A conversation with one of my friends battling cancer awakened me to the unexpected turns that life can suddenly take. She urged us to secure long-term care insurance which we soon purchased, choosing the option to share care from each other’s policy, in case either one of us exhausted his or her own. That turned out to be a very wise investment.

We also had other important legal documents prepared for one another: the power of attorney (POA), healthcare POA, and our wills. You cannot plan for every contingency, but having these legal documents, along with insurance policies for short and long-term disability, and long-term care insurance, proved to be life savers for us when the unimaginable happened.

Creating Your ICE File

Having an “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) file is an essential organizational tool when disaster strikes for any reason. We did not prepare ours in advance, but I wasted no time once Rick’s illness became apparent.

Under most circumstances, having the POA and the healthcare POA documents in place will be sufficient for handling the financial, legal, and health management concerns if a loved one is stricken. Preplanning can also avoid the conflicts that may arise when family members disagree on health management and the financial and legal responsibilities for care.

Power of Attorney: A POA allows you to designate someone you trust to make financial, tax, and legal decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated. With a POA, your designated legal representative can manage your financial affairs, sell property, pay bills, make deposits, discuss your insurance policies, and serve as payee for your Social Security payments, among other decisions.

Ordinary POA vs. Durable POA: There is a critical difference between an ordinary POA and a durable POA. An ordinary POA can be revoked by you at any time while you have the legal capacity to act. If you become injured, sick, disabled, or unable to communicate, an ordinary POA is no longer legally effective. A durable POA can be drafted so that the POA becomes effective immediately and continues for the duration of your sickness or disability or can specify that it becomes effective only when you become incapacitated. It maintains your representative’s legal rights to serve on your behalf. As the principal, you can legally revoke a durable POA at any time unless you become incapacitated.

Advanced Health Care Directive: This includes two documents: 1) a healthcare POA, which designates a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event you become incapacitated. A HIPAA release gives your representative the authority to access your health records and doctors; and 2) a “living will” outlining the type of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated. This could include a Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) or a preference for comfort care only.

Additional Documents: Your ICE file should include other critical documents maintained in a secure place. Notify a trusted friend or relative of their location. Ideally, you should keep originals in a safe deposit box or fireproof box with copies safely stored at home. Review these with your spouse, partner, adult children, or other responsible party and update, as necessary.

Documents should include:

• Insurance policies
• Wills and living trusts
• Bank accounts
• Investment accounts
• Credit card information
• Birth and marriage certificates
• Social Security numbers
• Employment, military, and tax records
• Real estate deeds and car titles
• Passwords
• Burial preferences and funeral arrangements
• Contact numbers of your attorney, doctors, financial advisor, insurance agent, the location of your safe deposit box and keys, and other information relevant to your situation.

If your responsibilities include other loved ones, you will need to compile similar documents for them. While it may be uncomfortable talking about matters of money, mortality, wills, and wishes, it is a necessary conversation which can save you from untold exasperation and provide greater ease in navigating them.

With such planning, you should be able to navigate medical, legal, and financial issues with relative ease; without it, prepare for some snags and tangles along the way.

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Bad news for global citizens: We’re now living in a world where it’s impossible to escape from toxic exposure—even to remote wilderness areas. It’s not a matter of if you’re toxic, but to what degree because we’re now consuming, inhaling, and absorbing toxins at a rapid rate.

Why are toxins such a hazard to our health? They’re poisons creating inflammation leading to imbalances in our bodies. They manifest a wide range of common symptoms: fatigue, headaches, gut issues, brain fog, joint pain, food sensitivities and many more. They’re linked to dementia, depression, autoimmune issues, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions.

“Toxins are now the primary cause of chronic disease,” says Joseph Pizzorno, naturopathic physician and transformational leader in medicine. “They are driving much of what we see as clinicians. We need to reckon with the fact that our population is incredibly sick, and toxins are a major driver.”

We’re living in a toxic stew with earliest exposures in the womb. Throughout our lives we accumulate them from our food, air, water, personal care products, household items, medications, electronic frequencies (EMFs), and industrial practices, to name a few. Over time, all those daily doses add up, igniting inflammation often resulting in chronic health issues.

Indeed, recent health statistics demonstrate we’re experiencing more dementias, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and “alphabet maladies” like ADHD, ADD, OCD, ALS, MS, and other neurological issues significantly greater than previous generations. According to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, every 65 seconds someone in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and the number of cases in the US is expected to double over the next 30 years!

Unfortunately, mainstream medicine isn’t focused on the connection of toxicity to many of today’s illnesses, so most patients aren’t being evaluated for it. However, millions are suffering from undiagnosed illnesses linked to toxins. Identifying the root causes of inflammation is critical in recovering from such illnesses. With continual environmental assaults, patients should be regularly monitored for toxic levels and treated with proven therapies that target inflammatory agents.

For instance, biotoxin researchers estimate about 25% of the population is genetically susceptible to inflammatory responses caused from mold and other biotoxins. Genetically prone as poor detoxifiers, millions are unfortunately primed for an illness recognized as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). They suffer a wide range of symptoms of varying intensity and duration from autoimmune responses associated with this illness. Unfortunately, without all doctors being trained to recognize or effectively treat the toxic roots of many of today’s maladies, the inflammation rages on, perpetuating the illness and patient misery.

Let’s look at obesity. Toxins are a likely culprit for weight gain because today’s toxic burdens are straining detoxification pathways. If your body is unable to adequately process out toxins, they’re enveloped in fat cells and stored in your tissues, often as visceral fat surrounding your organs. Detoxification helps address the underlying issue to achieve weight loss goals, so it’s vital to identify the link between toxins and weight gain.

Fortunately, now there’s good news for all of us living in today’s toxic times with proven protocols and interventions that can both prevent disease as well as recover health. This is the foundation in functional and integrative practices, which treats the body as an integrated, holistic system, focused on disease prevention and addressing the root cause of diseases.

Functional practitioners offer precision evaluations, using specialized tests not currently used in many conventional practices. For instance, you’re likely to be tested for mold, heavy metals, or chemicals, and if unsafe levels are detected, prescribed appropriate therapies.

Functional medicine recommends adopting lifestyle habits related to food choices, detoxification, exercise, stress management, sleep, and other interventions that cool common inflammatory triggers. While genetics plays a role in many health conditions, by addressing the root causes of inflammation, reduces their ability to express imbalances and corresponding disorders. These interventions and transformative therapies provide a proven pathway for taming toxic triggers and other sources of inflammation.

This is indeed a wake-up call for us all. Inflammatory triggers are being fueled everywhere. Although we are all vulnerable living in such inflammatory times, the exciting news is that functional and integrative practitioners have answers, evaluating and treating patients with tools and therapies to both recover and support whole health.

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Change is inevitable: relationships and roles end, jobs disappear, business deals fall apart, finances become strained, family and friends move away, illnesses or disabilities erode health, loved ones die, and life as you knew it can transform overnight. Mine did as I navigated through chaotic times for many years when my husband was stricken with a mysterious, disabling illness.

Keeping your energy up and stress level down through these shifts is vital for your well-being, health, and peace of mind. Let these strategies guide you through times of change.

1. Focus on resiliency: When life throws you a curve, acknowledge “what is,” and accept the likely cascade of emotional responses that coincide with change. Avoid getting entwined in a mental “victim trap” or exclaiming, “I can’t handle this!” Discard any negative thoughts about your abilities. Remember your true identity—you are filled with unlimited wisdom and power to manage your changing circumstances. Consciously choose how you wish to experience your life from this point forward. Meet each experience with courage and confidence, empowered with thoughts that positive solutions.

After reviewing a situation and considering your options, listen to your heart for greater clarity. Whether a gentle tug or a powerful push, those signals are hotwired to the seat of your soul to guide you in the right direction.

2. Set daily intentions: Start your morning with positive thoughts of how you choose to experience your day. Your intentions are key to creating your experiences. Keep focused on this throughout your day, especially when your reactions to people and situations might derail your best intentions.

Stay focused on living the moments of each day in alignment with your highest ideals and desires. Being true to your intentions creates a greater sense of calm and productivity even amidst the chaos.

3. Commit to an attitude of gratitude: Cultivate an appreciation for things you may have taken for granted. This is especially important during times of turmoil, when you may be tempted to focus on what’s not working, what’s not happening, or the losses that coincide with change. Count your blessings, not your burdens. Be thankful for the time, kindness and support you receive from others. These gifts are grace in action and magnetize more when you’re projecting an attitude of gratitude.

It may seem impossible to embrace gratitude when you’re feeling lonely, depressed, frightened, or abandoned. However, this is exactly the time to count your blessings. When your heart is aching, your body hurting, or your bank account overdrawn, focus on what you do have. You may not have the whole enchilada but savor the servings of what is heaped upon your plate. By concentrating on the haves, rather than the have-nots, you will generate the positive energy necessary for greater good and abundance to flow.

4. Tap support systems and connections: Supportive relationships are a powerful, life-enhancing resource. They contribute to our well-being, self-esteem, health, and quality of life, serving as a vital lifeline through times of change. Supportive friends and therapists act as sounding boards, helping you pierce through layers of emotion, frustration, and confusion to reveal your own inner wisdom. Call upon your network of support when you’re feeling discouraged, depressed, or downhearted.

During times of transitions, you may need more than an ordinary level of support to protect your energy reserves. Consider outsourcing maintenance issues around your home, garden, accounting, and other responsibilities while you focus on other priorities. Accept that you can’t do it all and hire help.

Ask for help when needed, accept help when offered. This is a vital sanity-saving strategy, especially when you cannot muster the energy to deal with one more thing. Make a list of needs, and either ask for help or accept it graciously when people ask how they can be of service. People want to do something but not sure what you need, and willing to serve and glad to have direction. Their kindness, generosity, and support provide a lifesaving gift of grace.

Keeping centered on strategies that support your goal of peaceful living require a daily commitment. Although life can indeed become overwhelming at times, these will assist you in navigating the rockiest of waters.

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