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This Common Thing Was The Root Cause Of My Mysterious Chronic Health Issues
I never expected that a mystery illness in college would lead me to completely transform my health—and my life's work. But when no doctor could explain my pain or offer real answers, I had to start asking different questions.
That journey revealed just how toxic my everyday environment had become and how powerful it is to take our health into our own hands, starting with the products we use, the food we eat, and the air we breathe.
The diagnosis that defined my teens & 20s
My story began when I got my first period in sixth grade…and then never got it again. At the time, I was relieved (what 13-year-old wouldn't be?), but eventually I saw a fertility specialist in high school.
That's when I was diagnosed with an extremely severe polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), involving thousands of cysts on my ovaries. The doctor told me there was nothing I'd done to cause it and nothing I could do to reverse it. I was prescribed birth control and given the message: "You'll likely never get pregnant without help."
I carried that identity with me for years.
In college, my health deteriorated well beyond my missing period. What started as nagging soreness turned into debilitating pain down my spine and legs. I was dropping things, struggling to walk, and eventually living on a combination of painkillers, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, and sleeping pills.
I visited doctors across the country—arthritis specialists, neurologists, pain clinics. One told me my symptoms most resembled early-stage MS. I had binders full of test results but no answers. I was completely debilitated, sleeping on ice packs so severely cold they left scars. That pain was easier to tolerate than the one I couldn't explain.
An unlikely lifeline
My turning point came when my aunt Marilee stepped in. She wasn't a doctor, but she started asking questions no one else had asked: What was I eating? Had I moved recently? What products was I using to clean, wash my hair, or freshen the air?
Turns out, I had recently moved into a new apartment filled with synthetic carpets, off-gassing cabinetry, and sealed windows. I was eating what I thought was a "healthy" low-cal diet (100-calorie packs, Splenda, diet sodas), which, of course, I now know is anything but real food. Add in body sprays, artificial fragrances, conventional cleaners, pesticides…and the picture started to come together.
Marilee explained that our bodies can tolerate toxic exposure until a certain threshold, which I had definitely reached. And now my body was screaming for help.
I was skeptical, but I also had nothing to lose.
I replaced processed foods with real, whole foods. I swapped synthetic products for natural ones. I stopped using pesticides, ditched conventional cleaners, and learned to read ingredient labels for the first time. I said goodbye to fragrances in every room of my house.
The changes felt simple—almost too simple. But within a month, I was cutting my pain meds in half. My body began to heal. It blew my mind. Why hadn't a single doctor asked me what I was breathing, eating, or putting on my skin?
The summer that changed everything
That summer, my roommate Kelly and I moved in with Marilee in the Texas Hill Country. We juiced beets and carrots (which felt wild at the time), grounded barefoot in the yard, dry-brushed our skin, and used infrared saunas and EMF protectors. We were doing things that seemed "out there" in 2008 but are now trending wellness tools.
Most importantly, I was living in a very intentionally nontoxic home. No synthetic fragrances, no pesticides, no chemical cleaners. I learned to cook, shop, chop vegetables, and care for my body in a way I never had before.
By the end of that summer, I was off all medications and pain-free.
Reclaiming my fertility
While I felt better than I had in a very long time, my cycle hadn't yet returned. I was still carrying that identity of "the girl with the worst case of PCOS." But Marilee reminded me that reproduction is one of the first functions the body shuts down when it's in distress and one of the last to come back online.
Eventually, I went back to a fertility doctor. To everyone's surprise, my ovaries were almost entirely clear of cysts. What had once shown thousands of cysts now had just a couple. The doctor was speechless. I kept doing what I was doing and had faith that my fertility would catch up with my new state of health.
About a year later, I woke up and had my first natural period since I was 13. That moment, more than any other, confirmed the power of this lifestyle for me. I wasn't just surviving; I was healing.
I would go on to conceive naturally and have four children, something I was once told would never happen.
What I wish everyone knew
I want people to know this lifestyle isn't expensive or elitist. It's not about buying fancy gadgets or replacing everything you own overnight. It's about removal. You can't detoxify without taking out the toxins.
Ditch the synthetic candles, the pesticide sprays, the artificial sweeteners. Start simple. Start anywhere. Your body wants to heal—you just have to give it the chance.
That summer with Kelly and Marilee not only gave me my life back, but it also birthed our company, Branch Basics. At the time, we weren't entrepreneurs—we just had a story and a deep desire to help others feel better. What started as a way to share information turned into a business that's helped thousands reduce toxins in their homes.