It’s Nice to Meet You

Hi, I’m Reiko (“ray-ko”), founder of Rocket Nutrition, and my passion is helping people with chronic digestive issues to eat without fear and be able to trust their body again. I’m so glad you’re here because I know first-hand how difficult it can be to live with daily digestive symptoms, and how frustrating and disappointing it is to be tossed from one practitioner to another, getting your hopes up with each new treatment only to be let down repeatedly. I also know how much you want to feel better and get your life back because I’ve been there too. My own journey to wellness started in a young girl’s imagination.

Everyone Has Childhood Fantasies

My dream was to have the superpower of curing any illness with the blink of an eye. While other 8-year-olds were busy playing with Cabbage Patch Kids and GI Joes, what captivated me was a different kind of doll, The Visible Man. Well, it’s not really a doll, it’s more of an anatomy kit. But it was my favorite toy. Exploring the nervous system. Painting the organs. Reading the “Introduction to Anatomy” study guide. You know, the usual 8-year-old kid stuff. So, I studied the human body and made plans for attending medical school and becoming a doctor.

Things Changed

By the time I started college, however, things had changed. I was struggling with digestive problems — stress of any kind would send me running for the bathroom, and reflux was my constant companion. I made my way through the conventional medicine model, but after countless tests, I was told there wasn’t anything wrong with me and the only treatment prescribed was acid blocking medication. Not knowing the problems the medication would cause me down the road, I took it faithfully for years. Still, I felt no better. And, I was highly disappointed by the care I had received by my doctors. They rarely spent more than a few minutes with me, and didn’t seem interested in helping me figure out what was really wrong. Disillusioned by my experience with medical care, I abandoned my dream of becoming a doctor, settled for a business degree and tried to accept that I would likely be dealing with IBS for the rest of my life.

And Changed Again

While working in the adrenaline-fueled advertising industry over the next decade, I stopped listening to my body and didn’t notice how much more debilitated I was becoming. Then, with my first pregnancy, the need for superpowers actually kicked in: I realized that I was going to have to start taking better care of myself. Drained of energy, with daily abdominal pain and an ever shrinking diet, I spent the next few years focusing on not just feeling better, but trying to resolve my gut dysfunction for good. What I found was a completely new landscape of healthcare, with many different types of holistic practitioners offering services aimed at solving health issues at the root level. In my quest for wellness, I tried them all and ultimately came to realize that the food we eat sets the foundation for our health.

It wasn’t long before the idea of working with people at this fundamental level of wellness reignited my passion for helping others to overcome illness at its core and feel well again. So I channeled that inner 8-year-old girl, dug out my trusty Visible Man doll and got down to work on a master’s degree in science and nutrition. I attended Bastyr University, a pioneer in natural medicine, recognized internationally for its rigorous, science-based curriculum. I studied in-depth the chemistry of the human body and learned how to empower others to grow and change at a deep level.

I then used my newfound insights to learn how to nurture and nourish myself, bringing clarity so I could identify foods that triggered my symptoms and expand my diet while feeling better and more in control of my body.

Magical Healing Superpowers, at Last!

Well, not quite. But I do feel gratitude every day to be lucky enough to have a career that allows me to share my super-enthusiasm for food and nutrition with others. And I am so thankful to now be able to trust my body, and feel free to follow my dreams and create the life that I want. And it is my greatest pleasure to help you to do the same.