It has been three years since I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant and each day has gotten easier to not eat gluten. Of course, when I do break down and think a little won’t hurt. It does, as I usually pay for it by being sick to my stomach. Gluten intolerance is not like a food allergy which can change over the course of your life.

I was allergic to turkey and peaches! But after not eating any for a long time, I can every now and then have some. I can do without the turkey, even during the holidays, but not having peaches in the summer was more than this Georgia peach could bear.

Cooking gluten free was challenging in the beginning and going out to eat was even worse. What do they bring you at a restaurant right after you sit down? Bread of course. I can now  not cringe every time and crave the bread. We do not eat out as much though, which is actually a good thing for everyone — health wise and money wise.

After eliminating gluten from my diet, which is no easy feat, I began to notice that my joints did not ache as much as before, after about four months. I also was beginning to lose some weight and not feel bloated all the time. My thyroid was not swollen all the time and I could actually swallow without feeling as if I was choking.

By the end of the the first year I had lost about 20 pounds and continued to lose about 12 more over the next year. I am not where I want to be in the weight department but now that things are getting more even for me, the doctors will work on hormones next to see if that helps with weight loss and the fact that I don’t sleep that great anymore.

Everyone can benefit from going gluten free but before you decide you need to realize that it is not an easy task. Gluten can be found in things you don’t even realize, including lipstick. It is disguised in various names and you need to educate yourself about gluten before embarking on that journey. Taking control of your health is also about educating yourself.

In addition to being gluten intolerant, it was discovered I had heavy metal toxicity. Growing up in a time when lead was in everything including the water pipes, I am sure, contributed to this factor greatly. What lead them to this discovery was the fact that my blood pressure was never the same and usually high. Remember that I did not want to take prescription drugs and I still not to this day. My other options was chelation therapy which though I am not fond of needles, I opted to try.

I am happy to report that my blood pressure is normal and I have more energy. I am still doing treatments but getting close to the end. Most people have to have their age in treatments and I have only been going every other week because of the trip to Atlanta. If I lived closer I would be finished by now. Because my liver enzymes were up at one time, they added glutathione to my IV treatments and boy do I notice a real difference in the way I feel.

Feeling better works wonders for your attitude as well. While I was not totally negative, I had begun to become more negative but now strive to be positive and feeling better makes it easier. Our attitudes can affect those around us, so holding on to  my faith and keeping a positive attitude is good for all.

I do believe that God led me to these doctors and I otherwise am not sure I would have been able to continue getting out of a chair, as my joints were beginning to hurt so bad before I started seeing them. Our bodies were meant to heal themselves and for them to do that you not only have to eat the right things, you have to take care of yourself. Though it sounds trite, a body in motion does tend to stay in motion, so get moving!

I do not enjoy the every other week visits to Atlanta, though it does give hubby and I some time together to talk and catch up. Having to be stuck every two weeks was not much fun either especially when they had to do it more than once. I found that drinking lots of water every day helps. Now that I do drink lots of water, I have not had to be stuck more than once in several months.

If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired (what I told the doctors as what led me to them), then start taking control of your health. Find a doctor who will listen and do the research. Ask questions. Research and then research some more. Don’t agree to a treatment until you totally understand and have had your questions answered. Taking control of your health will mean you will live longer and your quality of life will be improved. So what are waiting for? Get started now.