Thankfully I have always been physically active. A long time ago I realized that exercise & eating healthfully are the keys to longevity. As a single mom of three young boys I thought I did a fairly good job of balancing home & career. Unfortunately, life happens & over the last few years my stress levels have gone through the roof. I was plagued by sleepless nights & paralyzing anxiety & although I maintained a steady level of physical activity & what I thought was a healthy diet based on the American Food Pyramid, something began to change in me. My joints started to ache. I became extremely fatigued from not having restful sleep. I began to lose my drive, focus & would find myself becoming forgetful. I was “brain fogged” so to speak & would become increasingly frustrated when I couldn’t give my full attention to the task at hand. It was a vicious spiral of stress in which I could feel my general health & feelings of peace & well-being very gradually slipping away & being replaced with acute joint pain, depression & exhaustion.
From the advice of a good friend, I became a patient of Dr. McManus & The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness. One of the first things I learned was how important a healthy gut is to our overall health & how the continued use of antibiotics & some prescription medicines leads to an overabundance of yeast overgrowth in our intestines. This opportunistic growth blocks absorption of vitamins & minerals causing nutritional deficiencies. It also allows toxins to seep into our blood stream, brain & nervous system causing a plethora of disorders.
I immediately began a “Yeast Cleanse” abstaining from grain, dairy, sugar & alcohol for 28 days. I had lab work done. I met with their amazing nutritionist Nancy for a consultation & found out the American Food Pyramid heavily saturated with grains is actually not so healthy after all. I also started a strong regimen of supplements & bio-identical hormones custom targeted to meet my individual needs. Within 10 days I began to see & feel a noticeable difference. My joint pain began to dissipate. I was able to run a full marathon mid cleanse and my energy was and continues to be amazing.
I have been a patient now for 6 months & it is incredible to me how much better I feel. The difference is absolutely amazing. I have a renewed sense of energy, more than enough to get me through my long days. My cravings for sugar & carbs such as bread have decreased & I am making much more educated choices in purchasing nutritious & wholesome food for my family. The pain that I was experiencing in my joints is completely gone. I am sleeping soundly through the night & my anxiety is now thankfully under control.
Thank you so much Dr. McManus and staff for restoring my sense of overall health & well-being. I am so happy to be a patient of The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness. You made a difference in my life. My respect for you and what you do daily to make your patients’ overall health and quality of life better is immense.
Caroline