May 11, 2023
Since starting the podcast, I have often discussed how the mind
and body are closely intertwined and how during our grief, one
affects the other. Grief doesn't just make us sad. It impacts every
aspect of our lives including our bodies. Just a few weeks ago,
Gwen and I did an entire episode focusing on how our bodies are
affected by grief. As we were preparing for that episode, Gwen
suggested talking with today's guest, Cindi, due to her expertise
in the area. Unfortunately, numerous scheduling difficulties made
that impossible, but after talking with Cindi, I now understand why
Gwen felt so strongly about having Cindi on the podcast.
Cindi is a nurse by training so knew a lot about the functioning of
the body. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a teen so
knew the medical system long before her nursing training even
started. I think all of us instinctively know that there is a
body-mind connection, but it is not something that is really taught
in Western medicine. We learn a disease model and are taught which
medications or procedures to use in order to cure the disease
state.
When Cindi's newborn daughter, Jessica, died during childbirth,
Cindi really began to see just how much grief and stress impacted
her physical health. She was living in chronic stress and although
the body is amazingly resilient in many ways, it can only adapt and
compensate so much. For Cindi, the chronic stress eventually led to
liver failure which forced her to stop taking her arthritis meds.
No arthritis medication meant that even getting out of bed was
almost impossible. On the advice of a trainer, Cindi turned to
functional medicine for answers and it completely changed her
life.
Now, Cindi's body and mind are both healthy, and she truly feels
like she has an understanding of how grief and other life stresses
affect the body. She works with individuals and their doctors to
help them find a way to help their bodies find a state of wellness.
To learn more, join Cindi's Wellness Warriors Facebook group or
email her at cindiraymond@onpurposeLLC.org.