Meet Chalyce Macoskey | Medical Assistant, Author, Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chalyce Macoskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chalyce, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My business Essential7 supports the gastroparesis community. This is a digestion disorder that effects the motility of the stomach. It is mostly females of all ages that is faced with this challenge. For the past 10 years we have had a presence on social media. Healing Gastroparesis Naturally was co founded by Kathleen Atkins who has GP and myself.

We have helped hundreds of women and children through my approach to supporting digestion with our essential oil blends and diet. I have written two books that are educational guides about my new approach. Wisdom By Nature: The New Approach to Healing Gastroparesis and Other Digestive Challenges as well as Wisdom By Nature: The New Approach For Moms To Be.

The blends I have created were used in our research that can be found Holistic Nursing Practice Journal and PubMed Essential Oils and Gastroparesis: Power for Transforming Health, Hope, and Quality of Life

For the past three years the focus has been based on the Murdered and Missing Indigenous People. I have written along with my co writer Kimberly Heath-Carrico, a story about the challenges on the Cheyenne River Reservation called Into The Wolves Den. Into the Wolves Den”, is a story, based on actual events that happened on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota The story explores the Murdered and Missing Women and Children on the reservation.

“The National Crime Information Center reports that, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls, though the US Department of Justice’s federal missing person database, NamUs, only logged 116 cases.”

Native Americans today face some extraordinary challenges. These statistics from the Urban Indian Health Institute were compiled from a survey of 71 U.S. cities in 2016. The numbers speak for themselves: Native American women make up a significant portion of the missing and murdered cases. Not only is the murder rate ten times higher than the national average for women living on reservations but murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women.

Our goal is that with the film project we will have a platform to raise awareness and help create the change needed to make a difference.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
From a young age, I have lived with stomach challenges and as a teenager, I was given a diagnosis that was termed “cheerleader syndrome.” Nearly 30 years ago, not much was known about gastroparesis and her doctor believed her challenges stemmed from the pressure of being an active student. Later experienced IBS, fibromyalgia, uncontrolled gestational diabetes, hypoglycemia, Epstein Barr virus and autoimmune challenges. I took a variety of medications over the course of my life until, in my early 20s, a “country” doctor taught her how to start helping herself through diet, supplements and whole-food nutrition. This is where my journey to help others began.

As a single mother I put myself through Medical Assistant school in Denver and went on to help establish the first chelation therapy clinic in Colorado. Four years later I enrolled in nutrition classes and shifted my focus to nutrition based health.

The summer of 2000 changed my life forever. Moving out of the mountains in Golden to Arvada I was involved in a car accident. From this accident I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Long and short term memory was affected, speech and cognitive thinking was challenging at best. Lost was everything I knew. Starting over was the most terrifying thing ever. I dropped out of school and focused on my healing. Friends reached out to me in the holistic field and the long processed began.

Moved back to the Golden area and worked at the Rec center doing foot care for the Silver Sneaker members. All the while begin studying essential oils and nutrient dense foods.

One of my clients Winnie Schmidt age 87 became sick after she had a cancerous growth removed from her leg. The leg became infected and Winnie was given a sulfa-based antibiotic. A month later, when it appeared the infection had returned, she was given three antibiotics, including the one she had been given 30 days earlier. Soon she developed a rash, swelling in her joints and third-degree burns on her legs, arms and back. The burns, caused by an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, covered more than 60 percent of her body. Her body swelled by 50 pounds as it retained fluid due to the burns. Winnie’s doctors prescribed steroids and antihistamines to deal with the allergic reaction. When there was no change in her condition, the doctors were at a loss as to how to treat Winnie.

Her daughter Carol reached out to me and researched Winnie’s symptoms and realized she had developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a life-threatening reaction to sulfa-based medicines and over-the-counter drugs. Winnie’s primary care physician, Dr. Julia Atkins, agreed with my assessment, as did Winnie’s allergist. With the full support of Winnie’s doctors, I set out to help Winnie heal by working with natural remedies.

, Winnie spent the winter recovering at home. By spring, she was healed enough to travel and re-integrate herself into a new-normal way of life, sharing her story about how at any age, quality of life can improve.
While many of those diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome suffer devastating effects, such as lost eyesight, damage to internal organs and death due to infection, Winnie not only survived but thrived. Her doctors and hematologist monitored her progress and were amazed by her complete recovery

I went on to become board certified aromatherapy coach Currently, serving as the vice president of aromatherapy for the Natural Therapies Certification Board and become owner of Essential7, a company that wholesales ethically produced, premium-quality essential oils to other manufacturers.

During this time I met Doctor Lynn Crocker who was from Greely but lived in Arizona. We met at a holistic medical conference in Scottsdale. She was interested in aromatherapy and through our talk I decided to come back and learn more from her and how we could collaborate. Sharing with Dr. Lynn my TBI she felt like there maybe something to progress my healing even more. I was still struggling but learning to cope with the mental challenges of a brain injury. Dr. Lynn introduced me to Kundalini Yoga. It was a hard but rewarding journey over the next 15 years.

In 2013, I co founded Healing Gastroparesis Naturally Facebook page, created by client/friend Kathleen Atkins, to facilitate coaching of individuals dealing with GP. To date, more than 1,500 individuals have found improved quality of life via my coaching. In 2016, I completed a grant-funded study on how essential oils improve quality of life for those challenged with gastroparesis. The results are to be published in 2017 in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice, The Science of Health and Healing. We now have over 5 thousand members.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is no place better than Golden. Heading up to Lookout Mountain to see the vastness of cities below. Driving up towards Genesee to watch the bison then walk around Evergreen Lake. There is no better place to spend a few days in the summer or winter is Copper Mountain. Sulphur Hot Springs is the best hot springs for a day outing.

The Sherpa House is Golden has been my favorite place to eat at since they opened in 2009. Very comfy cozy atmosphere.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For the past three year Kimberly and myself has worked closely with Joseph Brings Plenty Sr.

Joseph Brings Plenty Sr. who is Mnicoujou and Ogala Lakota from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

He is a traditional practitioner of the Lakota Traditions and owns a boxing club where he helps disadvantaged youth on the reservation to seek positive resolve for the many issues facing Indigenous people Established in an old ambulance garage in 2002 encompasses much more than physical athleticism. Twenty years later Joseph’s boxing club has a positive impact in the community.

In 2020 Joseph received a Bush fellowship from the Bush Foundation.

He believes culture can help the children on the Cheyenne River Reservation find a better way of life. He experiences the healing power of his Lakota heritage and spirituality daily. Deeply committed to living on the reservation, he knows that when people learn about where they come from, they start to care more about who they are. He sees that culturally based programs, including a highly successful boxing program he created, help young people empower themselves, their relatives, their community and their nation. To be the strongest role model possible for the next generations, he will obtain a bachelor’s degree and seek greater knowledge of Lakota cultural practices and the Lakota language.

Website: www.essential7.com www.intothewolvesdenthemovie.com www.healinggpnaturally.info

Instagram: @healinggpnaturally @intothewolvesdenthemovie

Twitter: @essential7com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EssentialSevendotcom https://www.facebook.com/HealingGPNaturally https://www.facebook.com/IntoTheWolvesDen

Image Credits
pictures of Chalyce Nadia Ford photography Native woman with red handprint Ivan Weiss photography Black cape with red handprint design by Dante Biss Grayson Wolves Den Boxing photo Joseph Brings Plenty Sr.