Many abuse victims and survivors suffer from physical ailments. These are often a direct result of the abuse they’ve experienced though we don’t often realize it. Some of these might include: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, eating disorders, addictions to drugs and alcohol, migraine headaches, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems, and asthma*. Some say that the stress from being abused even causes heart disease and cancer.**

Many abuse victims suffer from physical ailments caused by the stress of their abuse.  Tweet This

A couple of years after I left my abuser I found I had: depression, anxiety, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IC (interstitial cystitis) – which is constant pain in the bladder, migraines, and intense pain in my hips.

Besides my regular general practitioner, I began seeing one specialist after another: neurologists, chiropractors, back specialists, acupuncturists, urologists, massage therapists, counselors and psychiatrists. I was taking seven prescriptions a day – over sixteen pills total.

On top of all that, last summer I was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an ailment usually found only in people at least 20 years older than me. This required me to get a SHOT IN MY EYE once a month – I don’t wish that on anyone! For all the pills I was taking, I still had migraine headaches eight or more days a month, and was still struggling with daily hip pain. I often went to six doctor appointments a week. This cost me thousands of dollars a year, as well as an immense amount of time.

I have a friend who is a huge proponent of natural medicine which she jokingly calls “voodoo” medicine. When I told her I had macular degeneration, she shared some of the “out there” therapies she used and recommended I look into them. I was ready to try anything! I wasn’t too afraid of the “voodoo” medicine. I’d already been to chiropractors and acupuncturists which many consider “out there.”

The first person I contacted at her suggestion was a man who does “holistic stress coaching”. Check out his link here. There is no way I can explain how he does what he does, but he is able to identify trapped emotions and release them with God’s power. My friend calls it “emotional healing.” We worked on me being able and willing to physically heal. Seems obvious that I would want/be able to do that, but a part of me had lost hope that I would ever be well, and my lack of hope was a stumbling block for me.

During my work with this man, he recommended I see a naturopath. See her link here. The first day I saw her, I told her nothing about my physical issues. She found out I had a problem with my optic nerve, and I was unable to process fats and proteins properly. She gave me natural supplements to help me begin to properly break down my fats and proteins. For my optic nerve issue, she recommended me to a physical therapist who does “cranial massage,” (she actually moves the plates of your skull). She also recommended a new chiropractor who is amazing, and the chiropractor has a massage therapist who identified in two sessions physical issues I’ve had all my life.

She also recommended I begin a paleo diet. She explained that grains and sugars cause inflammation in the body – which can lead to a host of other issues – specifically pain.

Less than a year later, I have dropped one prescription that cost me $500/month, and have decreased two others from a total of ten pills a day to three. I hope to come off them completely sometime soon. In fact, my goal is to come off all the prescriptions eventually.

And how do I feel? My migraines have gone from eight or more days a month to two or three. My IC is much improved, and my IBS and hip pain are completely gone. I have a lot more energy, and sleep better at night. I spend significantly less time and money going from doctor to doctor. I’m thrilled!

Medical doctors are good, but I found that they only treated my symptoms, they didn’t look for the root causes of my ailments. Looking into natural medicine was what I needed. Took me about ten years to get there, but I’m so glad I finally did!

Question: How about you? If you’ve been abused, do you suffer from unexplained physical problems? Have you had any success fixing these problems? If so, how did you do it?

Please remember, as we go about searching for better health, God is the Great Healer.

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 30:17

But I will restore you to health
    and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
    Zion for whom no one cares.’

After abuse, we all need healing from one perspective or another. If you would like to explore ways you can heal, I would love to recommend my book A Journey to Healing After Emotional Abuse. I pray you will feel God walking beside you as you strive for physical and emotional healing. May He bless you today.

Caroline

* Caroline Abbott, A Journey to Healing After Emotional Abuse (Franklin, TN: Clovercroft Publishing, 2015) 50.
** http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/10-fixable-stress-related-health-problems and http://www.medicinenet.com/domestic_violence/related-conditions/index.htm