Starting in 1980, as a child, I remember having problems with different environmental allergies, anxiety and frequently battling a stomach ache. One of the more memorable trips to the doctor I remember being puzzled by my overall childs' mind take away. I was allergic to dust mites and mold, and I had a heart murmur. For the allergies; don't sweep the garage anymore for my chore. For the heart murmur; tell the dentist so he can put it on my chart. To help with my stomach aches; drink a milkshake everyday and eat more corn. I knew I absolutely had an aversion to hot chocolate, and pancakes (especially if my mom used whole wheat flour) and when corn was served I only wanted a little bit. When the milkshakes were put in front of me to drink, I wanted nothing to do with it. I knew it would give me a stomach ache. Thankfully my mom thought this idea of treatment was as wacky as I did so the dietary "prescription" went out the window. This left me with absolutely no clear direction so I continued to do whatever was convenient.

My battle with environmental allergies continued to get more complicated as the years went on and new problems were surfacing. My body was screaming for attention in my 30’s. I spent years dependent on shots from the allergist, daily nasal spray, constant phlegm and colds, inability to breathe through my nose and chronic body pain on my right side began to interfere with my lifestyle.

At the age of 34 I had a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with 4 different complications that would hopefully be resolved with the surgery. 2 years after that my neck, then hip, then knee, and foot all gave me debilitating pain. Years of physical therapy, chiropractic work, acupuncture, and massage helped make things bearable. Yet still my body did not feel quite right….My moods swings were absolutely no fun. Thank you Dave, Taylor and Bailey for loving me anyway:) The amount of stress I was carrying around with me everyday made it difficult to be truly happy. I really had a “good” life, whatever that really means. I had so many things to be grateful for but just wasn’t feeling it. I wondered, “what might be next?” I was too young to be having so many problems!

Now in my 40's I’ve been on a mission to heal my body through an integrative approach. This has involved a ton of personal work! Thanks to all the ways that my body screamed at me, and the universe laid life circumstances in front of me, I made changes. It got my attention and has given me the opportunity to make my life so much more rich. This process of healing my body has given me an undeniable belief in the power of food and tuning in to our bodies.

Our heads can be messy. I need to use the power of my mind to generate the thinking that I want to live with. My relationship with food has completely changed. As cheesy as it may sound, it is simply nourishment. That’s it. What and when I choose to put food down my hatch makes a difference in how it is absorbed, utilized, how it comes out, and how I feel. Healing has involved so much more than just food. It’s the relationships and connections I choose to have in my life, my spiritual practices, my beliefs that determine the impact of stress on my body, movement, the fun I make time for, the healing power of food and mindset. This process of a deeper personal healing has been one of the most rewarding journeys. I believe that the physical breakdown was simply my body’s way of getting my attention. It took me 40 years to figure that out and I’m so glad I stopped to listen.

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