It can be very difficult to convince allopathic skeptics why we choose to live the way we live, going against the grain of the most common and most convenient dietary path in our highly industrialized culture. I began blogging in January of 2004. I began adhering to principles found in "Live Right 4 Your Type" beginning shortly after graduating from pharmacy school. I was led to the book and this site out of my own curiosity about what my formal health education was lacking and out of my frustration with the American healthcare system which was not addressing the concerns of a girl who has been prone to various illnesses all her life starting with a tonsillectomy at age 2.

Every once in a while, I find it useful to check my personal body chemistry to make sure I'm still on the right track. After all, what better way to stun the skeptics than to use the tools which they consider benchmarks of favorable health outcomes to reiterate, once again, that proper diet (based on one's blood group) and exercise are all one needs to stay at a normal weight and maintain a healthful blood chemistry profile (among numerous other benefits of the lifestyle toward better health).

My primary employer, a large health system located in the southwest metro area, offers many incentives throughout the year with the main purpose of empowering employees to take charge of their health. On March 27th, I took advantage of this complementary, voluntary health evaluation to see where I stand.

Weight: 100#

Height: 5 feet (and one-half inch!!!)

Resting BP was something like 100/60. I can't quite remember but it's pretty consistent.

Below are the chem results (with the normal range in parentheses):

Glucose: 82 mg/dL(60 -100)

Total Cholesterol: 185 mg/dL (below 200)

Triglyceride: 45 mg/dL (00-149)

HDL Cholesterol: 91 mg/dL (40 -60) *this is the "good" cholesterol. It is off the charts once again.

Chol/HDL Ratio: 2.0 -the lower this ratio the better.

LDL (calc): 85 mg/dL (0-130)

Compared to a few years ago (see "Stellar Cholesterol" in blog archives), my current LDL levels are slightly higher than they were in the past. I attribute this to a slightly higher than normal intake of dairy and other animal products throughout this long, cold Minnesota winter. Past lipid panels were performed in the fall after spending many summer days eating more locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. As an A secretor, a diet lower in animal products and higher in nutrient-rich vegetable-based products is my best defense against cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Overall, my point is simple. I am a pharmacist just shy of age 30 with five years of post-graduate professional experience, and I am telling you right now and forever that most people do NOT need pharmaceutical agents or extreme gastrointestinal surgeries to produce such incredible results. Follow the path of nature, the path of the individual, and be persistent in your quest. Roadbumps are inevitable. These roadbumps include skeptical friends, family, co-workers, and practitioners. Lack of discipline, lack of self-esteem, and severe lack of true organic and living foods in our current supermarket aisles are also serious roadbumps for most people. THESE CAN ALL BE OVERCOME. If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT.

With this final note, I am officially announcing to the world "Farewell" as a blogger on this site. I am ready to pass the torch. While my body is chemically a picture of perfect health, mechanically I need to devote the majority of my time to strengthening my physique and minimizing repetitive motion in my day-to-day life which contribute to the exacerbation of left-sided migraine headaches. I am left-handed; this is both a blessing and a curse (right now I'm feeling the curse).

The solution for me is taking time off work, using modalities such as chiropractic, physical therapy, massage therapy, accupunture, and most importantly YOGA to the highest potential. This also means getting off the computer more often and spending more time in nature creating symmetry and balance inside myself and around myself.

The bittersweet resignation of this blog also marks an end to a personal relationship outside the blogosphere which is all at once the most painful and most relieving moment in my life. A recurring character throughout my blog, Grubster, will be loved eternally and will be missed tremendously as we both move to new chapters in our lives. Somehow the image of sitting in an antique rocking chair next to him in a retirement home at age 80 while he barks at the nursing staff to change his Depends has yet to leave my vision. We have both incurred our heartfelt wounds in the battlefield of romance. From this day forth, I wish him nothing but love and light despite our differences.

As I approach age thirty, I am starting to gain some clarity toward my life purpose. I have a renewed sense of faith and hope in the future of our earth. I'm ready to be part of the solution no matter where the road leads and no matter how dark the path may turn till light is once again seen around the corner. The point at which I discovered I would die for that which keeps me alive (clean water, clean air, nutrient-rich foods low in contaminants, and a healthier earth for our offspring, and MUSIC), was the point at which I quit fearing death and started living.

Don't worry. I won't be going far. I will be available by email and phone and will be assisting Fellow Candidates in their path toward nutrigenomic enlightenment. Despite my request of readers to field all health questions to the forum, I plan to do a little back-peddling to answer those questions.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to blog more than you could possibly imagine. I look forward to the IfHI conference (especially now that I'm finished writing the fellow exam-- whew!!!!). Yikes, I don't think there is anything more challenging than taking an exam except to WRITE one. Stressful but rewarding. Such is anything that does not kill you but instead makes you stronger. I forgot how much I have missed exercising my academic mind since graduation!

I thank Dr. D tremendously for everything he has done to enrich my life and lead me toward the path of TREATING THE PATIENT, NOT THE DISEASE. Namaste!

Good luck to every one of you in your quest for better health.

Love and light,

Erika Klus, Pharm.D, MIfHI



"Plan like you will live forever; live like you will die tomorrow"

-Author unknown