nature´s apothecary

thymeless.

( thymeless ) archives:


journal, blog, thoughts
    film / analogue archive, photography
conversations with / stories
projects


on healing
nature´s apothecary
on herbs
medicinal recipes
nutrition, recipes the taste of
safe space, mental care
body care

a collection of / recommendations of
objects
places, spaces
where to find / taste your food produce
create / make yourself ( remedies, body care, nutrition, recipes )
body care
beautiful words
books, reads


words (.)
questions (?)


seasons elements
summer water
spring winter earth
autumn wind
fire
energy

( produce, herb, remedy of the month / season )


senses
touch skin
smell scent
taste lips
sight eyes
sound tone



nature
soil
trees, leaves
shadows, light
sun(sets),(rise),(light)
moon
roots
textures, materials

cycles
women´s cycle
moon, lunar
seasons


almost...
january
february
march
april
may
june
july
august
september
october
november
december

nature´s colour palette:

brown
green
beige
blue

chestnut, cedar, clay, soil, bark
sage
cinnamon
ocean, frost

apothecary

herbs

medicinal recipes

my story.

on studying medicine:

I am very grateful for these years of education, and the opportunity to learn from hard working, knowledgable people, and believe it provided me with a good necessary foundation and understanding of the human body, the body systems, and organs in the areas of physiology, anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, histology, surgery. having learned to do anamnesis and diagnostics, dissecting a human body, covering the fields of paediatrics, neurology, chronic diseases, psychology, biochemistry, evidence-based medicine, metabolism, pain, infectiology, having placements in hospitals and clinical insights, experiencing an internship in padiatric neurosurgery at Charité in Berlin,...

but for a world that should always have the purpose to make us feel better, it pretty often felt empty, unnatural, mechanical. system-driven. it lacked taking care of each other, sharing experience and knowledge with each other and passing it on in a more connected, deeper, human way. seing the person, the root cause and the connections. not only the symptoms. taking different energies and personalities into consideration.
the moment I started to reconnect with nature and myself, to learn about alternative, natural ways, things were starting to make sense in a deeper way, more lightweight, long-lasting, energetical way. healing from the inside, not only with external help.
I think it is important to have experience, to have a foot in both worlds. but the truth is the one that feels natural ankers me into the ground. gives me strength, stability and trust in myself and my body. the one that is truly about healing.

we as humans, especially in medicine tend to try to put things into categories and follow schemas to simplify, in order to gain the feeling of control and understanding. the truth is we will never be able to control, fully understand nature and earth. it is everchanging and has endless layers and connections.

lets not try to separate things that belong together. a reminder that our body systems (for example pulmonary or cardiovascular) are inseparable. they work together. they suffer but also heal together. in medical school I had a few years to choose my spezialization (for example cardiology or orthopaedics). experiencing how others were drawn to one field. I never really felt like I belonged to only one specific field. everytime I studied natural, herbal medicine and opened the first page of a book, everything made sense:
the concept of spezialisation and fragmentation and dividing the body in categories rather than seeing it as one, therefore changing the view and approach to treating symptoms and patients. (still very, very necessary to have specialists. we need and should be grateful for passionate, hard-working, talented people in all these positions). but gladly, many traditional medical systems like traditional chinese medicine or ayurveda, as well as herbalism in different corners of the world safely guard these precious principles of wholism.

“a quick fix” becoming thymeless healing:
I did it for myself for several years. humans tend to simplify and make their lives easier. to think there is one way to do it. no matter the price that will follows years after. our bodies are able to go through and endure a lot. they are incredibly resistant and adaptable. but not sensing when something is off or burying it will make it accumulate over time. underneath the surface. we might be able to ignore it for quite some time. day by day it seems like nothing changes and often don´t see the quiet, gradual worsening happening inside of our body and our organs. we get used to our bodys signs and signals and our symptoms become the new normal. the stress on the body persists. the imbalance grows. chronic inflammation. chronic, degenerative diseases.

it has to do with dependency and transferring responsibility to someone else (your doctor, medications) - but that doesn´t build your strength and capability to help you heal yourself.
convenience. isn´ t it easier to just take a small little pill every morning and carry on with your life?
the truth is only you truly have a direct connection and communication with your body.

fear. fear, anxiety and worries interfere with healing. if they tell you you need it, you will believe you need it and your body will actually need it. it makes your mind let your body think that it is not capable of healing on its own and needs an effective, strong external, quick fix. and you may need it (strict, clear therapeutic schemas and steps are very important in acute, life-threatening, severe situations). temporary support from these resources is okay. and thank god we have them if needed. but they should not be the first line or the only long-term approach. especially if there is another way. especially not when it comes to treating persistent, chronic symptoms and health issues. these have a deeper root cause. chronic inflammation are caused by an imbalance. if we learn to listen, understand, believe and trust in our bodies we support its healing.

read on the difference between

“take care.”:
trying to see the bigger picture.
understanding instead of learning by hard / memorizing.
thinking in circles and connecting several dots with lines instead of seeing dots only.
trying to see the whole picture
body, emotion, energies, mind and spirit
healing by combining different approaches and remedies according to what an individual mind and body needs.
tailor-made, individualized

when we become doctors that is what we learn. we learn what medications to prescribe in which condition. we learn schemas by hard. what to do in which situation. our brains get trained to see as many patients as possible within the shortest amount of time. we do what we learned. and that is totally reasonable. it comes with being human. but routine and automaticity make us prone to losing a feeling for the individual sitting opposite to us. this system subconsciously trains our brains to think more minimalistic, reductionistic and gives us the urge to simplify. to think in schemas, categories, systems and boxes. standardization. endless medications are prescribed and invasive diagnostic methods and operations are instructed. often just because of routine.
because every person (body+mind+energy, frequency) is unique, it seems hard to believe that the same pill/treatment/nutrition/system will work for everyone. especially long-term.
often no space for considering an alternative gentler approach first or examining the patient with ones senses, looking, feeling, talking. the powerful effect our mind and psyche have on our state of health and disease is often underestimated.
I could see endless facts. numbers. probabilities. lab results, data. but the background story was missing. a sense that communication and deeper understanding were lost.
luckily some incredible doctors do take their time, are empathic, really try to look deeper, care, are open, and truly listen. sadly often hard to find. wish there were more of them.

it makes you lose touch with your body! you forget to listen and communicate with your body, read the signs, know what it needs. but a language you once learned, you can always pick up on. and its always worth it.

for me, healing has a also lot to do with the mind, experience, knowing and listening to your body. a promise to our bodies and ourselves. to listen. to understand. to do what feels good. to stop what doesn´t. to ask for support and help when needed. support is so precious.
you need to try to be there for your body and support your body (if you are not capable of right away, that is okay. that is why it is important to have someone who wants the best for you, who makes an effort to understand you, who supports you on this journey. but the truth is only yourself can truly heal you long term. it takes trying, effort and taking responsibility for your own health. no one else can take care of you better than you can. no one else can understand your body better than you can.) being able to trust that pain passes. it takes time for bodies and tissues to heal.

from me to you, from nature to you:
at the beginning of last year, I decided to follow another path. my own path. I didn´t want to continue to be trained to become a conventional doctor in this system. I know it was the right decision / path with my whole heart. I want to continue spend my time and energy on learning about natural alternative healing approaches. and support others with an individual, tailored approach and remedies (because every one of us is different. has different needs, organ function as well as different weakpoints and deficiencies).

these thoughts originate from the feeling that an important connecting part is missing. a person who bridges the areas between conventional medicine / doctors, herbalism, naturopathy, psychotherapy, nutrition, energetics, and support where needed.

whether finding a natural approach together, pointing you in the right direction / sending you to the address, focusing on prevention, catching you in setbacks, supporting you over a period of time (!) not only during a one-hour appointment (healing is complex needs time). someone who is there during the entire process. It can be difficult to have to tell your story to new doctors several times, seeing a new face again, need to build trust, taking time to engage in and read about a topic. getting to know your patterns and symptoms, you being able to share your concerns, health story, how you feel and whats on your mind.
my personal goal is to be someone who looks deeper, supports, beyond the numbers on your lab results. someone who listens, cares, tries. someone who does not automatically prescribe you medications, but looks for another way out, another solution. who treats you, your organs, your organ systems.

because I wish we all had / will have a person who supported / will support us in ways that encompass multiple areas of our lives.

I myself experienced how much our mind is connected to our body and influences chronic conditions. lots of self-healing over the years. finding out how I can help my body in a natural way wherever possible.
I am grateful for the incredible support on my journey so far. for having had the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable natural alternative-thinking pharmacists, doctors, producers and farmers. I spend countless hours in natural herbal pharmacies and organic health food stores. grateful for the community I was surrounded by and lots of alternative-thinking family friends in Austria. as I grew up I learned to sense other like-minded people wherever my path took me.
for me, it is very valuable to share experiences with these people and friends.
talking to these people, listening to their advice, hearing about what helped others or their families and children. that will forever be more valuable to me than having a scientific research paper in my hand saying this medication is proven to help me. sadly nowadays a tale or experience is often considered worthless compared to empirical evidence-based medicine.

on prevention:

not waiting for something to arise, denying, accumulating. being attentive to catch our bodys signs of imbalance in time. supporting our bodies so they are more resistant. building resilience, strength, protective layers, stability. prepare for difficult times beforehand.
we should focus on health, not only on curing disease when it is already there.

hope for traditional herbal medicine and modern medicine to work together <3:

Sadly, there has been an increasing cleft between two sides in society for a long time: traditional intuitional spiritual natural medicine versus modernized scientific rational medicine. throughout history the two have always been rivalling against each other. actually, the goal would be to leave space for and respect both and combine them in harmony to heal people.

I hope and trust that we need to get back to this traditional approach and always hold space for it. at least try that way first.

movements like modernization, politics and society have often put herbal medicine into the dark. additionally, tools like power, profit, fear, anxiety and the pressure of needing clinical trial proof have been used to create doubt and insecurity about herbs.

in medical school, I was honestly shocked when the girl sitting next to me in class told me she had never heard of sage before (but she could name five pharmaceutical drugs for a soar throat within five seconds). or when the students first line of approach would be prescribing gut medications immediately and not even suggesting to have a look at the patients nutrition.
I remember my pharmacology doctor professor saying “get used to it, perscribing medications will be 95% of what you will be doing later on”.

we need to protect valuable tales, experiences, rituals, and their origin. humans should get back into nature and reconnect with the plants that have cured so many of us in the past. we need to get back to our intuition, and to trusting in our body´s ability to heal with the right support.

I am not against modern medicine. I appreciate it very much. but I want to prompt you to look at it from another perspective/approach. one that we sadly lost over time.
I learned both approaches. I honour and respect both approaches. hope both worlds work together more. that is what makes our world and people so unique and diverse and gives us so many different options and points of view.

seeing body systems and symptoms as chapters of a healing journey.

help you learn to read the signs of your body. help you find the right (natural) help for you and your body.

*dealing with / select what´s on your mind / you can associate with / resonate with*:

heart, blood, vessels circulatory system heartbeat

hormonal endocrine system cycles

mental nervous system mind

respiratory respiratory system    air, breath

digestion digestive system nourishment

skin integumentary system touch

cleanse    urinary system pure

protection immune system safety

structure, stability musculoskeletal system support

fluid balance lymphatic system balance, flow

love reproductive system love

sensory organs ear, throat, nose, eyes, skin sensations

*select the words that describe what you are dealing with / what´s on your mind and/or the system that you feel is affected*
or let me know whatever it is you are dealing with*:
chronic or recurrent inflammation
digestive problems: irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, liver, gall bladder
tension
pain (muscular-nerv), chronic pain
anxiety
panic attacks
stress
acne, skin problems
sleeplessness
depression, lack of energy, tiredness
difficulties concentrating, memory
spasms
restlessness, ADHD
headache
period cramps, irregular or missing periods, PMS, lack of libido
infection
blood sugar
mental or physical trauma
lack of energy
behaviour, addiction, patterns
acute infection, inflammation: cold, flu, sinusitis, sore throat, asthma, cough, bronchitis, laryngitis
nausea, vomiting
allergy
urinary tract, kidney, fluid retention
temperature, poor circulation
blood pressure
wounds, ulcers
joint, muscular, bone issues
eye issues
ear issues
nose issues
sinus issues recurrent/chronic sinusitis
mouth, throat issues
thyroid issues
toxicity (gut, lymph)
....

the goal is to not only suppress these symptoms, but to understand them/what your body is trying to tell you and to help your body resolve them-
symptoms are our body´s way of expressing something is wrong / its language / how it communicates with us. if someone wants to talk you don´t just press the silent button - you listen to them and try to understand what they need to feel better.
often symptoms are the body´s protective mechanisms to re-achieve balance. vs if doesn´t succeed -> chronic, + other symptoms further imbalance be grateful for this special communication. be gentle with your body, not just be annoyed by the symptoms. respect its limits and that it needs rest and time to heal. time to heal means not taking a quick fix, not rushing, not suppressing.

support:

I believe no pill and no herb can heal our bodies on its own. it takes working on multiple levels of our minds, bodies, energies and spirit. it takes a tailor based approach. branching together different sources of support.

concept: tailored suggestions for support from:

herbs, plant remedies, phyto, traditional herbal medicine
medicinal mushrooms
natural medicine, traditional healing systems
TCM
constitution, personal traits, patterns
nutrition
homeopathy
schüssler salze
energetics
flower remedies, bach remedies
sensual therapy
aromatherapy
cycles (hormonal cycles, rhythms, menstrual cycle, natural contraception)
movement, stretching, pilates, yoga, meditation, breathwork, relaxation
psychology, mental health, mind
stress resilience, psychosomatics, somatics, neuropsychology, trauma therapy, subcortical brain
reducing toxicity, elimination of toxins
.............

herbs:

list of herbal actions:

adaptogenic
analgesic
anti-allergy
anti-infective
anti-inflammatory
antispasmodic
astringent
bitter
carminative
cholagogue
circulatory stimulant
demulcent
haemostatic
antioxidant
antipyretic
antiseptic
antispasmodic
antiviral
bactericide
decongestant
demulcent
depurative
diaphoretic
diuretic

anti-dysmenorrhoea
anti-emetic
anti-emmenagogue
expectorant
galactagogue
haemostatic
hepatic
hypnotic
hypoglycaemic
hypolipidaemic
hypotensive
immunomodulator
laxative
nervine
sedative
skeletal muscle relaxant
nutritive
restorative
rubefacient
stimulant
thermogenic
tonic
vasodilator
vulnerary

list of herb constituents, phytochemistry:

alkaloids
bitters, iridoids
flavones, flavonoid glycosides
glycosides, cardiac glycosides
mucilages
oils, resins, volatile oils
saponins, triterpenoids, phytosterols
tannins
vitamins, minerals, trace elements
phenols
coumarins
anthraquinones
terpenes
polysaccharides
....

different types of herbal remedies.

disclaimer: My content does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is solely an expression of suggestions, experiences and thoughts.