As a practicing herbalist for well over 30 years, I have been a student of plant medicines, honoring their gifts for healing body, mind and spirit. There are plants that restore physical health, others with more affinity for mental health, and of course the revered spirit medicines. These potent allies have been stewarded by plant […]
As human knowledge through science matures, humans are discovering both the interconnection and interdependence of our external and internal ecology. Validating the poetic and rhythmic medicine of our ancestors. For thousands of years, we secured our survival on this planet by respecting and observing our environment. Even recognizing an invisible life force in everything around […]
Be forewarned, this is NOT another typical article on the importance of washing your hands and not touching your face, with the looming danger of the coronavirus. As an avid researcher and geek in genetics, microbiology, and Environmental Medicine, I am super curious about this “new virus” and what solutions and problems lie ahead I prefer […]
This month I have been interviewed for a few different summits and podcasts, all on the topic of hormone balance. One of the main questions that I was frequently asked was, in my experience, what is the best way to test hormones? As a practitioner trained in Functional medicine lab analysis, I see that there […]
Did you know there is a microbe that regulates your weight and your insulin? As you know, we have trillions of microbes that live in and on our bodies, and we are simply a host to a unique ecosystem. But until recently we only knew about a few of these fascinating invisible creatures. The ones we could culture […]
What are Blue Zones? Explorer, Earth trekker, researcher and journalist, Dan Buettner partnered with National Geographic in 2005 to investigate human longevity in relation to geography. The outcome from over five years of research was the premise of “blue zones,” the communities on the planet with the largest population of healthy centenarians (people who live to […]
There has been plenty of research about the microbiome and vaginal birth. No doubt, if you just google it and you will be flooded with NCBI reports and other studies. That being said, I am happy to share some of the fascinating highlights of microbiome transfer via vaginal birth, before we talk about lesser known […]
We have come a long way in the US, where only a couple generations ago, new mothers were not encouraged to breast feed their babies. Although breast feeding is an obvious function for all mammals, (actually it is the function that defines the term “mammals”), humans walk the confusing path, muddied by our determination to […]
I confess that I am an “ultra-learner” in everything related to medicine. In my quest to combine the ancestral wisdom of Ayurveda with the technologically advanced modern medicine, such as Functional Medicine, I have created a conundrum in describing “what I do.” I have watched colleagues attempt to introduce me to others, literally trip over […]