I became on Herbalist in 2008. That Summer I also contracted Lyme Disease. It was quite a primer into the world of natural medicine and can easily be compared to being a new driver at a NASCAR race. Strap on in!
The reason I began the journey to understand natural approaches to health has many layers, but mostly because I intuitively knew there was a better way and like many things in my life, I came into it organically (pun intended) and from the ground up, instead of a traditional way through a degree in Herbology. By rote if you will. My father was an avid subsistence gardener and my grandmother was an avid ornamental gardener, so you could say my thumbs were green and my nails were dirty from a very young age. Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s in rural NH there wasn’t much else to do but be outside and roam around the woods looking for trees to climb, rocks to balance on, and multiple ways to create a see-saw with whatever I could find. I searched for frogs and salamanders, scurried through fern-filled intermittent streams, and found grace in the natural world. It can teach us a lot about ourselves.
Lyme is not fun, but it can be well-managed. In my experience the hardest part is to get a diagnosis. I was told I had TMJ and was suggested antibiotics (what??). I was told it was a follicle infection and was put on bactrim. I felt like I was hit by a truck, but where the heck is the truck? I soon advocated for myself and asked for a test and low and behold, it came back positive. I went the conventional route and ended up a year later feeling terrible. Antibiotics carry with them diminishing returns. I was done with that and soon concentrated on a more sustainable approach using herbs, mushrooms, and other more natural approaches that also offered other health benefits. To this day I use diet, herbs, and medicinal mushrooms to manage and maintain my health as well as advocate their use in my practice and help others along their Lyme journeys.
I will soon be offering a class on these interventions and how anyone can find balance with a chronic dis-ease like Lyme. I will go through the basics of testing and diagnosis, symptoms that manifest, and even touch upon the conventional approaches, but the lions share of the class will focus on herbs, mushrooms, supplements, and diet and what I have learned along the way helping myself, my daughter, and 15 years of clients in my tenor. The class will talk about dosages, concentrations, and some case studies too. Lyme is a highly individualistic condition and affects your weak spots. It can move around the body, go dormant, and then come back out just when you think you’re in the clear. It is the great imitator and is oftentimes misdiagnosed, forgotten about and replaced with another condition: rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, adrenal ‘fatigue’. I look forward to sharing what I know in hopes it will help you or someone you know.
Stay up-to-date with my class offerings by signing up for my newsletter so you can join if you want. I will be offering this class online through my own business as well as through the Institute of Applied Knowledge (IPAK) with links below. Check out the other offerings from IPAK. Amazing opportunities to empower yourself with knowledge to better be able to navigate this crazy world. I just finished a 15 week-long Herbology class with some other wonderful teachers….a group effort. Fantastic.
Sara Woods Kender
sara@sarasherbs.com
Clinical Herbalist
Reiki Master/Teacher
Psychic Medium
Munay-Ki Attuned
Find me on Substack!
Living In Circle
IPAK-EDU Teacher & Affiliate
http://ipak-edu.org/?afmc=sarasherbs
Click link for Educational Opportunities
Sacred Tree Herbals
169 Daniel Webster Highway, Unit 1
Meredith, NH 03253
www.sarasherbs.com
Hours:
Wed-Saturday 9:30-4:30