Roots: NTA Conference 2019
As I sit here writing this blog post, sipping my Tulsi green tea (a gift leftover from this past weekend), my brain is buzzing with all sorts of new information that I want to share with the world after attending Roots, the NTA Conference title for this year.
The NTA stands for the Nutritional Therapy Association, and I graduated from one of their programs last year as an NTC, Nutritional Therapy Consultant. This conference is held every year in Portland for graduates from all years, students, and people who are interested in holistic and functional health. It was amazing to be able to attend and take some time away to reconnect to the industry that I work in and the people there within. Today, I want to take some time to review a bit about what I learned this weekend, but know that this will not be the end of this new information – I’m sure I’ll have several posts to share in the coming weeks!
I arrived to Portland Thursday and the conference officially began on Friday. We started with an AMAZING talk from Dr. Tieraona Lowdog, who was not only a dynamic speaker, but also brimming with amazing new information. She shared some fascinating research about stress, toxins and health during pregnancy, and how long-term prescription drug usage is quickly depleting our nutrient stores (which 99% of the time we aren’t replacing).
On Friday, I also heard from Julia Ross, a pioneer in the functional medicine world, and have her book “The Cravings Cure” on order from Amazon right now to learn more about how amino acid therapy can help with neurotransmitter health and balance. Three other talks rounded out the day from Dr. Dian Ginsberg, Dr. Leslie Korn, and Dr. Jack Wolfson (who were all so amazing!). Dr. Wolfson shared some compelling information about cholesterol, which I always love to discuss, and I’m excited to start listening to his new book (audio books are my new favorite thing) when I travel home Wednesday.
Saturday, we had the option to attend several breakout sessions of our choice, but before we headed out to attend, we first heard from one of my FAVORITE people: Sarah Ballantyne of The Paleo Mom. She was one of the first people I started following five years ago when I poked my head into the functional medicine world. Her talk on the microbiome was outstanding, and full of practical information I plan on implementing for my own gut health (which continues to hate me). Later the next day, I was even able to have a conversation with Sarah and take a picture with her!
The other highlight of my Saturday was attending a presentation by Anne and Margaret of Restorative Wellness Solutions, the course I’m currently enrolled in to learn more about testing and helping the body move back into balance. They even told the room to “Be Olivia” during their presentation, and even though it wasn’t referring to me, I’m going to run with it!
Sunday morning, the last day of the conference, included an interesting talk from Ann Louise Gittleman, another pioneer in the industry, as well as Chris Kresser, another fairly big name in the functional medicine world. It was the perfect way to end an amazing weekend full of connections and learning! I was also able to spend some time with fellow 21 Day Sugar Detox coaches for dinner that evening at Departure, an amazing restaurant full of great food and experiences.
Today and tomorrow, I have the full days to do whatever I please before returning home to the frozen tundra that is Nebraska. I’m excited to try out a few more restaurants before I go, and maybe even do a little shopping!
Xoxo Olivia
