Our Story, Willow Health & Wellness
Willow Health & Wellness is a services based wellness business that believes that each individual is their own health advocate and that to advocate effectively they need partners in educating them in regards to their health challenges and goals. Our medical system is not very helpful with providing people with alternatives to drugs and
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procedures. This is where we are most helpful because we can work with you to help you understand the alternative choices that are possible in the health challenges that you may be facing. We prefer to “work with” your physician if not in person but for your doctor to know that someone is working with you in regards to alternatives to pharmaceuticals and/or procedures. We are always available to meet with or talk to your doctor if that is needed.
While working with clients we are dedicated to teaching them how to live a clean, healthy and happy life. To achieve that we work with you and review all parts of your life and suggest areas that need to be addressed in regards to working toward that goal.
We look at your health, the foods you eat, the personal care products you use and the products you use around the house. We will delve into your life in ways that challenge you to change for a better & healthier future.
Barbara is a trained traditional naturopath and clinical herbalist. Her favorite are the herbs and her herbal slogan is ” God has put everything on this earth that we need to be healthy and well”. Meaning that pharmaceuticals are not and should not be the first line of defense. What God has given to us here on earth should be where we first turn as we are organic beings living on this earth and the foods and plants that live and grow on our earth are of the same organic source. Our bodies readily absorb and utilize the plants that grow on our planet. We also readily utilize animal meat particularly when these same animals feed on the plants that grow.
We embrace the whole person at Willow health and work holistically with you. That means that we look for the root of the problem to resolve it and once that occurs the symptoms begin to retreat. We do not treat symptoms, we treat people. People are not a compilation of symptoms, symptoms are the manifestation of a body that has fallen out of homeostasis.
We are experts at restoring your health and maintaining your health. Barbara works as a vitalist practitioner which means that we believe that each individual person has energy (electricity, vibrations or whatever you choose to call it) that travels through our body. I think we can all agree that we are electrical beings? This energy travels throughout our bodies and it animates us and keeps our heart pumping & our digestion /elimination working. This energy is gone when we pass away. I personally do not equate the energy I am discussing here with a soul or spirit. I also believe we are triune beings with a body, soul and spirit and I do not think that either the spirit or
Ear Candling with Barbara
soul is the energy I was discussing.
Vitalists believe that when there is an injury, any injury be it physical, mental or emotional, that our energy becomes blocked and negatively impacted. We work to keep our energy flowing throughout the body, We can use therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure, Herbs, supplements, massage, reflexology counseling, physical therapy…..any treatment that addresses the injured area.
At Willow Health we offer thermography and hair mineral analysis. We work with your doctors lab reports to get a handle on what is going on metabolically. We can order bloodwork from Spectracell Laboratories if needed. We offer Bach Flower analysis which is an effective method for treating emotions. We use Ion Cleanse therapy to
Ion cleanse
detox and we also offer ear candling which helps with sinus issues.
Willow Health has worked with other local practitioners in the area for body work referrals such as massage or reflexology. We have someone who can perform Thermography. We also can work with a local acupuncturist in case acupuncture is a treatment you require.
Willow Health started over a decade ago in the mind of the owner, Barbara Myers. Barbara worked in nursing and went to nursing school out of high school. She became disillusioned with the medical system and its priorities which seemed to be more about insurance money rather than the welfare of the patient. Barbara started looking into natural health over 30 years ago. It has been a long study and the learning environment has changed a lot with information being much more readily available then it was back in the late 1980’s.
Barbara Myers, ND, MH
Barbara has taken several classes on Traditional Chinese Medicine and is very interested in the methods. Particularly the energetics of herbs and the constitution of the client and the tools used to match the correct herb to the client. It is fascinating how Tradtional Chinese Medicine treats a client which is almost polar opposite of the treatment used by the western allopathic medical person. TCM is a continuing study for Barbara.
Barbara has started several businesses, Total Wellness solutions which was a health counseling business & Simple Sister creations, a business selling her hand made and chemical free personal care products. Barbara combined both of those business and when she formed Willow Health & Wellness. Barbara still makes her personal care products and sells them locally to a devoted following. Willow also has beeswax candles and christmas ornaments. We love beeswax at Willow health as when you burn besswax it cleans the air. Beeswax burning (using a cotton wick) creates negative ions which will clean the air of toxic ions. It is a delightful way to clean your air with the glow of beeswax. Try it!!
One of the hardest challenges with having a health food store and wellness center was the retail end of the business. When we first went into the retail business it was during a time when selling supplements on the internet was like the wild wild west. Anything went and went well below wholesale. It was hard to sell when customers continued to compare our prices to companies that say buy 2 bottles get 3 free and other such discounting that stores have a hard time completing with. We were really only interested in the wellness center end of the business (retail not being a strength of mine) but the retail took over. I have very happily settled into the business as just a wellness center. I do have some retail but I use an online dispensary and let them handle the stocking issues. It is very important to have a clear understanding of the type of business you are going into. We were very naïve and figured we could just add a little retail to a wellness center. The retail took over mainly because of the area I was in and the need in that area for product rather than services. The services and the classes did catch on but the retail was always the leader in the shop. That was not what we wanted and have successfully transitioned to a services only platform.
At Willow Health we have, over the years, held many classes on DIY such as How to Make Soap, How to Make Lotion, Herbal Medicine Cabinet, Essential Oils and How to Use Them, How to Make Herbal Preparations and many other DIY instructional classes. We have great fun doing these classes and everyone takes home some of what we make. We will go out and do classes at other venues as requested. The classes have been an excellent way
How to Make Lotion class
to introduce new people to the services we offer. Unraveling the “mystery” that is our shampoo or face cream and how easy it is to make a clean version of it for yourself is so much fun. Generally people who take these classes are amazed and thrilled to discover the wonderful world of making your own products. There are always some people who don’t want to be bothered with all that mess so we will make it for them.
Barbara has been a DIY’r her entire life, making all her own soaps and personal care products for over 30 years and still loves making her concoctions. The only thing better is learning from other DIY’ers and herbalists and their creations. There is always something to learn out there and we love learning.
Willow Health and Wellness believes that living a life that is focused on the the important things in our lives such as our faith in God, our relationships, our health and our work. We believe balance in all those are vital to personal well-being.
- Eat real foods and not foods in boxes or cans
- Take supplements and herbs rather than pharmaceuticals
- Carefully choose the personal care products you use on yourself and around the home to make sure they are as chemical free as possible
- Let a smile be your first response to everyone
- Pray & be at peace
- Exercise and be active in your life, enjoy the outdoors
- Learn to breathe…a deep breath in, hold it, and a deep breath out
The vital force in each of our bodies, will lead us if we listen, to the path of healing and of sustained health. It is vital that we learn to “listen” to what our bodies are telling us.
