Saying that I grew up with a “sensitive stomach” is an understatement. I have puked on more road trips and plane rides than I could possibly count. Sometimes, when we would go out to eat, the meal ended with me being double over at the table.

And stomach issues went hand in hand with chronic eczema that I couldn’t shake outside of caking topical steroids over my rashes (which I would sneak into my dad’s bathroom and steal when I was 7).

But the worst thing of all was feeling anxious and insecure in myself.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I see clearly now how all of these issues were completely connected. The gut is a second brain, so gut issues and emotional issues reinforce each other. And the skin is a direct reflection of the digestive tract.

Things got worse when I went to college and really decimated my health by staying up late into the night, doing drugs, and eating horrendous fraternity food. I began having panic attacks (some in public), which led to agoraphobia. I could barely leave my dorm room or talk to a cashier without feeling panicky.

Needless to say, I hit rock bottom. I have been regaining my health ever since.

Things started to change for me when I focuses on the basic element of health that I took for granted before. Basic foundations, like eating regular meals with enough protein and nutrients, getting to sleep on time, going on walks in the sun, journalin–these things all significantly improved my state of health in the most obvious way.

Once I went to naturopathic school, I was confronted with all of these theories and dogmas about medicine. Different diets that were opposite of each other. Different theories about disease. “Shiny new toy” supplements and products that were the answer to all calamities.

I had done so much healing work over the years, I was completely committed to the process, yet I became confused as ever as to what path I should follow to continue my healing journey. I tried different diets, had appointments with various naturopathic doctors, tried different protocols, but nothing seemed to really make a difference in how I felt.

But through that process, I also learned about the historical roots of naturopathic medicine, before there were fancy products and modern theories of illness. It was a time when pioneers observed the simple truth that the way we live, what we eat, and how we think has the most profound impact on our health. Disease was not a mystery. It was an inevitable result of violating the basic laws of nature that govern health and healing.

When I began to work on the most basic foundations without chasing white rabbits down rabbit holes, my health took a massive leap forward, along with my confidence and self-understanding.

My hope is to help you find the same, with the same common-sense, powerful strategies that helped me climb out of the dark hole that I was in to a place of peace and well-being.

I was terrified to speak in front of any group. I stuttered since my first words at 3 years old. I followed what ‘the specialists’ told me to do. I learned. I trusted. I followed. I did the tongue exercises. I did the exposure therapy but I still did not get results.

I couldn’t even order a drink without stammering on that first L in lemonade.

My healing path has taken me down many different roads all to uncover more about myself. I studied nutrition and exercise science in undergrad. I worked out every day. I had been in the Tim Ferris’s fan club since high school. I ate my grams of protein. I avoided the toxins (as best as I knew how to).

However, I still couldn’t speak.

Then I found Naturopathic Medicine. I found a paradigm that teaches how to heal. I found a framework that embraces more than just the physical body. I found a solution that wasn’t just looking at the body as a machine.

I did what we teach all of our patients to do. I followed the pillars of healing. I tailored that specifically to my constitution, responsibilities, habits, mental framework, toxin overload and nutrient deficiencies.

I supported each pillar of health: Detoxification, Nutrition, Vitality, Mental/Emotional.

The decreased toxin exposure led to less brain inflammation. I focused on healing foods for my digestive tract, which improved brain function. I provided my body with the necessary fat soluble vitamins and micro minerals so my neuronal connections could be optimal. I drank spring water to improve hydration.

I focused on my breathing so my brain had an overexposure to oxygen. I made sure my structure was aligned.

I worked on my relationship with myself. I uncovered false belief patterns of needing to be seen because I had two older brothers that were always seen in my eyes but not me. I worked on my relationship with God.

I decreased a high amount of exposure to EMFs. I used homeopathy to create a more resilient constitution.

And, the list continues to evolve everyday.

I did what we teach people every day to heal and now my speech is not something I have thought about in years. I overcame what the specialists told me I was going to live with my entire life because my tongue was too big for my mouth. I intuitively knew there was a different way.

This is why we are so passionate about what we do because it worked for us. And, now we have the opportunity to help people with this same process everyday.