Author Archives: Diane Vich

    Diane Vich   →  Articles by: Diane Vich
    Categories Advice, Anxiety, Autism, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, brain disorders, Diabetes, Diet, Elimination Diet, Fibromyalgia, Inflammation, Thyroid, Weight Loss

    Why Can’t I Lose Any Weight?

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Weight loss can be a constant struggle for both women and men.  There are a variety of variables that can impact weight loss.  It is important to identify the issues that might be impacting you, specifically.  Most individuals that seek assistance from Health Coach or professional to assist in identify your obstacles and create a plan that is right for you.  I’m writing this post because I have 2 clients that are currently facing this struggle and I am developing an individualized plan for each them.  Let’s discuss the most common obstacles to weight loss.

    Lack of Sleep – sleep quality and quantity impacts health and weight loss.  It is double edged sword because high stress impacts sleep which then impacts stress, weight loss and other health factors.  Research shows that even small sleep alterations can increase cortisol levels and create insulin resistance.  Lack of sleep is associated with a variety of health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mood disorders and depression.

    Poor nutrient intake – nutritious foods are essential for a healthy body.  It is more important than you think to eat fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and nuts.  A diet high in nutritious foods that focuses on anti-inflammatory meals helps promote weight loss. Its important to avoid processed foods, granola bars, cereals and bread because they are filed with empty calories and create inflammation in the body.  A diet high in healthy fats, protein and healthy carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables revs up the metabolisms and gears you up for a healthier lifestyle. Check out my presentation on You-Tube to see what harmful ingredients can be impacting your gut, brain and causing your weight gain.

    Inflammation– inflammatory foods, like those in the video I shared, create a slow and constant inflammatory response that disturbs our body in many ways.  The biggest problem with inflammation is that it is invisible, if people could actually see the damage inflammatory foods cause at the cellular level, they wouldn’t eat the foods that cause it (See video if you haven’t yet).  Inflammatory foods are foreign invaders to our bodies and it responds with systemic inflammation.  The cycle continues and inflammation multiplies, leading to a multitude of diseases anemia, autism, Alzheimer’s, carpel tunnel, gallbladder disease, GERD, autoimmune leaky gut, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, psoriasis, Crohn’s, celiac disease and many more… (The purple diseases are some of my personal conditions related to chronic stress and inflammation).  Some symptoms of inflammation are tired, fatigues, sleepy, brain fog, attention issues, upset stomach, bloating, achy joins and muscle pain. These are signs your body is going through inflammation and its time for an anti-inflammatory elimination diet to identify your food triggers.  Now, let’s talk specifically about inflammation and weight loss.  Inflammation impacts a hormone that regulates fat in the body.  The hormone called Leptin, controls your metabolism and appetite.  Healthy people get the message from leptin, causing their bodies to suppress appetite and speed up the metabolism, thus burning fat.  Chronic inflammation impairs the bodies ability to receive the message from leptin to suppress your appetite, causing you to eat more and gain weight.  As you can see inflammation can be a vicious cycle, the good new is you don’t have to tackle it alone.  Back to ways to fight the chronic inflammatory response. The best way is to identify your inflammatory trigger foods, develop a diet and supplementation plan that will help build up your digestive tract, immune system and reduce the inflammation. Ask me how?

    Chronic stress– stress is the biggest obstacle to weight loss and everyone has stress on a daily basis. We are faced with highly stressful fast paced lives, and stress is not going anywhere.  Stress in the body causes a flight or fight response which impacts your cortisol and adrenaline hormones.  This is a normal response but our bodies are faced with it too rapidly and frequently.  This response elevates cortisol levels, which can cause weight gain.  These continuous state of chronic stress impacts the immune system, lowers good gut bacteria and places individuals at risk for infection and autoimmune disease.  Unfortunately, after 20 years of age our bodies lose the ability to properly fight stress at a cellular level.  The simple fact is that our bodies no longer produce the antioxidant enzymes that help the body heal and recover from stress, thus it accumulates daily throughout our adult lives.  The only true way to impact this stress daily is by fighting back with nutrigenomics.  Ask me more?

    Toxic overload– We are exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals throughout our lives.  These toxins are in the water, food, hosehold cleaning products, lotions, cosmetics, paint, candles, plastic containers and much more.  Even items that seem healthy can be filled with harmful chemicals, like toothpaste, bread and shampoo.  These toxins can create inflammation and hormonal imbalances in the body.  This also impacts the bodies Leptin response and created inflammation in the body.  These toxic levels can stop your bodies weight loss even with exercise and healthy diet.

    Estrogen Imbalance– More estrogen than progesterone can play a role in weight gain.  Estrogen dominance causes increased cravings and decreased metabolism.  The most common cravings are sugary foods, if this is the case and you can’t control your cravings, estrogen might by the culprit.  Increased cravings, more calories and slow metabolisms promote weight gain.  You can try to attack the inflammation in your body with an elimination plant to see if the cravings improve.

    Low testosterone – It is well known that testosterone levels drop with age.  This drop causes increased body fate, heart disease, insulin resistance and cancer.  Interestingly, obesity can also cause testosterone to drop.  The most visible sign of low-testosterone is belly fat and difficulty loosing weight.  So if this sounds like you, its time to attack that inflammation and fight back.

    Insulin imbalance – Insulin resistance occurs when the body is not able to absorb extra blood glucose and keeps generating more from the food you eat.  The liver convert the glucose into fat and its a vicious cycle.  Inability to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels creases excess belly fat and difficulty with weight loss.  Processed foods, which we discussed earlier cause insulin resistance, inflammation, chronic stress, etc.  It is important to find someone that will support you in your journey.  Someone that can help you identify the foods that are harmful for you and develop a plan to fight back.

    Losing weight can be a difficult journey but it is possible.  The most important part is finding your particular challenges or obstacles and creating a plan with a Health Coach to tackle them.  If you feel stressed or overwhelmed by all the information and possibilities, let me help you develop a plan that you can stick too.  Some of these obstacles may require medications or supplements specific for that condition. If you are not able to resolve these issues with diet modification and supplementation, you may need medical attention, so make an appointment with your physician.

    Categories Breast Feeding, Diet, Fertility, Health, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

    Pregnancy Support

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Pregnancy and fertility can be difficult for women.  Fertility is impacted by a multitude of factors including diet, fitness, stress level, genetics, medications, ovulation, infections and more.  Some women face a variety of struggles with fertility.  I had difficulty conceiving my first child.  I had tried for 9 months, then finally decided to read a book about fertility.  The book was called “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.”  I had several friends that had used it.  I had already scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist but the appointment was 2 months away.  I started taking my temperature every day and keeping track.  The book helped me understand my ovulation and menstrual cycle.  I made sure that after intercourse on ovulation days, I remained in bed for 20 minutes.  I did this for 2 months, and when I went to see the doctor, guess what I was pregnant.  It is also important to ensure you are feeding your body healthy foods, exercising and taking time for you.  These techniques help relax your body, reduce stress and feed nutrients that will support the infant.  If I could turn back the clock,  I would have taken nutrients that could stop the damage that occurs during pregnancy and repair my body.  Of course, at the time, I had not had an idea of the health decline that would come after my pregnancies.  If someone would have shared with me the benefits of activating the Nrf2 during pregnancy, it would have made a huge difference in my health.  It would have given my body the nutrients it needed to repair itself and reduce the cellular stress that was multiplying every second.  Based on my experience I know the pregnancies placed a huge impact on my health decline and eventual health crisis.

    The female body undergoes a variety of additional stressors during pregnancy.  The body creates an environment to grow and nurture and infant.  My body was already experiencing some digestive issues, chronic pain and other problems at the time.  Thankfully, the pregnancy went well but it wrecked havoc on my body.  My health continued to progressively get worse and eventually I needed to remove my gallbladder.  My health continued to have issues but miraculously 3 years later, I was pregnant again.  This time, I did not have to try at all. We were planning to begin trying and I found out I was already pregnant. After my second son, my health worsened exponentially.  After each child, I breast fed them each for 1 year.  This continued to place more priority on the baby than myself.  I was feeding the babies every nutrient I had and my body just couldn’t absorb more.  I had severe IBS that progressively worsened until I developed leaky gut.  I had told doctors many times that my body was not absorbing nutrients and that was why my hair was falling and other symptoms were multiplying.  Unfortunately, conventional medicine was not the answer, and I had not figured that out yet.  Essentially, I had placed priority nutritional support for my children for approximately 3 years and 6 months.  Now, think about this, we are built to carry babies and feed them.  But we are not necessarily equipped to maintain optimal nutrition and health for ourselves during this process.  I have seen a multitude of women that have gone through the same issues. Progressively their health changed after each child until chronic illness developed.  This health decline is easily preventable by activating the Nrf2 pathway, which goes dormant at 20 years of age.  Essentially, our bodies were born with the ability to do this, but then it just stops.  If you activate this pathway your body can repair itself, every single day.    So, I tell you this, if you could prevent this damage, would you?  Would you take the opportunity to learn more? Ask me how?

    Categories ADHD, Antioxidants, Autism, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Biohacking, brain disorders, Developmental Delays, epilepsy, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Health

    Food Sensitivities and Nutrition

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Food sensitivities and food allergies are a growing problem. These food sensitivities are impacting the brains of children and adults. Research shows the most common food sensitivities are: gluten, dairy, corn, sugar and artificial sweeteners. These foods are negatively impacting brain health everywhere.

    The Center for Celiac Research conducted a study of gluten allergies because they had noticed a critical increase of patients with a variety of symptoms that increased significantly over time. These patients exhibited symptoms of Celiac Disease but testing continued to be negative. These patients continued to return with the same symptoms. Many patients began gluten-free diets and their symptoms improved. They reached the conclusion that though this group of people did not have celiac disease, their symptoms were related to the disease (Fasano 2012).
    The researchers discovered that one of the culprits for this phenomenon was related to agricultural changes in wheat. Centuries ago gluten grains did not exist. Wheat, triticale, rye and barley are new grains that have been introduced to our modern diet. Our bodies have not evolved in order to digest them properly. In recent years the protein content in modern wheat has increased significantly and 14% of dry wheat is gluten. This amount of gluten is high. This phenomenon is happening because more gluten gives food desirable characteristics that look appetizing and delicious (Fasano 2012).
    There is a significant connection between brain function and gluten. People with gluten sensitivity exhibit symptoms of gas, bloating, pain, constipation and diarrhea. The interesting fact is that the brain could be impacted at a molecular level even with out any digestive symptoms (Perlmutter 2013). Degenerative brain disorders are linked to inflammation and oxidative stress. In recent years, they have discovered the exact triggers of this inflammation. The research shows that high carbohydrate diet and gluten stimulate the inflammatory pathways that reaches the brain (Perlmutter 2013). Gluten sensitivity is caused by elevated levels of antibodies against a protein found in gluten. The protein known as gliadin combined with the antibody anti-gliadin when people eat food containing gluten.  As a result of this reaction, specific genes are turned on. These genes then cause inflammatory chemicals are created called cytokines.  Cytokines directly cause damage and impact brain function. The brain does not like inflammation thus, it responds negatively to cytokines. This phenomenon of turning on genes that negatively impact brain health and function (Perlmutter 2011).  This connection between gluten sensitivity and the brain has been studied for the past decade.
    According to Dr. Maios Hadjivassiliou of the United Kingdom, a recognized world authority on gluten sensitivity: “gluten sensitivity can be primarily and at times, exclusively a neurological disease.”  People can manifest gluten sensitivity by having issues with brain function without any gastrointestinal symptoms at all. Dr. Hadjivassiliou indicates that the antibodies that a person has when they are gluten sensitive can be directlyand uniquely toxic to the brain (1996).  Since his original investigations in 1996, there has been an explosion of scientific papers describing this relationship between gluten sensitivity and brain disorders.  Researchers in Israel have noted neurological problems in 51% of children with gluten sensitivity. They also describe a link between gluten sensitivity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  As authors in a recent issue of the journal, Pediatrics, stated in their research, “This study suggests that the variability of neurologic disorders that occur in celiac disease is broader than previously reported and includes softer and more common neurologic disorders including chronic headache, developmental delay, hypotonia and learning disorders or ADHD”(Pediatrics 2004).
    These research findings pose an interesting problem in a society bombarded by processed foods and gluten filled products.  There is a significant need for education and advocacy throughout the community.  The key to health prevention and wellness is knowledge.  Knowledge gives people to power to make decisions that can improve their health and wellness.   The incidence of health issues, developmental delays, Autism and a multitude of diseases continues to multiply every day.  The most interesting part of this phenomenon for me, is that Maria found it through research and I found it through my own health crisis.  This phenomenon impacted my health from the beginning of my life until my adult autoimmune crisis.  The significance of my food allergies and sensitivities as a child was never really addressed.  I continued to live a life eating foods filled with corn, diary, sugar, gluten and artificial ingredients.   As a child, my symptoms were abdominal pain, constipation, anxiety, fatigue, attention issues and learning disability.  As a teen, my symptoms were migraines, IBS, constipation, abdominal pain, severe cramps, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue and attention issues.  These symptoms multiplied and worsened into adulthood until my eventual autoimmune crisis.  Thus, research and my own experiences, truly show the significant impact a relationship between autoimmune conditions and gluten sensitivity.  The impact of gluten sensitivity on our brains and bodies is significant.  The phenomenon should not be taken lightheartedly, knowledge is power, take action and advocate for your health.  Schedule a Free Consultation to learn how to fight back. Click the Brain and watch the Presentation, Today.
    Categories Advice, Antioxidants, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Chronic Pain, Elimination Diet, Health, Lupus, Stop Bloat

    Case Study: Lupus

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

     

    Case Study: Lupus

    Author: Diane Vich

    Key words: Lupus, Brain Fog, Chronic Pain, Inflammation & Bloating

    Introduction:

    Vera Boss is a mom of four. She has been suffering from chronic pain, digestive issues and brain fog for many years now.  She is frustrated with western medicine because none of the treatments and medications have helped her.  She has seen a vicious cycle of new prescriptions and side effects. Her symptoms progressively got worse after each child. Her youngest is now 1 year old and she is so exhausted she just feels like she is not able to keep up with her.  Her digestive issues and bloating have become severe and now it happens 3-5 times a week.  Her headaches are also getting worse.  She is desperate to find a natural alternative.

    Case Presentation

    Vera is looking for alternative treatments. She has noticed her health has progressively gotten worse after each child.  She wants to be there for her family and enjoy her life.  It is important to her that she regain her energy and feel better.  She was diagnosed with Lupus 6 months ago.   She has chronic pain throughout her body.  The symptoms that are really bothering her the worst are the bloating, inflammation and stomach pains.  She has headaches 5 times a week and they last the entire day, sometimes more.  Her joint pains are 10/10.  She reports her bloating makes her look pregnant and its very painful (8/10).  She is exhausted every day and needs coffee to stay awake.  She sometimes drinks 5 glasses of coffee and feels it doesn’t even work very well.  She often needs naps in the afternoon before she can cook dinner and play with the kids.

    Management

    • Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where the body begins to fight itself.  Lupus like a multitude of conditions is caused by oxidative stress and inflammation.  Some symptoms are fatigue, chronic pain, headaches, memory issues and joint pain.
    • Chronic Pain is caused by inflammation of the tissue causing tenderness and discomfort. In people with chronic pain the pain accumulates over time and the level of pain gets worse.

    Treatment

    • Supplementation/Dosage: (2) Nrf2, (2) Nrf1, Omega, essential oils, Brain food supplement and (3) Probiotic.  Essential oils for pain and digestion.
    • Diet: High in low-sugar fruits, gluten free, high in green vegetables, beans, organ meats, bison, fish, shrimp, eggs and turkey (rare carbohydrate like cereal, cakes and dessert).  No sugar or iodized salt.  No inflammatory vegetables or fruits.  No processed foods.  Sea salt and spices to taste.
    • Coaching: Recommended for 4-6 months to help with symptoms management.
    • Motivation Statement:  I speak up for myself freely and easily.  I claim my own power and advocate for myself.  I love myself.  I am free and safe to be the person I want to be.

    Discussion

    A multitude of diseases (200+) are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidants and Free radicals.  Patients with weight gain and inability to lose weight have high levels of free radicals in the body.  They cause damage to the body on a daily basis.  The body has poor capability of creating antioxidants like glutathione, catalase and SOD.  These antioxidants are the only way to fight free radicals, so as they decline illness, disease and decline progressively continues through life.  By enabling the body to produce antioxidants and remove toxins, they client will reduce inflammation, bloating and fat build up to promote weight loss.  Lupus, digestive issues and chronic pain are all impacted by the increased inflammation throughout the body.  It is essential to provide the body with nutrients that will help it fight back on a daily basis.

    Outcome

    1 month: Vera has started the detox and supplementation plan.  She is enjoying the detox soup and meal plan, specially because it has stopped the bloat.  She is also happy she lost 8 pounds, her goal was to feel healthier and the weight loss makes her happy.  She noticed that her headaches and joint pains were worse during first 2 weeks of detox.  She reached out for some coaching to relieve her symptoms.  She knew the pain and symptoms were expected and she was glad that she had a support system to help her manage them.

    • Coaching Session: Vera reached out to have a tension buster session to help target her pain sites.  She chose to have the session at her pool to start incorporating some gentle activities several times a week.  This was important to her because she want to be able to enjoy fun activities with the kids without feeling exhausted and in pain.  She noticed she felt relief and better circulation after her pool session.  She committed to perform these activities at lest 4 days a week.  She also enjoyed the essential oils and simple stretching to relieve her pain.
    • Coaching Session : Elimination plan: Vera experienced some digestive issues, body pains and headaches on the cheat days, she asked the coach for some digestion relief suggestions. The coach added an elimination plan to determine her food sensitivities.  She was able to identify her sensitivity “white rice and gluten free bread.”  Her symptoms improved and she realized the importance of keeping track of her diet to identify food triggers.  She was happy that she had the essential oils and natural remedies to help her if new symptoms arouse.

    2 month:  Vera is happy with her progress.  She has avoided her food sensitivities and has seen big differences in her symptoms.  She happily lost another 5 pounds.  She contacted her coach 2 times during the last month to get support with food sensitivities, she identified two new foods “corn and apples”.  She felt confident that she had the tools to deal with her symptoms and knew the coach was there to support her.

    • Coaching Session: Vera was very happy with her progress, her pain was 6/10 and improving every day. She realized the stretching and exercise helped improve her pain significantly. After her afternoon stretch routine her pain was 4/10.  She started using the exercise 5 times a week.  Elimination plan: She is glad she has essential oils and natural remedies that she can keep with her all the time.  Through her food trigger journal and coaching she was able to identify several foods to avoid.  She realized it was important to track her symptoms.  She plans on signing up for 4 months of coaching to help her to continue to monitor her food sensitivities and expand her diet plan further.

    4 months: (After 4 months of coaching)

    • Coaching Session: Vera successfully incorporated all the strategies for an additional 4 months coaching.  She felt like a new woman.  She had lost a total of 20 pounds.  Her energy and memory was better.  She used the brain food supplement much less now.  She felt energetic and ready for anything every day.  Her pain was 3/10 and relieved with exercise and stretching.  She started to incorporate stretching into her daily routine and noticed big changes.  After stretching and hydration her pain decreased to 1/10.  She started to use 10 minutes stretches twice a day.  Her headaches were almost gone, she only had a few a month.  She noticed the headaches usually came with her food sensitivities and loved using the essential oils to stop the pain.  Elimination plan: She continued her food journal to monitor food sensitivities.  She identified several additional food triggers.  She is thankful she learned to identify and treat her food sensitivities naturally.  The elimination pain helped reduce her joint pains, digestive issues and headaches.  She finally felt like she was able to be an active mom with her kids.  She was happy that she had learned how to take care of herself.
    Categories Biohacking, Detox, Diet, Elimination Diet, flare up, Health, Inflammation, Weight Loss

    Case Study: Weight Loss & Inflammation

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Case Study: Weight Loss

    Author: Diane Vich

    Key words: Weight loss, Inflammation & Bloating

    Introduction:

    Lourdes Mogal is a mom of two. She has tried countless diets and her weight will not come off. She has a big vacation coming up and would like to shed some weight before the trip.  She is frustrated that diets are not working for her. She also has some digestive issues and bloating with certain foods.  She is motivated and ready to start her plan right away, the clock is ticking.

    Case Presentation

    Lourdes does not have time to incorporate exercise yet but really wants to establish a healthier eating plan.  She wants to lose 15-20 pounds in the next 2 months.  She is highly motivated and ready to start her detox plan.

    Management

    • Weight gain and inability to lose weight is caused by oxidative stress, inflammation, cortisol levels and insulin resistance in the body, impacting the body’s ability to burn fat lose weight. The treatment plan will provide a diet that will enable to diet to reduce sugar and inflammation build up, promote detox, remove fluid buildup in lymphatic system and promote weight loss.

    Treatment

    • Supplementation/Dosage: (2) Nrf2, (2) fat burners twice a day, essential oils and (3) Probiotic.
    • Diet: High in low sugar fruits, gluten free, high in green vegetables, beans, organ meats, bison, fish, shrimp, eggs and turkey (rare carbohydrate like cereal, cakes and dessert).  No sugar or iodized salt.  No inflammatory vegetables or fruits.  No processed foods.  Sea salt and spices to taste.
      Coaching: 2 months of coaching recommended
    • Motivation statement: My thinking is peaceful, calm and centered. I am ready to take on the obstacles before me.

    Discussion

    A multitude of diseases (200+) are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidants and Free radicals.  Patients with weight gain and inability to lose weight have high levels of free radicals in the body.  They cause damage to the body on a daily basis.  The body has poor capability of creating antioxidants like glutathione, catalase and SOD.  These antioxidants are the only way to fight free radicals, so as they decline illness, disease and decline progressively continues through life.  By enabling the body to produce antioxidants and remove toxins, they client will reduce inflammation, bloating and fat build up to promote weight loss.

    Outcome

    1 month: Lourdes has started the detox plan.  She is enjoying the detox soup and meals.  She is motivated to lose weight for her trip.  She noticed that she experienced some bloating after a few meals.  She reached out for some coaching to relieve her symptoms.

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes health goal is to lose weight for her trip.  This will improve her ability to feel better about herself and be happy in her own skin.  This was desperately important to her because she has been sad and depressed that she has not been able to lose weight.  All of these things were important to her because she will be happier, and motivated to enjoy her life.  She decided the diet and treatment plan is going to help her achieve her goals.  Elimination plan: After her digestive issues, she asked the coach for some digestion relief suggestions. The coach added essential oils for digestion and an elimination plan to determine her food sensitivities.  She was able to identify “tomato and black pepper sensitivity.”  Her symptoms improved and she realized the importance of keeping these ingredients out of her meals.  She was happy that she had the essential oils and tips to help her if new problems arouse.  Craving support: She will continue to call in weekly for support and to deal with temptations and cravings.  She knows that she has trouble dealing with temptation at parties and asked her coach if she could reach out during these times for a little motivation.

    2 month:  Lourdes was so motivated to the plan that she did not even use any of her cheat days.  She did not want to eat any carbs because she really wanted to reach her goal quickly. She contacted her coach 3 times during the last month to get support during times of temptation and some food sensitivities.  She felt confident that she had the tools to deal with her temptations and she kept on the diet even at parties.  She lost 20 pounds.

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes was happy with her progress. She did realize the support was important and wanted to continue with a Maintenance plan after her vacation.  Elimination plan: She is glad she has essential oils and natural remedies that she can keep with her all the time.  Through her food trigger journal and coaching she was able to identify some additional foods to avoid.  She realized raspberries and mixed fancy green salad caused her symptoms.  She plans on signing up for 6 months of coaching to help her incorporate some paleo recipes in her routine, to keep her satisfied and meet her desire for some desserts.  She signed up for some shopping, easy workout sessions and cooking lessons. Lourdes really wanted to learn to make healthier desserts and snacks, in order to maintain her weight loss.

    6 months: (After 6 months of coaching)

    • Coaching Session: Lourdes successfully incorporated all the strategies for the 6 months of her coaching.  She felt energized and happy.  Elimination plan: She continued her food journal to monitor food sensitivities.  She identified two more triggers during her maintenance plan.  She identified apples and watermelons were trigger foods.  She is glad that she has the tools to identify, treat and deal with her food sensitivities.  She was able to participate in yoga and exercise regularly.  She truly enjoyed the quick exercise tips because she was able to do them wherever she was to ensure she was active.  She loved the shopping session because she truly understood how to read food labels, buy foods that were right for her body and eat for her blood type.  The cooking lessons helped her learn the benefits of using a variety of herbs to enhance food flavors and enjoy her healthy eating habits.  Lourdes felt excited and ready for new challenges. She maintained her weight loss and successfully incorporated all the strategies she learned for the 6 months.
    Categories Antioxidants, Anxiety, depression, Detox, Diet, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Fitness, Health

    Case Study: Fibromyalgia

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Case Study: Fibromyalgia

    Author: Diane Vich

    Key words: Chronic Pain, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Depression, Anxiety

    Introduction:

    Betty Boop has suffered from chronic pain since childhood.  She developed juvenile arthritis at a very young age.  She was lonely as a child and enjoyed spending time with adults because there were no other kids around.  She was very creative and adventurous by creating her own friend that took adventures with her.  She remembered naps part of her regular routine for her since childhood.  Her mom was not very nurturing or kind, likely because she was suffering from the same ailments as her daughter.  This made Betty sad and often spent time alone.  Betty learned to cook as a child with her grandmother and loved food.  She grew to be an adult with chronic pain, anxiety, depression and arthritis.  Her favorite past time was cooking meals for her family, sleep, family time and painting.  She progressed in her illness to a point that the pain was unbearable and impacting her daily life.  She was extremely tired every day and could sleep most of the day.  She had trouble walking around alone.  She often fell and was not able to stand up alone.  Her chronic body pain was intense and numbness was developing in her hands and feet.  She could no longer deal with the pain and symptoms.  She had gone to countless Specialists and Doctors without any relief.  She finally decided, it was time for Holistic treatments and diet changes.  She remembered her grandmother used to use natural remedies to help her as a child.  It couldn’t hurt to try something new.  Western medicine had definitely failed her, it was time to find HOPE, somewhere…

    Case Presentation

    Betty suffers from a variety of medical conditions. She takes medications for cholesterol, depression, nerve-damage, thyroid, blood pressure and pain.  She has pain every day in her back, legs, arms, hands and feet.  She often gets treatments like injections and nerve blocks to help with the pain.  She is progressively losing her balance and stability.  She had difficulty walking and going up the steps.   The bones of her knees are severely damaged and need repair in the future.  She want to regain her strength, lose weight, energy and regain her life.  It is important for her to be able to spend time with the family and participate in activities. Her pain in 10/10.  Her muscles are in spasm with bursitis and tender areas throughout her body.  She had also gained 50 pounds over the last 6 months which has made everything worse.

    Management

    • Juvenile arthritis is caused by oxidative stress. The symptoms are pain, swelling, limping, joint stiffness, fatigue and irritability.  Which progress rapidly through life and.
    • Chronic Pain is caused by inflammation of the tissue causing tenderness and discomfort. In people with chronic pain the pain accumulates over time and the level of pain gets worse.
    • Fibromyalgia is chronic pain and chronic fatigue among other symptoms.  It involves inflammation and pain throughout the body.
    • Depression and Anxiety caused by oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, impacting the neurotransmitters and enzymes that support mood.

    Treatment

    • Physician to wean her of Rx medications as symptoms after 3 month detox
    • Supplementation/Dosage: (1) Nrf1, (2) Nrf2, (3) Omega, (1) vitamin D, (1) B vitamins and (3) Probiotic. Essential oils for chronic pain, mood and anxiety.
    • Diet: High in low sugar fruits, gluten free, high in green vegetables, beans, organ meats, bison, fish, shrimp, eggs and turkey (rare carbohydrate like cereal, cakes and dessert).  No sugar or iodized salt.  No inflammatory vegetables or fruits.  No precessed foods.  Sea salt and spices to taste.
    • Coaching: 3 months of coaching recommended
    • Motivational Statement: I am willing to change and grow. I am creating a safe and new future for me.

    Discussion

    A multitude of diseases (200+) are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between antioxidants and Free radicals.  Patients with chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, depression and anxiety have high levels of free radicals in the body.  They cause damage to the body on a daily basis.  The body has poor capability of creating antioxidants like glutathione, catalase and SOD.  These antioxidants are the only way to fight free radicals, so as they decline illness, disease and decline progressively continues through life.

    Outcome

    1 month: Betty reports she has more energy. Is able to stay awake longer and not require a nap in the afternoon.  Her movement is a little better. Pain 7/10  She is happy with the progress but a little bored of the diet. She had lost 8 pounds.

    • Coaching Session: Betty realized that her health goal was to reduce her pain and mobility.  This will improve her ability to be with the family and enjoy playtime with her grandkids.  This was desperately important to her because she missed teaching and loved being around children.  All of these things were important to her because they made her happy and she wanted to enjoy her life.  She decided the diet was an important part of her healing and she needed to stick to it.

    3 months: Betty made a few diet mistakes but was able to stick to it most of the time. She noticed she felt worse after eating processed foods and gluten products.  She needed several coaching sessions to learn how to deal with her pain flare ups. She incorporate the essential oils, stretching routine and treatments.  She was happy the coach was available during her first pain crisis to give her strategies to help with the symptoms.  The coaching made her much more confident about her symptoms and ways to relieve them.  She had lost 20 pounds.

    • Coaching Session 1: Betty realized that her pain was worse and she had a headache. Her pain was 8/10.  She called the coach for a face to face coaching session.  The coach was able to teach her strategies to target her muscles to promote relaxation and pain relief. She taught her strategies for each of her pain areas, incorporating essential oils and the pain was relieved by the end of the session. She instructed her to continue using the treatments, oils and stretches daily for 3 more days.  Before the session ended the coach reviewed Betty’s health goal: to reduce her pain and mobility.  Betty felt confident and happy at the end of the session.   She knew that the coach was there to help her.  She knew the treatments were helping and she really needed to stick to the diet this time.  She realized she needed to stick to the treatments, supplements and diet for this to work.  She was motivated and ready.
    • Coaching Session 2: Betty successfully incorporated all the strategies for the last month of her treatment and finally felt better.  She realized it was good to incorporate the essential oils and treatments to help her with her symptoms.  The support really helped her through the month.  Her pain and numbness had improved. Pain 5/10 but relieved with treatments or exercise.  She was highly motivated and eager to keep this healing process. She wanted to reduce her pain and improve her mobility further.  She was dedicated to continuing this coaching for another 6 months to see the possibilities.  She finally felt hope that she was going to be able to enjoy life again.

    6 months: (After 6 months of coaching)

    • Coaching Session 3: Betty successfully incorporated all the strategies for the 6 months of her treatment.  She felt energized, free of pain and happy.  She was able to participate in yoga and exercise regularly.  She was painting again and spending time playing with the grandchildren.  Her pain was 3/10 daily, relieved by her treatment regimen and essential oils.  She used her oils daily and loved the benefits she experiences.   She was finally able to enjoy life again.  She was ready to take on new adventures and help her friends regain their lives again too.  She had also stopped a bunch of her medications with her Physician.  She only was taking her thyroid medication.  She lost a total of 48 pounds.

    Book an Appointment

     

    Categories accomplishment, Advice, fatigue, flexibility, freedom, hope, motivation, pain

    Clean Slate

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    What is a clean slate? It’s is a fresh start to finding your younger self. It’s trapped inside you waiting to emerge again. My health crisis has me feeling exhausted, fatigued and filled with pain. Through holistic healing I found so many possibilities. These are all new feeling and accomplishments for me:

    • The love for nature and appreciation of the little moments with family.
    • The drive and motivation to accomplish more and maintain health.
    • The knowledge that you deserve to care for your health too.
    • The feeling of accomplishment and happiness after a long stress filled day.
    • The ability to care for everyone you love and yourself at the same time.
    • Accomplishing your hope for a better way to feel and live.
    • Energy and motivation to jump out of bed and seize the day.
    • The freedom of pain to accomplish fitness in ways you never thought was possible.
    • Flexibility to improve the circulation of your entire body.
    • Savoring the healthy nutrient-rich foods you eat while your body reaps the benefits.
    • The relief that your children don’t have to worry about you being sick or caring for you through a health crisis.
    • Love for life and enjoying the beauty around you
    • Reconnecting with your loved one and igniting the fire for passion.

    These are only a few of the changes I made when I took a leap for a Clean Slate. The possibilities are endless. You can achieve more than you think. Let me help you BELIEVE!

    Categories ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, autoimmune, Biohacking, brain disorders, Cerebral palsy, epilepsy, food allergies, food sensitivities, Health, young brain

    Nutritional Support for Children

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    There are plenty of foods and nutrients around us. These powerful foods and compounds directly impact the health of children at a genetic level. I know, I thought it was impossible too, I’m a nurse, we are skeptical by nature. It took me 5 months of suffering before I gave in. What was I waiting for? I was living in severe pain and constant exhaustion daily. Even though I had started eating tons more fruits and veggies than before, but there was not much difference in my health. Food, just was not enough, my body was aging every second! As, I look back at my symptoms and those of my mom, I truly see my aging and disease process. All my health issues started in my childhood and poor diet filled with junk food was the reason.  My mom’s recent surgery and severe symptoms that reemerged reminded me of all the health issues I had during my childhood. (See My Mom for story)  Reflection helped me realize the severity of my illness since childhood. I had stomach pain, constipation, migraines, chronic arm pain during my childhood.  It progressed and worsened throughout my life until 2017 when I truly made a change to impact my genes.  I was in constant BRAIN FOG, every single day. I wrote notes but couldn’t focus enough to prioritize my 2 jobs. I’m a registered nurse by day and holistic health coach by night. (My day job – teaching parents about viral illness, medications and follow up). By NIGHT advocating for true health prevention for children. I would have given anything, SHIT everything, if I would have known about this in 2005, when it was first on ABC Primetime. Before you, watch this video, remember the secret to success is having a Health Coach to support and guide the detox process. Schedule your FREE Consultation. The symptoms of detox are specific to your genetic predispositions. Let me guide you, as I lived the process. (See Detox Process- coming soon) These products should not be purchased on Amazon because you need someone to explain the benefits, detox symptoms and provide support. I provide support through the process as your Holistic Health Coach. Help you find natural alternatives to your child’s growing pains, cough, anxiety, attention, or whatever symptom. (See How I lived as a child-chronic pain, anxiety, IBS, learning disability, severe cramps and migraines). I lived each of these symptoms. I have been helping my children and teaching them about their health, diet, nutrition, my health, etc. They know all my allergies, what happens. They could order my food for me, which is not easy, “Diane Friendly” (see Diane Friendly- coming soon). My nutritionist partner Maria Del Carmen Gonzalez-Gil with my team. We work to create a diet and wellness plan that is right for you or your child. Your blood type, food preferences and nutritional needs. We teach you about nutrition, supplementation and strategies to truly impact your genes for a healthier you. We help you create realistic and achievable goals for success. We empower you to achieve YOUR Wellness. We empower you to teach your children the importance of wellness and it’s impact on their future. What do you have to lose? The consultation is FREE.

    Categories Uncategorized

    Make the Best of It!

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    Have you heard the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  Let’s talk about having the health of a “lemon” aka always sick, pain, having surgeries and taking medications.  That was me, my husband married a lemon.  That was the joke for years, I was a defective “lemon.”  Over the years, I had developed a ton of genetic illnesses from my parents.  I had severe IBS and reflux (my father has Chron’s Disease, reflux and IBS).   I had chronic pain and fatigue (my mom has EDS III, fibromyalgia and issues with Right side of body).   I was taking tons of prescriptions daily in my 20’s and 30’s.  I was sick all the time, taking antibiotics, pain killers, antacids, proton-pump inhibitors (Nexium), muscle relaxants, anti-spasmodics (Bentyl) and nerve medications (Lyrica).  I was literally falling apart and each medication made things worse.   The joke was that being the last child (7 years after my siblings) for some reason made me a lemon.  I had developed all those genetic weaknesses that my parents developed as adults.  So let’s think of advanced maternal age and the developing infant.  It is well known that advanced maternal age is linked to Down Syndrome and genetic anomalies.  This is because as we age, our bodies develop inflammation and oxidative stress, which alters our genetic makeup including the sperm and ovum.  Essentially, it triggers are bad genes to turn on and inflammation to increae.  Therefore, being the product of an older than ideal sperm and ovum, I developed with a predetermined genetic makeup that was less than ideal.  My body was created under the influence of oxidative stress, 40 years ago this was not know or even imagined.  Then introduce, processed foods, environmental factors and more stress into the body of a developing child with a weak genetic makeup.  The impact is huge, a weak body with oxidative stress and bad genes will develop into an adult with chronic health conditions. I experienced this very phenomenon, first hand.  It took me 40 years of learning my body and identifying my food and environmental triggers.  No Doctor was able to figure me out.  I went to countless doctors over the years to identify my condition, they only patched me up with a surgery or new prescription.  No one ever treated the root cause of the problem.  This is the issue with western medicine, it is not designed to treat the person as a “WHOLE” or to identify the “root cause.”  It is designed to apply a bandage and move to the next patient.  It took my disease and my career as an Special Educator and Registered Nurse to apply my knowledge and experiences in my own healing process.  Let’s make my explanation simple, I was a fragile lemon.  Stress impacted my body by bruising and damaging the inside and outside.  By treating the root cause, inflammation and oxidative stress, the bruising and internal damage improved progressively.  Now, I am delicious lemonade instead of a sick lemon.  So what does that mean for you?  It is important to identify your genetic weakness, your medical predispositions, allergies and triggers.  The easiest way to heal quickly is activating the Nrf2 pathway for your body to heal itself.  This will remove the free radicals, toxins and oxidative stress from you body, to treat the “root cause” of your genetic weakness.  Then, during the healing phase you will be able to identify your triggers and allergens to create the right diet for you.  Not everyone is meant to eat everything, each individual has food sensitivities and triggers that create symptoms.  It is important to pay attention to those symptoms and treat your body naturally.  Embrace the power of your body and accept that symptoms are there to warn you of a problem.  Don’t make my mistake and cover them up with prescriptions and surgeries.  This will only wreck havoc on your body and eventually your body will spiral into illness.  My holistic journey incorporated acupuncture, Nrf2 pathway activation, essential oils, yoga, exercise.  I am here to support you in your journey.  Let me guide you through the healing.  I can relate to my clients because of my personal experiences and backgrounds to develop a holistic plan that is right for you.  Schedule your FREE consultation today.  You have nothing to lose, I’m here to help YOU!

    Categories Advice, Antioxidants, Autism, autoimmune, Biohacking, brain disorders, Cerebral palsy, Developmental Delays, epilepsy, Health

    Brain Disorders and Oxidative Stress

    Author Diane Vich Posted on

    My desire to help children has always been my priority throughout my career.  I began helping children as a Special Education teacher and progressed into Nursing.  My curiosity and interest in identifying the causes of brain disorders, developmental delays, autism and seizures in children has been ongoing.  This knowledge and expertise has flourished through my career in the healthcare and educational spheres.  My personal experiences with learning disability, attention problems and chronic health issues made me search for the link between these conditions.  My own healing process has helped me realize the connection between chronic illness and brain disorders is real.  Over the years, I have researched to determine the common factor in all of these conditions.  It took me years of research and personal healing to identify the common factor.  The common factor in all brain disorders, chronic illness and disease is oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and our antioxidant defenses.  This causes an accumulation of free radicals in the body that provoke tissue damage which leads to illness and disease.   Everyone has their own genetic differences and weaknesses.  As the damage in the cells continues to progress, the bodies genes are altered causing bad genes to turned on, leading to illness and disease.  In my case, free radicals were related to severe food allergies.  The attack on my body was constant with processed foods and damage my body significantly throughout my childhood and adult life.  My food allergies changed from hives to an internal damage throughout my body that eventually turned into autoimmune disease.  Throughout my childhood and adult life my diet was filled with corn and gluten filled products that wrecked havoc on my digestive tract and body.  This damage impacted my memory, attention, digestion and many more aspects of my health.  Now, that I am through the detox and healing phase, I realize the true impact of free radical damage throughout my life.  I am more energetic, happy, active and healthy than ever before.  My memory, attention, chronic pain, digestion and sleep have improved.  Now, I am sharing my store to help prevent these health issues in children before their adult lives.  My burning desire is to stop the struggle with pain, symptoms and disease by impacting the body with unique nutrients and diet to heal the body naturally.

    Now that you understand the true impact of free radicals on the body, let’s talk about brain disorders and oxidative stress.  The research shows that children with epilepsy, autism, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy have high oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress impacts their bodies by impacting brain function, memory, attention and seizures.  These are only a few of the possible symptoms associated with oxidative stress and free radical damage.   Free radicals and oxidative stress continue to increase as we age.  This damage multiplies and builds in children with these conditions increasing their symptoms and health issues as they age.   These children have low antioxidants in their bodies, which makes it impossible for the body to fight the damage and repair itself.   Indirect antioxidants are the only effective way to fight free radical damage and oxidative stress.  These indirect antioxidants are created by the body to protect itself but children with oxidative stress are not producing enough to repair the accumulating damage.  The only way to stimulate the body to produce them is by activating the Nrf2 pathway.  In healthy adults, these indirect antioxidants stop being produced after 20 years of age.  So, if children with disease are already low, damage is multiplying and they are aging, the oxidative stress is growing rapidly.  Let’s make it simple, think of children like a bright light bulb.  They were born full of energy and the light bulb was burning strong.  As they age, symptoms started to arise and the light began to dim.  As the light dims, free radical damage increases and the light progressively dims.   Some children have so much stress that the light dims much faster.  So what does that mean, children and adults with these conditions need nutrient-rich supplements to enhance their bodies defenses.  Nutrients and diet are essential in maintaining the appropriate balance of elements in the body to heal and repair itself.  The key to healing is nutrigenomics – the science of using nutrient-rich supplements to impact genetics.   These unique elements activate bodies ability to heal and detoxify itself naturally. I am here to guide you through the process.  Schedule a Free Consultation to develop a plan for you or your child.

    1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 11

    Privacy Policy