What's Yogapuppy all aboutWhat's Yogapuppy all about

The Art of Healing

My mother was prescribed tetracycline while pregnant with me. (Tetracyclines are currently contraindicated in pregnancy, but weren't at the time my mother was pregnant with me.) I had frequent colds and flus early in life, resulting in a tonsilectomy at age 3. I was given antibiotics many times as a child due to the frequent colds and flus. (Antibiotics were almost automatically prescribed at any sign of a respiratory illness at that time.) My digestive issues also started early - not surprisingly. In elementary school I took my own lunch since the school lunch didn't agree with me. On days I forgot to bring my lunch and ate the hot lunch at school, I often spent the afternoon in the bathroom and sometimes had to go home early.

I went to many Gastroenterologists looking for answers. In my early twenties, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mostly the prescription (from the many Gastroenterologists I saw) was to eat more fiber. I didn't know early on that I also had Celiac's disease - or even what gluten was. I would try to "eat more fiber" and ended up feeling like the 4th of July was exploding in my abdomen. I eventually got diagnosed with Celiac's disease also. Avoiding gluten seemed like magic at first - but I ended up eating a high protein low fiber diet, which resulted in my being chronically constipated.

Then in my early 40's, I took a flu shot which ended in a ruptured appendix and a week in the hospital. After that my digestion was even worse. I tried diet after diet, but nothing helped. I had a colonoscopy, and the doctor mentioned the possibility of removing part of my colon. He did say that I could try to change my diet and see if I could manage it for a while. I was eliminating food after food until there was hardly anything I could eat, but still had disabling symptoms. I tried Atkins, Keto, Paleo, food elimination diet, Alkaline diet, and many more. At first the high protein diets seemed to work, but over time I got more and more constipated, and my overall health was deteriorating also. I discovered medical marijuana - which also seemed like a magic solution at first. Initially, the edible indica gummies I ate at bedtime helped alleviate the inflammation and helped me get a good night's sleep. Over time, though, I needed higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect, and my digestion seemed to be getting worse again. I thought I was just going to slowly fade from this life.

A few years back, I knew that things were getting worse and I started once again to look for solutions. I thought I might need to go on a medically supervised water fast, but the health professionals I consulted with were much more conservative and once again just wanted to adjust my diet. I ended up with extreme flare-ups of hemorrhoids, and frequent blood in the toilet. I was looking into scheduling another colonoscopy, but before I did, I went to Digestive Wellness Center.

Healing at the Digestive Wellness Center

At the Digestive Wellness Center, I started with colonics twice a week, and adjusted my diet to vegetarian. (I was skeptical of eating vegan because of earlier experiences when the fiber exploded in my gut...) I began researching all things digestive including diet, juicing, enemas and more. I decided to try an at home version of the Gerson Method in addition to the colonics. Each day started with a coffee enema, and then I drank green combo juice (usually celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger) for most of the morning. Then I adjusted my diet to a completely plant-based (vegan) diet with intermittent fasting (still with fresh juice in the morning). For 6 months I ate mostly starchless fruits and vegetables (the mucus-less diet) to cleanse my system. Later I started to incorporate more legumes and high fiber starches, as well as some fermented foods to build up a healthy and diverse biome. I was eventually able to taper off the colonics to once a week, then once a month. I also worked with yoga, meditation, and breathwork as a part of my daily treatment.

My health really took a turn for the better - and very rapidly. I went from a size 12 to a size 2 in about 6 months... plus all of my symptoms disappeared. Its almost unbelievable how many vegetables, legumes and high fiber starches I'm able to eat now - and all without bloating or constipation. It occurred to me - "Maybe I could really heal this once and for all." What a funny thought, strange that it had never occurred to me this could be possible before.

I started researching more and more and found that much of what I thought constituted a "healthy diet" wasn't really healthy at all. You can find information to support just about any diet, any approach... but what REALLY works? What really happens in the human body? I started to find answers that not only worked for me, but had changed the lives of many others. Eventually I found the doctors and scientific studies that showed that real longevity - real health is supported by a mostly plant-based, high fiber diet.

The answers I had been wildly searching for were showing up in frequent synchronicities, as if spirit was leading me step by step. It's clear to me that this path is my Dharma, or soul path for my life. Now it is my mission to pass on what I´ve learned and experienced. I hope that others won't need to spend so many years finding these answers as I did. My body changed so rapidly... there is no doubt that I have been led by grace through this healing process. Now my inspiration is to share what I've learned about healing, health and wellness with others who are in need of finding their own healing magic.