marisa overcomes her digestive struggles
Macrobiotic chef Marisa Marinelli recently shared how switching her diet cured her years-long struggle with Crohn's Disease and Ulcertive Colitis. Check out her inspiring story:
Halfway through class I begin to struggle. I walk away from the ballet barre and sit down in the corner, no longer able to ignore the unease and discomfort in my stomach. My Advanced Ballet III professor approaches me after class, concerned about my behavior. "This might sound weird," I say to him, "but I feel like I can't feel my stomach, like it's numb." With a look of skepticism and obvious condescendence he replies with minimal sensitivity. "Well, I just think you have a weak center."
That memory has always stuck with me; my professor, even with his hint of arrogance, was correct about my weak center. I was a 19-year-old college student, training to become a professional dancer, when I was diagnosed with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but the numbness I had been feeling was the beginnings of severe inflammation of the colon.
I have actually been told I'm lucky. It only took two colonoscopies for my doctor to say, "Good news! You don't have Crohn's Disease, it's only Ulcerative Colitis." If that's "luck," I wonder what winning the lottery is like. Having never heard of either disease, at that time I couldn't understand how my life would never be the same.
It's been a seven-year journey ofstruggles and success, but today I finally understand that my health was not a matter of "luck"- it was a matter of choice. I was fortunate enough to have learned about macrobiotics; to have the option to choose an alternative healing path, I chose to heal.
After my diagnosis I suffered immensely for several years. Flare-ups would come and go monthly and I'd find myself in the hospital for weeks at a time. Severe diarrhea and vomiting caused me to loose so much weight and muscle mass. I had difficulty walking, let alone dancing. I never knew what to eat and I was always in pain. My doctors would treat me with powerful, harsh anti-inflammatory drugs to ease my bouts of illness.
I wouldn't offer a dose of prednisone to even my worst enemy. The side effects are torturous. I sacrificed whatever healthy organs I had left to prednisone. One year after my diagnosis I learned, in addition to the ulcerative colitis, I was one the 5% of all IBD patients in the world to develop a secondary reaction to the disease called Pyoderma Gangrenosum. In this rare instance, inflammation is no longer contained in the colon; it is systemic.
Ulcers can begin to develop on my limbs. If ulceration grows into the bones, the doctors would have no choice but to amputate that limb. Being that my case was so rare, my doctor had never treated or met a patient with these conditions. Confused, he believed that I was the worst case of ulcerative colitis he had ever seen.
Extreme high dosages of prednisone seemed to be necessary to put me into a temporary remission. Because I had a strong, dancer's body, I survived the first huge flare with all my limbs and no surgery. However, a few months after I was off the drug, I would relapse into the same cycle and find myself back in the hospital.
I feared that this drug-dependent life was the only choice I had.
Surgery was never an option for me. Call me superficial, but I wasn't willing to part with any of my body parts. Drugs were not the answer; they would only weaken my immune system and that's not something I'm willing to sacrifice. And, who wants to take 20 pills a day for the rest of their life? Doctors could not offer me any other hope, so I began to look for alternative options. Macrobiotics was my answer.
I became friends with a young girl, who also suffered with ulcerative colitis. She gave me a book to read called Controlling Crohn's Disease The Natural Way. The book is written by Virginia Harper, a woman who healed her Crohn's disease through a macrobiotic-based diet and lifestyle. I read the book, cover to cover, in 2days. "This makes sense," I thought. "I have nothing left to loose, so I might as well give it a try." I never imagined my body being "off balance." Can sea vegetables and brown rice really make a difference to my body? I found Virginia's Web site and contacted her for a consultation as soon as possible. Macrobiotics provided a new hope for me, and a new life.
Nobody says change is easy.
Being from a first-generation Italian family, food is a huge part of our culture. We love it and can't get enough of it. Pasta, cheese, and tomato sauce were my main food groups. If you didn't lick your plate clean, Nonna (or "grandmother," in Italian) would chase you around the kitchen with that last bite on her spoon. I never thought about how food affected my body because I was always very thin and fit. When I told my family I was changing my diet drastically, they had no idea how big of a change I intended.
With family and friends, I suddenly became the "weird girl" who didn't eat meat or dairy. I'll never forget the time I went to the beach and a friend jokingly asked if " I was going to eat the seaweed for lunch?" For someone who didn't want to change her diet in the first place, it was very difficult to find motivation to keep on this path. Not only were the comments, and sometimes jokes, hurtful; I didn't know how to cook! The first time I had to make brown rice I asked my mom, "How does it cook?" I couldn't pronounce any of the foreign foods, or find them at my local supermarket. An ume-what plum? But the biggest boost of confidence and motivation was that IT WORKED!
Within the first month of committing to whole grain, beans and vegetables, my symptoms were gone. After a few more months on a macrobiotic approach, I saw a huge difference in myself; more energy, calmer moods, better sleep and I was happy! I was able to return to dance and enjoy it more than ever.
My story doesn't end there.
Making the change to a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle was, and still is, one of the hardest things I've done in my life. Even after seven years, there are continuous ups and downs. Thankfully, however, it gets easier. The great news is, I have the rest of my life ahead of me to live fully. There was a time of my life when I thought life wasn't worth living if you couldn't enjoy some macaroni and cheese; I was wrong. Honestly, today, I can say I don't miss it.
The rewards of eating good food push me through the hardest of times. Don't forget your support group. People come into (and leave) your life for a reason. I have learned to take every experience for what it is, and then let go. Stay close to those that are truly supportive. Family is forever, but it's okay to disagree when it comes to what's best for you.
It's during the most challenging parts of life that a person needs to be the strongest and make the wisest, and often most difficult, of choices. I chose to be thankful for my disease. I wanted to heal myself: mind, body and soul. I made the decision to do whatever it took to find a way to heal myself because I was NOT going to spend any more of my life being ill. I was, and still am, a young adult with lots of ambition and dreams. My body was weak; my will power was not.
I've witnessed many people faced with a serious health issues, turn away from hope. "This isn't an option for me" or "It's too hard." We all have a choice in our life to create our own destiny and it's up to us to decide what we want that to be.
I've made the choice to heal and hope to inspire others to do the same. I've chosen food and life over doctors, drugs and surgeries. I've learned at a young age that if you don't have your health, you really don't have anything at all.
To those who are lucky enough to come across my story, please know for life and health, you always have a choice.
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story, Marisa! To learn more about Marisa's journey, check out her website or watch her today, Thursday, January 19 on the season premiere of the Veria Network's The Incurables.
If any of you kind lifers have a success story you'd like to share, private message me or post a note to your profile and 'like' it. I may feature you on the homepage of The Kind Life.
15 comments
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My story is so similar to this one! About 10 years ago, ai was diagnosed with IBS and GURD and it was so bad that I was put on multiple medications. I was sick so often, I had to quit my job. it was horrible! Then I decided to stop seeing doctors and went to a nutritionist. She helped me to see food as midicine and I was on the road to recovery in less than a month
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Thank you for posting this. Not only is my name also Merissa, but I also have had Ulcerative Colitis for many years. It is a nasty disease that is a struggle everyday. I am a vegan and that has helped me tremedously with energy, however my disease still flares evern with my clean diet. I will have to try macrobiotics and see if that makes a difference.
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Great to hear about others who have successfully managed digestive issues with diet. I went vegetarian almost exactly the same time I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (at age 16). I had no idea it would help, just intuitively I knew meat was hard for me to digest and I also got very grossed out by it. I went vegan 6 years later (7 years ago) and I credit my dietary changes to having been able to maintain remission for over 13 years.
I did a 3-part series on my website about IBS, IBD and Diet discussing some research and some of the things I've learned through trial and error over the years. Hope someone may find it helpful - http://www.spotlightonhealthyliving.com/ibs-ibd-and-diet-part-i/
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We all need to become advocates for a whole plant based diet because the medical establishment fails to address the cause of some of the most profitable diseases. Well-meaning physicians are being misled along with most other people.
It's time to speak up for people who needlessly suffer from diet related diseases.
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This is one of the most powerful success stories I have ever read. I had tears running down my face by the end of it. You are truly inspirational my dear! You definitely made lemonaide out of your lemons. Bravo!
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This was so wonderful and inspiring. Like many of the other ladies, I have had friends and close ones be diagnosed with this ailment and many others. Like she said, change isn't easy, especially when we're fighting culturally built and nurtured behaviors. It feels as if we're going against our very cores by changing our diets and it's so difficult, but sometimes wonderful things like this can blossum.
This was so inspiring and I can't wait to check out more.
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Thank you so much for sharing this! I have a similar experience, I was diagnosed with chrohn's disease and healed myself with a macro diet as well! here's my story: http://www.ahouseinthehills.com/crohns-disease/2012/1/16/sarahs-experience-with-crohns-disease.html i am so hopeful that we can prevent so much suffering by sharing these painful stories, that people who are sick find hope and start down the road to having their healthy life back!
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That is so amazing and inspiring. I am lucky to have been blessed with no health problems so far hopfully I can conquer them before they start. I wish her the best of luck in all she does!
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What an inspiring story and video. I love that she didn't give up hope and I would do the exact same thing.
Conventional medication only masks symptoms; it doesn't cure it.
Natural is the way to go :)
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I am so happy for you! You look so alive now! I am on a gluten free diet, so, believe me, I know how diet does matter!
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Thank you for this!
I am 23, and my entire life I have had a horrible stomach. I've battled horrific diarrhea and intense stomach pains the past year and I've seen two gastroenterologists and an allergist. I would lose 10 pounds in a week. Last month I was told they were 99% sure I had Crohn's Disease, especially because I have Hashimoto's, another autoimmune disease. Being medicated for that already and for severe acid reflux, I was not looking forward to more medication. I went for a colonoscopy and endoscopy last month so they could confirm their suspiscions of Crohn's, and somehow I don't have that or UC. I just have 'severe IBS'. I've been vegetarian for a year and it was great for the first few months and then I had severe flare ups. Not until last month (when I cut out eggs and dairy - still battling dairy, it's been hard for me) I have had NO symptoms. My doctor was amazed last week when I had almost no inflammation and said she recommended vegan diets for UC and CD, but many people don't take it seriously. I have never been more thankful for a supportive doctor.
People have a hard time believing how good vegan diets can be for your body, and hopefully your story (I'm going to share it with a non-believer friend) can help people understand. Thank you more being such an inspiration!
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Brought me to tears...I'm so happy for her. I have UC and got a lot better on a mainly raw vegan diet of fruits (mostly bananasmoothies) and veg juices, some veg soup, but am still struggling after 2-3 years. I might (slowly) switch to this, if there's no healing progress soon. Thank you so much for posting :)
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I love this story. My husband has Crohn's Disease and since going vegan 3 years ago he has never felt better. He hardly ever takes his medications and might go of them completely soon. We need to spread the word that a vegan diet can pretty much cure anything!
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