So often the people who become the experts in their fields have come to it through their own personal struggle with that exact problem. They were looking for self-resolution and dug deep into it. I, myself, just like so many of my colleagues, suffer from IBS. It all started with a dairy intolerance. I noticed in high school that I was often constipated and had a great deal of gas. I suffered in silence. During my biochemistry class at University, I learned about lactose and lactase enzyme. This got me thinking. I began drinking lactose free milk, but my issues were not completely resolved. I ended up removing dairy from my diet completely.
A few years ago, whilst practicing in Moncton, New Brunswick, I had a conversation with a compounding pharmacist and during which we discussed the possibility of me being sensitive to gluten. I chose to remove gluten from my diet. Although this furthered my treatment, it was not the ultimate solution. The true healing from my gut issues really came forward when I took a firm hold of my lifestyle choices: I started doing what I really wanted to do. I focused on myself and my own healing journey. This is when I noticed a big improvement in my bowels. Admittedly, I have a few relapses here and there, but it’s because I consciously did something that I know that would bother me. I’m still sensitive to dairy. So, for example, if I am at a friend’s house and they order pizza. I enjoy pizza, so I might choose to eat it. This is, however, a conscious decision. I will say most days are great days now, which is way different than where I was at the beginning of my practice.
Ironically, my patients were telling me about their gut issues, and I was going through the same thing myself. It has definitely been a learning journey for me, and it’s been a lot of hard work and a lot of reading, but I’m happy with where I am right now.
In my Western medicine trained med school and in residency, I was given tools that I had tried myself. I saw that they wer