Hi, I’m Brenda Grate, PH
Herbalist/Coach
Natural healing has been a passion my entire life. It began when I was a child, even though I didn’t know it. I was raised by a hippy mother from California who believed that sugar came from the devil. She wasn’t far off the mark, but I didn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to eat the same food all my friends were eating. When I had my first child at nineteen and developed hyperthyroidism, I finally understood. That’s when I reached out for a cure that didn’t involve irradiating my thyroid or taking medication for the rest of my life.
I didn’t have the benefit of internet searches, so I headed to the local library and did my research. I came up with a couple of ideas that made sense to me. This is something I tell all my students: herbalism is practical and makes sense. Use both your intuition and your common sense. I found a wonderful book that I use to this day: Dr. Abravanel’s Body Type Diet and Lifetime Nutrition Plan. I don’t believe in diets, but his insight helped me to understand how the dominant gland in your body affects the way you look, the foods you crave, and even your personality. I have seen this proven with many patients over the years.
Use both your intuition and common sense.
The next thing I discovered was that kelp, seaweed, has natural iodine in it. The doctor spoke of wanting to give me radioactive iodine, so I thought, why not try the natural version first? I changed my diet, taking out all stimulants such as coffee and simple carbs. I don’t advocate following a harsh diet consistently, but it’s often needed for a time in order to treat an imbalance, such as a Candida imbalance. My thyroid was highly stressed, and I was feeding it all the “right” things to keep it active, but all I was doing was wearing it out. It was frantically firing, trying to keep going, but if I didn’t change things, it would soon give up completely. Then, I would have been hypothyroid.
It took some months, but I was diligent in following my healing plan. I took kelp daily and stuck to eating a diet that would support rather than wear down my thyroid. I didn’t understand the effects of stress at the time, but now I would add stress management. The other and very important factor was that I made a decision not to be sick. You can’t dismiss the power of the mind in a healing plan. I decided that I wasn’t going to be sick anymore for the sake of the children who needed me. Please understand that this is what worked for me, but we are all different. I had small children to care for by this point, and my love for them certainly helped me.
My family doctor sent me to an intern for tests. He worried that I had done damage to my body by forgoing treatment (of the conventional sort) for several years. The internist put me through a battery of tests. When it was over, he sat me down at his desk, and for a few moments, he studied me, baffled. Then he said, “I’ve never seen this before and can’t explain it. Thyroids don’t fix themselves. You are perfectly fine.”
You’d think he would be happy, but since he couldn’t explain it, he was confused and troubled. I was young and did not have the confidence I have today, or I would have laid it all out for him. All I had told him was that I’d changed my diet. I don’t even remember if I told him about the kelp. Back then, I was still in awe of medical doctors. Now, I respect them and their training, but I don’t consider them to have all the answers. Neither do I. Both allopathic (conventional) medicine and herbal medicine need to work together for the patient’s best chance.
I have since had other conditions that I was able to successfully treat with herbal medicine, conditions that doctors insisted were either untreatable or needed medication. I avoid medication if I can treat myself naturally. If I need something stronger, I go to the doctor. As I said, we can work in harmony, and I don’t believe in “We have all the answers” clubs.
I love nature and her many gifts. I have studied long and hard to understand natural medicine scientifically. But I also use my intuition and the natural gifts of a healer. I have been a healer my entire life, but it’s taken me many years to understand and properly apply my gifts. I have many certifications, but all that pales next to a true understanding and years of practice in holistic treatments.
My path has been much like a plant’s root system, spread out and going in many directions. I have birthed and raised four children and helped to raise four more step-children. I have been gifted a granddaughter who is a beautiful soul. I began my life in Santa Rosa, California, and am now living in Greece. I grew up in Canada, where I also did my herbal training with Wild Rose Herbal College. I trained as a holistic health coach, Reiki master, and Yogi. I have written several books and painted many wildlife and botanical paintings.
Mugwort and Meadow Herbal Apothecary is the culmination of all my work. If there is anything I can do to support your healing journey, I am here to help.