Mara draws on a number of different therapeutic approaches when developing individual protocols, wellness plans and programs. The following are the main modalities that Mara uses:
CLINICAL HERBAL THERAPY
Clinical Herbal Therapy (also called Western Herbal Medicine) is the clinical practice of healing that draws from Europe and North America’s herbal traditions and modern medical science. It aims to discover and address the root cause of an illness or condition and provide relief for the current symptoms. A clinical herbalist will create herbal remedies best suited to your health challenge and may recommend diet, nutritional supplementation, and lifestyle modifications. Remedies are most often in the form of teas or liquid extracts but may also include creams, salves, oils, or capsules.
INTEGRATIVE SLEEP COACHING
An integrated sleep coach can help you investigate and address physical, mental, emotional, and environmental imbalances that may be impacting your ability to sleep. They can help you identify your sleep challenges and goals. Together, you will design a Sleep Plan to help you cultivate healthy sleep choices through lifestyle, environmental, nutritional, and behavioural adjustments.
NUTRITION
Nutrition is the science and clinical practice of healing that uses food and nutrients to promote health and manage disease. There is a great deal of variation in the types of recommendations you might receive, depending on the practitioner. Mara firmly believes that the body responds best to gentle and supportive nutrition, and her recommendations reflect this belief (no fasts, no restrictive diets, no megavitamin doses). Her suggestions may include what types of foods to eat, when to eat them and how to prepare them. She may also make some nutritional supplement recommendations.
AROMATHERAPY
The therapeutic use of aromatic plant extracts, including essential oils, to improve the health and balance of the body and the mind. Aromatherapy works in two main ways: firstly is stimulates the olfactory system in the brain (sense of smell), which can then directly affect our emotions. Secondly, when applied externally, it enters the bloodstream through the skin and can affect the physical body. Remedies may be used via inhalation (breathing it in), externally (applied to the skin, added to baths, etc.) internally.