Chapter three

Here we go again.

Where was I? trying to figure out life and the world of health and honestly enjoying beautiful things.

I started a health journey in which I went plant based and had chicken occasionally. However, after much research and reading until my eyes were about to fall out of its socket. I came across eating more whole foods aka animal based. Initially I thought NO but then I realized we live in such an ultra-processed society. When and how did we get here? Where we worry more about the convenience of things over if something is healthy.

It started with a podcaset with George Janko and Paul Salidino and another from Casey Means. It just made sense, why put harmful substances and artificial dyes into my body? There is no real answer for this except ignorance on my part. I already was a label reader and become even more of a label reader because I was awake. My eyes are opened, I see how harmful seed oils are, causing inflammation, making people sick. I realized so much chronic disease is rooted in the garbage we are putting into our bodies.

So I changed my diet and followed it as a lifestyle. I eat more intuitively and don’t starve myself.  I eat when I’m hungry which typically is about three times a day including what I like to call my sweet treat (fruits and honey).

What is animal based? It’s eating more whole foods, organic across the board. From the eggs being pasture raised and if you’re lucky from a local farm to grass fed grass finished meat. Eating fruits that are organic and have minimal to no pesticides. Incorporating raw milk (this is still a work in progress, but the taste is very good) and raw cheese which is amazing. Consuming local raw unfiltered honey. I changed my water system in my home, I no longer drink from a Britta or the fridge. Instead, I invested in a reverse osmosis machine that sits countertop. The best thing about this is that there’s no system that I need to install rather it’s mobile. As I’m writing this out I’ve been sipping on bone broth, reflecting on my journey I feel so much better. I struggled with epilepsy since for close to a year. I no longer take medication and I’ve been fine. I no longer fear having a seizure, could it happen? Yes, am I worried about it? No.  I want to emphasize that I’M NOT A DOCTOR. You should consult your physician for any lifestyle changes that may affect your health including stopping or starting medication.

In conclusion I’ll be documenting my journey on living a cleaner non-toxic life. I’m excited and read to see what comes. I’ll share some households I’ve swapped that have helped with my hormonal health.

See you soon.

Chapter two

Coming back Home..

Coming back home.. Wow it has been quite some time since I wrote anything. So many life events have happened since opening this blog several months ago and I hate to admit I left growing cold. However it is 2023 and we are in an era of improvement.

Why welcome home you might be thinking.. or not. I’ll explain regardless of interest, maybe it’s a form of catharsis.

In order to be in the present I have to pull some archives to explain, let’s go back to 2003 where I got my first period and it was a mess. In the sense of I was being compared to other people and their cycles although every person is different. I had cycles that spanned 8 days sometimes up to 14. I would get my period for a consecutively at first and it was heavy. Maybe 3-4 years later I noticed that I started missing periods for months and then it’d come back pretty regularly then ghost me again for months. This brings me into my first appointment with a gynecologist (hmm let’s call her Dr. M). It was HORRIBLE, she kept insisting I was pregnant and I was lying to her. Sometimes Doctors suck and sometimes they are a God send.

She then kicked my mom out of the room and started with an ultrasound. Before she start’s she again repeats that if I’m hiding anything she’ll see it. I was not, simply I did not get a period. She then prescribed me birth control, which I took for some time. Being so young you don’t know what to say or how to act or even if you should question the decisions being made. Fast forward 3 years and I’m now in college and hemorrhaging for months, have to go to Urgent care then almost the hospital for a transfusion. I’m changing every 40 minutes (if you know you know), this was not convenient at all. I was given a strong birth control to stop the bleeding. I go back to the Bahamas and speak to my amazing Colombian Doctor. She refers me to Dr. H (for now this is what her name is), it was an amazing visit. She does an ultrasound and listens to me, to my symptoms and asks questions on medical history. She sees I have PCOS and confirms with bloodwork. She begins to explain to me what it means.

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a Hormone problem that affects women in their childbearing years. That is the short of it, pretty much your hormones are all messed up and there are only so many ways to regulate it and the most common people gravitate to is pharmaceutical. Metformin along with birth control. I now 16 years later this is still the same approach.

I start seeing a different gynecologist in 2016 and I’ve stayed with her over the years. She did not address the issue at its root however management symptoms with Birth control, IUD and D&C or two to control my bleeding. It was difficult over the years and only now in 2023 have things really turned around. I started taking Ovasitol twice a day along with metformin. I also have epilepsy which means I take too much medication to be “normal”. During this journey of wanting to look for a Holistic approach I stumbled into integrative medicine. This is a Holistic approach that is all encompassing.

My doctor sat with me for one hour and listened to EVERYTHING. My lifestyle habits, my eating habits, my family history and the products I use. So you can imagine how intensive this appointment was. She then got into my immediate changes:

-       Change number 1: Drink green juice every morning to receive the vitamin K you are missing.  

-       Change number 2: Switch to plant based for a month, you can eat chicken but that’s it. No red meat or meat at all.

At this point I’m willing to try anything, so Plant based here we are. The difficult part of it all is that I have no idea where to start. This is my journey on a plant based life/hormone friendly life. I’ll be reviewing products that I’m introducing into my routine as well as talk about many things that come with making lifestyle changes.

Glad to have you here and hope to keep moving forward.

Chapter One

AKA The Beginning

Here we go.. this feels like opening a crisp back and smelling the spine of it. Is that weird? Well, let me introduce myself a little bit without giving a way too much and telling you everything at the same time. For the purposes of this blog and well privacy i’m Lat. No i’m not a scammer or some strange dog person person stuck in the basement. Let me give you a little background, it’s 2014 and I’m going crazy on the internet after being told I’m an epileptic. What does that mean? I’m only 19? Those thoughts were booming loud in my head. I found one video on YouTube of one woman that lives in the UK who had the most similar thing I could relate to. Not same but similar, it was bizarre because I had to all of a sudden start taking a lot of medication. Then deal with the side effects, go to work, have a relationship and drive my car? No wait not drive my car. Not leave my house not socialize, but continue to socialize because I couldn’t stop my life. I cried many days over because I didn’t know what to do. I’ve had every side effect under the sun, from losing my hair to losing weight gaining weight to having rashes, fits of rage and suicidal thoughts. The medications we get are strong so strong. I remember one day my neuro said to me I don’t know how you do this wait until its bad to say something. She mentioned how much she respected her epileptic patients because they went through a lot before calling or going in. I think it’s because we have a hope that the meds will work. That it’ll get better or under control. It does for some time but well what can we do but hope. 

For me it took some time but after many years and MANY different medications I think I’ve found something that may be working. I do have a list of things that I have to deal with now but I’m more aware of them. I now am more aware of an issue I’ve thrown a throw mat over and pretended wasn’t there with the exception of the occasional spiral. No its not drugs.. for those wondering.

I started this blog because its nice to hear, read or see other peoples stories and think wow I can relate to that as well as I’m going to be talking about other things as well I like. Things I’ve tried or haven’t but will and posting reviews to them. I’ll be talking about things I’m interested in and my opinions on them as well as a podcast. I’ve always been a pretty outspoken person but I would categorize myself as an outspoken shy person because I get nervous pretty quickly. I probably won’t post anything on YouTube because that is scary for me but who knows maybe we’ll get there in a couple years. I’m excited to show you my world, my mind and for us to share together because sh*t is crazy.