May 8, 2017

Meet Caitlin Samson of True Food and Wellness in Smyrna

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Samson.

Caitlin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Throughout my healing journey I have learned that our bodies want to heal but we must remove the interferences. The food we eat is one thing we can control to reduce the toxic load we are exposed to. You wouldn’t put the wrong kind of fuel in your car, would you? We need to provide our bodies with the right quality of foods to ensure our bodies run smoothly just like the engine in your car.

My health issues go back to when I was 5 years old having joint pain in my hands and feet. Sometimes the pain would radiate up to my knees and elbows. I realized many years later that I had an autoimmune condition, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where my joints were being mistakenly attacked because of a faulty immune system response going on in my body. At the time, I guess I thought this pain was normal. I am here to tell you this was not.

At age 16, I had my gall bladder removed. I felt so much better but years later realized this was a temporary fix. No one had questioned why did this happen to someone so young.

Fast forward about 8 years later and I suffered from digestive issues. I still had the RA pain but attributed this to the running I was doing.

The final straw for me was when I was when I did not get my menstrual cycle for over a year. I went back to my practitioner who said I was probably running too much. This did not make sense to me since I had been running this much for several years now. I had the intuition that something was not going right inside my body.

I was at a loss until my sister told me about a natural health practitioner who was helping her. I trusted my sister and was ready to try anything to feel better. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired! I followed through on the practitioner’s recommendations, which included whole food supplementation and making several modifications to my diet. He was the only one who took a good look at my diet. I told myself, “If this really works, I will physically see the benefit with my menstrual cycle coming back.” Would you believe that in 8 weeks it did?!

What was amazing was that I saw my health transform in more ways than I imagined: no more digestive issues, no more anxiety, no more fatigue, and no more rheumatoid arthritis joint pain! All of these are managed with my lifestyle, not medications. My RA symptoms only return if I venture away from my healthy diet. To me, it is not worth it. I want to feel good and have energy. My experience sparked a fire inside me to learn more about the science of nutrition and how it can help us to heal. I went back to school for my Master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition and now help my clients get their health and lives back! I work with those who have autoimmune conditions, such as RA, as well as those with chronic Lyme disease, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, autism, ADHD, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting your own business is exciting and terrifying at the same time. There have been so many great moments that outweigh the bad, but there have been struggles. My main struggle has been finding my market or “niche.” While I want to help everyone, my passion is for those who have seen several doctors and are looking for a different approach. These are usually the most motivated clients. I have realized the clients that excel are the A and B students.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about True Food and Wellness – what should we know?
True Food and Wellness was named to pay homage to the knowledge that our diets should focus on real, true foods. I help my clients achieve better and optimal health by improving their diets and providing the right support their body needs with supplementation. I am known for helping those with chronic health issues, such as autoimmune conditions, chronic Lyme disease, autism, mental health issues, and women’s health. What I am most proud about with my company is that we truly care about getting people well. We take their symptoms/concerns seriously and work on getting to the root cause instead of masking them. What sets us apart from others is that we use a type of unique testing called Autonomic Response Testing to see what foods may be an issue for that individual and what support their body needs to take the necessary steps to getting well. I have had several clients who have gone from practitioner to practitioner with little success, and using ART has been the missing piece to identifying the real challenges affecting that person’s healing process.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My clients benefit most from me taking my time with them and listening to them. I like to take a holistic approach with my clients to get the full picture on their lives. This of course includes looking at their diet, but also assessing how well they sleep, manage stress, etc. Another essential quality I offer to my clients is that I can relate to what they are going through. Many times, I have experienced the same concern or symptom they have, and I know firsthand the suffering they are going through and that they can feel better. I no longer have any of the health issues I had several years ago. My husband and I are expecting our first baby and my health has never been better. This would not have been possible if I had continued to overlook the root cause of my health issues. The body is amazing and it can heal; we just have to remove the interferences and give it what it needs to run accordingly.

Contact Info: