By Leanne, Trifora Wellness' founder
About a decade ago, while stationed on a remote tropical island as a humanitarian aid worker, I became very sick. A parasitic gut infection was suspected, and I was put on two strong antibiotics. After briefly feeling better, my symptoms became worse than before. I could barely eat anything without suffering debilitating GIT symptoms. Soon after, I started experiencing intense feelings of anxiety. My failing gut health was having a profound effect on my mental health.
After having tests done in Australia, I was diagnosed with IBS and told that I needed to manage the symptoms. When I asked for specific information about what IBS meant was happening inside my body, I was just told the list of symptoms I was experiencing - not what was causing them. I decided to do my own research. I knew that my worsening anxiety and gastrointestinal symptoms had to be linked. They couldn’t be coincidental.
Back then, the gut-brain connection wasn’t something that was widely acknowledged in public discourse, and there seemed to be scant scientific research about the importance of the microbiome and its overall effects on health. I remember asking a gastroenterologist about the possibility of having a leaky gut. He told me that the concept “was all fairy tales.”
I am not a doctor or a scientist, but I knew that what I was experiencing wasn’t a fairy tale. I wasn't able to live a normal life. I delved into the available information, determined to heal myself physically and mentally, and not to just try and cover up symptoms while the underlying causes continued to ravage my mind and body.
It took a lot of time and much trial and effort, but I healed my gut and no longer have IBS or its symptoms. Thankfully, I also eventually regained a balanced mind and am free of the oppressive anxiety that once controlled me.
Blessed with a renewed sense of gratitude for my health, I became more mindful not only of what I was putting inside my body, but also what I was putting on it. As I researched, I learned about the potentially harmful ingredients prevalent in so many everyday skincare and personal care products. I was shocked to realise how some chemicals in seemingly harmless items such as shampoo were endocrine disruptors, able to wreak havoc on hormones in ways that could lead to disorders including fibroids. With frustration, I wished that I had known this years earlier, before I had to have surgery to remove a uterine fibroid the size of a five-month pregnancy.
We can’t shield ourselves from everything that life may throw our way, but empowered with knowledge, we can make changes to protect ourselves from toxic ingredients and their effects. We can also take actions to support our gut and mental health, including addressing potential underlying causes, while finding natural relief for their symptoms.
That's why I founded Trifora Wellness; to promote transparency about common toxic ingredients; to make it easier to find quality products that support gut and mental health in different ways; and to help you make informed decisions about the products we all use and the ways in which we can support our own health and wellbeing.
