Holistic Nutritionist Christie Korth Overcame Celiac and Crohn’s
November 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
In my life, I have struggled with the diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease as well as Celiac Disease and have successfully nursed myself back to health without having to rely on medications, after a long battle of illness.
I have had digestive problems since age 9, without a clear cut diagnosis until I was 19, despite my mother dragging me from doctor to doctor. Over the ten year period where I was struggling to come to a diagnosis, my symptoms would come and go. There were periods of time where I would be fine that could stretch on for weeks, maybe months. But sometimes, my stomach would act up in manner that was unbearable, for no definite period of time. I missed a considerable amount of school as a child due to varied digestion problems. No matter what I would eat, my “tummy” would always hurt. I had been curious all my life, constantly asking myself “What the hell is going on in there?” And even as a sassy little 9 year old, with my fathers natural health books in tow, I would question why my doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me. It was not until I entered college that my digestion became so out of control to the point where I could no longer eat without vomiting afterwards. Try having an active and normal social life when you fell like Barfo-The-Clown…
Needless to say, I felt things were spiraling out of control for me. I eventually dropped from a healthy 135lbs to just about 100. My doctor became frantic for a diagnosis and after many, many tests….
Finally, after 10 LONG years, my Doctor found the culprit! I am probably the only person in history who practically fell out of my hospital bed and danced when I found out I had Crohn’s disease. Knowledge is power, and I felt I finally had the power of knowing how to help myself. But, boy, I did not have it easy. Because it took so long to diagnose me, my intestines were in pretty bad shape. I was constantly in the hospital for awhile and over 2 years, tried over 20 conventional therapies that failed for me. From steroids that made me blow up like a cow to the junk they prescribe you for anthrax, my doctor prescribed it! I told people that my pocketbook was like a walking drugstore, and you know what? I still felt like crap!
But then one day, everything changed for me. I was in the hospital, getting an infusion of Remicade for the Crohn’s and a woman who was also getting an infusion turned to me and said, “Read The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin and you will be okay.” That was it, she said nothing else, and then she got up to leave the hospital. As odd as that was for me at that time, All I have to say is: I would certainly not be doing the job I am doing today, had that woman not lead me to read that book. So I thank that women, she was an angel, I have no doubt. From what I had been told quite a few times, I should not even be alive. Considering, I survived through several near death experiences, each one shocking all of my doctors alike. Had I not listened to that woman, who knows what would have happened. I am still known affectionately at my doctor’s office for being “the girl with the big yellow folder”, boasting the biggest file in the practice.
Because I have been blessed with the ability of conquering my own life health obstacles, public health is now my life’s mission. After being inspired by The Maker’s Diet, I vowed to become a human sponge and read health books like a monster. During this process, I learned more and more about my diagnosis until I became a powerhouse of knowledge. I even went on later to discover on my own that I had Celiac disease. Coming across the Celiac was the missing piece of the puzzle that had been missing for so long. It is a blessing that I finally found true and pure health, after a total of 15 long years of waiting. But I say this with the utmost of seriousness, although my health struggles have been bittersweet, to me they symbolize a beautiful part of my life. My struggles gave me the ability to help those seeking to find their own health. And that alone, has made the past all the more worth its weight in gold. Helping people achieve Happy & Healthy Wellness is my mission in life. I plan to go out in the world and raise awareness not only to Crohn’s and Celiac diseases, but the overall failing health in America. I just want people to be given the opportunity to live healthy and complete lives in today’s crazy fast-paced world.
In my education, I have learned over 40 different dietary theories and have been exceptionally trained in the field of Holistic Nutrition. Currently, I hold a Bachelors Degree of Science in Holistic Nutrition with the Clayton College of Natural Health in Birmingham, AL. I am presently in the process of working on my Masters Degree with Clayton. I am also Certified in Integrative Nutrition with Columbia University’s Teachers College and have obtained certification through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. I also completed a comprehensive training program with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC, certifying me as a health counselor. I have been trained by some of the best in the alternative health industry including Marion Nestle, Head of Public Nutrition at NYU, as well as Dr. Andrew Weil, who is renowned in The Natural Health field for his findings. Further, I have completed training with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. With CCFA, I am currently a group leader for those patients who are newly diagnosed with either disease. As a group leader, I address popular concerns with both illness and assist those in developing valuable methods to controlling an otherwise chronic illness.
HHWC is affiliated with both the CCFA and The Suffolk County Celiacs.
Christie A Korth CHC, BSHN, AADP
Happy & Healthy Wellness Counseling
Certified Holistic Health Counselor/Holistic Nutritionist
Huntington, NY
http://www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/ckorth
Holistic Weight Loss: Don’t Diet. Live It!
November 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Before my recovery, I was obsessed with chocolate chip cookies. I sometimes spent entire days driving to different places in my search of the perfect cookie (you know, the one that would satisfy you forever!). I sometimes spent entire evenings mixing up batter, only to devour it all before it even got into the oven. Of course, I considered cookies to be “bad” foods, and on my “good” days I never ate them. I thought that as fat as I was, I shouldn’t eat cookies if I truly wanted to lose weight like I said I did.
When I started my recovery, I couldn’t have cookies in my Live-It (program) because I was so fearful of them. My panic about eating even one would drive me to eat too many. Also, because I still considered cookies “bad”, the part of me that liked them always thought, “This is the last time I will ever eat chocolate chip cookies,” and, therefore, I wanted to eat as many as I possibly could. After all, I’d never get the chance to eat them again!
Eventually, because I could never seem to cut cookies out of my life, I began to realize that it didn’t kill me to eat them. In fact, the more I allowed them to be part of my Live-It, the less fear they instilled, and the less desperate I was to have them. My process of letting go of my fear and judgment about cookies, along with numerous calls I made for support, and working on the emotional issues that caused me to numb myself out with cookies in the first place, led me to freedom from my cookie obsession. I am no longer controlled by cookies. If I notice them becoming problematic, I turn to my support system until I can figure out what feelings I am trying to suppress. When I handle my feelings, cookies are no longer an issue.
Today, a cookie is just a cookie. I can eat one, or not eat one. I can even love cookies at times - because they’re not an obsession. Ironically, when cookies were a “bad” food, and I was trying to avoid them in order to control my weight, I weighed a lot more than I do today. Decriminalizing cookies (and other “bad” foods), and letting go of “weight-control” were important aspects to the eventual attainment of my natural weight.
Many of us have been living by rule books, and trying to manipulate our weight for so long that we have no idea what our natural weight is. Often we have an irrational fear that our body would just keep growing and growing if we didn’t control it. But, unless you have a medical condition that causes weight gain, this is only true if you are not addressing your emotional needs.
Also, many people have a distorted body image. We believe that we have gained weight, when in fact we haven’t. We believe that we’re fat when, in fact, we aren’t. This is because we connect feelings with “fat” and can’t tell the difference. We know we feel something, but since we can’t identify the feeling, we think it must be about weight. “Huge feelings” can make us feel huge!
If you feel out of control regarding your weight, and a doctor has ruled out any medical problems, the only solution is to focus on your inner needs. Weight control is not a solution. In fact, weight control leads to “weight out-of-control.”
Excerpted from The Don’t Diet Live-It Workbook:
Healing Food, Weight, and Body Issues
Andrea Wachter, LMFT and Marsea Marcus, LMFT
Gurze Books: 1999
http://holisticwellness.com/profiles/innersolutions
Vegetarian Finds New Vitality
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Before I started working with Alex, I was tired. I had no energy. I also felt frustrated. I was not sleeping well. I felt, having been a Vegetarian for over 20 years, I knew how to eat - wrong! I was not making proper food choices. I would eat Vegetarian, but not wholesome, healthy choices.
What an easy transition to make these changes in my eating and lifestyle pattern. With Alex’s expertise in introducing me to many food options, I had no problem expanding my Vegetarian diet to include whole grains and a plethera of other healthy food choices. What really impressed me was how we should eat like the seasons. Lighter foods during the hot summer months and heavier foods during the colder, winter months.
The results were amazing! My energy level immediately started to soar. I became more in-tune with my body’s demands for whole foods, not junk. Even before Alex would call me I would crave a certain food (whole, nutritious) and I was constantly amazed at how she knew what I would experience, feel and demand. I started to sleep better. My weight also started to change. I have slowly, which is better that fast, lost approximately 15 pounds since working with Alex for these past six months I have decided to become Vegan and my energy level is great.
I feel anyone that wishes to better their lifestyle be it through nutrition or body and soul, should definitely sign up with Alex. You don’t need to be a Vegan or a Vegetarian. I was totally impressed with her knowledge. Any time I have had a question, she immediately had an answer or a suggestion for me. She has introduced me to another level of thinking, cooking, learning and realizing that my body is a machine that needs to be fed properly in order to function. Not only do I have this knowledge, but I now am sharing this with my family and friends.
Lucy B.
Who worked with Holistic Health Counselor and Vegan Chef Alexandra Jamieson
http://holisticwellness.com/profiles/healthychefalex
IBS Healed Through Lifestyle Changes
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I used to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Hypoglycemia and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). After studying holistic nutrition, changing my diet and making lifestyle changes I was able to heal myself from these afflictions.
Suffering from IBS since childhood I can remember many distressing moments. One night in particular, when my IBS was really bad, I found myself in agonizing pain — just laying there wondering what was happening inside my body. The next day I went to my doctor and he told me it was an IBS attack and prescribed me medication. He advised me to do the same should I get another IBS attack and gave me a list of foods to eliminate from my diet. I was astonished. All the foods on that list were a staple in my diet. I left feeling so overwhelmed and saddened to think that I was going to have to deal with having a “sensitive stomach” forever.
After years of dealing with this discomfort and working on eliminating everything from diet that I thought would cause those flair ups, I was at my wits end. I then turned to adding more sugar to my diet. I thought that would calm my stomach. Later I found out that I was using sugar as my comfort food. As a result of the excess sugar in my diet I developed Hypoglycemia, which is an imbalance in your blood sugar levels. This left me feeling tired all the time and with a lack of motivation to exercise. I was very concerned about the hypoglycemia because, as you my know, if left untreated can turn to Type II Diabetes,. With all these complications going on along the way I developed PCOS, which a hormone imbalance and was very much affiliated with my hypoglycemia. I used to suffer from excruciating menstrual pain.
At this point I was scared, I was in my late 20’s and all these health problems were slowly creeping up on me. I thought “this has to be affiliated with my food intake, how else would I develop this now in my life and not years ago?” It had to be my diet and lifestyle. I decided to make a change for myself and learn how to take care and nourish my body with high quality foods. I enrolled in a nutrition program in New York City, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. And WOW, after 8 months I was able to heal myself from IBS, Hypoglycemia and PCOS. I was shocked and so were my doctors.
So now you know my journey as to how I got to be a healthy and happy woman. Let me help you do the same. It’s my passion and my pleasure. There is no need to suffer.
There is a quote that my grandma always says, “If you have your health, then you have your wealth.”
I am true believer of that statement.
–Randi Cestaro, Owner of Happy Healing Nutrition Counseling
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/happyhealing
I Overcame Sugar Addiction
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I grew up as a sugar addict and stayed that way well into my mid twenties. I would be on a constant roller coaster of energy highs and lows and always resorting to something sweet to give me a boost again. I was shopping once and ran into my aunt and had so little energy and such brain fog that I could barely engage in conversation with her. I began to learn about sugar and how it affects your blood sugar levels and what it does and began to slowly change my diet. I started to incorporate more healthy sweet foods like figs, sweet potatoes, yogurt with honey and almonds, etc, to satisfy my desire for sweets. Since making that lifestyle and dietary change, I crave sweets less. I removed soda and other drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup completely. My drink is water, and that’s really all I crave. My energy levels are much more stable now and I don’t have the brain fog and mood swings associated with sugar anymore. It’s truly amazing how making small, simple changes in your diet can have huge benefits for your health.
Sheila K Magnusen HHC
Wonderful Life Health Counseling
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Homewood, IL
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/wonderfullife
Weight Loss Via Decrease in Hydrogenated Oils
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Other than my sugar addiction I’ve never (fortunately) had any major health problem. However, there are a couple things I can share with you. My first real dietary change other than decreasing my sugar intake was to eliminate all hydrogenated oils from my diet. I was in my early twenties at the time and slowly gaining weight. I was starting to get a little nervous about it since I had never had to lose weight in my life and when I tried at this time, I found it wasn’t an easy thing to do. I read an article about all the negative health effects of hydrogenated oils and decided to stop eating them. In doing that, I eliminated a host of junk food from my diet and gradually and permanently dropped weight. I went from 130 to below 115 and have maintained this weight with a healthy diet and moderate exercise. It’s actually difficult for me to put on weight now.
Sheila K Magnusen HHC
Wonderful Life Health Counseling
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Homewood, IL
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/wonderfullife
Anemia Overcome with Dietary Changes
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Another experience I can share with you is the fact that I was anemic for most of my life from a teenager into my late twenties. Iron pills prescribed by my doctor didn’t elevate my hemoglobin levels so I found a natural remedy. I simply started eating more leafy green vegetables (mostly raw spinach salads) and I’m no longer anemic. Like I said, it’s truly amazing how simple changes can make such a big difference in your overall health.
Sheila K Magnusen HHC
Wonderful Life Health Counseling
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Homewood, IL
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/wonderfullife