These local establishments practice holistic health, which allow people to pursue more natural ways to maintain their health and bodies.
| 2019 Q4 | story by Tyler Allen | photos by Steven Hertzog
Do you suffer from migraines? Body aches and pains? Recovering from an injury? Or simply need to de-stress? As a former track-and-field athlete and now full-time graduate student, I know all too well the various aches, strains and pains of the body. I also know of the great lengths to which many go to get quality insurance and cover the costs of their health and wellness. Being in college and constantly on the move, and not a big fan of doctors’ offices and taking medicine, I decided to spend some time educating myself on the philosophy and practice of holistic health.
Holistic health is “an approach to life,” explains Suzan Walter, cofounder and current president of the America Holistic Health Association. Rather than looking at a specific part or pain of the body, holistic health is looking to examine, treat and maintain the “mind, body and spirit” as a whole and in connection with the environment in which an individual lives. In comparison to modern-day western practices, holistic health has been around for thousands of years and stems from cultural practices and traditions of various indigenous groups. Today, as people are looking for more natural and affordable ways to tend to their bodies, these practices have reestablished themselves in modern medicine.
The city of Lawrence being such a diverse community, many of its businesses serve in this particular health-care area. More importantly, many of these practices complement one another in their treatments. CBD (cannabidiol) and acupuncture go hand in hand in alleviating the mind, body and spirit of aches, pains and stress. When looking to practice a more holistic way of living, there are many options to choose from in Lawrence.
America Shaman owners Brandon and Heather Zoeller.
CBD American Shaman
CBD American Shaman, located on West Sixth Street, opened in July 2018. After attending a three-day conference, during which Dr. Jesse Lopez, medical director and chief medical officer, and Dr. Robert Kaufmann, director of research for Shaman Botanicals, educated visitors on CBD and the American Shaman franchise, Brandon Zoeller and his wife, Heather, knew they wanted a shop of their own. Being raised in a family of chiropractors (grandfather, father and uncle), Brandon always practiced holistic health and believed in the body’s ability to heal itself. He chose not to study chiropractic therapy but instead started the CBD business not only because of the conference but also an injury he had at the time. Prior to attending the conference, Brandon pulled his low-sciatic nerve and developed plantar fasciitis, causing him to walk oddly and endure never-ending moments of discomfort. Taking notice, friends applied a topical CBD cream to his affected areas, and within just a few minutes, Brandon began to feel his pain lessen. He soon got rid of his six-Advil-a-day and three-Tylenol-PM-a-night routine, and switched to a CBD water-soluble twice a day with a topical treatment for 45 days. “I told my wife, ‘I don’t hurt … I don’t remember the last time I hurt.’ ” Because of his experience and the experiences of close friends and family, Brandon wanted his clientele to see CBD was a good alternative for health and wellness.
Entering American Shaman, numerous plants add to the feeling of calm. To the left sit two chairs and a couch with a coffee table separating them and a TV flashing with shop information. This intentional setup was so Brandon’s clients “feel like you’re walking into your living room or a doctors’ office, a place where everyone can ask questions comfortably,” Brandon explains.
For those not familiar with the history of CBD, industrial hemp (more commonly known as CBD) was banned in many states by the late 1930s, but by 1940, it was discovered to be beneficial to the body during research. It was not until the 1990s when it was discovered that human beings have a CBD system and receptors in our bodies that produce and receive CBD. Brandon refers to this system, scientifically known as endocannabinoid, as “our internet. It tells the body where things need to go, what things need to do,” and can only function at its best if cared for properly.
In 1937, hemp production was issued a taxation in the United States to limit the spread of the plant. Before this governing limitation, CBD was found in many things (such as livestock because they were being fed it) and was readily available for consumption, which helped to keep the endocannabinoid system running properly. By keeping the endocannabinoid system going, we are helping our bodies reach homeostasis.
Brandon recommends taking CBD oil as a soluble that can be mixed into any beverage or as a topical cream, which is used to target specific areas. The cream travels through all seven layers of the skin down to the bone and heals from the bone out. He also recommends microdosing, where you are taking/treating with CBC in small doses over an extended period of time. American Shaman’s top-of-the-line nanotechnology allows for 90 to 100% absorption, which can not be found in many oil-based carriers. This “nano” unit of measure ensures the CBD penetrates the point and doesn’t just pass through the body.
Brandon personally treats his clients as patients, making sure they are properly educated about CBD and are treating it as medicine with an assigned dosage and schedule. He says, “It is important for everyday citizens to have options … the price of health care has gotten ridiculous. There needs to be an affordable alternative that works.” He also believes in helping many without ripping them off. “If we let the Big Pharma get ahold of this, they’ll take it away and price it out of the average American’s pocketbook.” To keep this from happening, Brandon has gotten friends involved, educated them and encouraged them into opening their own shops in various other states. His key to maintaining his business and boosting clientele is educating his employees extensively on CBD so they can educate customers creating a worthwhile experience.
Top to Bottom: A warm reception area welcomes in clients to Mud & Lotus; Owner Shannon Spann-Ryan places sterile hair-thin needles into specific acupuncture points on the body to promote healing; Mud & Lotus features an all cedar chlorine-free hot tub with mineral water; Lawrence Acupuncture and Mud & Lotus, New Hampshire location
Lawrence Acupuncture and Mud & Lotus
Located in the 800 block of New Hampshire Street, Lawrence Acupuncture and Mud & Lotus: Outdoor Soaking Tub and Sauna are sister businesses you won’t want to pass up. Owner Shannon Spann-Ryan plays meditation music and keeps the lights low for increased relaxation and Zen. Various massage and acupuncture rooms line the halls. Having spent five years in school and also in practice, Shannon wanted to bring her passion for traditional Chinese medicine to the city of Lawrence, while also changing the mind-set of how self care can be practiced. She felt her firsthand experiences with hot springs could help introduce the Lawrence community to self care in a “sociable, fun and luxurious” way.
The practice of acupuncture (the insertion of thin needles at strategic points of the body) dates back 5,000 years and has been logged historically in ancient Chinese history. It is one of the five branches of traditional Chinese medicine that includes bodywork techniques (cupping, gua sha, and massage), herbalism (use of herbs for healing), energy work (tai chi being one example) and nutrition, which is knowing what foods help cure different ailments and bring balance to the body. Influenced by Daoism (Taoism) philosophy, this medical practice looks at nature and the body as parallels and the balance between the two. Shannon’s training allows her to work and treat the body as a whole rather than working on individual problems. Having once suffered from cystic acne, Shannon aided herself through herbalism and creating her own natural skin-care products. Using her philosophy of “getting to the root of the problem and not masking symptoms,” she says she has helped to heal others through her business.
Though some are skeptical, Shannon helps boost her clientele and educates the community on her practices by offering free classes. Her most recent courses focused on what it meant to truly detoxify and how to detoxify the liver, and explained the history of ancient Chinese medicine. As someone who understands the role of the pharmaceutical business, Shannon also wants people to know there are alternative ways to read the signals your body gives you and take care of it. “I want to help people suffer less,” she says, and find ways to tend to the “basic maintenance of the body.”
For beginners, Shannon recommends coming to visit and trying the “Release Me” treatment, designed to release pent-up stress, anxiety and muscle tension. It includes a 60-minute, individualized acupuncture session followed by a 60-minute tub and sauna session. Mud & Lotus is equipped with private changing rooms, private showers with raindrop shower heads, an outdoor Zen garden and a cedar hot tub filled with chlorine-free, mineral-rich water covered by a pavilion. This experience includes tea and towels. “The ‘Release Me’ session is good for someone who just finished a big exam, has a big occasion coming up or someone who is looking to get a weight lifted off of them from pent-up stress and tension,” Shannon explains.
To learn more about holistic health practices, visit the American Holistic Health Association at ahha.org.