After years of struggling with digestive issues I finally came to a breaking point.
Not only was I experiencing excruciating pain after every meal I was also stuck with constant gas, bloating, fatigue, headaches, a compromised immune system and brain fog.
Sound familiar?
So I did what anyone in this situation would do… I went and saw my doctor for answers. I was then put through a series of tests, blood work and abdominal ultra sounds just to make sure there wasn’t anything serious happening in my body. But guess what? Everything came back NORMAL.
This ultimately led to a diagnoses of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or as I like to call it “I have no idea how to help you” syndrome. I was put on a waitlist for a gastrointestinal specialist and I was told it could take up to a year to see him.
So there I was feeling like garbage and supposed to wait a year to get some kind of answers?! I don’t think so! This is where my journey of self healing began and four years later I can happily say I no longer consider myself to have IBS.
Let me start by saying there is no quick fix to heal from IBS and it can’t be done with a two week cleanse. It is a change of lifestyle and learning what your body needs to heal and thrive. But the way you feel on the other side is undeniably worth it and every step you take to get better it becomes less work and more fun!
Click Here to secure your FREE spot in our Free Live Coaching on IBS & IBD
During this Live Coaching Event we’ll be covering a LOT. I’m going to share the specific diet and lifestyle plan that I used to overcome my debilitating digestive issues. Basically, we’ll be covering all the things I WISH I knew when I was originally diagnosed with IBS. I really hope you can join us.
Here are a few of my top starting points for your healing journey:
1: Find a practitioner you trust.
This was a huge part of my healing journey as I remember feeling totally lost at the beginning and couldn’t figure out why I had these symptoms! I thought I ate healthy and was an active person so why was my digestion so horrible? Once I found a Naturopath that I really connected with and felt I could trust with my health I knew I could start to heal, get better and that this wasn’t going to be my life forever.
2. Self-education is power.
While trusting a practitioner is important no one knows your body like you do! So start to become your biggest health advocate and trust that you intuitively know when things are right or wrong for your body. A health practitioner can give you all the information in the world but if you don’t make a commitment to putting the work in you will never get better. Always remember how many years it took to get to this place… Then allow your body the same time to heal.
3. Eliminate, rebuild and strengthen.
It is likely that you will need a period of elimination where you remove the top allergy provoking foods from your diet. For me it became very obvious that candida and leaky gut were causing a number of my symptoms (after years of serious antibiotic abuse). So I supported my body to eliminate this excess candida by taking out sugar, dairy, gluten and alcohol. In addition to this I used herbal remedies that I knew could assist my body in eliminating candida. Remember this is not a forever thing! But it is necessary so the body can start to heal from the inside out. Oh and yes you will probably feel like crap during this time. But then you start to heal…. And rebuild…. And strengthen! You use things like bone broth to repair your intestinal lining and the wonderful world of fermented foods to repopulate that healthy gut flora.
4. Avoid overeating and rushing during mealtime.
I don’t know about you but I had a bad habit of eating my meals incredibly fast and overeating because I wasn’t allowing my stomach to catch up with my eyes. The moment I learned how important it is to slow down at meal time and eat smaller portions my bloating and gas started to get better. So make yourself a smaller plate, chew properly, wait 10-15 minutes and see if you truly are hungry before you eat more.
5. Check in on your emotional health.
This was probably the most important piece in my healing journey. Emotional health and stress are incredibly linked to IBS in my opinion. At the time I was frustrated because I thought I was doing everything right with my diet but I was still having digestive issues. It wasn’t until I realized I had an incredibly toxic relationship in my life that I needed to deal with that I truly started to get better. I continue to check-in with my emotional health on a regular basis to make sure I am not holding on to anything that might be causing physical symptoms and I recommend you do the same. Don’t be afraid to seek outside help for this… I did and it was the best decision I ever made.
I continue to heal and get better every year and today I have more energy then ever before and I am truly the happiest I have ever been in my life.
So if you want to learn more about my healing journey and my insider details on how I healed from IBS make sure to sign up for our FREE Live Coaching Session on July 18th at 6:30pm to hear my story and ask your questions!
Click Here to secure your FREE spot in the Free Live Coaching on IBS & IBD
I hope to see you there!
-Monica, RHN
