Like many, my interest in health grew from someplace personal. My mother suffered from breast cancer and depression, which I now understand are both related to hormone catabolism. My father struggled with dementia and many in my family have dealt with autoimmunes diseases like Hashimoto’s and Crohn’s disease. As a result, I’ve become familiar with neurotransmitter pathways, receptors and their associated SNPs. My daughter suffered from GI issues when she was younger, when I encounter clients with a similar experience I automatically begin to consider how this affects their assimilation of protein, their pituitary/adrenal/thyroid/hormone clearing and auto-immune issues. I’ve begun to understand the SNP “groupings” and their interplay with lifestyle and environmental influences, and how that interplay aligns with symptoms and chronic health conditions. I continue to develop my understanding of the Genova Diagnostic, Cyrex and GI-MAP tests to determine SNP expression as well as the reliability and efficacy of brands of supplements. I have and continue to work with many types of folks and cases.
I am not a Physician.
A bit of my history… I worked as an Electrical Engineer for 12 years in aerospace at NASA and then in cellphone technology at Motorola. I then decided to go back to law school; I worked as an IP attorney for nine years, writing patents in electrical and mechanical arts. In 2006 I began retooling my career again towards my childhood interest in medicine.
Without a particular plan, other than that I wanted to understand my Mother’s depression and my Grandmother’s suicide, I scaled back my hectic lifestyle and returned, once again, to school. I began by studying Chinese medicine for two years at PCOM and completed all of the prerequisites and prep class for Clinical Certified Nutritionist. After re-familiarizing myself with organic chemistry, biochemistry and anatomy, I began considering other aspects of health outside of Chinese medicine and nutrition. As my interest developed, I attended the full series of classes offered by the Institute for Functional Medicine, as well as Poliquin classes, and seminars in nutrition, exercise, aging nutraceuticals and medical testing. Through all this time I was reading many books and scientific papers, following my heart.
During my time studying Chinese medicine, I watched a NOVA special called ‘Ghost in Your Genes’ and used a term-paper assignment as an excuse to learn more about epigenetics. It was quite a stretch from the traditional topics we studied in class, but I was fascinated. Shortly thereafter, while attending an IFM class series, I saw a diagram by Dr. Yasko describing methylation and became obsessed. I sought out Sterling (MTHFRsupport.com) when she was visiting Chicago and that was the start of a nine-year collaboration. We Skype every Monday to swap new research, ask each other about complicated cases and discuss our children. We have taught classes together and the pathways you find at the bottom of your Variant Report generated by Sterling’s App were drawn by me using my background in biochemistry and engineering.
Today, I work with many clients, ranging in ages. I’ve dealt with complicated cases involving vaccine-injured children, couples having difficulty conceiving, adults simply looking to improve their overall health and everything in between. I’ve found my cases are getting more complicated and I’ve enjoyed researching further and learning about how many diseases trace back to the same biochemical pathways. I also work with Physicians, Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Psychiatrists and supplement company CEO’s to make sure that the genetic component is getting out there and being understood.
Lately, in my free time, I have been researching brain health. My Father suffered from dementia and I’ve found that APOE4 SNPs are relevant to brain and nervous system health. I’m also particularly interested in the endocannabinoid system and its role in the gut, brain and immune system. I will never stop learning and I look forward to what the future holds.