[daoist_shaman]

Hey buddy. I suffer from a remitting/relapsing autoimmune disease called UC that has me urgently sprinting to the toilet 15 to 20 times a day. Sometimes it feels like I’m chained to it, and can only wander so far until the shits strike again. It’s chronic and wears down on my mental health in similar ways. It’s progressive, so one day my colon may need to get replaced with a bag that dangles outside my body so that my natural butthole will be able to go on retirement forever.

The one major observation that I’ve made from all this is the role that stress plays. Reducing stress seems to have a powerful inhibitory effect. Practicing positive self talk (and catching yourself when you say anything negative to yourself) and moving the body with yoga also seems to help. Getting adequate sleep and nutrition is critical. I’m also convinced that being open minded to both Western medicine and Eastern cultural traditions (diet, yoga, Taoism, etc) has played a role in slowing my disease progression.

[mush_room]

Thank you very much. That seems rough. For whatever it's worth, I need to share this, as I had stumbled upon this person who recovered from UC with a meat-only diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX7LzKEMTpU.

I'm getting more into the eastern tradition, I think the mind can heal and can cause disease in an of itself. I need to delve deeper into it.