Want to know a secret?
All healing comes from within.
It’s true. Disease takes hold when our biological “terrain” allows it to. A poorly tended terrain helps to create an environment for disease to develop and, in its compromised state, something (such as a virus or autoimmune disease) is able to get a foothold. True health is a balancing act between our bodies our minds and our souls to nurture a strong, resilient terrain that is able to protect itself from stressors and pathogens.
Ultimately, I believe living our best, healthiest life comes down to finding that balance.
What does balance mean to you?
For me, I think it’s a little bit about finding a sense of purpose and a little bit about managing stress. It’s a little bit about nutrition and exercise and a little bit about being still and remembering to breathe. It’s a little bit about simplifying and a little bit about surrounding yourself with beauty. It’s a little bit about love, gratitude and service to others. It’s also about setting boundaries, learning to say “no” once in awhile and making time for fun and a few indulgences.
It’s ALL important!
And balancing it all takes intention and practice and is so much easier said than done.
My personal holistic health journey started around 2004, thanks to some mystery health issues I encountered in my late 20s. For the first time in my life, I was forced to begin taking my diet, home environment, stress and toxin exposure more seriously.
I was out of balance.
My quest to correct this imbalance lead to years of dietary experimentation, ranging from low fat, near-vegetarian to low-carb/keto to primal/paleo. After a great deal of trial and a whole bunch of error, I discovered the work of Weston A. Price, whose principles of nourishing traditional diets and nutrient density make so much more sense to me than restricting entire macronutrients.
During this same period, I also came to understand that reactionary allopathic medicine was not the answer. The Western model of healthcare is some of the best in the world for acute, life-threatening conditions such as injury and infection, but it virtually ignores preventative health. Health is not about bandaids and masking symptoms with pills; it’s about getting to the bottom of why the dis-ease is happening to begin with.
And that circles back to a focus on things that support the body in balance. The body wants to be healthy and will return to homeostasis if it’s allowed to do so.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and I’m still very much a work in progress. I’m fascinated by traditional ways of doing things and am actively working toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle, with a focus on growing and foraging much of our own food and therapeutic/medicinal herbs and deepening our connection with plants and the land.
For us, a simpler, healthier, BALANCED life is one that focuses on what creates joy and positive energy in our household, while striving toward sustainability and reducing negative inputs and stressors.
We’re all students of life, and for me, that learning process plays a big role in my own personal joie de vivre. I’m a sucker for ongoing self improvement and skill building — from herbalist, formulating and Master Gardener certifications — to annual Weston A. Price conferences or destroying the kitchen with my latest experimental concoction. I *need* to learn something new and exciting each day.
Come learn with me!
Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks that preserve my sanity and make balancing a health-oriented lifestyle possible, practical and even fun! This site is a repository for ongoing learning, self experimentation and new ideas. I’m happy you’re here and I hope you find something useful on Redheaded Herbalist that sparks a new idea or two of your own!
