unaware

From an early age, there were many signs that I had an imbalance within my body, but the signs went unnoticed. Unfortunately, at this time I didn’t realize that my state of health had anything to do with the condition of the delicate ecosystem inside my gut.

I struggled with thrush as a baby. Later I developed several stomach and skin infections that at the time didn’t seem to have any clear diagnosis. Furthermore, I had digestive issues that left me constipated and bloated the majority of the time.

As I hit puberty, the acne started. It was extremely painful and embarrassing. It produced large cysts under my skin that under doctor supervision was ignorantly treated with antibiotics. Unbeknownst to me this compounded the problem. The acne lasted well into my late twenties. Yeast infections were a common annoyance as well, and slid right underneath my radar. I had an especially bad case during my first pregnancy.

becoming aware

During this time, I gradually started researching health and how the body works. I became more aware of my thoughts, my beliefs and the effects of different foods on my overall being.

I began to make the transition into healthy living and eating. High fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils were two of the first things to go. Banishing refined sugars and gluten were the next changes to be made. (Check out my candida detox friendly recipes here.)

And to my delight, my symptoms started to disappear!

First, I noticed the intensity of my cravings was dissipating. The bloating lessened. My skin started to clear. The roller coaster ride seemed to be over and my life had now taken a turn down a much less turbulent path. My energy level for the first time felt consistently strong and my emotions seemed to level out.

I knew that I would never turn back to my old eating habits. I felt better than I had ever felt before. Click here to find out more about the foods I ate and didn’t eat to rid my body of candida.

the candida realization

Then in August of 2012, after having my second child, I noticed a patch of itchy skin on my finger.

It started out as a dry, itchy spot. Soon small blisters started to appear and every day it was spreading. My hands became so incredibly inflamed with itching, open sores and tight skin that I couldn’t bend my fingers for months! I cried myself to sleep in an itchy, tortuous state of mind almost every night and woke up for many hours trying to find some sort of relief.

I thought for sure it was Poison Ivy so I tried several Poison Ivy remedies, but to no avail. The western doctor said it looked like hand eczema, but I didn’t put too much weight into his diagnosis. I reluctantly tried the steroid cream he prescribed, nonetheless. It did nothing.

In my core, I felt that my body was undergoing some sort of detox, maybe related to the hormonal changes my body had just experienced from having two children. I also knew that our feet and our hands, the furthest point from our heart, often will be the exit point of any toxins our body may be trying to dump.

Instead of masking the problem with a prescription band-aid, I wanted to get to the root of the matter to ensure for myself lasting health for years to come.

I knew that the years of neglecting my body were catching up to me in a greater way now and this was how it was manifesting.

My body was speaking and it was up to me to listen. I was just unsure of what it was saying.

That’s when another close friend of mine said it looked just like some skin issues she had encountered. The culprit? Candida overgrowth.

Even though I had drastically changed my diet to suit better health over the past several years, which greatly helped regulate my moods and various other symptoms, I was still consuming many foods that created a perfect breeding ground for these little boogers. I realized I had never gotten down to the root cause.

Large amounts of honey, wine, oats, potatoes, rice and other grains were some of the foods I still had not dismissed from my diet. So again, I searched for more information. I learned a lot, but soon started feeling overwhelmed by all the endless points of view on the landscape. And my hands were not improving.

I implemented many treatments from herbal to homeopathic remedies, utilized diet restrictions, ingested many different kinds of pre and probiotics, essential oils, super greens and attempted various spiritual practices. I’ve been through the gamut! Some of these changes seemed to work and others not so much. Some I’m still doing today and some I’m not.

I’m continuously learning and experimenting. I have provided tools on the Healing Practices page that have been the most beneficial to my overall wellness.

improvement at last!

Going through this experience has beckoned me to be in much greater attunement with my body, mind and spirit. Thankfully I have come into a place where my symptoms are nearly nonexistent and are continuously improving!

Through much trial and error I have found my balance.

With so many options and protocols from which to choose, I found that it has been best to listen to my own internal guidance over anything and anyone else. I didn’t adhere to just one point of view, but gleaned from many sources to discover what would work best for me.

I am still navigating this journey with still so much to learn. No one is the same. No treatment will be the same. I always remain open to new understanding and knowledge concerning my health. So my statement is simply that currently, these methods are working for me and hopefully they will do the same for you!