Living Well with AS, Naturally

I’m Beatrice Caillet, a 43-year-old French woman who has been living my best life with ankylosing spondylitis. When I was 8, I experienced excruciating heel pain, followed by back pain at night and hip pain during the day throughout my teenage years. For years, these symptoms were never considered together. I would often hear conclusions like, “You need to stop running and jumping in the playground,” or “You work out too much,” or “You don’t work out enough.” Ultimately, my symptoms remained unexplained for a long time.

At 24, shortly after starting my career at a CPA firm and moving out to live independently, my symptoms worsened dramatically. Doctors attributed my pain to the stress of such a significant life change. The first rheumatologist I consulted even suggested I change my pillow to alleviate my night pain. Despite trying various pillows, the pain continued to escalate. When the x-rays showed nothing, doctors insisted that it was all just stress. After months of being told it was psychological, I finally decided to see a psychiatrist and began talk therapy to get to the root of it all. Unfortunately, that didn’t help either, and the pain grew so intense that I could no longer lie down for more than two hours at a time at night.

During that period, my stiffness became so severe that I could barely walk. I lost my autonomy and was unable to do simple tasks like grocery shopping or cooking. I had to stay with my parents for a few days until I felt a little better. Struggling to maintain my job, I also lacked a social life because I was in too much pain and too exhausted to go out like a “normal” twenty-something.

When I finally received my diagnosis at 25, it was a huge relief. I thought, “I’m not crazy!”

Over the next 11 years, I underwent mainstream Western medical treatment, including sulfasalazine, NSAIDs, and anti-TNF therapies, which alleviated some symptoms but came with multiple side effects.

Eventually, I became determined to educate myself. I read every book and article on holistic health I could find and listened to countless webinars. It became my obsession, and I spent all my free time learning about holistic health. While I know everyone’s journey is different, this approach resonated with me and led me to take my health into my own hands.

I eventually found a functional medicine doctor who, after running some blood tests, advised me to adopt a diet free from gluten, eggs, cow dairy, and many other things. When I shared my intentions to heal through this diet with my rheumatologist, he laughed in disbelief. Nevertheless, after following this restrictive diet for over a year, I stopped taking biotherapy (biologics). Ten months later, I was medication-free!

In January 2020, I launched my blog, “Go Healthy with Bea,” to share not only my healing journey but also my gluten-free recipes, hoping to inspire and instill hope in others.

Through this process, I learned that diet alone is not enough. Healing naturally involves more than just dietary changes and exercise. I noticed that my symptoms worsened whenever I was at work, leading me to realize that I needed a career change to regain my health. In the spring of 2021, while involved in a relationship, I experienced a severe flare that almost pushed me to beg my rheumatologist to restart the biotherapy. However, the night of my breakup with that toxic relationship, I slept soundly, and my symptoms vanished magically. I realized then that my body was literally screaming at me to escape that relationship and change my career.

So, I decided to become a Holistic Health Coach, transforming my side hustle into a fulfilling career.

Through my blog, I can help people around the world by offering natural healing tools and hope. I feel validated in my efforts whenever I receive comments like this one: “Hi Bea! I am a 23-year-old from South Africa. I have recently been diagnosed with AS and started Humira just days ago. I already knew I had gluten intolerance and was looking for recipes online when I came across your blog. Thank you for sharing your story! It really helped me see that I am not alone and that through self-care and healthy living, it is possible to overcome this. My journey is only just beginning, but I am so grateful for people like you who are willing to share their experiences and give a little hope to others.”

Today, while I am not completely pain-free, my pain is manageable without any medication. Now, whenever I experience a flare, I can identify what triggered it.

Ankylosing spondylitis has taught me to listen to my body and has catalyzed a deeper spirituality within me.

Bea Caillet, HHC, CGP
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
Certified Gluten free Practitioner
Certified Autoimmune Holistic Nutrition Specialist
Recipe creator – Food and health blogger

https://gohealthywithbea.com/