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Curb Your Food Cravings With Aromatherapy

Some studies show that grapefruit, lime, peppermint, and cinnamon bark essential oils may help with appetite reduction. Here is a quick breakdown of what the studies share about each oil.  Grapefruit ~ Citrus X paradisi May act as an appetite suppressant Inhaling...

Soothing IBS Symptoms with Food – Recipe included!

Soothing IBS Symptoms with Food - Recipe Included! Jump to Recipe Do digestive issues keep you from doing things you love? Do you know where all the bathrooms are, just in case? Did you have dinner and movie plans only to rush home straight after dinner and miss the...

What diet is right for you?

Do you know what diet is right for you? Do you feel overwhelmed or confused about all the diet info circulating on the internet? Are you tired of feeling bloated, low on energy, or not losing weight no matter what you eat? Have you tried eating a Paleo, Keto, AIP,...

Foods That Can Increase Inflammation

Foods That Can Increase Inflammation Inflammatory Foods Chronic inflammation can cause a bunch of health effects and make you more likely to develop different health conditions. The positive impact of anti-inflammatory foods can be reduced if you’re also consuming a...

The Connection Between Hydration and Immunity

Hydration and Immunity How much water do you drink on an average day? If it’s not a lot, it could be affecting your immunity. Dehydration can have a ton of effects on the body, and you probably already know that it can make you feel tired and lethargic and lead to...
orange cat sleeping on white bed

The Connection Between Sleep and Immunity

Sleep and Immunity If you don't sleep very well most nights, you may also struggle with your immunity. The link between them isn't always obvious, but it's a strong one.  Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to help keep your immune system healthy...

The Connection Between Stress and Immunity

Stress and Immunity Taking steps to manage stress is one of the best things you can do for your immunity. Since stress has a negative effect on the immune system, you may notice that you get sick regularly if you're under a lot of long-term stress. Bacteria, germs,...

The Connection Between Sugar and Decreased Immunity

Sugar and Immunity You may have heard that sugar decreases your immunity, but how true is this? The evidence is mostly based on a study from the 1970s and suggested a strong link between sugar and a reduction in white blood cells' ability to kill bacteria. This effect...

Can Probiotics Prevent and Treat Cold and Flu?

Probiotics for Colds and Flu Probiotics can have big benefits for your gut, which can have a less obvious effect on immunity.  Adding probiotics to your diet can help to boost your immunity and protect against colds and flu. Restoring levels of “good” gut...
clear glass tea set with honey

How Does Honey Help Colds?

Honey for Colds You’ve probably heard that honey is a great remedy for colds and sore throat, and you might even have been given honey and hot water as a child. There’s a great basis for this too, as studies have shown that honey really can help, especially if you’ve...

Can Elderberries Fight Colds and Flu?

Elderberries for Colds and Flu If you’ve tried a lot of different cold and flu remedies, elderberry is one of the ingredients that you’ve probably come across. This herbal remedy has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes and is very anti-inflammatory....
ginger on gray surface

Ginger’s Cold and Flu Busting Qualities

Ginger for Colds and Flu Next time anyone in the family is hit with a cold or flu, you’ll definitely want to make sure that you have some ginger on hand! Ginger has been used a lot in traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s used to treat a wide range of health...

Benefits of Bone Broth

Day 9: Benefit of Bone Broth  Bone broth is a superfood for your immune system and gut health, where a LOT of hormone interactions occur, such as...  The conversion of thyroid T4 to T3 Conversion of glucocorticoids to androgens (steroid...

Sing, Gargle, and Gag

Day 8: Sing, Gargle, Gag Did you know that singing along to holiday songs can actually promote hormone balance? So can gargling water and initiating a gag reflex. You’re probably wondering how in the heck these actions help balance hormones, but that’s what this 12...

Incorporate Yoga

Day 7: Incorporate Yoga A dear friend introduced me to yoga, and it has been a BIG part of my health journey. When I was in the midst of struggling with imbalances, yoga helped me strengthen my relationship with my body, my mind, and restore my faith in my ability to...

Bank Some Sleep

Day 6:  Bank Some Sleep  Sleep is the first thing to go during the holiday season. We stay up late this time of year… Burning the midnight oil to meet last-minute work deadlinesWrapping presents when kids or loved ones are asleepWaiting for Santa or loved...

Wake Up with Warm Water

Day 4: Wake Up With Warm Water It’s cold outside ❄️ so why not start your day off with some warm lemon-salted water while you brew your usual cup of joe or tea?  Even if it's not cold where you are, this is still a great way to start the day. Beyond...

Go Green

Day 3: Go Green During the holidays, inflammation is on the rise as we indulge in different foods or beverages that might have a more inflammatory effect on the body, from toxins we encounter while traveling and as a result of any mental or emotional stress...

Embrace Joy & Epigenetics

Day 12: Embrace Joy & Epigenetics We underestimate the influence mindset has on our hormones or the power of epigenetics. But ’tis the season to be full of joy, happiness, and gratitude, which can positively impact our hormone health. Our genes determine only...

Introduce Intermittent Fasting

Day 11: Introduce Intermittent Fasting  Warning: Consult with your health practitioner before playing around with fasting if you suffer from more severe hormone imbalances and fatigue. Introducing intermittent fasting can help offset the intake of carbs and...

Turn Down the Intensity

Day 10: Turn Down the Intensity  Before diving into today’s topic, let’s redefine the word stress. Typically we think of mental or emotional stress that we encounter from work, relationships, or decision making when hearing the word stress. But… STRESS IS...

Crush Some Cruciferous Veggies

Day 5: Crush Some Cruciferous Veggies It’s the last full weekend before Christmas, and all through the town, Christmas cocktails are flowing… meaning estrogen levels are on the rise.  One alcoholic beverage can increase estrogen levels in the body for up to 24...

Breathe Deeply

Day 2 - Breathe Deeply This time of year, we are in constant movement - decorating, planning, working, shopping, traveling, cooking, cleaning, and socializing (maybe less traveling and socializing this year). While all of that is necessary, and some of it is fun, it...

Fill Up With Fat

Day 1: Fill up with Fat This likely sounds counterintuitive, but trust me, it’s not when it comes to your hormones, energy levels, and kicking cravings! In order for the body to make hormones, it needs you to eat healthy dietary fats that are broken down into LDL and...

My Health Journey

Since I was a young girl, I struggled with serious digestion issues. I went years trying to avoid the things I knew would make me sick, and I had no idea why it was happening. For example, I figured out that I could not eat apples from the supermarket, but I could eat...

The Magnolia Family

Magnoliaceae The Magnolia is one of my most favorite flowers and it reminds me of my move to Charleston, SC from New Hampshire. On our first visit, while my husband and I were exploring the city, I was in awe of the Magnolia trees. Their large branches and leaves...

The Orchid Family

Orchidaceae The orchid holds a special place in my heart. When showing off, it has beautiful flowers which can last quite a long time but then it happens... The flowers begin to shrivel up one by one, fall off, and for some people, never show their beauty again. This...
woman helping sportsman with injury during cardio training

Inflammation and its Relation to Psychoneuroimmunology

An important part of the body’s immune response is inflammation, especially during acute trauma.  The inflammatory response during acute trauma helps to decrease the injury and maintain homeostasis. This might surprise some individuals who believe that...

Essential Oils for Dogs

Lately I have been getting some questions about the safety of essential oils and dogs….

Turmeric

Turmeric You might know from my Instagram and Facebook feed that my husband and I spent a long weekend in NYC.  We rode bikes EVERY DAY - up to about 30 miles a day!  We loved it so much that when we got home, we dusted off our bikes and hit the road!...

Recipes

Some of my favorites!

Pranayama and Meditation

I started meditating during yoga classes when I was 16 but really I  was meditating long before that.  As a child I spent a lot of time playing in nature and I just loved the feel of being in the woods.  We often had a houseful with my siblings and cousins so the woods were like my sanctuary […]

Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle Medicine is not a new idea. Hippocrates, the father of medicine recognized the value of food as medicine many centuries ago. He had a philosophy, Let food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food […]

Tips to Prepare for Menopause Long Before it Begins

To have a smooth transition through menopause it is important to balance your adrenals before the transition begins.  Menopause is a natural transition that occurs when your ovaries stop producing eggs.  There is a time frame for this process, late forties or early fifties, but where you fall is individualized […]

Curious about FDN and Holistic Health Coaching?

Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN) is a type of detective work that identifies the underlying causes and conditions that cause disease instead of treating symptoms. Using functional lab work, I recognize patterns of imbalance in the body […]  

Healthy Gut – don’t waste your money on supplements!

“All Disease Begins in the Gut”  ~ Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine
What’s the point of taking supplements if your body is not absorbing them properly?  Poor absorption, which leads to nutrient deficiency, can occur from intestinal hyperpermeability.  You may be more familiar with the term Leaky Gut […]

Pesky Colds

So, I am ready to admit that I have a cold!  When the runny nose first came on I thought it was due to cheating on my diet and eating foods that I am sensitive to… it’s possible. Last year I took the Mediator Release Test to check my food sensitivities.  I have a few…cane sugar is on the top of the list and when I eat it I get a runny nose […]

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“Katrina’s program has helped me deal with issues I had been fighting for years. I had been passed through multiple specialists and never felt like I was treated with a whole-body approach. The quality of my life has improved so much..”

– Sara