Janella Purcell - Your 40-Day Transformation: Get Your Health Back, Naturally

Copyright Janella Purcell, 2019

Published in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au

Design by Rhett Nacson

Typeset by Bookhouse, Sydney

Edited by Margie Tubbs

Author Photo by Mark Lane, lanewayphoto.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice nor prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either irectly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for physical fitness and good health. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 9781401959708

Digital ISBN: 9781401959715

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and I was on the receiving end of mine in September 2013. I was working way too hard for too long, then had a miscarriage in my mid-forties. Although it was traumatic, what I didnt know then was that I was soon about to crash even harder. It used to be called burnout or having a breakdown and more recently adrenal fatigue or adrenal collapse. Here I was, and perimenopausal. A lethal mix.

Sometimes when were not listening hard enough, something happens to make us stop and listen. It often comes as a health issueor tenand Western medicine has let us down.

On top of the physical repercussions, I was trying to deal with the grief of knowing that I would probably never have a child of my own. The miscarriage was my trigger but what became apparent was the underlying Adrenal Fatigue (AF) and chronic Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) that also desperately needed to be addressed. That was when my health seriously started to decline, and rapidly. Thats often what happens when you ignore what your body is trying to tell you: its voice gets louder and harsher.

Here I am five years later looking back, and I couldnt be in a more different placea happy and well place. My recovery wasnt easy, or anything close to that. On the contrary, it was probably the most difficult period of my life. But what Ive learnt during this time about myself, the human body, body/mind connection, media hype, Western medicine, Big Pharma, genetic engineering, and the food and health industries is enormous, and somewhat frightening.

During this period, in an attempt to heal myself, I was at one point or another diagnosed with everything from adrenal collapse to SIBO to hypothyroidism, and tested positive for a MTHFR gene defect and pyrolluriaall the while gaining weight, becoming irritable as all hell, losing lots of hair, ageing prematurely, losing my memory (and mind) and having trouble even getting out of bed. Plus I was single, watching myself quickly age, becoming frumpy, with chronic lower back pain and an ever-decreasing bank balance. No wonder I was depressed! Still, I wasnt listening

When I was diagnosed with a homozygous A1298C MTHFR gene mutation I was relieved. This was it! This was why I had suffered with food intolerances from a young age, why Id been estrogen dominant, gained weight easily, had broken capillaries and Stage 4 endometriosis. This is why I was highly emotional and a bit of a perfectionist. At last, Id found itthe missing link!

But had I? I followed strict protocols for three months, but my symptoms continued to worsen. I started to wonder why, if Id had this gene my entire life, I had never been so sick before? It was my guess that the miscarriage and subsequent adrenal fatigue Id been living with for decades had caused this gene to express or turn itself on. So why couldnt it be turned off? Medical doctors told me it wasnt possible. Hmpf!

So I went on a five-year journey. When youve been unwell for some time, its not uncommon to feel a little obsessed about finding a cure. Just a diagnosis would do, really. This causes some of us to get really forensic, and maybe just a little obsessive-compulsive about our health issues. Its increasingly common in the 21st century not to find the one diagnosis we desperately crave (because there often isnt just one). So on we go, seeking out countless health practitioners and feeling increasingly hopeless, alone, broke and despairing.

I continued my research. Looking back, I didnt know how to stop. My head was stuffed with so much new info, it literally felt like my brain was going to explode. And I still couldnt hear what my body (the unconscious mind) was trying to tell me. I know now that it was to slow down, go within, practise stillness and take off my masks, so I could live an authentic life. Like myself as me. Acknowledge that I was enough. But how very far from that I was.

Orthorexia nervosa means having an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating; it literally means fixation of righteous eating. Um, tick. Maybe this fixation keeps some of us from going within and consciously listening to what our body really needs. Maybe being stuck on our diet prevents us from looking at all the other aspects of our lives that need attention. Your diet is relatively easy to change, especially when compared with dealing with childhood trauma thats been lodged in your physical body for decades or generations, as becomes apparent when you really start to listen to your body/mind.

Good health is not just about diet, and thats for sure. Our weight is not only about the antiquated belief of eating less and moving more. There is no doubt these things need to be considered and addressed, but as many of us who already have a good diet, exercise routine, healthy relationships, sound sleep and a spiritual practice know, it usually goes much, much deeper.

Deep healing isnt as easy as taking a pill. It takes time, patience, dedication, forgiveness and self-awareness, and can only occur once we address the underlying cause of the symptoms. And theyre not always easy to track down, let alone find the time, will or resilience to do whats needed next.

Belief is going to play a big part in the state of our health, and our view of the world around us. So I have a suggestion. Lets start believing in ourselves, once and for all. Its time.

Its worth remembering that you can eat a fully organic, plant-based diet and still not enjoy good health. We read about people living to be 100 years old and more, having a drink every day, eating fatty bacon on white bread with butter, and perhaps still smoking. Whats their secret? Is it where they live, a trauma-free childhood, the pleasure they gain from tending their own organic veggie patch, the alkaline water they drink, their genes, a great marriage, or how much surfing or yoga theyve done and still do? Do these individuals practise mindfulness or other forms of meditation? Are they mentally tough enough to have the ability to effectively compartmentalise their thoughts and emotions? Or perhaps its about how well they love, and whether they allow themselves to be loved in return? Is their default emotion set to love, rather than to fear? Some would argue this is key to a long, rewarding and healthy life; others swear its by eating chlorella and hemp. Where we are right now, its looking like a balance of all of these factors. After seeing many clients in my practices over the past two decades, I am inclined to agree.