I can now open up my own library due to all the self help books and health textbook style encyclopedias I now have researched. Books, books, books!!!! Turned into answers, answers, answers!

First of all, came all the gluten free information. The benefits it has shown in reducing headaches, migraines, brain fog, brain disorders, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, mood disorders, digestive disorders, colon illnesses and more and more and more and more. Due to our current wheat being soo genetically modified the amount of people who are becoming intolerant to gluten is astounding. My first gluten free book I read was the “Wheat Belly” by William Davis MD. What a lifestyle changing book. I found out that the reason why my body was having such a hard time when I first gave it up was because of the addiction of the opioids that are a part of wheat. They are an addictive substance, which helps to calm your body ailments much like endorphins do. So we crave that substance by 3 pm when the affects of the sandwich we just ate for lunch has worn off. Our body treats it like a drug, and like a drug it is hard to come off of. You will go through a detox period but when you come out on the other end you will be amazed at how more energized you feel, the brain fog leaves and your body feels lighter and no more cravings or hunger pains. So I thought okay I get it, but, I was still afraid, yet there was something inside me saying come on girl this is what you need. But since my doctor did not seem convinced, it really made me question taking this step. So I thought okay, I’ll keep reading first then I’ll decide on the end of my research.

While reading about gluten and the digestive system, naturally I ran into corresponding information about probiotics. Probiotics are all of those good little bacteria that camp out all throughout our digestive system helping us to remain healthy by clearing out the bad bacteria and helping our organs remain in tip top shape so that they can do the jobs our body requires them to do. It became a no brainer for me. Taking the probiotic would hopefully increase the good bacteria back into my body and clear out the bad bacteria that was contributing to my illness. A little heads up with probiotics, you will need to purchase them from a health food store that has them delivered cold and kept refridgerated until purchase. Then when you get home they must return to the fridge. Probiotics need to be stored at colder then room temperature…in the refridgerator. Most adults need at least 20 billion live active cells in a dosage. My capsule has 10 billion live active cells and I take 2-3 at night before I go to bed depending on the day I had. Sometimes I miss and that’s okay to. I don’t think you necessarily have to take them daily, I do, but most who do not have major illnesses will find if they take too much their bowels will be a bit loose. Its your bodies way of saying I have enough and that is ok. Probiotics are a bacteria that you can ingest as you need and as a healthy buffer for your body. I have found that I have less stomach and intestine problems and I do really feel happier because of that. Seriously, who feels like singing from the rooftop when they are bloated and having cramps…not I. But now I really do not have those effects because the foods I eat are now moving efficiently throughout my body due to the probiotics doing their job. I have a little theory on this.

I believe, well obviously the bacteria are living cells, and these living cells feed off of our stressors. The more bad stress one may have the more bad bacteria grow in our stomachs and colons causing those nasty feelings and sickness that over powering our bodies and minds. With negativity the body shuts down a bit and the foods we eat tend to be highly carb based making it harder for your body to digest them appropriately. So the food stays inside the colon and the bad bacteria fester causing bloating and pain and more irritability. By incorporating the good bacteria, dunh dun-na dunh dunh dun-na, (my super hero intro), it helps us to fell happy and calm again and help fight those bad bacteria and move them out of our body with our waste disposal system, which decreases the amount of illness and depression one might go through. All living cells have some sort of give and take with one another. Just look at times when you have been angry, how do others start to react around you or when you are caring, how do others react around you? This topic will definitely be a great conversation piece once I get closer to topic blogs instead of historical blogs…oh boy I can’t wait.

The probiotics were a hit. I started calling them my happy pills because that is exactly how they made me feel. My whole digestive system smiled within 10-20 minutes of swallowing these capsules. We do soo much damage to our bodies with food, lifestyle, stress and antibiotics and other medications that we forget we need to replace the good things in our body that helps us to thrive, and probiotics I found were a staple, much like the minerals our bodies need to flourish.

Over the period of this increasing illness I had another nagging question in the back of my mind, I really need to see a naturopathic doctor but not knowing who to see it kept me from seeking this alternative medicine. And so far I already knew that the changes in the Vit D, Vit B and Magnesium, kale, avocado, greek yogurt and less red meats were helping but there was still a piece of the puzzle missing. Another dear friend of mine had mentioned a few times about a naturopath she saw and gave me her name. Feeling like I was getting somewhere but needed more expertise I got up the nerve to call.

BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!!!

I went in with the changes I made on my own; Vit D, Vit B, magnesium, milk thistle Vit C, a Kale based vitamin and questions about a gluten free lifestyle. The gluten free lifestyle became a must in order to clean the liver. It was looking like I had an intolerance to gluten so that would explain the bloating and pain within my intestines that has been increasing over the past 10 years. I probably always had a certain intolerance to it, but as I aged I’ve noticed it more, due to the damage that has been accumulating in my liver over time. My choices in supplements were good but I should also come off tap water. Funny thing was, at that time, it was one of the questions I was contemplating just because I live in an older city with 100 year old pipes and the cause for concern about how the water might be when it gets to my tap might be different then when it left the treatment plant. Not only that, but my concern about what chemicals were actually going in my water that my body was not fond of and being of a chemistry background I kinda figured out the chemical reactions when certain cleaners are added to the water and what they turn into when it reacts with oxygen, (that’s a whole other blog all in itself… oh boy!).  I have found sooo much information on chemical changes that happen in the water from leaving the plant to your glass that its amazing we use it for anything else but the toilet.

My Naturopath gave me a few remedies as well to take to help my liver but I would have to ask her first before I can give those out because they weren’t from my own research. But the main changes where the above supplements, trying a gluten free lifestyle and changing to spring water which I was doing, but only partially, because I was not confident enough in my own research. After a few visits with my naturopath and her giving me confidence that I was heading in the right direction I enrolled myself in Charzie’s Holistic Lifestyles 101.

Just a little bit of background for you, I have always been a lover of research within the medical field and I have researched holistic lifestyles for more then 15 years and have also incorporated them into my own life and career. Working in a pharmacy for 10+ years as Pharmacy Technician, OTC Manager and later Pharmacy Manager, I have been no stranger to health remedies both Western and Alternative. I also pursued Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry while in University. Not that any of this makes me a professional but hopefully it will give you confidence with my background and my natural love of medical information how I research the topics I am passionate about thoroughly before making any changes to my own health and family’s health and lifestyle.

The new approach was to focus on cleaning the liver in order to clear the headaches. So once again I started more research into helping the liver and learning about the different ailments that can affect it and how it affects other organs in the body.

First on the list, was to go Gluten Free.

For the first few days it wasn’t too bad but then days 4 and 5 passed and the onset of more headaches started again. But this time I realized the reason was not due to my already present vestibular migraines, it was due to the detox from gluten. The first weekend of being gluten free was difficult to stay with because I was not feeling well at all. My stomach was upset, my lower digestive system was not happy with me and I felt itchy and jittery. It was amazing, it felt like I was coming off of a drug… and truly I was.

Week 2 was the hardest, I was stomach sick and hungry but once I got past that by drinking lots of water, eating rice and loads of veggies, I started to come around by the end of the final week 3. After 3 weeks, I finally realized my body felt different even my allergies were different. My foggy brain was clearer and my energy level was increased. My digestive system felt lighter and even my weight had decreased…bonus. There was not soo much stress on my bowels, which was a nice feeling, because since I started the codeine I also had to start taking Peg, which is a laxative you take every day or night, your preference, but it is still a chemical. So any less medications to take, would be a blessing. I was able to cut the Peg down to a teaspoonful in a 28oz glass of water whereas I was initially taking at least a full tablespoon.

I felt like I was being given a new lease on life, I knew I was right to trust my own instincts and to listen to my body. I was becoming more confident that this illness was not going to imprison me anymore. I CAN change my outcome, and damn that fells good!!

***Just a quick note though…just because you are gluten free, does not mean you should eat “gluten free food”. You may not be getting the cravings from the wheat anymore, but most find when you come off wheat, go gluten free and start to eat those tasty morsels of gluten free English muffins for instance, you think why am I not losing weight now?! Well, its because you’ve just traded the opioids for rapidly absorbed carbohydrates. So treat “gluten-free” goodies that are made with corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, etc, just as sugar, because that is what your body changes it too almost immediately as it is swallowed… once on the lips forever on the hips. So stick to clean eating; veggies, fruits, gluten free oats and granola, and minimal meats. Think of Thumper, veggies are our friends!