When Life Stopped Me — and Showed Me a New Way Forward

Hi everyone,

Many of you may have noticed that I stopped writing my weekly articles over the past few years. Today, I would like to share the reason—and how this unexpected pause profoundly transformed my life.

My Critical Experience with COVID

In August of 2021, I contracted COVID and became seriously ill. I was hospitalized and spent five days in the ICU. The virus initial symptoms affected my stomach and spleen, causing intense and continuous vomiting and diarrhea during the first night. This led to severe dehydration and caused me to lose consciousness.

Hyponatremia and Life-Threatening Condition

With the loss of fluids, my electrolytes became imbalanced, and my sodium levels dropped to extremely low levels: 112 mEq/L (the normal range for adults is 135–145 mEq/L). This condition, called hyponatremia, can be potentially fatal.

This critical situation requires immediate medical attention, as sodium levels below 120 mEq/L can cause seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, and severe brain edema. In my case, I completely lost consciousness and fell into a coma.

I regained consciousness after one day of hospitalization and treatment, but my electrolytes continued to fluctuate. My sodium levels alternated between low and high levels, and it took four more days in the ICU for them to stabilize.

While I was hospitalized, I heard my physician say several times that she was doing everything possible, yet repeated blood tests showed that my body was not responding adequately to treatment.

A Profound Turning Point

That moment became a profound turning point in my life. Not because of fear, but because of an immense sense of freedom and the realization that it was not my physician who ultimately had control over my life, but a Higher Power.

During this critical period, I experienced deep spiritual moments that completely transformed me. Something inside me changed. I began to see life from a different perspective. I realized that we are here on a mission for a limited time, and that when we leave, we return to our true home—the place from which we came. Why fear?

Recovery at Home

When I was finally discharged, I was still extremely weak and coughing a great deal, since my physician’s primary focus had been stabilizing my sodium levels. Many COVID symptoms continued without specific treatment. My recovery at home took a full month and required considerable effort, including changes in diet, improvements in lifestyle, and the use of certain supplements tailored to my needs.

It was during that month that something unexpected began to emerge.

My Calling for Traditional Chinese Medicine

I began researching programs in both Conventional Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. There was a very strong inner calling—a desire not only to be cared for, but to serve others, to help, to care, and to give back.

After several meetings with different universities, I felt a deep connection with the curriculum of a Traditional Chinese Medicine program. Something truly touched my heart and spirit in a very special way.

Reflecting on my experiences, I could see clearly that conventional medicine had helped me many times throughout my life, especially in treating acute health conditions. I could not forget that it had just helped me during the critical situation I had recently faced, stabilizing my blood sodium levels — as it had in other serious health emergencies over the years.

However, conventional medicine had not been able to help me with some health problems that became chronic. One of them was a neurological condition that appeared in 2008, which practically paralyzed my life for 12 years. From that point on, I also faced a cascade of other health challenges — persistent digestive problems, all kinds of allergies, malnutrition, and panic syndrome, among others. These conditions gradually became chronic and were steadily eroding my quality of life. Unfortunately, I could not find solutions through conventional medicine. It was only through profound changes in my diet and lifestyle that I was finally able to resolve them.

Why Traditional Chinese Medicine

For this reason, the path of prevention and integrative care resonated deeply with me. I followed this calling and enrolled at ATOM – Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale.

Intense Academic Journey

Between the Metrorail and the Brightline train, my daily commute to school took between two and three hours. Not only that, but my new academic journey was equally intense — thousands of hours of classes and clinical practice. My days began at 5 a.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m. Because of this demanding schedule, I had to focus completely on my studies and temporarily put my article writing on hold.

Fortunately, on December 21st, I graduated. It was a moment of profound gratitude—not only for completing my education, but for recognizing that I had been given a second chance to live and serve others.

These past few years have brought me not only knowledge and clinical experience, but also a deep understanding of what it means to be vulnerable, to depend on others, to develop resilience, to cultivate calmness, strengthen faith, and receive a second chance at life.

A New Chapter in My Life

Now that I have completed my studies, I commit to writing at least one article each week. My goal is to educate, guide, and serve my patients, friends, family, and community with meaningful and practical information about health, lifestyle, and well-being, while continuing to learn and grow.

Lessons I Learned

I have come to understand that medicine is not an exact science; it is an applied science—the science of human beings. Because humans are complex and constantly changing, medicine must also evolve.

An important lesson often taught in medical schools is that half of what we learn today may become outdated within a few years—yet no one knows which half. For this reason, humility and lifelong learning are essential for anyone who chooses to care for others. In life, we never stop learning.

Conclusion and Gratitude

I have been gathering a large list of topics that have sparked my interest in recent times and have already started working on some very interesting articles. I plan to share some of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years — about health, prevention, and the balance between body, mind, and spirit.

I would also like to invite you to suggest topics of personal interest. It will be an honor to help clarify questions while I continue to explore subjects related to health and lifestyle more deeply.

Thank you for reading and for being part of this new chapter of my journey.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and your families a year full of health, balance, vitality, learning, growth, joy, prosperity, and endless blessings.

With deep gratitude,

Elianni Gaio

References:

1-    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373711 - Hyponatremia (Mayo Clinic)

2-    https://atom.edu – Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine