I am so happy you are here! My name is Kim Gardner. I am a RN and have spent the last 24+ years using integrative and holistic ways to help my family out of necessity.
Along my journey, the more I learned the more I desired to help people with a Mind, Body, Spirit approach. Working in stressful clinical settings no longer aligned or resonated with what I felt I should do.
My super handsome hubby was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and OCD one week before we were married.
He was so relieved to finally have a diagnosis that he took the Dr’s advice and went on anti psychotic medications. This turned out to be one of our BIGGEST REGRETS! He had horrible side effects:
~Hallucinations
~Extreme Fatigue
~Extreme weight loss
~Not feeling well or himself at all
We quickly decided that living with these horrible side effects was much worse than his original OCD and Tics. I promised I would do anything I could to help. I delved into major research mode and looked for any/every solution I could find.
We also had a son that struggled with extreme anxiety and panic attacks. The first time we noticed this was when he was 18 months old when he fainted in our Chiropractors office.
This began his struggle with severe anxiety and panic attacks. He would have an episode and you could literally see his heart beating so fast in his little body. He would have extreme anxiety and faint over hearing about or seeing anything related to someone/something being hurt.
One Thanksgiving on vacation he had a horrible panic attack and was unable to even stand by himself for our family pics. This day he told us he literally felt like he was dying, I thought I was losing my son. Below is that family picture with his Dad holding him up. (He is the second one from the left… If you look closely you can see the wheelchair behind us that we brought him down on.)
It was heartbreaking to see him struggle. We were constantly searching for answers of how to help him. We took him to many different Doctors, Specialists, Chiropractors, and even tried acupuncture. We tried essential oils, diet changes, NAET, probiotics, digestive enzymes, various other supplements, positive thought, exercise, meditation, deep breathing, even brainwave optimization.
Sometimes we would see a little improvement but nothing that really stopped his anxiety or panic attacks. It was so difficult to see all of the challenges he faced and just not know what to do about it.
I had studied about the importance of gut health. I had attended several conferences throughout the US over the years in search for answers. I did believe that all things started in the gut and I was doing the best that I knew to do in giving him the top of the line probiotics and digestive enzymes that I could get as a health professional. It just didn’t help him though.
When he was 20 and getting ready to go to college he said, ” Mom, I am considering going on medications.” He said, I don’t want to, but I just don’t know what else to do…I feel like we have tried EVERYTHING!” He said he just couldn’t get over the ruminating thoughts. He explained it as being on a hamster wheel and not being able to ever get off.
He wasn’t sleeping that well and it was just having a negative impact on every area of his life. He was tired and just wanted some relief.
We prayed and prayed and I started researching again. And then one night I came across some information on the gut/brain/axis and this holistic company that was addressing mental wellness issues from a MIND/BODY/SPIRIT approach.
I felt that it was an answer to our prayers because I had that goose bump feeling you get when you just feel something is right. Everything about the information spoke truth to me and built on what I had already learned!
I hoped that it was the answer and that this would finally be the missing link to what would help him. It turns out it was! He has been so blessed to achieve higher overall mental wellness. To this day, 14 months later, he is still doing extremely well. He is happier and healthier than I have ever seen him his whole life.
As a Mom and as a Registered Nurse I am committed to bringing this information to as many people as I can.
For a quick video link on the gut/brain/axis connection and what was finally the missing link for our family see below: You will also be able to take a free health assessment at the bottom of this link.