Athletes

Welcome to Isola! My name is Em Miiller, and as a Clinical Herbalist I have focused my practice on three distinct and different areas of work: 1. Working with Athletes, 2. The health and longevity of the Brain (these two often go together), and 3. Working with Horses (who, as you might guess, are also athletes!) Some of the initial questions I often receive from clients are:

Question: I’m A Professional Athlete: How Can An Herbalist Support Me?

Answer: As an Herbalist supporting Athletes, my focus is aligned with your focus!

• We want you to be strong, both physically AND emotionally.
• We want you to have the energy to train as extensively as you need to, so that you can be the best at your sport.
• We want to avoid injury
• We want to ensure that your diet, lifestyle and habits are optimized within the environment that you live (Example: Your body requires different things in the winter than it does in the summer)
• We want you to have the emotional strength to be able to balance the high demands of your sport and your personal life.
• We want you to have a ‘tool kit’ of natural and supportive foods, herbs, vitamins, minerals and proteins to support each of the areas on this list

Question: I’m a Professional Athlete: How Often Do I Need To See An Herbalist?

Answer: As athletes have a training calendar that may not adhere to the five seasons (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer and Late Summer), we may need to work together multiple times in a season. To ensure that we are always protecting, supporting and maintaining your health, wellness, fitness, and athleticism, it is important that we review your program not only prior to a season change, but also prior to, during, and after your intense sports season.

Question: What Kind Of Herbs Do Athletes Need?

Answer: While it is impossible to generalize, as we must take into account the individual’s constitution, tissue strengths and weaknesses, and emotional tendencies, we can safely say that in an athletes herbal program there are usually components of:

• Anti-inflammatory herbs
• Anti-inflammatory foods
• Muscle-recovery-support herbs and topical applications
• Electrolyte-balancing herbs
• Circulation-balancing herbs, foods and topical applications
• Performance-enhancing herbs
• Performance-enhancing foods
• Digestive support herbs
• Immune-support herbs and mushrooms
• Referrals to a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Acupuncture treatments
• Emotional support herbs

While this list may look long, these support remedies are rarely included in your program all at once. As an Herbalist, my training is in looking at the ROOT of any imbalance, injury or dis-ease. By addressing the root cause of a weakness or an excessive area of the body, we can work in the prevention, maintenance and overall balance of the body. Often we see that a root cause of a weakness may come up only during one season of the year, and this is why we must work to build physical strength, organ immunity and a good ‘army’ in each season to prevent an imbalance in the next season.

Question: Why Did You Choose To Work With Athletes?

Answer: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that an athlete knows that their body is the path to their passion, and often their livelihood as well. I appreciate that people who are athletic really love to learn, grow, and achieve incredible things with their bodies and minds. Secondly, while I am not a professional athlete, I am a ballet dancer (yes, even as an adult). To this day, I continue to train and cross-train extensively. I do this not only to improve my strength, flexibility and coordination, but because being a strong dancer allows me to be a agile horse trainer and rider. Practicing as a ballet dancer allows me to slow down some of the natural aging process that our western culture often suffers from due to inactivity. Also, I am passionate about the human body and what it can achieve! I believe that it would be difficult for me to work with athletes if I were not athletic myself. It would be similar to my recommending an herb that I had never tasted or experienced personally.

Ready to meet your Clinical Herbalist? Use the link below to book a complimentary 20 minute consultation if you still have questions, or to book your initial 90 minute consultation. I can absolutely work virtually, and much of my work with athletes is conducted virtually due to their travel schedules. For us to work virtually, I will ask you to send some photos of the irises of your eyes, and sometimes photos of your tongue and hands. (I will send you a video on how to take these photos)