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Tuesday 7am - 7pm Friday 7am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 3pm

Mindful Health SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA (2026)

05/23/2022

As functional medicine gains more popularity, people are starting to realize that a conventional approach of treating their symptoms with medication alone does not always answer the question: “Why do I have this symptom in the first place?”

This is what initially attracted me to functional medicine 🤩🤩🤩

Being able to help people answer the question “WHY?”

I discovered functional medicine back in 2013 after hearing an interview with a Fnxl med physician who was speaking about genetic variants and the role they play in our liver’s ability to detoxify environmental pollutants.

At the time, I had a degree in Physiology and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, yet had never heard of these critical enzymes or genetic markers.

I immediately applied to the certification program with the Institute for functional medicine because I knew more than anything that I wanted to be
✨PART
✨OF
✨THIS
✨MOVEMENT.

Flash forward 9 years later and here we are…
A world in which people are asking the questions
🔉 Why do I have this?
🔉 How do I fix this for good?
🔉 What other options do I have besides medication?

Yes, there is a time and place for medication. There are life-saving treatments out there. But for many chronic conditions, or even just for improving your general health, there are other options.

It makes me so happy to see the world starting to make this shift.

I jumped on this crazy ride with no hesitation, and I haven’t looked back!

If you have recently discovered functional medicine and have questions, just ask!

I’d love to answer any questions you might have! DM me or leave questions in the comments below.

Be MINDFUL About Your HEALTH 🌱

05/21/2022

What does CHRONIC STRESS look like?

People often tell me that they don’t “feel stressed “

But what does stress feel like? 🤨

👉🏼”Stress” doesn’t always feel like anxiety like you would think.

Often times, chronic stress can cause some sneaky signs like inflammation, rashes, worsening asthma, changes in sleep quality, increased food sensitivities, and even gut/digestion issues

It’s important to remember that stress comes in many forms, including:
〰️EMOTIONAL〰️
〰️PHYSICAL〰️
〰️CHEMICAL〰️

We may not be able to adjust emotional stress in our lives, especially considering how much the world is changing around us. But we can change other stressors on our body such as removing inflammatory foods, or making sure that we are not over or under exercising, and minimizing environment toxins.

We can’t always change our job stress, marital stress, parenting stress…. So we should try to minimize the stressors that we CAN control.

Remember, stress is like a bucket…. You can keep filling the bucket and not notice the effects of the accumulating stress on your body —until that bucket overflows!

I do like a good graphic!
Thank you for providing this new patient handout.

Be MINDFUL About Your HEALTH 🌱

12/15/2021

❄️This is the time of year when people like to indulge in some of their usually “forbidden foods”

This makes it an especially hard time for those in the midst of a food elimination 😬

There are strategies that can help you get through the holidays unscathed… but for this post, let’s just talk about WINE! 🍷

First thing is to figure out if you are reacting to the tannins, histamine, or sulfites

1. Start with a wine marked as ‘sulfite free’.
Start with 3oz pour. See how you feel the next day. Feel okay? Try 6oz pour the next day.
Wait 3 days to see if you have any reaction.

2. Try dry whites like Sauvignon Blanc or sparkling wines like Cava or Prosecco as they are lower in histamines than reds

3. Tannins gives wine it’s rich dark color. You might have a similar reaction to a strong cup of black tea, which also contains tannins.
Do a trial of dark black tea (yes, this is a double whammy due to the caffeine- and wine is also a double whammy due to the alcohol!)

It helps to first rule out if you are sensitive to alcohol or caffeine before moving this far into your reintroductions

You can do the caffeine test with yerba mate. Once that has been ruled out, you can do a black tea trial. If you tolerate the black tea, then you can move onto a red wine trial, following the same serving sizes as stated above.

Red wines are fermented with their skins, resulting in higher tannins. Unoaked white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Riesling would be a good place to start if you suspect tannin sensitivity

Rosés are made from red grapes, but contain less tannins than traditional reds

A good rule of thumb is that the longer a wine ages, the higher levels of tannins. These include grapes like Barbera, Dolcetto, Gamay, Grenache, and Pinot Noir.

4. Egg & Wheat- Some wine is processed using egg shells, wheat paste, or coloring/flavoring agents that may contain gluten. You may have to do a little research if you have sensitivities to these foods.

This is why I usually recommend saving wine until much later in the reintroduction phase….

But if you’re going to imbibe, you might as well have a plan!
Enjoy! 🥂🍾

10/25/2021

It's that time again...

The beginning of the month when and team up to bring you a little self care.

Whether you have been dealing with chronic pain, or you just want to make sure that new injury isn't something more serious...

We've got you covered!

One of my favorite parts about doing these monthly screens is how excited people are to get a professional opinion on whether they might have a sprain, strain, tear, or overuse injury.

That's why I do this!

I know how frustrating it is to get an appointment with your doctor (then wait 4 months to see them) 😖
Only to get referred to an orthopedic doctor (wait another month) 😩
And then ultimately get sent to PT anyway!

Just mark your calendar
👉 The FIRST THURSDAY of every month, you can have a 💥FREE Sports Injury Screen 💥

Have your injury assessed by a Physical Therapist for FREE.

✔️Learn corrective exercises

✔️Learn modifications to protect your injury and allow it to heal

✔️Get a professional opinion on whether you should make an appointment to follow up with your doctor

✔️PLUS 15 min free sports massage to have you feeling good before you leave!

This event is open to anyone in the San Luis Obispo community.
You do not have to be a memeber of Headstrong to sign up for this event.

This is our way of helping to keep SLO healthy and active!!!

📲 Call or DM to reserve your spot for November

Be MINDFUL About Your HEALTH 💪🏼

10/02/2020

There are a few spots remaining for this months FREE SPORTS INJURY SCREENS.

Why should you get screened?

➡️ Pain is your body’s way of signaling that something is wrong

➡️ Working out in pain means you are promoting further inflammation

➡️ Chronic inflammation can result in long term damage to joints

➡️ Pain results in altered movement patterns

➡️ Dysfunctional movement patterns can result in unnecessary wear and tear on your body, poor energy efficiency, and increase your risk of further injury

➡️ Pain is NOT weakness leaving your body.
.. It is a neuro chemical response in your body communicating that you have possible tissue damage, impaired joint mobility, faulty movement patterns resulting in an impingement, altered motor unit recruitment patterns, muscle imbalances, or possibly an overuse injury that simply needs rest.

Stop guessing what is causing your pain. Have a professional assessment to determine if you need to stop or modify your activity.

Oh yeah ➡️ and it’s FREE! 💰

DM for updated availability

Be MINDFUL about your HEALTH 🌱

09/28/2020

The THIRD step
3️⃣Support Your Immune System

By now you may have started taking the recommended supplements, and even switched up your skin care routine . But what else can you do to improve your body’s resistance to these nasty bacteria making a home under your skin?

The key to resolving acne is the same as it is for any other inflammatory condition....
Lower your inflammation!

Acne is inflammation in your sebaceous glands triggered by your immune system to fight off pathogens.

👉🏼The third and final step to putting a stop to your “maskne” breakouts is to lower your inflammation.

🔹You can do this by minimizing your intake of pro-inflammatory foods.
✖️sugar
✖️alcohol
✖️dairy
✖️corn
✖️caffeine
✖️fried foods
✖️highly processed grains
✖️refined seed oils (high omega-6)
✖️low quality animal fats

Don’t worry 🥺This isn’t forever!
Just long enough to allow your body time to heal.

It is really beneficial to reduce your exposure to foods that are high in trans-fats, refined sugars, have a high glycemic response, are high in omega6’s, or high in toxin containing animal fats. These are good rules to follow in general, but especially important in times of healing—
Whether it be from an injury, surgery, gut infection, wound, or even acne.
Because these foods tend to set off an inflammatory cascade- the more exposure you have, the slower your body will be at healing because your immune system is being activated.

By focusing on an organic, clean, whole food based diet, your body will get more of the nutrients it needs to heal— and less of the things that are making the condition worse.

🔹Also make sure to get enough water. Our skin loves water. That’s where the term “fountain of youth” comes from ⛲️
Set a goal of 1/2 your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water per day.
Example: 160lb person should drink 80oz water per day.

🔹Lastly, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Poor sleep is also very pro-inflammatory. Our bodies heal at night. So shoot for a minimum of 7hr per night. If you can get one day/wk where you can sleep in and let your body wake without an alarm clock, you will see a noticeable improvement in your skin quality that day.

✅Food ✅Water ✅Sleep

09/25/2020

SECOND Step:
2️⃣ Proper Skin Care

Our skin is our largest organ. It has it’s own microbiome. It is our first defense against pathogens. Healthy skin is important to a healthy lifestyle. Let’s look after it!

This is a brief summary
👉🏼click the link in bio👈🏼for full blog post for step by step instructions.

Open Pores
🔹Use clean warm towels draped over your face, or use actual steam. Allow steam to gently open your pores for 5-10min

Draw out impurities
🔹Do not exfoliate yet if you have active pimples. Use a SULFUR SOAP to help dry out the pimples while naturally pulling out bacteria and debris from pores. (I use Grisi brand from Amazon)

Support the skin’s natural Microbiome
🔹Rather than applying a topical microbiome product (finding the right one for you can be tricky), I encourage removal of your mask as much as possible. The CO2 trapped inside of our mask promotes overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria. Remove your mask when not necessary

Reduce Inflammation
🔹Splash cold water after cleansing routine to calm skin, close pores, and reduce inflammation. I recommend using a product with B3 (active niacin, or nicotinimade). has a skincare line called Naturally Clear that makes a topical spray. Use after cleansing. Do this at night when you can keep your mask off. Try to minimize use of products under your mask besides things that protect your skin’s barrier

Exfoliate
🔹Only recommended if you stopped having active eruptions. Once your acne is a bit “dryer”, then you can start using a product with gentle exfoliant. Use something with a small amount of grittiness to mechanically debride the skin and remove dead skin cells. My favorite is another Naturally Clear product called “Scrub”, because it also contains B3

Protect Barrier
🔹After your skincare routine, apply a thin layer of a hypoallergenic non-pore clogging lotion or serum. This will reintroduce a moisture layer to your skin to protect it from the constant rubbing of the mask

Avoid scarring
🔹Any red areas on the skin will permanently remain red if exposed to UV rays. When outdoors without your mask, please apply your favorite face sunblock. Zinc products are preferred.

09/24/2020

The FIRST step:
1️⃣STOP THE OIL PRODUCTION

🔹VITAMIN B5 (aka Pantothenic Acid) is well established for adrenal support, energy production, and for supporting production of melatonin. And it is also as effective as the drug Accutane in treating acne. While Accutane shrinks sebaceous glands, Pantothenic reduces oil production by increasing coenzyme A, which increases the metabolic breakdown of oils, including sebum. It is also associated with skin softening (hence why you sometimes see it in ‘hair-skin-nails’ formulas).

🔹L- CARNITINE helps convert fat to energy. It is a cofactor that is required for the metabolism of fats and their transport into the mitochondria, where they undergo oxidation and produce energy in the cell. It is an important amino acid for heart muscle function and helps to maintain healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
By enhancing the metabolism of fats and oils, you ultimately reduce excess sebum produced by the skin. Less sebum means less food for acne-causing bacteria, which means less acne.

🔹VITAMIN B3 (aka Niacinamide or Nicotinamide) works as an anti-inflammatory. Niacinamide is used in some skin care products to improve epidermal barrier function, improve pigment disorders, and slow the signs of aging. Nicotinamide can be used both orally and topically. (More on this in a future post).

While Pantothenic Acid and L-Carnitine optimize the breakdown of fats released by the sebaceous gland, reducing congestion and preventing acne from forming, Niacinamide is beneficial for its anti-inflammatory effects.

This combination is effective enough to help with most cases of acne, even severe or of long duration.

I use a similar protocol for treating hormone-related acne and it is a very effective approach for those deep cystic type of pimples.

Here is the Protocol:

Take orally:

🔘Pantothenic acid 500 mg 1-3x day

🔘L-carnitine 250mg 1-3x a day

🔘Niacinamide 500 mg 1x a day

*As always, start low and go slow.
Start with 1x/day for mild cases. Increase to 2x/day if no improvement seen after 1wk.
Increase to 3x/day for the most stubborn cases.

📸Don’t forgot your BEFORE pictures!!

09/23/2020

Face coverings have become a new way of life for us. And it is starting to wreak havoc on our skin. Many of us have started experiencing dermatitis and acne in the areas covered by our masks.

Initially I thought that my mask might have been dirty and I accidentally introduced some sort of bacteria to my skin. 😟

But as time went on, and the weather became warmer, my mask-acne (maskne) became worse!

After noticing that it was not clearing up on its own, I realized that there might be more to it than that....

🔹Wearing a covering over our faces actually creates a new ecosystem on our skin. This dark and moist environment is high in CO2 and low in O2. This type of ecosystem is prime for proliferation of pathogens. So any sort of bacteria that does get introduced to your face from your mask has a perfect environment to thrive.

Then of course, the more we try to clean and strip our face to unclog our pores, the more we strip away the healthy microbiome and the barrier layer that normally exists on our skin to protect us.

The best way to protect your skin against pathogens is to:

1. Support the function of your skin rather than stripping it

2. Choose a mask that is breathable and made of natural fibers

3. Avoid inflammatory food triggers such as dairy, sugar, and alcohol

4. Start from the inside by making sure your digestion is on track and your stress levels are under control. These may be contributing to ongoing acne

5. Supplement with specific nutraceuticals to reduce sebum production, lower inflammation, and promote healing to avoid scarring

♦️Prior to starting this, I felt like there was no end in sight. My pores were so clogged. Every day seemed to bring another swollen angry pimple deep under the surface....

👉🏼 I have put together some really helpful strategies to improve your skin function, promote a thriving defense system, and to help you calm and reverse any current breakouts you might be experiencing.

Be on the lookout over the next week as I bring you a 3-part series to help you put a stop to the breakouts!!!

I can’t wait to see the BEFORE and AFTER pictures!!

I can’t wait to see the before an

09/21/2020

Just a quick smile so you all can remember what I look like under my mask! 😯

All this mask wearing has not been going over well on my complexion and I decided to do something about it.

And I can’t believe how quickly my skin has improved!!

(I am queen of forgetting the ‘before’ shot 🤦🏻‍♀️ which is always a bummer with home renovation projects too)....
So just insert a row of angry red inflamed pimples tracing my jawline right along where the bottom of the mask rubs.

I know I can’t be alone in this!!....

So I have put together some really good resources to help those of you that are suffering from the same “mask-ne” (what I’ve been calling it).

I will not be selling you skin care products— although there are some great microbiome balancers out there which I will gladly recommend if you message me.

Instead, I have put together a protocol that reduces oil production, improves fatty acid mobilization (which also reduces oil production), reduces overall inflammation, and supports healing of any current breakout you are currently experiencing.
👉🏼 AND it works!!!

Be on the lookout for some upcoming posts about recommended supplements to help you put an end to your ‘mask-ne’ for good!

I can’t wait to share this!!!

Be MINDFUL about your HEALTH 🌱

Mindful Health SLO

05/23/2022

05/21/2022

12/15/2021

10/25/2021

10/02/2020

09/28/2020

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