Despite this love of vegetables, typical processed and convenience foods of the era still crept into my diet. Cereal was the breakfast king in our house- Froot Loops and Captain Crunch were two of my favorites. Lunch was sandwiches, packaged crackers with cheese dip, and a Fruit Roll-Up or Little Debbie cake for dessert. Dinner was Hamburger Helper or Domino’s Pizza. Country Crock margarine and Canola vegetable oil were my only sources of fat during the fat-phobic 90s.

Fast forward to my college years, I wanted to help others restore their health so I began working toward a degree in Nursing. During this time I continued to “nourish” myself with what I thought to be the highest quality health food available: Lean Cuisine. I wasn’t immune to the stereotypical college diet either- fast food, coffee, alcohol- yes, please! I kept the usual late-night hours of a college student, supplementing with Adderall- my own prescription- as needed to stay awake and study. I always prioritized exercise in its one and only form: Cardio. Not exactly the picture of health.

I graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and soon began working as a Registered Nurse. My 14 year nursing career has taken me from busy bedside nursing, to dialysis units, to my current specialty, kidney transplant. I worked nights, 16+ hour shifts and everything in between but it didn’t take long to realize that the work I was doing was far removed from my original goal of helping people restore their health.

I became stressed, burned out, and overwhelmed by the state of our healthcare system. In my heart I knew there must be a better way for us to take care of ourselves. One that doesn’t sit around waiting for disease to occur, then “manage” the symptoms with prescription medications; but instead focuses on prevention and supporting the body as a whole.

In an effort to avoid chronic disease in my own life I began experimenting with different diets trying to find the “perfect” way of eating to keep myself healthy. For two years I maintained a strict Vegan diet which led me to develop depression, low libido, and irregular menstrual cycles. So, I swung the pendulum the opposite direction and for the next few years practiced a meat-heavy, Whole30 way of life. All the while I did nothing to address the massive amounts of stress in my life stemming from my job, irregular sleep habits, dysregulated blood sugar and liberal alcohol and caffeine consumption.

By 2019 my depression worsened and I had developed chronic constipation and cystic acne. While I could keep the depression and constipation hidden, the painful cystic acne was literally written all over my face, compounding the effects of my depression. I became a frequent flyer with my Dermatologist, calling last minute to beg for an appointment to have cysts painfully injected with steroids to reduce the swelling. I tried everything the conventional healthcare system could offer me: antibiotics, topical creams, diuretics, laser treatments. Nothing worked.

In a state of hopelessness, I took a chance on a holistic approach which focused on gut health, targeted nutritional supplementation, and skin barrier supportive skin care. At the time I would have sworn that my diet was really good but I hadn’t made the connection between the symptoms my body was displaying and the foods I was eating. I also didn’t know how my lifestyle and unmanaged stress were major contributing factors to my poor gut health.

As you may have guessed, the holistic approach worked. It didn’t happen overnight- let me stress that holistic healing takes time. But over several months I started to see positive changes in my skin, less inflammation and less frequent cysts. My digestion began to improve as well. I went from having bowel movements 2-3 times per week, to almost daily. My depression also began to lift along with the cloud of anxiety my symptoms had put me in.

And that’s what led me here, to you.

I’m a healthcare provider, yet I struggled for years to understand my health before finally finding a way to improve it. I was sure I wasn’t alone and knew there must be others who shared similar experiences- you’re my people! I want to help and I want you to know that I’m here for you, eager to show you a new path toward healing.

In health,

Candace