How I Somehow Became the “Witch Doctor” 😅
My mom and coworkers call me “the witch doctor.”
No, I don’t have a cauldron.
No, I’m not brewing mysterious potions in my kitchen.
And no, I haven’t started collecting crystals under the full moon.
But somewhere between COVID, ingredient labels, castor oil packs, lymphatic drainage exercises, and countless late-night Google searches, I found myself on an unexpected health journey… and apparently earned the nickname.
Honestly?
They’re not entirely wrong. 😆
The funny thing is, I never planned for any of this.
Before COVID, I Never Thought About Any of This
Before COVID, I wasn’t reading ingredient labels.
I wasn’t researching herbs.
I wasn’t comparing shampoos.
I wasn’t paying attention to what was in my sunscreen.
I pretty much bought whatever was on the shelf, trusted that someone smarter than me had already done the research, and moved on with my life.
Then COVID happened.
Like a lot of people, I started asking questions.
At first, the questions were simple.
Then they became bigger.
What am I putting in my body?
What am I putting on my body?
Why do I feel the way I do?
Are there things I can do to support my health before I get sick instead of only thinking about it afterward?
One question led to another.
And another.
And another.
Before I knew it, I had wandered into a world of vitamins, supplements, natural ingredients, herbs, nutrition, sleep habits, and wellness practices I had never paid much attention to before.
I wasn’t looking for a new lifestyle.
I was just looking for answers.
Have We Forgotten Some of What Our Ancestors Knew?
The deeper I went, the more I found myself thinking about our grandparents, great-grandparents, and the generations before them.
For thousands of years, people relied on plants, herbs, food, movement, sunlight, and the natural world around them.
Knowledge was passed down from one generation to the next.
Somewhere along the way, much of that knowledge faded.
Today we live in a world built around convenience.
Fast food.
Fast shipping.
Fast internet.
Fast results.
We want everything immediately.
Natural approaches don’t always work that way.
Many of them require patience.
Consistency.
Time.
Now, before anyone misunderstands me, I’m not saying herbs replace doctors or modern medicine.
I believe both have value.
I simply think we’ve forgotten that health isn’t always found in one pill, one supplement, one doctor visit, or one miracle cure.
Sometimes it’s found in the small things we do every day.
The First Domino
One of the first changes our family made was cutting back on high fructose corn syrup.
No, we aren’t perfect.
If someone offers me a brownie, we’re still having a conversation.
But we started paying more attention to ingredients.
The more labels I read, the more surprised I became.
High fructose corn syrup seemed to be hiding everywhere.
Since making changes, I’ve noticed my family doesn’t seem to get sick as often as we used to.
My husband’s diabetes has also become much easier to manage with healthier food choices and better habits.
Was high fructose corn syrup the only reason?
Of course not.
But it was one of the first dominoes that made me realize how powerful small changes can be.
Then Came the Sunscreen Incident
Just when I thought I had learned enough, my oldest had a reaction to sunscreen.
That sent me down another research trail.
I discovered an ingredient called octocrylene and learned about mineral sunscreen.
Before that moment, I honestly didn’t know there was a difference.
Now I’m standing in store aisles reading ingredient labels like I’m preparing for a final exam.
Life comes at you fast.
My Hair and I Have a Complicated Relationship
Then came shampoo bars.
For years I bought products promising thicker hair, shinier hair, smoother hair, healthier hair, and probably world peace if I used them consistently enough.
The more I learned, the more I discovered that many shampoo bars skip ingredients like sulfates, which can leave some people’s hair feeling dry, dull, flat, or frizzy.
My hair and I have disagreed for years.
Trying something different seemed worth a shot.
To my surprise, I actually liked it.
Somewhere Along the Way, Everything Changed
Then lemon water appeared.
Cayenne pepper started showing up in my food.
Magnesium landed on my nightstand.
Castor oil packs appeared in my bathroom.
I started learning about lymphatic drainage.
I bought a vibration plate.
And at some point, I realized my younger self would be very confused by all of this.
If 2020 Jade could see me now, she’d probably ask:
“What exactly happened to us?”
Honestly?
Curiosity happened.
What This Health Journey Taught Me
The truth is, I didn’t start this health journey because wellness was trendy.
I didn’t start because I wanted to become a health expert.
I started because I wanted to feel better.
Better energy.
Better sleep.
Better focus.
Better than I felt at the time.
And the more I learned, the more I realized that taking care of myself wasn’t selfish.
It was necessary.
As this health journey continued, I realized the biggest lesson wasn’t about herbs.
It wasn’t about supplements.
Nor was it about the mineral sunscreen.
Not about shampoo bars.
It was about learning that I matter too.
As moms, caregivers, wives, employees, and people who spend so much time taking care of everyone else, we often end up at the bottom of our own priority list.
I’ve done that for years.
Sometimes I still do.
But this health journey reminded me that my health deserves attention too.
The glass of water.
Every walk.
healthy meals.
Having a good night’s sleep.
Every supplement.
Every small choice.
They may not seem important in the moment.
But together, they add up.
I’m not trying to live forever.
I’m simply trying to give my future self the best chance possible.
I’m taking care of the woman I’ll hopefully be ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.
Will I ever do everything perfectly?
Absolutely not.
Some days I’m drinking lemon water and making great choices.
Other days I’m eating snacks in my pajamas and wondering where my motivation went.
That’s called being human. 😅
If my future self could send me one message, I hope it would simply be:
“Thank you for not giving up on me.” 💚
Until next time have a blessed day.