Well, here we are at the end of the year, and hasn’t it been a busy one! (Well, isn’t it always!?)
This year, I have completed 27 assignments, 273 student clinic hours, graduated with a distinction average from my nutritional medicine degree, started work as a contractor at Health Space Hornsby, had 40 nutrition consults with 14 new clients, spoke on the radio twice and delivered a talk to 25 people on the benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet for preventing disease. I’ve also discovered and managed multiple new food intolerances in both my kids and said goodbye to some old ones, with the help of supplements, trial and error and lots of patience. Got to the bottom of my son’s bad behaviour (multiple times) and organised for him to change classes where he was much happier. And finally, I’ve proudly observed my partner find his dream job after 7 months of looking, and take it from a part-time contract to a permanent full-time position. So, as I said, it’s been a pretty busy year!
Throughout it all, the hardest thing has been learning to manage the stress! And there have been some times of great stress!
So, what have I learnt this year?
- We always keep learning.
My good friend, and fellow food-intolerance mum, said to me recently, that the food intolerance journey is one of constant discovery. She is right, of course. There is no single answer for food intolerance. There are multiple factors involved and things change along the way. It’s often not possible to completely avoid everything that makes us react, so we learn how best to manage and learn new tips and tricks along the way. I will never stop learning.
I’ve discovered that if I feel a headache coming on after I’ve eaten, I can prevent it getting worse by taking digestive enzymes straight away. My headaches are related to eating citric acid and since I’ve cut it mostly out, I am very sensitive to it and can get the first signs of a migraine almost immediately. Having a ‘quick fix’ for those times when I’ve accidentally eaten it, is a lifesaver! It’s much more effective and natural than taking nurofen or panadol to stem the headache later. I’m so grateful to keep learning how to never have a migraine again, and equally grateful that I’ve been able to share my knowledge with a lovely client. She came to me having 4 migraines a week and now has none and is enjoying a family holiday in New York, better than she could ever have imagined!
- I need to ask for more help.
Our society isn’t geared up to nurture each other well. We live in separate houses, leading separate lives and we come together to socialise but often not when we need each other most. We don’t call on our friends when we need them – well, not often enough. And equally we’re often too busy with our own lives to reach out to friends when they need us too. Asking for help isn’t something we’ve been brought up to do. But perhaps it’s something we should be learning and teaching our children. Because we all need help sometimes and showing a bit of vulnerability shouldn’t be a bad thing. I say this because it’s something I need to work on most of all!
Asking for more help leads me on to my next point too. We can’t do everything alone. Whether it’s support, a second opinion or just someone to listen, we all need help from time to time.
- An independent health professional is key.
I could not have got through our arduous journey with Sofia’s eczema without a guiding light. In this case, Sofia’s naturopath. I realised mid-year that I couldn’t solve Sofia’s condition on my own, or by taking her with me to student clinic (even though I did get some brilliant advice there!). My firm and passionate belief is that we CAN find the cause of many chronic health conditions, eczema included. But I nearly lost my way with Sofia, as we had to cut out so many foods to find the few real offenders.
I took her to see a highly respected allergy specialist, who was abrupt, disrespectful and judgemental, and she ridiculed my techniques and shot my confidence. But I picked myself back up, realised I couldn’t do it alone and found an amazing naturopath, a teacher of mine who I knew would be as diligent as me at solving the puzzle and finding the true cause. She restored my confidence in everything we were doing, supported me to continue, gave me invaluable advice, tweaked Sofia’s supplements and gave her herbal medicines. We have finally come out the other side of a 12-month agonising journey. Sofia can now eat any fruit or vegetable she likes, and has completely reversed her year-long salicylate intolerance! We have worked out the real offenders, which for her are grains, soy, cow’s milk and egg and when she’s not eating them, her eczema is GONE!
I cannot tell you how heartbreakingly difficult it has been to get here, but I can say that it was worth it. It has to be worth it, doesn’t it, to have a healthy child? Especially after she had been so sick with asthma and croup as to be hospitalised and to have eczema so bad she bled on her sheets every night. I am so happy to be where we are today.
If you’re struggling with the health of anyone in your family, find a supportive and diligent health professional, who will help you find the answers and support you throughout your journey.
- You have to beat stress BEFORE it beats you
My family will agree, I’m not very good at this one yet, but I am trying! I’ve had some health issues myself this year (as usual, annoyingly!). That, coupled with the usual stresses of being a busy working mum, plus the extra work it takes to cook for a family with multiple, different food intolerances, nearly did me in! But my saving grace (which I wished I’d started years ago), was meditation.
I cannot get through a day calmly without 15 minutes of ‘me’ time, just breathing and letting the stresses of the day go. I am best if I do this after lunch – breaking the day into two manageable chunks. That doesn’t always happen, so my back up is before bed, and it helps me have a much better sleep.
I have so much more to learn in order to better manage my stress. It’s an ongoing mission, but I can see that it is the only way. You cannot beat stress with good food. Lifestyle is key. Your diet might be perfect but if you’re not managing your stress, you will still get sick.
- Life is too short not to enjoy
The most important one for last… stop and enjoy the little things. Sorry to sound like a meme. It’s so true though, isn’t it!? Our lives are filled with things we HAVE to do. We are always busy, running from one thing to the next. And the thing that usually gives, sadly, is quality time with the people we love.
So, next year, make it your mission to prioritise those things first. If you’re doing this already, nice work! If not, give it a go. You will find when you and those around you are happier, you might not have more time, but your time will be nicer.
So spend 10 minutes playing with your kids before your rush them out the door. It’s hard! I get it! Trust me! But just because it’s difficult doesn’t stop you from doing it, right? I hope not. It is worth it, to make the time to play and see the smiles on your kids’ faces when you get down on their level and get your silly on.
Call your best friend and have a chat. Make the time, meet for coffee or chai. You’ll both feel so much better for it. I know I always do (lovely friends, hello!).
Life is short and we all have lots of stuff to do. And lots of stressful things going on behind the scenes. They won’t go away, whether you share them or not. Let people know how you’re doing, and listen to their stuff too. And I hope that it brings you much happiness and shared loved in the New Year.
Thank you to all my lovely family and friends who have supported me this year. I hope I have supported you too. I love you all very much.
Happy holidays everyone, merry Christmas and have a wonderful, healthy new year. It’s going to be a good one!
PS. Detox specials coming this way in January, so if you’re ready to get healthy, I am ready to see you! There is so much nutritional medicine can do for you.
If you’d like to make an appointment, call 94824877 to book now or email kategray@healthspaceclinics.com.au. I’m available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 January 2018. See you in the New Year!
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