PERSONALIZED NUTRITION TO ELEVATE YOUR HEALTH

Functional medicine works to treat the underlying cause of disease, instead of just treating the symptoms. As a functional medicine nutritionist, I examine all aspects of your health (history, environmental conditions, lifestyle, stress, thoughts, and emotional well-being) and, using your genetic report and other advanced testing specific to your needs, I create precision nutritional and lifestyle recommendations uniquely for you to address your health concerns. 

Functional medicine nutrition guides you to “take control of your health.” The goal is for you to get in touch with your health to hopefully avoid chronic disease.

Each of us is inherits some 25,000 genes from our parents. While genes can affect up to 30% of your health, it is your lifestyle, how you eat, your emotions, and stress, exercise, and sleep habits that affect 70-95% of your gene behavior and health. 

The genetic test provides information about how your genes might influence your health, providing clues as to how your body might respond under certain lifestyle conditions. Genes do not diagnose or predict disease.

Your genetic report Information is compiled into various areas of health. These include: 

• Cellular function and repair to support overall health
• Systems health, including bone, collagen, brain, mood, hormone, glucose and insulin, and histamine function 
• Cardiovascular health: Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood clotting and vascular health 
• Energy:  Genetically how you store, burn, and utilize fat, weight loss resistance, 
• Sports performance: The types of physical activity that are best for you, your genetic training ability and injury risk 
• Genetic nutritional insufficiencies and sensitivities

With this information along with your history, symptoms, and lifestyle, we can determine what specific foods, lifestyle habits, exercise, and nutrition will be most beneficial to you from a genetic perspective. You will be amazed how you can influence your genetics by making just a few changes in the way you live!

I have worked in almost every area of nutritional health and have experience in nutritional strategies to help manage many chronic illnesses. I have found that many unexplainable symptoms that people experience these days are often related to the environment we live in, lifestyle, stress, health, and/or emotional conditions. 

In seeking out the root cause of your symptoms with science guiding the way, functional medicine nutrition considers every aspect of your health to restore your body’s natural ability to heal and optimize gene behavior for the long run. Whether you have a chronic medical condition to manage, physical symptoms you cannot resolve, or a personal health and fitness goals you are struggling with, we get to the source of the issue and empower you to change it. 

Autoimmune Health

Autoimmune disease is a condition that happens when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks normal cells and body tissue.  Autoimmune diseases cannot be cured. However, proper foods, lifestyle, nutrition, and immune strategies have a tremendous impact on managing or eliminating frequent symptoms associated with autoimmune flareups. 

There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Common conditions include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, and ulcerative colitis. LEARN MORE [Link to the page associated with Autoimmune + Inflammation description from What Can I Help You With?]

Gastrointestinal Disorders

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, or gut, is designed to effectively digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste. The gut is also the largest immune organ, underscoring its key role in overall health and wellbeing.  

Your gut microbiota helps protect against pathogens and can influence many areas of health from innate immunity, genetic behavior, and brain health to appetite, energy metabolism, and more. Gastrointestinal reparation can be complex or as simple as correcting the balance of the microbiome bacteria and digestion. GI disorders are typically related to stress, infection, parasites, food sensitivities, or other medical reasons. We identify the core issues to restore balance to your gut –the backbone of health.

Common GI conditions are GERD, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, small intestinal bowel overgrowth, dysbiosis or leaky gut, bacterial infections, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis or diverticulosis, Crohn’s disease, gallstones, dumping syndrome, hemorrhoids, and constipation. LEARN MORE (connect to Digestive Challenges page/content)

Diabetes

Diet, stress, body weight, genetics, and lifestyle are among the factors that affect blood sugar control and diabetes.  We will determine which of those factors are most significant for you and use that knowledge to create an actionable strategy with food, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle to manage your blood sugar successfully.

Cardiovascular Health

Diet, stress, lifestyle, physical activity, emotional or physical stress, other health problems and personal habits such as smoking can influence cardiovascular health.  We will come up with the right plan including diet, exercise, stress management, and lifestyle recommendations for you to prevent, or manage cardiovascular disease.

Common cardiovascular conditions we can help include Blood pressure, cholesterol, and hyperlipidemia.

Thyroid Health

Thyroid hormones are responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism. They affect every cell and organ in the body. In addition to regulating the rate at which your body uses calories (energy), these hormones slow down or speed up heart rate; raise and lower body temperature; influence the speed at which food moves through your digestive tract; and affect brain development. They control how your muscles contract and impact skin and bone maintenance by controlling the rate of cell renewal.  

When the body doesn’t produce enough or too much thyroid hormone the balance of chemical reactions in the body can be upset.  

People develop thyroid conditions for many reasons.  GI health can affect the thyroid, gluten can disrupt thyroid function; excess iodine and insufficient nutritional support for thyroid hormones, autoimmunity, medical treatments such as radiation, or medications. 

We follow the science by providing a personalized program with foods, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations that will support your thyroid needs, restore balance or manage your thyroid condition.   

Common Thyroid conditions are Hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, Hashimoto’s disease, Grave’s disease, goiter, and thyroid cancer.

Hormonal Health

Hormones created and released by your body’s endocrine system glands control nearly all the processes in your body. 

Hormone imbalance can affect mood, emotions, sexual function, fertility, metabolism, weight, and sleep patterns. We also know that gut health, food and nutrition play a big part in hormonal health. A simple diagnostic test, along with lifestyle changes, nutrition support, and specific foods can help resolve hormone issues.

Some common hormone-related conditions we work with are adrenal fatigue, infertility, inconsistent periods, menopause, and PCOS.

Weight Management

Some people struggle to lose weight without success no matter how hard they try while others cannot gain weight. Genetics, nutritional health, gut health, and lifestyle behaviors all influence body weight.

Your genes can tell us a great deal about how you store and utilize fat, what exercise is most productive for burning body fat, your metabolic rate at rest and during exercise, as well as your natural appetite for foods.  Genes can also give us insight into the brain chemistry that can influence your relationship to food.  

We follow the science of your specific biochemistry and DO NOT use a “one size fits all” approach. Achieving your body weight goals doesn’t have to be so hard. 

Common weight management challenges include obesity, prediabetes, athletic performance, and weight loss recovery from medical treatments. 

Sports Nutrition

Nutritional health can play as important a role in physical performance as can improper training, inflammation, and health.  You will learn what foods to eat, hydration needs and food timing to promote energy, how to train properly to minimize inflammation and injury, and which supplements might boost your athletic edge.

We will create a plan to move your workouts or sports performance to the next level!

Unwell + Undiagnosed

We live in a time when stress, emotions, and lifestyle can affect us mentally and physically.  Often, for these or other reasons, we have symptoms we just cannot explain or resolve with traditional medicine. You’re tired but cannot sleep; your digestion is inconsistent; you have problems concentrating; you often feel sad, anxious, or depressed; you struggle with skin breakouts or hair loss; …and the list could go on.  

Many times, these persistent or annoying symptoms are the body’s innate intelligence asking us to pay attention and figure out the “why,” giving us a chance to fix it before it gets serious.  

Functional nutrition’s holistic approach helps determine the source of your symptoms to correct them permanently. Many times, the path to restoring energy and vitality is easier than you think. Other times we need to dig a little deeper into the science to gain control of your health for life. It’s worth it.

Other nutritional concerns we work with are prenatal nutrition, cancer therapy recovery, post-surgery recovery, anxiety and depression, cognitive health, osteoporosis, pain and inflammation, and healthy eating. Call for a discovery consultation to find out how I can help you be your healthiest!

The main goal is to teach your body to get nutrients through a healthy diet. Sometimes a nutritional or supplement protocol will be temporarily recommended for several months to balance the gut or address inflammation or nutrient deficiencies. You may ultimately choose to take a good daily multivitamin or other nutritional support periodically throughout life.  

All supplement recommendations are based on testing and individual need.  We never shoot in the dark and recommend supplements without the science to back it up. Many people spend far too much money on supplements that are not necessary and even harmful.  We will teach you what your body needs, how long to take a supplement if needed, and when to stop.

Most importantly, you will learn the nutritional value of the specific foods your body needs and how to keep your gut healthy and feel your best!!!

We do not work with any insurance providers and are not affiliated with any insurance networks. We can however provide you with a superbill with the proper information that you can submit to your insurance.  Health savings accounts (HSAs) will often cover services.

Yes!  I have been working remotely with clients on all continents for more than 25 years. No matter where you are, we can meet online – from the comfort of your office or favorite chair.  

My virtual office is ready to go when we meet so your appointments are seamless. Personal health information is delivered via Neo Certified, a HIPPA-protected encryption service. Lab tests are ordered and delivered to your door with exact instructions.   

I prepare a report based on you, with explanations of your lab results, what your genetic report says, how they are related and a personalized plan with foods, and recommendations. Our online appointments are EZPZ. The only thing that will be missing is a hug!

Most people choose a package to become a client.  After the last appointment, there are options for single session follow-ups, starting another package, or ongoing coaching support.

My practice is considered a primary care practice for functional nutritional medicine.  Clients come back over the years as needed for various reasons or choose to check in during different phases of life.  Many people have been coming to see me for over 30 years.