My story

In 2001 I was given pretty solid odds of not being alive for long. This is because my blood vessels were haemorrhaging thanks to a severe strain of the dengue virus and at the same time I was dealing with gastro bugs and leptospirosis I’d picked up in Thailand. Pathology showed that I’d also had Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. It’s fair to say that I’ve had better days. The upshot is that I made it into 2002, the downside was that I was told that I had post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome and had next to no chance of recovery.

I was determined to find a cure and refused to accept that this was going to be my fate. Not knowing where to go I tried alternative medicines, detoxes, supplements and superfoods looking for a silver bullet. I exercised like crazy, downed raw juice daily, and then suddenly a stroke of luck led me to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy and Immunology Unit which was life changing. After months of testing they concluded that I’d developed intolerances to a handful of chemicals both added and found naturally in foods. I’d heard of people having problems with MSG and preservatives but as it turns out immunologists, pharmacologists and food scientists know that food chemical intolerance gets a lot more complex than that. This strategy doesn’t work for everyone but I got lucky, by restricting certain foods I made a full recovery.

However, my period of smooth sailing didn’t last, the chronic fatigue came back but this time it was worse. My eyesight was affected, I had chronic pain and was now developing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Out of sheer desperation and a determination not to surrender to my sickness I put my architecture career on hold to dig deeper. I methodically researched human anatomy and what the medical experts know about chronic fatigue syndrome, dry eye and fibromyalgia. I then researched what science knows about combating the degenerative effects of these illnesses. I was so interested in the regenerative effects of specific forms of exercise that I became a qualified personal trainer.

Over this journey I have learnt what to do and just as importantly what not to do. Given the wrong influence your body will start to break down. Give it the right stimulus and it is capable of impressive feats of resilience, recovery and regeneration. I have made so many mistakes along the way, but each one has taught me something and has slowly built up a recovery that doctors thought wasn’t possible. Drawing upon the latest science and the pioneering research of the world’s best experts has allowed me to develop a deeply holistic approach towards improving my health, and yours. As a result I will never take for granted how extremely complex and awe inspiring a machine our human body is.