Cynthia Stadd
Holistic Health and Nutrition Specialist

I am a recovered binge eater and PMS sufferer

I am here now and blessed to be in a position to guide others mainly because of my personal history. I spent years agonizing over my weight and body image. I could down a box of Entenmann's donuts without blinking an eye and then went on to polish off a pack of cookies - all at midnight. There were days I would not get out of bed and could not see ever living peacefully in my body.

My PMS ruined me every month with emotional swings and physical symptoms. At least 3 times a year I would get a debilitating sinus infection that floored me for days, not to mention feeling like I had a never-ending cold. Chronic constipation went right along with this imbalanced package and kept me bloated and uncomfortable most of the time.

And I thought all of this was normal, how most women lived.

I saw many doctors and each one had a new drug to give me to clear up this or that. Funny thing was, it all came right back a few months later. I also saw a few nutrition people but the healing stopped short after I left the office with some foreign meal plan that had no relevance to my tastes, needs or practical ability to follow this crazy thing.

So, thankfully I found a new approach, which did not wrap up in a nice neat package. My healing came from the combination of several modalities:

• I slowly and peacefully changed my diet with the help of a loving, non-judgmental counselor who really listened and let me cry.
  
• I took Chinese herbs, which did wonders for my sinuses.
  
• I took a good hard look at what was truly driving my eating habits and where my "wheel of life" was not rolling smoothly.
  
• I chose to see my body as a goddess temple instead of my worst enemy and I worked a lot on changing the negative thoughts in my head.
  
• I breathed, stretched and found new forms of exercise that made me very happy.
  
• I learned how to meditate
  
• I tried to take everything a little less seriously and focus on all the gifts I had right in front of me.

I am now pain-free with clear sinuses, happy monthly periods and maintaining the weight I know my body wants to be. I never thought I would say that.

Healing does not come from just a pill or band-aid approach. It requires active participation by the individual through one or more modalities. However, who says you have to do it alone? I would have never come through without the teachers, healers and counselors that helped me along my journey. I still have several of them to this day!

My mission is to carry forward all the knowledge and experience that I have acquired over many years of study to help couples achieve their dreams of starting their families through proper nutritional guidance and support.

Cynthia Stadd, Director, Holistic Health & Nutritional Counseling, The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness and Women's Health