Doc Harmony: Phd in Natural Health

My Story Starts in 1991…

My story begins in 1991 with my first-born son, Christopher, who experienced ongoing ear discomfort. During this time, I explored different approaches to wellness and sought alternatives that supported comfort and relaxation. As a single mother, I was determined to learn more about natural options for general well-being.

Click here to read more about my Disregard And Distrust For The Medical Establishment

I really had no idea where to go or what solutions were available. At the time, I was working on one of the top floors of Georgia Power (Southern Company) and I was on the fast track to success in Corporate America as I was one year away from finishing up my Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a minor in Economics.

Going to school, working full time and taking care of Christopher was tough but as I watched Christopher’s health decline, nothing else really mattered. I remembered Dr. James Berryhill, a Naturopathic practitioner in Decatur, Georgia, who introduced me to the concept of ear candles. At first, I was unfamiliar with ear candles and found the idea unusual.

Using Ear Candles for the First Time…

But I was desperate and out of options and ideas.  As well, I was determined not to let the doctors bully me into another round of antibiotics that, clearly, were not working! So, I went and purchased ear candles from Rainbow Natural Foods in Decatur. Boy, were they expensive at the time! Christopher and I went home and I used 4 ear candles in the ear that was infected while we watched “The Little Mermaid” and he sucked on a red lollipop. (Remember, I knew nothing about natural health at this time!)

During the ear candle session, Christopher appeared relaxed and comfortable. The experience introduced me to ear candling as a calming, soothing ritual. It was pretty amazing yet mysterious to me. I can share that ear candling became part of our family’s wellness routines, supporting a calming experience. Shortly after the ear candling session, Dr. Berryhill called me and was encouraging me to “make ear candles and sell them”. He promised to teach me what he knew as he had been trained at the Royal Academy of London. As a matter of fact, Dr. Berryhill, is part of the lineage to be the Queen of England’s doctor. I laughed. Seriously. Around this time, I got married and had my second child, a beautiful, precious little girl. And, at the same time, I pulled my back trying to learn how to golf (remember I was climbing the corporate ladder) and met Dr. Grant, a chiropractor.

During this pregnancy, I was very reluctant to go to the hospital due to my last experience with Christopher at the hospital. Dr. Grant introduced me to Debbie Pully, a homebirth midwife and I birthed my healthy daughter at home. It was wonderful and amazing! I wouldn’t do it any other way and I highly recommend it..

My life was beginning to change dramatically and I could feel the pull of a new calling in life. Ear Candles, Dr. Grant, and home birthing was quite the opposite of what my original career goals were – to become CEO of a multinational corporation! But this new lifestyle was not compatible with working for an energy company.

I had already begun making ear candles in the home under Dr. Berryhills mentoring and I had been sharing them with other single moms, mothers and families that were in need. What we all saw, experienced and observed was amazing!

Entering the Natural Healthcare Community…

During this period in my life, I had been volunteering my time to the Natural Health Food community to pass the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act at the Federal level. This bill was extremely critical for protecting dietary supplements in the United States. I still did not know much about the natural health industry and I never considered myself a ‘hippie’. What I did know was that people had a Right to choose their own Health Care. I felt that it was unjust and a violation of peoples Right if they were unable to choose supplements as a part of their natural health care plan. Personal health care is precious and too valuable to place in the hands of the government. Click here for a flashback – even Mel Gibson was concerned the FDA would take away our supplements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV2olDA0w8U 

“Without DSHEA,” said Scott Tips, attorney and National Health Federation counsel, “there would be far more single-ingredient supplements at lower potencies, less innovation and the FDA would be able to squeeze far more than it can now any ‘non-compliant’ companies with fines and compliance actions. The thousands of new products that have hit the supplement market since […] DSHEA would have been a trickle instead.”

I had begun selling ear candles in 1992 and I really enjoyed getting to know the local natural health food community. Due to my work with DSHEA, I was welcomed with open arms and my ear candles began to sell. I felt so fortunate and extremely blessed, I would travel with the children (by now I had 3), taking field trips and visiting health food stores along the way in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. It was so awesome to be able to work and to grow up together as a family. We all discovered the natural health community, while working and homeschooling together.

During this time, I had a lot of sinus infections, which invariably led to ear infections. I was surprised that this had not improved as we had changed our diets, eating as much organic foods that was available, exercising and living a much cleaner lifestyle. One day, I had a horrible migraine, a sinus infection and two ear infections. You can only imagine how terribly I wanted to chop my head off’! Since all I could do was lie on the couch, I thought well, I might as well do some ear candles.

I literally, ear candled for the majority of the day … and each ear candle that I used, I felt better and better and better. I seriously could not believe it! 6 hours later I was up cooking dinner for everyone. I got a great night sleep and the next day, I was feeling great. I really understood that when the body was under stressful situations the improvement in health could occur when ear candles were used.

Dr. Harmony PhD…

As we were all growing up together, I elected to return to school and obtain my Masters and Doctorate in the Science of Natural Health. My final academic achievement was writing my Dissertation on Ear Candles.

Obtaining my doctorate was not easy. I was irritated that I could not find a suitable or interesting topic for my dissertation. I did not want to do my dissertation on ear candles because I thought I knew everything and I wanted to learn something new, something challenging. But alas, nothing came to me and I was running out of time so I started writing my dissertation on ear candles and, boy, was I surprised. The majority of what I thought was true … was not!

My dissertation on ear candles addressed common misconceptions, clarified their historical background, and highlighted proper classification. Ear candles are not a medical device and are intended as a relaxing ritual to support a sense of calm and comfort.

From our Families to Yours…

Every night my family would make ear candles and I knew we needed help. So, I went to my local homeschooling community and offered jobs to homeschooling families and in particular, single mothers. As a single mother, I wanted to support other families by offering flexible work opportunities, allowing parents to spend meaningful time with their children.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with Native Americans, people with disabilities, single moms, and my elders. It was important to me to implement Fair Trade type principles before we even used that ‘tag line’. I loved working with those in need, providing training, flexible hours, and quotas, basically allowing each family to mold their own working lifestyle and as a result we were able to grow to become the largest handcrafted ear candle company in the world.

Going Carbon Neutral…

Our little family eventually moved out into the middle of nowhere and started homesteading and I wanted to neutralize our carbon footprint upon the Earth. We decided to generate our own electricity for the family and for Harmony Cone. Using less than an acre to do this, we were able to protect 55 acres of land, trees and animals from clear cutting or deforestation. We were lucky to have found acreage that had never been sprayed by harmful chemicals and had running water. We also began to do organic gardening and we have grown as many as 40 different types of herbs and many varieties of vegetables and fruit. I wanted to be able to teach my children the importance of the planet, the land, and our relationship to it. As a mother this has been so very rewarding. We love respecting the relationship between the fallen tree the land has provided and the wood burning stoves that keep us warm during winter.

Creating the World’s Safest Ear Candle…

During the next several years, newly married, my husband and I made changes to the ear candles. 

We focused on product safety and quality. We introduced double-wrapped candles with a comfortable pointed tip and added a burn line label to guide proper use. Our patented safety tip helps reduce risk during use and supports a mindful, relaxing experience.

The Harmony Cone Website, now Healthy Energy Amazing Life website continues to be the stopping place for education and history about ear candles and, now our many other products.

A Note From Doc Harmony…

As I write this in 2020 (and updated in 2023), I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this industry and to serve others. I am delighted that I am able to bring a little bit of magic to peoples’ lives with natural health products, especially ear candles. Over the years, I have continued to be inspired by people’s enjoyment of ear candles as a relaxing and calming ritual. While the effects can vary for everyone, many appreciate ear candling as part of their wellness routine.