My journey into studying and cooking with medicinal herbs began long before I fully understood the power of natural healing. Growing up, I watched some of my family members use natural remedies to cure their own health issues. Their dedication to natural wellness always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until I faced my own health crisis that I truly grasped the importance of this path.
I’ve always had a passion for food, which led me to pursue a culinary degree. I had the privilege of cooking in a fine dining restaurant, where I learned to appreciate the artistry of food which only fueled my passion for unique, high-quality ingredients. But even with all this experience, I didn’t realize how food could truly transform my health.
My Paw Paw once told me something that stuck with me even as a teenager, even though I didn’t act on it at the time. He said, "Your body is on a system; Either pay me now or pay me later. You can pay it now with what it needs, or it will pay you later with a medical bill." While I lived and continued to eat poorly for a long time, those words have resonated with me long into my adulthood. It wasn’t until life forced me to listen that I realized how true his wisdom was.
On February 28, 2021, just three weeks after giving birth to mine and my Husband’s second daughter, I had what doctors believed to be a pregnancy-induced heart attack. The diagnosis: a dissection of my circumflex coronary artery, known as SCAD. In an instant, my life was turned upside down. As if having a child isn’t life changing in and of itself; I went from being full of excitement about our growing family to feeling completely helpless. Not to mention we had just finished building our forever home and lived there a total of 4 days before giving birth! For the first two weeks after my heart surgery, I couldn’t even hold my baby. I was on multiple medications, feeling weak, terrified, and like a shadow of the person I had been. We had just built the life we wanted, and now I and my family were faced with this life-altering health issue.
Now many of us want the testimony without the trial, but we all know that’s not really how it works. What you don’t typically hear is the lifestyle that got us here, my family and I lived the typical Standard American Diet (SAD) lifestyle. We ate plenty of processed foods, dairy, refined grains, we ate out multiple times a week, and consumed very few fresh fruits and vegetables. We felt sluggish and tired, but we didn’t fully realize how unhealthy we had become. My heart attack was a massive wake-up call — not just for me, but for my Husband as well. It forced me to take a deeper look into natural healing and how food and herbs could support my body’s recovery while slowly weening off the medications I knew were causing more harm than good. (I am not suggesting you stop all medications, please consult with your doctor prior to making any lifestyle changes, this is merely the story of mine and my families journey to healing with food and herbs).
After going from doctor to doctor, every specialist you could think of and even holistic doctors, numerous ER visits, having test after test run for numerous diagnoses, I was left with endless medications, supplements and terrible fad diet advice, none of which worked and only exacerbated the issues. I decided after the heart attack that I would give myself 30 days. 30 days to feel every emotion I needed to feel; the worry, fear, resentment for the life I thought I was going to have and everything in between; but after that 30 days it was time to suck it up and get to work. That’s when I realized that no one knew my body better than I did, I had to become my own doctor and I had to take control of my own healing. It was a turning point — a time when I decided to dive deeper into the power of food and medicinal herbs as tools to restore my health.
But as overwhelming and terrifying as this experience was, it was also one of the best things that ever happened to me. It’s so important that we learn to take what seems like a negative situation and focus on the positives. I’ve come to believe that the worst thing that ever happens to us can also be the best thing, because it gives us the opportunity to change, we have been given this beautiful opportunity to change our mind, our habits, and our lifestyle. This heart attack allowed me to reflect, adapt, and find new strength in natural healing, and I now express gratitude for the transformation it initiated.
It wasn’t just herbs and food that brought me through this, yes I had family and friends that supported me along the way and most importantly my Husband who has had to face many sleepless nights with me while my body was going through panic attacks reliving the event— the one that ultimately pulled me through this was Yahuah (God) and His Son Yahusha (Jesus). None of this healing would have been possible without our Father in Heaven and His Son Yahusha who intercedes on our behalf as our High Priest. Less than six months after my heart attack — a time when the doctors told me I’d be on medication for the rest of my life and would have lasting heart damage — I received an incredible report. I prayed before going in for my follow-up echo, asking Yah for His healing. Sure enough, after the scan, they told me they would have never known I had a heart attack if it weren’t for the stents they could see. My heart was fully healed. All glory goes to Yahuah!
This experience transformed my approach to health. This experience has also shown me that eating properly is not a punishment, it’s a way of loving yourself and others, it’s a way of honoring our Father in Heaven. I embraced the power of medicinal herbs and nourishing food, realizing that true healing can happen from the inside out. The body will always heal itself given the right environment. My Paw Paw’s words, "Pay me now or pay me later," now hold a deeper meaning for me. I’ve chosen to invest in mine and my families health with nourishing food and herbs, and I’m passionate about sharing this journey with others. My story is one of healing, faith, and the realization that with Yah’s help and the right choices, anything is possible.
Psalms 104:14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Sirach 38:4 Yahuah hath created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.