As a small child I suffered lactose intolerance. No one understood why I was having severe stomach cramping every day after lunch. Allergies, bronchitis, exercise and cold induced asthma, ear infections and strep throat were a part of my daily living. In my teen years my monthly cycles were extremely painful and the migraines that came with them sent me to the ER twice. My first of 3 stomach ulcers appeared at 18 and I have fought acid reflux for almost 3 decades thereafter. My doctor was treating it with way above the recommended amounts of Zantac (which has now been found to cause cancer) and a proton pump inhibitor called Omeprazole, which inhibits vitamin/nutrient absorption and has horrendous side affects on your kidneys as well. At 26, the first of many panic attacks came out of nowhere and I suffered with anxiety through my 40’s.

Then things started to get serious. Pre-diabetes showed up in my 30’s but my doctors told me that;

“We don’t treat it until it actually becomes diabetes.” 

“It’s in your family so it’s just going to happen to you.”

“We don’t know of any preventative measures, maybe you should exercise more.” Crazy right?

Hormone imbalance was an issue for me too. Menopause and hot flashes at 38 was a weird issue at that age and fibroid tumors were really fun too. At 42, I finally graduated to a “real” type-2 diabetic and to top it all off, my cholesterol and liver enzymes were high. The side effects to the 7 different types of diabetic medication I tried were intolerable for me and actually causing some of the negative changes in my blood work. A full body allergic reaction of hives from head to toe from the last injection-type medication, made me decide no more drugs.

I developed carpal and cubital tunnel together with a sudden onset of all over joint/bone pain. This pain liked to move around but mainly stayed in my hips and hands. The peripheral nerve damage from 20 something years of untreated high blood sugar as “only a pre-diabetic” is something that I still feel every day but is slowly healing itself.

One year I had 6 sinus infections and my doctor wanted to scope for polyps. Ummm… No thank-you. The last straw was at 48, a calcium deposit had formed in my rotator cuff tendon. The pain was so debilitating I had to quit my 30 year career as a salon owner/nail tech.

I had studied nutrition for years on my own and decided to go back to school and got my certifications. My body was telling me the answers to all my questions. Actually, screaming them. I just wasn’t listening and kept eating pizza. My biggest question was “What do all these random symptoms have in common?”  The answer? MY DIET! (Dairy specifically) And guess what? I fixed ALL of it by adopting a whole food plant-based diet. The best part? My diabetes reversed! I am no longer a diabetic.