Sasha’s of Saratoga

Evolving Wellness WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY SUPER SOURCE MEDIA

PROBLEMS ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO EVOLVE.

Tragedy touched Sachmarie “Sasha” Crowley’s life when she was just a few months old. Shortly after she was born, Sasha’s mother left Jamaica -and her six children, to create the best life possible for her family in the United States. Then there was a terrible house fire. It was 10 years before the family was reunited again. Her mother’s example of strength and determination inspired Sasha’s own grit and resilience today. “I feel pretty lucky. We all have ups and downs, but I try to see something positive in it and can always find that light,” she said.

A PROBLEM IS THE CRACK THAT LETS THE LIGHT FLOW IN

Sasha, who was in the Navy for 15 years, saw how tragedy transforms lives – including her own. When she was just 23, a close friend who had served in Iraq -and was struggling with PTSD, committed suicide. “There was a stigma back then for people to come forth and talk about that stuff – especially if you were a man in the military,” said Sasha. She decided to use her grief as motivation and has been on the path to providing healing, disease prevention, and wellness ever since. “If there is a tragedy, I always try to see the gift in it,” she said.

FROM A STATE OF GRACE

In 2018, Sasha’s of Saratoga opened in Franklin Square offering traditional and holistic health therapies focused on creating wellness (and not just a lack of illness). “Health is more than absence of disease. All your tests might come back perfect and your numbers be right where they should be, but wellness is in your mind, body, and soul. If there’s any disconnect in those, you feel off,” explained Sasha. Then the question becomes, how do you measure what someone’s feeling in their soul? And, what do you do about it once you find out?

PEELING BACK THE LAYERS

The first step to healing is seeing and hearing each individual and what they are going through. There is no TV and Sasha won’t open up her computer or take your vitals when you come into her crisp, clean, newlyexpanded space for a consultation until after you’ve had a chance to talk and connect. It’s a place of stillness and relaxation where honesty is easy. “I just talk with them and I’m there a hundred percent. It’s not in a medical way, I’m there with them as a person. I encourage them to be open. I’m not there to judge them and they know everything we talk about is kept completely confidential. I peel those layers off with a patient so they feel comfortable,” said Sasha.

EXPOSING THE ROOT

When she sees a child on anxiety medication or a patient with a preventable, but chronic, disease, Sasha aims to get at the root of the problem. “If we’re happy with ourselves internally, then everything else falls into place – there’s less chaos, less depression, less overeating. People say I’m crazy because there’s no money in prevention, but in medicine, it’s important to start being more self-less. The reward comes when people leave with a smile and are happy,” she said. Sasha’s of Saratoga is a certified medical marijuana clinic. They now offer vitamin injections and IV hydration. Botox, spider vein removal and shockwave erectile disfunction treatments are also available. “It’s like a bodega, or that mom-and-pop store on the corner – it’s where you can get everything you need in one place.”

WITH NO ADDED SUGAR

Anyone could benefit from getting a targeted dose of vitamins. “Let’s be honest, no one is getting all the vitamins they need,” said Sasha. Chances are, your diet is lacking. Certain micronutrients are only found in animal sourced foods. Maybe you overdo it on the wine. Even if you take multi-vitamins, they still have to go through your digestive system, while vitamin injections bypass that to get the good stuff straight to your body’s cells. “When people hear IV vitamin injections, they think hangover cure, but IV injections aren’t just a summer hangover treatment, they’re about prevention.” Even those with compromised immune systems who have contracted COVID-19 have recovered faster because of treatments like these. As a mother of two children, ages 16 and 12, who works two jobs and is in the process of getting her post-master’s certificate in mental health from Russell Sage, Sasha knows that kindness can be the best medicine. “I don’t sugarcoat anything for them and don’t rush anyone, as long as you leave feeling better. That’s what I’m focused on,” said Sasha. Sasha’s of Saratoga is open by appointment only for athome, in-office, and telemedicine consultations. For more information go to www.sashasofsaratoga.com. SF

SPRING

Fun Facts...

• Spring begins on the Vernal Equinox. The word Vernal means Spring in Latin while Equinox is the Latin word for equal days. On the first day of Spring the hours of daylight and night are almost equal with daylight being slightly longer. In 2015, the Vernal Equinox happens on the 20th of March. • The first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is the first day of fall in the Southern hemisphere. • The Latin word for “season” is sationem, meaning “seed time.” • In Spring baby birds learn to sing Songbirds learn to sing by hearing their species’ song when they are young and during the first stage of learning they babble more or less like human infants do. • Holidays that occur in spring include Easter, Passover, April Fool’s Day, Earth Day, Arbor Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, and more. • If you were to stand on the equator during either the spring or fall equinox, you would see the sun pass directly over the top of your head. • “Spring fever” may actually be a real (and good) thing! Scientists believe that the longer days cause people to be more active, creative, and happy.