“Overwhelmed, confused and starting to feel scared, hopeless and a bit desperate, I asked a Pharmacist if he could recommend someone to help me with my snowballing health issues. I needed someone to help me pull together all my doctors advice and my own research – some of which was conflicting. I wasn't even thinking about weight loss, I just needed to feel better. I had pain throughout my entire body, so bad that getting dressed in the mornings was a challenge. I knew this was a result of inflammation but I had no idea why my body was so inflamed. My cholesterol was slowly getting higher and I was starting to worry I wouldn't be here to see my kids grow up. I was so tired all the time it was all I could do to get the basics done for my family each day. I was hanging on by a thread when I met Karen for the first time. I felt relaxed right away. Karen has a calming effect and she listens. It was so easy to pour out all my frustrations and fears. I didn't expect her to have answers right away or to understand what was wrong with me. But she did. She gave me hope that day and I left feeling overwhelmed again but this time with hope and a gratefulness that finally I seemed to have found someone who could help me.”

Kim Livingston is a mortgage broker with VERICO Integra Mortgage Corp. in Kamloops BC.  On our initial meeting she was not overly stressed, had a happy family life, and from the outside, looked healthy. On the inside, however,  Kim was suffering with fatigue, extreme head fog, terrible digestive issues and massive amounts of inflammation. I suspected from everything she had told me she was suffering from something called small intestinal bacteria over growth SIBO. SIBO is an excessive amount of bacteria in the small intestine. SIBO can create a wide range of symptoms including excess intestinal gas, bloating and abdominal distention, diarrhea or constipation and pain. It is very common in people with autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s , IBS and Celiac disease. While we waited for her test results, I started Kim right away on a low inflammatory diet with added supplements to help support her digestion and gut health. Her SIBO results came back and her levels were through the roof! She began treatment with her ND and myself to eradicate her SIBO and repair her gut.

“It's been 5 months now since that first meeting with Karen. My pain is almost completely gone. My cholesterol has dropped significantly. My energy has increased significantly. My knowledge of my body's digestive system and how to care for it is growing. Oh – and I've lost 11 lbs - throughout the holiday season at that! Now that I am understanding more what I can and can't eat to feel better, I might just focus on also eating to lose more weight. What a nice side benefit! The most important thing Karen has given me besides hope is answers. I know that I can mess up and eat something that I shouldn't but it's okay. I know what to do now to get back on track and feeling better again. This is a process and I'm not going to be perfect at it every day. Karen is there to support me and remind me that I've had a hard enough road without beating myself up for small mistakes. Karen is focused on making people feel their best. She totally individualizes every person's plan based on what it is they need to do to be their best. She isn't focused on just weight loss. Her knowledge far exceeds how to lose weight. If you need advice on any sort of health concern or issue, go talk to Karen. You won't regret it!”

Kim’s journey isn’t over yet but as you can see from her own words, she has begun to reclaim her health- her life! She feels energetic and mobile now and even joined an empowering women's fitness community -Fit By Design . She can now enjoy her life and feel that she can be there for her kids and one day, her grandchildren!
SIBO can be very challenging to get tested for in Canada because main stream medical care centers do not offer proper testing. The best way to be tested for SIBO is the lactulose breath test through your local Naturopath. Kamloops Naturopath Clinic in Kamloops BC offers testing on site now and you can have your ND send in your kit to be tested from anywhere in Canada. Find out more about SIBO here. If you are suffering with digestive issues and want to begin reclaiming your life contact me for free discovery session at karen@karenmartel.com