Nutrition isn’t the first treatment that comes to mind anymore.  But it should be.

Medications and surgery are now front-line therapy.  But, if (poor) diet, (lack of) physical activity, (too much) stress, etc. are the initiators of chronic disease, who do we think we are ‘fixing’ them with pharmaceutical drugs?  Since when will a pill get you off the couch, help you eat a whole foods diet instead of processed food, or take care of the village that is your life?

We eat 1-10 times a day depending on schedules and personalities.  But, just because food is ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean it’s healthy for everyone.  Remember, one mans medicine is another man’s poison.

Eating reactive foods stimulates the immune system (which is in our GI tract)  to secrete chemical mediators (think war and chemical weapons) which in turn cause localized inflammation.  The mediators also cross into the blood stream and now cause systemic inflammation.


There are over 100 mediators identified to date.  They include things like leukotrienes, cytokines, histamine, even serotonin.  Bet you didn’t know that the majority of serotonin is produced in the GI tract.  We think of it as a brain hormone but it’s made in the gut.  It influences motility.  Ever got stressed out and your stools got loose?  Travel and you couldn’t have a bowel movement to save your life?  Know you know what I’m talking about.  All mediators and neurotransmitters cross into the blood stream and then do more work, whatever that is.  But that is why food can cause such a myriad of symptoms – because they can go anywhere and do anything.

Today we have the technology to accurately identify the food and chemical triggers that cause inflammation of any kind, and spur on auto immune disease.  The patented Mediator Release Test by Signet Diagnostics developed this test for this purpose.

With this tool, a patient with pain and inflammation will have a personalized road map of safe foods and chemicals.  The completely eliminates the need for guessing, which is what most resort to in an attempt to resolve their health issues.    A traditional “elimination” diet which removes dairy, soy, gluten, citrus and the like still leaves in rice, quinoa, salmon, olive oil, turmeric etc and ANY food can be a trigger.  It helps but does not ever really identify each food trigger.

Once triggers are identified, a diet is customized that is truly patient specific and fits a persons needs.  This diet treatment is called LEAP (Lifestyle Eating and Performance).  I use this program to help patients get long lasting relief after months and often times years of suffering.  It truly treats the root cause at its base level.  Symptoms are often cut in half in the first 10-20 elimination period.  To the person eating triggers on a daily basis, he/she may as well be eating poison for all his/her immune system cares.

I am a certified LEAP therapist which involved a training, and testing. We’ll customize your diet, take into account your likes and dislikes, as well as other medical conditions.

Through this process, people have been able to reduce or omit their pharmaceutical drugs as they no longer need drugs to manage symptoms.

If you think, or know, that food is contributing to your medical condition, schedule a complimentary, no obligation session . Call 517 290 6041 and we’ll see if I can help.