What Your Body's Whispers Mean (Before They Become Screams)
I couldn't remember a bedtime story.
It was 2018. I'd been telling my kids the same story every single night for eight years—since my oldest was born. A night nurse had taught me to memorize one story and repeat it every night so the kids would know it was time to sleep when they heard it.
Eight years. The same story. Every single night.
That night, I started the first sentence... and nothing. I couldn't remember the words. I couldn't remember what the story was about. I couldn't remember anything.
I was 39 years old.
A few months later, I was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
I was also allergic to 69 out of 72 things tested. I couldn't walk from a parking spot to a grocery store without strategizing my energy. My body was shutting down.
But here's what nobody tells you:
My body had been screaming at me for years. I just didn't know how to listen.
The chronic sinus infections that started in college? Whisper.
The brain fog I blamed on "mom brain"? Whisper.
The inflammation I thought was just "baby weight"? Whisper.
The fatigue that made me feel like I needed everything to be perfect just to function? SCREAM.
By the time I got the dementia diagnosis, my body had moved from whispers to screams. And I'd spent over a decade ignoring every single warning sign.
I'm writing this today because I don't want that to be your story too.
The Whispers I Ignored (And Nearly Died For)
Here's what I wish someone had told me in 2010. Or 2014. Or even 2016:
Your body speaks a language you were never taught to understand.
It doesn't speak in English. It speaks in:
Fatigue
Brain fog
Digestive issues
Skin problems
Hormonal chaos
Pain
Mood swings
Recurring infections
These aren't random. They're not "just stress." They're not "normal aging." They're not "all in your head."
They're intelligent communication.
And if you don't learn to listen to the whispers, they will become screams.
Let me show you the 5 early warning signs your body uses—and what they actually mean.
Warning Sign #1: "Everything Has to Be PERFECT or I Crash"
What It Looks Like:
You feel okay when you eat perfectly, sleep perfectly, and avoid all stress
One "cheat meal" or bad night of sleep completely derails you
You're constantly monitoring and controlling everything
You feel like you're white-knuckling your way through life
Your family thinks you're "too strict" or "obsessive"
What Your Body Is Actually Saying:
"My reserves are depleted. I'm running on empty. There's no buffer left."
Your body should have RESILIENCE—the ability to handle normal life stress without falling apart. When you lose that buffer, it's your body's way of saying: "The toxic load is too high, and I can't keep up."
My Story:
After a year of detoxing from mold, I felt "better"—but only if everything was perfect. Perfect diet. Perfect sleep. Perfect supplements. Zero stress.
My dad got frustrated when I couldn't eat fish he'd cooked with butter. He said, "This is ridiculous."
And you know what? He was right—it was stressful to live that way. But I didn't know there was another option yet.
I was surviving. But I wasn't living.
The Root Cause:
✗ Blocked drainage pathways (kidneys, liver, lymph, colon)
✗ Toxic burden exceeding your body's processing capacity
✗ Nervous system stuck in survival mode
✗ Mitochondrial dysfunction (cellular energy crisis)
Warning Sign #2: "I'm Doing Everything RIGHT But Still Feel OFF"
What It Looks Like:
You eat organic, exercise, take supplements—all the "right" things
Your labs come back "normal" but you feel terrible
Doctors dismiss you or say "it's just stress"
You've tried multiple protocols with minimal results
You feel frustrated, dismissed, or like you're "crazy"
What Your Body Is Actually Saying:
"The surface-level stuff isn't enough. Something deeper is stuck."
When you're "doing everything right" but not improving, your body is signaling that the root cause hasn't been addressed yet.
My Story:
I was the poster child for clean living: 100% organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised everything. Zero toxins in my home. Every supplement protocol imaginable.
And I was still dying.
Mold toxicity. Lyme disease. Allergic to 69 things. Brain fog so bad I couldn't drive.
The functional medicine doctors kept running more labs. More protocols. More supplements.
But I kept surviving... barely.
The Root Cause:
✗ Toxins AND parasites together (addressing one without the other keeps you in a loop)
✗ Unprocessed emotional trauma stored in tissues/organs
✗ Nervous system dysregulation (operating from survival instead of healing)
✗ Spiritual misalignment (ignoring your soul's calling creates physical symptoms)
Generic protocols fail because YOUR body is unique. What works for "most people" might be completely wrong for YOU.
Warning Sign #3: "I'm Always SICK or Always EXHAUSTED (Or Both)"
What It Looks Like:
You catch every cold, flu, or bug that goes around
You're exhausted no matter how much you sleep
Recovery from illness takes weeks instead of days
Exercise makes you feel WORSE, not better
You need caffeine just to function
What Your Body Is Actually Saying:
"My immune system is overwhelmed. I'm spending all my energy just trying to survive."
When your body is fighting chronic infections, toxins, or pathogens, there's no energy left for healing, joy, or resilience.
My Story:
My husband and I used to joke that I was "the lemon." I got sick constantly. Every bug. Every cold. Every flu.
I thought it was normal.
By 2019, I couldn't walk from a parking spot to a grocery store without strategizing my energy. Going to my son's mini-triathlon, I stood there calculating: Do I have enough energy to walk across this parking lot to watch him finish?
I watched him cross the finish line... and then told my husband, "We have to leave NOW. I can't make it."
He asked if we needed to call an ambulance. I said no—I just needed to go lay down in the hotel room, alone, in silence.
I spent six hours focusing on my breath. That's it. Just breathing. Giving gratitude to God for each breath.
That was my rock bottom.
The Root Cause:
✗ Chronic infections: Mold, Lyme, parasites, viruses, bacteria (often multiple at once)
✗ Mitochondrial dysfunction: Your cellular "batteries" are depleted
✗ Toxic overload: Your body is spending all its energy detoxing instead of living
✗ Adrenal fatigue/HPA axis dysfunction: Your stress response system is burnt out
Warning Sign #4: "My Digestion Is a MESS"
What It Looks Like:
Bloating, gas, cramping after meals
Constipation, diarrhea, or alternating between both
Food sensitivities that keep growing
Brain fog that gets worse after eating
Skin issues (acne, eczema, rashes)
Hormonal imbalances (irregular periods, PMS, mood swings)
What Your Body Is Actually Saying:
"My gut is compromised. And since 70% of my immune system lives here, EVERYTHING is affected."
Your gut is the foundation of your health. When it's not working, nothing else can work properly.
My Story:
In 2014, I was exercising intensely, eating "clean," and my stomach just kept getting BIGGER. I thought it was fat I couldn't lose.
A nutritionist pinched my stomach and said, "That's not fat. That's inflammation."
She asked if I was eating raw food. I said no... until I realized I'd been drinking daily smoothies with raw kale and spinach.
Turns out my gut was so inflamed that raw food was making everything worse.
The Root Cause:
✗ Leaky gut: Gaps in gut lining allow toxins/food particles into bloodstream
✗ Gut dysbiosis: Bad bacteria/parasites outnumber good bacteria
✗ Low stomach acid: Can't break down food properly (causes bloating, malnutrition)
✗ Nervous system dysregulation: You can't digest in "fight or flight" mode
The gut-brain connection is REAL. The gut-hormone connection is REAL. The gut-immune connection is REAL.
When your gut is inflamed:
Your brain gets foggy (inflammatory molecules cross blood-brain barrier)
Your hormones tank (gut bacteria regulate estrogen metabolism)
Your immune system overreacts (creating autoimmune-like symptoms)
Warning Sign #5: "I Feel DISCONNECTED, ANXIOUS, or LOST"
What It Looks Like:
Constant anxiety or feeling "on edge"
Difficulty making decisions (even small ones)
Feeling numb or disconnected from yourself
Loss of joy in things you used to love
Sense that you're just "going through the motions"
Physical symptoms that doctors can't explain
What Your Body Is Actually Saying:
"My nervous system is stuck in survival mode. I can't access my intuition, my peace, or my purpose because I'm just trying to survive."
This is the most overlooked warning sign—and often the most important.
My Story:
For years, I thought I was "living my best life": Three kids in three schools. Volunteering constantly. Running galas. Serving on charity boards. Showing up for everyone.
But my doctors said: "You've done everything for your physical body. You need to work on stress."
I was confused. What stress? I love my life!
Then COVID shut down the world.
Suddenly: No carpools. No volunteering. No social obligations. No showing up at my husband's work events.
And I felt BETTER.
That's when I realized: My stress wasn't perceived—it was REAL. My nervous system was in chronic overdrive, even though my mind thought I was fine.
The Root Cause:
✗ Nervous system dysregulation: Stuck in fight/flight instead of rest/digest
✗ Unprocessed trauma: Stored in your tissues, organs, and subconscious mind
✗ Spiritual misalignment: Ignoring your soul's calling creates physical symptoms
✗ Energetic blocks: Preventing you from experiencing positive emotions (yes, this is real)
Your mind protects you from the past. Your spirit guides you toward your purpose.
When your nervous system is dysregulated and your mind is in survival mode, you CAN'T access your spiritual guidance. You're cut off from your intuition, your peace, and your path forward.
You can't heal in survival mode.
The Truth About Warning Signs
Here's what I spent over $100,000 and five years learning:
These symptoms aren't random. They're not separate problems. They're your body's intelligent communication system.
Your body is trying to tell you:
Where toxins are stuck
Which organs need support
What emotions are stored in your tissues
Whether you're aligned with your purpose
The problem? You were never taught how to LISTEN.
Doctors are trained to treat symptoms, not decode communication. Labs show you snapshots, not real-time intelligence.
Generic protocols guess at what "most people" need—but YOUR body is unique.
What Changed Everything For Me
In May 2019, lying in that hotel room for six hours, focusing on my breath, I made a covenant with God:
"If you let me keep breathing, I will figure this out. I will heal myself, I will heal my son, and I will go back to school to heal other people."
That wasn't just a prayer. It was a promise. And I kept it.
What I discovered changed everything:
1. Your Body Knows What It Needs
I learned muscle testing—a way to ask my body yes/no questions and get immediate, precise answers. No more guessing. No more expensive labs. Just real-time intelligence from MY body about what MY body needs.
2. You Need All Three: Body, Mind, AND Spirit
I spent years working on just my physical body. I stayed in survival mode.
Then I addressed my nervous system and subconscious patterns. I moved to functioning better.
When I finally aligned with my spiritual calling and reconnected to my purpose? That's when I started THRIVING.
3. Healing Requires Precision, Not Protocols
What works for "most people" failed me completely. But when I learned to ask MY body what MY body needed in real-time? Everything changed.
I went from:
Allergic to 69 things → Eating freely without fear
Unable to drive → Clear-minded and focused
Early-onset dementia → Completing naturopathic school + passing boards
Needing everything perfect to survive → Resilient and thriving
And I can help you do it in 6-9 months instead of the years it took me.
Why I'm Telling You This
I ignored my body's whispers for over a decade. By the time I listened, they'd become screams—and I'd lost the ability to drive, to think clearly, to function.
I don't want that to be your story. If you resonated with even ONE of these warning signs, your body is trying to tell you something.
The question is: Are you ready to listen?
What to Do Next
I created a free guide that walks you through these 5 warning signs in more detail, including:
What each sign means for YOUR body specifically
Simple steps you can take THIS WEEK to start listening
How to track your symptoms to see patterns
When to dig deeper vs. when to start with basics
Download: "5 Signs Your Body Is Trying to Tell You Something (And What to Do Before It's Too Late)"
Inside, you'll also get access to my weekly newsletter where I teach:
How to use muscle test yourself
Root cause healing strategies
Body-Mind-Spirit integration
Real stories from real clients
A Final Thought
Your body isn't broken. Your body isn't failing you.
Your body is speaking a language you haven't learned yet. But you can learn it. I promise.
I went from early-onset dementia and near-death to becoming a Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor who teaches women how to become experts on their OWN bodies. If I can do it, you can too.
Let me teach you how to listen.
With gratitude, love, and purpose,
Elena B. Peden, BCND, FMCHC, MBSR-P
Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor
Clean Life Real World
P.S. - In December, I'm launching something I've been working on for months: A complete course teaching you how to muscle test yourself. No more guessing. No more expensive labs. Just you and your body's innate wisdom.
Want to be the first to know when it launches? Join the waitlist here.