She was already doing all the “right” things, but….

Despite being a health coach who cooked all of her own meals and lead a very healthy lifestyle, Milena was struggling.

She came to me with a long string of issues that just wouldn’t seem to improve. She was getting really frustrated with her body and

couldn’t understand why she wasn’t healing. She couldn’t figure out why her healthy habits weren’t solving her problems.  She could help her clients get wonderful results, but something was missing in her own healing process.

 

When we started working together, Milena had terrible PMS that made her feel so frustrated with her husband that she just wanted to scream (and sometimes, she did scream!) Her hands and feet were constantly cold and even when she was in a room that was comfortable for others, she was shivering in layers and layers of sweaters. After suffering with gallbladder issues last year she had lost a significant amount of weight that she hadn’t been able to regain. Finally, no matter how many expensive organic skin products she tried, her skin was frustratingly dry….and plagued with tiny pimples that she just couldn’t seem to get rid of.

 

At our first session I was impressed with Milena’s knowledge and determination. I also identified two major patterns of imbalance that we could work on with herbs and lifestyle changes. Using my perspective as a planetary herbalist trained in multiple traditions, I created a protocol for her that incorporated insights from both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine—and even I was amazed at how fast she started feeling better!

 

While she waited for her herbal formula to arrive, Milena adopted some lifestyle and dietary practices from Ayurvedic medicine. I taught her about Abhyangha, a special self-massage with warm sesame oil that I knew would be very calming, balancing, and warming for her body type. I also helped her to find a way to incorporate more healthy fats in her diet without causing any discomfort or flare-ups with her gallbladder.

 

After just one week she noticed a big difference. She wasn’t cold all the time anymore and felt a surge of energy and internal warmth that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

 

Later that week her herbs arrived and she started taking them as directed. I gave her a formula to help resolve a pattern called Liver Qi Stagnation, which matched closely with many of her symptoms. I also gave her a famous Ayurvedic herb called Shatavari which is an incredible tonic for women that helps to build energy, fertility, and increase libido.

 

After less than one week of taking the herbs, she was brimming with good news when she filed out her pre-session questionnaire. She said,

 

“I am feeling calm and productive this week, and excited about life! I haven’t felt this joyful in a long time.”

 

and

 

“My skin is so much better! It looks more alive and the little zits are mostly gone. My hands are still a bit dry but my face is a different one. It feels softer, cleaner and younger.”

The following week, she was shocked that she had no PMS symptoms. The moodiness, break-outs, frustration with her husband, and feeling unproductive had completely gone away. She said that she couldn’t imagine living without her herbal formulas. She felt so much better. She felt like herself. By the time we finished working together, she told me that she and her husband hadn’t argued in 5 weeks. She shook her head in amazement and said, “We’re both hot-tempered people, but I think the herbs have made it possible for me to be calm and listen to him.” She was feeling much more patient and productive in her work life as well, and her relationship was certainly reaping the benefits of her balanced mood.

Milena’s case is an excellent example of how quickly herbal medicine and lifestyle interventions can make a big difference. The key to her success was that we honed in on exactly the right strategies to support her and that we created a protocol that included insights from more than one herbal tradition. She really needed both the Traditional Chinese Medicine formula and the Ayurvedic lifestyle practices. The other key to her success was her dedication and willingness to give some time to self-care each day. She was ready to do whatever it took to get better, and she reaped the rewards for her efforts in record time.

Milena and I continued working for three more weeks, helping to refine the strategies that were already working for her and answering some additional concerns about seasonal allergies and about how to use her abundant energy to create new initiatives in her coaching practice.

Watch: An excerpt of my closing session with Milena

 

 

Learning from Her Journey

Witnessing another person’s healing journey can help you find insights for your own path. Here are some questions to think about that draw on the lessons I learned from working with Milena.

 

• Do you ever feel like you’re doing “everything right” and yet you’re not getting the results you want? What are some ways that you could reach out to others for help, support, or knowledge that could supply the missing piece to the puzzle?

 

• Are there parts of your self-care routine that have become expensive, cumbersome, or overcomplicated? Milena had jars and jars of expensive skin care products, but a simple Ayurvedic cleansing method is all she needed. Where can you find more simplicity in your self-care routine?

 

• Where is the tension and struggle in your life? Milena was fighting with her husband and feeling stuck in her business. Those painful situations were like arrows pointing her in the direction of the healing work she needed to do for herself. What are the conflicts, problems, or challenges that are trying to point you in the right direction?