I was eating very poorly: fast food, frozen food from Costco, etc. I also smoked. Then my husband died suddenly (he was very unhealthy) and left me a widow at 35. That got me to clean up my act (a little). I cut down on fast food (not altogether), but I was still smoking and was taking all sorts of over-the-counter medication for frequent colds, rashes, and other skin problems. I thought all this was fine. This was the way I was raised: lots of chemicals and whatever else was convenient and fast. You see, I came from a family of doctors!

I also suffered from life-long blood sugar problems and digestion issues. Even though I always maintained a very thin form (I’m a former model), I started to gain lots of weight. Then I got breast cancer. This led me to research chemicals in our environment. I removed all of them from my personal care items and household. And I quit smoking because I believed all those things to be the source of my cancer.

But right around the same time, I was tutoring one of the most brilliant children I had ever met in my education career (I was an educational consultant). He was five years old and could do long division and read at a 3rd grade level. But he was a little strange, so his mother put him on Zoloft. He started losing his memory and abilities. It was a side effect of the drug. It was horrifying to watch. I also had other students that were prescribed Ritalin and Prozac. I saw what these drugs did to these poor children, so I decided to go back to school and learn nutrition in order to be able to offer an alternative to them and their parents.

After I started seeing children for nutritional matters, I realized I couldn’t truly help them unless I could get the parents to change. That’s when I started seeing adults and getting them to understand how nutrition can affect not only our lives but our children’s lives, behavior, and ability to learn.

CREDENTIALS

• Global College of Natural Medicine: 500 hours of training in all aspects of nutrition
• Certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners
• Nutritional Response Testing Practitioner—Ulan Nutritional Systems
• Certified Hormone Health Practitioner
• Completed over 660 hours of continuing education.
• Certified in Applied Clinical Nutrition from the Southern California University of Health Sciences
• I attend 120 to 140 hours of continuing education classes a year because I love to learn and it’s important to do so in order to continue to help others.

MY HEALTH PHILOSOPHY
I am very much in favor of whole food, organic supplementation. At this point on the planet, the soil is not nutritious enough to provide us with as many nutrients as our bodies need. Also, most of us are playing catch-up with our health, and our bodies desperately need more nutrition than we can consume with our diet!

I don’t believe that over-the-counter medication or prescription medicine takes the place of nutrition, nor can it make up for deficiencies. So if someone is taking medicine, they especially need to eat correctly and take supplements to make up for what their body is lacking. There is no such thing as a Zantac, Ritalin, or Prozac deficiency.

The body tries to heal and regulate itself.

The mystery is not why you get sick, but rather, why you are not healing?

Your body is the best drug company out there; it only requires proper food and nutrients.

Physiology is the expression of one’s lifestyle choices. Health is defined by the function of your cells. Your aging is a product of what you put in your body.

Every action has a consequence. The foods you choose to eat or not eat will determine your life and health down the road.

It’s your choice—prevention or prescriptions.

I think one of the most important things you can do is invest in your health; it would be very unfortunate for you if you didn’t. Just like finances, if you neglect your health month after month, year after year, you will pay the price. So make time for health now, or sickness later, because, as the proverb goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.”

Your symptoms/problems won’t magically disappear on their own, so can you imagine what your life will be like five or ten years from now if you don’t address them today?

Only 3 to 5% of all cancers are genetic. One-third of all cancers can be eliminated by diet, exercise, and not smoking. Two-thirds of all cancers are caused by environmental toxins. The body can’t deal with all these external stressors. (Environmental toxins are toxins you eat, put on your body, use in your house and breathe in.)

Just because you work out doesn’t mean you are healthy.

Just because you are thin doesn’t mean you are healthy.

Just because you don’t eat it doesn’t mean you don’t need it.

And just because you eat it doesn’t mean you need it.

People who follow “pop nutrition,” such as the latest supplement or diet, are usually harming their health.

It is fine to eat beef so long as it is grass-fed and hormone-free.

I think it is okay to drink in moderation.

I think you should run away as fast as possible from anyone telling you it’s okay to eat a bagel or cereal for breakfast, even if it’s whole grain.

As a general rule, it’s pretty safe to say: Never ingest anything advertised on TV.

People need to consume more good fats and fewer starchy carbohydrates.

You don’t want to wait until it shows up in a blood test—whatever “it” is.

I believe everyone can change when they are ready to.

These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease or as a substitute for regular medical care.