Lisa Giannini
From a young age, I suffered from digestive issues. I sought help as a young adult with traditional doctors and nothing was determined as the cause. They told me it was all in my head. Next, I tried nutritional supplements, which made my situation worse. My health continued to rapidly decline. I became so weak, unable to drive or go to work. My desperation drove me to seek alternative options. I found a health center on Long Island, NY, that truly changed my life.
It was there I first experienced Amma Therapy, a Korean lineage healing art. By incorporating Amma and acupuncture, I finally got my strength back. I immersed myself in this world of healing arts. It was an atmosphere that cultivated sharing knowledge. I graduated in 1988, from New Center for Wholistic Health and I was licensed in massage therapy by the NY State board. I studied and became proficient in Amma Therapy, medical massage, and Jin Shin Jyutsu.
I began my practice in a chiropractor’s office, utilizing my different types of massage modalities. My clients were professional athletes, American football players, triathletes, bodybuilders, as well as people healing from injuries, and others just wanting to improve their health. It became apparent many injuries were due, in part, to poor eating habits and lifestyle. Naturally, my interests moved toward diet and lifestyle. Incorporating these into my work, I was able to help my clients on a deeper, long-lasting level.
This comprehensive treatment for my clients is what distinguished me from other practitioners. In 1989, I broadened my clients to include celebrities. I traveled with many, keeping them healthy as they performed all around the world. My role as their health practitioner was essential. I performed bodywork, oversaw their nutrition, either working with chefs or cooking myself. I continue to consult and work on specific projects to keep clients healthy while filming, touring, or recouping from a hectic work schedule.
Working so intimately with my clients widened my perspective once again and I studied life coaching. For seven years I had a practice in Santa Fe, NM, at Santa Fe Soul Health Center, surrounded by other like-minded supportive practitioners. I offered six to eight-week courses on improving health, as well as working one-on-one with my clients, which allowed me to provide guidance in ways that suited different needs.
I am always a seeker, and the world of nutrition is ever-changing. I discovered Metabolic Typing™, and studied with Paul Chek and then with Dodie Anderson, who was the head of the Metabolic Typing Education Center. Metabolic Typing is a program that tailors your diet to your individuality. I was certified as a Metabolic Typing advisor and continued to study with Dodie, my teacher, and mentor. I incorporated this into my work, but I felt Metabolic Typing was missing something. Neither my clients nor I were experiencing sustained health.
I discovered through Dodie, the research of Dr. Ray Peat, a Ph.D. in human physiology. Through my work as a Metabolic Typing advisor, I realized that so much of what I learned was from marketing science and not from knowledge science. We were not learning physiology and the truth of how the body works. We were taught supplementation and testing were the way to health. The most important part of health was skipped: learning to feed the body the foods one needs for healing.
In my practice, I use Dr. Peat’s work and the other knowledge scientists he references. I now have more success helping others achieve true health. My clients are people who have had long-term conditions as well as those having aging challenges, such as gut issues and weak immune systems, disturbances due to menopause, and more. I strive to be cutting edge in my field of health and nutrition and I continue to work with my mentor Dodie Anderson today.