I am a wife and mother of two who never knew the importance of nutrition until I was diagnosed with Graves Disease when I turned 40. My theory had always been, “I feel fine, why can’t I eat this big bag of M&Ms??” Being a pharmacist, I turned to conventional medicine to treat my Graves Disease.
The doctor gave me two choices to treat my thyroid: one was to ingest enough radioactive iodine to kill my thyroid gland and the other was to take a pill to prevent or slow down the production of thyroid hormone. I chose to take the pill. I remember thinking to myself, “If God gave me this thyroid gland, it must be for a reason!” Killing my thyroid gland was not an option.
The plan was to take Tapazole for a year in hopes that the Graves Disease would go into remission. Before taking it, I remember reading the package insert and learning that the Tapazole had caused cancer in rat studies. I was not excited about taking the drug but felt I had no choice because at this point in my disease, I was experiencing tachycardia, weight loss and panic attacks. I took the drug for a year and my endocrinologist told me that I was in remission.
We soon after joined a nearby health-club and one day I was on the treadmill and noticed that by just barely doing any walking, my pulse was 130 and I was out of breath! I called my endocrinologist and went in for a blood test. A few days later, the doctor’s office called to tell me my thyroid level was normal! They said I was fine. I wondered to myself why my heart rate was so fast if my thyroid level was normal. At this point, I did not know what to do.
It just so happened that soon after this, I was attending a dinner fundraiser with my husband and sat across from a medical doctor who specialized in treating Autoimmune Thyroid diseases naturally! She agreed to take me on although she already had a full load of patients. I experienced great relief from the natural remedies she recommended. The magnesium she prescribed for me helped my heart slow down and calmed my nerves. It turned out I was an unusual case and eventually this doctor was unsure how to further help me. By this point though, I was hooked on holistic medicine!
I next turned to a Naturopathic Doctor who helped people improve their health by eliminating the common food allergens from their diet and by performing hair mineral analysis. I achieved great improvements in my health from her therapy. Through her help and the help of an acupuncturist trained in NAET, I was able to slow down my fast heart rate.
With time, however, I found that almost every food or supplement started to make my heart race. I was developing allergies to everything! By the grace of God, I believe, I learned of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet. The GAPS diet is a diet that heals your gut so that undigested food does not leak thru the intestinal lining causing allergic reactions. This is called “leaky gut” and in holistic circles, is believed to be the cause of autoimmune diseases.
I started on the GAPS diet in the summer of 2013. This was a very difficult and time consuming diet. Since I was only working part time, it was something I could manage.
Being a pharmacist that now believed in holistic health, I thought it best that I look into changing careers. I learned of the Nutritional Therapy Program (NTP) through a like-minded friend. The Nutritional Therapy Association believes in the same philosophy of the Weston Price Foundation that I had come to love and respect. With the support of my wonderful husband, I soon after enrolled in the NTP program.
The NTP program was truly amazing! I learned that the root causes of poor health stem from imbalances in the body’s systems and from a nutrient deficient diet. The program taught me powerful ways to further improve my health. It also gave me incredible tools to help others as well. Now that I am a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I am ready to start my own practice helping others make the same kind of life changing natural changes that healed me.
I look forward to helping people reach their maximum potential so that they can be ALIVE TO THRIVE.
Contact me today for a free 15 minute consultation to see if Nutritional Therapy can help you!
Jackie Corn RPh, FNTP, CGP
