Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition visits Heartkeep

Last night, I had the joy and privilege of meeting with two delightful people in epicenter of Kentucky’s flood disaster, Hindman, KY. Roy and Debbie Hodson run a non-profit called Heartkeep. Among other activities, they offer mentoring and support to Knott Co Drug Court clients, and a faith-based 12-step meeting. Debbie called me out of the blue yesterday afternoon, having found me on the internet after reading The Mood Cure several years ago. She grew up interested in nutrition, but became fully committed after a strict nutritional protocol restored her to health. She has been wanting to introduce the power of nutritious eating to her clients, but didn’t quite have the language or confidence to do so. But after the flood devastated her community (and we saw some of that devastation!) she was determined to get the word out. It was breaking her heart to see depression, anxiety and despair consuming many people who had lost everything, while they were still mostly feeding their brains with junk food. So she called me.

I was really impressed by her determination, and since I had the afternoon and evening free, my husband and I packed up a picnic dinner, along with pertinent books, the Feeding Recovery flip-book, handouts and a car magnet, and set off through the mountains to Hindman, 90 minutes away. We had a lovely dinner and discovered a lot in common. It turned out that Roy and I had gone to sister colleges, and had even shared a philosophy professor! 

They were delighted to receive the resources and support, and will start sharing it with their clients next week. We even brainstormed some about how to get donations of amino acids, vitamins and protein to their community. If any of you have such resources to share, please let us know.  

Mental Health and Nutrition Blog

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