I was given one year to live.

My cancer diagnosis was essentially a death sentence. It was also the beginning of my healing journey that, against less than 1% survival odds, lead to a balanced and full life, dreams coming true, and discovery of my life's purpose.

I'm Karita, and I survived. What matters most to me is helping you find your path to hope and healing, too.

Let's work together on bringing medicine, diet that supports your healing, and complementary treatments to walk hand in hand for the good of all our wellbeing.

And let's not give up. EVER.

♥, Karita

What is Nordic healing?

Reconnecting with nature, as a habit.

Tapping into age-old knowledge stemming from connection to nature is nothing new to us. There are superfoods right under our feet - I collect herbs like nettle and dandelion on my yard and use them in my green smoothies all the time. Try this: leave your phone inside and go out to take a few deep breaths. Take a moment to appreciate nature and its healing, restorative power. You'll feel it. Give nature a chance to do its thing - regularly - this slowing down is at the heart of healing.

Whatever works best must be used!

In the Nordics, if we see something that works well, we like to adopt it. Democracy wasn't our invention but commitment to it has helped make Finland the happiest country in the world for three years in a row*. And the idea of free education which we embrace, stems from the United States.** Similarly, I embrace Indian wisdom of yoga and ayurveda, and any wonderful perspectives from around the world that help me heal. The Nordic approach is: whatever works best must be used!

In Finland, we have this thing called sisu.

Sisu refers to a tenacity or determination that's mirrored in the saying "if there's a will, there's a way" - even when the odds are against you, you keep on going until you achieve your goal. The sisu*** force is strong in us Finns, and it plays an important part in my 7-Step Healing System. The power of the mind is incredible, and if you haven't made a strong, conscious decision to heal, I don't know how healing will be possible. The power to heal lies in our hands, on our plates, and - in our minds.

* Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for 4 years in a row in the United Nations Happiness Report.
** Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the USA, proposed establishing free schools.
*** Sisu is not the simplest concept to explain in brief so I'll let Wikipedia tell you more.

I strongly believe that your body holds the power to heal.
It constantly pursues balance. Your body wants to heal.

I strongly believe that your body holds the power to heal. It constantly pursues balance. Your body wants to heal.

Karita Nordic Healing - I Survived author of Nordic Guide to Healing

Karita Nordic Healing books and magazines

Karita Aaltonen

AUTHOR • SPEAKER • WELLNESS EDUCATOR

Karita is a wellness educator, speaker, author, and yoga retreat leader from Tampere, Finland. Her mission in life is to give people hope, offer positive peer support to cancer patients, and share knowledge of holistic healing–with the aim of facilitating wide adoption of complementary practices along with western medicine in treatment of disease.

On Valentine's Day 2012, what was suspected to be a bad migraine was diagnosed as the worst and most feared type of brain cancer, Glioblastoma Multiforme Gradus IV. This brought Karita's busy life to a standstill. Her two boys Rene and Nooa were just 8 and 5 years at the time. "A mom of small children can't die!", she thought, and knew that she had to make a choice:

Will I live in fear, expecting to only live for a few months to a year, focused on the reasons I DON'T want to die... Or will I focus on the reasons I WANT to live for - and I chose the latter, easy. I wanted to live so much it almost burst my heart.

After a 6-hour surgery, a week in the hospital, and learning how to walk again, Karita soon returned to her normal life. But it was far from normal - not because of the epilepsy seizures because the doctors told her to expect them... But her intuition was telling her, strongly, that something's not right. She insisted on a scan right away to confirm: grade 4 brain cancer had renewed, after just two months.

This was the beginning of a "new life" for Karita. The idea of a Healing Circle was born–a system of holistic healing with seven areas of focus: the decision to heal; the people around you; your diet; the power of the mind, body and nature; hope... It was necessary to revamp all these aspects of life and gear them towards healing.

I decided that if no one has cured from this type of cancer before, then I simply have to be the first one to do it.

Instead of seeing the cancer as an enemy to fight within her body, Karita viewed it as a 2-inch friend who had come to teach her. "I believe cancer is a an urgent call from your body, mind, and soul to change."

Celebrating eight years healthy, Karita has dedicated her life to wellness education through public speaking, holistic health advocation, yoga and detox retreats, spearheading TV shows and wellness summits, launching an online course Build Your Healing Circle: The 7-Step System to Holistic Healing, and authoring two books in Finnish. Her first English book I Survived: A Nordic Woman's Guide to Healing from Cancer launched in September 2021 (by Nordic Wisdom).

Karita Aaltonen

AUTHOR • SPEAKER • WELLNESS EDUCATOR

Will I live in fear, expecting to only live for a few months to a year, focused on the reasons I DON'T want to die... Or will I focus on the reasons I WANT to live for–and I chose the latter, easy. I wanted to live so much it almost burst my heart.

Karita Aaltonen Nordic Healing Guide for cancer survival and her kids

After a 6-hour surgery, a week in the hospital, and learning how to walk again, Karita soon returned to her normal life. But it was far from normal–not because of the epilepsy seizures because the doctors told her to expect them... But her intuition was telling her, strongly, that something's not right. She insisted on a scan right away to confirm: grade 4 brain cancer had renewed, after just two months.

I decided that if no one has cured from this type of cancer before, then I simply have to be the first one to do it.

WORDS FOR WELLBEING

FRIEND, REPEAT AFTER ME:

Instead of feeling like a victim of my circumstances, I choose to be brave. I take responsibility for my own wellbeing. I trust in my own strength & intuition.

WORDS FOR WELLBEING

FRIEND, REPEAT AFTER ME:

Instead of feeling like a victim of my circumstances, I choose to be brave. I take responsibility for my own wellbeing. I trust in my own strength & intuition.

Let's connect.

What's your
North Star?

What inspires you like crazy? What's most important to you? How close are you to the path YOU KNOW you want to be on?

I survived against less than 1% odds from brain cancer - twice - and am here today on a mission. I want to inspire you to find your north star, your passion and purpose.

My dharma code and soul's purpose is to give you hope when hope feels lost. However difficult your situation is, there's always, always hope! The power of your own mind is incredible and I'm a living proof of it. Trust in your body's ability to heal and in your mind's power to support that healing in incredible ways.

My mission is clear.

SO I WROTE A BOOK: