 |
|
|
| 7907 Suncrest Drive, Burnaby BC (604) 438-4584 or 1-800-813-1168 or via Email aquila@uniserve.com |
|
|
|
| 7907 Suncrest Drive, Burnaby BC (604) 438-4584 or 1-800-813-1168 or via Email aquila@uniserve.com |
“One of the best things about a very little child is that he never thanks you for doing things for him
- he is so sure you want to.”
- Maurice Horspool
What would you change if you had the experience of parenting ahead of you instead of behind? A nasty quirk of nature is that hindsight is as useless as it is accurate - the stuff interfering grandparents are made from!
I want to express my gratitude to my children for all the lessons and learning opportunities which they presented to me as they flashed through my life on their way to adulthood. I know that I am a better person because of them, albeit reluctantly on more than one occasion!
Observation of human behaviour is one of my hobbies. In the early eighties, I was living in a small logging town on Vancouver Island. A young father limped past me in the grocery store, and as I pondered what type of injury may have caused his affliction, I saw something that was much easier to diagnose. A few steps behind his father, a perfectly healthy little boy of three walked along, doing a perfect mimic of his father’s limp. It was a very dramatic example of how much we learn through observation of our parents. I wonder where genes stop and learned behaviour starts?
Children will always learn what they see lived in front of them, and this is expressed in Dorothy Law Nolte’s poem Children Learn What They Live. The last stanza expresses:
“If children live with
acceptance and friendship,
They learn to find love in the world.”
We have to accept responsibility for the health and wellness of our children and ourselves.
Prevention is the key to success. We are what we eat, and a baby is what the mother eats. Eat a wholesome rainbow diet, organic if possible. Avoid genetically engineered foods - we have no idea what long term effects they may have on human metabolism. If a food won’t rot, don’t buy it.
Preconception.
Start at least three to six months preconception for optimum effectiveness. Tests in 1976 found that 96% of nursing mothers in Michigan had PBB’s (polybominated biphenyls) in their milk - a potent pesticide capable of producing physical defects of offspring in utero. The source of this toxic chemical was traced to livestock feed and had been passed on to humans who consumed contaminated hamburger. A well conducted cleanse can reduce the risk factor. We store toxins in body fat, so let go of extra body fat before mating ovum with sperm.
Stop hormone pills and remove contraceptive devices. Stop smoking, alcohol and caffeine. If you are on a prescription drug, stop using it in consultation with your physician.
As a potential parent, are you willing to make positive changes to your lifestyle for a minimum period of at least eighteen years? If the answer isn’t yes, it might be best if you decided not to procreate. The actions of parents, especially for the female, during preconception, gestation, and postnatal can have a dramatic effect on the future of a fellow being for most of the next century.
In addition to a healthy diet, essential supplementation to create a positive nutrient balance include a good multi-vitamin/ mineral tablet, B-complex, increased iron, some extra calcium, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. I would suggest obtaining the latter from raw nuts, seeds, and legumes, and in unsaturated vegetable oils such as borage oil and soybean oil. If your physician insists on fish oils (EPA), find a source from deep water that has been purified. Complement the folic acid in the B- complex with lots of dark green leafy vegetables eaten raw or lightly steamed and remember that dairy products are not a reliable source of calcium. A good supplement which contains balanced Calcium/Magnesium, Phosphorus and Vitamin D is better.
Zinc (15 mg every day) is vital for tissue development and fibre is essential to avoid constipation, hemorrhoids and varicose veins. For more information, refer to Pregnancy in my Health Points “Women are Special Part Two” (RVT Sept/Oct 1997).
Breast Feeding
There is no substitute for Nature’s way. Mother’s breast milk is Nature’s perfect food, and it is unique to each species of mammal. More than 70 enzymes have been identified in breast milk which aid in nutrient absorption and metabolism as well as other biochemical processes. In human milk, the colostrum secreted for the first few days postpartum protects the immuno - logical integrity of the gastrointestinal tract that helps to prevent gastrointestinal disorders in infants.
In 1974, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report linking the high infant mortality rate in developing countries to the widespread use of commercial infant formulas. Mother’s milk contains one type of sugar - lactose. The refined sugars such as sucrose, maltose and dextrose common to artificial formulas can lead to childhood diseases such as chronic ear infections, croup, tonsillitis and colic. Other research has shown that bottle feeding in the first two weeks of life can predispose some individuals to the development of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Sudden infant death due to botulism occurs only in formula fed infants.
Some other conditions that occur less frequently in babies fed with breast milk include low calcium levels (neonatal hypocalcemia), iron deficiency anemia, infantile eczema, obesity, high blood pressure, dental cavities and cancer. A study of 300 children revealed that at eight years of age, breast fed babies were more intelligent than the group fed formula.
Solid Foods
Did you know that honey can be fatal if fed to an infant less than 14 months of age? They have to develop the natural ability to protect themselves from the botulism spores often found in that natural food.
The early introduction of solid foods in an infant’s diet is disastrous to their future health. The lack of digestive enzymes in their saliva cause solid foods to wreak havoc with their young metabolism and often severe allergies will develop.
A baby will signal that it is ready for solids when the extrusion reflex (pursed lips) converts to the swallowing reflex, indicated by the baby sticking out its tongue. Arrival of the first tooth is another good indicator and will get even the most dedicated young nursing-mother to head for the food processor with organic fruits and vegies.
Wait! Before you run off screaming “Honey, we have ruined our children!” remember this basic fact. One wonder of the human metabolism is that we can start from a less than optimum position and still have unlimited potential. Think of it as a built-in second chance, which I’ll expand on in Part Two.
If we ever want to glimpse the future, just look deeply into the eyes of a child - their eyes are so much more than a mirror of their soul - they are the gateway to the universe.
In You’ll See It When You Believe It, Dr. Wayne Dyer reminds us that we are Spiritual Beings having a physical experience, not a Physical Being having a spiritual experience. I salute those fortunate parents who are in the process of hosting any one of the incredible Spiritual Beings that are joining us now at the dawn of a new era. They are our future.
“Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.”
- Bradley Miller
Seasons Greetings. Blue skies, smooth highways, good health and God Bless.
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve.”
- Napoleon Hill
To illustrate Mr. Hill’s point, when I started skydiving in 1962, controlled freefall was just over a decade old, and it was only four years time since two freefalling bodies had maneuvered themselves close enough to exchange a baton in the skies above Abbotsford airport (circa 1958).
In the mid sixties someone theorized that since rate of fall was related to mass vs resistance, if 242 people were connected it would create adequate resistance to allow a safe landing sans parachute. Of course, this begged the question what if someone lost their grip and/or nerve beyond the point of no return?
The current world record freefall formation is 247 people falling united, and plans are underway to expand that figure to exceed 300 next year in Brazil. The primary law in skydiving is still that Gravity Rules - everyone will be wearing parachutes!
As Sir Francis Bacon observed, “The only way to control Nature is by obeying her.”
Thoughts are Energy. How often have you thought of someone and then within a short time heard from them, either by letter or by phone or even having them drop in for a visit?
This phenomena, where perception occurs without the use of our usual sense organs, is called Extra Sensory Perception or ESP. One theory of how ESP and telepathy occur is that we connect with the universal band of intelligence that encircles our planet like a natural world wide web, available to anyone who has developed their innate ability to get on-line. This ability is enhanced through invocation, meditation and belief in the fact that it is possible.
Everything in creation vibrates at a specific frequency, and if we attune with a frequency, we open the line of communication. This is akin to tuning in a specific radio station in order to hear whatever is being broadcast on their assigned frequency.
We must accept that on a planet of approximately fifty billion people, each of us is unique, and everyone is created perfect for their individual life purpose. We are all subject to the same Natural Laws. We all have the same innate abilities but they are not to be taken for granted - they must be nurtured.
How do these seven primary Natural Laws effect your life, and more importantly, your health?
Life without health is just an existence, and I will show you how we have the ability to ensure that these laws are having a positive influence on our lives.
Let’s take a brief look at the synchronicity of these Seven Laws. We Control (Law #1) change in our life by Planning (Law #2) and Believing (Law #4) that we can Cause a Positive Effect (Law #3) because we Expect (Law #5) to Attract (Law #6) the abundance, health, harmony and love into our new life as a Correspondence (Law #7) to our revised thought patterns. May the circle be unbroken. “Change how you think and you will change your life!” is how Oprah Winfrey expressed it.
The warm rays of south are calling - I’m outa here! Blue skies, smooth highways, good health and God Bless. :>} <aquila@uniserve.com>
“The desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature which distinguishes man from animals.”
- Dr. Harvey Cushing
Did you know that cabbage was introduced to North America via Canada? Cabbage was known as an Old World food and medicine for several thousand years before it was first planted on this continent by the French explorer Jacques Cartier in the mid-sixteenth century.
Later, English colonists brought their own supply and the crops followed the wagon-trains westward. Since cabbage has been consumed for over 4,000 years and cultivated for the last 20 centuries, I suspect that the pioneers in this country were using it for food and medicine during their journey westward in their canvas covered RVs.
It was well known to the Greek scholars and physicians. One anecdote involved Diogenes, a Greek philosopher of note, who advises a young courtier, “If you lived on cabbage, you would not be obliged to flatter the powerful,” and received the response, “If you flattered the powerful, you would not be obliged to live upon cabbage.” Another myth that survived from Aristotle til the Middle Ages, was that “dining well on cabbage” would keep one from getting drunk.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine and famous for his medical maxim, “First of all, do no harm!” used it to treat dysentery, kidney and menstrual disorders. Pliny the Elder, a first century Roman scholar, listed 87 different remedial uses for cabbage. Both the Greeks and Romans considered cabbage to be more medicinal than culinary.
Roman soldiers used to carry cabbage with them on their conquests for both reasons. If wounded in battle, they would apply a raw cabbage poultice as an external anti-inflammatory. It is recorded that during WWII, French soldiers, lacking pharmaceutical antiseptics, used cabbage leaves to bind their wounds and there are many anecdotal reports on using raw cabbage poultices to avoid amputation of a gangrenous limb.
In my Acupuncture practice, I have had excellent results when my suggestion of applying a cabbage poultice has been followed. It is very effective in healing the open sores that often occur on the lower extremities of people who are diabetic, and I have seen remarkable results with chronic “bed sores”.
Modern research has corroborated the 2,000 year old Greek and Roman viewpoints that cabbage was a specific for the treatment of cancer. A recent study by Dr. Saxon Graham revealed that people who never eat cabbage were three times more likely to develop colon cancer than those who include it in their meals at least once a week.
It is becoming a popular viewpoint that all death begins in the colon – the result of autotoxaemia, or self poisoning which results from dysfunction of our digestive system. As expressed by Bernard Jensen, D.C., the famous chiropractor nutritionist who developed modern Iridology, “Organ tissues are as healthy as the blood that feeds them. The blood is only as clean as the bowl from which nutrients are supplied.”
Cabbage is one of the best known natural remedies for digestive maladies. As a raw juice, it is a powerful antacid and has been known for centuries as a prevention and cure for ulcers. Of course, the latest “bacteria theory” has the pharmaceutical companies laughing all the way to their antibiotic bank accounts, so it will be a long time before they promote the virtues of a cure you can grown in your own garden.
It is an excellent treatment for chronic constipation and exerts notable anti-infectious action. This action may explain its effectiveness in control of upper respiratory infections. Is it just a coincidence that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the large intestine and the lungs are paired organs? I think not!
The excellent nutritional value of cabbage is most available when consumed raw. It is known to contain potassium and sodium, plus vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, Biotin, Folic Acid, Niacin, plus Vitamins C, E and U. A USDA study has shown that 75% of the Vitamin C in cabbage survives after two months of cold storage.
The leaves contain rapine, a fungicidal substance, and when the juice is diluted one part juice to three parts water, it serves as a valuable skin wash or vaginal douche when treating yeast or other types of fungal infections.
Generally, green cabbage has a higher nutrient content, and being more active medicinally, is the variety of choice. If you decide to add cabbage juice to your daily intake, remember the law of cause and effect. Start gently or you may make a social statement that will clear the average campground. Fresh is best! Prepare a fresh batch morning and afternoon each day. It is potent medicine and consumption is best limited to three weeks or less.
Here is the recipe for a raw cabbage salad that I learned from Dr. Bruce Berkowsky when he was helping me repair my IBS. I think you may like it, and eaten about three times a week, it will go a long way toward a positive balance in your prevention account.
Cole Slaw with “Tofu Sour Cream”
Mix:
3 cups of grated green cabbage
1 cup grated carrot,
3 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp of finely chopped celery
Tofu Sour Cream:
Steam:
1 lb chopped medium tofu: 4 - 5 min.
In a blender, mix with:
1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice,
1 tbsp Tamari soy sauce,
1/2 tsp Spirulina flakes.
Add water as required to facilitate blending.
Combine:
Vegetables and tofu sour cream and mix well. Garnish with chopped parsley and radish sprouts. Enjoy!
We are now entering Fall, the season associated with Metal (Lung/Large Intestine), and the child of Earth. If we want to be resistant to the ailments associated with “metal” season disharmonies, we have to maintain the good health habits for this element (see Issue 64), as well as ensure that our Earth (Spleen-Pancreas/Stomach) is in fine form.
As I see it, the Cabbage Patch is virtually one stop shopping for this requirement.
Blue skies, smooth highways, good health and God bless.
“I do not know what your future will be but this I do know – you will always have happiness if you seek and find how to serve.”
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
A person once said that we can survive on charm in front of an audience for about 15 minutes, and then we better know something. In this article I want to share some valuable knowledge with you. If I can show you five basic steps that will assist you to experience longevity and vitality, would you be interested? Be careful with your response – a lifetime commitment is required! The model of the five basic steps is based on the Five Elements as developed within Traditional Chinese Medicine. First, I’ll give you a quick overview of how this system is interpreted.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient system of health care which views the human metabolism as a hologram in balance and harmony with its environment – an integration of the whole, rather than a segregation of body-mind-spirit. A symptom is considered a signal of disharmony, and a clue to what the root cause of the dis-ease might be.
Western Medicine has a tendency to separate and isolate, and the focus of treatment is often that the symptom is the ailment, rather than part of a pattern or syndrome. Primary treatment is accomplished through medications and surgery, with the potential for side-effects and complications. Until recently, there has been little mainstream emphasis on lifestyle considerations, and it is based on reaction rather than prevention.
In ancient China, a first class physician was one who could not only cure disease but also prevent disease. Only a second class physician had to wait until his patients became ill so that he could then treat them when there were well-developed symptoms and signs.
- Yellow Emperors Classic on Internal Medicine, CA 475 BC
In my Acupuncture practice I have always focused on Integrated Medicine, based on the fact that both Eastern (TCM) and Western have their strengths and weaknesses. My belief is validated by the fact that Dr. Andrew Weil, author of “Spontaneous Healing” and “8 Weeks to Optimum Health” teaches an Integrated Medicine course to MD’s at the University of Arizona. It’s not about who is right and who is wrong – it’s about what method empowers people to obtain the optimum health, coincidental with their chosen purpose in life.
Acupuncture is the primary TCM method of activating our bodies innate healing or Vital Life Force, which is called Qi (Chee). A blockage, deficiency or excess in the flow of Qi within our body will create a disharmony that often manifests in the physical as an ailment. For example, a blockage (stagnation) of Liver Qi can result in menstrual cramps, migraines, blurred vision or muscle cramps; and rebellious qi (flowing backwards) may cause insomnia, nausea, prolapse, dizziness, asthma or diarrhea depending on which organ energy is involved.
Our environment consists of elements and if we are living in harmony with it, our metabolism is affected by the interaction and seasonal changes of the elements. For example the Cold-Dampness of winter can activate a symphony of syndromes, and the Dry-Heat of summer has its own myriad of symptoms. An Acupuncture treatment on a seasonal basis empowers our bodies to adapt to the changes. I recommend a seasonal “balancing tune-up” to all of my patients who are seriously dedicated to maintaining good health through prevention.
TCM recognizes the five primary elements as Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. If balanced, the interaction of the elements brings harmony and everything is in order. In TCM physiology, each of the elements is associated with a set of organs, an emotion, a color, a season, a time of day, phase of life and various other more subtle aspects such as taste and direction.
Each element has a creative (sheng) and control (ko) function. Similar to the Qi action mentioned above, disharmony of function or interaction causes a ripple effect amongst the elements like a pebble dropped into a calm pool. Have you ever experienced a ride on those infamous square tires in sub-zero temperatures, Billy?
In the course of TCM diagnosis and treatment, interaction of these five elements on the creative cycle is one consideration. We view a deficiency in an element from a parent – child aspect. If the parent is deficient, it is unable to nourish the child. For example, Water nourishes Wood, and if it is deficient the Wood can become brittle, losing its flexibility. Since our tendons and muscles are nourished by the Liver/Gallbladder (Wood), we can become physically rigid. As the emotion of Wood is anger, go figure what happens to our outlook on life. Arthritis and cancer line up waiting for this disharmony.
Wood controls and supports Earth. When this lack of support acts upon Earth’s organs of nourishment (stomach/spleen-pancreas), a pattern of over-eating or dysfunction can occur that develops into Adult Onset Diabetes or other dis-ease. This continues like Ben Franklin’s little rhyme “For the want of a nail –”!
In Chinese medicine a state of good health is often described as a harmonious landscape. I have connected the Five Basic Steps to the Five Elements by focusing on the primary action that will help keep each in the most harmonious condition, therefore having an integrated affect on the metabolism. This program, optimally used in conjunction with regular Acupuncture treatments, is a lifelong dedication to your good health. It will accelerate the three great physicians known as Nature, Time and Patience. The “instant fix to our ails” we have been conditioned to expect, is a myth. I recommend that you ask your primary Health Care Professional to support you in your endeavor, regardless of their modality. If they give you a look like your chimney doesn’t reach the roof, find a new one!
Five Basic Steps/Five Elements Relationship
Wood. (Liver/Gallbladder)
We nourish wood with exercise. Walking is great because all we require is a good pair of shoes and protection from the natural elements. Tai Qi is excellent. Exercise stimulates our cardiovascular system which, in turn, allows our blood to keep our muscles from wasting away. We also reduce our stress level.
Fire. (Heart/Small Intestine)
The associated emotion is Joy. If you haven’t read “Laughter is the Best Medicine” lately, do it! Think only positive thoughts. Our mind can only focus on one thought at a time, so if we think positive, we crowd out negative. This supports the small intestine’s function of sorting the pure (nutrients) from the impure (waste) and assists it in its role of heart support.
Earth. (Spleen-Pancreas/Stomach)
One of the few things we have control of in our life is what goes in our mouth, the gateway to our metabolism. “We are what we eat”, or just as important – what we avoid. As Ben Franklin quipped “More people have died from eating than ever starved to death”. I recommend keeping a diet journal for a few weeks. It makes us more conscious of how, what and when we eat and it can be very helpful in isolating allergens. Eat low on the food chain, focusing on a rainbow diet of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fill any gaps with wise supplementation.
Metal. (Lung/Large Intestine)
Breathing is good! If our oxygen supply is cut off, our minutes are numbered. The average person only uses 20% of their lung capacity on a regular basis. If our respiration is shallow, the Heavenly Qi we inhale is inadequate and our body becomes malnourished and toxic. The latter invites the onset of degenerative dis-ease. Research has shown that if our blood is properly oxygenated, peristalsis in the colon is increased, which improves elimination. This allows us to know that people are off track if they tell us we are full of “”-it”” Be cautious with this one. Increase your breathing capacity on a gradual basis or have a Health Professional coach you on basic Qi Gong breathing, Pranic breathing or Earth breathing.
Water. (Kidney/Urinary Bladder)
Drink pure water. Its osmotic effect in our body draws impurities off the intestinal walls, and gives our Intracellular Fluid purity. To calculate your metabolic requirement, divide your body weight in half and this gives you the volume in ounces that you require on a daily basis. Gradually increase intake and even then, until your body adapts to the new volume, you will have a whole new sense of geography! Ensure that you are flushing toxic impurities and unwanted bacteria out of your system. Reduce or avoid diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine. We learn early that water is an excellent conductor. Our Qi is electro-magnetic in nature, so by hydrating ourselves properly, our healing energy is able to circulate more efficiently. Lack of water leads to dehydration. Would you rather be a grape or a raisin?
Positive change is good but do it gradually – remember the Law of Cause and Effect. A brand new car may be perfect in all its parts but is useless without fuel.
Acupuncture is the catalyst that will activate the five steps and visualization reinforces the effectiveness. Our thoughts are energy and energy follows intent. You will feel a difference in vitality, and longevity will follow.
Blue skies, smooth highway, good health and God Bless.
I used to believe, probably with the naive perception of youth, that good health was my birthright. Life, and over twenty years of being involved in the healing arts, have taught me that I was wrong. That T-shirt wisdom "Had I know I was going to live this long - I'd have taken better care of my body!" has taken on a whole new perspective.
Demographics have shown us that, as a society, we are living longer and that only fifty percent of our health is a result of our genetic background. The fact that our grandparents lived to a "ripe old age" is nice, but if we expect to follow their example, at least half of the responsibility is ours.
With my Creator's blessing, I plan on living in this amazing body of mine for at least 120 years, and that is subtracting potential time lost for having had too much fun at times in my younger years. I know that good health is a full-time commitment to preventative maintenance.
From personal observation of my fellow humans, I have drawn the conclusion that the majority of people don't care about health - while they have it. There is a social aspect to illness that is second only to discussing the weather. Older people compare notes on their various ailments, incisions and prescriptions as often as they talk about their grandchildren.
Persons who escape the knife are considered oddities rather than role models. The general attitude in our society appears to be "Why attempt to be healthy? I'm going to be sick sooner or later anyway - and then the doctor will heal/fix me - and I'll have more tales to tell."
I have reached a point in my acupuncture practice that I choose not to accept patients with a fix me attitude. I advise them to save their money and my time until they are prepared to become proactive in their process by accepting responsibility for their own wellness.
Before we can expect to find an answer, we have to ask a question. If we are unable to recognize the problem, a solution is out of reach. Without light, we wouldn't recognize darkness and without dis-ease, we wouldn't appreciate health. Health, by definition and root, is a state of wholeness - soundness of any living organism; vigor of body and mind; freedom from defect or disease. An Egyptian proverb expresses the difference as "health is a crown to a well man's head, but no one can see it but a sick man."
We have to treat our body as if it were a garden. We know what the result is with plants if they don't receive water and light. We know what "our garden" needs if we listen to its messages. Our body is very intelligent and is continuously giving us symptoms as signals of what it is lacking, or what has been an excess. It is far too often we take advantage of our bodies adaptability and ignore its cry for attention.
The act of maintaining or returning to wholeness which we call healing comes from within, beginning at a cellular level. The stimulus which activates this process can be explained by complex biochemistry, or as a result of that Universal Healing Force known as Love.
Once again I would like to use the analogy of a garden. If we are simply selecting annuals vs perennials, or vegetables vs flowers, the complexity is relatively easy and we can do this ourselves. But if we decide that an underground sprinkler system is required, this may require an outside assistant such as a landscaper or a plumber or both.
I use this as an example of how we may, by choice or necessity, employ the assistance of another party to make our garden more harmonious and beautiful. When the garden represents our state of health, it may be that these facilitators involved in our "healthy garden" are one or more members of the healing arts.
Regardless of the skills of these assistants, the responsibility for our garden remains with the gardener, synonymous with our self. One of the positive aspects of being an assistant, is that the "love" flows through us, and we benefit from the exposure, but that is a whole different topic.
In ancient China, a first class physician was one who could not only cure disease, but could also prevent disease. We can all be first class physicians if we listen to our bodies. Only a second class physician had to wait until his patients became ill so that he could then threat them when there were well-developed symptoms and signs. In our society, our reactive approach to health is like waiting until we are thirsty before we start to dig a well.
"So let's treat health from this day on
As if it's all we've got;
Let's not look back on squandered wealth
And say that we forgot."
- Bruce B. Wilmer
A point to keep in mind while exploring this summer - it is the driver who controls the vehicle, not traffic signs or lights. Be safe and alert.
Blue skies, smooth highways, good health and God Bless.
“Due to the graphic content of this article, parental guidance is recommended”
Just kidding, but it’s not recommended for bedtime reading - a lot like watching the worst of the world on the late news, and then wondering why you don’t sleep peacefully!
Recently, there was an outbreak of high-potency, treatment resistant bacteria in at least two separate hospitals in BC Harvest time! We are beginning to reap what we have sewn. Like the buzz of a rattlesnake, this is a warning that we are walking on very thin ice. Mother Nature shows absolutely no favouritism, but she is fair - if we are wise enough to heed her warning signs.
A 1974 article in Poultry Science reported that 90% of the dressed product from a poultry processing plant was contaminated with salmonellosis. Salmonellosis is at best a miserable nuisance that can get us wondering if we are coming or going. In the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system, it can be fatal. The feeding of antibiotics to livestock exacerbates the problem by producing drug-resistant strains of bacteria.
In my clinic I have had people that show symptoms of over-exposure to antibiotics (against life). They have denied that they have had regular exposure to antibiotics, but further questioning revealed that they had eaten meat on a regular basis.
Statistics show that 55% of the antibiotics produced in the US are fed to livestock. The result? From 1960 to 1988, the percentage of staphylococci infection (another nasty bacteria), resistant to penicillin increased from only 13% to 91%. Today, penicillin is virtually useless. I wonder why the European Economic Community (EEC) banned the feeding of antibiotics to livestock?
We have to accept responsibility for this tragic process. I am not a great proponent of antibiotics. Properly used, they can be very useful in the treatment of bacterial infections. Overuse and misuse are the problems. Since their introduction a few decades ago, they rapidly became the magic bullet, the drug of choice! A characteristic of our nature is that as soon as we start to feel better, we stop taking the course of antibiotics prescribed. This kills off the weakest bacteria, and allows a stronger strain to survive - with an immunity of resistance to the same dosage next time.
The pharmaceutical conglomerates sponsor medical schools, and they train doctors to use their products, expecting a fair return on their investment. Also, in an act of blind faith, many doctors are guilty of reaching for their prescription pads when they should be taking a culture to differentiate between viral and bacterial infections. Of course, proper diagnosis takes time, and time is money - and that is more important than health (sic).
We are wrong if we attempt to place blame on the doctors - we have to accept full responsibility - without our acceptance and (over) use, the problem would not be as severe. Just say “No Thanks! My body doesn’t have a deficiency in that area.”
Now that we have the depressing part behind us, in the next issue I will focus on a few of the many natural ways available to enhance our immune system. Convert this to metric if you must, but I still believe that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Blue skies, smooth highways, and God Bless.
HOME || CURRENT ISSUE || BACK ISSUES || MAILBOX || EVENTS || HELP || CLASSIFIED & ADS || NEWS || FEATURES
All contents © 1987-2000 Sheila Jones Publishing Ltd. 488 - F Bay Street Victoria, BC, V8T 5H2 Email
Home page www.rvtimes.com
Health Points Archive