Meet Irina Wardas ~ The Natural Counselor 8-28-09

Irina, I absolutely love your bio. It is chock full of credentials and very important health education. Were you completely inspired simply by bettering your health?

Oh thank you Dwana.  I have been doing my best. As a matter of fact, I was inspired by my mother and thanks to her I am a second generation of Alternative Practitioners with a lot of insightful tips full of European wisdom, flavor and experience.

What types of maladies did you first begin to experience and how long did you endure before you sought to address and ultimately alter your self?

Well, I started studying and using natural remedies when my son was 4 years old helping him when he had fever, sore throat, stuffed nose, regular cold or cough.

As for me, after I turned 30, I struggled with failed diets and weight gain; I was overstressed and had hormonal imbalances with non-stop heavy bleeding before I hit menopause; and I had severe PMS issues at a much younger age than most. I gained much knowledge and insight from my unpleasant experiences and have since gained a new outlook on how to take care of myself. I share my experience with my clients, being an exclusive Holistic Health Counselor to support and guide them in getting rid of health concerns they may have, and help them become healthier and happier.

My positive and negative experiences in overcoming difficulties associated with multiple marriages, dating online and in person, being in an abusive relationship, raising my son by myself give me capability, knowledge and expertise to be the best life coach. By the way, my son is in NYC right now, and has a wonderful career in finances. As for me, I am in California with my wonderful and supportive husband and two rescued dogs I love very much.

The Institute of Integrative Nutrition is extremely influential. What was your focus there? 
Why did you feel compelled to certify your training in all of these practices? It is so very commendable. Would you recommend it, all or a few for those you list for seeking better overall nutrition expertise?

At the Institute of Integrative Nutrition I studied all the different dietary theories, from the ancient to the modern, through an integrative approach in a program designed for working professionals. It is very important to be certified in this country so I chose the best possible credentials.

Talk to us a bit about "failed diets", "overstress" and hormonal imbalances.

My mother always tried different food recipes to cleanse her body, so I started learning about detox properties of different foods and have realized that we don’t need to go to extremes to cleanse our body- we can do it with the right foods, herbs and spices.

At the same time, I was also learning about stress, foods and stress, foods that can calm you down or visa versa. So my focus became on detox and distress. Stress is number one cause of all illnesses. It is also one of the reasons we have hormonal imbalances and slow metabolism. The solution? We have to reduce stress and detox our body first if we want to be healthier. I have the same approach to weight loss, something a lot of coaches overlook. They help people lose weight, but it doesn’t work in the long run, because weight loss is about lifestyle, not the diets.

As for diets, we are all different, we are not the same age, so how can the same diet help everyone? And I hate the word diet. Diets don’t work because we are forced to eat something we don’t like for a certain period of time. Of course we stop doing what we don’t like. That is why I teach my clients to listen to their bodies, find the right food choices for them, so they can accept, like and be able to stick to them in the future when I am not around as their counselor.

What is the first change you made to your eating habits? Home life? Cleaning products?

I started drinking one extra glass of water a day, it was my first step. Then I started using soap without chemicals and artificial colors and fragrance, by the way, my mother’s influence. She explained to me 30 years ago that if the soap was not white and smelled good, it contained chemicals. As for cleaning products, I lived in Ukraine at the moment so it was completely natural for me to use vinegar and baking soda.

Is there a specific yoga you follow?

My mother was 80 and still was practicing yoga every day starting with Sun Salutation. I also try to do yoga every day, especially a shoulder stand –Sarvangasana to improve circulation and look fabulous. (I recommend this asana to all my clients if they want to fight wrinkles naturally) If  I don’t have time or not in the mood, I always do at least 10 Sun Salutations to keep my body flexible.

How can someone be enriched by your program?

In general, my holistic and wellness approach is focused on achieving whole-body health through nutrition, exercise, meditation and preventive care. As a Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor, I help my clients find balance in every aspect of their life including health, relationship, spirituality, career, exercises and food.

As a certified holistic health counselor, I work with women who are under a lot of stress, especially relationship stress, and are experiencing weight gain, lack of energy, insomnia, mood swings. I help my clients get healthier and it means happier by changing their lifestyle and food preferences. We work in a step-by-step ~ very enjoyable way for long lasting results.

What do you see for those you help?

Better future and by that I mean better understanding of what is to be healthier and happier. I try to help people get rid of their concerns by changing their lifestyle without taking pills. We can be healthy and active and live longer, by it is up to us, it our choice only.

What has been the greatest challenge in changing your old habits? For me, I do not even miss the way I used to live, what do you think it takes to make the best adjustments?

Well, the greatest challenge for me was to resist temptations to try all unhealthy processed foods in the grocery stores when I moved to US 11 years ago. It took a lot of self-control and self discipline at the moment.


Was your family receptive? Children adapt well?

My son is 25 and he still eats oatmeal with raisins and walnuts for breakfast. His girlfriend has changed her eating habits (according to her mother). It is still a lot of improvement can be made but one step at a time is my motto. As for my husband, hmmmm. There are some changes after learning a lot from my website and blog. He drinks only organic milk, tries to read labels, doesn’t eat red meat…Well, I don’t force him, he changes his habit at his own pace, one bite at a time. And I work with women, not with men, anyway don’t I?

Tell us about NaturalCounselor.com. How did you begin, where would you like it to go and what do you see for yourself in 5 years?

NaturalCounselor.com is Holistic Health and Nutrition Services for women - everything they need to get healthier and happier as well as feel and look fabulous:

Holistic Health and Nutrition Programs for Women in person and over the phone: Five-Month Personalized Program for Women Balancing Act, Healthy Relationship – Healthy You,
Single Holistic Health and Nutrition Consultation with Follow Up
Holistic Health and Nutrition eCoaching for Women,
Business Coaching for Holistic Health Practitioners and Counselors/Coaches

As a certified holistic health counselor, I work with women who are under a lot of stress, especially relationship stress, and are experiencing weight gain, lack of energy, insomnia, mood swings. I help my clients get healthier and it means happier by changing their lifestyle and food preferences. We work in a step-by-step very enjoyable way for long lasting results.

Ebooks
“Detox – 101 _ Super Simple Detox, The Ultimate guide for Beginners″

“DeStress – 101- Survival Kit for Busy Women″ 

Resources with links to websites with information for women
Health Tools for Women including Body Mass Calculator, Body Fat Calculator, Food Calorie Counter, etc.

Holistic health and nutrition tips on detox /cleanse with whole foods, stress and relaxation techniques, weight loss, better sleep, high blood pressure, headaches and migraines, cancer prevention, food as medicine, beauty remedies and facials, healthy cooking with healthy recipes, benefits of whole foods, self-motivation and relationship / dating – you can find them on my website and on my NaturalCounselor Blog.

Books I Recommend - I have selected books that worth reading and might help women feel and look fabulous.

Podcast and Video
Radio Show “Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina” 

And in five years from now I plan to have a Retreat center for Women who want to feel and look fabulous.

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LISTEN TO IRINA



How exciting Irina! You can also follow Irina on Twitter @IrinaWardas

Michelle Whitlock's Love Letter To You ~

My name is Michelle Whitlock and I am a cervical cancer survivor. Like most little girls, I dreamed of growing up, meeting prince charming, getting married and having children. But my life took an unwanted detour.

In Dec 2001, at 26 I was busy climbing the corporate ladder while completing my degree. I thought I had all the time in the world for those childhood dreams of marriage and motherhood. But I was wrong. My world came to a screeching halt with my diagnosis of cervical cancer. I was stunned!

Just a few weeks earlier I had gone in for my annual Pap, just like I had for the last ten years. But this time she performed the then new digene HPV test. The Pap came back normal but I tested positive for high risk HPV. My doctor called me in for biopsies, a leep procedure and conization. I didn’t understand the need for all these other procedures, because like most women, I believed a normal Pap Test meant everything was fine, that I was fine. But I wasn’t fine, I had Stage IB1 cancer. Thank God, my Doctor preformed the HPV test!

The doctor recommended a radical hysterectomy which would leave me infertile. I refused. I didn’t have children, I wasn’t married and I’d only been dating my boyfriend for 6 month. My dreams were unraveling fast.

Determined to fight, I researched my options, got a second opinion and asked my doctor all the tough and uncomfortable questions. I learned about a new fertility sparing procedure, called the radical trachelectomy. I chose that option!

But just two years later, in April 2004 only days after my boyfriend proposed, my worse fear became a reality—my cancer was back. My doctor immediate insisted I have a radical hysterectomy. I kept thinking not now, this is suppose to be my fairy tale ending. Desperate to preserve my fertility, I sought out a second opinion and did more research. My new doctor helped me find a reproductive endocrinologist. My doctor reluctantly agreed to give me eight weeks before my surgery. During that time I started fertility treatment, harvested my eggs and froze 7 embryos. One week later I flew to Jamaica and got married and ten days after that checked in Methodist Mid-Town Hospital and had my radical hysterectomy, partial vaginalectomy and lymph node dissection followed by weeks of chemo and radiation.

I found myself at twenty-nine with a whole host of new conditions courtesy of my cancer treatments: menopause, sexual dysfunction, and radiation damage to both my bowels and hips. I found myself faced with the reality that I would never be able to create life inside me. It was devastating both physically and emotionally. I spent my first few years married trying to piece back together my shattered life with the help of my loving husband.

Today, I am 41/2 years in remission and grateful to be here. My husband and I are trying to have a child with the help of a gestational carrier (surrogate). 8/4/09—We are 25 weeks pregnant finally!

Cervical cancer changed my life forever but No other woman needs to lose her life or fertility to this disease. Today, we have the tools for prevention and early detection. Please join me in spreading the word because together our voices are stronger than mine alone.

www.MichelleLeeWhitlock.com

Meet Michelle Whitlock!

One of the many fabulous things about the Blogher Conference 2009 was meeting extraordinary people and hearing their remarkable stories.

One such story I encountered was that of Michelle Lee Whitlock.

Michelle, thank you for being a strong and dedicated advocate for women.

Thank you for your courage.

Thank you for telling us the truth and for making statements on our behalf.

Here's the House chat with Michelle.

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Michelle, you have written a book "Reframing a Tragedy" cataloging the difficulties you have faced. As a young person, you faced challenges not typical of a young woman. Did you have time to dream about your future?

Dreams...what every young women should do. Our dreams push us, motivate us and shape our lives. However, there was a time I had to create an "insurance policy" for my dreams and then put them away while I focused on the present only. My insurance policy came in the shape of 7 frozen embryos tucked away for another day, while my present day was a battle for my life against a preventable disease--cervical cancer.

What were your wishes and goals before you had to face medical problems?

Before my cancer, I was very focused on my career, climbing the corporate ladder, the gym, and traveling. I thought I had all the time in the world for my childhood dreams of marriage and motherhood.

You had amazing strength and character prior to your bout with cervical cancer. Did this further your strength or deplete you?

Coming from a dysfunctional and financially challenged family, I learned very early to fight myself and never give up. My cancer just strengthen my believe that life is precious and so valuable. It reminded me to be conscience in all my choices, grateful and live each day as if it were going to be my last. I am strong, better, more alive, and appreciate the little things in life because of my walk with cancer.

Had you had prior knowledge of reproductive challenges that could overhaul and change our lives?

I had been diagnosed with Endometriosis at 20, but I never saw it as a reproductive challenge as I did painful periods. I believed a normal pap meant I was okay, that everything was fine, as do many women. But it does not and I soon learned I was not okay.

Were you an advocate for other issues before Pearl of Wisdom?

I have been an advocate, educating women about cervical cancer and HPV since Spring of 2005. So when the Pearl of Wisdom campaign kicked-off here in the U.S. in Jan 09, it was a natural progression for me to get involved. This campaign is a grassroots effort, girlfriend to girlfriend, mother to daughter, daughter to mother, woman to woman. It is about preventing cervical cancer through HPV awareness. No other woman needs to lose her fertility or die from this preventable disease. However, cervical cancer is still the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Help us stop this disease.

Your book details your supportive relationships, can you tell us a bit more?

I believe the most important member in your family is your spouse. They are the only member you actually get to pick. I am blessed to have chosen well. My husband has been better than any medicine available. He walked side by side with me during my battle and when I was too tired, he carried me. And when the battle was over he gave me the support I needed to rediscover myself and my sexuality after all my treatment. My friends lined up to hold my hand, chat with me and kick me in the pants when I felt sorry for myself too long.

How were the other women in your immediate circle impacted by your cancer?

It made them stand up and take notice. This cancer could have happened to any one of them. We held hands and learned together. Many of them have had abnormal paps and suffered from cervical disease themselves. In fact, about 1/2 million women in the U.S. are diagnosed with some cervical disease annually, which often result in painful procedures including biopsies, LEEPs, conization and more.

Tell us about your research. Where did it lead you? What did you find out about yourself?

I realized that doctors are not GOD; they are highly skilled and trained humans. They are a great resources, partners, and tools in the battle to stay healthy. But every woman, including me, needs to be her own advocate, ask the tough questions, challenge her doctors, seek additional opinions and always express her emotions and dreams. Our diseases are just a part of us, they do not make the whole person. For me, researching, asking questions and challenging doctors lead me to the oncologist that saw not only my disease but a young twenty-something woman desperate to save her fertility. I learned that even when we feel out of control or like a victim we can make choices to regain our balance and still achieve our dreams.

What do you envision for Pearl of Wisdom?

I dream women every where will stand up, take notice of the campaign, learn the facts and share a pearl of wisdom with the woman in her life...This is a PREVENTABLE disease...Almost every case of cervical cancer can be prevented through programs using the Pap test, the HPV test, and the HPV vaccine. But many women around the world don’t know about or have access to these tools. As a result, 500,000 women develop cervical cancer and almost 300,000 die of cervical cancer – every year.

The Pearl of Wisdom Campaign to Prevent Cervical Cancer is a united, global effort to raise awareness of the opportunities now available to prevent cervical cancer. Our campaign reaches women, health care providers, policymakers, health advocates, and the media.

We recognize that by working together, we can more effectively:

Raise awareness of the tools available for preventing cervical cancer

Encourage women to take full advantage of these tools

Advocate for the implementation of these tools for girls and women everywhere

Join us, starting now, as we work together to prevent this unnecessary disease
and death

What is your hope for womenhood and the ravages of female cancers?

I hope women everywhere will learn to protect themselves, see their doctors annually, speak up and advocate for their own health care and know today with the advancements in science, there are many ways to "save" our fertility. I hope all doctors will remember we are people with hopes and dreams...we are more than our diseases...help us treat the whole person.

What is your assessment of the focus, or lack thereof within the medical system, preventative care, awareness and testing for women?

We have to come together, in a united front as politicians, lawmakers, health care workers, educators, women, citizens and humans to create access for ALL women. No one should die from a preventable disease.

Is there a dawn from the "Tragedy" you reframed? Tell us about where you go from here.

My dawn is present in the eyes of another woman who has just learned how to protect herself from this disease. It is in the voice of another survivor, who has discovered the power of telling her story, it is in the hands of every health care provider that utilizes the tools available to protect their patients and it is in the knowledge that cancer may have stolen my ability to carry a child but it did not stop me from creating my own biological child. When my surrogate gives birth in November 2009, and I place my baby girl in my arms, and in her see all the love between my husband and I, it will be my dawn.

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Beautiful ~ Thank you again.

Check out Tamika and Friends for more support.

*MEET MICHELLE*

Leave a comment about your cervical experience. Good & Bad. Say "Pearl" and I will contact you to send you your very own "Pearl Of Wisdom" compliments of our House guest Michelle!