TURNING BAD INTO GOOD This summer I wrote a newsletter and shared how I was struggling with health challenges. It was a scary time because I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what it was. I was allergic to most foods and felt tired most of the time but I had no idea what was causing me to feel so bad or what to do about it. Sure I could still get on stage and give a talk powered by purpose, faith and adrenaline but afterwards I felt exhausted. I spent the summer seeking solutions and thankfully found a holistic MD who knew exactly what my issue was and what to do about it. It turns out "Gut Health" is very important since 80% of our immune system is in our gut. Unfortunately my gut was in bad shape. I had what doctors call "leaky gut." It's more common than you think and many unknowingly have it. Dr. Axe wrote a very helpful article about it and how to treat it here. In a nutshell the key to gut health is our microbiome (the bacteria in our gut) that helps digest food, strengthens and heals the gut lining, and enhances our immune system. Many of our microbiomes have been comprised due to antibiotics, chemicals in our food supply, sugar, stress, etc. The results of my tests showed that I actually wasn't allergic to most foods. I was just sensitive to everything because my gut was inflamed and because I didn't have enough good bacteria to digest my food. Many people have too much of the bad bacteria which affects their gut health but my problem was the opposite. As a result of the tests my doctor gave me a protocol to follow: 1. Bone Broth - helps heal the gut lining and reduces inflammation 2. Probiotics - helps with digestion and heals the gut 3. L-glutamine - Strengthens the gut lining and brings down inflammation 4. George’s Aloe Vera Water - heals and soothes the gut lining 5. Digestive Enzymes - enhances digestion and the absorption of nutrients I followed this protocol religiously and also focused on enhancing my physical and emotional health. My good friend and former New York Yankee performance coach Dana Cavalea told me, "You need to make time to recharge and recover like any athlete or performer. You can't always give and not refuel." I took his advice to heart and started doing acupuncture, seeing an osteopath, and lifting weights again like I had in college. Six months later I have lost 15 lbs and feel stronger, better and healthier than ever. I even got emotional writing this because over the summer I started to feel hopeless and never thought I would feel healthy again. Looking back I can see how what I thought was bad actually lead me to the good. I can see that by desperately seeking answers, not settling for the status quo and making positive changes I turned the bad into the good. I’m sharing this with you because I wonder how many of us allow the bad to persist and exist? How often do we feel stuck but don't do anything about it? How many times do we lose hope and stop seeking solutions? I’m here to tell you that what may seem bad can really be an opportunity to learn, grow, seek solutions and make changes that will lead to a positive future. I want to encourage you to take action and turn your bad situation into a good outcome. Just as healing the gut takes time, seeking solutions and taking action doesn't mean your situation will turn around right away. It may take time. You may be experiencing a bad situation at work or home right now. You may feel hopeless like I did. You may think it's never going to get better. But please don't give up. Don’t settle. Your life is too important. Seek. Ask. Learn. Act. Find a way forward. Please know that I understand that that not every health challenge is curable. My mom passed away from cancer at 59. There's not always a happy ending. But we shouldn't let that stop us from trying to turn every bad situation into a good outcome. Whether it's a work crisis, family crisis, or health crisis, I believe more often than not if we work to turn bad into good... we will. - Jon
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