Curious about my health routine, lifestyle secrets that make my life run smoothly and other random facts? Check out a Q & A with me on Be Well in LA.

On May 22, 2012, I will mark 20 years as a cancer survivor. I celebrated the eve of this holiday awaiting the status of a thyroid nodule. In this sterile ENT office, visits from 3 ghosts illuminated the lessons taught by my “demons” of the last 2 decades.

The Ghost of Cancer Future

I’m not into fear tactics. No one needs more stress in their life. However, there are secret weight-loss saboteurs in your kitchen that can easily be fixed. On my latest NBC segment, I reveal five simple steps to detox your kitchen.

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

Longer days, sunshine, blossoms, fresh smells, headlines and inquiries about detoxing. These are all signs of spring to me. It seems we wish to match our environment—to feel as weightless as the returning robins and the newly budding blossoms. We desire to feel as clean as the uniquely fresh spring air and dew.

Fresh starts are motivating. Finishing transforms you. In the middle lies the personal growth that shows up as sweat, stretching yourself and adventure. Every day, small choices are a gradual and sustainable opportunity to leap towards your health goals and over your limits.  Adding a green smoothie to a meal, chewing your meal versus inhaling it, or calling in a mental health day are small (yet courageous) actions. Over time, these actions have a much bigger impact than a 4-day juice fast or 2 weeks of extreme dieting.

I was exhausted and uninspired. This was the time leading up to my hypothyroid diagnosis in July 2010. Exercise was becoming less frequent and my enthusiasm for work projects plummeted. I was slowing down, feeling ineffective. Why? Perhaps my body had just caught up with my mind, where all of the changes of the past five years still reeled.

When I make a decision or try to understand “why”, I invite multiple perspectives, including astrology. I’m not talking about daily horoscopes but rather, what the major planets are doing. The presence of sunshine makes me a completely different person, so why wouldn’t the other cosmic weather?

My Dad was a health and phys ed teacher in the Pittsburgh Public schools. Many of his students mirrored his own upbringing in the projects; he was able to connect with them because he understood their language.

Last week, I explained my process to manage my hypothyroid diagnosis. My integrated doctor agreed to work with me on a natural approach and guided me in making specific lifestyle decisions. I addressed my thyroid, the butterfly shaped gland which influences hormones and metabolism, on three different levels: diet, environment and lifestyle.

Here’s some hysterical and heart-warming praise from my client MT. She was as much fun to work with as she sounds. Be prepared to be entertained!

1. What were your eating habits before our work together?

Easily every doctor or nutritionist's worst nightmare: Caramel Macchiato for breakfast; turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch (if I had time); and a block of cheese or nachos for dinner (and that's only if I hadn’t eaten whatever was left around my office after a meeting).  And at Girl Scout Cookie time, there was nothing like a 9pm dinner of Thin Mints.

2. What was eating you?