Learn True Health: ASHLEY JAMES TELLS HER STORY OF HEALING, Part 1, Diabetes, Chronic Adrenal Fatigue, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Infertility, High Blood Pressure, Heart Burn, Jen Saltzman
Many of my listeners have been curious about my story of finding the cure for my various health conditions. Over the years, I have dealt with so much! So this time around, the tables have turned. I have onboard Jennifer Saltzman, a friend and Pilates instructor who I decided to give the honor of putting me on the hot seat for this podcast episode.
My Backstory Jennifer Saltzman thought it was best that I start off this episode with my backstory. Well, ever since I could remember, I have always been a sickly child. I remember being a six-year-old first grader who constantly had a sore throat and clogged sinuses among others. It was indeed frustrating finding a cure for my health disorders.
During that same time in the early 80s, my mother developed Candida. And because she was a workaholic, she tried finding a cure by taking medication to keep working. However, it seemed finding a cure was useless. She still suffered from fatigue, muscle weakness, and brain fog.
In what seemed like a desperate attempt then to finding a cure, my mom eventually found a Naturopath. That doctor told us that my mother and I both had blood type O. No big deal, right? Wrong. That same doctor dropped the bomb by announcing that apparently, I was allergic to milk, yeast, wheat, and sugar!
My Parents My mother was my best friend. She read all these articles on antioxidants. On our quest to finding a cure for our health conditions, we went to acupuncturists together. We even enjoyed the services of a massage therapist who would come to our house once a week.
My dad, on the other hand, had his health challenges. Because he primarily had weight issues, I did a bunch of diets with him, too. And oh, how he loved eating out! However, even if he loved eating meat, his meals were always dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free.
My parents were both A-types. They were both headstrong. My mother, in particular, had an air of elegant grace. She turned heads and held her ground with such authority. Furthermore, she was excellent in integrating self-care into her life.
Shifting To A Whole Foods Diet When the Naturopathic doctor first declared that I was allergic to so many things, it didn't quite sink in the first time. At six years old, I had no idea that the revelation would change my life. All I cared about was whether I could still eat my favorite Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.
I told Jennifer Saltzman that I remember going home that day with my mom carrying a bunch of powder supplements from that doctor. It was also the same day that my mom got rid of all the "bad foods" and switched to a whole foods diet.
Yes, it was drastic but looking back, it was incredible how my health changed so much in just a span of a few days. We even switched to soy milk during those times when it was still GMO-free.
"I was symptom-free. It was like heaven! All we had to do was eat a whole foods diet, void of processed foods and take supplements."
Right from the time my mother put me on a whole foods diet, I was hardly sick from six years old until I became a teenager. However, when I turned 13, I decided to rebel by eating candy and cafeteria food. As expected, I lost my health and spent the next few years finding a cure to get my health back.
Then when I was 19 years old, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. Early on, the doctors told me I would never have kids. Spending most of my adult life without a feminine cycle, I gradually developed other diseases along the way.
Getting Married I'm now 37 years old and have been married for nine years. My husband knew that I couldn't have kids, but that didn't stop us from trying. Then the unexpected happened.
"We went through the first six years without medical intervention. However, when we discovered supplements and a healthy way of eating, we got pregnant on our first attempt!"
We're now parents of a very healthy baby boy, and we couldn't be any happier. Not only did we prove doctors wrong, but eating right really does make a significant difference.
"Taking more digestive enzymes made my pregnancy so much easier. Naturopathic medicine or Homeopathic medicine is so powerful. It does work."
Coping With Diseases Looking back, I had a roller coaster of diseases I battled with over the years. I also kept gaining weight year after year. It baffled me because I was athletic when I was growing up.
However, I think all that started to change when my mom passed away of liver cancer when I was 22 years old. It was a dark time in my life, and I was depressed for a few years. It was so bad that shortly after my mom's death, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes.
"Depression doesn't want to make you take care of yourself. I ended up making a lot of bad choices and developed chronic adrenal fatigue. I drank a lot of coffee, and I also developed chronic infections."
Moving To The United States When I first moved to the United States years ago, things didn't get any better. My health deteriorated even faster because I was also juggling many responsibilities with my job as a manager.
When I eventually met my husband, Duffy, I found it funny that he and I are allergic to almost the same foods. And would you believe, I'm allergic to bananas? Surprising but true!
My husband had arthritis, high blood pressure, and blood sugar issues. I, on the other hand, was primarily struggling with weight issues. By that time, I had already tried over 32 diets, but none of them worked.
Aha Moment My aha moment came one day when my husband and I were watching a health documentary. It was around 2008 or 2009. Anyway, that documentary had such a tremendous impact that my husband and I decided to try shifting to an organic foods diet.
"Taking on the organic foods challenge for a month, I didn't get sick. I even stopped taking antibiotics. In short, I felt amazing!"
The Power Of Supplements Now that my husband and I got on the right path with eating organic or whole foods, we also discovered the benefits of taking supplements. It may seem costly at first, but it pays off in the long run.
"My blood sugar was so unstable that I felt like a prisoner of my own body. So I started drinking liquid minerals. My blood sugar began to balance within a few hours of taking supplements, and my energy level was high within five days."
Eventually healing from diabetes and high blood pressure, I diminished the need to eat all the time. Hence, our food budget went down. Saving a monthly average of 300 dollars, my husband and I allotted that amount for our supplements.
"Doctors wanted to give me more medication to manage the side effects. But I took myself off medicines. I would rather live with the original symptoms I had than living with the side effects of drugs."
Learn True Health Podcast Overcoming all those diseases and healing from them inspired me to share my story with other people. And because I found ways to empower myself in being healthy, I felt the need to share my knowledge on a bigger scale.
My husband knew that I loved podcasts and encouraged me to launch one. Hence, the Learn True Health podcast was born.
"It's pretty life changing when your life goes from being very dysfunctional to optimized. It's such an incredible blessing."
This concludes Part 1 of this two-part series. Please link to episode 180 for Part 2 where I delve into issues like healing heartburn, 12 fad foods that deteriorate health and more on how I healed from my health conditions. See you in the next episode!
