Reversing Autoimmune Disease

My name is Yael Goodman. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Welcome to my website Reversing Autoimmune Disease.

My passion is sharing with you the important role you have in you own health and disease recovery. Autoimmune disease cannot be cured but that is not a reason for hopelessness. There is a huge amount that YOU can do to take control of your own health destiny.

Even though you might be feeling lost and overwhelmed, just know there is plenty you can do to Reverse your Autoimmune Disease!

I believe that being self empowered about your disease is the first step in regaining control of the power it has over you. I don’t believe in a one size fits all approach and we are all unique; there are however many things that people in this community have found that do help them.”

Yael Goodman

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It doesn’t matter what the name of your disease is. It doesn’t matter if you have Hashimoto’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis or Myasthenia Gravis. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if you don’t yet have a diagnosis. What does matter is the similarities that all autoimmune disease have in common.

In order for Autoimmune Disease to occur, these 3 things are involved:

  1. Genetics play in big role in whether or not you will develop one of these diseases, but that is only one part of the equation.The other two parts are your
  2. Your Environment and the one you actually have the most control over is your
  3. your Gut… For autoimmune disease to develop, there must be a ‘leaky gut’.

That is where the AIP or Autoimmune Protocol Paleo DIET and LIFESTYLE come into play.

It starts with what you eat and how you interact with your environment. You might think you have no control over your genes – but thanks to epigenetics, the food you eat, can in fact change your genes.

From the age of 11, I was struck down with a mystery illness, that left me weak, in terrible pain and with incapacitating fatigue. I would take my another 7 years of struggling to get my first autoimmune diagnosis (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) and then after another 11 years of inept medical care to get my second one (Celiac Disease). That was my first steps on the path to recovery, going gluten free.
Conventional Medicine however failed me and I got more and more ill and more and more tired. It wasn’t until my third diagnosis (Multiple Sclerosis), in 2014, that I finally took my health into my own hands and began to look into the root causes of Autoimmune disease and how healing by using diet and lifestyle changes, could make all the difference. I then also began seeing a Functional Medicine Practitioner and together, we looked for the root causes for my ill health that I had suffered with for at least 25 years.

After completing a BA Honours degree in International Relations, I changed track and went on to study a diploma in Therapeutic Reflexology, which included a course on nutritional counselling. I then also completed massage courses and became a Reiki master. Using my passion for nutrition combined with hands on healing I began seeing clients.

This website combines my passion for nutrition and health and my own personal health struggles. For me discovering the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Paleo Diet and Lifestyle were the puzzle pieces I was missing to help me on my journey to healing. I’m also really interested in Functional Medicine. I love that instead of just treating symptoms, they are like detective that look for clues as to why you have the condition or disease you have.

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I love the science behind autoimmune disease and the how’s and why’s of what we eat and what we do in our lives that can help us to reverse our autoimmune diseases. I would also love to hear your experiences with autoimmune disease and what you have done to help yourself to get well.

I have written a book (Taking Control – My Journey to Reverse Autoimmune Disease) with my personal story of what its like to have multi-autoimmune disease and hope that book will inspire you to know that you can help yourself to heal.

I hope you will join me in this journey to help Reverse Your Autoimmune Disease!

 

People Yael has helped…

 

Janna Mae

“Yael… helped me and took the time to advise me about the AIP diet, at a time when I was immensely confused about my health….She met with me and discussed the Auto Immune Paleo diet in depth, and shared her own story. ”

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“Yael helped me and took the time to advise me about the AIP diet, at a time when I was immensely confused about my health. I constantly felt poorly, and had no guidance from the medical industry regarding a suitable lifestyle change post Celiac diagnosis.

She met with me and discussed the Auto Immune Paleo diet in depth, and shared her own story. I subsequently researched the lifestyle and incorporated it into my own kitchen. I felt my energy return, my anxiety ease, my brain fog lift. The AIP returned me to my old self. Although I have progressed to a flexible paleo diet. I’m glad I have the basics to return to, should I ever experience health problems again”

Janna Mae

English Teacher, currently in S. Korea.

Anneri 

“Yael…is certainly passionate about healing autoimmune disorders using diet and lifestyle and her knowledge on managing these diseases surpasses, by far, most doctors I can think of.”

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Yael is one of those people who won’t rest until she knows as much as she can about what she is passionate about. She is certainly passionate about healing autoimmune disorders using diet and lifestyle and her knowledge on managing these diseases surpasses, by far, most doctors I can think of. Her knowledge is sound and she is always hungry to learn more in this ever-advancing field of research.

Anneri 

School Teacher, Started AIP support South Africa Facebook Page.

Jessica

“I came across Yael’s site while searching for South African support resources. I reached out to her and she provided some much needed support (including introduction to an AIP support group) and knowledgeable advice.”

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When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I came across Yael’s site while searching for South African support resources. I reached out to her and she provided some much needed support (including introduction to an AIP support group) and knowledgeable advice. She continuously posts fascinating and up-to-date research on autoimmune disorders which is incredibly interesting and helpful. Thank you, Yael!

Jessica 

Marie 

“Yael…was quickly able to find solutions and suggest ways to improve my diet and lifestyle in order to live a happier and more fulfilled life. Looking back, I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met Yael.”

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When I met Yael a few years ago, I was looking for a reflexologist. Little did I know what a gem I would discover in her. I had un-explainable constant backache and was feeling tired all the time. With her personal interest in holistic health and her own history of auto-immune disease, she was quickly able to find solutions and suggest ways to improve my diet and lifestyle in order to live a happier and more fulfilled life.
Looking back, I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met Yael. Not only is she a fantastic reflexologist, she also uses her knowledge and intuition to guide her patients to healthier and more conscious life choices. The bonus is that she is also a Reiki master – her Reiki sessions are incredibly soothing and healing.

Marie 

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