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Why Such a Book By Marilyn
Joyce?
(Forward excerpted from "5 Minutes to Health")
In 1984, I, Marilyn Joyce, had the world by the tail! Or so it
seemed! On the surface, everything looked like it was working.
I had my own nutrition consulting business, demanding a high fee
for my services. I was living in a beautiful home which I owned,
driving the car of my dreams, traveling extensively, dating a
number of very successful men in the business world, and was basically
writing my own ticket in every aspect of my life.
My peers, my employers, my clients
and my audiences alike, had nothing but good things to say about
my work and my pleasant, friendly, accommodating (people pleasing)
nature! I would bend over backwards to make sure that I had covered
every possible detail, and more, in the name of my work.
It was not uncommon for me to work
around the clock for days on end in order to meet unrealistic
deadlines. My resume was full of letters from satisfied clients
stating that, "Marilyn always gives at least 130% to every challenge
she is faced with." But, after all, this business was my baby,
and that’s what one had to do to get ahead! Or so I thought!
For about two years, I rode the crest
of that wave, and thought I loved every moment of it. Though I
did spend a lot of time marveling at my seemingly great success.
And spent many sleepless nights wondering how I had managed to
pull this off, and how long it would last before something would
bring it to a crashing halt. You see, I did not really enjoy the
feeling of success! I was too busy worrying about it coming to
an end!
And end it did! Suddenly my world
shattered around me. My business contracts, which were primarily
government-based , ended overnight, with sudden cutbacks in spending
in the particular arena of my focus. My car was totaled in the
first major accident of my driving career. Somehow, I, and my
friends, who were in my car at the time, were only slightly bruised,
if at all. However that did not deter a lawsuit by one of my passengers.
A nasty ending to a so-called friendship!
There’s more! One of my closest friends,
for reasons unknown, committed suicide a week later. Her business
was at its greatest height of success at that time! And we, her
closest friends, all envied her wonderful marriage to one of the
most loving, demonstrative men we had ever known! Something in
this picture did not fit!
What appeared to be unfolding into
the relationship of my dreams, ended about the same time as the
suicide occurred. One day we were speaking about marriage. The
next day, without any explanation, "the love of my life", called
the whole thing off!
And, of course, as a result of this
whole sequence of events, I was faced with a monthly mortgage
that was, now, beyond my limits. So I had to begin the process
of selling my beautiful home with all of the amenities I so enjoyed.
I knew it couldn’t get worse than this! After all, nothing that
I had worked so long and so hard for, was still available to me.
Wrong! To coin a phrase, what happened
next was literally, the straw that broke the camel’s back!! An
unusual looking, hard black mole appeared on my face. My vanity
took me to the doctor. The shock of the diagnosis sent me spinning.
Melanoma! On my face and my back! I’m sure you could have knocked
me over with a feather.
However, I was assured that we got
it early, and that there was probably no cause for concern. Out
of hospital a week, I was rushed back into the hospital, with
tremendous pain in my uterus. You can probably guess by now what
the diagnosis was.
Here I was 36 years old, and given
a death sentence. After all, in every hospital or nursing home
I worked in, the moment a patient or resident was diagnosed with
any kind of cancer, we began preparing them for "the end", in
other words, DEATH! It is not uncommon to hear a doctor or a nurse
state that "It’s only a matter of time!" And I had bought into
that belief, hook, line and sinker, so to speak. Who was I to
believe that my odds were any better than anyone else’s?
Was I depressed? You’re darn right
I was! Did I show it? Not a chance! The world was only going to
see me at my best. By this point in my life, it was ingrained
in me that I must never let anyone see my vulnerabilities, my
weaknesses. I was known as a survivor, by most people who knew
me, and as well, I was a Dietitian, who talked about health and
how to achieve it. It was a critical that I put up a good front,
until the bitter end. If people were aware of my condition, I
would lose my credibility!
Several years into my struggle with
cancer, someone in a nowhere town in mid-somewhere USA, really
summed up the story of my life, at least until that point in time:
"Looking’ good! That’s all you care about, Marilyn! Your only
concern is what you and your life look like to the onlooker! Make
sure you don’t let anyone get too close now, just in case they
get to know who you really are." So you might say that I was at
an impasse in my life and with my illness.
Without going into the details of
my illness, suffice it to say I went progressively down hill.
At the point at which I was not given a lot of time, the realization
that "Lookin’ good!" was not cutting it, hit like a lightning
bolt! I was not looking good! And the myriad of excuses I used
to explain my tremendous weight loss and extreme fatigue, were
growing old, and not very believable.
I had tried everything! Every diet
and every program I could find or stumble upon. Every idea anyone
suggested. Every vitamin and mineral written about in the literature,
whether scientific, or popular. Every herb and every tea anyone
talked about. And my personal library of books and information
filled every shelf in my home and covered every available space
on my floors. And let’s not forget that I was a trained dietitian
with a major emphasis on biochemistry. If anyone should have the
answers, I should! Right?
Well, if I had remembered my biochemistry,
I might have had some answers sooner. However, cancer, like all
illnesses, is a teacher. And my lesson was about learning to listen.
It was obvious that I did not have all the answers. Yet, in my
effort to hide my own problem, I would attempt to have a solution
for everyone else’s problem, and avoid dealing with my own situation.
Of course, the day of reckoning always arrives! And fortunately
it saved my life!
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A homeshow, a Vita-Mix machine,
a young man knowledgeable about things I had forgotten about,
and a Bernie Siegel workshop. Love, Enzymes and Miracles! (My
own summation of this cumulative set of events). As I began to
research and remember about enzymes in food, and the need for
that food to be alive and wholesome, filled with all the nutrients
necessary for the biochemical functions of my body, I saw the
need for a drastic change. From foods that simply provided calories,
to foods that had a lot more than calories and fat to offer.
With a lot of help from a couple of
devoted and true friends, and the implementation of very basic
and quick-to-prepare recipes, my health began to improve. The
focus was mainly on raw foods in more bioavailable forms. A wide
variety of fresh vegetables and wholegrains formed the basis of
my diet, with the addition of a little fruit and a small portion
of fish every day. I added green things, such as spirulina, barley
grass, chlorella, various seaweeds, and an all-natural protein
powder called Super-Green Pro-96, by Nature’s Life.
To begin with, I had almost no energy
to even eat. However, little by little, I was able to consume
more, primarily in liquid forms. Using a Vita Mix-Machine, which
is a high-powered blender, food processor, grinder, grater, chopper
and mixer all rolled into one machine, I got all of my foods in
the whole food state, but in a much more bioavailable or digestible
form. Within a month, I was able to tolerate more solid foods.
Just for the record, I have continued to use a Vita-Mix machine
simply because of the speed with which a delicious wholesome meal
can be prepared.
As well, I realized throughout my
own healing process, that the most productive practices I employed,
were also generally the simplest, least time-consuming practices!
Whether they involved the physical, mental or spiritual aspects
of getting well again, simplicity appeared to be the key.
Since my recovery, I have continued
to incorporate the 80-20 principle, whereby my diet is predominantly
free of over-processed and over-prepared foods. Once in a while,
when I go out with friends, I may indulge in foods which are not
as close to natural as the foods I eat at home. But "fast food"
is not on my menu! And left to my own devices, I will choose a
restaurant which serves a variety of healthy food choices, versus
the opposite. I steer clear of the rich desserts and items prepared
with heavy cream sauces.
In my work with clients and patients,
it became evident to me that those who incorporated a similar
pattern of simple healthy eating and lifestyle habits, began to
see major improvements in their health. Getting back to basics
seems to be the key to good health! The minute we move away from
a simple lifestyle, we begin to complicate our lives and to create
tremendous stress on our bodies, which in time, leads to a breakdown
of our immune systems. And then our bodies, in turn, fall prey
to an attacking illness.
So you see, this book is the result
of dealing with my own illness, as well as my work with a wide
variety of degenerative illnesses in my nutrition and lifestyle
practice. It is at the request of my clients and patients, to
put all of the basics into a form that they can refer to at any
time, that this book became a reality!
It is important to state here, that
when it comes to illness, there are no magic bullets. There is
no one thing that will be the answer for everyone. But a simple,
high quality diet and lifestyle regime will, at least, give a
person a fighting chance. For a more individualized program, designed
specifically for you, it is important to seek out reliable, credible
professionals to work with you.
Furthermore, be assertive! Take nothing
at face value. Ask questions. Become involved, and be a participant
in your healing process. Choose health and wellness over illness!
Choose quality over quantity. Choose natural, whole foods over
processed, denatured foods. Choose simplicity over complexity.
Choose to be self-reliant, taking responsibility for your own
care, versus depending on your doctor or other healthcare providers
to "make" you well again. Seek out the kind of support you need
and use it. See your illness as your teacher, your friend, and
pay attention to what it is trying to tell you.
Most importantly, think of this road
that you are about to travel on, as an adventure. It is an opportunity
to explore your options and to try new approaches to the way you
live your life. It is your chance to take charge of your body
and your life.
With love I offer this book, to assist
you in making some of the changes necessary to insure your continued
health, or to overcome a life-threatening illness, should that
be the journey you happen to find yourself on at this time.
I will also leave you, at this point,
with two statements I have adopted into my consciousness as a
result of my own journey to wellness.
"If it doesn’t flow, it doesn’t go!" And
remember: "It ain’t over ‘till it’s
over!" |
