How often do you hear people express gratitude toward a debilitating, degenerative disease for the gifts that come enfolded in the darkness?
In this week’s show our guest shares her journey of the slow slide into the fatigue and neurological flare-ups of Multiple Sclerosis, and how she has come to trust herself in finding her own path through illness and into wellbeing.
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Show Highlights:
2:37 The first indication that something was not right.
6:31 What drew her towards “alternative therapies.”
10:52 Being passive about your health doesn’t help.
12:35 The pivotal shift that unfolded with doing some emotional therapy.
14:56 The disease that was tailor made for a 24/7 go-go person.
19:44 Moving from passive to active, and the influence of acupuncture.
22:35 The sensations that come with acupuncture.
25:22 The surprising factor that lead to fatigue.
29:00 Tinkering with diet.
34:38 Feeling better on a meat based diet.
39:51 The perspective a Chinese medicine practitioner takes on chronic illness.
43:44 Not everything works for everyone.
47:15 Why it is important to experiment and take charge of your own health.
52:39 What helped to bring about the largest shift.
54:30 What cures carb cravings.
1:01:27 A curious sense of gratitude.
In 2008, at the age of 31, Courtney was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. At the time, she had served on Active Duty in the United States Air Force for 8 years. She was retired from service and sent out into the civilian world armed with her daily injections and a vague notion of what was happening to her body. Over the next 5 years she struggled with crippling chronic fatigue and intermittent MS flare ups which made day to day life a struggle and along the way she was further challenged with depression and feelings of hopelessness.
Disappointed with the limited treatment options available through traditional medicine, Courtney began exploring alternative treatments in order to reclaim her health. Her journey ranged far and wide and eventually, it led her to acupuncture. Through consistent treatment she has been able to combat her chronic fatigue and make radical dietary changes that have greatly improved her condition.
She is now off all of her MS medication and controlling her symptoms through diet and stress relieving techniques. When the weather is nice you will find her riding her horse Jake or out on her motorcycle, getting on with the business of living.
