In 2006, I was diagnosed with lupus. But not before months of uncertainty — it was initially thought to be rheumatoid arthritis before further tests confirmed what was actually going on. I was prescribed hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate. The hydroxychloroquine gave me skin rashes. The methotrexate came as five small tablets I had to take at once, and I dreaded it every time.
Nobody in the medical system talked to me about food. Not once. No one mentioned what I could change in my diet, what might be fuelling the inflammation, or what my body actually needed to support itself. The intervention that changed everything didn't come from my rheumatologist. It came from a pharmacist who told my mother he'd been diagnosed years earlier and that changing his diet had made a real difference. His advice was simple: cut out a few things, eat well.
So that's what we did. My mother and I made changes — not dramatic, not extreme, just consistent and practical. Over the years, I gradually weaned myself off the medications. I kept up with monthly blood tests. And in 2013, the hospital told me I no longer had the antibodies. I was discharged. It's now 2026 and lupus has not returned.
People deserve more than a prescription and a vague instruction to "eat healthily." They deserve someone who will actually look at what's happening in their body and help them do something specific about it.
That experience is why I trained as a nutrition coach and why I built Wholeness By Design. I use a comprehensive body systems assessment that evaluates 16 areas of function — from digestion and blood sugar regulation to adrenal health and mineral balance. Instead of guessing or following generic advice, we identify exactly which systems need attention and build a plan around that.
I also use Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis to look at what's happening at a cellular level — mineral imbalances, toxic load, metabolic patterns that blood tests often miss. And gut microbiome testing to understand what's going on in the digestive system — the organ that influences everything from energy and mood to inflammation and immunity. We discuss testing options together based on your budget and goals.
I don't sell supplements. I don't work against your GP. And I don't pretend to replace medical care. What I do is fill the gap that medical care leaves — the part where someone actually helps you implement the dietary changes that your doctor told you to make but never explained how.