Autoimmune disease occurs when the body's immune system is chronically overactive and attacks healthy cells. - Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia When the immune system attacks these healthy cells, it can be in different areas of the body, for example with Rheumatoid Arthritis it is attacking your joints, with Multiple Sclerosis it is attacking your brain, or with Lupus, attacking your DNA. Autoimmune diseases often have flare-ups, where symptoms will get worse for a period of time, then you start to feel better or symptoms disappear. It is not always the same pain level or same ..read more

The week between Christmas and New Years has always been my favourite time of year. There are the usual reasons; many of us are on holidays, the craziness of the period leading up to Christmas is finally over, the sometimes stressful day itself is done and you know you have a few days up your sleeve to recover before you start the new year and head back to work. Lazy beach days, sleep-ins and not knowing what day of the week it is can be refreshing after a long, stressful year. But mostly, I love that feeling of starting afresh. That feeling that the year is over and something new is beginnin ..read more

You have the power to heal your body. No gimmicks. (I'm not selling anything). No previous skills required. It’s inside all of us, waiting to be drawn out and understood. It’s not exactly a secret, but it’s not commonly known by all, because it’s dismissed before it is even given a chance. Why is it dismissed so quickly? Probably because it is free and available to anyone, yet so simple you instantly think it can’t be real. And it's not the traditional way we’ve been conditioned to think about illness, mental health and wellbeing. I’m usually open to things a little woo-woo, but even I was sc ..read more

Well hasn’t 2020 been a bit of a mindf#$K? As crazy as December usually is, I think we are all grateful to see the last month of this year in. Most people will have struggled in some way this year, with virtually everyone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, to some degree. Finally, we are nearing the end of the year, but it seems like the madness is still here and while everyone keeps saying they are ready for 2021, I don’t know that when the New Year rings in much is going to change for us. It is definitely important to remain positive and be looking to a brighter future, but things are moving ..read more

I can say with confidence that eliminating processed sugar from my diet hasn't really been an issue for me, as I've never been sugar-mad anyway, so my personal story or expertise is limited here. However, I have seen how much it works for other people and it makes complete sense to me how putting this into our bodies is not in alignment with nature and goes against our bodies working optimally. The research studies I’ve looked into, the articles I’ve read, the industry experts I follow, all prove to me daily that this can be a big factor in autoimmune life, so even though it may not have been ..read more

There are over 90,000 chemicals used in consumer products and scarily, industry experts say around 1,000 of these have evidence showing that they can alter our hormones and harm our health. These toxins are called endocrine disruptors, and for more sensitive bodies, like our children or people with autoimmune and chronic illness, these can wreak havoc with our hormones and immune systems. During my long journey trying to figure out my autoimmune issue triggers, I was introduced to the idea of toxic chemicals in consumer products affecting our health. It was quite upsetting to learn that the in ..read more

I’ve been asked what this means to me and why I called my blog 'At One with Alessia'. The words ‘At One’ mean many things to me, which is why I liked the name and it felt right! It has spiritual connotations I was raised by a fairly religious family and while I don’t denounce that religion, I honour a slightly different version of it. I feel that God and the Universe are one and that the different religions and the things people believe in are all connected and are different perspectives of the one common truth. The commandments are a version of common beliefs on how to live a kind and respec ..read more

Yep, I’m going to be banging on about nutrition. I know that most people want to ignore the importance of it because society is accustomed to not thinking about nutrition when we make our food choices. But, it’s a game-changer, so, here we go. The very definition of nutrition should tip us off. The food ‘necessary for growth’. We know what type of food facilitates growth, and it ain’t McDonald’s Let’s start by looking at your relationship with food. Do you eat for pleasure, eat for convenience, or eat to fuel your body? My relationship with food was … complicated. Since I was a kid, my weight ..read more

Have you seen the documentary Heal on Netflix?  I wish I'd seen this movie or been introduced to this concept 10 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartaches and probably a lot of pain and suffering too.  It's a fascinating documentary with some of the world's most influential and talented healers talking about what causes chronic diseases, about the power of the mind, visualisation and release of emotional blockers, in working WITH traditional medicine to improve healing. A lot of the things they demonstrate are methods that I've found to work for me too, but it took me yea ..read more

There is something that has been bothering me and I’ve put off writing about it because it really upsets me, but it is time to get it out! If there is one thing I’ve learned over the last decade or so, in my journey from chronic pain hopelessness, to managing my autoimmune issues naturally, it is the importance of what we put into our body. In the 6+ months we have been living with the COVID-19 situation now, NEVER do I hear from mainstream news, publications, general public conversations or recommendations, that protecting our immune system is a key player in the defence against virus and inf ..read more