Queen Afua is a holistic health practitioner. Judging by the popularity of her books, "Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity" and "Sacred Woman," her message resonates with today's stressed population. Her third book, "City of Wellness," will be published this summer. Her Heal Thyself Living Center has expanded beyond Bedford-Stuyvesant to include celebrity and corporate clients.

"The lotus," she says, "represents rebirth, illumination, purification, a oneness with the Most High within you."
She embraces ancient African theology. African-Americans, she notes, suffer greatly from high blood pressure, fibroid tumors, diabetes — in fact, many diseases — but "in nature there are answers, as ancient as breath."

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