by Christa Cummings | Mar 15, 2023 | Nutrition
What is HTMA?
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis uses a hair sample to provide information about the body’s use of minerals, stress load, and presence of toxins such as heavy metals. Unlike blood work which tells us what is happening at the moment of the draw within the blood, HTMA gives us a broader picture. HTMA allows us to see how the tissues have been using minerals and releasing toxins for the past 2-3 months giving us patterns that allow us to analyze oxidation rates, stress load, and give us insight into the support that the body needs to function better.
To be honest, I was blown away at what the HTMA results revealed for me. It confirmed some patterns I had suspected, but hadn’t been able to verify, and it even confirmed that the pattern of eating that I lean towards intuitively is optimal for my oxidation type. I am absolutely certain that this test will provide valuable insights into your health too. HTMA can give us a good foundation for next steps in your health journey, or the starting point in transforming your health.
For the rest of March I am offering a discount on HTMA Testing and Analysis. Use coupon code HTMAbeta to get 25% off HTMA testing for yourself and find out what your body is trying to tell you!
by Christa Cummings | Mar 8, 2023 | Nutrition
What is Functional Nutrition Counseling?
In a nutshell, functional nutrition counseling is a process of educating the counselee about how nutrition impacts the body in general and their body specifically. This knowledge allows them to move forward in reducing dysfunction, identifying symptoms, and creating an environment which allows the body to heal itself.
Functional nutrition is a bio-individual holistic approach to wellness focusing on food as medicine for you as a whole being. The practice of functional nutrition is similar to functional medicine – it is a person-centered rather than symptom-focused. Your body is a whole ecosystem, fearfully and wonderfully made, both complex and unique, and my goal is always to address the root causes of dysfunction and enable your body to improve its own functions.
Together we will consider activity levels, environment, current food practices, and the presence of disease or dysfunction in order to develop a plan to achieve your health goals. We will examine past treatments, lab work, and specialized testing. We will create an individualized plan to enable you to take control of your health at your own pace. Through education, food choices, supplements, and lifestyle changes you will learn about how your specific body works and take a serie
s of small steps that result in big changes.
How does it work?
First, there is an intake process involving some paperwork documenting your health (current and past) and your goals. Depending on your needs, we can have a simple conversation about your current health, goals, and my recommendations for you to follow on your own, or we can have a detailed discussion involving detailed history and past treatments, lab work, etc., followed by a second session where we create an action plan and set up ongoing support. Your plan will focus on incorporating whole, real foods and gut health, and always taking into consideration your lifestyle outside of the kitchen.
What can Functional Nutrition Counseling do for me?
Functional nutrition counseling can teach you how to make small changes and get big results for symptoms such as gastrointestinal distress, skin issues, brain fog, energy levels, and pain. Learning how your body and food interact and becoming more aware of the signals your body is sending you allows you to become your own healthcare advocate and take control of your wellness journey.
Have more questions? Let’s chat. Click here to schedule a free discovery call.
by Christa Cummings | Jul 7, 2022 | Aromatherapy
I love summer! I am all about the sunshine and the warm weather! God created plants to feed and nurture us, and they also provide some wonderful remedies for the problems that summertime brings. Essential oils are a great addition to your summer first aid kit. Check out these tips for how to enjoy your summer without letting bugs, heat, sunburn, or environmental allergies curtail your fun in the sun.
Creepy Crawly Repellents
Bugs are the bane of the summer months – as soon as you head out to the grill or sit down on the deck to enjoy your iced coffee, you’re dive-bombed by mosquitoes, wasps, and, at my house this year, weird flying ants. Instead of reaching for the commercial bug repellents that can be bad for you and the environment, are toxic around food, and contain chemicals you don’t want absorbed into your skin, try some essential oils to keep those pests away safely.
Mosquitos hate the smell of citronella, which is available in a liquid form for refillable lamps that can be burned outside to make the mozzies stay away. Other aromatherapy oils helpful to repel mosquitos and other pests include peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, basil, clove, thyme, lemongrass, geranium, and lavender; make up a spray with a few of your favorites (20 drops of oil + 1 tsp witch hazel + water) or take your diffuser outside!
Fleas can be more prevalent in hot weather, but they hate cedarwood, citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree, lemongrass, lavender, orange, and pine. (Some essential oils are suitable for dogs, but check with your vet and consider the size and age of your dog. Remember when using essential oils on animals – less is more and dilute, dilute, dilute.)
Ticks. (Did you just shudder? I hate ticks.) Keep them at bay with rose geranium, juniper, rosewood, thyme, grapefruit, and oregano.
Sunburn Soothers
Hello lavender, my old friend. Lavender essential oil is the queen of calm for skin and mind, as well as a bug repellent, so it is a summer must have. For sunburn, use lavender oil topically to soothe the heat and redness and promote healing. If you happen to get bitten by something small and mean, lavender can calm that itch or sting and is safe to use without diluting on adults and in small areas on children. (For large areas of sunburn on children dilute 1:1 with a carrier oil or make a spray with the same ratios as the bug repellent spray.)
Cooling Oils for Sticky Days
Beat the heat with peppermint, spearmint, or chamomile. Apply a tiny dab of peppermint oil on the back of your neck (if you have sensitive skin dilute with carrier oil). Peppermint is another summer must have. It will instantly cool you off, helps keep bugs away, and stops itching from existing bug bites. Spearmint has similar results but doesn’t have as strong of a cooling effect and is gentler on the skin. Chamomile is an even gentler alternative, as it’s a cooling and anti-inflammatory oil that can be used undiluted on your skin.
Sniffly, Sneezy…Be Gone!
Chamomile and peppermint can be helpful for environmental allergies. My all-time favorite combination for anything stuffy, sniffly, headachy, etc. is equal parts lemon, lavender, and peppermint in the diffuser.
Puffy Feet
Last but not least, summer fun can cause some swelling especially in your hands and feet. Humidity, heat, sitting for long periods while traveling, and being on your feet more can all lead to retained fluid over the summer months. A massage with cypress and tangerine oil can really help to boost lymphatic flow and release excess fluids trapped in body tissue.
*Summer caution with Essential Oils: Do not use grapefruit, lemon, or lime essential oils on exposed skin less than 2 hours before or while you are out in the sun as they can enhance the effects of the sun and give you a nasty burn quickly.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis uses a hair sample to provide information about the body’s use of minerals, stress load, and presence of toxins such as heavy metals. Unlike blood work which tells us what is happening at the moment of the draw within the blood, HTMA gives us a broader picture. HTMA allows us to see how the tissues have been using minerals and releasing toxins for the past 2-3 months giving us patterns that allow us to analyze oxidation rates, stress load, and give us insight into the support that the body needs to function better.
