This will be a longer post, so just stay with me...
I’ve had anxiety related issues ever since I was a child. As I got into high school, my panic attacks (which I didn’t know what they were then... I just knew I was dying every single time) started to become very regular. At least three to four a week, or sometimes every day. I started skipping school and became slightly agoraphobic. I couldn’t stand being in a classroom or any place that would cause attention if I were to up and leave. This progressed even more in college. My drinking became an issue because being drunk was the only time I felt okay. Drug use was irregular, but still there. Staying fucked up helped me cope. I saw countless doctors and therapists. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and was promised my anxiety would decrease once my thyroid leveled out. It didn’t get better. I saw one therapist who helped me the most just by giving me a piece of paper with things to remember while having an attack. That paper has saved me countless times. Anyways, fast forward to a couple months ago. My anxiety was still a thing. Panic attacks were only a couple times a month.
Christmas Day 2018 I started breaking out in hives for the first time. All my doctors and specialists told me it was anxiety related and I 100% believed them. So I started a bunch of meds, and the hives still covered my body every day five months. Five. Months. At this point I was desperate.
I finally decided to listen to my god mom and go see her “witch doctor” in Boone, NC. She’s been going on about him for six years and how he’s changed her life. (She was a medical mystery for a couple years and he got her back to damn near perfect health.) So, this doctor is a kinesiologist. He does have a medical background, but he went the holistic route because he believes in identifying the underlying issues rather than just treating the symptoms and never figuring out what caused them. I was skeptical, especially because the first appointment was $200. I was about to be real pissed if I just wasted that money for him to tell me to use essential oils or something.
So, my first appointment he actually sat down and talked with me and LISTENED to what I had to say. We talked for about a half hour, then he asked me to lay on the table. He started by aligning my hips, back and neck. (Found out I have a bulging disc in my neck.) I won’t go into exact detail of how he does what he does because I’d be writing a novel, but he puts little vials on your stomach with different things in them. He can tell by how your body responds if what’s in the vial is good or bad for you. Found out I have a wheat and gluten allergy. I’ve changed my diet and my hives are gone, my anxiety has gone down and a lot of other symptoms have diminished. He started me on B12, magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3 and, most importantly, a gut healer.
He explained that the stomach is the force that tells your brain what chemicals to release. Once you heal the gut, you heal the brain. I had heard of this but never gave it much thought.
I’m now almost three months into my vitamins/mineral routine and diet change, and I swear on all the Gods I have never felt better. My anxiety is BARELY an issue. Of course I still have my moments, but for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I AM NOT WASTING MY DAY WORRYING ABOUT MY FUCKING ANXIETY.
For the first time in my life I have a doctor who listened and who was focused on fixing my actual issues rather than telling me to try out a new medication that has crappy side effects. My headaches aren’t as bad, I’m not always sleepy, I’m not having “heart palpitations”, I’m not shaky and I’m not scared to leave my house without my Xanax. I haven’t left my home without my Xanax on me in over a DECADE.
So, I guess the point of this post is to finally let the world know that my anxiety isn’t ruling my life at the moment, and that HEALING YOUR GUT IS KEY TO HELPING HEAL YOUR BRAIN AND BODY. I know I sound insane, but I need to put this out there in the off chance that someone will read this and consider seeing a kinesiologist in their area. If you are anywhere within driving distance of Boone, NC please, please, please consider contacting Dr. Alex Isaenko. Yes, the first visit is expensive but it pays for itself a million times over. And for anyone still struggling every damn day to keep it together, just know that I was in that same position for years. Please remember that it can and does get better. Don’t give up.