You may be wondering why someone would choose an alternative therapy as a part of their wellness regimen. There are a few different reasons people come to appreciate the ancient practices. You see, alternative therapies have withstood the transitions of time and the advancement of our world. If they hadn‘t they would have taken the path of “twilight sleep” (read more on it here) or ice-pick lobotomies. One other attraction to alternative therapies is that they often look for a real root cause to all issues. They dive into the depths of the body, mind, and soul to discover how to correct the imbalances that are creating the physical symptoms. The practices themselves are designed to take time to heal, there is no quick fix, although many people feel improvement right away. Our medical society is designed in such a way that you get 15 minutes tops with your doctor, in some cases only 7 because that physician is double booked. That has created a world of “quick fix” treatment because that...

This is one of my favorite things to talk about. Alternative, complementary, integrated, “new age” are all terms for the same collection of practices. Examples of these practices would include acupuncture, massage, herbalism, energy healing, meditation, chiropractic care… yoga and even prayer could be on this list. These are techniques of healing that most students in medical school are not trained in and in most parts of America not accepted as mainstream medicine. That’s where the term “alternative” comes from. Alternative practices are the opposite of allopathic or Western medicine. Western Medicine is not all bad. It has provided many wonderful things to our society and amazing discoveries about the body and how it works.  Also of note, as western medicine evolves practices such as dry needling are being developed. The theory of the practice is not the same as the theory in acupuncture, but there is the value being found in the benefits of using needles in specific areas of the bod...

Every session is different. Cliché yes, but it’s the truth! I have been trained as a Reiki Master, a Master Herbalist, a Women’s Healing Arts Teacher, a Certified Angel Card Reader, and also have training in Chakra cleansing, Essential Oils, and Healing Crystals, as well as Doula training. I am an Intuitive and Nurse. You can read about my story here. In all my training and experience I have learned one thing that remains the same for every situation; whether you’re a client on my table or a patient in the ER: every human is different. Every situation is different. That means every session has to be different. When you come for your session, we use whatever modalities your body, mind, and soul need that day. Some appointments are mostly energy work, some are focused more on nutrition and supplements. Some days we use crystals and oils, some days we do not. Sometimes the focus is on current situations, sometimes it is in the past. We put our egos aside and let your soul guide us through...

One of my favorite expressions is “don’t should on yourself.” As Americans, male and female alike, we have this idea of what should be happening in our lives every day. We don’t all have the same ideals, thank goodness, but each of us carries this thought process of what “should be” happening. A while back we talked about mom-shame and keeping up with the Jones’, but let's talk about self-shame a bit. The only thing you should ever do is honor your body, mind, and soul. Everything else is either something that you have been taught or a societal norm you are trying to fit. Think about it... “I should vacuum once a week.” Says who? Where in the world is that rule written? Unless you love to vacuum and it makes your heart happy to see vacuum lines on the floor, this “I should” idea was taught. Please note, I am not telling anyone to abandon all responsibility and all obligation from their lives. This is more a conversation of how you judge yourself based on what you were taught or what ha...

Someone asked me recently how I continue to “have it all together” despite everything going on in the world. My answer: I don’t. 

Today, I’m going to be real with you... the last few months have been HARD. A downright challenge. Hospital life is crazy, home life is crazy, and supporting Purely You Healing through it all has also been crazy. I lost an uncle. I rescheduled my wedding. The fear, the politics, the resentment in society; it has all been weighing heavy on me. In the last few weeks, I have had to step back and practice what I preach. It was time to rest. Time to honor my body and nourish my soul. I stepped back from the hustle and grind. I took breaks from social media and the news. I rested often. I walked a lot. I drank all the water and ate more salad and more chocolate-balance is key. And I set different boundaries. I reminded my friends, family, and clients that I needed time to decompress. Working hours are for working and all the other time is for myself and my family...

 When all of the Shelter-in-Place orders started being released across the US I saw a meme on Facebook that said

“The virus is enhancing what is already inside of each person. Jerks are turning into bigger jerks. Compassionate people are becoming more compassionate. You get to decide in this very difficult time who you really are. Hopefully, we all make the right decision –James Tucher.”

I love this. I love this more now than ever before. I love this because it is a perfect example of how unique each person is and how each of us is in a different place in our spiritual growth and personal development journey. Here’s the thing; your partner, your kiddo, your best friend-they are all in a different place. They are all experiencing this in their own way, and it is unique to them. Just like your experience is unique to you. We must always offer some grace to each other as we go through this journey called life, but especially now. As this continues, as certain states open up and others...

Life sure has been crazy lately. It is so easy to get caught up in the rat race of it all! There has been a sense of urgency and fear placed on our hearts for some time now. When your heart is full of fear and panic, it is hard to see the glory in the world around you.

It is in the little things that make life big.  

Have you ever been thinking about something on your way home from work and walked into the door before you realized you don’t even remember getting there? Have you ever nodded and “mmhmm-ed” your spouse or your kids as they were talking while your thoughts were a million miles away? Has someone ever mentioned the weather to you and you realized that you aren’t even sure what it’s like out there today? These are examples of not being present. Do you see how much you could miss?!  

It is so important, especially when you are busy, to take the time to appreciate the world around you. Notice the sunrise and sunset. Feel the wind on your face. Take a minute to listen to the...

Do you wake up in the morning and immediately want to crawl back into bed? Do you find that you have a short fuse, one that is much shorter than you’d like? Do you have a desire to “do more” or “do better” but don’t have the energy to do so? Yes? This might be burn-out. It is a normal part of so many people’s lives, and it shouldn’t be. Living in a state of burn out can lead to adrenal fatigue, and subsequently hormonal problems. Those could include thyroid dysfunction, estrogen and progesterone imbalances, endometriosis, etc.  

I remember early in my nursing career when I was so excited to be able to serve my patients and was even more excited for that professional level paycheck, that I worked all the overtime possible. If I got that call at 5 am where the hospital was looking for help, I said yes. Every. Single. Time. Sometimes that call came in at midnight, or 2 am, and I would still say yes. It usually meant I’d lose sleep, lose time with my family and friends, and lose any idea ...

Do you have a TEAM of people helping you to be your best self? Not just the receptionist, nurse, and doctor at your OB/GYN office, but a group of people who are working with every facet of your body, mind, and soul to help you heal, grow, and become the best version of yourself you can be? You are a multifaceted human, which means you need a multifaceted group of individuals caring for you. Think about your group of friends. Do you have a friend you call when you need to talk about parenting and a different one when you need to discuss your faith, and maybe a third one to talk about your work drama? The reason you call on different individuals for different problems is that you need their particular version of expertise to get you through that moment.  

You need a team of practitioners to get you through each ailment as well. You need a multitude of modalities in your space to keep you at your absolute best.  

Keep your primary care provider visits. Get your annual check-ups, your ma...

There are a million studies out there talking about screen time. How much is too much? When should you turn your devices off? What about that blue light business? Is it different for adults and children? I’m not going to dive into any of that. Instead of hashing out how long, when, where, and who, let’s look into what you view. When I was young, my friends and I had a CD that we called the “Depression CD.” We’d listen to it when we were having an off day, after a break-up, or just whenever we were a little low. It was 13 country songs, from the country era of slow broken-hearted ballads. Nothing upbeat. Nothing empowering. Nothing that would help turn your mood around. Instead, it was about being engulfed by that sadness, by that slow, depressive movement. We used these songs when we were feeling low because they matched our vibration (learn more about your vibration here). The energy was the same. It felt comfortable to listen to because it matched the mood we were in.  

Have you eve...