Debra Hanna

I wanted to share with you and others why I am so excited about Nutrition Response Testing and my motivation for becoming a Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner.

I have always been drawn to helping others. When I was younger, I wanted to become a Chiropractor. In school, I was involved in Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA).   In my junior year, I was a Parliamentarian, and in my Senior year, I was President of HOSA. I helped start the annual Blood Drive at our school, as well as changes in our co-op program that implemented optional rounds at Texas Chiropractic College. My journey changed directions while in college. I chose other ventures to support raising a family. But I got back to health care as fast as I could to fulfill my passion. 

My health challenges with my gut started in high school. I had issues with a hiatal hernia and spent a lot of time in pain. Every time I ate, I felt sick after just a few bites. Doctors treated me with medications that gave minimal relief. After adjusting my diet and portions, there was some relief, but I still had to deal with the pain. Then in college, I suffered from severe headaches, and nothing helped. My doctors said it was hormones and wanted to switch my birth control pills and throw pain medications at me. None of the pain medication helped me, and they could not figure out why I was having headaches. These were the first of several times western medicine would fail me.   I felt lost!! I never felt comfortable taking so many prescription medications. I wanted an alternative but was unaware of functional medicine at the time. I have lived most of my life just dealing with headaches and abdominal and constipation issues as if they were a normal part of life. At the age of 42, I started having irregular periods. My doctor said it was premenopausal and put me on birth control pills to try and control it, and that did not help me.   Then in 2013, I went to the doctor for severe pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. They rushed me for a CT scan and then down to the ER. I was diagnosed with an ovarian deep vein thrombosis. This scared me! It made me start really looking at my health in a different light. I was a mom of 3, and I had a lot of life I still wanted to live. I was in the hospital for a week on blood thinners and pain medication. The pain medication was bringing back my headaches, and the doctors could not tell what was causing the ODVT.   For the next year, I was on blood thinners and restricted activities to make sure I didn’t get hurt. I was constantly at a doctor’s office to make sure the blood clot didn’t come back, even though I was still having pains in my lower abdominal area. I was seeing an internal medicine doctor, a gynecologist, and a gastrointestinal doctor, and no one could help me figure out how to stop the pains or what was causing them. I ended up having two partial hysterectomies, one in 2014 to take out my uterus. It was full of fibroid tumors, and it was the size of a woman who was three months pregnant. They also performed a full bladder vault suspension during this surgery for a prolapsed bladder. Then in 2016, they had to remove my ovaries which were full of cysts and bursting. This was causing crippling pains. During the 2^nd surgery, they found I had an overgrowth of scar tissue. They had to scrap as much as they could and place adhesion mesh to prevent it from regrowing. They said they did what they could, but if they scraped any more, I would end up with a colostomy bag. The scar tissue had also attached my bladder to my colon, and they were afraid to separate the two for fear of causing even more issues. They said my entire intestines were matted together with scar tissue. The gastrointestinal doctor was treating me for IBS-C, diverticula, and a spastic colon with extremely weak colon muscles. He kept trying different medicines, and nothing worked for me. I was afraid to leave the house because I never knew when I would have to go to the bathroom. It was horrible! I dealt with this for a couple of years. I was also dealing with hot flashes and night sweats from a hormone imbalance.   My quality of life lessened tremendously. I quit doing things I loved and spending time with my family and friends. I was in a dark place.

Then, my chiropractor’s office had Dr. Serge Gregoire presenting a workshop on Hormones in May of 2018. I attended the workshop, and I was very intrigued. I asked myself could help me. I set up an Initial consultation at Mind and Body Solutions with one of Dr. Serge Gregoire’s colleagues, Dr. Stacey Delgado, and my life changed for the better. Until this point, no one could tell me what was causing any of my issues or how we could stop them. They wanted me to take medication for the rest of my life, and that did not work for me.   I started feeling better as soon as I started making the dietary changes and taking the supplements. Since starting my Nutrition Response Testing program, I have been able to come off all my medication and avoid surgery to remove part of my colon. My journey continues to this day.   I am lucky enough to have experienced the wonders of the Nutrition Response Testing Program as a patient, and it has changed my life for the better.

This brought me to the realization that the body can do amazing things to heal itself if you feed it the right nutrition, and I wanted to share this with everyone. I joined the Mind and Body Solutions team as a Patient Advocate/Community Outreach Marketing and started my journey to becoming a Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner. I have graduated from my Professional Level Classes as a Clinical Nutrition Practitioner. I am also continuously expanding my education and knowledge to be able to help others change their lives through nutrition. I found my passion again!! It is to help others to heal their bodies through nutrition and educate them on the important role nutrition plays in our health. Nutrition Response Testing gives me the tools to do so.