My personal experience with food intolerances and what solutions are available.
My story
13 years ago, my story of suffering reached its climax. I was nauseous day and night, I spent my nights on the bath mat in the bathroom, no matter what I ate, I immediately had diarrhoea. My work performance dropped rapidly, I had to take lots of breaks, was very tired all day and completely lacked energy. Holiday plans were made after suitable toilets, going out for a cosy meal with friends ended with me disappearing into the toilet and customer appointments followed by lunch or dinner together were hell for me.
I underwent various examinations, from gastrointestinal endoscopies, blood tests, etc. I travelled from doctor to doctor, from specialist to specialist. I travelled from doctor to doctor, from specialist to specialist. The following statements from doctors have stuck in my mind: "You're just a bit of a anxious little person", "I don't know what's wrong with you", "it's all psychological and stressful". A doctor diagnosed lactose intolerance. After getting the lab report, I realised that the diagnosis was wrong. Lactose-free milk didn't help either, so that explained it.
I eventually got to a point where I didn't care about anything and just wanted to sleep. Friends finally urged me to visit a naturopath in my home town who was known for his accurate diagnoses. After initially resisting, I finally agreed due to the massive amount of suffering and made an appointment.
This appointment ultimately changed my life for the better. During the examination, he immediately realised that I had a milk protein intolerance. He told me to start by cutting out all dairy products. At first I thought I was going to starve to death. What else should I eat then? But I was determined and disciplined and stuck to it. After just 3 weeks I noticed a considerable improvement in my symptoms. I only felt nauseous at times and the diarrhoea also decreased.
At the follow-up appointment, he arranged for further examinations such as blood and stool tests. The diagnosis was finally finalised. My intestinal flora was no longer present, the values of my immune system were in the minus range and a chronic pepper glandular fever (which my former GP had dismissed as a flu-like infection) was causing the enormous lack of energy and tiredness. Other food intolerances emerged, such as my sensitivity to black pepper, carrots, paprika powder and many others.
A carefully thought-out treatment plan was drawn up. Strictly eliminating all foods that I could not tolerate, building up the intestinal flora, treating the glandular fever and strengthening the immune system. It was a long-term therapy and it ultimately took almost 4 years for my intestinal flora and immune system to recover. I was already feeling much better and was able to carefully reintroduce the foods I couldn't tolerate via a rotation diet (see below). I still had diarrhoea from time to time, repeated bouts of mononucleosis and I wasn't really healthy yet. At this point, Ayurveda found me and helped me to regain the last bit of health that was still missing.
Root cause analysis
I spent a long time looking into where this massive imbalance came from and what actually caused it. Ultimately, you have to look at it from different angles.
Physical cause
From the age of 6 to 12, I had tonsillitis at least 3 times a year, which often ended in a middle ear infection. The usual treatment at the time was penicillin. I still remember the horrible taste of these penicillin juices. Chocolate flavour was the worst. In the end, my tonsils were removed and at least that suffering came to an end. As a teenager and young woman, I was constantly plagued with bladder infections, so what was the solution? Yes, exactly - antibiotics. Now I know that a healthy intestinal flora is important to protect against bladder infections. But the antibiotics kept destroying it. So I found myself in a vicious circle. Then, in my early 20s, I had gastritis, which was treated how? Oh yes, there were antibiotics and gastric acid inhibitors, that would certainly help very quickly! That was also the time when the diarrhoea started, until it came to the aforementioned climax.
Not a single "specialist" had the idea of asking me about my eating habits or giving me recommendations about my diet. I was too young, too inexperienced and too gullible to scrutinise everything and look into it more closely.
If an important function such as the intestinal mucosa and the intestinal flora, which are essential for the immune system and general well-being, is destroyed in childhood, it is almost impossible to recover.
I'm fine again now, but I have to be very careful that I and my stomach stay in balance. I am very sensitive to artificial additives and harmful substances in food and could therefore also become a good restaurant critic. If I only have limited opportunities to follow my personal Ayurvedic rules on holiday, for example, I need 2-3 weeks after the holiday to get back into balance. Fortunately, I have learnt to listen to my body and can help myself.
My naturopath as well as my Ayurvedic and TCM doctors have all commented that my digestive system has been irreparably damaged and that I have only managed to maintain my health through my iron discipline and my diet. It's always a matter of sticking with it and I consider myself lucky that I have the time and space to cook for myself every day.
Psychische Ursachen
Natürlich hatten die Ärzte nicht ganz Unrecht, eine psychische Ursache zu vermuten. Alles ist miteinander verbunden und jede Ursache hat ihre Wirkung. Meine Sensitivität (die mir damals noch nicht so bewusst war), mein Leistungswillen und Zielstrebigkeit haben ihres dazugetan und die Situation verschlimmert. Ich habe bis zu 70 Stunden in der Woche gearbeitet, nebenbei noch Gesang studiert, mein Versicherungsstudium absolviert und Konzerte gegeben. Wenn ich jetzt daran zurückdenke habe ich keine Ahnung, wie ich das geschafft habe. Und schon haben wir wieder den besagten Teufelskreis. Durch die körperlichen Beschwerden wird natürlich auch die Psyche gedämpft, die hohe Arbeitsbelastung verstärkt die Symptome, die Leistungsfähigkeit sinkt und das sich Abarbeiten verstärkt sich.
Mental causes
The WHO definition of health is as follows: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
If a person really achieves this, he is an enlightened being!
Illnesses are there to help us develop as human beings. They are given to us to help us grow. Behind every illness is a memory, a trauma, a cause in the soul. The body is the messenger of the soul, which asks us to look at ourselves and redeem the old. This can best be seen in young children. When children go through illnesses, such as high fever, this usually results in a developmental spurt. Teething in children is painful, but important for further development.
In my case, this path of suffering helped me to find myself. It has led me to learn about these wonderful ancient wisdoms such as Aryuveda, traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, shamanism, etc. It has awakened an unexpected potential and gift in me that I could never have imagined. He has awakened an unexpected potential and gift in me that I could never have imagined. He taught me to appreciate my gifts and to recognise my true being.
Countering food intolerance
Bei der erweiterten Blutuntersuchung wurden über 20 Lebensmittel identifiziert, auf die ich unverträglich reagierte. Neben dem Aufbau der Darmflor und Stärkung des Immunsystems wurden folgende Maßnahmen eingeleitet.
Weglassen der unverträglichen Lebensmittel
At first, this was a difficult endeavour for me. However, one of my strengths is "willpower" and discipline. My strong will was to improve my state of health, because I didn't want to spend my life like this.
So I looked into what alternatives there were to the foods I couldn't tolerate. The most difficult issue at the beginning was cow's milk. As I have always enjoyed cooking and experimenting, I created some very unusual dishes at the time and it didn't take long for me to find a good rhythm. As a manager with a heavy workload and business trips, it wasn't always easy to juggle everything.
For restaurants and hotels, I drew up a food list containing all the foods that I could not tolerate. I informed hotels before I travelled and the staff were also informed in advance when I made restaurant reservations. I experienced the most incredible stories. Very often it didn't work and an unpleasant trip to the toilet was inevitable. It was embarrassing, especially when you're in the middle of a working lunch or you're supposed to give a presentation afterwards, but your stomach is boogie woogieing and you're praying fervently that you don't have to interrupt the presentation to rush to the toilet.
However, I was determined and kept it up for 4 years.
Rotational diet
After 4 years, I started to slowly reintroduce the incompatible foods. A rotation diet works as follows:
You eat a food (e.g. carrot)
After 4 days you eat the next food (e.g. black pepper)
Wait another 4 days, eat the next food (e.g. paprika powder)
etc.
This rotation gives the body time to process the intolerable food before it receives the next "stimulus".
I still do this rotation, but it happens unconsciously and was also taught to me in Ayurveda. I avoid using the same ingredients for several days in a row. Thanks to my creativity, new dishes are created every day. The disadvantage is that I usually don't remember how I cooked what. That's why I've started writing down recipes. You can find some of them in my Recipe overview.
Enjoy without fear
Thanks to these measures, I can finally enjoy everything again without fear. I still have to be careful with cow's milk products, but now and again even these are no problem.
However, I am very sensitive to artificial additives such as glutamate and colourings. As I pay attention to the quality of the products I eat and grow my own vegetables, my body reacts immediately to non-natural ingredients. It manifests itself with severe stomach cramps that prevent me from breathing, followed by diarrhoea. I get the stomach cramps under control with chewed cardamom capsules, the diarrhoea is welcome to get rid of the harmful substances.
I now have a list of restaurants that I can safely eat at and those that I avoid.
Ayurveda and digestive fire
After I started studying Ayurveda and especially during my Ayurveda training, I realised a lot. I was able to identify other problems in my diet and find solutions to them.
Even if you think you're eating a healthy diet, it doesn't mean that it's really right for your body.
Almost every day you can find some other dietary trend on the internet that claims to be the healthiest and best thing ever! What is always forgotten is that every person is different and so are their physical and mental needs. Food also has an important influence on our mental state. You can read more about this in this article .
Ayurveda gives us the knowledge about the right balance of body, soul and spirit. It is about bringing us into balance with a diet that is customised for us. The digestive fire is crucial for this, our inner fire must be ignited. Depending on our constitution, the fire burns stronger or weaker.
With food intolerances, it is usually the case that the digestive fire is too weak, but sometimes it can also be far too strong and lead to an overshoot. If the digestive fire burns well and normally, food intolerances can also be a thing of the past.
You can find out more about Ayurveda, its constitutions and how it works here.
Your experiences
Do you also have problems with your digestive system? Do you have strange symptoms that can't be explained? Do you feel tired, exhausted and unmotivated after eating? Share your experiences in the comments or contact me directly using the contact form. I look forward to every message!
Individual support
If you would like to enjoy your food again without any worries or if you would like to look for the causes of your symptoms, discomfort or illnesses, please make an appointment with me. I look forward to supporting you in your personal development with a concept tailored to you.
I keep coming across the topic of femininity and masculinity in all its facets. As a personal life topic, among friends and relatives, at work, in politics and just recently at a wonderful evening in a female community. During this get-together, we discussed words such as "emancipation" and "feminism". I would like to share my thoughts on this with you and invite you to think about it, join in the discussion and become aware of what femininity and masculinity mean to you.
My background
Growing up alongside my mother in a male household with 3 older brothers and having worked for many years in a male-dominated profession, "being a woman" was rather foreign to me. My external attributes may have labelled me as such, but I am only now really experiencing and enjoying what that really means. In the family, I had to assert myself, climb around in the trees just like my brothers, not cry at sad films and "not be a girl". Not to show any weaknesses at work, to be self-determent, to fight!
But being a woman is simply beautiful! In recent years, I have been able to experience a lot of self-awareness during my shamanic training and my further training in transactional analysis and now I really appreciate "being a woman" and above all enjoy the company of other women.
For me, heal feminine energy is
simply "to be"
community
nourish, care for others and myself
entirety
softness
feeling
For me, heal masculine energy is
creates structures
provides security
sets boundaries and frameworks for themselves and others
asserts itself
builds on individuality
nourishes healthy competition
What attributes do you find?
Every woman has masculine energy within her and every man has feminine energy. A woman also sets boundaries and therefore complements the male energy. And a man shows feeling and enters into symbiosis with the woman.
I have come to know "feminism" and "emancipation" partly as a fight against men, which I think is a great pity and tips the scales just as much as the centuries-long fight of men against women.
What exactly is behind the words "equal rights" and "equal treatment"?
I don't want to be "treated the same". Because every person is an individual and needs their very own "treatment". As a manager, I experience this every day. Treating everyone the same way is difficult and also not effective.
The situation is similar with "equality" - a very difficult word. What is equal rights? Everyone is entitled? For what? Doesn't it put enormous pressure on women to live equality by competing with men, e.g. at work?
That's how I felt! What does it do to a woman who got her job because of a quota? Does that have anything to do with equal rights?
Equivalence vs. equal rights
At our women's get-together, we found a wonderful word that speaks to my heart - "EQUAL VALUE". Every person has the same value. Every woman is allowed to live her femininity with equal value in the path she has chosen. In the same way, every man is equally allowed to walk and live the path he has chosen. Without pressure - just be. Be at eye level. Be with each other!
I am very lucky to be able to live this "EQUIVALENCE" with my husband. He sets the framework, holds the space and I nurture, care for and organise.
And so I try to plant the little seed of EQUAL VALUE every day with my actions, in my dealings with my fellow human beings, with animals and plants and in my relationships, with the vision that the little plant will develop widely branching roots and spread as a net around the whole world.
We are now entering a time of rest, regeneration and re-centring. Exhaustion and tiredness, especially emotionally, are a sign to listen to your body and make yourself comfortable on the couch with a soothing drink and a book to nourish your spirit.
The element of air with its storms rules the autumn season and the ether with its emptiness and vastness rules the winter. It is a time of movement. The transition from the busyness and extroversion of summer to the calm, stillness and introversion of autumn and winter can often have its negative side on an energetic level in the form of a lack of security and calm, combined with a feeling of deep exhaustion.
In Ayurveda, this time is assigned to the VATA dosha with its mobility, dynamism and tendency to dry out. Now it is important to pay attention to nourishing and heavier qualities. Plenty of rest, retreat, warming, soothing and easily digestible meals with mainly sweet, sour and savoury foods as well as warming spiced teas are important now.
Exercise for more energy in autumn and early winter
Take off your shoes (preferably barefoot) and stand with both feet firmly on the floor. Close your eyes.
Breathe in deeply 3 times through your nose and out through your mouth.
Imagine how thick roots of light grow from the soles of your feet into the earth and how you connect firmly with the earth. Allow the light from these roots to radiate completely through your body.
Thank Mother Earth for nourishing and supporting you.
Do this exercise whenever you feel unsafe and/or exhausted
Acceptance
The winds of change blow particularly strongly in autumn and sometimes these winds blow up old issues and reveal the shadows within you. Stay in your safety. It's all good. Astrological Scorpio shows you what you can transform now. It's completely normal if you don't feel so good emotionally at this time. If you accept it gratefully, look at it and let it go, you will be one step ahead again.
wheel of the year
We are integrated into the annual cycle and are subject to the rhythms of nature. Unfortunately, the special qualities of the seasons have been lost to us over the centuries in the pursuit of ever further, faster, higher!
If you would like to find out more about the qualities of the wheel of the year, continue reading on my year circle page:
Recognising the truth can often be very painful, but it makes you immensely free.
I grew up in a Catholic family in Lower Bavaria and attended a convent school. Due to my musical talent, I spent most of my childhood and youth in church. "Faith" was central to my life. Various unpleasant incidents in young adulthood in the church community showed me for the first time how painful realisation and truth can be.
In search of
So I set out in search of the truth. I read books, attended seminars, had tearful experiences, had doubts, etc...
The more I read, got to know people and attended seminars, the more confused I became: Who is right now? What is the truth? And so began my journey to myself!
Immerse myself in spirituality
One of the triggers for me to open up to the spiritual world was my recurring fears, not health and not freedom.
How I longed to finally be free! Free from the stressful job. Free from constraints and "must". So - quit my job. Hooray - I'm free! I decide my working hours and what I do. Hooray - I'm free! OR AM I? Outwardly, I was free now. No one to tell me what to do. I'M FREE AFTER ALL! So why doesn't it feel like that at all?
The first message after I had tentatively opened up to the spiritual world was: "Be yourself"! Huh? But I am myself. I can see myself in the mirror. I'm right there! Well, if the spiritual world is sending me such strange messages, it's probably not the right thing for me. I want to be told clearly what I should do now! I want to be "saved". After all, the famous Christmas carol says "Christ the Saviour is here!" And right at the bottom - in the darkness of darkness I realised: ONLY I CAN SAVE MYSELF!
Ancient wisdom teachings
I followed in the footsteps of the ancient shamans, researched the Vedic scriptures, learnt about anthroposophical philosophy and hermetic laws and deepened my knowledge with psychological training. The deeper I travelled, the more I realised that I was actually not "myself". I learnt the truth about myself! I learnt about the deep pain, the longing!
Peel the onion
I always say to my clients: The journey to yourself is like peeling an onion. We all carry issues from our lives, from past lives and from our ancestors. When I muster the courage to face the truth, I begin to peel the onion. Layer by layer, until I reach my inner wisdom. Peeling can be very painful. I can slip with the knife and cut my finger. Tears flow and leave marks on my face and eyes. But when the onion is peeled and cut, it cleanses our bodies and brings flavour into our lives.
My onion is a really big butcher's onion! And the more I peel it, the more the tears and (heart) blood flow, the closer I get to wisdom, truth and freedom. Again and again I came across a frightened little Maria. And suddenly I realise: THE TRUTH IS IN ME AND THIS TRUTH MAKES ME FREE!
I scrutinise! Everything and everyone! Even messages from the spiritual world. It's about independence, self-determination, self-confidence and autonomy. I am free in my thinking, decisions and my will. I am happy to accept recommendations and opinions, but I question and live MY truth.
Self-knowledge
The more I get to know myself (this is far from over), the more I come into freedom and the stronger the connection to the spiritual world becomes, the more clearly I recognise the truth. In the past, I didn't read books if someone (authority) told me not to read it because it wasn't good. Now I form my own opinion and my inner truth-teller strikes out immediately! So far, the pointer has always been right.
Faith
I am often asked whether I believe in God! For me, the answer is not "yes" or "no". For me, it's not about "faith" and "believing" in something. I feel, experience and trust my intuition.
A divine experience is that I have come a little way towards my inner wisdom, my spark and my light! A divine experience is that I have come a little way towards my inner wisdom, my spark and my light!
Everything is interconnected and every living being on this earth deserves appreciation and respect, because everything is "divine".
I experience... what important information I receive in my communication with the spiritual world. I experience... when I go into my garden, the birds greet me and thank me for the water and food I put out for them. I experience... that my vegetables and lettuce grow better when I talk to them and sing to them. I experience... that the divine creative power is within me. I experience... that when I ask for information and support, I receive it immediately. I experience... that nature with all its active ingredients and beings saved my life 8 years ago. I experience... that I first check, scrutinise and then act. I experience... that I see and perceive issues in people I don't know and that I am right.
I stopped "believing" and started thinking, experiencing, trusting and feeling! I pulled the mask off my fear and took away its power.
The biggest obstacle to truth and freedom is fear. It prevents me from thinking, it prevents me from questioning and it prevents me from seeing the truth.
Have the courage to face the truth and live freely!
If you would like to experience what it feels like to be in the divine flow, I look forward to making an appointment with you.
In May 2019, my cancer check-up was due and there was an abnormal finding. My doctor told me to wait and come back in November 2019. This appointment included an extended examination and a special tumour test. This test turned out to be positive. In this case positive didn’t mean good. The doctor recommended surgery to remove the cancerous cells that may be present.
There it was again, the fear! The position of fear on a timeline is in the future. It means the incident has not yet happened and I was scared of something that hadn’t happen yet. With this knowledge I started my self-experiment in inclusion of body, soul, and mind and under expert supervision. I didn’t want surgery and gave myself 6 months for my self-healing experiment.
My self-experiment
Body
I started a detox program for 3 months on a naturopathic basis. I adjusted the ayurvedic food plan by eating a lot of green foods, drinking herbal teas and putting spicies into my food to support my digestion fire. Additionly I started homeopathic microimmunotherapy for 3 months and Vitamin D3 in combination with Viatmin K to supplement my plan. I prescribed myself a lot of rest (it was the hardest for me) and timeouts. My body temperature was too low and my immune system too weak, so it was an invitation for viruses to infect my body. Viruses and Cancer Cells don’t like the warmth. I ate only warm meals with ingredients that warm the body and took baths to increase my body temperature to a normal level. All of these were under expert supervision. I wouldn’t do this on my own.
Mind
The important thing for me was to escape the trap of persistent pondering and my fear. I practiced mind hygiene and met my fears in a firm but friendly manner through meditation. I didn’t allow it to block and paralyse me, to pin me down in a state of shock or to dehumanise me. I wrote small notes which read “I am healthy” and put them on every surface I came across every day to remind myself about the power of self-healing. One note even informed my tea. On a spiritual level, I connected with my body and lovingly asked it to activate its self-healing powers. Homeopathy also works on a spiritual level and so the microimmunotherapy also provided support here.
Soul
I set out to find the cause of the disease. I ate healthy food and took care of my body. Because of this, I was so shocked at first by the diagnoses and asked myself why this happened. I asked my soul: “What is this supposed to show me?” “What am I allowed to discover about this?” Carrying out several shamanic journeys and luminous body cleansing brought me closer to the issues and causes, allowed it to go in peace and activated my self-healing powers.
The check-up
After almost 6 months, it was time for the next appointment, blood test and check-up. I nervously went to the doctor and the usual followed. I had to wait 2 weeks for the results. “OK” I told myself “ mind hygiene, meditation and confidence in my body will help me through the period of waiting”. Finally, the results were out. I called the doctor on 25th May. The hands damp. The mouth dry. The friendly medical assistant told me, that she had just been handed my results. Everything was ok. Every test was negative and normal. I cheered and she cheered with me.
Thank you
The end of the day was near and the last plan of my self-experiment was set: Champagne, a bathtub full of fragrant warm water and a heart full of thankfulness.
To say THANK YOU to nature. She gave me everything I needed to heal. To say THANK YOU to myself for my discipline and courage to dig into traumas and not -so-nice episodes in my life. To say THANK YOU to my beloved husband who supported me and ate all the “green” food with me and joined me in the detox program To say THANK YOU to my expert supervisors To say THANK YOU to my friends in this and the other world who accompanied me on my soul journeys.
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Be prepared for miracles!
Would you also like to get to know your body better and support your health? I look forward to an appointment with you!
Today I would like to pass on a few thoughts that have matured in me over the last 4 months, and above all have to do with recognising and discovering. It's not easy for me to do this, but it's all the more important. Perhaps it will be helpful for some of you.
In the last 4 months in particular, I have been able to get to know many new people and people get to know in a new way. I have spent hours on the phone, "discovered" new networks, laughed, cried, rejoiced and mourned! I was thrilled, hurt and amazed!
I researched, read, delved into the deepest depths. I was incredulous, stunned, shocked, disappointed. I kept asking myself the question: "Why am I doing this to myself? It's much better to just occupy myself with beautiful things! Light and love! That's what matters - right?"
Then came the realisation
It's important that I deal with it! I have learnt to do research! I have learnt to trust my intuition even more. I have learnt to trust myself even more. I have learnt to differentiate. I have learnt to look and listen even more.
I am learning to be powerful and strong for whatever comes to fulfil my Dedication - to be there for the people who want to face their shadows.
More than ever before, I have realised how interconnected everything is and that I must first look at the shadows in order to fill them with light.
I have discovered:
... that everything that is happening now, with all its positive and negative aspects, is important for the further development of us all. ... that change is only possible if the need for change is present beforehand, i.e. the pressure of suffering increases. ... that there are more and more people who have understood that we are one human family and that we are only strong together!
The changing times
We are in a time of change. Much is becoming visible. Much is being uncovered and unveiled! For some, a world is collapsing. The world view is no longer the one you have believed in all your life. I have seen people who have almost been broken by it. I have seen people who have become strong and courageous as a result.
