Over the course of my online blogging, I’ve shared a lot of my 2017 Health Journey as I got to the root of my digestive issues, inflammation, acne, acid reflux etc. I committed to healing myself and made a lot of lifestyle changes which ultimately I believe all played a fundamental role in preparing my body for when it came time to conceive.
1. Blood Type Diet
The first thing my naturopathic MD did to help me combat internal inflammation was suggest Dr D’Adamo’s The Blood Type Diet. I downloaded the App and for about 8 weeks I mostly only ate foods from the green and orange sections of Dr D’Amato’s Blood Type lists for my blood type. I felt this was reeeaaaally helpful in reducing inflammation, acid reflux and indigestion. It also meant that I cut out some of the main inflammation causing allergens like gluten, wheat, corn, soy, egg and dairy which were all on my red list (foods to avoid). When I stuck to the plan I could physically feel the benefits inside my body after just a week or two. Almost a year later I still try to avoid the red foods and if I slip up I can feel the side effects return almost instantly.
2. Low Histamine Diet
The next thing my naturopathic MD did was test my genetics for an MTHFR mutation, which of course came back positive and explained why I was having a hard time digesting, eliminating and detoxing regularly. It also highlighted that I have a hard time processing histamine so it’s best for me to avoid foods with a high histamine content. This too answered for a lot of the inflammation and aggravation going on inside my body as I had been eating a lot of spinach, cauliflower, smoked fish, cured meats and fermented vegetables (thinking I was being healthy) but all are super high in histamine! I cut out these foods too and I started taking a quality B complex supplement to help support the MTHFR gene. (Don’t worry there were still plenty foods in my blood type green lists with low histamine content to keep me fulfilled!)
3. Detox and Parasite Cleanse
The next thing I did once making these dietary changes was to do a cleanse to help my body reset and restore my liver and elimination pathways. I did ‘Design’s For Health’ 14 day cleanse which I found quite gentle. I had two smoothies a day, supplements and then a healthy meal once a day. The fact I could still eat food really helped get me through the two-week program, and I did feel a lot less puffy, swollen and inflamed internally by the end of it. The key for me was going gentle, I didn’t want to do anything drastic or shocking for my body so I though this brought a nice, effective balance. Once my body was cleaned up a bit and elimination pathways reset, I stuck to my blood type and low histamine food plans and started taking Organic Olivia’s ParaPro Formula to kill off some nasty parasites (which showed up in my stool tests results) as well as a Nosode for Blastocystis Hominis which was the particular parasite I was diagnosed with. After 45 days of taking the ParaPro Formula and Nosode I felt my skin was a lot clearer, my digestion I lot more efficient and I was having a lot less bloating and abdominal discomfort.
4. Quantum Biofeedback Sessions & Reduce Toxins
To supplement my amazing naturopath I found a lady who did local Biofeedback Sessions with the brilliant SCIO machine, my sessions and reports were really helpful in showing me where my body was at on a regular basis. It drilled in the importance of proper hydration, proper breathing and benefits of reducing physical and mental stress. I started taking magnesium supplements at night to help calm my nervous system and assist in the digestive process. Because the results showed stressors on my body from various chemicals, I also eliminated a lot of toxins from my environment and replaced with natural substitutes; organic foods, cleaning products, make up, beauty products, household sprays, etc. to achieve a cleaner, purer state of being.
5. Stress Reduction
Finally to help balance my adrenal cortisol production I had to address stress. I started a course of weekly acupuncture sessions which were very calming and helped improve the flow of vitality throughout my body, mind, organs and blood. I did some stretch therapy sessions to reduce tension in my muscles, I also tried out a couple of energy healing techniques like crania-sacral massage and somatic therapy (as you know I do reiki on myself regularly). And to help the mind relax I did some hypnotherapy and listened to all my meditation mp3 as often as possible. I released the idea of needing to be ‘busy’ and ‘doing something’ every second and relished in taking time to heal myself, to relax and recharge in a bath or a walk in nature or be around nourishing friendships. But mostly to be present and stay in the moment.
After a good 6-8 months of committing to my heal-thy self (and don’t worry I still had fun during that time, in fact probably more so because I was starting to feel good finally); I still took trips, traveled, had nights out, enjoyed cocktails and friends and my husband, etc. My life wasn’t put on hold at all, I embraced the adjustments to better lifestyle changes and raising my vibration and could see it reflecting in the opportunities that were coming in my life, jobs, people, moments, etc. I got so in flow, just enjoying one day at a time, with so many wonderful synchronicities happening and goals manifesting that before I knew it I was pregnant!
I hope my journey helps you if you are planning or trying to conceive because I genuinely believe that as you start to put your health and happiness first you have the power to achieve all of your hearts desires.