|
Dawn
Redmond once described herself as "the ultimate suit."
She owned her own company and often worked hundred-hour weeks. The
healthy lifestyle that she enjoyed as a young woman slipped away
from her. She says, "I don’t think I ever forgot what
was required to lead a healthy lifestyle, but I hate to say it,
I didn’t have time." Dawn was in the middle of organizing
a national conference when a routine medical exam revealed a large
ovarian cyst. Dawn was scheduled for immediate surgery.
After her surgery, Dawn was instructed to take three months off
work. She returned after a week. She cut her eighteen-hour days
down to twelve-hour days, but the stress of her high-pressure lifestyle
continued. She recalls, "I just kept pushing and I felt awful
. . . I felt I was recovering very slowly because I was in so much
pain." She returned to the doctor and was diagnosed with endometriosis,
a condition where tissue from the uterus migrates to other parts
of the pelvic area. Symptoms of this condition include cramping,
heavy menstrual bleeding, and crippling pain. Dawn was also diagnosed
with uterine fibroids, bunches of tissue that grow in the uterus
and eventually require surgery.
Dawn’s medical doctor explained that there were few options
available to her. She says, "a kind, sympathetic Western doctor
said to me, there is just no option. Fibroids don’t go away,
they will only grow and you will need to have surgery." Unsatisfied
with this answer, Dawn began to see Dr. Diana Zhang, a Doctor of
Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr. Zhang used a combination of acupuncture
and Chinese herbs to treat Dawn’s pain and heavy bleeding.
She also put together a long-term plan to improve Dawn’s lifestyle.
Dawn incorporated more exercise into her daily routine. She also
changed her diet. She says, "I went back to not just being
a vegetarian but living a vegan diet lifestyle with no dairy products.
I re-introduced meditation to my life, I re-introduced yoga."
Dawn’s treatment concentrated on all levels of her life, from
the physical to the psychological. Dr. Zhang performed acupuncture
five times a week for three months. After that point, Dawn returned
to her doctor to discover that her fibroids had disappeared. Her
doctor was delighted that Dawn would not have to have surgery. Best
of all, Dawn’s new lifestyle allows her to keep her endometriosis
under control, as well as giving her time for herself. She says,
"endometriosis can be addressed. You can eliminate the pain
and all the other side effects. I firmly believe that."
|
"I don’t think I ever forgot
what was required to lead a healthy lifestyle, but I hate to say
it, I didn’t have time."
– Dawn Redmond
|
