Follow Your Medicine Road

My journey towards healing started in a pickup truck with my Grandma Jo. As we were driving down a long dirt road, she told me that when we’re born, we’re set upon a path that is our medicine road. That everything we do in our life from the food that we eat to the thoughts that we think affect us. My own medicine road has been a long, and winding one. I studied herbal medicine, midwifery, massage therapy, and eventually I went to medical school and became a doctor. Along this journey, I’ve learned that there is a tremendous amount of truth and wisdom in what she told me all those years ago. Today, we realize that much of the disease we see (heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety, obesity, etc.) are rooted in the way we live our lives. I am grateful for medication and surgeries, but these are things we use once you’re sick. There are so many things that we can incorporate into our daily routines that can help us live the life we want- vital, healthy, happy, and full of energy. Things as simple as breath work, journaling, actively practicing gratitude, and eating dinner with friends and family can make tremendous differences in our mental health and wellbeing. Going to the local farmer’s market, taking the dog on a walk, cooking your meals, and starting your own garden are all ways to keep our bodies healthier for the long haul. It is the everyday stuff of our lives that really do affect us. Life itself is our best and most powerful medicine.