Life Change Through Saying ‘No’ By Dr. Lisa Rubin

I began my health quest about 23 years ago, when my husband and I first met. As a chiropractic student at Life University, he started sharing a whole new world of health I had never heard of before. I received chiropractic adjustments and began giving up dairy products and red meat. Next went all dairy products. Then I began to incorporate organic products. I read labels and started going to health food stores. Eventually, I consumed no processed sugar, no caffeine, no chocolate, no white flour, no preservatives, chemicals, and the list goes on. The more I gave up of the “old” and added more of the “new,” the better I felt. I also realized how other choices in my life began to change. I tried to get rid of negative input that was in my life: no more TV; no newspapers; no radio; and no magazines. I no longer took medication of any kind. I started letting my body heal itself. The body heals by removing interference that is in its way. This interference may come in many different forms: from the nervous system, or from chemical, emotional, spiritual, or even environmental factors.
I received a lot of pressure from my family and friends about my new lifestyle which increased when my husband and I decided to have a homebirth. All “*#@&!” broke loose. My family was in fear of what could go wrong as opposed to what could go right. Of course I knew that their concern was for my safety. I acknowledged their worries, explained my side of the story and showed them that I was unbending in my choices, but that I was open to conversation about those choices. This was very difficult for people to understand. The homebirth was magical.
As my son has grown, the choices have become easier; however, the resistance increased temporarily. Some of our alternative health and life choices included: no vaccinations, no drugs, nursing on demand until my son decided to wean himself, a family bed, vegetarian diet, attachment parenting, home schooling, etc. Some people comment that “You look normal, buy you just don’t do anything like anyone I know.” I take that as a compliment. I don’t want to be like anyone else. I don’t want my son to feel pressure to be like all the others. If we show our children it is okay to step outside the box and look at life differently, maybe we can begin to contribute to a healthier more positive outlook on life in the next generation.
Now the resistance is minimal. Our son is almost 16, and is taller and healthier than all his cousins. Many in our extended family are adopting or at the very least taking a deeper look at our health choices. All those “No’s” across all those years has made a lot of “Yes’es.” So start small. Start by saying no to what you don’t want anymore, and by saying yes to what you do want. Then move forward in the direction of your dreams.

Dr. Lisa Rubin, Clinical Psychologist, specializes in natural parenting, motivation, and transformation. She sees clients individually, hold workshops, and lectures in the community. Call 770-937-6300, or email her at lisa.rubin2@gmail.com

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