Last week you mentioned you used to be a binge eater. Can you tell us a little about how you overcame that to become the model of healthful eating that you are today? Do you think brain chemistry (lack of serotonin, perhaps?) can affect unhealthy eating habits?

I spent years agonizing over my weight and body image. I could down a box of Entenmann's donuts without blinking an eye and then would go on to polish off a pack of cookies--all at midnight. There were days I would not get out of bed and could not see ever living peacefully in my body.

My PMS ruined me every month with emotional swings and physical symptoms. At least three times a year I would get a debilitating sinus infection that floored me for days, not to mention feeling like I had a never-ending cold. Chronic constipation went right along with this imbalanced package and kept me bloated and uncomfortable most of the time.

And I thought all of this was normal, how most women lived.

I saw many doctors and each one had a new drug to give me to clear up this or that. Funny thing was, it all came right back a few months later. I also saw a few nutrition people, but the healing stopped short after I left the office with some foreign meal plan that had no relevance to my tastes, needs or practical ability to follow the crazy thing.

So, thankfully I found a new approach, which did not wrap up in a nice neat package.

My healing came from the combination of several modalities: I slowly and peacefully changed my diet with the help of a non-judgmental counselor. I took Chinese herbs, which did wonders for my sinuses. I took a good hard look at what was truly driving my eating habits and where my "wheel of life" was not rolling smoothly. I chose to see my body as a goddess temple instead of my worst enemy and I worked a lot on changing the negative thoughts in my head. I breathed, stretched and found new forms of exercise that truly jazzed me. I learned how to meditate. I tried to take everything a little less seriously and focus on all the gifts I had right in front of me.

I am now pain-free with clear sinuses, happy monthly periods, and maintaining the weight I know my body wants to be. Quite frankly, I never thought I would say that.

Healing does not come from just a pill or a Band-Aid approach. It requires active participation by the individual through one or more channels. However, who says you have to do it alone? I would have never come through without the teachers, healers and counselors that helped me along my journey. I still have several of them to this day!