Cranberry ’ s Kimberly Maravich is all about total health . Author of “ 360 Health : Your Guide to Cancer Prevention , Healing Foods , & Total Body Wellness ,” Maravich strives to bring awareness to the masses about healthy living and cancer prevention .
Maravich , 43 , and her husband , Jim , live in Cranberry Township with their two boys , Nathan and Adam — ages 4 and 2 respectively . “ Our family really enjoys living in Cranberry Township ,” she notes . “ We love the proximity to major interstates , shopping and recreation . My sons and I often frequent local parks and playgrounds . The municipality really cares for its outdoor spaces and makes them so welcoming .”
Maravich grew up in McCandless Township and attended North Allegheny High School , graduating with the class of 1993 . She went on to Wittenberg University in Springfield , Ohio , and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English in 1997 . After college , she went to nursing school through Sewickley Valley Hospital School of Nursing , and became a Registered Nurse in 2000 . She also received a master ’ s degree in teaching in 2002 through Chatham University .
“ My career paths have been varied ,” explains Maravich . I worked as an RN at Sewickley Valley Hospital in the cardiac care unit . I later taught second grade in the Pine-Richland School District for 12 years . After the birth of my second son in 2015 , I resigned to stay at home with my sons .”
Throughout nursing school and as a nurse , Maravich loved learning about how the body works and how nutrition can impact one ’ s health . She decided to leave the “ sick care ” environment of the hospital as her interests grew in studying prevention . “ I knew that hospital nursing wasn ’ t for me ,” she says .
Maravich began to write articles for a health and nutrition , user-generated website . “ This was a fun hobby for me and something I enjoyed doing while my sons napped or during some much-needed free time ,” she explains . “ I was able to combine all of my talents — writing , health understanding and teaching .” Many of these articles began to be picked up by other websites and increased her audience , providing further incentive to keep writing .
Maravich wrote about nutrition and superfoods primarily because they were of interest to her . However , during her research , she discovered many of these foods were being studied in regard to cancer prevention . This began her research into “ anti-angiogenic foods .”
“ Angiogenesis is the abnormal blood vessel formation to tumors that occurs when a person develops cancer ,” says Maravich . “ Anti-angiogenic foods can literally turn off blood flow to tumors and stop cancer progression or ward off cancer from occurring in the first place . In fact , the study of epigenetics tells us that 90 to 95 percent of cancers can be avoided . I found this fascinating and wanted to share this information .”
This became the impetus for her book , which was published last August . It starts by looking at cancer prevention from a nutritional stance , but the topic broadens to incorporate other elements of prevention . In addition , the book addresses beneficial supplements , environmental toxins and ways to detoxify the body , lifestyle practices that create robust immunity , cancer screenings , development of second cancers and how to avoid that , and prevention of other major diseases . There are also over 20 recipes incorporating anti-angiogenic and anticancer ingredients and a grocery list .
“ It ’ s my hope that I can help others achieve optimal wellness and provide them with a set of tools and tips that will enable them to ward off disease ,” says Maravich . “ This book is for everyone — those looking to prevent cancer and other diseases , those who ’ ve already been diagnosed , and those interested in optimizing their health and wellness .”
Over the past few months , Maravich has been interviewed on a number of podcasts to help spread the word about cancer prevention . In the upcoming months , she will participate in “ Meet the Author ” events at the Cranberry Public Library and Northland Library . In addition , Maravich has been working with the Healthy Living Director at the Rose E . Schneider YMCA in the hopes of developing a program to share with the community .
For more information , visit kimmaravich . com . Her book “ 360 Health : Your Guide to Cancer Prevention , Healing Foods , & Total Body Wellness ” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions . ■
CRANBERRY ❘ SPRING 2018 17