Holistic Healing in a Pill-Pushing World
Holistic healing should always be a top consideration, even in those cases where medication may also be necessary. Our Refining Our Focus Challenge for July 2023 is to focus on overall wellness and holistic healing is a topic that I believe needs more emphasis in today’s world.
I am excited to share my story of how I have taken control of my own health and found healing and happiness!
I believe that the natural route of healing is applicable to many ailments. My experience just happens to specifically involve hormone balancing as my main focus.
My hope in sharing my story is to show that there are more options than typically discussed. Holistic routes are typically not brought to our attention and are often even pushed aside as a joke. This trend is extremely alarming.
Finding My Passion for Natural Healing
I began my journey about 3 years ago and my passion for holistic healing quickly developed. This was after 5 years of issues related to imbalances with my hormones and just lack of understanding of what health truly involves.
Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience. Contraceptives are a very personal decision. Discuss it with your spouse. Pray about it. Do your own research. Go with options you feel right about. I am also not saying that everyone will have the same outcomes that I will share. However, I will say that holistic approaches will not harm and can only improve the quality of your life. So, why not do your research and try?!
At my OBGYN appointment before getting married, we discussed contraceptives. I had only heard of complications happening after long-term use. We were excited about starting our family. However, we had discussed waiting until after his upcoming deployment only 6 months after our wedding. We figured that short-term use would be just fine.
I rarely use medications and am usually sensitive, so my OBGYN put me on a low dose. It was awful. My emotions were so unpredictable (my poor fiancé, now husband!) and I just felt off. I finished the 3 months of pills I was given, thinking it would level out, but it never happened.
What I didn’t realize is that this would affect me for years to come. After having a healthy and consistent menstrual cycle since the day it began, my new reality was far from that.
I could not believe it when I found out I was pregnant with our first baby! I had experienced nothing but spotting since I stopped taking the pills more than a year before this wonderful news. That wasn’t even a possibility in my mind at that point.
My New Reality – Dealing with Symptoms
I wish I could just say everything went back to normal after having my oldest. They didn’t. Things were terrible. I had awful menstrual cycles and dealt with a variety of struggles that have never been an issue for me including:
- Irregular Cycles – either non-existent or super heavy and intense, lasting for up to 2 weeks and would often only have a few days to a week in between.
- Major Fatigue – I would go for a simple mile walk and would have a difficult time making it through the rest of the day. I used to walk or run 2-5 miles daily without issues!
- Extreme Anger/Rage (this was the most alarming for me!)
- Depression
- Mood Swings
- Struggles with Weight Loss
These symptoms are often brushed off as typical after having a baby as our hormones regulate again. This never sat well with me and I have since discovered that they are NOT normal and that I CAN do things about them.
Seeking Answers
My baby was over a year old before I finally made an appointment to discuss this with my doctor. She did tests that day and the results came back as a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
The only suggestions were for me to take birth control and lose some weight in order to get my cycles and symptoms under control. While I had gained a little bit of weight, I was maybe 10-15lbs heavier than I should’ve been at that point; nothing too crazy.
We were also given a referral for a fertility specialist. I had answered that we were wanting to have more children and PCOS has a high rate of infertility. That was the next step in the process for them.
We moved soon after and I went to see a doctor at our new location. Same response that I could try losing weight and taking birth control pills. I did not want to take the pill route and had been working, unsuccessfully, to get my weight back down. I was given another referral for a fertility specialist and told that they could possibly give me some different solutions.
Our Experience with Fertility Clinics
I had been curious about my ability to conceive naturally after my diagnosis and being told I was likely to struggle with fertility. I purchased some ovulation tests and took them for many months. Every single one showed negative (I used these same tests when doing fertility treatments and they worked so they did work just fine). Since we did feel ready to have another baby, anyway, and wanted more answers, we said yes to the referral.
Lots of tests, poking and prodding only brought about results showing that our first child is an absolute “miracle.” Between the two of us, the chances of getting pregnant naturally were extremely low, according to specialists.
Long story short, we have 2 beautiful girls as a result of fertility treatments and are so grateful. However, even though the nurses were amazing, the process is not ideal, and the doctors were very condescending at times.
The pressure to take birth control pills and being told constantly to lose a little weight is frustrating. To make matters even worse, I have been treated with annoyance when I say “no” to the pills during treatments. I was firmly informed that birth control would never be a cause for the issues I have dealt with and are part of the process with the treatments.
I did not give in and we were successful with both treatment plans for both children the first time around.
Doing My Own Research
I grew tired of hearing the same things over and over again, so I began doing my own research on managing PCOS. I came across unbelievable research, guidelines and testimonials for managing this hormonal imbalance naturally.
Women were completely overcoming their symptoms and becoming pregnant without fertility specialists! Even women who had done IVF treatments for years with no success were getting pregnant.
What were they doing? Simply making dietary and lifestyle changes! I found many who weren’t looking to conceive, but just wanted relief from their symptoms. They were also finding success!
I mentioned this to my fertility doctor, and he quickly waved it off. He would not discuss it any further. My doctor also would not answer any of my questions about managing my symptoms once I had given birth. He would only stick to the process of our current fertility treatment plans.
Choosing to Work on My Own Healing
I spent years with minimal help and guidance and my symptoms only worsening. Deciding to take my quality of life into my own hands was the best decision I could have made for myself and my family. There has been much prayer involved, so much time spent reading articles, as well as following people on social media whose views I felt aligned with what I was looking for and researching their suggestions.
I am often implementing new findings as I continue to learn and grow. While there is still much I can improve, I feel an incredible peace that has taken years to find. I have seen miracles in my own healing. I’ve learned that we have so much power to make this life wonderful!
Miracles Can and DO Happen
Since I have begun implementing simple changes into my everyday life, I have been able to rid myself of the awful symptoms I was dealing with. I no longer suffer from any of them! You can read my post here about a few of the ways I have learned to holistically manage my symptoms.
Just under a year ago, I had my first normal cycle in about 8 years. It was completely normal! That continued for the next 9 months until I missed one again. I thought it was just my body still regulating and thought nothing of it. However, I discovered that it was because I was PREGNANT!
I still cannot believe it is real that I am almost 3 months pregnant and did not have to see a fertility specialist. What a huge blessing! Even greater is the fact that I get to bring another one of God’s children into our little family.
This pregnancy has been a lot more emotional than my others. Not because of crazy pregnancy hormones, but because healing has obviously taken place in my body. Not only have I felt better than I have in many years, but my body is finally capable, again, to do what it was designed to do.
Holistic Healing and Happiness
My body required zero medication to reach this point, even after a long list of alarming symptoms that easily could have led me to taking multiple medications a day.
I have come to a point where I have found holistic healing and happiness! I have so much I want to and will share over time. For now, please share below any experiences you have had with holistic healing. I’d love to hear what has worked for you!
Let’s all do better to nourish our bodies and minds. It is easier than we often make it out to be and is 100% worth any efforts it takes to find the answers.
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