Angie, Mother of Three,
Successful Small Business Developer, 47 years-old

When my son Matt was two, I noticed he was having digestive problems. His main problem was severe constipation. I began giving him over-the-counter remedies. I also tried adding more fruits and vegetables to his diet. I noticed the constipation was getting worse. Everything I tried would work for a short while and then stop. This made toilet training very hard and delayed him in entering preschool. His pediatrician suggested diet changes, suppositories, enemas and a prescription laxative. Still no positive changes were happening. In fact, the pain was getting worse.

Matt was also dealing with a very bad case of eczema that was not only itchy but also painful. He became frail looking and was not growing like he should; he had dark circles under his eyes. As time went on, he would go days without having a bowel movement. We would have to plan our outings around how long it had been since he had gone to the bathroom to avoid an attack in public. When he had an attack, he would tense up and begin to tremble and break out in a sweat. He would scream as if he was being tortured. It was heart wrenching to witness. I felt helpless as if someone had my hands tied behind my back. I could not help him. All I could do was to try to console him and talk him through it. If this happened while we were out, people would try to help, not understanding what was going on with him. I would try to explain while making a quick exit.

His pediatrician felt there was nothing else he could do for him, so he recommended a specialist at the Children's Hospital. The specialist prescribed a stronger laxative. I left thinking that this was not the answer, and my gut feeling was that we were running out of time. The laxative worked for a while but then came the day to wean him off so that his body would not become dependent. Taking him off did not work. We were back where we started. I remembered feeling helpless and worried. My intuition was telling me that this was not the answer and I needed to find help for him and quick. My fear was he could and would develop more severe health problems. My son had been suffering for two years and not acting or growing like a normal little boy. He would spend most of his time curled up in the fetal position wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, starring glassy eyed at the television. He would often ask for me to hold him. He did not have the desire to play outside with the other kids. He was irritable and never smiled because of the constant pain.

The day came that I felt my prayers were answered. I was at a friend’s party, where I met a woman whose son had health problems similar to my son. She said that I should see Cheryl Diane, the Naturopath and Nutritionist who had helped her son.

The first visit we had with Cheryl really was an eye opener. I listened eagerly for new information that would help my son. She was pretty sure he had celiac disease of which I had never heard. She explained the autoimmune disease to me. I was to put him on a gluten free, dairy free diet while waiting for the test results to come. I remember hearing the news in disbelief! I thought to myself, “How could taking dairy and gluten out of my son's diet help him?” I didn't even know what gluten was at the time, but I was desperate to try anything at that point.

Cheryl said that I should see results immediately. As we started his new diet, I noticed positive changes. He was having normal bowel movements with no pain! His skin cleared up; he had energy. He was smiling and happy. I was relieved that my son was feeling better each day and wanting to play outside. To my surprise, as young as Matt was when we started, he listened and knew that it was very important to stay on his diet. Today all symptoms are gone and Matt lives a happy pain free life. Matt’s journey has opened up a whole new world. Now all my children live gluten free, dairy free and soy free lives. It is not unusual for the neighborhood children to join in the fun of making special Monkey Flip shakes, loving each gulp. I am writing this testimonial in hopes of reaching out to families suffering these same symptoms. I love teaching families how to eat gluten, dairy and soy free and all the while, creating delicious recipes with the support of all my children and their friends.

If I can make these changes, so can you!