Terry’s Unexpected Gift: Being Healthy

Written by Allison Holdorff Last year, Terry, my brother-in-law, was stricken with end-stage liver cancer. My sister and I took him regularly to Tao of Wellness for incredible treatments that extended his life, gave him energy, relieved his pain and helped him deal  with the side-effects of chemotherapy and other Western cancer treatments. Terry was on a diet prescribed by Dr. Mao to help liver function. While sitting in the waiting room week after week, I began thinking about seeing Dr. Mao to improve my own health. I bought a copy of Dr. Mao’s book, Second Spring. Honestly, I was shy about explaining to him that I wanted to lose weight. But while dealing with Terry’s illness, I realized that the only life I could really control was my own.

I was almost 45 years old and noticed I was gaining weight more rapidly. During the stressful four months, I gained 10 pounds and was now 30 pounds overweight. Before I had children, I was slim. I had gained weight after my first-born and never really lost it. Now it was 2009, sixteen years later, and I decided enough was enough.

The evidence is irrefutable that if you are overweight, your life expectancy is shorter and your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer is higher. It was easier to see how the extra weight I had been unwilling to lose was taking a toll on my health and well-being. I also thought about the idea of being healthy for my own family. As a parent, I would do virtually anything for my children. Yet, would they benefit from a diseased mother with a shortened life expectancy? It just didn’t make sense.

With Dr. Mao’s gentle encouragement, exceptional advice, tailored diet, herbal tea and weekly acupuncture, I lost 30 pounds in four months.

It was not difficult to follow Dr. Mao’s healthy guidelines. They were really a blueprint for what we should be eating all the time, yet they gave me endless eating options at home and at restaurants. What was particularly interesting was that I did not significantly increase my exercise routine, which was three to four hours a week.

Dr. Mao is an exceptional person who motivated, comforted and guided me through a straight-forward, healthy way of living. My appointments were always timely and thorough. I left feeling relaxed and ready to lose weight each week. Going to Tao of Wellness has been a privilege and a treat. In order to be our personal best, we have to nurture ourselves.

The greatest part of this process of self-care is realizing that it never ends and feeling enthusiastic about it. In addition to weight loss, I have been able to sleep through the night and feel much more energetic. I know how to eat to keep my body in shape and never feel deprived. I have no desire to eat unhealthy food because my body really doesn’t crave it. I am also eating foods that help prevent cancer. So, here is to Terry, my beautiful brother-in-law who without knowledge or intent, guided me to the Tao of Wellness, improving life for me and my family. My three kids are eating healthy, and my husband, since going to Tao of Wellness, has already lost 10 pounds. We live close to the beach, and

I am looking forward to boogie boarding with the kids this summer. Finally, I am close to the weight I put down on my driver’s license!