I had a successful career at a Fortune 500 Company that I loved. I married my true love and we started growing our family with two adorable little boys. We had just bought a new house. Life was good.
Suddenly, my life took a dramatic change in direction. Despite my commitment to health and fitness, my physical body failed me. While I thought I was doing all the “right” things – exercising daily, competing in recreational triathlons, eating whole grains and low fat foods (I know – I was falling for all the marketing promises too) – I was shocked when I woke up one morning with sudden onset neuropathy in my left leg.
After undergoing back surgery with the goal of relieving the compressed nerve in my spine, I soon found myself facing a devastating challenge. Something was terribly wrong – I was lying in the hospital bed alone and I could no longer walk. After ruling out a severed nerve, I was transported home to where I was bedridden to wait and see when I would regain movement.
The number of symptoms continued to grow— the paralysis led to chronic pain; irritable bowel syndrome led to unhealthy weight loss. I was covered in skin rashes, had daily headaches, and eventually developed restless leg syndrome which kept me up all night. My restricted movements were matched with weakness and numbness. Eventually my vision became blurred, dizziness set in and I was consumed with chronic fatigue. I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia, degenerative facet joint syndrome, a spinal hemangioma, another disc herniation (this time in my neck), neuropathy, and chronic pain syndrome. If that wasn’t enough, I was now developing food sensitivities and allergies to almost everything. I lost my job and was put on permanent disability. I was devastated
It clear now that my surgery triggered an abnormal immune response and inflammatory process in my body that lead to a cascade of symptoms that when added up presented as a debilitating disease.
But, what made me so vulnerable? And, considering my ongoing commitment to therapy and interventions following my complications, why couldn’t I recover?
Those are the questions that drive my work. They are the questions I answered for myself so I can help others avoid the same suffering.
To find out what happened to me and the rest of my family and how we all recovered from a myriad of chronic disease, I invite you to view our story in the award-winning documentary film Secret Ingredients.
Kathleen DiChiara is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition ® Practitioner, Bio-Individual Nutrition Practitioner, Integrative Health & Nutrition Coach, and Nutrition Educator. She has dedicated her work to increasing the public’s knowledge about the connection between nutrition and the patterns of optimal health. She became an award-winning author in 2020 with the release of End Chronic Disease: The Healing Power of Beliefs, Behaviors, and Bacteria, after self-publishing her first book, The Hidden Connection in 2014. She received specialized training in biochemistry and personalized nutrition for allergies, autoimmune, and other chronic conditions and is a professionally trained chef.
Kathleen is the Founder of DEAP®, where she carries out its mission to teach women how to recognize the early warning signs of food reactions, reconnect with nutritional wisdom and the guiding principles of Mother Nature, and prioritize wellness and prevention to break the intergenerational cycle of chronic diseases in families.
After years of a successful career as an Investor Relations executive at a Fortune 500 firm and as a recreational triathlete, Kathleen’s health took a devastating turn. This successful corporate executive went from an active, vibrant wife, mother and professional to suddenly requiring surgery, emerging with paralysis that then spiraled into several disorders including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, severe degenerative arthritis, IBS and a myriad of other ailments. Around the same time, her son was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, an Autism Spectrum Disorder. These events served as inspiration for Kathleen’s career change and commitment to reeducation about food quality and lifestyle choices.
For eight years, Kathleen has served as the President and Chair of the Board of Directors for Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN), a non-profit agency that serves over 40,000 individuals with special health care needs in the areas of health, education, and advocacy.
She was also the Founder of a grassroots organization called Nourished2Learn™ that bridged the gap between the foundation of nutrition and academic performance by teaching children, parents, and administrators the importance of nutrition in public schools.
As an allergy-free lifestyle expert, Kathleen believes in the support, acceptance, and respect of all persons living with gluten-related disorders, including celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) – like cerebellum ataxia. She previously served as the local branch leader for the national non-profit organization, Gluten Intolerance Group.
Kathleen is also the President and Founder of Rhode to Health, Inc. and she serves as a Nutrition Advisor for the BioNutrient Food Association. She is a Board member on the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Board of Chiropractic Examiners and has served as an Advisor for Social Enterprise Greenhouse and their Health and Wellness Initiative. Kathleen is a well-respected national speaker and has been featured on a wide range of media outlets including International broadcasts.
Kathleen works with clients all over the world and lectures frequently, both locally and nationally, on nutrition and its influence on maintaining health. She believes that all individuals deserve access to nutrition education and lifestyle choices that reduce their vulnerability to chronic conditions.