michelcharette-blog

[michelcharette-blog]

ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ʟᴏsᴛ 48 ᴋɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʜɪs sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE HEALTHY JOURNEY:

Here is where I am going to get a little personal. I was a healthy and active girl when I got hit with an autoimmune disease that rocked my world. I visited the doctor and he performed an insane amount of blood tests to figure out what was going on with my body.

I was dealing with the debilitating effects of several autoimmune diseases — rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis diseases, among others.

I didn’t think I would be dealing with arthritis in my 30’s! My weight had even skyrocketed for no apparent reason (which will put any woman in a tailspin).

After many blood tests confirmed I was dealing with several autoimmune issues, I was referred to both a rheumatologist and endocrinologist to deal with the effects of my immune system going haywire.  The specialists wanted to put me on a host of medications to help with the swelling and inflammation, all with a list of negative side effects. I felt as if I was ALWAYS at the doctor. I didn’t want to just put on a band-aid.

I went home and my husband and I just sobbed together on the couch (which he may not like me admitting publicly since he is not a crier), afraid of what the future might hold. After a good cry, I felt determined to figure out what the ROOT cause of my health issues was. I started studying like crazy. I began driving around to every library in town, picking up stacks of health books, and researching everything I could about my disease. I became a full-on nerd!

I kept reading over and over about the powerful healing powers of whole foods. After much research, I decided to implement a 30-day healthy food plan.  It included only cold-pressed juices, whole food smoothies, vegetables, fresh fruit, fish, and chicken.  Nothing else.

Being the baker that I am, it just about killed me! Okay truth be told….in reality, it gave me new life!  I supplemented my diet with a whole host of herbs that help with inflammation and autoimmune disorders.  I filled my refrigerator with the freshest ingredients and spent hours at a time creating smoothies and filling glass jars with them. I drank everything from raw fermented beet juice to cleanse my liver to lemon turmeric drinks to help calm my inflammation.

Here is a photo that was taken in Texas of a week’s worth of healthy whole foods that I ate to try to heal myself and relieve some of my symptoms. It’s amazing at what happened after going 30 days eating this way!

After several weeks, my swelling drastically improved and I was able to move around with ease. The best part was going to visit the doctor for another round of blood tests and finding out that the most alarming results were reversed! I still had a long way to go but this was a start. I still have to treat my Hashimoto’s thyroiditis disease with Synthroid but I have found some natural supplements to help me feel better. I am not a doctor but will share some things that have helped me.