We continue our series on what HELPcare Clinic members are saying!

My name is Linda LaVallie, and I have a lifelong history of health issues. I am honored to have the chance to share a bit of my journey with you—what struggles I’ve had, what brought me to the HELPcare Clinic, and the successes that I am enjoying today thanks to an alternative way of looking at my health.

I have struggled with autoimmune disease since childhood; primarily, rheumatoid arthritis. Despite the challenges that presented, I was always an active, fit person. In fact, being active was probably what helped most with my arthritis as a child.

After having my two oldest children, I found myself in my thirties facing entirely new health challenges. Thanks to a mix of medications that weren’t well-suited to me, poor dietary choices, and simple life stressors, I found myself—for the first in my life—feeling truly unhealthy. I began to gain weight, and not just a little—a LOT. Over the course of less than two years, I gained 130 pounds.

Along with that extra weight came other issues, including metabolic syndrome, chronic skin conditions, poor healing, and difficulty with mobility which in turn badly affected my arthritis. To top it off, a medication I had been prescribed for half of my life had caused some significant bone loss in my spine and hips. I was now a thirty-something woman with osteoporosis.

I was at an all-time low in 2018 when I stumbled upon a doctor on YouTube who was sharing his knowledge and experience with the keto diet and the changes it could make for all of the conditions I was dealing with. I quickly found more and more sources that backed up his claims, and the SCIENCE behind it all just made so much sense to me. Why had I never heard this before? Why were my doctors not sharing these things with me? In fact, why were my doctors telling me the exact OPPOSITE of what these keto-friendly doctors were saying?

With nothing to lose—and yet, with EVERYTHING to lose (weight, chronic health conditions) I set out on my first journey with the keto lifestyle. I won’t even call it a diet, because it wasn’t—it was just a different way of eating that I’d never tried before. Not only did the weight begin to fall off, my entire metabolic picture changed, my chronic GERD disappeared, my skin cleared up, and I began to feel like I could get back to who I once was. And within six months, I was 60 pounds lighter.

However, I was still receiving the same medical care I’d had before—the wrong meds, the wrong advice, and absolutely NO encouragement. I finally got so discouraged that I gave up; I went off all my meds, I stopped going to the doctor because I was tired of not being HEARD, and I spiraled back downward.

Fast forward to today, and to the HELPcare Clinic. When I heard that I had a chance to see Dr. Strobel, I was so excited—this was a doctor with a different perspective. I knew he understood health in a way that I wished my other doctors had—that he was willing to look at the whole person, instead of just one symptom and one condition.  

My first visit with Dr. Strobel far surpassed even my lofty expectations. He listened to me, and he HEARD me. He did not shrug off my symptoms, or blame my lifelong issues on my weight like other doctors had done (even though the majority of my life was not spent overweight!) He didn’t just give me a medication and send me on my way—he formed a plan WITH me. 

This time, I’m not giving up. I’m now in my 40s, with two teenagers and a one-year-old (fun surprise!) at home, and have everything to gain from taking charge of my health. I feel better than I have in a decade, I know what I need to do to get where I want to be, and I am well on my way. Thank you, HELPcare Clinic—and a special thank you to Dr. Strobel—for helping to make this possible.

For more information about HELPcare Clinic membership, request your free copy of Saving Through Membership!

In addition to our Austin clinic, HELPCare Clinic is coming to Rochester, MN!