I used to be clueless about health. I guess I knew exercise was a good activity, and eating fruits and vegetables was something I should do. I certainly didn’t make it a priority, though, unless it was really fun (and that usually only applied to the exercise part).
I actually believed that living on pasta-roni, a steamed vegetable once in a while, and loaf upon loaf of soft, white, shepherd’s bread was a fine diet for a young, strapping woman like myself.
Of course, I suffered an unusually high amount of allergy symptoms, such as the inability to stop sneezing for various stretches of time, and a nose resembling a continually dripping faucet.
Yes, I had tried allergy medications. Sometimes they helped, but the side effects (feeling woozy and shaky, I can’t really
remember now) bothered me too much to continue taking them.
I had also suffered from recurring yeast and urinary tract infections since getting married. By the time I had my second child, worsening fatigue was making me frustrated. I remember praying for answers, pleading that if I was to care for my family sufficiently, I needed help.
I wanted better understanding of how I could improve my health and energy level. I think some of the answers had been around me all along, I just had not been ready to receive them.
One time when I was visiting my sister, she informed me she was going to see a “natural doctor.” It was someone that did blood analysis, where they prick your finger to get a drip of your blood, then show you your cells and whatever else is floating around them, on a computer screen.
It was absolutely fascinating. I was shown yeast in my blood and told I needed to discontinue eating processed, white products and other unhealthy foods. It was definitely a wake up call.
I felt strongly that I needed to try their recommended diet, and so I called my husband on the spot and asked him if he would do it with me. Being the supporting, loving, awesome man that he is, he cheerfully said he would
When I got home we made a large donation to the local food bank. I was determined to start from scratch, eating only whole, unrefined foods. I had a long learning curve as I educated myself on how to prepare all the new foods I had just bought from the local health food store. We probably lived on steamed vegetables and brown rice for two months while I experimented.
This short amount of time yielded two significant results. My allergy symptoms all but disappeared, and my husband lost 30 pounds. He was playing a lot of basketball at the time, which I’m sure helped, and he is also quick to point out that cutting out the dessert played a role as well.
This was a turning point in my life. As my sister’s health continued to decline, mine improved, but because of her, our family also began to learn about natural medicine.
We discovered and began to study the writings and teachings of John Christopher, an herbalist. Actually, when we learned about him and his school, my mother was so excited, she signed herself, me and my sister up for the entire master herbalist course.
That was eight years ago.
