About Heather
Specialties
Digestive Wellness
Food Allergies & Intolerance
Diet and Detoxification
Elimination Diets
Drug-Nutrient Depletions
Cancer Prevention Strategies
Acne
SIBO
Dementia Prevention
My Story
I have always had a passion for helping people. I knew in high school I was destined for a career in the healthcare field. I chose pharmacy because it combined my passion for biochemistry and medicine.
My family history is rich in almost every type of disease and cancer. In my early 20's while in pharmacy school I had borderline high cholesterol. I decided it was time to start leading a healthier lifestyle and apply what I was learning about disease management on myself. Watching both of my parents suffer from chronic diseases, I wanted to do everything I could to stay healthy. I began a strict exercise program and started following the diet approach taught in school which was a low carb, low salt diet. Having the knowledge that I know now, managing chronic conditions with a proper diet is much more complex than what was taught in pharmacy school.
Fast forward 15 years. After having three beautiful children, my healthy lifestyle habits had become a bit more lax. Although I was still exercising and eating "somewhat" healthy my first priority was being the family caretaker and my well-being was pushed aside. I often would forget to eat after feeding everyone else or would eat "convenient" processed foods that were easy to grab and go. My body started exhibiting strange symptoms that would come and go. These included brain fog, anxiety, headaches, tingling and numbness in my hands and feet and reflux. I had known about functional medicine and decided after countless lab tests and doctors telling me nothing was wrong I would seek out a functional medicine practitioner.
The practitioner determined that I had leaky gut syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), hypochlorhydria and Covid-19 long haul syndrome. My body was mounting a response to all of the toxins and partially digested food leaking into the bloodstream and harmful bacteria had taken over my gut flora. I went on a low FODMAP elimination diet, identified food sensitivities contributing to my symptoms and followed an in-depth gut-healing protocol and am feeling like a new person!
I have a new outlook on medicine and fully support the concept of functional medicine - finding the root cause of disease vs. treating the symptoms. I am passionate about helping others find their best health and guide them in identifying strategies that will work best to manage their health. The body is amazing at healing and you are most definitely in control of your health destiny.