What are the negative effects of birth control? In this episode, Shannon Curtis ND is sharing all about her post-pill healing journey. The herbalist, holistic women’s health practitioner, and founder of Wild Roots Alchemy is a wealth of knowledge. We get into all the good stuff: natural remedies for acne, healing food, cleansing herbs, and more. If you’re struggling with hormonal imbalance, skin issues, and/or period problems, this is a must-listen. Here’s the low down:
Dr. Shannon did not grow up going to Whole Foods and taking herbs; like many of us, she was raised on Wendy’s and Ibuprofen—natural remedies and wellness were alien to her. After she went on the pill for heavy periods, she suffered from severe anxiety, depression, acne, and weight gain. Her healing journey began when she got off the pill.
She shares why birth control is often a fall-back prescription for common issues like irregular menses, heavy menses, and acne. She also explains how the pill works and why it creates problems, especially in developmental years, including issues with estrogen levels, brain-ovary connection, blood sugar regulation, gut function, and other imbalances.
After diving deep into research and natural remedies, Dr. Shannon changed her career course and began to study naturopathic medicine. In her practice and online coaching and courses, she looks at a client’s neuroendocrine-immune system to understand root causes. This methodology realizes that the health of one system impacts the health of another. Ultimately, when it comes to acne, she looks at the nervous system because it plays a vital role in the health of every other organ.
Dr. Shannon also talks about the importance of the organs of elimination, think liver, lymph, kidney, gut. The body’s organs of elimination metabolize and eliminate toxins and waste products, which is essential for hormone balance. In her practice, she helps clients remove environmental toxins and support the organs of elimination.
Often she finds that a lot of clients have estrogen dominance. To help eliminate excess estrogen and balance hormones, she brings in her favorite liver herbs including, burdock root, dandelion root, yellow dock root, and Oregon grape root (which is excellent for blood sugar).
When it comes to diet, Dr. Shannon focuses on nourishing and healing whole, organic foods. She wants people to avoid overly-processed oils that are often found in packaged foods. And shockingly enough, she finds that many of her patients aren’t eating enough food, which can stress the body and wreak havoc on blood sugar levels.
Erica shares how eliminating dairy has helped her acne and gut healing journey and how eating balanced meals is essential for her hormone and blood sugar balance. She asked Dr. Shannon about her thoughts on caffeine and coffee and how it impacts skin health and the adrenals. Here’s the thing, the quality of coffee is huge! A lot of coffee out there is contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers, mycotoxins (mold toxins), and inflammatory chemicals. Drinking coffee is also a stressor for adrenals and can impact energy, hormone, and stress levels.
Other topics the two dive into are Maya Abdominal massage, body alignment, and the importance of getting into nature.
We love the way Dr. Shannon describes the healing journey: not linear but spiral. Often, we will come back and hit common themes, revisiting the same challenges to heal them on a deeper level. If you want to connect with Dr. Shannon in person, go to Boulder.wshcare.org or find her online services at Wild Roots Alchemy and on Instagram at Dr.ShannonCurtis.
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