No amount of medication alone will truly fix how you feel in your mind and your body, unless you work on healing from the inside out. That is, changing your negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, practicing self-love and self-care, managing stress, attending to your emotions or finding your life purpose.

Often, the healing process requires healing of the gut through whole, real food. Proper nutrition feeds the trillions of friendly bacteria living in the gut, known as the microbiome, which in turn help release the feel good brain chemicals via the microbiome-gut-brain axis. The microbiome has many other functions in nutrition and health, such as in metabolism, immune system, hormonal balance, brain and mental health, etc. Physical exercise will complement the positive effect nutrition has on the brain and body.

While this comprehensive holistic approach might seem overwhelming at first, keep in mind that there is no “one size fits all” approach. It largely depends on everyone’s health or wellness goals and what has prevented them from reaching these goals on their own. 

You can benefit from working with a holistic health & nutrition coach that will help you define your goal(s) more specifically and provide you with a structured plan for how to get there, while supporting you along the way. A health & nutrition coach will equip you with tools and knowledge to change your habits that ultimately help you create lasting mental and physical changes and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Viorica Ivan is a holistic nutrition & stress coach, scientist and science communication specialist; she is the founder of Smart Science Holistic Health. She has a PhD in cell biology from Utrecht University, The Netherlands.