Nutrition & Fascia
Guest Blog - Written by Farida Visram, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
Fellow Kenyan and healthcare advocate Farida Visram has been a loyal client and enthusiastic advocate for Myofascial Release for some time so when she offered her take on the importance of Nutrition from a Myofascial point of view, we couldn’t wait to hear it.
See the transcript of our interview below:
Can you briefly describe your journey towards becoming a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP)? What inspired you to pursue this field?
My sister back home in Kenya is a pharmacist and I vividly recall her dismay as she would share the side effects of the drugs she dispensed. Even as her business grew with new locations, she was troubled and disenchanted by over prescribing and chronic dependence on pharmaceuticals, which was rarely if ever questioned, and which left people feeling disempowered and less connected with their own bodies and their own innate ability to heal or make alternative choices. All of this left a marked impression on me. We resolved to jointly manage our aging father’s health with food, and nutritional supplements with great success. Unlike his peers, he did not need aspirin, statins, blood pressure or blood sugar lowering drugs, or any drugs for that matter, had good cognitive health and lived to 93. He had his fair share of health events, but we always looked for solutions in food, and natural therapies bearing in mind that these were not easy to come by in Kenya.
In 2015, my own health nose dived after 25 years in the financial services industry followed by an unhappy exit. There was little empathy at the time as “burnout” was not an acceptable “diagnosis”. Physically and emotionally broken, I found myself opening up to a nutritionist at Village Pharmacy who encouraged me to enrol at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Mississauga. After the second lesson (I missed the first!) on soil microbial diversity and its bearing on a plant’s health, I was hooked. There was no turning back.
How does your approach differ from a traditional dietitian or nutritionist?
My understanding is that traditional registered dietitians are regulated by the government, and their dietary programs and practices are guided by government sanctioned food, and nutrient guidelines policies such as Canada’s Food guide. This approach excludes the healing potential of a wide spectrum of modalities, some age-old, simply because they may have not yet been subject to scientific scrutiny via randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled studies or enough research. none of which makes them any less meaningful in stimulating a healing response.
Modalities such as Herbal medicine (the oldest form of medicine), Ayurveda (a natural system of medicine originating in India practiced by well known individuals such as Deepak Chopra and Vasant Lad), Traditional Chinese Medicine, Reflexology, Homeopathy, Energy medicine such as Reiki have successfully been practiced for millennia in various regions around the world. Myofascial Release also falls into this spectrum. So as a holistic nutritionist, in addition to designing a therapeutic nutrition and lifestyle protocol to address the origins of a client’s health challenges, I may also choose to incorporate or recommend additional modalities that I think they will strongly benefit from to re-establish “wholeness” - hence the term “holistic” which views health not just physically through food, lifestyle and movement, but also encompasses mental-emotional, and spiritual health.
From your perspective as a CNP, can you share some of the biggest misconceptions people commonly have about nutrition and health?
Perhaps the biggest, is the idea that making food choices that are appropriate for your metabolism involves giving up foods that you love. Nothing could be further from the truth. It IS possible to have your cake and eat it too. Literally. But there is both an art and a science to it that is within everyone’s grasp
The second is the notion that eating to support your unique metabolism is just too difficult, complicated, expensive or simply not sustainable. Interestingly, once the desire to move in a meaningful direction takes birth in the heart, mind and soul. Everything around you starts to conspire to aid you to fulfil that desire. And a way that may have previously seemed impossible opens up with ease.
The other big misconception is that food cannot “really” heal. We need medicines for that. Perhaps the best example I have that flies in the face of that notion is the experience of a good friend and fellow nutritionist who single handedly weaned his wife off of corticosteroids and other pharmaceuticals and sent her lupus – a serious autoimmune disorder that threatened her life – into remission. Just with food. I continue to hound him to chronicle their journey in a book.
Lastly, our genetics are to blame. Diabetes, arthritis or whatever runs in the family and that’s just how it is. To this I’d say please read the highly entertaining book “The Biology of Belief” by cellular biologist Dr Bruce Lipton Ph. D who elegantly reveals how the cells of your body are deeply affected by your thoughts and beliefs. And how single-gene disorders involved in conditions such as Huntington’s, beta thalassemia and cystic fibrosis affect less than 2% of the population. Indeed our genetics may make us more susceptible to developing a health condition, but it’s our food choices, lifestyles and mindsets that “turn on” the genes involved in the development of today’s modern-day epidemic of diabetes, heart disease, autoimmunity and cancer. And the science of epigenetics continues to bear this out.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who believe good nutrition and working out at the gym equals good health. This may very well be the case for some. However, our thoughts, beliefs, the quality of our relationships and our habitual responses to life’s experiences and challenges right from our formative years as children to the present day as adults play an equally important role in determining our overall state of being and need to be explored and addressed when nutrition alone does leave us feeling whole.
Given the wide variety of dietary trends and fads (keto, paleo, vegan, intermittent fasting, etc.), how do you guide your clients to make informed decisions about what might work best for them?
My main goal is to jointly uncover with my client the causes and contributors that have thrown their unique constitution and metabolism into a state of imbalance and given rise to their symptoms.
To this end, I am curious about the “what” and “why” that informs their food choices, daily routine, movement and approach to life as well as the various adaptations they have made along the way, physically and emotionally to cope with their circumstances and relationships. Where warranted, I will test for food sensitivities and any pathogens (viruses, bacteria or fungi) playing a role in their symptoms. Given my focus on blood sugar balance, I am particularly interested in understanding which biomarkers are out of range through their blood work including some that are not routinely tested by their health care providers, such as fasting insulin and high sensitivity CRP (a marker of inflammation). This gives us, jointly, a framework from which to establish a roadmap to health and balance, and the most appropriate tools and dietary approaches for the job.
Can you share any specific nutrients or foods that are particularly beneficial for both fascial health and chronic pain?
My first port of call for any chronic pain or tension would be a physiotherapist or massage therapist well versed in myofascial release. Until I met you, I did not have a full appreciation for the role played by the fascia and how tension and restrictions in this organ undermined even the best diet and supplement regimen. I like medicinal teas such as marshmallow (root and leaves) and licorice both of which improve hydration in the body and benefit the fascia although licorice should be avoided by anyone dealing with hypertension. For pain, turmeric root is helpful for some, as are proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain, papain and serrapeptase.
Looking ahead, what do you think will be the next big trend or focus in the field of nutrition, and why?
Given exponential rates of pre-diabetes and diabetes in North America, particularly in much younger populations, I believe that the focus on achieving stable blood glucose, insulin sensitivity (insulin is the hormone that drives glucose into our cells for energy production) and a body composition with a more favorable muscle to fat ratio – through diet and physical activity - is a focus that is here to stay.
Today we know that higher insulin levels, which precede an actual change in blood glucose levels by as much as 10 to 15 years, is a pathway to heart disease, hypertension, neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, various cancers, even prostate enlargement. The list goes on as more disorders are being connected to high blood sugar, high insulin levels and the resulting state of “insulin resistance” where the cells of the body are less responsive to insulin’s message and the body is forced to store excess dietary sugars around our belly, our muscles and even our organs – with troubling consequences.
Many are also unaware that blood glucose swings over the course of the day, even with a normal blood sugar test at the doctor, causes mood swings, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and low energy.
The good news is that appropriate food choices and food timing combined with physical activity are powerful tools in re-establishing health and vitality.
What is your process and the best way to connect with you?
I will typically book an initial 20-minute discovery call with a client who is interested to work with me to discuss their concerns and goals and determine whether we are a good fit for one another, before proceeding to book a formal consultation via Zoom.
Website: www.pathwaysnutrition.ca
Phone/Text: (905) 782 - 8181
Email: farida@pathwaysnutrition.ca.