How I began my journey as an Integrative Health Practitioner

I am learning that there are many other people out there struggling with different health challenges as I walk this journey recovering from the effects of toxic mold. The one thing that we all have in common is the desire to help others, the necessity to self-advocate and the feeling of isolation.

For those of you unfamiliar, my prolonged exposure to toxic mold slowly deteriorated my immune system and caused chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). It allowed candida to spread systemically. It was the root cause of various other issues throughout nearly every organ of my body.

In moments where I felt able, I plunged myself into medical literature (having access as physical therapist). I began taking master classes, summits on chronic inflammatory response syndrome, learning modules galore and loads of research. I began my journey as a root cause and integrative health practitioner and coach.

Prior to all of this, I had been practicing as a physical therapist from a holistic (whole body) mindset. I understood the fascial planes are all interconnected. At a cellular level, tissues are allowed to move congruently together if supported correctly. The body is smart and will find plenty of work arounds if one muscle group or nerve is not firing correctly. I helped solve athletes complex pain issues because their bodies found so many work arounds to perform. When the carniosacral rhythm or lymphatic pathways gets bogged down (headaches, swelling), the rest of the body suffers. I began to manually differentiate stress and tissue tightness during the pandemic (there is a distinct difference in touch). I recognized the tongue is connected to the pelvic floor and arches in your feet.

I now better understand how to help patients and coaching clients address: their gut health, junctions and drainage pathways for inflammation to exit. I have questionnaires and more knowledge to assess past medical history and symptoms for clues the body is leaving to determine where the back up is coming from, if chronic inflammatory response syndrome may be an issue or any potential exposure to be able to work alongside their medical team. We can use exercise, manual techniques, nervous system strengthening techniques, foods, herbs, supplements and track potential triggers to help support the body, open pathways and address circadian rhythm. I get the pleasure of watching the body heal when guided correctly (nerves start firing in correct sequence for movement, fascial planes start releasing tight tissue, muscle spasms are eliminated, migratory pain is no longer a factor, etc…). The bonus is we are watching skin rashes clear, bowel movements normalize, headaches dissipate and more. And best of all, people tell me this is the best their body has felt in years.

I am watching people return to life and this is the best gift of all.

*** You should always consult your healthcare practitioner(s) for what is best for your care. The purpose of this blog is to centralize and share information while connecting with others.