In my early 40s I lived a physically active happy and healthy life. I was an energetic, athletic, triathlon-type woman and my love for hiking, running and other sports stayed with me along the road. I hiked frequently with my children and family into the wilderness. When we lived by the ocean, my favorite part of the day was jogging and walking barefoot along the shore facing the rising sun and enjoying the fresh breeze.
Then something happened.
I noticed I got tired more frequently and I chose to stay home on the couch and fall asleep instead of being my usual active self. Even though I started my day with a double cup of coffee, I always felt exhausted.
I noticed my belly was bloated like a balloon all the time and one day I woke up with tremendous pain in my right knee. That was odd. I thought I had made a bad move that I did not notice. I was hoping it would go away, but it was getting worse.
Over the following days, I felt aches in my fingers and my toes. Soon I could barely move, and I could not sleep because the pain was so strong. Every joint was aching tremendously from top to bottom. More symptoms appeared like stiffness, extreme fatigue, and constipation. I struggled with reflux and brain fog. I was not able to work or do anything else.
In the doctor’s office, I was told that I had osteoarthritis which occurs when cartilage around the joints wears down and damages the bones and joints. The doctor did not know what caused the disease and his only recommendation was a prescription medication and pain killer to take for the rest of my life because this disease is uncurable.
Having this diagnosis, I felt uncomfortable and panicked by being dependent on doctors and prescriptions. I had fears of taking drugs that cause life-threatening side effects like infections or cancer. I decided not to take any pills for the arthritis. I felt I had to do something else.
I went searching on the net and I found out I could possibly end up sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of my life! I was shocked. How did this happen? And WHY? And the doctor did not know the answer. I felt weak and desperate. I felt my active life was over.
Questions popped up in my head: can I walk again without pain in my whole body?
Will it be possible for me to hike with my children?
How am I going to work in my garden?
One of my goals was learning horseback riding. Can I achieve my long-term goals ever or can I create new ones? Or must I live my life suffering in pain, taking pills that cause side effects and more disease and then end up in a wheelchair?
I was crying and I felt completely helpless. I remember I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror looking into my eyes. My emotions shifted quickly.
Suddenly I had strong feelings that I could not accept this fate. I always believed that mother nature protects us by having a strong immune system and it is designed to protect us from foreign invaders. I believed there must be an explanation why this was happening to me.
I kept searching and gathered all the information I could find. The solution what I found was basically to change my lifestyle and my diet to reduce the symptoms of this condition.
This amazingly simple answer discouraged me. I thought that there was nothing wrong with my diet or my lifestyle. I was a coffee drinker, my life was not free from stress, but I never smoked. I did not drink alcohol, I worked hard, and I loved sports and nature. I never watched my diet because I was skinny. I loved my family and friends. I liked socializing with my family and friends, I liked learning about new things and mental growth. So, what was wrong with what I was doing?
It was clear that I was doing something wrong to have developed these diseases, but I did not believe that lifestyle changes and diet “hocus-pocus” would work on my arthritis.
But I came to the realization that I had no choice. I was more scared of taking medications and painkillers than I was of making some lifestyle changes. So, I decided to educate myself. I was persistent searching and learning about this disease continuously. I was desperately looking for clues. I became a warrior. I decided to cleanse my body, make dietary and lifestyle modifications. I nourished my body and soul in a new way to see if I could reverse those symptoms. I learned from teachers how to achieve my goals and how to create more balance in my life.
Once I started making dietary changes, it was clear immediately that this was going to be a powerful foundation to healing. I got amazing results: my joint pain, stiffness and the ache in my body was less and less every week, my fingers and toes were not on fire all the time. I did not have knee pain anymore and soon I noticed my acid reflux was gone even after I stopped taking Nexium, the “purple pill”. I was able to work in three weeks! I could not believe what just happened! It worked! This was not a miracle, this was real! Why did the doctors not tell me that?Probably because they do not know. All my pain was gone in nine months!
I was finally able to do the things that I enjoy like gardening, jogging, hiking again without joint pain or stiffness in my body. Since then, the joint pain has never come back, and this was twenty-three years ago. I eliminated this “incurable” arthritis by using natural adjustments, diet, and lifestyle changes also I was shifting my mindset by practicing yoga and meditation.
I deepened my innate bond with nature as I was practicing grounding to heal mybody and rejuvenate the sense of total well-being. I made every external and internal environmental changes as well.
My total recovery inspired me to keep educating myself continuously by searching, reading, listening to natural, holistic doctors’ podcasts, reading books about natural healing. I studied for many years to become a certified Health Coach at the Health Coach Institute. I am currently a student at Global Healing Institute becoming a certified Natural Health Coach. What I am learning at Global Healing Institute is beyond the general education.
I learned that reducing your exposure to toxins, cleansing your body on a regular basis are essential to your health and well-being. I experienced that physical health is meaningless without happiness, so it is crucial to cultivate a happy mood and a positive outlook on life!