My Story

As a 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, requiring 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. I learned that diet was the main trigger to many of the symptoms I was experiencing. When I removed gluten and dairy, the bloating subsided along with reflux and indigestion. 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.

I also learned the consequences of stress on my condition. 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. 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 dysregulation. 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.

I also started experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, low mood, cystic acne, sleepless nights with days of exhaustion, and weight gain to the tune of over 20 pounds – specifically around my stomach. I felt broken, like I was an inadequate partner in my marriage. I could barely look in the mirror, after so many positive changes I had experienced, because it would send me on a downward spiral. Many tears were shed.

Welcome to perimenopause.

Now in my mid-40’s, my focus has been on addressing hormone imbalances utilizing evidence-based research, and understanding 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. Through adjustments in my diet and lifestyle, in addition to supplementation, I’m sleeping through the night, have stopped the hot flashes and night sweats, restored my energy and optimism, and feel like my old self.

My Approach

The Pillars for Health