Restoring health from the inside out
By Jillian Chandler
Photo by Samantha Elise Tillman
Washington native and Gig Harbor resident Kristen Barrett is on a mission to restore health in our local communities. With a passion for helping others live healthier, happier lives, she decided to pursue a path in the health and nutrition field. She enrolled in an intensive program studying holistic nutrition, continually developing her knowledge and nurturing her talents, and today is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner.
She is the proud owner of Epic Health, which she launched in 2018. “My business and I are going three years strong, and I’m just getting started,” she smiles.
Kristen strives to give her clients the tools they need to move forward in their health journey by being a “health detective” who uncovers the root causes of dysfunction happening in their body. She also educates and empowers them to make the right decisions for themselves.
Her focus is seeing clients one on one, evaluating them through functional lab work and creating highly customizable health programs and protocols based on their personal results.
Offering three- and six-month packages, Kristen guides her clients in creating sustainable change and a healthier way of living, ultimately leading to health. And it all builds by working on health from a foundational level.
“I primarily focus on gut health and functional lab work within the gut,” she says. “I also build my protocols and recommendations with people based on diet, lifestyle and stress management.
“I treat the whole person.”
Kristen finds the current health-care system broken, noting that by the time one actually seeks help from the doctor, they have been sick for a very long time, as symptoms are the very last thing to show up. In today’s world, most doctor’s appointments allow minimal, if any time at all, for patients to truly explain to their medical provider what they—and their bodies—are experiencing. The result? The symptom is addressed, usually with a new prescription, while the underlying cause is yet to be explored, or discovered. The symptom may disappear, but the root cause of dysfunction remains and, over time, more ailments will present themselves, with doctors chasing the symptoms around the patient’s body as the root cause is never being addressed.
For those in the nutritionist world, most still follow the standard American diet, whereas Kristen throws away the playbook and makes all of her practices highly customizable, taking into account that everyone has different gene expression, lifestyle and financial needs. “The status quo isn’t cutting it anymore, and it's never been more obvious than it is today. We have to change the way we approach health in this country. We can no longer manage our sickness. We have to create health.
“I want people to understand that it is not normal to be sick. I want to teach them the things they didn’t learn about proper nutrition and educate them. I want to help them rebuild health from the inside out,” confirms Kristen. “What can we remove? What can we add in? Where can we go from here?”
Food can be the most destructive thing or the most rewarding, according to Kristen. “Food is medicine; we know this to be true. It can be such a healing ritual.”
She finds it truly rewarding to have the opportunity—and privilege—to guide her clients on their journey to health. “I am overwhelmed with joy when someone finally realizes what being healthy means; what it really feels like to be healthy; when the lightbulb turns on and they say, ‘Wow, I had no idea how bad I used to feel, and now that I feel good, it’s easy! It’s easy to feel this good!’”
Many of Kristen’s new clients come to her as referrals. “The health is contagious,” she smiles. “My clients are excited to share the newfound health they are experiencing, sending their friends, families and colleagues my way.”
For those wanting to restore their health through proper education paired with a positive partnership to help see you succeed not only today but for years to come, Kristen invites you to reach out to her today.
“It is really so life-giving to bring someone back to health,” smiles Kristen. “They are getting their life back. They are empowered. They are informed. They are educated. They are making better decisions for themselves.”
Give the gift of health to yourself or someone you love.
Epic Health
Kristen Barrett, FNTP, FDN-P
253.509.8952
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