Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmina Ykelenstam.
Yasmina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was working as a journalist for CNN and the BBC in war zones like Iraq and Lebanon when I suddenly got really sick with crazy, seemingly unrelated symptoms like brain fog, dizziness, food intolerances, rashes, hair loss and many others. I ended up quitting my job to work out what was wrong with me because doctors couldn’t work it out.
Finally, it turned out to be something called Histamine Intolerance, which causes the build-up of too much inflammation in the body. It causes allergy-like symptoms without any positive allergy tests.
I started blogging to organize my thoughts and come up with recipes that didn’t trigger the histamine inflammation. Soon people were reading and writing to me and so I started writing cookbooks, running workshops and being covered in worldwide media. It’s been a really amazing journey.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all! It’s been a crazy ride full of twists and turns, but life has taught me to look at obstacles as part of the healing process. I now take everything with a heaping pinch of salt and go with the flow. Being healthy isn’t a god given right for most of us, it’s something that needs to be nurtured and pursued.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in recipes, workshops and online programs that help people suffering from pseudo allergies figure out what’s going on with them, the doctors they might want to work with, and I do lots of fun stuff like Facebook lives.
Getting messages daily from people thanking me for changing their lives (or saving it – their words not mine) is the most amazing part of the job. I’m grateful that my personal experiences have served a greater purpose than just helping me.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
California has long been a Mecca for those in health. I can’t think of a better place to be. I would say though that I probably couldn’t have afforded LA rents when first starting my business. I was living in London when I did and I moved way out to the countryside where rents were a quarter of the price and stayed there while investing all I could afford into the business.
Living at home or starting the business while working a steady job is a couple of ways around this. I was running a company already while I started up this one.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.healinghistamine.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/healing.histamine
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/healinghistamine
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
