probably not surprising, life and my health caught up with me, requiring me to slow down.
With the brain fog gone, more energy, my hair loss less, my moods more stable, my level of patience returning and my antibodies down – I regained my former zest for life and took on two courses, one via the Institute For Integrative Nutrition and the other one a Full Body Systems course via Holistic Nutrition Lab (with Andrea Nakayama). Prior to the nutritional and lifestyle changes there was no way I could have contemplated studying and starting a new career.
But as the title of the article suggests, Autoimmune health is a journey, and life will continue to happen, no matter what’s happening with your health. I was on top of my antibody levels, but packing up our home in Wales in order to spend time looking for where we wanted to live. We spent five months travelling along the Sunshine Coast of Australia, lugging suitcases and boxes of food out of the car and into various accommodations every 10-14 days. We took a trip back to New Zealand for Christmas (where we indulged) and my antibodies, began to creep in the wrong direction. I believed that
once we stopped our frenetic pace of searching for a place to settle and traveling, moving into our new house, unpacking, settling our family into a new country and new schools, would provide my health the boost it required. However, life is not always smooth, and although I thought I had my health under control a virus hit me at Easter and it retriggered a Glandular Fever (which lasted for four months!) and sent my antibodies four times higher than ever before. Because of the care I had taken with my body, the effects of the high antibodies was nowhere as severe as before, and I knew what I needed. I needed to be more mindful, to tune into my body and to adjust my lifestyle and food to assist my body in the healing process. I have since been able to get my antibodies back down – not to their lowest point, but definitely heading in the
right direction!
Through my own health journey I have discovered the importance of uncovering the root cause of dis-ease. What I did to my health happened over a number of years and took time to undo and learn new habits. I learned to nourish my body with food that is appropriate for my diagnosis and symptoms, allowing it to heal. Slowly I changed my lifestyle and learned the importance and the art of self-care. I am mindful that life continues to happen (and is a journey) and I am continuing to learn how to keep my body functioning well, and in balance.
If you are suffering with a health issue and looking for that missing piece in your wellness journey, integrative and functional nutrition might be just what you need to rediscover your wellness.
28 | ElementsForAHealthierLife.com | October 2016