My journey to becoming an Integrative Health Coach started back in 2010, when our first child was born. A lot of things happened the year that followed…my father was diagnosed with lymphoma one month after our son was born and passed away about eight months later. Our son had severe eczema from one month old and had difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep (at 10 months old he was waking on average 8x/night). As well as this, I suffered from a low-immune system and constipation for many years and I was also diagnosed with a hereditary kidney disease, which really took its toll on me. When our son was twelve months old he was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies and since then he has had three anaphylactic reactions which involved us administering an epipen and consequent emergency trips to the hospital.
These events, experiences and illnesses, led us down a challenging but helpful path to improve the health and wellness for our whole family. It was a very hard time for all of us, but what we learnt was that even if our genetics are pre-disposed to certain diseases or illnesses, the power of food and lifestyle as medicine is so great, we can in fact nurture ourselves against our genes. Our lifestyle, our environment, the food we eat, the fluids we drink, the sleep we get, the creams and lotions we put on our skin and the supplements and medications we put in our body, can either help or hinder our health.
The proof was in our son’s skin and my own body. Once our diet and lifestyle changed based on our own individual needs and through the help of an Integrative Doctor who was able to find out exactly what nutrients we were low in, our bodies begun to heal and restore themselves. No longer do I suffer from chronic constipation, a low immune system and I don’t feel tired and lethargic all the time. No longer does our son need to have regular antihistamines and be wet wrapped with steroids for days and weeks on end. Our bodies are definitely not perfect, but the results that we have seen in our own families health encourages us to sustain the positive dietary and lifestyle changes we have made. It also encourages us to want to teach others about the benefits of eating whole foods, reducing sugar intake, living chemical free, being more physically active, improving sleep patterns, reducing stress, and enjoying life more.
Setting out on this journey of holistic health and nurtured living has been such a blessing to our family, as it has enabled us to reduce painful symptoms and improve our quality of life. I’m so excited to be able to teach and support you and your family as you begin your own journey to better health!