My Health Journey, So Far
I wanted to share my recent health struggles with you.
If you're on your own health journey, this may be beneficial for you to hear because, one of the most effective ways to facilitate healing is to listen to other people's stories - to be able to connect with their experience, gain insight, and develop confidence so that you may continue pursuing whatever your personal health journey calls for.
I also think it's important to be candid that, hey, I'm human. My training as a wellness professional does not exclude me from getting sick. Rather, it arms me with the tools and resources I need to get to the root cause, find natural treatment, and heal safely.
I'll try to keep this brief, but no promises.
It all started with chocolate. Typical for me. At least, that's what I thought was behind my ailment, but as you'll soon learn, it's never just one thing. Illness does not exist in a vacuum nor does it appear overnight.
In early 2021, less than a year into the pandemic, I was stressed and anxious. My job and home life were getting the better of me, and I soothed my nerves with chocolate: my one constant, my true friend. I knew chocolate would get me through any stressful time. After all, it had always been there for me through thick and thin.
There was only one problem:
I was starting to get a pain in my chest every time I ate chocolate. Well, that blows.
Amidst this realization, I went about my life obligations, namely, I had a very painful dental procedure, followed by two weeks of Advil for the pain + a round of antibiotics for a gum infection from the procedure. Super*.
*Being well-versed in gut health, I knew that NSAIDS (anti-inflammatories) like Advil damage the lining of the stomach so I try to avoid them. I also knew that antibiotics destroy good gut bacteria and it can take up to SIX MONTHS for the gut bacteria to stabilize. Trust me, I did not want to take them, but I was overruled.
As the weeks went on, I started to notice that my heartburn was getting worse, but the joy of eating chocolate far outweighed any discomfort that came after. So, I kept eating it, especially when I felt stressed, which let’s face it, was all the time. I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t I just stop eating chocolate?! You know how we humans are: We need to hit rock bottom before we make any real, long-lasting changes.
But, as I keep re-learning, you can only ignore a pain signal from your body for so long. A few months later the pain had become unbearable - a hot, burning sensation would rise up into my throat and cause a dizzy feeling every time I ate even once piece of chocolate. I could even feel the pain in my sinuses and ears!
What can I say? Sometimes we need the universe to smack us upside the head a few times before we really get the message.
I finally did cut back on chocolate, but by that time the pain was triggered by more than just chocolate – tomatoes, stress, poor sleep. As I slowly eliminated chocolate completely, I realized the heartburn had taken on a life of its own. It was no longer an isolated symptom with an isolated trigger. I was up nights with reflux, and that’s where I really drew the line. Don’t f**k with my sleep!
Testing
One endoscopy later I had an official diagnosis of GERD, and was told I had severe inflammation and bleeding in my stomach. Perfect.
Usually this type of inflammation would be caused by H. pylori (a bacterial infection), Celiac disease, or autoimmune disease - but all those tests came up clean. I had clearly induced a perfect storm of gut damage from the NSAIDS, antibiotics, and stress, and it didn’t help that I had continually poured gasoline on the fire with my constant chocolate eating.
As soon as I left the doctor’s office, I went to a nearby store and bought some chocolate. I make no apologies - this is how addiction works.
Treatment
The GI doc wanted to put me on a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) - a medication that blocks stomach acid production. While it can provide temporary relief, PPIs are generally unsafe long-term, and also don't address the root cause. Nine out of ten cases of acid reflux are due to UNDER acidity of stomach acid, not too much stomach acid. But, try explaining this to a conventional doctor.
It was essential to me that my treatment actually heal me, not just suppress my symptoms.
So, I reached out to my naturopathic doctor (ND). Not only did I want healing treatment, I wanted to explore possible root causes for the reflux aside from the stress, NSAIDS and antibiotics, all of which can deplete stomach acid.
Root Cause Analysis and Treatment
My ND tested me for:
pernicious anemia
parasites
autoimmune conditions
food allergies
Lyme disease
mold
Epstein Barr (EBV)
thyroid abnormalities
Just to name a few - and P.S. my conventional doctor did not think to test me for these.
Moving on.
Results Were In
Drum roll please…
My bloodwork showed elevated EBV, Lyme, mold, as well as high levels heavy metals. Glorious. Do we know for sure what's causing what at this point? No, but we know we have some work to do and working on some of these underling issues WHILE healing the gut lining will be most beneficial.
Healing Takes Time
I've been on a healing protocol ever since (it’s been a little over seven months). That may seem like a long time, especially in a society that is used to instant relief from Mylanta. But healing is a multidimensional pealing back of layers.
I've had my share of setbacks and disheartenment during this time. Some days I feel fine and other days, the slightest whiff of chocolate will bring on a bout of reflux. Stress and emotional un-ease set me back big time, so I'm more mindful of letting that shit go when it comes to drama and stress and feeling my feelings as they arise, instead of pushing them down.
Where Are Things Now?:
It would be corny and unrealistic to say I'm 100% healed. At this very moment, I'm happy to report that after seven months on my ND's protocol, my bloodwork shows improvement in my Lyme and mold markers, however, there's still more work to be done around the heavy metal toxicity. As for the reflux, I’ve gone for weeks and months at a time feeling completely better, and other months where I feel worse. But, I'm going in the right direction.
Takeaways
If you've made it this far, I suppose reading a few more sentences can't hurt. Still, I'll keep my takeaways brief:
1 - Acid reflux SUCKS, but just remember, there is always a root cause, a.k.a a reason WHY it's happening. If you're lucky, it may just mean a small dietary shift to heal. But bear in mind that there could be many underlying reasons why you're experiencing it - low stomach acid, a weak LES (lower esophageal sphincter), infections, autoimmune disease. FIND A HOLISTIC PRACTITIONER WHO WILL WORK WITH YOU ON THIS.
2 - Healing takes time. If you're in it, you know. Keep going, and try not to count the days.
3 - Detox your life - stop using all those commercial beauty products, household cleaners, air fresheners, scented candles. Somewhere along the way someone decided we needed to look and smell a certain way to be “cool,” and that this could only be achieved with chemically enhanced products. Same goes for tap water and plastic - get rid of them. Our world is TOXIC AF - live as cleanly as possible.
4- If you can’t figure out why you're sick, ask your doctor to screen you for heavy metals, mold, and Lyme (including co-infections). Both mold and Lyme are WAY more prevalent than we think, and ironically, many people have it but are unaware they were exposed to mold and/or bitten by a tick. These could be behind your mystery symptoms.
5 - Stop stressing, seriously. Stop.
6 - Do not take antibiotics unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Same with NSAIDs. If you do - make sure you're taking a probiotic, pepsid, slippery elm, DGL, or other supplement to protect the stomach lining while you take them.
Happy healing!