I learnt the importance of nutrition, sleep and recovery initially in my athletic career where I was nationally ranked on the track over 800m and cross country from the age of 10 years old. Again later when I went to boarding school and had to eat bulk cooked food and survive on very little quality sleep. I battled my first serious health issue after a tick bite at 16 years old, where severe fatigue, sore throats and swollen glands were diagnosed as glandular fever and then chronic fatigue syndrome. After a multitude of doctor and medical specialist appointments over many years failed to help me improve my health, with many doctors telling me I was "faking" it and it was "all in my head," my parents turned to natural health to help me. I immediately began to see and feel major improvements in my health. Juicing, hydration, functional testing, nutritional supplements, rest and a paleo based diet, (which it wasn't called back in those days of course), saw me get my feet back on the ground and back to study, work and my beloved athletic career. But during that 17 years (from 16 years old onwards), my health was never the same, and no matter how "healthy" I was in my lifestyle I just didn't seem to get anywhere near the optimal health I believed I deserved. I would often be sick for no reason, I constantly had sore throats, I had an annoying dry cough and my concentration and short term memory were awful. In 2012 I was diagnosed with Lyme disease after a second tick bite saw me relapse into severe fatigue and illness again. Symptoms were varied including black outs for up to 20 minutes at a time, full body rashes, burning hands and feet, vertigo so bad I couldn't move my head even a centimetre without vomiting, the loss of most of my eyesight, sensitive hearing (including tinnitus), migraines and severe heart pain, to honestly just name a few! It was this journey to near death and back that has helped me learn and implement many of the health strategies that I continue to live and breath by to this day, and now inspire others to do the same. I now gladly share this knowledge with you. I truly believe I would not have made the full recovery I did without my trip to the St. Georg Klinik in Germany for treatment and the unwavering love and support from my family and close friends. This book is not designed for people to self diagnose and treat. However this book is for people with chronic and mysterious illnesses (including Lyme disease) to read and share with their family, friends and health practitioners in the hope that it will arm them with information to help effectively treat those already suffering. However health comes from within and there is no point waiting until you get sick before you honour your health. Your health regimes need to be proactive, rather than reactive. So many of the gems in this book can help you not only improve your health if you are sick, but keep it that way and even optimise it if you are already healthy! My goal is to inspire you to take your health into your own hands, no matter where you are on your journey, and help you and your team implement a step by step path towards optimal health, happiness and a quality of life you never imagined possible!
