Hello!
My name is Lori Bell, I’m a herbalist, stay at home mom of 4, cancer survivor and married to a wonderful supportive husband for 30 years! Please read below to learn a little about me and how I got inspired to become an herbalist.
I’m someone with a very curious mind! I love learning about herbal medicine and how it can be used to keep our body vibrant! I made use of the time at home with my kids when they were little to learn about the things I was interested in. Some of those things turned into passions that I continue to learn, explore, and grow with. Throughout the years of raising a big family we’ve had our fair share of colds, the flu and injuries. I’ve put into practice the knowledge I’ve gained to keep them healthy and vibrant. Only one of our children (as you’ll read in the story below) has ever had antibiotics. I’ve been able to keep my family healthy using herbal medicine and nutrition. It’s not that I wouldn’t take them to the doctor if they got sick or injured, like when my son Zachery broke his arm at age 5. The children have also have had immunizations, but those are the few times we’ve taken them to the doctor.
Please don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for doctor’s and all that they do, but we’ve forgotten how to care for ourselves. There are plenty of home remedies you can do in the middle of the night when your children get ill. No one knows your children better than you do whether you are their mom, dad or care taker. I believe that finding the problem right from the beginning, and then being proactive about it makes a huge difference in the healing process. I try to keep certain items on hand for cold season, injuries and stomach complaints. It’s like having a toolbox ready for whatever you might need to fix. Health issues are part of life that isn’t going to change.
I have learned to listen to my body and how it works and what to do when a symptom arises. A symptom is your first clue that there is an imbalance in your body. When you address that imbalance, and support your immunity with nutrition and herbs, then that imbalance can become balanced again, as well as healthy and whole.
My interest in herbal medicine began in 1992 when our oldest daughter, Jessika was just a baby. She had reoccurring health problems that doctors couldn’t get under control. Their answer was to give massive doses of medicine that compromised her immune system along with wanting to perform surgery. As young parents, we wanted to put our faith into the doctors’ hands, but when I started to feel that they were mechanically going through the motions to treat our baby, something inside me (my intuition) shouted, “There has to be another way!”
As fate goes, I noticed an herbal heath food shop as I was driving home with our daughter from an emotional doctor’s appointment. At that point I was open for any options. The wonderful woman who owned the shop took a look at Jessika and started gathering a few herbal remedies. Before I left her shop she gave me some quick instructions on how to help nurse Jessika back to health. I had two weeks to get Jessika healthy before my next doctors’ appointment and when they wanted to schedule surgery. For two weeks I diligently followed her instructions, and we saw great improvements, but we wondered if that was enough. During the appointment I nervously kept silent as the doctor checked Jessika. Then, a little doubt started creeping up inside me as he looked at me and asked, “What did you do to your daughter?” I felt the blood drain from my face and asked him, “Why?” Then he said, and I’ll never forget these words because they changed my life, “Your daughters infection is completely gone, and she is totally healthy, there’s no need for surgery.” I started to cry in relief as I told him what I did. He looked at me and told me to “NEVER take Jessika’s health into my own hands, because you don't understand the human body and how to treat it.” I thanked him, gathered my baby, and left. He’ll never know how he affected the direction of my life. From that day forward I had an insatiable appetite for learning everything I could about the human body and how to treat it naturally with herbal medicine.
In 1999 I found the “Australasian College of Health Sciences,” (now called “American College of Healthcare Sciences” https://www.achs.edu ) an accredited on-line course, that taught me in detail about the human body and how to retain optimal health using herbal medicine. It was a very challenging course, but in August 2003, I graduated with an "Master Herbalist" degree with honors and I loved every minute of it!
In 2011 I felt guided to become a Reiki practitioner. I use Reiki in every aspect of making my products, from gardening to packaging. :)
It is my greatest pleasure to share my products with you and hope that they are as healing and helpful for you as they have been for me and my family and friends. Enjoy!
Many Blessings,
Lori Bell M.H. Hons.