Cheryl Ivaniski is known for many things. She is a Global Wellness Authority, Doctor of Holistic Medicine – Acupuncture, Speaker, Coach, host of the NOBS Podcast About Diabetes and five times international best-selling author. Although her list of professional accomplishments is hugely impressive, what makes Cheryl more unique is her incredible story of the health challenges she has overcome. A big part of her personal story is how she has managed to not only survive – but to thrive – over twenty-five years with diabetes – and how she now helps others to do it, too.
Growing up, Cheryl watched her grandmother struggle for over forty years with diabetes and its complications, such as loss of vision, mobility, independence, and eventually shutting down her kidneys and heart until she passed away. So as a woman in the prime of her life, Cheryl was shocked when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and Hashimoto’s disease. It was terrifying when she spoke with specialists, and they told her about the frightening complications that were likely to ensue. She shared that they told her to “prepare for a grim future.”
However, Cheryl was not one to roll over and accept defeat. She was determined not to suffer the way her grandmother had. She shared that she “took a stand that her life would not be the same.” To find a lasting solution, she studied the Holistic Lifestyle. Her mission led her from having trained Doctors and teams of health professionals using the traditional approach to going back to University and studying alternative methods to wellness. Through her studies, she shared that she learned “how to heal from the inside out, be proactive rather than reactive, and how holistic self-care can elevate your wellness leaps and bounds.” Today she is an internationally recognized expert on diabetes and wellness.
“Many people find Diabetes is so restrictive,” says Cheryl, “but I prefer to think of it as setting myself free of my limitations – offering a whole new world of choices I would never otherwise have.”
In an exclusive interview with Los Angeles Wire, the Doctor of Holistic Medicine shared some health tips about managing diabetes. First, she advised diabetic patients to understand their health matters. “Every day is filled with many choices. When you notice what diabetes takes from you and what it leaves you with, you will see that you are worth so much more. It’s time to ask yourself what level of health you are worth having and how great you want to feel. You owe that to yourself, your family, and the people who love you. Know your value – you deserve your best healthy life,” she says.
She encourages patients to notice and journal their triggers (emotional, mental, food, stress, movement or environmental triggers). By starting a trigger journal and documenting them, they can be avoided or halted altogether. She added that creating a solution list for each trigger is also essential. “Remember that your Mindset is just as important as what you choose to eat. Pause and take a moment in your busy day and notice if you’re on autopilot or if you are heightening your awareness and making new conscious decisions and choices.”