Menopause, Lyme & Functional Herbalism | Pam Gould

In this deeply personal and insightful episode of the Herbalist Hour, host Mason interviews Pam Gould, a clinical herbalist with over two decades of experience, about her journey from a health crisis in her 30s to becoming a leading voice in functional herbalism. Pam recounts her initial collapse episodes—unexplained fainting spells dismissed by conventional medicine—and how she found healing through herbalism after being introduced to it by a friend. Her path led her to study with influential teachers like Michael Tierra, Patricia Curitzi Howell, and Hillary Thing, who trained her in treating complex chronic conditions like Lyme disease and its co-infections. Pam emphasizes that Lyme is not confined to the Northeast and stresses the importance of supporting the body’s terrain—its resilience, digestion, and immune function—over simply targeting pathogens. She shares her own transformative experience with menopause, which she describes as a 'second spring,' and reveals how her post-menopausal health dramatically declined despite being told by doctors it was just 'age.' This fueled her mission to empower midlife women with body literacy, challenging the medical system’s dismissal of their symptoms and advocating for holistic, individualized care. As a functional herbalist, she integrates traditional systems with modern tools like blood work and hair mineral analysis, always prioritizing the person over the diagnosis. Her work centers on community, ritual, and education, especially through her new 'Midlife Herbalist' classes. Pam also discusses the nuanced role of HRT, framing it not as a replacement but as one tool among many—herbs, food, lifestyle—in a layered approach to wellness. Her closing message is one of hope: that every woman can reclaim her health, her wisdom, and her joy in midlife and beyond.