By Guest Blogger on February 25, 2010

Power of Positive Thinking and a Healthy Diet

By Meg Wolff

It’s been two months since I had reconstructive surgery on my leg, and I believe it was successful. I’m flying to New York City today to be evaluated for a new prosthetic leg, and I’ll soon be walking on two legs again. Woo-hoo! While healing, I experienced the power of positive energy. My mother-in-law, Alice, came to stay with me the week after the surgery. It sure helps to have a positive and upbeat person around, especially when you’re convalescing. (Heck, it’s great having positive people around ALL THE TIME!). I consider myself to be a very lucky person. She even cooked and ate vegan food!

I spent four days in the hospital before coming home. Each day, a group of doctors from the pain team came into my room to check on me. With this sort of surgery, the first four days are generally painful. One doctor, whom I saw two of the four days, told me how good I looked and how well I was doing compared to most people who have this surgery. I think he was sincere because I felt I was doing well, too, all things considered. I thanked him because it was nice to hear those words. His positivity contributed to my well-being and peace of mind. I believe there is a LOT of power in this because I felt better!

Speaking of positivity, my friend Colleen brought me a delicious lunch. Just what I needed: an assortment of colorful vegetables and a black bean dish. The vegetables were small—sweet brussel sprouts, carrots, kale, and cauliflower—along with her favorite green drink!

Late yesterday afternoon, a new friend came by to purchase a copy of my book as a gift for her friend. She loaned me a copy of the DVD of Louise L. Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life,” the expanded version, with featured appearances by Wayne W. Dyer, Cheryl Richardson, Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., Ph.D., and Christine Northrup, M.D. (many of whose books I’ve read and recommend!). Dr. Northrup wrote a blurb for my book “Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery From Breast Cancer.”

I know there has been a lot of controversy about being positive when you are healing from an illness. How do I weigh in on this? Personally, I feel that it is important to have hope and surround oneself with positive people. Still, I don’t think that I could have created good health through positive thinking alone; it also mattered that I chose to change how I ate. If I hadn’t changed my way of eating, an important piece of the cancer “puzzle,” I’m positive that I would not be here today, alive and cancer-free. I believe in cause and effect as seen in “The China Study.”

That said, I’m certain that being able to let go of the fear of an advanced cancer diagnosis by focusing on what I could do and taking positive action had some sort of positive effect on my immune system and wellness. When you’re told that you are going to die, it is (of course) an extremely stressful experience. It has been proven that stress affects the immune system and its ability to fight cancer cells. But by changing what I ate and living my life fully in spite of a cancer diagnosis, I let go of the outcome (and the fear) and made some positive changes in my life.

I believe healing is a multi-pronged approach. Is being negative or not looking on the bright side of life going to kill you? Probably not. But if it keeps you locked into your patterns of behavior that make no contribution to your health (like a high fat, low-fiber, junk food way of eating), than maybe so.

For me, being positive helped me stay with what I believed would help me—a way of eating based on organic whole grains, vegetables and beans. It had helped others, so I believed it could help me. And it did. The only time I was negative was when faced with putting anything into my body that didn’t promote health. I also avoided negative people, depressing movies or books, and anything that would bring me down. I wanted to feel good and balanced.

After watching Louise Hay’s DVD today (which I loved), I agree with all of her suggestions. Really loving yourself and repeating positive affirmations will lead you closer to positive actions. For me, that meant cooking the food my body needed to heal. Louise and some of the other contributors talk about the scientifically-proven methods of changing our vibration. I think changing eating habits fits right in with all that they promote, because macrobiotics teach that food is vibrational. In fact, so are air, water, excercise, and spiritual practice.

Do I believe that changing your thoughts (or attitude) can change you life? Absolutely! The glass can be half empty or half full, and I prefer the latter. I believe that we have to focus on what is right, and good, within us. We can change focusing on our misfortunes (or things we once considered bad) to focusing on the aspects we like about ourselves with a shift in attitude. Likewise, changing your food intake can change your life. That’s “food for thought.”

What has helped you in your healing journey?

Meg Wolff is a two-time cancer survivor who teaches people about the vital link between health and a plant-based diet. Meg lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and has a popular blog where she is building a community of people who believe in a healthy lifestyle. She is the author of Becoming Whole. You can learn more about Meg at www.megwolff.com and www.becoming-whole.com.

 

 

   
 

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