Robyn Lev
I am a very private person but have felt an urge to help the many people who are experiencing a health challenge, want to feel better and achieve radiant health by sharing my story.
For years, I have been sick but didn’t know it. What I did know was that I felt extremely fatigued but thought that was normal for a new mom. I was exhausted- that’s how I felt when I woke up in the morning even after a good night’s sleep. I knew I had a limited amount of energy to use over the course of a day and would plan out how to pace myself. I’m an occupational therapist, and that is part of self-care and patient education after all. The biggest difference in my life was that I was a new mom with a little boy who quickly began to outrun me.
My other considerable health challenge was that I experienced short term memory loss and forgetfulness that I also accredited to being a new mom- pregnancy brain. I also experienced sensitivities to food, detergent and different environments that were cleaned with conventional household cleaners and chemicals. It was common for me to get transient rashes all over my body and be extremely sensitive to the cold. I also felt a strange new anxiety I attributed to moving a few times in a few years in addition to being a new mom.
My 18-month-old son Sage also started exhibiting health challenges. Soon after his front four teeth came in they started decaying. I was completely baffled and performed extensive research to determine why a toddler who was breastfed almost exclusively until his first birthday and then raised on organic local fruits and veggies would develop severe cavities. Possible factors for this marked change in health included: parental genetics, a child being born to a mother who followed a vegan diet and a toddler who ate a modern diet. Even though I wasn’t a strict vegan, I thought my diet could be the most plausible reason for Sage’s tooth decay. I discovered a book and diet “proven” to restore the enamel on teeth, was based on the research a father used to recover the enamel on his daughter’s teeth. She had also developed severe tooth decay because her mother ate a vegan diet. This diet, largely paleo, consisted of daily ingestions of cod liver oil, raw butter, bone broth and raw milk. I radically changed my family’s diet in the hope of restoring Sage’s teeth to health- as I believe the body heals itself when fed the right foods.
Last year when we were in Jersey I felt worse than ever and sought help from a functional medicine doctor. After putting me on a strict Paleo diet for six weeks, my blood work revealed that I had hypothyroidism and was pregnant. As per the physician’s recommendation, I started taking Synthroid and later Armour Thyroid despite my history of extreme sensitivity to pharmaceuticals. I felt sicker and sicker and started gaining weight fast. By 7 1/2 weeks, my pregnancy was naturally ended. I was extremely relieved as the pregnancy just didn’t feel right. I immediately stopped taking the meds and did everything I could to regain my health including: eating an organic clean diet, sleeping 8-10 hours a night, practicing yoga and de-stressing. I slowly began to feel better.
Six weeks later we moved to Scottsdale where I was intent on continuing with my health regimen in order to feel like myself again. I had my blood tested for hypothyroidism by a new doc, a thyroid expert. She reported my levels were a bit low but within functional parameters and therefore didn’t recommend meds. I was very relieved. A few months later, my husband and I made the difficult decision to have Sage undergo major dental surgery. It was necessary to give Sage general anesthesia in order to apply four crowns on his front teeth. He now has a brilliant smile that will last until he grows adult teeth. That was the best decision we ever made (other than moving to Scottsdale)!
A few months later I was diagnosed with Lyme’s Disease, which solved the riddle of why I was so tired all the time. Lyme’s disease is called the great imitator as it often presents with a baffling myriad of signs and symptoms as it mirrors other health conditions like Hypothyroidism. Soon after, my three three-year-old son presented with a puzzling mix of conditions: a transient rash on his arms, diarrhea, and foods that he once enjoyed no longer tasted good to him. In addition, he demonstrated severe stuttering, which marked a significant change in his speech pattern. I was surprised to learn that Sage also tested positive for Lyme’s Disease. Research on Lyme’s Disease in infected toddlers describes severe decay in the top four front teeth.
Now that Sage and I have been properly diagnosed we are on the path to greater health and energy. We continue to strengthen our immune systems by eating an organic plant-based diet, drinking pure water, enjoying sunshine and the company of loving and supportive friends. I continue to employ healthy self-care skills by sleeping 8-10 hours nightly, practicing yoga and pacing myself so I can be present and conscious for my son and husband. We are getting healthier day by day.
Wishing you radiant health,
Robyn