Osiyo! (Hello) and welcome to Madame Apothecary. I created this site to share my love of natural wellness with you. I believe that wellness is a totality of mind, body, spirit and emotions. All too often we focus on one or perhaps two of these areas of being and ignore the rest--and then we wonder why we are not truly well. As long as the total connection between mind, body, spirit and emotions has a break or a kink there will not be true or total wellness, you may feel better but will continue to feel as though something is missing. My goal is to share my knowledge of healthy recipes, herbs, hobbies, relaxation techniques, etc to hopefully help you reconnect with yourself in such a way that you will be truly well and at one with yourself. I am NOT a doctor. I do NOT give medical advice. I do NOT diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition. I also do NOT waste my time with trying to help people who do not want to help themselves. It does not matter how much money you have or how much you claim to want to heal, if you are not willing to make the necessary changes in your life that are required to heal completely then you will not ever be well. Getting sick doesn't just up and happen, it occurs slowly over a period of time with little things that compound and lead up to big things. Often we do not pay enough attention to our bodies, emotions, minds and spiritual side to notice that we are slowly deteriorating from different angles until it is too late and we have a huge medical crisis on our hands. Then most people will follow the doctors advice, take some pills and continue living the exact same lifestyle but wonder why they still feel so bad and have to take pills. You have to be prepared to discard the old ways of living and being in order to embrace a new healthy way of living and being and yes you will feel better and live better. It is not easy to discard your lifestyle of many years and it does not happen overnight. It takes time, it takes effort and it is hard. But if you want to truly be healthy, well, energized and love living it is more than worth the frustrations and challenges. Can I heal you? NOPE. No doctor can heal you, no spiritual healer or guru can heal you, no priest can heal you. ONLY YOU CAN HEAL YOURSELF. All I can do is assist with guidance and suggest healthy changes--it is up to YOU to heal yourself. Now, am I saying to never see a doctor, spiritual healer or guru, or priest etc again? Heck no!!! These people all have important roles in helping you to heal yourself. Go to the doctor and keep up with your wellness exams and follow ups, take your medications as prescribed, see a spiritual healer or guru for guidance, see a priest for guidance -- whatever it takes to help you reconnect with yourself and heal yourself you should certainly do. Just keep it all in balance and do not go overboard with anything--too much of a good thing can be just as bad for you as a little bit of a bad thing. It's very important to LIVE (not just exist) and to truly LOVE your life. It is important to have family (be it blood relatives or a family of your own choosing), friends, and hobbies --things that you ENJOY doing that help you to relax, unwind and be happy. I am still working on the layout of this site, perhaps one day I'll get it "just so" but I'm in no rush. This website has been (and I am sure will continue to be) a great learning experience for me. Apothecary's Notebook is my blog, this is where I will be posting all of my holistic ideas, recipes, wellness tips, product reviews, etc. Herbal Products will take you to MyNSP site where you can read about and order high quality herbal products from Nature's Sunshine. About Me, is well, about me--basic information on who am I am the various "things" I like to do. Gallery of Glass is a link to an online album of my glass engravings. Links page is a listing of links to other websites that I enjoy, to products that I use and think are excellent, etc. Contact Me is just that, a way to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, complaints, etc. I am sure that these pages will evolve and change as time goes by and I do hope you stick around to see what I can come up with to share next. © 2012 Rachel Smith (Madame Apothecary) |