Today we’d like to introduce you to Medea Galligan MS.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After starting my educational career as a pre-med student at Clark University in 1984, I happened to learn about the amazing power of holistic medicine, nutriition, Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, ayurveda and other types of traditional medicine through a book given to me by my lab partner . . . the book was “Health & Healing” by Dr. Andrew Weil.
Upon reading it, I immediately and instintively knew it contained profound truths.To me, the universal principle of Cause and Effect made sense to me on a very deep level, and I realized that it was preventative medicine and the many paths to optimal health that I was really interested in. At that time, modern allopathic medicine was and had been simply focused on treating symptoms instead of understanding and addressesing the causes of conditions and diseases, and I wanted to know more. In the mid-80’s, Integrative Medicine was just being born in California and other parts of the world, but was not widely accepted, taught or practiced, and so I decided to change my field of study to Environmental Science with a minor in International Development. In May of 1989, I became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay, South America, and along with other volunteers, taught agroforestry and beekeeping to campesinos, as well as working with community leaders to improve the quality of education and reduce the environmental impact of deforestation. It was truly an amazing experience on every level and I was fortunate to have had the opportinity to travel throughout the continent while i was there, from Puerto Monte, Chile all the way to La Paz, Boliva visiting Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina along the way.
Upon returning to the US and starting my family in 1993, I was looking for more natural approaches to maintain my family’s health, and started learning about the power of natural foods, supplements, herbal tinctures and teas, and a wide variety of “superfoods”, as well as the many benefits of massage and yoga. I decided to return to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Nutrition, and during that time I studied massage therapy and yoga, which added greatly to my understanding of human physiology. I learned that by simply moving with our breath, we can shift our thoughts and emotional response from stress, resistance and pain to peace, relaxation and ease.
In 1998 I earned my Masters of Science in Nutrition at the Univerisity of Oklahoma. After a few years of helping clients make a transition to lasting health and happiness through quality education and adopting a healthy lifestyle, I decided to expand my knowledge of nutrition. I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Holistic Health Coaching Program, am a Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, and am member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). In futhering my education to assist my clients in overcoming chronic conditions, I also attended the Functional Medicine Institute and have since worked closely with several Functional Medicine doctors and many other Integrated Health Practitioners for the last 15 years. From 2011 to 2013 I was a Chapter Leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation in Burnsville, North Carolina, where I held numerous Fermentation Workshops and Healthy Cooking Classes. In 2014, I opened the first organic cold-pressed juice bar and full organic cafe in Asheville North Carolina, Medea’s Espresso & Juice Bar, which later became Medea’s Real Food Cafe. From 2014 to 2017, my staff and I educated thousands of customers on the many benefits of raw organic cold-pressed juices, sold hundreds of 3 Day Juice Detox Programs, taught over 15 Fermentation Workshops, supported over 50 local food producers, and hosted hundreds of health & wellness educational classes taught by local professionals throughout the Southeast. Based on the sound nutritional principles of traditional diets throughout the world, and recently revived by the amazing efforts of the Weston A Price Foundation, we developed and sold our own organic lacto-fermented beverage called Fruit Kvass, as well as produced and sold our own bone broths, which were made from pastured-raised poultry frames and grass-fed beef bones at the Cafe. Medea’s Real Food Cafe was a place where you could learn just how delicious local, organic, nutrient-dense and naturally prepared foods can be, as well as a place to experience first hand what a difference bioavailable nutrition can make in your health and your life.
In 2012, I attended Asheville Community Yoga and became a 200 HR Registered Yoga Teacher, and have since incorporated gentle yoga and movement with breathwork in all of my personalized programs. I also educate and introduce my clients to the many benefits of the Birkram Hot Yoga Classic 26, which can include improved lung capacity, decreased neck and shoulder tightness and pain, reduced lower back, hip and knee pain, better posture, improved digestion, increased strength and flexibility, as well as reduced stress and anxiety.
of the Bikram Classic 26 Hot Yoga series.
which include improved posture, reduced joint pain and total body detoxification
My Collaborative Experiences
Over the last 25 years, I have written over 80 articles on health & wellness that have been published in a variety of magazines and websites. From 2011 to 2013 I wrote a weekly nutrition column for the Yancey County News, and have had numerous articles and recipes published in Natural Awakenings over the years. From 2000 to 2002 I hosted the holistic health radio program “Lose the Weight Forever” in South Florida, assisted in the research and development of several lines of neutraceuticals, and taught numerous workshops and natural foods cooking classes throughout the Southeast. During this time period, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Donna Gates, author of The Body Ecology Diet, developer of The Body Ecology System of Health & Healing, and pioneer in the area of cultured foods, and also worked and taught cooking classes with macrobiotic specialist and natural foods chef, Jan London, author of Coconut Cuisine featuring Stevia. I am also hononred to have studied the work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride and her landmark book published in 2004, The Gut and Psychology Syndrome, and am a Certified GAPS Diet Practioner, adding the GAPS Protocol to my toolkit of resources to support my clients in reversing chronic conditons, most of which stem from “leaky gut”, and helping them make a “sustainable change to a healthier lifestyle.” I am honored beyond words to have worked with numerous medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapist, and counselors to help my clients find “Long-term Solutions to Life-long Problems”.
Associations and Memberships
I am a member of the American Association of Drugless Practicioners, AADP, as well as a member of Primal Docs as a Preferred Healthcare Practitioner. As a member of Slow Food USA, The Weston A. Price Foundation, and the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), I educate my clients about the importance of quality over quantity, and help them in finding the highest quality, freshest foods available from local and organic sources. In June of 2023, I became the Naples Florida Chapter Leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation, am a Community Partner with ECHO Global Farms in North Fort Myers and a Southwest Florida Blue Zones Partner.
As a Community Educator, I teach Free Community Wellness Workshops throughout Florida and the Southeast US. I offer a wide variety of classes and workshops to support community integration and involvement, including my most popular presentation “How To Heal and Reverse Chronic Digestive, Autoimmune, and Hormonal Conditions”. I also teach live fermentation, juicing and cooking classes that promote local food producers and organic farmers in Southwest Florida, and empower my workshop attendees to enjoy preparing Simple, Healthy and Delicious Meals with fresh local ingredients as much as possible. What is good for our local economies, our environment, and the future of our planet is also what is good for our bodies and souls!
From my extensive education and experience working with clients, I know that the quality of the food and beverages that we consume have a direct impact on the way we feel. Our devitalized and toxic food supply has resulted in millions of people coping with chronic depression and anxiety, which has resulted in self-medication through the abuse of alcohol, food and a variety of mood altering drugs. In my interest to support my clients, I have joined the Alliance for Addiction Solutions, a group of professionals and survivors that have learned first hand that “we are our bodies”, that the food we eat directly impacts the way we feel about ourselves and the world, and that the proper nutrition is absolutely crucial to the recovery from all addictions. I am proud to teach the quality science-based research from Julia Ross MA and her work with Amino Acid Therapy, and am happy to support my clients through this process to a better life when they are ready.
How I Can Help You
As a Functional Medicine Nutritionist, I work with people of all ages who are finally ready to resolve their chronic conditions by learning practical ways and daily routines to manage stress, prepare and cook simple yet satisfying meals, and learn how to take better care of themselves. I work together with you, your physician, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or any other health care provider that you are currently working with to create a plan that will help you achieve your goals for a healthier life over the long term. With knowledge of healthy foods and your body comes the power to create lasting health and vitality. By helping you learn how to listen to your body, I help you discover which foods are right for you, and assist you in bringing the joy of eating and cooking back to your life.
I also work with businesses and organizations, helping them identify ways to create a healthier work environment and implement practices that aid in reducing stress, improving communication, and supporting employees in making healthy choices in their lives. I design and present Corporate and Community Wellness Workshops according to the specific needs and goals of my clients and teach healthy cooking healthy lifestyle workshops to colleges, hospitals, and wellness centers. During my cooking classes, I show you and your family, friends, or organization how to create easy yet delicious and healthy meals that you can prepare at home or work.
Please contact me at (239) 961-9270 to set an appointment for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION or to schedule a FREE COMMUNITY WELLNESS WORKSHOP or private cooking classes for you, your family, or your organization.
I look forward to hearing from you, and look forward to helping you achieve your goals! Through my Functional Medicine Nutritional Counseling Program, you will learn how to bring health, happiness, and balance back into your life with ease, grace, and JOY!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Over the last 40 years, I can honestly say that I encountered numerous obstacles, the most obvious is that very few people, until very recently, have realized that everything they eat, drink, do and even think has a profound effect on their physical and emotional states of being. It is impossible to ignore the ingredients in our foods, beverages, body care products and even detergents, and expect to experience optimal health. Thankfully, due to our current government support, new laws are finally being put in place regarding the toxins that have been used in industrial agriculture, commonly used weed-killers, over-the-counter and prescription medications. When it would have been so much easier to just go to medical school and adopt the allopathic model of “health” that is based on testing, treating symptoms with dangerous drugs, and recommending surgeries to my patients, I am truly proud of myself for following my intuition and engaging on a journey of understanding human physiology, the root causes of disease, and how to support my clients and community in joyfully reversing chronic disease through “a sustainable change to a healthier lifestyle”.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a Functional Medicine Nutritionist with over 27 years of experience, I have learned what works, what actually helps anyone who is “sick and tired of being sick and tired” to finally experience optimal health, vitality and longevity.
Due to the challenges of living in our modern world, many of us struggle to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We are constantly bombarded with contradictory information when it comes to health and nutrition. And when painful and often debilitating symptoms arise, we are almost always directed to pharmaceutical drugs or even natural remedies to suppress those symptoms, but they don’t address the underlying causes and can only, at best, offer temporary relief.
My approach to Functional Medicine & Nutritional Counseling, on the other hand, offers the science-based education, hands-on support, compassionate guidance and accountability that is required to address the underlying causes of multiple symptoms of chronic disease.
If you are currently struggling with any of these CHRONIC CONDITIONS, such as:
ACID REFLUX & GERD
CONSTIPATION
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS)
CROHN’S DISEASE
DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY
SUGAR ADDICION
ALCOHOL ADDICTION
FOOD & ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES
ECZEMA & PSORIASIS
GOUT OR JOINT PAIN
NEUROPATHY
HYPOTHYROIDISM
AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS
WEIGHT GAIN
LOW ENERGY
SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
POOR MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION
INABILITY TO FALL AND/OR STAY ASLEEP
Then you need to know that they ARE NOT JUST PART OF GETTING OLDER, THIS IS NOT PART OF THE NORMAL AGING PROCESS
THESE ARE ALL SIGNS THAT YOUR BODY IS OUT OF BALANCE, THAT IT IS BOTH DEFICIENT IN NECESSARY NUTRIENTS AND OVERWHELMED WITH SYNTHETIC TOXINS THAT IT CAN NO LONGER ELIMINATE.
Even with an earnest effort, and serious health issues that linger for years and don’t ever seem to improve, many of us find ourselves at a loss to figure it all out, to know what to buy, what to cook, and what is actually going to make a difference in our health. We end up resorting back to old ways and unhealthy habits that make it impossible for long term health to become a reality.
So ask yourself these questions:
Are you interested in getting better – for good – but just don’t know where to start?
Do you wish you had more energy and vitality?
Would like to have a knowledgeable, understanding guide in your corner who can help you finally reverse your chronic symptoms and create a sustainable healthier lifestyle for you and your family?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you have finally met the professional that can help you finally reverse your chronic health conditions and meet your goals to better health.
With my Personalized Functional Medicine Nutritional Protocols, you will finally learn HOW foods affect your health, which ones to avoid completely, and which your body is desperately in need of. Instead of investing in diets and restrictive programs that are about controlling the QUANTITY of food that you eat, you will learn how to determine the QUALITY of foods that you buy and prepare, and how the RIGHT FOODS create the RIGHT BALANCE for long-term health and resilience. And as Concierge Functional Medicine Nutritionist, I can meet my clients on the day and time that works best for them, in the comfort of their own home. Personalized healthy cooking classes, juicing, live fermentation, and private yoga classes are all part of what I offer my clients in supporting them in meeting their goals. And my results speak for themselves! Not only can prospective clients read a wide variety of customer testimonials and over 70 published articles on health and wellness on my website www.NewEarthNaturalMedicine.com, but they can also read all my 5 Star Reviews on Google under Medea’s Healthy Lifestyle Concepts, New Earth Natural Medicine.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I earned my Bachelor’s Degree from Clark University in Environmental Science in 1989, and I then spent almost 3 years in Paraguay South America as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching agroforestry and beekeeping. I am grateful for my all the science classes that I took prior to getting my Master’s Degree in Nutrition because I gave me a much larger understanding of the natural world and how we, as human beings, are an integral part of the world we live in. In our modern society, it is so easy to feel that we are separate from the air, water and food supply that is literally shared by all living beings. When we understand the fundamentals of geology, marine biology and botany, we can more clearly see the cycles of nature and see how our modern technology has adversely affected both the world we live in and our personal health. But all is not lost! I had the opportunity to meet many centenarians, peoples who lived to 100 years or greater, and saw how closely they lived to the land. And now, due to the efforts of many wonderful organizations like The Weston A. Price Foundation, many people are returning to a more natural way of living through regenerative agriculture, gardening, and buying locally produced nutrient-dense foods. As the Naples, North & Collier County Chapter Leader, I encourage every reader to visit www.westonaprice.org and find their local chapter leader, read some great articles and check out their amazing recipes.
