Gwyneth Paltrow Health Scares: A Good Reminder For Us

People today have plenty of health problems that they know about. But there are plenty more they don’t know about, too. Not to sound cynical, but it’s true. We tend, as a society, to go to the doctor mostly when we’re sick. We assume things are all good until something comes up and gets serious enough to have us worried. And really, that’s probably not a good plan overall.

Gwyneth Paltrow had a stroke scare and suffered a miscarriage.

Image: DFree / Shutterstock.com 

It’s a big part of the reason I (and I assume many of you) try to keep up on eating healthy and exercising regularly. What we put into our bodies and how much physical activity we get are the biggest factors in determining our health. But there are also things under the surface that we can’t necessarily see on our own.

Gwyneth Paltrow recently opened up about her past health problems that have led her to make some major lifestyle changes. The actress, an Academy Award winner, is the mother of two and has always looked slim yet healthy. But after she suffered both a miscarriage and a stroke scare, she discovered she had several health problems.

She was in her London home when she “lost control of her right hand and suffered a blinding pain in her head that was so extreme she thought she was having a stroke.” It turned out to be a combination of a massive migraine and a panic attack, but going to the doctor revealed several other problems.

“I was vitamin-D deficient, I had [anemia], I had thyroid issues, my liver was congested, I had hormonal imbalances and a benign [tumor] on my ovary that had to be removed. I mean, it was crazy,” she said. “I knew it was time for a change.”

Your body is your most priceless possession. Take care of it.
Image from motivationblog.org

It feels like a bit of a wake-up call. If someone who can afford all the doctors in the world, who has infinite access to services to monitor her health, wasn’t aware of all those problems, what must it be like for the rest of us?

Gwyneth’s experience motivated her to adopt an elimination diet, which eliminates all foods that have potentially adverse affects on the body. I’m not saying everyone should do so, but I think there’s an important lesson to take from Gwyneth Paltrow’s story. It’s so important to be aware of and actively take part in our own health—because if we don’t, then we risk letting dangers go unchecked.

You only get one body, and it’s your permanent home. Take care of it.