Mission

     Paul's Story - Living, Learning, and Caring

Optimal Health Strategies, LLC

​"To help our clients explore every resource to better help themselves and the world around them while developing and sustaining natural health through simple yet effective self care."

I'm very fortunate to have interacted with many health enthusiasts over the years! Of all the questions I've been asked, "How did you learn all this stuff?" is still asked the most often. I've met folks helping them choose the best products at health food stores and educational events. I've known them as masters, teachers, and students of the healing arts. People are often curious about my personal journey into healthy living and how I came to be so passionate about it. I've been told I have a gift for retaining useful knowledge. I tend to see it as more a skill that took time to develop; tuning my senses to remember important things that may better serve myself and others.

Although, It is true that gifts often go unnoticed by ourselves!

Healthy living is very much a skill. Healthy living can be learned! Likewise, forgotten if not practiced regularly. Also, there is just as surely an art to the healthful pursuit and like any art, it can be refined. Health itself though is a state of being that only needs a good place to thrive! 

Learning to support the wellness of those around me began early in my life. Some of my first memories are of helping my mother recover from major surgery. I would always try my best to entertain her and make her laugh! It was just a fun game to me, as everything is to a child. I learned quickly however that it was necessary for people to love and help each other through serious challenges of life. Hospitals, doctors and illness were reoccurring themes often interrupting my playtime. I often wondered why people had to get sick all the time.

When I was big enough to walk in the woods my father he taught me to respect nature and it became a great source of peace and learning for us both. Sometimes my uncle who was well versed in the natural sciences would also accompany us in search of medicinal plants or wildlife. I spent a good amount of time with my grandparents as well. They certainly knew their way around a kitchen, garden, farm and made sure I did too just as soon as I could tie my own shoes. My grandmother knew domestic medicine well, like all good women of her day. It was a requirement in those times for women to know how to treat and avoid common illness. An art and skill that has all but vanished in today's society yet an important chapter in the development of modern medicine.

My oldest brother "Ronny" was very health conscious and an accomplished athlete. He was just like another parent and viewed and respected him as the same. He was an advanced martial artist and body builder and taught me self defense as well as sports, nutrition, breathing, meditation and various exercises at a very early age. He spent much of his free time driving us back and forth to martial arts classes and taking me along on dates with his girlfriends.

Later, he achieved his dream of being a US Marine. Tragically, he died in a accident shortly after graduation and two days after his 21st birthday. I was seven years old. Already he was a hero in our family but his death would make him more like a super hero. 

The aftershocks of his passing would resonate for a long time with everyone but especially my mother. She had lost her mother, father and her oldest child within a short time span and while in the prime of her life and soon she would be faced also with multiple chronic illnesses. There were great times and memories from my childhood and teens but our family would never really be the same. 

Around the late 90's, I signed on as one of my mother's caregivers and really began to take more than a basic interest in self-therapeutic concepts such as nutrition, stress reduction, etc. I began to research diligently not only to help meet her needs but also to bolster my own strength. The challenges were many: lack of professionalism with providers and other caregivers, a growing array of physicians, and confusing diagnoses and medications. None of which seemed to improve much of anything about her situation or any of her conditions. The only real support came through family, friends, and her enduring faith that never failed to amaze everyone!

At one point, I recall asking one of her doctors if any kind of colon cleanse could be helpful, since she was having serious trouble with elimination. He waved his hands back and forth in air, agitated and shouted, "Hocus Pocus!".

My mother passed away not too long after at only age 60. Being admitted into intensive care for an almost complete dysfunction of her digestive system. Like many, I had experienced firsthand the hardships of losing a loved one that was heavily dependent on a failing, inadequate, and backward system of health care. I wondered why so many people everyday had to suffer similar fates.

After my mother's passing, my surviving brother, father and myself were determined to live the best we could. Not only for ourselves but also because she would have wanted us to live better than she did. We knew much of her poor health could have been largely avoided through a healthier lifestyle. So we stuck together to overcome our own unhealthy habits. We started eating more nutritious food. We openly shared our emotional and spiritual sides. 

A renewed interest in living healthy seemed to improve every area of our lives!

I revived my practice in Tai Chi and internal martial arts and studied to become an instructor. My brother became a raw food chef. My father stayed active in community organizations and played his guitar in the evenings. We were all enjoying life again. Each of us met wonderful women with whom we could share our love of life. There was good happening all around! I could feel my mother smiling along with us.

In college, I had studied communications and landed a good position afterwards with a major telecom company. I let go of that job to care for my mother but also because it was pretty dull. After her passing, I was left with a real burning desire to learn everything there was about what it took to build true natural health. I decided to begin my quest by working at the largest locally owned health food store which was located inside a drug store and pharmacy. 

Some came to pick up their medications, others did their best to avoid pharmaceuticals and instead would visit the "natural pharmacy". The combination of health food store and pharmacy made for a unique blend of patrons.  We stocked the largest selection of natural health products in the region, the walls of supplements, herbs, spices and homeopathic remedies looked very much like a modern version of a 15th century apothecary.

​

If you've ever worked on the floor of busy health food store you know there are some things that just can't be learned or experienced quite the same anywhere else. Always something different and challenging. Similar to a clinic sometimes where you can truly help people and have a real sense of meaning and accomplishment.  Other times, like a circus but with a shortage of stage hands and all three rings have to be set up by yourself!

Pharmacists routinely sent people our way to provide them information on herbs, supplements, and special diets. Customers would show up sometimes purely by accident looking for cold medicine or potato chips. We would always use that as an opportunity to expose them to more natural choices before letting them go back to the junk food aisle when they asserted they weren't interested in anything "healthy". Needless to say, it made for some unique learning opportunities. There was more to learn than I ever imagined. So many ways for people to be proactive and involved in their own health. 

What is good for achy joints or how about immunity? Is there anything natural that can help with pain? How about something for energy? Is there anything for stress or to help with sleep? I found myself on the front lines responding to these kind of questions in rapid fire succession. It was perfect! 

New discoveries were made on a daily basis. I learned much from long time customers, some of which seemed not to age or age with total grace. Conversations were rarely dull and often enlightening. I came to know many of the products local doctors and practitioners recommended for people and became familiar with their protocols.

When I was promoted to store manager, I received extensive training and workshops by all of the top natural product and supplement companies. Diligently, I took notes while others who were forced to attend lectures tried to stay awake. After work, I would study extensively on my own and compare notes to research articles and case studies.

I traveled on days off to take courses with experts in specialized fields including nutrition, medical herbology and domestic medicine. I also started to develop good working relationships with many area physicians, practitioners, and natural product formulators. Many of which also became great teachers, mentors and friends.

People came to depend on me for accurate information. They knew I appreciated facts and wouldn't dare delude them with hype. At some point, the pursuit of helping others help themselves became a major driver in my life. I resolved to seek out, consult and study with as many health professionals as I could from dietitians to doctors and herbalists to acupuncturists. My goal being to collect the most useful gems of wisdom and put them directly into the hands of everyday people. It would take commitment but if I discovered one thing along the way that could save only one person from unnecessary pain and suffering it would be worth it. All this effort began to take on a shape of it's own. I found myself on a mission to bring about real change.

The demand grew from customers I had helped over the years, as did my desire to generate greater pubic interest in health and wellness. I decided to focus on the areas where I could do the most good with my skills: education, health promotion, and personalized coaching. Establishing a private consultation practice and health promotion company was the most natural solution. I also decided to commit to lifelong continuing education in order to bring better skills and services to the table for future for clients. So far, it’s been the greatest decision I've ever made and real pleasure helping create more awareness while sharing the best current information and resources with anyone having a desire to cultivate their own vitality. Thank you for taking the time read my story.  :) 

Be well & live well !

Paul