I was on the verge of turning sixteen when i went to see my local doc about teenage Acne which had recently taken a nasty turn. My doctor assured me that it was normal and treatable via Antibiotics and being the nieve and uninformed teenager that i was i went ahead took it.

All in all i was on Doxycline for one year and Tetracycline for six months, after which time i became resistant to both. I was also on the contraceptive pill after these failed, only to gain 11kg within the year and develop rosacea on top- at seventeen!

Forward five years and i'm treating myself for chronic candidiasis, Leaky gut syndrome, PCOS, sluggish bowel, poor digestion and multiple food and chemical sensitivities and Glandular fever recovery- i was in the middle of highschool when all of this took place.

I have been called a hypochondriac, paranoid, delusional and unbalanced by just about every doctor i've been to for help when I knew that something wasn't quite right- i could feel it and it took me years of my own research to come up with answers (and not without lot's of heart breaking trial and error). One doctor even told me that "I read too much."

I have learnt so much about myself and alternative health through this process. I almost lost my faith in people at some point, but this has probably been the most empowering experience i will ever have in my life.

I'm not out of the woods yet either. But i'm getting there.