I hate to admit this but it has taken me far to long to realise this truth. Health is true wealth without your health you have nothing. It wasn’t to mid 2005 until I realised how hard everyday life becomes when your health is compromised. Up until 2005 I was a happy healthy university student enjoying everything that life had to offer.

That all Changed

It didn’t happen overnight but gradually over the remainder of 2005 I developed an autoimmune condition, that to this day Doctors have not been able to conclusively diagnose. It started with my ankle swelling up and I found myself unable to walk on it properly. For the past six years this condition has gone on to effect my joints, tendons, muscles, liver, lungs, GI System and heart. The only thing Doctors can offer me are steroid based treatments, powerful drugs to kill off my immune system and pain killers. However I am no longer willing to go down this path as it only masks the symptoms and does nothing to get to the root of the problem.

Your Health is in Your Hands

I have seen more Doctors and specialists then I would like to in a lifetime over the last six years. Some of these Doctors have been exceptionally bright and intelligent individuals  yet they miss the point, merely treating the symptoms of condition’s will only be a short term solution. I guess it makes good business sense to never truly cure a patient, that makes them dependent on the Doctors and Drug companies.

For the last five six I have blindly accepted what Doctors have told me I have had the tests they recommended taken steroids and painkillers.  This however has done nothing to fix the actual root cause of the inflammation.

“Let food be thy medicine”

I have always thought that it didn’t matter what we ate it wouldn’t have to big an impact on my health. Over the last year I have however researched links between diet and inflammation. Excited about the information I had found on-line I approached my rheumatologist and asked him if diet can help me reduce my inflammation, he told me in no uncertain terms that diet would have little effect on inflammation.

When you run out of options, when you have nowhere to turn and things seem impossible, that is were true strength comes from.

The Doctors have given me the options of an anti-organ rejection drug and pain killers or other strong drugs. For me this is not an option. Thankfully I came across the work of Dr. McDougall and Nutritionfacts.org this has given me hope that there is another solution. A whole foods plant based diet has been effective for several people with various health conditions.

What the Hell is a Whole food Plant Based Diet?

Essentially a whole food plant based diet is a vegan diet based around whole foods. At the start of 2012 I decided to start eating a vegan diet. I went from eating a large amount of meat and diary to eating no meat, diary or any animal products overnight. It has not even been a challenge it just requires a change in the way I think about food. I am now at the start of my third month and have seen some significant improvements and have also lost 11kg or 24.2lb (still got a long way to go).

Follow me on my journey back to health. Would love to hear from anyone else who has changed there diet & results they have achieved.