“In 2003, I started to lose strength in my muscles. It took doctors 18 months to diagnose me with an autoimmune muscle wasting disease called LGMD (Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy). I was told it was a progressive disease with no way to stop the degeneration. I became weaker as my muscles continued to slowly break down. Mentally too I was in a bad state. I was unable to play with my kids, my family life was severely affected. I became scared of any sort of movement as I invariably fell flat while walking or even standing. I was prescribed several medications for anxiety, depression, chronic constipation, skin disorders and chronic pain. Many a times, I would just lock myself in the bathroom and cry for hours in helplessness.

My depression and disillusionment worsened over time. I started getting excruciatingly painful bouts of hip bursitis and had to routinely opt for steroid based injections. Eventually, they too stopped working. Needless to say, I completely lost all hope of living a normal life.

Then a very dear friend of mine recommended that I try learning a breathing technique called ‘Sudarshan Kriya’. What followed was surreal but true. After practising the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique for about 40 days, my years of stress, anxiety and depression simply went away. The rhythmic breathing gave me immense amount of energy. The best part, I no longer needed anxiety and depression pills and my dependency on stimulants such as coffee simply vanished.

I began to think more clearly and took the bold step of taking charge of my own health by enrolling for a year long holistic nutrition program. Based on what I learned, I adopted a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet, and underwent lots of cleansing through juicing and smoothies among other things. Very soon, I saw my pains and aches begin to disappear, my balance improved, and frequency of falling down become less and less. Within a year, I stopped taking all medications. It has been six years now that I have been medication free! My condition has improved significantly and even though I still have LGMD, I consider myself the luckiest person on the planet. I am able to walk and do many of the daily chores that I once thought were impossible. I can even play with my son! In the last four years, I have completed three 5K walks as a proof that true health lies in adopting a holistic lifestyle. This has allowed me to find a deeper meaning to life.

Now, my passion is to help others maintain, improve and restore their health. As a health coach, I encourage people to make the necessary changes to their and their loved ones’ diet and lifestyle before they are diagnosed with some form of sickness. It is much easier to prevent an illness than to recover from one.” – Syed Abbas