Patient Spotlight

 Patient Spotlight

It was generous to have one of my patients take the time to write out her healing journey with us.  I found it so inspirational that I wanted to share it!

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Before: 213 pounds - Age 55                       After-148 pounds - Age 58

My 3 Year Transformational Story with Healing Arts & Nutrition Response Testing

Dr. Armitstead and Nutrition Response Testing has completely transformed and restored my health and my body. After years of energetic, spiritual, emotional healing, I knew it was time to heal the body that had housed so much trauma, pain, fear and grief in its cellular memory manifesting as disease and an aged body. Healing Arts has been my passage back to physical renewal and the embodiment of health - where I am finally balanced in mind, spirit and now body. 

I have been a dedicated client to this healing work for almost 3 years, abiding every appointment, every supplement, every nutritional dictate from my body’s own wisdom brought through the intuitive and skillful knowledge of Dr. Armitstead and Nova and Nutrition Response Testing. In these past three years I/we have healed (unspecified) Autoimmune Disease, Crohn's Disease, Chronic Inflammation, Chronic Migraines, Thyroid Nodules/Disease, Nervous System Disorders, Spinal Disease, Digestive Disorders, Chronic Constipation, Joint Pain, Obesity, Menopausal/Post-menopausal symptoms such as vagina dryness and thinning vaginal walls, thinning hair and sexual apathy, painful intercourse and pelvic floor dysfunction.

I have gained a body, organs, blood, heart, hormonal system, nervous system, joints, muscles, sexual organs, hair and skin that radiates the internal well being I have spent years manifesting. I have gained balance and wholeness and a belief in the wisdom of my own body’s genius. I have gained clarity, confidence, energy, wisdom, agelessness, renewed sexuality, and a love of and connection with my body that I had been dissociated with, ashamed of, and felt disdain for. I have gained a dedicated yoga practice and a love of exercising, strength training and recovery methods to care for my body because I love it, not because ‘I have to..’

When I began working with Healing Arts, It was my last hope, I had all but given up - almost buying into the belief that ‘this is just the way it is at age 50+ In post menopause...’. I had all of this light and beauty within me that I feared may be trapped forever beneath a body that had stored so much life: pain, grief, sorrow, limited beliefs, and society’s dictates of what it is to be a woman of a certain age, crying urgently to be healed. Despite having the skills to heal myself energetically/emotionally/spiritually, I didn’t know how to heal my body on my own, and the medical community only offered toxic medications and risky surgeries. I knew I needed help, and Healing Arts was the answer to my soul's calling.  

Healing Arts and Nutrition Response Testing is a journey, not a quick fix - it takes dedication, faith, consistency and an unwavering ethic to what your body is asking of you. It demands an interactive approach with self and with the practitioner to take part in and responsibility for your healing. It is so worth the investment (which may at times seem ‘expensive’ but has saved me literally thousands of dollars in medical bills and medications). It is so worth the time, the supplements and the difficult releasing of some of the most addictive foods and substances we ingest in our bodies. It’s a way of life that is so worthy. It is the best gift I have ever given myself - I have lost 65 pounds, lost a dependence on medical doctors, lost a dependence on unhealthy foods and substances, lost low self-esteem and inhibitions and a fear of death and disease and gained so much joy, well-being, fearlessness, hope and possibility, healthy sexual functioning and a love of healthy and nutritious foods and cooking, and most importantly such gratitude and love for my body, it’s wisdom and my health. 

I am so grateful for Healing Arts and Dr. Armitstead for helping lead me back to my body and it’s wholeness. 

Thank you. 

How Eating Sugar Effects the Thyroid

Susan keeps busy all the time. She is a mother of two, career woman and loves to volunteer at church on Sundays. However, each day is a struggle. She has a hard time waking up in the morning even when she gets 8 hours of good sleep. Her energy crashes at about 2-3pm when she reaches for a sugary snack as a pick-me-up or that cup of coffee with 3 packets of sugar. She knows if she does the coffee then chances are she will wake up at 3 am with worry and anxiety over something small but sometimes it's the only thing that works to get her through the day.

If this sounds like you know that you are not alone for there are many who are addicted to sugar, caffeine and/or carbohydrates riding high and low on blood sugar swings. Whether someone eats something sugary or carb-loaded, which will turn into sugar once digested, that sugar goes into the blood stream forcing the body to produce insulin, a specific hormone to manage it. The body produces a lot of insulin to take care of the high amount of sugar to get it out of the blood stream and into the cells for energy. It then produces it in excess and the blood sugar drops too low, sending signals to the brain to eat again. So it truly is a swing of sugar-spike and then sugar-crash and when that crash comes we then reach for the next sugary thing to make us temporary feel better and start the cycle again.

Dysglycemia, the condition of the body not being able to keep the blood sugar stable, effects the adrenal glands and their production of cortisol and if the cortisol levels are swinging for a long period of time then it will end in hypothyroidism or a low functioning thyroid. Dysglycemia weakens and inflames the digestive system and weakens the lungs and brain. It drives the adrenal glands to exhaustion, causing adrenal fatigue syndrome. It also sets the stage for other hormonal imbalances including PMS, polycystic ovary syndrome or a miserable transition into menopause. If the dysglycemia doesn't get managed, attempts at helping the thyroid are futile.

When the blood sugar goes to low, either in response after eating something sugary, reactive hypoglycemia or if their blood sugar is just chronically low, hypoglycemia symptoms include

cravings for sweets
irritability if meals are missed
dependency on coffee for energy
becoming lightheaded if meals are missed
eating to relive fatigue
feeling shaky, jittery
feeling agitated
become upset easily
poor memory, forgetfulness
blurred vision

Now when the blood sugar is too high for extended periods of time you have insulin resistance that turns into diabetes. Symptoms include

fatigue after meals
general fatigue
constant hunger
craving for sweets that is not relieved by eating them
must have sweets after meals
frequent urination
difficulty losing weight
aches and pains that move
Whether hypoglycemic or insulin resistant, you must make changes to your diet. When insulin resistant you can no longer eat what you please when you please; with hypoglycemia,m you cannot continue missing meals or snacking on something sugary or starchy. The worst thing a person can do for their blood sugar is overeat carbs and if you feel sleepy or crave sugar after a meal, you just ate too many carbs. Sticking to a diet to change your blood sugar is not easy due to the addictive nature of sugar and simple carbs. Know that the first three days is the hardest and if you can make it through that you'll make following a new healthy way of easting easier and more rewarding.

Here are some tips:
1. Eat a high quality protein breakfast. Which I know is not easy if you have dysglycemia for you may either be nauseous or not hungry at all. That is a side effect of your adrenal glands and the cup of coffee you are about to have is not going to help things.

2. Eat a small amount of protein or fat every 2-3 hours. This will keep the blood sugar from dipping down and prevent exacerbating your thyroid. Nuts, seeds, a boiled egg, meat or a low-carb protein shake are some examples.

3. Find your carbohydrate tolerance and stick to it. You can use an app to count carbohydrates for the day (try to be under 100 grams/day) but if you carb overload in one meal that will through the blood sugar off. Again, I will reiterate, if you feel sleepy or crave sugar after you eat, you just ate too many carbs.

4. Never eat sugary foods without some fiber, protein or fat. IF and when you do eat something sugary or starchy eat it will some high quality fiber, protein or fat to slow down the rate at which the glucose is absorbed into the blood stream. This helps prevent 'insulin shock'.

5. Avoid all fruit and carrot juice. They are very sugary, even though it is fruit sugar and without the fiber, the sugar goes straight into the blood stream, causing insulin shock.

6. Avoid caffeine with the exception of green tea which can actually help people with insulin resistance.

For more info on the blood sugar, adrenal, thyroid triad read Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal by Datis Kharrazian

11 Tips on How to Sleep Better

How much sleep do you need? Sleep is a very controversial issue. Here is my best to answer such a such a hard question. For most people 7-9 hours is an ideal amount of sleep, with more people requiring 9 vs. 7. Inadequate sleep disrupts health in many ways leading to hormonal and metabolic imbalances, accelerated aging, increased onset and severity of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, memory, loss and more. Insomnia is an epidemic as 25% of Americans have it occasionally and 10% have it chronic. So if you are suffering from lack of sleep know that you are not the only one!

Tips


1) Try to get to bed before 11pm. Your body performs the majority of its repair and recovery during 11pm-1am. The gallbladder dumps toxins during this time. If you are awake the toxins back up into the liver and then to your blood stream. If you are asleep toxins go where they should which is into the large intestine to be taken out through the bowels.
2) Go to bed and wake up same time each day, even on weekends. This rhythm makes it easier to fall asleep and get up
3) Sleep in complete darkness. If not, the pineal glands production of melatonin gets disrupted. You can get black out blinds, shades or a sleep mask
4) Avoid TV before bed. TV is stimulating to the brain which disrupts the pineal gland making it harder to fall asleep or sleep well. The same goes for reading material that is stimulating. If you read before bed read books that are relaxing and peaceful. Also turn off other electronics so no electromagnetic frequencies can disturb your sleep such as cellphones and computers.



5) Wear socks to bed because our feet have the poorest circulation cold feet can disrupt sleep.
6) Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to wake up with a sudden loud noise. Ideally, you should sleep until your body naturally awakens, making an alarm clock unnecessary. If you need an alarm use a dawn simulator which gradually emits light to full intensity over 45 minutes, much like the sun. This way you don’t start the day in fight or flight mode.
7) If you lie in bed with your mind racing it might be helpful to keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed. This allows you to download your disturbing thoughts to paper and clear your mind. Breathing helps too. I like using Coherent breathing.
8) Avoid caffeine and other stimulants because they can have a long lasting stimulatory effect on your nervous system
9) If you wake up in the night to urinate, don’t drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed.
10) Take a hot bath or shower for about 30 minutes right before bed. Heat has a relaxing effect on the body. Use lavender essential oil in bath, body wash or pillow spray.
11) Don’t eat right before bed. The body trying to digest can impair sleep. Worse is eating grains and sugar or alcohol which causes a spike in blood sugar and then the crash. When the body crashes sleep isn’t as deep and in severe cases you wake up in the middle of the night and need to eat something. Sleep eating occurs in severe cases. Also avoid foods which you are sensitive to. This is particularly true for dairy and wheat products as they may have negative effects on sleep, such as apnea, excess congestion, stomach upset and gas.