Health, Above All Else

There’s a lot that Stephanie has done in her lifetime. Just in her early 30s, she’s already traveled the globe extensively, studied abroad, opened, managed, and was the head chef in her own restaurant, gotten married, had two kids back to back, all on top of hosting her own TV show, writing a column for a popular newspaper and her blogs, and a lot more in between. “If I really want to do everything, I have to wake up at five in the morning!” Stephanie shares. And while her jam-packed life seems rather typical of an OC go-getter, Stephanie is quick to say that she’s the opposite. She’s a go-getter, yes, but “I’m like the opposite of Type A! I want to stay flexible.”

A BIG CHANGE

However, when she became a mom, Stephanie realized that her health was one thing she had to intently take seriously.

It was timely that as Stephanie had started leading a healthier lifestyle, she also stumbled upon the services offered by the BioBalance Wellness Institute. It offered a personalized nutritional program, which is exactly what she needed to revitalize her health. Through a series of specialized tests, BioBalance measures the nutrients lacking on a cellular level—from vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, to essential fatty acids. From the results, BioBalance then prescribes a custom-fit supplement and dietary protocol, addressing these deficiencies in order to optimize the body and manage disease risk.

SURPRISING DISCOVERIES

After her pregnancies, Stephanie thought that she was on the right track because she regularly exercised and ate well, so the results of her tests from BioBalance came as a surprise.

Stephanie’s diagnostics showed that her gut (gastrointestinal system) was lacking in certain kinds of good bacteria needed to breakdown protein properly. “I found out I was very nutrient deficient of the things that you get from protein, because I didn’t have enough good bacteria to properly digest it. So I needed to start taking probiotics.”

Dr. Stan Chua, Health Optimization Medicine Specialist at BioBalance, says that it is indeed common for pregnant or lactating mothers to have gut imbalance leading to nutrient deficiencies. He adds, “During or after pregnancy, it is common for doctors to prescribe antibiotics. This is the reason why a lot of women develop ‘dysbiosis,’ an imbalance caused by too few good bacteria and an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. Most recent studies show that if you have bad bacteria in the gut, you become predisposed to other diseases.”

Through the test, Stephanie also found out that she had elevated levels of mercury in her system. She adds, “My BioBalance program includes Selenium, which is supposed to detox the mercury in my body.” Dr. Chua explains Stephanie’s case: “Selenium readily binds to Mercury and prevents it from binding to other tissues in the body, like the brain or liver. Asians commonly have elevated mercury levels due to our heavy intake of seafood.” Aside from taking this supplement, Stephanie is also now more aware of the quality of fish she eats.

BioBalance takes the unique lifestyle of the client into consideration when creating a program. Since Stephanie is always busy, her supplements were prepared in everyday packets to make it more convenient for her, especially when she travels. “There’s no standard protocol, since we individualize all our recommendations and prescriptions,” says Dr. Chua.

THE AFTER EFFECTS

Stephanie is still a few months into her program, but she has already noticed that ever since she started, she no longer falls ill. In fact, from being the first one to get sick in the household, she doesn’t get sick anymore. “Before, a drop of rain and I’m sick. My kid sneezes on me, and I get sick right away. But now, with the combination of all that do, like my diet, exercise, sleep, BioBalance, and everything, I’m always okay.”

She’s also noticed that her energy levels are up and her focus is getting a lot better, making her work faster and concentrate on her tasks easier. “Nutrient balancing is all about making the body work better. It doesn’t mean that you won’t ever get sick, but your body recovers easier because the body’s mechanisms for defense and repair are better.” explains Dr. Chua.

BE HEALTHY AND CONQUER THE WORLD

Stephanie, while juggling her picture-perfect life and dreaming of even bigger things for herself and her family, shows no signs of slowing down. BioBalance is helping her to keep on going. She hopes that women, especially mothers, will start making health their top priority. “I really force myself to have that balance and the discipline to carry it out. When women get sick, we power through it because we have no choice, we have people to take care of and work to do. So whether you want to focus on one role or do it all, you need to have optimum health to do it. If we had the capacity to do it all, why shouldn’t we?”