01/20/2026
I’m an integrative physician — and I smudge my home with sage and palo santo.
Not because I’ve abandoned science.
But because I believe that healing has always lived at the intersection of body, mind, environment, and spirit. In fact these days I am embodying this even more.
Long before modern medicine, cultures around the world understood that health isn’t just biochemical but hinges on the relationships with ourselves, other humans, nature and the environment.
We exchange energy with our environment especially our homes, and our nervous systems respond to our surroundings.
When we’re burned out, stuck, or carrying collective stress from a world that feels crazy and off-balance small rituals can act as reset signals to our body, our brain, and our psyche. Sage can act to eliminate some bacteria from the air purifying it. Shamanic healers have used it to remove negative energy while Palo Santo has been used for centuries to create a positive effect. It contains terpenes such as D -limonene which helps with stress and relaxation.
Is it measurable in a lab. No.
Is it medicine in the oldest sense of the word? Absolutely. I’m science-trained and spiritually curious and I believe we all have the permission to hold both.
