My health went to hell. Here’s how I healed.

Growing up, I was an active, healthy, happy kid.

Flash-forward to college years, where I took this dynamic and added drinking, partying, and over-working myself.

I’m sure you can guess what happened: Yep, my body threw in the towel and stress became my main fuel. This stress seeped into all aspects of my life, especially my physical and emotional health.

I developed TMJ (painful movement of the jaw joint and surrounding muscles) from grinding my teeth at night and the lack of sleep only depleted my immune system more. Eventually the stress, drinking and fried foods took over and my body was unable to fight such a hostile environment.

At the young age of 22, I gained a toxic little friend called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a serious condition that wreaks havoc on the small intestine.

Here’s how SIBO works: bacteria that normally grows in other parts of the gut starts to make its way to the small intestine, and shi*t starts to go downhill from here. Fun? HA! How about pain, diarrhea, extreme bloating, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and every other uncomfortable symptom under the sun? Eventually, this leads to malnutrition because the bacteria utilizes all the nutrients for their own selfish pleasure (that’s right, bacteria is a living organism, ya’ll).

So what did this mean for me? It started by tearing all the muscles in my stomach—the same muscles that pregnant women tear while carrying a bun in the oven. This led to me going in-and-out of doctor’s offices, trying drug after drug, searching for answers that no one seemed to be able to provide. I wanted to give up. I kept asking myself: “Is this how I am going to have to live forever?”

Don’t worry, this is the part of my story where it starts to sound a lot less helpless.

I met a woman named Mary Ann, and she changed my life with colon hydrotherapy and loads of advice. I didn’t heal overnight; and, to be honest, it took me about 2.5 years to get where I am now. I have learned so much about my body during this journey of overcoming sickness and want to share with you what I have learned. My intention for this blog is to share the knowledge I wish I had at 22; the knowledge that saved my life and helped me to be the happier, healthier, stronger version of myself.

You better believe I’m not done growing and learning how to live a more balanced life just yet. While I know each body is different, I hope that following me through my own healing will, at the very least, expand your mind to all the therapeutic remedies that natural medicine has to offer.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional (although I’m flattered if you think I am) and the purpose of this information is to offer insight regarding what has helped MY body heal, not to treat serious medical conditions in others. If you believe you have SIBO or any of the symptoms listed above, consult with a trusted practitioner.