This article is written by Ida Carleborn. This is part two of her compelling article about her health journey. Read part 1 here.
In Sweden, over one million people live with some form of autoimmune condition. More than 80 percent of these are women. For many, it starts with symptoms from the stomach and intestines, which also makes it natural to direct focus there when we not only want to highlight the issues that cause suffering, but also create the conditions to prevent illness and, in some cases, reverse autoimmune conditions to become symptom-free.
For the fact that something is “normal” does not mean it is “natural.” Nor that we have to accept it as our future. When it comes to acceptance, we need to accept the present state. When we do, we give ourselves the opportunity to choose perspective and thereby focus on what we can influence.
What can we actually influence when it comes to our health?
Between 2013 and 2017, approximately 12,900 studies on the gut microbiota were published, which corresponds to about 80 percent of all research in the field up to that point. At the same time, studies show that our genetics account for only about 20 percent of our destiny, while the remaining 80 percent is influenced by our lifestyle and environment. This means that, to a greater extent than we might like to admit, we have the ability to prevent disease and, even better, optimize our well-being. Not just our lifespan, but also our quality of life.
We often say that health conditions come on suddenly. Many experience getting sick as soon as they slow down, as if it were the rest itself that causes the cold, when it is actually the absence of it that, over time, adds up until illness breaks out.
Listen to your body
We often talk about listening to the body, but if we don’t simultaneously learn to interpret its signals and understand what precedes them, we miss the opportunity to act differently and thereby create a different result.
It can be subtle signals like brain fog, lack of energy, or a bloated belly. When we observe the signals and reflect on what precedes them in the form of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, we give ourselves the opportunity to “track” ourselves and thereby keep ourselves “on track” by choosing differently. It might be realizing that we get stuck scrolling on the phone when we were supposed to be sleeping. Reflecting on why we picked up the phone to begin with and what the price we pay is for our behavior—in the form of intimate conversations with a partner, getting enough sleep, or waking up so tired that we don’t make it to the gym as planned, or end up running for the bus. A seemingly innocent choice where thirty minutes creates domino effects that can affect sleep, stress, training, relationships, and nutrient absorption.
When we understand the root cause, we can choose to make a conscious choice and thus create a different outcome. In a similar way, the body’s different parts also affect one another.
In functional medicine, the body is seen as a whole, and the root cause behind symptoms is sought in order to treat them, primarily through lifestyle changes and supplements. Factors such as stress, nutrient status, sleep, movement, and nervous system balance interact there.
In 2014 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2014, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid, it was within functional medicine that I sought the solution. What turned out to be central in my case was gut function, and how what is often described as a “leaky gut,” an affected intestinal mucosa that lets particles pass into the blood, can contribute to inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances.
So it was where the symptoms had begun many years earlier that we would also find the solution. What seemed to be many different problems stemmed from the same root cause, and by focusing on that—on the root—I created the conditions to get rid of the symptoms. For me, that meant turning guilt and self-pity into responsibility and influencing the 80 percent that studies show we have the ability to affect. Not to “try,” but to fully decide and believe that it was not only possible, but that it was also possible for me.
Because everything starts there. In our beliefs, in our mindset, and in what we choose to believe is possible. To weigh the price we pay by not acting against the gain of investing in ourselves through the small daily choices that add up over time and create big effects on our health. Not only to ask what we need to do daily, but who we need to be to make it natural to act in line with our goal. For behavior follows identity, and identity is shaped by what we say to ourselves and is built by us, through our repeated actions, proving that we are who we tell ourselves we are.
When you start to see yourself as someone who takes care of their health, the daily choices become a natural extension of that image. It’s no longer about trying to do the right thing, but about living in line with who you perceive yourself to be. That’s where the shift happens. The shift that enables you to create long-term, sustainable change and care for your whole self from a place of self-love rather than performance. Where you know why it matters to you and consistently stand in how you want to feel, be, and create your life. In practice, it’s rarely about doing more, but about doing a few things that actually make a difference—consistently, over time.
Research can expand our beliefs about what’s possible and get us started. But it’s rarely that we don’t know what we need to do; it’s that we need to do what we already know. To shift “one day” to “day one.” To observe ourselves when we reach for the phone on the nightstand and follow it through to see what price we’re actually paying.
And perhaps most importantly, to ask ourselves who we want to be instead.
To realize that it’s not about “trying” to fix your gut or your stress, but about stopping the “trying” and instead making a conscious choice. Because even if we can’t control the outcome, we can control our actions. To observe, reflect, and act. Because it’s in the seemingly small daily choices that we have the power to influence our gut health, regulate our nervous system, and make decisions that benefit our long-term health.
Who do you want to be, and how are you acting today to live in line with that?
Daily routines to optimize gut health
- Avoid processed foods, sugar, gluten, and vegetable oils
- Screen-free mornings and evenings (the first two hours in the morning and the last hour at night)
- Screen-free meals at regular times
- Warm lemon water before meals; avoid drinking large amounts with food
- Stress reduction through sleep, nutrient-dense food, movement, meditation, and mental recovery
Diet that helped me heal my gut
- The Autoimmune Protocol and an anti-inflammatory diet
- The right supplements to support the gut lining, immune system, and digestion
- Homemade bone broth
- Fermented foods like kimchi (Tistelvind is a favorite)
- Dinner at least three hours before bedtime to give the gut a rest
- Celery juice on an empty stomach
Supplements that have strengthened my gut health and reduced stress
- Probiotics to support the gut microbiome and the immune system
- Digestive enzymes to support digestion
- L-glutamine to support the intestinal lining
- Magnesium for sleep, the nervous system, and recovery
- Omega-3 to dampen inflammation
- Zinc for the immune system and the gut barrier
- Selenium to support thyroid function
Author: Ida Carleborn
Read more about Ida Carleborn, Founder & CEO DailyGarboos and The Algorithms Of Life
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