Nora Gedgaudas
Here it is…June already…and I am fast approaching yet another semi-milestone along the path of my existence: It just so happens I turn 49 years of age this Thursday, June 10th. I’ll be “pushin’ 50”.
A lot of folks (women, in particular, I think) would be freaking out about this, maybe “feeling old”, maybe counting the aches and pains or gray hairs and wondering what other downturn was next. For me, though, it’s just another birthday (though I really like birthdays) along the way and a time in which I am celebrating excellent health and vitality.
Some of you might be thinking “well, she’s probably got good genetics and was just blessed with good health.”
Not so. My genetics actually suck.
My family tree is riddled throughout with health issues on every level—including issues with cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and autoimmune illness, along with weight issues and various other assorted brain, nervous system and emotionally related challenges. In the past I have struggled with weight, eating disorders, long-term depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Those are all very much things of the past. More recently, various stress-related challenges have really rocked my equilibrium and have tested what I have learned in no small way. Thus far, I’m happy to say I’ve managed to dodge the other bullets and am the only member of my family that has managed to never spend a single night at a hospital for anything. I can tell you, though, that “luck” and “great genes” have nothing to do with the health I enjoy today. I have worked hard at this…and I’ve learned that I really don’t have that much room for error.
I have been passionate about diet and health for 30 years now, though I would have given anything to know what it is I know now even 20 years ago. I’ve been led down a lot of different paths. It has literally taken me most of this time to sort out the convoluted quagmire that is the current realm of nutritional information and nutritional dis-information to arrive at what it is you read in Primal Body-Primal Mind. I continue to learn and reach for answers that underlie the supposed answers and will forever continue to do so. I have looked both inside and outside “the box” of accepted dogma to arrive at a coherent picture that makes foundational sense and (more importantly) really works. I’ve learned, too, that the answers are seldom where one would expect to find them and that economic and political interests are there to seduce and trip you up every step of the way. There is no university program that teaches it in full. There isn’t even a single university course available as yet in the field of Functional Medicine. The field is THAT new. Accurate foundational nutrition or health education is never taught in a conventional setting. There are simply too many vested interests influencing and distorting such curriculums.
It’s been a journey for me of peeling away layers of an onion to get at the principles I’ve uncovered that can make becoming healthy—and remaining healthy into even old age a very plausible reality for most anyone that is willing to apply this foundational and functional approach to well being. Sometimes the answers were so obvious they were difficult at first to see (such as the evolutionary basis for establishing our nutritional requirements…DUH!) and sometimes it took the willingness and self-discipline to relinquish the temptation to reach for simple “single note” answers and be willing to take into account the complex orchestration of the human organism and all its dimensions; and a more systems-related and functional approach to unraveling the truth. It’s a more difficult and less seductive pathway to take, but one that yields far more genuine rewards. It takes de-compartmentalizing the body and mind to get that it’s all part of a functional network that can’t be separated out or fully understood inside a limited box. Things are rarely as literal as they seem and you seldom can fix one system by viewing it as something that stands alone. In other words (just for instance), if your thyroid is functioning low it is probably not as simple as adding more thyroid hormone or just thyroid “accessory nutrients” to fix the problem, even though this is the “gold standard” approach in conventional and even most natural medicine. There are other endocrine networks to take into account, possible immune challenges, environmental factors, food sensitivities and basic nutritional requirements that all factor into the total picture. That’s what’s called the “functional” picture. This is the paradigm I come to you from…and I’m sticking to it.
So….here I am in my last days of being 48 years of age, still feeling fully functional and even feeling “younger” in some ways than I felt even a year or two ago. I’m still on the path to figuring out the mysteries of longevity and optimal health and wellness…and as long as there’s someone who wants to hear about it I’ll be around…hopefully for a very long while…to share what I’ve learned with all of you.
This is, after all, what I believe I was born to do.
~ Nora
Happy birthday, Nora!
I just turned 49 in April, and thanks to much that I’ve learned from you I feel significantly better than I did on my 48th. There’s room for more healing here, and I look forward to it.
Here’s to many, many more, and to following the call of your life’s work!
Take care,
Durga
Happy Birthday and thank you for sharing your wisdom:)
Happy Birthday tomorrow Nora. Your book has really altered my own health and resolve to lead a more vital life. Keep up the great work. It sounds like you have a niche available to teach classes at functional medicine conferences, ND schools (like NCNM in Portland), etc. It would be a valuable contribution rather than the largely vegetarian/vegan paradigms that so many preach emanating from the ND choir.
Thanks for everything!
Well, I’m over halfway through my 50’s. My goal has been to stay out of a wheelchair. I wasn’t doing too well with this, last year. I am so glad I found your book (on Amazon, looking for paleo diets). It’s been a real life altering experience.
Thank you, and Happy Birthday!
Hi Nora , I enjoy your writing’s in your newsletters . I’m going to be 52 on June 16th and suffer so with menopause and wondered what do you do during this passage through life ? I realize you may not be as far into it as I am but as a woman that does eat some what primal “not to the extent you do” I still seem to be struggling and believe it may be that I am not as strict with my eating life style as you . Would becoming stricter so to speak be of help with the change ? Being in menopause is a very trying time all the way around and the Dr.s don’t seem to help much at all . Thank you for this lovely site , Cindy
I turned 50 last year. I like you have dealt a bad hand when it comes to health issues – my family is riddled with auto-immune problems, heart disease, gut issues, menstrual issues, cancer. I’ve spent the last 20 years trying different diets / supplements. With Paleo eating I now have no symptoms of any of my issues – auto immune, menstrual, blood sugar, weight issues. It is truly amazing! Never would have imagined 20 years ago this was possible.
I have less issue turning 50 than I did 40!
My mother said the other day – I’m so glad you’ve got on top of all the health issues you inherited from me – I’d hate for you to have to deal with them. So now my parents – at 78 and 79 have decided to go paleo too!
Happy Birthday
I can pretty much say at this point that I’m more or less officially menopausal. I’m also happy to say that it is a symptom-free transition for me, but I’ve also worked my butt off for that. The health of your menopausal transition is essentially the health of your adrenals. That’s your best area of focus–do whatever it takes to baby your adrenals (my book goes into this), determine what your food sensitivities are and avoid them like the plague and get away from your dependence on sugar as a primary source of fuel. It’s all a matter of what you prioritize. The way I look at it is this: If you are having symptoms with anything (menopausal or otherwise) then you basically need to become radical about your health and do whatever it takes to nurture it. Almost no one has any room for error anymore. If you’re trying to get by with the attitude of “everything in moderation” then you can’t expect anything better than “moderate” results…if you’re lucky. All of the symptoms you’re dealing with are entirely manageable. If need be you might want to seek out additional testing and evaluation to help you better prioritize your approach to health.
Thanks so much for your birthday wishes and great post.
Kudos to you–and to your folks!
I’ve just been thinking on this genetic issue, having read “Nature Via Nurture” a while back.
The saying is “nature loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger”
The fact is if we had been bought up eating paleo, we would NEVER say ‘I’ve got sucky genes’, because those genes never would have been expressed.
Right now – I have no symptoms, if I’d always had the right diet / environment I’d never would have experienced health issues.
If I’d been bought up eating paleo, then suddenly started eating SAD, and with the change in diet started experiencing health issues – I would not say – ‘Damn my genes suck, lets find some medicine so I can eat this food without symptoms’ (the current medical paradigm.) I’d be saying – ‘this diet sucks – it’s making me sick.’ and then change back to a diet that didn’t make me sick.
After all this is what we said about zoo animals when our early experiments at feeding them made them sick. We didn’t blame their genes – we searched the environment we’d exposed them to and corrected that.
It’s never too late to learn! While I have to remind myself of this fact fairly often, I also see that the older I get the more important it all is. I’ve just retired, and the way I see it, I’m looking down the last third of my life if my genes are linked to one side of my family, and maybe less if otherwise. Regardless, it seems better to keep working at it, and while I wish I had known all I know now when I was young, I’m glad to at least know now. Thank you for all you great work educating and inspiring all who are lucky enough to stumble across you at this blog or as I did on iTunes.
An old thread I know but recently stumbled across your AHS 17 talk. I was so impressed by your youthful appearance I had to go in search of your age. Your skin, hair (all that hair though) and facial structure are truly wonderful. You look strong and vibrant. What I notice is your fat looks firm and you’ve retained muscle and fat in your face and neck. I have to ask: do you think this is largely because you’re a fat burner or genetics?
Girl, whatever you’re doing keep doing it. I know you’re not focusing on looks but you are the reason I’m buying your latest book. I’m in my mid 50s too and want to look as healthy and robust as you.
How incredibly kind…. I sincerely appreciate your extremely generous words. I’m 56 years old (57 in June).
I have often said that my family’s genetics gave me a fine brain and reasonably symmetrical features… but apart from that my genetics actually pretty much suck. Cancer, heart disease, arthritis, autoimmunity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s/dementia, anxiety/depression and a whole lot of other unsavory conditions plague my family. I am the only member of my family that does not have an autoimmune condition and the only member of my family that has never spent a night in a hospital. In short, I have to work hard and be ever vigilant to maintain my health and have a little wiggle room for error. The dietary approach I have painstakingly researched and implemented in my life has truly been my best salvation.