Category: Resources

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Keeping Your Rhythm in Balance

I have been away, travelling to the far land of Asheville, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains to attend an herbal conference, Medicines of the Earth 2017. This conference is given yearly, the first weekend of June. Going to Asheville is like coming home to my tribe. After spending the past year practicing largely traditional western/allopathic medicine, it brightens my heart to be among people who are knowledgeable and wise in the use of herbal treatments. If anyone has any doubts about the use of herbal medicine, come to Asheville. Listen with an open mind. Learn how to differentiate and understand the research that is currently happening around the world on plants. Even if you Google an herb, put “NIH” next to your question, and you will get actual research from the National Institutes of Health, not just infomercials. Note, there is a lot of bias in research in general, and herbal medicine specifically since there are generally no herbalists on the panel conducting the research. That said, herbal research is expanding worldwide. Continue reading “Keeping Your Rhythm in Balance”

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Safety with Supplements

Supplements don’t work? It says so on the bottle! “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease.” Isn’t that what it means? Supplements are not overseen by the federal government anyway… so why take them?

This is an age-old adage I intend to dispel. Dietary supplements are heavily regulated by the FDA, and determining a) if a supplement is safe and b) if a supplement can help you can be confusing! I’m here to help. Continue reading “Safety with Supplements”

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Complimentary vs Traditional Medicine: Giving Veterans a choice

I published a great article with Judith L Jones, published April 2015 in Nurses fyi Magazine

American service members and veterans are considering complementary therapies over prescription drugs, and narcotics to help ease depression, stress, and joint pain. Complimentary therapies, (CT), include reiki, meditation, aquatherapy, supplements and acupuncture. These therapies represent the therapeutic relationship between the practitioner and the patient, taking into account the whole person and their lifestyle. Continue reading “Complimentary vs Traditional Medicine: Giving Veterans a choice”

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One Way to Become a Holistic Nurse Practitioner

Once upon a time, about five years ago, I was interested in expanding my role as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at my place of employment at the local Veterans Administration hospital. I work in an outpatient primary care clinic. I wanted to be able to treat my patients more openly with natural/holistic methods. I had always been vocal about holistic healing practices, but I really wanted to come out more in the open with them. Continue reading “One Way to Become a Holistic Nurse Practitioner”