Patient Testimonial: Bastyr’s Nutrition Counsel Helps Reform One Man’s Health

Nutrition patient, Peter Monaghan, explains his journey toward better health and weight loss:

In the middle of trying for the umpteenth time to reform my health, and particularly my eating habits, I went to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health on the recommendation of a friend. Without a doubt, the approach that the nutrition program there takes has been the most encouraging, successful, and promising that I’ve tried. I’m 48 and work as a freelance journalist, so I’ve had a tendency to neglect exercise and diet for years. The students and faculty at the clinic have a reassuring awareness of the factors that go into bad-habit-forming, and know how to instill new, healthy habits.

The students are very impressive. They have enormous compassion for the sources of bad diet and health — including the emotional and life-experience dynamics. That’s really extraordinary, because in some cases they’re dealing with issues that they might not have experienced themselves. I appreciate their taking the time and care, and having the patience and understanding necessary to deal with long-term health issues, including repeated failures. I very much feel like I’m now on a promising path to much better health, with steady and sustainable weight loss. The students’ encouragement at first took me aback: why were they treating eating — such a mundane practice — so seriously? They were, in fact, taking me seriously, and that’s a powerful force for change.

Writer: Sydney Maupin, staff writer
Date: 2004