I am so excited to announce my guest post for the Paleo Mom, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, is up live on her website!
Here is a little sneak peek of the article!
How the AIP Lecture Series Strengthened My Resolve…and My Marriage
After years of health struggles, my endocrinologist diagnosed me with the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, in January of 2018. Within two days of diagnosis, I found and started the autoimmune protocol. I overhauled my nutrition, as well as my lifestyle choices – learning to manage stress and improve sleep.
None of the autoimmune protocol nutrition and lifestyle choices came naturally to me. I struggled and fought through every day for the first weeks. My grit and determination only got me so far on the autoimmune protocol. Three weeks to be exact. Even though my health was improving, I felt my self-control wavering.
Enter Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s AIP Lecture Series. I found Dr. Sarah’s website and the AIP Lecture Series online at just the right time. There happened to be a lecture series soon, and I desperately wanted to sign up. Little did I know how the AIP lecture series strengthened my resolve…and my marriage.
Confession
The cost of the AIP Lecture Series gave me pause. Would my husband see value in this unplanned expense? Between my health care costs stacking up, and the costs of organic and pasture raised food costs, I felt guilty spending money on one more thing.
Would the AIP Lecture Series really help me find the determination to press forward in my AIP efforts? Further, could I find the time to watch the videos between homeschooling my two kids, working part time, finishing my degree online, kids’ activities, doctors’ appointments, and learning to cook cleanly?
Honestly, I felt unsure, but I knew I wanted to give it a try. Little did I know, Dr. Sarah’s AIP Lecture Series would turn out to be a game changer for me.
Helping My Husband Understand My Autoimmune Disease
The AIP Lecture Series proved to not just be a game changer for me in finding the determination to continue the autoimmune protocol, but also for my marriage.
My autoimmune disease not only flipped my life upside down, it also rocked my marriage to the core. My husband is a cross fitting, eat anything he wants, rarely gets sick, kind of person. He is everything my chronically ill body is not.
Adding insult to injury, I spent years trying to hide my autoimmune symptoms since my doctor continually told me “everything looks normal,” attributing my symptoms to stress and anxiety.
I felt shame for the times I felt particularly unwell (which I now recognize as autoimmune flares). Overcome with fatigue, I laid down most afternoons in sheer frustration that my body did not cooperate with my plans for the day. I listened carefully for the garage to open, signaling my husband arrival home from work. I jumped out of bed the minute I heard any sign. This situation played on and off, on repeat for years.
Then, my body refused to be pushed any further. I could no longer function normally, and hit my rock bottom toward the end of 2017.
Looking back, hitting rock bottom is the best thing for me, since it led to me finally finding a diagnosis, answers, and rebuilding my life.
However, hitting rock bottom also meant I found myself unable to hide how sick I really felt. My husband looked on helplessly as my wellness unraveled. Without any frame of reference, my husband could not understand my health struggles, or how to support this new version of me.
After explaining the AIP Lecture Series to my husband, he supported me and I signed up for the upcoming session.
I watched the first video of the lecture series on my lap top on a road trip, balancing the lap top on one leg and taking notes in a spiral notebook on my other leg. My husband listened as he drove.
As he listened, my health struggles began making sense to him, and for the first time, we both understood the science behind autoimmune disease.
With my husband’s understanding of autoimmune disease, he felt better able to support me in my wellness journey and my new eating habits.
The cloud of confusion covering autoimmune disease my husband and I felt lifted. Listening to Dr. Sarah explain the science behind what happens in the body diagnosed with autoimmune disease, along with how and why the autoimmune protocol works, felt life changing.
My husband ended up watching the first two weeks of the AIP Lecture Series with me, and learned the importance of the nutritional support of autoimmune disease. Armed with this knowledge, he learned the importance of supporting my new eating habits.
To continue reading my guest post for the Paleo Mom, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, click here.
What is the AIP Lecture Series?
The AIP Lecture Series is your chance to learn everything you need to know about the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) from award-winning public speaker, New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned health expert, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, in a 6-week video-based online course!
The AIP Lecture Series features:
- 42 on-demand video lectures (totaling 16 hours!), all taught by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD
- dozens of printable guides
- action steps to help you go from theory to practice
- daily self-discovery exercises to reinforce and refine implementation
- an online forum to connect with other students and ask questions
- guided discussions in the online forum
- weekly FAQ videos by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD in the online forum
- recommended reading for every topic
- interactive quizzes to test your knowledge
- support and guidance from Dr. Sarah Ballantyne!
Dr. Sarah has been my go-to resource for AIP information since the beginning of my AIP journey, and I trust her deep knowledge of the protocol! I can’t think of a better source to point you toward if you’re hoping to truly dive into the AIP.
Note: this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through the link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I ONLY link to products I personally use and strongly believe in!
