Letting it all hang out

[Kelly G]

Hi,

I am looking for some guidance on where to go next on this path to wellness.

I grew up with asthma, allergies and had bronchitis twice a year at least. I was probably obese as a child, but overweight for sure. I seemed to always be on antibiotics and meds to "control" my asthma and allergies.

Fast forward to age 13 when I started a pack-a-day smoking habit. This continued for the next 13 years aside from when I would quit for a month or more at a time. When I was about 22 I began to learn more about health, healing and exercise. Putting these things into practice was a different story. I weighed 205 pounds at my heaviest and started to workout 3 times a week, but did not change my food habits much. Sugar addict here. I developed eczema around this point. On. My. Hands! It quickly became very embarrassing.

I quit smoking on March 18th, 2009 for good. I replaced cigarettes for running. I began running from one driveway to the next and walking the length of two driveways. I also stopped eating meat at that time. It made me sick. A few months later I found out that I have hypothyroidism and started on synthroid.

January 1st, 2010 my husband and I began a candida cleanse together that lasted 6 months. I also began a metal detox program and took homeopathics. The candida plan that we followed consisted of no: yeast, sugar, fruit (aside from lemon and blueberries), dairy (aside from butter), alcohol and fermented foods. I ate no meat until late February when we started purchasing local grass-fed meats. I limited my intake of gluten initially suspecting a gluten intolerance then increased my intake. We had fish 2 times a week and beef,chicken, or lamb once a week. We soaked our grains overnight and tried sprouting. We ate whole foods aside from some wheat or rice pasta on occassion.

During this time: I lost 47 pounds, my eczema cleared, I stopped taking my allergy medications and stopped using my rescue inhaler. I was able to reduce my dosage of Advair by 3/4. I still take synthroid and my numbers are stable on this dosage. My doctor does not want to lower my dosage at this time even though I have expressed an interest in coming off of it. My moods have become more stable. I notice that I don't have sugar crashes anymore. I have more energy as well. AND I just ran my first full non-stop mile last month!

Our program ended July 2, 2010. Since then, I have been eating mostly the same way but added seasonal fruits back in my diet. I have had some "treats" like pizza, ice cream, cake, wine and beer, but they make me feel bad after I eat them. I get constipated, gassy or develop a headache after eating some of these foods. They aren't as enjoyable any longer. Seems like each "treat" I have reduces my craving for them in the future.

I feel that I need to stay on a candida program for a bit longer. I still have about 17 pounds to lose before I would be at a normal BMI. I am tired of the strict diet we were on, but mostly want to stick to it. We still try to eat seasonally as much as possible. 75% of our groceries come from the farmer's market nearly all year long. I am gaining interest in fermented foods working WITH candida. I also want to come off the Synthroid and the Advair. For 6 short months, the changes have been dramatic. I couldn't be happier with the changes I have seen happening in my body. I would love to know what else I could be doing to better my health. If anyone could offer additional advice on the how's and why's to do something, it would help me a lot. I have much more follow-through when I know why or how something is working.

<3 Kelly

[Pat Robinson]

Congratulations on running that mile, non-stop! I doubt I could do that. I'm not clear on why you are continuing the Advair? I can not suggest doing otherwise... but my husband came off his Advair with classical homeopathy. It is an inhaled steroid and could have systemic effects. It is only beneficial "preventatively". If I had no need for a rescue inhaler in x months, I'd ask my doctor about stopping the Advair.

Did you see the info about improving asthma with nutrition? Be sure to check out the Buteyko Breathing Method in that link!

Here is the short 14 Steps for Healthy Guts.

Here is the really long version to gut healing.

For the thyroid, I'd suggest (heavy-metal tested) kelp, selenium and magnesium, at minimum. Here is the long version, Thyroid 101.

Here are priority nutrients for thyroid.

And I believe that whole food probiotics are essential to gut health. I believe that kefir is ideal, or homemade fermented veggies. ONLY start with a teaspoon and if you get diarrhea, but back to 1/8 teaspoon. If tolerated, then increase by an ounce or less, each week gradually. Here is Probiotics 101.

And join the discussions about Intro to ferments.

Do you have/had any amalgam (silver) fillings in your teeth ever, when were they replaced? Are you considering pregnancy any time soon?


Pat

[Kelly G]

Thank you Pat!

I have continued using the Advair because I tend to have some difficulties with my asthma without using it a little bit. I have reduced it to one inhalation every other day instead of two inhalations each day. I am under the impression that (while both are bad) it would be better to use the advair to "control" rather than using my albuterol as a rescue inhaler. What are your thoughts on this? I am fine with doing either as needed, but ultimately I want to come off of everything. What exactly was your husband using?

I have not had any amalgam fillings, but I do have a permanent retainer on my lower teeth. I was told that it is stainless steel. My dentist doesn't seem to want to remove it even though I have had it in for nearly 10 years.

I am not considering getting prego soon. OH! That reminds me, I am currently on the pill for birth control. I am thinking about stopping the pill in October while my husband is away for several months then using another form of birth control when he returns. Could the pill have been messing up my thyroid? I have no interest in getting pregnant for a minimum of two more years. I will be 29 then. Getting my body prepared for having a kid definitely fuels my motivation to get healthy. Why do you ask?

Thank you so much for the information. All the info you post on facebook is wonderful, but it feels so overwhelming when I didn't quite know what to focus on. I will check out these links and ask more questions as they come. Thank you!