Deborah Wood
Natural Healing Explorer
10:30 AM | 13-01-2020
Deborah Wood was living a life with a plethora of diseases. Hyperthyroidism, fibromyalgia, arthritis, IBS, anxiety, depression, PCOS, obesity and even UTIs. Unfortunately, the list did not end here. She was also bogged down by kidney stones, heartburn, reflux, insomnia, incontinence and plantar fasciitis. But her life took a complete turn when she began with simple but effective changes: consuming whole, raw, plant-based, nutrient-packed foods. Read her inspiring journey here.
Deborah Wood
49 years, Phlebotomist
Ohio
Early health issues
I remember clearly that I felt sickly throughout my growing up years. At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with bursitis in both shoulders. I could not lift my arms beyond my rib cage. It was quite unusual for a young child like me to have such an issue. Junk food like cookies and other bakery items and meat were part of my staple diet. I decided to opt for a healthy way of eating by using frozen and canned food. Though it did help me for a while, it did not solve my recurring health issues. As a young adult, I had fallen prey to multiple diseases related to hormonal imbalance and acid reflux. My weight had reached a point wherein the doctors had started recommending bariatric surgery, consumption of weight loss pills, diets and exercises in various permutation and combination. I was fed up of visiting doctors, paying for a new treatment each time and still getting no results. Keto diet, weight watchers, low carb: I’d tried it all.
I took many medications through the years that included medicines for high BP and also many different antibiotics but honestly none of them really provided much relief from symptoms.
Finally, I decided, this was enough. I had to take control of my life and no one but I could help myself.
A new discovery that changed my life
I started doing a lot of research on my own about plant-based food. I figured out that children born to malnourished parents also suffer a lot of health issues in their life. This was one of the reasons why my sister and I faced multiple health issues from childhood as our mother was severely malnourished as a child and an adult. I figured that the only way out was to give myself correct nutrition. It was the key to get rid of all my health issues. Even though I’d tried my hand at adopting a plant-based lifestyle some years ago, I did not succeed.
However, this time I was committed to the idea of giving it my 100%. Thus, in September 2016, aged 46 yrs, I made a decision. I gave up all the junk food, the Christmas cookies, holiday dinners, birthday cakes, non-veg food: EVERYTHING! I wanted to change my outlook on food and live and emerge as an inspiration for others who were struggling with similar health issues.
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I started noticing visible effect in just the first 2 weeks of starting this routine. Due to an injury, I was not able to exercise a lot but I made sure that I did not compromise on my healthy diet. I kept my attitude positive and my diet healthy. I began to notice the benefits of following a plant-based lifestyle in my health and life, in general.
While I began my journey to detoxify my body, I experienced many detox symptoms. Emotional detox for sure is a real thing. In the beginning, there were a few weeks where I reeked of a strange pungent smell, suffered random bouts of pain, sneezing, coughing and released a lot of mucus. My blood pressure would spike, itching in the body occurred, weird dreams, sleep disturbances also came into the picture.
Most of these symptoms passed quickly whereas some lingered for a while.
Slowly and steadily, after a month or two, I began shedding those extra kgs too. Overall, I lost almost 47 kgs and was feeling healthier and happier than ever. Also, I dropped from size 22/24 to size 8! My husband and daughters were so amazed by my transformation that they decided to opt for similar food habits and luckily, we have not suffered any health issues from that time.
The new way of life
My trysts with multiple health problems had sucked my vitality completely. I had ended up feeling anxious, lethargic, had developed insomnia and had fatigue issues too.
But, after extending my hand towards Nature and adopting a natural and healthy lifestyle, I started sleeping better, my hair started growing, body odour vanished, gums became healthy, skin became softer, and problems like foot pain and high blood pressure became things of the past. For some of the medicines, my doctors helped me to gradually reduce dosage and get off it.
Sometimes, I wear a vitamin B12 and D patch to give my body the vital vitamins and minerals that it has lost due to traditional eating since childhood.
The only conditions I have currently is CRPS (Complex regional pain syndrome) from an injury; for which I take physical therapy twice a week, and slight asthma from inhaling an irritant years ago. I am confident that in time, I will heal those conditions as well because I have succeded in getting better.
Conclusion
I feel lucky that I got the chance to learn that “Plants equal nutrition and nutrition equals health.” It took me years to find my path but now I feel blessed to be following it and inspiring people around me as well. I want to continue to inspire people who struggle with multiple health to eat a lot of plant-based, fresh and raw food.
I firmly believe that it can be as hard or as easy as you make it. You get to choose if you want to eat a whole apple or an apple crisp. My inclination towards living a more natural lifestyle has also changed my entire perspective in life. Earlier, I used to be a pessimist but today, I feel the urge to help people. I gave a presentation at the local YMCA on my lifestyle and want to bring a meaningful change in the world around me in terms of healthy habits. I hope to inspire the world with my story and give everyone hope that they too can restore their health and heal themselves from even the most chronic conditions.
(About me: My name isDeborahWood. I am a 49 yr old woman who suffered many chronic illnesses.Going raw vegan literally saved my life. I reversed multiple chronic conditions, lost over 45 kgs: all with plants. My story is so jaw dropping I was asked to be featured in the new book Legends of Change by Rebecca Frith.)
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Disclaimer: The health journeys, blogs, videos and all other content on Wellcure is for educational purposes only and is not to be considered a ‘medical advice’ ‘prescription’ or a ‘cure’ for diseases. Any specific changes by users, in medication, food and lifestyle, must be done under the guidance of licensed health practitioners. Wellcure believes that each human body is unique and hence no Health Journey should be construed as a "cure". The views expressed by the user in the above Health Journey are his/her personal views and Wellcure claims no responsibility for them.
01:46 PM | 14-01-2020
I'm naturopathy lover fit n fine now I got your company keep it continue
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