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WHY I BECAME AN INTEGRATIVE HEALTH PRACTITIONER

Updated: Jun 6, 2024

My family's health journey opened my eyes wide open to the gaps in our current health system. I've been working in the health and wellness industry for 18, starting in the corporate employee benefits industry.  A few years into motherhood I chose a different career path and my own health journey led the way. 


My questions about my family's health were unable to be answered or resolved by the current healthcare system, so I sought out looking for answers.  


This led me to Integrative Health, a wonderful balance of science backed lab testing, alongside ancient health wisdom and philosophies. Functional Medicine testing began to offer answers but it wasn't until I began studying and applying the tools of Integrative Health that I began to feel real change. 


I'll start off with my health journey, because, mother to mother, you know how hard it can be to put ourselves first. For too long I fell to the message that motherhood was just this way. I suffered from chronic sinus infections, brain fog, undiagnosed pains and digestive issues. I'd struggle finding my words at work, feel my energy plummet, turning to coffee to get me through the day and wine to relax me at night, questioning if this is just what motherhood was supposed to feel like. I had so much on my plate, but felt like nothing I was doing was done well and it was really impacting how I felt about myself.  When I visited medical professionals, I felt broken! I was constantly told that my bloodwork was in "normal range" and things were fine. The scans, labs, and drugs I was offered did nothing to improve my health. So I kept searching, trusting that my body was trying to tell me something. 


Integrative Health
Integrative Health disciplines

Then I found Integrative Health, which taught me that our body is beautifully designed, both with the ability to speak to us when things are off and with the ability to heal when given the right tools. Integrative Health had the answers I had been searching for, giving me a whole new toolbox to uncover the source of those pesky symptoms that interfered with my daily life and sense of self in those early years of motherhood. Through functional testing, I began understanding that each of my symptoms were connected, and that environmental toxin exposure was the root to my imbalances. Something that had been overlooked for years in both Western and Alternative Medicine. 


Health is everything we eat, put on, breathe in, listen to, our environment, our sleep, our stress, our sleep, the words we speak, the thoughts we think, our rest and how much of the toxins we have been exposed to that we carry. With a clear understanding of my root cause and the impact these toxins have on our bodies, I implemented protocols and noticed real change. My kids got their mom back and I was greeted by a better version of myself!  My energy came back to levels I had in my 20's, my sinus infections and need for antibiotics stopped, I'm back to normal digestion, and clear thinking without missing words. 


My kids are my world and their health has also brought about more unanswered WHY's.  Why does my 6 week old have food intolerances? Why is my son's nose bleeding clots the size of quarters multiple times a day? Why is my child melting down so frequently? And what do I do about it?  I have navigated food sensitivities, gut imbalances, parasites, mold toxicity, heavy metals, sensory processing disorder and ADHD, amongst all the other beautiful, messy, and wonderful things that come with raising children.  Integrative Health and root cause testing provided answers to my questions about my children's health as well, tying back to environmental toxin exposures that needed to be addressed. I see my role as Integrative Health Practitioner as a gift that has given me direction on how to support my child's health from home in the things we were doing every day with food, natural supplements, toxin removal, sleep based protocols and lifestyle adjustments. 


There have been some stormy seasons along the way, but I truly believe that my bumpy road navigating health and motherhood has been given to me to learn and to share this wonderful Integrative Health with you and your family!  I have worked with hundreds of clients to improve their health by reducing exposure to toxins in their life and I look forward to helping you live A Healthier Life as well. 


Learn more about the Integrative Health Practitioner Institute here


Written by Sally K. Sauvignon, IHP

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