The best healing and wellness support system we have is Nature. Yes, Mother Nature!
Here is the latest edition of 1 thing I’m doing, 2 things I’ve learnt and 3 things to explore lovingly created so you can live a happier, healthier and longer life. Much love, Sandy xx
1 THING I’M DOING
Lessons from Goobie and Doobie
I don’t usually watch YouTube. Apart from the time the whipper snipper cord needed changing and my daughter and I got stuck putting up the tent awning at the Seven Sisters festival last year. Let alone, watch a 40-minute video but this one spoke to me. Plus, with ten million views in just three weeks, I was intrigued as to what all the Goobie and Doobie fuss was about!
The video is about an MIT educated neurosurgeon, Dr Goobie, who quit the career he spent 20 years building up due to ethical reasons, he calls moral injury.
I found it to be a powerful video as well as a powerful message. You can check it out below if it speaks to you too. And for those that would like some key takeaways, here they are.
As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Goobie’s role included performing spinal surgeries, mostly for patients suffering from back pain. After many years, he reflected on what he was doing and used this vivid analogy to describe his job:
Image your health is like a house
“Imagine your house has a leak in the roof, and rainwater is coming in, ruining the drywall. My surgeries were like tearing down and rebuilding that drywall—but I wasn’t fixing the leak itself.”
What’s more, based on his observations, Dr. Goobie discovered something surprising – or at least surprising to him. Lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, exercise, stress management and social connections, were effective in healing his patients, and often more effective than the surgeries he performed.
This realisation put him in a very uncomfortable position and got him questioning the healthcare system, how they were set up and operated.
“The way things are set up, hospitals need to make money. They need to grow economically. The problem is, if you find a way to help patients heal that doesn’t involve a pill or surgery, then the hospital and the doctor are in big trouble. If you can’t charge people for healing them, you’ve essentially worked yourself out of a job.”
Despite continuing to perform surgeries, Dr. Goobie felt increasingly disillusioned. He saw the focus of the healthcare system shift away from genuine healing towards profit-driven practices involving surgeries, pills and diagnostics and “anything you could make money from”.
Skewed priorities of our healthcare system
He saw the priorities of the healthcare system being to treat, rather than to heal and prevent, expressing a real struggle with the realisation that “the entire system’s incentives are not right and flawed. It’s not about prevention. It’s about therapies.”
This conflict led to what Dr. Goobie describes as a moral injury. He became unwell physically and mentally as a profound sense of being trapped in a job that contradicted his true beliefs weighed heavily on him. He felt that staying would ultimately be fatal.
Dr Goobie made the bold decision to leave. No plans, backup, or Plan B. Of course, being a well respected neurosurgeon we can assume that financially, he didn’t have to worry about finding his next pay check straight away. But money doesn’t last forever. Dr Goobie is a young man and anyone leaving a career they built up over two decades is a big deal.
Goobie and Doobie Realisations
Ultimately, it was Dr Goobie’s realisation that the best thing people can do is eat a certain way, exercise, sleep, be mindful, meditate, manage stress, spend time with family and friends, which equals adopt a healthy lifestyle and habits. And that if people healed themselves of the spine surgery they needed, then they likely healed themselves from a whole lot of other medical treatments they may have needed one day too.
It took Dr Goobie nine years to figure this out. It’s something I learnt back in the 1990’s and during my days as a Nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. I could see the influence drug companies had over consultants, doctors and surgeons, whisking them away to the next conference on Daydream Island. I could see patients with no prior medications, suddenly prescribed a chart full. It was medicine based on algorithms, before I knew what algorithms were.
The only way we can avoid being part of this system is to be the CEO of our own health. I wholeheartedly believe a big part of this is circadian health, connecting more with nature and the ancestral wisdoms we seem to have forgotten.
✔️ Action Item – Have you suffered a moral injury? Are you suffering one now? We know being in a place of conflict can lead to physical, mental and emotional harm so here’s to finding your path out.
2 THINGS I’VE LEARNT
Are You The One In Two Australians?
Did you know that 49.9% of Australians report having at least one chronic condition? Repeat. One in two Australians! And here’s a little extra kick in the guts for all us ladies out there. Women are even more likely to be part of this statistic, with 52.3% affected compared to 47.4% for the guys.
These figures are staggering. I was honestly shocked but even worse, they aren’t getting any better. The stark reality is, you or someone you care about could very well develop a chronic disease, and for many of you incredible women out there, it’s already a reality.
The Nature of Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases, are referred to as non-communicable conditions. Once present, chronic diseases by their nature often persist throughout a person’s life requiring long-term management (AKA medication). They also tend to lead to more chronic diseases developing leading to a complex web of comorbidities.
This has to stop. It’s time to fix the leaks in the roof as Dr Goobie would say, so I am here with my toolbelt on, ready to go with my ladder, hammer and nails. I want to make sure your walls remain strong, dry and beautiful and no rain comes in.
Chronic diseases are preventable. You don’t have to be another statistic or part of the chronic disease group. In fact, I want you to become a Light Warrior like me. Sure, it might require a shift in mindset (you can totally do this) and a fresh approach (that’s where I step in) but it’s do-able.
It’s said that the nature of diseases changes with the nature of society. Right now, the chronic disease message we’re getting is telling us something is very wrong.
✔️ Action Item – Make a promise to yourself that wherever you are, you will prioritise your health. And if you have a chronic disease already, look at what others have done to heal themselves. Every small improvement is something worth aiming for and celebrating. And every positive lifestyle factor, as our Goobie and Doobie video showed, helps.
A Fruit That Improves Your Mood
Feeling a little glum chum? Perhaps the fruit bowl can help you.
Did you know that munching on kiwis can actually brighten your mood? A study from New Zealand found that just four days of snacking on these vibrant little furry fruits can enhance your mood, energy and make you feel more vibrant.
How? That’s thanks to their rich vitamin C content.
Vitamin C isn’t just good for your immune system – it also plays a key role in firing up those feel-good neurotransmitters in your brain, which are like little messengers telling you to be happy. So, if you’re ever feeling a bit down, grab yourself a kiwi or two and give your mood that tasty boost it deserves!
And if your dear partner and kids are being a little moody, just slip a few into their lunch boxes. They’ll never know…shhh…..😜
✔️ Action Item – Kiwis are in season so a great time to look to nature for mood boosting goodness.
3 THINGS TO EXPLORE
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency:
When it comes to supplements – I’m not adverse to taking them if I think my body needs them. And the one supplement that I seem to take more often than others is Magnesium.
We all need magnesium for our cells to function properly yet some studies show that up to 90% of people are magnesium deficient. This is mostly due to our Western diet and the degradation of the soil quality and minerals in it, meaning our food is magnesium depleted too. If we want to increase the amount of magnesium in our food, there needs to be more magnesium available in the soil. Sadly, I don’t think this is going to happen any time soon.
Magnesium is the mineral of calm, which explains why some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency are related to more heightened responses. Here are just a few:
- Insomnia and decreased quality of sleep
- Headaches and migraines
- Stress and anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeats
- Increased cardiovascular risk
- Low mood and depression
- Muscle spasms and cramps
- Fatigue and muscle weakness
- Menstrual cramps
- Osteoporosis
Benefits of taking magnesium:
Apart from possibly helping with the symptoms above, some of the biggest impacts magnesium can have relate to stress and sleep.
One study done on older adults with insomnia found that 500mg of magnesium for 8 weeks helped them fall asleep faster, longer, reduced night-time awakenings and increased melatonin production.
There are many different types of magnesium to choose from. The ones I have taken in the past when life is a little chaotic and stressful include Ora Health and Bioptimizers however the next one I’ll be trying and super excited about is Upgraded Formulas. Upgraded Formulas Nano Magnesium was shown to improve deep sleep by 250%, REM sleep up to 160% and enhance calm in only 14 nights based on 3rd party clinical trials.
✔️ Action Item – If you think you’re suffering from magnesium deficiency or want something to help you sleep or stay calmer, perhaps magnesium could be your answer. But as always, please consult your trusted health practitioner to ensure you’re doing what’s best for you and your personal circumstances.
The 10 best Magnesium rich foods
If supplements are not your thing. That’s OK. Here are the 10 best foods (in no particular order) that you can munch away on to increase your magnesium intake. Just remember, the amount of magnesium in your food is dependent on the amount of magnesium in the soil so go for organic, biodynamic and foods from regenerative farming where possible to maximise your magnesium hit.
- Dark chocolate
- Avocados
- Brazil nuts
- Legumes
- Tofu
- Seeds
- Whole grains
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, halibut)
- Bananas
- Leafy greens
Magnesium is an important mineral that you may not be getting enough of in your daily diet. Luckily, there are many nutritious foods that can help you meet your needs plus, don’t forget the words from Goobie and Doobie about diet. It does make a big difference.
✔️ Action Item – Explore adding more magnesium rich food to your days by adding some magnesium packed goodies to your breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.
Change
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end” – Robin Sharma
Thank you Lucas, forever my sunshine, for sharing this one with me xx
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