Meet Karen
Karen M. Gutierrez, RN, AHN-BC, PhD
My Story
I began my nursing career in critical care where I witnessed the life-saving capacity of conventional medical care in acute illness. I learned a lot about how conventional medicine works in my RN role as a member of the health care team.
At the same time, on a personal level I experienced years of health symptoms starting when I was a child. I saw one doctor after another without getting any answers. There was no understanding of the underlying cause of my symptoms, even when a diagnosis was possible. The only treatments offered were medications used as band-aids to cover up my symptoms. But, the underlying problems remained and over time developed into more serious health conditions.
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I have always believed in the inherent power of the body to heal if provided the right conditions. So, I looked for answers outside of conventional medicine. Eventually I found functional nutrition and herbal medicine. Using these as tools, I was able to address the underlying causes of my health symptoms and heal.
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As founder of Empowering Holistic Health, I provide virtual holistic health counseling to help people use nutrition, herbs and supplements as natural, powerful tools for health and healing.
My background includes a Ph.D in nursing from the University of Minnesota, 35 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and 12 years in academia as a nursing professor. I am a national board certified Advanced Holistic Nurse (AHN-BC) with specialized training in functional nutrition and herbal medicine.
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Areas of Expertise
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Resolution of chronic health symptoms
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Strong digestion and absorption
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Balanced mood & clear thinking
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Restorative sleep
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Resilience to stress
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High energy levels
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Healthy weight
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Robust immune system
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Healthy detoxification
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Reproductive health
"Knowledge is power. I want to share what I have learned with you, so you can be empowered to use it for your own health and healing."
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-Karen Gutierrez Ph.D, RN, AHN-BC
Holistic Health
Functional Foods
Food has inherent power and provides information to your body. It can cause disease or promote healing, depending on the foods consumed. Key supplements are sometimes needed to resolve nutritional deficits that impact health and healing.
Herbs
Herbs are very powerful plant sources. Used correctly, they can support your body's ability to heal, as well as increase resilience and your ability to adapt to stress and change.
Digestion and Absorption
Health depends on what you are able to both digest and absorb. The foods you eat can significantly influence this.
Healthy Weight and Body Fat Level
There is a lot of misinformation about weight and accumulation of body fat. A liver overloaded with fat and toxins contributes to unexplained weight gain. Detoxification with the right sources of nutrition and herbs supports the liver and allows weight to readjust naturally to a more healthy level.
Energy
Energy levels depend on getting enough nutrients, such as oxygen, glucose, vitamins and minerals, into cells. Nutrient deficiencies can result in low energy levels and disease.
Stress Response and Resilience
We live in a fast-paced world where we are expected to respond quickly in order to keep up. Learning how to support the brain and adrenal glands helps with your ability to handle stress and build resilience.
Hydration
Hydration is often overlooked, and its importance minimized. Most people are chronically dehydrated, which stresses the body, depletes energy levels and makes healing more difficult. Certain foods and fluids are especially hydrating and keep fluids in the body where they are needed.
Detoxification
We are exposed to toxins daily, from our air, soil, water, cleaning and body products and other sources. Gentle detoxification is necessary to prevent disease and heal.
Sleep
Adequate quality and quantity of sleep is critical for health and healing. There are many important body functions that occur during sleeping, including repair of cellular damage and the removal of toxins from the body. Specific foods and herbs can help you get the sleep you need.