pUrenergy+ Wellness

My Story

 

FREEDOM.  When you have great health, you have the freedom to do the things you want to do in life.  You have freedom to play and enjoy all the beautiful creations on this earth, freedom from worrying about illness or unexpected symptoms, and the freedom that comes from knowing your body, knowing how to listen to its warning signals, and knowing what to DO about it when they arise. 

 

My journey to health freedom began around age 16, when I started reading the Prevention magazine issues that my parents had lying around the house.  From the moment I picked up the first issue, I was hooked.  The entire concept of the magazine, if you are unfamiliar, is that you can PREVENT health problems with proper nutrition and exercise.  The concept that you have a CHOICE, that you can take control of your health and you can actually PREVENT many diseases was thrilling to me.  I'm certain I read every word of every issue, probably twice. 

 

So, why so obsessed with preventing health problems as a 16-year old? 

 

Well, while I had a really great childhood overall, I also had some scary health moments as a kid.  I had asthma that would get pretty intense sometimes, and was hospitalized a couple times for it.  And all the countless times I had flare-ups and would feel this overwhelming fear arise that comes as a result of feeling like you have no real way to control it - only medicate it and hope for the best.  And, like many chronic illnesses, it's one of those things that people can't really see your struggle, so it's a lonely isolating experience.  Praise God I had a wonderful aunt who also had asthma and I could call on in a panic for guidance and emotional support in those horrible moments of the unknown.  I am forever grateful for every supportive conversation that I have had with her.  However, this didn't make the symptoms I was experiencing any less debilitating.

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Also, as a kid, I would get strep throat - ALL THE TIME.  Like seriously, after getting strep more than 12 times in the same year and we were only halfway through the year, my doctor sent me to an ENT, and they determined that I should get my tonsils removed.  So, I had my tonsils removed and that did help A LOT.  I never got Strep throat again.  However, the asthma persisted, but I took my maintenance drugs for years and just accepted it as part of my life. 

 

So, back to Prevention magazine.  When I became acutely aware that there WAS a way to heal the body with food and movement, I was ecstatic!  You mean, I can PARTICIPATE and CREATE my own health?  That magazine began a quest and a journey for truth and holistic healing that I have been voraciously studying ever since.  

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I began to start making better food choices and found a new sport that I loved.  I was in shock how amazing I felt with the change in my food choices - so much mental clarity and energy, and many less asthma flair-ups.  I was also blown away how, the more I ate great food, the more it tasted delicious to me, like on a cellular level, and my body WANTED it.  I wanted to eat steamed broccoli?!  As a 16-year old?!  As a result of my new eating habits, I also began to get more physically fit as well, and really started to thrive in my new sport.  I was feeling great.  Things were great.

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Fast forward to my early 20s, when I started having bouts of anxiety out of nowhere, which, again, was a situation that felt uncontrollable, and so scary.  Here's where I really hit a BIG turning point in my perspective and approach to health.  You see, when you have anxiety or panic attacks for the first time in your life, it's absolutely horrifying.  It's a visceral experience that makes you feel like something horrible is about to happen and you think you are going to die....and no one believes you, unless they have personally experienced it.  And, because you have never experienced it before, you don't know yet that ANXIETY alone can create all those symptoms and feelings that are very REAL symptoms.  I vividly recall the conversation with my doctor.  And I had this experience MANY more times after with future doctors.  I was told "you have anxiety" and was given anti-anxiety medication.  Initially, I argued (because anxiety was new to me) "no I don't  - I'm a happy person - something else is going on", but I basically got eye-rolled and treated like a hypochondriac most of the time.  So, out of desperation and no other options, I agreed to try an anti-anxiety med.  The first one I tried was horrifying and I had horrible dark thoughts on it (YIKES!) and requested to try something else.  The second script helped much more, at least enough to prove to me that it WAS actually anxiety (whatever that meant) and I wasn't dying. 

 

But, still, my doctor explained NOTHING to me from the start about what anxiety is, reasons you can get it (other than blatant conscious worrying, which I wasn't doing), and what's going on in the body to make you feel those symptoms.  It just wasn't adding up for me.  It seemed blatantly obvious to me that SOMETHING was causing this anxiety.  I was not happy about being given a label and mental health quizzes and a drug.  I am naturally a VERY happy, energetic person, so I KNEW something else was going on.  I didn't "magically" just receive a visit from the "anxiety" fairy and now I have "anxiety".  

 

I am a problem-solver and a critical thinker, so I like to understand WHY and I believe EVERYTHING has a root cause.  Just because you don't KNOW the reason, doesn't mean there isn't one.  There is always a reason for your health issue.  Could it be stress-related?  Absolutely.  Many, many issues are.  BUT, if the patient is saying "I don't feel stressed" or "I don't have any reason for anxiety", there is more investigating to do, and there is at least some educating to do to work with the patient to figure it out.  You see, there are many different type of stressors that can impact the body.  Some are mental and emotional, yes.  But, there are also physical stressors like eating the wrong foods, breathing toxic air, drinking toxic water, wearing toxic products, chronic low grade infections, dental infections, and much, much more.  Is it stress? Yes.  But, what type of stress? And how many different stressors are in play here?

 

In retrospect, I wasn't looking for my past doctors to health coach me, but I was expecting them to at least EDUCATE me on what's really going on, why, and provide some guidance on potential root causes.  That never happened.  

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What did happen?  I sought answers from different doctors until I found the ones that were more interested in finding the root cause of things - my people!  I continued to seek real solutions, as well as continue to read, and read, and read, and educate myself on how to solve my own health issues.   I have been researching nutrition for healing for over 25 years now!  

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I no longer struggle with asthma.  I used to be on 5 different asthma drugs.  I now take NONE and haven't for 15 years.  I can run 6 miles flat with no inhaler, no problem. (This still blows my mind.)

 

I no longer have random bouts of anxiety that I can't control.  If I do have some anxiety, it is only mild and occasional, AND I can always pinpoint where it came from and WHY it flared up.  

 

I rarely get sick with the common seasonal ailments.  I know exactly what my body needs and when it needs it.   

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Most importantly, I am about education and personal health empowerment using the natural God-given healing power of food, herbs, exercise, and mindset.  For every ailment, there is a healing food or herb out there for it, and your long-term preventative medicine is choosing the RIGHT FOODS for YOU on a regular basis.  

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I believe in empowering people to take action in their lives.  When it comes to health problems, one of the most empowering things you can do is educate yourself on the situation, become an avid student of your own precious temple, learn how your specific body operates and what diet and lifestyle choices make it run best, and nurture it with what it needs.  When you take care of your body properly, it just heals. 

 

I believe in people and their ability to transform and heal their life.  Some say people never change.  I say people who don't want to change, never change.  The ones that do, will seek, and they will conquer.  If that's you, let's talk and discuss if I can support you on your journey. 

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If you want to restore your health, you can do it.  It is my passion to empower you to heal your own body.  You are the hero in your own story.  I am here to be a helper and a teacher and a guide.  You are the one that will make the magic happen.  If you are up for an adventure and an amazing personal education about how your own body works, book a complimentary 30-minute consult with me and let's get to know each other and discuss possible next steps in your health journey.  I would be honored to serve you.

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I look forward to connecting with you, and giving you the undivided attention and unwavering support you deserve.  

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With Love and Light,

​Allison 

 

A Little Background On My Education

I am a process-oriented, holistic-minded, root-cause focused, problem solver.  I look at systems as a whole to see the full picture of what's going on and where the system might be breaking down.  My formal education and background is in Computer Science with a Bachelors Degree from Indiana University Kelley School of Business, after which I spent 20 years working in IT and Business Consulting roles.  Just as a technology system is a set of integrated processes running in a simultaneous and coordinated way, so is the human body.  I find many similarities between these two disciplines, and so I have thoroughly enjoyed applying many of my analytical and problem-solving skills to my nutrition practice as well. 

 

My personal passion for health and wellness runs deep and having my own nutrition practice and an opportunity to serve others in this capacity has been dream and desire for over 20 years.  So, I finally decided to pursue some formal health education training in 2013, enrolling in a certified health coach training program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition based out of New York City, then furthering my education in 2016 by completing more intensive training through the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner training program, which allows me to run functional lab testing with my clients to dig deeper into investigating the root cause of their health issues.  Since 2016, I have invested hundreds of hours annually in functional nutrition continuing education programs.  I have taken intensive courses in brain health, gut health, energy medicine, human physiology, strategic intervention life coaching, and much more.  I am currently completing my Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition and Herbal Medicine, expecting to graduate in May 2025.  

 

While I find all aspects of the human body fascinating and study a wide variety of topics, I am particularly interested in using nutritional therapies to heal mental health and cognitive function issues, such as focus, attention, memory, and aging brain issues, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, all things children's health, learning challenges, healing from chronic illness, and the mind-body connection's role in healing.