I’ve always been fascinated by the human body. As a child, my love for movement drew me to participate in every sport possible. From summers as a lifeguard, I went on to study kinesiology, become an exercise physiologist and open my own gym. I knew I wanted to help others feel the same wellbeing that I experienced when I connected with my body on a visceral level.

 

My work as a trainer brought me into contact with people who were struggling through injuries. I would help a client work through the tendonitis in their knee, and the next month they’d come back with elbow pain. It felt like we were just putting on a fresh coat of paint on a house with a shaky foundation. 

 

Wanting to be better equipped to help people heal themselves, I searched for additional approaches to wellness, starting on a journey that led me to become a chiropractor, medical acupuncturist, functional nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner. With each new modality, I found a new way to access the body’s power to heal itself -- and new ways to teach my patients how to work with their body as partners in the wellness process.

 

The relentless pursuit of knowledge in my professional journey was deepened by the personal journey I had been undergoing since adolescence. As a teen, I didn’t know how important it was to think about what information you put in your body: the foods and drinks you consume, the lotions you spread on your skin. I thought it was normal to be bloated and constipated and never connected the constant discomfort with my inconsistent way of eating, fast foods and caffeine. 

 

My encounters with traditional Western medicine left me with more questions than answers. In addition to a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) -- a connective tissue disorder creating increased laxity of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that led to many sports-related surgeries -- I was put on birth control pills at the age of 17 to manage PMS (premenstrual syndrome),  diagnosed with at endometriosis at 21, as well as an ongoing anemia dynamic. Moving forward into my 30s, I discovered I also had a sluggish thyroid, gallstones, yeast and bacterial overgrowth, as well as zinc, iron and vitamin D deficiency!

 

I was essentially a health detective searching for answers: “Why are my joints in pain even though I have so much movement? Why am I experiencing such severe pelvic pain? Why am I gaining weight that is so difficult to lose? Is this bloating or am I gaining weight again? Is it normal to go to the bathroom three times per week? Why am I so tired all the time?” As a patient many times over, hearing doctors tell me, “There is nothing wrong,” made me question traditional systems. 

 

I wanted better answers for myself, and for the patients I saw in my practice. Many were not responding to chiropractic care, rehabilitation exercise or acupuncture, considering their issue was often not entirely musculoskeletal in nature. Once I united my expertise in traditional manual therapies with functional medicine, I was able to treat patients in a holistic way, helping them set goals for their overall wellbeing and giving them tools that include dietary modifications and exercise programs.

 

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place a few years ago when I decided to leave my high-stress job. As important as any line on my resume is my experience with the workaholic-burnout cycle. Having been through those times when my body was a high-functioning, adrenaline-pumping, machine, I’ve learned that we need to listen to our body and partner in its healing. We might think we don’t have the time or space, but all it takes is a little openness to experience the difference of living in balance rather than powering ourselves through. Because I’ve been there myself, I know how to meet my patients where they are, so we can work together to live that level of vitality you can’t explain until you feel it.