You have the power to change your life and health. You can kick your chronic illnesses naturally. It’s time to make some changes. We are currently experiencing a disease epidemic. You only have one body and it needs proper love and care. There is nothing more valuable than great health. Without your health, it is virtually impossible to excel in your family life, careers, friendships and communities. Bring in the New Year with some much needed nutritional and lifestyle changes. I was chronically ill for over 20 years and so I know this can be done. Take care of yourself so you can shine bright!

1/ Stop Eating Processed Junk Food

Humans have lost their way with food. Our bodies are not designed to handle all of these toxins and nutrient-devoid food-like substances. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, white flour, pasta, bread, sodium nitrates and nitrites ( hotdogs and luncheon meats), sugar, flavor enhancers like MSG and bad fats.  Avoid hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils like soy, canola, sunflower, corn and cottonseed. Never eat margarine, fake whip cream, bakery items, restaurant fried foods, chips, salad dressings and anything microwavable. Do a junk food kitchen purge and stop eating fast food. 

2/ Eat a Nutrient-Dense Real Food Diet

Fill your plate 2/3 with non-starchy vegetables. Shoot for a Wahls Paleo way of eating with 3 cups of green, 3 cups of deeply colored and 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables each day. Add in healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and butter. Enjoy organic, grass-fed, wild-caught and complete proteins like salmon, chicken, eggs, beef, and seafood. This will balance your blood sugar and give you the necessary nutrients your body needs to function properly. Remember high octane food for high octane performance.

3/ Heal your Gut and Digestion

Do you have heartburn, bloating, burping, bad breath or pain after eating? Digestion should be a non-event! You shouldn’t even be aware that your stomach is busy digesting a big meal. According to Jonathan Wright MD, “Approximately 90% of all Americans produce too little hydrochloric acid.” Many people today need to supplement with digestive aids. Work with a nutritional therapist to fix your digestion so you are able to digest all of that good food you are now eating. We are what we are able to digest. You can read more about gut health here.

4/ Drink more Water

Dehydration is one of the most widespread and underappreciated health issues today! Start with half of your body weight in ounces. According to F.Batmanghelidj, M.D, “Chronic cellular dehydration of the body is the primary etiology of painful degenerative disease.” You can read more about the importance of water here.

5/ Take a Good Wholefood Multivitamin/Mineral

Taking a good whole food multi is your little dietary insurance policy that you are getting all of the nutrients that your diet might be lacking. If you want to know the mineral status in your body get a hair tissue mineral analysis. This will help to target specific minerals that are lacking in the body. 

6/ Eliminate Toxins of Every Kind

1. 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
2. Toxic household products – Heavily scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners, cleaning products
3. 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, vaping, air fresheners and scented candles

7/ Reduce stress

Stress kills! It burns through your minerals. Try and eliminate as much work and relationship stress that you can.  Take a look at how full your plate is. Are you doing too much? Do a friend list clean-up. Unload those frenemies. Stick with those that love and support you. 

8/ Get some good sleep

Now that you have changed your diet and reduced your stress it should be easier to sleep. We need good sound undisturbed sleep so the body can heal itself. If you are chronically ill sleep as much as you can. Try and include some afternoon naps as well.

9/Get some exercise and fresh air

Get moving! Start small and work up. Walk to the end of your drive. Then walk halfway around the block. Try and increase the amount and intensity as you are able. Do what you enjoy but get outside and get some sun and fresh air. You can read more about the importance of exercise here.

10/ Forgive Everyone for Everything And Love More

Pull out that big long list of resentments that you are carrying. Now go through each one and start forgiving. Some are harder than others. I just pray for those people until I no longer feel anger towards them. Start with loving and forgiving yourself first. We have all done the best we could with what we were given. Live each day with a grateful heart. Give and receive as much love as your heart can hold. 

Love and Blessings,

Brenda

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 nutritional therapy consultations 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.

If you like this article please feel free to share it!

I just returned from a 4 week trip to Peru. Leading up to this trip, I was feeling uninspired, tired, empty and a little burned out. The last 4 years I have worked very hard in my practice and have completed just over 2000 face-to-face Skype consultations. I also returned to school and completed my certification with the Nutritional Therapy Association. I needed a time out to re-evaluate where my life was going. Did I need to change direction with my nutrition practice and where I was living? Should I start offering classes for Lyme Disease and other chronic illness recovery? What could I do to get inspired again? Did I just need a rest? I definitely needed to take a pause.

A pause will look different to everyone. Some may just need to take time off work and lay on the couch reading inspirational books. In my case, I usually need to do some type of hike in an extraordinarily beautiful part of the world. I had been wanting to complete the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for a very long time. So I blocked off 4 weeks from work and backpacked solo through Peru. This may seem unusual for a 56-year-old woman, but it is who I am.  It gave me the time to immerse myself in nature, to pray and reflect on my life. The last time I took a pause was when I thru-hiked over 900 km on the Camino de Santiago, Spain in 2017.

“We are human beings, not human doings”

5 Signs it’s Time to Press the Pause Button on Your Life

1/ You are chronically ill

This is the most common issue most of my clients have. It might be time to pause and look at the way you are doing life. How is your diet? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you getting to the root cause of your illness or just medicating your symptoms with pharmaceuticals? Maybe you need a time out to re-evaluate your treatment plan and move more towards a natural path of healing.

2/ You are exhausted

Why are you so exhausted? Are you trying to do too much? Are you practicing good self-care? Are others in your life making too many demands on you? Are you just filling your life with endless distractions to anesthetize unresolved issues?

3/ You are battling depression

Why are you depressed? Is it physiological or situational? Try and assess with a good counselor the root cause of your depression. Once you know the root cause, you can implement a solution. In my own case, it was resolved from changing my diet, boosting minerals and trauma counseling for early childhood issues.

4/ You are in an unhappy relationship

Do you find yourself in a relationship that is not allowing you to live your true authentic self? Do you feel unsupported? Do you feel abused? Do you feel alone, afraid or ignored? Examine all of the relationships in your life. Begin to weed out those that are not helping you to live your best life. Stick to the people that help you to shine and can celebrate your successes. Cherish the friends that can help you up when you have fallen down. The best friends are able to tell you when you are getting off track or not living up to your true potential.

5/ You dislike your career

Do you find it difficult to get out of bed and go to your workplace? Do you have a boss or coworkers that are very unsupportive or difficult to spend the day with? Take some time to reassess your life and work goals. Maybe you are long overdue for a career change. The average person changes careers at least 2 or 3 times in their lifetime. Maybe it is time to align yourself with a career that fuels whatever you are passionate about. I myself began as a bakery owner and then big city realtor. Over time I went back to full-time studies for an addictions counselor and now a nutritional therapist. Sometimes a change is the best thing we can do for our physical, spiritual and emotional health. 

6/You are unhappy with where you are living

Do you dislike where you are living? Is it your city too big? Is it too small? Is the climate unbearable? Is it too noisy? Do you feel safe there? Are there enough of your favorite recreational opportunities to satisfy your interests? Is your house rundown or full of mold? Are your neighbors driving you crazy?

7/ You are feeling very flat and uninspired

This is the one that can just sneak up on you. Maybe there is nothing wrong with your life, but the monotony of doing the same things over and over. Sometimes, it is as simple as taking the coastal route instead of the freeway. Maybe you should just take the top down and enjoy the wind in your hair. Maybe it is time to move out of your comfort zone and try camping, fishing, boating, swimming, exercising or ziplining. New activities can breathe fresh inspiration into our lives. It is so easy to get comfortable with the ordinary. Try something new. I still want to ride a camel, climb Kilimanjaro, learn how to throw knives and shoot a crossbow. 

8/ You are confused about your next steps in life

Are you feeling confused about everything? Sometimes we just don’t know what to do or where to go.  That’s okay. We can pray,  meditate, talk to others until the answers come. Whenever I feel at peace about my path I know that this is the right course of action for me. I do believe we each have a purpose to fulfill in our lives. We can pause and let the answers come to us. This is a good time to do less and quietly ponder our lives.

“Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.”
Wayne Dyer

We only have one life! Sometimes we need to take some much needed time to discern if our current path is the right one for us. It is so easy to get caught up with “doing”  that we forget about “being”. We forget to take a time out so that the answers can come to us.

Every single day I turn my will and my life over to the care of God. This is a recovery practice that I have maintained and it works very well for me. I have also included time for daily prayer and meditation that has served me well over the years. When I need additional guidance I talk to my people. I have a very good support system to listen to me and offer feedback.

I am really grateful for my time away from home and work. I have decided to travel more and begin to implement some changes in my practice. I also plan to hike as much as I can while I am still able. It is my most favorite recreational activity that allows me to unplug from the daily demands of life and work.

So if you are feeling any of the above try and take some time to assess your life and current situation. There are always changes that we can make to improve our spiritual, physical and emotional health.

Blessings and Best of health,

Brenda

This is the soup I ate for months on end when I was extremely sick. This and my daily green smoothie. My digestion was terrible and I couldn’t handle any raw salads. My hair analysis revealed very low stomach acid and low minerals across the board. I wanted a nice soup/stew that I could make in large amounts and just reheat for a few days at a time. We even froze it and pulled it out as needed. It usually never made it to the freezer, as everyone in the house seemed to enjoy it. This was a great way to reintroduce red meat into my diet after a  2-year stint as a raw foodist and mostly vegan diet. I wasn’t yet able to handle a beef steak or roast beef, but this soup was amazing. I ate it almost every single day when I was going through the worst of the cleansing from Lyme Disease and other chronic infections. This soup is very nutrient dense, delicious and easy to make.

• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large white or yellow onion
• sea salt and pepper
• ½ head cabbage, chopped
• 4 Roma tomatoes – optional
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 zucchini chopped
• 2 cups of green peas
• 4 cups homemade bone broth
• 1 tablespoon  Italian Seasoning
• Optional vegetables- green beans, white or sweet potato, turnip and whatever else you have hanging around your fridge. This will depend on how low you want to keep your carbohydrate intake.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a skillet brown the ground beef. I always kept the fat and added it to the soup. Add this to your large soup pot.

2. Sautee the onions and then briefly sautee the garlic. Add to your ground beef.

3. Add chopped cabbage, diced tomatoes, celery, carrots, zucchini, bone broth, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add more bone broth for a thinner soup.

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for an hour. Add frozen green peas about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.

“FOOD AS MEDICINE!”

If you want great health, eat great food!

My passion lies in helping others with similar health issues.  If you would like a little extra help, I offer nutritional therapy consultations 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 

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.

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.

Researching online, I slowly began to understand that I needed a holistic approach – one that considered the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of chronic illness. Each aspect is equally important and needs to be addressed. What we eat, drink, think, breathe and believe have tremendous repercussions on the state of our health. Over time, I came to understand that wellness is like a three-legged stool. If one leg is broken, the whole stool will fall over and not function as designed.

The body is a self-healing system.

There were so many testimonials online from people who were healing themselves by taking a body-mind-spirit approach to finding optimal health. Intuitively, I knew this was the way for me. I became hopeful and determined to regain my health using natural interventions. Finally, I would start to address the cause instead of just getting treated for symptoms. It just made plain old common sense, the kind that my Baba (grandmother) from Ukraine would have used.

And so I began my return journey to health. Here are the major steps that were involved.

Remove the bad stuff

1. Processed foods and sugar
2. Foods that create allergy or intolerance – most common are gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, shellfish and nuts
3. Amalgam dental fillings
4. 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.
5. 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
6. Toxic household products – Heavily scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners, cleaning products
7. 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
8. Chronic infections – I started with a bowel cleanse,  treated parasites, and Lyme disease and co-infections.
9. Stress
10. Unhealthy relationships

Add the good stuff.

1. Real food, plenty of water,  Wahls Paleo Diet that provides all of the essential nutrients for great health.
2. Natural supplements, probiotics, superfoods and herbs to target individual infections, address nutritional deficiencies, correct digestion and heal the gut.
3. Exercise that is enjoyable and you look forward to.
4. Spending as much time as possible in nature.
5. Sweating – sauna or naturally in a hot climate is ideal.
6. Beach therapy – sunbathing, soaking in the sea and walking barefoot.
7. Straightening out the body – chiropractic therapy.
8. Laughter, fun and lots of love.
9. Living as simply and stress-free as possible.
10. Develop a loving relationship with a higher power.

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.

The slowest and most frustrating part of this entire process has been dealing with chronic infections; I spent about 4 years on this alone. I finally was diagnosed with Lyme and several co-infections in August 2012. I tried and failed with several different treatments for Lyme Disease and co-infections. I have now been in complete remission from everything since November 2014. I have just celebrated another year of Lyme Free Living! You can read about it here.

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, since November 2014. I  have been medication-free since October 2007. Food is powerful medicine!

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

If you like this article please feel free to share it!

It’s true, I travel with a blender! Green smoothies are the ticket! I can’t believe I am celebrating another year of Lyme Disease-free living. Prior to this, I had been chronically ill and medically disabled for over 20 years. I no longer suffer from Lyme Disease, Babesia, Bartonella, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, Migraines, PTSD, Hypoglycemia or Adrenal Fatigue.  If you are new to my page and have been battling Lyme Disease you can read this article to find out all that I did to recover from 20 years of chronic illness.

A Look at the Past Year

Writer’s block

It was a very full year with a lot of twists and turns. I know I haven’t written much but there is a good reason for that. After completing my grueling work/study year with the Nutritional Therapy Association last November 2017 I just couldn’t bring myself to write much of anything. Nada! Zilch! A blogger that doesn’t blog! I am hoping that this will change soon as I still have many things I would like to write about.

Typhoid Fever

One year ago, I got blindsided by Typhoid Fever one week after I wrote my final exam with the NTA. It was quite unexpected, and I went undiagnosed for 10 days. Blood tests came up empty, and I was told it was Dengue. You can read more about this experience here. I suspect raw chopped garlic saved my life and provided the antibiotic that I so desperately needed. Once I recovered, it took me about 3 months to get strong again.  I have never had such a serious acute infection as this. They say what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger and I feel this rang true for me.

Cancelled Kilimanjaro

I was supposed to climb Kili last January. I knew I was just too weak from the Typhoid and had to put this dream on hold. This really was a big disappointment but I knew it was the sensible thing to do. I returned here to Playa del Carmen to work and focus on self-care.

The Overdevelopment of Playa del Carmen

I went through a low time following my return here after this past Christmas. Playa has changed so much in the last 6 years that I have been coming here. This building boom has forever changed this once small and quaint tourist destination. Many of the authentic Mexican restaurants and quaint hotels have been torn down and replaced with massive hotels or condominiums. The traffic has increased exponentially, and 5th Avenue is full of people at all hours. It is noisy and busy morning and night.

The Carribean Sargassum Problem

This last year has been a rough one for the beaches. The sargassum seaweed just kept rolling into the shallows and piling up on shore. I swam very little, as most days, the seaweed came in faster than it could be removed.   You could smell it rotting, all the way up to 5th Avenue. The beaches at my end of town were completely deserted.  This last month, the seaweed has cleared for the most part, and we are back to enjoying the sea again. I am so grateful for this reprieve of sargassum. It really has made me appreciate my beach days on the weekends.

Ecuador

Discouraged over the state of Playa del Carmen, I set out last Spring on a quest to find a new home – a place with clean air, water, and food. I spent 10 weeks working as a digital nomad and exploring on my 3 day weekends.  I started in Quito and then went to Baños, Cuenca and finally Vilcabamba. I hiked, went whitewater rafting, horseback riding, canyoning and soaked in volcanic thermal baths. It was a really interesting trip and I did so much while I was there. The food was incredible and I loved the people. It is a very affordable country and I now understand why so many expats go there to retire.  I absolutely love Ecuador but just never found the right place that I could call home.

Two broken ribs

I was hiking one afternoon in Baños and fell on a wet rock! Going down, I could hear my ribs crack! I then had to hike out about 4 km. I haven’t experienced pain like that since giving birth. I could barely breathe, and getting in and out of bed was excruciating. Slowly, as the weeks went on the pain lessened. In the third week, I was hiking again in Cuenca and then did lots more in Vilcabamba (I discovered that I could hike but had to be very careful bending and sitting). Hiking is my most favorite thing to do, and I wasn’t going to let the broken ribs stop me from enjoying the many mountainous trails that Ecuador has to offer. I had to give away my blender, as I couldn’t lift my carry-on anymore. That ended my traveling green smoothies.  The cleaning lady in Vilcabamba was really thrilled to get my blender.

Mini- makeover of my apartment in Playa

My little apartment in Playa was starting to look dull and tired. I had the whole place painted, bought a new table and chairs, sofa, and had my bed and nightstand painted white.  A few pictures were hung, and the whole place got a lift. It is amazing what a good de-cluttering and new paint can do to a place. I have always loved this little apartment and I love it that much more now. It will be for rent for a 6 month period this year, as I travel from March – September 2019. Comes with a great blender and Berkey water filter. Drop me a line if you are interested.

Mexico City

I spent 10 days in Mexico City for my birthday in September. It was a wonderful break from work, and I was blessed to be with my girlfriend Jackie. We climbed pyramids, visited museums, walked and walked, enjoyed lots of good food and just had a great time. We stayed right in the historical center. I love Mexico and really enjoy visiting new places here.

Maintained a Full Caseload of Clients

I have been very fortunate to be able to work and travel. I know it looks like I don’t work but I actually work quite a lot. I have been blessed with so many wonderful people to work with. It is a privilege and a blessing to help others heal from chronic illness. I address terrain first. Then we begin cleansing and reducing the infectious load. Many are recovering and that is what is so encouraging.

My maintenance protocol

My diet is primarily Wahl’s Paleo. I still eat about 9 cups of vegetables each day. After 5 years of morning smoothies, I have switched to a big salad with some type of animal protein for breakfast. I have almost quit fruit altogether and only eat it occasionally. I just feel stronger and have better blood sugar balance without much fruit. This is my 5th year with intermittent fasting. My first meal is at 11 am and dinner is usually around 5 pm. I still have my morning black coffee and drink water the rest of the day. I am careful to give my body everything it needs to be healthy. This includes minerals, essential fatty acids, whole food multivitamins, digestive supports,  seaweed and whatever else my bi-annual hair test suggests.

Regular parasite cleansing

I hadn’t done a parasite cleanse in over a year.  Coming back from Ecuador, I felt kind of depleted. So when I returned to Canada last summer, I began a parasite cleanse. Lo and behold, there were some visible parasites. I cleansed full dose with my recipe for 6 weeks and couldn’t believe how much stronger I felt. My recipe can be found here. The parasite herbs are the only herbs that I  take every 6 months. I haven’t taken any Lyme specific herbs since October 2014.

Daily exercise

I continue to walk  6 – 8 miles, at least 3 days per week. The other 3 days I do 45 – 60 minutes of resistance training. I feel really good and have been steadily gaining muscle that I lost while recovering from the broken ribs.

Canada

I return home to Canada twice each year now. I love to visit my family at Christmas and in the summer.  They come to visit me here as well, which is always such a blessing. I am so grateful for Skype and being able to keep in touch with regular calls.

Gratitude

My life is full today! It is not always easy to look back on the years of suffering, financial ruin, lost time and being mostly unsupported. I often can’t believe that it has been 4 years since that nightmare ended. It still haunts me at times.
One thing I know for sure! In order to have great health, we must feed ourselves a nutrient-dense whole food diet, reduce toxins and lower the infectious load. I am now in the best shape and health of my entire 56 years. I still have a few mountains left to climb, and plan on living life to the fullest for the rest of my days!

If you are still struggling with Lyme Disease and other chronic infections, take a look at this article. 10 Reasons You Can’t Get Rid of Lyme Disease and Parasites. 

My passion lies in helping others with similar health issues.  If you would like a little extra help, I offer nutritional therapy consultations 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

If you like this article, please feel free to share it!

It is still unbelievable to me that I am now a healthy 55-year-old woman in the best shape and health of my entire life! Prior to this, I had been chronically ill for over 20 years and on a disability for 10 years. I no longer suffer from Lyme Disease, Babesia, Bartonella. parasites, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder, migraines, PTSD, hypoglycemia or adrenal fatigue.

How I did it!

1/ Paleo Diet- balanced blood sugar
2/ Buhner’s original Lyme Protocol
3/ Modified Hulda Clark Bowel Cleanse
4/ Detoxification
5/ Intensive parasite cleansing
6/ Healed my digestion
7/ Drank sufficient water
8/ Restored mineral deficiencies with hair testing
9/ Restored essential fatty acids
10/ Supported the adrenals
11/ Exercise that was appropriate for each stage of my healing
12/ Eliminated toxins
13/ Surrounded myself with loving and supportive family and friends
14/ Lots of sunbathing and barefooting
15/ Sleep  7 – 8 hours per night
16/ Developed a strong spirituality

Highlights from the Past Year

Back to school!
I spent 10 months studying with the Nutritional Therapy Association to obtain my certification as a Nutritional Therapy Consultant. I spent most evenings studying, reading and researching. This kept me far busier than I cared for, but I am grateful to have graduated and learned so much with the NTA. You can read more about it in this article.

Maintained a full caseload of clients
My practice has grown to full capacity. I have tried to keep my prices as low as possible while offering the best practical approach to supporting those with Lyme Disease, co-infections, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, mental illness, chronic migraines, sugar imbalance and so many other illnesses. Obviously, nutrition is key but so is digestion, mineral balance, hydration, restoring essential fatty acids and just giving the body the basics for great health.

The tools I use are Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) and the NutriQ.  The Nutri-Q is a complete Health Assessment Questionnaire that will ask you specific questions about symptoms that you are having. This is a very sophisticated nutritional software program which reveals which systems in the body are needing nutritional and supplemental intervention. If you are interested in booking a consult, please go to my contact page for a list of my fees.

Sold our house in Canada!
I have a small apartment here in Playa del Carmen. It is very inexpensive and has allowed me to do what I do. I have adopted a very simple life and enjoy a walking lifestyle. It is very healthy to walk for groceries, meeting friends, local appointments all on foot. I have grown accustomed to living without a car and all of the other material possessions I had in Canada. I find the less I have, the less I have to worry about.

Stopped dying my hair!
I have decided to embrace my grey hair. It has only been 4 months but it is coming along nicely. I just couldn’t handle putting those chemicals on my head every 5 weeks. I am embarrassed that I did it for as long as I did. I am always the first to tell my clients that if they can’t eat it they shouldn’t put it on their skin. I will be writing a post on this in the next couple of weeks.

Menopause
I am happy to say that this transition was quite seamless. I really didn’t have any difficulty except for a few months of hot flashes. I completed this phase when I was 54.5 years old and my energy, outlook and weight all have remained steady.  I never took any hormonal treatment, and understand today that if a woman’s body is balanced, her hormones will be balanced as well. It is really not that complicated, but we have to take care of our diet, digestion, hydration, mineral balance and practise good self-care.

Typhoid Fever- A game changer!
A month ago, I came down with Typhoid Fever here in Playa del Carmen. It was brutal, to say the least. It became crystal clear to me that I had been driving myself extremely hard for the past year and a half. The non-stop stress of work and school had finally caught up with me. My dream of opening a guesthouse here in Playa del Carmen for those with chronic illness is not practical. This is a project that would require my undivided attention 7 days per week. The stress would be too much, and my health would suffer, no doubt. This experience taught me that I can only do so much, and I need to let go of this dream. I am about 90% recovered as I write this post. Apparently, full recovery from Typhoid does take some time.  You can read more about my experience with typhoid here. 

 A look at the year ahead!

Canada
I will be returning to Canada for 5 weeks over Christmas and New Years. I miss my family so much! So I will dust off my winter gear and try and adapt to those frigid temperatures. I hope to do some snowshoeing. I’m really not much of a winter activity girl but will do my best.

Africa
My dream has always been to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I am long overdue for a holiday and need a rest from this past year. I will be taking a month off in January so I can climb Kili, go on safari and hang out in Zanzibar for a bit. I really need to unplug from the internet and have some quiet time with nature, my Higher Power and whoever happens to cross my path.

Embrace life as a digital nomad
I will be working and travelling over the next 6 – 9 months. I have no plan, other than to continue with my consults and spend some serious time in Spain and Italy. I’m just trying to figure out how I can pack my blender and a Berkey water filter system. This should be interesting.

Write an E-Book
I have been asked many times to write a book so people can find everything in one place. I agree! My website/blog now has quite a few articles and it is difficult to find my protocol in an organized way. So this is my logical next step. I will try and write a simple step-by-step guide that will be easier to follow.

Practice radical self-care
This means taking the best possible care of myself – doing all of the above to regain my health. I know that I live in a world that is constantly trying to chip away at my health and vitality. I do know that I have been given one body. It is the most valuable possession that I will ever have in my entire life.

Love as much as I can!
In the end, it really is about loving God, each other and ourselves. I don’t always do this very well, but it is something I continuously work on.

Never, ever give up!
To those of you that are suffering, never, ever give up! You have to fight back! Once the body has all of the nutrients, proper digestion and self-care it will heal itself. If you are having difficulty recovering take a look at this article.  10 Reasons You Can’t Get Rid of Lyme Disease and Parasites. There might be a few things that are holding you back.

If you are interested in booking a consult, please go to this page for nutritional therapy and hair analysis.

Blessings and Best of Health!

Brenda

Feature Photo- Ashlie Woods

If you like this article please feel free to share it!

I battled depression for most of my life. It began in the eighth grade and continued on until I began treating it nutritionally at the age of 44. My darkest days took place while I was on heavy psychotropic medications – a period that lasted over 14 years.  During this time, I was told by seven psychiatrists that I would need to be on these medications for the rest of my life. You can read my story here in more detail.

I finally discovered the works of Carl Pfeiffer (MD, PhD) and Abram Hoffer (MD, PhD), who were curing mental illness with nutrients instead of drugs.  Both were pioneers in the orthomolecular movement, which seeks to heal illness by addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies through supplementation.   The results of applying to my own life, what they wrote and practiced have been astounding.  Below, I share twelve natural treatments I have distilled from my own experience of recovering my mental health and moving beyond depression.

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
~ Thomas Edison

12 Natural Treatments for Depression

1. Nutrient-Dense Diet
Implementing a wholesome and balanced diet that contains all of the necessary vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids.
– Avoiding sugar, junk food, processed foods and bad high heat processed fats.
– Looking to maintain a healthy balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates:
– 40% of daily caloric intake from unrefined and complex carbohydrates,
– 30% from quality proteins
– 30% quality fats.

I have found the above ratios a good place to start, and they can be adjusted for each individual. I personally eat about 33% of each, and feel optimal when my food intake is structured this way. This is the basis for the Paleo Diet which really turned my health around.

2. Plenty of water
It is important to drink half of your body weight in ounces per day. If you are drinking coffee, soft drinks, tea or other diuretics you will have to drink more water. Water is crucial for moving nutrients into the cells and removing toxins for optimal health. You can read more about water in this article.

3. Correct mineral deficiencies
Hair Tissue Mineral analysis can reveal which minerals need to be increased. Identifying mineral levels this way will help us know which ones to increase with supplementation. Deficiencies of magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine and selenium can all cause depression. Most people have some degree of magnesium deficiency.  A good source of information on this essential, but often overlooked mineral can be found in the article,  Rapid recovery from depression using magnesium treatment by George Eby. In my own personal experience, I found magnesium supplementation to be a key factor in eliminating my own depression and major anxiety disorder.  When I did my first hair tissue mineral analysis, I was low in every mineral tested except for two.  Magnesium was one of the pillars in my supplementation program and health recovery.

4. Digestive support
A hair tissue mineral analysis can reveal if we need support with food digestion. 90% of the population has low stomach acid. These people lack to some degree the strong acidity in the stomach that is required to break down the food they eat.  Most will benefit from enzyme supplementation and taking Betaine Hydrochloride (HCl) to lower stomach pH to help ensure better digestion and absorption of nutrients for optimal health.  Here is an article that goes into more detail about low stomach acid.

5. Focus on gut health and supplement with probiotics
Research has shown the gut microbiota influence brain chemistry and behavior. For example, persons who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and associated cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, commonly suffer from depression and anxiety as well. This study details the link between gut microbiota and depression. Here are some strategies for healing the gut.  Homemade unpasteurized sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi and other fermented foods are tremendous probiotic sources found in many traditional cultures.

6. Omega 3 fatty acid – Fish oil
Consuming plenty of omega-3 fatty acids may offer powerful protection against depression. A large Norwegian study of nearly 22,000 participants revealed that those who regularly took cod liver oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, were about 30% less likely to have symptoms of depression than those who did not. The longer the participants took cod liver oil, the less likely they were to have high levels of depression. I take cod liver or krill oil every day. This has really helped with mood and especially cognitive function.

7. Avoid the use of mood-altering substances that can cause depression
These include alcohol, sugar, caffeine, drugs, artificial sweeteners, food dyes, additives, preservatives and flavor enhancers like MSG. These are not only toxic but many dehydrate the body. These are known to increase acidity in the body which will pull minerals out of the tissues and bones. Over time this can cause mineral deficiencies which will compound depression.

8.Avoid foods that create allergy or intolerance
These can have a direct impact on energy and mood.  Most troublesome are foods containing gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, shellfish and nuts. Get yourself tested for food allergies and sensitivities. I gave up gluten, sugar, cow dairy, processed foods,  corn and most grains. I just feel better eating a clean Paleo Diet.

9. Try natural remedies
Many have had good success with St. John’s wort, SAM(SAM-e) and 5-HTP. Talk to your healthcare practitioner to see if any of these might be right for you.

10. Exercise that is enjoyable
Spend time in nature getting fresh air. Sunshine is still our best source of vitamin d and a deficiency can cause depression.  If you can spend some time at the beach that is even better. Be careful with the sunscreen as many contain toxic chemicals that are absorbed through the skin. Here is an article I wrote on beach therapy.

11. Talk therapy
Talk therapy is often what is needed the most – to help discover what is contributing to the depression. Seek out a good counselor or psychologist and work on any underlying issues. It is important to process any grief, loss or trauma that is still holding you back. I have worked through many issues with my psychologist and would highly recommend talk therapy as a lasting solution. Remember that every problem becomes half of a problem once it is shared.

12. Change your thinking- Glass half full
Try and develop an attitude of gratitude. Each day I focus on all of the blessings in my life. I am grateful for what I have and try not to focus on what I don’t have. When I find myself slipping back into self-pity I count 10 things on my fingers that I am grateful for.

Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food
– Hippocrates

Today
I am happy to report that I have been off all medications since October, 2007. I continue to focus on nutritional therapy and healthy lifestyle and no longer experience any depression,  mania, anxiety or panic attacks since taking this natural approach.

If you are interested in health coaching, please go to this page for nutritional therapy and hair analysis.

Best of Health!

Brenda

References
Staying Healthy with Nutrition- Elson M. Haas, MD
Raeder MB, Steen VM, Vollset SE, Bjelland I. Associations between cod liver oil use and symptoms of depression: The Hordaland Health Study. J Affect Disord. 2006 Dec 18.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23910373
http://george-eby-research.com/

If you liked this article please feel free to share it!

Depression was my constant companion for most of my life. It began in the eighth grade and continued on until I began treating it holistically at the age of 44. I suffered many, many dark days and on heavy psychotropic medications for over 14 years. I was told by seven psychiatrists that I would need medications for the rest of my life. You can read my story here for more detail. Finally I discovered the works of Carl Pfeiffer and Abram Hoffer, who were curing mental illness with nutrients instead of drugs.

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
~ Thomas Edison

10 Common Causes of Depression

1/ Past trauma
According to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation – Childhood trauma, such as sexual or physical abuse, domestic violence, neglect or parental loss, can have long-lasting consequences. Researchers are exploring the effects of early trauma on the stress-response systems that influence vulnerability to later depression.
I found a good therapist and joined a support group for victims of abuse. Dealing with trauma is a process that can be painful and time consuming but very liberating.

2/ Toxic Relationships
Toxic Relationships that are characterized by: insecurity, abuse of power and control, demandingness, selfishness, insecurity, self-centeredness, criticism, negativity, dishonesty, distrust, demeaning comments and attitudes, and jealousy. In fact, unhealthy relationships can turn into exactly that—a toxic internal environment that can lead to depression, anxiety, and even medical problems.
I had to eliminate a few toxic relationships. Do your relationships leave you feeling energized and happy or depleted and depressed?  Get rid of all of those “frenemies”. Surround yourself with love and support.

3/ Workplace Stress
Do you enjoy your work? Does it energize or deplete you? Helping others overcome Lyme Disease and chronic illness is my fourth career  and I love it! Find your passion and do what gives you joy and satisfaction. A drug might take the edge off symptoms, but you will still have the daily workplace stress if you choose to stay. When nothing changes, nothing changes.

4/ Grieving
Grieving is a natural response to the death of a loved one or any other type of loss. It has a life of its own, and when given its due attention, it will enable us to come to terms with our losses.  It is important to feel the feelings and process the grief so you can move on in your life. A pill is not going to bring back your loved one or the things you have lost.

5/ Abusing drugs and alcohol
Substance abusers have an increased risk of developing depression. The solution is to stop abusing drugs and alcohol so the body can recover from the toxicity that these cause. It was important for me to learn to live clean and sober.  I now rely on 12 step groups, a wonderful therapist, loving family members and wonderful friends for support. Antidepressants are not a substitute for healthy living; they only make this problem worse.

6/Financial stress
I was in a terrible financial mess many years ago.  The solution was to stop spending more than I earned. We got rid of all debt and began living a simpler debt free lifestyle. It is so wonderful to live within my means and have the ability to easily pay my monthly bills. No more sleepless nights about finances.

7/ Digestive disorders
Research has shown that the gut microbiota influences brain chemistry and behavior. For example, people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the associated cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, commonly suffer from depression and anxiety as well. This study details the link between gut microbiota and depression.
I had gut problems from a very early age. Antidepressants only prolonged and increased my suffering. The solution was to finally heal  my gut. For more detail read this article.

8/ Medications
Antidepressants can cause an increased level of depression and create a state of chronic depression known as tardive dysphoria.  There is a good article here from Psychology Today.
Some antidepressants also bring an increased risk of suicidal ideation. This was my experience, and I battled this during my last three years of antidepressant use. This level of suffering is what actually forced me to look at alternatives when I finally discovered that these drugs were making the depression worse.

9/Nutritional deficiencies
Deficiencies in omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin d, b complex, iron, folate, amino acids, iodine, zinc and selenium can all produce depression.
These were corrected with a nutrient dense paleo diet, whole food supplementation and sunbathing. I used hair tissue mineral analysis to discover which minerals I needed to focus on and supplement.

10/ High levels of mercury in your system
Mercury toxicity has been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, lowered immune function, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, memory loss, chronic headaches, neurological symptoms, joint pain, candida, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s to name a few.
I got all of my amalgam fillings removed. You can read more about it here.

It is important to find the cause of the depression so that a solution can be implemented.

Taking drugs to solve problems just doesn’t make sense. If you are in a a crisis that is a different situation altogether. Sometimes a short course of a medication may be necessary and lifesaving. Talk therapy is often what is needed the most – to help us discover what is contributing to the depression. Seek out a good counsellor or psychologist and a naturopathic doctor for a holistic treatment plan. Sister Mary McGuire, a psychologist, has helped me more than any other.  We met regularly for over 3 years. These sessions were painful and powerful.  I received such an incredible gift of deep and liberating healing.  I carry her love and wisdom with me each and every day.

I am happy to report that I have been off all drugs and antidepressants since October 2007.  I have not had a recurrence of depression, mania, anxiety or panic attacks since making the above changes. A nutrient-dense diet, nutritional supplementation, detoxification and lifestyle choices really do affect mental health.

If you are interested in booking a consult, please go to this page for nutritional therapy and hair analysis.

Best of Health!

Brenda

If you like this article please feel free to share it!