About Us

Why I got a PharmD in Pharmacy (Doctor of Pharmacy). In 1999, I found myself divorced with two young children. I had been working part-time as a hospital pharmacist and needed to start working again full-time. Thankfully, I had a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and transitioned to a full-time position at a CVS pharmacy (formerly Eckerd). While working full-time and raising two children, I went back to the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, to get my doctorate in pharmacy. I knew this was critical to expand my opportunities outside of small town Florida. In 2003, I started consulting for Capgemini Ernst & Young. In 2005, I joined Accenture healthcare consulting, traveling 45 weeks out of the year.

Toxins had built up in my body and a new environment triggered a major health issue. In 2010, I moved to Abu Dhabi for an expat assignment with Accenture. On top of a high stress work environment, living in a different country exposes your body to hundreds of new antigens, bacteria, and chemicals that are demanding on the body. The human body has a built-in detoxification system through the liver, but the liver can become overloaded when there are too many toxins in the environment. I would later come to find out that living in this new environment was the straw that broke the camel’s back and triggered a 3-year health journey.

The last 6 months in Abu Dhabi, I developed a severe skin rash on my legs. When I say severe, I mean unbearable itching. Think about a mosquito bite times 100. I also generally have a high pain tolerance (think no drugs for childbirth or a root canal).

Traditional medicine did not work. In 2012, I moved back to the US and immediately went to a dermatologist. She told me two things – to take oral steroids and to put Vaseline (a petroleum byproduct) on my skin. I knew the steroids would not resolve the source of my skin issue and would cause unwanted side effects. I also knew that the Vaseline could cause further irritation. I researched products to moisturize skin and relieve itching. I found no organic or clean product.

My skin continued to get progressively worse and spread to my arms, neck, and face. I spent a year going to traditional medical doctors, including multiple dermatologists and allergists. They all said the same thing – take steroids. Traditional medicine was quick to focus on the symptoms and not the cure.

I explored holistic practices, making my own skincare, and reducing toxins in my environment. I started researching reliable sources and experimenting with my own skincare formulas. Pharmacy school provided the background in learning how to make lotions, creams, and ointments. I needed a specialized product that would both absorb into the skin and stay on the skin surface to maintain constant moisture. This was the first true relief I had from the skin itching and it allowed me to continue on living. I still did not know the source of the issue.

Around this time, I also started to look at the toxins in my environment. It was the first time I bought an air purifier and a reverse osmosis water purifier. I always cared about quality food from the farmers market, but I started eating primarily organic. I also started cleaning my produce with a hydrogen peroxide soak.

As part of my holistic journey, I went to San Francisco where I spent 10 days and thousands of dollars doing ozone and IV therapy. It did nothing. At this point, my skin is 2 inches thick and reminiscent of an alligator skin. I could not bear looking at my skin and wore cotton gloves 24/7 to cover it up. I had become very depressed and did not think I could live much longer in this condition. I called my friend Nancy and she said, “when Oprah gets sick, she goes to a Chinese medical doctor.” I was willing to try anything.

I was in Atlanta for work and went to see a local Chinese medical doctor (and a US board Certified MD who teaches at Morehouse School of Medicine) – Dr. Liu. Dr. Liu read my palm and looked at my tongue, feet, and eyes, and took my pulse. The process took an hour. He said – “You have three tumors on your liver. I can fix it.”  It was the first time anyone listened to my history and considered my body as a whole. His words gave me hope.

Every day for a year, I took 5 Reishi mushroom capsules and an herbal tea concoction that would trigger your gag reflexes. Within 3 months the itching started to subside and within 6 months I was looking and feeling normal again. It took a full year for my skin to look and feel 100% normal.

I have continued to evolve my knowledge and practice of skincare and a toxin free lifestyle. My mission is to share that knowledge with you.