Holistically Katie

Time for some real talk…

I need to update you guys with where I’m at with my health right now, because it would feel wrong to keep pretending like everything is fine and dandy, both on my blog and Instagram, when in reality I am dealing with some health issues.

The inflammatory symptoms that led me back to my Naturopath…

Let’s rewind a bit. I decided to see my lovely Naturopath, Doctor Franzoni, who is located in Farmington. The reason I wanted to go back to her is because I was having weird inflammation happening within my body, and I had no idea what was causing it. Well, I had some clues, but I really wanted to pinpoint what exactly was going on. I felt fine physically; I was still working out everyday and getting out of bed, but something definitely was off. I found I was having trouble staying positive, more and more negative thoughts were infiltrating into my brain. Also, I was constantly having strange symptoms of inflammation physically. My eyes were constantly irritated, red, and angry with me even if I made an effort to wear zero makeup and be very good about touching them. I had strange patches of bumpy skin on my neck and chest. I knew there was an underlying issue happening, and I became very frustrated because I was keeping my diet very clean and working out everyday. The most worrisome part of all of this was definitely my mood changes. I had days where I felt so unmotivated to do anything, participate in class, be social, and so on. This really scared me, and I wanted to be proactive right away to see if I had a nutritional deficiency or something else causing me to feel this way.

My surprising blood-work results…

When I went in to see Doctor Franzoni two weeks after my blood test, the results she showed me literally made me gasp. Nutrient-wise, I was deficient in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, and Selenium. Here’s the kicker you guys…Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D both play a CRITICAL role in producing chemicals that directly affect your mood. If either of these get low enough, you have a chance of developing depression and BOTH of mine were depleted. I wanted to cry right there. Not to mention, iron deficiency is also terrifying because that leads to a low red blood cell count, and selenium deficiency can cause extreme fatigue and mental slowness. I was horrified, to say the least.

As if that wasn’t bad enough…

On top of all of this, she also told me that I had MONO. Mono!!! I could not believe it! “But I have zero symptoms of Mono,” I argued. She pointed to the results, and sure enough, the Epstein Barr marker was elevated. She explained to me that I don’t necessarily need to be showing symptoms in order to have mono. It could have been there for a long time, and my body has been actively trying to fight it off, which could explain all the inflammation that keeps cropping up. Obviously, by this point I was crestfallen. I felt so angry and disappointed that I try so hard to be healthy, because it felt like it was for absolutely nothing. Luckily for me, Doctor Franzoni is one of the most compassionate, sympathetic, kind people I have ever met. She assured me that with the protocol being assigned, I will be as good as new in a few months.

How do I heal my body?

The amount of supplements I took with me from HART was almost laughable. However, all of these supplements are going to fill in the gaps that I’ve been missing with nutrition, and as Doctor Franzoni described it, she basically wants to flush my body with as many nutrients and good stuff as possible, on top of my already very healthy diet. I’m taking a multivitamin to get in my Vitamin D and B12, an Adrenal support vitamin, Magnesium, and other supplements that have long names I can’t remember. I’m also taking these Epstein Barr drops twice a day which will fight off that evil mono lurking in my system.

On top of all those supplements, there are other steps I am taking to heal myself. First of all, I’ve been making sleep a priority. Last semester, my sleep suffered greatly. I had some noisy neighbors living above me, and they would play loud music constantly, which produced a lot of stress and anxiety for both me and my roomie. Now that I am back in my quiet environment, I am taking full advantage. I have been shutting my phone off two hours prior to bed, meditating, lighting candles, doing aromatherapy, light stretching and all the things that are recommended before hitting the hay. All of these habits have helped my sleep be much deeper. I have been on a really good rhythm of going to sleep and waking at the same time. In addition, going on light walks where I listen to podcasts or simply reflect, have also been really awesome for my stress levels. Continuing to go to yoga and stay active are also vital elements of my everyday routine.

Only up from here…

The reason why I am sharing all of this is because it can be easy to assume that I am perfectly healthy all of the time, but this is NOT the case. I do it too with other people I follow on Instagram. I think to myself…How are they so perfect all of the time? How are they always thriving and glowing? Aren’t they ever tired or sick or unmotivated? And the answer is…yes! They are! But Instagram and so many other social media outlets are highlight reels. They are not reality. I know I’ve discussed this before, but it is worth repeating. There are points and time periods in my life that I struggle and deal with health problems, and this is a perfect example of one of those times. The most important thing is to stay positive. Of course, I was angry and frustrated and upset at first, but one quote I love to live by is: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters” (Epictetus). Receiving all of this negative news about my health sucked, but I am so grateful to have the resources I need to get back on track and return to my vital state of being. I am going to do my best to continue to respect my body, and give it exactly what it needs to return to optimal functioning. I completely trust this process, and I’m also grateful to find out all this information now, rather than later down the road when it would have manifested into something worse. Remember, it is always possible to reframe your situation and look at it in a new light.

Thank you so much for reading. I wish you all health, peace and happiness!