Episode 26: Holistically Healthy with Crohn’s

As a nine-year-old with perfect school attendance, Jennifer learned the many challenges having an incurable autoimmune disease, Crohn’s disease, and living in a rural area. After years of being angry at her body, Jennifer shares how she learned to feel grounded, advocate for herself, develop relationships and have a holistic and positive way to engage the world. For the listener who struggles with a chronic illness and searches for acceptance, Jennifer advises, “…inquire into yourself and if you feel holistically healthy in all aspects of your life.” For the clinical encounter, Jennifer encourages working with your physician and realize, “…there’s a limit to what we can do ourselves to keep ourselves healthy and a limit to what our doctors can do…[and] acknowledge this is messy and it can be frightening…and it’s okay…it’s okay to ask for help.”