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Hey there,

For those that don't know me, I'm a self-proclaimed health nut. Not the body-building, I've got an eight-pack kind of nut. No. I've just been exposed to so many health-related issues, they should probably put SensiGirl in Merriam-Webster's with my picture next to it. Case and point, how many people do you know that, at age 10, break out in hives from head to toe with 102 degree fever? Then to be told that it was caused by a dandruff shampoo that had sulfur in it. Something that they found I was allergic to after really exciting panel tests were taped to my back. You know what I'm talking about. Those itchy, sticky panels that make you feel gross because you can't shower. Odd right? Just from a little shampoo.

Fast forward three years later. A week before my fourteenth birthday, I was having heart burn. After a few days of discomfort, and just not feeling right, I was taken to the ER to find out I had Hodgkin's Disease. The burn turned out to be a tumor that quickly spread to my neck. I was enlisted in a protocol that had a pretty high remission rate.  Of course, it included two months of chemotherapy and a few weeks of radiation, but three months after my initial diagnosis, I was in remission.  It wasn't without side effects, the most obvious being the hair loss. I'm not going to lie, it sucked. But having met other kids my age who had it so much worse, my awkward re-growth phase was definitely tolerable. I also developed mild cardiomyopathy due to the chemo, but years later that went away too. The worst of it was over and I beat it.

Twelve years later, I'm still blessed to be cancer-free. There are so many other moments, but I'll save those for future posts. Why do I want to share so much? Because after inexplicable moments of allergies, rashes, cancer, sinusitis, IBS (the list can go on and on), I've come to a place where I want to know what's the cause of it. It can't possibly just be a coincidence that I was bestowed upon all these health issues. And after talking to others, I know I'm not the only one going through this. We could have a whole SensiCommunity!

So I'm on a quest. I've met with leading allergists, internists, and naturopathic doctors alike trying to understand, "what is healthy?" In the interim, I've also done my own research about diets, both fad and long-term. Feeling inundated with the benefits of everything from dairy-free and g-free, to veganism and plant-based diets, it's hard to determine what's in the best interest of my overall health. Hence the blog. Here's where I'll be sharing articles, recipes, and my own experiences as I try my hand at bits of what I think may work. I'll report back and hopefully inspire you to share your experiences as well.  If something works for you, please share. I want this to be as collaborative as possible.

What I won't do are the extreme plans: I won't be eating solely protein, or starving myself for 6 weeks in an attempt to lose weight. While weight loss might be achieved, that's not really what I'm going for here. Everything should be in moderation. More so, now more than ever, I'm learning that while we go to medical practitioners for assistance when needed, only we have the power to heal ourselves. Whether it be through food and exercise, or Chinese medicine and meditation. East, West, Mediterranean, South Beach. All of it has certain aspects that can be of use. So I'm out to find the answer. I hope you'll join me.

Until next week,

SensiGirl