My name is Vanessa Salanoa and I struggled for almost 15 years with my health. There were days where I would not do very much besides sleep. Days where I wish I just wouldn’t wake up the next day. It’s really a miracle that I have made it thus far in my life.
I remember it all started my Junior year of high school. I attended a private school, was on the honor roll, swam on the school swim team, and was a part of the school’s band. As a teen, my schedule was jam-packed with academics and other activities that kept me busy. Honestly, I really don’t remember much of that school year and not sure how I survived. I literally slept any moment that I could. I’d go to school, swim practice, and then go home and sleep. Sleep seemed to control my life.
I grew up with a more holistic mindset; therefore, I tried many different natural things and went to holistic doctors to see what was going on and how I could remedy my problem. My regular chiropractor eventually told me it was my heart. I never really allowed that thought to be my reality. That answer just didn’t feel right with how I felt.
Now lets fast forward a few years in my story. While attending college, I struggled with my health as well. During this time in my life, not only did I struggle with feeling fatigued all the time, but I also struggle with my mental health. I want you to imagine this with me…Imagine, you are an educated, fairly intelligent person who knows how to read. You’ve read many books throughout your life. You graduated high school with honors.
You began working at the age of 16 and consistently held a job to cover any extras you wanted. Then, for whatever reason, your brain literally stops working the way that it should. You struggle to read a paragraph and truly comprehend what it is saying. You have to re-read the same paragraph 20+ times. By the time you get to the 15th time reading that same paragraph, you’re sobbing. You feel absolutely hopeless. You feel as if there’s a cloud around your brain. You feel foggy. You have trouble even remembering things from the day before. You cry yourself to sleep, just wishing you could find a way to re-gain control and function how you used to.
This was my life. I cried myself to sleep almost every day throughout college. It’s a miracle that I graduated from college and with honors. I have no clue really how I was able to persevere and complete all that I did. Part of it is my extreme stubbornness to not give up.
With this particular health struggle, I felt as though I could never truly be myself around others. There was no way I was going to even try to explain what I was going through to someone else. I always felt like others wouldn’t understand. They would think that I was some crazy person. Not being able to share what I was going through with friends and others around me, left me feeling very alone and isolated.
Now as time went on, I was continually on a mission to regain full control of my health. I wanted to fix all that I had going on and was on the hunt for a solution each day. This mission of mine empowered me to truly learn about food and toxins. I researched so many different things. I started to clean up the food that I put into my body. I was very conscious of what products I would use in my home and on my body. I slowly saw little changes that gave me hope. I started to feel better and my energy increased.
At the age of 26, I met the love of my life. I met the man who I would be able to be 100% myself with. I shared all of my struggle with him and explained how they affected me. He accepted me, as I was. Struggles and all.
Now, lets fast forward a little bit. We had been together for 4 years and married for a little over 3. We had just welcomed our handsome son into the world. My husband came to me one day and told me about some “diet” that he wanted to start. As he explained what this “diet” included, I thought he was crazy. There’s no way that it would work. He told me that the majority of the food consumed would be high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. This completely contradicted what I had thought and had been taught about food my entire life. As the stubborn person that I am, I set out on a mission to prove him wrong.
As I began to research and truly study this “diet,” I quickly learned that what I had been taught was all wrong. I found research and stories of people who had struggled with some of the same health issues that I had and they had found relief. I was in complete shock! Little by little, all the information that I came across piqued my curiosity. I thought, “well if it helped them, I don’t have anything to lose in seeing if it would help me too.” I was desperate. I have struggled for years and nothing up until that point had truly helped me. It was at that time that I decided to give it a go.
After doing the basic research, I decided to dive head first and just do it. I tried out so many different recipes. I incorporated foods into my life that I would’ve never in the past. I cut out other food (that I didn’t really want to, but my drive for healing was greater). After a couple of weeks, I actually noticed a change in the way that I felt. My stomach didn’t bloat after each meal. My energy began to increase. I was ecstatic! After a few months, I really noticed a difference in my mental clarity. I felt as though I was experiencing the world through a whole new lens. I gained a true love for food again. I found out that I actually enjoy cooking and creating delicious meals. It was amazing to truly feel a change and have hope again. I knew that I wouldn’t have to struggle any longer and I felt as though I was regaining control of my life.
As I continued on my journey, I fell in love with the way that I felt. I fell in love with the healing that was taking place. I fell in love with a way of healing that healed what I struggled with for almost half of my life. I wanted others to experience the healing that I did. I wanted others to know that they could regain their health and truly live their best life. It was after this life-changing transformation that I began to share my knowledge with others.
The past year and 9 months have completely changed the course of my health. I have made it my mission in life to empower others to live their best life. I empower others to reduce the toxins in their environment, educate them to make healthier choices and live a life of health and abundance. If you’re struggling, know that you’re not alone. You can regain control and live your best life. If you’d love some help, find me on Facebook, reach out, and together let’s see what we can do.
https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.salanoa