HOLD SOME CARDS, DON’T LET ‘THEM’ HOLD ALL THE CARDS
Sometime in 2012,strange things were happening to me. I sit quietly and my heart starts racing and skipping beats. I knew the exact moment it started. It was so freaking scary. I was tired all the time, with bad acid reflux(heartburn) issues that affected my sleep at night, sometimes.
I was a medical student at the time, and you can imagine all the self diagnosis I did on myself. But all my inferences followed the book, standard cause and effect I was taught in school. But things still weren't adding up. It was frustrating I tell you.
A month or two after, I noticed this strange numbness on my right forearm. I wondered and analyzed and dug deep.
Nothing.
I went to see doctors, who told me nothing was wrong with me, and that I'm just worried too much.
You certainly will be worried when your heart is racing ahead of you!
I soon 'got used' to these symptoms, watching as more, seemingly unconnected symptoms, joined these to plague me.
I was already on the path to discovering wellness and the mindset that digs for root causes of illnesses not just symptom relief, so I couldn't just let go and take the superficial reasons I was given. I had to know!
I could now feel the pain and frustration of a patient who turns to the healthcare system for answers, and gets turned around in circles.
Being on the wellness path, that was the period I decided to get serious with my crafted fitness routine and slowly cut off sugar and artificial sweeteners from my diet. I was seeing a future career in this, and my life is one of the best proofs it's worthwhile.
So, I cleaned up my diet and watched. I took it step by step and observed. And then I saw it.
Most of my symptoms faded away after just a few weeks off aspartame!
Now let me break it down a bit. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in a lot of drinks, from Nutri C to diet soda to store-bought yoghurt. It's several times sweeter than sugar, so you can see why economically it's a better option for food production(cheaper than sugar). Sadly, artificial sweeteners have been linked, by several studies, to the ever rising rates of obesity and diabetes, and also neurological problems(PS, my forearm numbness).
I was able to make this link with surety because I was literally addicted to Nutri C. I drank it with almost every meal. It was an innocent pastime I didn't know was hurting me.
It seemed dramatic, but it showed me something: A lot of times its the little changes you stick to in your health that give you amazing results. I've never had those symptoms ever since.
Don't allow yourself get frustrated by the healthcare system. Especially if your symptoms are disturbing, but not life threatening. There's always something you can do. Educate yourself,and be empowered.
Don't give the healthcare system all the cards, hold some on your own side of the table.
To your wellness
Sandie.
By Sandra Enyida
Sandra Enyida is a Fitness and Wellness Professional
Connect with Sandra
Twitter: @senyida
Facebook: Sandie Says
