My mother went undiagnosed and unmedicated for five decades before she was stabilized with an arsenal of pharmaceuticals. Her diagnosis was manic depression-bipolar affective disorder, but mental stability did not come until late in her life. Back in the day, when she was manic, Medical Doctors prescribed tranquilizers or downers and when she was depressed, they prescribed amphetamines or uppers, creating a drug addicted monster. She had 28 of the 30 key signature signs of the mental illness. As a young child, because of her poor temper control, I received multiple daily beatings and nonstop degradation and verbal abuse, mostly because I would stay in the bathroom for hours and this enraged her. My stepfather; all my brothers and my mom had to get in there at some point too. I was in there a long time because I was so constipated I was dropped over in severe pain, wet from sweat and my bowel movement was stuck and I was horrified to come out of the bathroom like that.

My mom enrolled me in an all female, Roman Catholic, grade school ran by nuns. This was another harsh environment where potty breaks were short & supervised. So many times the Mother Superior would drag me out of the stall by my collar and sometimes catching my long hair with the collar. When I started crying I was hit by her too. My mother hired a woman next door to babysit us until she got home from work. I asked this babysitter to let me in to poop, and I was denied access, so I went behind her shed to poop and got some on me. When my mom got home she smelled it, I told her Lorraine wouldn't let me in, Lorraine lied and said I was not telling the truth, so I got hit by mom immediately, than I got hit by Lorraine the next day. People physically hit children back then with no hesitation.

Further on into 8th grade I developed staph infections on my face which would ooze with debris. I also developed the worst case of athletes' foot anyone had seen. I could not were shoes and my 10 toes were oozing with infection. I was hospitalized with mononucleosis and I asked the doctor to help me to poop and he said "you will eventually go". I was administered large amounts of antibiotics, and I felt sicker than I ever did.

By this time I was mentally damaged and had physical issues so I dropped out of high school in 9th grade and ran away from my home and with nowhere to go and no money; I joined the army national guard. This was worse on my system, because now I was with 52 other women sharing a few facilities and the drill sergeant never left us alone at all, and I spent too much time sick, and all in agreement I was discharged.

Sixty nine different jobs later, fed up with being so sick all the time, I felt my answer lied in a higher education. I had several years of remedial course work to complete before ever even being accepted into college.

After finally obtaining my General Education Diploma, two associate degrees in foods and nutrition, a bachelors of science in dietetics and then upon graduation, I obtained a Nutrition Directors position with the state of North Carolina. My position with the state of North Carolina lasted 11 years. If you elect to work for the state of North Carolina as a nutritionist, you agree to push the Food Guide Pyramid as a healthy lifestyle, and in fact it made me so sick it has taking me years to recuperate. I think most people would agree that the Food Guide Pyramid is the worst eating plan "MAN" has invented. So by then I was the fattest & sickest I ever was, but now I was also completely addicted to senna and cascara sagrada laxatives to poop with. They woke me up out of a sound sleep every single morning with a gripe to the gut that sent me to the bathroom to reveal a liquid mess as a BM. I knew I was not having complete bowel movements. How could this be? I studied all the right curriculums , I had the right job, I was following the Food Guide Pyramid, I was drinking three liters of water daily, I walked an hour every day, I ate whole foods, never drank soda, not much refined foods and still I was so lethargic, moody, brain fogged, irritable, and withdrawn. I was gassy, bloated, had blemishes, my hair was thin but I was fat.

In 2005, my dearest friend gave me a book for Christmas. It was all about Natural Cures for common diseases. It directed me to so many healing modalities that I have never heard of like, colon cleansing, reiki, acupressure, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, reflexology, Candida yeast cleanses and then , Bingo! I read "COLONIC THERAPY". I think my eyes started doing pinwheels & smoke came out of my ears because for some reason, even though I never heard of a colonic before, I just knew I had found my answer! I immediately made an appointment for a colonic and the rest is a beautiful story with a very happy ending.

Ever since my first colonic, I have resigned from main stream, traditional, allopathic, conventional dietetic jobs and obtained several certifications in a holistic, natural, cleansing career to include an advanced level certification as a colonic hydro therapist; a Certified Natural Health Professional, C.N.H.P.; a Naturopathic Doctor, N.D. and future plans for Master herbalist and Iridologist.

It took me decades to get as sick as I was and I cured myself after just a few colonics and learning the right way health care with natural cleansing modalities. That is a miraculous gift. I want to share these gifts with you.

"I propose that we teach anyone, from any background, whatever it is they need to know to create a better internal cleanliness." Gabrielle Rosina Lena Diamante, N.D., Naturopathic Doctor

My Mom Margaret Mary Bennice

A Registered Nurse, R.N. and Certified Natural Health Professional, C.N.H.P. with a passion for helping people, Rebecca is co-owner of Intestinal Fitness, LLC. She believes complementary health modalities need to be incorporated with traditional, mainstream, allopathic, conventional, medical approaches, and her own health history provides the foundation for her belief. Starting in her infancy, Rebecca had severe recurring ear infections, and when kindergarten started so did bronchitis, sinus and throat infections which continued through grade and high schools. Despite her physical challenges, Rebecca's first career as a hairdresser for 20 years initiated a pathway of service which inspired her to pursue a nursing degree.

In her early twenties new problems arose, including infertility, continuous vaginal and skin infections. Inevitably, the constant dosage of different antibiotics in her youth had led to a weakened immune system as an adult. From her 30's to her 40's she suffered with frequent sinus infections and respiratory issues that became worse after age 40. Fatigue, brain fog and intolerance to carbohydrates sent her to doctor after doctor, with the general diagnosis being "some people have more infections than others." She was checked for outdoor allergies, but never checked for food allergies. Between 2000 and 2004, Rebecca's signs and symptoms of sickness had reached an all time high and her immune system had reached an all time low.

Thankfully, in 2004, her work brought her into contact with Gabrielle Rosina Lena Diamante where they both worked for a NC state Public Health Department. Their conversations introduced Rebecca to an alternate way of thinking about her health issues. She started with colonics, saw naturopathic doctors and got on the right track with her diet, using the proper herbs to build up her immune system. The colonics kept her system flushed and her health started to improve. She discovered that she had leaky gut syndrome—a condition where microscopic holes in the small intestine cause food to leak out into the system, mostly caused by yeast overgrowth from overuse of antibiotics and severe stress. Probiotics, digestive enzymes, internal cleansing, colonics, alkaline eating plans, building up adrenals, thyroid, etc, etc helped heal her intestinal issues and Rebecca has been infection & antibiotic free and healthy since 2005. It turned out that allergies to dairy and gluten had been the main triggers of her body's distress signals.

In 2007, Rebecca and Gabrielle opened a natural health and wellness clinic. Her professional knowledge and deep level of caring are evident in her status as a R.N., Ionic Detox footbath specialist, C.N.H.P., Clinic Manager and Natural Health Coach. Rebecca's enthusiasm for natural wellness is leading her into a certification as a Master Herbalist.

" I entered the field of complementary health since for decades I couldn't find help in the mainstream medical world. Natural Health Modalities were better suited for me with my issues. I believe there are hundreds of Natural Health Modalities to be explored and ideally should be incorporated with traditional methods."

- Rebecca Anne Sorrell