Do I Live in a Zoo? Diseases of Captivity

Welcome to my newsletter! I thought I'd start with a memory that often surfaces when I think about reclaiming health in our modern world. It seems random, but it’s feels like the right place to start: my first college Christmas break. College wasn’t the dream I’d imagined (a story for another day), and I longed for something fun to rediscover childhood joy. I hadn’t been to a zoo in years, so I set my heart on the LA Zoo. But what I found shattered my memories. Gone were the vibrant, powerful creatures of my youth. Instead, I saw cage after cage of sickly animals, pacing like prisoners, with patchy fur and a broken look in their eyes.

That zoo often comes to mind when I think of chronic diseases today. Bear with me. I’ve struggled with anxiety, sadness, fear, autoimmune flares, and gut issues at different points in my life. For years, I wondered what was wrong with me. I felt like I couldn’t fit in or keep up, while everyone else seemed to thrive. I was convinced my body and mind were broken, and doctors reinforced this, giving me diagnoses and implying I was genetically doomed to suffer. I thought I had to fix myself to fit the world around me.

But those zoo animals shifted my perspective. Their pacing, anxiety, hair loss, and mood swings mirrored behaviors I saw in myself and others. Were these animals inherently flawed? No. Anxiety didn’t “run in their family.” Obsessive pacing wasn’t their genetic fate. I’d seen wild animals in national parks—none acted like this. Their suffering wasn’t genetic destiny; it was their environment.

This realization changed how I view health, moving beyond mainstream Western medicine’s fatalistic narrative of the inevitability of disease.[1] I stopped faulting my body, mind, or genetics.[2] The problem wasn’t inside me—it was the environment I’d landed in. This wasn’t about giving up agency; it was about taking radical responsibility for the “captivity” I was living in. I didn’t design this modern world, but I could control my surroundings, the food I ate, and the mental chatter I allowed. There was nothing wrong with me. Yes, I’d picked up unhelpful habits from a high-pressure school system that valued “success” over well-being. Yes, antibiotics and medications had done more harm than good in my case. And yes, I’d eaten plenty of ultra-processed “food” from the microwave. But these were things I could change. My body wasn’t the enemy—it was fighting to survive an environment completely mismatched with my human nature. My sadness wasn’t a flaw; it was my body shouting, “This isn’t the right path!” Low energy was its way of saying, “Get me out of here!”

Now, I see chronic dis-ease through this lens: our bodies are doing their best, and beneath our mental illusions and confusions, our spirit is beautiful and whole. When we struggle, how can we reshape our environment? Our mental habits, the food we eat, the workplace we spend our days in? Can we sit in a park and let our body decompress in nature? Can we carve out quiet moments to escape the constant stimulation? When I catch myself trying to “fix” what’s wrong, I picture those zoo animals. There’s nothing wrong with them—they’re trapped in an environment which is completely corrosive and antithetical their nature. Unlike them, we can choose to leave the zoo.

Have you ever felt the need to “fix” yourself? What if there’s nothing broken? Maybe you just need support to create an environment where your body thrives. We don’t have to live off-grid in the woods (though I’d totally support you!). How can we bring nature back into our lives? Through real, nutrient-dense food, a calmer home, clean water, primal movement, morning sunlight, or a career that honors our nervous system and spirit. These choices restore our peace, vitality, and wildness in a zoo-like world. Rebuilding after years in captivity isn’t easy, but I believe we can all return to our vibrant, natural state.

What practices make you feel healthy and free?

🙏🌼🌱 Gabriela

[1] Questioning mainstream Western medicine doesn’t mean rejecting it entirely. Instead of falling into all-or-nothing traps—clinging to dogma or rebelling reactively—how can we embrace lifesaving surgeries and medications while discarding unhelpful narratives? In chronic dis-ease and imbalance, there’s vast room for improvement. By focusing on nourishment and environment, we can complement or replace medical advances with holistic approaches that honor our body’s natural wisdom.

[2] While rare genetic diseases exist—where gene X guarantees disease Y—chronic dis-ease has surged in industrialized nations. Why did our ancestors, with nearly identical genetics, rarely face these conditions? This doesn’t deny genetic predispositions; each of us has unique vulnerabilities under pressure, whether autoimmune issues, blood sugar imbalances, or mental health struggles. But rather than believing you were born broken, I propose hope: your body can find balance when nourished with the right food, environment, and mindset, countering the fatalistic notion that simply suppressing symptoms is your destiny.

Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.