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Cover – Kimberly Burns of Sensory Intuition and SaraBay Real Estate

Kimberly Burns

A Process that Leads to Health, Wellness, and Success

By Nicole Carbon

Photography by James Corwin Johnson

Sitting across from Kim Burns, you’d never know just a short time ago she was suffering from debilitating pain and was afflicted with illness. What you see today is shiny blonde hair, a slim fit build, and ample agility. Looking to be all of about 35 years-old, the surprise continues when I learn she is a grandmother of three healthy boys.

Through her young adult years, Kim watched her mother suffer from a multitude of ailments that had been similarly developing, unbeknownst her. She believes it started at birth with musculoskeletal issues resulting in having to wear bars on her feet and special shoes to keep them from turning until the age of five. Beginning in her teenage years, a clicking in her hip and digestive issues was a constant. The resolution to these symptoms was never met through doctors or specialists. Lists of diagnoses piled on as the pain continued.

Kimberly Burns [1]

Kim began working in the healthcare industry at an early age and continued in her career to become a certified nursing assistant then studied to become an occupational therapist. The work she had begun in the healthcare industry at this young age would later become beneficial on her own path to wellness and in helping that of others.

Kim’s mom, who she referred to as “a cat with nine lives,” had lived through Polio and near death automobile accidents and started having health issues after a tetanus shot. The treatment was steroids and pain medication. The steroids caused more problems and the health complications and prescription medications snowballed from there. This was due in part because root issues were not being addressed and the proper tests to diagnose the core problem were not being conducted. Following doctors orders, Kim’s mother continued on prescribed medicines and turned to every quick-fix remedy she knew. Kim watched her mother go through these illnesses and was exposed to just about every self-help cure out there. Nothing seemed to work.

Kim’s work as an occupational therapist lent her the experience of working with a broad array of people and ailments, both young and old with issues ranging from autism to dementia. While working clients through occupational therapy, she taught patients how to be capable to do daily activities on their own. Whatever physical task that seemed too far out of reach, she would guide them through the process of attaining their goals.

She believes that, “You can change your body, even in old age. The right treatment choices and follow through can stimulate regeneration.”

Kim worked full-time even though she had to deal with daily chronic pain. Raising two daughters as a single mom with very little support and a lot of conflict left little time to tend to her own self-care. Alternatively, unhealthy lifestyle choices were used as a coping mechanism and crutch to handle life’s ups and downs and to numb the pain of health problems occurring during this time in her life.

After over 20 years of multiple inflictions, her mother was diagnosed as having Reactive Arthritis, a painful form of inflammatory arthritis triggered by bacteria and arises from the gene HLA-B27. This is typical of this gene and its symptoms. It took Kim over 10 years as well to get a diagnosis and understand the relationship between her illnesses and the gene. There is no single laboratory test for diagnosing this type of inflammatory disease. The HLA-B27 genetic marker is commonly found among this disease classification of Spondyloarthropathy. What makes this even more difficult to manage is that instead of seeing this disease through a whole body approach, treatment is directed toward the specific body area(s) inflamed or affected.

Being too reliant on medication and not wanting to end up crippled like her mother, a shift occurred along with a deeper look into the gene and the ailments that began at birth. The pieces of the puzzle started to come together.

Kimberly Burns [2]

The first major change that took place was eliminating gluten and most medications from her diet. It was later discovered that starch, lactose and sugar aggravates HLB-B27 symptoms. Additionally, increasing alternative treatments like massage therapy and acupuncture, were added to her self-guided treatment plan. This was expensive and not sustainable. So the self-taught work continued with electrical stimulation, kinesio-taping and hot/cold modalities being utilized daily.

Wanting to understand what was causing her mother’s and her own difficulties with leg swelling she studied the Lymphatic System and became Lymphedema Certified. This helped her to understand the relationship between the circulatory system and the lymphatic system.

A Yoga Certification for rehabilitation assisted in learning proper breathing, posture, and exercises to correct alignment and joint-related issues. Proper breathing plays a vital role to good health. “If you can control your breath, you can influence control over your body.” Kim explains diaphragmatic breathing techniques will stimulate calming and increased oxygen utilization as well as aide in detoxification as opposed to chest breathing, which stimulates the fight or flight response and upsets the nervous system taxing the organs. With diaphragmatic breathing, you can help the nervous system influence relaxation of the internal organs and heart.

Still not enough to end all of the ailments, chiropractic care and laser treatment came next along with months of self- rehabilitation exercises. Through doing this work, she learned that the thyroid issues were caused by a condition called forward head posture, which is a result of the spine being out of alignment and forcing the head forward compressing the thyroid. This was something medication could not fix.

Knowing it’s a continual process, and while not completely free of pain, Kim does the mindful daily work which includes following a specific, healthy food-style, yoga and spinal exercises, practicing proper breathing, and uses proactive tools such as ice packs for inflammation and wearing compression stockings if her day involves standing for an extended amount of time.

Kimberly Burns [3]

“It’s daily attention. You have to attend to every aspect every day. The research I have done, and continue to do, changed things in a positive way and brought me to a place of healing.” You can often find her in the kitchen making homemade coconut milk as an alternative to dairy, which is an allergen for some. “I’m cooking and food processing all the time.”

She advises swapping out foods that may cause sensitivities. Instead of butter, use the clarified form known as Ghee. “Always, read ingredients so you know what is going into your body.” Purium organic products are what she uses daily. After lacking energy for a long time, Kim reports the super dense green nutrition products have restored her ability to participate in life’s activities with less fatigue.

Along with her extensive healthcare background and certifications, Kim took these self-taught skills and shares the knowledge of her journey to help people improve their own quality of life through her company Sensory Intuition. As a personal healthcare consultant, she addresses clients’ needs for pain and disease management, weight loss or addiction, and leads the way to becoming healthy and fit. Services offered include yoga rehabilitation, healthcare consulting, and massage therapy with techniques including manual lymph drainage/lymphatic massage, manual therapy, facial rejuvenation, and posture work.

Stepping into the Real Estate industry was an easy transition as many of the skills required are tied to ones she has attained through her collective work leading up to present day. Seeing clients as more than consumers wanting to buy or sell a house is a huge portion of the role. As a therapist she was taught to see the client as a whole versus in parts. It is a trait she excels at through her experience in healthcare working with a broad range of people. She translates the work as an occupational therapist to, “the job of living,” and that directly carries over into real estate, finding and selling places to live.

“In the healthcare world, you have to be your own advocate, take your health into your own hands,” Kim stresses. This can also relate to the real estate world with all the options there are for buying and selling. “Learn what questions to ask, research, and get second or third opinions. Never stop learning.”

Kimberly Burns [4]

Kim is extending her medical knowledge with educational sessions offered to fellow real estate agents that pertain to health-related issues working in the field. She’ll share small daily changes that can be made, like exercises to undo the damage of wearing high-heeled shoes. Proper posture is another important factor when working in high-end luxury real estate. She explains how you carry and present yourself is a crucial part of the process to be successful. You have to exude confidence and this can’t be achieved if you don’t have proper posture.

Just like swapping out food items for healthier choices, when working in real estate you also have to modify and adapt to a client’s individual wants and needs, being knowledgeable, offering alternatives and finding solutions. It’s about recognizing the interconnected aspects of a person or situation.

“I create a calm and healthy atmosphere for clients in a busy and stressful time. I understand the client as being holistic, guiding them through the real estate experience while taking the well-being of the whole person into account to make it a stress free process.”

A wellness program is also offered to Realtors that want to improve their business by changing their health and the way they look at things. It incorporates strategies that involve making a daily intent to make positive changes and committing to learning. Clients learn about the spine and lymphatic system, proper breathing techniques, healthy food choices, and exercises. Also included is marketing strategies to build your business through self-confidence. It’s an all-around approach to making small changes every day that lead to noticeable improvements.

Kim is a walking health and wellness encyclopedia. Her career path has come full-circle and continues to evolve. Today she’s happy and managing her wellness naturally. She wants to share the information she’s worked so hard to attain. You can gain access to this invaluable information through her business endeavor, Sensory Intuition, and by working with her in real estate at SaraBay Real Estate–she’s a Realtor who’s bringing a lot more to the table than just buying and selling homes.

Kimberly Burns
(215) 499.0444

SaraBay Real Estate
KBurns@SaraBay.com [5]
www.SaraBay.com [6]

Sensory Intuition
Kim.Burns@SensoryIntuition.com [7]
www.SensoryIntuition.com [8]
www.MyPurium.com/KimBurns [9]

Kim’s REAL Cover Story Styling By:
Styled by Becca Z. Towery, We’ve Got Style
Hair by Puli Cordani, Ana Molinari
Makeup by Carissa Garrettson, Ana Molinari
Attire by Foxy Lady

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