SUPA Naturals: My Story
By nature, I have always been someone who cares very much about the well-being of others. It brings joy to my life when I can help others make improvements to their health, wellness, and life. Although I have never had any medical training, this has been a calling for me in my life. In the past few years, my own struggles in my health have deepened my desire to help others live the best life possible.
In 2013, I started to experience hardships with my health. My father had been extremely ill in the hospital the year before which had caused a tremendous amount of stress in my life. At the time, our children Sophia and Ian were 6 and 3 years old and took a lot of my energy and time. I wanted to give our family 110% of me, and I did, however in the meantime, my body was exhausted. I wasn’t getting the proper rest I needed, as both kids were still waking multiple times at night. I would continue to put everyone’s needs above my own and eventually it caught up to me.
I was on a plane with Paul and our kids from San Diego heading home to Seattle. Without warning I experienced what felt like a lightning bolt shooting from my elbow area through my fingers. Soon after, I felt numb in that area. A few minutes later it happened again in my heel to my toes and it started to tingle. This all happened on my left side of my body which I found alarming and worrisome. Thanks to wifi access on airplanes, I started to Google. Bad idea! I found all kinds of health issues that had this as a symptom. My concern was that it could possibly be a stroke, which would be rare in a 31 year-old.
After getting back home, I immediately went to see our doctor. He didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about, but the neuropathy wouldn’t stop. I had also gotten sick soon after coming home. Fever, chills, night sweats, weakness, exhaustion, you name it! This lasted a good week or so before they started to lighten up, but I still had numbness on my left side primarily and sometimes on the right. My short-term memory was awful, I would forget what I was going to do constantly. It was so hard not to think of the neuropathy because I would feel it almost constantly. A few times I fainted, once in the closet and luckily my husband Paul was there to catch me as I blacked out. I was dizzy, off balance, bumping into walls, and just a complete mess. I even started to develop food sensitivities and my digestive system was very sluggish and my hands would turn bright red when I got too warm and would feel like they were burning. I remember having to cool them off with ice water! My vision would go blurry now and again, shooting nerve pain in random parts of my body was normal, weakness when lifting objects and the insomnia! Needless to say, I was not right in my body!
My doctor recommended I go in for MRIs to see if there was any possibility of MS or some other kind of neurological disease. I still remember listening to Nora Jones while inside what felt like a small white capsule with a whole percussion ensemble outside of it jamming away! I still cant listen to Nora Jones as it takes me back to that day…..truly this was a scary time in my life as I struggled to find answers to my mystery illness.
When the results from my MRI showed normal, my doctor said that perhaps it was “all in my head” and that I needed “more attention” from my husband. I was outraged and extremely hurt. I couldn’t believe that my favorite doctor that Paul and I had been seeing for years said this to me. While Paul was a tremendous support, I still felt alone and scared and wasn’t sure who to turn to for medical advice and guidance. I had to look to outside sources, beyond Western medicine and search for something outside of standard medical care.
Through research online, I found a naturopathic clinic that sounded interesting and thought we would give them a try. What did I have to lose at this point?! They encouraged dietary changes, hormone balancing, and extensive testing to see if they could pinpoint my problems. I learned that I had Hashimotos Thyroiditis and started taking some medication for this, which I think may have started as early as Sophia’s birth, but it wasn’t until after Ian’s that my thyroid numbers were all over the place. I had postpartum thyroiditis after Ian was born but seemed that I had stabilized. Guess not! The medication did help some with improving my energy, but I was still walking around half numb on my left side most of the time and tired.
I kept looking for answers online, researching what this could possibly be. I came across symptoms of Lyme disease, and thought that this was one of the few things left that I hadn’t been tested for. I asked the clinic to test me for this, which originally came back negative. I asked for the results to the test to make sure, and sure enough, when the doctor read the results again, she said there were some Lyme markers in my blood work panel! Eureka!! It was a relief to find something to point to for my symptoms. It wasn’t all in my head, was it now doc?! I had a friend who was also going through her own struggles with Lyme and she encouraged me to test with a company that does extensive Lyme disease testing. Although expensive, I bought the kit and mailed in my blood samples. About 2 weeks later I received my results and not only was there Lyme, but also a couple of the co-infections that tend to want to join in on the Lyme party! My body was a spirochete storm! I was discouraged but also determined to find a doctor that could help me recover my body and my life from this nightmare. We found three different naturopathic doctors, but eventually committed to one. I went through rounds and rounds of IV therapies, OndaMed treatments, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, ozone therapy, detox regimens, colonics, lymphatic drainage sessions, rife treatments, acupuncture, essential oils, and copious amounts of pills and vitamins. I felt like a human pill box and as if I lived at this clinic; coming in for appointments at least 3-4 times a week! Thousands of dollars later, I finally started to feel better.
It wasn’t until I started taking better care of myself after years and years of neglect that I started to turn a corner. In 2016, the neuropathy finally started to subside, and I would go days and sometimes weeks without feeling anything strange! It seemed to only come around during stressful times or during certain times of my cycle, but for the most part, it was much better. I felt a sense of relief. I started to feel more like myself after years of suffering. Although the Lyme and co-infections have aged my body, I am so thankful that I am close to being back to my normal self. I regret I couldn’t be 100% for my kids and Paul and our friends during the worst of it. They all suffered also. I feel like I missed out during these years, but of course there’s nothing I can do now but move ahead. Onwards and upwards!
It isn’t until now, in 2019, that I feel like my memory is starting to improve. I still will have some tingling on my left side if I sit too long or if my hormones are acting up, but overall, I am so much better and am so grateful. This experience has truly made me appreciate my health and really puts into perspective how incredibly important our well-being is in our lives! Although many have experienced health challenges much greater than my own, I do feel I have strong empathy for wanting to feel whole again.
Our good health is essential and should be our number one priority. Without good welfare, how can we enjoy all the amazing things life has to offer? We must take care of ourselves first, in order to be the best we can be for our loved ones. This experience has really given me such insight and I feel that perhaps, it was necessary in order to really connect with others and have deep empathy for those who are also moving through their individual journeys towards perfect health. In the scheme of things, 6 years is a short period of time in my long life ahead.
In this health journey, I have found that using natural products, supplements and healing methods have been pillars of strength in my recovery, but also recognizing that I need to be my own health advocate. The body can heal itself if given the right tools. Positive affirmations, love, joy, natural supplements, exercise and excellent nutrition. CBD has proven to help in many ways for many people and is being used more regularly in those of all ages. Our mental and physical well-being is so incredibly important, and with our organic, non-GMO CBD products, we know it will help those on their journey to whole health.
SUPA Naturals was created with my husband Paul. He is my rock, my soulmate, my love and was my caregiver and health advocate for many years. I wouldn’t be as healthy as I am now without him, so a combination of our names felt right when naming SUPA Naturals and the play on words is fitting with our fun-loving personalities. We want to help as many people as possible create a super life for themselves and their loved ones. We all have purpose in our lives, desires to fulfill, to love, nurture and heal. This is natural by our soul’s design. Let us help you achieve your wishes, dreams, and goals. For us, we created our company so you can create a SUPA Life and a SUPA You! We are grateful to be part of your SUPA journey and will be here to help you on your way.
Love and Light,
Susan Archer
