Careen's Amazing Transformation

YOU GUYS, THIS IS AN AMAZING STORY OF GOD'S REDEMPTION & HEALING POWER!!!
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Careen and I met through mutual friends at church. She had already cut out processed foods, trans fats and lots of sugar for about 10 months prior to coming in. She came to me for high blood pressure, low energy and weight loss. Careen weighed 164 pounds when we started and she was NEVER a morning person. She even trained her dog to sleep in because that was just "who she was". Everyone knew not to call her until AT LEAST 10am! If she had to be somewhere early, she would be dragging! Brain fog was the norm for as long as she could remember! (classic candida overgrowth symptoms!) I remember sitting on the exam table with her saying "You ARE going to be a morning person someday! You watch!" ...She laughed. As I dug deeper with more questions, I found out her eyebrows, eyelashes and hair had been thinning for years, she had normal menstrual cycles but with occasional spotting (more classic thyroid symptoms!), she woke up at about 3am every night (classic liver symptom!), yet she had decent daily bowel movements. 

SO, we prayed.
Heaven came down to earth.
I tested her. 
We got answers!
SHE GOT HOPE!!

Careen had a severely underactive thyroid, Candida overgrowth, a gluten and dairy allergy (likely from the YEARS of Candidiasis destroying her gut and immune system), an unhappy liver, gall bladder and colon, and low stomach acid/poor digestion. As the Spirit lead, I customized a plan for her: put her on a Candida Detox Diet, customized a supplement plan incorporating natural anti-fungals/immune support, heavy probiotics, essential oils, HEAVY Thyroid Support, digestive support and other herbs/supplements that changed over the months as her body changed. God gave her a new mind, the strength & discipline she needed, the FAITH to trust the process, the Truth to replace the old lies about her body and choices, the wisdom and discernment to begin understanding what was happening inside her body, and the POWER & DESIRE to change! It was no longer about "weight loss". It was about glorifying God in how she spends her time, her money, her resources. He changed how she thought about food and exercise...WHY she worked out...it became a "GET TO", a radical time of worship and revelation instead of a "HAVE TO". God transformed her body as He transformed her mind (Romans 12:2) giving her back the abundant life she had missed out on for decades! She wanted MORE of God and her inheritance as a daughter of the King of Kings!!! 

Careen's blood pressure was normal within 2 weeks! She began losing inches and was down 8lbs in 1 month. Within 2 months she was waking up between 8-9am with less brain fog, no spotting and was sleeping great! There were some battles with constipation during the height of Candida die-off (detox), which is very common, but as we progressed, she woke up on her own, earlier and earlier, bowel movements became more and more regular, energy increased and weight continued to fall off. All of this was the outward expression of the internal healing that was taking place. This was a life surrendered to the refining work of Christ! God revealed some tough emotional layers over the months that we had to work through. Those weeks were not easy. No supplement or pill or Doctor or surgery can fix what only God can heal & reveal. The Lord was faithful to carry her through the hard days, and the results and freedom have been amazing to witness!! We were able to move from 1x/month visits to every other month starting in August (6 months into the process). 

Careen just turned 48 last week, weighs 140 pounds and has the metabolism of a teenager! Her skin is so soft and bright! She is FIT & BEAUTIFUL inside and out. She is no longer obsessed with the scale (freedom!!). She sees food differently and has a new respect for her body, the temple of the Holy Spirit! The only measuring we do is measuring our hearts against Christ's, Amen?!

She rises early with the Lord daily now (YEP, she's a morning person!! Told ya so!!) She has time and energy to be a Nana and keep up with her 2 year old granddaughter, Sage! She no longer misses morning activities because she would rather sleep in!! Think she's growing in the Lord even more now than before?? She was up BEFORE ME at the river!! Haha! She has at least 4 more hours every day to spend glorifying God with her life and new-found JOY and ENERGY! She has a whole new wardrobe (because she HAD TO GET ONE) ...she literally SHRUNK & built solid lean muscle mass...slowly but surely, as her body healed, which means she had no loose skin and she will easily keep the weight off for a lifetime so long as she eats real food and keeps a moderately healthy lifestyle. Careen started at 164 pounds and teetered between a size 10 and 13 before, and now she is 140 pounds and a SOLID SIZE 4!!! She went from a LARGE top to mostly SMALLS now! Maintenance is the easy part! And the weight loss is just the icing on the cake (God's grace) because she kept her EYE ON THE PRIZE (obedience; discipline; faith). GRACE always WINS THE RACE!

Careen and I just hung out for her birthday. We went paddle boarding and then played at the park. She said it was the 1st birthday she wanted to do something active...and in a bathing suit! She was doing back walk-overs and front walk-overs (not in a bathing suit...haha!) while I pulled a hamstring doing a cartwheel!! What a treat to celebrate life with this one!! The JOY of the Lord oozes out of the person who SEEKS FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Our daddy in Heaven has good gifts for His children. I am so blessed to get to witness this stuff in this ministry I am called to. God is kind :) 

Have HOPE, friends. Careen is ONE OF A KIND, but ONE OF MANY who have been blessed with the gift of health & redemption (grace). MUCH of our suffering comes from a lack of discipline and obedience, fear, doubt, complacency, and flat out lies from the enemy. God wants you to BE FREE!!! Obsessing over our health and bodies and becoming afraid of food IS NOT freedom. But neglecting your body and paying no mind to what goes in your mouth and body and mind is not freedom either.

***FREEDOM IN CHRIST is not a license to sin***

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Don't think.  Pray.
Don't fear.  Trust.
Stop researching.  Just Pray.
Listen to GOD.  Not the world. 
HE will carry you.
HE will provide for you.
HE will heal you.

THIS IS A JOURNEY.

CAREEN DIDN'T GET SICK OVERNIGHT.

8 MONTHS WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND TEAR WHEN COMPARED TO THE YEARS SHE SPENT BLIND, SICK & TIRED!!

CAREEN'S OWN WORDS:
Words cannot express how thankful I am that God lead me to work on my health issues with Jana! Over 1 year ago, I was at a health crossroad... either I could begin down the long and hopeless road of a lifetime of medication and side effects or I could invite God into my healing process and do it His way. The choice was mine to make! So I prayed and asked God to guide me and show me what to do and He so graciously lead me to Jana! From the very first visit and every visit thereafter, Jana brought Jesus to the center of my healing journey. She prays with me before every visit and together we ask God to show her what is at the root of the problem and how to effectively treat my issues with whole foods and proper supplementation. Jana is a wealth of knowledge regarding the body and how to heal it naturally! She has a tender heart filled with love, grace and compassion for those who are sick, hurting and broken. Today I am healthier, stronger and I have more energy than I ever dreamed possible! Thank you Jana for walking in obedience to the call that God has clearly put on your life!  -Careen