Andrea Polk always considered herself a spiritual person. But it took time for her to see the deeper meaning when her body suddenly went into revolt.
At 38, the normally active and healthy Polk became feverish, broke into body sweats, and started losing hair and muscle. Her weight dropped to 100 pounds and her skin cracked and shed, turning “a shade of blue-black.”
Polk’s bloodwork came back normal. She was diagnosed with severe dermatitis, but that didn’t explain her body’s overall upheaval.
After months cloistered at home, Polk resolved to tap into ancestral remedies and harness the power of her mind.
Armed with a positive outlook, she did grounding meditations with a shaman, drank herbal teas, received Reiki, spent time in nature, and visualized her healing. As her symptoms began to wane, she had an epiphany that the hardship was a test.
“It was a spiritual awakening,” said Polk, who believes her illness arose from a build-up of stress and unresolved trauma. “Am I going to be strong enough to trust that I can heal myself, and take my lessons and make them into blessings and help others?”
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This story was first published by Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
