Susan Machtinger’s Story
My decision to change careers and pursue my active interest in nutrition grew out of experience with my son’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). From the time he started first grade in 1991, we noticed that he was having trouble staying on task and could not sit still for very long. The experts said he would “grow out of it,” while his teachers kept complaining. Finally in 1997 we received a diagnosis of ADHD and were advised to put him on medication. We agreed to a low dose, but he still was irritable, lost weight and often had trouble sleeping.
I had heard that dietary changes could help people with ADD and ADHD, but was advised by his doctor that modifying his diet would be too difficult. I started reading and trying new things in my son’s diet. As a self-taught cook, I have been a “whole foods” (holistic) cook ever since I first read Diet for a Small Planet in college and joined a food co-op. The knowledge I had gained by educating myself led to positive results in my son. He began to calm down, and I knew I was on the right track. So I began my formal studies.
As a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara with honors and Golden Gate University Law School, I had been a practicing litigation attorney for 17 years. I completed my studies at the Institute for Educational Therapy (now Bauman College) in 2003. I am now a member of the Bauman faculty and head Nutrition Instructor at its Penngrove, California campus. My son was gradually able to lower and eventually stop his medication. Today as an adult he relies on nutritional supplements, careful dietary choices and stress reduction techniques to assist his focus and concentration.
I began Nutrition Focus because I know the powerful changes that can be accomplished through healthful eating. The first steps are to understand the connections and how to begin the process of change.
Contact me so that we can begin to address your individual nutritional needs and develop a customized framework for change.