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    Health Update: Babesia, Strongyloides and Mold

    Aug 28, 2020 • Wellness & Lifestyle

    Me, feeling like crap.

    My head feels like a balloon. I’m irritated and angry. Somehow, writing a blog post instead of doing instagram stories feels less vulnerable.

    It’s hard to explain what all this means and when I tell people, they look at me like I’m an alien with 5 heads. Not even kidding.

    What do you mean you have babesia?

    What is that?

    What is strongyloides?

    How did you get it?

    How do you get rid of it?

    I know someone who had that and this is what they did.

    How do you get mold in the brain?

    How did you find all this out?

    I think I have that, what should I do?

    SO MUCH NOISE. And so many questions. It’s almost unbearable.

    I understand why people have questions though because let me tell you, I have plenty of questions too.

    How I’m feeling comes in waves… there are good days and bad days. I’m assuming I’m detoxing today because I started some of my new protocol this week. The bad days are when I have to fake that I’m feeling okay because life doesn’t stop, especially when you have your own small business and are in the middle of some big projects. By the way, I know some have it far worse than I do, but it’s all relative and this is my reality in this moment. Right now, I’m in the angry and annoyed phase. The “why me” phase. But I know I will be okay.

    I’m also lonely… even though I have more than enough support and people to talk to. This is a type of loneliness that is hard to describe. Mostly because a lot of people think I’m nuts. They aren’t able to comprehend the words coming out of my mouth. These are foreign words to the general public, I know. But other people struggling with similar things will understand.

    So, this week I found out I have a host of new things to take care of. Strongyloides in my brain (a type of parasite), babesia (a co-infection of lyme), mold in my brain and liver, mercury in my brain, a virus, plus low thyroid and progesterone as a result of all the above. Sounds crazy, right? You see, I thought I had my fair share of health complications with parasites and all the gut issues the past 2 years, but apparently there was more. Thinking back, I was bit by a tick when I was 3 years old and I can’t help but wonder if that was the culprit and allowed other things to latch on as my gut and immune system weakened over time. Or if it was from a mosquito. Or from some other bug. Who even knows!! The guessing game of trying to figure out where all this came from is pointless and will drive you crazy, so it’s not worth it because there is nothing you can do except move forward.

    All of this is screwing with my mind though because I was ready to get pregnant. Like all I want in the world is to be pregnant and start our family. I cry about it every single day. But you can’t get pregnant or stay pregnant with low progesterone. And I refuse to take medications at this point because they’re only a band-aid. I’m grateful to have found this out now because while I may appear to be fine and healthy I feel like crap 50% of the time. It has become my new normal. And I rarely mention it anymore because people either think I’m complaining or they think I should get over it and “just power through”. So yes all of this is a blessing in the long run… even though it totally sucks right now. At the same time, finding out this news is validating and explains why I have random fevers, extreme fatigue, sadness, air hunger, abdominal pain, unbearable brain fog and can’t lose weight.

    Some good news was that I do not have parasites in my gut – hooray! All that parasite cleansing at least helped my gut but wasn’t able to pass through the blood-brain barrier. There are other protocols for this. Side note: King coffee has been saving me by helping me have amazing sleep throughout all of this, and it supports my detox even more.

    This whole time I knew something deeper had to be be going on because I wasn’t necessarily getting better… but I also wondered if it was all in my head. Maybe it would clear up on its own, you know? If I didn’t think about it and just got pregnant it would go away for 9 months, and I would deal with it after. Or it would somehow just disappear. Out of sight out of mind, right? Wrong. These things don’t just disappear, it takes months of detoxing and eliminating.

    Imagine if I had never found any of this out! Where would my health be in 20 or 30 years?

    I know you are wondering how I found out this unfortunate news. I was divinely led to Emily Morrow (an angel) who was able to do frequency testing on me. She does not diagnose. She finds the root cause imbalances. Before you go running to her, she’s completely booked up through November and has no open spots in the foreseeable future. I feel very lucky to have gotten in with her. I know it all happened for a reason. She is also our team leader for our Mushroom Queens king coffee team, and we share in that magic of helping to spread the goodness that is reishi spores. Anyway, it’s difficult to explain what Emily does and how she is able to recognize what I’m resonating with and what solutions my body is energetically attracting to. So I’m not going to try to explain it. You can visit her instagram to learn more if you are curious. I will tell you it is similar to doing a Creating Balanced Health full scan (use my code glowingfridge to save $20 – haha shameless plug! I had to!). I do believe these things would have eventually shown up on a scan, but Emily was able to fast track this for me in real time. So if you are feeling like sh** and not sure why, or you have tried all the things but no doctor can tell you whats wrong, I highly recommend getting a full scan done to see what you could be resonating with. Or you could try to locate a naturopath in your area that does muscle testing which is similar (although not exactly the same).

    I’m not going to share my personal protocol because I don’t want anyone to do what I’m doing (unless they know they have the same things). Otherwise, that would be a complete waste of your time and money. It’s very important to work alongside a functional practitioner who is knowledgable in these areas. Most conventional doctors aren’t taught these topics in medical school. And most tests will not show these things!!!!! They are taught about medications and how to treat symptoms rather than the root cause. This is EXACTLY why I’m studying to become a practitioner (through the IHP program) and man, my new complications have added some fuel to my fire, let me tell you! I’m ready to learn and want to help people feel amazing every single day. We all deserve to feel good.

    The goal is to rid of these intruders and then get your body strong enough again to fight off these things on its own because we come in contact with parasites, viruses and bacteria on a daily basis. It’s when your body and gut are not strong that they make your body their new home.

    All in all, I apologize if this was a bit of a downer. Sharing my story is helping to raise awareness about these topics which has always been my goal, even if it’s uncomfortable and unchartered territory for so many of us.

    I’m able to view the world through a different lens and I know this is all happening for a reason because it’s teaching me even more about empathy… which is imperative to have as a practitioner. More updates to come. Love you all. If you have any questions at all, leave a comment below or send me a message on instagram (or email me).


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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather S

      January 13, 2022 at 11:00 pm

      Hi, I am in a similar boat actually based off my scan results. Id love to hear an update if your treatment got rid of the Lyme coinfection. Thanks

      Reply
    2. Cheryl

      September 15, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      Wow! This is almost exactly my story! I was bitten by a tick at about 10 and my dad tried a match to remove it but ended up using tweezers and left the head inside my neck! Then I got Mono at 18, almost hospitalized, and found to carry Strep! I was overall healthy enough to have 4 kids but my 4th was a turning point and the beginning of a downward spiral for the last 24 years. I totally know the loneliness you speak of. The “I don’t want to know this!” “Why me” and the many doctors that dismissed my symptoms because I looked fine. I learned to get my records after every doctors visit and found they lie! Never told me about anemia, abnormal PAP and more shocking revelations. WHY?!
      I survived raising 4 kids but they deserved a healthy mom that was not chasing health and energy instead of chasing them! I’ve been on the bandaids for 15 years… bio-identical progesterone, nature-throid, LDN and I survive the days but I am 53 and ready for health and energy! I’ve been detoxing for a year and it’s not helping with energy so I know I’m missing something. I just signed up for the IHP program and pray it is the beginning of a healthy and an energetic future!
      What a blessing you are telling your story because there has to be more of us! Emily was a Devine appointment for me also ❤️ Thank you so much for your transparency!

      Reply
    3. Kate

      August 31, 2020 at 12:45 pm

      This was such a great and informative post! Thank you so much for sharing!!

      -Kate
      https://daysofkate.com/

      Reply

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    SHANNON Leparski

    SHANNON Leparski

    Hi! I'm Shannon, a Certified Hormone Specialist and plant based blogger living in Chicago. I help women heal their bodies bodies from the inside out and balance their hormones naturally through a plant based diet and lifestyle. Let me guide you through it, so you can glow from within and feel the best you've ever felt!

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    SHANNON LEPARSKI, IHP
    HANDLE NAME CHANGE!! I’ve been wanting to do th HANDLE NAME CHANGE!!

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@theglowingfridge started out of my love for the plant based lifestyle but so much has changed in the last 9 years and I’ve been itching to update. Nothing else will change and my blog will still remain as is, if you still use my recipes and such. Love you all and thank you for supporting me through all these changes 🤍🤍🤍

#namechange #handlechange #branding
    what I eat for gut health, happy hormones, healthy what I eat for gut health, happy hormones, healthy skin & hair, and to be a patient mama 🖤

When my blood sugar is on a nasty rollercoaster, I’m not the best mama that I know I should be for my girl. I’m more irritable and short. So I prioritize protein, healthy fats and carbs at each meal. This helps me feel balanced and provides energy to play and chase after her all day! I need all the fuel I can get.

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But when I do I feel better, duh! And more confident. More productive. Happier in general. Of course I have super lazy days but I try to get myself together because I’m more likely to leave the house, you know mamas? I hate when people ask “why do you get ready if you’re home all day”.. 

I’m sharing different content like this because I feel like it and don’t want to be stuck in a box 😀

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It should be organic, mold-free, tested for mycotoxins and taste delicious, etc. King coffee goes a step further with a therapeutic dose of reishi spores, the most powerful and potent part of reishi mushroom! Most other companies use the lucidum part of reishi, in case you’re wondering 👑

Want more info? DM me “king” and I’ll send you the deets 🤍🤍🤍

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    passes & smashes for gut healing ❤️‍🩹 I passes & smashes for gut healing ❤️‍🩹

I have many more passes too.. extreme diets, too many supplements, gluten, juice cleanses, eating too fast and not chewing enough.. the list goes on!

Gut healing takes a multi-faceted approach and it’s never just one supplement to heal or one thing to do.

It takes time, patience and grace! And working alongside a practitioner you feel called to 🙏🏼 

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    Shannon is a health enthusiast and plant based nutrition advocate, living in Chicago. She studied Health and Fitness at Purdue University and loves everything about the plant based vegan lifestyle, especially creating colorful, nourishing, happy hormone recipes in her kitchen. Read More…

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