Testing to Optimize Health: Four Tests That Can Lay the Foundation – Part 2 of 4

The first post in this series highlighted how important a properly constructed and completed client packet can be to help highlight possible underlying imbalances that could be impacting a person’s current state of health. This post will focus on one of the most underutilized tests that can help determine exactly which vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants a person’s body needs to optimize health. (more…)

The Important Role of Biochemical Individuality in Health

The Important Role of Biochemical Individuality in Health

Biochemical individuality is a really cool sounding term (really cool to people like me:)) that simply means that every’s nutritional needs are different. These unique nutritional needs are based on each person’s genetics, lifestyle, diet and environmental exposure to various stresses. Biochemistry is a complex web of interactions that controls the way your body uses and/or responds to the things you take into your body (food, drink, supplements, medications, pollutants, stresses, etc.) and how that translates into how your body functions. For your body (biochemistry) to function properly, your body requires the right amounts and proportions of nutrients. This amount is dependent on you – the amount of a certain nutrient required by the average person (or another person) may not be the optimal amount you need for proper health (this is one of the reasons the RDA/DRI reported for nutrients is misleading at best – more on that later). (more…)

Can I Stop Pulling My Hair Out Without Psychotherapy?

Can I Stop Pulling My Hair Out Without Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be very effective at dealing with the behavioral aspects of trichotillomania and the urges to pull. In fact, many people have found psychotherapy invaluable to help them stop pulling their hair and/or picking their skin by helping them become aware of their impulses and then making a conscious choice about how they can make it harder for themselves to pull. What psychotherapy does not do, at least not for most people, is get rid of the urges to pull. For many people, additional support is needed to do this. Read more…

Take an adrenal stress test to see if adrenal function is affecting your health

Allergy Trigger #3: Home Sweet Home

Allergy Trigger #3: Home Sweet Home

52% of US households have at least six detectable allergens, all of which can float through the air and find their way into your body (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology). These irritants include animal dander, dust mites, mold, scented candles, cleaning products, and cigarette smoke. Once again, these allergens probably won’t spark much of a histamine reaction in a healthy immune system, but when it’s hypersensitive they’ll set off a host of five-alarm symptoms. (more…)