NUTRITION
My interest in science and medicine started at a young age, partly because my mother lost her hearing from drugs given to her during a kidney operation. In those days, medical protocol removed (via a large incision) a kidney with stones instead of trying to pass them. Since her magnesium-deficient diet was never corrected, more stones soon formed in her remaining kidney.
When they removed 15% of her remaining kidney, she was treated with drugs that damaged the (manganese-deficient) nerves in her inner ears, resulting in hearing loss! Hence, there was a big void in motherly love growing up. This family crisis with four small children heavily burdened my father, who was trying to run his business. Hence, he ruled beyond Italian strictness. Mama (grandmother) Theresa, struggling to survive in a nearby rented room, was the only family sanctuary I had.
At age 13, on a cold winter day, I watched my beloved grandmother die from a coronary thrombosis. No effort was exerted to revive her. My grief was immense, but in those days, no one even talked about that. So, the grief remained and had a profound impact on my life. Being under 18 complicated the situation. My main thoughts were how to escape, finish school, and ensure that I would never end up like my grandmother, in old age, deficient in nutrients, and without a secure home. Fortunately, a few good friends came to my rescue and helped me survive those traumatic years.
I spent my junior year in Austin, Texas, with Melanie Hickerson and her generous, loving family. I learned how to drive a car, ride a horse, all about the stars, and many other things. Then, I returned to Rye, NY, for my senior year. After another crisis, I ended up living with another dear friend and life-saver, Judith McCullough. Her father was a Judge and a New York state Senator. Thanks to their kindness and compassion, along with Sr. Rita, the Principal, I graduated from the Academy of the Resurrection.
However, during my senior year, while on a stupid, magnesium-deficient diet, I developed kidney stones, just like my mother, and ended up in the hospital. Looking back, I believe that caused my infertility later in life. Long story short, this taught me about a herbal formula (KB Herbs) used to pass stones and how important it is to correct a magnesium deficiency and always maintain a good supply. Read Mg Extraordinaire in the 2022 Oct and Nov issues of MOH magazine. I use Elektra Mg cream to achieve this.
Early life crises taught me first-hand or vicariously what others went to medical school to learn. Having experienced many traumatic health problems early in life motivated and educated me on finding solutions. Plus, I decided medicine was not for me because I couldn’t bear to see people suffering. Thus, nutrition with a preventative approach was a better path to pursue. All these experiences and the knowledge I gained proved to be a valuable asset years later in my nutrition/iridology practice.
After working in the fashion industry and as a dancer in NC, my friend Inez and I travelled to Freeport, Grand Bahama! And, thus, I started a 5-year learning experience. Life in the Bahamas was like a James Bond movie! Plus, it was almost impossible to obtain good nutrition living on a coral atoll where most of the food was imported.
While working in a Resort, I was recruited by Pan American Airways. The training I had from Pan Am was among the best education I ever had. What I learned helped me in every other profession to this day. Plus, I loved to travel and explore foreign cultures.
At age 22, I married Australian Ron Jelléy in Freeport, Grand Bahama. He was smart, handsome, enterprising, protective, and the electrical supervisor at the power plant.
Ron, Monique, & Carla, Boca Raton, FL 1989
We were adventurers, eager to explore the world. My airline work enabled us to travel cheaply and easily during our time off work.
Ron’s skills and lucrative work enabled us to live in other beautiful tropical places such as Bermuda, Queensland, and Hawaii. Our jobs earned the funds to invest in real estate and a home on Maui, and then in Australia.
The desire to have children and various health and dental issues led me further down the path of nutrition since the answers I sought were nowhere else to be found. In those days, medicine had no answers. Their famous two responses were “We don’t know what causes it” and “There are no cures.”
So I searched far and wide for knowledge and answers. I read books, took courses, and studied everything I could find in the field of nutrition, which wasn’t easy back then. I connected with the few experts there were to learn as much as I could.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with and learn Nutrition and Iridology from the late Dr. Bernard Jensen, DC, PhD. He was way ahead of his time and had traveled the world for knowledge and wisdom from centenarians. He wrote many educational books, which I have all of.
The nutrition he taught 40+ years ago (e.g., RE the microbiome, minerals, enzymes, etc.) is only now being discussed by modern medicine. Dr. Jensen also taught us that we are as young as our glands. How many people pay attention to or nourish their glands?
One of my favorite books is Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, by Weston A. Price, DDS. The decades of research and photos he documented are invaluable. Every medical and dental student and every health practitioner should read this book. Sally Fallon’s W.A. Price Foundation honors him and his work.
Over the years, the before-and-after look of my clients showed that ‘proof is in the pudding.’ Your bones reveal how well-balanced your mother’s hormones were when you were in the womb.
Your teeth and the shape of your head and face reveal the mineral levels and ratios (fluoride disrupts this balance in the thyroid) you had access to in the womb and during your growing years. Your tongue reveals the condition of your liver and microbiome.
Your brain, nerve development, and spine depend on the essential fatty acids in balance from day one. To communicate with each other, every cell membrane (in the body) needs omega-3 essential fatty acids in balance.
Too much or damaged omega-6 oils cause a deficiency in omega-3. I believe this imbalance is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes and a major factor in autism. Canola oil is one of the worst offenders. During the developmental years, the timing of nutrients is vital. Quality protein and sunshine D are crucial in development, along with an essential fatty acids balance - especially omega-3.
Your body shape reveals what you were fed as a child, how the foundation of your health and body are forming, and how you now eat. Sugar and refined carbs deplete nutrients and add fat to the body, and the oil you consume determines where that fat is deposited.