Everyone loves a behind-the-scenes look at life, so I’ve decided to share a look-see into life on a monthly basis. There are so many things that happen behind the scenes to make our Nutrition Response Testing clinic run smoothly. Every day feels like a new day, with adhering to new guidelines and boundaries as we consistently meet our growth goals. There are days when we are booked from open to close with no lunch break, working right through our lunch and admin hours.
Behind the scenes tasks include:
- supplement ordering,
- managing the cleaning and maintenance of the office
- supply ordering
- continuing education for myself and my staff
- managing social media/marketing
- hiring and maintenance of employees + independent contractors.
- Also on the calendar are the Next Step Session phone calls I do (these are for people who want to learn more about what we do and how it might support them) every week.
The task that is near and dear to my heart on a weekly basis is that of keeping my staff and family healthy. Chad will stop in intermittently as his schedule allows, though his typical slot would be early morning or last visit of the day. My kids usually pop in after school when the sitter can drop them for a quick test, though sometimes you see Odin hanging out with us if our sitter isn’t available. He’s at the fun age now where:
A) he knows where all my samples are and asks to eat them All. Day. Long., and B) he asks eleventeen times a day to be tested when he’s there.
An FAQ that’s often asked is: How often do you test your family?
The answer is: it depends. It depends on who is dealing with what. Sometimes it’s monthly unless something kicks up and I need to reel in their health, and in that case the visits may be weekly (or more). Right now we are healing cavities, working on food sensitivities, and doing some detox. Each family member has their own needs.
Above I am using Sunny, our 14 year old, as an indirect tester for checking Odin. He has had consistent food challenges, namely: quinoa, corn, rice, and egg yolks, and we’ve been working those for awhile now. The result for when they sneak into his diet is NOT SLEEPING, so, you know, I’m kind of committed to getting that sorted out.
Another family member we test at least monthly is our rescue dog, Kita.
If I don’t, she makes me absolutely crazy, which is an indication that her health is way out of line. We brought her home in May, and she was great for about 6 weeks, then she started getting nutty. I quickly tested her and found irritations to food that was making her so itchy she’d nibble off her fur to full on raw spots. Then, on other days, she’d shed like crazy and bark at everything. This held her for a while until I gave in to the fact that I have to test her more consistently, just like the kids.
I did take her to the vet to see what they thought and she confirmed that Kita is one of the more allergic and anxious dogs she has seen. She is now on a program that holds her very well (including essential oils, which have been a saving grace for her) with little to no barking and no shedding. The one thing we haven’t been able to eliminate is her nibbling. She nibbles, nibbles, nibbles, all day long. She no longer chews until she is raw though she will lick and nibble her paws like crazy.
One of her stressors is a scar that came with her which is right in the middle of her forehead. Interestingly enough, in humans there is a meridian line that runs directly down the middle of our bodies. When I find scars along that line that test, there are one or two symptoms in their list of concerns: “IBS” issues and “depression/anxiety” issues. Kita doesn’t have IBS issues though is definitely a hard core case of anxiety. When we bring out the Red Light Therapy during her visits, she melts like a puddle into the floor…you’ll notice at the bottom right of the photo Annie’s hands over Kita’s eyes (I’m checking for switching), and her right hand is holding the laser over the scar. The results were chemicals, metals, an immune challenge, and her small intestine needed support. She’s now on 5 supplements instead of 3, which she takes easily with her food daily. We just put a scoop of food in her bowl and toss the supplements on top (we open the capsules and pour the contents right over her food) and she eats them right up. They made a huge difference for her (and for those who live with her!)
And, last but not least, we just re-launched the West Metro Mama’s Group after so many years! Back in 2011 I was renting space from a local chiropractor when I got the idea to take the content of the former My Healthy Beginning magazine to life by creating a monthly complimentary speaker series.
This event became popular and grew quickly, though when I left that space and had nowhere to call home (for the work I was doing at the time), I put it to rest and have missed it so!
Last week we had the pleasure of being in the presence of Kate Doubler, aka Real Food RN as she shared with us her rise to blogdom fame. Her story is inspiring and it set off a warm and encouraging discussion between those of us there. Next month’s speaker is a homeopath from the locally known Hipphealth office.
