I had suffered with the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue for over 13 years. Through this time I had always eaten what I considered quite healthy. I guess in hindsight 'quite healthy' back then compared to what I know now is very misconstrued though. In the August of 2015 I found myself in a position where it was possible to concentrate more on my needs and at this time the Universe magically provided me with the people I needed to be involved with to get the results I needed. Upon my first visit a possible solution was presented to this illness that I would not wish on ANYONE ... EVER (the illness that is, not the solution!).
Diet.
Suddenly I started a whole new relationship with food. I started on an eating plan for leaky gut. After reading about the symptoms of this problem and how it develops it made perfect sense. Taking as balanced approach as I could I did my best to follow all the 'rules' and I was rewarded rather quickly by being in considerably less pain and my clarity of thought was better on a consistent basis to what it had been for longer than I can remember. This was fantastic BUT I was still struggling with issues and through further investigation I decided to adopt a 'Candida' eating plan alongside the 'healing gut' food plan. The learning curve was extensive and frustrating but I was pretty determined that this was the point of my life where everything changed and with a lot of determination and patience I continued to work toward that successful outcome.
AND I did see significant results!
It was remarkable to see my nails start growing ... they had never grown! My skin was suddenly supple and looking brighter rather than the years of issues I had with psoriasis. Across the board my body seemed to embrace the change and continue to heal, even issues that were just niggling annoying things that I rarely gave a thought to anymore. I remember just thinking over time ... wow, I haven't had issues from that for so long now. Of course the most significant change was the LACK of pain and the LACK of brain fog. I still wake up feeling SOOOOOOOO grateful that these no longer reside with me. I have not had pain killers (until I had the flu a few weeks back) since I started this journey. That if nothing else screams how important what we put in our bodies is.
Over time I learned to cook with the most beneficial spices and herbs to help with inflammation and gut healing but for some reason my stomach was still giving me grief. I was confused and at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I am sure you can relate to that feeling that you are doing everything you believe possible but you just cannot seem to find the last pieces to the puzzle. I was so here. I went back to basics and decided I needed some clinical evidence of what was going on in my body. I sent of for a hair follicle test. This was a massive eye opener for me! This highlighted some major intolerance's I had and some rather large deficiencies I had developed. At this point I felt very much like I had to re-assess everything I knew.
Obviously, in the name of good health, this is EXACTLY what I did.
The things I noted mostly were ...
The deficiencies I had were able to be resolved with foods I was eating on a daily basis, that confused me.
The intolerance's to food I had were in a large proportion of everything I was eating.
My conclusion to this was, figure out the 'safe' foods and then through some more extensive reading I worked out how to kick start my digestion back into working efficiently so that it would actually absorb the nutrients that I was giving it. I did the latter by using digestive enzymes, HCL, and probiotics (which I have actually taken from the beginning of this). I also have a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in water before my main meal of the day. All this was quite effective, I no longer burp or belch or have indigestion to any degree.
Finding the safe foods has been a slower process. Fortunately I am a certified dowser and through this skill I have more effectively nailed down exactly what my body can tolerate and to what percentage it can tolerate it. I am so thankful for this skill, it has cut down the trial and error process considerably. My diet now is so changed from that which once was, and continues to develop and change as I work with what I discover BUT most importantly is I FEEL GOOD. Yes it can be annoying being on a strict food regime but to be brutally honest you have to just accept it. Those feelings of frustration and annoyance and being disgruntled just serve to bring you down and make you feel bad again. That's not cool! Work with who you are, celebrate every little discovery as a path to a brighter road ahead opens up and you realise that every day you wake up saying 'Aright, lets do it!' rather than '*GROAN* (mental calculation of pain level) (mental calculation of days activities) (mental calculation of what you absolutely cannot bail on versus what you can) drag yourself out of bed ....'
To all my fellow fibro warriors, to all those who suffer with other autoimmune diseases and to those who struggle with mental illness and clarity. For anyone that I have missed. Diet is the keystone to turning things around. Healing takes place on ALL levels - body, mind & soul - but if at the very least you can wake up feeling clear and focused then you are one step closer to working through and implementing the necessary changes to gain freedom of living.
This is a very long blog! Thankyou for sticking with me and as always, if anyone would like to contact me then you can do so through my Facebook page (healwithairmeith) or through the 'contact' page on my website.
Warmest regards xx