How it all began...

Ever since I was a young girl following my mom and grandma in the garden, I knew that there was something healing about nature. Plants and herbs called to me as much as a desire for a deep connection with the community and those around me did.

I studied Biology to learn more about life and became a teacher in Africa (Lesotho) for several years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The depth of human connection I experienced in a country with little material wealth affirmed what I believed about the significance of human relationships and the power within us to create a quality life.

For the first time, I followed my calling to become a healer. I learned what the word really meant...a partnership in healing, not a magic power of one person to change another.  

I studied herbs, nutrition, and health at a school in Maryland that began leading the complimentary medicine revolution in the 70s. The founders, Bob Duggan and Dianne Connelly, were renegade acupuncturists that practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine and created a school to share their wisdom before it was even accepted by the law. They changed the conversation about health and, now, I am, too.   

Changing the conversation...

Wellness is about more than the absence of disease. It is about more than physical health. It is about the stories we tell ourselves, the ability to live our purpose, and the quality of life we experience. Physical health, like mental and spiritual health, play a huge role in how we perceive our wellness. It is possible to have a high quality of life and be well while living with dis-ease.  

It is also possible to change our health and wellness with simple lifestyle practices that we have forgotten along the way. There is a beautiful marriage of modern and ancient traditions that can take place. In this union, people are at the center of their own health care. They are empowered with the knowledge that has been passed on for centuries on how to stay well and what to do when help with healing is needed.

You are your own doctor first...

As an Integrative Nutritionist and healing practitioner, I want people to have the power to keep themselves well. Health is not about pills.  It is not about suppressing symptoms. It is about getting to the root of the problem and addressing the underlying causes. Pharmaceuticals rarely provide a cure. Like many surgeries, they are often the last step in a persisting problem that may have been prevented by other means.

The body is wise. It constantly sends us signals. Learning to listen is the key to being well and knowing how to do this is at the heart of my practice. Seeing the body as an ally instead of an enemy changes our ability to hear. Staying well is within our power and the use of Lifestyle Medicine is at its core. 

Starting with food...

I start with nutrition because it is the foundation upon which health is based. Most doctors have received very little nutrition education, although many know the value and recommend it in their practice. Overwhelming evidence suggests that many of our modern diseases are related to nutrition and can be prevented, treated, or reversed by dietary changes. Luckily, physicians are catching on to this and the role of nutrition in health care and education is expanding. As it stands, food scientists and the media have created so much confusion that the innate wisdom of what to eat has been lost.  

The body is made up almost entirely of what we consume. We can build our bodies out of nutrients or out of junk. These building blocks determine our health.  They determine which genes get turned off or turned on. They determine our energy and vitality. They determine whether we function at our highest level or feel like prisoners in our own physical forms.

Traditional meets modern medicine...

Traditional medicine teaches us how to take care of ourselves and how to look at healing in a holistic way that incorporates every part of our being. Modern medicine saves lives and is especially adept in emergency situations. We have stopped using medicine for life saving and prevention and started using it for symptom suppression and instant gratification. We are getting to be over-medicated as a society. The quick fix may not always be the best. The modern and traditional work best together when we actively use our lifestyle to promote health and keep the heroics of our technological advances for when we truly need them. This starts with education, empowerment, and redefining our own role in our health and wellness.

As a practitioner...

I combine my undergraduate work in Education and Biology with my graduate work in Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, and Wellness Coaching to provide holistic care founded on modern scientific research as well as traditional wisdom. 

I hold a Master of Science degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health and a Master of Arts degree in Health and Wellness Coaching.  I have completed graduate work in Herbal Medicine and hold a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences.  I am a licensed dietitian-nutritionist (LDN) in Maryland and Florida and I hold the national board Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) credential.

I am excited to bring common sense and simplicity back to health and to create meaningful partnerships that enhance the quality of life.