Success Stories

I was a cesarean baby born back in Odessa, Ukraine, with minimal resources and limited medical knowledge. When I was extracted from my mother’s womb, my breathing ceased. According to doctor’s notes I went two minutes on this Earth without taking a breath- I was deemed mentally ill. They told my mother, whom at that time was preparing to immigrate to America, to leave me behind to start a new life. “She will be sick, you are too young to have a mentally ill child to care for”, they told her. Despite it all, she refused to give up on me and along with my family we all immigrated to America. My mom at the time was a twenty-four year old, russian-speaking immigrant with no medical knowledge. At age two, I contracted a very severe ear infection and was put on antibiotics, indefinitely. “ This is her only option to try and preserve her hearing”, they told my mother as the physicians encouraged her to move forward with cutting out my ear drum. For over two years I drank antibiotics every day. No holistic methodologies, no probiotics, no means to restore the flora in my intestines.

Since I was a little girl, I always struggled with stomach discomfort, sharp pains, bloating, diarrhea and weight gain. At age twenty-one I became tired of feeling sick constantly and dealing with feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I decided to make the most extreme change I could- I became a bodybuilder. So the workload began. At that time I was working full-time, studying full-time and training full-time. I had tunnel vision to change my body, but what I didn’t know was the detrimental damage I was doing to my already ill-functioning GI system. I ate two dry turkey patties with five sticks of asparagus six times a day, every day, for seven months for two years straight. I completely depleted all nutrients in my system. I was slowly achieving the look I've always wanted, but it came with a cost; I was feeling more sick than ever. Anything new I ingested or introduced to my fragile system threw my entire body out-of-whack for a week. My stomach would distend, the pain was so unbearable I found myself stuck in bed, miserable. Once I realized what I had done to myself and the sacrifice I made with my health for an aesthetic look, I stopped training altogether. What happened next was unbeknownst to me; I gained forty pounds. What I know now but didn't know then was that I had adrenal fatigue. The organ that sits on top of our kidneys and regulates the stress hormone, cortisol, has stopped doing it’s job. My adrenal gland became like a broken gas pedal, stuck in acceleration, constantly pushing cortisol into my bloodstream. I felt sick, anxious and exhausted on top of gaining weight, again. I tried to lose weight yet again, but nothing I did worked. It seemed as though the stress I have put my body under began to hold onto the weight as a cushion to avoid going into starvation as it did when I was training. I didn’t know what to do, but what I did know was that something had to change.

Upon a casual lunch date with a girlfriend, Joan’s work became the topic of conversation. My friend who struggled with many of the same symptoms as I did was raving about this specialist that has changed her world. You see, my friend was never a big believer of holistic practices, but she couldn’t stop talking about her nutritionist. I thought to myself, “well if it worked on a non-believer, what do I have to lose?”. I called Joan the very next day. Being that I live in North California, I had my first ‘visit’ over the phone with Joan. Two hours later I had a whole new regime to follow and a lifestyle change that I had to prepare to make. I would be lying if I were to say it was easy, but what I can say is that it was worth it. Joan’s extensive knowledge of whole foods and healing from the inside reflected on my new normal. Being a person that struggled with a slew of GI issues all my life and having one bowel movement a week, her work has truly changed my life. I have been working with Joan for three month now, and wow what a difference it has been! I haven't had a serious upset stomach, distention or any issues with bowel movements since following her regimen. I know this might not be the favored topic of conversation, but through experience I have learned that a happy colon will lead to a happy person! I feel like I can breath again, and deeper than ever before. Although it will probably take a while longer before I fully heal, I honestly could not thank Joan enough for getting me to where I am today! Thank you Joan for all that you do and all the lives you have and will continue to impact with your work!