AN HERBALIST IS BORN
When I first started learning about alternative remedies and medicines, I wasn’t doing it for anyone but myself. As someone who suffers from arthritis as a result of past injuries, surgeries and the general wear and tear that comes with activity and age, I usually carry around a bottle of Ibuprofen. As a bellydancer, I find myself needing the Ibuprofen a little more often than I would like. Especially as one who dances multiple shows a day as part of a troupe performing at a renaissance faire--every weekend...for 2 months straight.
It was suggested to me by my Dr. to preemptively take anti-inflammatory meds a few days before my weekends at the ren faire. And on the actual days of dancing, I have been known to pop 2-3 pills about 30 minutes before my first performance...and maybe one more before or after the final performance. But there have been times where I’ve taken 6 in one day and felt the need for more at the end. So, for 2 months straight, there were more days in the week where I was popping Advil than days that I wasn’t. According to the Mayo Clinic, long-term use can lead to “kidney damage, heart attack, or stroke, or bleeding in your stomach or intestines. These problems can happen without warning signs.” I even once read that asthma users need to be careful with prolonged use because it can exacerbate the condition. I didn’t like the direction this was taking.
Usually, I don’t consider myself to be someone who takes a lot of medicine. In fact, I would always take much less than prescribed after the surgeries I’ve had. I like to be in control of my body and don’t enjoy the feeling I get from pain meds. Advil didn’t exactly give me a heady, out-of-control feeling, but I disliked feeling that I had to depend on something just to perform.
What’s a girl to do? The way I saw it, I had two choices: stop dancing or deal with the pain and take the meds. But, there had to be a third choice, didn’t there? I’d already cut out a lot of the chemicals and harsh ingredients from my skin care regimen as well as my home cleaning products. Luckily, in this day and age, learning about alternative remedies and medicines is very easy. The hard part is verifying that what you are learning is correct. There is so much misinformation out there. I knew I couldn’t just take random advice that popped up into my feed on Facebook or Pinterest. I needed to study--a lot.
I gathered books and found online learning communities of herbal healers and enthusiasts. I found herbal schools right in my own backyard. I found my passion. I found that I have a knack for understanding this and that it feels right to me. Herbalism feels more right to me than most other things I have spent my time on in the past few years. I feel it’s what I was born to do. And I have fun making medicines. It gives me a sense of pride and purpose.
I won’t profess that I know everything, or even that I know more than someone else in this field. But my love of learning and research fits very well in this field of flowers and herbs. I intend to continue to grow my knowledge and experience for many years to come.