I have a funny little story to share.
In 2010, I spent hours and days at the GI doctor’s for every type of test they could run on me.
There was a colonoscopy, endoscopies, another test…where they have you drink lots of stuff and walk circles in the hospital for 3 hours to get a gander at my insides….they even had me swallowe a camera capsule so they could look at my insides.
They were sure they would find Crohn’s disease or Celiacs. They found nothing…and just gave up on me.
In 2011, I gave up meat, dairy, gluten, sugar, processed foods…and some other foods that they found I was allergic to. I got better in 24 hours. Since then…I did tons of research…lots of schooling and made sure my diet got healthier and healthier.
Today, my typical diet is lemon water (all day long)…a smoothie with strawberries, chia seeds, spinach, aloe & pumpkin protein….and salads, nuts and raw protein bars – I have been on an alkalyn diet for 2.5 years now …my guilty pleasures are hot tea and popcorn.
I relieved some inflammation…but not all.
A holistic doctor did some heavy metals testing on me last year and wanted me to go through chelation therapy…I ran scared.
I felt like I was extremely healthy.
In November, the insurance company turned me down for a cheaper plan. I couldn’t figure out how that was possible…they said it was because I had several untreated problems.
So, I switched doctors. My husband found a doctor he loves when his other primary care physician moved. His oncologist told him that he did a great job choosing because she was the “new up and coming doctor” in our city. I had all my records sent over to her.
I made an appointment …just to meet her and she took some normal blood tests. The blood tests found problems with my liver! They sent me for an ultrasound and she sent me to a specialist. I like her and my specialist.
They went through all the normal things they ask for liver damage; drinking, overeating and auto-immune disease. Nope, really, my lifestyle is about as healthy as they come….
The liver specialist took 7 vials of blood for testing and told me not to worry…it was his job to worry. I REALLY like him. He also told me he would call after he had ALL the results back…so don’t plan on hearing from him for a week or more.
When he called the very next day…I was surprised.
He thinks I have a genetic disease called hemochromatosis. I have way too much iron and it destroys the liver and the heart. You can’t really repair the damage that has been done…but you can prevent further damage. Treatment for hemochromatosis sounds medieval. The treatment is phlebotomy or; to go in and have one pint of blood removed from my body every week. This levels out the iron. To me, this doesn’t sound so bad…I don’t have medicine to take, this actually seems more natural than a lot of cures could be.
Hereditary hemochromatosis (he-moe-kroe-muh-TOE-sis) causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat. The excess iron is stored in your organs, especially your liver, heart and pancreas. The excess iron can poison these organs, leading to life-threatening conditions such as cancer, heart arrhythmias and cirrhosis.
Many people inherit the faulty genes that cause hemochromatosis — it is the most common genetic disease in Caucasians. But only a minority of those with the genes develop serious problems. Mayo Clinic
This is where the crazy part comes in… in my attempt to be 100% healthy, I may have made my condition worse. Vitamin C is a no-no because it increases the absorption of iron…and I am loading my body with vitamin C by drinking lemon water all day long. Dark leafy vegetables are filled with iron…and I am juicing it and pouring it into my body at what now feels like alarming levels. I have also been taking Vegan multi vitamins with 100% of the iron that my body needs in a day. The good news- I am not drinking alcohol or eating red meat or shell fish.
So, now I am starting over again…I was worried about wheat grass, but some research shows that it is a natural iron chelator.   I intend to do more research on this.
Good news- my guilty pleasure, black English breakfast tea – is good for me! I may indulge.
I am going for a DNA test and for a liver biopsy next.
The purpose of this story, is to caution health coaches.
I feel that it would enhance our practice to send our clients to the doctor for standard blood tests and a physical – before they start making corrections to their lifestyle. That won’t be fool proof because Doctors don’t catch everything. I had many doctors look at my high iron levels and not do anything about it. You need an interested physician. This would get you off on the right footing as you begin working with your clients.
IIN did their health coaches a huge favor by teaching “Bio-individuality”  This is a reminder to all that just because “night shades” are not for them, does not mean they are not good for someone else. It really isn’t safe to assume that dark leafy greens are good for everyone. While it is pretty safe to say that GMO’s, formaldehyde, processed foods, BP’s in plastic and foods in cans are not safe, it is not good to say that no one should have any kind of soy, dairy or meat….because we are all different.
Many health coaches have cured themselves…it is dangerous to think that what cured us will cure everyone else. That is another reason that niches are important. Choose what you know about and use your connections to other coaches who have expertise in their areas. It is really important that we need to practice bio-individuality and treat everyone as though they are a new and fresh wellness identity with individual needs.
Just because I will no longer be drinking lemon water or eating spinach, kale and other dark leafy greens…doesn’t mean that I would tell anyone else to give those things up. I would say to suggest that your client find a good and interested internist before you start a health coaching program, that could even be part of the coaching program – to set up a field of expert partners, just like we do in business.
We will be adding this suggestion to the new 12 month programs. I hope that all health coaches will do this, regardless of whether you use our program or coach without it.
The other caution is…there can be too much of a good thing.
A note on genetics:
A gene gives only the potential for the development of a trait. How this potential is achieved depends partly on the interaction of the gene with other genes. It also depends partly on the environment. For example a person may have a genetic tendency toward being overweight. But, the person’s actual weight will depend on such environmental factors as how what kinds of food the person eats and how much exercise that person does.
On a personal note…I am pretty excited! I found a health coach who has worked with Hemochromatosis and will be working with her for at least 6 months…until I change my habits!
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I just had a full panel done last week and hoping it will guide main the right direction. I eat what I consider a very healthy diet yet my stomach pain and bloating is not get better. I have been complaining to my dr for years. I finally went to a natural Practioner and hopefully we can figure it out. I pray your biopsy goes well.
Hi Drea,
Drea,
Like you, I am a really clean eater and still get upset stomachs and bloating really easily. One thing I noticed is that raw vegetables (which I love) set me off. They are very hard to digest. My endocronologist gave me an aryuvedic tea recipe that really helped me. I also drink 2 0z.pure aloe vera juice first thing in the morning. Though every body is different, I Thought I’d share this with you as I know how frustrating stomach issues can be.
Have you tried an elimination diet yet to rule out any allergies?
I think we all need to get full blood panels every year, just to be safe. Thanks for the great article, Cathy.
Thank you Drea, I appreciate prayers!
If you want to talk to a health coach, let me know. Sometimes we can tell things that the doctor can’t…like food sensitivities. I think you are doing the right thing getting your blood tested. A natural practitioner can sometimes tie things into lifestyle better. ~Cathy
Great advice! And I am so glad you figure somethings out and can be on a better health plan that will work for you!
Glad you’re getting closer to the bottom of this Cathy and sharing what you’ve learned with other health coaches! Sounds very similar to a process Jamie went through several years ago and yes and interested doctor is key. Along with being your own health advocate.
Wow, woman, and I thought I had been through the wringer with tests and doctors. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Every person has a story and most of them are different with similarities. I will keep this is mind for future reference when listening to others. Glad you are on the mend and finding the answers you need!
So glad that you have figured out what was causing the problems you were having and that things are getting better for you. Thanks for the reminder about bio-individuality – it’s so important to keep in mind.
WOW – so glad you figured that out. Agreed. You can never have too much of a good think. Lesson learned! Enjoy your tea and do what you need to do to get well.
So glad you have figured this out and are on the mend. Bio-Individuality is powerful. I really can appreciate the “integrative approach” to medicine is a important piece to embrace.
Cathy,
Wow! That’s an awful lot for one person to go through. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours. Reach out to me if you need a sympathetic ear.
Thanks Mary,
It really wasn’t so bad…I have actually had a year and a half with no doctor visits…it was a lot more spread out for me to live than you to hear. I appreciate your offer!
Thank you Cathy for this wonderful post. Such a great reminder of our training from IIN and the scope of business practice and Bio-Individuality. I am so happy that this was discovered and now you have a path to take for recovery. My prayers are with you and your family.
Thank you for the prayers Jackie. We are pretty blessed. There will be something really good that comes out of this…maybe even the fact that it reinforces the ideas…safety, liability and best foot forward…starting out with all the facts by getting thorough documentation.
Excellent piece thanks for sharing. It’s always good to get that reminder not everything is good or bad for everyone. Also getting starting markers for your clients and testing. Thanks
Sharon! You got my point. Thanks for the feedback.
Oh Cathy…thank you so much for sharing. So glad you’ve found this out before you went any longer with the greens and citrus. What a great lesson for us all. Please keep us up to date on what you learn. I’d love to hear what an ideal day of eating would be for this diagnosis. You are also in my prayers for your biopsy. You work so hard to make a difference in this world and helping others to do the same and I just really appreciate the person you are.
Susan, Thank you! I am very lucky that one of my health coaches got into this specialization because her dad has it. She even has talked to David Wolfe about it…lol, he had the same prescription as my doctor. I am good with that. She has also visited with Dr. Barnhard on the subject. I get to keep drinking my morning smoothies because they are non-hem iron. There are other foods that link to iron and carry it through without accumulation…I can still have spinach…but will be cutting kale from my green drinks. I need to replace my lemon water – but I get to drink my black tea. It is going to be okay. No red meat…which, you know is NO problem:) I still get chocolate too! I can eat well on walnuts, apples and blueberries! Thanks too, I will let you know on the biopsy. I saw my primary care physician yesterday – she is pretty proud of herself, lol, I think she is considering me one of her “saves”. That is great for me.
Cathy, Good luck dealing with this new diagnosis. My friend has been living with it for over 30 years, and now only has to “donate” blood monthly instead of weekly. She does live pretty normally, however while she eats pretty well, she is not like you in controlling her intake of iron. I love your reminder of bio-individuality, and the fact that what works for us may harm other. Also, that doctors and health coaches can make great partners…I hope doctors feel the same way! Keep us posted on your progress.
That is great to hear Fern! 30 years is a lot of weeks of donating blood! I decided I can start getting B12 shots again if I am going to be hanging out at the doctor’s weekly:) Thank you, it made me feel better to hear that. I agree on the doctors needing to feel the same way…some do and some don’t.
Cathy, Thanks for sharing. My thought – Sometimes in our effort to “fix” the issue we swing to the far opposite side. Drinking your water without lemon and stop the multi may be enough to bring you into a safer zone. If not, reducing the amounts of greens may be enough. But stopping all may flip the results. (Just a thought). Also, consider working with someone who specializes in energy medicine, (like me). As you noted, genetics plays a factor. But how you live your life, what you believe, how your nutrition impacts, etc… all combine to make YOU. The genetics can be repaired – but not by conventional means. Blessings, Barbette
Barbette, I agree…genetics does play a factor, lifestyle can save you from it though.
Absolutely!! And thats my point. I love that you are going forward with an optomistic and holistic mindset, and are looking to find what works for you. In my practice, I have the honor of working with people who have significant medical issues and with Wholistic practices, are able to improve, enhance their lifestyles and feel great very quickly!
Blessings to you as you process through this journey.
Be well!
Hi Cathy and thanks for sharing your journey and the wisdom that came out of it. I absolutely agree that to practice responsibly, we need to remember our limitations as health coaches and encourage our clients to get baseline tests. It’s important now and will become even more important as the field of health coaching expands. We need to practice by the same creed- “First, do no harm.”
Have a sparklin’ day!!
Cathy,
What a great article! It is important to realize we are always learning and need to include other practitioners definitely know our limitations. I think having a blood test and working alongside the Dr.makes a good team.
Thanks again for your great insight!
Wow…thanks for sharing. It really is important to look at each person with fresh eyes and an open mind. I appreciate your sharing and your thoughts!!
Wow….that was amazing and well said. I have always agreed with that mindset…that each of us is different…there are definite “no’s” as you stated and everything is really up for interpretation of that person’s genes and lifestyle. I also believe that what was good for you in one season of your life will not always be. Being flexible to change and realize there are many types of “right” ways of being healthy and eating. Thank you for your sharing of yourself so openly. You are in my prayers for a recovery you can enjoy life with.
wow…very powerful! thanks for sharing!
As a Registered Nurse I always strongly suggest that the client is under the care of a Physician. I have to be extra careful because of the State of Alabama laws which places limits of what I can suggest, diet or nutrition, as a Health Coach. I do wish I had a list of excellent Integrative Medicine minded Physicians for suggestions to clients or potential clients. I cringe at the thought of dropping a client or potential client into the lap of a Big Pharma fan. Glad you found an excellent doctor!
Thank you for sharing your journey! I personally try to balance between western and eastern practices. I think that you are right when you say that you must look at the whole person. Thank you for that advocacy as a patience.
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this. I think that it is so important for people to share their health stories because it is so educational, especially for fellow health coaches. I have never heard of this condition before but now I know. It is so ironic that healthy eating like you were doing was actually problematic. Please keep us posted on how you are doing and the changes you have made. I am fascinated and also very happy that you have found the answer to this health puzzle before it became quite serious.
It’s great when you can find practitioners that will work together. For example, I suggest my clients have their vitamin D levels checked via their doctor before suggesting vitamin D supplementation. This way I know if and how much additional they may need. Most doctors welcome this collaborative approach. It starts to look like what true health care should and focuses on the person! Thanks Cathy.
Thank you for using your experience to drive home the point that everything doesn’t work the same for everybody and its important to really listen to our clients and to find people that really listen to us. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this info and its great to see your optimistic attitude.
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