REGENERATIVE HERBALISM with DENISE CUSACK | How Plants Teach Us to Live Well with Chronic Illness

Are you familiar with the deeply uncomfortable experience of having a herx reaction when treating lyme? Are you herxing right now? Desperate for tools you can try at home to relieve the pain and other unpleasant symptoms? 

Join your host Kelsey Conger, a clinical herbalist, holistic nutritionist, and lymie, on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

Today's episode is a breakdown of my top 12 tools to help you survive a herx reaction! These are almost entirely things that you can do at home and for free, or with very little financial investment. And the best part is....they work!! I've personally used each & every one of these in my own recovery, and I incorporate them with my clients as well. 

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Are you curious what it's like working with me or another clinical herbalist?? Do you feel confused about what herbal medicine is and what it's like to be a client?

Today's episode is a basic breakdown of what the process is like becoming my client, going through an herbal consultation, and receiving personalized, holistic care! 

Join your host Kelsey Conger, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE - the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

In this episode, we'll learn the basics of what an herbal consultation looks like and how a protocol is layered together to support you on your journey. We'll review the client onboarding process, the initial and follow-up consultation flow, and what recommendations you might walk away with after each session. 

As you navigate life with chronic illness, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. Working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways we can begin to initiate change, ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Have you ever been told you're double-jointed or entertained friends with your crazy flexibility? Do you live with hypermobility and struggle to understand how to engage in the activities you love without triggering pain or flare-ups??

According to the latest research and estimates, as much as half of the population lives with some level of hypermobility. And many of these folks also experience conditions such as lyme disease, POTS, MCAS, autoimmunity, neurodivergence, and chronic pain. This is why Taylor's work is so important and deeply needed!

Join herbalist Kelsey Conger and hypermobility coach Taylor Goldberg on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

On this week's episode, I am so honored to welcome Taylor, a chiropractor turned hypermobility coach, and founder of the Hypermobility Mastery Program! Taylor shares her own experience of living with hypermobility from a young age, and why she found herself disillusioned with methods taught in chiropractor school. As she saw hypermobile patients continuously left behind (herself included), she realized there was a greater need for these spoonies!

Now she supports hypermobile clients 1:1, while also training clinicians to better serve this population. She shares some of the common myths about hypermobility and how YOU can begin to take your life back with empowering tools to support your bendy body!

Remember, our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit, and just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal.

________________________________

Taylor is a Chiropractor-turned-Virtual Hypermobility Coach. Her mission is to assist clients in navigating the challenges of hypermobile spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), helping them to comprehend their bodies' unique requirements and rediscover a fulfilling life! In addition to supporting clients dealing with hypermobility, Taylor has introduced an educational course for healthcare professionals, equipping them with the knowledge to effectively assist their hypermobile patients.

Find Taylor on:
Website
Instagram
TikTok
Book 1:1 with Taylor

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed about trying to do everything right, whether as a mama or a chronic illness warrior? Do you want to feel more empowered to follow your intuition, to relax and begin incorporating more ease + play, and to cultivate a community of women who have your back??

Join herbalists Kelsey Conger and Callie Longenecker on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

On this week's episode we are so honored to welcome Callie, a professional chef, clinical herbalist and nutritionist, birth and postpartum doula, and founder of Earthen Hands. She shares her own wild and wonderful experience diving into the world of cooking an herbalism as a young teen, the initiation process of becoming a mother, and how she is cultivating a new kind of community for mothers and women to support one another.
 
To shop the Earthen Hands skincare line or purchase Callie's latest eBook, click this link to head over to her website!

Remember, our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit, and just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal.

________________________________

Callie is a professional chef, clinical herbalist and nutritionist, birth and postpartum doula, and founder of Earthen Hands, a mother-centered, organic skincare brand crafted with botanicals and food-based ingredients.

Find Callie on:
Callie's Instagram
Earthen Hands' Instagram
Her Website

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Are you eager to learn more about holistic and natural medicine, but have no idea where to start??

Let's start the new year with a list of beginner-friendly books that will empower you with knowledge that will change your life! These books explore holistic nutrition, food preparation, starting with herbal medicine, indigenous traditions, the healing power of nature and more. 

1. Nourishing Traditions
2. Brain Maker
3. Beginning with Herbs
4. Buddha's Brain
5. Ecopsychology
6. Your Brain on Nature
+ If Women Rose Rooted
+ Last Child in the Woods
7. Surviving and Thriving with Invisible Chronic Illness
8.  The Intersectional Environmentalist
9.

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Do you ever wonder about the origins of the winter solstice and why we celebrate certain holidays throughout the year? Do you want to learn to live in alignment with the seasons and cycles of nature?   

Join your host Kelsey Conger, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE - the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

In this episode, we'll learn about the solstices and equinoxes and how celebrating these sacred solar holidays can help us find a sense of groundedness and belonging. Embracing the seasonal cycles of nature can be a powerful tool to help us find balance within our own bodies, as well as our more-than-human communities. 

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Are you sick of the negative self-talk, guilt, shame, and endless cycles of restriction and bingeing? Does the idea of "healthy eating" feel overwhelming, controversial, and like you'll never get it right? 

Rise above all the negative storylines and radicalize (get rooted in) the way you think about food and nutrition! 

Join your host Kelsey Conger, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE - the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

In this episode, we'll let go of the negative stereotypes and narratives surrounding our food choices. We'll redefine what "healthy eating" means by talking about some key guiding principles of holistic nutrition, ultimately empowering you to view food as an act of self-love and nourishment.

We talk about food as love, prioritizing local foods, honoring bioindividuality, embracing all the macronutrient groups, and eating the rainbow.  We also challenge societal pressures that affect our relationship with food and body image, and discuss the significant role of food in our lives beyond just our physical well-being. By acknowledging the cultural, historical, societal, ecological, and biological aspects of the modern diet, we can make more informed and confident decisions about what we eat in our daily lives. 

As you navigate this holiday season and the winter solstice approaches, use these guiding principles to develop greater body awareness and increase your nutritional literacy to feel your best. Together, let's debunk the myth of the perfect diet and celebrate food for its ability to connect us to our roots and love ourselves even more! 

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Are you living with inflammation and uncomfortable symptoms as a result of chronic Lyme disease?? Do you ever wonder about collagen health and what you can be doing to support this extremely important protein that is abundant in the connective tissues of the body?

Well then, this episode is for you!

Join your host Kelsey, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

Today we'll explore why Borreliosis (aka Lyme disease) can be so damaging to collagenous tissues, like the joints, skin, eyes, and heart, and why vitamin C is here to help! You'll learn about several powerful herbs that can support collagen health, and a few wholesome foods too. 

This educational episode is especially helpful for the lymie community, because we  get into the nitty-gritty science of exactly how this bacteria spreads through the body and causes damage along the way. Even better, we'll take a look at herbs that can help inhibit or neutralize the compounds that make the spread of this infection possible. 

There are so many vitamin C and bioflavonoid rich foods and herbs like Cabbage, Broccoli, Nettles, Rosehips, and Calendula that can be easily incorporated into everyday meals to pack in the antioxidants and promote collagen synthesis. As always, the plants are here to help!

And remember, our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit. Just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal. 

Let's dig in!

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Do you find yourself feeling extra bloated after eating? Do you get that dreaded fullness, tightness, and uncomfortable feeling in your tummy that leaves you wanting to curl up in a cozy pair of sweatpants??

If you said yes to any of these, this episode is for you! By the end, you'll have 5 new holistic tools to add to your home first-aid kit for instant and lasting relief.

Join your host Kelsey, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

Today I'm sharing 5 of my favorite tips and tricks to ease gas + bloating FAST. These tools include simple things like sipping herbal tea and diffusing soothing essential oils. Plus, my all-time favorite, a powerhouse tincture guaranteed to soothe an unsettle tummy.   

This educational episode is especially helpful for the lymie + spoonie community, since gut issues are so incredibly common and an ongoing source of discomfort. The truth is, finding solutions for these everyday issues, that also help you foster a relationship with nature at the same time, are pretty simple. There's both magic and medicine, available and waiting.  It can be as easy as a cup or tea or a quick walk outside.

As always, our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit, and just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal. 

Let's dig in!

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.

Do you wake up feeling groggy, exhausted, and desperate for more sleep? Do you feel like you just can't get enough sleep? Does your alarm tend to ring over and over and over and over??

If you said yes to any of these, this episode is for you! By the end, you'll be armed with ten powerful strategies to kickstart your day feeling alive, vibrant, and brimming with energy.

Join your host Kelsey, an herbalist, nutritionist, and lymie on PLANET SPOONIE, the podcast for lymies and spoonies healing themselves and the world.

Today I'm sharing 10 practical and easy ways you can start finding greater balance in your sleep and wake cycles, to support your body and wake up feeling your best *on the daily*. These tools include simple things like getting more sleep and eating enough quality food, as well as targeted tools like including specific herbs and supplements.  

This educational episode is especially helpful for the lymie + spoonie community, as we lay the foundations for healing in the long run. The truth is, finding healing for yourself and the planet can actually be quite simple. There's both magic and medicine, available and waiting. By reconnecting to nature through seemingly small practices, like breathing fresh air, basking in the sunshine, exposing ourselves to seasonal temperature changes, and feeling the earth beneath our feet again, we can begin to reinitiate primal pathways and help our bodies return to their natural cycles. 

As always, our bodies are a direct reflection of the ecosystems we inhabit, and just like this earth, our bodies know how to heal. 

Let's dig in!

This episode is meant to be empowering and educational, but it is not medical advice. Please seek the support of your primary care provider or a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any changes.

As you navigate life with chronic health conditions, my goal is always to provide you with foundational tools to support you and help you feel your best. In addition to these educational episodes, working with clients 1:1 is one of the most powerful ways to initiate change - ensuring that you receive deeply personalized, compassionate, and inclusive care.

If you’re living with lyme disease or complex chronic illness and you feel ready to take your power back, begin healing, reconnect to yourself + nature, and find your *SHINE* again…

Book a FREE Q+A call with me to learn about working with me in 1:1 herbal consultations! And to stay tuned with upcoming offers, sign up for my newsletter and find me @kelseytheherbalist 🌼

Thanks for tuning into the PLANET SPOONIE podcast 🌎

Acknowledging that this podcast was recorded on the unceded land of the Kumeyaay (Iipai-Tipai-Diegueño) people, who have called this land home for 600 generations. This is now commonly called San Diego County in Southern California.