Since I’ve started sharing my thoughts and recipes online at Well Nourished, I’ve come to realise how the vast majority of really successful bloggers have been ‘born’ from overcoming and sharing a major health crisis. So I thought I’d digress back to a little bit about me and how because of my own crisis, I came to become a Naturopath.
I was around 11 years old when I suffered my first loss. The only grandfather I had ever known, died suddenly and it tore me apart. I was raised by my mum after my parents separated when I was about 2, and my nan and Nunky (the name I called him) were pivotal in my upbringing. I adored them.
Weeks after he died, I got sick, really sick. I was a really well kid, a budding sprinter, and hurdler, so this really came out of the blue. My heart became severely tachycardic (fast). In fact, it was beating continually, 24/7 at over 250bpm, but for no known reason. I felt awful like I was running a marathon all day and all night, my body was skeletal and I was admitted to the Brompton Heart and Lung Hospital for Children in London. Specialists conducted loads of tests, exploratory surgeries and multiple defibrillations to find an urgent treatment to control my wearying heart (standard drugs just weren’t doing anything to help and no cause could be identified – seems I’m a complexed person, lol).
Eventually, a very new, though effective drug was found and I was sent home to Australia, drug in hand. I spent the next 10 years taking it without a second thought until some reports began emerging of it being seriously dangerous. The manufacturers released recommendations “that it should be reserved for patients in whom, in the opinion of the physician, the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks.”
At this point, my cardiologist and I re-evaluated my position. I tried to wean myself off the drug, only to end up hospitalised again. Other drugs were tried, none worked. The cardiologist recommended surgery, but the odds really weren’t great and they weren’t entirely sure of what they were dealing with anyway – I was out of options. They said that I would be unable to ever have children and really weren’t too positive about my long-term prognosis given the nature of my condition and also the side effects of the drug I was taking.
At this point I decided to visit a Naturopath, anything was worth a shot. I was just about to finish an Arts degree; I just wanted to move forward without the threat of ending up in a hospital again and again or worse. To cut a long story short, I consulted with a very good Naturopath, she felt supporting my nervous system and cardiovascular system herbally and nutritionally would be my best bet. She explained that my nervous system and the shock it suffered losing Nunky, she felt was part of the underlying cause of becoming so sick. I began a fairly basic combination of herbal medicine and minerals.
Within six months I had weaned myself off my medication, for good, and I was so empowered, I decided to study Naturopathy myself. I found learning to become a Naturopath so stimulating and graduated proudly as Dux of my year.
The rest they say is history. I was offered a job under the wing of a fabulous, very experienced Naturopath before I had even graduated. I’ve spent the subsequent years in clinical practice, on talkback radio, writing health columns for newspapers and lecturing students. I’ve also studied a post grad degree in my early childbearing years to keep my brain stimulated and upgrade my qualifications.
Which brings me to now, 7 years of study, a lifetime of experience and living my dream of being able to share the things I’ve learnt in this blessed life of mine (professionally and in the kitchen) here at Well Nourished.
I truly believe where there’s life, there is hope. No matter how sick you are, make informed choices and please, never give up! Â Thanks for being a part of my story here at Well Nourished. G x
(I’ve also shared my battle with an autoimmune thyroid disorder called Graves Disease if you’re interested, click here to read).
 “It’s your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story develops”
Dieter F Uchtdorf
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janie says
I couldn’t really believe what I was reading. I too went thru nearly exactly the same experience after losing my only brother . I was 23 with three children under 3, when he died. He was my only family and we were incredibly close. Out if the blue some five months later my heart became tachycardic. Cardiologists, doctors all found no reason. Drugs managed it but didn’t cure it. I also ended up stumbling into a wonderful naturopath with a degree in molecular biology. After 12 months my heart was finally quiet and I was reborn. I’ve always respected my body from that first meeting. Thank you Georgia for your post and your wonderful blog. Xx
Georgia Harding says
Hi Janie, what a co-incidence and I’m so, so pleased you too, have found a solution. Thanks for sharing your story, I think by doing so it gives hope to those struggling with their own health issues. G x
Gina Hughes says
All i can say Georgia … is thank you so much for your wonderful blog … i love the way you relate your information which is so easy to understand, and i also love your recipes and the variety of options you offer … there is something in there for everyone. I have learned an enormous amount already from you, and i am so glad that you choose the path that you are on … keep up the good work! xo Gina
Georgia Harding says
What a beautiful message Gina. Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I feel very blessed that I’m in a position to freely share what I’ve learned. Being able to help others in some small way is so fulfilling G x
Lara Schleiger says
I’ve just read your story Georgia and whilst I didn’t suffer any loss I developed tachycardia in the middle of 2015, 2 years after having my third child. It only came on when I drank alcohol (I’m not a big drinker) so I stopped drinking. It escalated in January 2019 and to cut a long story short I ended up having a cardiac ablation in May last year. The surgeon didn’t know where my tachycardia was coming from as it didn’t present itself during the EP study so he made an assumption that I had early stages of Atrial Fibrillation. I went in for an AF ablation and half way through my tachycardia went off in the right atrium but they decided to complete the AF ablation (just because they were in the left atrium) even though I didn’t have AF and then they tackled the spot where my tachycardia was going off. He didn’t fix my tachycardia and now I’m on medication for life, with a new arrhythmia and tachycardia and as a result of vagal nerve damage from the surgery I now also have gastroparesis. I wish I’d never had the surgery as I was perfectly fine before but the cardiac medication was making me sick so I opted for surgery as he seemed confident he could fix it. I wish I’d just gone to my naturopath like you and tried to fix in naturally.
Georgia Harding says
Oh Lara, I really feel for you. It’s so tricky because the cardio vascular system is obviously critical for life, not something you can mess with.
Like you , my specialist also didn’t know the origin of my tachycardia and in those days (almost 35 yrs ago) the technology isn’t what it is today and ablation was a very new procedure. I was told an attempt at ablation would most certainly result in open heart surgery which as a vain young woman, didn’t appeal.
I wonder if a naturopath might be able to offer some support for your current symptoms? Just a thought. I’m so sorry for all you’ve experienced. Wishing you all the best G x
Eunice says
Hi Georgia, can I possible seek advice from you? Because I have tachycardia and arrythmia too. And I have hyperthyroid. It’s just weird though because my thyroid hormones are within normal range already though a holistic doctor advised me that optimal varies from each person. So probably I have yet to find my optimal levels. It’s hard bearing the symprtoms. Can I possibly message you personally for advise? Thanks a lot
Georgia Harding says
Hi Eunice, I’m really glad you are under the care of a holistic doctor. I’m sorry I’m no longer in clinical practice (or registered) so I’m not able to give individual advice. Healing from hyperthyroid takes time and in my experience, some symptoms take longer to abate than others and like your physician has said, optimal very much varies from person to person. It’s a tough condition to endure for sure, but with commitment to wellness, you can heal. Also make sure you are dealing with any underlying emotional or stress related issues – meditation is still a big part of my daily life and was a critical part of my own healing. All the very best G x