In retrospect I consider myself lucky to be unaffected by the various health conditions that so many people are struggling from. I felt fortunate that my heritage blessed me with younger looking skin and minimal wrinkles in my adult years which often made my girlfriends envious. I have always been active and exercised regularly being very aware of my family history of heart disease. Even though I worked out a lot, I wasn’t eating the best and certainly did not have the knowledge and 2000 hours of nutrition education I have now. It was only in the last decade that I began my journey towards enlightenment and intentional purpose. At the time I was not motivated by a personal health condition to gravitate towards a holistic lifestyle. I followed several health gurus including Tony Robbins and Don Tolman, and began to question my lifestyle especially what I was eating. Even though I had a day job, I knew holistic wellness was my passion and I was determined to learn as much as possible about ‘real’ food. I became educated and obsessed reading about food labels, preservatives and additives, organic foods, commercial farming practices, pesticides and herbicides. It wasn’t long before I became completely overwhelmed reading and spending hours on the web. I realized I was not as healthy as I thought. I soon realized that if I am going to dedicate this much time and effort making lifestyle changes for me and my family, I might as well do this for a living and help others find their own path to conscious living.

I thought I felt good and had great energy levels before I changed my lifestyle, but, Wow! I had no idea I would feel a hundred times better, have amazing energy, better focus, better sleep. I also lost a few pounds without restricting my diet! Eating a plant dominated whole foods diet was the bee’s knees! I was so obsessed with what I was eating, I was not paying attention to everything else going on around me. I was unaware that my environment significantly affected my health, and thought if I ate healthy, I was healthy. WRONG!

I lived in a big city for almost twenty years, and like any large metropolitan area, industrialization and pollution can affect your well-being. Unfortunately, toxic overload can take years to develop. I was able to control somewhat the food and water I was drinking, but I could not control the air that I breathed. I began to develop a skin condition that immediately altered my daily routine. I felt uncomfortable all the time because of the itching sensations and pain, had trouble sleeping, and I felt very self-consciousness when I went out in public. This condition was truly debilitating and an emotional drain for me.

I got tested for heavy metals finding out I had high levels of lead, thallium, and uranium, mostly in the air coming from nearby industrial plants, and from airplanes flying frequently overhead since I lived close to the airport. I probably had a build-up of plastics and other toxins, but did not get tested for them. I immediately started a natural detoxification program and was eager to get the metals out of me. Because of my self-driven personality, I would do whatever it takes to heal myself, and I would get better quickly. Wrong again! The most important thing I learned with this life changing experience was PATIENCE. It took decades for the toxins to build up in my system, and it will take a while for my body to clear it out. Toxins can become imbedded deep in our tissues, fat and organs. Our liver and gut need time to heal and repair itself before it can efficiently remove the toxins bringing the body back in balance.

It has been a couple years of therapy, and slowly, but surely, I have reduced my heavy metal levels, and my symptoms have been diminished. I continue to detoxify daily with food, supplements, and mind and body therapies.

Everyone’s individual body chemistry is different and can experience different symptoms as well as eliminate the toxins at different rates. We cannot escape our toxic world, but we can take actions to minimize our exposure.

EDUCATION