Why Am I SOOO Sick? (And I’m Only 21)

A third young person came to see me this week with stories like this. This particular person had had birth control shots that backfired … and resulted in multiple yeast infections and other problems. Which resulted in many rounds of antibiotics and anti-fungals. Which resulted in even more problems. And a switch to another doctor. Who was trying her best but still couldn’t figure it out. Until she literally landed on my doorstep.

I … Too … Needed an Alternative/Functional Health Solution

It reminded me of my own journey. Most of us alternative practitioners have one. A turn of medical events that have eventually led us toward alternative beliefs and behaviors. But mine happened very early on … more than 20 years before my first experiences with healing diets and supplement therapy.

I haven’t thought of this for many, many years. But, when I was in my early 20s, I had an IUD inserted. Which resulted in multiple infections. Which resulted in almost a year of increasing doses of antibiotics. Which resulted in, understandably, progressive problems with digestion (as the antibiotics had all but decimated, as I found out years later, all the friendly bacteria that keep our digestive and immune systems running smoothly) and even worse issues.

I remember that my ex-husband left a Christmas tree outside my door. Born Jewish, I had only discovered Christmas when I moved away from home less than 10 years before. And had had a tree … totally decked out creatively and differently … every year since then.

He left it because I had called him earlier (we maintained a friendship for years until he found someone better suited to him) hysterical! After a year of pain and lots of medication, my doctor now told me I should have a hysterectomy. At 27! I opted not to. Which was a good decision. Eventually. But left me open to massive digestive problems. As well as massive emotional issues.

Issues that understandably resolved almost the moment I went through menopause. And my emotions suddenly righted themselves. Again, another piece of the puzzle that I would figure out later. That’s why my logo ultimately became a puzzle piece.

Solving the Functional Puzzle

If you believe in synchronicity and destiny, it may have been then preordained that I stumbled into a relationship with someone who intimately knew Harvey and Marilyn Diamond when the book, Fit for Life, boldly burst into the consciousnesses of those seeking healthier solutions. And landed on the list of the 25 most-sold books ever.

I troubleshot huge seminars for them. And saw firsthand how healthy diets healed people. Diets based upon a 150-year-old idea that was a violent reaction to almost barbaric (sound similar?) medical practices of bleeding people and shutting them up in dark rooms with no water. Redefined practices that entailed a return to a Paleolithic diet (also sound similar?) of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds in a raw state. And not combining proteins and carbohydrates to take the onus off digestion. I even made my own food combining chart that sold modestly and depicted … of all things … puzzle pieces that did and didn’t fit (I didn’t realize that EITHER until just now).

My quest for the truth led me to become a Registered Dietitian (nee Nutritionist) but, when I found that my training embraced the medical model instead of what I learned at the Diamonds’ knee, I started looking for alternative training. And found it piecemeal in the days before the now many courses, some of them taught by people I’ve worked with and respect, were available.

My training has not stopped … as there sadly isn’t a course for some of the newest issues, like SIBO, Candida, and Parasites. Been there … done that before as it takes years and years for the medical model to catch up. While problems like autoimmune diseases are markedly on the rise. But they DO all fit within the Functional model. And, therefore, make sense to me. As a matter of fact, my whole journey in Alternative Medicine is to put those proverbial pieces together so that they form an idea that makes sense to me. Which brings us back to our 21-year-old.

Assessing the Problem with the 21-Year-Old

OK … I’m donning my puzzle-piece-bedecked hat for you to tell you what I think is going on here. My client had a reaction to the birth control shot for whatever reason. Which caused an imbalance and allowed yeast (AKA candida) to grow. Which got compounded, just like my own IUD problems, by bouts and bouts of antibiotics and antifungals. Which kill off just about every beneficial bacteria you can think of in your body. Which leaves the field wide open for more pesky candida, yeast, and even parasites to grow unhindered.

Does this make sense to you? Because it definitely does to me. Not only do they grow unhindered, but they build these elaborate structures called biofilms to hide in. As well as block pathways, like bile ducts, urinary exits (hence the overgrowth there) and such, so that nothing can budge them. Not only that, they even have mechanisms that can ward off antibiotics, which may be why the antibiotics and antifungals didn’t initially work for my client. See what pesky lil’ critters they are?

So where are we at? I started her on what I call a “Candida-Busting” diet. And soon we’ll test her for candida and parasites. I once read an article lambasting Alternative Medicine where the author cited too many tests as one of the reasons for his disdain. Gotta tell you that traditional testing doesn’t seek out the things we test for. Some of my clients will even pay the fee for these tests instead of going to their doctors because they’re so specific for certain conditions that most doctors don’t test for; some are, however, beginning to be covered partially (if iffy) by some insurances.

After we get back test results, I will treat her with natural substances targeted to her specific condition. We’ll go slow with these treatments as we’re healing systems, not symptoms. No magic pill here. And I also take into consideration their mental and emotional states … in other words, what they’re willing to do and how far they’re willing to go. I may even run further tests or refer her to functional MDs that specialize in her particular condition.

Treating alternatively has to be thought of as a journey. One undertaken together by both the client and the practitioner. Otherwise it just won’t work. The following closed one of my talks a while ago. See, even Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, got it right over 100 years ago …

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.

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Have you had a similar experience with conventional treatment? If you did, please share it here. What do you think of the fact that more and more people are suffering from conditions like the one I talked about?