Christine Garvin
Functional Health Coach
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Hey there, I’m Christine! I’m a Functional Health Coach, and I help women to improve their gut and balance their hormones.
My Story
Health wasn’t very important to me growing up or in college. I of course wanted to lose weight at different moments (it’s nearly impossible to be a woman in America and not think weight loss is the key to happiness – we’ve been fed that belief since day 1!), but getting into the specifics of taking care of my body wasn’t really my jam.
Until I didn’t have a choice.
It happened a bit younger for me than many; my stomach “fell out”, as I call it, pretty much the minute I graduated from college. I was diagnosed with the all-encompassing “IBS” (as in “We have no idea what is REALLY wrong with you”) and went on with my life, cutting back on ice cream because I could tell that was trigger. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area not long after, and quickly fell into vegetarianism, then veganism, and then I went to a doctor to figure out why I had this pesky sore throat for months on end. That doctor dismissed it (and me) quickly as allergies and wrote me a prescription for some allergy medicine. Before she pushed me out the door I asked, “Is there anything natural I can do?” She sighed and said, “some people say Vitamin C helps” and then closed the door on me.
And so my journey into natural medicine began. Over the ensuing years, I tried every dietary approach you can possibly imagine, all kinds of different therapies, from talk to somatic to energy, did every juice and Master cleanse and colonic known to man. I decided I needed to learn much more than what I could gather from the internet, so after much research, I landed on a Masters program in Holistic Health Education at JFKU in Pleasant Hill, CA. I was interested in all forms of “alternative” healing approaches, but nutrition pretty much called me from day 1. So a year later, I enrolled in the Nutrition Educator program at Bauman College. I was on my way.
But the thing I learned about health (and this took me a while to REALLY understand) is that it is not a linear process. Our core wounds are deep, and they will arise again and again over our lives in order to teach us new, deeper lessons. During my formal education – and the informal education of working with clients, teaching and performing dance, and continuing to improve my health since I finished the formal part – I understand that our health is a labor of love. Love for your body. Love for your mind. Love for the journey of this lifetime.
And it is a truly revolutionary act.
Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned in the many, many lessons about my health over the years came in 2018, when a large fibroid formed on my uterus, and I had it removed via a laparoscopic myomectomy. During that surgery, my intestines were unknowingly lacerated in three places, and two weeks later I ended up in the ER with sepsis and after two emergency surgeries that weekend, an ileostomy. If you want to read more about that experience, head over here.
I could go on and on about my story, about the things that have happened, and the things I’ve learned. But I’m actually more interested in learning about you. What health issues are you facing? Do you want to feel better? Are you not sure which direction to take to get there?
I want to help you on your health journey. I believe that gut health is at the base of our overall health, and so this is where I always begin. I’m also obsessed with hormonal health after what I’ve been through, and particularly love working with women from their early 30s through their mid-40s to regulate their hormones (that’s why I’m a graduate of Nicole Jardim’s Apprentice Program). But there’s so much more. Head over to my Functional Health Coaching page to learn more about this avenue, check out my self-guided programs here, and learn about the latest in hormone and gut health in our Public Library.
My Values & Beliefs
Better Health is Possible for Everyone
What do I mean by better health? I mean more energy, better moods, deeper connections with others. I also mean a digestive system that does it job without causing pain, more fluidity in your body, and less anxiety. You can have an incurable disease and still be healthy. Your doctor can tell you your BMI is too high, and your health is actually rockin’. You can think you are getting by okay right now, but actually feel so much better.
Your Body is an Incredible Piece of Art Mixed With the Most Advanced Technology Possible
When you learn about all the processes your body oversees nearly every second of the day, you become floored by its innate wisdom and kick-ass intelligence. And what our bodies need from us is actually pretty simple (we often make it WAY too complicated). I love teaching people how to work with the innate intelligence of our bodies, and supporting them in the easiest and most impactful ways.
Loving Your Body Fully is What Will Bring You the Best Health Possible
Many of us try so incredibly hard to change our bodies to fit the “ideal” (whatever that is at the moment). The truth is, we will not be completely healthy until we accept the incredible, amazing body we have been given. When I say “love the skin you’re in,” it comes from a place of knowing that the energy expended on wishing your body was different can be re-routed to living a life that you love and appreciate. All by loving and appreciating your body, just as it is.
Credentials
- Masters, Holistic Health Education, John F. Kennedy University
- Nutrition Educator Certification, Bauman College
- Graduate of Nicole Jardim’s “Fix Your Period” Apprenticeship
- Certified in Restorative Wellness Solutions Functional Nutrition program:
- Level 1 “Mastering the Art and Science of Gastrointestinal Healing”
- Level 2 “Mastering the Art and Science of Optimizing Hormones”
- Level 3 “Mastering the Art and Science of Nutritional Blood Chemistry”
- Trained in the Organic Acids Test (OAT) from Great Plains Laboratory
- Certification in 3×4 Genetics Testing
My Approach
I believe that the most important relationship you have is with your body. We have generally been taught that our body is the enemy, and we need to do whatever it takes to tame it. In the process, we end up facing our body’s cries for help: disordered eating, allergies, autoimmune disorders, IBS, hormonal issues. Our minds chime in with mental and emotional disorders. It becomes a vicious cycle of dis-ease.
The amazing thing about our bodies is they want to heal. They want to feel their absolute best. They want you to love them.
When you begin to pay attention to your body, to listen to it, it will let you know what it needs. Sometimes, we are so disconnected from our bodies that it takes some time to figure out what is required.
That’s where I come in: I’m here to help you figure out what your body needs to live its best, most healthy life. Which will give you all kinds of extra time and energy to live your best life.