We're Just Getting Started on an Amazing Wellness Journey Together
Hi, I'm Libby, founder of Essential Balance Holistic Wellness LLC. I am a Holistic Wellness Practitioner, specializing in Energy Balancing Therapy, Sound Therapy, and Meditation Coaching. I started my healthcare career in Pharmacy, but it turned out not to be the direction I really wanted to go. Why did I decide to leave a career in the fast-paced, multi-billion dollar world of pharmacy to become a Holistic Wellness Practitioner? It boils down to the combination of my beliefs about the importance of an holistic approach to wellness and what I learned through experience and research. I will explain how I found my big WHY in this post.
Perception vs. Belief
In general, a perception exists that traditional Western allopathic medicine and holistic, natural, Eastern or Shamanic Healing are polar opposites. Either you are all MDs, prescriptions, chemo and pills OR you are all NDs, Chiropractors, herbs, oils, and crystals. The divisive nature of our society wants us to believe that everything is clear-cut; you have to choose one side or the other. We see good examples of this phenomena all the time, especially in our social feed. Debate, argument or flat-out hate overflows when it comes to vaccines, masks, treatments for disease (especially cancer). Who's right? Who's wrong? What are they afraid of? How beneficial is this way of thinking? Does it really benefit us to be so divided and angry with each other over perception, a lack of education or acceptance of another's beliefs? I like to question. I like to dig deep for answers. I believe that nothing in nature is binary. In fact, I think the perception of everything being concretely one way or another hurts more people than it helps. A spectrum is a much more accurate measure. On a spectrum we are able to find a balancing point. We see this in almost every area of life. Take sleep for example; too much or too little and we are unable to function as we should, just the right amount and we feel rejuvenated, healthy, ready to take on the day! What if we believe that wellness was a team effort? Working together is so much more productive. What if each area of your wellness is addressed by the most appropriate and knowledgeable practitioner for that aspect of you? If I have been hit by a bus, I want to go to the Emergency Room, because in that moment, my Therapist is not going to be able to save my life. Later I might need to go to the Therapist for the trauma I survived, but right now, I need someone to stop the bleeding! So the ER is the most appropriate practitioner for this aspect of my treatment at the time.
Why a Holistic approach?
The dictionary definition of Holistic as a medical term is "characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of disease." Maybe Dr. Suess said it better "Today you are YOU, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is more YOUER than YOU." All humor aside, my point is, you are a unique, multi-faceted individual with your own genetic make-up, beliefs, ideas, knowledge, history, ailments, traumas, strengths, abilities and an incomprehensible number of other factors, that make you - YOU! There is no one-size fits all model for how to best care for you. So why do people keep trying to heal each other that way? We each have our own path to tread. What if you are educated to a point that you can make informed decisions for yourself? Many times I reflect on my wellness journey and I think, if I had only known...why didn't someone talk to me about this? So many times in healthcare the only thing addressed is the symptom. We miss out on communication between providers. We do not often get answers to our questions and wind up Googling the most horrifying possible scenario. What if you believe you really could get better? Although it is not always possible for everyone to reach a point of being truly well in every since of the word, we can all certainly reach our personal best. Good communication, working as a team, to address you as a whole person certainly increases our chances of getting well.
Challenges along the way
My personal wellness journey is complicated. Hopefully through sharing, it will give you some insight into my reasons for doing this and why I am so passionate about holistic wellness. I spent the majority of my adult life fighting chronic illness; Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid disfunction. This combination of endocrine disorders is largely misunderstood, frequently misdiagnosed, and often results in obesity with accompanying symptoms like high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, diabetes and depression. Even with regular exercise and healthy habits, it is extremely difficult for me to lose weight. I know many women who can relate. Although, PCOS and many other endocrine disfunctions don't get a lot of press, they effect at least one in ten American women. I have tried supplements, medications, most diet plans and exercise regiments from yoga to CrossFit. Some of it helped quite a bit, but I was not getting the results I expected or desired.
I was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer in 2011. There was no real treatment available other than surgery. "Let's take out the tumor and hope it won't come back." was the best answer one of the top surgeons in the world could give me. I knew that no matter what the outcome, my life was going to be different from that moment on. After overcoming my battle, I wanted to help others by working in healthcare. I thought the pharmaceutical industry would be a good fit. I spent time training and landed a position with a well-known retail pharmacy in a specialty location, focusing on under-served populations. Then in 2014, one of our children was diagnosed with Leukemia and our world turned upside down again. In 2015, while supporting our child through their fight, I was diagnosed with cancer again; a second time, unrelated to my first cancer diagnosis. I was still in my 30's! Why was this happening again!? I was doing my best to take care of us all, maintain my career, and survive my illness. I couldn't continue in the high stress, demanding pharmaceutical industry while maintaining my health, conscience and sanity during this crisis. I had to find a different path. So I began to shift my focus to natural healing modalities, less stress, more sunlight and fresh air, making wellness a top priority for myself and our family! I started a homestead, planted a huge garden, set up a farmer's market stand and completely shifted gears.
Then COVID came along; gym closed, shortages, quarantine, isolation...I don't have to explain, you went through it too. If there can be a positive coming from the isolation of living through a pandemic, it was suddenly having a lot of time to meditate, look within, and heal from the years of trauma I had experienced. Deep introspection, releasing what does not serve my highest good, and healing wounds so old I didn't realize how they effected me...it was hard, but I would do it again and again! It took some time and a great deal of study to discover how energy, food, trauma, emotion, our connection to spirit, stress, hormones, light, color, sleep, vibration, frequency, and environmental factors effect us daily; and, what we can do about it. What I learned was so eye-opening! I lacked balance in my lifestyle and my energetic field. Balance inside and out has been the key for me. I have shed more than 50 pounds since October of 2021! I have a greater appreciation for life, because virtually every aspect is improved. I had to find a way to share this with as many people as possible! There has always been a natural desire inside me to help others. I feel like my business is the best possible way to do that!
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