My passion is for people. When they thrive- I thrive. I strive to make a positive and memorable impact on each person’s life I come into. My passion for people and health began at a young age. Starting with competitive sports as a child and into high school, I was truly amazed at what the human body was capable of.
In 2010, at the age of 13, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. From here, my passion for the healthcare world blossomed. I became very familiar with doctors, blood work, and patient care. In turn, I got to learn more about not only my body but how much work truly goes into maintaining the body’s fragile systems and how precise our hormone levels have to be. When it came time to decide on a major and what college to go to, I proudly chose Grand Canyon University.
The strong ethics they have and prestigious healthcare majors were right up my alley! I graduated from Grand Canyon University in 3.5 years with a bachelors of science in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Health Education.
After graduation, I continued to get my Exercise Physiologist Certification from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). As previously mentioned, I am truly fascinated by how amazing the human body is. One thing I love specifically about it is the ability it has to heal itself. With the proper supplementation, diet, and knowledge, the body can make incredible changes. This is where Functional Medicine comes in. Functional medicine is treating the body and the cause of an issue the individual is having at the root cause, not just covering up the symptoms. When a patient comes in, we start with a very detailed history.
This history typically takes about 45 minutes to complete but allows us to gain a new perspective on what is occurring in the body. After this is completed, it is assessed at a one-on-one appointment with Dr. Jimenez, myself (Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach) and the patient. At this appointment, we will decide what labs to run to give us a better direction and understanding of the levels that are currently in the body. The labs we use give us extensive results and information.
The importance of these labs is patient health, so we use over 12 different companies to ensure we are getting the best quality of results per patient. Every plan we create is individualized and personalized per patient. We understand that the human body is not a one plan fixes all. What works best for one person will not work best for the next. One of my favorite parts of creating these personalized plans and working with patients is the nutraceutical and coaching aspect. The nutraceuticals we use are free of wheat, gluten, corn, yeast, soy, animal or dairy products, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, or artificial preservatives.
The certain nutraceuticals we recommended per patient depends on their blood work and the specific health goals we have created together as a team. Part of being a team means having people to keep you accountable. As a health coach, I personally stick by the patient’s side every step of the way. Technology today really helps us take our patients to the next level.
The clinic has an app, “Dr. J Today†that allows me to view the daily food and supplement intake of our patients. In addition to this, it pairs with a smartwatch that tracks activity and steps. Not only does it pair with a watch, but it pairs with a scale as well. This scale does not measure just weight, but water weight, body fat change, lean mass change, BMI and BMR. Having all of these components together truly allows me to have an inside view on progress and keep individuals motivated.
I also have the ability to instant message patients through the app to answer any quick questions they have outside of their weekly video chat check-ins, also performed through the app. Lastly, a critical part of the body that is often overlooked is the feet. In the office, a scan of each patient’s feet is taken and carefully assessed. From here, I am able to tell the pressure they are putting on their feet and the differences they have in their arches.
This allows a comprehensive alignment of their ankles, knees, hips, and spine. The body is a chain reaction and all works together. If the feet are causing problems, added stress and strain is being put on the body. I have the ability to order custom 3-D printed orthotics to help get patients back on the right foot!
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