I couldn’t be happier that you are here. I love being an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and I am so excited for all of the visions I have, not only to bring you all kinds of healthy lifestyle information right here on this blog, but also to have the chance to bring healing to so many other women. I know my journey has been long and very windy-through ups and downs with my own health- and endless doctors who told me “nothing was wrong” or that it “was all in my head”, but I am here to tell you I healed myself. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I believe that we all have the power to heal ourselves, but with so much information out there, it can be confusing and stressful trying to figure out where to begin. And that is my mission with coaching; To make a healthy lifestyle accessible and sustainable.
My story with health issues goes all the way back to being a toddler. You can read a little of my story here. I was born with a minor heart defect which led me to being on a medication to treat it until I was 5. I have no lingering issues with my heart that I am aware of, but that was the onset of medications as a child. My mother was constantly dosing my four brothers and I with that weird pink and slightly bubble gum tasting Amoxicillin like it was dessert at my house, all through my childhood- If one of us was sick, we all got a dose as a precaution. My poor belly was doomed from the start.
Who knew back in the early 80’s that antibiotics would wipe all of your bacteria, good and bad, out of the body and lead you down a path of gut destruction? Well, that’s what happened to me.
I also suffered from disordered eating, specifically Anorexia Nervosa between the ages of 11-16. Although, as I have gone through life I have noticed that I followed such strict diets along my healing journey, some that I really HAD to because I became so sick that most foods were intolerable and indigestible, that I still felt like I was on such restriction that it was miserable and at times very triggering. People around me would make fun of me or ask “Well, what CAN you eat?” like I was trying to get attention or something. As early as I can remember all the way back to early childhood, I experienced extreme gut issues, mainly constipation that later turned to the complete opposite end of the spectrum to where nothing I ate stayed in my body long enough to be digested. My belly was consistently in pain and I suffered extreme bloating that resembled a very pregnant woman for years on end. After I ate a meal you could literally watch my belly go from flat to 6 months prego in a matter of minutes. My skin was a mess and I was breaking out with cystic and painful acne. Three and a half years ago, I lost half my hair. I developed SIBO AND SIFO and had an intense Candida overgrowth in my digestive system, and everything went completely crazy. I tested positive for parasites, thanks to a trip to India, Nepal, and Bali. (and honestly, probably 13 years of kissing my dogs Love and Reba!) My periods were always so frequent that I literally entered into peri-menopause at 40. I am 43 now and just spoke with my doctor yesterday who rechecked all of my hormones, and yep-I’m still in it. Luckily, my symptoms are minimal at this point and after 20 years of periods sometimes 10-14 days apart, I am pretty happy to be done with all of that! (although there are some drawbacks to going into menopause 5-10 years earlier than most would. I digress-that’s another blog!)
After years of seeking help from Integrative and traditional Doctors who took thousands of my dollars for tests and fed me handfuls of supplements, one even put me on thyroid medication-although my thyroid test results were fine-(and sent my hormones in a loop that I am still trying to equal back out and regulate) I am better! I found an acupuncturist who also held a degree in molecular biology, who helped me and listened to me and validated that no, none of this was in my head. With her guidance she helped me to finally heal! No more bloating; I lost the 7 pounds of “hormonal low belly weight” that had snuck on and I couldn’t shed; my hair is growing back; I have eaten gluten and dairy in small amounts for the first time in over 12 years with no negative side effects; I am back to normal “habits” in the bathroom (big win!) I’m sleeping better; I have more energy. I could go on and on!
I am happy to share all of this with you, because I truly want you to know that I have been there too. Unhappy in the skin I was wearing. Hearing the voices of shame loud and clear in my own head. Not being heard or taken seriously by medical professionals we are supposed to trust. Frustrated that no matter what, nothing changed or got better. I get it. But, it can get better and you can heal too. No, I am not doctor or an expert. And obviously I am not proclaiming that you can cure incurable diseases-although, I am not saying that isn’t possible either! But, I do trust that given half the chance and the proper tools and support, that many dis-eases can be treated and healed.
I have so much more to share and I can’t wait to do just that! If any of this resonates with you and you’d like to chat about your own health journey and what coaching with me looks like, I invite you to take advantage of the Free Discovery Call that I offer. Until next time, Be Well!