The whole health approach for treating chronic illness emphasizes healing of the whole person – mind, body, and spirit, rather than only the illness itself. It’s an approach that requires you to actively participate in enhancing the quality of your health. But, where do you start? Keep reading for my review on The Whole Health Life book and The Connection documentary. Both offer evidence-based solutions to help you improve your health from every aspect, mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Disclosure: “I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.“
Journalist, Shannon Harvey was 24 years-old when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease with no known cause and no known cure. After being told by her doctor that she could end up in a wheelchair, Shannon began her 10-year quest to restore her health. On her journey, she discovered that in order to change her health, she needed to change her mind.
In 2014, she released a successful feature documentary, The Connection, about the link between our mind, body, and health. She has also written a book, The Whole Health Life, about her personal journey and the latest science that had the most impact on her life.
The Whole Health Life Book
With her new book, The Whole Health Life, Shannon has compiled the latest scientific evidence and shares her personal experiences to help others find the answers to good health. The book is filled with simple, evidence-based solutions that you can follow to get healthy, find balance, and live better.
The Whole Health Life is a guidebook that uses a mind-body whole health approach for treating chronic illness. The ten topics covered in the book include stress, emotions, beliefs, relationships, diet, sleep, and exercise, as well as healthcare, the environment, and how to make the healthy changes last.
The book includes interviews with leading experts and draws on over 1000 academic studies from all around the world. Each chapter also includes recommended reading lists and web links to additional resources, downloads, podcasts, and videos.
The Whole Health Life is a must-read for anyone with chronic illness. It is available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle edition.
The Connection Documentary
The Connection is a feature documentary that uncovers the latest science in mind-body medicine. The documentary features interviews with world leading scientists, explains the mechanisms behind the placebo effect, and how emotions can impact the course of an illness for better or for worse.
The film also features remarkable true stories of people recovering from severe back pain, heart disease, infertility, cancer and multiple sclerosis by adding a mindfulness component to their treatment. By triggering the relaxation response through specific techniques such as meditation we can counter the harmful effects of stress.
Scientists are learning that the mind can even influence the expression of genes and the rate at which we age.
The Connection: Mind Your Body is a powerful and moving documentary that proves we have more control over our health than we thought. You can buy the documentary or watch the first 15 minutes for free at https://theconnection.tv/
My Thoughts
The CDC estimates that over half of adults in the U.S. suffer from one or more chronic diseases that cannot be cured, only managed. Yet, the current healthcare system fails people with chronic illness. The health system remains largely designed to treat people with acute problems. It does not address the whole person with multiple chronic diseases.
Also, the healthcare system does not leverage the available clinical data to improve the health outcomes of individuals with chronic diseases. It takes an average of 17 years for a new discovery to become part of medical practice. That is just too long to wait when you have chronic health problems.
The good news is, you don’t have to.
Pin for Later
You can learn all about the connection between your mind, your body, and your health by watching The Connection. And learn what you can do for yourself to improve your health by reading The Whole Health Life.
Have you seen The Connection or read The Whole Health Life?
