Home remedies are probably the oldest forms of practiced medicine in the world. When I was a child, I recall, my mom putting a peppermint candy in whiskey to help move mucus out of my chest. I also remember her putting eucalyptus drops in a pail of hot water and having me inhale the vapors for a stuffy nose. While I would find another option for the former example of a remedy for my daughter today, I do appreciate the fact that she introduced me to options other than pharmaceuticals whenever possible. Actually, I can recall being given antibiotics only once in my youth. Food, however, was a different story.
Growing up in south Louisiana meant that some form of meat was in every meal. And if vegetables did show up on your plate, it was likely that you would not recognize them. Unfortunately, nutrition was not as valued as home remedies. Or possibly nutrition was simply misunderstood.
My desire for a greater understanding of how foods affected the body led me at the age of 27 to use food and herbs as a cleansing vehicle. By altering the foods that I ate, and ingesting certain herbal formulas, I lost 35 pounds in one month. More important to me, however, was the amount of mucus that disappeared, and the mental clarity that presented itself. This experience changed my life and opened my eyes.
Science has proven that digesting fruits and vegetables creates a less acidic system. Although some fruits initially are acidic when they enter the system, they are ultimately alkalizing. Beef, dairy, and processed food are acidic in the body. In a healthy body, diet does not affect acid-alkaline blood levels. However, overly acidic blood levels in unhealthy individuals have been proven to lead to diabetes, lung disease, cancer, liver and kidney issues, and heart problems, just to name a few.
Just as food can be medicine, so can herbs. Both work to gradually change the body’s chemistry, unlike pharmaceuticals, which can shock the body into change. The thing to remember about food and herbs as medicine is that you have to be consistent and persistent. If you’re choosing the natural way to heal your body, by avoiding pharmaceuticals, redirecting the body’s chemistry is like turning the titanic - it’s a slow and methodical process.
Over the course of the 21+ years that I’ve lived here in the Berkshires, I’ve been blessed with an amazing wife and child, and now a flourishing business. Kimberly and I have taken our creation of Lakshmi’s Garden and turned it into a resource for anyone to create health in one’s life. All it takes is a call.
Together, we have over 50 years of knowledge and experience in Ayurveda, Yoga, Massage, Herbs, Cleansing, and Nutrition. We know and believe that good health is achievable, as long as one gives their mind and body a chance. The trick is in the understanding of one’s mind and body.
Please see our ad in this issue of the Artful Mind.
Be well and heal thyself!
Terrel Broussard
Ayurvedic Practitioner, Herbalist, Bodyworker
413-329-5440