Ask Me!

Ask me any questions you have about diet, nutrition, holistic health, or treating health concerns naturally. Have a question about herbs, vitamins, organics, food supply? Ask me. Want to know how to treat heartburn without drugs? Ask me. Do you want info about the best way to kick off a successful weight loss program? Ask me here!

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   Do you offer gift certificates?

   Thanks for your question. The answer is yes, I do offer single or 3-session consults as gift certificates, but I ask that you confirm that the person for whom you are purchasing is interested in and motivated for nutritional consultation. Please visit my consultation page to purchase single or a 3-session package, and visit my contact page to give me the recipient's contact info.

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   I am 20 years old and have acne. I have tried cutting out sugar, dairy, and gluten but it still doesn't go away. I have also tried herbs to cleanse my liver (milk thistle and dandelion). Do you have any suggestions that would help me clear my skin? Thanks.

   Acne can have many causes. A congested liver could very well be the cause, so you had the right idea by doing a liver cleanse. Food allergies are also implicated, but it may also depend upon how long you removed those foods (could take several weeks to see results before those foods are cleared from the body) and how long you did the liver cleanse (3 weeks is optimal) and the methods you used. Do you eat a lot of soy products? Many people have soy allergies or cannot process the excess plant-based estrogens in soy, which could cause break-outs. Are you having regular bowel movements, 1-2 daily? Sluggish bowel function causes toxins that were meant to be excreted to be reabsorbed into the body, and skin eruptions can result. Try adding more fiber to your diet, and make sure you are drinking at least 64 ounces of water daily to help flush toxins. A female hormonal imbalance can also cause acne. Consider saliva testing to assess your hormone levels, especially if you have other menstrual issues like painful periods or irregular cycles. You can contact me for more info about this. Certain nutritional deficiencies can lead to acne--zinc deficiency is a big culprit. Make sure you are getting enough protein (red meat and lamb are best sources; pumpkin seeds are a good veg source) and are taking a multi-vitamin/mineral. Finally, take a look at your products: what kind of soap/creams/makeup are you using? Some have harsh chemicals that are toxic and may cause breakouts. Use organic and/or chemical-free skincare.

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   I am 24 years old and have been suffering from excessive, sulfur/rotten egg smelling flatulence, tender stomach, and fatigue for over 2 years. Just recently the doctors discovered that I had a parasite (dientamoeba flagilis) which they think I picked up from a trip to the slums of Africa 4 summers ago. I was medicated to kill the parasite but it did not help. I've been tested for every other stomach condition possible and everything has come up negative. Any suggestions?

   Thanks for your question. I am sorry to hear about your parasitic infection! I speak from personal experience when I say I know what you're going through. Have you re-tested since you took the round of antibiotics? I recommend a stool test that will screen you for entamoeba hystolitica, blastocystis hominis, cryptosporiduim, giardia, c difficile, and candida albicans. First off, one round of treatment may not do the trick. Also, I have my clients follow up a course of meds for parasites with an anti-parasitic herbal treatment for about 6 weeks to ensure the bugs are gone. Some of these nasty infections move to different parts of the digestive tract, or sometimes migrate through the lymphatic system to other parts of the body, where they can hide. One round of meds may be too short to kill it all off. Secondly, to ensure success, it is VERY important to prep the body before undergoing treatment with proper diet and lifestyle to boost immunity and reduce inflammation in the gut. Third, candida overgrowth goes hand in hand with parasitic infections, so it could be likely you have something else going on in addition to the initial infection. Contact me if you'd like more information about the stool testing for parasites. I work with a number of doctors who specialize in treating these infections, and I can also order and analyze the stool test for you.

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   Recently I have been having some horrible digestive issues: Heartburn, Acid Reflux, a feeling of being too full and then getting real hungry, shortness of breath at times when feeling full, etc.. I have really bad anxiety so all these symptoms keep me on the verge of a panic attack.. Therefore I have zero energy! I recently have been trying ro really watch my weight and exercise everyday but my body almost seems to be working against me.. Do u have any suggestions?? My doctor has me taking a daily Prilosec but that obviously isn't working too well..

   Sorry to hear about your anxiety & digestive issues! I know how crippling that can be. Let me explain what is likely occurring: your adrenal glands regulate your immune system, the majority of which is in your digestive tract. During periods of stress, cortisol, the main stress hormone produced by your adrenals, shoots up and causes immune function to be disregulated, making you more susceptible to pathogens in the gut, which is your body's first line of defense against foreign invaders. Frequent heartburn/reflux is often caused by a nasty bacteria called h. pylori. You often get it from food, and it is usually killed by your stomach acid, but when your immune system is weak, it survives and proliferates, causing symptoms like heartburn. The cortisol imbalance I talked about earlier can cause anxiety, panic attacks, depression, fatigue, insomnia. It sounds like you have some adrenal hormone imbalance, leading to your anxiety/panic, and likely a digestive pathogen or some food sensitivity issues as well. We solve these problems by rebalancing the adrenal hormones and doing a digestive cleanse using herbs to kill the pathogens. Prilosec or anti-anxiety drugs do not address the underlying issue: they only put a band-aid on the symptoms. Contact me for more information about how to get started on reversing these problems by addressing the source of what is causing the issues. Good luck!

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   My mother's natural estrogen replacement went off the market and she is trying to find another natural hormone replacement. I believe she was using Bioentopic estrogen and progesterone creams which worked really well for her. Do you know of another natural hormone replacement that you would recommend for her? She really doesn't want to use synthetic medications. Thank you!

   I like the Phyto-B product from Bezwecken. It contains natural estrogens derived from licorice, and natural progesterone from wild yam. I do not recommend creams, because they can build up in fatty tissue and can be stored in the body, over time leading to too much progesterone, which can have nasty side effects! I believe you can order the Phyto-B online, and we also carry it.

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   What are your thoughts on oil pulling detoxification? I had never heard of it until a friend shared this link with me: http://www.naturalnews.com/028266_oil_pulling_detoxification.html

   Oil pulling is based on an Ayurvedic method of swishing/gurgling sesame oil (usually) in the mouth to pull toxins from the body. Sesame oil can be quite therapeutic to use as a body oil or in a neti pot to clear nasal passages, but I haven't heard of any dramatic effects achieved specifically from oil pulling. It is certainly not detrimental and very well may contribute to the health of the mouth, but I always recommend tried and true liver cleansing herbs combined with a gluten/dairy/soy/sugar/caffeine-free diet to detox a couple times a year. Using spirulina/chlorella supergreens powders and cleansing herbal teas can help keep the liver clear after the detox. Thanks for your question!

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   I am a healthy vegetarian from birth and an animal rights activist, but from seeing the experience of some people who have tried to be vegetarian (especially people of ethnicities heavily or almost exclusively dependant on meat), I believe that some people cannot remain healthy without meat. This fact seems largely ignored by most groups promoting vegetarian diets, at least in America, but I believe it is something that needs to be addressed within the animal rights movement especially if there is a possibility of finding a means of providing whatever nutrient is lacking for those who wish to give up meat but are unable to. I read your article about your attempt at a vegetarian diet and was wondering if you might have any ideas about exactly what nutrient is lacking for people with this issue or if you knew anybody to whom I could inquire further. Thank you very much, Ari Warren

   This is a great question. If you read this blog, you'll probably notice that I mention Metabolic or Nutritional Typing quite frequently. The science behind this philosophy is simple: one diet does not fit all. We are all biochemically different and have different macronutrient needs (we all need different ratios of fat, carbs, proteins). Someone who is a fast oxidizer (has a high metabolism) needs more high purine (meat) protein than a slow oxidizer. The three types are protein type, mixed type, or carb type. Carb types may thrive on a vegetarian diet because their physiology does not have a great need for high purine foods; they do best on carb-based foods like legumes and grains. A protein type would crash on this diet, because high carb vegetarian protein sources aren't giving them the type of protein they need--they thrive on lower carb diets with meats and lots of low carb veggies.

   To answer your question, it may not necessarily be a nutrient that is lacking, although many vegetarians and vegans may be low in zinc or B vitamins if they are not careful about diet planning. A protein type will simply feel crappy on a vegetarian diet because plant-based proteins aren't providing them with the high purine proteins they need. And the body's needs change over time, during times of great stress, for example, when we need more protein. In addition, if the person struggles with anxiety, panic attacks, or depression, more protein is called for because there are usually neurotransmitter deficiencies, and our neurotransmitters are synthesized from amino acids in proteins.

   I personally was a vegetarian for about 13 years, which is a pretty long "attempt," and consumed many soy products during this time, which caused a lot of hormonal imbalance. Once I learned my exact needs, learned to avoid processed soy, and fixed my imbalances, I discovered I was a mixed type, so I'm somewhere in the middle. My personal belief is that our country consumes too much processed and unsustainably produced protein (like fast food, hot dogs, cold cuts, etc), and in choosing meat, one should strive to always buy organic and locally grown. Mixed types like myself get away with using meat as more of a condiment, but as I've said before, one size doesn't fit all. Hope this helps.