From Frustration to Fulfillment: My Journey to Holistic Health

The Beginning of the Journey

My path to alternative medicine began around the age of 16. A lifetime of constant illness – ear infections, bronchitis, pain and tension, sinus infections, migraines, digestive problems, and mood disorders – had left me feeling frustrated and hopeless. Traditional medicine offered only a patchwork of temporary solutions, a cocktail of drugs that masked symptoms rather than addressing root causes.

I was diagnosed with a slew of conditions: anxiety, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and even bipolar disorder at some point of my teenage years. The doctors prescribed medications, from NSAIDs and muscle relaxers to Lyrica and potential mood stabilizers. These all felt like a gamble with my mental and physical well-being. A week of Lyrica and I could tell it was turning me into a version of myself that wasn’t me. I declined the Bi-Polar medicine after reading stories of how it made their kids zombies. And eventually ditched the muscle relaxer that made me so tired and unable to retain information in school. Thankfully my mom always let me choose what I put in body and didn’t force medications on me.

The Search for Alternatives

Desperate for other answers, we turned to alternative therapies. My younger sister had a friend whose mom was a massage therapist and health coach. I began Massage, chiropractic care, and even cranial sacral therapy. I was turned onto yoga and pilates, and began journaling and making some dietary lifestyle changes. This is also when I began working with herbs to help when I’d get sick instead of OTC meds and antibiotics. These things provided temporary relief of symptoms but didn't quite address the underlying issues.

The Psoriasis Puzzle

Then came psoriasis, a full-body flare-up that pushed me further down the rabbit hole of alternative health. At first I managed my psoriasis with exfoliation and UV therapy. But it always came back. It was also coupled with intense digestive pain. The salon owner I rented from at the time suggested a parasite cleanse.

A parasite cleanse, while not the solution, led me to discover my intolerance to gluten and dairy. During the parasite cleanse I was told to cut out sugar, alcohol, dairy, gluten, among other things. When I finished the cleanse and began to introduce foods back in. I started feeling awful and began to read the labels of what I was putting back in. Anything with gluten and dairy made me bloat, and have digestive pain. At this point I decided to try cutting out gluten and dairy. These dietary changes marked a turning point. I began to feel a shift, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.

I experimented on my own for a few years, if I ate gluten and dairy regularly my psoriasis and digestive pain would come back.

Finding Balance Through Movement and Spirit

With a raise in vitality I began to lean into practices like breathwork, yoga, hooping, and dancing. I also had begun working with a Peruvian guide going to drum circles, and was introduced to “shamanic journeying” and began uncovering layers of trauma and releasing them. 

A Transformative Lifestyle Shift

In 2017, I made a drastic change. Despite being my own boss as a hairstylist, I was overworked and driven primarily by financial goals. I decided to leave my job and start a new business in the wedding industry, which aligned better with a seasonal lifestyle and gave me freedom to travel.

This period marked a profound shift in my life. I sold my home, moved into a van, and immersed myself in nature. I adopted a sun-centered schedule, spending much of my time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and practicing yoga. Evenings were spent stargazing and singing around fires. Even my work often took place in beautiful natural settings. I cooked almost all of meals from scratch, ditched processed foods and began to eat what was in season. It was during this time that I truly began to feel alive, safe in my body and connected to the world around me.

The Psoriasis Returns, Again

Towards the end of my first year living this way I had began to eat goat cheese and sourdough here and there thinking it was okay, but after a few months of regulary eating my intolerances I broke out in Psoriasis head to toe again. That's when I decided I wouldn't do that to my body again, I wouldn’t ever regularly eat my food intolerances.

However, 2018-2019 I travelled to Baja California and I indulged in some cheese, a flour empanada or tortilla and visited the panderia every now and again. Everyone had told me the gluten was less in the flour there. While I didn't have major symptoms like big digestive pain, or psoriasis and skin issues looking back I had experienced smaller symptoms, indigestion, brain fog, bloating, mild skin breakouts. I actually remember feeling so overly moist and having such bad indigestion that I was doing yogic practices to increase my internal fire. I didn't know at the time those were all symptoms of a food intolerance.

I didn’t really care much because I felt so alive compared to past years.

A Deep Dive into Holistic Healing

Then everything changed. My whole life came crumbling down in Summe of 2019. Returning from Baja, I experienced a series of major changes: divorce, a move to a studio apartment, and the sale of my business.

This period of upheaval prompted a deep inner exploration. Following my heart and signs I had received on my travels, I enrolled in a Remembering Lemuria course, seeking answers and direction. During this time, I began to feel a strong pull towards becoming a "plant ambassador," though I wasn't sure what that meant exactly.

Guided by my mother's intuition and a dream, I discovered Heather Luna and Renee Wade's Medicine Garden Program. There, I immersed myself in herbalism, permaculture, biodynamics and more. During my time in the garden I learned to connect deeply with the earth and learn directly from the plants themselves.

Heather also offered a medical herbalism program, which at first intimidated me. I never had imagined myself as an Herbalist. However, the call became stronger and I eventually decided to take the leap.

Within the first few classes, I realized I was exactly where I was supposed to be. In this program I found a system that integrated and made sense of all my experiences and knowledge I had acquired over the years.

Under Heather and Paul Bergner's guidance, I learned the importance of supporting the body's natural intelligence through nutrition, sleep, nature connection, and spiritual practices. Their emphasis on addressing food intolerances resonated deeply. Of course I also learned how to work with herbs to support vitality and healing.

I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of this approach through the online clinic and within myself and my classmates. My life long chronic symptoms vanished, replaced by a newfound sense of vitality and well-being. I no longer woke up nauseous, my hair was thicker, skin was clearer than ever, my pms lessened, the brain fog lifted, the painful bloating disappeared, and even though I was in one of the hardest transitions in life I was able to keep my mood stable and myself grounded.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Natural World

Through Heather and Paul, I discovered the profound impact of flower and essences. These gentle remedies helped prepare the body for transformation. Inspired by their teachings, I sought deeper knowledge from Marza Millar.

Marza, with her background in water alchemy and extensive experience with flower and gem essences, offered invaluable insights. Her courses deepened my understanding of flower and gem essences and their connection to the Earth's natural forces. We worked with these natural forces and medicine wheel teachings.

I began to understand the interplay of the natural forces within the human body and learned the tools to restore balance.

I also began a deep season of ancestral healing and womb healing within myself. I released patterns of co-dependency, and abandonment with the help of flower essences. This is a apart of the journey I am still deep within integrating and will speak more on later.

A Holistic Perspective

Through years of trial and error, I've discovered that true healing comes from within. That choosing health isn’t just a destination or goal but a lifestyle. By connecting with nature, nourishing my body with whole foods and herbs, and tending to my emotional and spiritual well-being, I've found a sense of balance and vitality that I never thought possible. I’ve began to understand my bodies language, that symptoms are my bodies way of communicating something is off balance. It’s an on going process that comes in waves.

While traditional medicine has its place, my experience has shown me the power of alternative approaches in reclaiming our health and well-being. I invite you to embark on your own exploration, to trust your intuition, and to discover the unique path that leads to your own vibrant vitality.