1412791I 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!