21/11/2020
I am passionate about health and being able to guide others on their fitness journey is such a privilege. I have been a Personal Trainer (PT) for 8 years but my real story began in 2003, when I was 22 years old and experienced severe joint pain with constant stiffness. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and told that there is no cure for my condition and that I would have to live with it and take medication for the rest of my life. I was on sulfasalazine, methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, amitriptyline and many others but still experienced low energy, joint pain and these drugs caused side effects such as brittle hair/nails and hard to heal painful canker sores.
Early RA is a concern because it means that you are heading towards a full-blown version of this disease. This is exactly what happened to me. It started with my fingers, knees and lower back even though my blood tests were normal. Eventually I could not walk due to severe swelling round my joints.
15 years ago when I left hospital I could not walk properly as prolonged swelling round my knee joints prevented me from stretching out my legs and as a result my muscles withered leaving me with limp painful twisted fingers. I had just obtained my degree in culture studies but had to withdraw myself from normal life and search for solutions to accommodate my new life with RA. I could not open jars, use scissors or cutlery and needed to be dressed. I could only drink via a straw as I could not lift anything with my hands. I also collapsed several times due to the lack of cartilage in my knees.
Despite a high dosage of toxic drugs I lived my life imprisoned by pain. At its worst I experienced inflammation of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ). My jaw function was so restricted and very painful that I could not open my mouth, speak or chew anything. I lived on a liquid diet for 6 months. With the TMJ disorder, I was experiencing strong migraines and dizziness that confined me to bed. Only after I received a nerve block that reduced the pain was I able to start mild jaw exercises to help prevent excessive loss of motion. I lived in isolation and pain with many lost years.
My own personal experience with the disease made me search for long term solutions to ease the condition rather than suppressing the immune system by taking pain relief medication that only temporarily ameliorate the symptoms. I read everything I could possibly find about this disease as I decided a life dependent on toxic drugs was not for me.
My years of studying anatomy and nutrition as an alternative medicine led to a high degree of success with managing my symptoms. This was as a result of performing the right exercises and consuming the right food. Some foods have the power to trigger the bodies inflammatory processes directly via nutrient such as sugar, animal fats and lack of omega-3 fats and antioxidants. It also possible to alter the inflammatory response of the body by avoiding or limiting sugar, processed carbohydrates, red meat and dairy. When I did I this I was able to alter the disease pathway and I became pain free.
Conventional medicine continues to say there is no cure for RA. However the success I have experienced in my 15 years living with this autoimmune disorder is compelling. There are many publications documenting favorable outcomes via the nutritional approach. Despite this in my experience doctors seldom promote nutritional solutions which can modulate the disease process in those fighting with autoimmune conditions as I was.
For 7 years I have been working as a fitness instructor for Age UK. All my participants are at least 55years of age. They are a diverse group coping with conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, Parkinsonās disease, post stroke or using a wheel chair. By working as a PT in prestigious London health club I have also seen young members struggling with arthritis, high blood pressure, back pain and other health problems. All of my clients have found that with the right exercises combined with good nutrition they can make positive changes in their quality of life.
Achieving superior health is well within your reach. For the last 2 years I have had a normal life, full of energy with no joint pain, no medication and my skin and hair look healthy and I feel like a teenager again. My white blood count are back to normal and I donāt wake up at night from a pain by lying too long on one side. My consultant at Barnet General couldnāt believe my transformation as not so long ago I was unable to hold a pen to fill in a medical form.
From taking 8 tablets a day and not being able to move from stiffness and regular cortisone injections to treat joint inflammation, Iāve become medication and pain free person. No matter where your health is today you can improve it. When you make the right choices, your body has an amazing healing potential that I experienced.
Although the arthritis has left some mechanical damage round my body my food and exercise regime keeps it strong. Arthritis is no longer a part of my life. No one who knows me today would ever guess that I used to be in such pain that I couldnāt even shake someoneās hand.
At present I am a final year dental hygienist student wanting to reach out further by understanding oral anatomy. Today I know that TMJ dysfunction is not only caused by arthritis but also malocclusion, which can have a massive impact on postural changes, neck and spinal pain associated with it. All of that is reversible with right exercises when diagnosed at an early stage.
My goal is to use my experience and knowledge to inspire those who want to improve their fitness and live healthier lives but they do not know where to start. The effort you expend to improve your health pays you back one hundredfold. Choosing the right exercises and food has the power to save your life.
Letās start the journey together today.
