About

Your body is beautiful.

Your body is not broken.

Your body is designed to heal.

Hello There!

I’m Sarah, a stay-at-home mom of 3, wife and lawyer. I own a legal consulting firm and work on projects for law firms in my area. Because of the pandemic, I am homeschooling my kindergartner and preschooler this year.

I love playing with my kiddos, researching and writing, reading, interior design, being outdoors, cooking, and yoga. I would describe myself as a perennial student; I have a deep passion for learning.

I decided to start this blog after a conversation with a young woman in her late 20’s. Her physical struggles reminded me so much of my own at that age. She was tired all the time, couldn’t get out of bed in the morning, had difficulty sleeping, didn’t feel she was fully awake until the afternoon, had trouble losing weight no matter how little she ate or how much she exercised, had anxiety, was foggy-brained, and had awful periods. Any of this sound familiar?

I reached out to her to see if she had thought about her thyroid. I described my symptoms at her age (same as the list above, plus I had acne near my mouth, psoriasis, seasonal allergies and asthma, I’d wake up with a froggy voice, and my facial features had a swollen appearance).

The first time I became aware of a potential thyroid issue was while I was in law school. My primary care doctor called to say my thyroid levels were off and she’d like to retest them. The next test came back normal and she told me she’d see me in a year at my next physical. But, meanwhile, I had all this stuff going on with me.

The most alarming was the unexplained weight gain and inability to lose weight. I never struggled with weight before and had zero concept of healthy eating. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and never paid the price…until I did. My primary care doctor sternly said, “You know you need to lose weight,” which of course I did.

I tried everything I knew to try– intense work-outs, low calorie meals, and diet foods. I even paid for diet meal plans and a calorie-counting weight loss program. I wrote a weight loss blog for a year, chronicling my work. Nothing was working and I felt like a failure, like the world saw me as nothing more than lazy and fat. It was all my fault; I just needed to work harder.

I saw a dermatologist for psoriasis, which I have had since childhood. As my skin got increasingly worse, she prescribed stronger and stronger steroids. I had been on topical steroids since I was 8 or 9 years old.

For asthma, I was prescribed an inhaler and, for rough periods, I was prescribed birth control and took over-the-counter pain medication. I took allergy meds and tried all sorts of topical products for my acne. I was even on Zoloft for a bit for my anxiety in college.

I was seeing different doctors and taking different medications for each symptom and no one made any connection between them. No one told me to look at what I was putting in and on my body.

At the same time, a close friend of mine was suffering from her own slew of symptoms and stumbled upon an integrative health doctor. Integrative health examines the entire patient, considers their symptoms together as a whole, and looks to treat the cause(s) of symptoms, not just the symptoms. The doctor immediately told her to go gluten-free. What the heck was gluten?

It all felt very doom and gloom. What was she going to eat and drink? We were in our late 20’s and single; eating whatever we wanted and going hard on the weekends. We couldn’t wrap our brains around what foods didn’t have gluten and what she could actually eat. She was so sad, feeling like she’d never be able to eat foods she enjoyed again. We all felt sad for her too because it sure seemed that way.

A year or so later, I decided to see the same doctor. She tested me for food sensitivities (I had a lot) and told me to go gluten-free and avoid the foods on my sensitivity list as much as possible. She said I had hypothyroidism, caused by autoimmune thyroid. In fact, most of my symptoms were caused by chronic inflammation.

Fast forward 10 years later and I still have psoriasis and autoimmune thyroid. However, I manage both conditions without immunosuppressant medications. I sleep as well as a mother of 3 young children could possibly sleep, I wake up energized, and I rarely have any symptoms of anxiety. I no longer have acne or asthma, and I rarely get seasonal allergies.

I have learned so much on this journey and continue to learn. I learned that the human body is beautiful and is designed to heal. I learned that my body was never broken, it was responding to the poisons I was unwittingly putting in and on my body, inhaling, submerging my body in, cleaning with, etc., etc. Somewhere along the line, things went a little haywire through a combination of genes and constant exposure to toxins and I developed autoimmune conditions that cause my body to overrespond. The good news is, I can calm those responses.

When I described my younger self’s symptoms to that young woman, she was relieved. Her invisible symptoms were real and connected to each other. Someone else had them as well. She had a place to start. And, I knew in that moment I had to start writing this blog.

I want to help. I want to build you up and change your relationship with your body. I want to empower you to work toward healing.

I’m not a doctor or nutritionist and I have zero medical training. I can’t provide you with medical advice, but I can share my real-life experiences, what worked and didn’t work for me.

I am not here to dismiss medical care or medications. Our doctors and medications are vitally important. This has never been so obvious than during the COVID-19 pandemic. In my personal journey, integrative medicine has been life-changing.

Instead, think of this blog as an informational resource; an educational tool. Think of it as something else for you to consider as you navigate autoimmune disease or any other chronic condition.

Why Honey and Ghee?

So, the burning question: Why did I name this blog “Honey and Ghee?” Simple. Honey and ghee are staples in my pantry that work well for my body.

I use ghee in place of butter. Ghee is made from cow’s milk, but is heated and strained to remove caseins and whey. It is much easier to process because it is lactose free. It’s also delicious, with a sweet, nutty flavor.

Ghee aids in the absorption ability of the small intestine, decreases acidic pH in our digestive tract, is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, and decreases LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).

Honey is an awesome sweetener. Moderation is key of course, but I use it in place of sugar and sugar alternatives.

Honey contains antioxidants, which may reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancer and may promote eye health. Honey also helps to lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and lower triglycerides (which are factors in heart disease and insulin resistance). Honey can also be used topically on burns and wounds because it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and can be used as a cough suppressant.

When I thought about what I wanted to name this blog, I wanted it to reflect something positive, something I enjoyed. So much of managing autoimmune and chronic health conditions can feel restrictive. I hate feeling deprived and I don’t want that for you either. I don’t feel deprived by honey and ghee. In fact, I love them. And, hence, Honey and Ghee was born.