Two weeks ago I felt so much despair. So helpless. So much like I was traveling down the wrong path. So I prayed. I talked endlessly with my wife and family and friends about what to do next. And then I prayed some more.
Now I know God works in mysterious ways, but I never expected answers to fall right in my lap so suddenly. Of course I was praying for healing, but I was also praying for direction. And that’s exactly what I got.
At this time I was facing more mysterious blood tests, showing signs of continued inflammation, increasingly painful symptoms all over my body, fears from my rheumatologist that I may have Chron’s disease or worse yet, lymphoma. Additionally, I was working with my LLMD to test for Lyme disease and a number of other coinfections. I was worried about what to do next. Then out of the blue, an endearing stranger, in another part of the country found our story and contacted my wife about helping us out. Through a series of emails I was introduced to Tim and Terry at Life Fitness Academy In Nashville. They agreed to take on my case and give me the best hope I’ve felt in all the years of suffering with inflammatory arthritis. I could tell from the start, their goal was to help me heal naturally from the inside out. For my particular healing, it was necessary that I should start with the gut.
Over the past several years of constant medications, toxins and poorly chewed foods, it made sense to me that my digestive system could be the foundation for a poorly working immune system. For ten years, previous to my arthritis, I thought I was healthy. I worked out constantly, striving to build lean muscle and ate almost non-stop. For many years I ate six times a day, six chicken breasts a day with various other starches and vegetables, supplementing with protein shakes and anything that seemed healthy. It was working. Or so I thought. I was building muscle and feeling pretty pleased. But I never realized that my intestines and colon were taking all the heat, building up walls inside and preparing for the battle ahead.
Even if antibiotic therapy is still in my future, I soon realized I needed to focus on healing my insides and give my body the nutrients it needs to fight off bacteria and organisms on it’s own. So along with guidance from the caring professionals at Life Fitness Academy, I’ve started an intense detox protocol to naturally heal my leaky gut, remove the toxins from my system and restore my digestive system to it’s proper working order. One of the signs that convinced me of this protocol were hard, clay-like stools and severe constipation during the past six months. That symptom alone was telling me something was wrong.
The protocol consists of eating (or drinking) homemade bone broths from grass-fed beef or organic free range chickens, all the green smoothies I want (only green leafy and cruciferous vegetables with no or little natural sugars) and a good mix of probiotics and systemic enzymes. That’s it. No other foods allowed. Simple, and yes, boring, but so far it has already improved constipation and a lot of my other symptoms.
It’s going to be a long, difficult road ahead. As I write this and sip on a giant glass jar full of green smoothie, I can’t help but think about how this is the most confident I’ve felt in years.
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