It has long been proven that one’s mental and spiritual wellness have a huge impact on one’s bodily health. With 22 years of training in multiple traditional disciplines such as neuroscience and kinesiology as well as holistic disciplines such as yoga and aromatherapy, Stephanie Olson treats the whole person. From start to finish, in all aspects of her treatments she expresses loving empathy. Given time, a wildflower will break down a stone wall. Slowly, gently, and lovingly, the wall will turn into fertile soil. Stephanie Olson is such a flower.
Posts filed under Wellness
Direct Primary Care: Putting the Care Back in Healthcare
I don’t have health insurance, but I bet I receive better health care than many people who do. Friends and family often understandably express concern about my lack of insurance, but I marvel at how often they then proceed to share with me the troubling experiences they have with the healthcare system: waiting months to get an appointment with their primary care doctor, not being allowed to share all their health concerns during a doctor’s appointment, and the most troubling of all, life threatening circumstances that result from overlooked diagnoses. Though well-meaning, these loved ones don’t seem to understand the relationship health insurance has to the health care—or lack there of—they are receiving.
A Place to Breathe: How Emily Adama Found Herself at EarthWell Retreat Center
As far as the eye can see, there are acres and acres of a great nature preserve. Allow yourself to be consumed by it for a moment. Let it envelope you. Let it return you back to the beginning. Maple trees stretch far overhead--taller than any worry could ever be. Streams meander through the land—a burst of movement happening in this otherwise still place. There is a quiet, here, but a quiet that causes introspection. A quiet that feels intentional. A quiet that feels connected to something bigger if only one is willing to stop and listen.
When Awakening Becomes Avoidance
There seems to be this point on the spiritual path when we realize that the very practices meant to free us can quietly become ways of hiding. It often begins with sincere devotion, the desire to grow, to heal, to remember. Yet somewhere along the way, the quest for awakening starts to take the place of living.
Think You Can’t Do Yoga? (Think Again!) A Conversation with Mindy Eisenberg, Founder of Yoga Moves MS
Mindy Eisenberg founded Yoga Moves MS, a nonprofit adaptive yoga organization, over 20 years ago, providing free classes to those impacted by multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other neuromuscular disorders. Her inspiration? Growing up with a mother with multiple sclerosis who spent the better part of twenty-seven years in bed paired with a profound belief in the healing impact of a regular yoga practice.
Sustainable Health: Hypermobility Disorders: An Overlooked Diagnosis
Persistent daily pain is a diagnosis that has unfortunately increased over the past decade in this country. Sometimes the source is known, but oftentimes, the etiology remains a mystery. As physicians, we wondered why some patients skate through life with very little pain and why others find themselves reaching for the Advil every day.
Breath, Plants, and the Return to Relationship
As I got older, plants again became teachers. First tobacco, then cannabis introduced me to non-ordinary states through ritualized breath. Smoking was never just consumption for me; it was relational. Breaking apart the plant, lighting it, inhaling and exhaling with intention—these acts shaped my nervous system and my awareness.
Light Therapy: Energy Medicine for Body, Mind, and Spirit
What if healing could be as natural as sunlight on your skin? For centuries, wisdom traditions have spoken of the body as an energetic system—alive with rhythm, resonance, and flow. Modern science is now showing that light itself is medicine. Each wavelength carries a frequency, a vibration, a kind of language our cells understand. When we receive light, we are not just absorbing energy; we are reconnecting with one of nature’s oldest forms of nourishment.
Sustainable Health: Perimenopause Hormones Explained: Symptoms, Natural Relief & Self-Care Strategies
Perimenopause brings fluctuating hormones, irregular periods, hot flashes, brain fog, and fatigue—often called the "second puberty." Discover what's happening in your body and explore natural, non-medical ways to find relief through nervous system support, nourishment, blood sugar balance, rest, and radical self-care. No one-size-fits-all—personalized steps to reclaim energy and peace.
Off the Pill: Zainab Alradhi’s Quest to Restore the Sacred Knowledge of Body Literacy
Discover how Zainab Alradhi founded Niswa to teach body literacy and the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method. Learn about hormone-free fertility control, cycle tracking for health, spiritual empowerment, and why understanding your body transforms women's lives across generations.
The Schvitz Detroit: Historic Bathhouse Revival & Wellness Oasis
Discover The Schvitz, Detroit's historic bathhouse since 1930. Revived by funeral director Paddy Lynch, this North End landmark offers saunas, steam baths, cold plunges, and communal wellness in a storied space once tied to Jewish immigrants and the Purple Gang. Unwind in an inclusive urban oasis.
The Art of Rest: 10 Tips for Winter Rejuvenation
Winter invites us inward. As colder days settle over the landscape (especially here in Michigan), everything takes on a slower pace. Trees conserve energy. Animals burrow and rest. The air itself encourages stillness. As every living thing knows, true rest isn’t laziness, it’s nourishment. Winter gives us permission to soften, restore, and rebuild energy before spring arrives. Thankfully, there are so many lovely ways to incorporate rest and relaxation into your everyday routine.
The Weaves that Blind, Bind, and Possibly Create Dis-ease: A Review of Fabric Frequency and Lore Since the Exodus
It came over me one morning. I dressed, and undressed, and redressed several times. Shirts and pants I had worn many times suddenly made me feel claustrophobic. The colors were good, the styles attractive. This wasn’t a “what do I want to wear?” indecisive moment. No, it was as if every shirt and pair of pants I tried, I felt like my skin couldn’t breathe—that I couldn’t breathe (and not because I had strawberry shortcake with morning coffee). I pulled at the necklines, the thighs, the abdomen. I fidgeted. I could feel confused grumpiness setting in.
Redefining the Mental Health Experience — A Conversation with Kerry Biskelonis, Founder of Reset Body and Mind
You might miss Reset Brain and Body while cruising up Packard. Next door to the Cobblestone Farm, the business lives in a cozy brown building nestled back among the trees. Kerry Biskelonis, Founder and Managing Director, explained, “All of our offices are located within green space. It’s very important to have trees, to have natural light and access to outdoors, because connecting to nature is how we feel better; It’s always quiet, like an oasis, so you won’t find us in a high rise.”
A Miracle Led the Way--A Talk With Naturopath, Dr. Dennis Cousino
Dr. Dennis Cousino, ND, HHP, CFT of Dynamic Health lets us in on a journey of pain, faith, and healing in his own life—an experience that can only be described as miraculous. Dr. Dennis Cousino was raised in Tecumseh, MI and stil lives in the area with his wife and three boys. He completed his Naturopathic Doctorate at the First University of Naturopathy and has been practicing for 15 years specializing in chronic digestive and adrenal disorders.
Patient Advocacy: A Gift of Understanding
The fundamental principles of “safety, security, and trust” is the foundation of good health care. As a patient, we want our providers to give us their time and attention—to treat us as they would like to be treated. A satisfying relationship produces growth and trust.
Wild Wellness at Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center
Barbra White, co-founder of Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center, believes that all living beings are deeply interconnected. “It’s kismet,” she explained, that just as she was longing to spread the word about her retreat center, which opened in 2018, The Crazy Wisdom Journal came calling for an interview. “I feel like I’ve been in a cooking pot for 30 years in this work, but here, specifically with Mother Bear Sanctuary for the last eight years, I feel like I’m saying to the universe, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready.’ So when [the Journal] called, I thought, ‘kismet.’”
Healing from Within: The Transformative Power of The Emotion and Body Code
In today’s world, emotional baggage and physical discomfort often leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves. Energy healing modalities provide an avenue for renewal. Among them, The Emotion Code and Body Code—developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson—offer a powerful approach to identifying and releasing emotional blockages. Using techniques such as muscle testing and direct communication with the subconscious, these methods help restore harmony to the mind, body, and soul. Learn more at discoverhealing.com/the-emotion-code.
German New Medicine: Exploring the New Paradigm with Briana Johnson
In recent years, German New Medicine (GNM) has risen in the alternative medicine field. First discovered in the 1970s by Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer, GNM examines how intense shocks, or conflicts, manifest in the brain and result in symptoms ranging from ear infections to cancer. I talked with Briana Johnson, a Metro Detroit GNM practitioner, who walked me through the basics of this complex healing framework.
Health Coaches Support Healthy Change
In conventional medicine most people turn to a doctor first when they have a health concern. While doctors can play an important role in diagnosing and treating disease, they are just one player on the larger health care team. While a physician takes the lead on testing, medications, and treatments more often than not, lifestyle changes in addition to medications and treatments, are crucial to regaining good health.
