Are We Blind To Our Privilege In The Wellness World?

Are We Blind To Our Privilege In The Wellness World?

Since I left my job in conventional medicine in 2007, I've contributed and participated in the wellness industry as a thought leader and also a consumer of wellness services and products. After hanging up my shingle outside the system, I had a cash-based integrative medicine practice- because I wanted a whole hour with my patients and insurance wouldn't even cover my overhead, much less give me a salary if I accepted managed care reimbursement. I was always uncomfortable with the idea that my services were a luxury good but felt helpless to practice good medicine any other way. You might say I sold out some of my social justice ethics- but I didn't see another way to make a living without the moral injury that was making me suicidal in the hospital systems.

How To Begin Healing & Milk The Past Year For All It’s Worth

How To Begin Healing & Milk The Past Year For All It’s Worth

The pandemic is not over yet, and we have so much loss to grieve- lost lives, lost jobs, lost financial security, lost belief systems, lost school days, lost friends, lost feelings of safety, and lost social contact, in addition to things we needed to lose- like losing some of our racial, gender, socioeconomic, or sexual preference privileges or losing political leaders who do not wish our countries well or losing online influencers who do not respect science or truth or losing some of the mobility that is causing the climate crisis.

Who Is The “You” That Will Come Out Of Quarantine?

Who Is The “You” That Will Come Out Of Quarantine?

While making the final edits to my Sacred Medicine book, I asked one healer if she had a point of view in response to the question, "Why do horrific things happen to seemingly innocent people?" I explained to her that the question is relevant to the book because those who chronically suffer from physical or mental illness often seek answers to the question, "Why me" or "Why not her?" I told her that every answer I had heard thus far in my research fell flat from a post-2020 lens, and because I had a lot of respect for her, I was curious about her point of view at this point in our understanding (and lack thereof) of human suffering.

What Is The Muse – And How Can You Meet Yours?

What Is The Muse – And How Can You Meet Yours?

If you’ve been following what I write, you know I’ve done A LOT of writing about Covid, public health recommendations (including vaccination), and social justice and human rights lately. This is not my typical gig, but given the intersecting disasters we face, it’s felt more important than what I usually write about. That said, what I usually write about (Whole Health) is more relevant now than ever!

The Health Benefits Of Creativity (& Why We Don’t Need To Choose Between Conventional & Alternative Medicine)

The Health Benefits Of Creativity (& Why We Don’t Need To Choose Between Conventional & Alternative Medicine)

If you’ve been following what I write, you know I’ve done A LOT of writing about Covid, public health recommendations (including vaccination), and social justice and human rights lately. This is not my typical gig, but given the intersecting disasters we face, it’s felt more important than what I usually write about. That said, what I usually write about (Whole Health) is more relevant now than ever!

The Way We Make Health Decisions Need Not Be All Or Nothing

The Way We Make Health Decisions Need Not Be All Or Nothing

I want to respond briefly to all the people who have responded to me lately with criticism, contempt, and sometimes abuse because "I trusted you to promote health sovereignty and now you've sold out." Or "You teach about the dangers of fear, yet you're going to kill me by scaring me every day when you talk about how many people are dying of Covid." Or “I thought you were critical of corruption and capitalism in health care and Big Pharma, yet you’re promoting Big Pharma’s vaccine, so you’ve let me down.”