I used to wonder if it was at all possible for me to heal. After all, I tried everything. Diet, check. Active lifestyle, check (at least when I had the energy). And I designed a beautiful life; I had a loving and supportive family, I was on a career path of my choosing, and I pursued hobbies to feed my soul. Everything was perfect, except the part where I felt exhausted, in constant discomfort, and emotionally disconnected to the life around me. The most frustrating thing about it was I couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
On my quest to get better, I actually made myself worse. I started down a traditional western medicine route; a conventional doctor, an allergy specialist and a long-term vegetarian diet. Turns out, these decisions were kryptonite for me. The injections landed me in the ER more than once. My body was literally rejecting the toxins because it could not tolerate any more. The constant barrage of anti-biotics and steroids from multiple inhalers continued to wreak havoc, not only on my gut-health, but on my adrenal glands and hormones. My energy levels were depleted, and my nervous system was in fight-or-flight, an acute stress response from perceived threats (food intolerances, environmental toxins, etc.). And my mental health took its toll because I spent years as a vegetarian. I won’t get deep into the vegetarian lifestyle (because there’s many ways to go about this) but I was severely deficient in nutrients and did not have the skills to properly manage a diet void of animal products. This led to joint-pain, brain fog, migraines, bloating, and a gradual decline of neurological disorders.
After a number of failed attempts on that path, I decided to stop the injections and most of my prescription meds. My doctor suggested removing wheat from my diet. The term gluten-free had not yet made its way onto the grocery scene so I had to read ingredients and prepare most of my food from scratch. I was desperate to feel better and willing to try anything. I removed bread, tortillas, cereals and pastas. And as I started reading labels, I was astounded by the number of products that included wheat. It was everywhere. In my canned foods, in my bottled goods, and in my meat substitutes. I later removed dairy and decided to add in poultry and fish. Those changes made a mild difference and I felt that I was on to something. But there were still some major pieces to the puzzle missing.
In search of answers, a book was making waves called The Paleo Solution, The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf. The thought of there being an original human diet, the diet we’re meant to be eating, resonated with me.
The concept was new for me, but it felt like the next natural step to consider. Then another book came my way; Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers by David Perlmutter.
Suddenly, I was certain, I was on the right path. My energy shot up and I dove in. I changed my diet. Then I cleaned up my diet, meaning the quality of the foods I was buying and eating started to slowly get upgraded. I learned about nurturing my body and started to accept the fact that resting more was good for me. And little by little, the brain fog began to lift, the joint pain disappeared and everything I had done up to this point began to become crystal clear, the dots started to connect.
Necessary nutrients in and reducing/removing toxins equated to healing my gut and repairing my nervous system. A healthy gut and a relaxed nervous system gave way for my body to start lowering the inflammation, building a strong immune system and healing itself.
I was on my way to restoring my health and reclaiming my life. Answers and solutions were on the horizon.
If you’re at all feeling defeated or beat up from trying and not getting anywhere, just know that 1) you’re doing your best and you are not to blame AND 2) healing is possible. The support you’re seeking is out there.
Other steps I took on journey:
• Adopted the AIP – autoimmune protocol, a Paleo diet that goes even further by removing potential autoimmune triggers. This is a temporary diet that first removes all triggers then slowly reintroduces food in a particular order.
• Worked with a Functional Medicine Practitioner who helped identify specific gut infections and designed supplement protocols to kill off infections, support the liver and gallbladder, reinoculated the gut, and support my hormones without the use of antibiotics.
• Worked in conjunction with my Holistic Doctor for bi-annual lab work to measure and monitor my Thyroid condition and hormone levels.
• Added a quality air-filter to my bedroom.
• Took steps to improve the quality of my sleep (aka optimize healing).
• Added in mindfulness practices of my choosing such as yoga, tai-chi, meditation, nature walks, time in nature, soothing music that trained my mind to be more connected to my body, physically and spiritually.
• Educated myself on the ancestral diet and healing lifestyles.
Some things to keep in mind:
• Unraveling a lifetime of choices isn’t necessary to start feeling better now.
• You already have the most important factor you need to restore your health; a
desire to feel better.
• The tools are within you, you are your best doctor
• Start slow and start small, find your pace and be open to experimenting
• Ask yourself every step of the way, how does (fill in the blank) feel to me as a next potential step?
• Listen to your intuition
• Support is within reach
If you want to discuss where you are in your journey to overcoming chronic illness or
living with a condition and still thriving, click HERE to schedule a free consult. If you’re
not ready to sign up for coaching but want to talk about what steps you could take
next, I’m available for that too. No pressure. I want to support you in your journey, anyway I can.