AntzDoodles

13/05/2026

2024: Integration (Ayurveda + Allopathy)

One thing this journey taught me is that healing doesn’t have to belong to just one system.

I never stopped believing in Ayurveda. The only reason I moved to allopathy was because, post-COVID, my body spiralled into a severe flare and nothing else was working anymore. I had run out of options.

When I finally started allopathic treatment and the pain began to stabilize, I became even more conscious of what the medication was doing to my body. Every few months, I was monitoring my liver, kidneys, and heart. The medicines were helping me—but I was also deeply aware of their intensity.

So I knew I didn’t want to abandon Ayurveda.

Instead, I found my own way of integrating the two.

Allopathy helps me manage the inflammation and pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
Ayurveda helps me support my body through detox, nourishment, and lifestyle.

One stabilizes the disease.
The other helps me restore balance.

My hope over time is to maintain a clean lifestyle, support my body as much as I can, and eventually work toward the lowest effective dosage possible.

For me, healing was never about choosing sides.

It was about learning balance.

08/05/2026

2024: FOOD AS MEDICINE

When my allopathy doctor prescribed the medication, I asked the question I had asked for years:

“What about my diet?”

He said,
“You can eat anything.”

HOW I had waited to hear those words.

For years, diet had been the hardest part of this journey. I fought it, resisted it, and even called it my “prison diet.” I made endless doodles about it.

Back then, all I wanted was freedom. And now… I finally had it.

But something felt different.

After everything I had learned — the elimination diets, the trial and error, understanding what caused inflammation and what helped — I just couldn’t go back.

My first thought was:
No, I can’t.

Somewhere along the way, I had changed.

I wasn’t rebelling anymore.
I was aware.

I understood my body.
And I actually cared for it.

So I made a new kind of choice.
At home, I continue to eat clean, simple, and mindful.
(Though yes, I did sneak Amul butter back into my life after ten years — I had missed it!)

And when I go out, I allow myself some freedom.

Not mindless. Not restrictive.

Just balanced.

Funny how the thing that once felt like a prison…
became something I now choose for myself.

08/05/2026

2024:
When my allopathy doctor prescribed the medication, I asked the question I had asked for years:

“What about my diet?”

He said,
“You can eat anything.”

HOW I had waited to hear those words.

For years, diet had been the hardest part of this journey. I fought it, resisted it, and even called it my “prison diet.” I made endless doodles about it.

Back then, all I wanted was freedom. And now… I finally had it.

But something felt different.

After everything I had learned — the elimination diets, the trial and error, understanding what caused inflammation and what helped — I just couldn’t go back.

My first thought was:
No, I can’t.

Somewhere along the way, I had changed.

I wasn’t rebelling anymore.
I was aware.

I understood my body.
And I actually cared for it.

So I made a new kind of choice.
At home, I continue to eat clean, simple, and mindful.
(Though yes, I did sneak Amul butter back into my life after ten years — I had missed it!)

And when I go out, I allow myself some freedom.

Not mindless. Not restrictive.

Just balanced.

Funny how the thing that once felt like a prison…
became something I now choose for myself.

22/04/2026

Life update - 
Part 6: — 2024/25

Say hello to Stripy 2.0!

After months of adjusting to the medication, something slowly began to shift.
My body was stabilizing. The pain was easing.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like I could breathe again.

Living with rheumatoid arthritis during a flare isn’t just about pain. It slowly takes away the simplest parts of life.

At my worst, even holding a glass of water or picking up a pen felt difficult. Movement became slow and cautious.

So when my body finally began responding to treatment, getting my life back felt extraordinary.

I could travel again.
I could work again.
I could go to concerts, dance, jump, and move freely again.

I could finally do all the little things without pain.
And for the first time in a long while, I could truly feel my body again.

What a journey it has been.

It took patience, discipline, and a lot of resilience. But it also reminded me how powerful the body can be when given the right support.

Today I feel strong, stable, and deeply grateful.

Stripy 2.0 is officially back. 💛

13/10/2024

Life update – Part 2:

In September 2022, I admitted myself to an Ayurvedic hospital—a place that had always been my refuge. But by the time I arrived, I was shattered—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The pain consumed me. I couldn’t sit, stand, sleep, or walk without feeling it tear through me. It was sharp, relentless, and overwhelming—etched into my body, mind, and soul. There was no escaping it. COVID had twisted my body in ways I couldn’t understand—my blood reports were normal, yet I was drowning in agony.

People close to me, the ones who believed in my strength, kept saying, “If anyone can get through this, it’s you,” or, “You’re the bravest person I know.” They meant well, but their words felt suffocating. Each encouragement became another weight, another mountain to climb. But I didn’t feel brave—I was crumbling, and all I could see was darkness.

Tired of my complaints and negativity, I shut myself off from the world—except for my mom. I just wanted silence and space to heal. I cried more than I ever had, for days, weeks even. The pain became so unbearable I couldn’t turn in bed without feeling like my body was on fire.

I stayed at the hospital for SEVEN excruciating weeks, undergoing every therapy available. With my experience in Ayurveda, I knew healing takes time—it targets the root cause instead of masking symptoms. I kept reminding myself to be patient. Based on past experiences, I believed results would show in 60-90 days. But this time, relief never came.

I tried and tried, but the pain clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. Every effort felt like hitting a thick, immovable wall. I kept waiting for the smallest shift to confirm I was on the right path. But nothing changed. I was trapped in a loop of misery, dragging myself through the same pain day after day, with no end in sight.

For the first time, I felt completely defeated—my body refused to cooperate, and I couldn’t fathom a way forward. It was as if every option had vanished, leaving me stuck in unbearable pain. I had reached my breaking point—beyond frustration, beyond endurance, lost in a maze with no exit.

13/10/2024

Life update – Part 2:

In September 2022, I admitted myself to an Ayurvedic hospital—a place that had always been my refuge. But by the time I arrived, I was shattered—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The pain consumed me. I couldn’t sit, stand, sleep, or walk without feeling it tear through me. It was sharp, relentless, and overwhelming—etched into my body, mind, and soul. There was no escaping it. COVID had twisted my body in ways I couldn’t understand—my blood reports were normal, yet I was drowning in agony.

People close to me, the ones who believed in my strength, kept saying, “If anyone can get through this, it’s you,” or, “You’re the bravest person I know.” They meant well, but their words felt suffocating. Each encouragement became another weight, another mountain to climb. But I didn’t feel brave—I was crumbling, and all I could see was darkness.

Tired of my complaints and negativity, I shut myself off from the world—except for my mom. I just wanted silence and space to heal. I cried more than I ever had, for days, weeks even. The pain became so unbearable I couldn’t turn in bed without feeling like my body was on fire.

I stayed at the hospital for SEVEN excruciating weeks, undergoing every therapy available. With my experience in Ayurveda, I knew healing takes time—it targets the root cause instead of masking symptoms. I kept reminding myself to be patient. Based on past experiences, I believed results would show in 60-90 days. But this time, relief never came.

I tried and tried, but the pain clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. Every effort felt like hitting a thick, immovable wall. I kept waiting for the smallest shift to confirm I was on the right path. But nothing changed. I was trapped in a loop of misery, dragging myself through the same pain day after day, with no end in sight.

For the first time, I felt completely defeated—my body refused to cooperate, and I couldn’t fathom a way forward. It was as if every option had vanished, leaving me stuck in unbearable pain. I had reached my breaking point—beyond frustration, beyond endurance, lost in a maze with no exit.

11/10/2024

Life update Part 1:

In January 2022, I contracted COVID, but it barely affected me—just a few sniffles. Given my autoimmune condition and the precautions I’d taken, I thought, “That’s it?” But soon after, joint pain began creeping in. I figured it was stress—I had work deadlines, was moving, and life felt overwhelming. “It’ll pass,” I told myself. I had a 5-6 week holiday in Europe planned for May, and I was sure a break would fix everything.

It didn’t. The pain lingered, sometimes dull, sometimes unbearable. Then, two weeks before my holiday ended, I got COVID again in London. This time, it hit me hard. The joint pain returned with a vengeance, forcing me to cut my trip short and return to India.

By July, my worst fear was realized—I was in a full-blown arthritis relapse. It felt like 2013/14 all over again, but the pain was sharper, more relentless. I couldn’t hold a pen; my fingers were swollen and stiff. Basic tasks—squeezing toothpaste, zipping my pants, unhooking my bra—felt impossible. Walking, sitting, standing—all became monumental struggles. I felt trapped in my own body.

Fear gripped me as I saw deformities in my fingers, toes, and ankles. Why was this happening again? I tried everything I knew—home remedies, a strict diet, pranayama—but nothing worked. Despite my high pain tolerance and refusal to take allopathic medicine, I couldn’t cope. Under pressure from loved ones, I finally caved and took an anti-inflammatory pill every few days.

My body, after years of Ayurvedic cleansing, reacted instantly. Just one pill brought three days of relief, and for those brief moments, I felt alive again, remembering what it was like to be pain-free. It gave me hope, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t a real solution. Allopathy only suppressed the pain. I needed to return to the Ayurvedic hospital where I had been going annually for six years to manage my arthritis. The doctors knew my history, and their treatments had always worked. I trusted I was in the best hands there.

27/03/2022

SIGH.
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20/11/2021

25/08/2021

Five weeks treatment, three weeks of taking it easy and I feel absolutely rested and charged ready to face the next 10 months until I go back for my yearly treatment.
This was my 5th year of taking a month off for myself, healing my mind and body.
After I started to see the positive results, I have made a promise with myself that regardless of any pains or swellings, I will dedicate one month towards my healing! It requires dedication and being consistent. I feel blessed to be able to take this time off.

We all have hectic lives, work, family etc etc but it’s just about prioritising. I could come up with a million excuses to not go.. but knowing that spending one month confined in a room and having the rest of the year a party is worthwhile ;))