Another Layer of the Health Onion Revealed

Have you ever had unexplained pain? Or pain and exhaustion that seems to have an explanation but no remedy? There may be a simple (yet seemingly crazy) reason why. This is a two-part story due to the tangled knot of discovery and efforts to unravel my very own mystery. You may see yourself or someone you know in the following two stories.

As I marched through the process of feeling better, feeling worse, feeling better, worse (you get the idea) from 2006 through 2009, I figured it was my busy lifestyle that created the health roller coaster. Mid-year 2006, I was working as a commissioned sales rep in Florida and having a long-distance relationship, travelling every couple of weeks to Tennessee. After about six months, my boyfriend (eventually my husband, Ken) who lived in Knoxville decided to move to Florida to be with me, so we bought a house together and got ready to settle in when an amazing job opportunity for Ken presented itself -- in Las Vegas. 

Now we had to rent or buy a house in Vegas and fly hours to be together. I did most of the travelling and ended up working there and Florida, opening Vegas accounts for my company a week or two a month. Back and forth I went for a year until Ken's dream opportunity fell through and everything seemed to fall apart. The list of disasters that followed are too lengthy to detail here, but suffice it to say the immense financial strain, the emotional stress and the physical toll came together like the perfect storm and at the end of 2008, I crashed. I was sick with respiratory infections and strep for months and couldn't seem to get back on track. 

I was still getting Vitamin C IVs, and doing all the right things for my body and my spirit, but it wasn't enough. I slogged through 2009, planned our small wedding on the beach, and ended up having to quit my job (doctor's orders) due to stress and exhaustion. I ended up with strep throat again on our honeymoon in November, and never felt completely well even after it was gone.

The cascade continued into December when I had an old dental filling replaced. It should have been an easy procedure, but it didn't go as planned (very inexperienced dentist) and I ended up with my first root canal in March 2010. Infection took hold and I had an apicoectomy in July. I was also on Amoxicillin the entire time (seven months), which was counter-intuitive to everything I knew but felt I had no choice. We went on a vacation in late August and while we were in northern Michigan, the throbbing in my face was so awful I ended up having the tooth yanked. A $4100 molar in the garbage...ouch!

That same summer, I had also begun suffering with a bum hip. The vice-like tightness and stabbing, shooting pain in my groin and thigh worsened until I could barely walk -- I was running on pure frustration. I had recently turned forty and thought, "Well, isn't this wonderful. I can hardly wait to see what fifty is like." I was not in a good place emotionally, however I did start feeling better after the infected molar was pulled, and within a couple of months my hip pain receded enough that I could get back to yoga and light exercise. Finally some relief.

In January 2011 as I began the somewhat violent process of a dental implant to replace the missing molar, my groin pain waxed-and-waned and I started having allergic reactions to God-knows-what. I was covered in hives and my lips, tongue, throat and cheeks were raw, swollen and blistered all the time. It was especially bad in the morning; my lips would crack and bleed from the swelling. I looked like Goldie Hawn in First Wives Club. If it didn't hurt so much it might have been funny, but I was miserable and scared. What if whatever I was allergic to caused me to stop breathing while I slept? I eliminated everything I was eating in stages trying to figure it out. This went on throughout the summer as I went to numerous allergists and specialists trying to figure out the mystery. Nobody had any answers.

I was limping (again, no exercise) with a swollen face and hives. I was thin, tired, gaunt and afraid of everything. I didn't want to go anywhere for fear I'd pass out (as I had started to do). I was racking up thousands of dollars of debt on holistic and regular treatments and tests. Depression and fear were my constant companions, though I had to pretend otherwise. 

Just as I gave in to feeling totally lost and out of ideas, along came one of my angels, my dermatologist's PA, Sandra, who had been doing my mole checks for years and knew me very well. I told her what was going on and she asked, "Didn't you have your wedding ring reset because of the nickel in the white gold?" I looked at her strangely, and replied, "Yes, why?" 

"There's nickel in silverware and cooking utensils and pans and a lot of food," she explained. She suggested I eat with plastic and use ceramic pans and knives and research foods containing nickel. For the next couple of days, I ate with plastic and the reactions subsided. The only spot that was red and raw was a stripe on my tongue below the temporary abutment (screw) that was for my soon-to-be permanent crown. It was the abutment! I called the periodontist and found out I could get the permanent titanium abutment and crown right away. 

At last I had a gorgeous new molar and massive relief knowing I could control my allergy to nickel. I bought nickel-free silverware, ceramic pans, knives, made sure my mixer, toaster and other items were nickel-free, though I had to continue to eat with plastic for many, many months when we went out to restaurants -- so embarrassing! I always felt compelled to explain myself to the server, "I'm allergic to nickel," I would sheepishly say. I ordered things that were grilled (to avoid pans) and food that I could eat with chop sticks. It took several months for my raw mouth to calm down, but eventually it did. 

There are six hundred million people allergic to nickel and many more who don't know they are. It's in everything, all around us -- cell phones, purses, jewelry, zippers, coins, most metal kitchen items, belt buckles, some dental metals, tattoo ink and surprisingly it's in medical needles. It's in most food but higher concentrations are in canned and fermented foods, like sauerkraut, beer and wine. It's also higher in food that grows in the ground like peanuts and potatoes. And sadly, it's high in coffee, tea and chocolate. 

Yes, I am still allergic to nickel, though symptom free. Back then it became so severe because it was in my mouth and my immune system was at rock-bottom. My body wasn't able to handle the long-term load of physical pain, months of antibiotics and the emotional distress, which led to my adrenal glands working in "fight or flight" mode constantly, weakening them so they could no longer do their job. 

So how do you know if you're having an allergy or intolerance to something? There are two reactions and we're all familiar with the obvious one where you itch and swell and sneeze and sometimes have an anaphylactic response. That's an immediate histamine reaction (IgE antibodies) that can be controlled with antihistamines or a steroid injection.

The other, more subtle allergy is an IgG immune response (food, nickel) where your body will release antibodies to an invader over the course of several days. These can show up as headaches, rashes, nausea, hyperactivity or anxiousness, swollen joints and fluid retention, intestinal disorders, and sometimes even seizures. They are hard to detect because they're not obvious and require a lot of trial and error. I have found in doing research that these kind of sensitivities seem to be a clue to the early stages of an autoimmune deficiency.

I have done several food sensitivity tests, but in my experience, I can be intolerant to a food for a day or a month, stay away from it and then be able to eat it again in moderation. And most results have shown that I am allergic to everything I am currently eating, like lettuce, because it's in my blood serum. One test result said I'm not allergic to nuts. If I had believed the test and ate nuts, I could have died. So, I personally don't trust the tests anymore. I listen to my body and use muscle testing as a guide (I'll explain that later).

One of my experiences with food sensitivities that came out of nowhere and went away was with corn and turkey. The day of my husband Ken's funeral, I had a light luncheon for all who attended that included a sandwich platter and seven-layer dip with corn chips. I was able to choke down some turkey and a few corn chips. My immune system associated those two items with the severe anguish that my adrenal system was trying to handle and said to my body, "This is bad -- we don't want you here." I could finally eat those two things again about six months later. 

When my immune system is strong, I have a little more freedom with what I eat, but when I'm stressed or feeling low, I have to be careful. 

As for jewelry, white gold can be made with palladium instead of nickel. It's about the same price and keeps its shine better. Platinum and nickel-free sterling silver are also good choices. 

To start a nickel-free kitchen, you will find a wide variety of nickel-free flatware online. Stainless will have a number stamped on it like 18/8. That means its 18% chromium, 8% nickel. Nickel-free is 18/0. It's not as durable, but it's a safer choice and it's inexpensive so you can change it up every couple of years. 

I find my ceramic pans at the TJ MAXX group of stores.  I haven't found ceramic baking sheets yet so I always use parchment to line them. I won't use Teflon or any pans (ceramic or otherwise) made in China due to possible lead and other additives. My ceramic pans are all made in Italy, Germany or the Netherlands. You can also use aluminum or cast iron, but I try to eliminate any metal leaching into my food. 

There are nickel testing kits on nickelfreelife.com or amazon.com that are easy to use. If an item contains nickel, the cotton swab turns pink. It's as simple as that.

Once the dental implant process was over I was sure I could rebuild my system and get back to a normal life. Little did I know, the nickel allergy was just a pebble in a heap of gravel and things would get much worse before they would get better. 

Stay tuned...the Mysterious Link will shake your beliefs and maybe save a life.

"When you are young and healthy, it never occurs to you that in a single second your whole life could change." Annette Funicello

This blog is in no way a diagnosis tool or medical recommendation. Do not use it to make your own diagnosis without consulting an alternative/holistic or eastern medicine practitioner.

Hormone Balance at Any Age

This post is quite personal, but I am sharing it with the hope that it will have a positive impact on at least one reader. The summer of 2005 I began searching for a reason (and a solution) to sudden "female" issues and the onset of crushing fatigue that I couldn't seem to get over.

I had been using Depo for ten years due to uncontrollable and severe periods and PMS, with positive results. However, at thirty-five, I began having strange female issues and concluded that it might be the shot. I finally skipped a round of shots and started having heavy periods every ten days, bleeding so badly that I couldn't work or function. I felt like my body was falling apart but figured it would settle down once the drug was out of my system. It didn't.  

After about two months, I went to my gynecologist for help and also saw my general practitioner for a regular physical. I was informed that my blood work was "PERFECT" and told that indeed, everything I was experiencing would get better with time. My regular GP suggested antidepressants for the fatigue, mood swings and body aches. I tried a few different brands over the course of several months and found they made me feel strange and did not change my energy. In fact, from what I remember, they made me more lethargic and sort of mentally numb. As for the bleeding, he said "perimenopause" and that was that.

That's when I turned to a friend who had started walking the "natural hormone" path. I found out where she was going and how she was going about feeling better and thought I'd give it a try.

Problem was, I couldn't work or live a normal life due to the bleeding, so something had to be done rapidly. To my relief, I convinced my gynecologist to perform a hysterectomy nearly a year after the mess had started. A week before surgery, I went to the clinic suggested by my friend and started my evaluation with saliva testing to find out my hormone levels. I knew it would be a good baseline for bioidentical hormone replacement. Surgery went well and I kept one ovary (thank you Dr. Stephanie for begging me to do that). 

Meanwhile, my friend recommended I read Suzzane Somers's book, Breakthrough. I was happily surprised by the information contained within (interviews with leading alternative practitioners and their research) and became excited to learn more. Thank you Suzanne Somers! Then I read Dr. Uzzi Reiss's book, Natural Hormone Balance for Women, and my life was forever changed. I finally understood the complex relationship between our many hormones and their vital functions to well-being. I felt a little stupid that I didn't know we have three main estrogens: Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2), the most potent form, and Estriol (E3), and I was (and still am) baffled that unless you're into Alternative Heath, nobody ever talks about them and their benefits. 

Estrogen is our Power House as women. Along with progesterone, it contributes to a healthy cardiovascular system, weight control, energy and SLEEP, a healthy libido, muscle growth, inflammation, memory and brain health, bone density, and our ability to handle stress, depression, anxiety and migraines, as well as hearing and so much more. Wow! 

While I was healing from surgery, I couldn't research fast enough and felt excited to start feeling healthy again. My saliva results showed severe adrenal fatigue and lack of thyroid function (rarely shows up in blood work and the span of what's "normal" is huge). I also had too much estradiol and testosterone and too little progesterone. I learned that high estradiol, if left unbalanced, increased my chances of female cancer and was the reason I was so moody and had horrible PMS. I needed to significantly raise my progesterone, slightly raise my other estrogens, lower my testosterone (some estrogen is actually made from an enzyme from testosterone called aromatase), raise my DHEA, and ideally my estrogen would naturally balance, as would my mood, seesawing weight and everything else mentioned above. So about three months post-surgery, off to the compounding shop I went to start bioidentical progesterone. I was lucky -- just adding that one hormone brought my estrogen and other hormones into balance. I also supplemented with adrenal and thyroid glandulars.

Three months after I started on the sublingual progesterone, I did another saliva test and found everything was closer to being aligned as I slowly became a more stable individual. This somewhat easy routine kept me feeling positive and steady for quite a while. My estrogen/progesterone hormones are still well balanced, ten years later.

I will be honest and say, given the nature of my screwed up female system, surgery was a good option for me. I still feel that way, even though the alternative doctors would disagree. There is definitely less worry given my compromised system and my remaining ovary worked beautifully, providing plenty of estrogen until this year, so the only hormone I had to add was progesterone for nine years. Now I've added a tiny dose of bi-est and a little DHEA and feel that natural hormones have been a blessing. 

Let's talk about BHRT/Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy and birth control.

This is a SUPER lengthy and controversial topic, but science is proving and has proven that there are so many benefits to NATURAL estrogen and other hormones and so many detriments to not having them that it blows my mind when I hear doctors and the general public calling it hocus-pocus and saying that it has no merit. 

The birth control pill has synthetic estrogen and progestin, suppressing a woman's ovarian production of estrogen and progesterone, ultimately causing estrogen deficiency. At sixteen, because of heavy periods and massive PMS for more than half of every month, I started on a low-dose pill (even worse, I now know) thinking that would stop the madness. All it did was whack out my natural balance. My body was stubborn and still tried to make its own estrogen and was so unpredictable that I continued to search for a better solution. More than anything I wanted to control my whacky periods, mood swings and weight fluctuations, so at twenty-five I started using Depo-Provera. OMG! I thought using progestin -- which shut down my female cycle and tricked it into menopause, was the best thing ever. No more periods for the next ten years and I didn't have any of the side effects. Woo hoo! 

Guess what? It could be the reason my immune system is so poor. According to Dr. Uzzi Reiss, M.D., from his latest book, The Natural Superwoman, studies of the chemical used in Depo-Provera have shown that it "suppresses cellular immunity, further compromising an already-compromised immunity." Hello adrenal fatigue and auto-immune issues.

Chemically created hormones for pharmaceutical HRT do the same thing. The most common one is Premarin. It stands for Pregnant Mare Urine, and it's altered in a lab for human use. Why would anyone knowingly put a chemical in their body that isn't something molecularly identical to what our own body makes and expect a positive long-term outcome? I know so many women that won't do hormone replacement because of fear of cancer. Instead, they lose their femininity, lack good sleep, and have higher risks associated with cardiovascular issues and bone-loss, not to mention loss of libido and a multitude of other negatives. 

Supplementing with BHRT can be tailored to each person to lower the risks and improve the benefits. Bioidentical hormones are just that -- plant-based and molecularly identical to what our bodies make so we processes them easier. And they have the added benefit of being able to be tweaked as our needs change. 

Sadly, I have unknowingly done so many things wrong over the years that have culminated in the constant health battle that I now endure. I will probably always live without a fully functioning immune system (though I'll never stop trying to make it so) and I'll never know exactly why, but I certainly didn't do myself any favors following western medicine. 

Take my situation as one example and do your own VALID research (be careful -- lots of untrue information out there) and treat your body right. We need our hormones to be healthy and happy and high functioning (women and men). Be armed with the best information available and try not to be coerced by the allopathic medical opinion that natural medicine is hogwash. It is nature's ORIGINAL medicine.


*My mother, who had a full hysterectomy at age twenty-nine, tried quitting Premarin and going to natural hormones after she had been on it for thirty-five years. She couldn't do it. We suspect she went too long without her own hormones. She also suffers from massive immune system issues. Correlation?

Resources:
Dr Uzzi Reiss, M.D.: Natural Hormone Balance for Women (A "MUST HAVE" book)
And his latest, The Natural Superwoman

www.uzzireissmd.com

Suazzane Somers' Breakthrough is great; I think there's been a lot of change in the industry since it was written

Lifeextension.com -- they have reliable research and a thorough explanation of this topic

Mercola.com -- reliable information

Stpetehw.com -- Dr Les Cole, M.D. publishes a lot of beneficial articles

This blog is in no way a diagnosis tool or medical recommendation. Do not use it to make your own diagnosis without consulting an alternative/holistic or eastern medicine practitioner.

Something a Little Different...

May Fly

Dragonfly in body, butterfly in spirit

Delicate veined wings of sea glass

A thread-like tail that curves in the breeze

In groups, you cover porches, windows and eaves

A loosely knitted sweater

Alerting fisherman that it's time to leave

In the north-country, your arrival is usually May 

Today it is July and surprise!

You are alone on my window

A short dainty life only minutes, sometimes a day

I watch closely and can't help but feel grace 

You are the fleeting nature of life amplified

Momentarily I am distracted, when I glance again 

You are gone, blown away without a trace

Kristin D. Sadler

Breathe Deep & Absorb Fatty Vitamin C

Throughout the process of WAITING...waiting to get into the doctor, waiting for test results, waiting to feel better, and waiting to learn about and sift through the massive industry of vitamin supplementation, there are a few basic ways to start feeling better right away.

Let's say you're nearly bed-ridden with fatigue (or you actually are) and don't have a shred of energy to get on an exercise bike or take a walk (been there), the simplest way to boost your energy and mood is through breathing. Yep. Breathing. Something we do involuntarily and couldn't survive without, yet most of us go through our entire day holding our breath and taking in short snippets of air. You just took a deep breath, didn't you? But -- was it an OPTIMAL deep breath? 

Did your belly region expand from your pelvis to your neck and did you blow it out just as slowly? Probably not. Try it. Count to five while you breathe in through your nose ("Nasal breathing, as opposed to mouth breathing,  increases circulation, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, slows the breathing rate and improves overall lung volumes " Swift, Campbell, McKown  1988 Oronasal obstruction, lung volumes, and arterial oxygenation. Lancet 1, 73-75)  and five to breathe out. Feel a bit light headed? That means you need to do this a few times. 

If you're in your car, in your kitchen, in the shower or if you can just sit still for a couple of minutes, do this exercise. You might find you have a clenched hand that opens or your shoulders that are always up by your ears lower.

When I was bed ridden with back spasms and nerve pain a few years ago, I couldn't walk let alone exercise. I had many years of yoga under my belt so I knew the power of breath. At times it would release the spasms and warm or cool my tense, pain-filled body. If you breathe out through your nose like you're fogging a mirror that will keep the warmth in your body. If you exhale through your mouth it may cool you and release extra CO2, but there's little evidence to determine whether exhaling is better through the nose or mouth. 

Try to do this a few times a day, and if you do it at bedtime, you might find you doze off before you're done with a few. As you become more in-tune with your breathing, you can up the count and you may feel it in your extremities as serenity spreads throughout your body. 

Once you're comfortable with breathing, and if you're able, hang your head upside down to get a fresh supply of blood to your brain, face, sinuses, and of course, breathe. Yes, blood courses through your head no matter what, but it's quite a feeling when a rush of it enters your cranium. Again, you'll probably feel dizzy so best to start by doing it laying on a bed or sofa with your head hanging off. Come up slowly and be still for a moment. If you can do it a few times in a row, you'll start to feel less dizzy and truly refreshed. If you're nose is stuffy or your ears are congested usually they'll clear up, even if it's just for a few hours. Think of it as a power-wash for your head. As fresh blood rushes to the area, old blood is pushed out by fresh cells and oxygen.  

Once you've gotten used to this, again, if you're able, try bending over at the waist and just stay there for a count of 20-30, breathe and come up very slowly, head coming up last. Repeat two more times. It's okay to rest your hands on your thighs or shins or use the edge of a table for support. We all have pretty tight hamstrings so the added bonus to this move is that they may stretch out a little. If you're able, let your arms hang loose and shake them out or cross them and let them hang. The main goal is to get the blood moving, refresh your mind and get your  "glow" on. And remember -- keep breathing deeply in the process. 

I know this all seems simplistic but I promise you, it works to beef up your long-lost friend ENERGY and find your missing cousin CIRCULATION.  

I know in the last bog, I mentioned talking about a few supplements to boost your system, but I've decided to touch on only one today. Liposomal Vitamin C. If there is nothing else in the universe that you add to your daily routine, it is this (Vitamin D3 is close behind -- but we'll get to that).

According to the experts (there are so many published research findings, I won't reference them here, but feel free to do your own search on the Internet) and every doctor I've been to, the value and benefits of added Vitamin C outweigh the addition of any other nutrient. If you can only afford or want to start with one -- this is it. 

Why Liposomal? It has an added "fat" so that our cells will absorb it readily versus peeing it all away. Our cells need a little fat to absorb nutrients. I'm not talking bacon -- I'm talking olive oil, safflower or sunflower oils. The one that I take has sunflower lecithin. Some have soy lecithin. Not my first choice as I'm soy intolerant, so as always, read the label. 

The benefits of Vitamin C: Boosts the immune system (and greatly helps those with immune deficiency), helps with inflammation, improves cardiovascular health and lowers risk of stroke, increases eye and skin health, and new findings show it may assist in controlling blood sugar. Best of all, it can help stave off cancer or in high doses (IV), kill cancer cells.

It is hard to get enough Vitamin C from our diet, even if we eat the recommended nine servings of fruit and veggies per day, our modern-day produce is severely lacking in nutrients, so supplementation is the a great way to ensure you're getting enough. 

I don't want to be liable for dosing recommendations, so I will share with you that I take a minimum of 1000 mg of Liposomal C per day. Due to my wonky immune system, I usually take more, but that is based on my needs and my doctor's recommendations. 

I have been receiving intravenous vitamin C since 2006 and will probably have to continue for the rest of my life due to my immune deficiencies. I consider it a gift that I have access to them and feel that it is the least I can do for my body to stay functional and minimize inflammation and free-radical damage. 


"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." Hippocrates

Peeling Back Your Health Onion

As mentioned previously, I was a lifetime believer in a combination of natural and modern medical care, and as I entered my mid-twenties, began natural treatment and supplementation for IBS, fatigue and an overgrowth of yeast (Candida). All the regular doctor could tell me was that I had IBS and had to learn to deal with it by lowering my stress and take three different prescriptions as needed.

By my mid-thirties, after years of fighting the aforementioned, along with adult acne, chronic joint pain, major female menses issues, constant sweating, mouth sores, sudden food allergies, and even more extreme exhaustion, I went to see an holistic doctor near my home in Florida.

She suggested a saliva test to measure my hormones over a 24-hour period. What a concept! Not blood work that only gives you a reading at that very moment, but a time-lapsed measure of what was happening throughout the day in my body. Our hormones fluctuate and should be at different levels at different times. For example, cortisol should be higher in the morning and early afternoon, lowering later in the day and evening, and melatonin should rise in the evening. 

The saliva test measured my estrogen levels (estrone, estradiol, estriol), progesterone (PG and 17-OH) DHEA, testosterone, cortisol, melatonin, androstenedione and thyroid. These tests are evaluated by more and more labs, but I have used ZRT Laboratory, Access Medical Laboratories, Diagnos-Techs, Inc., and Pharmasan Labs. Many of these can be ordered yourself and once evaluated, they are sent back to you with thorough explanations of findings and in some cases, recommendations of supplementation or a visit to your doctor for further testing. They cost anywhere from $99-$250.

As suspected, my hormones were a mess, mainly my cortisol. Diagnosis: Major Adrenal Fatigue. It appeared my adrenal glands were barely working. I started supplementation with thyroid and adrenal glandulars,  stopped synthetic birth control (if only I had known then what I know now -- UGH!) and started sub lingual bio-identical hormones, mainly progesterone, to bring my estrogen and testosterone down to normal levels. I started feeling better, but it still wasn't enough.

After a few years of taking supplements and IV Vitamin C, I just couldn't get over the threshold to having normal energy and I began reacting to nearly everything I ate with a rash, swollen lips and mouth sores. I was hitting rock-bottom emotionally and physically. My then practitioner (the second one since the first retired), whom I adored and respected greatly, referred me to a clinic with more extensive alternative health solutions. 

Turns out, after meeting with the first doctor at the new place, I was diagnosed with twenty-three illnesses, five of them "permanent," which means they live dormant in my cells until I am weakened by stress or an acute illness, then they awaken and send my body reeling. I also had a parasite and digestive issues. He couldn't believe I was functioning at all, let alone working a full-time job, running a side business, exercising daily and managing two households. Looking back now, it's by the grace of God that I was referred there and got in right away. It would turn out to save my life as I knew it a few months down the road.

So, how do you get started? My recommendation, based on my experience, is to start by being your own health detective and order a saliva test kit. You just spit into a vial four times in a day and send it off. Tip: If you have a hard time making saliva, chew some paraffin wax or smell a lemon. 

Once you do your saliva test, if you can find an holistic practitioner, take it to him or her and add a blood test that includes Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy Total, OHD3 and OHD2, MTHFR, CRP, T3, T4 plus Thyroglobulin Anitbodies, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies, T3 Reverse, a full CBC, Ferritin (iron), homocysteine (the ones in bold will be featured in this blog soon), and of course, the usual suspects.

Finding an holistic/alternative practitioner is difficult. They don't advertise because of public scrutiny and FDA pressure. I have found ARNPs, Chiropractors, and several MDs who practice holistically, usually mixing techniques with western or modern medicine, tucked away in every city I've lived. Start asking around - its how I found every one of mine. I did not find them on-line. The risk in not using your network to find a reputable person is that you'll end up at a quack looking to make a buck. They may try to sell you a ridiculous amount of supplements without explanation or get you to jump on the multi-level marketing band wagon. These "practitioners" give alternative health a bad name.

When I was at my worst, I was on about thirty supplements and herbals several times per day, but it was for a matter of weeks until the illnesses left my body. I have been on many supps for very thorough and targeted results, and continue to take those that are needed for maintenance, and they fluctuate with my body's needs. When it comes to supplements, ask a lot of questions as to what they do and why, ask about drug interactions if you're on prescriptions, ask about a return policy if you can't tolerate something and Use Your Instincts.

Throughout the years of peeling back the layers of my health onion and becoming a science detective, I was able to heal one step at a time, and with each discovery, I have fortified my system to handle whatever has been thrown at me. 

Now, after nearly ten years of consistent holistic treatments (and a lifetime of dabbling), I feel armed with the best solutions to staying healthy and know that I am in control of how I feel. Out of all the suffering has come what I consider to be a few miracles (combined with centuries of science) and I am certain the knowledge I've acquired is my gift to share with you.

Up Next: Some simple things you can do today without tests to start feeling better while you wait for your saliva results.

A New Twist -- Please Read for the Health of It

I have decided to revamp the focus of my blog and share with you what I get asked about every single day: my health. My latest major health issue kept me from the thing I love the most: writing! I haven't written on this blog since December, as I could barely concentrate long enough to work and thought I was getting dementia or having mini-strokes. No joke.

Many women I encounter, in my age group especially (mid-forties), are fighting constant exhaustion to the point of barely getting through each day. Frustration ensues because they can't put their finger on why and doctors tell them after test upon test, that their blood work is fine, "try anti-depressants." Many of these women have kept how they're feeling to themselves so as not to be a "failure" or classified as weak, or worse, crazy. Does this sound familiar? 

If you want resources to find answers and are willing to be open-minded, think outside the box and start feeling better, please read on.

As a child, I was always ill with some rare virus or bacteria and regular, "western" medicine rarely seemed to help. Thanks to forward-thinking parents, who got me started with Chiropractic and Kinesiology at an early age, I began being treated with more holistic options with better results. Even though I dabbled in natural remedies and used alternative methods of diagnoses,  80% of my health care still followed regular medical treatments and by my mid-twenties, I had endured at least ten surgeries (several female-organ related) and had fought through Rhys Syndrome, Scarlett Fever, Viral Meningitis, Mono, Strep, and was diagnosed at twenty-five with osteoarthritis. 

You might be thinking, "I've been perfectly healthy all my life, my health changes have come on recently, it can't be that bad," and you've chalked it up to ageing. I'm here to tell you, mid-forties and fifties should not feel like "ageing."  We should not feel like we're losing our minds on a daily basis and fall into bed at night bone-weary, dreading doing it all over again tomorrow. There is a reason and a solution, though there is no magic bullet as so many products on the market try to get you to believe. Each of us responds to treatments differently, so there is a try-and-try-again method requiring patience and faith, just as in regular medicine, though I believe with permanent results. 

Since 2006, I have been on a constant journey of health issues that have been life-altering, miraculous and astounding. As I have progressed through the stages of treatment, I have learned many variations of holistic, alternative, and eastern medicine, and what some call "The New Paradigm." I have also discovered new medicine and what most people consider "hocus pocus" is truly original medicine, mostly from thousands of years ago.

If we listen closely to our bodies, trust our instincts (its why we have them), and are willing to do the work it takes to feel better, the reward is not just feeling better every day, it could mean not getting cancer or falling gravely ill to an auto-immune disease or worse, early death. 

I know the above statement sounds extreme, but I am certain, if I had not been blessed to find the right practitioner at the right time, and been totally open to anything that might help me feel better, I would be, without a doubt, in a wheelchair with cognitive impairment. 

There is so much to share I will be blogging regularly to take you on my journey from 2006 to the present with the hope that I can help at least ONE person not have to suffer with unexplained or misdiagnosed pain and illness. If my story guides one of you off the merry-go-round of feeling that you are losing your mind and empowers you to dig deeper, take charge of your well-being and affect change, then what I have endured and discovered has not been in vain.  

I thought about changing the name of my blog, but it is still extremely fitting: I am still Living in the Moment with deep gratitude that I am sitting here writing once again.

What a year it has been! I remember this day last year like it was yesterday. In fact, it feels like maybe three months ago! December 23rd was a Monday, there was a little snow on the ground and the sun was shining as I did a few last minute errands around Lake St. Louis. I distinctly remember a phone conversation with Allan that afternoon in the Target parking lot. It left my heart skipping and also left me a little sad. He would be spending Christmas alone again, as he had so many before. Once again, my heart overflowed with gratitude because I was surrounded by an abundance of love and companionship. It was my first Christmas without Ken in nine years and though my heart was a little confused, I had friends and family making sure I felt joy and knew I was loved every day.

I'll never forget sitting in my living room a few weeks before Christmas, fire crackling in the fireplace, a periwinkle sky filling the floor-to-ceiling windows as the sun set, and feeling a wave of contentment. I missed Ken terribly, but I had come to realize that God had a plan, and my husband was at peace, maybe for the first time ever. I still had Barney, I had my LSL family, and in the midst of the turmoil that had been raging inside of me for seven months, I finally had a sliver of my own peace.

I had no idea what was in store for me. I had my mind set on living in LSL for at least another year, trying to find myself as a single person again; living life on my terms. I had just begun to look forward to the unknown instead of dreading it, when out of the blue came the phone call that changed my world. As Allan and I renewed our friendship, it became clear that we were meant to be together, but we didn't know how and I didn't know if the timing was right. I searched my soul, I asked Ken, I asked God, and not once did I hear or feel a "no." I decided the gift of love was not something to ignore and it's not something that comes around time and time again. 

So, here I am, spending my ninth Christmas in the Florida sunshine. I'll be sharing it with my sister and her husband (for the first time in 10 years), my niece and nephew, and of course, Allan, who will be surrounded by more love than he's used to (he might long for those "alone" holidays after this one -- LOL)!

I have to admit, I've had some blue moments as the season has unfolded. I've felt Ken around quite strongly a couple of times, and of course, I miss Barney more than words can say. I still well up when I let myself stop and think about them . Barney was my warm fuzzy New Year's present in 2003, and was an endless font of happiness for 10 Christmases. This year, as Barney was preparing to leave this world, along came another New Year's blessing -- Allan. We saw each other for the first time in eight months on New Year's Day and our love unfolded.

Now, as 2014 races to a close, I remind myself to dig deep, find a quiet place to reflect and try not to take time for granted. Christmas feels different since I've experienced death at such close range. There is a depth of meaning that I could never have had otherwise. I am reminded of the beauty in this world when I see the neighborhood peacocks or the sunset, when I look back on how far I've come emotionally and physically in the last few years, and especially when I feel so much love all around me.

May you hold peace, love and abundant joy this Christmas, and may you be blessed with your own wonderful surprise this New Year... God Bless.