My Health Journey

FINDING CLEAN

What brought me to clean living? I’m not a health coach or a nutritionist. I’m not a science nerd studying chemical reactions, or anything specializing in the medical field. I’m a regular person who was fed up with not knowing why I was sick and getting no answers from health professionals. 

My health issues began when I was 17 years old and suddenly stopped getting my period. I remember getting blood drawn and being told I have a hormonal imbalance, but it was no big deal. My doctor said just to start taking birth control and I would be fine! I never knew there was a medical diagnosis for this. I remember thinking in the back of my mind, “Will I be able to have kids? Does this mean I’m not ovulating?” So many questions that my 17 year old self didn’t know how to ask and my health professional didn’t think to share more information with me. 

My next set of health issues began in college. I started getting severe stomach cramps that would last for hours. They were so bad at times that I would have to leave class or leave my job to lay on the couch and not move for the rest of the day. For years doctors told me I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and was even prescribed a muscle relaxant from one GI after he met with me for all of 5 minutes. 

When I was 25 and started working a demanding job with commuting, the health issues continued to pile on. Now it was extreme fatigue. I would roll out of bed groggy when my alarm went off. It took all my willpower not to fall asleep at my desk at 3pm. I sometimes feared falling asleep at the wheel while driving home. And Friday nights I couldn’t muster the energy for any social plans and typically fell asleep watching a movie at 9pm. 

Finally, I started exploring holistic healing on my own. I learned about the gut brain connection and how impactful the foods I was eating were on my health. I learned how destructive birth control was on both my gut and my hormones (which were already out of whack). I learned through testing my cortisol levels that I had stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue. I learned I had Candida and later Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). And I finally learned the term for loss of a menstrual cycle: Amenorrhea.

Over the course of a few years, I completely changed my lifestyle around food and started working with a holistic nutritionist. Three years later, I feel like myself again! 

I am still working to fully balance my hormones. I am still actively taking measures to heal my gut. But I know I’m on the right path. I wake up feeling refreshed, I have sustained energy throughout the day, and I can now make it through an entire movie on a Friday night! Just this morning, I went for a 2.5 mile run and felt GREAT! A huge indication that I’m healing from Adrenal Fatigue. I haven’t had severe stomach pain in over 3 years.

My story is here in hopes to empower you to take your health into your own hands. Ask those questions that linger when you speak to your doctor. Challenge the recommendations of conventional medicine and don’t be afraid to seek out holistic options. Healing for me has been an on-going journey, but finally taking control of my health has been life-changing. Know that healing is possible and I’m here to support you along your journey!

Live. Live. Clean. 
XO Erica