As a child, I remember I was always sick and constantly missed school. During my 20’s and 30’s, I continued to struggle with constant sickness. It was starting to severely impact my life.
Later in my 30’s, I also dealt with aches and pains in my joints, and constant fatigue (where many would assume I was “lazy”).
What I didn’t know back then is that I was dealing with chronic illness and inflammation due to several things, including food sensitivities.
Finding My Intuition
The big wake-up call for me occurred once my first child was born. Baby #1 was fussy (and I’m not talking new baby fussy). This baby would scream at night for hours on end. It was awful.
Soon after, we determined that our baby had what many parenting books refer to as “colic.” However, what I learned is that colic is basically this nebulous term that is thrown out there for desperate parents to grasp on to. “Oh, don’t worry Grandma, Billy’s always fussy and just a colicky baby.”
Then, when my son was just three months old, he was diagnosed with reflux along with lots of ear infections and rashes in places where you do not want rashes. What we didn’t know then that our pediatrician also didn’t seem to know, is that these symptoms can all be caused by undiagnosed food sensitivities. Oh, and that “colic“ – also undiagnosed food sensitivities.
Our pediatrician’s solutions were pills, cortisone creams, and ear surgery. None of that felt right to me.
Instead, my urge was to figure out what is CAUSING these ailments? I mean, there must be a cause, right?
Slowly, I began to trust my intuition, devoured natural baby books, and sought out health care providers who focused on finding a cause and who valued prevention.
Imagine our immense relief when several months later we found a wonderful alternative practitioner who finally diagnosed my son’s food sensitivities! My son’s body was telling him (and us) exactly what it didn’t want. We just had to tune into that special message.
By this time, my intuition was telling me, loud and clear, to seek out the root of the problem so it could be prevented. Ultimately, this led me down the path seeking holistic health and healing.
My Natural Health Journey
Once we understood the connection with my son’s health challenges and his food sensitivities, I began to analyze my own health challenges. If my son was sensitive to wheat, dairy and soy and those were culprits of his distended tummy, perhaps those didn’t agree with my tummy either? As it turns out, those were ABSOLUTELY part of my problem!
But health is like an onion. It has many, many layers and it’s certainly not “one size fits all!”
Finally, in my 40’s I found a team of practitioners who dove deep into my health history, connected ALL of the dots, and made some important diagnoses.
With the help of author and practitioner, Jessica Flanigan, and functional Doctor Joe Smith of Atlas Health, I was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Yes, I say “finally” because I fought hard to get to the root of what my body was experiencing. In addition, they discovered a genetic iron loading blood disorder called Hemachromatosis that can cause symptoms such as fatigue and joint pain. It also can cause many common disease such as diabetes, heart disease and liver disease.
But wait, there’s more… MOLD and mold toxicity. And boy what a mind-blowing journey that has been.
Through my experiences, there is one thing I know for sure. There is no magic bullet or quick fix. The key is learning to tap into your intuition and your own awareness — our bodies tell us a lot. It’s a beautiful process and I’m here to help.
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