodies always reflect how we have been living and that includes the abusive choices AND the loving choices. It teaches us responsibility and humility. When we return to loving choices it is remarkable how quickly our body tends to come round. There are times when we have pushed it too far and the symptoms are not reversible – in those situations we need to simply accept the consequence of our previous choices and learn from the experience – yet even then as far as vitality, beauty and building the love that pulses through our cells and particles is concerned it is never too late. We can start to turn things round whenever we choose, and our body is right there to give us loving nudges and feedback along the way.
Carmel, your writing is a joy to read and I can deeply relate to the “deep disregard” you raise. Allowing myself to be aware and feel the impact of such deep disregard to my own body, as supported by esoteric healing modalities, has and is assisting me to take better care of myself and embrace the medical support, tests and potential medications my body needs with responsibility.
Thank you.
It seems that the power of making supportive life style choices is something that needs much more focus when we are young. Imagine if we were taught this early and were really able to feel how our choices would affect us later we would think twice about what we do.
The body is truly wonderful piece of engineering, I too by serious lifestyle changes have stopped or changed things that have been wrong with me physically. Although my body coped with many years of putting in the wrong oil, it now runs a lot smoother now that I’m putting in the right stuff.
‘Although my body coped with many years of putting in the wrong oil, it now runs a lot smoother now that I’m putting in the right stuff.’ I agree, Kevin, our bodies will run for years on the wrong oil, but get more and more run down if we don’t make different choices. It is amazing how bodies respond beautifully and start to heal as soon as we pay attention and do what we truly need, or live in a way that is harmony with all.
I like the allegory of ‘putting in the wrong oil’ into our bodies as we would never do with our cars, but we do with ourselves. What intelligence do we live if we in fact know that we need a certain quality of ‘oil’ but ignore that knowing and purposely take the wrong one that makes us running less smoothly and bumping into illnesses and diseases of the body.
“It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much we can do to help ourselves, if we so choose.” I agree Carmel…it is a choice and always comes back to self responsibility – what we are open to look at and how much we are prepared to change.
The wisdom within our bodies constantly amazes me…it is unique to each person but always profound and powerful – what a gift we have in our bodies when we choose to truly feel what they are telling us on a daily basis.
Carmel I was reflecting recently on the power of lifestyle choices, the simple fact that when we take responsibility and make choices things really do change. But what’s key is the quality and intention of choices and where they come from. The fact is you’ve shown and proven that our entire healthcare system could change should everyone take responsibility for the lifestyle they lead. In time I am sure this will be the case.
The more I learn about the human body the more I appreciate the incredible intelligence it has. The way the organs adjust and compensate for imbalances and the way it communicates with us warning us something is out of balance. It offers us the opportunity through our connection to our body, our lifestyle choices, diet, exercise and sleep to feel what is required to restore balance and harmony in our bodies.
I love what you say here Carmel ‘I have come to realise our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering, with extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance, and I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!’ This is my experience too. Not only does the body know what to do but each part communicates with the rest allowing the deep integration and balance of the whole. Beautiful indeed!
‘Not only does the body know what to do but each part communicates with the rest allowing the deep integration and balance of the whole.’ True, Jane – we often treat one part of the body not recognising it is part of a whole and if one part is out of balance, that affects every area – rather like life – we cannot put our life in pockets because if any area is out of harmony, so is our whole life.
Thanks for sharing your story Carmel it is a great example of someone taking responsibility for their own health and well being.
I can see that this is the case with most of us where we become experts in our choice of job, and the job becomes more important, and often at our own expense. So, it is inspirational to read that you are discovering the intricate workings of your body, and that it is possible to heal the illnesses you have been diagnosed with.
Thanks Carmel for your beautiful sharing. Your personal development shows very clearly the difference between – living in disregard which harms the body and self-care and self-nurturing, which gives the body the opportunity to heal. Very inspiring.
That is what is so amazing, that given the opportunity, our bodies can heal themselves – our job is to create the environment where it can do that, and then to allow it to continue in spacious harmony from there on so that we can become the true vehicles of expression that we are, expressing Soul in every movement and in every word.
This is an inspirational blog Carmel and for everyone to read in the world. You show that life style changes and loving choices really can change our lives and makes a huge difference to our health and well being, vitality, harmony inside, and our way of being, joyfully. Thank you for this inspirational blog and the wisdom shared by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and its importance and huge part in medicine and true health.
I love and appreciate the deep wisdom you share in your opening paragraph Carmel “I have come to realise our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering, with extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance, and I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!”
Tamara I love this line too it really made me aware of the delicateness of the body and how it is so finely tuned. No wonder we get so many illnesses when we don’t take the time to look after it. It is no different to how we run a car if we don’t regularly service it, check the tyres and put the correct fuel in it is not long before we start finding the car is not running so well.
I guess it’s more obvious when our car breaks down, whereas our bodies, delicate as they are, can take a lot of abuse before we finally take notice, because bodies can repair themselves, cars can’t. That is amazing just thinking about that – our bodies can repair themselves – especially when we stop the behaviours that caused the illness/injury in the first place.
Exactly, Gill, willpower to me means that we are still addicted to our behaviours or foods and using a force to overcome our need to use them, whereas when we are more self loving then healthy choices are made with a zero-effort simplicity.
Great to have these two approaches differentiated here, I can vouch for will-power not working, I’m a disaster with will-power! I find that lasting and effective change comes with those small steps and with a willingness to look at what might be driving me to make those less than health-full choices.
Agreed Carmel – will power has the tone of defiance and disregard at its central core. Choosing to recognise all that we need to love ourselves invariably leads to us getting clear on what supports and what does not – easy then to make the change that are needed to truly love ourselves.
As you say Carmel, our bodies are truly amazing. As your story shows, though, to maintain its delicate balance we need to take care of it. When it goes ‘wrong’ it is a reflection for us that we are not taking care of it/ourselves and hence not living a life true to ourselves.
Deep disregard. I find it interesting that we have all gone about our lives in varying degrees of disregard and considered it normal. Until Serge Benhayon came along and shone the light on the possibility of living in a deeply caring way for ourselves, which allows us to then deeply care for each other.
Yes I agree, the disregard is so commonplace amd deeply caring for ourselves is such a fresh concept for people. I love how we can turn this around, no matter how far off we have been, every choice we make in every moment defines us, it’s never too late.
Losing 41kgs is an extraordinary thing to share! Especially as you didn’t go on any weight loss regime. Just your body responding to being aware of its messages and taking the care to listen to this.
Thank you for sharing your story Carmel, it is lovely to get to know you through your writing. Your story of your health is another amazing testimonial to the Livingness. There is no one thing that you have done to turn your health around. It has been a process of re-connecting to your body and re-developing the capacity to feel, to have awareness about how you were living and what is actually possible for you. Our body will always respond in time when we choose to treat it with respectful loving care.
I love this sentence in your first paragraph: “I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!” We as humans are so proud of all our creations and engineering feats, but when we take a moment to really consider everything that is going on so close to home in our own bodies, you can not but marvel. And it provides a great little personal school where we can learn that every choice, every thought and every emotion and every action has an impact – because after a while we can not help but start to suspect and then notice that all of these are actually having an effect on our body.
Simple lifestyle changes make a huge difference to our health.
As you say, the inner systems are really delicate. If we overdo exercise in trying to be healthy, it can have the opposite effect. Without allowing our innate sensitivity to have its say, there is no way that this equilibrium can be reached or maintained.
Beautiful Carmel, the power of loving self care cannot be overestimated. Making life and our livingness our medicine is a real revelation that simply makes sense. A really informative blog that is very relatable to, thank you for your honest sharing.
Cherishes is such a beautiful word Gill and one that really describes how we can be with our bodies, cherishing, and equally our bodies so divinely cherish us and are so forgiving of our monumental abuse. They work for us all the time we are ignoring them, but when we come to pay them more heed and love, how amazingly they respond.
Josephine,
It seems to me of late that by giving permission to my body to communicate with me that there has been much that I have numbed my self to. Now I am listening the information I am receiving is so clear, that when I do disregard my body, it speaks even louder. Making it impossible to continue to ignore.
It is great to understand how science is based on observation and how this comes through clearly in this blog. Observing how our lifestyle choices affect our bodies is very supportive of life as medicine. There is no doubt that making life about medicine, the call that has come from Serge Benhayon of Universal Medicine for many years now, is the way forward in complementing western medicine.
I agree, life is medicine and we are free to make what we want from it. It is everyday choices, in terms of food, how gently we move and are we observing or absorbing other people’s ill choices?
I have found small changes to the way I live has a big overall impact. It is so worth exploring, I find out so much about myself along the way.
Perhaps we do not always think of it in this way but ignoring your body is still self-abusive. Most of us would not dream of neglecting a child or a pet but many of us maybe do not put self-neglect in the same category?
This is very true, Andrew, most of us don’t consider personal neglect to be self abusive, in fact we probably take care of our cars better than ourselves – this is an analogy well used – that we put the right fuel into our cars but don’t do the same with our bodies.
Self abuse is our common currency, self care is not really seen are normal and it seems is labelled a behaviour that is a bit alien. Yet really this makes no sense, we need a new normal where men particularly are willing to put their bodies first before the desire to look tough or show a steeliness. The tough front doesn’t protect against illness and disease, quite the opposite.
I agree Stephen, could it be that the tough front, hardness, insensitivity or self neglect is actually the cause of illness and disease?
Reading this blog again the image comes up for me of a very finely tuned and balanced instrument being thrown around or handled roughly. And when it breaks down we don’t get out the delicate instruments but usually get the hammer out and give it another bang for good measure! Such is the way we usually treat our bodies. I am still uncovering ways that I mis- treat and abuse my body.
Well said, Andrew. I too am only beginning to feel the impact of years of abusing my body by not honouring it. I can now feel that there is another way to be, and this is gradually being introduced in my movements and how I sit etc.
Boy oh boy the thought of using a hammer instead of delicate instruments feels very jarring but sadly true. We are such strange creatures at times.
Wonderfully said Andrew and how often do we throw these fine instruments around in the full awareness that we should not be treating them in this way?
This is awesome Carmel, how you have worked gently and steadily with yourself to regain a level of well-being that had been long forgotten… “So I am working on more self-love, really taking care of my body first – rest, gentle exercise and nutritious food” Great recipe. I’ve been working on this too and find that all we need to do is ‘tweak the seasoning’ – as the body recovers and responds I can refine those ingredients.
I like this Rosanna, it brings the playfulness back to our livingness. There are no rules, no instructions, each recipe is there for us to tweak and refine. We have all the basic ingredients, it’s just a matter of playing and experimenting with the seasoning.
Yes Rosanna – it is a constant refinement to how we are living and our want to look at that. The smallest changes can make a huge difference as our bodies are very sensitive to how we treat them. We are our own projects. Perhaps if our bodies were not so good at coping with disregard, we would pay more attention to our choices. What I love is the more caring I am, the more I can feel what is not caring.
You are so right Carmel, our bodies are an amazing piece of engineering work, I find it almost impossible to grasp just how miraculous they are, and how they are built perfectly to show us every little thing that we need to learn.
I agree, Meg, it’s funny how we can see our bodies as a nuisance and value our brains more, not realising that it’s our bodies that have all the true wisdom within, as you say, ‘built perfectly to show us every little thing that we need to learn.’
Yes – it’s absolutely crazy, I actually remember being taught in school that our brains are the most important part of our bodies. Funny, I don’t know about you, but this is the one part of my body that lies to me, gets me in trouble and tells me absolutely crazy things! A stark contrast to my body, which is always honest, even when I am not keen on listening!!
It’s as simple as feeling and listening to our bodies ! Yet we don’t always do this. Yes indeed Carmel this is the deeper question. I can feel your commitment to supporting your body as best you can, very inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
Gill, I am beginning to understand that for me the deep disregard has a lot to do with my being focused on ‘doing’ and not so much on how I am ‘being’. Putting other people’s opinions of me before what I feel inside. I am slowly learning to trust myself and to appreciate and honour what my body is telling me.
I agree Carmel that focussing on the “being’ rather than the “doing” is huge. We are not always valued by others while in the “being” and yet we can be so much more effective in our living in the latter, rather than running around “doing” all the time. When I come back to my body and hold myself in my steadiness I work much more effectively and my body loves it!
This is such a pertinent point, Carmel. I know I have done and still sometimes do put other people’s opinions of me ahead of what I feel inside, so I might do something because I have said I will, instead of letting it go and giving my body the rest she might be asking for in that moment. I am still in the early years of the marriage with my body, getting to know her and learning to trust the deep intelligence that is on offer.
I too have found that when I put the objective first I have disregarded my body and disrespected myself in doing so.
Carmel the paragraph alone is life changing. Everywhere we look the focus is on the ‘doing’ and not the ‘being’. Going against this trend takes strength and yet what is crazy is that this is natural. The doing is hard work and our body makes sure we remember that.
I love your statement, Carmel, that our body’s mechanisms, like the endocrine system, are so delicate that they cannot work effectively if we treat our bodies roughly or with disregard. To me this confirms the body needs the naturally delicate being we are to be impulsing all of the actions the body then has the job of executing. Our bodies confirm our natural and true natures. They also confirm and await our own return to our natural and delicate balance.
Honouring this delicate balance so that our bodies can flow in their natural rhythms is something profoundly powerful to connect to and live by, a far cry from the abuse and neglect many of us have imposed upon our bodies over many years. It is truly amazing to feel how much our bodies respond to the changes we can make by being more loving.
I agree with you about how amazing our bodies are Carmel and what a joy to read that just by choosing to address how you are living has had such a fantastic effect on your thyroid. Usually a thyroid condition whether its over or under active means taking medication for life. Your example shows that there is much we can do for ourselves when we choose to truly care and nurture our selves and our bodies.
‘trying to ‘get it right’, I know this very well and am learning through remaining in a true connection to myself I am more allowing of not getting it right and thereby, letting go of trying to control it all.
Great point Michelle. It’s interesting to consider how many times we think we are just ‘trying to get something right’, when in fact we are doing something much larger and more damaging – attempting to completely control the situation. For example, if we were the manager of a business and got a new client with high demands, and made our staff work tirelessly for a week – extra hours, no care, working late at night – in order to get the work for the client done, we could use the excuse, ‘I was just trying to do the work quickly and get it right’, but we are actually trying to control and get recognition, at the expense of others.
Carmel, your last sentence really brought home everything you delivered in your amazing blog – that your lifestyle changes and attention to being gentle and loving with yourself has brought about positive medical changes in your body and shown you that there is much people can do to help themselves. With a world so based on relying heavily on the medical system, what you have shown is how to turn your life around by taking personal responsibility for your health. Fantastic.
I love how you write, “I am in effect my own medical experiment”. What an empowering perspective to address not just a health condition but also just how to support one’s health and well being in general.
“I am in effect my own medical experiment” to me also puts in a responsibility that we are liable for our body and we are accountable for everything that goes on in our body.
Yes indeed – my feeling is, that the doctor only treats the symptoms and not the cause of the illness any way, that is our job to find out, why we got the disease in the first place. Very empowering.
Great sharing of your health turn around Carmel, love your commitment to keep refining your lifestyle choices and your connection to your body, it is simple we just need to choose to take that level of care for ourselves.
Francisco what you say here is key to – ‘keep refining your lifestyle choices and your connections to your body.” – This is so important, I know that I have gotten caught out by making changes and then think: “cool I’m better” and then leaving it there, where in fact what I was doing then 6 months down the track wasn’t what my body needed at all. This refining and commitment to listening to yourself is where true evolution can take place. Great reminder, thank you.
Good point Natalie, it’s the consistency of commitment that makes the difference and sometimes it requires a very patient patient.
I agree ladies. Our choices that we make in life regarding our lifestyles and food really do have such a huge impact on our state of health, something of which I really have had a first hand view of late. It’s all about our choice to heal or harm our selves with the choices we make.
This is such a beautiful blog to read Carmel.
Coming back to self love and self awareness is certainly the key to healing our bodies; bodies we have abused over and over.
However no more; your expression is a lovely reminder to go ever deep with our self love and healing.
I really enjoyed learning more about our bodies and Hyperthyroidism.
Thank you Carmel.
It is certainly true that an amazing level of health and wellbeing is possible with simple lifestyle changes such as cutting out numbing foods and de-stressing one’s life.
I fully agree with this Gabriele. From my own experiences of making both positive and negative choices at times, the impact of both stands out very clearly.
What testimonies from both Carmel and Rosemary! Amazing how simple changes can turn the prospect of a lifetime on fairly heavy medication into an regular check up on a minimal dose – or no dose at all. Given the burden of drug cost wearing down the NHS in the UK, these testimonials should be in ‘The Lancet’
Yes, Catherine, there is great need for these stories to be publicly shared, as proof that our state of health can turn around quite dramatically if we take responsibility for our own bodies. If we all took this matter seriously, there is no doubt that the financial burden on the NHS would be reduced.
I agree Catherine. These testimonials could be life changing, if not life saving for people. For some people it may seem like common sense, but there are many who have not seen any other way. These stories, from real people, open up the possibilities of how lifestyle changes can completely change a person’s health.
Awesome Carmel, this is such a powerful sharing of what ‘miracles’ can happen simply by choosing to commit to self-care and self-love and to be open to healing underlying issues that make us how we live in the world. Bringing this level of dedication and responsibility for our health might be inspirational for many doctors who are finally given the chance to support their patients in a true way, rather than just propping their patients up chemically to keep them functioning and existing rather than truly living.
I agree, Annie, it seems such a simple thing for doctors to pass on to their patients and even to live it for themselves.
I agree, Annie. I feel sure the majority of doctors would prefer to work with someone like Carmel, who is doing everything she can to support herself, i.e. being self responsible, rather than with someone who demands to be fixed and continues with the self abusing choices that caused the illness in the first place. I know I would, were I a doctor!
Coleen I am sure this is the case, it would transform our health system if we all approached our use of medical services as a support to the care we ourselves take, instead of becoming reliant on healthcare to bandage over the cracks. The fact is we do all know what are healthy choices, as we can feel things that are as simple as being cold or feeling tired or overeating or eating the wrong foods. If we don’t feel vital, with abundant energy, then we have to look at how we are living, as that is our natural state and what healthcare could and really should mean.
Yes Annie, I still feel we have a bit to go before we change the medical system to one where drug prescriptions are not the main thing that people walk out of a doctor’s visit with. There is a huge over-prescription of drugs at present where simple lifestyle intervention such as that shared by Carmel may be all many of us need. Whether drugs are necessary or not, self care is our most essential tool to unlock the door to optimal wellbeing.
So true Stephen. I have had several conversations with doctors about drugs that my body felt sensitive to and therefore I discussed the lifestyle changes that I was making in my life to help my body to recover. In some cases this was met with encouragement but not always! Things will change as more people take responsibility for their health and the pressure on doctors is not so huge.
It must be a ray of sunshine when someone like Carmel walks into the surgery, ready and willing to make the life style changes first before accepting medication or surgery, but staying open to those options too if necessary. When we see doctors, nurses and western medicine as a support rather than a fix, we create a health partnership, where each side is focussed on achieving the best for the patient, which is us! Carmel has shown us that taking on the challenge to change the way we live, what we eat, how we address stress and drama and so on has a massive effect on our bodies and has the potential to resolve a large percentage of our illness or condition. Aside from saving precious health resources, what the doctors can offer doesn’t have to battle through a tirade of self abuse in order to work.
Beautifully said Rowena. For each of us who are making changes like Carmel is, to live side by side in this world, equally real and present with everyone else can only prick the interest of others, where by they to begin to ask questions and see and feel the benefits of what true love of self and care of self can offer to our bodies.
Rowena, ‘a health partnership’ is the way to go, not just between doctor and patient but, as you say, between the patient and themselves by not sabotaging their health with unloving choices and taking responsibility for the consequence of illness or disease and not blaming anyone or expecting to be ‘fixed’.
Yes it is indeed like a ray of sunshine when people come in actually willing to look at their issues underlying what the body is presenting. Then we have a true partnership between health care system and patient.
Rowena that is so true, often we are resentful about being ill and this attitude interferes with the healing process. As Carmel has shared with us taking full responsibility and doing all that we can to ensure our lifestyle will assist the healing must be very refreshing for others to witness or read about.
Carmel this is so inspiring to read again and fully appreciate the power we have in how we live to make changes to our health and vitality. I was feeling tired recently, and by re-looking at my diet and taking more attention for time for myself, taking some supplements for my body lovingly and walking more again I have found more vitality and joy in my body. A great reminder to listening to our bodies and constantly being more loving with ourselves and hence with everyone and everything.
Thank you Carmel for your inspiring blog. I also have a thyroid condition from many years of disregard. When I look back I find it almost unbelievable that I could have treated my body in the way I did without ever really considering the consequences. Through the teachings and understanding that I have gained from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I have chosen to take responsibility for my health, listening to my body and making simple changes to my lifestyle, these changes have completely turned my health and wellbeing around.
Hi Rosemary, the disregard goes deep – I am still battling with taking more care of my body – at the moment it’s bed time – I keep staying up later doing computer stuff. People have offered me loads of advice, such as turn off before 7 or 8pm, but something else is going on and I want to ‘get to the bottom of it’, like why am I avoiding going to bed with me? Why do I need to make myself tired so I cannot function so well the next day? Why am I keeping myself exhausted? There is always something underneath our lack of self care, something that is serving an old ideal or belief. What am I avoiding feeling? Now that’s a question worth exploring.
I agree Carmel, there is always something underlying our disregard, and by being open to feeling whatever that is, brings us one step closer to our own awareness. I love how you are leaving no stone unturned. Just quietly – going to be early with yourself and a few warm eye pillows is stunning!
Good question, Carmel – what am I avoiding feeling? When we know that caring for our bodies feels good and improves our health and wellbeing, why do we choose otherwise? Each time we do, there is an opportunity to reveal what we still hold onto that takes us away from our naturally loving way of being.
Food for thought here for me Carmel – so many similarities in our health conditions and add to that I also tend to stay up later than I know is beneficial to my body, instead of getting to bed early and waking up refreshed! Disregard, lack of self-love and doing things for others – yes I admit to all those things but I am making more self-loving choices with awareness of the fact it is only me that can do so! .Inspiring blog!
That’s a good one Carmel, to really ponder on. There is always something underneath our lack of self care. We don’t just do it for the hell of it, it just goes to show us that something is not quite right.
I finding that I’m always refining my level self-care. The moment I take a step to care deeper, there is another deeper level that calls to me. It’s an interesting science in itself and seems to be infinite with no end goal in sight.
This is a great point Carmel and one I am working with – I have currently hit an exhausted part of my cycle and aware how much the going to bed without screens supports me – it is like I want to wring every last drop of my vitality out of me so that I fall asleep this way and wake up not so ready for the next day. A struggle (however small) ensues until we repeat the following evening. Thank you for asking the question – why don’t I want to sleep with me? Something to look deeply and closely at.
I love your honesty here Carmel and you raise a great question – “what am I avoiding feeling?” We all have things that we don’t want to feel, and can very easily find things to do that will distract us away from feeling these things. Very interesting, as I used to think being a ‘doer’ was a compliment and an admirable thing to be, but now I understand that it means that if I am in a ‘doing’ mode, then I am ‘doing’ as much as I can to avoid feeling what I need to feel, which is more than likely an old hurt that I have created myself, and that then stops me from being all that I am. How crazy is that?!
I get a bit stuck sometimes when I ask myself that question and then other times the answer comes so quickly. It is definitely a question worth exploring.
Blogs like these concerning peoples health doing a 180 should be printed in Medical Journals but why aren’t they? Is it that there’s no recognition, credit or money as it’s big business to get ill these days? Giving back the tools and power to inspire others to make simple lifestyles choices is also medicine.
Dear Jamie,
I agree. Not only is it giving back the tools and power, but it is offering to all that responsibility for our health begins with ourselves. Where by we can choose to begin again with our bodies and see them as the delicate hard working organisms that they are and choose to support them, knowing this.
You are so right Jaime. A lot of people are just looking for the quick fix. And to share with people, that with simple lifestyle choices you can increase your health, the world has to hear about it. We have the power to change a lot in our lives by making loving choices. Awesome.
It’s amazing how simple choices can help get rid of the illness, but also how it prepares you for the recovery from the illness, as you are already making choices to not disregard your self.
What an amazing testimonial to self care and self awareness. I enjoyed what you said about refining your diet: “Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases – thereby showing me that my body is a fine instrument and that clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively.” I agree this is something that I have experienced, the more I refine and pay attention to how my body feels, the more clarity and awareness I have found in life in general, very interesting…
I can relate to this too Samantha. Until I heard Serge Benhayon talking about food and how certain foods could numb or dull the body, I was completely unaware of this fact. And it wasn’t that I didn’t believe what I was hearing, but that I wanted to find out if that was true for myself. So I gradually began to reduce certain foods, one at a time and would then re-introduce them to see how I felt. The difference was striking, and as you say Samantha, it wasn’t just that my body felt clearer, but so did my mind and my focus on things in general. This was a revelation for me as I had always considered I’d had a pretty healthy diet.
Our bodies really are a finely tuned instrument, and I am still learning to appreciate this and that they need to be treated like one every day, as every day something can affect whether we are in tune or not.
I absolutely find the same, junk food completely fogs (or clogs) up my body and I feel so heavy and unclear, it’s amazing the difference eating healthily and what’s right for my body has.
This is beautiful Carmel. I so enjoyed reading your discovery of yourself and your body. I love how you continually expand your awareness and not just stop at feeling better. I would say part 2 is in order, I for one would love to hear how you progress. For me what you have shared is true science and if I were a doctor I would want to know so much more. Thank you again.
I really love how precious and alive the body feels in your blog Carmel. The delicate and the magnificent things that the body can do is almost out of this world. The sensitivity and the ability to truly heal itself of many ill’s and woes is simply remarkable. When we listen to it, when we honour it, when we because acutely aware of it, it tells us all we need to hear to live vitally, and correctly.
Beautifully said, Natasha. I too can feel the awe and wonder of what is possible when we allow the body to come back to harmony and are open to the truth that it is sharing with us constantly.
So true Janet and the key is being open, like you share. To be open to life, love and all that life brings.
Carmel I love how you have been using medicine to support you whilst you take responsibility for your own self care and make the changes needed for your body. People often use medicine as a band aid, to mask symptoms and the poor body continues to be used and abused in the same way that caused the condition in the first place.
This is a great example of esoteric medicine working with conventional medicine – which in truth supports us to take responsibility for our choices and the impact that they have on our body, as well as being open to support from medication, surgery and medical management.
Yes, agreed Sarah this is a great example of how conventional medicine and esoteric medicine make a great marriage and highlights how important and needed both are in the healing process.
There is so much empowerment in looking after your own body and choosing how you will live. It is great Carmel, that you have sought medical help at the same time as changing your ways with food, exercise, and attitudes. It is very important that we look at all aspects of being. Many people change their diet but don’t look at the way they have been moving and speaking and their attitudes to everything. Even our relationships should be examined. If everything is energy and everything is because of energy, then everything should be looked at. Thank you Carmel for your inspirational story.
You make a great point here Carmel: “I’m getting more done because I am so steady. As a result I am far less exhausted at the end of my day and my body feels more relaxed and at ease with the world.” When we do things from an anxiousness, we can waste alot of time thinking about what we’re doing instead of simply focussing on what we’re doing. It is exhausting to work in this way. I too find that the less I think about what I have to do and just get on with things with full focus I can get so much done and still feel great at the end of the day. It’s been a revelation for me.
Well said, Sandra. It’s as if time and space open up because there is no mental force or anxiousness driving you through your day.
So why is medicine not teaching us about choices and self responsibility. They ask us to stop some behaviours like smoking for example, but do not explore why you are doing it in the first place. If we make decisions blindly and stop something, it could be true to say we will just make another poor decision in another area.
True, Doug, it is not rocket science to consider that lifestyle choices affect our state of health and wellbeing. So we have to ask ourselves why the majority do not want to take responsibility for their choices, and instead continue to live in ways that they know are harming their bodies.
Carmel what an amazing story, there is nothing worse than our bodies breaking down and being ill. Having the quality of life you now have is a testament to the amazing work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine. And all it took was simply to make more loving choices in your daily life.
Yes, it is simple, but it took me nine years and is still an ongoing process because first I had to recognise that the choices I was making were not loving – I was unaware because my body was so numb, I couldn’t feel the effect of what I was doing. As I refine my diet and live more gently, I can feel more in my body, and I can feel how my voice is sounding too when I speak. Even when I write, there is an energy to be felt – I feel all the time, just not always aware of what I am feeling, but that is changing.
Carmel that is very true. At first it’s about understanding and seeing that many of the ways we live are not actually loving – as I know there were many things I would say I enjoyed or loved doing that I would now say were complete lies. The story you’ve shared is as a result of all the loving choices you’ve been making and what I find is at the moment there is a greater depth of quality of care for me to take in how I am each part of the day. Therefore this always deepens, as does my understanding about refining what lifestyle choices lead to healthy life are. For example the way I take time to walk in the office and how I am with myself can be a very healthy choice (or not) yet when I was rushing around on 100% natural chocolate bars I had no sense of what my body felt like!
Yes Carmel, i have found the same. Something else I have of late exposed in myself is how I was looking for a particular “improvement” in my health to prove to me that the choices I have been making to be tender and loving were working. When I recognized what I was doing, I stopped and let my self go back six months and feel the true difference in myself. What I felt was so powerful, for there have been countless changes in my health and wellbeing in this time, yet in the need to have one desired improvement I had not fully claimed them. I have now and the natural love and appreciation that I feel for myself and the choices I have and am making is so very stilling.
thanks Carmel. Taking tender-loving care of ourselves is often a missing ingredient on the doctors prescription and something that a lot of people would benefit from. The whole world can benefit from medicine such as this, simply taking care of ourselves, our bodies and being gentle, aware and considerate with our bodies. It’s something most of us only take for granted and then get reminded when we get sick.
This webpage is a book of miracles. Not only illnesses and diseases heal, but also the process of the healing is very special. People like you Carmel, seem to be so light in the process of healing. To me it feels as if you were swimming in acceptance rather than fighting against a disease.
Acceptance is something we often lack and is what drives us to be constantly trying to do more, be more, and that’s exhausting. Accepting that we are already enough, that we are amazing, is a huge step towards healing our bodies.
I love this comment Felix, “swimming in acceptance”. Truly accepting has fully and completely changed how I feel about myself and all others like nothing I tried to do before hand.
Another path that could have occurred Carmel is one of continuing what you were doing. This would have caused untold physical pain and suffering to you and a massive drain on public health. Not being responsible for ourselves only depletes the already drained health care system. You are a living example of what public health is all about.
Carmel I so relate to your story and journey. Although my problem is the reverse of yours (hypothyroidism) the underlying principles are the same: bucket loads of disregard and a lifetime of living with nervous system energy. There’s a lot to learn from examples like ours – including the fact that none of us can take our bodies for granted and what we do in our 20s, 30s and 40s matters.
I agree, Victoria – what we do in our earlier years comes back to haunt us in our later ones and we say ‘It’s just old age’
Wonderful sharing Carmel, your honesty and openness is great. To be able to work with western medicine and healthy life changes can make such a difference. I was advised I was on the borderline of an under active thyroid 8yrs ago, at that time I was going through a stressful period, I had put on weight and became really tired. Once I came across Universal Medicine and started to look at life style changes and my diet, I lost the extra weight I had put on, I now have more vitality and no signs of under active thyroid.
So true Doug. It is so obvious now, but gosh so many of us, me included, have been fooled by the notion that illness and diseases are random and it’s pure bad luck. By accepting that our lifestyle leads to sickness de-mystifies the whole process and empowers us with our own innate ability to heal. We are walking miracles, if we choose to access that wisdom that is there for us all equally.
What you share here Jinya I feel is the biggest belief that as a humanity we have to crack open and reveal the falseness and powerlessness that it comes with. I, like you was totally sold out to it before I chose to study with Universal Medicine. The knowledge that I can do much to care for my body by how I live in it and the choices I make were revolutionary for me. Each day as I choose to live by this principle my body changes and my vitality improves, but my desire to be fully present in my life is what I love the most in living this way.
Carmel this is really great that you shared this. The power that our choices have on our health and our body is amazing.
It’s quite obvious from your story Carmel that by making more responsible and self caring choices, your health and general wellbeing improves considerably.
Brilliant story Carmel, thank you for referring me to your post and I am looking forward to reading more. We do have the most amazing, self healing bodies if we just listen to them and provide what they need. Thank you, you are an inspiration.
Wow Carmel this makes me realise we are all in effect our own medical experiment!
That’s a great way to see it! It’s true, whatever’s going on for us in terms of a health issue, we can work with it and our bodies alongside our doctors and other health professionals. Add esoteric healing practitioners to the mix and you have a full and totally supportive team with whom to conduct your healing and observations. There’s potential for many great case studies of this nature.
I agree, Victoria, the Esoteric Healing therapies have been super supportive and one of the great choices I made five years ago was moving to an area of the UK where I have regular access to them. More and more people are training with Universal Medicine so they are available in more places around the UK.
That’s a super fun way to look at it! What will your next experiment be? 🙂
Carmel, this is a wonderfully clear and honest account of your evolving relationship with your body. We feel you lovingly connect with yourself, consulting and listening to medical practitioners, applying ageless wisdom truths, testing, refining as you go along. You are living proof that we are our own scientists. A joyful read.
Carmel, i am really struck by your diligence and willingness to understand the impact of your choices on your body, your health, these are inspirational qualities and particularly powerful when expressed through the wonderment of a discerning engineer’s eye.
Carmel this is a really powerful blog as what you share shows that there is definite benefit in combining medicine with changes to lifestyle and taking true responsibility for one’s health. I could feel by choosing not to be disregarding of what your body was expressing you were actually able to begin to develop a true relationship with yourself. It makes such sense to me that living this way leads to greater health, vitality and true healing.
“I am finding the more I refine my diet and let go of my previously constant busy and stressed way of getting through life, the more I am able to feel just how much I have, in effect, been abusing my own body.” So well said Carmel I was constantly busy too, it seemed like I was on a constant treadmill and it has taken me a long time to step off and let the busyness go. What I have learnt is that it can be very unproductive and exhausting, sometimes doing things that are not necessary and can be hindrance rather than a help and all the time my body suffers the consequences of not taking the time stop or slow down.
I can well relate to this Alison.
This Treadmill of busyness can be such a well-trodden path. Letting go of the expectations we have of ourselves and starting to truly care for ourselves is the beginning of a responsible life. For me this is a gorgeous work in progress.
Me too, Michael and Alison. I have come to understand just how destructive living in a state of constant stress can be – as I said to someone else recently, ‘Rush is the enemy of the thyroid’! I learnt many bad, adrenalin and caffeine-fuelled habits in my first career as a chef in my 20s, which I then made my ‘normal’ and imported into all areas of work and life. Looking back it was as if I needed to 1) do a lot and 2) do it in as short a time as possible – which is how it is in a constantly busy kitchen. Some can no doubt cope with the demands of this environment; I, possibly like many others, transformed myself away from my true capacities in order to do the job and stay employed. The next layer to look at is why I chose to do this – why I might have thought it was a good idea to force my body and being into something it was not naturally designed to do… something I explore in http://truthaboutsergebenhayon.com/2013/05/11/celebrity-chef-or-self-loving-chef-where-is-the-love-in-the-work-that-we-do/
Hi Alison – your comment is amazing because I know how busy you are, and yet there is a stillness in everything you do that I find inspiring.
“What I have learnt is that it can be very unproductive and exhausting, sometimes doing things that are not necessary and can be hindrance rather than a help and all the time my body suffers the consequences of not taking the time stop or slow down.” I love this Alison because actually in today’s society many of us would often describe ourselves as being busy, however what we don’t realise is how damaging this is to our body and that it is actually a hindrance to life, we often accept that we are exhausted by being busy but we don’t fully appreciate how this is affecting our bodies and to what extent this is just setting us even further back
Great point Oliver. I often complain about being busy and always having ‘too much to do, too little time’, when actually when I stop complaining a whole heap of time tends to open up in front of me. I’m working on stressing myself out less and less, as I can definitely feel the effect it’s having on my body – it makes me feel tight, hard and a bit over-serious.
Dear Alison,
Doing things that are not needed and things that hinder what I really want to do used to constantly plague me. The more I slow down and connect to my essence the more I find my self truly achieving each day, with a real joy in what I do. I love living this way.
This is the kind of science I love. Real results and hearing about how it is for a real person. This is all the proof I need. It is so powerful to hear of the harm we create when we don’t live in a way that supports our bodies natural homeostasis. The funny thing is often we know what we are doing that is harmful, we just don’t know how to stop or change old behaviours. This is where Universal Medicine has been a Godsend, as they have supported thousands of clients worldwide to live in a simple way that respects the body first and bring the missing ingredient of true love back into our lives.
This is true, Fiona, ‘often we know what we are doing that is harmful, we just don’t know how to stop or change old behaviours’. One I’m working on at the moment is being on my computer doing emails or Social Media on my iPhone when I ought to be going to sleep. I know I need to stop because I feel tired but there’s this ‘I’ll just do this then I’ll stop’ attitude, we apply this to many things and then lose track of time and when we do it with food, we lose track of what we are actually eating.
I’ve found this too Carmel, with both examples you’ve given here. There’s something addictive or compulsive going on with this kind of behaviour, and a definite disdain or overriding of the body and what it needs. I find this even now, even with an awareness of my body and being now much greater than I’ve ever had, thanks to my studies with Universal Medicine. There is an ingrained-ness to my patterns which, now I’m feeling it, feels eons-old! There’s a big momentum of doing-ness underpinned by a fundamental lack of self-worth which I’m still yet to fully resolve.
Victoria and Carmel,
This is something that I too am beginning to pay closer attention to. What I have been feeling is a desire to be in contact with people, coupled with this deep underlying sneaky belief that I am not enough as I am, so using the people contact as a way of saying I am ok. These two together have been keeping me in the drive to do things, even after I have registered that I am tired. And it is also keeping me from truly deeply opening my heart and connecting and being with people in full. My openness to letting this go in full, begins with being open to the fullness and beauty of me.
It really is amazing to read stories such as yours, Carmel. Our bodies are, as you have said, such amazing and complex things that are able to keep everything working in such a delicate balance. If we abuse them that balance will be thrown off, but it is possible to bring it back into alignment if we listen to what it is telling us.
Yes indeed, Naren. It is beautiful to consider the delicate balance maintained by the systems within our bodies, and how responsive they are when love is re-introduced.
Yes, and I love the engineer’s eye Carmel has brought to this. I also love what you say here re abuse Naren, for it is abuse to so misuse the body – to make it the slave of the mind that runs the show THINKING it knows best, rather than F E E L I N G what is true in every given moment and having that be what determines what we do next. With the former, life becomes one big override, with our bodies bearing the brunt of us ignoring everything it has been telling us.
Indeed Victoria, and the most bizarre part of that is the fact that when our bodies cannot take it any more and start sending us very clear messages to stop what ever it is we are doing, we will so often do our utmost to ensure that we can keep on doing it!
Truly looking after ourselves and feeling all the body had to say – an inspirational blog Carmel.
Awesome blog Carmel. I really like how you looked into your lifestyle choices after being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and also allowed the medical profession to support you. Also taking responsibility and listening to your “exquisite instrument” to bring your body back to more harmony. What a great turn around.
It’s interesting how we can be in resistance to support. When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism of the Hashimoto’s Syndrome variety (an auto-immune condition) I wanted to use naturopathic treatments only so I could treat it ‘naturally’. Eventually I had to concede this was not enough and went on to medication. But even then I resisted what my doctor was suggesting, which was a bio-identical compound derived from pigs (I didn’t like that idea!). So I went on the synthetic version. But it did not do as great a job as it could. I finally took my doctor’s advice and took the porcine-derived hormones and they have been great – the difference was marked. I didn’t even grow a curly tail : )) This option won’t work for everyone but it has for me. So I learnt not to let pride run the show – my caution was more resistance than discernment and I was resisting coming to terms with my condition and the mess I’d created. Great learning!
I continually marvel at how much my body is communicating with me. It is not the lack of communication but my unwillingness to listen that causes the hiccups along the way.
The amount of conditions you have had in your body Carmel is astounding. It is a huge testament to you that you have made the lifestyle changes that you have to help you come back to true health. What dedication and love.
When we truly look into our bodies we all have an amazing number of symptoms that we generally ignore, for example, I recently read a blog about sugar causing mouth ulcers and I realised that my mouth is sore but I hadn’t connected that to the amount of fruit I’d been eating – duh!
Carmel, I’m so loving this blog and all that it’s giving rise to! Yes, what you say is super-true – we all have a mass of symptoms, most of which we’ve normalised to the extent they disappear from view. But everything less than ease in the body is dis-ease. Disease need not be a scary word – acknowledging all the while serious conditions can be really challenging – but something we need to take notice of and work with rather than deny.
I agree Jane and a great support at that. It is without question that these types of experiences are what the world really needs to be woken up to if we are to really work our health inside out.
Wonderful sharing Carmel, your honesty and openness is great. To be able to work with western medicine and healthy life changes can make such a difference. I was advised I was on borderline of an under active thyroid 8yrs ago, at that time I was going through a stressful period, I had put on weight and became really tired. Once I came across Universal Medicine and started to look at life style changes and my diet, I lost the extra weight I put on, I now have more vitality and no signs of under active thyroid.
Hi Amita, that’s amazing how you changed from being overweight and under active thyroid to the beautiful, slim and very busy person you are today. It was thanks to Universal Medicine that I began to see just how much I caused my own stress, and now I can feel it in my body as soon as I go back into the old habits of indulging in emotional reactions to life’s situations. The Gentle Breath Meditation has been a great help in bringing me back into my body and out of my head.
Carmel the changes you made to reduce stress, refining your diet and being more gentle with your body supported you to wind back the clock in a remarkable way. Supporting the medical advice by tuning in to your body and being so responsible with your healing seems like a model for the future of medicine.
Absolutely Bernadette. Taking responsibility is a medicine in itself! Once we accept that our health is actually defined by our choices, it makes it so much easier to read what’s going on when we get an illness or injury, and make changes to heal the whole body so that it doesn’t happen again.
That’s right Susie, in that way we become our own doctors. Not that I’m suggesting we do away with going to the doctor – far from it – but maybe that is what is also meant by the line ‘Physician, heal thyself’. By taking responsibility and paying attention we can be our own physician as well as consulting with others.
Thanks Carmel, I love this story of taking responsibility for one’s body with the way of living, recognizing that “these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.” We can indeed help ourselves by choosing to be aware of and act upon the proper requirements of our bodies. I feel that 90% of medicine happens before going to the doctor!
Yes, Dianne, it is very useful to consider what the best medicine is when we are out of sorts or ill. By connecting more deeply with our bodies, the messages are there to inform us, and then the doctor can support the physicality in whatever way is needed thereafter.
So true, Jane. Now I’ll extend it to say ‘90% of medicine happens before, during and after the doctor. Feeling and living true to ourselves and our bodies’ messages and needs while we are with the doctor is also an essential part of healing!
Hi Jane, ‘Work is Medicine’ is something many of us don’t consider – it’s easy to fall into a laziness of not feeling well, but doing an activity in a gentle and caring way can actually be energising. Interacting with people helps, too. I enjoyed reading your article about this very topic:-
http://www.unimedliving.com/work/why-do-we-work/the-purpose-of-work/work-is-medicine.html
Great mini-thread running here – I love how it has developed. To the notion of work as medicine suggested by Carmel below I would add knowing how to use food too to support us, and exercise. Both are ways we can bring not only physical support to the situation but self-love and self-care – ingredients many of us are missing in spades.
Yes agreed – it is important to recognise the marriage between conventional medicine and complementary medicine and the place each one of them has in society.
When Serge Benhayon presented that our greatest form of medicine is the choices we make moment by moment, that was the moment I realised i could no longer blame anyone or thing else for my lack of health and vitality. Illness and disease is not an inevitable part of ageing, it is our body communicating to us that we are living in a self-abusive way and it’s time to make different choices.
Thank-you for sharing the magic of engineering with your skill-full observations and undeniable appreciation of the body.
Hi Ariel, ‘Unless we are taking care of our bodies in a very deep and true way we would not be able to live without some form of illness.’ How true – so many of us assume illness is a normal part of living, having no idea that it is our own choices throughout our lives that lead to illness and disease, and taking that deep care can be a preventive medicine.
It is interesting that we see illness and disease as something that happens to us, rather than a message from the body about how we have been choosing to live. Also illness and disease can be given as a package to clear on behalf of others as well. In this instance illness and disease is about service rather than something we need to shift or change within ourselves. I find this latter source of illness and disease interesting to ponder on as it is not commonly known or discussed. Maybe because it is a rare occurrence??
Brilliant Carmel, thank you so much for sharing to depth you have here. I felt great benefit in reading your discoveries and the changes you have made. I too were diagnosed with hypothyroidism (under active), that has expanded my awareness of the importance of maintaining a more caring and nourishing approach to my health and well being. What particularly spoke loud to me was, ‘these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.’ This calls to me to appreciate more that it has been of my body’s request that I stop all the ways in which I have abused it, whether that be by what I have put into it, or how hard I have pushed it physically or psychologically. Going into any of those old momentums is not acceptable if I want to continue to work together WITH my body’s intelligence, and not fight it and suffer the consequences of those choices.
I love how you have brought the responsibility back to listening to our bodies, Giselle, and how it is at the body’s request that we make changes to heal how we have been living where you wrote so eloquently, “This calls to me to appreciate more that it has been of my body’s request that I stop all the ways in which I have abused it, whether that be by what I have put into it, or how hard I have pushed it physically or psychologically.”
This is like the key to life Carmel… amazing blog. Unless we are taking care of our bodies in a very deep and true way we would not be able to live without some form of illness. It’s like that is guaranteed. I also get the sense that it’s never too late to make that change. You have made that clear in your blog. Instead of giving up and saying I’ve wasted and run out of time, you made changes and began looking after yourself which is inspiring. It’s never too late and it’s always our choice.
I agree Ariel, from Carmel’s blog I also get the sense that it is never too late to make a change and the fact that she has is incredibly inspiring no matter what age we are.
I agree, it’s never too late – who needs ‘reverse ageing’ creams when the young-ness starts on the inside! I wrote this blog two years ago:-
‘As I get Older I Get Weller Not Sicker’ http://truthaboutsergebenhayon.com/2012/11/09/as-i-get-older-i-get-weller-not-sicker/
We often hear it said that ‘it’s never too late’ but sadly we also have the flip side to that, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ which I feel is more often believed. Why is that? The first offers us the opportunity to turn our health around but the second is the one I hear most often. It really exposes how stubborn, arrogant and lazy we can be if we fall in with the second one. It gives us a convenient excuse to give up and stay in our comfortable status quo taking absolutely no responsibility for our health at all.
This is an inspiring blog Carmel. Your appreciation for the marvelous workings of your human body has led you to correctly conclude that your body is able to repair itself if harming lifestyle choices are addressed. Instead of being a helpless victim of your illnesses you have taken responsibility for them, and engage with a proactive, positive attitude. Making sure you understand the consequences of medical interventions and giving each of them consideration as well as feeling what your body needs, and coming to a wise well-informed conclusion.
So often we can think of serious medical diagnoses and even ageing meaning that there will be an inevitable decline, and not be aware that we can, through making responsible loving choices, in fact improve our outcomes in many instances, even if the illness or disease cannot be cured. You show that there is a different way Carmel.
Wonderful, Carmel, the level of commitment and honesty with yourself and your body is deeply inspiring. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Having been a part of Universal Medicine for so long I have been seeing these stories around healing as normal and not out of the ordinary. Every so often I get a moment that gives me a stop to really fully appreciate what is going on here in relation to where humanity is at with health. The miracles that can happen within the body when we take responsibility for it, from rebuilding bones, mending broken ones, reversing dementia and healing a whole host of other ailments and diseases leaves me full of wonder at the grace of it all!
I love what you bring up here Michelle, it is so true, these stories have for me too, become normal and very natural as I see the amazing turn around in people who have simply recommitted to themselves and to life through the example of Universal Medicine.
I have to remind myself that it is actually against the norm of what is going on in health or more truthfully ‘ill health’ in greater and greater proportions of society these days, and which I get to see played out in my work as a nurse.The statistics which tell us that one in three are developing cancers now is astounding, yet most don’t register that alarm bells should have begun ringing for each of us long before now. Even one in ten is too many. Universal Medicine is building a considerable body of evidence that there are more ways we can support and reclaim responsibility for ourselves and our health in conjunction with conventional medicine as Carmel has described.
Yes – there is a groundswell beginning to emerge – that there is a small section of people on the planet who are bucking the trend in terms of illness and disease, who are reversing or halting conditions, living more vital and joyful lives. We are a group of people that need to be studied because so many of us have changed our lives around, with no depression, little if any stress and beautiful relationships.
Reading your comment I realize that actually, yes, since I have seen so many miracles happen in Universal Medicine, I have taken them for granted, and it is time to stop and appreciate in all its value all the people that have made it possible, like Carmel, like Robyn, like many thousands, by listening to our bodies, by changing our harming behaviours, by allowing evolution, by reconnecting to self love. We are so used to it, but it is not what is happening to most people in the world. There is need for great acknowledgment here.
This really is front page news. It’s cases like these that begin the tidal shift that will one day make it normal for doctors to ask – how loving are you being with yourself? – in a medical examination.
I told the endocrinologist I needed to work on more stillness and he’s acknowledging my decision to work on ‘more lifestyle changes’ in his letter to my GP. Perhaps he will ask me that very question when I see him in six months time. Actually my blood test result will show just how loving I am being with myself.
Indeed Jinya, totally inspirational Carmel…..the tidal shift is underway
Carmel this is fantastic, you are representing a new way of living and making loving choices as your forefront in your health and wellbeing, as a result extremely inspiring and your body is functioning at a much higher level than what it was before you attended Serge Benhayon’s presentations and workshops. This next examination is going to be very revealing as you say if you have continued to up your self loving in take. Well Done.
Wow Carmel, there is now one endocrinologist who is taking the awareness of this impact our choices make on our bodies, to every other patient he meets. You have started a revolution by simply being yourself with him.
I look forward to that question Jinya from a doctor in the future. Just reading this warms my heart as it is such an acknowledgement of how important love is in our lives.
I agree, one day we will come to a point where doctors will ask about their lifestyle choices, not just the plain and simple smoking, alcohol consumption etc. But actually looking in their everyday choices with how they treat themselves.
I agree with your words Ben, “…where doctors will ask about their lifestyle choices..” and from my own experience, I have had my G.P. who has extensive accreditations has asked me “what do I do?” as each time I return for regular check ups, my physical bodily health is becoming healthier, stronger and more ‘functional’ in their eyes, with ‘healing’ having taken place where there had been a view that the possibility of this occurring was not great. Perhaps the old saying “physician – heal thyself” is becoming more apparent as more inner awareness is being embraced about the many daily lifestyle choices that can be addressed for any one of us, whether it be doctor or patient.
Wow, Carmel. To come back from hyperthyroidism is an amazing feat. I briefly had hyperthyroidism for a period of 3 months after a major operation. I thought I had a lung infection but it was in fact my thyroid. At the time I had unexplainable feelings that I was going to die for no good reason. As well as shortness of breath, trouble breathing in and out, shakiness, exhaustion, racing heart etc. It felt like I was in a constant state of panic. I wouldn’t wish this illness on anyone as I found it incredibly hard to deal with. Since then I have had brief episodes of feeling these symptoms again but my thyroid showed up ‘normal’ but I knew what it was. When I initially experienced hyperthyroidism I felt ridiculously sensitive and delicate but was so uncomfortable I pushed these qualities aside until it got to the point that I couldn’t ignore them anymore. As I have surrendered into feeling more sensitive and delicate on a daily, moment to moment basis, the symptoms are becoming more and more infrequent. It really is interesting how our bodies are there to support us to stop one way of living and come back to a truer way of living. Because when the symptoms reappear I know my body is sending me a message to drop more into being sensitive and delicate and I love being able to work with my body in this way.
Hi Robyn, thank you for your comment, that has given me food for thought ‘As I have surrendered into feeling more sensitive and delicate on a daily, moment to moment basis, the symptoms are becoming more and more infrequent.’ I wake occasionally feeling hotter than normal – that’s one of the symptoms I forgot to mention in the blog, I was always warmer than most people. When I wake that hot, and my heart is racing, I check what I’ve been doing, and it’s often my mind gone into overdrive about all the things I need to be doing as soon as I get up, instead of making time to connect with my body first. Being more sensitive and delicate is definitely something to surrender to.
I agree Carmel. When we surrender to our body in this way we come out of our head and start feeling again. I usually focus on feeling one quality at a time until I have re-familiarised myself with it that it becomes more natural for me to live fairly consistently. This I find is a great way to bring me back into my body. At present I am working with the quality of grace.
Thank you for sharing your journey Carmel. I agree that we need to make a lot of changes when we have Medical diagnosis of disease, and staying with conventional medicine till we are either able to come off it safely or at least under supervision of a Doctor. Looking after ourselves as you chose to do and listening to our body as well is important for all of us to regain reasonable health.
It would be great for people in the medical world to read your story in a medical journal Carmel. I am amazed at the transformation in your health just by respecting what your specialist offered in treatment as well as listening to your own body and what it was telling you. It seems a major part of your healing came from this relationship you had with your body in the way you cared and nurtured it, supporting it’s healing. Unfortunately there is not a lot of emphasis by the medical profession on supporting our bodies in such a gentle and loving manner and if there was perhaps more people would fully heal from the multitude of conditions that are overwhelming people and the medical system today.
Elizabeth, thank you, your comment reminds me that the care I need to take is now more subtle but nonetheless just as important – it is very easy to think, ‘OK I’m sorted, now I can carry on with my life’, but as the varying blood tests show, I’m not out of the woods by any means – it is very easy for me to push myself to do things when resting might be better for my body. I told the endocrinologist ‘I need more stillness in my life’ – telling him is one thing, embodying and living it is another! And that doesn’t mean do nothing, it means being still within whilst in activity, focusing on whatever I’m doing so my body and mind are at one.
I appreciate the way you make it clear Carmel, about when we first start working with changing our attitude to life and lifestyle, that we also need to seek the support of the medical profession and be willing to take the medicines prescribed. We may start to change the way we live, but the body is often slow to follow, and irrevocable damage may already have been done, and then it is the most loving thing to do for ourselves to support our bodies in this way, as long as we do not depend upon it to do all the work for us by returning to the stressful lifestyle.
Exactly Joan, much damage can be done in our earlier years, for example, 20 years of playing squash and my knees are now paying for it. Early teenage years of not brushing my teeth and I have a mouthful of fillings – now mercury-free, I’m pleased to say. Fifty years of living on my nerves is what sent my thyroid into hyperactivity – that’s now back to normal, but my heart has suffered and may never fully recover. If we are taught to truly care for our bodies in our early years, it will make such a difference to our elder care 60, 70, 80 years on.
Reading your comment Carmel makes me realise how crazy it is that we are not taught this, ‘ If we are taught to truly care for our bodies in our early years, it will make such a difference to our elder care 60, 70, 80 years on.’ It is as if we do not make this link, that it is just bad luck or the way it is to be ill in our elder years, but this does not have to be the case. Working with elderly people who suffer with many illnesses and diseases make me appreciate my health and feel how important it is to look after ourselves to not suffer in this way later in life.
That is so true Carmel, and because when we are younger our bodies have greater resilience to the strains we put upon them we ignore the signs it gives us, or we have this erroneous belief system we somehow have to “beat the body” and subject to our will. Then of course it lets us know later on, and even then we do not always accept that it is our own choices that have created the problem. Now things are changing, for Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine are showing people how to deeply care for themselves and listen to their bodies.
Carmel, so spot on. Like you, I’m paying the price for a life spent exhausting my adrenal system and living in nervous system energy with a thyroid condition of my own, diagnosed at age 47. It’s possible this too will dog me for the rest of my life. We seem to think illness is just something that happens ‘to us’ but we’ve been there all along and all the way, never separate from our bodies – just not respectful of them.
It makes sense that it can take time for the body to physically heal itself or even for things to possibly never fully recover and that we need to support ourselves with conventional medicine. And as you say Joan do our part in being aware of how we are living and taking care of that. This is a key part of the equation that is so often ignored.
Carmel this really makes me sit up and pay attention! It’s quite easy to be lax with your health when you’re young and healthy, not realising the consequences of what you are doing will effect you in later life.
I think we do make the link in our younger years Rebecca, it’s just that we more often than not don’t make the link that it is entirely our responsibility. It’s easy to think that ‘it won’t happen to me’ as when we’re in our teens, 20s, 30s even, there is an arrogance that whatever we throw at our bodies they will bounce back. It’s only as the body starts to age and it takes longer for it to recover from say, a hangover, that we start to realise that maybe it isn’t as invincible as we first thought. We can be taught this but how many will truly listen unless the person teaching us is a living example of self-care and responsibility.
Exactly Joan, it is possible for us to make a change in our lives and change the way we are living at any point, and so cut the illness. But like you say the damage may have already been done and so the loving and responsible thing to do given our situation is to seek support from medical professionals. If we begin to work this way and put effort before we expect the medicine to give us a quick fix then not only will we begin to experience a long lasting health but also the medical profession isn’t going to be under the constant strain that we currently put them under
Very true Oliver, taking responsibility for our own health, especially energetically, relieves others of being burdened with all our anxieties and worries and expectations, and so benefits everyone. I have found doctors are always very glad when they discover I am willing to take responsibility in my own healing, yet open to what they are offering me. That way we start to make a relationship where we can work together in an harmonious way.
So true Oliver, it is so important to take responsibility for our own health, and seek medical help too when it is needed. The ‘quick fix’ mentality gets us nowhere. It’s time to take an interest in our own health.
To actually reverse medical conditions in this day and age is practically unheard of. Usually as we get older it is very common to be put on countless pills for different illnesses and then some of the medication isn’t compatible with each other, so other medication is given to counter the reactions. As others have written your experience would make a great case study.
Carmel you are living proof and a inspiration for every one of us to take true loving care of ourselves and how we live ,our choices and our responsibility for ourselves. Thank you for sharing your amazing real and honest journey with medicine and esoteric healing to true health and livingness.
Reading your blog Carmel makes me realize that there is far more impacting on our bodies than what we currently know. Your story is a great example of that.
Carmel your story is inspiring. What is so inspiring to feel is how you are now a pivotal component in the health of your body, rather than just a bystander and this I feel is the key to life. So often we stand in the shadows of our own lives, watching them unfold as if we are at the movies, but the truth is when we step out of the shadows and get involved, we find that we can have such a huge influence in all aspects of our life. We are the co-creators, not the recipients of life.
An inspiring story Carmel, I love how you have worked with your own body and with traditional medicines in harmony with each other. It is a model for the future.
Carmel your health tranformation is remarkable.
As I read this blog I think to myself, “this could be a medical case study”. Indeed your experiences are a case study that health professionals should study. I don’t know many people who reduced their hyperthyroidism to the extent you have.
This is so true Luke, ‘I don’t know many people who reduced their hyperthyroidism to the extent you have.’ Carmels story is amazing, it is rare in society in general, I have however heard many stories of people having recovered from illness and disease, depression and other such conditions having been inspired by Universal Medicine to make lifestyle changes, these cases should indeed be studied because they are truly remarkable.
Indeed and I’m so glad that it is written here!!
Carmel, I love this blog – ‘our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering, with extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance’. This totally rocks me and the great appreciation I have of our exquisite bodies that respond equally so to how we choose to honour our delicateness or not.
What I love about this, is that you are clearly taking responsibility for your own health. There is no giving your power away to the medical system and yet you are not shunning what is needed either. This is an example of the way we can be with our own health, working with traditional medicine to support our physical body but also addressing the underlying causes that the support of our own awareness and Esoteric Medicine offers. Thank you Carmel
Thank you Carmel for your amazing story, you are a living miracle and absolute proof of the way we live being our lifestyle and health choices, and a tribute to Serge Benhayon and all he offers to mankind with esoteric medicine, along with conventional medicine. Simply amazing.
What an amazing turn around in health, this is a miracle. Having worked in health care for 10 years I can confidently say these sorts of changes in not only health but lifestyle are not very common at all. More evidence of the power of esoteric healing to support modern medicine.
The cause of the illness and the medicine both come from us and our choices. I am not physically ill at the moment, but if I look at true well being as a state when I am consistently joyful then I could work on my connection to my innermost as a form of medicine. And what lovely medicine it is to take.
It is astounding to consider how much we put the body through without any regard for the consequences. Yet the moment we decide to make more loving choices the body responds. Perhaps it is time to really appreciate the finely tuned vessel the body actually is and how much it actually supports us.
Our body is constantly supporting us in every way, in every breath. We tend to think we are at the mercy of the body and everything it might throw at us…but actually considering that the body is right there with us the entire time, making corrections to restore balance, is one of the most beautiful examples of unconditional love I have ever known.
“… but actually considering that the body is right there with us the entire time, making corrections to restore balance, is one of the most beautiful examples of unconditional love I have ever known.” This is beautiful Sara and I entirely agree that when we are presented with illness or disease it is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about ourselves and grow.
It is indeed astounding what we put our bodies through. Even when the body is speaking to us loud and clear we ignore the signs that something needs to be looked at. Isn’t it time to consider that when we abuse our body there are consequences? eg. I know if I go to bed later than what I normally do I feel the effects the next day and the day after.
It’s so great to read a blog about how another really turned their health around. It really is possible from wherever we come, no matter how disillusioned you can come away from the medical system feeling, to get back on track with choosing a self loving way of being for yourself.
Hi Gail, I was never particularly disillusioned with the medical system but I had a lot of New Age friends who wouldn’t touch medicine and I aligned with them. It was a very dangerous thing to do and I’m so glad that Universal Medicine is Pro-Western Medicine and encourages us to work fully with the Medical Profession, because for me it meant I still have two legs.
I agree that ignoring the benefits of conventional Western Medicine is reckless if not dangerous. In your case if you continued to be influenced by your New Age friends you would not be standing on your own two legs.
Your experience and willingness to do all you can in terms of adjusting your lifestyle in order to rebalance your entire body and being is nothing short of inspirational Carmel. I am sure governments, hospitals and doctors would love each one of us to be as proactive as you with our own Health Care.
Totally.. and if that was the case then we would be a much healthier society! Maybe one day that will become a necessity or law that we need to look after ourselves – haha, wouldn’t that be interesting.
Your symptoms Carmel just show us the importance of taking notice of how our body is. All so often we can rationalise away changes in the body, or put them down to aging, or to a certain circumstance. But look how fundamental it was for you to have gone to your GP and checked out feeling more breathless and physically weaker. A great example of how you have transformed your way of living, and health, by acting on what you body is asking for.
When we are gentle and loving with ourselves there is less room for criticism on others. I have lived a life being so hard on myself and therefore very judgemental on others. As I develop a more loving way with myself, committing to me first, I am realising I am less hard on myself; nobody benefits when we go about our day criticising ourselves for something that we know we should or shouldn’t have done. We are always learning, as we will always be the forever student.
“I can also feel how I am affected by my thoughts, and the tension and discomfort they can sometimes create.” Allowing thoughts that are not who we are to rule us can be so damaging to the body. I used to worry consistently about what others thought of me; it was exhausting! These days when thoughts enter I keep reminding myself that they are not who I am and I do something loving like go for a walk to help me let them go of them and to bring myself back to me.
Caroline, yes, our thoughts can create havoc in our bodies and I agree, walking is great – we can spot when we go into thinking and bring ourselves back to our bodies, being aware of every moment and how it feels as we walk.
The power of choice is so under-rated. We can choose to take a medication and hand the responsibility over to that to do what it can, but take that medication away and we are left with a way of living that will continue to manifest dis-ease in the body…Or we can choose to get to the root cause of the condition, look at our lifestyle choices and make loving changes, and take a medication if needed – but the responsibility is on us and how we choose to live…and not reliant only on something outside of us.
I love reading your blog, Carmel. An amazing testimonial of the transformation that comes from changing our way of living. It is very sad that we as human beings have come to treat our body as pure function. We learned to use it to do, to get somewhere, to perform and achieve without connecting to the fact that all we do and more so the quality we do things in are deeply ‘recorded’ in our divinely intelligent body. And, so is a life of disregard ‘memorised’ and ‘compounded’ in our cells, until the body lets us know that enough is enough. It however is so beautiful to see that the moment we make the choice to honour, support, nourish our body and connect to the messages it continuously sends us, the body starts healing the old ‘recording’ and renewing its very chemistry. So simple and yet, still so overlooked.
Carmel, your story is a fabulous example of taking responsibility for your health and well-being, and needs to be in every medical publication…to show there is another way for true health and healing, and that all the responsibility for health does not lie at the feet of the medical profession – we each have a responsibility for our lifestyle choices.
I agree Paula, Carmel is a living, walking, talking testament of the responsibility she has chosen to truly support herself and self-care. This is an article that certainly needs to be in every medical publication.
You are an inspiring example Carmel of how much people can do to help themselves – if they are wiling to truly heal and lovingly care for themselves and their bodies. Perhaps it is time for the healthcare system to take this type of healing and care on board, but it means everyone would have to take responsibility for themselves and their lifestyle choices, and until the majority of people are ready to do that, the healthcare system will continue to struggle.
“It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.” I agree Carmel, it is always a choice, and our bodies live with the consequences of all our choices – supportive and unsupportive. It amazes me how after years of abuse our bodies so willingly respond and heal to loving care – it’s like they never give up on the possibility that we will one day honour and respect them, nurture and lovingly care for them. Our bodies are just waiting for those moments when we take responsibility for our choices and choose to lovingly care for them.
Carmel, your story is a living example of how much a body and life can benefit “by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way”. This way is available to anyone who is ready to take responsibility for their own healing. As you say, “there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose” and your story is proof of this fact.
I was talking to a friend today who was complaining that the medication she was taking did not work. I asked her had she considered the fact that she was indulging in all the wrong food for her, as well as overeating, not exercising, smoking over a packet of cigarettes a day, may have something to do with why she did not feel good? I knew she knew what I was saying was true, but she did not want to admit it, as she was unwilling to take responsibility for her health.
This is a common societal problem that you are exposing in your blog Carmel.
I see and know so many people who have bags full of medication and it can become distressing for them to have to take so many different pills. It is so refreshing to know that there are real lifestyle changes that we can make to support our own healing, even if we do have to take medication for any illness and disease.
That you have embraced yourself in so many ways is already so wonderful Carmel. Whatever yo’ve been doing with your life it’s working as the change in you over the past few years has been phenomenal. I know it has a lot to do with the support you receive from Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon. You are an inspiration.
Carmel what you do is very important as a pioneer on how to improve chronic illnesses, not just learn to manage them better but to actually improve your health. This does not seem a common occurrence.
Christoph seeing how Carmel has actually learned to improve and deepen the quality of her health is something that the medical community and general society should take note of. As you say for most its about managing a chronic illness and when we look at the medical statistics we see the result – ageing populations that are sick and unhealthy. Something needs to change and Carmel is a living example the way.
Carmel, you are making it clear that there is more to health than just the results – which is amazing. You are not only about improving your body physically, but you’re improving the way you live, the way you feel and that is more of a whole picture of health.
Your blog shows very clearly how well conventional medicine and esoteric medicine work together. I too use both with fantastic results.
I agree Elizabeth the combination of conventional medicine and esoteric medicine has been proven by thousands of people world wide to work extremely well together with amazing results of true healing occurring. Carmel is a great example of this awesome duo.
Carmel besides your blog being a great testament to the healing capacity of our bodies, it is also one to the courage and determination to not give up and become another person reliant on medication for the rest of their lives and settle for compromised quality of life. Thank you for that dual inspiration!
Several years ago being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome I was told I would require a vast amount of eye drops on a daily basis and that excruciatingly painful corneal abrasions would be a regular occurrence. Making similar lifestyle choices such as you have outlined, most particularly for me, early to bed, has made a vast difference. I only need eye drops occasionally and very rarely have the abrasions.
‘Simple Lifestyle Changes Help Heal Hyperthyroidism’ When you stop and look at this, this is an amazing title / headline. Imagine this on the front of a daily newspaper – a place where it really ought to be.
Yes Michelle, wonderfully supportive and inspiring writing such as Carmel’s should be available to the wider public. Many people with health conditions, perhaps having resigned themselves to a life of unwellness, would see that it is possible, with simple choices and lifestyle changes, to turn your health around.
It is scary to imagine the long term effects on the body from deep disregard, as that seems to be the path so many people are taking these days. How is the medical system going to cope with it, the many millions and millions of people needing drugs to stay alive.
It is scary Suzanne especially when the so-called norm towards our health is to not take responsibility for our choices and the impact they have on our body. Carmel’s story is showing a way that could truly alleviate the inevitable downfall of our health systems.
Carmel – WOW! The turn around is incredible. And the best bit about how well this experiment you did on yourself, is that it was in no way extreme. All the choices you made were no brainers, sure some of your old patterns would have taken some time to break, but overall you certainly weren’t asking your body to climb Everest to regain it’s health. Simple common sense brought you a list of positive results. Another amazing example of what’s possible when we look after ourselves. It really is not rocket science.
Elodie, what you say about looking after us and the resulting impact that has on our health is not really rocket science, is true. Yet, I find it fascinating that we find the simplest of things so difficult to apply. It’s almost as if we actively go out of our way to add complication and difficulty… it’s like we create diversions all over the place and get ourselves in a tangle so that we focus on the tangle and not perhaps what is pure, simple and true under the tangle, if that makes sense? By living in self-disregard, which makes us ill, sick and under the weather, we create the perfect excuse to not to FULLY commit to life and take responsibility for our part in it. Could this be true?
I agree, Elodie, starting to listen to your body and bringing a bit of common sense to what your body needs in order to heal can make all the difference. This is the case for everyone if we are willing to be honest about the impact on our body of how we are choosing to live.
“Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases – thereby showing me that my body is a fine instrument and that clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively.” This is truly inspiring Carmel, and actually makes so much sense. The more simple the food we eat, the more the body is able to do the job it is supposed to do, rather than having to work harder to break down substances that it is not built to break down, and make us tired because it’s working harder than it has too!
‘The more simple the food we eat, the more the body is able to do the job it is supposed to do, rather than having to work harder to break down substances that it is not built to break down, and make us tired because it’s working harder than it has too!’ I fully agree with this Sandra, as my own experience has been that the more simple my diet is, the more energy I have and that days of lethargy are almost a thing of the past.
I agree, Sandra. We can make things easier for our bodies by considering what they have to digest and process and giving them a bit of a break sometimes!
Your story so far Carmel shows us what can happen when a patient is actively participating in their treatment. I really enjoyed reading about your willingness to go deeper, to be more honest with yourself while utilising the support available to you through western medicine and Universal Medicine therapies.
I love the simple message in this blog Carmel about taking care of ourselves including rest, exercise and food, because there IS so much we can do to help ourselves with our ailments. In the past I know I found it easy to just expect someone else to “fix” my problems and make me feel better. I now know that I hold that key and responsibility if I choose it. I can work with others for support, but I have to want and choose to make the changes, because no one can do that for me.
Carmel, you have simply and honestly illustrated that the choices we make inform the life and health we are living, and the opportunity available to us to change that if we choose. This is big for those that rather ‘blame’ society or others for their ills. Your blog is to be celebrated. Thanks for sharing.
The simplicity in the very fact that our choices inform our health blows my mind. We love to analyse and dissect everything, all to avoid simply looking at our choices.
So true Elodie…all in the name of distraction! It is actually very simple, isn’t it.
Well said ch1956, I love this point that you have brought in, because it’s so true that many people just blame life, blame the world, blame others or blame God, and choosing blame means they don’t choose self-responsibility. Self-responsibility is one key to truly healing, which Carmel has demonstrated in the blog. It’s awesome to read about the responsibility she is taking in her life and that is clearly evident in the change in her health. Amazing Carmel.
Thank you Carmel for this document of true health care by combining esoteric medicine and conventional medicine. You have taken responsibility for your own body and its health, you haven’t given your power away to the specialists but knew that your way of living was not supporting your health. Quite amazing when we look at what most people’s choices are regarding their own body. What you say I experience as well the body is a fine instrument and reflects the choices we have made and make every day. And how grateful it is when we start listening to its signals and start to become a team as in me and my body.
Thank you Annelies, I love the word TEAM and when you bring this to me and my body I am inspired further to TEAM up with me and my body to the point of fully honouring what my body communicates. It is quite something to live in a way that your body is your project and one that will always bring you total clarity if we should choose to listen.
Carmel this is incredible what you have experienced. The way you have embraced the support of medicine yet at the same time really brought focus to your lifestyle is very cool and you get to enjoy how much this supports you. This way of taking responsibility for our own health is the new way forward.
Yes I agree Natalie. This marriage of lifestyle and medicine is the way forward for everybody.
Thank you Carmel. It is empowering for us to read and feel that there is so much we can do for ourselves when it comes to medicine and healing. Taking care of our bodies is great medicine.
It certainly is Jane. To know we are not just passengers in illness and disease is liberating. We can take responsibility for our health and well being and our own healing, along with medical treatment.
“Interestingly enough, as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases – thereby showing me that my body is a fine instrument and that clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively.” It is amazing how much more we can feel and be aware of by cutting out junk food and stopping to over eat. You have shown that by changing our life style, we can change the health of our bodies. Your ability to bring your thyroid back into balance by making changes to the way you live is inspiring Carmel. I too have been inspired by Universal Medicine to make different choices and the changes in me have also been remarkable.
It is true what you say Rachel, the body is so much clearer and present when it has not been given foods it does not require, or when it has not been feed too much. It is the simple things that make such huge changes to our bodies and therefore our lives.
I agree Amina. Refining our diet is also a reflection of our willingness to refine and deepen our awareness, as they both go hand in hand.
Rachel interesting how when we take such an obvious thing like junk food out of our diet since we know that it isn’t healthy (we just love the ease and taste of it) it can actually really have such an impact on our health. My feeling is that half of it is in making the choice to really nurture the body that has an effect that we can support the body to be healthy and heal what is not harmonious. I have learnt with the support of Universal Medicine like yourself and Carmel that taking this responsibility is all we truly need to do for a life where it is not a struggle, that your health is holding you back and making you feel uncomfortable. To deeply care for ourselves is to deeply care for our health.
There is so much starting to be written about the poisonous effects of sugar and over the past year I have reduced it considerably from my diet. However if I indulge in anything sweet now it feels like my brain has a confusion about it and unable to process something simply
Confusion, yes, this is something I am observing – the other day I ate a banana at lunch time and couldn’t think properly when I went back to work, it was really weird! Bananas are a healthy snack for some, but not for my body as the sugar in it obviously affects my brain.
A highly inspiring blog Carmel. As you have said “our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering”. Bringing more awareness to my body from the inside has brought the understanding to me that I have my own amazing built-in science laboratory to work with (as does everyone). Letting go of foods that make me feel dull and heavy, racy or numb has made a huge difference to my body – it literally began to dissolve away 35 Kilos of excess weight that I had no idea could happen so effortlessly, having been struggling on constant diets for years.
Yes, I agree with you Gill – a perfect article for slimming magazines to show just how diets truly do not work long term – listening to the body wisdom brings lifestyle changes and the body begins re-configures to its own natural weight and shape with no trying, doing or stressing out.
Simple choices have so much power because we are simple beings. We make life complicated for ourselves through our choices to resist the simplicity that would otherwise give way to living a life that feels spacious and without the pressure to survive.
I love what you have written here Jinya and agree it seems we currently make life way more complicated than it actually is.
Simplicity certainly does allow for a life that feels spacious and without pressure.
Very well said Jinya… it’s like live simple = simple life. Live Complex = Complication in our life and health. and very real way to look at the equation. Our choice is between simplicity or complication and then we have our natural consequence.
I love what you have said here Jinya, it makes so much sense to live an uncomplicated life, making simple choices….. so why do we often choose to resist the simplicity that allows us to feel spacious and without pressure??
Thank you Carmel for your very inspiring blog, it’s a testament to the wonderful healing ability of the body when we choose to listen, and make the necessary loving changes that truly support us. But why is it not our natural way to care for ourselves and listen to our bodies, why do we wait until illness and disease speaks to us, sometimes very loudly before we sit up and listen? We have so much to appreciate in our bodies ability, even after much disregard and abuse from us, to return to health. Many of us would certainly be in a pickle, and many of us would certainly die quite young, without our bodies ability( with loving changes from us) to return to health
Rosemary, I must admit I am someone who needs physical proof before I will take action. I get a subtle sense in my body, but I will override that and eat something knowing that it is bad for me. Only when the symptoms are more major such as a headache or a change of mood, do I actually take notice, but gradually as I listen more to my body, and pay attention to the smaller messages, the choice to not eat something or to eat less becomes easier.
I tend to need that physical proof too Carmel, but more and more I know the signs of what my body wants to eat, rather than what my mouth fancies to taste. And recently I have finally admitted the exhaustion brought on by decades of overdoing things, doing less and resting more.
This is an interesting discussion because I knew there was something going on with my thyroid and my doctor had the same feeling. It took 18 months of consistent testing before it actually showed up! For me this shows that we are able to feel illness and disease before it hits the body which really is revolutionary in so many ways.
Through understanding comes great wisdom. Carmel the account of your journey conveys your ever deepening understanding of your life, your body and your choices. There is much wisdom contained here. We all deserve to feel vital and alive, by taking responsibility for your ill health, by making the choice to love and nurture yourself tenderly and deeply, as you say, “It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.”
When we choose to move our body in a way where the focus is on the quality of how we move every movement we make becomes healing. When we move in a gentle and connected way, the disregard we may have had in the past naturally drops off, because we cannot possibly be in disregard if we are consciously choosing the quality of our movement in each moment. We then are honouring ourselves by each step we take.
I can feel the gentleness in your words, Donna, and how beautiful, to honour ourselves with every step we take.
This is beautiful Donna and so wise. To make a simple choice to be gentle with ourselves in all our movements is truly honouring of the body.
I agree Carmel our bodies are truly amazing piece of engineering. I took my body for granted for so many years but now I am absolutely fascinated in how the human body works. The intelligence of the organs, its ability to rebalance and heal its self with the support and nourishment we offer it by connecting to the body and truly feeling and listening to the messages it sends us with the combination of orthodox medicine and complementary medicine.
The thing that amazes me most, Margaret, is the intricate delicateness of balance that exists and the incredibly abusive way most of us live. The body adjusts so we don’t notice the harm we are doing to ourselves – initially – but then when things go wrong we have to make a choice – continue or adjust our way of living. I played squash for over 20 years, and most of that time I was overweight. My knees are letting me know now what a cruel thing I did to them – as well as rollerskating and falling over when I was younger – oh, and kneeling on hard benches in Catholic Churches, and on hard floors at work stacking shelves . . . after 5 weeks off work with a badly swollen left knee, I now take much more gentle care – and that’s only one joint.There’s the rest of me to consider too . . .
Carmel I love how you describe and appreciate the body’s balancing mechanisms, systems, workings as “intricate delicateness”, a way of the body I was not taught to appreciate all those years ago when I did my nursing training but now value how a gentle way with it will nurture it back to a beautiful well-being. How we could have empowered patients with this understanding and awareness.
This is inspiring Carmel, you present a way forward to deal with and heal conditions that are lifestyle related. There is a lot of responsibility, care and awareness that comes with this.
This stood out for me Gill and rang a large bell. ‘I find it sometimes very eye opening to see how much I take on that I hadn’t realised I took on from other people, and it all affects our health. We can only ever deal with our own issues and leave others to deal with theirs’. This is a lesson I had to learn. Similar to Carmel in some ways as I also had an over-active thyroid diagnosed and osteoporosis. With support from Universal Medicine practitioners working alongside the specialist doctors, the thyroid balanced out quickly. I am realising the disregard and am making conscious choices to be more self-loving, exercising according to what is right for my body and generally feeling that my body and I are working together in a more understanding way!
The way you deal with your health issues is such a great example. Dealing with the underlying cause with all the esoteric healing sessions, using conventional medicine in all its knowledge and advice, at the same time never giving up on the important part you play with your lifestyle habits. Your healing is well deserved, you work at it so much!. You should teach this and doctors and nurses could be your students.
I loved reading your inspiring and nothing short of miraculous healing from hyperthyroidism Carmel. The way you care for yourself is very inspiring. It begs the question why wait for a major illness or disease to occur before we make changes? There is some feeling of being invincible isn’t there – that it will happen to others and not us, yet our bodies can only cope with so much disregard before they have to do something to correct the imbalance and disharmony we have created.
True Lucy. Our mind might think it is difficult to make the changes now, but our body loudly and clearly says otherwise. If we have a table with a broken leg, a clear sign it needs to be attended to, we wouldn’t wait for another leg to break. No, that would just be ridiculous. Imagine sitting down to eat a meal at a 3 legged table, thinking that it was ok. But with our body we can have a part of our body that is not working properly and still we can wait until it becomes much worse or worse still loses function all together before anything is done.
It is true Vicky and for many the time for something to be done as in to help the body to heal does not arise until there is no other choice but to do so. So what is it that is running throughout our bodies to create such self-destruction and self-abuse?
Thanks to Universal Medicine we can now look at these actions as the truth that they are, the fact that everything is energy and everything is because of energy. Healing our hurts and taking true care of our bodies are the remedy to dealing with such deeply unloving ways of living. Being a student of yourself as Carmel has very gracefully expressed here is huge as it reminds us that we are always learning and we have the power to change our life at any moment.
Very good point: how worse must it become to awake us and let us start to live a change?! A question of awareness and choice.
Lucy, some people also just accept they might get an illness because it runs in their family and so there is no effort to prevent the possibility of this when some simple changes to the way they care and respect their body could minimise their predisposition to the illness.
Very true, Lucy. Our body experiences all of our bad (unloving) choices as well as all our good (loving) choices so it makes sense that it will speak loudly to convey the messages we need to hear in order to make any necessary lifestyle changes. We just need to stop and listen which can be the hardest step of all.
That is so true Lucy.. we may as well look after our bodies along the way because any day you could experience an illness or have an accident which is related to the way you are living. The body can take a lot in the in between stages… and that we do have control over.
Carmel – thank you for sharing such a great account of the incredible benefit to well being that caring for our selves can bring about. Taking responsibility and receiving medical support can bring quite a quick turn around. I’ve had a similar experience with bone density. Over the past three years the test results are showing a slight increase in my bone density. This I know is attributed to consistent loving care – doing what supports my body so it trusts that it s being looked after fully. Therefore no more disregard as you refer to. Plus the support of Medicine makes for a great foundation to rebuild bones.
‘I am in effect my own medical experiment.’ This is great Carmel and your research results should be published for all to see how your self loving choices with food and lifestyle choices have affected your life in this amazing way.
‘I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!’ – gorgeously expressed Carmel. I too have realised and now appreciate how divinely designed our bodies are, a gift to us indeed. Always reflecting how we are choosing to live. And when we pay attention we are simply guided on the path to return to well-being. You, your connection to your body and the loving way that you now choose to live are an inspiration. You are living proof of how Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine inspires people to turn their lives around simply by making loving choices through which the body responds accordingly.
‘I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring’ This strikes me as absolutely true Carmel and a wonderful way to view and take care of our bodies.
I agree Carmel, there is a lot that we can do with our health, by listening to and following the messages of our own body. I feel like it is great to be open to all sorts of medicine, orthodox, complementary and the medicine of knowing yourself and what you need specifically. I have improved my health out of sight by listening in to what foods and drinks feel good in my body and leaving behind those that don’t.
This is a beautiful blog. It shows how much we can come back from chronic diseases and how important conventional medicine is. Oh, and how much we harm ourselves when we ignore suggestions by our doctors.
Yes, Christoph, I am inspired by Carmel’s sensible approach to her healing process, by listening to the doctors and at the same time honouring her own feelings of what is going on in her body and how best to support it through the choices she is making.
Carmel, I just love your beautiful truth; thank you for sharing.
As being part of the health care industry, I know the pressure practitioners take on with the best intention and attempt to help their patients, often fooled by the idea that they or their therapies could bring the healing. At the same time they are disappointed and overwhelmed by the futility of all the effort, until they realize and accept what is in their power to offer to the patient and what is the patient´s responsibility to choose, change and contribute to their own healing process and lifestyle. That is an understanding well presented by Universal Medicine and lived by the esoteric practitioners of the Universal Medicine Therapies.
Well said Alex. Knowing that the patient/client is ultimately responsible for their own healing takes an enormous burden off health care practioners to “fix” people or “cure” people. Of course health care professionals can help enormously but still it is the patient/client who has to walk the steps towards healing.
Carmel you are amazing and are living proof of the effect of our life style choices. This is world news and is the missing part of health and shows our responsibility for it ourselves. Beautifully written and deeply inspiring. Thank you Carmel for your great testament of you and your choices as a result of meeting Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and conventional medicine together as a return to who you naturally are.
Carmel – how I know you today is so very far away from the overweight, stressed, out of breath woman you describe here. It is incredible to read your story and your transformation based on your understanding and relationship you have allowed with your body. I simply adore how you have described your body as a science experiment; for that is what it is that is what we all are – pat of science ,part of something much bigger than we are that is always evolving, understanding and bringing more love.
This is a very powerful testimony Carmel to how much we influence our own health and well being. More and more lifestyle is being connected to illness and disease but only to the point of what to eat and how much to exercise. However true lifestyle change comes from the relationship we have with ourselves, are we being loving and nurturing in our choices or do we allow for self-abuse and disregard? I too have learned – and continue to – from and through my body what true medicine is.
True Carolien – more and more evidence is being found to back the link between illness and lifestyle. The choices we make on a day to day basis have a massive amount of impact on our health, and science is slowly catching up to this fact with figures and statistics.
yes Susie and the key here now is to determine what lifestyle actually entails as there is still a lot of superficiality that only furthers the drive and hardness at the expense of our innate tenderness and delicacy.
Awesome blog Carmel, thank you for sharing so much in a relatable way for everyone. It is an other testimony that making lifestyle changes and how we regard and care for our bodies makes a BIG difference no matter what the ailment.
Our bodies work so hard to try and keep us healthy and so often we do not play our part and therefore dis-ease is the result. It is truly inspiring to see how you have turned your health around Carmel by making simple lifestyle choices that support the amazing vehicle that is your body. So often people give up when they get a diagnosis feeling there is nothing they can do so having examples like yours which demonstrate what is possible if you commit to treating yourself in a self loving way and work with your body rather than against is so supportive. Thank you for sharing your story and also your wonder at the intricate workings of our bodies.
‘The deep disregard rings a bell – I have not taken great care of me or my body – doing everything for others first.’ This I know very well and am grateful that Universal Medicine has shown how unloving and uncaring a way that is to live. By loving ourselves, we naturally love others.
” as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases”. This is such a deeply profound statement Carmel, I have also found in my life that through refining and continuing to look at what I eat, it is actually affecting how aware I am of both my body and the world around, personally I feel that is extraordinary.
If simple life style choices can help to heal hyperthyroidism, then what else is possible both in our personal lives and in ourselves as a global race of people? What societal illnesses can we address through the way we live?
It is time to re-claim our bodies as the “amazing piece of engineering” that they are. Our body is like our best friend; it is there to tell us when we are off track and to support us back into a more loving way of being with ourselves and others.
Elizabeth as a young adult I would always be fighting my body, I would see my mind and what I wanted to do as far more important than my body itself. If I got sick – it was letting me down. What a lovely way to appreciate our body for what it truly is and now as I look back I can see the different conditions I had as being a great blessing. From a simple cold to IBS to kidney stones.
Great case study Carmel. Our bodies are in fact extremely finely tuned instruments, but we live and therefore run them as if they were not. And then we wonder why they break down. Life itself is the greatest form of medicine there is, which your blog is great evidence of.
Wow Carmel your sharing clearly demonstrates the power we have to change our health simply by making different choices. So great to have the medical profession see you in time to keep your leg!
You are an inspiration Carmel. Thank you for writing this blog.
It just goes to confirm how important it is to love, respect and take responsibility for own by body and make the necessary loving changes to give the body every chance to heal. The Conventional medical profession is very necessary and can go a long way in helping us fix the problem, but without the amazing support and service provided to you Carmel, by the Complementary medicine practitioners of Universal Medicine, and the part you also have chosen to play, there can be no true holistic healing. It is also inspiring that you haven’t thought that you have ‘done enough’, but are willing to keep on refining your way of living as you become even more aware of the subtle ways that diet and lifestyle is affecting you.
Carmel this made me sit up and appreciate the support our body is continually providing whilst dealing with our ill choices… until such time it lets us know we have gone too far and we are then given the opportunity, as you say to “help ourselves if we choose”. With the awareness I have received from the practitioners at Universal Medicine, and Serge Benhayons teaching’s, I have indeed chosen to support my amazing body.
I love your last line Carmel for it is absolutely possible for us to do so much for our bodies if we choose to take the responsibility required. You are living proof of the power of choices and your story is remarkable and a great testament to what Universal Medicine presents about true self-care.
Very Interesting Carmel, I have had hyperthyroid problems. I was only 65 kg to start with and when my weight went down to 60 kg my GP suggested that I see a naturopath. My GP had been monitoring my borderline thyroid for a couple of six monthly blood tests and the numbers were getting worse.
The naturopath treated my thyroid with herbs and gave me vitamins A, B12, C, and D3, magnesium and zinc and a probiotic and nine months later it all seems to have cleared away. I have put on a few kilos plus she has done wonders for my emphysema. Last year I took antibiotics for two weeks out of three for six months of the year. This year I have had only one course that dealt with the problem in five days, I am only half way through the season but I can feel that my immune system is working better.
Maintaining harmony and balance within the body. This is what I’m currently focused on. I’m more aware of the foods I choose to eat and how they affect my body – do they throw me out of balance, which then affects everything I do. Isn’t it amazing that we have these magnificent bodies, yet we barely know how they work – we just expect them to work.
Absolutely lindellparlour – not only do we expect them to work, we get upset, frustrated and even angry when they don’t work! Yet, we fail to listen to them and honour them deeply. Developing a more honest relationship with my “magnificent” body has allowed me to actually hear my body communicating with me and develop a deeper understanding about the choices I am making as to whether I am just getting through the day or if I am vital and alive and enjoying the day.
That’s beautiful Simone. There is nothing better than being vital and enjoying the day, but if you’re not you need to stop, feel and listen to your body to find out why.
Carmel, I love your reference to the body as “An amazing piece of engineering” and “Exquisite instrument” which is so true as all parts of the body work in harmony with each other knowing what each part is responsible for and maintaining health and wellbeing for the person. Then we come along and choose to live in a way that is not conducive to maintaining health causing disharmony within the body parts. It seems very simple to me that the body reacts as it can not maintain the equilibrium when we are living in a certain way that is not loving and harmonious. Carmel this was inspiring to read and a great experiment in a way, that by changing your way of living that is in support of the body it is possible for the body and it’s amazing systems to return to normal operations.
The body is really proof that there is an intelligence and plan at work that is based on love, harmony and oneness. It is all the science we need to know how to live a harmonious and balanced life that supports health, wellbeing and purpose. Let´s make the body our teacher and the being inside the body that has its own will can come back to the greater will that holds us all in unity.
Carmel, thank you for sharing your awareness of the connection between lifestyle choices and the impact these can have on the body. What stands out for me is the wisdom of the body to consistently move towards balance and harmony, as in your comment “When I look at the body and what it does- even just the glands and the way they monitor the blood, responding by releasing more or less hormones, that are able to keep the body in perfect working condition”, absolutely amazing and a process we can support through tender observation and wise choices, as you bear witness to.
Carmel, what an amazing article to read – and so valuable for you to share this with everyone. Many times there are conditions that go undiagnosed because people are not fully aware of the symptom picture that they have or simply don’t know what to do about it. By sharing your experience it gives people permission to explore and learn more about themselves, to seek medical advice and support for example from the esoteric modalities. Someone close to me has experienced a similar situation and condition and it has been a amazing journey to support and watch as they too have taken responsibility for their health and well being and turned their life around bringing far more love, self love and self care and regard. This is very inspiring to witness and a blessing in itself.
I love your insight Carmel into osteoporosis and it’s esoteric meaning – deep disregard. It reminded me of the odd occasions when I didn’t wear enough layers or my coat wasn’t thick enough and the coldness would go right to my bones – something I now always try to avoid as it is very hard to get warm again but interesting to see the link between caring for myself and the effect it had on my bones.
I agree susanG. It seems obvious now, but for many years I would choose to be blissfully ignorant that my choices would have any lasting effects on my body.
“I used to do everything in a rush, I was very hard on myself and very critical of others..” how we are with ourselves is very often how we then are with other people. The gentleness that you brought into and have built into your life Carmel shines through now; a healing for all.
That’s true Fiona, I have experienced that too, if I am hard on myself no matter how much I try to be nice with others, there is a hardness with it, as I have that hardness on myself. We can only be genuinely loving with others if we love ourselves first.
An inspirational blog Carmel. Wonderful to read about the results you have had thus far through the combination of conventional medicine (with the medication you are taking) and the lifestyle changes you have made.
This is amazing Carmel. The body is in fact very very delicate and a marvel of engineering which when we consider how much most tend to trash their bodies through either eating foods that are not truly nourishing, drug abuse, not honouring our sleep patterns, lack or excess of exercise etc etc the body has a magical way of healing and rebalancing from that. An amazing reflection that there is always the choice before us to change our choices and truly heal what is going on underneath them.
beautifully expressed Joshua, I so thoroughly enjoyed my basic medical studies as when we look at how the body woks it is truly magical and a marvel of engineering, harmony and teamwork. It has baffled me how hard the body works and how much it can put up with from us before it breaks down. If we were to connect to the delicateness and sensitivity of all our systems we would easily be making different choices.
It is certainly no accident that the body works in the way it does, designed in perfect harmony by a higher being I say.
Showing that our body is well equipped to do everything needed to keep harmonious and healthy, but that life and health are not just a passive process, but ask us to play our part in it with responsibility, sensitivity, care and respect. The two of us, my body and me, make a fabulous team – each one acting on its own, will end up as a mess.
Well said Alex, a power-full duo indeed!
Alex, I love all of what you have shared here, and in particular how you and your body work as a team. What a novel, and interesting way to look at the body. No doubt it is also one that would deliver different outcomes to the norm.
I find our body amazing Alex, but it takes two – me and my body to feel this amazingness. As you put it so well.
I love the way you say that Alex. Often we do not think of our body working with us and we want it to work for us, then when it cannot do this, we look to others such as doctors and therapists to fix us. The fact is that we and our bodies are a team and our body needs us to be with it in a loving, caring and tender way.
A marvel of engineering – agreed. The choice to listen to body is always before us; which is a part of the marvel.
This is INCREDIBLE Carmel – I love everything you have shared. I agree that our bodies are absolutely fascinating; the choices we make on a day to day basis like the things we eat, how we do tasks, our sleeping pattern etc. all affect us because we are all super sensitive. I totally agree with this, ‘the body has an incredible, intelligent monitoring system and we can marvel at how delicately it adjusts its internal production of hormones in order to maintain balance and harmony where possible’ – it is our absolute duty to look after ourselves, in return for the amazing blessing we get every minute of how it all functions and connects to maintain balance.
Most Governments in the world are looking for the answer to the health care crisis we now face and here you have delivered the answer Carmel!. As a society we have to look at what is causing the disease and illness in the first place and then take responsibility for ourselves in that. We know the life that we are leading so if we get honest about this and seek support to change we can and will bring great changes within health.
Absolutely Elizabeth. Carmel’s case study and many others who have approached their health in a similar way are examples of a different way of approaching medicine and healing that Governments need to know about.
Hear, hear Elizabeth. We do know what we are choosing, so the best medicine of all is to start being honest about what we continue to do that hurts our bodies in daily life.
Fabulous Carmel and Elizabeth. This too is what stands out for me: “this shows me that there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.” Hearing the incredible changes in your life when you reviewed your lifestyle choices is what should be printed in medical journals. Thank you for writing this story as a record which will one day revolutionise the medical world.
Brilliant example of Esoteric and conventional medicine working hand in hand. Too often we give all our power away to the medical profession, refusing as a result to look at our own part in the process, when in truth there is much that we can do. If we are to truly get on top of illness and disease as a society, then we need to change the culture of irresponsibility that says that all is a result of what is outside of us – for even the statistics tell us otherwise, with high levels of worldwide illness and disease and death being attributed to lifestyle factors. There is much work to be done here in the area of self responsibility when it comes to understanding the field of health.
How great to see and read the loving changes you have made and the deeper care that you now hold for yourself. Your body is now responding to the self love and care and yes it is a fine machine.
There is so much in this blog – and all of it so inspiring. Awesome. Thank you Carmel
Carmel what you have written is a great example of how we can use medicine as a support rather than rely on it to be our saviour. This is how medicine is meant to be used, yet we in society generally go looking for a magic pill to get us better yet take no steps to assess our life and our choices to see how the health condition came to manifest in our body, very inspiring Carmel.
A gorgeous testimony of how we really do hold our health in our own hands, and from knowing you as well it has been amazing to see how you have changed in making more self-loving choices. I remember see this bright sparkling person walking along a road when I was out who really caught my attention and thought wow who is that, on looking closer I saw it was you : ) and in that moment got to appreciate you and all the choices you had made that got you there, you are a completely different person to when I first met you and it was beautiful to see. I agree, our bodies are amazing and the systems so delicate, I know I currently do not fully appreciate this and all that my body does to have homeostasis without me even knowing. It is also great to see how sensible you are with as well as making the loving changes in your life staying on the medication to support you and your body. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thanks Carmel. What I found as I was reading this blog was a renewed appreciation for the human body. Sadly, we have generally moved far away from understanding our bodies are powerhouses of wisdom, resilience and strength. Thankfully this is starting to change as more and more people share stories such as this.
Carmel, what an amazing turnaround and you are now making choices from your body which is allowing a combination of esoteric and modern medicine- a perfect combination. It is interesting with stress that we get stressed, often in our workplaces and then they offer courses to deal with stress without looking at or minimising the stress that caused it in the first place. When we truly care for ourselves and look at how we live each day , then true changes occur .
Great to read of the ongoing refining of the health you now enjoy Carmel, reading your piece I can see how it would be easy to get overwhelmed by the medical diagnoses and the complexity of what seemed to be going on. Yet by empowering yourself to take more care you have turned around your health. There is not many people who are doing that in these current times of great ill health and it is a testament to yourself and the support of Universal Medicine and the Esoteric Healing Modalities.
Your blog has brought much insight and understanding, Carmel. I loved the way the lens of ‘an engineer’ provided a way of truly appreciating your amazing body. It has once again re-connected me to appreciation and awe regarding the potential that exists in participating in our own healing when we are open and willing to go deeper. There is so much ‘Wisdom’ on offer every moment; all we need to do is say ‘Yes’.
This is gorgeous Carmel, ‘our bodies are amazing pieces of engineering, with extraordinary delicacy in the way our various systems keep our bodily functions in balance, and I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!’ I love your description of our bodies, this really brings an appreciation for me of how amazing our bodies are, it so easy to take them for granted.
Agree with you rebeccawingrave, I also loved the draw to the engineering aspect of the body …and the feeling of precision that is inside us. So I’m wondering, if this is inside us, then how come we don’t pay attention or naturally live with this same precision that governs us?
Carmel’s blog has reminded me of the reflection we get from the engineering of cars. There are many precision instruments that know exactly what goes where to make up a car that allows it to run efficiently and with ease, we can do this in manufacturing, but we don’t bring this same precision and awareness to our own bodies. It’s true Rebecca and Zofia our body is an amazing instrument that is finely tuned to be in perfect balance and harmony yet we don’t honour this in how we live.
Carmel I was reflecting on the opening line to your blog – the fact that this has all come from making simple lifestyle changes. We hear in the newspaper that 80% of health conditions are lifestyle related yet why don’t we hear about people, like you, that have made true lifestyle changes and the incredible differences this has made. Perhaps there should be sections of the news dedicated to inspiring others through the shared stories of simple lifestyle choices and their effect on the persons health. It could save the NHS millions a year if people listen.
Yes David, it would save the NHS AND in fact society an enormous amount of money as a result of not having to treat so much illnesses and disease. And I immediately thought of the Amazing benefits for all the individuals that would improve their life by making all these choices. You are indeed a living inspiration and yes, I would love to read your article in the mainstream news.
Perhaps people don’t like to read such inspiring stories because it reflects back to them the choices they have been making and are not willing to change – yet.
Agreed, and perhaps also people do not know to start to make these changes from a self loving place, rather than from a push to get a certain health outcome. I suspect that it could be hard to sustain true change in the way that you have done Carmel if there is not an element of self love to underpin the change.
I agree Carmel as doing so they would have to feel what they have been living on the run up to that point. I have found that at least people are willing to talk about it and their experiences even if they are a way away from actually taking responsibility for them.
An interesting point Carmel and perhaps we are a part of why illness and disease rates are escalating, not because there are no answers but because enmasse we are not yet ready to make the lifestyle changes that are so needed and necessary?
I agree David. Reading stories of the way other people have changed their lives is always inspiring and is something that could inform our daily news and even make a change as to how we approach illness and disease. Rather than gasping at how bad things are getting, sharing how people are changing their lives through the support of Universal Medicine would make a great deal of difference.
Yes shevonsimon that’s true it would make a difference if we would read and hear more of the way other people have changed their lives. What could be more inspiring as a lived miracle?
It is quite astonishing that it is regularly reported, as you say David, that we are told that many health conditions are lifestyle related, yet the majority of people still keep choosing harmful lifestyle choices knowingly. It begs the question, ‘Why do people not want to be healthy?’
I love what you share here David. However I am not sure how much people really connect to the concept that health is related to “lifestyle”. They know it in their heads but don’t really embody it. Whenever I hear a news story like this and those words are used I feel that they don’t really get underneath the skin. Many health experts claim that health is related to lifestyle and yet the message doesn’t seem to be coming across – is it perhaps that these experts themselves don’t really pay heed to their own advice? Whatever is going on here I totally agree with you. Real, living examples of people like Carmel are needed out there to inspire others to realise what this truly means.
David I love your idea about an inspiration page in the newspaper. Why don’t they, they cover every other aspect of life – births, deaths, marriages, weather, sports, foreign affairs, celebrity news and so on. Yet they don’t do articles on inspiring people that have changed their lives like Carmel through simple lifestyle changes. Maybe newspapers only want to tell you what they want you to know, not what you need or could know.
Good question David – why don’t we hear about people like Carmel who have made lifestyle changes to support her body heal. Maybe these stories wouldn’t sell news papers because some of us may not be ready to take responsibility for our choices that have led to our health conditions. If many of health conditions are lifestyle related then I’m sure many of our health conditions could be improved by life style changes.
Thanks, Carmel. The precision with which you care for and support your body is really inspiring, and your commitment to deepening and refining your self loving practises feels like the best investment you could possibly make.
What a beautiful love story about the human body- its intelligence, its delicate equilibrium and its remarkable capacity to withstand disharmony and to heal. There is much here worth studying Carmel, from your change of mind to work with conventional medicine to how you are proactive about your healing, give consideration to the available advice and make your own informed decision – quite possibly from a deeper place of intuition that you feel you can trust. Thank you Carmel for writing about a way we could be approaching our own health care.
This blog is such a great testament about how significantly our life choices are reflected in our bodies and that any signals whether it is manifested in illness, injury or disease, or whether it is at the niggling first stages when we can sense something is not right, it is all worth noticing, paying attention to and using as a barometer to gauge how we are living our life. Of course when there is illness, injury or disease we need to seek support from conventional medicine, however even then, there is work for us to be done, by honouring our body by reading the messages it is providing us and refining our choices accordingly. Very lovely reading how you have done this Carmel and how you have turned your life and your health right round.
Love the idea of seeing our body ‘as a barometer to gauge how we are living our life’ and taking notice of all the messages we are constantly receiving which can support us to adjust how we are living hopefully before there is a need for medical intervention. Thank you Golnaz.
What an amazing testimonial of the power of self care. And the proof of it is in the blood results you say that have shown an improvement in the thyroid function. But the real proof is in how you are feeling, the lifestyle changes and deepening relationship you are having with your body. Self care really is the foundation of preventative and restorative health and well being.
Thanks for sharing your nothing short of amazing story, Carmel, ~ this is true inspiration. If we all learned as kids to take care of ourselves first and foremost and treat ourselves with tender, loving care, the way you have developed for yourself, the medical profession would soon be out of business! It is quite remarkable how we all possess the ability to keep the body in a healthy and natural state in absolutely all aspects of it, ~ and there are many! Work in progress on my end..
Incredible story Carmel. What a transformation.
It is inspiring to read how you changed your life by making different choices, Carmel. Universal Medicine gave me the keys to understand that it is not about success and functioning, but about the quality of my beingness. This understanding has supported me immensly and I am just starting to understand more of this truth.
Thank you Carmel, for showing us what can happen when we choose to take responsibility for our ill health conditions. It must be one of the greatest forms of delusion that we think we can live life merrily living as we please and then ‘calamities’, illness and disease just randomly happen to us and there’s absolutely no connection and it’s nothing to do with us. This way of thinking is so pervasive and deeply entrenched in the way we go about life on planet earth. Who me? Yes.
Wow Carmel. You are your own medical experiment and miracle! I can feel how all of the changes you have made have come from a place of deep love and dedication to yourself. I know from experience that this is the only way to allow the body to come back to its natural harmonious way.
I have been reflecting lately on the choices we make with our bodies, how we choose to disregard our bodies in many instances while growing up. If from birth we knew and are consistently taught and reminded that this body is a kingly body, and it is so precious that it deserves to be treated as kingly as possible each and every moment, then would the possibility of disregard still exist? If we knew from birth that we are the Sons of God, how would this world and the concept of health change?
I agree 1heart1love1earth. I am sure if the fact that we are sons of God is accepted and lived from birth, we would have a much deeper relationship with our bodies. We would not overeat nor eat too little. Even though we may not be hungry, we would eat enough to sustain its activity. We would undertake work that does not stress us out, and when the pressure is on we would seek the support of others to share the load. We would rest deeply when we could, so that when we go back to work, we can offer all of ourselves. Health would be understood from the point of harmony in the body as being homeostasis rather than the lack of illness. And all of this can be lived now.
It would make an enormous difference! The understanding, that we are Sons of God will have an effect on every aspect of life, and in ALL that we do, and how we think and the way we relate to others. It would transform our health and the health care support system.
It is absolutely not normal to accept stress as a part of life. When society as a whole has accepted that rushing and hurriedness, being stressful is common or even accepted as normal and necessary in our daily life, isn’t it the same as saying, to live is to be far from truly healthy?
It would make an enormous difference! The understanding, that we are Sons of God will have an effect on every aspect of life, and in ALL that we do, and how we think and the way we relate to others. It would transform our health and the health care support system.
Carmel, there are so many jewels in this blog and in-truth so many opportunties of gold in life, such as all the opportunties to learn with the body. The willingness and awareness you have in living changing life styles and how these choices impact the body and health, is living true medicine. Your willingness and openness to be simultaneously supported by Western Medicine confirms something absolutely beautiful—and that it is crucial to take responsibility for our own bodies, but it is equally responsible to ask for help from the medical industry when required.
Awesome article Carmel – I love the point you make about our internal systems being so delicate “…that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.”. It’s been my experience that treating my body with respect and appreciation for the delicateness of its workings has had such a profound change – not only on my health, but also the way I feel about myself and the way I relate with others – I now live with such a greater ease and openness.
I agree Carmel, the body is quite amazing in its wisdom of which your story clearly illustrates. I like how you took responsibility for your well-being by being pro-active in lifestyle changes knowing this was an important part of your healing. I have done the same, especially because I know that western medicine does not have all of the answers. We have to see our part in it and not just hand it over to a doctor or western medicine. Esoteric Healing has been a key piece to my well-being as it has allowed me to objectively look at the root cause and the part that I have played which is a pretty big piece of the puzzle. Surrendering to the innate wisdom in my body has been a huge blessing in my life.
This is one of many great lines Carmel: “….thereby showing me that my body is a fine instrument and that clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively” – showing so well here the efficiency and spaciousness of the body when it is a vehicle that is loved truly.
Carmel, I like the way you write that ‘I am my own medical experiment’, it is so true for all of us, to listen to what our body tells us about how to look after it, what does and does not work. Conducting our own experiment in truth – no preselected hypothesis, no sponsored results, just honesty about what is being felt and an ever deepening awareness, which makes this process of tweaking choices an ongoing way to be. Surely this is medicine that could help alleviate the overburdened health system? Unfortunately, there are just no profits to made in this..
Carmel your blog, along with many others on this site confirm the truth of the quote by Serge Benhayon–
“The marriage of Western Medicine and Esoteric Medicine is the greatest union that will serve humanity”
A truly powerful turn-around, Carmel. You are living proof that when we start to listen to the impact our lifestyle choices are having on the body and choose then to take responsibility for supporting the body to naturally heal, the results will follow. Your commitment and dedication to your own life experiment is now reflected in the results you’ve clearly achieved. Your experience will be an inspiration for many.
Carmel what a great sharing. What struck me is how amazing and yet delicately balanced our bodies are and how we can push them so much to please the world (I know I can) and yet tender loving care and listening make a huge difference, and of course medical intervention if needed, the whole approach as you show here, to take care of how we live, what we take on and what truly supports us.
Yes monicag2 I agree. Amazing, Delicate and I feel to add the word Precise in the way the mechanics of the body so beautifully work together. So if we choose to be delicate and loving in the way we live, then the body is able to continue in its balanced form.
Anne, yes precise is such a great word to describe it, and delicacy to support that precision – I love that.
Thank you Carmel, your story is really vital because many people now have serious illnesses and may feel disempowered to understand why or to make changes that could improve their health. Your story is inspiring because your steps are simple and achievable by anyone, with the right kind of support. The marriage of conventional medicine and esoteric medicine is a powerful and very beneficial combination.
Wow, what a truly amazing account Carmel! I’m all for working with the medical system, but know there is so much we ourselves can do to look after our health by treating our bodies with the love and respect it so deserves (and needs!). Thank you for sharing – this is truly inspirational for all.
Very inspiring Carmel. You explain very clearly the changes that are possible when one is prepared to take the loving care and attention to detail that you have and be willing to approach illness from a holistic perspective, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Connection, and listening seem to be a key words here. The body I agree is truly amazing in how, when given the chance is so willing to correct the imbalances we are placing on it. It is forever calling us back to harmony.
It’s truly amazing that not only can we stop medical conditions from worsening but we can actually bring our body back to well-being, with the love and self care you have shared with us Carmel. Awesome.
Thank you, Carmel, for the wonderful sharing here of your really inspiring journey with your health. I love how you say “I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring: I will be continuing to take even more tender loving care of this amazing body as time goes on. Regular exercise to increase bone strength will help the osteoporosis, as well as looking at the deeper issues underlying these conditions as revealed by esoteric medicine, such as deep disregard”.
You are really a great role model for other students of Universal Medicine and indeed for humanity, in your use of conventional medicine and the knowledge we have all gained through our deeper understanding of the root causes of our illnesses. Yes, stress can cause so much imbalance in our bodies, thus causing so many other things to go wrong, such as in your case, your thyroid problems.
I also have had somewhat of an imbalance in my thyroid, partly because of a gene fault (but was that there because of the way I had been living?), and for me this was fairly easily balanced with a very short period of taking a little T3 AND really working on my nervous energy levels. The important thing I feel from your blog, is the degree of responsibility we actually have to be truly looking after this body we each have, lovingly and with a high degree of awareness, all helped so much for us all through all we have been learning from Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon.
This is inspiring, this really got to me, as I feel how absolutely gorgeous it is to be responsible for your own medicine – health. It is incredible like you shared Carmel, how the body has its delicate machine (system) that only works in its rhythm, and once it is out, it can not function properly – disease and illness. I am astounded by how much of your lifestyle changes actually have changed and improve your health, all thanks to the support of Universal Medicine. Just like it has supported me ! So cool.
As I was reading how you became aware of what you put into your body “clearing it of junk food and food that numbs or dulls me has enabled it to work more effectively” it occurred to me that we would never put diesel in a petrol car or vice versa and expect it to work so how come we do that with our bodies?
Great point Nicola how often we put the wrong fuel into our bodies and then feign ignorance about why it is not working effectively!
I have always marveled at the ‘intelligence’ of the body and its ability to maintain a balanced system (unless we push it too far, that is), and how all the parts work together as a whole – true divine intelligence.
Carmel, thank you for writing this, it was exactly what I needed to read. Also, I really much enjoy the way that you write. It makes what you share so easy to access and understand.
The weight loss WAS an aside – after years of attending weight watching classes, ‘trying’ to lose weight, once I focused on lifestyle and self-care, which included adjusting the food I ate to eliminate dairy and gluten, the weight dropped off naturally and stays off – it’s amazing. I don’t have to count calories, I eat loads (Still working on that one) and, after more than 30 years of being grossly overweight, I love being a skinny bean and slipping into Size 10 trousers. And I love slipping through the tiniest of gaps – my agility is amazing.
What’s so inspiring about your story Carmel is that you didn’t set out with a goal in mind – so there was no target of achieving weight loss or complete focus on curing yourself of disease; more that you realised the choices you were making on a daily basis were not supporting you, so you addressed those, and each one of these small changes has resulted in not only a life full of vitality, but a healthier more harmonious body that is able to trust you again.
Carmel it’s truly incredible what you have transformed in your life. As a person who also used to resist western medicine I can appreciate how humbling it is to realise at times we need to embrace it, but like you continue to look below the surface to see what is really the root cause of our illness in the first place. This is one of the most important things I have learned with the support of Universal Medicine, as I am responsible for my own health and wellbeing.
Thank you for sharing this Carmel.
I had a hyperthyroid condition many years ago too and ended up so exhausted I could barely move, I was eating like a horse, sleeping almost every moment and for me, weight fell off so I became almost skeletal and weak due to my physiology racing out of control.There definitely was a crisis in the world of my body!
Like you I took steps to address this, I was monitored with regular blood tests and check ups but did not need any medical intervention at the time. It resolved itself over a period of 2 years but was a great warning as it was from that event that I began to look at the way I was living and make changes.
Stopping trying to be all things to all people without regard for what felt right for me was a start, and noticing that I was actually resentful of myself that I had been ‘doing’ all these things. I had never spoken up truthfully to myself about how it made me feel and I had certainly never expressed truthfully how I felt to others.
Many years later when I heard Serge Benhayon speak I realised that I had naturally known what to do, in part, to address the issue but there was a lot further and much deeper I could go towards understanding and healing.
I realise now that everything is a choice and just as we choose to do things and behave in ways that harm ourselves and our bodies, so also can we make loving choices. The body, being the recipient of those choices, has no choice but to react or respond.
I like your summation Jeanette – our bodies are the recipients of all our choices and have no choice but to react or respond in kind.
How powerful then is our every choice?
I agree Victoria, I love Jeanette’s summation also, and appreciate what both Jeanette and Carmel have shared about their subsequent healings, and the power of their every choice.
You are absolutely right Carmel our bodies are the most amazing machines, and as a very wise person once said,”we wouldn’t put the wrong fuel or oil in our expensive cars so why do we treat our bodies in such a disregarding manner? It’s amazing what our bodies can put up with for a time, but the disregard will eventually catch up with us at some stage and our bodies will let us know in no uncertain terms.
Absolutely Kevin, I agree, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that rockets do not run on water.
Carmel the thing that I love the most about what you have shared is the level of appreciation that you now have for your body and what it says to you. Your preparedness to look at your deep level of disregard is for me very inspiring and something that I can relate to. Developing a way to bring a greater love of self-care and self-love is not necessarily an easy route as we realise that we ourselves have a great level of responsibility when it comes to how we live. But the value of this in our lives is immeasurable.
Yes, Jennifer, I have felt very vulnerable of late and there has been a tinge of shame at the way I have lived and the choices I have made – and am continuing to make in some cases. What I am working on now is letting go of the self judgement, and accepting ‘OK that’s where I am today’ and that acceptance is already paying off – this week changes are already happening and certain foods that I had to use willpower to resist, actually I just am not attracted to today. That feels awesome – letting go of the trying and knowing that the more I listen to my body, the more it tells me. And all I did was make time to go for a walk in the forest before work – the natural harmony in nature always helps to bring me back into my body.
I know that feeling of shame Carmel, but all it serves it to keep us in the contracted, small and self-harming cycles we were in before. I love how you have turned this around so quickly by simply accepting yourself and then making different choices that support your body. I have just returned from a walk along the river which I have done for the past 3 mornings. I feel I have really supported my body by doing this and whereas 3 days ago I was feeling pretty low, now I feel that heavy momentum lifting and am connecting to the natural lightness of me unfettered by shame and self-punishment.
Great blog, this clearly shows how making lifestyle choices helps heal our bodies. Everything we do has a deep effect on how our bodies are.
I agree with you Carmel, our bodies are a miracle. How it all works, the level of harmony and all the wonders it contains. Learning anatomy and physiology made me realize how ingenious our body is in it’s design and functioning. I also learned and experienced how delicate the balance needed for our body to function in harmony. An extremely important vessel to take deeply care of.
Amazing Carmel the difference between when you were into alternative medicine and when you later implemented changes as inspired by Universal Medicine, complementary to conventional medicine and the drugs you needed at the time. The latter approach feels so much more loving and your body obviously agrees!
Thank you Carmel and Fiona, I agree, when we develop a deep understanding of the love our body is, then be open to listening and respecting our bodies – we open up to the marriage of Conventional Medicine and Universal Medicine, and then we all benefit.
What an amazing testament Carmel showing that our body is a true barometer of health, and by introducing some simple loving lifestyle changes you were able to heal hyperthyroidism. You are indeed your own science experiment, and what an inspiration you are to others.
It was great to read about how you combined the change in the lifestyle choices with support from your doctors. It feels like you were able to be really thorough and comprehensive in you care of yourself. Imagine if we all took this amount of responsibility for our health.
“I don’t get so anxious about getting things done and funnily enough, I’m getting more done because I am so steady”. Great point you are making here Carmel and something I can relate to. The less we put presssure on what we think we have to do or try to control what we have to do and get all anxious about it, the more you get done at the end of the day. I notice that the less I do, the more I actually do ( ;
I relate to this point also, the anxiousness or pressure we can put on ourselves actually fills up the space and it then appears we have less time. I agree being present with ourselves in what we do brings a steadiness and spacious quality.
This really is an awesome point made. Anxiousness is a real killer on so many levels, not only to the body but to how productive we are! As Carmel suggests the antidote to anxiousness is presence and my appreciation of what presence brings is only getting deeper the more I deepen my relationship to it. It is the gateway to connecting to and living divinity though the body.
Anxiousness is a killer Michelle and counter productive and the worrying and stressing seems to burn up time. I find when I start thinking about what’s ahead, that’s when I feel anxiousness. So, staying focussed on what I’m doing and the quality I’m doing it in is the key.
It does not only burn up time but it burns us up as well. And there we have burn-out, which is growing and growing and becoming an epidemic.
So true. I used to work in a constant state of stress and anxiety – so much so I would wake up in the night and start thinking about work. Apart from anything else, anxiousness hugely affected my ability to focus on the task in hand because I would be simultaneously thinking about the other million and one things I had to to. Hence Everything took sooooo much longer. Can’t say I have this completely nailed yet, but what does support me enormously is to be consciously aware of what I am doing in the present moment – what my hands are doing, how my body feels doing the thing I am doing… – and if I find myself jumping ahead to the next thing or the next, I gently bring myself back to what I am doing now.
….the result being that I was living in a state of permanent exhaustion. Our bodies cannot cope with this level of stress for such sustained periods of time, so in its attempt to bring our body back to its natural state of harmony, areas of dis-ease and dysfunction will be exposed.
Yes, anxiety and exhaustion go hand in hand…
I love the intricate inner workings of the body, the cells naturally work in harmony with each other. But we, our choices affect every cell and in effect the body will reflect those choices via illness and disease. The body responds to our every day choices! A great blog Carmel, it’s got me pondering and being more aware of my every choice.
A great testament to making simple lifestyle changes, and of course to the Esoteric Healing Modalities and Universal Medicine, thank you Carmel for sharing your experience, and how you have been able to improve your health.
I am always so fascinated to read about other people’s experiences and yours is no exception Carmel. The level of awareness you have with regards to your body is awesome and I am inspired by what you write. Knowing already that you have made a massive difference to the condition you have, by simply connecting more deeply to what your body is telling you, is indeed a living science experiment. This is something we all need to know about – that we affect the body for ill or good, depending on our level of self responsibility and care. Thank you for sharing.
This is so true Michelle that Carmel’s story is a living science of what is possible when we take our health into our own hands and work along side the medical system that is offered. To be able to embrace these changes like Carmel has is very inpsiring because with her health showing that it has improved dramatically from her changes it proves we have the key to our own outcome.
“I can also feel how I am affected by my thoughts, and the tension and discomfort they can sometimes create.” I can relate to this Carmel. In my experience thoughts can be like having your own worst enemy living in side your head and can create a similar effect on the body as having been physically abused. I find I have to be vigilant in saying “no” when the thoughts come in and if need be I will choose to do a simple task to focus on bringing myself back to my body.
deborahmckay this is a very important point that you have shared and I have to say that I agree with you. We can be so punishing of ourselves, especially if we live in a way that is hard and harsh. I have found that the more loving and tender I am with myself, my thoughts begin to follow. Like you I do have to pull those harsh thoughts up, because I know they are not true in what they are thinking often. But the more loving I am, the harshness has declined. Another very fascinating thing, I often discuss “our unruly thoughts” with people that I nurse and everyone agrees. Everyone knows how our thoughts, as you say, can be “our own worst enemy”.
It’s great Jennifer that you have discussions with your patients around “our unruly thoughts”. I feel the more we open up and speak about them the more these pesky thoughts will be exposed and the less hold they’ll have on us.
I am with you on this Deborah, thoughts of this kind are very damaging to our mind set and our bodies. And the ripple effect is huge, working on staying present in the body and playfully enjoying being with yourself is very important as any form of seriousness leads to being contracted.
Saying ‘No’ to the negative talk can be a full-time job when we initially start to be consciously aware of it, but it does start to work and these thoughts do lessen in frequency and intensity if we can stay committed to saying ‘No’ and not listening to them.
“I am in effect my own medical experiment…” from what you have shared here Carmel and the choices you have been making, I would say that you are in very good hands! It’s funny how we innately know that the root of our illness is stress, yet we think the way to combat it is to try very hard to not be stressed. Again, we fall for trying to be something instead of honouring what we already are. Such a move is futile if we don’t first understand that to hold back who we are – our love and our truth – creates an enormous tension in the body which becomes the precursor for stress and hence marks the beginning of our dis-ease.
Great expansion Liane! I needed to be reminded of honouring myself.
yes Liane great comment. No amount of ‘trying’, which is a stress in itself will bring us back to our natural harmony. And as Carmel shares, when there is a surrender to the wisdom innately there in us, and there is a willingness to see where we have deviated from this, the corrections begin to take place very naturally.
ha ha great point Liane – getting stressed about being stressed is not very productive. It reminded me of a so called meditation tape I once listened to where a woman with a really loud grating voice screeched REELAAAAAAAAAX and go DEEEEPPPERRRRRRRR.
[cringe]…I know these tapes, I listened to many in my past. It really is little wonder we are so put off from true meditation – the ability to connect with ourselves and hence all others – when there is such a large array of distracting, confusing and imposing techniques ‘out there’. True meditation is knowing who you are and making the choice to be with yourself so none of this external influence can intrude. It certainly doesn’t mean lie down, open yourself up and absorb it all! The good news is, true meditation can be done going about our day to day business – we do not have to drop and flop! Although lying still can greatly assist arresting the momentum we get caught in with our movements, it is not the ‘be all and end all’ of meditation. See? Nothing at all to stress about. Be you and all of you and there is nothing else to do, for everything that follows thereafter will be done in that quality (YOUR quality) and is therefore done simply with great ease and much joy.
Oh yes I agree… all that trying and then the trying not to try becomes so very trying until we finally let go and discover we already are everything we have ever wanted and much more!
Love it Nicola – so very true! Your comments alway bring a smile to my face!
Thanks Hannah, I just laughed reading your comment as many of my comments make me laugh too. I just write them as they come and then proof read them myself as if someone else had written them and often have a chuckle 🙂
Carmel, it’s great how you turned your health around by changing the way you lived. It shows that indeed ‘there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose. I too have realized I was abusing my body. It wasn’t obvious because I looked after myself well physically but I had a habit of being hard on myself and pushing myself to get things done and I didn’t realize how self-abusive this was until I became exhausted. Like you my vitality returned once I started to make more self-loving choices.
Sandra, there seem to be different levels of exhaustion that become apparent the more we take care – as you say, they are not obvious until we allow ourselves to truly feel what’s going on. Then we have to deal with the possible causes without beating ourselves up for our choices – this is what I’m working on at the moment – being ‘curious not critical’ as a very wise friend says.
This is a great point Carmel. We can so easily give ourselves a hard time about the choices we’ve made instead of taking the much more loving path of accepting that we’ve made poor choices in the past, but that we can in fact change that and choose to do things differently. This then supports us to take more care of ourselves and so the cycle begins to build in a much more positive way and the body can only benefit from that.
What a fabulously inspiring transformation Carmel, thank you for sharing it all. You are living proof of how much we can improve our own health by simply caring and loving ourselves more.
Carmel, our bodies truly are remarkable in the way they show us very clearly what’s going on. To only look at and treat the symptoms of a condition is missing the most important part of why we have the symptoms in the first place…in order to truly heal, and not just remove or fix the problem, we need to understand what has caused the condition in the first place.
I agree, Sandra, the key is to get to the root cause of why we have the symptom, which is so often in the way we are living our lives. We live such stressful lives in the world today, and this certainly causes so many fine details in our bodies to go out of balance. To become aware of these and take responsibility for changing our way of living is key to then working with the medical specialists in bringing about a true healing.
That is a deeply inspiring story Carmel. I love the way you went from resisting medicine to working with it very wisely and astutely. There is nothing better than taking medications responsibly, neither fighting the doctor nor disempowering your self to them.
I also appreciated your wake up calls along the way. The cold leg must have been a nightmare – so very frightening. Thank goodness you heeded it and woke up.
How amazing too Rachel that working with medicine has been one of the things that has made such a difference to Carmel’s heath. This has been something that I have noticed too. It’s interesting having been heavily invested in alternative medicine and how poor my health was becoming, to then turning my own health around through self-love, self-responsibility and very much including medicine as well as Esoteric Healing in how I care for myself.
I feel so appreciative of Universal Medicine for the opportunities to have seen this in my own life, and of me for being more aware of the effects of my choices on my own life and then making continual new choices that are more supportive.
I completely agree Jennifer and this confirms the Serge Benhayon quote at the top of every page on this blog site: “the marriage of Western Medicine and Esoteric Medicine is the greatest union that will serve humanity”.
Looking back, Rachel, I can see just how dangerous it can be to have the arrogance to think we don’t need Western Medicine, but at the same time, we can greatly assist our healing by taking good care of our bodies along the way.
We can (and do) have arrogance on either side – either thinking we don’t need Western Medicine, or thinking Western Medicine is the only way to approach illness and disease. There is so much our body can teach us, and this is deeply humbling. Its workings and intricacies show us constantly the meticulous design that needs to play out for us to be in human form. It truly is amazing, and so worth honouring.
SO true Carmel, it is the combination that is the key. I am thinking about the arrogance in which we live our lives and it is only when we are given a ‘wake up call that we start to choose differently. I love that Universal Medicine is inspiring many people to choose differently and for many, before the wake up call. I know I would have been heading for serious illness if I did not decide to choose differently. Amazing you are Carmel, a living miracle.
Carmel our bodies are amazing examples of engineering – the more care I take of myself the more I see this in my own body too. The transformation of your health and way of being as a result of the responsibility you now take toward your health is an excellent example of how we can turn our health around at any age.
hartanne60 what you have shared is a very important point. We can turn around our health at any age as we can always develop a more loving way of being with ourselves. This is a choice and can be made at any point throughout life. Given this it’s then interesting to ponder on the prevailing beliefs around health and aging.
This is an amazing testimony Carmel, of how much power we as a patient have over our health and how much we can help ourselves simply by adjusting our life-style choices. This is something I appreciate about Universal Medicine, as they encourage people to take responsibility for their health and their well-being and it is an incredibly successful approach.
I agree, Judith, so many organisations and complementary therapies suggest that their ‘system’ is what will bring us good health when, as Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine teach, the best system is inside us and has been all along!
Yes exactly Judith we can do so much in how we live with ourselves each day. This has a direct effect on how healthy the body is. And I love that too about Universal Medicine, it is because of them inspiring me that I am now taking deep care of myself and my body.
My body is definitely the best barometer I have as to whether what I am doing in my life supports me or not. I have been very uncomfortable in my own body lately and hence having to stop and really look at choices I am making. I find it quite difficult to surrender to how my body can feel without giving myself a hard time in the process. I am learning to accept that being unwell is my body telling me a correction or change is needed. Universal Medicine certainly has supported me to honour, love and care for myself more.
Absolutely Sally. It’s incredible and as much as we don’t want to look our body will keep giving us the signs. The ill choices that we’re making may not just be food and exercise related, it can also be in burying our deeper feelings and not living in a way that is true to ourselves. There is always a deeper truth to live.
I love that, coming from an engineer “I am in effect my own medical experiment, with regular blood tests to support monitoring the changes I feel occurring”, what precision you can bring to those observations Carmel. When the body is at its outer limits of tolerance to life with an endocrine imbalance such as hyperthyroidism, we are forced to take care with every small detail, each one speaks loud and clear in this sensitive state. What is great is that you’ve continued to take notice of your body and develop the way you are living even now the hyperthyroidism is not in that extreme.
Dear Carmel,
Thank you for sharing your story with Hyperthyroidism. I too have similar issues going on in my body. As a child I was diagnosed with hyper and treated, then in my teens I was hypo and again treated. Towards my late teens my body equalled out so then I went without treatment. Last year I had a full health check and it was picked up that my body was heading towards hypo again. Since this diagnosis I have also looked deeply at how I am living. Recently I had another thyroid test and my TSH is up 4 points from last year. Yet there are no symptoms in my body, however I felt deeply that more care, tenderness and love is what my body is literally screaming for. Much has been revealed from this. The overarching realisation is how my personal self talk, while not being as doggedly attacking as it was in previous years, was still cutting. My focus for now is being present with my body and connected to my essence for in this space there is a divine appreciation of who I am and the other thoughts cannot be present. A learning and unfolding that I am embracing. Who knows what my blood results will be in 6 months time. It is very encouraging to hear how your choices have impacted on your health.
It’s a sad truth that I too was used to living life in an almost permanent state of stress. I thought that was just how life was and how I was. Looking back, I am sure if I had continued I would have ended up with serious health problems. What turned things around for me was learning the Gentle Breath Meditation taught by Serge Benhayon. This is something that I only practised for 5 minutes a day, but it was the start of my self-care routine. Just taking 5 minutes to stop and connect with my breath each day. Your last sentence is so true Carmel where you say ‘there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.’
Wow Carmel, yours is a great story of taking control and deciding to make different choices that have ultimately lead you to not needing as much medication and getting your thyroid back to normal. Amazing. I have not had the same medical conditions you describe but I can confirm that what I eat and drink has a huge effect on how my body feels. I am in awe of how my body works, and have more and more respect for it each day. That respect was sadly lacking in my 20s, 30s and some of my 40’s. I agree that our “internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.”
Beautiful, Carmel. The way the majority of us humanity lives is in compete disregard of our physical body, and being very honest and changing the way we live is a great medicine in itself – it just makes sense and it is so obvious, yet we let arrogance dictate our choices. I join you in thanking Serge Benhayon for showing us that we’ve had our priorities wrong for a very long time.
Carmel I can really appreciate when you say “What I have come to learn by my own experience is these internal systems are so delicate that it seems they cannot work well if we treat our bodies roughly by living hard and ingesting food and drink which cause an imbalance.” Living ‘hard’ was a way of life for me, although on the surface it may not have appeared that way. By opening up to the delicate-ness within I have had to refine my way of living to support myself in all that I do.
What I love most about what you are writing is that you truly care about your body. You honour it as the precious and amazing instrument it is, and like an engineer tend to every detail that your body shows you that needs a closer look, and sometimes little sometimes more adjustment, and or experimenting to find the right way to go to bring it to its full potential.
I love your last line Carmel as so often we can give up and believe that we don’t or can’t have a hand in what is occurring in our lives. If we stay open to the possibility that maybe there are some lifestyle changes we can make, we may find our experience of life and our health changing – just as you have.
This is very true shevonsimon. We can give up by leaving it in the hands of a doctor or alternative medical professional or give up and think that this is just the luck of the draw. Or…we can choose to be honest about the choices we are making and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, we may have been responsible for ending up in the state of illness, disease or misery we find ourselves in. The former is the seemingly easier option as it means you don’t have to take responsibility and also, it is so common place, being stuck in our woes is a permanent state of being for too many people. There are very few truly inspiring people in the world showing that there is another way – a life full of vibrancy, joy, truth and true love. Fortunately for everyone, Carmel is one of the many who is shining the light and showing the way – as are many of the writers on these comments.
Your blog is so awesome to read Carmel – you have shifted so much of the ill in your body through your loving dedication. “I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!” this clearly shows with the lifestyle changes you have made. You certainly are your own medical experiment, I’m sure the Doctors will be taking notes too!
Carmen you are a walking example of the need for deep self care and self love. I am inspired by your eloquent story to take great care of myself and of my body.
I’m with you Helen, Carmel’s wonderful turn around from ill health to good health is a true miracle, I appreciate my body so much more and it deserves to be listened to, loved and cared for. After all it is the only body I have and I see and feel who I am through my body, so it makes sense to truly love and nurture it.
Kate, this is profound: ‘ I see and feel who I am through my body, so it makes sense to truly love and nurture it.’
‘I see and feel who I am through my body…’ of course! So obvious but until it was put like that I hadn’t really felt it in that way.
I totally agree Carmel, our bodies are “truly amazing” and so is this in depth account of the journey to heal your health issues. It is also another example of the medical miracles that can occur with the combination of the healing modalities of Universal Medicine, conventional medicine and a big dose of life changing self responsibility.
Yes, Ingrid, it’s the self responsibility that opens us up to the healing, for without the willingness to let go of what caused the ill in the first place, we are not going to get more than a temporary reprieve. The body is always ready to heal, we just have to remove what gets in the way of that and ‘miracles’ can occur.
Carmel this is such a great testament that when we need support on a medical level that we seek the advice from our doctors but more importantly that you listened to your body and knew that the way your were living was needed to be changed also. Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon in my eyes have the golden key so to speak. They bring a greater understanding and awareness to how things have occured in the body. Looking at the root cause of issues and surrendering to the healing that is needed brings about much change for the body and the quality of our being. As you have shared Carmel it is down to every choice that you make that will be your future.
Carmel what an incredible way to work with your body. As you say “my body is a fine instrument”, it’s really awesome to approach your body like this – seeing the incredible detail, functions, regulations the body does and all that it is capable of. With that it makes obvious sense that we need to take care of our bodies. We have to do our part to look after such an intricate vehicle and seek medical support where needed. In the same way that if we drive a car with the wrong fuel, crashing into posts and fences, then it’s going to be hard work for the garage to keep the car on the road, so to is the way we treat our body going to affect how the medical system can help keep us healthy.
Hi David, I do still crash my body into things and have the bruises and burns to show for it, and I know that where the injuries appear on my body is also an indication of in what part of my life I am dis-regarding. We can make sense of absolutely everything that happens in our bodies if we are open to accepting the responsibility that it is all as a result of the choices we ourselves have made throughout our lives.
This blog is so real – I Love it. It is not saying it’s all miracles and happy ending story. You are sharing exactly what is going on Carmel and what a huge difference it has made since you applied conventional medicine with Universal Medicine. Your account of the real raw truth of what is going on for you is fresh air and very inspiring. It’s stories like this that the world needs access to, so it gives others an opportunity to know that there is another way to live and have positive changes.
I totally agree with you that our body feels the effects of how we live, what we eat and drink and how we respond to life everyday.
Thank you for sharing and congratulations on “shedding 41Kgs along the way”. Love it.
Hi Carmel, reading your blog I love the feeling of just how natural the process of removing stress has been for you and your continued committment to working on your choices to improve your health. Taking responsibility in this way, with inspiration and support from Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine combined with the full support of medical professionals is a great example of how we can move forward in understanding and treating the health conditions which affect us today.
Thankyou for a great blog, Carmel. Congratulations on the changes you have made and how your body has responded. “It is astounding how much my body and life have benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes and caring for myself in a true way, and this shows me that there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.” This is so true for so many of us who have chosen to make simple life-style changes, for example losing weight effortlessly and old habits simply dropping away.
Wow, Carmel, this blog is such a gift. What you have delivered is enormous, simply captured by the last line – “there is much people can do to help themselves, if they so choose.” By taking responsibility for the way that you live and have lived, it seems that anything is possible. Your story needs to be in every medical journal on the planet!
Very true our body is an amazing instrument that we take for granted without seeing how finely tuned and well balanced it really is. When we start to see as you have done Carmel, that the way we are living is what causes disharmony in the body, and to run out of kilter to the way it has been intricately designed to be. It is like a highly tuned car and yet we live in total disregard to the amazing vehicle it is. It is amazing the changes we can make to our health once we start to listen to what our body is really telling us and you are living proof of this Carmel….a beautiful confirmation.
This is a great testament to the consequences that occur from disregard of oneself and how through changing our lifestyle we can turn health and life around. Thank you for sharing Carmel.
Inspiring blog Carmel – and as I know you personally you are an amazing woman. It’s so confirming to read about your relationship with your health and body – as you say ‘The body has an incredible, intelligent monitoring system and we can marvel at how delicately it adjusts its internal production of hormones in order to maintain balance and harmony where possible’. I too find it awe inspiring when I realise how the intricacies of the body work to support us even sometimes when we are clearly doing little ourselves. It is grand to feel the feedback we receive from our bodies once we change the habits of a lifetime and begin to live our life in a way that supports all the many and varied functions that the body is called upon to perform.
I agree, Susan – when I was overweight, despite or maybe because of, years of playing squash, I was somewhat unfit and couldn’t squat because my knees hurt so much. Now, and with many thanks to the regular exercise class I attend, I am so much more flexible, my arms are stronger and I can squat and stand up with amazing vitality. I recently attended an older persons golden oldies sing along and when ‘Let’s Twist Again’ came up, I just had to get up and dance – I must admit I prefer the True Movement as presented by Natalie Benhayon, but this little trip down memory lane was fun – and the difference between how I was moving and the other people in the room was huge – it made me realise how much our vitality can increase with a high level of self-care.
Wow Carmel, that’s amazing what you’ve shared here. It does make me wonder if the continuation of our health issues, these long term ones, are contributed by our lifestyles more than we assume or choose to recognise. Do certain illnesses hang around longer or get worse simply, not because that is their nature, but because we are making the same choices over and over again and this effect just make things worse for ourselves? What you’ve shared here certainly shows that with a change to our lifestyle choices, certain long term or life long illnesses need not be life long.
Yes, Leigh, you are right, many of us do make the same choices over and over again – some years ago I met a lady who had a similar diagnosis of a hyperactive thyroid and who went for the medical intervention but made no changes to her lifestyle. Lo and behold, the condition returned . . .
Making the same choices over and over again is in my mind one of the fundamental reasons why chronic conditions appear to get worse over time. Carmel is a wonderful example how even after many years of repeatedly making ill choices, when this is stopped and loving choices made in their place, it is then the quality of these choices that manifests in our bodies and modern-day miracles start occurring.
This is such a great testimonial Carmel! Thank you for sharing and this should be published in medical magazines to inspire people that there is a way and that we are in the driver’s seat and have the power to choose a healthy and vital life.
Universal Medicine offers such an excellent service in supporting people to take care of themselves and live a vitality that is unknown to most healthy people. I was one of those healthy persons, who did not have any condition, but learning about self-care brought an unknown quality to my life that is deepening every day and opened a whole new perspective on life for me. There is no true vitality lived today, not only is the world getting sicker and more exhausted, but we are so used to living in that way that we don’t even realize how we settle for so much less than we are.
It is truly amazing the way you have turned around your health Carmel Reid. I truly enjoy your sharing on the fact that you want to honestly look at how your life-style influences your medical conditions and to make it an experiment of life to look for possibilities to change them. It is such a joy to read that you are working in cooperation with the medical specialists and your GP, and that you choose to have the support of some medicines assisting you in your experiment on changing your lifestyle. The dedication to have love as the foundation of your life from now on is so clearly felt and is an inspiration for me to read.
Many people who have illnesses such as yours resign themselves to the fact that their health will never improve and that they will have to live with it and in most cases the conditions are expected to get worse, but what you’ve described here Carmel goes against that way of thinking. Not only are you reversing the illness within your body but you are reducing the medication needed also.
Yes Julie, Carmel is going against the trend, absolutely, by taking responsibility and learning to lovingly care for herself first. Very inspiring, and anybody can do it.
Carmel, you are a great example of working ‘with’ medicine to support yourself, taking responsibility for the way you live your life and making changes to this way, rather than just accepting that illness and disease is part of getting old. It is very inspiring to hear about the changes you have made and the effects on your wonderful body. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Carmel, what an amazing turn-around in your life. I love the open approach you have towards learning about yourself, health, and the human body.
I love that you and your body is your own science! Making new choices and taking responsibility for the choices you’ve previously made that have led to accumulated patterns and movements that have not been natural to you. What an inspirational story it is to see someone taking their equal part in their healthcare and not giving their power away to conventional or alternative medicine, but working together to heal your own body ~ after all, who knows it any better than you?!
Hey, I like this Cherise, ‘…after all, who knows [your body] any better than you?! We live in our bodies so why wouldn’t we know it but unfortunately many of us don’t heed what it is telling us and so when someone like Carmel does start to listen, then the body can respond especially with the support of doctor, therapist, and willing patient.
Fascinating to read Carmel, thank you for sharing. It goes to show that when you truly start to take care of yourself and your body it responds extremely well. Plus 45kgs is a lot of weight to shed!! Instead of simply accepting the diagnosis and saying ok this is something I have to live with, like most people do, you looked into what you could do for yourself. Interestingly it was not until Universal Medicine that you actually properly started to look after yourself, whereas before that you refused the medical intervention(s).
Turning around illness and disease in the body by being open to both conventional medicine and esoteric medicine, i.e. the way we live being our greatest form of medicine, is revolutionary. It saddens me to think of the many thousands of people who have resigned themselves to a life of either tentative equilibrium with a disease, or a slow and steady decline into more extreme disease, when if we become responsible for our own health, we realise we can do so much to support our bodies and still live a vital life even with chronic conditions.
I know Lucy, it is amazing how much we can affect our health simply by the choices we make and the way we choose to live our lives. It makes sense really yet we somehow are taught that illness and disease is caused by external factors rather than having to take responsibility ourselves.
My feeling is that the majority of us collude with this way of thinking because if we do take responsibility for ourselves we are then confronted by the fact that many of the choices we make are harming ourselves (and others) and to change this requires letting go of things we are using as comfort blankets.
What an inspiring read Carmel. Your blog touches on different topics for me personally. One of them is the importance of understanding and not judging. When people don’t look healthy I would always find myself judging the person quite instantly, which you are beautifully describing as being hard on yourself, so to others. From your choices I also feel the enormous Power and potential we have to reclaim ourselves. And that in doing that our bodies respond. Just by starting to make choices that Appreciate and Honour your body. I use the word ‘just’ because it seems to be too simple. For me you’ve nailed that we do have a choice in everything. Imagine if anyone that is diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism would start (or even be advised) making different life style choices. I feel you’re a living miracle on how the body responds to more loving choices. Thank you for sharing Carmel.
After reading your comment Floris .. I confirmed to myself there is always something there if we are open to it. By remaining always open there is an answer of support that can come your way. Being diagnosed with a disease is a time to stop, and be open to more possibilities than how you were living in your body. Carmel was open to both Universal Medicine and Conventional Medicine and worked with them empowering herself that she had a choice in the quality of her health. LOVE IT !
Amazing Carmel, really amazing and what a great reflection this is that we always have a choice and we can choose to change our current behaviours and patterns. This is a miracle on many levels and your sharing of this is something for all doctors to consider and learn from, as you have expressed the way we live our lives impacts our bodies greatly.
Reblogged this on florisvanderschot's Blog and commented:
Een ongelofelijk eerlijk verhaal over een vrouw die teveel woog, te weinig bewoog en haar hele leven vanuit stress leefde en werkte. En de wonderbaarlijke ommekeer die ze teweeg bracht dankzij het maken van andere keuzes, keuzes die trouw aan haar eigen lichaam waren. Waarmee ze tot de conclusie is gekomen dat we ons eigen ‘ingenieur’ zijn. Wat ze beschrijft laat zien hoe belangrijk het is om naar onszelf en ons eigen lichaam te luisteren. En wat de gevolgen kunnen zijn als we dat niet doen.
Amazing story Carmel, such simple choices but with powerful results. I didn’t truly appreciate how amazing the body is until I attended presentations by Universal Medicine and decided to study Anatomy and Physiology. Before that I thought I could live stressed out, anxious, push myself through my day, eat certain foods and go to bed very late, now so much of this has changed and I feel better than I ever have… my body is now showing the consequences of those unloving ways. The difference is, as you have experienced, being more aware of what I eat, how I walk, talk and work and having regular checkups, is all a choice that can either heal my body or put more pressure on it.
This a great blog Carmel. I love the way you write. The body is an amazing instrument. It has been called a vessel that enhouses the being, but it’s much more than that. It is a very sensitive barometer of our choices and a very patient educator. It is humbling to consider just how much the body works to support our every moment of life, often in the face of the deep disregard of it by its occupant.
Hi Jinya, I love your last sentence, ‘It is humbling to consider just how much the body works to support our every moment of life, often in the face of the deep disregard of it by its occupant.’ Once we look at ourselves as simply the ‘occupant’ it brings a whole different approach and the analogy of the car we so lovingly tend to comes to mind. If we tend to our bodies they will carry us gracefully for many more ‘miles’.
Thank you Carmel. Your article is another clear example of how our lifestyle choices affect our health and that by making a commitment to deeper self-care in what we eat and drink and the way we treat ourselves, we can offer our body the best opportunity to heal with the support of conventional medicine.
‘…as time goes by and I keep refining my diet, the more my ability to feel clearly and be aware increases…’
In a brilliant, practical article this comment is key in coming to understand and honour the depth of our bodies’ wisdom and the fine tuning and refining that is possible as we return to true health. Thank you, Carmel.
I love your comment Matilda, especially the part about ‘ the depth of our bodies’ wisdom’ . The more I work with people’s bodies in physiotherapy and esoteric healing work, the more I appreciate this depth of wisdom. Our bodies are constantly fine tuning every process to return to balance and harmony, from our cells to our organs and everything else from our inner to our outer tissues. Our bodies are also great communicators, they tell us loudly if what we eat, think, and do is good for us or not. If we are open to listen, our bodies are our greatest teachers.
I agree Kate we are a walking book of wisdom. What comes out of our body if we so choose it is out of this world and evolutionary normal.
‘Our bodies are constantly fine tuning every process to return to balance and harmony’. What you write here is key Kate. No matter what we throw at our bodies, whatever abuses we level at it, emotions we indulge in, foods, drugs, alcohol etc we put into it, it is constantly, diligently, dedicatedly working constantly to return us to our natural heal-full, harmonious state of being. The very least we can do is appreciate this and make changes to support it to be able to do its job more easily and simply.
It is such a fulfilling journey of discovery to start to get to know ourselves and our bodies intimately and to feel how everything we do to and with our bodies, and the way we do all this affects us so strongly – even our thought processes. Of course it makes perfect sense, how could we have forgotten this and be ‘doing’ life in any other way thinking we are getting away with it, while all the while struggling on.
Carmel, this is such an interesting blog to read. I loved reading the detail in which you write and coming along with you on your journey, it feels very real and grounded and you have come to such a deep appreciation of your body and its daily miracles. The healing that is possible from simple but dedicated practices needs to shouted from the rooftops, it fills my heart with joy.
‘When I look at what the body does – even just the glands and the way they monitor the blood, responding by releasing more or less hormones that are able to keep the body working in perfect condition – it is truly amazing!’ I share your marvel of the human body Carmel. It is a very very delicate vehicle that is always working to bring balance to all its systems. It is actually a great way for us to live too, working towards balance on every level of our lives. There is much for us all to become aware of and if we do the body is communicating gold to us and we will be able to understand and hopefully honour it.
I loved reading your blog Carmel. The level of responsibility that you have claimed for your disease is very inspiring. It shows that there is no quick fix for our illness and disease but a forever unfolding path of loving lifestyle choices that can make all the difference.
Carmel, what a great opening “I have come to truly appreciate the exquisite instrument we live inside every single day!” to introduce the history of your health. Thank you for sharing the amazing changes in your life, your embracing of western medicine to support you (I can so relate to this one having spent many years of my life resisting any of this kind of support) together with the healing offered by the esoteric modalities. It is amazing to appreciate how something so simple as introducing self-care into our lives can have such an impact on all areas of our life, and also enable us to be open to whatever other medical support we might need, which has been my experience also.
Hi Angela, I always thought I was ‘doing’ Self-Care but through Universal Medicine I have learned a level of attention to detail that is like no other – when we consider the many ways we can abuse our bodies – obviously by being rough and hard, but when you consider how we breathe can be an abuse, then it takes self care to a whole new level.
On reading what you have shared Angela I have found myself sitting an deeply appreciating so much and how important this simple action is in how we support ourselves and how this allows us then to do the same for others.
Carmel, thank you for sharing. As you say our bodies are amazing instruments with how they keep us balanced and healthy, if we look after them. By being responsible for your body’s health or otherwise and taking the steps to slow down, be still and listen to it’s messages you are an example of how simple it can be to return to health and vitality.
We have so much power over own health and well-being by making simple self-loving choices and listening very intently to our body. You Carmel, are living proof of this.
I totally agree Kate, Carmel used a balance of esoteric medicine and conventional medicine with her self loving choices and she turned her ill health to good health. I have done the same recently where my cholesterol levels were high enough to require medication but I brought the levels down to normal by being more caring and loving in the way I did things. My specialist said it was ‘ very impressive’ as this is not easy to change cholesterol levels without medication. We have more power over our own health than we realise.
Ha! Yes, Kate – Cholesterol – that’s another one – my GP suggested I take Statins to reduce my Cholesterol levels, as with my heart condition, it was a good idea. It was 5.2 at the time. I read about the side effects and strongly felt that I didn’t want to, so I adjusted my diet and it went down to 4.7. He was OK with that, so I still don’t take anything other than the Warfarin. My GP is great – I always got to him for a diagnosis when something feels not quite right – he will always recommend a specialist if it is outside his personal knowledge and I respect him for that. The endocrinologist, likewise, although I normally see him every 6 months, says to ask for an immediate appointment if I have any concerns. I feel very well supported by the medical profession here in Somerset, and I am fortunate to have Universal Medicine Esoteric Practitioners in my area too.
That’s right katechorley, the absolute power that is on offer and the miraculuos changes that can be made. It just shows there is something greater if we so choose it.
I for one have often thought of doctors as being so overworked that even if they cared about their patients when they started practising, this has almost become a luxury in their time-poor, target-driven profession as it is today, so it is wonderful to hear that you have developed such a great relationship with your practitioners Carmel, that you have moved from the superficial level of ‘patient’ to a more personal and mutually respectful relationship. We hold the key to our relationships with others – the more honest and open we are, the more our relationships with others have a chance to deepen.
When we choose our inner health first and foremost, our outer state illustrates the point quite clearly.
A very inspiring story of how you turned your health and life around with the help of esoteric and conventional medicine and by making some great and responsible choices.
Thank you Carmel you are a genuine example of the synthesis of conventionally western medicine and Universal Medicine. It continues to impress how much our bodies will heal if we actively and consistently listen to them and respond to all signals coming from them about how to live harmoniously.
So true Simon, our bodies are constantly telling us when we are out of harmony with it, it’s when we choose to stop and really listen to it that allows us to make different choices to support it or not.
What a dramatic difference you have seen within your life. It is amazing to understand how you have learnt to make better choices and how much those choices are supporting you. To lose 41 kgs, to have better health and vitality, to not have those shakes within your hands as well as the many other ‘incurable’ effects is a ‘wow’ factor. You are a walking miracle.
Thank you Carmel for sharing your healing journey in such an honest and detailed way. I can really feel how you have shifted from a relationship with the body of one of function to actually listening and responding to its messages both loud and sutble. I also hear how you are actively engaged with your healing professionals in both traditional and complementary medicine, taking responsibility and considering advice where needed. The body is indeed a magnificent instrument, one to be cherished and supported.
The detail and precision you write with on the body is a fitting tribute to God’s engineering Carmel. Inspiring to feel in your description how we actually engineer our life and have the power to live in complete harmony with everything, if ‘we so choose’.
We are the engineers of the life that we live and thus the quality of this is so because of our every choice.
Beautifully said Joseph, the bodily systems and how they all work together to balance out anything that it is not doing its job is nothing short of miraculous engineering and science – #Godlike! If we truly studied the body by listening to what it has to say, there is no need to go looking or ‘figure out’ in the mind what the body has already told us.