My Story...
My name is Penny Ormsbee. I am a Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultant, and MSA Practitioner. I am a graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition where I also worked as an instructor for several years.
Since graduating in 2004 I have spent a great deal of time on research and continuing education. I have a particular interest in hypothyroidism, nutrient deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, digestive disorders, and food sensitivities. I love my work and I am sincerely committed to empowering others to consciously and holistically manage their health.
My husband Keith is my biggest fan. He is wonderfully supportive, tests all my potions and recipes, and he is the one who makes sure I take time for myself. I have two great step children and an adorable family cat named Poppy. Apart from my work, I love reading, knitting anything from socks to lace, preparing nutritious food, gardening, and enjoying time with my family.
Caring for and helping others has been imbedded in my soul from a very young age, I think. From organizing food drives to raising money through Christmas caroling for the less fortunate, giving of myself always came naturally for me. After moving into a new neighbourhood at the age of 10, I befriended an elderly woman. I loved to visit with her and help with her chores, and in high school when my friends were babysitting, I was enjoying my job at a nursing home helping to care for the elderly. At sixteen I dreamed of opening a health food store and promoting a healthy lifestyle, but my future led me to an education in business administration and eventually to the corporate world.
Around 1988 my health started to fail, and over the next two years I became lethargic, my hair fell out in clumps, my memory was failing me, and my heart rate and breathing became shallow and erratic. My doctor, who I visited often in those days kept telling me I was suffering from job stress. In 1990 and in desperation, I made an appointment with Dr. Elisabeth Gold, a new doctor in town who was quick to diagnose me with severely advanced autoimmune thyroid disease. My thyroid was working only one-quarter of what it should have been. A normal TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) reading is anywhere from 0.35 to 4.3, and mine was 74.0. Keeping in mind that the higher the reading, the lower the thyroid function. You can imagine how grateful I was to have found this doctor. We immediately started treatment and slowly but surely, I started to feel better. This experience led me to learn as much as possible about thyroid disease, which has become a special interest of mine.
As I became more knowledgeable and more focused on becoming healthier, I noticed that as I improved my diet, better managed my stress, and made more positive lifestyle changes, I needed less thyroid medication. I will never be able to stop my medication completely but I'm happy knowing I do have a lot of control over my health and how I feel.
Once I regained my health, I eventually left that job and moved on to work in a leadership role for a prominent market research company here in Halifax. Over time, I found my work to be overly regimented and unfulfilling, so at the age of 42, I decided to enroll in the Natural Nutrition Program with The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Initially, it was for my personal interest only, but it didn’t take long to realize this was the area of work I was destined for. This was what I was meant to do.
I graduated in 2004 with an Award of Merit and immediately set up a part-time practice while still working 50+ hours a week in the corporate world. I soon realized that burning the candle at both ends was not what the doctor ordered, and so in
July of 2005 I handed in my resignation and never looked back.
Today, I have a successful full-time consulting practice in association with Ocean Heart Wellness Centre here in Halifax. My life became more meaningful when I started helping others again. I wake up every morning looking forward to going to work, and I feel blessed and grateful every day for this wonderful opportunity I have been given.
Since graduating in 2004 I have spent a great deal of time on research and continuing education. I have a particular interest in hypothyroidism, nutrient deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, digestive disorders, and food sensitivities. I love my work and I am sincerely committed to empowering others to consciously and holistically manage their health.
My husband Keith is my biggest fan. He is wonderfully supportive, tests all my potions and recipes, and he is the one who makes sure I take time for myself. I have two great step children and an adorable family cat named Poppy. Apart from my work, I love reading, knitting anything from socks to lace, preparing nutritious food, gardening, and enjoying time with my family.
Caring for and helping others has been imbedded in my soul from a very young age, I think. From organizing food drives to raising money through Christmas caroling for the less fortunate, giving of myself always came naturally for me. After moving into a new neighbourhood at the age of 10, I befriended an elderly woman. I loved to visit with her and help with her chores, and in high school when my friends were babysitting, I was enjoying my job at a nursing home helping to care for the elderly. At sixteen I dreamed of opening a health food store and promoting a healthy lifestyle, but my future led me to an education in business administration and eventually to the corporate world.
Around 1988 my health started to fail, and over the next two years I became lethargic, my hair fell out in clumps, my memory was failing me, and my heart rate and breathing became shallow and erratic. My doctor, who I visited often in those days kept telling me I was suffering from job stress. In 1990 and in desperation, I made an appointment with Dr. Elisabeth Gold, a new doctor in town who was quick to diagnose me with severely advanced autoimmune thyroid disease. My thyroid was working only one-quarter of what it should have been. A normal TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) reading is anywhere from 0.35 to 4.3, and mine was 74.0. Keeping in mind that the higher the reading, the lower the thyroid function. You can imagine how grateful I was to have found this doctor. We immediately started treatment and slowly but surely, I started to feel better. This experience led me to learn as much as possible about thyroid disease, which has become a special interest of mine.
As I became more knowledgeable and more focused on becoming healthier, I noticed that as I improved my diet, better managed my stress, and made more positive lifestyle changes, I needed less thyroid medication. I will never be able to stop my medication completely but I'm happy knowing I do have a lot of control over my health and how I feel.
Once I regained my health, I eventually left that job and moved on to work in a leadership role for a prominent market research company here in Halifax. Over time, I found my work to be overly regimented and unfulfilling, so at the age of 42, I decided to enroll in the Natural Nutrition Program with The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Initially, it was for my personal interest only, but it didn’t take long to realize this was the area of work I was destined for. This was what I was meant to do.
I graduated in 2004 with an Award of Merit and immediately set up a part-time practice while still working 50+ hours a week in the corporate world. I soon realized that burning the candle at both ends was not what the doctor ordered, and so in
July of 2005 I handed in my resignation and never looked back.
Today, I have a successful full-time consulting practice in association with Ocean Heart Wellness Centre here in Halifax. My life became more meaningful when I started helping others again. I wake up every morning looking forward to going to work, and I feel blessed and grateful every day for this wonderful opportunity I have been given.
