When I was 9 years old, I developed stiff and painful joints, digestive issues and abdominal pain, experienced weight loss and had alarmingly poor blood test results. After a few months of visiting specialists and undergoing tests at various hospitals, with an initial misdiagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and ruling out Leukaemia, I was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (an autoimmune and inflammatory bowel disease) as well as anemia. Over the next two decades, I continued to suffer from these issues as well as: chronic acne, eczema, oedema, cellulitis, staph and strep infections, dermatitis, c-difficile, styes, amenorrhea, brain fog, severe nausea and vomiting, light-headedness, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, psoriasis, hair loss, severe bloating, diarrhea, insomnia, nerve pain/inflammation, nutritional deficiencies and more.

My health worsened the older I got. All the specialists explained that to treat my particular issues, my only choice was to turn to medications. Then, when the disease worsened beyond what management of medications could handle (or treatments failed to work) the next option to get the Crohn’s under control was surgery followed by more medications to manage symptoms until another surgery was deemed necessary — fuelling a never-ending, vicious cycle of managing my chronic illness and symptoms.

I was given numerous treatments by my doctors over a period of 20 years, including but not limited to: endless rounds of corticosteroids; intravenous biologic medications every few weeks for over a year; years of immunosuppressive antimetabolites, antiemetics, opioid analgesics, antispasmodics, proton pump inhibitors, B12 shots, numerous forms of iron including different pills as well as years of infusions and injections as well as over 50 rounds of antibiotics and more than 20 blood infusions. I also had quite a lot of radiation exposure from constant x-rays, CT scans and MRIs. I had to get bloodwork done every few months. In addition to the physical pain and issues from having an aggressive form of Crohn’s disease, I also developed serious and dreadful side effects from all of these medications and treatments as well as understandable trauma from simply living life with chronic illness and all that this entails. I experimented with other modalities to complement my traditional treatments and had seen several (underwhelming) nutritionists, alternative and functional practitioners since childhood, but the diets, experimental and off-label medications as well as supplements never amounted to any meaningful results.

I had spent months in hospitals, including weeks at a time quarantined with infections, and, of course, hours upon hours waiting in specialist’s offices. My early and mid-20s were riddled with trips to the emergency room because of the unbearable abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting (these were my main symptoms during Crohn’s flares). I was also constantly getting severe cellulitis infections on my legs that required hospitalization. I didn’t know life to be any other way other than being sick and in pain for so much of the time and being treated with ‘bandaid’ solutions for my problems while I got through university, work and social situations. I was stuck in a revolving door of doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and hospitals.

At the age of 27, my body simply couldn’t take it anymore and it let me know. Very rapidly, I developed extremely frightening and intense symptoms, including not being able to stand up on my own from extreme dizziness and pain. My bloodwork and imaging results were extremely concerning. I was hospitalized for seven weeks in which I was given a handful of blood transfusions, IV antibiotics round the clock, put on a feeding tube and had an emergency bowel resection surgery in which a significant portion of my small intestine was removed. The recovery process was excruciatingly long and difficult, both physically and emotionally. Less than a year following my surgery, I had another major shock that shattered my world: my youngest brother died suddenly in a tragic accident. My brother and I were extremely close and it unequivocally devastated me. The trauma and distress from this profound loss severely impacted my mental, emotional and physical health for many years after and always will.

Choosing to move forward with my health, I was now ready to try something new — this required me to re-examine the two-decade long approach to health I had adapted, namely, relying primarily on a conventional allopathic/Western approach that I had been entrenched in since childhood. This meant a new undertaking for me: stop silencing and suppressing my symptoms, start listening to my body, figure out the reason why I was chronically ill and finally, fully commit to improving my health. On an instinctual level, I knew it was possible to heal. This was my call to take radical responsibility and reclaim agency over my health.

I spent months researching and experimenting with alternative and natural modalities. It wasn’t easy but I was quite determined and had critical social support this time. I started by immersing myself in naturopathic medicine, herbalism, nutritional therapy and whole food diets. I read documented accounts of healing from individuals, medical doctors, researchers and alternative health practitioners and scoured through all available nutritional research. I developed such an interest in these subjects that I eventually got formal education and training in nutrition and had brilliant professors and mentors to guide me.

After experimenting and implementing what I studied about the healing power of herbs, food, and high-quality nutritional supplements, I was able to recover naturally using a holistic and evidence-based approach. I was finally able to find the causes behind all of my chronic health issues, effectively achieve full remission of my Crohn’s and, thus far, resolve almost all of my other symptoms and conditions. What I learned from my own experience and my naturopathic and nutritional studies is that the body never works against itself — it just needs to be provided with the right tools and environment to change and heal.

For the very first time in my life I experienced what feeling good and having true freedom actually felt like! I realized that I had the power to make decisions that could alter my dismal health trajectory and stop me from being perpetually confined to my couch and hospital beds.

Background

My name is Danica Plenkovic and I am a Registered Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and Entrepreneur. My personal journey through disabling autoimmune conditions affected me for over two decades, after which I changed my life dramatically in order to recover and gain control of my health. I now helps my clients do the same!

I hold a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a Master of Arts in Psychology and Criminology. During my years in academia, I gained extensive experience in educating and mentoring individuals through working as a Teaching Assistant at the Universities of Ottawa and Windsor (for numerous courses, including Quantitative Research Methods, Statistics, Criminology, Criminal Justice as well as Psychology as a Social Science). I presented my dissertation research for academic audiences at national and international conferences and have previously worked for the federal government as an Integrity Services Officer, at the provincial level as a Youth Program Officer and as a front-line Crisis Counsellor at an Ottawa-based non-governmental organization. I have worked with multiple university organizations for which I helped organize and run various events such as Annual Campus Health Fairs. I have helped raise money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada by participating in community events, including Ottawa’s Annual Gutsy Walk. Later on, I also successfully built and ran my own business providing educational content and courses.

My interest in the power of nutrition was sparked after it brought my own health back to balance following period of prolonged and severe illness. Realizing a career in health was for me, I obtained a certificate in Nutrition from Cornell University and subsequently earned diplomas in Naturopathic Nutrition and Anatomy & Physiology from The School of Health. This included three years of nutritional clinical observation as well as direct participation in naturopathic clinics during and following my studies. I am registered with the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP).

Rooted in a social science and research background, I focus on exploring the psychological elements of nutrition and how emotional and core beliefs can affect our food choices as well as the ways government, corporations and media play critical roles in the way societies and individuals perceive health. What further sets me apart from other practitioners is my own personal health journey. This prolonged experience informs my work with unique insight, connection and empathy for clients seeking support. My career now focuses on running my own holistic health practice in which I live my passion daily: helping clients all over the world regain their health naturally, just like I did.

naturopathic nutritional therapist