We recently surveyed our nutrition response testing practice members to see what they’d like to know more about. A response many of them replied with was, “How can I enhance my nutrition response testing results?” There is much to be discussed in answer to this question including understanding your report of findings, having support at home, being willing to unlearn, staying on track with dietary needs, and following given recommendations.
Something I notice in my practice is the notion that your supplement protocol is “The Answer.” It’s “What Will Carry You Through.” It’s “THE Cure All.” Actually? It’s NOT. There is far more to your nutrition response testing program than the supplements that come up as important in your testing. If you’re not willing to follow the suggestions and recommendations, you’re not a nutrition response testing candidate, AND you won’t see the improvement you’re looking for.
You are not alone in wanting to feel better, though being willing to make necessary changes is another ballgame entirely. You can’t just going through the motions. Staying entirely present to your efforts and the ongoing transformation will keep you more invested in the game of long-term wellness and vitality.
Your supplement protocol along with the dietary and lifestyle recommendations given will bring you to a new level of health. How to enhance those results is entirely up to you, but here are a few pointers:
Understanding Your Report of Findings
Your report of findings is an individualized compilation of the hands-on technology of nutrition response testing, the lengthy intake process, and the heart scans we provide in office (heart sound recorder and heart rate variability). You will find your program recommendations may differ from a family member based on these findings.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Our program offerings provide us with the opportunity to give you the best first step toward health as possible. We will discuss the phases of your care, how and when to take your supplements, offer additional suggestions and guidance, and go over specific program agreements.
The real game comes into play once you begin showing up for your follow-up visits on schedule. This provides your body with a reliable rhythm for communicating what’s working and to begin uncovering layers of what needs handling.
Taking Supplements as Directed
With nutrition response testing, we are not following the suggested dosage on the box or bottle. We are utilizing that smart and wise nervous system of yours to tell us exactly what your body needs and how much of it — that is the technology of muscle testing.
You will be directed on the best times to take your supplements, and what the dosage should be based upon your testing. Some clients we work with find that they are on a similar supplement to a family member, though it doesn’t mean the way (or the reason) they are taking it is the same. Nutrition response testing is individualized care for your specific needs.
You will test into and out of supplementation as your body sees fit. I began to understand and see how my body’s needs changed over time, whether that was weeks or months, as it began to heal. To this day, I find it fun and interesting to see what I’m testing for and how it relates to what I’m experiencing and/or feeling.
Having Support at Home
We actually have an application you need to fill out in order to do an initial visit/consult with us. This helps us in supporting you. From the beginning we will know and understand if you have the financial support to invest in your health. From the beginning we will know whether you have a partner or team at home willing to come alongside you in the quest for getting to the root causes of your ailing health and be as eager and excited as you are to learn what you need to do and how. To be honest, if you don’t have that support, you’re on an uphill battle. When it comes to finances, it’s all about priorities. When your health becomes a priority, the commitment follows.
Being Willing to Unlearn
How many social media posts do we click through on, magazines do we read, books do we borrow, and podcasts do we listen to for advice on our health? I do the same, though if there is one important thing I’ve learned about handling my health it’s this: I need to be willing to UNLEARN the data I’ve pounded into my head, and you do as well.
Being willing to unlearn brings about more space for clarity, insight, perspective, and new information about YOUR health, YOUR case, and YOUR concerns. When you see things newly, from the perspective of your own body’s communication, it’s an absolutely invaluable bit of education. If you can continually stand in that inquiry and continue to unfold that understanding, you’ll be in the right place.
Healing isn’t linear, that’s for sure. It looks more like paint coming out of a garden hose-it’s all over the board. There will be ups and downs, and flares of old stuff, and wins to celebrate. Staying the course is what’s important.
Staying on Track with Dietary Needs
It will be difficult for you to make necessary dietary changes if you’re not ready to be well. Having a mindset of “I can’t eat this, I can’t eat that” will kick you so far into left field that you won’t want to connect with your own program. Your body will dictate, through the testing, what you should or shouldn’t be consuming. That information will be shared with you at your visit and you’ll be able to work with your nutrition coach to find substitutions and new foods to try.
Eating a diet that’s clean and devoid of the chemicals that got you into your current state of health takes some time and effort. I find it takes a person about nine months to go from eating the standard American diet to knowing what to eat and when (even if they are eating at a restaurant). It doesn’t happen overnight.
Most people have to maintain a certain level of dietary change lifelong to manage their health. Some can go back to a few of those old habits here and there, but they are quickly reminded that those old habits aren’t self serving and take us down a rabbit hole of self loathing and physical discomfort. This is why it’s key to have support at home, whether that be a partner, spouse, roommate, or a friend who will be your accountability partner in crowding out unnecessary foods, and in finding new whole foods to prepare and love.
Following Given Recommendations
You are given recommendations by your nutrition response practitioner because they are specific to your health needs. Uncovering root causes takes time as your body heals in layers.
Along with your supplement recommendations you will be given lifestyle modifications to make, shopping tips to consider, and suggestions to promote movement and flow in your body and program. These are important to follow as they are often low-to-no-cost ways of having at-home continuity in your program, and some find it fun to incorporate family wellness into what they are learning about themselves. Part of the beauty of this work is seeing the ripple effect your past health choices have made on the rest of your loved ones, and how quickly you can begin turning that around and making a positive life-long impact on your loved ones.
And, celebrate your momentum. Celebrate your WHY. Celebrate for the sake of celebration. Celebrate you. So often we inundate ourselves with all the things we’ve done and are doing wrong — all the reasons why we don’t deserve to be well and why we won’t get well. I really encourage you to take a step back and look at where you’re making changes, where you were stopped and how you are making progress like never before, and pat yourself on the back for that work.
Ask your loved ones for acknowledgement for what you’ve achieved and accomplished — for who it took you to be to reach the goal you set out for yourself.
