{"id":2610,"date":"2023-04-11T06:24:35","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T06:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=2610"},"modified":"2023-04-11T06:24:35","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T06:24:35","slug":"after-years-of-unexplained-symptoms-i-took-my-health-into-my-own-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=2610","title":{"rendered":"After Years Of Unexplained Symptoms, I Took My Health Into My Own Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-2611\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63.png 900w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63-770x428.png 770w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63-293x163.png 293w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-63-390x217.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>While some health issues are visible to the outside world, many people face chronic conditions that don&#8217;t have externally visible signs or symptoms\u2014also known as\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/tag\/invisible-illness\" target=\"_blank\"><em>invisible illnesses<\/em><\/a><em>. In mindbodygreen&#8217;s series, we&#8217;re giving individuals with invisible illnesses a platform to share their personal experiences. Our hope is their stories will shed light on these conditions and offer solidarity to others facing similar situations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of my most prominent memories from high school is missing so much of it. I would need to stay home from class constantly, because I was always getting sick. It seemed like I was always hyper-susceptible to whatever illness was going around.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn\u2019t know what was wrong with me, but it felt like being sick became part of my identity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mbg-XpnOyLz7LP\">My mysterious illness persisted for years.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I spent my high school years living in Bangladesh. Even though it\u2019s on the Eastern side of the world, in my experience, there was a pretty strong emphasis on allopathic, Western medicine. So any time I would see a doctor, I was given&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/do-antibiotics-weaken-the-immune-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a course of antibiotics<\/a>\u2014but they never investigated the root cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to constantly getting sick, I also started developing skin conditions, like rosacea, which had never happened to me before. When I was going through skin issues, I actually traveled to Singapore and Thailand, to see a few more doctors, but they just gave me steroid cream for treatment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the practitioners I saw suggested&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/power-of-postbiotics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">looking at my gut&nbsp;<\/a>to see if it was having an impact on my skin or immune system.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Needless to say, my challenges continued into college. I even somehow got meningitis during my sophomore year, which is an incredibly rare infection. I also struggled with chronic UTIs during my entire college experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through college, when something went wrong, I was either given antibiotics or pain medication. I actually became resistant to antibiotics while dealing with the UTIs. Ultimately, I never got any definitive answers, just bandaid solutions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right after starting my first job post-graduation, I was sent to the ER due to pain around my ribs. As it turned out, I\u2019d actually fractured one of my ribs, as a result of a chronic cough that would not go away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was one thing after another, for such a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mbg-PDKKll2E4c\">The journey to unlocking my health issues.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After my rib incident, I started to get really invested in uncovering answers to my own health. I decided I could either continue living life feeling like I\u2019m 96-years-old instead of 20, or I could figure out what\u2019s really going on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there I began diving into my own research, while also keeping an open mind. I read anything I could get my hands on, and I was introduced to integrative medicine practitioners like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/wc\/dr-mark-hyman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mark Hyman, MD<\/a>, among others. I began to learn about concepts like antibiotic resistance, supplementation, the role of nutrition on overall health, and how certain lifestyle factors can impact well-being.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, I honestly started experimenting on myself, integrating different herbs,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/what-vitamins-should-i-take\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vitamins, and minerals recommended by leading integrative experts<\/a>. I paid close attention to how each new thing I tried impacted how I felt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During this process, I noticed a pretty big change with my immunity, and I wasn\u2019t getting sick constantly. I began to realize that because my immune system had become so weak over the years, I needed to protect myself against getting sick year-round. I started taking all kinds of supplements for immune health specifically.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also prioritized supporting my gut. For instance, I learned which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/best-supplements-for-optimal-gut-health-from-nutrition-phd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supplements are positive for digestive health<\/a>&nbsp;and the microbiome. On top of that, I discovered what kind of diet works best for me\u2014which now includes a ton of leafy greens and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/articles\/lean-protein\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high-quality animal products<\/a>, among other important macro- and micronutrient-rich foods. After getting really diligent with this practice, I was actually able to start reintroducing some of the foods I\u2019d previously cut out, without stomach irritation or skin flare-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To this day, I can\u2019t definitively pinpoint the trigger for all of my health issues. I think it was likely any number of factors, creating a perfect storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mbg-_Ix9TJYjDY\">What I want to come out of my experience.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was incredibly difficult to navigate the health challenges I was experiencing, especially at a young age. While I ultimately took charge of seeking my own solutions, I understand how daunting it can be. For anyone else coping with confusing symptoms or challenges with their health, know that seeking guidance from an integrative practitioner could be extremely helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After going through my own experience, I wanted to do something that could help other women feel less alone and overwhelmed in their own health journeys. Ultimately, that mission was the driving force behind starting my company&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrae.com\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arrae<\/a>, which provides natural solutions to help women feel their best, so they can be their best. My goal is to offer support so people can show up optimally in every facet of life, whether that&#8217;s in their career, as a mom, or as a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the work I do through my company, I\u2019ve learned how important it is to move through the world with kindness and compassion because you never know what someone is going through. People in your life may be experiencing something really difficult that you can\u2019t see or understand\u2014but just because it\u2019s not visible, that doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/wc\/siffathaider\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/wc\/siffathaider\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While some health issues are visible to the outside world, many people face chronic conditions that don&#8217;t have externally visible signs or symptoms\u2014also known as\u00a0invisible illnesses. In mindbodygreen&#8217;s series, we&#8217;re giving individuals with invisible illnesses a platform to share their personal experiences. Our hope is their stories will shed light on these conditions and offer solidarity to others facing similar situations. One of my most prominent memories from high school is missing so much of it. I would need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conditions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610\/revisions\/2612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}