Those who know me or have worked with me know I’m all about overall well-being. It’s not that I can’t tackle treatments solely focused on physical symptoms—it’s just that those cases don’t come around too often in my clinic. When they do, and it’s just about easing physical pain without any other issues, it feels like stumbling upon something incredibly rare. It’s like discovering the holy grail, and I can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be in their shoes.

Let’s face it, most of us are juggling a bunch of stuff in our lives, and it all blends together to shape the specific health issues we deal with. If you only address the physical symptoms, it’s just a quick fix, like popping a pill. The problem will rear its head again, and you’ll be right back where you started.

My approach has been to find the root cause, whether spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical. When you understand your own uniqueness, you’re in a better position to make smart health choices and take good care of yourself.

So, I try to come at wellness from a “it’s better to teach them how to fish instead of giving them fish.” If you teach them how to fish, they can feed themselves forever. If you give them fish, you feed them for the day. Most medicines like to focus on feeding them fish for the day.

When you teach someone to fish, they start having an opinion about the best way to fish, the best streams, the best time of day. It’s the same with their health. When they start to understand their body and what harms and helps it, they have an opinion on what they consider best for them.

Sometimes, that puts them at odds with their Western doctors and the pharmaceutical industry. Sometimes, it allows them the flexibility to manage their health conditions without going on more medications, or they can reduce or eliminate their medications. Sometimes, it puts them on a track to change their world.

Working together, I share information important to their body and life. They learn to use the information to make decisions. I can offer them options and give them context on what will happen based on their choices. The options are important because, most of the time, getting back to health takes a walk “through the valley of the shadow of death.” Getting healthy comes with unpleasantness and retraining.

It’s o.k. to stop because we all don’t need to be a buddha. But, it’s nice to know you have that option.

Anyway, I witness a lot of success stories in my clinic. But what really gets me thinking are the ones who dropped off the radar. I’m curious about the twists and turns they’ve taken in their lives. Some of these past clients have recently returned—some to say hello, others ready for a new chapter. All of them share updates on how they’ve incorporated their treatments into their forever life.

The stories are like the best Christmas gift ever. I discovered one of my veterans was able to improve their health to the point they were able to ditch all medications and is thriving. An everyday parent found the strength to kick the drinking habit. Some still use advice from years ago to make healthy choices today. And then there’s this person who called me up, still remembering the formulas to steer clear of pneumonia.

And the number of folks, myself included, who’ve managed to live happier, more fulfilling lives by shedding some of the baggage from the past is just downright incredible.

You sometimes question whether you’ve really made a difference in your clients’ lives. It’s no easy feat. In a world where everything’s quick and convenient—fast food, ready-made stuff, pain pills galore—being a driving force for lasting change requires time and patience.

Listening to these stories about the awesome new chapters they’ve written for themselves was just mind-blowing. It truly felt like the best Christmas gift ever. So, to everyone out there, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!