Cultivating Wellness Through Proper Nutrition and Diet
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Sure. I grew up as a fourth child of a hard-working Italian Father and amazing Polish Mother. Both born in the U.S. So, as “the baby” and trust me it was one, two, three…then years later ME. So, for the most part, my parents had already raised their child. Although loving, I was mostly on my own. Of course, they didn’t realize this, and I was not aware of it until I got older. Thank goodness, I was a good kid and grew up without incident. My Dad worked hard to provide for us, we are a lower idle-class family. Before I was born, my dad had what was called a “huckster truck”. Back in those days, he had a bus with the windows out, filled with fruits and vegetables, and drove through neighborhoods pedaling Produce. At home, we would eat the leftovers, my mom carving off the bad overripe parts. My Grandfather did this with a horse and buggy!
My Dad had chronic heart fatigue and had a number of heart attacks and open-heart surgeries. My mom was the best at nurturing us and the food were unreal! My mom was a great cook, and we grew u with some great ethnic food.
I recall my dad, juice fasting, reading books like the Silva Mind Control Method and driving to our local General Nutrition Center (GNC) when I was a young boy. He would have my mother cook a special way, and I believe this put years on his Life. Although I was 21 when he passed, he was only 59, I learned a lot about Life and Health by observing his journey. The year I was born, he opened an Auto Parts Store. My two brothers went to work, and I joined when I was 13. We worked hard, did not pay, and grew a large business. I slept on a cot in the corner, my two brothers had single beds. My Sister had her own room. When my oldest Brother got married, I got his bed! Yipee!! We grew this Business into a Worldwide entity with 1,000 employees and then sold it to few Fortune 500 companies who appreciated what we built. We were always recognized in our Industry and received countless awards for being the largest and most innovative wholesale auto parts distribution warehouses in the Country. It was unreal!
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
Well, at 38 years old, I ended up in an inpatient Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility. The success from hard work and being in the right place at the right time, I had turned to wine, woman and song and became addicted to a Life of abuse and neglect. At 38, I did not even know who I was! I couldn’t even imagine that my Life took me down this road of Addiction. In the 28 Day inpatient facility, I saw neighbors, old friends, homeless people and Leaders from my Community who I had no idea were recovering. They were happy, healthy, laughing out loud, and doing service work helping people like me who had gone down the wrong road. I wanted what they had! So, I did what they did! I became a student of Alcoholics Anonymous and never looked back! I then traveled the World, studying Spirituality, Natural Health and Wellness. India was special for me! Today, I am 30 years sober, went back for my PhD in Mind-Body Medicine and Integrative Sciences, volunteer in heling others, and have become a Los Angeles Times bestselling Author. Right after rehab and my worldly education and with a BS in Nutrition and a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology, I opened a Wellness Center which eventually became nationally recognized for our work In Integrative Medicine. I was publishing peer-reviewed Journal Articles in Medical Journals, became Co-Founder and Chair of the National Integrative Medicine Counsel, was practicing Meditation and teaching Meditation for Deepak Chopra, and became Ordained as a ley Buddhist Monk, having received the Lamp Transmission from Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Zen Author and Poet, Thich Nhat Hanh. My Life was on Fire, and I was really, really happy!
It has been said that our mistakes can sometimes be our great teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Being so fulfilled being sober, alive, and very well studied in the Healing Arts, I opened Inner Harmony Wellness Center in 1997. I designed clinical protocols using a non-pharmaceutical bio-regulatory Functional Medicine Approach that began getting amazing results. I had a Team of M.D.s, D.O., Naturopathy, Acupuncture, Reiki, Mediation, Therapeutic Massage, Workshops and Seminars and thought the whole town would flock to get the benefits that I had received from being a student and sponge of the above. I ran full page adds in our local newspaper, had a payroll extreme and guess what…nobody came! Well, not enough to stay the Path. Today, I laugh about making that decision, maybe 20 years ahead of my time? A visionary with a good idea can be lethal. Today, that Medicine is only now becoming popular, and I am right sized with a small Team changing lives Worldwide with our amazing Framework we developed. In 3-6 visits, virtual or Live, we remediate most all chronic health conditions. We have a waiting List Practice!
You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Tenacity, Communication, and meeting people where they are at. Staying the Path, being laser focused (through mindful meditation) and working hard were ingrained in me from small. Learning to communicate with an open-heart and Mind are the keys to success. Humble and grateful, it is important for me to allow my clients to know me, hopefully like me, and learn to trust me. Most everyone has a varying perspective and perception of Optimum Health, so we learn to help foster change in people based on their lived understanding. Everyone is respected and treated special in our programs, and my Team is one with this Approach to helping people. We have tons of testimonials, have remediated Cancer, Lyme Disease Autism in many clients over our 29 years of Practice. The holistic approach we have designed is amazing, we are now teaching our Framework to others.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Well, I am finishing an updated version of my book on Recovery called Soul Silence. I am working on a book on our 29-year clinical framework which remediates the core issue of all chronic conditions called The New Medicine: Moving beyond our Crisis of Perception and am launching a TV Show on Gnostic TV called the DR. Peter Amato Show. Finally, we are offering Mastery Level Trainings on our 29 years of practice that “peels the onion” in 3-6 visits with our cellular resonant quantum physics rooted therapies. Light years beyond blood work! We believe we can obsolete Medicine if we could get the attention of the people who see this as a good idea! Oh, and one last Project, this year we developed a Program and implemented a social and emotional learning program in Public Schools in Pennsylvania. We taught about 400 teachers, social workers, guidance counselors and now about 2,000 children practice Mindfulness twice a Day. We are excited about our first round of Research coming out in May! The Administrators are saying it is a huge success! We hope to take this program National!
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about cultivating wellness through proper nutrition and diet. To begin, can you tell our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the topic of nutrition?
For many years I was vegetarian, vegan and a healthy eater. I have been juicing for over 45 years. I saw how nutrition gave my dad extra years. Today we have so many plans - keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, plant-based, grass fed, whole food, Mediterranean, etc. I test each client for their exact nutritional needs. Unfortunately, all our food, air and water sources are contaminated. The soil is depleted, the air is filled with aluminum, the animals are fed glyphosate, and the water is heavy metal and fluoride laden. One recent research study indicates that 95% of the people in the U.S urinate glyphosate (Roundup)! Our clients want to be tested for their “exact nutritional needs.” Detoxification has become more important than nutrition. We have an epidemic of designer diseases; chronic infections and heavy metal toxicants that do not show up on traditional blood tests. We find parasites, mold, bacteria, yeast, viruses and retroviruses as the root cause of all health issues. We get to the root cause, while eliminating symptoms. We have learned that people can only get sick for three reasons! Toxins, allergens, and deficiencies! Getting to the root and targeting through our advanced testing guarantees results! Why? Because through our advanced Testing, your body tells us what is wrong! And after 29 years, we know how to rapidly bring you back to optimum Heath. Three to Six visits!
We all know that it's important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, etc. But while we know it intellectually, it's often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?
We all suffer from the power of denial. That is why we provide Coaching with all client programs to help people move beyond old thinking and antiquated beliefs. We all must move beyond the Story we tell our Self. We learn what is the cause of avoidance to “follow our direction, create new habits, and stay the path”. With our 3- and 6-month Programs, people are guided to shift, stay awake and aware and make new and different choices. Education, Lifestyle and practicing some form of quieting the Mind and moving towards a refined work-life balance, and detoxifying our body, Mind, and environment are key.
From your professional perspective, do you believe that nutrition plays a pivotal role in supporting the body's natural healing processes and overall well-being, particularly in cases of chronic diseases? We're interested in hearing your insights into the connection between a holistic approach to diet and its benefits for individuals facing health challenges.
Nutrition is only one factor in many. We use a Circle of Life Approach to Heath. We work through 8 areas of Life that affect our Health. Physical health, mental/emotional health, dental health and environmental health are equally as important as the choices regarding diet and nutrition. We see it as Lifestyle Medicine! The root cause of the issues in our tissues are many! Your body and mind give us the answers, we are just good readers of your Map! We have been blessed with a framework that “peels the layers of unhealthiness” by our A, B, C methodology, unveiling your issues and teaches you how to move into a new robust chapter of your Life Story!
Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your research or experience could you share with us five examples of foods or dietary patterns that have demonstrated remarkable potential in preventing, reducing, or managing specific health conditions? If you can, it would be insightful if you could provide real-life examples of their curative properties.
Unfortunately, for me the only way I would be guaranteed precision and accuracy is to test each individual for exactly what they need. Beyond bias, and so many experts, our testing methodology targets root cause of issues as well as optimum food and nutrition for each person. Other than fresh and organic, everything changes for each person past that. For example, we have over 15 different meal plans in our office for clients. We just test! Not guess. Precision and target, your physiology tells us.
Do experts generally agree that merely choosing healthy foods isn't sufficient, but that understanding how to consume them is key to unlocking their full health benefits? (For example, skins on/off, or cooked/raw, or whole grain/refined grain) Could you provide advice on how to approach this and sidestep common errors or misconceptions?
We are purists, we believe in testing everything. So, we teach people to test at home. Then nobody guesses? Beyond that you will hear many voices and many experts!
With the recent prominence of nutrition's integration into healthcare, what's your perspective on the collaborative approach between medical professionals, health coaches, and nutrition experts when it comes to delivering holistic patient care? Can you please explain?
Well, that will be interesting. The Truth is Healthcare is obsolete and truly just a disease management system. Traditional medical education is designed to treat healthcare professionals how to address symptoms, not the root cause and certainly not from a comprehensive and holistic view of functionality. The mind-body connection, the uniqueness of each individual is certainly not even a consideration. Wellness and prevention are not even on radar. Pharmaceuticals are toxic and synthetic. Studies report that more people die from medicine than disease!
The truth is with “the New Medicine” that we have been crafting for 29 years, can remediate most all health issues, if people choose to engage in our type of healthcare. In other words, does our cellular resonant biophoton therapy read your cells long before you get sick? If you have symptoms, with one test and within one hour, we will know the root cause of the impedance or toxin or imbalance. Your cells hold the future story. The current system was designed as a financial model rather than a preventative healthcare system. We utilize organic plant-based nutraceuticals and often detox clients from toxic pharmaceuticals that only provide a reductionist approach rather than the uniqueness of a whole-person whole care approach.
Imagine the house of cards, if nobody got sick! Just think of the economy if we did not need as many hospitals, medical education shifted to rapid training for chronic conditions rather than our disease management system causing our lived epidemic of poor health. The health insurance industry, big pharma! We all see the rift of the AMA, FDA, and Big Pharma. This Rockefeller medicine has been causing us to get sicker and sicker based on its design! My upcoming book: The New Medicine: Moving Beyond our Crisis of Perception will take a look at the power of our denial as a civilization and how we sold our soul out over the last few decades.
It's been suggested that using 'food as medicine' has the potential to reduce healthcare costs by preventing disease severity. However, there's concern about the affordability of healthier food options. What solutions do you believe could make nutritious choices accessible to everyone, ensuring that food truly becomes a form of medicine for all?
Food as medicine refers to the spectrum of programs aimed at addressing that critical link between nutrition and health. Highly nutritious foods are an important part of bolstering the whole health of a community, which includes the treatment and prevention of diet-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Half of the adults in our country have one or more preventable diseases. This is a huge problem. Many of those diseases are related to poor nutrition. The quality of our food is paramount to our health! No one Diet or meal plan is for everyone. Much of our food is laden with either heavy metals or glyphosate (Roundup) and so many eat processed food. We test each client for their optimum food choices, as well as what nutraceuticals (plant-based pharmaceuticals) they may need to complement their bioregulation and homeodynamics!
Everyone's body is unique, and what works for one might not work for another. How does one navigate the vast array of nutritional advice available today to curate a diet tailored to individual needs, ensuring health and longevity?
With the New Medicine framework practiced for 29 years at our Inner Harmony Wellness Center we use advanced methodological testing to target the uniqueness of every individual in developing a precision nutritional protocol for that induvial in that one hour visit with us. In other words, your physiology and neurology tell us what each person needs regarding food as well as nutraceuticals to balance any deficiencies within the individual. We have devised the most miraculous testing methodology that we feel could obsolete our current medicine!
As our understanding of the intricate link between food and health continues to evolve, we're curious to know which emerging trends or breakthroughs in nutritional science excite you the most. How do you envision these advancements shaping the future of healthcare?
As a pioneer in the field of Integrative, Functional and Quantum Bioregulatory Medicine, we have been shaping and developing clinical protocols utilizing organic plant-based nutraceutical’s exclusive to each individual. Sugar and wheat are the largest culprits in our society, processed food, and dairy products for some people. Organic, plant-based, grass-fed, grass finished, and wild caught fish are the best choices in general along with some healthy omega oils. We are also getting great results with peptides in our practice to enhance longevity and anti-aging. Oxidative stress and targeting inflammation have now become simpler with our clinical protocols as a result of the nutraceutical advancements in formulation of synergistic products. As more people awaken to the shortfalls of our current FDA food pyramid, and shift their perception, we can continue to get healthier. I believe education, individuality, and precision testing will gain ground over time.
How can we better educate the public about the medicinal properties of food, and what role professionals like you play in this educational journey?
The internet is filled with information and some good journal articles. There is no one silver bullet, because we are all different. That is cellular resonant testing is guaranteed to give the information to be precise on individual food and nutrition. Inner Harmony Wellness is offering Master Classes online and Holistic Healthcare Certification Mastery at our Retreat in Pennsylvania.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
To learn more about my work, classes, certifications and Retreats, check out innerharmonywellness.com and harmonymountaininstitute.com. Follow my online TV show on gnosticliving.com. You could even call Inner Harmony Wellness Center at 570-319-6073 for a FREE 30 Minute Phone Consult with one of our Lead Holistic Health experts! Thank you so much!
