I saw a naturopath over the weekend. The visit was enlightening and scary at the same time. Enlightening in that I'm not going crazy. My symptoms are real. And there is something I can do about it.
It was scary in that there is so much that goes on within the body that we cannot see - but we can feel it. For example, I've begun a journey of quitting sugar. I've noticed that after I decrease my intake for a while, the minute I have something sugary, I get an instant headache. Or something with carbs - my athlete's foot will flare up. My body has a cycle of feeling "inflamed" and feeling normal. I've noticed this cycle and have, within the last few months/years have really begun to analyze what I eat. By process of elimination, I found that there are certain foods that I can and cannot tolerate. I don't live strictly by these lists but I try.
The naturopath I saw on Saturday confirmed these foods to avoid, among others - without me even telling her and I found that fascinating. The list includes Cow dairy, Goat dairy, apples, oregano, basil, coconut, tomatoes, coffee peppers and some other interesting items. The reason why I have to avoid these foods is because of a chemical imbalance caused by my liver and kidneys not functioning properly. Living a high stress lifestyle for so long, coupled with Lyme Disease 11 years ago, has caused this imbalance. To add to that, I have several heavy metals floating around in my body. High levels of chlorine - from lifeguarding and swimming for a combined 12-13 years. My pH is also off contributing to a constant swing of bacterial and fungal infections. All of these underlying things lead to fatigue, migraines, tinnitus and myriads of other symptoms. I saw so many doctors in 2012, probably more than I have ever seen in my lifetime combined. They all told me I was healthy - but no one explained my symptoms.
So I went on a personal self-diagnosis journey - one that I'm still on.
The first adjustment I tried to make (and am still trying to make) is getting more sleep. Sleep is essential for the body to function correctly. It's a natural "Recharge". The adrenal glands use the sleep time to repair and restore the body. The ideal time to go to bed and actually be asleep is between the hours of 9 and 11. If you are not asleep within this time frame, the adrenals are no able to fully do their job. Compound this over the long term and you have a mess. I realized that I functioned better, felt better (both physically and about myself) and my headaches weren't as frequent or as bad.
The second adjustment I have been making is what I eat. If it comes out of a box or a can, I generally don't eat it..and by this I mean processed foods. As far as processed foods go, we have no idea of the amount of chemicals, preservatives and additives that is used in processed foods. So Good-bye Stouffer's Lasagna and Mac and Cheese. It's been fun but I'd rather make it myself.
Another food I cut out was dairy. I did this unintentionally at first. I'm not a big milk drinker and with cutting out cereal I had no reason to buy it. I also wasn't eating cheese because I just didn't think about it. The only thing I would eat dairy-wise was an occasional yogurt. One day at the store, I decided I wanted cereal and milk - why not deviate once in a while! And the result was an afternoon of stomach cramping and misery. I realized I had become lactose intolerant (something that runs in my family too). But in reality, most humans really can't process cow dairy. It's very difficult for our bodies to break down the enzymes. But we do it anyway!
I cut out carbs (breads, pastas etc) because of the yeast factor. I realized that the list of things I could eat was slowly getting smaller and smaller.
I've tried many detoxes, different ways of eating, different supplements, but I never really pinpointed what was going on in my body. I've known something was off but I didn't know what.
The third adjustment has been to decrease the stress in my life - or as some call it, to live slow. I love the thought of living slow. Our society has commercialized the ideas of quick and easy. Weight loss, hair removal, fast food, results in the gym - it's all around us. We have forgotten what it's like to work hard and yet take pride in something. Living slow doesn't mean not living at all. It means slowing down and taking an opportunity to enjoy life, one minute at a time. I understand busy schedules - trust me I do! During my weekdays, I'm up at for a good 18-19 hours of the day between the gym, work and school. I have lived this kind of life for the last 5-6 years. I am now seeing the results of a high stress lifestyle and it is painful.
What has kept me going is my faith, which has been strengthened throughout this ordeal. Through all of this I reground myself in my Jesus and ultimately look to him for the path to healing.
Oddly enough, through these struggles, an email I sent out regarding my health issues back in February indirectly put me in touch with the wonderful man I am currently dating. God has richly blessed me with his love support and encouragement throughout our relationship. God is using him mightily in my life as I seek out God's purpose for me and the gifts he has given me. To put some things in perspective - if I had never been sick, I wouldn't have come crying to Jesus for help when I did. The process of strengthening my faith through God's grace stirred something in me and I had to share it with my family and friends. The e-mail I sent somehow made its way to his inbox and when he read my email he was touched by what he read. We accidently (or not so accidently in God's eyes) met a few months later with me having no idea that he had read that e-mail. We've been dating ever since and I tell this story because it has shown me that God can take ANY and EVERY seemingly bad situation and turn it around for good. But What I've also learned is that people misread Romans 8:28. They read "God works all things together for good" and fail to remember the "to those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose". When we're living for God and His purpose, using the gifts that we've been given, He is able to take the good, the bad and the ugly and make something completely wonderful. Maybe you're suffering now - physically, emotionally, mentally - maybe at some point, God will bring someone else across your path who is struggling with the same things....giving you an opportunity to witness and minister to them.
Seeing the naturopath gave me hope. She has me on a supplement regimen that is slowly and gently detoxing my body. I have a list of foods to avoid, I have to use more natural cleaning products and perfume/dye free detergent. I've begun to eliminate those specific foods and I'm slow starting to feel the difference. My energy feels better, and my outlook is more positive. But ultimately, I'm reminded that as humans, we're fragile and if we don't start listening to our bodies and taking care of them, we will never reach the full potential that God has in store for us physically and emotionally. I'm blessed with relatively good health. Some other people I know who are also Christians are not and have struggled for years with physical ailments - but what they are blessed with is an incredible mental outlook and an incredible testimony. These people inspire me to continue to pursue my passion of health and fitness. So that, one day,I can help people whether nutritionally, mentally or just by telling my story. God brings special people into lives for a reason. I hope to be that special person for someone one day.
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