I had painful, heavy periods and persistent acne. So I turned to the pill, and the doctor prescribed antibiotics and acne cream. Both made no difference (no surprise). Little did I know it was masking the main issue.
My PMS continued to wreak havoc on my system. I was anxious, fatigued and constipated (we’re all friends here). I learned that the pill was shutting down my hormones. Oh heck.
10 months went by, and my skin was getting worse. The pounds were piling on and my period was nowhere to be found. Scary.
I was given a PCOS diagnosis, with recommendations to workout more than ever and reduce the carbs. As a Registered Dietitian, I was already mindful of every mouthful and exercising 3 hours a day. How could a doctor be telling me to workout more and eat less? It made no sense.
Enough was enough. I took matters into my own hands.
So I went back to school to swot up on the basics of biochemistry and became a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). That’s when I understood that none of the nourishing foods I was eating were helping me. Why? Because my body was in a state of stress. No nutrients were reaching my cells, so my body thought I was starving. The constant fight or flight mode had paused my hormone production, and my thyroid was in turmoil.
I needed to know my body inside out. But how could I really know? The answer was functional testing. This method helped me discover I had nutrient deficiencies, copper imbalance and a parasite.
I’ve shifted the focus away from worrying about my skin, weight, and periods. I now spend my energy on simple solutions that help my body feel its best, from sleep to digestion, body temperature and ovulation. Easy things to test, track and measure daily with long-lasting results. I have functional testing and my ever-expanding knowledge of nutrition to thank.
I feel like me again (an even better version of me). And I have more time to devote to myself, and my family.
Sign up for the Master your Minerals course and learn how to heal your hormone imbalance from your home. Along with hundreds of other women, I’ll help you…
There’s no one perfect way to learn and practice. You have to do your own research and determine the best approach. I personally went the route of applying to a dietetics program and completing my dietetics internship to then receive my medical license as a registered dietitian. From here, my focus was on functional nutrition and lab testing. This led to the following advanced trainings:
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) Practitioner Program
Advanced FDN Stress & Hormones Training
Advanced FDN Blood Chemistry Training
HTMA Expert Program
Mineral Mastery Training
HTMA Professional Training Malter Institute
Root Cause Protocol Program
Instant HTMA Professional Training
Quantum Fertility
Functional Mental Health Practitioner Program (still completing)
SmartBody Smart Mind Nervous System Training
I’m pretty sure I have forgotten a few—these have all taken place over the last decade, but I hope this shows you that learning never ends. I also regularly do online workshops from companies like Precision Analytics and Diagnostic Solutions Lab and live in PubMed.
