My Personal Healing Journey — Part 1
This post begins a new series where I share the real, unfiltered process of healing while studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, the successes, the mistakes, the experiments, and the lessons my body teaches me before any textbook does.
In February 2024, I switched to an animal based, low carbohydrate diet and what happened next completely surprised me.
The Wild, Unexpected Benefits
I expected better overall wellness.
I did not expect everything else.
My chronic hip pain vanished.
My pelvic floor got stronger.
The migraines that were taking over my life lifted.
My “carpal tunnel” symptoms disappeared.
My fingernails became long and strong.
My depression — the kind that followed me for decades — lifted.
My anxiety softened.
I wanted to socialize again.
I could walk for hours, hike, even jog.
My cravings disappeared.
My energy became steady.
Food stopped taking up space in my mind.
And I lost fifty pounds without forcing anything.
It felt like my whole biology finally aligned.
I felt alive, curious, stable, and capable in ways I hadn’t experienced… possibly ever.
TCM Would Not Be Shocked
Classical Chinese medicine has always used meat, broth, marrow, and organ meats to rebuild people after depletion.
The Huangdi Neijing says:
“Those who are weak and depleted should eat flesh to nourish Qi and Blood.”
Warm, simple, dense foods strengthen the Spleen and support the body’s core energy.
Looking back, carnivore gave me exactly that: warmth, simplicity, stability, and deep nourishment.
Why I Opened the Door Again
Here’s the honest truth:
I didn’t reintroduce plants because I was unhappy.
I reintroduced them because life is complicated.
I felt social pressure.
Shared treats at school. Baking from classmates. Potlucks. Celebrations.
Food is connection and I hated always saying no.
People worried about me.
Friends, family, classmates (all with good intentions) wondered whether I was missing important nutrients or being “too extreme.”
My TCM training emphasized balance.
Hearing “extremes cause imbalance” repeatedly made me feel like I was doing something wrong, even though my body was thriving.
And yes, I missed flavour and texture.
Carrots, radishes, potatoes, lotus root, mushrooms, not junk, just real food normal people eat.
So I started adding those foods back in.
A little at first.
Then more.
And once the door opened to vegetables, it naturally opened to fruit, rice, bread, potatoes, and various shared baked goods.
It felt human.
It felt easier socially.
It felt comforting.
Then My Body Pushed Back
And it pushed back fast.
My hunger returned — intense and constant.
Cravings showed up out of nowhere.
My energy grew erratic.
I felt puffy and heavy.
Old pains crept back.
I gained almost twenty pounds in just a few weeks.
My mind felt less steady and more easily overwhelmed.
My migraines stayed away, which I’m profoundly grateful for but nearly everything else slipped.
Through a TCM Lens
The explanation from TCM perspective is simple and honestly comforting:
My digestion had adapted to warmth, simplicity, and stability.
Then I introduced too much complexity (too much variety, too many carbohydrates) too quickly.
It wasn’t that carrots or potatoes were bad.
It wasn’t that vegetables harmed me.
It was that my body wasn’t ready, and the shift overwhelmed my Spleen’s ability to keep everything moving smoothly.
That’s it.
Human.
Logical.
Physiological.
Not a personal failure.
Searching for True Balance
Right now I’m trying to honour both sides of myself:
The side that thrives on animal based simplicity
and
the side that loves flavour, texture, colour, shared treats, and social ease.
I am still working on:
chewing intentionally
emphasizing warm, cooked meals
avoiding cold foods except for the occasional sushi
drinking only warm beverages
leaning on broth, eggs, marrow, fatty meats, and cooked low carbohydrate vegetables
pairing carbs with protein and fat
avoiding grazing
But after watching symptoms return so quickly, I’ve had to face a truth I didn’t want to admit:
It’s Time to Go Back
At this point, I believe I do need to return to a heavily animal based diet, not as a punishment or restriction, but because it’s where my body feels strongest and most stable.
I’m stepping away from grains and sweets again for now.
I’m returning to the foods that grounded me, nourished me, and cleared my mind.
And when I feel ready to reintroduce anything again, I’ll do it the way TCM has always recommended:
Gently. Slowly.
Starting with very watery rice congee, the most digestible, forgiving way to rebuild tolerance before adding texture or complexity.
Not bowls of rice.
Not bread.
Not sugar.
Just simple, soothing congee.
It’s the soft bridge between two worlds.
The Journey Continues
TCM teaches relationship, not perfection.
It teaches responsiveness, not rigidity.
And it teaches that healing is seasonal, cyclical, and personal.
This is only the first post in my Personal Healing Journey series.
I’ll be sharing the journey, what works, what doesn’t, what my body reveals, and how I use TCM to understand my own patterns.
Right now, I’m listening.
Adjusting.
Returning to what made me feel good.
And trusting that somewhere between bone broth and lotus root, I’ll find my rhythm again.
A Gentle Note: I’m a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this space reflects my learning as it unfolds. TCM is deep, layered, and complex, and I’m still finding my footing within it. I will refine my understanding over time. I will make mistakes. That’s part of doing this honestly. What I share here is my current perspective, shaped by my teachers, clinical training, lived experience, and my own biases. It’s not absolute, it’s evolving. I welcome thoughtful conversation, shared insight, and respectful correction along the way. I humbly welcome your insight. Let’s learn together. You can always find me over on Instagram to keep the conversation going.