Turning 61 has left me feeling nostalgic and profoundly grateful. I am celebrating 9 years of complete remission from all chronic disease since November 2014. Today I am medication free and enjoying great health. I no longer suffer from Lyme Disease, Babesia, Bartonella, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, Migraines, PTSD, Hypoglycemia or Adrenal Fatigue. Prior to this, I had been chronically ill and medically disabled for over 20 years. As you know when disease begins to take hold it can spread and cause complete havoc and multiple issues in the body.
Brief Recovery Outline
By 2007, my health had reached an all-time low. I was given a chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia diagnosis. I was on heavy psychiatric medications for bipolar disorder, major anxiety, chronic migraines and post-traumatic stress disorder. Most days I relied on painkillers for my increasing levels of pain. By this time I had been sick for over fourteen years. My life was a constant battle to find some kind of stability in the midst of symptoms that included the following:
- severe body aches
- headaches
- migraines
- ongoing constipation
- intense head pressure
- chronic coughing
- extreme fatigue
- overall body weakness
- depression
- suicidal ideation
- anaemia
- weight gain
- bloating
- chronic left sided pain
- dizziness
- blurred vision
- bloodshot eyes
- dry skin
- dry and brittle hair
- ridged fingernails
- body numbness and tingling
- heart palpitations and shortness of breath
- panic attacks
- debilitating anxiety
- chemical sensitivities
On many days, I was barely strong enough to sit up in a chair. I would put on a brave front at mealtime and afterward collapse onto a couch or my bed. You can read more about my life as a Lyme sufferer here.
I went to several doctors and received little to no help. The psychiatric diagnosis comes with a bias that seems inclined towards, “you are depressed, and these are the symptoms of your depression,” or “these are the side effects of the drugs.” None of them ever asked me about my diet; no one seemed to be able to offer me a solution.
The problem with this approach is that a drug is seen as the answer: a new chemical, perhaps in combination with a different coping strategy will make life more bearable… without really addressing the underlying problem. And so, I was repeatedly told I was depressed and would have to put up with the side-effects of the medications – a necessary evil.
Finally realizing that the allopathic medical system could not offer real and lasting solutions, I decided to do a little research. Thank heavens for the internet. I knew that something had to change or I wasn’t going to live much longer. I spent many, many hours online, and discovered that the body is a highly adaptive self-healing system. If given the proper fuel, and toxins removed, the body can function the way that it was designed.
The slowest and most frustrating part of this entire process has been dealing with chronic infections; I spent about 4 years on this alone. Finally I was diagnosed with CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia in 2010. Two years later with Lyme and several co-infections in August 2012. I tried and failed with several different treatments for Lyme Disease and co-infections.
Here are the major steps that were involved in achieving remission.
REMOVE THE BAD STUFF
- Processed foods and sugar
- Foods that create allergy or intolerance – most common are gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, shellfish and nuts
- Amalgam dental fillings
- Toxic drugs – I quit all psychiatric medications and painkillers in 2007 and began treating the mania and depression naturally. You can read more about this here.
- Personal care products – Commercial body lotion, sunscreen, bug spray, toothpaste, make-up, hair care products, hair dyes, soaps, body scents and teeth whiteners, to name a few
- Toxic household products – Heavily scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners, cleaning products
- Environmental toxins – Of gassing from new furniture, carpets, new vehicle upholstery, fresh paint, mold in the home or workplace, EMF and dirty electricity exposure, cigarette smoke, air fresheners and scented candles
- Chronic infections – I started with a bowel cleanse, treated parasites, and Lyme disease and co-infections.
- Stress
- Unhealthy relationships
ADD THE GOOD STUFF
- Real food, plenty of water, Paleo Diet that provides all of the essential nutrients for great health.
- Natural supplements, probiotics, superfoods and herbs to target individual infections, address nutritional deficiencies, correct digestion and heal the gut.
- Exercise that is enjoyable and you look forward to.
- Spending as much time as possible in nature.
- Sweating – sauna or naturally in a hot climate is ideal.
- Beach therapy – sunbathing, soaking in the sea and walking barefoot.
- Straightening out the body – chiropractic therapy.
- Laughter, fun and lots of love.
- Living as simply and stress-free as possible.
- Develop a loving relationship with a higher power.
There is Hope
This is what I have done to regain my health. It really seems like a daunting set of tasks. It began as a very steep learning curve and took me six years to complete them all. Why so long? Well, think of regaining your health like peeling back the layers of an onion. I just happened to be an onion with many, many layers.
I was very, very sick when I started to work at reversing my physical state. The report back from my first hair tissue mineral analysis looked like someone that was slowly starving to death. I was extremely low in all minerals except for two of them.
Some people may be restored to health in a relatively short time by changing their diet and perhaps doing one or two other things. I think it really depends on the level of toxicity, length of illness, nutritional deficiencies and level of damage to the body. In other words, there is no set timetable for recovery from illness. The body sets its own pace, based on what it needs.
It doesn’t seem fair for one person to have to deal with so many health-related issues. However, in many ways, my poor health was not unlike that of many others today. In a real sense, our health is a product of our times. And we are living today in what is probably the most toxic era in the history of humankind. Here are 12 Myths I Ignored to Recover 20 Years of Chronic Illness.
Despite this, it has all been worth it. The changes I’ve made have become a lifestyle that I wouldn’t give up for anything. To wake up each day without a headache or debilitating body pain and be able to walk five or six miles is a blessing beyond my wildest imagination. I am in complete remission from depression, mania, Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, all co-infections, hypothyroidism, chronic migraines, adrenal fatigue, anaemia and nutritional deficiencies.
In 2020 I left Mexico and live with my husband Tony on a riverfront off-grid homestead in Canada. We enjoy raising our own chickens for organic meat and eggs. We also have large organic gardens, a greenhouse and lots or fruit trees and berry bushes. We enjoy regular saunas in our woodfired sauna, kayaking and lots of hiking.
If you have Lyme Disease and are not recovering please read this article –
10 Reasons You Can’t Get Rid of Lyme Disease, Parasites, Candida and other Co-infections
Everything that I have done to recover my health is available here for free on my blog. If you would like a little extra help, I offer health coaching and hair tissue mineral analysis for a fee. Please go to this page for a list of my rates and to book an appointment for health coaching.
Blessings and Best of Health!
Brenda♥
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