Do any of these sound like you?
Your friends eat whatever they want without gaining weight, but you seem to put on the pounds just by looking at a cookie
You try to exercise but get tired, injured, or are just confused about what types of exercise are best for your body
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You exercise, but are at a plateau when it comes to weight loss
It is difficult to break your cravings for carbs, sweets, or chocolate
You have a low, depressed mood and would like to experience some joy
You want to get your hormones in check
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You get sick frequently and want to know why
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You have a family history of cancer and want to optimize your health
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You tried the keto diet and crashed, or found that it wasn't sustainable
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You are ready to make some significant changes in your life
Many of the answers are in your genes!
We can't change our genetic code, but we can change our genetic expression. We understand more about our genes and what turns them on/off now than ever before. Knowing WHY you can't lose weight, or WHY you crave sweets, or WHY your mood is low gives you the power to make the right kind of changes.
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I look at the combination of your genes and how they interact together to guide your focus for healing. For example, one person may have clear imbalances in their metabolic genes while another may have more significant issues in their stress genes, leading to a bombardment of cortisol and increased weight. Or, one person may have issues with their inflammation genes which can lead to physical breakdown and a reduced ability to repair tendons and muscles, causing chronic pain and keeping them from their ideal weight. Many of us have impaired detox pathways, making it difficult to lose weight because the fat tissue doesn’t want to release, so this needs to be supported properly and individually.
What you will learn from your GeneRx Consult:
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Your genetic predisposition toward obesity, blood sugar problems, and inflammation
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What your meals should look like in terms of meal frequency, macronutrient ratio (protein, carbs, fats) - hint: it's different for everyone
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The right kind of exercise for you (heavy weights, light weights, medium weights, HIIT, sustained endurance)
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How well your body detoxes and what you can do to help it
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Your tendency toward inflammation
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Your susceptibility to low mood, anxiety, and stress
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The best supplements for you to take
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And SO much more!
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What is included?
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45-minute in-person OR virtual visit with me so that I can learn your “why,” your goals, and understand your family history, environment, diet, etc. If you are in Colorado, I will order and/or review pertinent labs.
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60-70 page genetic report from GeneRx.ca including my review and customized recommendations
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60-75-minute visit with me to discuss your genetic report and how we can use this information to get your health back on track.
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What is NOT included? ​​
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Genetic Raw Data through 23andme or DNA Allure. These are the labs that test your genes. In order to do the GeneRx Consult, you need to have the raw data from either of the above companies.
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Supplements - there are supplements that can GREATLY assist with resetting your genes, curbing sugar cravings, helping your detox pathways, managing stress and sleep, etc. This can add up to a few hundred dollars a month for the first eight weeks, but then supplementation should decrease significantly. The supplements that are required are determined on an individual basis. We can manage the amount of supplements by prioritizing your goals.
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Follow Up Visits and Meal Plans. You may decide that you want additional support - these will be an additional cost.
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How do I get started?
​1. Get your genetic raw data file.
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The fastest and easiest way to do this is to get your DNA tested through DNA Allure, a privately owned, Canadian company with 15189 plus Accreditation.
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You will order the DNA Allure Ultimate Genomics test kit here.
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The kit gets mailed to your home, you swab your cheek and send the kit back.
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DNA Allure will send you your raw data within 10 business days after they receive your sample.
If you have already done a 23andme report, you will need to contact 23andme directly to request them to release your raw data to you. This process can take up to 4 weeks.
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​2. Book GeneRx Consult with Dr. April and schedule Visit 1 (ASAP) and Visit 2 (1 week after your raw data is expected to be in).
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3. Bring your raw data (ZIP with .txt file) to Dr. April, or upload to her secure dropbox account. You will be sent further instructions on this.
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4. Meet with Dr. April for Visit 1 so the she can learn more about your family history, medical history, background, and wellness goals.
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5. Meet with Dr. April for Visit 2 to get a walk-through of your 60-70 page GeneRx report including recommendations to help you meet your goals.
My gene story
I never really had to worry about my weight - certainly because I had been very active throughout my life. I fell in love with running in high school cross-country, and then I became obsessed with mountain biking (and, still kind of am!).
After my dad passed away from colon cancer, I stopped mountain bike racing because my body became so inflamed that I could not even pedal my bike without extreme pain. This was my first big lesson in how severely stress affected my body. Thankfully, I listened to my body and stopped pursuing racing (because I was really breaking down my body due to the stress and my genetic predisposition). I was also into CrossFit for a few years and was amazed at my strength gains, but I kept injuring myself and got pretty bulky, honestly.
After having my son, I trained for a triathlon to get back into shape. It worked, but after I stopped breastfeeding that is when that extra 20 pounds creeped up (hello, hormone balance).
Meanwhile, in working with many patients to support their weight loss journey, it became clear to me that there was a very strong genetic component. I had patients that are doing all the right things but the scale wouldn't budge. I had been skeptical of genetic testing for weight loss for various reasons - but, mainly because I knew that we can turn our genes on and off by our lifestyle. My thinking, based on my education was, if we live a healthy lifestyle then there is no need for that expensive genetic information. But, in many cases a healthy lifestyle alone didn't seem to work for my patients.
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Our understanding of our genetics has blossomed, even in the last five years, that we can identify how much protein a person needs, how much saturated fat is too much, what kinds of exercises promote inflammation for a specific patient, and what genes make one more prone to inflammation, which can turn on some of our not-so-great metabolism genes.
Because I wanted to support both my patients and myself in the journey to become our healthiest selves, I learned as much as I could about nutrigenomics. In analyzing my generx.ca report, I discovered some interesting information:
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I have a gene that can decrease one of my metabolic hormones (when turned on) that makes me more prone to gaining weight easily, especially when stressed.
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Too much saturated fat for me will lead to inflammation and increased storage of fat - I would never do well on a Keto diet!
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Too much protein leads to an inflammatory response for me. I actually need very little protein. So, CrossFit and Paleo diet back in the day weren't really serving me so well.
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I am at increased risk for many cancers, including the same ones that my father and grandmother died of before the age of 60. How is that for motivation?! The great news is that there is potential to turn these genes off with the right lifestyle and supplements.
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My muscles break down easily with too much high intensity exercise - no wonder CrossFit and mountain bike racing were so hard on my body! Some people have great genes for these kinds of exercises, but not me. No, I'm not giving up mountain biking - but now I know how to be smart about it.
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I am more likely to produce too much inflammation leading to joint degradation, especially when working out too much.
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I have some genes that make me more likely to respond excessively to stress. This can make me produce way too much cortisol which also affects other hormones, blood sugar, etc.
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I have very limited Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification ability, meaning I need the right kind of detox support. Coffee can slow the Phase 1 detox pathway so I really have to limit it. But, peppermint tea can speed it up, so I can enjoy lots of peppermint tea.
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And SO much more.
This all may sound like terrible news, but so much about my health makes sense now. I could have been heading down a path toward some serious health problems even though, technically, I wasn't even overweight and my diet was quite clean.
Having this information motivated me to adhere to a diet and exercise plan based on my own genetic makeup, which helped me to lose 25 pounds in just a couple months!
It is so empowering to take control of these genetic factors and flip those genes back to their healthy position.
I believe all of my patients would benefit from having their genetic information, regardless of their weight.
Understanding your genes will help you control your weight, reduce inflammation, and reduce your risk of dangerous health problems.
Knowledge IS Power!
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