There was always an issue.

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I didn't grow up a health nut. In fact, I still wouldn't consider myself a health nut, although compared to some-sure.  I ate what I wanted, and dealt with any digestive ramifications as part of life. Gas, bloating, all that GI upset- all just part of what happens when I eat. 

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Until it put me in the hospital. 

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In my 20s my GI issues, which pretty much ran the spectrum up and down my digestive tract, became intolerable. I sought out GI specialists, underwent tests, and was prescribed medication, and yet I found myself frustrated with my question of "OK but what is causing this?!" without ever receiving a concrete explanation. 

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That's when a colleague, who probably has no clue how much she influenced me, spoke to me about her mother, a holistic practitioner, and probiotics. This was the doorway which led to my interest in the holistic health approach, medicinal herbalism, and self reliance. 

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I did some research on my own and altered some of my eating habits, which ended up clearing up most of my GI issues at the time. 

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Wow. 

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For me, eating large meals during in the evening was having a disastrous effect on my stomach. This simple change changed my life. I felt frustrated at the time spent trying to figure out how to fix my symptoms, when this seemed so easy. 

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But, OK. This is not the whole story.

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Eating a lighter meal didn't fix my entire life. But it did show me how I needed a new perspective on health, and that there are options out there other than the one I had grown up relying on. 

Back to School ​

I studied at the Maryland University of Integrative Health, first only planning on working towards a certificate in Herbal Studies. However as I dove into the new world of herbal medicine, I realized how powerful these plants are, and how this forgotten knowledge is needed today. Here's an explanation about the name, Wild Woman Medicine.   I graduated from the Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2014 with a Masters of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism, and plant medicine has changed my life from the beginning.  By giving me healthier options, the medicine we were intended to use, it has reawakened my relationship with the Earth. 

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As most people might, I gravitated towards areas I personally struggled with- at the time I was called toward anxiety and stress-related issues. I knew what it felt like to experience issues with sleep and anxiety, and I wanted to help others find safer alternatives than what I had been prescribed.

 

I Get It. 

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I know what it feels like to be frustrated with the only options that seem to be presented. I also know the feeling of relief, especially when I didn't have much faith that these alternatives would work! 

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I've had students who no longer were coming to school due to their debilitating anxiety, and the intensity of their medications. Yep- been there, too!

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I've been a single mom, busy with 3 kids, who was lucky if she could manage to get a healthy meal in her mouth, let alone a full night of sleep! 

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I keep it real with you. 

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As a person who feels called to acts of service, first as an educator, now as health practitioner, I strive to help others find alternatives they may not have been aware of, by using the gifts nature has provided all along.