Hey friends!  This is the first post in what I hope becomes a very worth-while health resource for community friends and folks out there on the web.  Few of us have time to sift through all that we read or hear on health issues these days, but I DO.  I’ve made it part of my job.  To be honest, part of the deal is that I love to learn about this stuff.  I stay up at night and read the latest clinical studies and research reports.  But, the other side is that I love talking with people about their health, and love hearing that their lives have improved without the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs!  Since completing a program a few years back in clinical nutrition, I’ve spent my time studying herbal medicine and holistic nutrition, focusing on uncovering and treating the root causes of disease.

My approach is straightforward: I try to help people find where there has been a disconnect in their life-

• a disconnect with their body in what it needs or doesn’t need,
• a disconnect with their emotions in what the heart and mind need or don’t need, 0r
• a disconnect in spirit with God or other people.

When the connection comes, real health always follows.

Falling Down and Getting Up

My voyage into the world of health and wellness began a few years ago following a period in my life of lost hope and crippling depression.  At age 23, with a lack of direction and broken relationships in my life, my mind and emotions became a runaway train that I couldn’t slow down.  I’ve always been a slender guy, but at 6’2″ I went from my normal 170 pounds to 130 pounds in 6 months and felt like death!  I was tormented by condemning voices that kept me stressed out and unable to sleep for nearly a year (felt like a lifetime).  Worst of all, I isolated myself, ashamed of how crazy and pathetic I had become.  Finally, unable to hide it any longer, I let a few friends in on just how miserable I was.

Eric, you should get counseling, was the common consensus.  I still don’t know why, but I was stubbornly opposed to this.  How I could be stubborn about anything at that point I don’t know, but when a friend told me about a couple of pastors from Cabot, Arkansas who said they could help me, for whatever reason, I went for it.  Alan Alford and Tim Baize- I met with them 3 times a week for a couple of months doing what we now refer to as Seed Digging, a technique where you deal with spiritual/emotional issues by digging through all your weeds to uncover the root causes (seeds) in your life to bring truth and healing.  It was life-changing!  The condemning voices in my head went away.  I started to get my health back.  I connected with God in a deep and personal way.  I had also formed friendships with these guys that have remained strong to this day.  In particular, it was through conversations I would have with Alan that my eyes were opened to a deeper meaning of health and wellness.

A Vision for Health

Alan spent a big part of every week helping folks just like me.  He didn’t know the first thing about nutrition, but when people’s hearts and minds were healed during his Seed Digging sessions, he watched health conditions improve, speech impediments disappear, families reconnect, weight loss, and all kinds of things across life’s spectrum.  I talked to him about health and nutrition and he’d talk about the soul.  I could see that there was no use separating our physical health from our emotions and spirit.  Like many tributaries feeding into a single pool of water, we are a collective union.  Our spirits flow into the same pool our emotions do, the same as our physical body processes do.

I could see that there was no use separating our physical health from our emotions and spirit.

I’ve known since that time that I wanted to play my  part in bringing people into health.  My particular fields of study are herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, and health coaching, but a big part of how I help people is by bringing a holistic approach to their health.  This also provides me the opportunity to lean on a network of people that share the same passion for health as I do, whether they are doctors, farmers, teachers, restaurant owners, counselors, or truck drivers’ wives.  Additionally, my plan is to post information and resources on this blog that will be helpful and relevant to you on your journey.

Thanks for reading my story.  You can follow the Natural Food Store on Facebook where we’ll post updates to our health blog.  You can also come visit our team at the store in Searcy, or connect with me through Grace Wellness Community.

Eric McMullen, C.N.C.