The new lifestyle, part 1

I made an appointment to see Dr. Alicia Johnson NMD at the O'Brien Pharmacy and Holistic Center in Mission, KS in June of 2008. We discussed my urinary issue and she recommended a diet for me and The Snake and the Dragon teapills by Plum Flower Brand to reduce inflammation and help me heal from any residual infection I might have. Taking the pills was easy, but the diet, I didn't even know where to begin. I had been looking up body alkalinity and had a general understanding that the more fruits and veggies in the diet, the better. I read that having an acidic diet can make one more susceptible to urinary tract infections. The whole week before my appointment I practically starved eating only fresh veggies and fruits, because I didn't know where to begin. I didn't know how to prepare food. This was my typical diet before:
2 bowls of cheerios with chocolate syrup all over them with skim milk.
Some raisins, baby carrots, or a banana with fruit flavored yogurt and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain wheat bread.
Then by the time dinner came around I was ravenous and chowed on Burger King, pizza, or whatever tickled our fancy at the time.
And we topped it off with some kind of dessert almost every night. Cookies, Sheridan's custard, brownies...etc. I would be stuffed and bloated.
The ironic part is that we started to really hate what we ate, but we felt stuck. We liked the convenience and the fun of going and picking up our already prepared food. And well, let's face it, I did have more free time then. 
It sounds like I should've been overweight, but oddly enough I was still within a healthy weight, even being accused of being skinny and never eating. (It's funny how we think it's ok to call someone skinny, but not fat.) I did like to be active and me and the husband and the dog would go on walks often, even in the winter. I also clean houses for a living, so that kept me moving. However, I cringe when I think of the chemicals I would expose my bare skin and lungs to on a daily basis. It's funny how invincible we tend to think we are; nevermind the rash I would get on my lower back every time I used bleach. I just thought, it goes with the job.


My persistent urinary symptoms was a huge wake-up call for me. It wasn't until later that I connected my overall health with my reproductive health.