Kimberly King, FNTP, MS Microbiology
My journey to becoming a certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) has been a winding road. Like many of you, I started having a variety of health issues and while I was working on myself, my youngest daughter started having issues too. Luckily, none of my or hers were life-threatening or chronic, but I was worried they were going to become that way if we didn’t do something to stop the downward slide we were on.
- I was overweight and it bothered me. I had changed my diet to more whole foods and walked and was able to lose quite a bit of weight. I kept it off for two years and then it all slowly came back even though I hadn’t changed anything. What was I doing wrong???
- One day my doctor wanted to start me on Synthroid as my thyroid tests came back showing my T4 levels were border line low. Now I was very concerned. I did not want to take a pill for the rest of my life. Why was this happening??
- I was afraid of getting diabetes as my mother passed away from complications from her diabetes at age 62 and my father-in-law passed away from his out-of-control diabetes a year after her. A test for insulin resistance showed I was border line and at risk. Yikes!
- I wasn’t just tired all the time, I also couldn’t get up in the mornings and I was losing my passion for life. It was such a lot of work to get up and then deal with the kids. What could I do to have more energy?
- My periods had always been heavy and now I was losing my hair!!
- My middle back ached, especially in the afternoons and I couldn’t even sit in bleachers or chairs without backs for more than a few minutes without my lower back killing me. Cutting out caffeine helped but didn’t make it go away.
- I could continue, but you get the idea.
I had some success with natural medicine but I still felt like I was slowly losing the battle. And some of the things I tried didn’t seem to help at all. I finally was able to get answers and solutions from an FNTP. I won’t lie and say getting healthy has been an easy journey. I have had to relearn what healthy food and healthy eating truly is. I have slowly made changes to my diet and made myself a priority and, as a result, my health has improved dramatically. I have lost weight and I feel great most of the time and have energy all day long. I still have more to work on, but most of my health issues and concerns have cleared up.Meanwhile my youngest daughter couldn’t wake up in the morning, was grouchy all the time, laid around on the couch all day complaining she was tired and her gut hurt, had frequent nose bleeds and dark circles under her eyes, and she looked gray instead of a healthy pink.
I was becoming more and more concerned about her. This was not normal. I knew conventional medical doctors would want to run tests and then either want to give her pills or would not have any idea what to do. I was getting more and more anxious but was unsure where to start.
Again, the NTP came to our rescue. Little did I know that her symptoms all pointed to food allergies, a leaky gut, and a probable yeast infection. She has been on an anti-inflammatory diet and been working on healing her gut with foods and supplements, We are hoping she will be able to slowly add back other foods over time as her systems heal. She is doing much better-no more gut aches, she is sleeping better, and the dark circles are gone. She told me the other day that she finally feels strong and healthy. I feel like my daughter has been saved. She is cuddly and much less grumpy and a joy to be around again.
As I was improving but my daughter was getting worse I decided to make the leap and learn nutritional therapy, for my family’s sake if for nothing else. Now I am eager to share what I have learned. It has changed our lives in so many ways and will continue to change them. I am excited to teach science-based classes and offer one-on-one nutritional assessments and counseling. I truly believe that food is “medicine” and we can heal ourselves and be strong, healthy, and energetic people.
I am now offering nutrition specifically for women and couples trying to get pregnant or who want to prepare for pregnancy. Also, I have a program for women who are pregnant who want to minimize symptoms often associated with pregnancy, like fatigue and morning sickness.
In the past, I spent almost ten years as a La Leche League Leader counseling breastfeeding mothers so I feel like this is a great fit for me. I love working with women and am looking forward to working with couples too during one the most exciting times of their life.
- For those of you who are interested in my previous exploits:Nutritional Therapy is my third career. My first career was as a microbiologist. I earned my B.S. in microbiology straight out of high school then continued with my Masters while working at a Weight Watchers frozen food factory. There I sampled and tested meals, ingredients, and swabs of equipment for bacterial contamination. I went on to work at the local Health Department Lab running tests for STDs for the health clinic, for parasites for a refugee relocation center, and for coliforms in well water and swimming pools as well as doing other testing.My second career as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother is slowly winding down. I have two lovely daughters who are almost grown now and I have homeschooled them both. It was during this time I spent almost ten years as a La Leche League Leader counseling breastfeeding mothers. I have also taught at the local homeschool co-op and volunteered with our local figure skating club.
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About me, my philosophy, and how I work with clients.
Posted by Discover a Healthier You on Monday, May 24, 2021
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