My story

I came to the U.S. as an exchange student from the Czech Republic when I was 18 (now 50). That meant a complete change of diet, habits and lifestyle.

After about 3 years in the U.S., I developed a severe and painful cystic acne that seemed to be getting worse every time I looked in a mirror. I went to a dermatologist who prescribed a course of antibiotics that did not help so I was prescribed different ones until I ended up taking several different antibiotics for nearly two years! Needless to say, my skin did not improve, it actually got much worse. I also developed other health problems, such as chronic constipation, bloating, horrific PMS symptoms and hormonal imbalances, fatigue, insomnia and also anxiety and depression caused mostly by my severe breakouts.

After 5 years in the U.S, I returned home (Czech Republic) and did a one year cleanse eating mostly plant based diet, some clean protein, no sugar, no gluten and no dairy. My skin improved and I felt much healthier and happier.

Everything got worse again after I lost both of my parents to cancer. My dad died of liver cancer at the age of 48, eight years later my mom died of colon cancer at the age of 59. I was only 26 years old when my dad passed away and it completely broke me. It seemed that I was still grieving his loss when my mom got sick. She was diagnosed with colon cancer when I was six months pregnant with my first child and died when my baby was 6 months old.

I started getting mysterious hives that would come and go but were still manageable. That changed rather quickly. I would get a very angry, itchy rash after nearly everything I ate.  I tried an elimination diet, different kinds of tests, changing things in our environment, etc. but nothing seemed to help. I was afraid to eat anything because I would spend the rest of the day miserable. The hives were much worse at night. I felt like my skin was on fire, burning and itching uncontrollably.

Thanks to my advanced training in functional nutrition which I decided to pursue after the loss of my parents, I finally tested myself. I wish there was one test to get all the answers but unfortunately that’s not the case. I did a comprehensive blood chemistry panel which helped me identify nutritional deficiencies and some underlying dysfunction such as impaired methylation (detox). I also did an adrenal/hormone test which showed a cortisol dysregulation pattern and other hormone depletion. I also did a GI Map test to see the state of my gut which I suspected was in a bad shape due to being on antibiotics for two years for the skin problems. Also an MRT test to identify food sensitivities and lastly, I did an OAT test (Organic Acids test) which showed a Candida overgrowth, nutritional deficiencies, some imbalances in neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, impaired methylation and high oxalates.

I did a gut healing protocol addressing the findings from the GI Map test and the OAT test (eradicating the bad bacteria and yeast and re-building the microbiome) while avoiding the reactive foods as per the MRT test. I also suspected histamine intolerance so I was trying to eat only low histamine foods (my symptoms of histamine intolerance were hives, insomnia, low energy, mood swings, frequent urination, night sweats and numbing of arms and hands). I also worked on the findings from the other tests using proper supplementation, diet and lifestyle interventions.

It was not an easy journey and it took me a long time to figure everything out. But after an intense healing protocol, everything got back to balance, hives were completely gone, digestive problems resolved and my skin finally cleared completely. I started to sleep better, had more energy and stable mood every day.

I am now dealing with some peri-menopausal/menopausal symptoms such as low energy, insomnia and hot flashes. I could write another page about what I’m doing to address these problems but maybe another day as this is already too long.

But it seems that the journey never ends.

If you are dealing with something similar, I’m here to help so you can get your health back. I will support and guide you throughout your healing journey as much as I can.