If you have ever been a patient in the modern healthcare system, you know the frustration. You see a specialist who changes your medication, but your primary doctor doesn’t know about it. Then the home health nurse arrives, and she has a different set of instructions entirely.

If you have a venous leg ulcer, you are essentially in a fight against gravity and gravity is winning.

Even patients who maintain a good diet and keep their wounds clean often have unhealing ulcers because The missing piece? Compression.

It is the hardest advice to hear, but it is the most important:
No matter how hard it is, you have to move your body.
Dealing with a complex wound or being confined to a bed or chair due to frailty can make “exercise” feel impossible. You might think, If I can’t run or walk, I guess I can’t do anything.
That mindset is dangerous. When you stop moving, the body starts to break down.

You can have the best medical care in the world, but if you are fueling your body with donuts and soda, you are fighting a losing battle.
I’ve seen homes of diabetic ulcer patients with counters full of sugary treats. They assume their medication manages their blood sugar, so they’re safe. They are not. That sugar is the precise reason for the wound and why it won’t heal.

If you are a caregiver, you know the reality: You are managing medical appointments, changing dressings, handling medications, and trying to keep the rest of your life afloat.
Cooking a complex, nutrient-dense meal is likely the last thing on your mind at the end of a long day.

For most people, going to the doctor is just a mission. But for a patient with a complex, non-healing wound, it can be an expedition. One patient had such difficulty standing with his walker that his wife scheduled all medical appointments for a single day each month.

My husband and I hired a team last year to move us from Tennessee. Now, I’ve hired plenty of movers in my life, and usually, they just move boxes from Point A to Point B. But these guys were different.

Reaching out for medical help can feel vulnerable. You are dealing with a wound that won’t heal, you are likely in pain, and you might be frustrated with a system that hasn’t worked for you yet.

Healing isn’t just about what you put on the wound. It’s about what you put in your body and how you move it. We see it all the time. A patient is getting great medical care, but their wound just isn’t closing.

Why? Because what they are doing at home unknowingly is against the healing process.