“The body doesn’t make mistakes.”  ~The Wellness Way

Through The Wellness Way Academy’s year-long certificate program, I learned two important concepts:

1. The Swiss Watch Principle
2. The Carpenter Approach

We can believe that “The body doesn’t make mistakes” because the design work is incredible! Like the intricate design of a Swiss Watch, when a gear isn’t functioning well, the whole watch won’t function well. Our bodies work in a similar way. Appreciating each system’s function, but placing it in the whole picture can help discover root causes for what’s going on. By using tests and labs to get a better understanding of how the body is functioning, we can dig up some root causes–the “why” behind the symptoms and/or conditions. The results from the tests are interpreted with the Swiss Watch principle in mind. Meaning, we ask ourselves the question, “What do these markers tell us about how well the body is functioning?”

From there, we can strategically build up the body, like a Carpenter builds up a home, with the testing and/or lab results as a sort of blueprint as our guide. The focus then isn’t a protocol of supplements and herbs, but a careful consideration of how we can use specific ones with the goal of restoring the body’s functions. That way, supplements and herbs don’t have to be a lifelong thing (although, in some cases, it might be necessary). Along with supplements and herbs, food and lifestyle practices are also considered in order to strengthen the body by doing things like…

• removing triggers
• lightening the stress load
• increasing restorative processes

“Bioindividuality” ~Nutrtional Therapy Association

Through The Nutritional Therapy Association’s year-long certificate program, I learned theses important concepts:

• The 6 Foundations of Health
• Consider the individual, his or her needs, and his or her story

Each person partnering with me will become acquainted with the Foundations of Health, but the way we prioritize them will be Bioindividual. What does that mean? Which Foundation we set as first priority is guided by the results from The Wellness Questionnaire, which is a long survey that exposes you to all the ways your body might be speaking to you…but you may not have realized it! The next step is a Food and Mood Journal you’ll keep for 4-days so that you become aware of eating patterns and possible physical changes you experience throughout those 4-days. Assessing the patterns from The Wellness Questionnaire and Food and Mood Journal will set the stage for creating a Bioindividual, tailored list of recommendations for food and lifestyle practices as well as supplemental supports.

Through The Wellness Way Academy, I have received formal training in interpreting labs like these:

• Hormones (serum)
• Hormones (urine)
• Immune system function
• Digestion and elimination (aka Gut Health and Function)
• Thyroid function
• Food reactions (serum)

(When you click on the test, you’ll be taken to the website that is used to order the tests. You can also learn more about the markers that are being tested)

Let’s face it: we never arrive when it comes to learning. What a gift!

I embrace this thoroughly, so in addition to my combined 2-years of formal training through The Wellness Way Academy and Nutritional Therapy Association, I continue my learning to best support my clients.

Some additional reading and studying I have done to add more tools to help clients:

• Why Isn’t My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain’s Health by Datis Kharrazian, Ph.D, DHSc, DC, MMSc, FACN
• Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford, Ph.D
• Before and After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective on Loss, Grief, and Our Brain by Lisa M. Schulman, MD
• Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf
• Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships by Curt Thompson, MD
• The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson, MD
• Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
• Human Anatomy & Physiology 6th Edition by Elaine N Marieb HC
• Memory Rescue: Supercharge Your Brain, Reverse Memory Loss, and Remember What Matters Most by Dr. Daniel Amen
• The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health by Dr. Emeran Mayer