A Health Update - Trial and Error.

When was the last time I mentioned anything about my health? Perhaps months ago, and I take that as a good sign. I’m slowly figuring everything out in terms of the symptoms I used to struggle with, finding solutions and learning through trial and error.

Holistic health is all about finding what works for our own bodies, because everyone is different; everyone has different cognitive functions, neural combinations and metabolic pathways and it’s not right to generalise the process of healing. There is a lot of information out there but it’s up to us to actually try out what appeals to us and find out if it makes a difference or not.

And I did exactly that— not overnight; for a whole year.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know that I’ve been struggling with hormonal imbalances, anxiety and IBS. Through research, I found out that the culprit behind all of those aggravated symptoms was taking those awful hormonal supplements. I knew that there was something wrong in them— the way they made me feel, and I should have stopped taking them right away but I believed the doctor’s prescription, as everyone does. It turns out that those hormonal supplements (aka birth control pills) ruined my gut flora, killing all of the beneficial bacteria and wrecking the natural balance. Alongside stress and weird eating habits, guess what comes along? IBS. And I mean by that the bloating, irritability, abdominal pain, water retention, anxiety, unstable weight and all of those hidden symptoms that no one really notices.

Thanks to this podcast I’m listening to and all of the holistic medicine websites out there, I finally found out how to exit this vicious cycle. I learned what triggers inflammation in my body and what sets my gut on fire. This is a list of the things I started doing since last July:

• Eliminate stress by deep breathing, meditating, keeping a gratitude journal and maintaining a self-care ritual.
• Stop eating tahini— I started to eat it because I thought my body needed the healthy fats. What I didn’t know was that sesame seeds trigger the release of histamines and cause inflammation in the gut. Just a few months without it and I feel considerably better, getting minimal bouts of IBS. I’m really thankful I took that step.
• Mindful eating— I already mentioned that I’m setting an intention to become disciplined, and I’ve started to actually take more time while eating, forcing myself to breathe deeply as I chew, feel the taste on my tongue and the fullness in my stomach. This led me to digesting my food well and more slowly, giving me the sense of satisfaction I never really felt. It also allowed me to make wise food choices before indulging into things like tahini and other foods I don’t tolerate well. And can you believe that I haven’t overeaten in about a month? I will be talking about it separately because it’s something I need to celebrate.
• Eating more vegetables— a part of my weight gain strategy I imposed was to eat more breadsticks and cookies as snacks, but little did I know that they caused me to have this awful sugar crash, making me crave more and never making me feel satisfied. So, I started to eat carrots, tomatoes and whatever fruit there is in the house as a snack instead of those empty carbohydrates. Miraculously, my body would be soaked in minerals and vitamins, preventing me from thinking about food for a long time PLUS making me happier. :)
• Eating eggs and molasses— seriously, eggs are a superfood. Having just 2 eggs per week regulated my hormones and got my cycle back on track. Who said cholesterol was harmful? It’s actually a basis for so many hormones in our bodies and receptors in our cells.. we’ve been fed myths in those science books. I’m eating molasses as my only sugar source, and it’s packed with magnesium, selenium, chromium, iron and manganese; minerals you wouldn’t normally find in one food and it boosts my mood, makes me more happy and regulates my overall functioning.
• Drinking thyme, basil, geranium and oregano tea— after dinner, I’d simply brew myself a cup of thyme or oregano tea because they are such powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial herbs. They are like magic when it comes to clearing IBS symptoms in a span of a day, wiping out all of the harmful bacteria and maintaining balance.
• Relying on ketones instead of sugar— so I found out that my body works well with limiting the amount of carbohydrates I eat during the day, driving my body to produce glucose from fat (ketones) rather than carbohydrate stores and sugar intake. Eating more proteins and fats doesn’t spike my insulin thus makes me feel satisfied and energised for the whole day, not making me demand food so much. It might not be the best diet for everyone, but it works for me. I don’t enjoy eating bread, rice and pasta because they’re just empty calories that don’t provide me with the nutrition I need, especially that I don’t eat much. However, I don’t mind eating fibre-packed freekeh and sweet potatoes because they really are full of micronutrients.
• Listening to my body— listening to the symptoms like creeping anxiety or bloating, they all mean something. Sometimes it’s just that I’m stressing myself out with so much worry so I automatically allow myself to smile, listen to good music and just.. be happy. I never knew it would have such a profound impact, but our brains are magical, and so is positivity. There’s not a better feeling than to smile and be grateful when going through tough moments, there is not a stronger feeling.

That’s a long list, and they’re lessons I learned from a year’s worth of researching, constant reading and trying out new things. Life is not any easier really, and there are still so many issues going on in my family life but, I’ve become better at tolerating them. I’ve become more positive and able to set boundaries when it comes to who I am. I’d like to say that this journey shall continue for my whole life just because I’m passionate about natural and holistic medicine.. because it works, because it could change so many people’s lives.

Sadly, I’ve stopped trusting doctors and medicines because they simply just mute a symptom but have underlying and sabotaging side effects that we end up dealing with. I am eternally grateful to have my health back, at least partially, and also because I have it better than so many others out there, dealing with tumours and chronic diseases. Yet, there is hope in patience and persistency, optimism and determination. So many people heal themselves through food and changes in lifestyles and it’s something I’d like to do as a part of my career, one day.

I’m grateful for the awareness that I needed to keep moving forward. I’m thankful that I respected my vision and optimism— that I could really get better and heal, despite the many days I thought that I could never make it, never have children, never have a peaceful mind and a normal life. But I’m on my way, though it took a long time till I was ensured that this was the right direction.

I cannot be more grateful.