Connie is a breath of fresh air in the realm of health coaches and healing.
She shares her path from diagnosis to healing and offers tips and insights for how you can find your way from the store to the pantry to the kitchen to reclaiming your health and vitality after being diagnosed with gluten intolerances or food allergies.
Welcome to the Shift Series, Connie.
With love and gratitude,
Lindsay
Hi. I ‘m Connie Curtis. It seems like we all know someone who has a
autoimmune disease, gluten intolerance or food allergies. People getting
diagnosed with gluten intolerance and food allergies is only increasing.
Danna asked me to write about my story, with the hopes that sharing will help to
educate more people about gluten intolerance the allergies that are effecting
many and they don’t even know it. Incidentally, it can affect more than just
your gut. So, I wanted to share my thyroid and gluten journey with you.
About 9 years ago, I moved to Austin, TX. For several years I was hungry all the
time, stressed out, tired , foggy headed and I had cold feet and hands all the time.
I figured that my dad’s recent death, my divorce and hating my job were the
reasons for my absentmindedness and brain fog. Plus, the overall stress that I
was experiencing on a day-to-day basis, was making me miserable and not able
to find in a happy place. I needed help, I just didn’t know what, yet.
I started dating my now hubby, Tobin……one weekend, he and I devoured a pizza and some pasta. Then, on Monday, I ate crab cakes at work. That night I had horrible abdominal cramps, nausea, and a headache. I couldn’t do anything. The next day, Tobin suggested that I take gluten out of my diet for a couple of weeks, because he had a friend that couldn’t tolerate it and had some similar symptoms. I didn’t know what that meant really, or anything about excluding gluten. I said, “It’s worth a shot.”
After 2 weeks of being gluten free, I tried a cinnamon roll. 30 minutes later, I was sick and in agony. Immediately, I knew that it was the gluten that had made me so ill. I went to the doctor and they helped me, some. One helped me discover that I am allergic to milk and corn, that I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and that I was celiac. While this was very helpful information, they also proceeded to give me vitamins that didn’t work. Unfortunately, I remained sick.
I asked another doctor to do a food allergy test and they said I didn’t need it. “?” Next, I asked another doctor and they ran a food allergy test that was confusing and had no consistent results.
Two of the doctors gave me more vitamins, one contained a food that I was
actually allergic to. Taking out of my diet, the certain things that I was
allergic to, wasn’t helping. At that point, I knew I needed to do more than that.
Studying and learning for hours and hours and researching for weeks,
I finally found my current doctor, Dr. Osborne, who seemed like my
best bet for a specialist on gluten. He did tests on metals, candida,
vitamin deficiency and a food allergy test called E.L.S.A. This was
definitely more involved and thorough testing, that any I’d had before.
Various, elaborate testing was done, to see what affected my gut health.
Eventually, we gathered all the information we needed to begin my journey to
wellness. I followed the Dr.’s protocols. Finally, I was able to get on the right
track by removing my specific food sensitivities. These included gluten, milk,
corn, pork, rice, Brazil nuts and apricot.
These personal, invasive ingredients were no longer in any of my skin care
products, as I threw them out and started over. Healing my gut issues was an
important step in the process. It was a necessary evil to rid myself of years of
toxins and chemicals that had accumulated. What a refreshing, necessary and
unavoidable challenge.
My Hashimoto’s went into remission.
Only then did I start to feel better. 5 years! Getting healthy took me five years, but
I wouldn’t change a thing. Learning as I went by doing my own research
and discovering the right doctor, for me and my health, helped me realize
I needed and wanted to help others.
Soon, I started a coaching business, so I could put all of my new-found knowledge
to work. I could take that burden off of sufferers and help them heal. Those who
discover a gluten intolerance and food allergies, can regain health sooner and
less painfully, than my process was. My education and experience can lead
others down this path to good health with everyday basics. I can help them go
from just surviving to overall thriving.
I’m a Gluten Intolerant and Food
Allergy Coach. I work with people
newly diagnosed with food
sensitivities. My passion is to assist and guide them in everything
they need to know, to go from simply surviving, to thriving. My
approach is to help patients glide effortlessly towards a sense of renewed vibrance. Sharing, nurturing and guiding them to learn how they can make the crossover to regaining their health and vitality with simple lifestyle changes.
Connie is a gluten intolerance and food allergy coach. She works with people newly diagnosed with food sensitivities; or told to go on a gluten free diet. She guides them on getting started on the path living gluten and allergen free; She takes them from surviving to thriving effortlessly to health and vibrance. Her website is: http://www.glutenandfoodallergyspecialist.com/
