A few weeks ago, I burned my hand quite badly on a pot of hot oil. I put my hand under cold water, then reached for the aloe vera plant on my kitchen bench. I plucked off a leaf, split it open and squeezed the gel inside onto my burn. It didn’t hurt from that moment on and went on to heal within a week.
A couple of years ago, the thought of squeezing out the insides of a plant onto a burn would never have crossed my mind. It would have been straight to the pharmacy or the medicine cabinet.
Today, my medicine is all over my house and it does not require childproofing, animal proofing (although my kitten does love to chew on the ends of my aloe vera plant), or to be kept in a high cupboard.
It’s in my garden, in pots on window sills and tables, and most important of all, it’s in my fridge and pantry.
From the age of 13 well into my twenties, I suffered from terrible acne. For ten years I tried every drug, treatment, and skin care product available to me, and nothing worked. Anyone who has ever had a skin condition will know what it does to your self esteem, your confidence and your general happiness, so each time some new product popped up on the market I was taken in by its promise of perfect skin. That was until I discovered what you put on your skin barely matters. It’s what you put under it that matters, what you feed it.
I discovered milk, processed food, sugar and stress were the main culprits and ejected them from my life instantly.Then a whole new world opened up. I explored the farmer’s market and the organics shop. I started growing my own food and making my own skincare. I loaded my meals with eggs, avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruit and kicked myself for missing out on so much delicious food for all those years.
I calmed my mind with yoga, tai chi, walking, cycling and meditation. I got rid of the toxic influences in my life and surrounded myself with inspiring, positive people.
Later down the track, things I thought would always be a part of my life – migraines, ear infections, chronic hay fever, and tonsillitis – disappeared too.
Today, I can’t remember the last time I took antibiotics or purchased the latest acne-banishing skin care.
Living holistically and naturally has not only become a way of life; it has become a passion and a career. I now coach others on creating a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and teach them to take control of their health and heal themselves.
My life now revolves around my loving relationship with food, life, and the people in it, and it is my absolute joy to be able to spread the love to Good magazine readers.
