It was back around 2007.  I was in my mid-30’s, and began to experience what I could only describe as arthritis in my hands.

Every morning upon waking, it felt as though every joint had rusted shut.  Later in the day, I could barely muster the strength to hold a 10-pound dumbbell.

For a strength coach, this as might as well have been the kiss of death.

So I had three choices:

1. Suck it up and do nothing. Live the rest of my life in pain.

2. Go to a traditional doctor, who would likely prescribe a slew of anti-inflammatory medication that will only quell my symptoms, and do nothing to address the root cause. Live the rest of my life in pain.

3. Find out what the heck is actually happening to me and cure it.  Live the rest of my life med-free, pain-free and healthy.

Hmmmm… (insert sarcastic tone)… which option do you think I chose?

Hopefully, your good senses told you that I chose Door Number 3.  Here’s what I did about it:

I took a food allergy blood test

But not just any allergy test.  It was a specialized kit that measured food intolerances. This is a totally different kind of test from the typical ones that doctors and allergists administer.

Typical allergists measure for anaphylactic allergies, known as IgE antibodies – those deadly buggers that could send you to the hospital or even to the grave.

The test I took measured something else: IgG antibodies. These antibodies cause low-grade, chronic inflammation that, although not immediately deadly, can cause all sorts of ailments, including:

• Joint pain
• Chronic gas or bloating
• Migraines and headaches
• Acne, rashes, or other skin conditions
• Sinus congestion
• Sinus infections
• Difficulty breathing or asthma
• Weight gain

Left unchecked, these seemingly harmless everyday conditions can lead to much more problematic auto-immune conditions and diseases.

I balked at my test results

The test labeled over 90 different foods into three different categories. Green for good, yellow for moderately intolerant, and red for severely intolerant.

Any food that was marked red and that scored over a 90 was a severe intolerance. Well, guess what? Milk and cheese scored in the red, as well as eggs, which scored an eye-popping 502. Bingo.

I eliminated the offending foods from my diet

Imagine: eliminating dairy and eggs from my diet! This effectively removed 99.9% of all desserts from every menu in town.

And I did it for 9. LONG. MONTHS.

But it worked.

The amazing thing about food intolerances, is that many of them are curable.  If you remove the food from your diet long enough, your immune system will have gotten enough time to heal itself and stop spazzing whenever you eat the offending food.

If it’s that easy, why don’t more people know about this?!?

I couldn’t tell you how many people I run into that have been living with some sort of ache or pain for years without any hope for a cure. I have no idea why this isn’t more common knowledge. Call it confusion, skepticism, or ignorance.

Personally, I think it has something to do with government-pharmaceutical conspiracy theories, but who really knows?

I really wish more people knew about these options.  Their lives could be so much different now.

So how do I feel today?

I’m happy to say that I can now gorge on havarti cheese omelettes without so much as an afterthought. And I haven’t had a single niggling of pain in my hands for years. Life is good again.

But I’ve learned a lot since then, too.

Although those allergy kits helped me immensely, I’ve also learned that there are numerous additional antibodies that are not measured in these kits. To get more accurate readings, I’ve since turned to other modalities that measure intolerances on a much broader scope.

I’ve worked with acupuncturists, homeopaths, body workers and naturopaths, and I have to say that my absolute favourit-est thing in the world is my naturopath who also performs Bio-Feedback Analysis. He is my secret health weapon.

If you’re familiar with the Toronto area, you’ll find him in Oakville. You can visit his site here.

Regardless of what you do, the basic message is this: if you are suffering from some sort of pain or ailment, take on a new attitude and don’t settle for living in less than optimal health. Do your research, ask around, keep an open mind. You’ll be surprised to find something that works perfectly for you.

In health and high heels,

Mina.

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