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Natural Awakenings Lehigh Valley

Welcome to Our May Issue

Reid Boyer, Publisher

With our focus on women’s health this month, I asked our local editor Sheila Julson to write a few words about her experience with Natural Health. Many thanks to Sheila for the following and all the hard work she contributes to maintain our editorial integrity.

Twenty years ago, whenever a headache would strike, I automatically reached for whatever over-the-counter acetaminophen was in the medicine cabinet. The capsules provided only temporary relief, and I always wondered what I was actually taking and what were the long-term adverse effects they might have. Information about natural and herbal remedies was few and far between during the 1990s, but when a friend gave me a copy of Amanda McQuade Crawford’s eye-opening book, Herbal Remedies for Women, I dove in and read it cover-to-cover.

I eventually stocked my bookshelves with other literature about holistic health, and soon I learned how to improve or even remove entirely some nagging health issues that affect so many women. Through small, common sense changes like focusing on restful sleep, controlling stress, dietary changes, herbal remedies and essential oils, my headaches faded away. It really was that easy, and I was amazed by how much better I felt overall. I became a vegetarian—both for health and animal ethics reasons—and I started buying fresher, whole foods. Today my spice cabinet is full of beneficial herbs and spices like turmeric, fresh garlic, cinnamon and tea blends.

Since I started my journey toward natural health, I’ve seen interest in holistic remedies grow by leaps and bounds. People are truly realizing how the body can heal itself when given what it needs. Today, we’re fortunate to have an abundant community of knowledgeable professionals to turn to for integrative and functional medicine solutions for whatever ails us, and we’ve got magazines like Natural Awakenings that offers practical, approachable advice to keep people, our pets and the planet healthy.

My medicine cabinet is pretty bare these days. In summer, my backyard garden provides much of the healing I need, and I dry herbs to use during winter months. Whether you’re just discovering natural health or if you’ve embraced holistic modalities for decades, any time is the right time to grow, discover and learn how Mother Nature is our ultimate true healer.

- Sheila Julson