Most of the horsemen and women I know are amazingly tough. We don’t get too upset by minor ailments. Injuries are expected when you deal with 1200 pound animals that can bite, strike, kick, stomp, trample, mash or launch you into space in the blink of an eye. Yet, tough as we are we can be incapacitated by a measly little virus, bacteria or tiny speck of pollen if we don’t take care of ourselves. It’s not that we don’t want to take care of ourselves but taking the time to do it is the problem. It can help to know where do you start.

I was first introduced to the concept of foundational health about 20 years ago. At that time I was in poor health despite my extensive training in medicine. I kinda knew I should take vitamins but the ones I bought at the drugstore upset my stomach. I am embarrassed to admit how bad my diet was. My typical breakfast was a coke and breakfast taco. Fast food was the norm as my schedule did not allow much time for sit down meals. Iced tea, cokes and coffee kept me going through the day.

Problem was, with this nutritional program, I never had any energy and I felt terrible most of the time. I remember struggling to breathe from allergy symptoms and sinus headaches that made me feel like my head would explode. About twice a year I would go down with major bronchitis that would require antibiotics and no work for about a week to 10 days to recover. Sad thing is, I thought this was normal.

My start on the road to better health happened when a friend introduced me to to a whole food supplement company. I first used  their products for animals and was amazed how much they helped the animals recover from all kinds of chronic ailments. Nutritional experts taught me about the importance of a healthy digestive tract and that your vitamins and minerals were most beneficial when they came from whole food sources.

The foundational nutritional program that I started 20 years ago and continue to this day consists of probiotics, digestive enzymes, blue green algae. All these come in a simple once or twice a day packet of easy to swallow capsules. It is not like my health got all better overnight but 20 years later I am so much healthier. I made some conscious decisions to eat better and take better care of myself once I started to realize how good I could feel. Now, unless I really overwork or over stress myself I rarely get sick. When the unavoidable horse injuries occur I heal pretty darn fast.

Without really focusing on it, my diet continues to improve. I am not as drawn to the quick energy snacks and I don’t need the caffeine to keep up my energy all day. As a matter of fact I can verge on a bit hyperactive. I have no, zero, zip allergies and that alone has made such a difference in my quality of life.

I have added other supplements to address specific needs but the Essentials packets from these whole food packets continue to be the foundation of my health program. I would love to hear what is working well for other horseman. I invite you to share what has helped you feel better so you can enjoy your horses more. Madalyn