How I Discovered the Mind-Gut Connection

I distinctly remember getting the diagnosis. I was panicked, scared, terrified, in fact. I didn’t know what this would mean for me – how it would come to impact the rest of my life. But little did I know, it would spark a passion for me, that I am so willing to advocate for, to help others realize what I wish I had realized sooner.

My AMPS Diagnosis

At the age of twelve-years-old, I had to quit my swim team. I am aware that quitting sports is very common during elementary/middle school when kids are trying to focus their interests, but for me, swimming was the sport I thought I had settled on after years of experience with tennis, golf, skiing, ice skating, ballet, you name it. I had always loved the water, the weightlessness, the splishing and splashing, and the feeling of shooting through the pool. Joining my community’s swim team felt like a sensible step for me, in terms of my interest at the time, and I felt like I had potential in the sport. However, a few months into my first season, I began to experience muscle knots in my shoulders, and excruciating cramping in my calves. I was almost couch-bound, trying to simultaneously massage both parts of my body. Doctor visit, after a doctor visit, my mom and I were left with inconclusive answers, until one of her late night Google searches led her to something called Amplified-Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome, or AMPS for short. AMPS is a chronic pain condition that causes the brain to think that pain is more intense than it legitimately is, causing a vicious cycle. The condition is said to be more common in girls, particularly those with perfectionistic and people-pleasing qualities. (Both of which sound like me.)

My AMPS Recovery

After receiving my diagnosis at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, I was recommended to do a six-week, intensive boot camp that involved rigorous physical activity, as well as mental therapy. To my mom and I, this seemed like a daunting decision, as we didn’t realize the severity of my condition until that moment. The other option was to stick to a strict regimen of physical therapy at my local physical therapist’s office, as well as a whole other host of wellness-related remedies such as acupuncture, cupping, cognitive therapy, and a more “intentional” diet. We decided to stick to the latter option for the sake of ease, and luckily, after many trials and tribulations, it worked.

My weeks consisted of physical therapy twice a week, a once-a-week acupuncture, massage therapy, or cupping appointment, in the midst of my busy school days. While most kids went to sports practices and music lessons after school, I went to what became one of my favorite places, the physical therapy office Although, I do think that all of these remedies eventually worked, the thing that ultimately sped up my recovery was implementing a more whole-foods-based diet, because of something known as the mind-gut connection.

What is the Mind-Gut Connection?

In simple terms, the mind-gut connection is the unspoken communication that takes place between your central nervous system and digestive system, which can control your behavior and emotions. I realized, by eating more whole foods (ie. foods that have not been processed), I progressively started to improve my physical ailments. Not to mention, my anxiety levels also began to decrease. Pre-AMPS diagnosis, I was a relatively healthy eater (for a kid at least), but by intentionally eating foods with more fiber, Vitamin C, Iron, and Potassium, my body began to – almost magically – heal.

My Takeaways from this Experience and Where I Am Now

What seemed like the least likely effective solution to my AMPS, turned out to be the solution that allowed me to recover quicker than anticipated. Now, over two years later, my AMPS symptoms have substantially decreased. Although AMPS is not the kind of condition where you can be fully cured, I am a much more comfortable human, and I am ultimately grateful for the things I learned, and the people I met during this experience. Chronic pain syndromes are, in my humble opinion, one of the most mentally difficult conditions because oftentimes, others cannot physically see the pain you are in, leading to your symptoms being diminished. But through my recovery process, I felt so supported by my family, and of course, my medical professionals. To this day, I maintain a lot of the same eating habits I adapted while in recovery, such as eating more whole foods, and intentionally eating the nutrients I am naturally deficient in, due to the strong influences I saw these eating patterns have during my time recovering.

I am now passionate about helping others realize the power and potential that food has in your life, and hope that you, as a reader, will grow to appreciate the value of the mind-gut connection!