Healing and The Long Road

I believe in spontaneous healing.  I believe in all possibilities and have heard of people who have suddenly and miraculously healed themselves, sometimes of "incurable" diseases.  I hoped that would happen to me.  Twenty years is a long time to go with growing numbers of food sensitivities.  Every time I tried something new, I thought, "This may be it!  This may cure me!"  But I went down that road many times.  So, for whatever reason, I took the long way to healing... long yet very rewarding.

May of 2014 is when I "officially" started GAPS Intro phase and changed my diet to mostly local, mostly organic/natural whole foods.  That means absolutely nothing processed, except for what I've done to process foods (like cooking and fermenting).

I owe my health to a lot reading and research, wholesome foods, a few supplements (probiotics, essential fatty acids, and fermented cod liver oil), detox baths, coffee enemas, and natural personal care products.

In 2012, when I had allergy and food sensitivity testing done, I was given this card, printed with a partial list of foods to avoid.  There was actually over 50 foods that were "suspect."

However, after a year on GAPS, I have added most of these foods back into my diet.  Grains and beans are more difficult to digest, so I haven't added them back yet.  And cow's milk is still questionable, though I am loving my homemade raw goat's milk yogurt!

Gratitude to Ginny Stein at Two Thumbs Ranch for introducing me to GAPS.  That book has changed my life!

Gratitude to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the author of the GAPS book (Gut and Psychology Syndrome).  She is one of the growing number of doctors advocating natural treatment for all kinds of maladies.

Gratitude to local suppliers of organic/natural and wholesome foods, including Green Gardens Community Farm, Pleasant Hill Farm, Wooly Acres, EarthSmith Food and Forest Products, Gale Acres Farm, and Long Valley Farm!

Gratitude to ITSAN (the International Topical Steroid Awareness Network) and their website, which I found with the help of my guides, as I was going through the worst of Red Skin Syndrome, a withdrawal symptom from topical steroid addiction.  Yes, my skin had become addicted to topical steroid cream!  You can read about topical steroid cream addiction here, if you're interested.

Gratitude to Penny Kelly, ND, for her encouragement to do coffee enemas!  I know they sound, well, different, but they really work.  They are said to be one of the best ways to detox the liver.  I believe that my withdrawal from the topical steroid addiction would have been much worse had I not already been doing my "coffees"!

Gratitude to all my friends and family, who have supported me during this process.

May health be with you all the days of your life, if you so choose!