Rhonda’s Story…

Over the last 24 years I have learned to read labels on foods and ask restaurants “what ingredients do you use to make X on your menu?”  The reason why is that my son reacts behaviorally to chemicals and additives found in the typical American diet.  It took us quite some time to figure this out because we associated his behaviors with having autism.  However, my learning days were (and are not) over when I learned to read labels.  In addition to food, Zachary also reacted to chemicals found in cleaning products, perfumes, and medications.

When Zach transitioned from elementary school to middle school, he behaviors became worse. Looking back, if Zach had had language and could shout obscenities at us, we would have related his behaviors to hormones. Unfortunately, it was seen as a symptom of his autism and, therefore, medications were prescribed to “control” his behaviors. I thought I was doing the right thing. And at the time, based on my knowledge, I was.

“Do the best you can with what you know, when you learn more, do better.”

The above quote has become a quote I have commonly referenced throughout the years and I hope you will, too. We are good people. We want what is best for ourselves and our families. No one intentionally makes decisions to harm ourselves. We are just doing the best we can with what we know.

Throughout middle school and high school, Zachary continued to have behavioral issues. He rarely slept through the night. He began developing skin infections that would not go away without antibiotics. He had increased anxiety which led to unwanted behaviors. He could not sit still – doctors and teachers referred to him as a “runner.”  The doctors solution? More prescription medications and higher doses. The result? More behaviors, more sickness, less sleep, more running, more crying, and the inability to attend school. (Zach’s school placement became “home” with teachers coming to the house to provide educational services – a residential home even refused to admit him.)

During the summer of 2012, I spent my days in survival mode to keep Zach safe. His behaviors had significantly worsened, along with his anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. He rarely sat down. He slept, maybe, one hour a night. After about 6 weeks of no sleep, he started hallucinating and became a danger to himself and those around him. He had lost about 35 pounds and I knew something had to change.

So, I took him to the hospital and refused to leave until they admitted us. It was unsafe for me to continue giving the medications prescribed to him and it was unsafe for me to stop giving them. I wanted him detoxed safely off those medications. It took two days to be admitted because no doctor on staff would take our case. (Doctors have no problem prescribing but no one wanted to take the responsibility of detoxing him off these dangerous drugs!) He was finally admitted to the adult psychiatry ward where he stayed for a week. It was during this time period, I decided I was done with Western medicine. I was going to learn how to heal my son myself through nutrition and Eastern medicine.

I began our journey to healing by applying to a one-year program with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become a Health Coach. During this year, I met a chiropractic doctor named Kristy Harvell. Through Nutrition Response Testing ®, Kristy was able to determine what organ systems were stressed and what nutritional support was needed to help Zachary heal. This was major for us because Zach is non-verbal. He can’t tell us “that makes me feel worse” or “when I eat X, I feel sick.” Nutrition Response Testing® became Zachary’s voice in letting us know how he was feeling and what nutritional support he needed to heal. Today, Zachary continues to heal and continues to follow a nutrition program created using Nutrition Response Testing®. His quality of life continues to improve each day and I am no longer a prisoner in my own home.

I wanted to understand what Dr. Kristy was doing with Zach and how it worked so I became a nutritional patient myself. I continued to be intrigued and wanted to learn more so I attended a one-day workshop offered in Buffalo, NY. This was the day I decided to go back to school to learn Nutrition Response Testing®. With my nursing and holistic health coaching background, I was accepted into an Advanced Clinical Training program with Ulan Nutritional Systems, Inc. in Clearwater, Florida.

It became my dream to help other women and caregivers like myself to regain their health and the health of their children which will lead to healthier future generations. And, SoMEday Decisions, LLC was born.

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