Hello, my name is Joanna and I have been taking Reliv’s products since July 2008. Beth and I knew each other in high school, and we have recently met up again. She has asked me to share my stories, with details, so here it is!
Before Reliv, I had been looking for help everywhere. I have survived 3 traumatic car accidents, and I have leftover joint and muscle issues from college athletics, and numerous other injuries. As I have gotten “older,” (I am not even 30 yet!) my issues have compounded and increasingly gotten worse and more often.
I have suffered with depression since puberty. I have visited 4 or 5 different doctors and have taken numerous medicines over the past years in an attempt to control my depression, mood swings, and Obsessive-Compulsive habits. The medicines either did not have an effect, or I would have side effects with prescriptions, whereas I never used to have any side effects.
My sinus migraines have continued to get more debilitating and as I have gotten older, I have found it more and more difficult to find over the counter medicines that work for me. At this time last year, just about every other day I would start out on the couch with a cold pack on my face, a heat pack on my neck, the T.V. on for my son and praying that the ibuprofen would take the edge off the pain so that I would not be physically ill. Sound, quiet, light all hurt. My son did enjoy watching shows in the morning, but not when I would ask him to turn it down.
Because of these issues and because of all the negative side affects of drugs, I started looking for alternative and all natural medicines. I went to a Naturopath and had blood work done to analyze what my body was doing. To counter all of the deficiencies I had, I started taking anywhere from 3-15 different pills and nutrients a day, but I saw no real change.
Then I got pregnant, and my physical and emotional health worsened. I was tired all the time, napping 5-6 times a week, sleeping as much as 12-13 hours a day. I have always been a “good” sleeper, but I was still waking up tired and just not wanting to get up. Also, due to the pregnancy, I was suffering from nausea and sensitivity to smells all day. I could not cook dinner nor sit down with my family because the scents would make me ill. I would have to retreat upstairs and close the door until dinner was over.
My first day on Reliv, I did not take a nap. I thought, “If this just gives me more energy, then it will be worth it.” And it did give me energy, all day energy, and not a caffeine high. My first week, I took only one nap! I even laid down one day to elevate my feet and I didn’t fall asleep. This never would have happened before Reliv.
Reliv also helped with my food aversions, nausea, and cravings. Whenever I had an issue, I mixed up Reliv shake. I was able to eliminate my most unhealthy craving- chocolate frosted doughnuts.
My depression, anxiety and OCD habits have greatly decreased. When I start to feel a little low or just struggle, I take an extra shake. Because I have improved so much, I was able to host my eldest son’s first Birthday party this year- he just turned 4. Before this year, the whole concept of having a party- from the planning, to the event itself, was just too much for me to handle. In previous years, I remember that the anxiety from just thinking about a party and then the guilt from not hosting a party would just feed my downward spiral.
I still have bad days and my depression is still there. However, my “good” days significantly outnumber my “bad” days, which hasn’t happened in more than 15 years. I feel that I am more in control by taking shakes and that I am not harming my body by putting drugs into it. The anti-depression medicines I took previously moderated my moods somewhat, but I very rarely had “good” days. When I had “bad” days, there seemed to be nothing I could do about it, and I would wonder why I was taking the medicine to begin with.
The blood tests that I took also showed that my deficiencies and my body’s inability to process certain nutrients properly could lead to brain fog. I remember hearing the term “brain fog” and thinking, “So that’s what you call it!” I would often have face-to-face conversations with family members and then ask them to repeat what they just said. I would walk half-way up the stairs to get something, then stop, and think, “What am I doing?” I am still forgetful, but I don’t do this multiple times a day. My husband reports that I don’t repeatedly ask him, “Huh? What?” during conversations.
Below are my results in the first 6 weeks:
+75 % Mental Clarity, focus and memory- my husband now asks me where things are and I can remember.
+ 65% Mood swings, depression—energy/industriousness has improved, Little chores don’t defeat me now.
+80 % 1 sinus headache in 5 weeks @ 5 vs. 3-4 times per week, pain @ 6-8
+ 75% 1 headache in 5 weeks @ 5 vs 3-4 times per week, pain @ 6-8
+ 100% Ringing in ears has disappeared, no longer bump into objects/walls.
+ 50 % Neck pain, now 1-2 times per week @ 4-6 vs. ~ 6 times per week @ 6-9
+ 100 % Knee pain is now gone vs. 3 times per week pain @ 4-6
+ 80 % Ankle pain- before limping every day for 10 days, no limp
+ 100% Arches- do not have to wear orthotics everyday vs. pain/limping if did not wear for majority of day.
+10 % Joint pain- I can now lay on my left shoulder for short periods of time
+100% Numbness- Shoulder L, does not go numb when I lay on it.
+ 50% Blood sugar imbalances--I now do not get sick/tired if I do not eat every 2 hours.
+100% Constipation- I am no longer constipated and this has been constant since my last pregnancy started.
+ 50 % Skin conditions- By the second day, my skin felt smoother, 2 breakouts in 5 weeks VS. daily breakouts and redness.
+ 75% Eczema- between fingers maybe 1 time per week, less severe so I don’t even bother with lotion vs. daily issue previously.
+ 50 % Food cravings- My sweet cravings have been cut in half.
+ 80% OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive) habits now 1-2 times per week vs. 1-2 daily
+ 50 % Mood swings have decreased severity/frequency. I have had 4 “bad days” in 5 weeks vs 1-2 “good days” in a week previously.
These numbers and percentages represent my perceived improvements in those areas. The pain scale I used is from 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain imaginable. As you can read, I was a mess! But because I was consistently taking my shakes everyday, I got amazing results right away. My overall physical and mental improvement was 71.6% on 18 points of health.
Now at almost one year, I look back at where I was and I am amazed. I am so glad that I have written all of this down because I know that it is easy to forget how bad it was—at the time, I thought that was just the way life was. Pain and fogginess were a way of life for me, but others did not know. I kept away from family and friends, I did not want to lie or take the effort to appear “normal.” I have lost touch with many friends because of my conditions.
I have continued to improve. I look at this list from last September, and I have had even greater improvements since then. Some of the issues have completely subsided, and others are mere annoyances instead of impeding on my lifestyle. I am now wearing makeup and heels again. I had previously given up on both due to my skin conditions and joint issues. I realize now that I had given up on a lot of things, and I know that my family had suffered as well.
Tonight, Beth asked me how my older son George fared during this time. In some ways, he was lucky. I gave him all of my attention, effort and affection. Sometimes, even to my detriment. He was my focus, not my health nor my husband. To say that this was an ideal time for him would be false, but things could have been better. All of my energies were given to him and I had none left. I simply did not have much to spare, but I gave it to him and prayed for help- and naps!
I know now that I am able to be a better mom, wife, parent, friend, and person because I am healthy. This is why I have started sharing with friends and family. I know that there are others out there who are hiding and suffering, that need help. I will continue to share with others because I know that this does work! I am living proof.
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