Michelle wants to help you. It’s a gut thing. Diagnosed with “IBS” at the age of 18, she was told the she would likely develop Crohn’s disease and Rheumatoid, and was prescribed pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, western medicine wasn’t able to halt the progression of Michelle’s health challenges. Perhaps even more importantly, she felt misunderstood and not heard. Faced with deteriorating health, she believed there had to be a better way to support her conditions.
Michelle decided to explore alternative and integrative therapies to address her health. A holistic practitioner recommended that she change her diet, which made a significant difference to her health, and she continued to explore additional holistic treatment options. Ultimately, implementing a number of different healing modalities restored proper functioning to her digestive system and prevented the development of Crohn's and RA. Autoimmune conditions run deep in her family and she has made it her mission to study and find ways to support the complexity of such a common imbalance that plagues many.
After 15 years of self study, she made a decision to pursue an education in natural health, adding a Diploma of Phytotherapy (Herbal Medicine) and a Diploma of Holistic Nutrition from Pacific Rim College to her education.
Her 5-year program included over 800 hours of clinical practice experience, more than 500 hours of biomedical sciences (anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology), and an extensive variety of therapeutic courses to support the whole person (mind, body, and spirit). She also has nutritional knowledge in Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and modern nutritional therapies. This complex and extensive training in ancient medicine and modern medical sciences has given Michelle a deep and intimate understanding of the human body, health conditions, and medicinal therapies. She continues to learn and grow as a practitioner so that she can ensure that her patients receive the best care and the most up-to-date treatments.
Because Michelle knows pain, she knows that, when someone feels sick, they just want to feel better. It’s that simple.
For this reason, she’s directed her passion towards helping people reach their health goals. Instead of focusing only on the condition, Michelle explores the broader context and whole person, involving the patient’s community support and other practitioners. And, with 20 years of experience in researching digestive imbalances and autoimmune conditions and her personal triumph over these issues, Michelle really connects with people who are experiencing similar health challenges.
