Episode 16 Topic: How to balance physical and mental health View this post on Instagram Episode 16 – you will learn: Question: What would you say is a good way to balance mental and physical health, when I don’t seem to quite have the energy to stay physically fit while dealing with my mental illness? Any tips or advice on how to find a balance between mental and physical health, and to gain better energy for dealing with both simultaneously? (0:42) Why physical health and mental health are both important, but also why mental health is more important to impacting overall health. (1:57) A personal example of how emotional trauma may have played a role in my development cancer and autoimmune disorder. (3:33) How to set goals that will set you up for success in physical and mental health. (6:45) How understanding what motivates you helps you more effectively change any habit. (8:09) Remember – progress is still progress and should be celebrated! (9:00) Link for more information: https://www.mynaturalhealer.com/ask-anything-balancing-physical-and-mental-health/ A post shared by My Natural Healer (@mynaturalhealer) on Aug 12, 2019 at 11:35pm PDT In this episode, you will learn: Question: My dad is a doctor, my mom a nurse, […]

Episode 13 Topic: Natural methods for healing an injury View this post on Instagram Episode 13 – you will learn: Question: I have a persistent shoulder injury due to what was apparently a botched injection. Time and rest is not healing this injury and it is interfering with daily activities. I went to the doctor’s office with a perfectly functioning joint and left with pain and burning. My question is, with so many healing and energetic modalities that exist, which modality would you recommend to use when attempting to address this injury? (0:56) Natural remedies to try in reducing pain and/or inflammation from an injury (2:05) Manual, non-invasive therapies to try to help an injury (2:19) Using energy medicine to improve the body’s ability to heal itself (3:15) Links for more info: https://www.mynaturalhealer.com/ask-anything-natural-healing-for-an-injury/ A post shared by My Natural Healer (@mynaturalhealer) on Jul 22, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT In this episode, you will learn: Question: I have a persistent shoulder injury due to what was apparently a botched injection. Time and rest is not healing this injury and it is interfering with daily activities. I went to the doctor’s office with a perfectly functioning joint and left with pain and […]

Episode 10 Topic: Getting rid of migraines View this post on Instagram Episode 10 – you will learn: My experience with migraines and how I got rid of them (1:30) Question: Besides medication, how do I get rid of a severe migraine? (5:06) Other techniques and healing modalities to try if you are experiencing migraines (5:21) Links for more information: https://www.mynaturalhealer.com/ask-anything-natural-remedies-for-migraines/ A post shared by My Natural Healer (@mynaturalhealer) on Jul 3, 2019 at 10:32pm PDT In this episode, you will learn: My experience with migraines and how I got rid of them (1:30) Question: Besides medication, how do I get rid of a severe migraine? (5:06) Other techniques and healing modalities to try if you are experiencing migraines (5:21) Links for more information: Eliminate inflammatory foods (sugar was a big trigger for me), but other foods that are linked to causing migraines are: alcohol, aged cheeses, chocolate, cured meats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and caffeine. Turmeric – add to your foods, drink as golden milk or take as a supplement  Energy healing to heal from stresses or energy blocks that might be at the root cause of migraines (like it was for me). I can assist with this – book […]

Episode 8 Topic: How to communicate with angels View this post on Instagram Episode 8 – you will learn: Question: How do you ask angels for help? (0:46) My story on healing and how it relates to spirituality and communicating with the angelic realms. (1:52) Why raising your vibration makes it easier to communicate with angels. (5:56) The roles asking for help, prayer and paying attention to signs play in angel communication. (6:38) Why the way you’re praying may be holding you back from connecting with God and angels. (7:27) Links for more information and bonus content: https://www.mynaturalhealer.com/ask-anything-how-to-ask-angels-for-help/ A post shared by My Natural Healer (@mynaturalhealer) on Jun 18, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT In this episode, you will learn: Question: How do you ask angels for help? (0:46) My story on healing, how it relates to spirituality and communicating with the angelic realms. (1:52) Why raising your vibration makes it easier to communicate with angels. (5:56) The roles asking for help, praying and paying attention to signs play in angel communication. (6:38) Why the way you’re praying may be holding you back from a deeper connection with God and angels (or whatever higher source you believe in). (7:27) Links for […]

Episode 5 Topics: Fertility / Infertility IVF and side effects Mercier Therapy View this post on Instagram Episode 5 – you will learn: What are the challenges of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment? (1:25) What is Mercier Therapy and how this natural therapy can help your fertility journey (3:04) Links for more information: https://www.mynaturalhealer.com/ask-anything-fertility-ivf-and-mercier-therapy/ A post shared by My Natural Healer (@mynaturalhealer) on May 20, 2019 at 8:28pm PDT In this episode, you will learn: What are the challenges of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment? (1:25) What is Mercier Therapy and how this natural therapy can help your fertility journey (3:04) Links for more information: IVF treatment (In Vitro Fertilization) There are numerous side effects from the drugs, but one that seems to be grossly underestimated is mood swings. Prepare yourself prior to treatment as it challenges your mental and emotional health and relationships. Some states require counseling prior to starting IVF treatment. If your state doesn’t require, you should consider counseling regardless to help prepare yourself mentally and setup an ongoing support plan. 71% of medically assisted fertility treatments fail CDC 2012. (This stat includes a combination of other treatments in addition to IVF). The treatments are expensive. The […]

Some of our greatest teachers don’t have to be human. One of my best teachers in love was a furry, black lab named Duke that lived to be 17 years old. He was my husband’s dog, but quickly became “my dog” as soon as he met me. I didn’t think I’d ever love another animal after I lost my previous pet, but Duke challenged that belief and stole my heart. It wasn’t until recently that I came to fully understand what Duke taught me. After a long meditation one evening, my husband asked what I had learned in my meditation. “I learned about unconditional love,” I replied. He asked, “Oh, like Duke?” This made me ponder for a few moments, when I realized yes – just like Duke. But not in the sense of how we love our dogs or pets. We love them, but as humans we still have a tendency to get angry when the animal doesn’t obey, or if it poops in the house – love with conditions. On the other hand, how dogs love us, that’s totally different and is the difference of conditional versus unconditional love. They don’t hold grudges and are completely forgiving. Dogs […]

Have you ever pushed yourself beyond what you thought you were physically capable of? Here’s your guide on how to get through it. My Experience I have a habit of doing things off the couch. Always up for any challenge, I tend to figure it out as I go, and by some miracle it always works out. Let’s talk physical challenges for a second. Like the time I did an Olympic triathlon without previously swimming any distance in open water or ever riding a road bike. Or the time I ran a marathon, after running 12 miles a few times and 17 miles once. But what I just did, backcountry skiing in the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia – I was totally in over my head. I had only ski toured seven times and had the heaviest gear of anyone in my group. All odds were against me when you also add in the massiveness of the mountains, rocky cliffs, glaciers with crevasses, steep slopes, avalanche terrain and sub-zero temps. Day 1 of 7 – Out of the gates, we hiked 1,000 vertical feet to the top of a mountain, skied down the backside of that mountain 2,800 vertical feet, […]

Do you live in an area that is affected by wildfire smoke? If so, your health may be negatively impacted. Smoke from wildfires is made up of a combination of gases and fine particles when organic materials are burned, and there are confirmed and suspected carcinogens in smoke. The microscopic particles can penetrate deep into your lungs, and also cause a range of health problems including burning eyes, sore throat, runny nose and fatigue. I’m personally very sensitive to wildfire smoke. Even cooking smoke is enough to send me into coughing fits. This may or may not be from back from when I was a wildland firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management. Working on the front lines of a wildfire long-term can be hard on health, with short-term effects including headaches, nausea, fatigue and respiratory distress. Long-term effects of exposure to wildfire smoke can include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, my coworkers and I used to joke that our job equated to smoking a pack of cigarettes every few hours. After looking at a few studies, our jokes weren’t too far from the truth. But what about regular people, just going about their lives then wildfire […]

Meet Emilie. She is a distance reiki healer, an incredible person and has an adorable French-Canadian accent. I recently was able to meet her in person in Bali, Indonesia for some Q&A. Who are you and what do you do?   For several years, I was chef de pâtisserie in gastronomic restaurants in Montreal and Dubaï but eventually I became increasingly dissatisfied in the kitchen as I realized that I missed the interaction with people. Later on, I developed a passion for reiki, a magnificent instrument that promotes physical, psychic and spiritual fulfillment. While training to become a reiki practitioner, I developed my hidden faculty of clairsentience which gives me a great insight of what is going on within my clients. I recently created Giving Hands Reiki, where people can reach me from all over the world for a distance reiki session. Every month, I pick a different humanitarian charity to which 20% of every reiki sessions is donated.   What led you to reiki?   Having consulted reiki practitioners and benefited from the therapeutic interactions had me hooked to reiki.   Why is Bali, specifically Ubud, a special place for wellness?   The ”Island of Gods” has thousands of temples where […]

I didn’t think I’d ever share this. But in light of the recent movement to expose the epidemic of sexual assault, I feel compelled to share my story. #MeToo. I share this experience, along with how I was able to heal, in hopes of helping the many people who are also trying to heal. Over the past few weeks, we have all witnessed together, been shocked and outraged together through the #metoo stories flooding social media. These glimpses painfully illustrate reliving memories, akin to pouring salt in an open wound. Some may think they have healed and moved on, while others struggle  on a daily basis. For those who have convinced themselves they have  forgotten about the offenses, emotional pain comes to the surface if it has not been dealt with. Sexual harassment comes in many shapes and sizes. Although I’ve been sexually harassed more times than I can count (yeah, #metoo), the most horrific of the offenses happened almost a decade ago when I was drugged and raped by a group of guys who I thought were my friends. I’ll spare you the full version of my experience, as the horrifying details are quite disturbing. The next morning just […]

As a lover of the outdoors, I have been searching for a long time to find a non-toxic, DEET-free insect repellent that actually works. While mosquito season is starting to wind down in some parts of the country, I want to share the research I’ve done on repellents. I had a few opportunities to test out bug sprays this summer – a camping trip to Stanley, Idaho, a river trip down the Desolation Canyon in Utah and a backpacking trip to Young Lakes in Yosemite. All of these places are well-known for having a lot of mosquitoes, and if you aren’t prepared, expect to be eaten alive. In addition to this, I’m one of those people who is especially susceptible to getting mosquito bites. The bugs really love me for some reason. On my Yosemite trip, my fellow trip-mates nicknamed me Mosquito-Bait as I attracted most of the mosquitoes, leaving less bugs for them. I started my search at my local, natural grocery store, Sprouts. After talking to the person working in the vitamin and skin care section about their bug repellents, I opted for a botanical-based spray that she had successfully used herself. While I tested a few others […]

There are so many benefits you can get from decluttering that are above and beyond actually adding physical space to your life. Our surrounding environments have a lot of impact on us emotionally, mentally and spiritually. If you live with clutter or too much stuff, it will affect your overall health and energetically block abundance and success. Removing what is not necessary or needed will give you the freedom, space and energy for new and/or better things. Although I’m far from perfect, I try to apply minimalist principles to my life as much as possible. The art of minimalism is a tool to assist you in getting rid of items you do not need, or what does not serve you, in order to free yourself up so you can focus on what’s really important in your life. This tool ultimately brings more happiness, joy, freedom and abundance. It can be applied to your physical space, relationships, emotional baggage, addictive behaviors, finances, etc. MY FRIEND’S CLOSET My friend asked me to help her declutter her closet and get rid of clothing she did not need. Here is the list of questions we asked when deciding whether or not to toss or […]

A year into my recovery from a total thyroidectomy, I was still having a lot of cognition issues that didn’t seem to be fixed by medications. I never received a resolution for this through my physicians. I was having a hard time with my thought processes, finishing sentences without stumbling on my words, communicating through texts and emails, etc. I would frequently scramble my words (there, their and they’re), which I have never had trouble with pre-thyroidectomy. Until I discovered earthing. It turns out there is a scientific explanation for why we feel so good when we spend a day barefoot at the beach or in the grass. Earthing, also known as grounding, is a growing trend in which our bodies can exchange electrons from the Earth to reduce inflammation and balance our hormones and circadian rhythms – basically giving us an antioxidant boost. Watch this must-see video that explains the science much better than I can: DOWN TO EARTH from Big Picture Ranch on Vimeo. After a few weeks of grounding on a regular basis, I saw a noticeable difference in my cognition, speech and ability to focus. The more research I did, the more I realized that our […]

A few days after I was recovering from my thyroidectomy surgery, I was struggling to sleep. So, as I often do during sleepless nights (not recommended), I went down the Internet rabbit hole in search of reasons why I may have gotten thyroid cancer and/or why I may have developed Hashimoto’s Disease. While I didn’t get to the bottom of either mystery, what I stumbled across was alarming. There were toxins in almost all of my beauty products and household cleaners. Here’s what you need to know: Visit the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database, Skin Deep. They’ve tested over 65,000 products to date and rank the products by toxicity level and will tell you what ingredients you should watch out for. They also have an app so you can scan labels while you’re at the store to take a lot of guesswork and memorization out of this. Know your toxins. Here’s a few of the biggies: Parabens: Used in a variety of products and acts as a preservative. It is suspected to be an endocrine and reproductive disrupter, and may be a human carcinogen. Phthalates: Found in color cosmetics, lotions, nail polish, body washes and hair care products. It is suspected […]