This blog isn’t just about the damage sugar does to the human body and the gut. It is about my journey to find out why I wasn’t able to lose weight no matter what I did and seeking to make changes in my life to cure painful osteoarthritis. I have a great deal of knowledge about health and wellness. I know my body and I knew what was causing my weight issue and arthritis. I’ve known my gut was the main issue for many years now. I tried every alternative method to heal my gut, alkalise my body, lose weight and get healthy. So…what was I doing wrong??? If I was doing all the right things, then why was I unable to change the outcome??? The answers eluded me. I finally found the answers but they were not what I expected at all. I hope what I’ve discovered can ultimately help others. 

Firstly, let me say and positively clarify that this blog is NOT an advertisement for Chi of Life. However, I do attribute my new found wellbeing to Chi of Life and I feel extremely grateful for the guidance that directed me there. I trusted my intuition to guide me to the right Health & Wellness retreat to find the solution. I did heaps of research on the internet looking for the ‘right’ place. Only one retreat kept coming up and every fibre in my body was telling me…Chi of Life is the place to go. All the other retreats I researched, except Chi of Life, focused on a weight loss and boot camp scenario with no mention of finding THE CAUSE of the weight/health problem. What made Chi of Life different? They focused firstly on “the cause”. They take only 6-8 people at a time and each person is treated as an individual with their own specific issues. All participants take a “Metabolic Typing” Test so that Chi of Life can fine tune each person’s individual diet. You learn exactly what foods are compatible with your body chemistry and how to combine proteins, carbs and fats in a ratio that is just right for each person. Most people don’t consider that eating healthy, organic foods might not be enough for their highest level of wellness. They could actually be eating an all-organic diet and still be missing the mark. This was exactly my issue. Most of us have a friend or family member who did super well and lost all kinds of weight on a particular diet and when we tried it (and stuck to it religiously), we gained weight and our health declined.

Upon arrival, as most health retreats do, we were weighed and measured. Then, the next day we were taken to have live and dry blood analysis done. I was familiar with live blood analysis but I discovered that it’s the dry blood analysis that truly brings the whole health picture together. Only two people in Australia do the dry blood as it is very specialised. Live blood analysis allows you to view the red and white blood cells in the blood, the platelets, and the blood plasma. Imbalances seen in the blood will affect organs and tissues leading to malfunction and eventually illness. If our red blood cells are not perfectly shaped, with a proper structure, flexibility, and fluidity, their ability to travel around the body and do their job is severely compromised. This leads to tissue levels of oxygen and nutrients failing, which translates to low energy, fatigue, and a general sense of feeling unwell as well as potentially serious health problems developing. Similarly, dried blood analysis can show levels of oxidative stress and toxicity in the body (particularly the adrenals). Check out the short video (link below) for further explanation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LE-q7i8_E 

Once they have the results of the live and dry blood analysis Chi of Life can access what is needed to make changes in diet and lifestyle to achieve total wellness. I wasn’t shocked by my results but relieved because I could now finally confront the obstacles head on and go forward with the healing my body. My results showed chronic digestive issues (no surprise) and leaky gut causing malabsorption and poor digestion (also not a surprise). As a consequence, I was not absorbing nutrients from food or supplements, hence…none of the supplements I was taking were absorbed by my body. I was like a hamster going around and around on a wheel and not going anywhere. It became clear that I needed to heal my gut first and foremost. I also had lymphatic congestion, chronic adrenal stress, candida, low B12, and underactive thyroid. Further testing showed heavy metal contamination that turned out to be from mercury and cadmium. These toxic metals seriously affect the nervous system along with the kidneys, blood, spleen, brain, liver, bones and fatty tissues. No wonder I had gut issues, arthritis, and problems with weight loss. 

I stayed at Chi of Life for two weeks. We were kept so busy with exercise (bike rides, beach walks, hikes, kayaking, water aerobics, gym workouts, saunas, chi machine, tennis) that the two weeks flew by. I learned that most people overeat, myself included. I had no idea I was overeating. And…I found out that I was eating way more (hidden) sugar than I even imagined. I have now eliminated all sugar from my diet, even honey and most fruits. I have cut out all grains and I now only eat seeds such as quinoa, chia, and buckwheat. I’ve eliminated all dairy, gluten, and caffeine. This all sounds quite radical but truthfully, it wasn’t difficult and I’m not hungry in between meals and I’m never really craving snack food or sweets anymore and the best outcome is that I’ve lost 11kg over the past 2 months since Chi of Life. 

I’m taking specific supplements to heal my gut, get rid of the mercury and cadmium, cure the candida and the other issues and I feel wonderful. My day begins with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in warm water to alkalise my gut followed by a big glass of fresh green juice. My arthritis pain has improved and my brain fog (that I blamed on senior moments) has gone. I feel really clear and so much lighter (figuratively and literally). I will continue on this healthy, healing diet and way of life because it works. 

A video that I recommend for everyone to watch is The Sugar Film (thatsugarfilm.com). Sugar is the number one culprit of disease in the body…causing obesity, gut issues and possibly cancer. I didn’t realise how unhealthy I was until I got healthy!

If anyone is interested in The Chi of Life their website is: www.chiofliferetreat.com.au

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