Cinnaminson resident Jeannie Francis talks alternative medicines and remedies for people who have tried everything else
Stephen Finn
The Sun
To say Cinnaminson resident Jeannie Francis wears a lot of hats would be the understatement of the year. As an herbalist, gardener, teacher, reflexology therapist, Reiki master and historian, she carries more titles than your local library.
Francis owns and operates Spirit to Sole Connection in Merchantville, a shop and treatment facility for herbal products and healing practices.
She is also the president of the South Jersey chapter of the American Herbalist Guild. The group operates out of Riverton and describes itself as a safe space for the discussion and learning of all aspects of herbalism, from the scientific to the spiritual components of plants.
“An herbalist is our traditional medicines before allopathic (pharmacological) doctors came in,” said Francis. “Our great, great grandparents used phytochemistry (plant-based chemistry), and my degree is in phytochemistry and phytopharmaceuticals.”
Through the guild, Francis trains prospective herbalists. Should one of her students pass their certification test with score of 95 or above, Francis offers to take them on for a year free of charge.
“It was almost a forgotten art but it has really hit a big resurgence,” said Francis.
She has trained neuropsychotherapists, chiropractors and doulas all looking to add “more tools to their toolbelt.”
“At the end of the year, they have mastered 95 plants, can identify them, have made 180 medicines and have a full medicine cabinet,” said Francis.
Many of her practices originated with her parents, whom she lovingly describes as “crunchy hippie granola parents.” Her mother introduced her to reflexology and Reiki in the ‘70s.
Reflexology is based on the theory there are reflex points on the feet, hands and head that are linked to every part of the body. Practitioners use a system of massages around these key areas to relieve tension and treat illness.
Francis describes the practice of Reiki as an energy exchange. She says when she performs Reiki on a patient, she gets just as much out of the exchange as they do.
“You know in the winter when you walk across the carpet and you touch something metal and you get that shock? Well that’s that energy. We can channel it in and send it out into another body,” said Francis.
Key to Francis’ healing methods are early detection and gathering as much information about her patient as an individual as possible.
“My intake form is 26 pages, because I want to read that five days before you come here and I want to review it again the day before you come here,” said Francis.
Diet is often a big tell when she is diagnosing a patient. According to Francis, often just a slight tweak to one’s diet, cutting dairy, flour or sugar, can make all the difference.
“I have a lot of people who have arthritis. There are certain foods, which are healthy, but also cause inflammation, like tomatoes and white potatoes,” said Francis. “When people find out about their own bodies and they can control things with not having certain foods, we don’t have to have the medication, your body is taking care of itself.”
Though she practices a wide variety techniques, to her they all boil down to a passion for healing, and she doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
“I can do what I do until my very last breath. I’m not retiring, I love what I do and I can do it wherever I go,” said Francis.
To learn more about Francis and the work she does, visit her website at spirit2soleconnection.com. On March 31, she is hosting a Healer’s Way Expo at 22 N. Centre St. in Merchantville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is currently seeking both vendors and guests.
