From Tired Teacher to Wheatgrass Wonder Woman!
Having energy to do what we want to do is easy to take for granted. I know I did, as I zipped through graduate school and into my first years of teaching. I worked hard–and stayed up late planning each lesson. But then I crashed. As a teacher it’s natural to feel wiped out, but having to spend the entire weekend on the couch was really depressing. I became concerned when I started to feel fatigue that was, well, debilitating. I missed out on fun things and lost friends because I was too drained. I felt like a magnet was pulling me to the ground, dragging down my limbs and making my mind into mush.
I had to do something. Browsing the medical section of the bookstore led me to a book on fibromyalgia. I read it cover to cover; it was somewhat helpful. It gave me the idea to see a rheumatologist, who ran a variety of tests. She found nothing specific, then wanted to put me on a stimulant for the fatigue. I found this counter intuitive because I had just given up coffee after reading that it can cause fatigue.
Fortunately I had other resources to draw on. A few years back, I was given some B-12 shots from a naturopath, and I remembered getting quite a boost of energy from them. It seemed more natural than taking prescribed speed. Back in the naturopath’s office, with my sleeve rolled up for the shot, they stopped and wanted to evaluate me for a few more things instead of just treating the symptoms. They tested my blood and found I had the Epstein-Barr Virus (which the rheumatologist had not checked for), which can lie dormant in your body. This made sense since I had mononucleosis as a teenager. The antibodies indicated a current infection, as the virus can reactivate when the body is under a lot of stress.
Armed with supplements from the ND, but still seeking more vigor, I recalled a friend who had eaten a raw food diet for a while. She seemed to be able to conquer the world while eating uncooked goodies. I knew I always felt great after eating salads and drinking fresh juice, so why not try that? I was thinking a week or so would do the trick. Just to see how I reacted.
The first few weeks of my raw food diet, I was really tired, but no more so than I had been. I found if I kept up my weekly B-12 shots and daily juicing, I could get past the fatigue and keep going. Somehow my week of eating raw food turned into two weeks, then three, then months. I found myself having more and more energy. I felt so great that I didn’t want to come down! That summer, I spent plenty of time in the sun, charging my inner stash of vitamin D. I learned to make lots of different types of raw food–including lasagna, chili, and ice cream–so I wouldn’t get bored. I had a weekly shot of wheatgrass and even started jogging to expend my extra energy.
However, Epstein-Barr, like other illnesses, can return. That fall–just last year–I had a relapse from overworking and not taking care of myself like I should. I forgot to juice and drink wheatgrass. I poured any extra energy into my job, working 50 or more hours a week. I managed to keep going but slowly became even more tired than before I started eating raw. On my breaks from teaching I would lie under my desk barely able to move.
I ended up leaving my job and refocused. I joined My Crazy Sexy Life in May and did the ACT cleanse. I learned that I should really be drinking green juice daily. After watching the film Crazy Sexy Cancer, I read up on wheatgrass and sprouting and started my own mini-garden inside. I started to walk daily and spend a lot more time with my dogs and cats. I also began Craniosacral therapy, a method of teaching your body to self-heal, which is also very meditative and helps me quiet my busy mind.
Six months later, my Epstein-Barr blood test shows that I am well on the way to recovery. My body is not showing a current infection, just a past infection. I attribute this to slowing my life down and taking the time to heal. I still get tired at times but I’ve also learned to pace myself so I don’t burn out. I am flexible with myself so I can make plenty of room in my schedule for growing wheatgrass, dog walks, cat snuggles, making raw food, and just plain living.
Bitt is a 30 year old who lives in Seattle with her husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She is a longtime animal activist and recently has become a health activist. She blogs at bittsblog.blogspot.com
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