052: Surviving Lead & Mercury Poisoning w/ Camille Thornton-Alson
Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman
Shownotes Transcript
Camille Thornton-Alson is a classically trained actress, coach, and teacher. A longtime friend of Lauren’s, the two met while studying abroad in London – right before Camille began a stint in Paris at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. Following her stay in France, Camille returned home to the Bay Area and was immediately stricken with a mysterious illness…one that took her almost a decade to break through. Mistakenly diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, for years she struggled to find her footing while maintaining an active career in the arts (and graduating with a MFA from the University of Washington). Eventually, she was diagnosed with lead and mercury poisoning…and after years of inner remediation (think major detoxing and every change in diet – and in mindset – that you can imagine), she now lives a full and functional life, mindful of her sensitivities. She teaches acting at Santa Barbara City College and USC, among others, and is the co-founder of Speak L****A, an organization founded to help actors find their way in Hollywood. In this episode, she sat down with Lauren to share her journey – long and winding, but with a happy ending indeed.
**Tune in as Camille shares… **
that she first got sick at 19 years old – and got progressively worse over several years with various infections
that she finally decided to do something about her illness after collapsing in a dance class
her symptoms: inexplicable chronic pain, fatigue, infections, brain fog, an inability to digest food, and muscle weakness
that she advocated for herself early on: sitting her doctors down at that young age to give full health histories
that her doctors told her she had CFS, and that she’d have to learn to live her life that way
that it took 7-8 years for her to get the diagnosis of lead and mercury poisoning
the fine line she walked between giving up and striving through her illness
that she lost a lot of friends during the period of her illness
that the only people she could keep up with were seniors in a Tai Chi class – but it was very nourishing to move and commune with others
that she would spend the week before and during her period almost unable to open her eyes from her crippling fatigue
that she saw her life passing her by, and struggled to find beauty in who she was and in her experience
that she came down with EBV while in grad school
that early integrative testing indicated a thyroid problem – but her integrative doctor had a feeling that the thyroid problem was tied to something deeper, so she kept digging…and found lead and mercury poisoning that were off the charts
that she made a decision very early on that she would not die
that the illness bred an underlying fear in her: would she make it through today, or survive tomorrow?
how she gave in to healing protocols and moved forward despite her fears
that she went through a grieving process once she was better, because she’d fought so hard for years and realized her survival, fully acknowledging her past
what she learned from her illness – that the gift of chronic, life-threatening conditions is that you learn to take care of yourself
that she felt resentment through her healing, feeling she was denying pleasures to herself – but so appreciates the importance of her protocols in her current, full health
that the biggest change in her life was in changing the way she ate
that it wasn’t only diet that allowed her to detox: she also used in-office IV chelation for a full year, during her final year of grad school
that none of her chelation treatments were covered by insurance – but they saved her life
that surviving chronic illness gives you a deeper understanding of humanity – and deeper empathy
that self-advocacy and survival can be a lonely road
why she believes that there is always a diagnosis – an underlying cause
that she was additionally diagnosed with fibromyalgia – which was actually a symptom of her lead poisoning
that your body loves you and is on your side – but it’s trying to tell you what’s wrong
that getting sick forced her to check her ego
how gratitude has transformed her mindset
that she continues to choose – on a daily basis – to make her wellness a priority This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uninvisiblepod.substack.com)