How to Beat Failure and Find the Path that Works!

- By Tracy Albury

Tracy is one of our 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox program participants.  She, like many of you, is constantly dealing with the health concerns of her family.  She agreed to share her journey with us with the hope it will also be of help to someone else!

Tracy reached that point that many of us do.  She gave up.  Find out what got her back on her journey and discovering success again!  Her story is a great reminder of the gentle steps and support we all need to seek out.

Welcome to my Australian family! I have three beautiful children and a gorgeous husband. We decided to have our children close together (15 months apart) so that they could grow and play well together. Some people are very quick to say “You were keen,” or “They are close.”  Yes, there have been some crazy times, but it has been well worth it.

My first 2 children had really bad reflux and had to be medicated at a very young age. They both suffered from eczema. I can’t remember the age it started for my daughter Paige, but for my son Ethan it was at 2 months of age.

We tried many things for both our children – natural treatments and steroid creams, which really frightened me because they were so young and the long-term thinning of their skins was a cocnern for me. Paige only suffers mildly now and usually on  her arms and legs. Ethan on the other hand is 4 and still suffers.

Over the years I have been to our GP and then referred to 2 different dermatologists with no results. We tried Body Talk (we should have had more sessions) and light therapy. Last year was the worst I had ever seen him.  It was winter and we were under the care of a naturopath. Ethan would wake every  night crying and scratching. His skin was so dry and flaky he would be awake for 45 mins  – 1 1/2 hrs. He would ask me to slap his skin  hard to try and take the itch out. His skin would then weep or bleed.

We also saw a homeopath. He said our whole family was riddled with candida, my breast milk was no good, and I had caused a lot of the problem unintentionally.  More money and still no results – I felt  so frustrated! A lady heard about Ethan’s skin and made him spays and oils enriched with EFA’s (essential fatty acids) – they hydrated his skin but he was still incredibly itchy. My sister visited L.A. and brought back a treatment for eczema – still no results. We saw another naturopath, and she said that the  particular homeopath we saw tells everybody they are riddled with candida, so I stopped his treatment. She suggested eating simply and for our blood type.

When Ethan was 2 yrs old I had my 3rd child, Mia. Ethan would often wake around 11 pm scratching and upset. I would also be upset because I am his mother and I can’t fix his problem. I would try to comfort him, then get to bed around midnight after Mia’s feed.  Ethan would often wake again and then Mia would wake  around 2 am. Then again at 4 or 5 am.

Mia did start to sleep through at a few months old, but then she got a cold and wanted comfort feeds; she didn’t want to give them up after she was well again. I got less than 4 hours of broken sleep every night. Ethan would be so tired in the morning and often sleep well after 8 am, but I had to get up. I had no energy and would find myself searching through the cupboards or fridge trying to find something to give me energy to get through the day. I put on a  bit of extra weight because of this. I had been slim most of my life, so some people jumped at the chance to tell me or talk behind my back about my weight gain. I often got asked if I was expecting again because I was  bloated.

Around October last year, a friend  suggested eating a raw food diet. I spent a morning with her going through a few things. She lent me some recipe books; she was a great help but I felt alone and really overwhelmed by the whole situation. It was so different, I didn’t have any of the equipment. I didn’t quite understand what I was doing.

Over the next 2 months I  purchased a saladacco, blender, food processor, dehydrator, living juicer, and some recipe books. I tried making huge changes that my family just were not ready for.  By that stage it was Christmas, and with all the festive food and constant protests from my family I just gave up. I felt like I had failed.

My friend told me to stop being so hard on myself. She said it was my personality type to get things perfect all the time and by doing so, I unintentially over-complicated everything. She suggested giving the children a big plate of fruit before their usual dinner, let them fill up on the good stuff first. Just do it gradually.

I knew that all the processed foods were contributing to Ethan’s condition and even his behaviour. He would get aggressive and misbehave towards me. I had to change something. So, my husband and I took part in the 21 day green smoothie detox challenge – FANTASTIC!

The recipes, the teleseminars, and the support – so much support and encouragement.  My husband lost 5 kgs (11 lbs) in one week and I lost 3 kgs (6.5 lbs) . We both felt great. The children watched us drink green smoothies and eat a healthy diet for 21 days. We try to lead by example.

I purchased as many e-books as I could. I also subscribed to the sisterhood monthly menu planner – it just makes life so easy. I purchased Raw for 30 Days. I try to get the children involved when I am in the kitchen; they love to stick their hands in too. I tried to get as much information as I could. Now the children are eating so much fruit, they wake in the morning and it’s the first thing they ask for. They do ask for a sip or small cup of green smoothie every now and again. Small steps.

We are having great results with Chinese  herbal bath soaks and creams for the eczema. We are heading into winter here so hopefully the soaks will continue to work for Ethan. I believe you have to treat internally as well as externally. Also keeping it simple is important.

I still get woken up every night by one of the children, but it is much easier to get them back to sleep. It has been a long road that we have travelled. We still have a long way to go, but at least we are going in the right direction.

Tracey Albury.

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You can join the next LIVE 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox program in July.  Or, if you’d like to start a green smoothie challenge a little sooner, our next live program is the Green Smoothie Summer Slurping Sensation.  Sign up by June 12, 2010 and get a fun and gentle green boost for summer!