After graduating from Duke University with honors and entering one of the top 25 medical schools in the nation, Holly believed she was doing everything her parents dreamed of when they immigrated from Ireland before she was born. After being a medical student for just six months, she received a letter from the school inviting her not to return. This began Holly’s relationship with the medical system as a chronically ill patient who continued to fight to be seen as a healer. 

Untangling My Roots is a guide to navigating our broken health system as a chronically ill patient and healer. Using a collection of autobiographical essays exploring her journey as a trainee, patient, mother, and healer, Dr. MacKenna offers insight into how one can survive and thrive while in partnership with one’s body and soul. It highlights what is lacking in the current approach to chronic illness management from all sides and offers alternative ways of healing from all perspectives.

The essays are presented in the order of a tree growing from the earth towards the sky while highlighting each chakra energy center it passes. The author is the child of Irish immigrants and draws from her ancestral roots in County Kildare, Ireland, as she navigates her present journey in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kildare and New Orleans are known for their oak trees, reminiscent of the Tree of Life. The author’s evolution as a healer accelerated when she discovered the power of energy balancing within and between individuals.  Her stories through time display how each chakra energy center contributes to her spiritual alignment as a Wise Woman and healer.