I Overcame Sickness, PCOS and Infertility by Transforming My Diet

Like most young girls, I excitedly anticipated my first period. I was in 6th grade, and while I didn’t understand its significance, it marked a developmental milestone. The thrill soon wore off, and I was just fine when Aunt Flo decided to never visit again. But my mom wasn’t. In high school, she took me to a renowned fertility specialist who diagnosed me with the worst case of PCOS he had ever seen. Due to thousands of cysts on my ovaries, I would need birth control indefinitely and wouldn’t be able to get pregnant without the help of advanced fertility treatments (IVF).

I could have never imagined what lie ahead, but looking back, God turned pain into gain. My journey taught me about the body’s astounding ability to heal, which eventually led to the natural conception and birth of my baby girl, Sloane, just last year.

A WAKE-UP CALL

During my sophomore year of college, pain and nerve damage seemed to be suddenly take over my body from head to toe. I was soon traveling the country with an ever-growing file of blood work, x-rays and MRIs, my symptoms stumping top arthritis specialists and neurologists who prescribed antidepressants, muscle relaxers, and painkillers. One doctor diagnosed me with early-stage MS. I remember asking my now-husband, Will, if he’d still marry me should I have to be wheeled down the aisle and possibly leave him childless. (He said yes!)

I reached a point in my journey where I was finally open to hearing my aunt (now business partner), Marilee Nelson, a dietary and environmental consultant who had used Food as Medicine and a major lifestyle “clean-up” to avoid a kidney transplant and, later, heal her son from a catastrophic chemical exposure. She wanted to know everything I put in, on and around my body, whether I used pesticides and if I had recently moved, remodeled or been exposed to mold or other stressors (environmental, emotional, etc.). The only questions I had been asked thus far were about my family’s health history and my current symptoms, so Marilee had my full attention.

She explained how the body doesn’t develop symptoms for no reason. If a healthy person suddenly becomes ill, questions should be asked to determine the cause(s) and effective strategies for treatment.

Some people can develop symptoms immediately (congestion, eczema, headaches, digestive issues), while others store toxins in their organs and can develop cancer or degenerative disease years later. Some have strong constitutions and are unaffected. We realized my symptoms had started just two days after I moved into a brand new apartment, filled with fresh paint, new carpet, formaldehyde-filled cabinetry and all the glues, stains and other toxic materials involved. She explained that I was under immune stress, and a “clean up” of my diet and environment was in order. Only then would my body’s innate healing tendency take over.

CLEANING UP

I was all in. I ditched birth control, refined sugar and unhealthy oils, and for the first time in my life, focused on ingredients, not calories. I filled up on grass-fed meat and dairy, organic eggs and produce, and tons of good fats. Within a few months, my pain had drastically decreased. My roommate (now other business partner), Kelly, and I couldn’t get enough of Marilee’s knowledge and wisdom, and upon graduation asked to spend the summer with her in the Texas Hill Country. Little did we know this decision would change the course of our lives.

Our days were filled with fresh juice, walking barefoot in the grass, cooking real-food meals, limiting screen and cell-phone time, soaking in an infrared sauna and taking in all the wisdom we could from Marilee’s back-to-back phone consults. Whether it was chronic headaches, skin issues, a hyperactive child, or a dire diagnosis, each person was met with a similar protocol of cleaning their diet, home and personal care products of all toxins. For eight weeks, we watched in amazement at her clients’ improvements, while at the same time, experiencing the “power of pure” in our own bodies.

While we had made great strides in cleaning our diet, it wasn’t until we moved into Marilee’s home, free of all toxic pesticides, cleaners, synthetic scents, soaps, shampoos, etc., that our health transformed. I was off all medication and virtually pain-free, while Kelly’s chronic dry eyes and menstrual cramps disappeared. Our minds were opened and forever changed to the power of our bodies to heal, given the right conditions.

THE POWER OF PURE

In 2009, six years after my dismal high school diagnosis, Will encouraged me to get a follow-up sonogram. Although I still wasn’t having my period, I had lived a radically different lifestyle for over a year, and we were hopeful my ovaries were on the mend. Sure enough, upon receiving the scan, the doctor rushed in holding my new sonogram next to the original, in utter disbelief. I had reversed PCOS, having only a few small cysts on each ovary, and he wanted to know everything I had done. I explained that I had gotten off birth control, cleaned my home of all toxins and ate only real food. He had never seen anything like it, and told me to keep going - it was working!

At this point, we knew my period would come back. The reproductive system, whose sole job is to usher in new life, is often the last to repair. And with good reason! The body should be at its peak in order to conceive, grow, give birth and care for a new baby. While I hold absolutely no judgment against those who choose fertility treatments (they have blessed many close friends and are at times the only option), we knew they weren’t part of our story. When it was ready, my body could do this.

We also didn’t just want babies, complete with ten fingers and ten toes, but healthy, thriving children. Knowing that choices during the perinatal period directly affect fetal brain development and overall health, we decided to work with a well-known eastern medicine doctor, Dr. Dittman, author of Brighton Baby: A Revolutionary Organic Approach to Having an Extraordinary Child. He specializes in helping couples reverse the trends that our existing diet and lifestyle have lead to: an exponential rise in autism, ADD, birth defects and infertility.

After taking food-based supplements to correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Will and I were ecstatic when six months later, I had my second natural period, fifteen years after the first. The next one came just five weeks later, and there was no PMS (a syndrome women have come to accept as normal but, in truth, is a sign of imbalanced hormones).

Over the next few years, we mindfully chose what we put in and on our bodies and brought into our home. We watched in awe as my cycle normalized, and when the time was right, we got pregnant quickly.

I proceeded to have a joy-filled, healthy pregnancy that ended in a big, beautiful baby girl born at home on her due date - the most magical moment of our lives thus far. And we have no doubt the decisions we made leading up to her conception played a leading role in her being an alert, strong, precocious 15-month-old. We believe more than just genetics are to thank for her soaring through developmental milestones, never battling a diaper rash, and overcoming sickness quickly and naturally.

No matter where you are in your journey, babies far from the brain to having had multiple miscarriages and/or already pregnant, I hope my story has opened your eyes to a path that – while requiring patience and sacrifice – truly allows the body to heal itself.

You can only take action if you are aware, and as Marilee has said time and again, “Our goal is to prevent people from one day saying, ‘Why didn’t someone tell me this?’”

We are not the victims of our genes and should not take a diagnosis as the final word. There is indeed a crucial connection between our lifestyle choices and health. While I am so thankful for the medical community, there is simply a lack of knowledge on prevention and the power of food and clean living when it comes to healing.


To put it simply, I recommend getting back to basics. Our world is more toxic than ever, and we are seeing the results in the form of astronomical rise in not only infertility, but childhood sickness and disease. We must take effort to prudently avoid toxins in our lives, and I am ever thankful for companies like Primally Pure who make this path fun.

Marilee, Kelly and I started Branch Basics because we are beyond-passionate about empowering others to make choices that will allow their bodies (and those of loved ones) to heal and thrive. While we believe ditching toxic cleaners and switching to Branch Basics allows people to significantly reduce their exposure to daily toxins, our products are simply a vehicle for spreading the “power of pure” message. I hope you’ll join us on our journey and experience the benefits as we have!