Just like most great stories we read, we have a place where it all starts. In this case, Storm’s End Nutrition began in my youth. I was raised on a small farm in SE Idaho with 6 other siblings. We were raised by parents who taught us to work hard and do our best in everything because we might be the only ‘book’ some people read. Meaning, of course, that the kind of person you are to people will follow you through life and it is important to have a reputation as a decent person rather than one of a shady nature. While this taught us all to try our best in all we do, it had other effects as well. The first time I realized I might have a health problem, I was 11. I had just started my period and I thought I was going to die because I woke up in a pool of blood. After that initial period, I went 8 years before having another. My periods were intermittent and I never knew when, or even if, they were coming. While this may sound wonderful to the modern day woman who spends time getting shots or devices that keep them from having periods for 3 or 4 months at a time, this is not a good thing. Your body is meant to sluff that blood on a regular basis and when it doesn’t happen there are serious repercussions. In my case, I ended up in the hospital with what they termed was ‘Toxic Shock Syndrome’. Not only did I have that, I also had hives all over my body, including the base of my feet and the palms of my hands. I had a strep infection in my stool and a separate strep infection in my throat. I also had E. Coli in my urine. In short, my body went nuts. I spent a week in the hospital while they ran a bunch of tests only to conclude that they didn’t know what was wrong with me. The let me go. On the way home, I got sick again and ended back up in the hospital less than 2 hours later. This time they had a female specialist on call and she came in and looked at me and said I had PCOS. No tests, just looked at me. They issued me Glucophage, Spironolactone, and 2 different forms of birth control to try to get me regular. In short, none of it worked. In fact it all backfired. I was on this medication roughly 3 and a half years and it did nothing for me. The glucophage, which was the name brand for Metformin, was $120 a month by itself and I struggled to pay for all the medication and still be able to pay for fuel, food, expenses, etc. It was rough going. When I was 28, the doctors finally told me they didn’t know what else they could do for me and told me because of my body’s retention of the blood, I would eventually die from it. They told me not to expect to have children and that I should just make it right with my maker as who knows how long I would live. They doubted I would make it to 40. This was a lovely thing to hear from a physician as a young person in their 20’s. I refused to accept it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was not in denial. I had been studying herbs off and on for at least 15 years at that point because I wanted to help my dad, who had back issues. I knew that natural medicine was something that had been used for thousands of years and may be the key to my health. It was at this point I immersed myself into the natural world and found things that helped my body to do what it was meant to do normally. No drugs, no gimmicks, no side effects. Just research, hard work, experimenting on myself and following through with it even when reaching a point of despair where nothing changed for several weeks. My tenacity paid off. I fixed most of the issues I was dealing with through herbs, nutrition, exercise, massage and supplements. No one thing did it, it was a combination of things. Due to my experiences I have been able to help others find things that help them with issues too.

I truly believe this is where my love of natural medicine began. I went on to put myself through school to earn degrees in Holistic Nutrition and Naturopathy. I have put these to use educating people about what herbs and nutrients do and how they can directly impact how the body functions. I am constantly researching something and I am forever amazed at the capacity herbs, in particular, have to heal the body. We have such a vast array of plants available to us and so many in the medical profession known little of what they do. They are gaining in popularity with many people who wish to make their lives better by self medication but it is important to educate yourself on a few things before taking any old herb. Let’s just say there is a learning curve, we are all on one, but if you truly wish to help yourself then education is number one on the list. Lots of herbs will interact with medications or can negate how your medicines may work. Some herbs can cause harm if taken in too large of dose or for too long. This is where learning about the Properties of Herbs can be vital. You need to know what the plants are capable of before you choose to use them as medicine.

I love herbs. I love using them both as food and as medicine. I love learning about them and teaching about them. I hope that through this platform you will come to learn from them as much as I have. Let’s make this beginning become a fruitful journey to whatever end we may meet down the road. One thing is for sure, herbs will only make a fun and healthy learning adventure!

Eve Allen

Storm’s End Nutrition

everesearch@yahoo.com