Why My Healthy Diet Wasn’t Making Me Any Better..And What I Did Instead (Interview)

Imagine that you’ve just been struck down with a horrible virus that leaves you bed-ridden for days, causes you to lose your voice, stops your brain working properly, and leaves totally exhausted and unable to spend quality time with your loved ones...

You’ve probably suffered with a virus like this (or similar) several times in your life.

And whilst it’s hardly a nice experience, you usually don’t feel overly worried. You’ll just get some rest, allow your immune system to work its magic and you’ll get back to it again.

But imagine now that this doesn’t happen.

Imagine if, six months later you STILL feel terrible. In fact, you feel WORSE. You still feel absolutely drained of energy and there seems like nothing you can do about it.

This is despite the fact you’re already eating a healthy diet, you’re exercising regularly and you’re taking great care of your mental and physical health.

So you make some extra tweaks, you really focus on your diet, you do everything that the experts tell you.

But you’re still sick. What then?

This is exactly my own personal journey over the past few years. It’s a journey that has shown me the true meaning of chronic illness, how it feels when the world thinks it’s ‘all in your head’ and the true importance of never giving up.

I’d love to share it with you here today with the help of my friend, Charlotte who sat down with me this week for a chat. I hope you find it useful.

So grab a cuppa, pull up a chair and get comfy whilst to find out why my healthy diet wasn’t making me any better and what this means for you.

You’ll learn:

• What I wish I’d known about living a healthy lifestyle when I first got sick
• Why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work 
• The extreme (but effective) path I’ve found to healing
• How you can use this to heal your own health problems (and get your mojo back!)

#1: Many of your ladies might not know about your illness. Can you give us a little bit of background?

Now let me think- it was back in 2012 when I came down with a virus that really wiped me out!

I felt absolutely awful- I lost my voice, I was incredibly fatigued and I was out of action for quite a while.

As you’d expect- I just presumed that it was just a normal virus and that it wasn’t anything much to worry about. So I rested a bit (but not as much as perhaps I should have) and I presumed that I’d be back to work pretty quickly. As you do, of course.

But I never seemed to get much better. I’d feel like I was recovering, only to find myself becoming weaker again, losing my voice, feeling so tired that I was unable to move. At one point, I even suffered with muscle twitches in my thighs, which was really scary.

And what was even worse was that my brain just didn’t seem to function. I’d forget what I was saying mid-sentence, or even say a word that was completely unrelated to what we were talking about. As you can imagine, this brain fog had an awful effect on my working life and my personal life too.

I was taking weeks of work at a time, getting sick again and feeling constantly fatigued.

I remember one particular day when I’d spent the entire day in bed (I think Nicole was still at uni at the time) and I’d got out of bed to get a drink of water. When I got back to bed, I accidentally spilled the water, but I was feeling so exhausted that I couldn’t face changing the sheets and just climbed in on the other side. THAT’S how drained I was feeling.

#2: So at this point you paid your GP a visit- what did he or she have to say about how you were feeling?

Yes. Well, initially my doctor told me it was ‘just a virus’ and packed me off home to get better. And I thought that she was right- I’d always presumed that I’d get better eventually.

But when, after six months I still wasn’t getting any better (in fact, I was getting worse) I decided to go back to my GP again and try to get some answers. This time I saw a different doctor who agreed that it was suspicious because this virus was hanging around for such a long time.

After several scary tests to rule out HIV and throat cancer, he concluded that it must be M.E. (Myalgic Encephalopathy), the neurological disease which can often come on after a virus.

Whilst I did have many of the symptoms of ME, I strongly disagreed with his opinion- after all, I was a fit and healthy young woman. I’d always eaten really well, I had a good handle on the stress in my life, and I always slept really well. That hadn’t been affected at all.

It just didn’t make any sense.

#3. Did your GP give you any advice about how you could get better?

I was very disappointed with his attitude actually. As you might know, people often talk about ME like it’s ‘all in your head’ and as if you’re simply ‘weak’ or ‘unable to handle stress’ which makes it even tougher for the person who is struggling so badly with their symptoms.

All he suggested was time out at a monastery (yes really) and that I eat three almonds a day…

But as I’m sure you’ll agree, this was useless so I took it on myself to dig deeper and so I found out everything I could about ME. I contacted my local group who were really helpful and told me that I could get a referral from my GP. ‘Brilliant!’ I thought, ‘an answer at last’.

But my GP just dragged his feet and didn’t do it properly so it took 8 weeks to actually see anyone, 8 weeks of suffering.  

And in the end, they only offered my CBT treatment which I didn’t accept because I didn’t need it.

You see, they say it’s all in your mind. But I’m qualified as a hypnotherapist and I have a strong daily gratitude, and mindfulness meditation practice. I knew what I was doing!

Besides, at that point I couldn’t bear to be around people for most of the time- I was just too tired.

It all felt so hopeless.

#4. That must have been terrible for you, emotionally and physically. What do you feel was your biggest challenge?

It was. Although at the beginning I just thought that I’d get better quickly and be back to normal. But when I still wasn’t getting any better...yes it was tough.

It was tough to be a mum and have no energy. Being a girlfriend, being a friend...not being able to be there for others, not being able to take care of yourself, having to rely on others...it was horrible.

Luckily, I had always been physically and mentally strong. It really helped me get through.

#5: Where did you go from here?  Did you try anything to heal yourself?

Yes, well at the time I’d been undertaking my additional training into Third Age Wellness with Burrel Education. Although the focus had been about rebalancing hormones at the menopause (which wasn’t relevant for me at the time), I decided to adopt that same way of eating too and at the same time, prepare myself for a happy transition.

I’d always had a great diet- I don’t drink coffee, I don’t eat wheat and I was always conscious about what I was putting into my diet, so my diet didn’t change all that much. I did eat more lentils, more plant-based foods. I was having more phytoestrogens like fennel and ate more green leafy veggies to help flush out that excess oestrogen.

I’d also learnt a great deal about stress, the effect it has on the body and hormonal balance, and learned about the effect blue light can have on your body, xenoestrogens and so on.

All of these changes didn’t make a difference and it made me feel very confused.

Because I was doing everything they said and I still wasn’t getting better. I was doing the same thing I tell my clients to do, I was talking the talk and walking the walk.

But they were getting better but I wasn’t.

#6. You must have felt as if you were running out of options...what did you do next ?

Me too! Well at the start of 2016, I attended a conference where I met Jessica Drummond in person and decided to sign up for the Women’s Health Coaching course to try to help myself heal (and hopefully help other women too in the future.) This course included health coaching and also functional nutrition.

As part of the course, I was offered a FREE consultation and then went on to sign up as her private (paid) client. I needed an expert who knew her stuff about nutrition, as an a PhD student, Jessica certainly fitted the bill.

Together we carried out a range of tests to find out what was going on. This included the DUTCH test and an organic acid test. The results were fascinating and gave me much more information.

#7: What did they say?

Yes, my cortisol levels were high, but not in a way that someone with CF/ME would have it. My adrenal glands were fine (so stress wasn’t a problem) but my oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels were all low because of the issues with my cortisol levels.

But it was the results of the organic acid test that left me speechless. My oxidate levels were high. Really high. What I was telling my clients to eat was causing an internal stress on my body. I couldn’t metabolise my food properly, I couldn’t absorb the nutrition and I couldn’t make those vital hormones.

That was why I was gaining weight around my middle. That was why I was feeling bloated and exhausted and that's why my iron levels kept dropping drastically.

#8: Fascinating. You finally could understand what was going on. What did she recommend as a treatment?

Immediately I started a low oxalate diet teamed with supplements to undo all of the damage and get myself back to full health.

And yes, it was incredibly challenging and I had to be really inventive with food.

Nuts (my favourite) were off the menu, as was most fruits, many veggies, coconut oil, my beloved green leafy veggies, and so many more of my favourite foods.

Apart from avocados- I could still eat avocados, thank goodness!

I also took lots of supplements including digestive enzymes, Betaine HCL, Magnesium Citrate, B-complex, antioxidants, Co-enzyme Q10 and Lipoic acid.

#7. Did you notice an immediate improvement in your health?

I did notice a difference quite quickly actually. Even though I’d always slept well, I was sleeping longer and deeper. My nails also started growing faster and the fat around my middle was gone within 6 weeks.

Most exciting of all were my energy levels. I didn’t notice straight away but it soon became clear that my brain fog was lifting. I could remember things, hold a conversation and act like a normal human being again. It was great.

I also noticed changes with regards to my iron count- it wasn’t falling as quickly as it used to. I do still need to take iron now, but this isn’t such a problem these days.

One of the biggest improvements wasn’t with regards to my health actually. It was emotionally. Those calls with Jessica...at last someone understood me and recognised that my symptoms were real. They weren’t in my head and they weren’t my fault. That was priceless.

#8. Is this a diet and a lifestyle that you will need to follow long-term?

Well these days I do have a few oxalate things and I continue with my supplements. I recently ran another test for the Epstein Barr virus and I’ve definitely had it- the markers say it’s still present. So now we’ll be switching our focus to getting rid of it.

I’ll be taking more supplements and I’ll also be doing a 7-day detox on just plant-based foods so we can starve the virus and kick-start my immune system to get rid of it for once and for all! It will be a week of self-care and I can’t wait!

#9: What would you say to women who are eating well but don’t seem to be getting any better?

Firstly if things aren’t right in your body, you need to seek help! You’re not going crazy. It’s not ‘just your age’.

There’s probably more to it than you realise and there are always answers if you know where to find them. This doesn’t mean you have to resort to Prozac of HRT..there are always answers, even if it’s hard to find them at first.

Yes, I did try one approach to healing and it didn’t work. But that didn’t mean I gave up. Once I listened to my body and worked out what was impacting my own body, I could make the changes that mattered.

Each and every one of us is completely unique so it’s important to become your own detective- to find out what makes you feel good, find out what nourishes your body and what doesn’t. You have to do what is right for you.

I’d also recommend that everyone seek help- the experience of talking to someone and being guided through the healing process is invaluable.

Thank you Pamela, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you today and find out about your personal health struggle.

Thanks Charlotte!

Are you eating a healthy diet but you’re still not getting any better? I’m pleased to announce that I can offer the very same health tests that provided that transformative insight and allowed me to get my health back on track.

Contact me to find out more.