Sage Health

Beautiful medicine!
Local, fresh, healing 💗🌱

Osteoporosis?
Broken bone?
Herbs, nutrition
and exercise make a difference💪🏻🌱

Bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) is a lovely native plant in the mint family. It’s leaves taste a lot like thyme and oregano due to it’s thymol content.

I include it in tea recipes and steam inhalation blends for respiratory support during times of illness because of its antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.

You can add the leaves and flowers to salads or cooked dishes such as tomato sauce. I enjoy snacking on a few leaves when I’m working in the garden 😊

Postpartum
physical therapy:
a targeted approach to pelvic floor health
🤰🏽👶🏻🤱🏃🏽‍♀️

Tis the season for making herbal tinctures for my clients!

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) contains none of the addictive qualities of its more well-known relative, the o***m poppy, yet it is a powerful plant ally useful in cases of anxiety, pain and restless sleep.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) = "lion-hearted"

This bitter tasting member of the mint family is said to "mother the mother" and is well known for its ability to support women in all stages of life.

Motherwort's actions are felt quickly and it has provided immense relief for many of my clients.

Consider using Motherwort in the following situations:

menstrual cramps
hot flashes
heart palpitations
irritability, frayed nerves, mood swings
sluggish digestion

Pictured: Motherwort tincture made with fresh flowering motherwort tops foraged in Frederick County, VA

Questions? Post them in the comments or reach out to me to schedule an appointment.

Wild blueberries from Dolly Sods!

Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) is in bloom in the Sage apothecary garden!

“Althea” means healer and this little beauty provides soothing mucilaginous support to our bodies.

It’s used in herbal formulas to soothe irritation in the throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines.

The original marshmallow candy was made from the root 😀
You won’t find it in the bags of marshmallows at Martins today, but you could make your own!

Our symptoms are clues.

They can be tricky. They can be confusing. They can be telling us something we don’t want to hear.

I love working with my clients and patients to discover the root cause of their symptoms.

Sleep difficulties could be a clue that

*cortisol is rising in the evening or

*blood sugar is dropping during the night or

*the bedroom is too hot or

*sleep apnea is present

I love this part of my work! Learning, investigating, listening 🕵️‍♂️ 🧐 🤔

Sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees.

Photo: Vertical Forest, Milan

Your body is talking to you.

Your “symptoms” are clues that can guide you toward better health.

Sleep duration and quality are always part of the discussion at Sage appointments 😴

Sometimes herbs and supplements are used temporarily to support sleep.

Everything is better after a good night’s sleep 😀

“I feel like a different person!”
- a formerly exhausted Sage client

Sleep difficulties are sometimes caused or exacerbated by anxiety.

Several studies have shown that lavender is as effective as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin) in reducing anxiety.

Evening sleep ritual: herb tea with chamomile, lavender and rose petals 🥀 😴

The CDC reports that over 35% of adults in the US report sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night. The effects of sleep deprivation are wide-ranging and quite serious, affecting both physical and mental health.

Most of the patients and clients I see report problems with sleep and it's one of the first things we often address.

"I feel like a new person!"
"I'm not exhausted in the afternoon anymore."
"This is a game-changer!"

Sleep hygiene is an important part of restful sleep, but it's often not enough initially. Herbs, supplements and infrared light are some tools I've found to be quite helpful in restoring optimal sleep.

Sleep as if your life depends upon it!

-rested

Sleep Hygiene — Sage Physical Therapy and Women's Health Sleep …. as if your life depended upon it Inadequate sleep has been linked to an increased risk of depression, dementia , obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Suggestions to improve sleep quality and duration:Avoid, or filter, blue light sources such as LED light...

Sleep as if your life depends upon it 😴

New name,
Same comprehensive,
Compassionate,
Root-cause approach
to healing and vitality 🌱💗

Herbs will continue to play a large role at Sage Health.

Stay tuned for more updates about the Sage Health!

Stinging nettle seed (Urtica dioica) is used clinically to improve kidney function and increase GFR (glomular filtration rate).

Some signs of decreased kidney function are swelling in the legs, hands and face; dry skin; muscle cramps; insomnia.

If you come across stinging nettle before it goes to seed, you can gather the leaves for a nourishing tea. Or make nettle leaf soup! Drying, cooking and blending eliminate the irritation that results from touching this nutritious wild green.

Latest newsletter!
- https://mailchi.mp/e991e4e31b01/sleepaid

"I don't know what you're doing but keep doing it."
- Sage client's MD after seeing her lab work 👨‍⚕️

Lifestyle modifications and herbal support create change!
Not only do people feel better, their lab work reflects the improvements in health.

Triglycerides decreased from 234 to 71 mg/dL
Fasting glucose decreased from 178 to 106 mg/dL

*Decades long tinnitus decreased significantly and is no longer intrusive 👂

*Bloating and heartburn are gone 😊

* Knee pain is gone (previously 7/10 pain) 🦵

Client's fun strategy for improving her nutrition: Eat 20 different types of fruits and veggies each day and 30 different ones each week. 🥑🍆🍅🥝🫐🥦🥬🥒🍠🌶🧅🥔🧄🥕🫑🍉🍋🍓

💪🌱🥦🍒🤸‍♀️

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is brightening up my garden right now and I've begun gathering the flowers, leaves and roots to create a tincture for my clients.

California poppy is one of the ingredients in my popular Sleep Support tincture.

It is a wonderful, non-addictive pain-reliever and is helpful for people weaning off of opioids.

This lovely plant is powerfully effective, yet gentle enough for children and can even be helpful in cases of bedwetting.

Acute care appointments are available via on-line scheduling!

Choose this appointment type for situations such as broken bones, burns, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections. If there is no immediate availability via on-line scheduling, email me at [email protected] and I'll make time to see you as soon as possible.

Sage Health Schedule your appointment online Sage Health

You can now schedule appointments on-line!

Initial consultation, follow-up appointments and packages are available. I'm super excited to be offering pre-natal, postpartum and menopause support packages.

Let herbal and wellness care support you in all phases of life!

Acute care appointments will be available soon. Did you know herbal care is valuable in cases of broken bones, burns, UTIs, sprains and viruses?

Sage Health Schedule your appointment online Sage Health

Today is the last day to register for next week's class!

Tuesday, April 9, 1 - 3pm in Wi******er 🫚🫖🧄🥝🫐🌱

The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens Schedule your appointment online The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens

Last day to register!

This fun approach to eating will equip teens with knowledge and motivation to help them make choices which will create a foundation for optimal health.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates 🥕🍎🧅🍓🧄🌶🥦

The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens Schedule your appointment online The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens

Class: Tuesday, April 9 🍏
Registration deadline: Monday, April 1 🍐 🫐 🌱 🌶️

The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens Schedule your appointment online The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens

Registration deadline is Monday, April 1.
🍎 🍌 🥗 🫑 🥕 🍓

Registration link is in the comments!

Poor nutritional choices are often made due to a lack of information 🍭

Healthy eating can be fun and delicious!

This engaging class will provide teens with practical, accessible information that will set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating.

When working with my adult clients, I first address nutrition. Improvements in nutrition often lead to profound improvements in health, energy and vitality! 😃

The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens Schedule your appointment online The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens

My first class for teens!

Join me on Tuesday, April 9 from 1 - 3pm for an engaging introduction to the connection between food choices and health. Food samples and a handbook with recipes will be included.

Registration deadline: Monday, April 1

Register via the link below.

The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens Schedule your appointment online The Rainbow Plate - a colorful nutrition class for teens

A reminder that gardening is good for you! 🌱 🌺 🐞

“The results presented here suggest that gardening can improve

physical, psychological, and social health,

which can, from a long-term perspective, alleviate and prevent various health issues facing today's society.”

Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis There is increasing evidence that gardening provides substantial human health benefits. However, no formal statistical assessment has been conducted to test this assertion. Here, we present the results of a meta-analysis of research examining the effects ...