I was lucky enough to hear about Dr. Jena Hullman, DC through my niece. In December 2013, I went to her appointments with her for support (and interest on my part too). After listening to all that was said I was totally behind what my niece was doing with Dr. Jena.
I had not been myself since I had the flu in Dec. of 2012. Short of breath and no energy were my main complaints, but in July of 2013 I tried to start a new job. Prior to this I had always been in pretty good shape (I painted the whole garage by myself the summer before!) so I was very active.
After working a week at the new job, I started feeling like I was not going to be able to do it. This was unnatural for me to have to admit I couldn’t do something! My bosses kept encouraging me to give it more time. I ended up staying on for a month. The day I gave my 2 week notice, I took myself to urgent care that night because I thought maybe I was having bad anxiety: my heart was beating not only fast but really out of rhythm. The doctor there called the ambulance to get me to Munson Medical Center, and I spent the next ten days in the hospital, getting tests run, and being monitored.
I was sent home with a monitor that I wore for a month. During that month I sat in my recliner…I was able to get up and use the bathroom, but even things as simple as making a meal was too much. I would take a break to sit down every 5 minutes at least, even standing in one place was exhausting!
In the meantime my heart specialist was studying and researching my condition. It was called V-tach (Ventricular tachycardia), but he was trying to find the cause of it and he said there was no cure. When my month was up I went in for a consultation and he let me know that he thought I was a good candidate for a procedure called ablation. He would go up the artery in my leg and over to the heart and burn the tissues that were causing my heart to misfire. I agreed to have it done and it was performed on Oct 5th, outpatient, AND I was awake through most of the procedure. He said that after 3 months I for sure would be back to normal.
After 1 month, I went in for a checkup because I was still unable to do much of anything. After running another test and checking my vitals he said he was convinced my heart was doing great and whatever was causing this was not my heart. I made an appointment with my family doctor and she sent me to get a breathing test and see a respiratory specialist.
The specialist told me my lungs were fine and he wasn’t sure why my doctor sent me to him. I explained what had been happening, and he agreed something was off, but he was sure it had to be my heart. He had a phone conference with the heart specialist and afterwards, he stated both are feeling it is the other one’s field. However, he agreed to check into things further and get back to me with a plan. I didn’t hear anything for 3 weeks.
After this happened, I was lying in bed one morning feeling so defeated; I was trying to get a grasp on my life. I was starting to believe it had to be all in my head (or something) but I didn’t even know how to go about fixing that. Finally, I had a really good heart to heart prayer with my God, and pleaded for guidance.
Within minutes I started thinking about my experience with my niece, when she went to see Dr. Jena. The thought was illuminating. I thought, “Duh, why hadn’t I thought about that for myself?”
Later, I had a good talk with my husband about it all because I knew insurance didn’t cover Nutrition Response Testing®, so it would all be out of pocket. After all, what if it didn’t help?
It’s important to note that at this point, I had called my family doctor back and asked for her advice about what to do now. I told her I was thinking about going to see a nutritionist and was advised that a nutritionist was not going to help with what I had going on.
On the other hand, my husband was supportive of what I felt was best. On Valentine’s Day after our talk, he gave me the best gift ever! He sat me down and told me to go ahead and see Dr. Jena, and not to think of the money part. He wanted me to do whatever I feel in my heart is right, and promised we will figure out the money together later.
I have been on Dr. Jena’s program since Feb 14th, 2014. I cannot tell you all the wonderful feelings I have gone through since then.
I really felt it in my heart after the first visit, “this is the answer to my needs,” but I was trying to be really smart about it, so I asked myself lots of questions about my goals, and I realized, “I really want to learn how to live better!”. Even though I honestly thought the majority of my life I ate well ( I was the kind of mom who home canned while my kids were little, and I always tried to serve balanced meals), the advice Dr. Jena gave me helped me realize some changes had to take place.
When my family was raised, and my husband and I opened our own business, I bent the rules and started eating fast food way more often than not, and grabbing whatever was available quick without thinking of how it was effecting me… I just had no time for home cooking. Now that has changed.
There is so much I enjoy about my visits to Dr. Jena. I love sitting in her waiting room and reading the information and health tips/facts on her monitor. Every time I go, I learn at least one thing new. It’s funny, even though I’m enjoying the amount of information I’m learning, not all of the feelings I have gone through are good. Sometimes what I learn makes me angry, such as being hoodwinked by the media and advertisers and the government! I also feel sad about how many of my friends and relatives I see, knowing what would help them have such a healthier life. Yet I often don’t know how to tell them without offending or turning them off. I just have to hope that what they see will eventually sink in (like it did with my niece and myself).
One of the things I really like about working with Dr. Jena is that it is so personalized. I get muscle tested to KNOW if my body needs it AND she even doses it for what my body needs. I have been taking vitamins most of my life and since I was eating badly, I really concentrated on trying to compensate by taking more vitamins. I was taking a recommended dose initially because it sounded like I had symptoms that it could help. So I was taking a multiple vitamin, calcium with magnesium and vitamin D, B complex, Fish oil, and an immune booster. Plus I was taking several prescriptions – one for high cholesterol, one for depression and anxiety, a pill for acid reflux, and a pill that was supposed to keep my heart in better rhythm. I am now off of everything I was taking beforehand and on the good, whole-food supplements Dr. Jena recommended, with no complications and I’m feeling great!
As a result of the program Dr. Jena has me on, I have lost weight, gained energy, and daily I feel like “dancing on the inside.” (I have even been teased because when somebody asked me how I was feeling, I have actually broke out in dance. It’s hard not to!) I have got my life back!
There’s lots of good news. I am back to work at our business, gardening almost daily, mowing the lawn, weed whacking and all. I’ve been putting on big parties, most recently a shower with over thirty people. At this event, I made most of the food for a taco bar. A week later, I hosted a coming home party for my son, and successfully put forty-two people into our yard with a potluck meal.
I am planning to go in for my yearly checkup soon, with a new medical doctor, but I really feel confident that I am a healthier person by far than I was four months ago. (Recovery is not overnight by the way!) I know, if nothing else, the weight loss is making me healthier, so I do not feel nervous about whether I was doing the right thing or not.
Dr. Jena’s program really educated me as I was progressing. Every week I had handouts to read and incorporate into my life. It sometimes seems it is a lot of work, but I took it very seriously, and still do. I know I would not have gotten the same great results if I hadn’t taken it so seriously. I also know how very important it is, and if I get away from my good habits, I now notice the effects from it. I am sticking with my Nutrition Response Testing® program because I just so very much want my health back, and want to stay healthy! Thank you Dr. Jena and Big Beautiful Life!
G.C., Traverse City