The Body's Wisdom Wheel: Understanding Your Healing Journey
You've been working on your health for months. Maybe years.
You've tried the supplements. Changed your diet. Followed the protocols. Some things helped a little. But you're still stuck.
Still tired. Still inflamed. Still dealing with symptoms that won't fully resolve.
And you're starting to wonder: Am I doing something wrong? Why isn't this working? Will I ever actually heal?
Here's what I want you to understand: You're not failing. You're just working on the wrong stage of the journey.
Your body moves through predictable stages - both into disease and back to health. And if you're treating symptoms while the root cause is still active, or trying to restore function before you've addressed toxicity, you'll stay stuck.
Not because you're broken. But because you're skipping stages. Let me show you what I mean.
Prefer to watch instead of read? I explain the complete Body's Wisdom Wheel in this video:
Or keep reading below for the full breakdown with examples and self-assessment guide.
The Body's Wisdom Wheel: Your Map to Healing
I created the Body's Wisdom Wheel to help people understand where they are in their healing journey and what actually needs to happen next.
This wheel maps the physical body's progression through disease and back to vibrant health. And at the center of everything? Your mitochondria.
Why Mitochondria Are at the Center
Your mitochondria are the powerhouse of every single cell in your body. They produce the energy that allows your cells to function, your organs to work, your body to heal.
When your mitochondria work properly, your body works properly.
But here's what happens when they don't:
If your mitochondria become dysfunctional → your cells can't function properly → the tissues those cells make up can't work → the organs those tissues form can't operate → the systems those organs create break down.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is the ultimate root of all disease. All dis-ease. Everything.
Your body was designed to work perfectly. We - and modern life - get in the way.
What Destroys Your Mitochondria
There's a handful of things that cause severe mitochondrial dysfunction:
1. Heavy metals - from dental work, cookware, contaminated water, industrial exposure
2. Radiation and radioactive elements - environmental exposure, medical procedures, contaminated materials
3. Toxins and chemicals - pesticides, herbicides, food preservatives and additives, industrial chemicals, environmental pollutants
4. Molds and fungi - in homes, workplaces, water-damaged buildings
When these toxins accumulate in your body, they don't just sit there passively. They create conditions for pathogen overgrowth - bacteria, viruses, and parasites that literally clog your system and prevent it from working.
This is where most people get confused.
They think: "I need to kill the parasites. I need to get rid of the bacteria. I need to eradicate the viruses."
But here's the truth: You are an ecosystem.
You have more non-human cells in your body than human cells. The pathogens aren't the enemy - they serve a purpose when they're in balance.
The problem isn't that pathogens exist. The problem is they've been fed too well.
When toxicity arises, pathogens have more "food" to feed on. They grow out of balance. They overwhelm your system. And that's when disease sets in.
The goal isn't to sterilize your body. It's to bring it back into balance.
The Journey INTO Disease (The Downward Spiral)
Look at the wheel moving clockwise from green to red. This is how your body progresses into disease:
VIBRANT HEALTH → TOXICITY → INFLAMMATION → SYMPTOMS → DISEASE
Stage 1: Vibrant Health
Your mitochondria are functioning. Your cells have energy. Your body has reserves. You feel good, resilient, capable.
Stage 2: Toxicity
Toxic burden begins accumulating. Heavy metals, mold, chemicals, radiation. Your mitochondria start struggling. Your drainage pathways get overwhelmed. Your body starts holding onto what it can't clear fast enough.
Most people don't notice anything wrong yet. This is the silent stage.
Stage 3: Inflammation
Toxicity left unaddressed creates chronic inflammation. Your immune system is constantly activated. Your body is trying to protect you from the burden it's carrying. You might start feeling "off" but nothing shows up on labs yet.
Stage 4: Symptoms
Inflammation unaddressed leads to symptoms. Fatigue. Brain fog. Digestive issues. Skin problems. Hormone imbalances. Pain. Your body is screaming for help.
This is where most people finally pay attention.
Stage 5: Disease (Dis-Ease)
Symptoms ignored or suppressed lead to diagnosable disease. Autoimmunity. Chronic illness. Conditions with names and labels. Your body is no longer at ease - it's in dis-ease.
Here's what's critical to understand: Most people don't start paying attention until Stage 4 or 5. Symptoms or disease.
But the root cause started way back at Stage 2. Toxicity.
And you can't heal Stage 5 by treating Stage 5. You have to go back to the root.
The Journey BACK to Health (The Path of True Healing)
Now look at the wheel moving counter-clockwise from red back to green. This is how your body actually heals:
DISEASE → CLEANSE Toxicity → REPAIR Mitochondria → RESTORE Function → VIBRANT HEALTH
Notice something? You don't jump straight from disease back to vibrant health.
You have to move through the stages in reverse order.
Stage 1: Address the Symptoms (so you can function)
Yes, sometimes you need symptom relief. If you can't sleep, if you're in severe pain, if your digestion is completely broken - you address what needs immediate support. But this isn't healing. This is stabilization.
Stage 2: Reduce the Inflammation
You support your body in calming the inflammatory response. Anti-inflammatory foods, nervous system regulation, reducing inflammatory triggers. You're creating space for deeper work.
Stage 3: CLEANSE the Toxicity (This is the KEY)
This is where real healing begins. You open drainage pathways first - colon, kidneys, liver, lymph. Then you systematically address the toxic burden: heavy metals, mold, chemicals, pathogens.
You're removing what's been destroying your mitochondria.
But you can't just dump everything at once. You do it in layers, at a pace your nervous system can handle, with your drainage open so the toxins have somewhere to go.
Stage 4: REPAIR the Mitochondria
Once the toxic load decreases, your mitochondria can begin to repair. You support them with the right nutrients, the right environment, the right rest. Cellular energy production starts to improve.
Stage 5: RESTORE Function
As your mitochondria heal, your cells work better. Your organs function properly. Your systems come back online. Your body remembers what it was designed to do.
Stage 6: Return to VIBRANT HEALTH
This is where you're not just "managing" anymore. You have energy. Resilience. Reserves. Your body can handle stress without breaking down. You're thriving, not just surviving.
Why Generic Protocols Keep You Stuck
Here's why most approaches don't create lasting healing:
They treat symptoms without addressing toxicity.
They reduce inflammation without removing what's causing it.
They try to "fix" Stage 5 problems with Stage 5 solutions.
But here's the trap most people fall into:
They detox toxins without addressing parasites - and find themselves having to detox over and over again. Because the parasites are still there, still producing waste, still creating toxic burden. You clear some toxins, but the parasites just create more.
Or they kill parasites without addressing the toxic load - and find themselves having to do parasite cleanse after parasite cleanse. Because the toxins are still feeding the parasites. You kill them off, but they just regrow because their food source is still abundant.
You can't do one or the other. You have to do both.
You have to bring the toxic load down WHILE bringing the pathogen load down. Simultaneously. In balance.
Otherwise? You're chasing your tail. Forever.
This is why people stay stuck for years doing the same protocols over and over, wondering why nothing sticks.
You can't out-supplement toxicity. You can't meditate away heavy metals. You can't positive-think your way out of mold exposure.
You have to address the root - toxicity AND pathogens - at the same time. And the root is always about restoring mitochondrial function.
This doesn't mean symptoms don't matter. They absolutely do - they're your body's communication system.
But treating the symptom without addressing the stage you're actually in? That's why you're stuck.
My Own Journey Through the Wheel
I know this wheel intimately because I've lived it.
In 2019, I was deep in Stage 5. Disease. Allergic to 69 out of 72 things. Cognitive impairment. Early-onset dementia at 39. I had spent over $100,000 trying to heal.
I addressed some of the toxicity - the mold, some of the heavy metals. I got out of the worst of it. But I didn't fully heal because I was still in a toxic environment (an abusive marriage). My nervous system was in survival mode. My body held onto layers because releasing everything would have overwhelmed my system.
I came to a functional level - Stage 3 or 4. But not vibrant health.
Then 2020 happened. The world stopped. My nervous system finally got space to breathe. I could do deeper healing work. I moved further through the stages.
But then came 2022 and a difficult divorce. My nervous system went back into survival mode. My body held again. Protected me again.
The divorce finalized at the end of 2024. And then my body crashed.
Waves of mold toxicity released. Symptoms I thought I'd healed years ago came flooding back. Because my body had been holding them, waiting until my nervous system felt safe enough.
And here's what I've learned about these waves:
I'll be in Stage 1 - true vibrant health - for 3-4 months. Thriving. Energy. Resilience. No symptoms.
Then, as my nervous system feels even safer, as I do deeper healing work, my body says: "Okay, you can handle the next layer now."
And I drop back to Stage 3 or Stage 2. Another wave of detox. Another layer releasing.
But here's the key: These waves are getting shorter and farther apart.
Where Stage 3 used to last weeks or months? Now it might be a day or two. Stage 2 might last a week instead of months. Then I'm back to Stage 1 for another 3-4 months.
This isn't regression. This is progress.
My body is releasing deeper and deeper layers as it feels safe enough. The waves come, but they're briefer and the space between them is longer.
This is what the wheel teaches us: Healing happens in layers. In waves. And your body moves at the pace it can handle, not the pace you want.
And this is exactly why I'm so passionate about empowering people with tools like muscle testing.
Because when these waves come - and they will come - you're not lost. You're not 100% reliant on a practitioner to tell you what's happening or what to do.
You can ask your own body: What's releasing right now? What do I need? What stage am I in?
Yes, you might need extra support. Yes, there are times to work with someone. But you're not helpless. You're not dependent.
You're empowered to navigate your own healing journey.
Where Are YOU on the Wheel Right Now?
Take a moment and honestly assess:
Are you in Stage 5 - Disease?
You have diagnoses. Named conditions. Your body is in active breakdown.
Are you in Stage 4 - Symptoms?
No official diagnosis yet, but you have clear symptoms. Fatigue, pain, brain fog, digestive issues, hormonal problems.
Are you in Stage 3 - Inflammation?
You feel "off" but can't quite pinpoint it. Maybe some lab markers are elevated. Your immune system is working overtime.
Are you in Stage 2 - Toxicity?
You're being exposed to mold, chemicals, or stress, but you don't have obvious symptoms yet. This is the prevention stage.
Or are you on the healing path?
You've addressed toxicity. You're repairing mitochondria. You're restoring function. You're seeing real, sustainable progress.
Most people reading this are somewhere between Stage 3 and Stage 5. And that's okay. That's your starting point.
The question isn't "Why am I here?" The question is: "What does my body need at THIS stage to move to the next one?"
What This Means for Your Healing
Understanding the Body's Wisdom Wheel changes everything about your approach:
If you're in Stage 5 (Disease):
You likely need both symptom support AND root cause work. Address what needs immediate attention while beginning to open drainage and assess toxic load.
If you're in Stage 4 (Symptoms):
Don't just suppress the symptoms. Ask: What inflammation is driving this? What toxicity is causing the inflammation?
If you're in Stage 3 (Inflammation):
This is your opportunity to prevent progression. Address the toxic load now before it becomes symptoms or disease.
If you're healing back:
Honor the pace. Support drainage. Address toxicity in layers. Repair mitochondria. Address your Nervous System and reconnect with your Spirit for guidance moving forward. Trust that your body knows how to restore itself when you remove what's in the way.
The Mind and Spirit Also Have Wheels
While this wheel maps the physical body's journey, the same principle applies to mental and spiritual healing.
Mental healing: Trauma doesn't resolve overnight. Nervous system regulation happens in stages. Patterns shift in layers. You can't skip the foundational work.
Spiritual healing: Alignment doesn't happen all at once. Purpose unfolds progressively. Trust rebuilds step by step. You move through predictable stages here too.
Body, mind, and spirit - all three heal in stages. All three require honoring the pace. All three resist being rushed.
Your Body Knows the Way
Here's what I want you to remember:
Your symptoms aren't evidence that you're broken. They're your body's communication about which stage you're in and what needs to happen next.
Your slow progress isn't failure. It's your body moving through stages it can't skip.
Your body isn't working against you. It's working for you, at the pace it can handle, protecting you from what would overwhelm you.
The Body's Wisdom Wheel isn't just a framework. It's a map.
And once you know where you are on the map, you can finally move in the right direction.
If you want to understand the complete foundation of my approach to healing, watch my Glass Theory video. It explains why your body holds toxicity, why protocols fail, and what actually works.
And if you're ready to start moving through the stages with support, book a consultation. We'll muscle test to identify exactly where you are on the wheel and what your body needs next.
Your healing journey is unique. But the stages are universal.
Let's find where you are and what comes next.
Are you ready?
With gratitude, love, and purpose,
Elena B. Peden, BCND, FMCHC, MBSR-P
Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor
Clean Life Real World
About:
Elena B. Peden is a Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor (BCND), Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC), and Mind Body Spirit Release Practitioner (MBSR-P) based in Houston, Texas. After investing over $100,000 in her own healing journey through mold toxicity and Lyme disease, she now teaches women to access their body's innate wisdom and reclaim their health sovereignty. She offers virtual consultations and online courses through Clean Life Real World.
Disclaimer:
Muscle testing is a form of biofeedback and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical condition. It is a tool for personal empowerment and should complement, not replace, professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your health protocol.