One year since my rock bottom: GAPS update and a summary of my healing

Today marks 365 days since I was as sickest I had ever been in my life. This time last year I was not functioning at all. I was literally in bed (after my pointless visit to the ER that day), able to do nothing and almost without hope. My face was swollen beyond recognition, red, burning and itchy. My arms were covered in itchy, bloody scabs. I had lymph nodes popping out all over the place, some of which were the size of eggs. They were very tender and painful. I had been diagnosed with Mono (EBV Virus) and was also dealing with adrenal fatigue, low progesterone and the autoimmune condition I had had essentially untreated for six years - Hypothyroidism with Hashimotos. There were a lot more symptoms too. To see more of an extensive list you can scroll down to the blue card with bullet points of all my symptoms and diagnosis before GAPS. That list isn't exhaustive either.

I was reading through my GAPS posts and it brought back so many not so distant memories of where I was at and how I was feeling. It also made me grateful for where I am now just one year later. Praise God!

If you want to read about my journey click on the following links:

60 Days on the GAPS Diet: Reflections including a progress report
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part one of three)
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part two of three)
90 Day GAPS Summary: A piece to the puzzle (part three of three)

I found and implemented the GAPS diet about a week after I hit the bottom. I ended up having to stick with GAPS very strictly for 7 months. I had to stay on the intro (stage 1-2) GAPS for almost 3 months! Hard is an understatement. I kept searching the web and seeing people only on intro for a couple of weeks. My body was just not handling that. It was frustrating. I got through it though and have seen amazing healing. I have also learned SO much over the past year. I have probably learned more about our bodies, health and nutrition this past year than I have my entire life combined.

Since this post is a look forward, let me tell you where I am at now. I am grateful, in hindsight, that I only had to be on GAPS for 7 months. Some people have to do it for years. My goal was to finish out GAPS and transition to eating Paleo or AI (Autoimmune) Paleo. Within 7 months of GAPS I was able to start transitioning to eating more Paleo foods. I eat full Paleo now and weave in some GAPS basics like 24 hour fermented raw milk yogurt and bone broths everyday. I am able to tolerate more of a variety of foods and it is such a wonderful feeling. I went from being so sensitive to any foods and not being able to eat things like onions or garlic because of the sulphur content, antioxidants and detox affects to being able to bake with coconut flour and eat all vegetables - even sweet potatoes! It is truly glorious. That transition didn't happen overnight though. I still had to trial each food to make sure I didn't react. Sometimes I was more diligent than others about only doing one thing at a time so I could pinpoint where the reaction came from. That was one of the hardest parts though. Cheating was not really an option ever for me because it would cause such sever symptoms that would affect my entire family because I couldn't function again. I would feel like I was on my death bed again. I really didn't cheat. Now I do occasionally have too much honey or Paleo treats and regret that but my symptoms are nothing like they used to be.

Even though GAPS allows lentils, I still have never had those. They would be too hard on my digestion because I am still not fully healed. I also do not eat nuts. Through trial I realized that nuts were certainly a food that caused my immune system to attack itself. I would get cracked, bloody and itchy knuckles. I pray this is temporary because I do hope to enjoy some nut butter again someday. The Paleo Mom has a good article about nuts and the components that can be good and bad for autoimmune conditions. To read it click here. I can eat 24 fermented GAPS Raw Milk Yogurt and seem to tolerate that well. It is not something I can have everyday though or I start to get symptoms. Once in a while I have a piece of Raw Milk cheese but it doesn't sit well with me so it is not something that I would continue to eat. I have been able to have two small cups (total) of organic decaf coffee in the past two months. I use coconut milk and honey in it and it satisfies me. I would like to try a little ghee in it since having it with coffee is beneficial in certain ways.

Since I have been able to transition into full Paleo now it has been freeing. When I feel symptoms rising up a bit I get a bit more strict and eat the Autoimmune Protocol for Paleo and I still do not incorporate tapioca starch in my diet because of it's gut irritability. I do love to eat this way though. I feel satiated and healthy. I don't feel deprived at all. I did have to go back on intro GAPS for two weeks around the holidays. I thought I was going to be back in the same boat as last year at that time because some wacky symptoms were coming back but it turns out I was having a reaction to Cod Liver Oil after reintroducing it for four days. My body rejects it and I cannot have it. I have tried Blue Ice Fermented, Carlson and other brands and it doesn't work for me.

I am able to socialize and not feel left out with food now. I can have food to eat (that I bring) and I get to introduce people to new foods and ways of cooking. It is so much fun. I also get chances to indulge in Paleo treats that are nut free. There are so many wonderful recipes out there. Here is a link to my Pinterest Board for GAPS/ AI Paleo and Paleo. I will do a post sharing some other recipes in the future.

Quality, clean, whole food has literally saved my life. If you clicked on any of my "journey" links above you will know that food is only a piece to the puzzle BUT it is a very big piece.

Personal Suggestions for those looking into or starting GAPS: GAPS is a diet you have to be wholly committed to. You have to be determined to heal and have the willpower to stick it out often when it is unbearably hard. You have to be your own advocate and do your own research. First and foremost rely on God and His Power to heal you because he certainly can. He is bigger than our health issues. Be sure to form a support system of those that are knowledgeable in GAPS and will encourage you to stick with it, not cheat. God puts people in our lives for many reasons and he does not want us to be alone in the things we deal with. There are a lot of people out there going through the same thing and can relate. There is a lot of support on the net and I have many websites linked up at the right side under "GAPS/SCD and Grain Free websites." Check them out. In this endeavor you MUST be assertive NOT passive if you want to heal. The choices YOU make will either affect you positively or negatively. It is up to you.

This Friday I will have a post highlighting other things that have changed in our lives. We have literally revamped almost every area of our lives. From pots and pans to cleaners and even make-up. I will be sharing what I use and why we changed to certain products as well as all my pinterest boards with some very resourceful links.

Stay Tuned....

~Blessings~

Feeling Good Friday: The Benefits of Raw Milk

Do you drink milk? You might say, "No, I am lactose intolerant." or "No, I can't have dairy."

Dairy is one of the biggest "allergens" in our country at the moment. There are many reasons for this, some of which I will get into in this post. First, is that the dairy products that are available to our society in the USA at the moment are actually dead. Yes, I really mean that, dead. When we purchase dairy (even organic) at our stores the end product has gone through a pasteurization process. Milk is pasteurized, cheese is pasteurized and butter is as well. Actually, there are many food and drink products that go through this process to make them "safe" to consume. Pasteurization is a process of heating up the dairy to over 145 degrees to kill off e.Coli or Salmonella bacteria. The problem is that when this is done is also kills everything else good in the product.

Let me start by telling you about the living parts of raw (unpasteurized) milk. Yes, raw milk is actually a living food! God made it this way because he made humans and he knows how our bodies work and what we need to properly function and digest.

• Milk, in its raw state, is a perfectly balanced food. This is the way God made it. A WHOLE food. 
• It has a high nutritional content. It is naturally higher in vitamins (A and D to name a few) and minerals (calcium, phosphorus and more) than its pasteurized counterpart. Raw milk also has a higher level of Omega 3's and Essential Fatty Acids.
• It also has high levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which helps with metabolism, abdominal fat, muscle growth, insulin resistance and more.
• Raw milk has many beneficial bacteria in it that helps us in a plethora of functions in our body. **Side note: did you know that you have literally trillions of beneficial (and not so beneficial) bacteria in your intestines that thrive everyday making up between 70-90% of your immune system? One of the beneficial bacteria present in raw milk is called Lactobaccili. This particular bacteria helps to digest (or eat) lactose. Do you think with all the "lactose intolerance" in our country that we need help digesting lactose? I do. Lactobaccili is good for this. This good bacteria is killed through pasteurization.  A lot of the other beneficial bacteria in the raw milk actually help kill off any bad bacteria that may be present in the milk and they perform dozens and dozens of other functions that are helpful to our bodies. I want to write more on this but it is really a whole new post topic in and of itself.
• There are also over sixty live enzymes present in raw, unpasteurized milk. These enzymes are necessary to remain alive because they aid our body in digesting the milk. Without them our bodies are incapable of properly processing the proteins, vitamins and minerals that are in milk. These live enzymes can also help protect our bodies against asthma, allergies and immune diseases.

Raw Milk is truly a health promoting food.

Pasteurization kills all the enzymes, lowers the vitamin and mineral levels and actually changes the molecular make-up of the milk. When humans come in and alter something that was created perfect generally the result isn't so wonderful. That is the case with pasteurizing milk.

One of the reason why there is so much intolerance to dairy in our country is because most people drink (or try to drink) dead milk. It doesn't have the necessary components in it to properly digest in our bodies so therefore an intolerance presents itself or a reaction happens. I do believe there are true dairy "allergies" but I am talking about "intolerance" not true dairy allergies in this post. There is a significant difference. Milk is fragile and the living properties can be destroyed very easily. This is why I believe only raw milk should be consumed for those who have dairy as a part of their diets.

It can be more expensive and hard to find but I venture to say that the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. Not to mention, when you actually get your milk from a farmer your kiddos will know that milk actually comes form a cow (or goat or other mammal) not from a factory or a store!) Also, if you get it straight from a farmer you will pay less money than if buying raw milk from a store front.

My youngest son was born with lots of rashes, pretty bad eczema and would physically swell sometimes when he would have milk. This was before we were drinking raw milk. I hesitated to give it to him because it was clear it caused a reaction. It wasn't an anaphylactic type reaction but it was a reaction nonetheless. After a couple of years of giving him milk that was pasteurized I started giving him organic thinking that would help. I really did not notice a difference in him so I started to just have him stay away from milk as much as possible. Then I discovered raw milk though the GAPS diet because of my own health problems. I found a farmer and now we purchase our milk once a week through him. I love getting the milk and being able to skim off the cream and do what I want with it. I have tried my youngest son on the raw milk and I have not seen a reaction in him at all after drinking it. I believe this is because this raw milk has the proper balance of enzymes and beneficial bacteria in it so that my son can properly process it. Both of my boys love milk!

If you do decide to find a farmer who owns milk cows or goats for milk I would recommend going to see the farm and meet the animals. Check out how they milk the animals and their sanitary practices. Make sure that they take some precautions in how they do their milking process. Our farmer actually gets inspected every month to ensure that they are safely obtaining and storing their milk.

Here are some links if you want to read more on the benefits of raw milk.:
From my doctor, Chris Kresser: Click here
Raw Milk Testimonials: Click here
An Excellent and thorough overview of raw milk (some of where I got my info from): Click here
An interesting article by Dr. Mercola on Raw Milk: Click here

Feel good this Friday and try some Raw milk!

~Blessings~

Fresh, Wild Caught Salmon Salad with a Creamy Dairy-Free Carrot Avocado Dressing

(Paleo friendly and potentially OK for GAPS in later stages when tolerating raw veggies)

2-4 servings

1 small fresh, wild caught salmon fillet per serving, poached and flaked

2 cups per serving of any mixture of organic lettuces or greens. (I used a mixture from our garden of kale, romaine, butter lettuce, purple cabbage and mixed green lettuce.) Chop into bite size pieces and combine them together.

1 small organic carrot per serving, julienned cut

¼ of an organic cucumber per serving, diced

½ of an avocado per serving, peeled and chopped

2 tlbs. raw almond slivers per serving (optional) (I like to roast these myself at home)

1 recipe of Creamy Dairy-Free Salad Dressing from She Let Them Eat Cake 

** Combine all salad ingredients in a big bowl. Top with flaked salmon and toss with Creamy Dairy-Free Salad Dressing


Creamy Dairy-Free Salad Dressing
Recipe from She Let Them Eat Cake 

2-3 chopped carrots (you could also use sweet potatoes)
half an avocado
1 medjool date, soaked and pitted
3/4 cup water
2 tlbs. flax oil
1 clove chopped garlic
1 1/2 tlbs. dijon mustard (we use grainy Dijon)
a shake of dulse (optional)
1/2 tsp. Herbamare or sea salt
1 quarter of a lime, juice only

Place all of the ingredients in your blender (you might want to chop your veggies first – depending on the strength of your Blender. If you have a Vitamix there is no need to chop the veggies.) Blend until creamy. If you find it too thick, add a bit more water.

*This dressing will taste even better the next day.

Enjoy this refreshing salad on a hot summer day.  It is full of omega 3's, antioxidants, good fats and will make you feel energized!

~Blessings~

90 Day GAPS Summary: A Piece To the Puzzle (Part three of three)

This is the third post in my three part series on my GAPS journey.  If you would like to read post one about what my GAPS day looks like, click here.  If you would like to read post two about what symptoms and issues I used to have and how I have healed after 90 days click here.

In this post I will address a few big pieces to my puzzle, my Hypothyroidism, Hashimotos Thyroiditis and getting enough sleep and how they affect my progress in healing.

I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos almost 7 years ago. Having the autoimmune condition Hashimotos has negatively affected my health for a number of years.  It didn't have to be this way but I was deceived into thinking it was nothing to be dealt with and that the thyroid hormone T4 could make it all better. It is just "no big deal," as my old Endocrinologist used to say.  That was SO far from the truth.

Fast forward to the present. I now know that Hashi's is definitely something to be dealt with.  In fact, 80-90% of people with Hypothyroidism have Hashi's and don't know it.  That is crazy! It is crazy because treating Hashimotos Thyroiditis is different than just treating a Hypo-thyroid. Having a thyroid dysfunction impairs every other part of your body on a cellular level. That is because God designed our bodies to run synergistically.  All together.  Everybody works together as a team to make a working, functioning and thriving body.  When one part is off, other parts will be too.  If one part is off for a LONG time (in my case) all other parts get worse and worse along with the main dysfunction. This in turn can cause more infections, more autoimmune conditions and in my case leaky gut. 

It wasn't until recently that I learned that I could actually cause my Hashimotos Thyroiditis to go into remission and that my thyroid could actually heal itself through proper nutrition (whole, non-processed, unrefined foods, rest, and exercise.)  Wow!  This makes sense because God did design our bodies to heal themselves if in the proper balance.

What does all this have to do with GAPS you ask? Well, in my opinion, even though I wholeheartedly believe in GAPS and it's healing abilities there is more we have to address in healing our bodies than just a diet change - especially if you have an autoimmune disease.  Autoimmunity of any type stems from gut dysbiosis and bad pathogens and significant diet changes are a big percentage that can lead to healing but there are other factors to consider.

For instance, I am healing on GAPS but notice that when my thyroid hormones are off I can have some of the same symptoms I have when I am detoxing or have eaten a food I am sensitive too. It is a tangled web to figure out sometimes and that is when I am thankful for my faith in the Lord.  I can't figure it out all the time.

Here is an example: during the first quarter of this year I found out that my Reverse T3 was extremely high.  Have you ever been tested for that?  I can almost assume the answer is no.  Most conventional docs only test TSH.  That cannot, I repeat, CANNOT properly diagnose a thyroid problem OR Hashimotos.  In doing a little experiment with my Naturopath (once we found out about my high Reverse T3) we realized that part of my rashes were occurring because of the high level of this hormone!  I thought all along it was solely from food sensitivities.  Once we remedied the RT3 a big amount of my (rashy) inflammation subsided.  Once the RT3 was low again my TSH shot up though (we knew this could happen) and because of that my Hashimoto's antibodies also shot up.  This rise caused inflammation as well and has affected me in other areas (fatigue, extreme dry skin, hair loss, etc.)  As you can see thyroid balance is delicate.  It is tough to get the right medication dosage while healing through your diet.  The right medication AND right dosage can make all the difference in the world in how you feel though.  For me, maintaining a proper thyroid hormone balance ALONG with sticking to the GAPS diet is crucial in how I feel day in and day out.

I don't just take T4 (like I did for 6 years, making myself sicker unknowingly.)  I take T3 and T4 AND they are compounded. Compounded means that I get them specially made so that there are no dyes or fillers in them.  Did you know that commercial Synthroid has dyes in the tablets in all but one dosage? Yep, it's true. Dyes can affect your healing and health as well. Some of our medications also have gluten in them.  Gluten is very bad for someone who has Hashimotos Thyroiditis. (Notice I didn't call it Hashimotos "Disease?"  It can be healed therefore in my book it is NOT a disease.)

Thyroid is a enormous topic in and of itself and I don't intend to get too deep into the subject here. I just wanted to paint a picture for you that our health is multi-faceted.  Usually, we have to address many different areas of our lives for ultimate healing.  Right now as I heal my gut through the GAPS diet I also have to take thyroid medication (hopefully temporarily) and work closely with my doctor to maintain the proper hormone balance so that my hormones work synergistically with all other parts of my body.  I have to ensure balance so that the gut healing I am doing is not hindered by an imbalance in my thyroid hormones. Make sense?

For me the other facet is sleep.  I am a type A personality.  All or nothing.  Dive in with all I've got.  This can be a blessing and a curse.  I just don't do things half way.  So rest for me is something I am learning.  I like to be "doing," creating, thinking, and contributing.  Down time is new.  I notice that when this aspect of my life is off balance I also start feeling bad. When I stay up late and don't get enough sleep my lymph nodes in the back of my head get swollen and tender again (due to the wonderful Epstein Barr Virus I have that gave me Mono at the beginning of the year and my autoimmune issue.) When I get too little sleep my body starts getting so fatigued that I ache.  I get moody and irritable.  It affects my family and more.  Again, as long as I am addressing my gut health with GAPS, I need to be sure to be getting adequate sleep (9-10 hours a night for someone with an autoimmune disease) otherwise I am hindering the healing that is possible. 

Did you know that between 10pm-4am is when our body does the most clean-up and repair?  It is when we are rested enough (or we should be) that the cells in our bodies start the detox process and fix all the damage so that we can get up and function the next day.  If we don't give our bodies ample time for this restoration then we impede the healing process and we keep feeling worse and worse.  It is another piece to the puzzle. 

This is specifically my puzzle.  Everybodies puzzle pieces are different. It does take a lot of trial and error to figure out how our individual bodies work the best and what we need but I will tell you from personal experience that it is well worth it to commit to figuring it out.  Feeling better and thriving in life is much better than just surviving (as I was doing for quite some time.) It also takes a lot of patience.  The waiting game with labs, finding the right doctor, challenging sensitive foods are all what require this virtue of patience.  For me it has taken great faith in My Lord Jesus to heal me.  I could not be going through this without him as my refuge because there are tough times and discouraging times. He comforts me and is my Shepherd who guides me where I need to go.

I hope I have helped you to understand that we need to address our health issues from many levels.  This is where "Functional and Integrative Medicine" comes in.  This kind of medical practice addresses your WHOLE body as well as your WHOLE health history, not just ONE symptom with a quick pill fix. Our bodies are intricately designed and need a holistic approach to heal. Our puzzles are each unique because we are all specially made and different.

In a future post I will address one other piece to the puzzle and that is what we put ON our bodies.  Make-up, lotions, soaps, shampoos and more. It can affect our healing as well.

For those of you with Hypothyroidism and/or Hashimoto's Thyroiditis I wanted to leave you with some incredible websites that address this topic (way better than I ever could.)  Please see below for links.  For those of you on GAPS or with any health issues that you think I may be able to help with please feel free to comment with any questions or concerns and I hope I can address your needs.

Excellent links for learning about Hashimotos and Hypothyroidism:

Hope for Hashimotos I HIGHLY recommend reading Dr. Haskell's ebook it was THE BEST Thyroid book that I have ever read. It educated me SO  much. I still refer to it to this day.

8 Series audio about Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos A great way to educate yourself on Hashi's by Dr. Alexander Haskell. There are also several other videos on you tube with him as the educator.  Just search his name.

The Paleo Mom This site is a wealth of info. Literally you could read it for hours  If you click on the link search "thyroid," "Hashimotos," or "Autoimmunity" and you will find some amazing facts and information from this Ph.D stay at home mom. She has a book coming out in October 2013 that I literally cannot wait for!  It will address autoimmune conditions as well as eating the Autoimmune Paleo way (AIP.)

Chris Kresser He uses many facts as well as the latest research to help guide you through Hypothyroidism and Hashi's.  I highly recommend spending some time reading the posts on this site.

Dr. Datis Kharrazian Dr. K. wrote an excellent book called Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests are Normal You can search around his site and learn a lot as well.  He is a very knowledgeable doctor in this arena. You can also find a practitioner on his site (for your area) that is well versed in thyroid conditions.

Stop Thyroid Madness This site addresses a lot of the commonly occuring problems with thyroid that aren't addressed by conventional doctors and has recommend lab work that you need to have if you have a thyroid condition. This is also a site worth spending some time on.

Hashimotos 411 There are so many resources on this website from book recommendations to how to avoid gluten, what supplements to take and more. Please take time to check it out! There are also forums on this site that allow you to chat with other people going through a similar trial.

I hope somehow you are encouraged or find some help through this post.  Please remember that our bodies literally are puzzles and all the pieces fit intricately together. Through much research, trial and error, and support you can and will get better and could potentially heal your thyroid!

~Blessings~

Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.

90 Days GAPS Summary: A piece To the Puzzle (part two of three)

This is part two of a three post GAPS Series.  If you want to read part one click here. It was about what my day looks like eating the way Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride discusses in her Gut and Psychology Syndrome book. 

In this post, part two, we will talk about the symptoms I had when I started GAPS and how I am doing now; after 90 days on the GAPS Diet.

I have experienced a lot of healing on the GAPS Diet so far.  When I started this diet I barely had the energy to even make the food. Heck, I barely had the energy to even think about making the food!  I certainly couldn't go shopping for the food.  All I could do was research what I needed to do.  By God's grace I was eventually able to read the GAPS book and figure out a plan.  I started simple, with just broth and a little veggies and some meat.  I noticed small changes within a week in my energy and healing.

Before I get ahead of myself, here is a small list of symptoms I had before I started GAPS

As you can see I was a mess. I was getting no help from conventional doctors or allopathic medicine and in fact was getting worse and worse. I am convinced that had I continued on that path I would have gotten some form of cancer.

Praise God that through my Functional and Integrative Medicine Doctor she suggested trying the GAPS diet. That is when the healing began.

**Funny, unlike when I was on the dreaded ALCAT diet, this 90 days on GAPS has flown by.  I don't find myself counting the days like I did with the 6 months on ALCAT.

Here is a quick synopsis of my healing and symptoms that I still have as well as ones that are gone

I still have Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos Thyroiditis.  I will be going in June to have an ultrasound on the nodule I have on my thyroid.  I pray that it is gone due to this diet and healing in my body. Only the Lord knows. My thyroid hormones have been a roller coaster due to some experimenting with medication (we will talk about that in post three of this series.) I can tell that my leaky gut is healing because my rashes on my arms are about 95% gone!  My skin is still dry but the weeping burning sores are almost all gone. I still have some just on my hands. I am still fighting a small imbalance of good vs. bad bacteria in my intestines.  It is a slow healing process though.  I have to remember how big my small intestine is.  Then I need to think about how many trillions of inhabitants there are in there!  Healing takes a long time. I am not sure about my female hormones.  I think they are off because of the irregular periods and would like to have those checked eventually. As I stated in the card above, my adrenal fatigue is pretty much gone and my energy level is mostly normal again. I am thrilled that my White Blood Cell Count (WBC) is in the normal range.  White Blood Cells help to fight off infection, aid in healing and are an integral part of our immune system.  Without the right balance I was susceptible to everything (why I got Mono).  Now I feel much more protected and notice a huge difference in how quickly I heal and how I fight off infection or colds.  A month ago our whole family was sick. My husband was sick for 9 days and my sons got it too, really bad.  Coughing, fevers, etc.  I did not get it. I attribute that to God protecting me (first) and eating a diet that is "clean" and free of sugars, starches (second.)

I am enjoying crawling into bed at night without fear.  I used to fear if I would wake up itching through the night (which happened multiple times a week), not be able to sleep (more adrenal fatigue), or wake up swollen.  Now mostly I sleep like a baby for a solid 8 hours or more. I am able to get up before the boys, around 7, and do my bible study too!  Before GAPS I could barely wake up at 9 am and when I did I was still fatigued and couldn't function.

My energy level is wonderful. I have been able to plant a full garden this year and do all the manual labor that comes with that.  I get muscle fatigue that is normal rather than before feeling fibromyalgia like symptoms after doing any kind of light muscle work. I am able to cook, clean and take care of my boys like normal.  We also just finished our homeschool year and co-op and that definitely takes a lot of energy.

I have gained a few more pounds and hope to gain a few more.  I enjoy fitting in the clothes that I do and shopping is getting to be fun again.

Even though I am healing I am still in a fragile state.  My body needs the right foods and supplements as well as the least stress possible and adequate amounts of sleep.  If any one of these things is off balance or I introduce something new or take more probiotics I find I feel it the next day. The balance is probably the toughest piece to the puzzle for me.  Once I start feeling good I tend to want to go full boar into everything I do.  This is where the Lord is working on me though. Key word = rest. I am learning. 

Anyway, there's my symptom summary. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I will reply. The internet and blogs helped me in a HUGE way (and are still) on this journey and I would love to help you if you need it.

I believe in GAPS in a big way and encourage you to try it for a month if you have any of the symptoms I had above. You will see changes and the challenge of it is worth it to feel better. If after a month you notice changes it will make you want to stick with it for complete healing!

~Blessings~

Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.

90 Days GAPS Summary: A Piece To The Puzzle (Part One of Three)

Can I just tell you I am a HUGE fan of the GAPS diet! I have read so many wonderful stories of healing in people's lives from doing the GAPS diet for a season of life (everyone is different and it could be months or a couple of years.)  However, the main reason I am a big fan of this way of eating and internal healing is because I personally have seen such drastic improvement in my own health is just a matter of 90 days!  Praise God! It is amazing.

I really do Praise Him because he is the ONE allowing GAPS to work to heal me.  By His Grace alone....

Over the next three posts I would like to summarize for you~
1.) What my day looks like on GAPS each day and what I take supplementally
2.) Symptoms that are gone and some that are still here
3.) Addressing other pieces to the puzzle like my thyroid and getting enough 
     sleep that are helping me heal.

What my GAPS day looks like:
I wake up and take my thyroid medication on an empty stomach (T4 and T3.)

About 20 minutes later I take my probiotics of which I have been able to work up to the therapeutic doses finally. I take GutPro (because is it dairy free and has NO fillers)and Prescript Assist (because these are the soil based probiotic organisms that we need) right now and when I am done with those will be switching because we are supposed to switch probiotics frequently so as make sure we get a variety of good bacteria in our intestines.

A few minutes after the probiotics that I take L-Glutamine powder in some water.  L-Glutamine is a great gut healing amino acid!

Now we are about 30 minutes from my waking and I get to have my morning cup of "coffee!"  My morning cup of coffee is actually juice. I have been able to successfully introduce juicing into my daily routine and I look forward to it everyday.  It rejuvenates me and wakes me up!  My morning juice consists of 2-3 carrots, a piece of cucumber, a few dill sprigs, sometimes a yellow or red beet, several beet greens, a few big leaves of kale, & 2 celery stalks. It is so tasty! It ends up to be about a cup and a half.

While I am cleaning my juicer I have already started my breakfast broth, meat and veggies simmering on the stove.

About a half an hour after I have had my juice my breakfast is usually ready. 
**It is good to let freshly made juice be in your stomach with no other proteins or foods for about 20-30 minutes to get your digestive enzymes flowing as well as allowing your body to get all the nutrients from the juice without much work.

My breakfast varies in how it is prepared but usually the variety of food I eat is close to the same each day/meal.  I eat a bowl or big cup of bone broth (usually homemade beef or chicken) with every meal. In the broth (for a soup) or on the side is usually some form of good meat like Wild caught Salmon or Halibut, Grass Fed Beef, Organic and Antibiotic Free Chicken, or Nitrate and Sugar Free Pork Bacon that is antibiotic free.  Along with the meat I add lots of veggies to the pot.  The veggies I eat are usually avocado, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, bok choy, mustard greens, carrots, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, & zucchini squash.  I would like to reintroduce onions and garlic again soon and hope to be able to have those.
*It is good to be sure to eat some form of squash with each meal because there is carbohydrate energy in those and it keeps the GAPS patient from going into a state of ketosis. We need some form of carbohydrate but not coming from starch or starchy veggies.

I don't eat all my meals in the form of a soup.  I do make my own beef sausage patties to have on hand. They are seasoned with salt and pepper, sage, thyme and sometimes rosemary.  I make a lot of these to store in the freezer.  Chicken I usually roast, grill or make in the crock pot.  Fish I usually sear on the stove, bacon of coarse is fried and other beef cuts I usually do in the crock pot as well. Sometimes I make little croquettes with chicken or beef, avocado and squash and fry them up.  Sometimes I make meatballs and throw them in a pureed cauliflower or carrot soup I made.  Regardless of how my food is prepared I always have some form of fat added to my dish like reserved bacon fat, beef tallow, and/or avocado.  I cannot tolerate coconut oil still and do sometimes use olive oil drizzled over my fish wish some dill. I also like to julienne cut my veggies to add variety or sometimes I even make "noodles" out of my zucchini for a change.

Before I eat I take my HCI and GUTzyme digestive enzymes to help me digest my proteins, fats and carbohydrates. I don't make enough stomach acid to properly digest the foods I eat.  I am hoping this is temporary but my doctor says that I have a genetic marker that doesn't allow me to digest my proteins properly so I may need to take HCI the rest of my life.  We will see. Only the Lord knows. My goal is to be off all medications (thyroid) and all supplements, except for a Multi Vitamin, someday.

After that part of the routine I can sit down and enjoy my breakfast! I usually have two big bowls of soup or a big plate of meat with veggies and a side of broth. On my second portion of food I pour a dose Flax Oil (optimal EFA's) over the soup or meat to make sure I am getting my essential fatty acids in. Sometimes it is just flax oil and sometimes a mixture of Flax and Borage oil. This is also a source of good fat.

I still would love to be able to have egg yolk, raw milk yogurt and homemade sauerkraut.  I will try these over the coarse of the next few weeks again to see if I can tolerate them yet. I did buy some beef gelatin for an egg replacer and look forward to using that soon.

After breakfast I take my vitamins. This will vary for every individual but I have been tested for my vitamin and amino acid levels through a NutrEval Test and need to take the following:

• Vital Nutrients with no Iron or Iodine (no iodine until my Hashimotos antibodies come down a bit)
• Folic Acid (I need a bit more that my multi provides.)
• Blood Builder (I need a little supplement of iron but not as much as comes in a multi)
• GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid)
• ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid)
• Vitamin D (I take this additionally after lunch since I need a bit more than my multi provides.) 

I really don't snack throughout the day unless I have some bacon cooked up. Then I might have a slice here or there.  I may also have a piece of acorn squash as a snack.  Usually I just eat my three meals a day.

For lunch it is the same as breakfast and I do take my Vital Nutrients Multi vitamin after I eat.

In between lunch and dinner I take more T3 for my thyroid.

For dinner it is also the same as breakfast but sometimes I prepare something a little more fancy (again, same food just prepared differently) to satisfy my desire for something special. After dinner I also take more of my multi vitamin and two more GLA capsules.

The hardest parts of being on the GAPS diet for me are:

• Lack of variety at this point in time. It is such a slow process reintroducing foods ONE at a time and I also have to introduce supplements ONE at a time.  This means that I try something on one day and have to wait as much as three to four days before I can try something else.  Sometimes if I have had a reaction I have to wait longer until the reaction subsides. I can't wait to not be so limited. I know it will come with time and patience with this healing.
• Not being able to eat freely is hard too. I miss being able to just pick up a piece of food that is at a potluck or someone's house or even mine for that matter, and enjoy it.  Instead I literally have to think about every single thing that enters my mouth and how it will affect me.
• I still have sweet cravings a lot and wish I could just have a piece of fruit here and there. Hopefully soon!
• The prep is also hard.  I have gotten a good routine going though.  I make 21 quarts of broth every 4-5 days. I make sure my veggies for juicing are prepared on a tray the night before.  I have all my veggies cut for the next day the night before and either my meat cooks in a crock pot all night for the next day or I have it prepared for the next day.  It takes a lot of forethought but makes the days easier in that I am not in the kitchen 24/7.

Stay tuned for the next two parts to this series!  The next one will be all about my symptoms that have disappeared and some that are still sticking around.  The third and final post I will talk about a big piece of the puzzle to my healing ~ my thyroid imbalance/balance as well as getting adequate sleep.

How is GAPS going for you?  Do you have any questions for me? Do you have Hashimotos Thyroiditis and Hypothyroidism and have a tip or idea to share with me?

~Blessings~

Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Holy week was so much more poignant for me this year.  It always matters and means something to me and I find that each year I grow in my adulthood Holy week takes on new meanings and speaks to me in different ways.  This year God has been working on me so much through my health trial and suffering that I felt in a SMALL way I could relate to a teeny tiny amount of suffering Jesus went through.  Oswald Chambers once said, "You can't be crucified IN Christ if you haven't walked that path to Calvary." This hit home to me this year.  I feel like in a small way I have walked maybe a couple feet of that path to Calvary through my health trial and suffering the past 7 years (but especially the last year.)

2. We did our usual traditions of Resurrection Eggs along with reading Benjamin's Box The Story of the Resurrection Eggs. We did our Triumphal Entry reenactment, He's Alive Buns and dying Easter eggs along with our Maundy Thursday foot washing ceremony and Good Friday church Service. This year we also started something new. We made a poster all about Holy week.  There were eight squares on the poster and each day resembled something Jesus went through during the week: Palm Sunday, The Cleansing of the Temple, The questioning of Jesus, The anointing of Jesus, Maundy Thursday/Last Supper, The crucifixion/Good Friday, The Tomb and the Resurrection. We read the bible passage each day that pertained and then the boys had to draw something from the scripture on the poster to remember the day.  It was fun at the end of the week to have a memory poster of Jesus' last week - Holy week and see the kid's artwork.. I got the idea from this book: Christ In Easter: a Family Celebration

We had brown eggs this year to dye and they came out jewel colored!  They were my favorite eggs yet.

3. On Easter day we had a first!  In the evening, after our late Easter lunch and annual egg hunt we went out (after dessert too) and had a second dessert.  We roasted marshmallows around my Dad's fire pit.  It was a beautiful sunset and such a nice time.  I felt blessed I got to see the sun rise that day and the sunset that day!  I was bushed the next day though!

4. I made this Pavlova for Easter dessert again this year.  Let me tell you - IT WAS TORTURE NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT IT! Yes, I am screaming that.  Holidays are THE hardest being on these crazy diets.  If I was on the Full GAPS Diet it would be different but I am not.  Being around all the Easter food that day was extremely hard.  I wont lie! I did deal with quite a bit of discouragement throughout the day in regards to food.

Seriously decadent!  Soft yet crunchy pillowy meringue crust filled will lemon curd whipped cream and topped with strawberries.  OH MY GOODNESS! Yum.

5. Thanks to a good friend, I found a source for raw milk. You know the kind that is not ultra-pasteurized and homogenized?  The kind that has good enzymes and building blocks of life still alive in it.  I prayed for a while to find a farmer to supply us with this at a good price.  God answered my prayers.  We now pick up our milk organic, raw milk every Thursday from our farmer friend.  It is so cool too because he is going to supply us with farm fresh organic eggs AND grass fed beef with the fat and bones all for an excellent price.  I am SO thankful!  He is the nicest guy too.  He even said that he would hatch us chickens if we want to start having our own.  Maybe in the near future! I am also looking into beekeeping.  We can't have that here at our house but we can at my parents.  Honey is getting expensive due to the bee shortage.

6. I made raw milk sour cream and raw milk yogurt with some of the milk we got.  I am still trying to perfect it so when I do I will be posting about it.  It did turn out good and the boys loved the fruit sweetened one I made with strawberries and pineapple for them. They have it sometimes in the morning for breakfast.

6. Our annual Homeschool Encouragement night - Curriculum night is coming up and I am so excited. I am a curriculum junkie.  It is so much fun to see them in person and get excited about what I am going to use in the fall for school. 

7. I have been conflicted lately.  There are seriously so many books I want to read.  I keep checking them out from the library and forming stacks all over the place for me to read and I end up playing a tug of war with scrapbooking, computer stuff (like blogging), and reading.  I want to make more time to read though and it WILL happen. I did just read this book about Oswald Chambers though and it was enlightening.  Did you know that he never actually wrote a book?  All of his books were done by his wife after his untimely death at a young age (in his 40's.)  She compiled a lot of his writings and sold them as books. Thanks to her, we have My Utmost for His Highest and many other of his writings compiled to read and learn more about Christ.  His faith was amazing.

8. Friends have told me numerous times that they have tried to comment on my blog and had a problem.  I am curious as to how many people have this problem so if you read this post would you mind commenting on the post in the comments section below so I can try and figure out what the problem is?  Also if you could tell me if your comment came from a mobile device or a home computer it would help.  Thanks!

9. I am itching to update my blog. An entire re-design, probably not on blogger either.  My own actual website.  The problem is finding the time to do it.  I know right now it can't happen because of everything going on but maybe over the summer?  I will be praying about when and wait on the Lord's timing to see if that is something I should be spending my time on.

10. God has answered my prayers in finding some support in regards to my health walk.  I have had to navigate this entire 7 years almost alone.  What I mean by that is that I knew no one who had the same convictions of treating naturally and was going through similar health issues to go through this along side me.  I have certainly had A LOT of support in getting me through (thankfully) but no one that can wholeheartedly relate on the thyroid struggles, diet struggles, emotional struggles, financial struggles, doctor struggles and more.  God answered my prayers and  gave me some friends interested in doing the GAPS diet and dealing with several of the same issues.  We met for the first time last Saturday and I am so excited to have a our little mini support group. It is, and already has been, such a blessing. 

11. (Bonus) Today we were doing a project for History  and we had to paint Clay Pots like they did in ancient Greece.  We went to the store and bought pots and I had paint.  The boys and I got started and I told Cody sit in his chair correctly otherwise you will knock your pot off and break it.  Well what do you think happened?  Yup!  You're right, he broke it when he was almost done.  Oh, the crocodile tears.  I felt so bad for him.  For his disobedience he got the natural consequence - no pot.  Then shortly after Corbin was almost done with his and he got it too close to the edge of the table and dropped and broke his TOO!  AGGGHHH!  Tears everywhere.  Corbin was so sweet though, he said I will buy Cody another pot and himself one too if I would take them.  So sure enough we went back to the store and got more.  They redid them.  The first ones were better because they took more time but at least they got to have something to show for their time and I think they did a good job. What an ordeal.  I had fun painting mine though and didn't break it! :-) Aren't you proud of me?  We are going to plant some herbs in these outside after I clear coat them.

I hope you have a wonderful week and look forward seeing your comments (or not- if it doesn't work) to see if I have blog comment problems.

~Blessings~

60 days on GAPS Diet: reflections including a progress report

(GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and is a book/diet/short term lifestyle change written and coined by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride)

A little background first:
(If you want only to read about my GAPS experience and not my health background which lead to the GAPS diet please scroll down do “Starting the Intro GAPS Diet”)

When I started GAPS 60 days ago I was in the absolute worst health of my life. It was literally a crisis. I thought I was going to die. For real. I have been fighting my hypothyroidism for 7 years along with Hashimotos Thyroiditis. My old endocrinologist said Hashimotos is not big deal, just take T4 and you will be fine. What an ignorant MD who is in absolute denial and has succumb to the corrupt greed of the pharmaceutical companies! He was SO far from the truth in telling me that. He mislead me on a terrible path for years allowing my thyroid to get progressively worse and my body to become a host to multiple autoimmune diseases and immune suppression.
Through the lack of treatment and understanding with the Hashi's, chronic severe stress in my life for more than two and a half years, major sleep deprivation for two years, a diet filled with sugars and starches (even the good for you ones like beans, lentils and fruit), antibiotic usage and more, I started contracting more autoimmune diseases. The next one after Hashi's was a small amount of arthritis and the one that I have dealt with almost since my Thyroid diagnosis 7 years ago is a severe form of dermatitis resembling Lupus and/or Psoriasis. I have never tested positive for either of those (thank goodness) but have also been told that I have Seborrheic dermatitis. To this day I still don’t have a proper diagnosis for my ailing skin.

In January, coming out of the holiday stressors and eating more starches and sugars than normal (again good ones – whole grains, fruits, beans, corn), I crashed. My husband was scheduled for surgery for a fusion in his neck on the 10th. During that week I got the flu and was down for three days. I started feeling better the day of his surgery and thankfully was able to go to be with him. Of course that meant poor sleep, more stress and a lot of “bad for my health” things going on. I would do it again to be there for him though. He came home the next day after a successful surgery. Praise God! Then the day after that I woke up with swelling in my face. My ears were painful, bright red, swollen and on fire with a burning itchiness. My eyelids were swollen and the top half of my face was swollen. I freaked out. “What is wrong with me?!” I screamed as I got out of bed and looked in the mirror. It was a very scary day. Because I freaked out, I took a round of antibiotics and prednisone for the swelling. Dumbest thing I could have done. Those things made my healing go backwards and in turn I will take a lot longer to heal now – by months (maybe years) – just from one decision to take the stinkin’ antibiotics.

Still dealing with swelling and infection of some sort - fast forward to the following week, 4 days later…. I woke up this time to my eyes almost swollen shut. My boys couldn’t even recognize me. My face, ears, neck, and head were burning and itchy with scales that were flaky and bleeding all over them. My whole body felt infected. The antibiotics had done nothing good. The prednisone continued to suppress my immune system so it couldn’t fight off anything. My white blood cell count was SO low. I was in one of the deepest, darkest valleys of my entire life. All of the unknowns were haunting me. Cancer, something else debilitating, will I be around for my kids, am I going to die, etc, etc etc?

I went to the ER that day. What I thought was my last hope. On my way to the ER I got a call from my Functional and Integrative Medicine doctor (*I highly recommend this kind of medicine, I had just started meeting with her) and she told my I tested positive for MONO! I am not in college. This is not something that a 34 year old should get! If only I had a working immune system. The Emergency Room Doctors could do NOTHING. They didn’t even give me anything for my swelling since it wasn’t an anaphylactic shock type swelling (probably a good thing in retrospect.) In other words, my airways were fine. $2,000 (on top of the thousands I have already spent over the years) later and no diagnosis, help or hope I decided I was done with allopathic medicine. They treat the symptom, not the cause. This had been a long time coming and in general I never had any good experiences in the western medicine world. I will only ever go back to a western medicine doctor for an acute problem like a broken arm or a heart attack. My family will not go to one either. It is a waste of time and money. They have been no help and actually have contributed to my decline in health over the years.

In the days following I could barely function. However, I started getting down to business with my FIMD (Functional and Integrative Medicine Doctor.) She ran the gamut of tests and talked to me for hours (yes it is true a doctor will actually spend hours with you if they truly care and are not run by big pharma) about things to try to help my dying, immune-suppressed body. One of the ideas, among many, many others, that came up was to try the GAPS diet.

During all my time at home I did a lot of research and a lot of praying about trying GAPS or some of the other things she mentioned. I couldn’t physically “do” anything else. I couldn’t cook, clean, take care of my family, homeschool, grocery shop, go anywhere (except doctors appointments) or do anything that required energy. I felt so sick. I prayed and I researched. Thankfully my fully supportive family picked up the slack in ALL the other areas. Praise God for family.

As I read more and more about GAPS and watched some videos, it all started making sense. I started to understand why I was so sick, what was happening to my body, what my body needed, why I was having the symptoms I was and what I needed to do to get back to health. I still waited and prayed though because in the past I had done things that made my health worse not better – deathly cleanse, ALCAT diet and more. After I felt confirmation from the Lord I decided to give the GAPS diet a try for 30 days and if I didn’t see any changes then I would abandon that and try an Auto-Immune Paleo diet.

Here is a list of my symptoms and issues before starting the GAPS diet:

Starting the Intro GAPS Diet:
I started the GAPS Diet at Intro stage 1. I had no other choice but to start at Intro stage 1 since I had so many health issues. I secured a place for grassfed beef bones to make bone broths, bought (or had my family who was shopping for me) buy organic everything, found some grass fed bovine raw milk to make yogurt with and made my own sauerkraut and ghee (eventually.)

My breakfasts were beef, chicken, or fish with a homemade bone broth and loads of GAPS legal veggies along with homemade ghee and Celtic salt.
I ate this way for breakfast lunch and dinner and also introduced one of the most important things -two new GOOD probiotics GUTPro and Prescript Assist. I also eventually added Vital Nutrients, a new multi-vitamin (with no iodine because iodine can cause Hashimotos antibodies to rise as well as a few amino acids and vital minerals.

In the beginning I was also having 1-tsp of homemade, 24 hour fermented, raw milk yogurt each day and 1 tsp of sauerkraut juice. Occasionally I would add in an egg yolk to my bowls of soup too.

Within 1 week of eating this way my energy was coming back. I started to feel less infected overall. My face redness, flakiness and itchiness cleared up and went away. This is redness, flakiness and itchiness on my face I had for 6 years! My swelling went down. It was so nice after a few weeks to not go to bed fearing what I would wake up to. My itchiness overall the rest of my body was not going away though. I was still eating something or doing something my body didn’t like. I cut out the raw milk yogurt, sauerkraut and eggs to see if there would be a difference. I was also detoxing and so my body (arms, hands and neck mostly) itchiness got more intense for a time. It would keep me up at night. 

My symptoms and issues continued to improve over the next month. I was feeling full and satisfied with my meals and everything tasted so good because I was so malnourished. Through the broths especially, my body was getting the vitamins and minerals it needed. I was losing my fear of eating because there were finally foods that I could eat that didn’t make me react in some horrible way. My blurred vision went away. I could focus and I felt like the fog in my brain had lifted. The headaches and sores on my face went away. Only occasional cystic acne. My arthritis pain went away too. There were good things happening. I was so happy!

The second month was more of the same. Some days were worse than others though depending on how much probiotic I was taking which in turn caused more detox or if I introduced a veggie my body didn’t agree with. I did Epsom salt detox baths, bentonite clay soaks and tried numerous oils (like coconut) to moisturize my rough painful skin. I now use only pure shea butter on my arms and neck.  The rule is, if you can't eat it DON'T put it on your skin. I realized I reacted terribly to some things like onions, garlic and coconut oil. It is because they cause detox for me and they are also FODMAPS which I think I have a sensitivity to some FODMAP foods. Chicken or fish doesn’t really sit well with me either. I have a hard time digesting it.

Now, after 60 days on the GAPS diet. I am on Stage 3 / 4 of the Intro diet. I stayed on the stage 1 for a long time (more than a month) because I had to back track when I had to eliminate eggs, yogurt and sauerkraut mid way. I just wanted my skin to clear up.

I am beginning to introduce more foods in the past two weeks though. I still skip the egg yolks but will be trying raw milk yogurt at the end of the week again and sauerkraut next week. I am also introducing other foods.

Now I make my own sausages from grass fed ground beef for breakfast and I throw those into my bone broth veggie soups. I also plan on starting to juice in the next week but have to take that slow because it causes detox too. I hate detox!

After 60 days on GAPS my energy is back to almost full swing. I have to be careful to go to bed at a decent time and get enough sleep (due to my adrenals healing.) My egg size swollen lymph nodes on the back of my head and neck are gone and I only have two tiny ones on my neck now. The only symptoms I am still dealing with and may be for a lot longer are itchy, bleeding eczema on my arms, hands and neck that ebbs and flows. I can’t get them wet or the itchiness drives me insane. Others are dry skin, irregular periods, still some digestive issues, occasional depression, ridges in my nails and a bit of hair loss (due to extreme diet change I believe.)

From my first symptom list to now I am pleased with the progress I have made on 60 days with the GAPS diet. There have been bumps in the road and a lot of trial and error. There have been doubtful days too. I do believe that it is helping my gut to heal which in turn is helping my thyroid, adrenals, hormones and all other issues heal. It is a long journey.
It took me essentially 34 years to get to this state of health so I expect to be in this for the long haul. It is worth it to me though to have my life back and be able to function and be a mommy to my 2 sweeties and a wife to my hubby of almost 9 years (who by the way has been SO supportive through this whole process. Poor guy was supposed to be recovering from neck surgery when I got the sickest. Instead he started taking care of me.)

The GAPS Diet has helped to nourish me back to health slowly. I am so thankful for it. In another post I will talk about how this health journey has affected my spiritual journey. God is working on me and challenging me in some amazing ways though this valley of the shadow of death. It is SO hard but I am excited in the refining process because that is where life is. I want to know my Lord and Savior more. The only way is going through the fiery furnace and walking the road to Calvary with Him in suffering and pain.

I trust if you have read this whole post you are searching in your health journey (or you’re my family :0). I would love to answer any questions you have. Just leave a comment below. The Internet has been priceless in my quest for knowledge about my body, my health and healing. I hope in some way this post can help you in your journey as well.

I will post another update in a couple of months about my continued GAPS healing and journey – Lord willing!


~Blessings~
Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.