Hello there,
Thank you for joining me on this journey of creating a more mindful, healthy life! Discover Balance is my way to share what I have learned about health and how I believe that mindfulness is the key to creating lifelong habits.
The Journey
My journey began when I was 13 and was living with chronic hives. Yup, covered in itchy ass welts throughout junior high and high school. Although we didn't know it at the time, (this was in the 90's when autoimmune conditions were not well known), it was my first experience of living with chronic autoimmune discomforts. Needless to say I was misdiagnosed and mistreated for years with anti-histamines, which were ineffective at suppressing the itch when the root cause was a hyper-active immune system. My body attacking from the inside out. It was during this time that I first tried food restriction - the colour orange. Everything orange including vegetables, fruit and anything died (smarties, candy, popsicles, etc). After years of living with discomforts and no concrete diagnosis, thankfully my body naturally went into remission from 2004-2006.
In November 2006 I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Arthritis experiencing severe pain in my hands and wrists, not being able to open doors or hold a glass of water. Four years after my diagnosis, I asked my then Rheumatologist "When will I be able to come off the immuno-suppressants?" which required monthly blood work to check liver function and Ophthalmologist appointments. The response: "Never, you will be on them for the rest of your life". Not good enough. Within two months of that January 2010 conversation I started studying Holistic Nutrition while seeing a Naturopathic Doctor to explore ways I could naturally heal the inflammation in my body.
In February 2015 I found myself in remission from Arthritis, to wake up that August with most of my body covered in eczema. The third shift in the path of my immune systems internal attacks. This was especially physically and emotionally draining because my discomforts were visible to those around me with very angry skin.
My relationship with meditation started when I discovered yoga back in 2004 as a way to help manage stress and anxiety while studying at Dalhousie University. That first class changed my life in learning how to breathe, find stillness and connect inward.
Learning how to life with autoimmune discomforts has been through exploring how lifestyle choices are connected to the bodies inflammatory responses. Creating this awareness has become a compass in navigating my relationship with food, physical activity and rest to what the body needs to feel healthy.
The intention is to provide educational tools and resources that have I have learned and that have helped me. A focus on integrating nutrition, physical activity and mindfulness to build healthy, life-long habits.
I am passionate about helping others on their journey to create more awareness in living a healthier, more connected life.
Be well,
Laura
BA, Registered Holistic Nutrition Consultant, RYT