Anti-Drug? Nope – I’m ON drugs. 

Getting into the holistic health industry is nothing short of fascinating, and on a personal level this journey has changed my life. The learning curve has been more of a steep hill, but I’ve managed it. I’ve made changes not just in food, but also in my routine , and this has given me a new way of living life.

But I still eat junk food – only much less often. I still forget to take care of myself sometimes. I still drink way too much coffee. I call this balance.

And by living in balance, I acknowledge that I’m human. Holistic health isn’t about perfection, and it’s definitely not about judgement. It’s about wholism. Holistic health practitioners do just that- they take the whole person into account. I’ve taken that approach and I’ve used it on myself because it’s what I believe in.

During my journey, I came to the realization that although diet and lifestyle was helping me so incredibly much in terms of my anxiety, it left very little room for slip-ups. What I call “slip-ups” would be things like not getting enough sleep, or eating fast food, or missing a work out. If I did, I risked the chance of being sent into an anxiety tailspin. Getting lots of sleep, eating healthy, and working out helped me tremendously, but they helped me the best when I never missed a beat. But what about the whole “being human” thing?

I decided that I couldn’t live so regimented. Yes, there are many ways to deal with anxiety without drugs. The question is, was that a life that I was capable of leading? I needed to find out what my other options were. So in addition to my ongoing wellness routine (regular baths, family time, exercise, eating well, doing activities I enjoy) I decided to add on one more thing: DRUGS. 

I’ve been on an anti-depressant for anxiety for the last couple of months. Withholding this information was not meant to mislead anyone, actually, it was because I didn’t want to share my personal experience until I actually had some personal experience to share. And now I can say, this particular prescription is really working for me.

If this makes you uncomfortable, I want to ask you this: are holistic health and pharmaceuticals really against one another, or is it a false dichotomy? For me, these drugs are a part of my holistic health routine. They aren’t opposite of my wellness routine, they are a part of it. As much as living a healthier lifestyle has helped my anxiety, I wanted to really look at every aspect of my life and make sure I was doing what’s best for me.

So many people think I’m anti-drug. SO many. Guys – there are drugs out there that literally save lives. I know this. I appreciate this. Drugs help people. I’m not anti-drug.

I’m anti-quick fix. I’m anti-the-over-prescription of meds. I’m anti-bandaid approach.

For me, being on anti-depressants isn’t a quick fix. I’ve decided to do this for myself after a lot of careful consideration. It’s not a band-aid. It’s as simple as the idea that my body doesn’t make enough serotonin – so I’m doing what I need to do for the betterment of my health. I haven’t regretted it even for one second.

Admittedly, sometimes I make posts on social media regarding the benefits of food as medicinal – ones that may have seemed contradictory, like this:

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I can see where the confusion comes in. I have to say, I am not irresponsible enough to ever encourage anyone to stop taking their medication and replace it with food. The point I often try to make is that drugs are not more important than food.

Can’t they both be important?

Wellness isn’t taking a pill – it’s so much more. And the fact is, there are hundreds of thousands of people out there that could attain better health and no longer need to be on medication. But they don’t know that. Type two diabetes, for example, is not a life sentence – with adequate support and a change in lifestyle it can be reversed. Or what about acid re-flux? If you get to the root of the problem, you may no longer find that you need to take antacids before every meal anymore. When I post those photos, that’s the conversation I’m trying to start.

I fight for food education because food is the forgotten soldier. A healthy diet may help balance body systems too. A healthy diet supports longevity. A healthy diet is another tool in your pocket that you could have, and I want you to know how to use it. That is why I make posts like the ones pictured above – I hope to get people talking, and questioning.

Yes I’m on medication, but I don’t believe I would experience the same benefits from it if I didn’t live a healthy lifestyle. They work together, with one another, to help me live the best possible life.

When I started this blog, I thought holistic health meant that I had to commit to a ‘natural’ way of living and healing only. Now I know that whole foods is just a category under the umbrella of holistic health.

Thanks for reading!

The thoughts expressed in this post are solely my own. I’m not encouraging or discouraging anyone else’s practices or decisions, with respect to the fact that we are all biochemically different. Different strokes for different folks.