Soon after transitioning to a second career in healthcare as an occupational therapist, I experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of a motor vehicle accident. My cognition, speech, vision and memory were all affected in addition to having left neglect and facial nerve damage. I lost the capacity to add even single digit numbers and couldn't draw a cube if you put one in front of me. I had ocular and autonomic dysfunction and struggled with a highly dysregulated nervous system.

Seven months later, I moved from California to the high elevation of Colorado which exacerbated my symptoms, limiting my capacity to work and engage in things I enjoyed most. I discovered that the ongoing autonomic dysfunction had been waging a silent war on my body and was now leading to insulin resistance. I was shocked. I had been strictly following an anti-inflammatory diet since the accident. I was terrified of developing diabetes and the cascade of physical and cognitive conditions that come with it as I’d witnessed with many of the patients I served. I started researching how these seemingly separate body systems influenced one another and worked with my functional neurologist to develop a game plan that required me to go much deeper than my food intake and outside of any help he could offer me.

I came to learn that insulin resistance can be reversed through lifestyle modifications, without the use of medications. For me, identifying and addressing unhealthy stressors was the ultimate catalyst in turning things around. Optimizing my blood sugar and brain health through a combination of strategies and prioritizing myself became non-negotiable. The changes I chose to make were difficult, with rippling effects across both my family and work life but the growth and healing I experienced through them were life giving.

While I still manage some lingering issues from the brain injury, insulin resistance is not one of them. My physical and cognitive resilience is as good as ever and I no longer worry about my future health, despite having both an Alzheimer’s gene and brain injury.

Having a support partner with knowledge and experience is powerful. With some trial and error and mindset shifts, anyone can change the trajectory of their health and develop the habits to maintain wellness well into your best years.

If you are someone who is struggling with anxiety following a pre-diabetes diagnosis, have unexplained brain fog or are witnessing the cognitive decline of family members and you want to know how to get things under control naturally, reclaim your health and piece of mind, then click the button below to access the free training video I’ve put together for YOU.