What is Integrative Healing?
…And how will it change lives?
Integrative Healing is a healing approach that takes into account the whole person. It focuses not just one piece of the body, where you may be having most of your symptoms, but the entire being. It also focuses on the mind and spirit. Everything in our bodies run as a unit. When one piece is broken, you can bet there are going to be issues almost everywhere else too.
The same is true for the mind and spirit. If we are going through a lot of stress or have unresolved trauma it can make us physically sick. If we are not aligning with our purpose and following our passions we will find ourselves dissatisfied with life and most likely stressed out. The cycle of being unwell will continue.
I struggled for so long.
Being sick is miserable and can feel scary. If you’ve been dealing with symptoms for awhile you probably feel like you’ve tried every approach to knock them down and get better. When I first started battling candida overgrowth I reached for antifungals and stopped eating carbs. At first this would work for awhile, but then the symptoms came back. They started coming back more frequently along with new symptoms. One day 4 years into my health issues I decided to go vegan. Not just vegan, but low fat high carb whole food plant based. That was a mouthful to tell people. I did research and thought that was the healthiest diet out there. Surely that would make me feel better, right? Nope! Actually, the opposite happened. My symptoms quickly progressed.
One day I woke and started crying. I was scared to take a shower. I didn’t exactly know why. Before that I had never had anxiety that bad before. I started having panic attacks out of the blue at work. By the end of my shift I was driving home with pain in my temple and side of my face and struggling to focus on the road because I was extremely lightheaded. I was exhausted and my stomach hurt by the time I would get into bed around 9. This went on for months. I didn’t understand why. I didn’t have a physically demanding or crazy job. I was also eating a lot of food. I felt constantly hungry no matter how much I ate. I ate all the fruits, vegetables, bean burritos, soups and breads I could get my hands on. I even had plant based protein powders. I started having food sensitivities. Foods, like avocado, that I had no issues with prior started causing histamine reactions. I was not in a great place mentally either. I was constantly arguing with my boyfriend and feeling manic. I tried getting help from doctors. I even saw a naturopathic doctor who ran some tests, but the focus, like every doctor I saw before, was to kill the candida. That left me in more pain.
Don’t Chase Your Tail
When we chase our symptoms we are basically chasing our tail. Symptoms overlap. High dopamine and low dopamine both present with the same symptoms. What you think may be the issue can just be another symptom. For example, I thought candida overgrowth was the problem. What I learned was it was a symptom to other issues. Everyone has candida, but it overgrows when our body and immune system are weak. That can be caused by nutrient deficiencies, liver pathway dysfunction, toxin overload and parasites/protozoa. This leads to thyroid, hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances. When we start using antifungals, whether prescription or herbs, or other means to kill off what we think is wrong we put a lot of stress on our bodies. This just makes the symptoms worse. The same goes for parasites and protozoa. Yes, we definitely want to get rid of those and other toxins, but if your body hasn’t started healing first and you haven’t addressed the deficiencies and imbalances then you will be in a world of pain and frustration. A weak body will continue to be weak and have symptoms when we just for the kill and not support it’s needs. The same is true with restrictive diets. When we cut out carbohydrates we damage our mitochondria in our cells. Our body requires glucose and ATP to function. It’s best to listen to what your body wants.
Run Those Labs and Start Healing!
Integrative healing approaches our symptoms by running functional labs that look at each part of the body. A comprehensive blood panel will show us the full thyroid and iron numbers, vitamin markers, homocysteine, kidneys and some liver insights. An Organic Acids test looks at yeast, bacteria, mold, glutathione, mitochondria, how your body handles food, and neurotransmitters. Dutch test looks at all the hormones and how they’re metabolized, inflammation, adrenals and sleep. The most important test is genetics! We correlate gene mutations with the results on the other tests to give the best supplement options for your body. Along with a non restrictive whole food diet (including treat meals) and work on mindset and trauma, this approach to healing has helped hundreds of people be free from health issues! People are finding passion and purpose in life, while being symptom free.
Test don’t guess! If you’re interested in learning more about working with me click HERE