DIANE L

Although I didn't know it at the time, my health journey began at an early age. I grew up with an alcoholic parent; the other one was verbally abusive. Both were addicted to sugar. So I became intimately acquainted with sugar addiction in its various forms (e.g., alcohol, patisseries - my mother was French - honey, dried fruit, yogurt, breads, pastas, grains, hot and cold breakfast cereals, processed foods, etc.). I was malnourished and suffered from blood sugar imbalances, headaches and gut issues (early emotional traumatic stress leads to gut problems)... I was also hooked on caffeine (e.g., double expressos, hot chocolate, Red Bull, Diet Coke) and cigarettes. While I quit smoking at age 18 because it conflicted with my track, running, volley-ball and tennis competitions, it wasn't until many years later, while working as a tax lawyer, that I could no longer deny my adrenal exhaustion, poor sleep hygiene, stress, underactive thyroid and weakened immune system. I craved..