I am a firm believer in recruiting experts to help us along our self-health journey, but limited funds shouldn’t keep you from living with optimal health. Of course, ignoring nagging little issues (or your health in general) can end up costing you more in the long run and living within your means is also important for your well-being.
Can you self-health on a budget? With a few key tools, you can.
One of the best first steps is to have thorough blood work done: it can offer clues to health issues you might be dealing with. Ask your health care provider to test everything they can, including vitamin D levels, and ask for a full thyroid panel—not just TSH and free T4. Your insurance should cover a good chunk of the expense and some doctors may discount additional expenses if you ask beforehand. It’s worth the money to get initial numbers and track your progress as you make healthful changes.
For a better understanding of those blood test results, consider reading the International Foundation for Nutrition and Health’s Mastering Nutrition with Blood Chemistry. This book is intended for practitioners, but self-healthers can use it as a foundation for subjects we want to dig a little deeper into and questions we want answered. Plus, it offers optimal levels on many tests, rather than the averages that are often looked at.
An equally important step is determining what foods you eat that work against your optimal health goal. Whether you have an allergy or intolerance, or are simply trying to identify foods that offer less nutritional benefits, eliminating these foods can have an enormous impact on how you feel on a daily basis.
If you can’t work with a professional to identify what foods you should avoid, consider an elimination diet to figure it out on your own. Because this involves excluding the most common problem foods and then reintroducing them one by one, it can take some time. But if you’re determined to be your healthiest self, it’s time well spent. Or you can try an established program, such as the Whole 30—it’s easier and might increase the chances of you sticking with it.
Once you have completed these two items (which can be done simultaneously), start building your arsenal of credible online resources and books worthy of your money to build your own self-health library. Books also make great gifts, so add titles you’re interested in to a list to share with others when they need gift ideas.
Some of my favorite resources are available right here on SRP:
- The articles in the SRP Historical Archives are timeless and most focus on the days when nutrition and health weren’t complicated. With discussions on how processed food has led to malnutrition and digestive health, you’ll be wiser with each click and it won’t cost you a penny to access this knowledge—perfect for self-healthing on a budget.
- Health is Simple, Disease is Complicated: A Systems Approach to Vibrant Health by James Forleo, DC, was written for the self-healther. Forleo’s uncomplicated way of passing along essential information about living a healthy life and the simple methods he discusses offer a starting point, no matter where you want to focus your attention. Since this one source considers each system of the body, it’s an obvious first purchase for your self-health library.
- Your self-health journey is sure to lead to your own kitchen. Monica Corrado’s book, With Love from Grandmother’s Kitchen: Traditional Cooking Techniques for Well-Being, is just what you need. She’ll have you making your own salad dressings and nutrient dense stocks with ease—using techniques that have been around for years.
Self-healthing on a budget is not only possible, it’s imperative for your longevity and livelihood. So don’t let a lack of extra spending money stop you from thriving on a daily basis.
Do you have any secrets for self-healthing on a budget?
Image from iStock/CentralITAlliance.
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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