We need to approach healing from complex chronic health issues like renovating a house

The biggest challenge I see for people is not knowing where to start.

You have fatigue. You have digestive issues. You have chronic pain and sleep issues. You’re anxious. You can’t tolerate the cold.

You need answers.

And maybe you already have some. Perhaps you’ve seen some practitioners and done some labs. So you might already have some answers: maybe you have mold toxicity, chronic infections, SIBO, thyroid dysfunction and hormonal imbalances, and oxidative stress.

Now you have more questions. Now what do you do?

When we have complex chronic health issues, we often have multiple systems of the body that are compromised and leaning on each other. Stress makes your digestion worse. Seasonal allergies sets off your anxiety. Chronic pain makes it hard to think.

Sometimes the tendency is to try to fix everything at once . . . zinc for your immune system, melatonin for your sleep, adaptogens for your energy . . .

Without a plan, we get stuck taking shots in the dark, not knowing what if anything is working. And we get stuck having to take support just to manage our symptoms if we haven’t addressed the root causes.

We need an approach that takes into account how complex systems function, using the right Order of Operations. Just think about renovating a dilapidated house.

You have a house that’s been left unmaintained and exposed to the elements for years. You want to transform it into a warm, vibrate loving home.

Where do you begin?

You could start by replacing the floor boards. Or tackling the wiring. But with the roof still leaking and the windows all busted, any improvements you make here are just going to get damaged again.

Obviously your first move is to secure the house against the elements. Then you want to make sure the plumbing is working so that sewage doesn’t back up into the house and fry your new electrics. Then we need to look at the all important wiring.

And finally, we rebuild the interior - the walls, the floors, the cabinets and so on. Ready for us to start creating our home with our furniture, our special touches, and creating special places for us to create memories.

Every home is different. Some are bigger than others. Some need more insulation if they’re located in colder climates. Some begin with leakier roofs while others only need minor repair.

But the principles are the same. The order of operations are the same. How you move through the process, how long you need to spend on each stage, the climate that you’re exposed to, all of these things are as unique as your fingerprint.