Who am I?

Disclaimer: The information provided is for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a licensed practitioner.

My name is Claudia and I'm a thirty-something year old psychologist who is becoming an old lady before her time.  Even though I look youthful and healthy- my husband and friends say I look like I'm in my twenties, God bless them- I drag through the day, saddled with muscle pain, migraines, IBS, and brain fog like you wouldn't believe.  I am tired of feeling tired, so I decided to take action.  Now, as a good psychologist, I know that it's important to keep data.  This blog contains my data.  Where I stray from my training is that I'm making several changes at the same time; thus, it will be difficult to figure out which variable is making the difference.  However, since I'm too impatient to make only one change at a time, I'll do my best to weed out what's working as I go along.

But enough psychobabble.  Time to get to know the other side of Claudia.  Why the moniker, Claudia "The Mouth."  Well, years ago my siblings and my BFF were watching "Goodfellas" and decided we should all have a Mafia name.  My family is Italian and this seemed very fitting at the time, even though none of us support organized crime.  Because I talk a lot and tend to put my foot in my mouth, I got the name, "The Mouth."  However, knowing this tendency of mine to give Too Much Information, my husband of one year (but S.O. of six) has asked that I keep my stories about him to a minimum.  I will try, dear husband, but you knew what you were getting into when you married me.  LOL. Not only will my blog contain details of my dietary changes, supplement consumption, and results, but I'll also include stories that may only be tangentially related.  Yup, that's what he's afraid of since some of my best stories include him. 

Most importantly though, I am writing this blog in hopes that not only can I heal myself, but that I may also help someone else out there who is suffering.  Being in pain is no fun.  I waffled on writing this blog.  Some of the details I'll share may be pretty embarrassing and/or personal, but today something happened that convinced me to do this.  As I revealed to a colleague (and friend) of mine some of the health issues I've been having and the changes I've made/am making that have helped me,  she revealed that she experiences very similar health difficulties and has struggled for years, thinking she was the only young person who felt that way.  She encouraged me to follow through with my blog, adding that I may help others out there in cyberspace who have given up hope of ever feeling better.  So, here I am, The Glutenless Italian.  Thanks for reading and Cento Anni!