About Andrea
I am a certified Holistic Health Counselor and graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University's Integrative Nutrition Professional Training Program in New York City. Health counseling is a blend of working with a life-coach and a nutritionist. I am also a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader & Teacher. Laughter Yoga combines yogic breathing
exercises with our natural ability to laugh, creating better health and
happiness. Read more about this movement here. I am accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and I am certified in Level II Reiki. I have a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Minor in Women's Studies from Oregon State University. I worked in Portland, Oregon for an electric utility for 8 years in customer service, employee training and development, and the health and safety department.
During my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) I learned from experts in the field of health and wellness such as AnneMarie Colbin (author of Food and Healing), David Wolfe (author and world authority on raw food nutrition), Dr. Walter Willet (Harvard School of Public Health), Dr. Deepak Chopra (author and physician focused on mind-body medicine), Michio Kushi (founder of macrobiotics), Dr. John Douillard (renown international professor of Ayurvedic medicine), Paul Pictchford (author of Healing with Whole Foods), Debbie Ford (Life Coach and best-selling author), Geneen Roth (emotional eating expert), Dr. Neil Bernard (Physcians Committee for Responsible Medicine), Dr. Mark Hyman (author of The Detox Box and Ultra-Metabolism), Dr. Andrew Weil (author and physician of Integrative Medicine) and, the founder of IIN, Joshua Rosenthal.
As a holistic health counselor, I often work with people suffering from stress related conditions. I also specialize in working with people in the midst of crisis following a great loss (parent, spouse, child, friend, job, chronic illness diagnosis). I also work with the partners of those suffering from chronic illnesses. I help my clients find the strength to live their best life by focusing on a healthy diet, exercise, extreme self-care and finding joy in everyday living.
I prefer to spend free time with friends and family. I read mostly non-fiction books about politics and spirituality, particularly books addressing the blend of science and spirituality. And I do like a good sci-fi novel from time to time. I also enjoy camping, hiking, riding my bike and many other outdoor activities with my partner Dan. This January I successfully climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Our next trip may be to China and the mountains of Tibet! This coming September I will be participating in the 21st Annual Cycle Oregon event; a week long bicycle ride across a section of Oregon. I have been a volunteer with the Portland Police Bureau's free self-defense program, WomenStrength, since March 2006, co-teaching at least six classes a year.
My Inspiration
Growing up, I was first exposed by my mother to alternative health through home remedies such as apple cider vinegar and raw honey, Epsom salts and visits to the family chiropractor. I married my college sweetheart who was diagnosed with Lupus within 6 months of our first meeting back in 1996. After struggling with various manifestations of the disease, including debilitating esophageal spasms that lead to fits of uncontrollable vomiting and two years of dialysis due to renal failure my beloved Jeff died at the age of 36 from heart failure.
We knew that Jeff would not have a normal life span. His rheumatologist told him early on that based on his off-the-charts blood work it would be about quality of life not quantity. Yet we did not think it would be this short. His myriad of specialized doctors (an internist, rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, hematologist, dermatologist, cardiologist and nephrologist) did not know what to do with him: a white male with Lupus expressing atypical symptoms. Each specialist treated Jeff’s particular organ as if it was its own closed system, completely unrelated to the other symptoms or issues. They never looked at the big picture; never treated him as a whole human being. The medications used to try and mask the symptoms became part of the problem. If the Lupus didn’t kill him the pills surely would. His experience with western allopathic medicine and my own personal experience with anxiety, fatigue and reoccurring urinary track and yeast infections lead me down the road to health counseling and healing.
The Name
Jeff was a passionate environmentalist and loved the outdoors. His degree was in Forest Recreation, but Lupus eventually pushed him to analysis and computer programming in a less physical office environment. He often talked about having his ashes in the sculpture of an eagle upon his death. My business, Soaring Eagle Wellness, is dedicated to him. Jeffrey Owen Anderson.