The Journey To Wellness
3 years ago, I suffered from a terrible rash on the corners of my elbows. It started out slow and resembled eczema. The rash was accompanied by massive itching and was confined to one elbow. Initially, I opted to let it be, assuming it would subside naturally, as I had coped with eczema throughout my life.
I couldn’t have been more mistaken. Over the course of the next two years, it gradually worsened. The rash spread to the other elbow and proceeded to grow, rising up both elbows as if it was a vine. The itching intensified, driving me to scratch until I occasionally drew blood. The rash remained red and elevated, causing constant discomfort. Despite my efforts, I struggled to identify the cause behind my ordeal.
Since I had suffered from eczema my whole life, included in my medicine cabinet was antihistamine creams, steroid creams, and yeast creams. I spent two whole years testing those creams, along with over the counter creams and herbal remedies. Pretty much every single option at the store, I tried it. Nothing worked, nothing helped, nothing took away the redness, or the itching. All the while, it continued to worsen.
I had a notion that I was gluten intolerant and even tried to go gluten free, but I failed. I knew I would have to be gluten free for 3-6 months to see results and to be quite honest, I was not ready to give that up unless I had a real reason too. So I began searching for a holistic doctor. One who could help me find the root cause of my problem and help me eliminate it completely.
It took me a couple months of searching, until I found the right one, we are going to call him Dr. O. I was able to essentially interview him over the phone before I created my first appointment and I believed he was the best option to help me. He was about an hour away from my home and an initial visit was necessary to go over medical history and such. After the initial visit, Dr. O did zoom calls, which appeased me as I did not want to drive an hour away to visit a doctor.
Our initial appointment went wonderful. I believed he was on the right track to deciphering my skin related issues.Upon that appointment though, I realized that I was suffering from other health issues that I had not realized could possibly be related. Insomnia, depression, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, chest pain and abdominal pain all plagued me alongside my skin rash. When I left the appointment, I was nervous yet thrilled to finally start working towards a solution and healing my body from the inside out.
Doctor O wanted to start off with some blood work to see where my levels were at and allow us to understand what is happening inside of my body. The blood is the life of the body so if levels are not where they should be that can be a sign of a deficiency in those areas. He also wanted to have me complete a stool sample to see if there were any parasites, bacteria, or viruses that could be leading to a gastrointestinal issue.
What those results showed not only confirmed a few beliefs we had, but also put me in disbelief as well. My tests revealed I had anemia, low iron, deficiency in multiple vitamins, a gluten sensitivity, and a hole in the lining of my gut. Along with those results, my blood tested positive for an autoimmune disease. There is a second test that they want you to do after receiving positive blood work, which costs over $1200. I simply did not have that money to spend. The blood work showed that I had the AMA pattern matching lupus.
At first, I started to accept that diagnosis. I started to behave in ways that made me feel sicker. I started using my “diagnosis” as a crutch towards everything in life and my mental health dropped drastically. I thought to myself “Okay Candra, we can not go on throughout the multitude of years left in our lives, believing and acting this way.” With the help of my husband, I finally began believing that a diagnosis did not define me. I truly believed that if we could get to the root cause, I could give my body the environment it needed to heal.
Dr. O wanted to immediately start a gut health cleanse. His belief was that extensive childhood antibiotic use and other factors had potentially led to the development of a breach in the lining of my gastrointestinal tract. This breach was causing two main issues: firstly, food was exiting the gastrointestinal tract in an incorrect location, and secondly, it was doing so before undergoing adequate breakdown for absorption into the bloodstream. My blood was absorbing incompletely broken down food, and my immune system was reacting as though it was dealing with an infection.
We initiated the process right away by administering a combination of herbs aimed at eliminating all the bacteria in my gut. Immediately after, we embarked on a gut restoration phase, focusing on repairing and reconstructing the gut lining. This involved replenishing my body with bacteria required for proper functioning. This process spanned a total of three months. During this time, I made a conscious effort to minimize my gluten intake, avoiding sugars and eating a well balanced diet.
This process was very hard on my body. I had flu-like symptoms and for 2 weeks straight I felt sick all the time. I could barely get out of bed and was constantly using the heating pad on my stomach due to the pain I was in. I am beyond thankful that my husband was able to be home and take care of everything in the house during that time. He was and is such a blessing. Without him home, I am not sure what I would have done. I powered through the pain and at the end of the repairing process, my rash was gone.
I was so thrilled to see my elbows again, to not be itching myself to a near bleed and to finally not have a rash. The excitement was short lived however, as the rash came back within a month's time and with a vengeance. I was so upset, I shut down completely. I stopped going to all doctors appointments, and was falling back into the negative mindset trap.
Over the course of my rash, I had been deep diving into research in the health and wellness aspect. I spent countless hours looking into our health as a country, what caused the drastic health changes, and how our products & food is made in this country. Did you know that so many of our products have ingredients in them that haven’t even been tested for safety? And even the ingredients that have been tested for safety have found some serious complications; meaning they were banned in other countries due to the fact that they are not safe at all.
Learning all of this information was so intriguing to me and posed a ton of questions. Why were we not taught these things in school? Why was it hidden from us until we went searching for it? Why were more people not questioning our health as a country and why we’re all so unhealthy? What could I do to help people in this area?
It was my own health issues, followed by a deep dive into health that I found my passion and purpose - sharing simple non toxic swaps that you can make in your home paired with holistic wellness to live a thriving, vibrant, healthy life.
As my journey toward health and wellness unfolded, it became clear that my story was just the beginning of a much larger exploration. There are still so many questions to answer, so much knowledge to uncover, and so many changes to embrace on the path to vibrant well-being.
In this blog series, we will delve deeper into the world of non-toxic living, the intricacies of gut health, and the secrets behind making informed choices when it comes to the products we use and the food we consume. We'll explore the fascinating connections between our health, the environment, and the choices we make every day.
But this journey is not just about me; it's about all of us and the shared quest for healthier, happier lives. Together, we can empower ourselves with knowledge, make conscious decisions, and transform our well-being.
If you're as eager as I am to continue this exploration and discover the simple yet powerful changes that can lead to a thriving, vibrant, and healthy life, then I invite you to stay tuned. Subscribe to my blog, follow me on social media, or email me to join the conversation and share your own experiences.
Remember, our health is our most valuable asset, and we hold the keys to a brighter, healthier future. Let's unlock the door together
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