Can You Cure Dermatomyositis Naturally? My Story
Hey there, I’m Vee Dunford, an ex-nurse, now a FREE Thinker. I’m the Co-Founder of ourproactivepath.com and in 2020, I’m grateful to have reversed a rare and a life-threatening autoimmune condition in less than a year. I never thought that my body could actually heal that fast!
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
The private and NHS consultants (Rheumatologists & Dermatologists) that I have been working with said that it would be impossible to reverse it and that I would be taking immunosuppressive agents such as Methotrexate for the rest of my life as dermatomyositis treatment. They also told me that I have approximately 6 months to live if my respiratory system were to be compromised.
I decided to create this blog to share my story with the world so that those who are going through something similar will feel empowered to heal themselves from any autoimmune condition that they might have.
Yes, there is hope! You can heal yourself, naturally.
Part of my healing process is using Naturopathic medicine, which is a system that uses natural remedies to help the body heal itself (with homeopathy, evidence-based nutrition, and a radical change of lifestyle). I genuinely believe that conventional medicine and any pharmaceutical pills will not help me with my chronic illness long-term.
My Dermatomyositis Diagnosis
I was diagnosed with melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 dermatomyositis or MDA5-positive dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune life-threatening condition. According to several rheumatologists that I’ve met, most patients die 6 months after being diagnosed because of respiratory complications. The symptoms I experienced were extreme muscle weakness all over my body, very painful and inflamed joints, difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia), my gums were bleeding and were extremely sensitive to both cold and hot, tightness of the chest, struggle in breathing, and dermatomyositis rash (skin rashes on my hands and fingers) which made them very sensitive and painful to touch.
I developed the disease in autumn of 2019 (just before turning 33yo) with extreme itchiness in both hands. Then, a few weeks later I developed extreme sensitivity in my gums to the point that I struggled to eat because it was too painful to chew. When my dentist prescribed me an antibiotic (haven’t had one for years) I had no idea that one of its side effects is severe joint pain and muscle weakness. The condition had progressed severely so I was extremely weak, I was walking so slow just like an 80-year old person, my other half would end up feeding me because I couldn’t hold anything (my hands were too sensitive and it was too painful to hold anything). The medications that I was taking were making me feel worse and I was even developing peripheral neuropathy symptoms and that’s when I told myself ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
This is when I completely changed my approach to dealing with the condition. I told myself that if I am not going to look at different modalities, these pharmaceuticals will just lead me to another illness because of the side effects attached to them. “There must be a way!”, I told myself.
I didn’t find anyone who survived this specific condition online and believe me, I looked everywhere.
When I met this beautiful Homeopath in her 70s, I didn’t expect anything. I was just extremely open to the process and just paying more attention to my body’s response to her remedy. I also had to go through a very strict nutrition protocol and I didn’t have any issues with compliance at all.
When you want to achieve something so bad, you will do WHATEVER it takes to get it, isn’t it.
Before this happened, I loved to go out and do regular things that people my age do. I did high-intensity exercise every day, practiced intermittent fasting, and was very conscious about my health.
You might think how can a completely fit and well person in her 30s develop a rare autoimmune life-threatening condition?
Don’t worry! I know exactly the different precipitating and predisposing factors that led me to this journey. It took me approximately 5-6 months to figure things out myself.
You can watch this video, if interested:
If you’re like me and you’re a little bit nosey, then go ahead and enjoy these 10 random facts:
1. I’m originally from Davao City, Philippines, and moved to the UK when I was 22.
2. I finished my 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in one of the Philippines’ top-ranked universities. 2nd out of 12 in my town and 25th out of 273 in the entire country. Passed the board exam and became a licensed nurse before moving to the UK.
My parents were unable to support my studies financially, so my Aunts who are based in Florida, USA, and a Japanese scholarship program called, “Salamat Po Kai!” helped me finish my education.
3. My first job when I moved to the UK was working with service users with mental disabilities who had a history of aggressive behaviour.
It was in a care home private facility located in North Yorkshire, UK and I was the only qualified woman to work in this Challenging Behaviour Unit.
4. I worked in the following venues serving well-known celebrities and VIPs as a VIP attendant and Team Leader/Manager: Madame Tussauds, O2 Arena, Wembley Arena, Emirates Stadium, Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre, Excel Exhibition Centre, Olympia Exhibition Centre, Cheltenham Racecourse, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Royal Courts of Justice, Stationer’s Hall and Guidhall Crypts.
5. I can read and write the Russian alphabet. I can comprehend basic Russian conversation but I struggle to speak it.
My wife is Russian and taught me from the first few months that we’ve dated. It’s been almost 12 years now since I first laid my eyes on her.
6. Booked and photographed models, couples, and various events; responsible for location scouting, photographing on the wedding day for up to 9 hours, editing photos, and delivering finished products.
7. At one point, I had the opportunity to help a multitude of small business owners and entrepreneurs to launch, run, and grow their own highly successful businesses (online/offline) and reach their profits as a digital marketing consultant.
8. I taught myself how to code. I understand the basic level of Python, HTML 5, CSS, Javascript, DOM Manipulation. I can definitely tell you that I am a certified geek!
I love solving problems!
9. My wife and I have traveled a lot for almost 12 years (you can check my old Instagram here to see the Cities/Countries we’ve been to).
I’ve been to Mother Russia 3 times. If you’ve never been, I strongly recommend going to St. Petersburg first as it has fantastic architecture, it’s tourist-friendly and has a very rich history! If you’re a history buff like me, you need to visit the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo and do not miss seeing the Amber room!
10. When I’m not creating content on my social channels, you’ll find me reading or listening to an audiobook about Leadership & Management, Personal Development, Internal Medicine, Functional Medicine, Nutrition and Naturopathic Medicine.
I’m currently in my final year studying to become a Holistic Nutritionist/ Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM), an award-winning College in London that won a two-time Best College in the prestigious Integrative Healthcare & Applied Nutrition (IHCAN) Education Awards. I’m also a member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP), the leading professional association representing Naturopathic practitioners here in the United Kingdom.
With my personal documentation going through my lifelong journey, I can’t wait to provide you with a ton of valuable tips to help you make the right decisions in overcoming ANY obstacles and adversity in life.
Most especially healing yourself naturally and being PROACTIVE every step of the way!
PS. Feel free to reach out to me here.
Best wishes,
