My Story

As a 4 year old child, I was diagnosed with Henoch-Schölein Purpura (HSP), a condition in which small blood vessels become swollen and leaky. This causes bruising or rashes all over the stomach and lower body, as well as swollen and sore joints, abdominal pain, and bloody urine. Today, this is called IgA Vasculitis, and is said to be a result of the body’s immune system attacking its own cells or organs. In essence, this was my first experience with an autoimmune condition at the age of 4 or 5 years.

I also experienced chronic ear infections and sore throats. I battled many upper respiratory infections that quickly went into my chest, treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. I suffered with seasonal allergies to the extent I was put on allergy shots.

In my early 20s, I struggled with an exorbitant amount of stress and emotional eating. I tipped the scale at 210 pounds, along with a diagnosis of obesity and elevated triglyceride levels. I still struggled with allergies, chest and ear infections. I also had surgery to remove a gall bladder with 0% functionality.

In my early 30s, I went on a weight loss journey. After losing 80 pounds, I started experiencing low moods (when I was generally a very happy person), fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails, and weight fluctuation despite working out and eating well. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that impacts the thyroid which the master regulator of metabolic function.

Many of the symptoms I was experiencing were directly correlated with what I was eating. When I removed gluten and dairy from my diet, the bloating subsided along with my reflux and indigestion. Constipation was replaced with improved daily bowel movements. I no longer experienced seasonal allergies, my chronic ear infections never returned, nor did the hives I would get that looked like I had received a lashing.

Throughout my late 30s, I spent many hours in the gym, often completing back-to-back classes in an effort to burn more calories. You have to be in a deficit to lose weight after all, right? I focused on numbers: calories in, calories out, the amount of time on the treadmill, my pants size, inches around my body, the size of my weights… I was the smallest I had ever been, but at a price. Body dysmorphia controlled me, and it grasped hold tightly.

I wish I knew then what I know now; even “positive” stress is stress and comes with consequences on an already taxed system.

My late 30s came with another diagnosis: Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), in response to mold. CIRS is a complicated, multi-system, multi-symptom disease characterized by exposure to biotoxins. For me, when in the presence of mold, my innate immune system fails to hand off to acquired immune system causing systemic inflammation. This isn’t an allergy; rather, toxins from mold exposure circulate in the body causing the inflammation because the body cannot rid the toxins, whereas one with an allergy clears up after removing themselves from the moldy environment.

The most detrimental consequence of CIRS is a brain on fire; meaning, symptoms like brain fog, memory loss, mood swings, chronic fatigue, and the general inability to function. In addition to these symptoms, there are many downstream effects on other systems in the body; for example, hormone imbalances. I was very fortunate in that my CIRS was mild compared to how detrimental the consequences are for others. Healing from this can be a very long and arduous process, including dietary, supplemental, and lifestyle changes in addition to medical therapies. But the good news is once you start healing from the top, meaning the brain, other systems start healing as well. One of the hardest aspects is trying to explain to others my condition, and why their house may not be safe for me. You do not have to see mold for CIRS patients to feel it, and it becomes a delicate situation where I am not trying to offend anyone but I also need to be in a safe environment for me.

Alongside of CIRS, I also started experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, low mood, cystic acne, and sleepless nights with days of exhaustion. I felt broken, like I was an inadequate partner in my marriage.

Welcome to perimenopause.

I started Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) after completing a DUTCH test. For me, this looked like compounded oral progesterone on days 14-28, compounded topical estrogen, and testosterone pellet therapy. For a couple of months, I knew what it felt like to be a woman. My libido returned, my mood shifted, I was sleeping; I was on top of the world! But that quickly shifted when I started putting on weight, to the tune of over 20 pounds – specifically around my stomach and thighs – in a very short amount of time. I could barely look in the mirror, and many tears were shed. I learned that I, genetically, convert testosterone to more estrogen (called aromatizing). I had to stop the pellet therapy, and did everything in my power to lose the weight. After 2 years, with the help of GLP-1s and in conjunction with diet and exercise, I was able to restore my weight.

I’m now in my mid-40’s, and my focus is on the menopause transition; utilizing evidence-based research and recognizing that what worked for me in the past won’t always work for me now. Rather than working against my body, I’m working with it. I no longer overtrain, and I provide my body with rest days. I no longer under eat, as building lean muscle mass requires you to eat more versus being in a deficit. I’m sleeping through the night, have mitigated the hot flashes and night sweats, restored my energy levels and see the silver lining again. I’ve also been able to reduce my thyroid antibodies such that I am close to being in remission.

My Approach

The Pillars for Health