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Your Partnership With Our Environment

In the early 1970's, while living in rural Mississippi, I remember hearing my mother speak of a woman who had had incurable cancer, given chemotherapy, and sent home to die by her oncologist. She allegedly took an herb for several years and the cancer went into remission. Of course, I was skeptical, until I met the woman, then in her seventies, and appeared a picture of health. This started my quest at the nearby library, which did not offer much, to read about a more natural way of living.

Before the end of the '70's, I had read every book in town, there was no Internet or Amazon or B & N, so I decided to open my own health food store, possibly the first or one of the first in the state. I made sure the store had a large library and opened it across the street from the state university in town, as, I had pretty much become ostracized by the local yokels, and students from afar were not only my market, but the only ones who had not yet considered me a misfit.

By 1978, I had read every book available to me, there was no Internet or Barnes And Nobles, so I decided to open my own health food store, possibly the first or one of the first in the state. I made sure the store had a large library and opened it across the street from the state university in town, as, I had pretty much become ostracized by the local yokels, and students from afar were not only my market, but the only ones who did not consider me a pariah.

But times have truly changed. My store only stayed open for three years, but I learned a lot. As the years went by, I learned that I had to unlearn most of what I had learned.

Here are a few very important things I learned. Vitamins and herbs are basically useless, even if organic. Herbs are excellent for wellness, if prepared in tincture form in countries that have strict laws in how they are raised (herbs from many third-world countries are still sprayed with dysentery-infected water doing more harm than good), and herbal capsules have virtually zero medicinal qualities, and even then they absorb pitifully in the digestive system, whereas tinctures start their work on and under the tongue).

All nutrition, even organic vitamins are overheated and not live foods. The only process of producing vitamins and minerals that work are using a method called "flash-glanced"; where the enzymes stay alive. These can only be found in a few places. One might Google flash-glanced vitamins and find them.

Internal health is a great thing, but unfortunately no longer works, in and of its own. Because we are all part of this planet, and the external environment affects our internal environments, organic household goods, bedding, cleaners, and yes, even our clothes, and our fragile immune systems are affected by all of this.

So by now you may be thinking "Shoot, I thought this guy knew what he was talking about....but just another 'tree hugger'." I was called that by many doctors back in the seventies when I told customers there is a good chance that ginkgo might help them to think better and st. john's wort might make their mood better. Now those same doctors tell their patients the same thing.

Regardless of our thoughts of Gore's speeches on global warming, the rain-forest etc, one has to admit, we live on a very fragile planet and we are the only ones who can fix it, one person at a time.

Don't just talk the green talk, walk the green walk. Each of us can do our part to make the earth last a little longer and while we are here, the quality be better for everyone. If we are not recycling, it's never too late to start. If you can't do it every day, start once or twice a week. Once in the habit, you'll find it fulfilling.

Order a few earth-friendly cotton tees. Did you know that cotton farming accounts for over ten percent of the world's pesticide toxins? Besides that, these items are sexier and feel much better on the skin. Just a few dollars more, generally, than regular tees, they last much longer, and, as I said, are so much more fashionable. Plus one just feels better wearing them, knowing one is doing a small part to help our planet.