I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Practice what you preach.” Well, I’ve modified this saying a little. I like to “Teach what I practice.” I’ve adopted this saying for two reasons. First, I prefer teaching to preaching because I don’t like the “holier than thou” attitude preaching assumes. Second, and more importantly, I think that we can’t help anyone achieve something we haven’t worked on ourselves. Because of this, in the past, I didn't stress the importance of physical…
Most of us think of mushrooms as food. If you grew up in the sixties, you might even think of “shrooms” as a way to get high. But few people recognize what powerful medicines mushrooms (also known as fungi) can be. Yet, mushrooms have been used for healing for thousands of years, most notably in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Today, scientific research has confirmed that more than 270 species of fungi have therapeutic value.Fungi are not plants. They are more closely related to animals…
For thousands of years Western and Oriental herbalists have prized certain plants for fighting infections and fevers. It turns out that these herbs all contain a yellow alkaloid known as berberine. Among these plants are many popular Western botanical remedies like goldenseal, Oregon grape and barberry, as well as important Oriental herbs like Chinese golden thread (aka coptis) and amur cork tree (aka Phellodendron).Researchers have conducted over 2,800 studies on berberine, and nearly…
With the growing number of products containing hemp and the popularity of products with CBD or other cannabinoids, it’s time to share my own knowledge and thoughts on the subject.It’s important to note that this is a new field of research and science is learning more all the time, so we don’t have a complete understanding of what hemp and cannabinoids like CBD do. So it is important to keep learning. But, just because we don't fully understand how an herb works we can still use it derive benefit from it.
Turmeric is an Indian spice that imparts a yellow color to curry dishes. Native to tropical Southeast Asia, turmeric is in the same botanical family as ginger. It has been used as both food and medicine in Asia for thousands of years, but recent research has made the herb increasingly popular in Western herbalism. Much of this research has centered on curcumin, one of its most well-known constituents, but turmeric contains many valuable ingredients besides curcumin. It contains an essential oil…
I've been listening to the audiobook of Steven R. Covey's The Third Alternative and its message resonates with my own soul. He talks about how we tend to get caught up in either-or situations where people get polarized on issues. They take one side or the other, each side pushing to get the other side to agree with them. A power struggle ensues in which each side tries to force the other side into giving in. When I took a parenting class back in college, many decades ago, one of the secrets I…
There’s a lot of information about the importance of friendly bacteria to the gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal microflora also called friendly flora or probiotics, play a role in regulating the immune system and keeping the colon healthy. However, most of the bacteria in your intestines should be in your colon or large intestines, not your small intestines. When abnormally large numbers of bacteria (even friendly bacteria) start growing in the small intestines, they actually cause problems with…
"It shall be health to the navel, and marrow to the bones.” (Proverbs 3:8) In the religious tradition I grew up with, the phrase “health to the navel, marrow to the bones” was a symbolic representation of what it means to be blessed with good physical health. I have pondered this phrase and think that it contains deep symbolism about what is necessary for us to have good physical health. Many natural healers stress the importance of the first part of this phrase, “health in the navel.”…