Yes, you read it right! Food truly did save my life!
My story dates back a few years, to when I started to struggle with acne, at an age when I was not even supposed to have acne. After trying all other available treatments, I ended up taking a form of Isotretinoin, but again, treatment failed.
To make a long story short, the medical investigation into my adult acne led to a diagnosis of hormonal imbalances. The hormonal treatment that followed failed as well. This treatment, however, was accompanied by the worst side effects I had ever experienced.
I was no longer myself: I lost my energy, my ability to focus and work, and my usually long nights of quality sleep. My body was depleted of all the vitamins and minerals it needed, and my hormone imbalance got even worse. In summary, I completely lost my health. Something was wrong, I felt sick all the time, but I didn’t have a clear diagnosis and there was no medication that could help me.
In hindsight, this point of “health rock bottom”, was actually a positive moment in my life. Yes, a positive life-changing moment! One that opened my eyes to a whole new world of nutritional therapy. To treating my body with food, to food as medicine.
I’m a medical doctor and to admit that medicine failed with me was hard, to think that food can heal was even harder. But I’m also a believer, and I believe that God created nature to help us, so food might actually be medicine.
Starting a new health journey totally changed my life. Not only did I change my diet, but also my overall lifestyle for the better and that of my family in the process.
I learned to listen to my body and give it what it needs (whether food, exercise, or just a nap). I learned what and how to eat, how to choose the foods that were right for me and how to avoid all that harms me. I changed my whole perception on food and eating.
I started to read more about holistic nutrition and its ability to heal and discovered a new passion for cooking and developing recipes from scratch.
Most importantly, I started to heal. Now, I am feeling like myself again, I regained my energy, I’m sleeping well, I exercise regularly, and when I eat I actually feel satisfied (for the first time in years). The process even improved my relationships with my husband.
I didn’t write this article to say that medicine doesn’t help. I can’t say that! After all, I’m a medical doctor and my mission is to cure people using my medical knowledge. I simply want to share what I learned: a symptom should not be addressed as just a symptom, but as an alarm signal our body gives to let us know that something is not functioning properly.
Whether it is adult acne, bloating, or hair loss, we should recognize them as signs that something in our body is disturbed and look for the deeper cause, and not just treat the symptom.
A human being is a whole unit. All our organs are connected and work together in synchrony. We cannot use a certain drug to cure a certain organ without evaluating its side effects on the body.
Finally, it is not wrong to admit that medicine fails sometimes. But there is always a treatment.
Pay attention to the signs your body gives you and seek medical advice. Ask your doctor to search for the underlying causes of your symptoms and to carefully consider what drugs to prescribe. If this path fails you, just keep an open mind to natural cures, nature might just pleasantly surprise you!
Do you have a similar experience?
