Crohns

During a recent interview, I was asked the following question:

“When did you really start noticing significant improvements in your overall well-being once implementing the well-documented changes in your diet and lifestyle?”

During a recent interview, I was asked the following question:

“When did you really start noticing significant improvements in your overall well-being once implementing the well-documented changes in your diet and lifestyle?”

My mind immediately flashed back to the summer of 2004, when I was diagnosed with “borderline Crohn’s disease”, “Spastic Colon”, and “Chronic Irritable Bowel Syndrome”. I was living on prescription medication and sustained myself by eating Goldfish crackers and Diet Dr. Pepper. I was more than sick; I was severely malnourished.

The intense pain I experienced on a daily basis came to be a normal, natural reaction that I became accustomed to. In fact, I really don’t recall a day during those years that I didn’t suffer. Pain, bloating, fatigue, sallow skin, yellow eyes, dull hair, and exhaustion were the best words that described me in my twenties.

The doctors of course gave me a dim outlook, reminding me every time I would go to see them that I could only treat my symptoms with drugs and try to eat as bland of a diet as possible. Oh, and the other thing that was preached at me was not to eat raw vegetables and fruits. Swear to God.

As you can imagine, my condition worsened, and by spring of 2006 I couldn’t take it anymore. The pain was so intense that it kept me awake at night. The medication wasn’t working, and it made me feel like shit. I was done listening to my doctors.

I went to the local bookstore and perused the aisles for anything that would strike my eye. I had already tried just about every gimmicky diet you could possibly imagine, and none of them had any effect on my symptoms. The only thing that seemed to work to my advantage at all was when I avoided animal products, so I started picking up books that focused on a vegetarian diet.

I found a book by former supermodel Carol Alt entitled, “Eating in the Raw”. I opened it up and plopped down on the cold, hard carpet at Barnes and Nobles. I skimmed through the first few chapters and I was immediately intrigued. Everything she was talking about just made so much sense.

I bought the book and read it, cover to cover, within one day. She spoke about the importance of enzymes and how cooking our food destroyed most of its nutritional properties. She stressed the importance of not tampering with our food, leaving it raw, organic, and unprocessed. She also shared her story in which she referenced a book that was written by someone named David “Avocado” Wolfe.

An hour on Google and a couple hundred dollars later, I had ordered a library of books from this peculiar “Avocado” fellow. Little did I know this would be the day that would change my life forever.

I received the books and immediately dove into them. I was sucked into every chapter, soaking in every word and embracing the information. I had never heard of a “raw food diet”, but the more I read, the more convinced I became.

I decided to try it and went 100% raw overnight. I stopped drinking coffee, alcohol, sodas, and only drank pure spring water and raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cold-pressed oils. I also periodically fasted on fresh green juices and herbal tea. I became a master “salad creator” and would spend hours slicing and chopping fresh produce, juicing vegetables, and preparing new raw dishes. I also did an intense parasite cleanse which I feel might have been the most important step of all.

As much as I’d love to tell you that I felt fabulous immediately, I didn’t. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I got weaker, sicker, and experienced an onset of symptoms that were worse than ever before. However, I didn’t give up. Continued research had taught me that this was a sign of major detoxification, and a rise in symptoms was common since diseased tissue and toxins are released into the bloodstream for removal through the skin, lungs, and bowels.

I was steadfast and focused. I wasn’t giving up, and thankfully within a couple months my symptoms started easing. My skin cleared, my eyes sparkled, and the pain in my intestines? Gone.

I implemented yoga and meditation and started taking strong herbal supplements such as Probiotics, MSM, Reishi, Turmeric, Chlorella, and Fish oil. I felt better than I had ever remembered.

Six months from that miraculous day that I went “raw”, I went to the doctor for a check-up. I felt fine, but I was curious what her reaction would be. She performed a Barium X-ray on my stomach, and when she read me the results, she literally gasped in disbelief. I had no scar tissue in my intestines (I was riddled with it before).

“What have you been taking?” she asked in amazement.

“It’s more like what haven’t I been taking…” I responded.

I explained to her my intense dietary transformation and all my herbal supplements. I told her about the fasting and detoxification. I explained to her who David Wolfe was, and how his books had changed my life.

She didn’t seem very impressed and insisted on writing me another prescription, “just in case the symptoms come back…”

That was over five years ago, and I have yet to fill that prescription.

I have since added some cooked foods back into my diet, even eating “crappy” food at times. The beauty is that now I am able to enjoy foods that I used to not even be able to look at, because I am now working with a healthy, strong digestive system. I still eat a predominantly raw, organic diet and I am still a vegetarian, but I occasionally enjoy wild-caught fish and raw organic cheeses (specifically goat’s varieties), as well as other animal products from time to time (I only choose organic, hormone-free, and sustainable)

My supplement regimen is intense, and I never drink sodas or consume processed sugars or flour of any kind. I also had my Mercury fillings removed and have tried to limit my exposure to harmful metals, plastics, and chemicals. This by no means makes me perfect! We are all exposed to harmful toxins on a daily basis just living our day-to-day lives, but I’m confident that my immune system is now strong enough to handle just about anything. ?

When I decided to start my company, Raw-Nation®, it was because I was sick of listening to the “naysayers” criticize my lifestyle and tell me I was acting crazy. I decided it was time to create a company that was “hip” instead of “hippie”. I wanted to make raw, organic foods and herbs sexy and appealing to the mainstream. How could we do this? It was easy: make our debut product be a sexual enhancement supplement, and market it in an edgy way that’s never been done before.

So, we compiled seven of the most powerful sexual and vitality enhancing herbs and superfoods that we could, and put them together to create a synergistic formula that later came to be known as Raw-Nation’s Hot Rawks™, the only certified organic libido enhancer on the market.

We have now saturated the mainstream in a huge way, being featured in major media outlets such as Sirius Radio, Playboy, Los Angeles Magazine, Yes! Weekly Magazine, Ok Weekly Magazine, Storerotica Magazine, and the Bubba the Love Sponge™ show. We have also received recognition from a world-renowned urologist, Dr. Aaron Katz, who is based out of Columbia Medical Center in NYC. Everyone from NFL players, major politicians, and adult industry actors and actresses alike are also raving about Hot Rawks™.

All of this is exciting indeed, but by far the most surreal moment of my life is when I was listening to an interview on the “Sex with Jayia” show. We were driving back across country from a trade show we had exhibited at in Las Vegas. I was listening to the interview on my laptop. The one and only David “Avocado” Wolfe was talking to her, live, about sexual vitality, jing, and the importance of specific herbs to preserve sexual power in men and women. When Jayia asked him about what herbs, recipes, or products he would recommend for those who want to sustain their sexual vitality, he paused and said,

“I would definitely recommend products like the one Julie Wilson came up with, Hot Rawks.”

My mouth dropped to the floor. That’s when I knew I was onto something fantastic! David Wolfe still recommends Hot Rawks™, and even sells it at some of his exclusive retreats and speaking engagements. He is an amazing man with a lot of knowledge and insight, as well as many others I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in this progressive and sometimes controversial industry.

So, what are you waiting for? Take your health into your own hands. Our bodies are miraculously designed to heal and rejuvenate themselves naturally when given the proper tools and nutrition. I’m a walking testimonial to the healing powers of raw, organic plant food and herbs! You only have one body in this lifetime, utilize it’s maximum potential and experience the best health ever!

Love and Blessings,
Julie Wilson
Founder/CEO
Raw-Nation™
www.HotRawks.com
Julie@raw-nation.com