Today we’d like to introduce you to Marla Brodsky.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Marla. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a family in which both parents were in the food business and my older brother was a doctor. My interest in diet and health was born out of those influences. Initially, I worked at a large teaching hospital doing clinical nutrition for critical care patients. I loved learning the science about how nutrients influence disease. My next job was the as the director of nutrition research for a project to help reverse muscle loss and malnutrition in the Geriatric population. This work was satisfying in that it fueled my science-brain. However, in 1994, I as I was preparing to give a lecture on nutrition to HIV patients, I noticed that I couldn’t see my slides. I had lost sight in my right eye. I was subsequently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a progressive disease affecting the nerves. This shifted my life outlook completely. The only patients I had known with MS were in wheelchairs. After grieving my perceived future for a long time, I realized that I might have some tools to help myself. I began using nutrition to heal myself. All of the scientific facts that were isolated in my cognitive brain, began to slowly move into my body. Although I thought I was eating healthy, I experimented eliminating some foods and adding others to my diet. Slowly my symptoms have been virtually erased. I am on no medications. I use food as medicine. I started my private practice Luscious Life Nutrition to give hands on help to the many people who are struggling with a health condition. I feel like no matter whether we share the same health condition or another, I can empathize with my clients about the feeling that their body has betrayed them and hopefully inspire them to know that they can do a lot to take back control. Food IS powerful medicine. I provide hands on teaching using Integrative Medicine approaches such as cooking sessions, learning to make fermented foods to heal the gut, supplement recommendations, and core exercise to maintain strength. When I can help my patients reverse their symptoms using food as medicine instead of covering them up with medications that have side effects, I feel as happy as they do. All of my educational, personal, and life experience come together to help heal my client.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like many women owned businesses, it is challenging to juggle family and career. I often need to schedule clients around school concerts, flute lessons or calls from the school nurse. Also, as a clinician, I never learned the business skills required to do marketing, IT, or social media. These are areas that I am continuing to learn along the way. Luckily, word of mouth has been my greatest marketing tool. My personality does not lend itself to hard core self promotion.
When I began Luscious Life Nutrition, I thought that I needed to use a costly professional office to see my patients in order to validate my professional qualifications. Instead I realized that all of the years that I spent counselling patients across a desk about what or what not to eat did not work as well as showing them how to build a healthy pantry, taste a delicious kale preparation, or cook a quick healthy meal. I now see people in my home. I use my kitchen a lab and my library as a way to inspire patients to learn to heal themselves.
Luscious Life Nutrition – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Luscious Life Nutrition, we practice Functional and Integrative Nutrition Marla Brodsky, RDN, LD, BCIM is Board Certified in Integrative Medicine which means she looks for root causes of disease and treats the whole body instead of its individual symptoms. I specialize in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, but work with all conditions because most (90%) conditions are rooted in inflammation and the gut. I evaluate the client’s medical history, diet history, laboratory work, medications, and lifestyle to come up with a plan that can help heal the client. I evaluate the client’s personality as to whether they are open to dramatic changes or baby steps with no judgement either way. Among the areas of specialty include autoimmune conditions, allergies’ food sensitivities, gastrointestinal conditions, weight loss, cancer, mood disorders, arthritis, diabetics, and other conditions.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as the ability to identify the gifts that have been given to you through either innate talent or life struggles and to be able to use those gifts to help others find their own… Success is an internal vs. external process. In my case, empowering clients to know they can take control of their lives by learning healthier ways of living brings my life gift (yes, my MS diagnosis is the gift) to them.
Pricing:
- I charge $85.00 per hour.
- Cooking classes are based on number of participants but usually $60 plus groceries for 3 hours, food tastings, and recipes.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2027 W. Greenleaf AV
- Website: www.lusciouslifenutrition.net
- Phone: 773-330-8275
- Email: mbrodsky@ameritech.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LusciousLifeNutritionInc/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luscious-life-nutrition-chicago
Image Credit:
Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, Director of Center for Integrative Medicine, Univ. of AZ and Marla Brodsky, RDN, LD, BCIM
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