About Us

by Earthwalker | Jun 22, 2009 | About PT | 11 comments

Planet Thrive was created by Julie Genser–photographer, writer and certified holistic health counselor–whose life was derailed by extensive food and chemical sensitivities brought on by multiple exposures to environmental toxins. Aside from the typical assaults we all experience in a lifetime, she was exposed to a broken mercury thermometer in her late 20s, toxic fumes in a garbage dump fire during a photography workshop in her early 30s, the harmful fumes (and emotional trauma) from the World Trade Center fires of 9/11, mold resulting from a flood in her apartment in 2003, and she recently tested positive for Lyme bacteria, which she believes is a 35+ year infection underlying all of her other health challenges.

Through the typical path of the heavy metal poisoned and chemically injured, it took years of being misdiagnosed, mismedicated, and dismissed by doctors for her to recognize her set of symptoms as part of a much larger problem. She attended The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2001-2002, which started her on her healing path. The growth of the Internet around this time eventually allowed her to connect with others on a similar journey to share personal experience and hard-earned knowledge. Little by little, she learned.

This website emerged out of an undying hope to use her years of research and personal experiments with diet, supplements, chelation and other alternative practices to help others in their search for health. This website is meant to fill in the gaps that she found during her online research, and to complement existing sources of information and support.

A few important things Julie has learned above everything else:

One must always remain at the helm of their own personal care
There is no magic bullet–never put blind faith into one doctor or treatment
What works for one does not always work for another–due to variability of individual biochemistry, and many other factors
What works for one may change over time–re-evaluate your treatment plan every now and again
Never give up hope

Julie recently left the East Coast to explore chemical free living in Arizona. She finds great joy in tribal bellydance and arabic hand-drumming, and in discovering new paths to wellness.

Supporting Julie

Sometimes people contact Julie wanting to send her gifts like CDs, books, and other things. Unfortunately, due to her chemical and mold sensitivities, she is unable to accept material gifts. If you would like to support Julie with a cash gift, you can send to her at her PayPal account ([email protected]). Julie does not make any personal income from running this website and community; any profits go directly into running the site. Julie will use any cash gifts for her lyme and mold illness treatment, as well as daily living needs. Your kind intentions are so appreciated. xxx

Related Professional Training

NUTRITION

graduate of the Professional Training Program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, NYC 2002
certified as a Holistic Health Counselor by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) 2002

WRITING

worked as a copywriter for Aveda, a beauty and lifestyle company with a sustainability mission, as well as other private clients with a holistic focus 2001-2004

INTERIOR DESIGN | SPACE PLANNING

completed the Ecovillage and Permaculture Design Certificate Program at Lost Valley Educational Center, Dexter, Oregon 2004
accepted into the Intensive Semester in Sustainable Architecture at ECOSA Institute in Prescott, Arizona 2004 (Due to the emergence of severe Chemical Sensitivities from local conditions, Julie unfortunately had to leave this program after the first month.)
Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and Analysis / Interior Design from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 1988

MARKETING | BUSINESS

graduate of Marie Forleo’s Rich, Happy and Hot B-School, 2011

updated May 27, 2009

Author

Earthwalker

Earthwalker is the username that PT founder Julie Genser created for her online interactions so many years ago when first creating Planet Thrive.

Julie's (Earthwalker's) life was derailed over twenty years ago when she had a very large organic mercury exposure after she naively used a mouth thermometer to measure the temperature of just-boiled milk while making her very first pizza at home. The mercury instantly expanded into a gas form and exploded out the back of the thermometer right into her face. Unaware that mercury was the third most neurotoxic element on Earth, Julie had no idea she had just received a very high dose of a poisonous substance.

A series of subsequent toxic exposures over the next few years -- to smoke from two fires (including 9/11), toxic mold, lyme disease, and chemical injuries -- caused catastrophic damage to her health. While figuring out how to survive day-to-day, and often minute-to-minute, she created Planet Thrive to help others avoid some of the misdiagnoses and struggles she had experienced.

She has clawed her way over many health mountains to get to where she is today. She is excited to bring the latest iteration of Planet Thrive to the chronic illness community.

In 2019, Julie published her very first cookbook e-book called Low Lectin Lunches (+ Dinners, Too!) after discovering how a low lectin, gluten free diet was helping manage her chronic fascia/muscle pain.
View all posts

← Prev: Simmering extracts in combination Next: Our Mission →

11 Comments

Hellis Hill on November 23, 2009 at 12:47 pm

It’s wonderful to find such a resource on the internet for those who are struggling to find answers to their health problems and can feel so isolated and overlooked by mainstream society.

We are the ‘yellow canaries’ who are feeling the first effects the overwhelming toxicity in our environment. Let’s hope that society wakes up to how we are polluting our planet, food supply etc. before everyone becomes ill.
George Morris on September 27, 2010 at 8:08 am

We need to have a system of medicine based on keeping people healthy through education and empowerment. And that means teaching young and old that they can maintain their health and help themselves to prevent disease through foods, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle choices. The public needs an incentive to make proper choices on an individual basis. They need to see the positive and negative effects of these choices. “Research Technology” can provide to an individual the “yardstick” to measure health change between “Time A – (the present) and Time B – (after intervention). We can reduce disease burden.
Lawrenz on December 21, 2010 at 9:21 pm

have come up with a low cost toxic free structure/really low cost (invented by gov’t)/ that doubles as a greenhouse / firm believe that the air with in any building has to be recycled for optimum health / also this structure has the ability to act as a barrier for radioactive toxins and Electromagnetic pollution that is ever increasing on a daily basis…rapid deployment no months and months of construction…anyone interested email me …first step in a toxic free habitat…next step is
Arnold Mann on April 21, 2011 at 3:47 pm

I have been writing about medicine for 25 years. Ten years for Time Magazine. Wrote a series of cover stories for Time and USA Weekend on Toxic mold. I’ve recently completed a book about Environmental Illness/MCS.

Title: They’re Poisoning Us!
From The Gulf War to the Gulf of Medicine.

I’d like to have the publicist email you the media kit. Is there an email address she could mail it to?

Sincerely,
Arnold Mann
Barbara (FurAndFeathers) on May 3, 2011 at 12:48 am

I am so grateful to have found a website that integrates the multiple symptoms that I have been living with for years. I completely agree that I am the only truely responsible party in my quest for health. Although I am not willing to close my mind to traditional treatments, I hope to choose the most natural and least toxic methods of achieving a stronger body and a clearer mind.
I am a member of The Global Indoor Health Network, an association of advocates for non-toxic living environments.
Alexis Rotella on May 24, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Dear Fellow Traveler:

I love the way you designed your website. Any chance you can help me get mine so where it is user friendly?
I am a poet/artist (haiku and japanese forms) and the author of PURPLE, the poem. If you do this sort of thing, I would love to hear from you, or perhaps you can recommend someone.

I am an acupuncturist/nutritionist, student of Klinghardt
and Bob Marshall of Premier Research Labs and have been working on Lyme and its buddies for a number of years.

Wishing you splendid health,

Alexis Rotella
Susan on May 23, 2012 at 11:16 pm

So much good energy emanating from this website!
Victoria Manga on September 12, 2019 at 5:13 am

Hello Julie
My daughter 11yrs old has Lyme disease. I was reading in Healing Lyme by Stephen Harrod Huhner you have a website with practitioners listed. I can’t seem to find that website. Can you please let me know how to find that information.
earthwalker on September 12, 2019 at 7:07 am

Hi Victoria,
The website is http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/ and the direct link for the practitioners page is: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/resources/herbalists/. It may be outdated, as we have not added anyone in several years but is a good starting point. Best, Julie
Evelyn Rosenberg on November 30, 2019 at 11:51 pm

Hi, was diagnosed with lyme disease, but after taking antibiotics im still suffering joint and muscle pain. In addition, one of my most bothersome symptom is a heaviness in my legs, a swelling feeling that I must elevate them otherwise they feel like they’ll explode. Strange. Can anyone relate to this symptom? :(
earthwalker on December 2, 2019 at 10:59 am

Hi Evelyn,
If you want to discuss your symptom experience with others, I encourage you to join our social network and start a discussion in our forum: http://planetthrive.ning.com/. Best, Julie