Fall 2015 health action magazine

Health Acti n

G S r M pe igh O ci s al t a Ed to nd itio n k o n u o r w

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Learn.Teach.EmpowEr.

Is Your Vote Genetically Modified This Election?

The 2015 federal election is set for October 19, and every political party will be asking for your vote. Each party has something to say about food and agriculture, but what do they say about genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?

Lucy Sharratt investigates.

Turning an Individual’s Pain into Society’s Gain

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Health Canada and the Drug-ification of Natural Health Products

32

Executive Director: Lorna Hancock Managing Editor: Michelle Hancock

Brewing tea is an easy and convenient way to extract the nutritive phytochemicals of herbs and mushrooms. Create tasty tea-inspired recipes that modulate the immune system, soothe digestive upset and prepare for a restful sleep, with these recipes from Colin Medhurst, holistic health coach, yoga teacher and cofounder of Feed Life.

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Peat—A Climate Change Saver Bogs may not catch the eye in the way rainforests or coral reefs do, but in recent years, people are reassessing bogs and discovering that they are a fascinating ecosystem, vital in the fight against climate change. A report from Gerard John Cowan with the Burns Bog Conservation Society.

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Overcoming the Love of Power.........................................43

Is GM Food Sustainable?.............................................................. 16

Food Solutions for a Healthy Gut................................... 50

HANS Member News.................................................................... 20

Exercise and Nutrition: The Success of Synergy.............................................................................................................. 54

David Versus Monsanto............................................................... 18

Surviving Suicide.................................................................................... 24

R.H.N.™ Designation (Registered Holistic

The Right Dietary Fats: Essential for Mental Health........................................................................................... 31

Nutritionist), the most recognized designation in the industry.

Introduction to Bowenwork Therapy........................ 34

To learn more about CSNN’s

Orthomolecular Treatment for Adverse Effects of HPV) Vaccine..................................... 36

Natural Nutrition Diploma program, visit www.csnn.ca.

62

Rachel Parent’s Meeting with Health Canada – Summary and Comments............................. 10

The Pursuit of a Non-GMO Food Supply............. 14

Cortisol and the Stress Chain Reaction.................. 35

CSNN Vancouver 604.730.5611 van@csnn.ca

CSNN Nanaimo 250.741.4805 nanaimo@csnn.ca

PCTIA Accredited Health Action | www.hans.org

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Beyond Einstein with William Tiller.............................44 Do You Have a Leaky Gut?...................................................... 52

Acupuncture for Sports Injuries and Pain Conditions....................................................................................... 56

Therapeutic Touch for Gentle Healing..................... 57 What Do Diet and Nutrition Have to Do with Pain?........................................................................................................ 58 Smart Meters............................................................................................. 60

Seed Cycling for Hormone Balance.............................. 38

When Will You Get Sick?.......................................................... 61

The Power of Positive Intention Messages........... 42

Not So Simple to Say No to GMO................................ 66

Treating Perimenopause Naturally................................. 40

CSNN Kelowna 250.862.2766 kelowna@csnn.ca

Assistant Editor/Proofreader: Julie Cheng Layout & Design: Annette Spreeuw Contributors: Christina Bjorndal, Jeda Boughton, Sondi Bruner, Sabrina Chen-See, Caroline Coombs, Alexis Costello, Gerard John Cowan, Julie Daniluk, Rick DeSylva, Yvonne Dollard Perc, Brenda Eastwood, Ron Gale, Jim Harding, Trish Lim-O’Donnell, Colin Medhurst, Sharon Noble, Denise Onslow, Rachel Parent, Deane Parkes, Laura Pelletier, Christina Peressini, Sean Quigley, Lucy Sharratt, Alana Shaw, Christopher M Stephens, Rishi Verma, Breanna Walker, Chun-Kai Wang, Atsuo Yanagisawa, Christy Zettl Submissions: editorial@hans.org

Also in this issue Register for new classes starting in 2015.

Published quarterly by: Health Action Network Society Director of Operations: Michael Volker

Healing Teas

Here, we share the story of Sister Theresa Feist, who, after her recovery from schizophrenia under the care of orthomolecular pioneer Dr. Abram Hoffer, helped to found the Flaman-Morris Home. For decades, volunteers helped individuals with care and treatment for health issues.

“It is past time to rethink the modern position on herbs and what they offer.” Herbalist Rick DeSilva argues that the current regulations surrounding natural health products wrongfully ignore the nutritive “food” nature of herbs and their traditional role in restoring and maintaining good health.

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Health Action Fall 2015

Letters to the editor and requests for article references may be sent to editorial@hans.org.

HANS reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity.

Health Action Network Society 214-5589 Byrne Rd. Burnaby, B.C. V5J 3J1 T: (604) 435-0512 F: 604-435-1561 www.hans.org | hans@hans.org publication mail agreement #40050050 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 330-123 Main St., Toronto, ON M5W 1A1 circdept@publisher.com Health Action magazine is a free publication to its membership. The opinions expressed within are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HANS. Those with health concerns should contact their health-care provider.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia

How to Live in Harmony with Autumn................... 64

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Revolutionizing Revolutionizing

Mind and Body and Body

GM Foods on the Political Plate

Have you asked your local politician where they stand on GM foods and labelling?

Health!

Health!

by Lorna Hancock

!

NEW NEW!

ts Produc e p o h e Tru ducts pe Pro o h e u r T

Revolutionizing Mind & Body Health

J

ust a few days ago, the wife of a federal politician vehemently expressed to me how important it was to hear the thoughts of the citizens, and after having read a recent issue of Health Action magazine, she couldn’t tell me enough about how refreshing it was. Why? Because it’s sharing ideas and expressing opinions that, to many people, are obvious and timely, but are unfortunately absent from many political conversations.

So when I re-read the collection of articles in this Health Action, our Fall 2015 issue, I was struck anew by, yes, how different they are compared to many other (repetitive) news items that circulate the Web, are on Facebook, and in mainstream print media. This uniqueness gives me a sense of pride in the fact that you, me and this organization are here together to promote natural health options and to protect our personal wellness choices.

But back to politics for now.

We are about to embark on a

federal election in which we as Canadians get to express individual choice through voting.

While there are many important issues both domestic and international to tackle, we have chosen to focus on genetically modified (GM) foods and the controversies that surround biotechnology in this magazine. GM foods deserve to be an election issue because how we handle them and other GM crops moving forward represents the future of our food system, and it will have both health and environmental impacts.

I believe that Canada stands on a precipice when it comes to GM foods, especially given the government’s recent approval of the GM “Arctic” apple. We know GM ingredients are in our processed foods, their seeds and the pesticides used to grow them are in our environment, so other than an outright ban, Canadians deserve proper labelling. So have you asked your local politician where they stand on GM foods and labelling?

If not, hopefully you will after reading Lucy Sharratt’s politically charged article on page 8. Or perhaps revisiting the story of farmer turned anti-

GMO crusader Percy Schmeiser (page 18) will inspire you to reflect on corporate interests in our food system, then and now.

Then there is the campaigning of Rachel Parent, student and founder of the Kids Right to Know initiative on page 10; it is inspiring that one person in both these cases can have such an impact on the conversation surrounding GMOs. Just imagine if every one of us was as committed!

Beyond biotechnology, we’ve included articles that relate to mental health and wellness, including the heartwarming story of Sister Theresa Feist and how, in the years since her recovery from schizophrenia using orthomolecular medicine, she shares a large legacy of hope in Saskatchewan (page 30). In “Surviving Suicide: A journey into depression and a return to love,” Christine Bjorndal, ND, shares her own personal journey from near death to helping others as well. Incidentally, Dr. Bjorndal is a guest speaker at our second annual mind-alive! event on October 24 in Vancouver (see page 28).

These are just a few highlights. This issue is chock full of valuable articles on health and environmental issues that are relevant to Canadian con\sumers. And if you are a HANS member or advertiser, read this with pride too because it is you who keeps this non-profit magazine in publication. This is an important voice in Canada! I encourage you to share any of the articles in this magazine with those who might benefit.

Let’s connect!

facebook.com/ HansHealthAction

twitter.com/ joinHANS

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Is Your Vote Genetically Modified This Election?

by Lucy Sharratt

market harm before any new GM crops were approved, and this proposal is now part of the NDP’s food strategy. All Conservative MPs voted against the bill in its last vote. Liberals MPs were split, with some voting in favour, but the Liberal Party did not support the bill.

The NDP voted for it as well as the one Green Party MP and the Bloc Québécois. This is generally how the House of Commons falls on GM policy.

T

he 2015 federal election is due for October 19 and every political party will be asking for your vote. Each party has something to say about food and agriculture, but what do they have to say about the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?

The Conservative Party The Conservative Party has not published a specific food strategy, but through their past 10 years in government the party has demonstrated strong support for the biotechnology industry.

The Conservative Party opposed the 2011 private member’s bill from a New Democratic Party member of Parliament that would have introduced an assessment of export market harm before any new genetically modified (GM) crops are approved.

The Minister of Agriculture did not intervene to stop the legalization of GM alfalfa in 2013 (but the huge controversy in the farming community has kept GM alfalfa off the market).

We also know that the current Conservative party is proactively supporting the future of genetically modified crops, including by developing the new policy to accept “low level presence” (LLP) of GM contamination in imports.

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The Green Party This policy is almost In their food stratfinalized and would egy, the NDP also allow a small perpledges to support The cent (0.2 percent the organic sector GMO or higher) of some (organic farming GM foods into prohibits the use of Issue Canada that have GM seeds and other not yet been assessed GM products) and to for safety by Health “encourage research that Canada (for details see www. supports environmentally suscban.ca/llp). tainable farming practices.”

The NDP also says it will “reverse cuts to public research The New Democratic facilities and regional projects” Party and “monitor and prevent antiThe NDP’s wide-ranging competitive behaviour and food strategy, called Every- monopolistic practices in the body Eats (2014), includes agri-business supply sector.” support for mandatory label- This would address the everling of GM foods. In 2013, an increasing concentration in the NDP MP proposed Motion seed sector by biotechnology M-480 for mandatory label- companies such as Monsanto.

In 2011, all parties had the ling, and earlier this year the NDP leader and other NDP opportunity to make change MPs came out to meet Rachel in how GM crops are reguParent, founder of the group lated. The NDP agriculture Kids Right to Know that critic proposed Bill C-474, campaigns for mandatory which would have mandated a review of potential export labelling of GM foods.

The Green Party is very clear that it would “require mandatory labelling of all GM foods and food ingredients.”

The Green Party has the most specific and direct policy statements on genetically modified crops, including a call for a ban on GM alfalfa and GM wheat as well as on the GM sterile seed “terminator technology.” (There is an international moratorium on this technology but no national ban in Canada.) The Green Party also says they would ensure developers of GM crops are liable for any damages.

Their detailed policy platform called Vision Green 2015 says, “Genetically engineered (GE) organisms may pose a potentially serious threat to human health and the health of natural ecosystems. Many Canadians want to follow the example of the European Union and ban GE crops. At minimum, GE products must

be labelled, giving consumers the right to know and to say no to GE foods.”

The party is also committed to transitioning Canadian agriculture to 100 percent organic farming and says they would “shift governmentsupported research away from biotechnology and energyintensive farming and towards organic food production.”

The Liberal Party The older National Food Policy (2010) of the Liberal Party is only four pages and does not mention GMOs or specific issues that would impact the regulation of GM crops and foods. When Rachel Parent asked the current Liberal leader if he would support mandatory labelling (Ontario, July 19) he replied, “The Liberal Party believes in giving consumers the most information we possibly can. That is a principle that we absolutely support.” But he did not mention labelling or make any commitment.

Upon request, the Liberal Party agriculture critic added, “the introduction of GMO crops cannot be allowed to endanger the livelihoods of other farmers and producers who have chosen a different method of growing.”

Across the history of GM foods in Canada, the Liberal Party’s approach has been divided and noncommittal. In the last session, the past Liberal Party agriculture critic spoke out against the introduction of GM alfalfa; however, the Liberal leader at the time did not respond to petitions on the issue from his own constituents. In 2001, the Liberal Party was in government but did not

The best way to find out if your views on GM foods will be represented is to ask your local candidates.

support Bill C-287, a private member’s bill for mandatory labelling that came from one of its own MPs.

Ask your candidates The best way to find out if your views on GM foods will be represented is to ask your local candidates. Election debates and other events are also one of the easier ways to meet and talk to your potential political representative.

The network Food Secure Canada (FSC) is encouraging Canadians to organize Eat Think Vote events across the country, with the goal of making food policy a priority in this election. FSC proposes that Canadians host a meal for candidates to discuss food issues. FSC is calling for the creation of a national food policy “where no one goes hungry and all Canadians have access to healthy, just and sustainable food.”

If you are interested in bringing the issue of genetic modification to your local debates, here are three sample questions that you could ask: n Do you support mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods and would you champion this cause if you become my member of Parliament? n Do you agree that Canadian farmers and consumers should be consulted before new GM crops and foods are approved?

nD o you agree that all GM foods should be assessed for safety by Heath Canada before we eat them? Or would you allow some GM contamination into Canada even if the products are not yet approved here? (The Conservative government is proposing “low level presence”—see above.)

If you record the candidates’ responses, you could call on

your new member of Parliament to make good on any commitment. Regardless of their responses, what candidates hear from the public during an election campaign can influence their priorities when they represent their constituents in the new Parliament.

Lucy Sharratt is the coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN). CBAN is a campaign coalition of 17 organizations that researches, monitors and raises awareness about issues relating to genetic engineering in food and farming. CBAN is a project on Tides Canada’s shared platform. www.cban.ca

Welcome to our GMO issue! Look for GMO-related articles throughout this issue of Health Action

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Rachel Parent’s Meeting with Health Canada – Summary and Comments

B

elow is a summary of Rachel Parent’s meeting with Health Canada on Wednesday, February 25, 2015, at the Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, followed by Rachel’s comments about what she learned.

Attendees: Health Canada – Dr. William Yan, director for Bureau of Nutritional Sciences – Luc Bourbonniere, section head for Novel Foods in the Evaluation Division – Nik Zylstra, senior policy advisor Attendees: Kids Right to Know – R achel Parent, lead and spokesperson – Gen Acuna, communications manager, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network – Lucy Sharratt, meeting technical support for Kids Right to Know Four Topics Discussed I. Safety Assessment II. Labelling III. The GM Apple IV. Pesticides

Topic I: Safety Assessment 1. Health Canada confirmed that their safety assessment process for determining food safety does not involve performing any kind of test on their part.

Dr. Yan: “We review the data that is given to us by the company … The product is being pro-

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lished studies, but I don’t posed by the company. It’s up feel as if they’re taking to them to demonstrate the identified risks the safety.” seriously enough.

2. Health Canada The They seem to want is supposed to proof that GMOs make sure there GMO are not safe, are no concerns Issue instead of them about the safety ensuring GMOs assessment and that ARE safe. One examthere are no health ple was about the study by risks associated with the consumption of the genetically the University of Sherbrooke modified organism (GMO) that found Bt (insecticide used food. After I had some time with GMO crops) in the blood to really think about what I of fetuses. Health Canada learned at that meeting, some reviewed the study, but: Mr. Bourbonniere: “The Shernew thoughts occurred to me: a. Health Canada says it brooke study didn’t say the foods reviews internationally pub- were not safe. It just said we may

have detected something in the blood of pregnant women, but it didn’t imply there was any safety issue.”

Their toxicologist didn’t agree with the techniques used and therefore couldn’t draw any new conclusions or questions about GMOs. So they didn’t change their opinion and that was the end of it!

Personally, if there was a study that said there was even a possibility of a widely used insecticide found in the blood of unborn fetuses, I would be extremely concerned and think there was a health risk! I would have lots of questions and want to see more tests done to prove 100 percent health and safety! b. They also cannot deeply look into which studies are valid or not. Dr. Yan explained to me that there are always new studies, so it’s hard for them to determine which studies are the ones that are valid enough to look into further. He said they simply do not have enough staff to look deeply into every single paper/study. c. Health Canada indicated that the studies provided by the companies in the safety assessments are not peer reviewed, and one of the explanations provided by Dr. Yan was: “Some of the data is actually proprietary data. They invest millions of dollars to develop their crop, so they’re not going to divulge it to anyone else to test the product.”

Wouldn’t Health Canada be the safest place in the country for this information to be and

for their products to be tested?

When it comes to assessing safety, shouldn’t an unbiased, third party—who has nothing to gain from the success or failure of the product—be the ones doing the tests? Also, why is protecting the company’s secret data more important than protecting our health?

Topic II: Labelling Health Canada’s position on GMO labelling is that it is not a health and safety issue; therefore, it is not within their mandate. Dr. Yan did mention that this is an issue that would fall into the jurisdiction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). However, he then said that they probably wouldn’t do it anyway.

Dr. Yan: “Non-health and safety labelling is really under

As we all just witnessed with the GM apple, the science in food technology is advancing more and more every day, and yet the independent science that our food regulators are using to help keep us safe is not.

the jurisdiction of the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) … CFIA does have a mandate to make sure that all non-health and safety labels meet the standards. I don’t think you’re going to see the CFIA have the mandate to tell everyone they have to label something GM or non GM.” This left me feeling confused.

First I thought it would be Health Canada’s job to decide on mandatory GMO labelling.

Now Health Canada is telling

me it’s CFIA’s job, but that CFIA probably wouldn’t do it anyway?

So I looked into it. The CFIA is supposed to require labelling of GM foods. Under the Food and Drug Regulations, food labels are to show a list of all ingredients and a description of any components of the ingredients. It seems obvious to me that if an ingredient is made in a way that can’t be created in nature, it is a unique ingredient in its own right, and

we have a right to know about unique ingredients.

Dr. Yan agreed about the right to know. I asked him if he would like to know and choose the food that he’s eating.

Dr. Yan: “My personal opinion is yes. Freedom of choice is always good. But does Health Canada have the mandate to require mandatory GMO labelling? The answer is no, because Health Canada is strictly about health and safety … Whether a product is labelled GM or nonGM, all we do is make sure there’s a standard available in Canada that allows people to do it. With a standard, the key thing is the CFIA can now go out there and verify every one of those claims.”

So it looks like to me like the next conversation we need is to continued on page

Health Action | www.hans.org

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11

(PMRA), which does the assessment of the pesticides.

Kids Right to Know continued from page 11 talk with CFIA to understand how they label ingredients.

Topic III: The GM Apple At the time of this meeting, the Arctic Apple had been recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but not yet by Health Canada. So I asked them if the fact that the president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits wanted this approved in Canada by April made them feel rushed in any way. They said “no,” that this wasn’t a race and that the science would dictate the timeline.

On March 20, less than a month after my meeting, they had approved the genetically modified Arctic Apple.

Topic IV: Pesticides Weeds have become resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, so now new crops are being introduced that are resistant to 2,4D, one of the ingredients used in Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. So I asked them if there is any reason to believe that weeds won’t eventually become resistant to 2,4-D? Mr. Bourbonniere said that it was an excellent question and directed me to the CFIA for environmental assessment of GM crops and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency

Rachel’s take-aways I’ve learned that the agency with the authority to make mandatory GMO labelling is the CFIA. So it looks like that’s the next office I’ll be going to the next time I’m in Ottawa!

Health Canada is very limited in resources and in the way they assess the risk on whether something is safe or healthy. They claim that they use science to determine health and safety, yet the science and processes they use for looking at the studies seem to be very limited. They also have no plans or, it seemed, interest in updating the scope of their assessment.

As we all just witnessed with the GM apple, the science in food technology is advancing more and more every day, and yet the independent science that our food regulators are using to help keep us safe is not.

Rachel Parent founded Kids Right to Know to educate young people about genetically modified food and the need for proper testing and labelling. She first learned of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) at age 11 while researching the Canadian food system for a school project. She was shocked to find that 70 percent of the food we eat contains GMOs and that

while over 60 countries in the world require mandatory GMO labelling, Canada and the U.S. do not. She quickly became passionate about our right to know what’s in the food we eat and created her GMO Labelling Campaign.

Rachel has travelled to India, Brazil, Argentina and Australia to meet with world environmental leaders and scientists and to witness firsthand the impact of GMOs on people and the environment. She has spoken at events and rallies around the world, including TEDxToronto, reminding young people that their voices can and do make a difference.

Her television debate over GMO labelling with Canadian Host Kevin O’Leary (Dragon’s Den, Shark Tank) on CBC, has received over five million views on YouTube.

She’s moderated a panel discussion with Dr. Jane Goodall and artist Robert Bateman on Inspiring Youth to Take Action, and landed a meeting with Canada’s Health Minister (the country’s top health official) about mandatory GMO labelling. www.kidsrightto know.com

Kids Have a Right to Know … Just Label It!

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ounded on the belief that we all have the right to know what’s in our food, regardless of age, Kids Right to Know seeks to inform, educate and motivate kids to stand up and make a difference.

Unfortunately, for the past 20 years we’ve been denied our right to know. Approximately 70 percent of the foods we now eat contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Many independent peer-reviewed studies question the safety of GMOs, both for our health and for the health of our environment. Without labelling, we don’t have the freedom of choice to decide what we eat. The Just Label It! campaign was created to advocate for the labelling of GMO foods.

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The Pursuit of a Non-GMO Food Supply

Farmers only grow what people will buy.

The consumer has so much power.

All photos by L aura B erman

What The Big Carrot in Toronto is doing

by Michael Volker

W

e decided to interview Maureen Kirkpatrick, the standards coordinator of the The Big Carrot, because we wanted to know just how difficult it is to live up to being as their website states, “Toronto’s first certified organic health food store specializing in organically grown, non-GMO and environmentally safe products since 1983.”

As Green’s grocer on Broadway in Vancouver is striving to become the western Canadian version of The Big Carrot, we want to know about the struggles in providing organic and non-GMO (genetically modified organism) food.

Firstly, before we get to the questions, I would like to go on the record as thanking the hardworking folks at The Big Carrot for their noble pursuit of keeping their food offerings as natural as possible.

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Health Action | www.hans.org

Q:

Currently what percentage of the food you offer to your customers is non-GMO?

M:

gredients like citric acid or xanthan gum can be trickier.

Continuous improvement is my mantra; our goal is to continue to drive up that 75 percent as thirdparty verification is certainly important The to today’s consumers.

GMO

Approximately 75 percent of our food SKUs are Non-GMO Project Verified or certified organic.

Issue That’s a lot of veriWhat are fied choices! the most difficult products to The remaining 25 get in a natural or nonpercent is made up of GMO form? products that may be in the process of being verified, be The greatest sourcing made with organic ingredients challenges we face are but not third-party verified, around animal-derived prodhave an independent nonGMO claim, contain no ucts such as meat, eggs, dairy risk ingredients or if there and bee products. We ensure are risk ingredients we have that we always have good ordocumentation from the ganic options in all of these manufacturer about the categories and we work hard to ingredients in question. Getting communicate to our customreliable information on major ers that if non-GMO feed is ingredients is straightforward; important to them, they must minor highly processed in- choose certified organic. We

Q:

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currently continue to carry non-organic products in these categories where the feed is conventional.

As the grass-fed market grows, we have more options for pastured livestock products that avoid high-risk GMO feeds such as corn or soy.

The U.S. market has more options for Non-GMO Project Verified “natural” animal-derived products. In a way, our lack of access to these products drives the consumer to organic choices, which has so many additional benefits in addition to being non-GMO, so I guess there is really a bright side to this sourcing challenge.

Q:

What has surprised you the most in trying to be non-GMO friendly?

M:

A pleasant surprise has been the journey we have had with many suppliers towards their verification. We

have been encouraging manufacturers to get verified to the Non-GMO Project for many years; during that time we have maintained our paper-based system regarding their commitments to GMO avoidance.

Now to see so many of them get verified to the rigorous standard of the project is very rewarding. Even some manufacturers we stopped carrying because they were not willing to upgrade risk ingredients to non-GMO alternatives are now getting verified—that really goes to show the power of the Non-GMO Project label and a market-based strategy. Farmers only grow what people will buy. The consumer has so much power.

Q:

What have your customers said about your non-GMO pursuits or do they even know?

M:

Since our first nonGMO purchasing policy in 2001, our core customers have been engaged and supportive of the work we are doing. We often see them at rallies and non-GMO events in the city.

We see roughly 20,000 customers a week so I am sure many of them are not aware of the work we put in to our sourcing.

Q:

Does any level of government have any encouragement or offer any assistance in trying to source non-GMO product?

M:

Sadly, no. There is no mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods in Canada despite the fact that almost 90 percent of Canadians support the labelling of GMOs. Canadians have a right to know how their food is grown and where it comes from. Just as we have labelling for county of origin, natural versus artificial flavour or wild versus farmed fish, so too should we have the right to know if an ingredient has been genetically engineered.

New Democrat Party member of Parliament Murray Rankin supports this idea. Mr. Rankin has a motion before the House of Commons (Motion M-480) calling on the Government of Canada to introduce mandatory labelling of products containing ingredients that have been genetically modified. You can support this motion by adding your name to the petition on his

website at murrayrankinmp. ndp.ca/gmo-right-to-know.

I am excited that we have a federal election this fall!

Canadians need to ensure mandatory labelling is part of the election conversation and really examine if the party they are considering has a food policy and, if so, what is included in it.

Q:

In Canada, as far as I know, we do not have a Canadian version of the Non-GMO Project, an American non-governmental organization “committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply.” Do you think we need one?

M:

The Non-GMO Project is actually a North American initiative and The Big Carrot is proudly one of its founding members. It is true that the project headquarters is in Bellingham, Washington (a short one-hour drive from Vancouver), and the growth of the project has been faster south of the border. However, Canadian companies are quickly

getting verified; last year 242 retailers across Canada signed on to be Non-GMO Project Supporting Retailers (and this year’s numbers look even better), and, most importantly, Canadian shoppers have an equal opportunity to benefit from the beautiful orange butterfly to guide their nonGMO shopping choices. The Non-GMO Project is the standard-bearer when it comes to non-GMO verification. I think creating a “more Canadian” non-GMO labelling scheme would only create consumer confusion and be a detriment to the movement.

Q:

Finally, if there was one piece of advice you could give another natural food store trying to be as non-GMO as possible, what would you say?

M:

Commit yourself to prioritizing organic and Non-GMO Project Verified in your product sourcing—that is a given. Equally important is to be a source of reliable information for your shoppers.

The Right to Know campaign is about labelling but it is also about access to information.

Create opportunities to educate your staff and community about this issue. Information is power; the goal is to inspire action in our community through solid information— that action might be the simple act of choosing more organic food in a weekly shop, or maybe they will visit the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network website (cban.ca) and educate themselves more or maybe even write their member of Parliament and make their voice heard!

Health Action | www.hans.org

15

Genetically Modified Food Is this really sustainable agriculture?

by Jim Harding, PhD

A

ccording to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), “few topics in agriculture are more polarizing” than the introduction of genetic engineering (GE) into food production. One commentator calls this “the WWI of food issues.” Extreme statements are common: that genetically modified organisms or GMOs will save humanity from starvation and that all GMO food is poison. Even the public’s understanding of what constitutes GMOs is getting tainted.

GMOs involve “manipulating an organism’s genetic material—including genes from other species.” Many justifications are given for doing this, from producing pestresistant to drought-tolerant crops to marketing foods that are supposedly more nutritious or more attractive to the consumer’s eye. But don’t be fooled by the industry’s attempt to normalize this, for GMOs are not just an extension of plant-breeding, which humans have been doing for centuries.

This is a quantum leap in technological prowess.

GMO food for livestock and humans is quite recent.

Herbicide-tolerant GMO corn and soy were only introduced in the mid-1990s. This has clearly benefitted agribusiness, helping huge corporations like Monsanto gain more control of seeds, patents, markets and research. The safety of the food is somewhat scrutinized though

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Herbicide-tolerant GMO corn and soy were only introduced in the mid-1990s. This has clearly benefitted agribusiness, helping huge corporations like Monsanto gain more control of seeds, patents, markets and research.

the overall system is generally not. And from an ecological perspective, the overall shift is what needs to be assessed. As a generally pro-GMO observer, Tamar Harpel admitted in the October 27, 2014, Washington Post, “herbicide-tolerant crops might foster herbicide-intensive agriculture, with new environmental consequences.”

The UCS has already concluded that “overuse of herbicidetolerant GE crops has spurred an increase in herbicide use and an epidemic of herbicide-resistant ‘superweeds,’ which will lead to more herbicide use.”

The environmental health implications of this increase in toxic chemicals in GMO agriculture is not encouraging.

Everything from water contamination to negative impacts on the natural food chain, from bees to birds to human health hazards have now been found to result from the spread of industrial agriculture.

Food safety Polarization over short-term consumer food safety is likely a mistake; it is the overall claims and impacts that require

scrutiny. Polarization over food safety can actually get in the way of the needed broader perspective on land, water, food and health.

The safety of GMO foods is usually assessed narrowly. And from this narrow perspective it is the case that most, though not all, research has concluded that GMO foods are not unsafe. The UCS, however, notes that “the data are generally supplied by the company seeking approval.”

But there is some independent research, including some with a 20-year-long data base on animal health that concludes that GMO food in itself may not be risky.

Meanwhile, the Union of Concerned Scientists notes that many of the GMO-industry claims fall well “short of expectation”: yields fall short of marketing hype; GMO crops may contaminate non-GE crops; they can produce new allergens and toxins. And there is certainly no biotech fix for the climate/water crisis.

There may be cases where moderate genetic modification can be argued. The so-called Arctic Apple uses a native apple gene to reduce browning after

slicing, and a new potato variety uses a gene that stops suspected carcinogenic black spots from forming after bruising. But it is highly debatable whether we should depend upon GMOs to enhance the nutrition of foods. Ultimately healthy foods will depend upon sustaining the health of the soil and the diversity of the seed bank. And this will require that we make a serious shift in energy and economy to avert the worst-case climate change scenarios.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reminds us that there are more serious threats to human health: poor diets and even food-borne diseases threaten millions.

These threats can also involve the highly concentrated, profitoriented food industry. We know that a wide range of epidemic-proportion illness, like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, are related to super-refined, sugar-laced, taste-marketed and toxicresidue foods. And it is pretty much the same food industry spreading these pseudo-foods that also wants to expand GMOs. This overriding fact must always be kept at the back

of our minds as we try to find diversity of seeds, protecting our way to sustainable food watersheds and growing more production across the planet. resilient, healthier foods closer The UCS takes a precautionary to consumers can all go together. approach. It notes that the It is little wonder that peasant grandiose claims made by the groups from India to Mexico are GMO industry simply resisting GMO agriculture don’t stand up. Besides because of its threat the creation of to indigenous food superweeds, there security. On-theThe has been gene land farmers, GMO c ont a m i n a t ion not fly-by-night and suppression mu lt i n at ion a l s , Issue of critical research. will remain the Both policy and foundation of susregulation are “too often tainable agriculture. driven by biotech industry The UCS notes that present public relations claims.” There patent laws and government is simply not a level playing field approval practices discourage when it comes to comparing the balanced, independent research. risks and benefits of industrial It recommends that there biotech with the sustainable be more funding for public farming alternatives. crop breeding and for the advancement of agroecological farming. The UCS supports The alternatives food labelling so that consumers The GMO industry and its can make informed decisions at government promoters are not the grocery store. Meanwhile, excited that the public know the food industry maintains about the practical and less- its expensive lobby to oppose risky alternatives. We can labelling because it knows that still work with nature and this will shrink its business. Polls do crop breeding, which show that the public remains “produces traits through the skeptical of GMO foods.

Ultimately, to get good food, organism’s reproductive process.” Meanwhile, the Harper we’ll need good government government has steadily dis- as well as conscientious farmmantled the public capacity ing. Democratic governments for such no-strings-attached should not be acting narrowly for corporate self-interest but research.

Then there is the expanding for a broader public interest. field of agroecological farm And the concerned consumer management, which is part will have to continue to learn to of the historic shift towards critically disentangle the politics sustainable farming. Industrial of food, separating the germ of agriculture makes the producer truth from the marketing spin. even more dependent on inputs Getting beneath the GMO purchased from corporations, controversy is essential to this. whereas agroecology “optimizes the performance of the en- Jim Harding, PhD, is a retired tire system of biophysical professor of environmental and components.” Naturally nour- justice studies. www.crowsnest ishing the soil, enhancing the ecology.wordpress.com

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17

David Versus Monsanto

Consumers need to demand more openness, not only from companies like Monsanto but also from our government.

An exclusive interview with Percy Schmeiser

by Alexis Costello

toxins you may be exposed to. This means that it is cumulative and that any other toxins you are exposed to are suddenly multiplied. (Most of this information comes from a study entitled “Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases” by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff, available in its comprehensive form online.)

M

ost Canadians who have ever been interested in the availability of organic food or the state of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our country have heard of Percy Schmeiser.

Best known for going up against seed giant Monsanto in court after saving seeds from Roundup Ready crops that he didn’t plant on his property, he is hailed by some as a hero.

But what has been happening for Schmeiser in the past few years? GMOs are still a major issue in Canada; how does he feel about the situation of farmers today?

“I am very concerned. I’m more concerned now than I was 10 years ago because I know more now,” Schmeiser says.

“It’s not only the GMOs, it’s the insecticides and herbicides.

GMO foods will have the insecticides and herbicides in them as well as the genes.”

to an herbicide but don’t receive a large enough dose to kill them. They are basically vaccinated against the poison and spread that immunity on to the next generation.

Rise of superweeds

Toxic overload

One of the changes that occurred in the past 10 years is the appearance of superweeds—plants that are resistant to the herbicides that come built into GMO crops.

Because of this, the chemical cock-tail being sprayed on crops is getting stronger.

“When you spray [herbicides], you don’t get the full dosage of spray on each plant every time,” he says. Because of this, some weeds are exposed

Schmeiser mentions the herbicides 2, 4-D and glyphosate specifically. 2, 4-D is the most commonly used herbicide around the world today and is an ingredient in many of the combinations commercially available to farmers and gardeners. It was also one of the ingredients in the infamous Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War. Studies about its safety and links to chronic illness and cancers are mixed.

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Health Action | www.hans.org

Loss of biodiversity

Glyphosate (more commonly known as the main ingredient in the pesticide Roundup) is a different matter, however.

Reports published in 2013 stated that, in humans, glyphosate inhibits cytochrome (CYP) enzymes, which is a large and diverse group of enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of organic substances. One of the functions of CYP enzymes is to detoxify xenobiotics— chemical compounds found in a living organism that are not normally produced or consumed by the organism in question. By limiting the ability of these enzymes to detoxify foreign chemical compounds, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of those chemicals and environmental

In the beginning, Schmeiser says he had no idea what he was getting into; the issue at hand was more about seeds and the rights of farmers to save seeds and develop the strains of crops that would work the best for their climate and region. “Most farmers just take it for granted,” he says.

“You work on your own seeds and develop something on your own land, for your own region and climate and that has been taken away. Everything is supposed to be the same now … One glove does not fit all.”

That diversity is slowly being done away with in the name of ease of harvest. When farmers are all purchasing seeds and herbicides from big companies, there is no accounting for the temperament of a particular region. Because of this, we are losing many different varieties of crops.

This idea of making the harvest as easy as possible

again promotes the overuse of the quicker it’ll die down.” herbicides. “There is a method In the 2009 short docuof farming being used,” says mentary David Versus MonsanSchmeiser. “Before harvest, the to, Schmeiser voices his companies promote to farmers concern over a patent held by that they should spray Monsanto. The patent is crops with glyphosate of a gene and anything so that they ripen containing that gene evenly. What they is held as MonsanThe don’t tell you is to property. That GMO that the residue is could be a plant, in the food you’re but could also, Issue eating. You can’t in his words, be a even use the seed the higher life form such following year because as a bird, bee, animal or it has been destroyed, so what even a human. is it doing to your health?”

The good news in all of this is that people are better educated than ever before.

A guiding voice They are more aware and more Schmeiser has tried to cut concerned, especially when back a bit with his schedule presented with evidence and this year. At 85 years old, he information that suggests that wants to spend more time with certain chemicals are finding grandkids and great-grand- their way into women’s breast kids and less time combatting milk. This is the message that Monsanto press statements. His Schmeiser wants to pass on to opinion is still in high demand; everyone.

“People should really look however, after 15 years serving as an advocate, he prefers to do at their diet and try to get phone interviews and spend information about this food time at home rather than travel they’re eating.” Consumers need to demand more openaround the country.

He points out that Monsanto ness, not only from companies has been quieter lately, too. like Monsanto but also from While he used to hear about our government. Schmeiser the company’s representatives calls this lack of disclosure a going to some of his neighbours violation of human rights. “We to say that he “doesn’t know have a right to have a choice. A what he’s talking about,” there right to good and safe food.” is much less of that now. “They (Monsanto) have been very Alexis Costello is a natural health quiet the last year or so … they practitioner, instructor and speakfigure the less they say about it er based in Kelowna, B.C. www. when GMOs are in the press alexiscostello.com

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HANS Member News B.C.’s First Therapeutic Touch Mentorship Program Langara College now has a Therapeutic Touch Mentorship Program, the first Therapeutic Touch Mentorship program in a college in B.C. Geared to part-time students, the course consists of one Saturday a month for 11 months. It includes a lecture and discussion component as well as a clinical component. Practicums are currently being set up to give the students varied experience. For more info: clarden@shaw.ca or check out Langara’s Continuing Studies at www.langara.bc.ca

Welcome Shelley Ugyan to CSNN Shelley Ugyan, board-certified health coach and problematic eating specialist, is now on staff at the Canadian School of Natural

Nutrition (www.csnn.ca) in Vancouver, B.C, where she teaches an eating disorder course. Shelley’s book for struggling problematic eaters, Food Freedom: Breaking Free from Problematic Eating—A Twelve Week Program is also now available on www. amazon.com. Be sure to pick up the October edition of Canadian Living magazine, where Shelley has been interviewed on her unique approach to healing emotional and compulsive eating. Email shelley@emergingjewel.com for a complimentary breakthrough session.

New Members of XANGO’s Million Dollar Club Ron and Maggie Gale of Healthy Business Consulting Ltd. have been bringing wellness products and business to thousands of people around the globe. They were recently recognized for reaching the Million Dollar Club with XANGO LLC, a leading

Your Letters I really, really enjoy Health Action magazine. I SO look forward to getting my magazine in the mail. I love everything that you do!

– Iris C., Guelph, ON I thoroughly enjoy your enlightening magazine (the new format is great!) and wish you the best of continuing success with the untiring dedication you give to the cause of better health.

– K arrie M., Sardis, BC Last Friday I was in my homeopathic practitioner’s office and was amazed at your magazine, which was in the lobby. I asked how I could receive a copy and she gave me your website and suggested I contact you.

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Tell Us What You Think Send your comments and questions to editorial@hans.org, or HANS, 214-5589 Byrne Road Burnaby, B.C. V5J 3J1.

Editor’s note: Health Action is a non-profit project of HANS—Health Action Network Society. An annual membership of $35 includes a mailed copy of the quarterly magazine.

Every day, committed citizens take action to protect the freedoms that our society so dearly cherishes and that people have sacrificed so much to preserve. In our own relatively small but committed way, HANS works for those same freedoms.

The organization focuses on promoting the freedom of choice, specifically the freedom to choose in health care. For us to protect the freedom to choose natural, alternative, integrated or complementary therapies, we need a strong and supportive membership base. We need you! Please phone 604-435-0512 or toll-free 1-855-787-1891.

Our Strength iS in numberS The Health Action Network Society (HANS) is a non-profit society incorporated under the British Columbia Company Act on July 25, 1984 and the publisher of this magazine.

The Society believes in the human body’s own healing power, a power derived from man’s dynamic integration with the natural order. This natural healing power (or vis medicatrix naturae, as Hippocrates described it) is mediated through the body’s immune response system in ways which modern science is only beginning to understand. These innate curative mechanisms, if not interrupted by physical or psychological stressors, are

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Surviving Suicide A journey into depression and a return to love

by Christina Bjorndal, ND

I

recently passed the 20th anniversary of a suicide attempt that left me in a coma, on dialysis with kidney failure waiting for a kidney transplant. The months leading up to this attempt were very dark. Working in banking, I was spending countless hours at work and knew the janitor by his first name as I was often at work until 10 pm.

A common question asked of someone who is depressed is “Why are you depressed?” With each depressive episode I’ve had, I reflect on this question and ask, “What happened? Why did I get depressed? What did I do wrong?”—like it was completely within my control to regulate my mood by magically turning a switch on or off.

I have come to learn that this is not a question you ask someone who is depressed.

Most don’t “choose” to be depressed—or do we? Maybe on a subconscious level we do because deep down, I know that I didn’t love myself or accept myself. Was that the real cause of all my pain?

What happened 20 years ago At that time in my life, I had expected the promotion and transfer back to Vancouver to be a positive one as I was now closer to my family and friends. What I didn’t foresee was how much I would miss the wonderful friends and colleagues I had made while previously working in the small farming community of Chilliwack, B.C. Because I was working so much, I found it hard to make time for my family and friends in Vancouver. As a result, I became socially isolated.

I went from a large apartment in Chilliwack to a small apartment in Vancouver with a mortgage payment. The anxiety I felt from being tied down to my mortgage physically crushed my chest, making it difficult to breathe at times. I

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now felt chained to a job I was growing to dislike more and more each day.

I ended up working long hours and neglecting the important things to maintain mental wellness—like exercise and eat properly. My self-confidence steadily declined as I felt in over my head at work and was too proud to admit it or ask for help. Self-doubt grew.

My judgement was clouded by negative self-talk that grew increasingly louder as the months wore on. I got so tired of this constant verbal abuse that eventually I believed the only way to be free from these thoughts was to commit suicide—then and only then would there be silence.

Signs I needed help Due to my previous mental health history, I had been seeing my psychiatrist regularly.

As in previous depressive episodes, it often took me months of sliding deeper into depression before I would muster up the strength to say I needed help.

Many times words were not needed as my psychiatrist could determine by my affect that something was not right with me. I would not talk during our sessions as I had nothing to say—the blank look of

hopelessness in my eyes spoke volumes— and my weight loss was evidence that I had lost the desire to eat or nurture myself.

Other signs of depression were the endless hours I would spend in bed not wanting to face the day, my work responsibilities or my life; the social isolation that I fell into as I no longer found joy in being around my friends or family since was it was an effort to “put on a happy face,” and my lack of desire to exercise.

I felt a lot of shame and guilt around the self-deprecating thoughts I had and would not admit that I was suicidal unless my psychiatrist directly asked the question: “Do you have thoughts of suicide? Do you have a plan?”

Antidepressant-suicide link In February 1994, I was prescribed a new antidepressant, Zoloft, which was “new and improved” from the Prozac that I was prescribed for previous depressive episodes.

It later was discovered that there is a connection between suicide and Zoloft, and that “suicidal ideation, thoughts, and behaviour”—collectively termed as suicidality—and suicidal acts have long been linked to antidepressant usage.

Not worth saving Ultimately, I think it was a combination of the various stresses in my life (moving, new job, financial stress, lack of socialization, poor diet, no exercise, poor self-esteem) that resulted in the events of June 9, 1994.

What I remember the most was the thoughts that plagued me. The self-critical thoughts that repeatedly told me that I was worthless, what was the point, I was no good, no one cares about me, I may as well kill myself. If my voice of reason piped up with a rebuttal such as “that is not true, you have worth,” the voice of doubt quickly set me in my place with comments like

“You are such a chicken, you can’t even kill yourself. You aren’t even good at THAT!” The tug of war between these two sides of me was exhausting. After six months of being terrorized by this voice, I decided that the only way to stop them was to end my life.

I wrote a note, drank a large glass of antifreeze and cuddled my cat as I fell asleep, hoping that I would never wake up again, that my life would be over and I would finally find out the truth about Jesus, God, Heaven, white lights and the afterlife.

(Note: If you are depressed and reading this, please do not try this as it does not work!)

When I did not show up to a meeting with my boss the next morning, alarm bells went off. Mandy, the customer service manager at the branch, started to call my family. By the grace of God, my stepdad happened to be home. He raced over to my apartment and found me barely breathing. I was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital.

Again, I was blessed as the emergency room doctor had special training and knew to insert the dialysis line in the larger

femoral vein versus the subclavian vein, as was typically standard practice. I remained in a coma for a few days. I needed dialysis three times per week, as my kidneys were not functioning. I was told that I would need a kidney transplant if they did not recover.

I was not impressed when I realized I was unsuccessful in my suicide attempt and was equally dismayed when I felt like I was going to be “handicapped” for the rest of my life. I honestly had a hard time looking at the ER doctor as I wished she hadn’t used heroic measures to save me.

Return to love While I was recovering, my friend Lisa gave me a book to read by Marianne Williamson called A Return to Love. There was a section in the book on surrender: “Surrender means the decision to stop fighting the world, and to start loving it instead. It is a gentle liberation from pain. But liberation isn’t about breaking out of anything; it’s a gentle melting into who we really are.”

I didn’t grow up in a family that expressed love verbally; I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad say “I love you.” I really looked at being adopted as a negative thing. I was Unwanted. Unloved. Discarded. That was the story I told myself over and over again.

When I was recovering from my suicide attempt, my moment of surrender came when I was at my dad’s. I knelt, my head in his lap and I surrendered to God. “Please God. Please. Help me.” I didn’t want to remain on dialysis nor did I want to have a kidney transplant. I prayed for God to heal my kidneys. I sobbed.

My dad sat in silence and stroked my hair. He allowed me to be. He didn’t say, “How could you have been so stupid?” He just allowed the silence to be filled with his loving presence. After several minutes he said, “It will be OK.” And so it was. A few weeks later, my kidneys made a physical recovery and I celebrated that fact that I could urinate again! My nephrologist said I was a walking continued on page

Dr. Rogers Prize Gala Award Dinner

Dr. Rogers Prize Colloquium

The $250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine is awarded every two years to celebrate the achievements of individuals who have impacted the practice and progress of health care. Join us for the announcement of the 2015 winner!

Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Microbiome: A Modern Context for an Ancient Practice Saturday, September 26, 2015 | 1:00 to 5:00 pm Vancouver Convention Centre ~ West Building

Friday, September 25, 2015 | 6:00 to10:00 pm Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver, BC

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, PhD Co-founder, Institute of Functional Medicine and author of The Disease Delusion

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Bland, PhD Father of Functional Medicine and author of The Disease Delusion

Dr. Robert Rountree, MD 2015 Linus Pauling Award Winner and Chief Medical Officer, Thorne Research

Tickets on sale now!

Dr. Joseph J.Y. Sung, SBS, JP Vice-Chancellor/President, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine “Measuring an Eastern Distance with a Western Ruler”

Individual tickets: $175 Table of ten: $1,750

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Register online at DrRogersPrize.org

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2015-07-09 4:13 pm

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Surviving Suicide continued from page

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miracle. Maybe I am. All I know is that moment on my knees was when I had reached my lowest point. My heart was finally open and I was as vulnerable and raw emotionally as I have ever been.

A way forward Even though my kidneys had made a physical recovery, I still had a lot of work to do mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I recall reading about a research project with two groups of AIDS patients: one group accepted their condition and had a strong support system; the other didn’t accept their condition, lived in shame, were shunned from their communities and did not have any family support. Not surprisingly, the positive group

lived longer lives or had a better prognosis as well as less severity of symptoms and complications from their health condition than the other group.

It dawned on me that I had not accepted myself. I was living in shame because I had been diagnosed with a mental illness and I did not want anyone to know about it. I had also been told by my psychiatrist to not disclose my previous mental health history to anyone at work since it is confidential and the business world can be ruthless.

However, this kept me stuck in shame.

After reading A Return to Love, I began to think about healing.

How do I recover? How do I learn to love myself? Is there another way to feel other than depressed and anxious? Since reading that book, I have spent the last 20 years learning to

accept myself and trying to find natural ways of dealing with mental illness.

My life’s work The sole reason I became a naturopathic doctor (ND) was because when I was struggling with my illness there weren’t many natural mental health experts. I had been seeing an ND since 1996; however, his expertise was not in the mental realm. I eventually went to a nutritionally oriented psychiatrist who practised orthomolecular medicine: Dr. Abram Hoffer based in Victoria, B.C. Dr. Hoffer had been ostracized from the conventional medical community because he favoured using nutraceuticals (or vitamin supplements) over pharmaceuticals. I saw him in October 1999 when he was in

his 80s. After being on his protocol for several months, my depression and anxiety lifted. I could not believe it!

At this point I took stock of my life. I asked myself: “If money didn’t matter—what would I be doing with my life?” The answer was to help people recover from the mental illnesses that I have had (depression, anxiety, social phobia, an eating disorder) using naturopathic and orthomolecular medicine.

Another pivotal moment for me was the death of my friend’s cousin to suicide in 1998. There were many family dinners where I sat across from his cousin and while I could tell that he was depressed and struggling, I was too stuck in stigma and shame to offer support. At the funeral, I witnessed first-hand the aftermath of suicide: the devastation of the family—the distraught

parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and friends. For the first time in my life, I appreciated another point of view of suicide. I realized then and there that if I am to evolve on a “soul level” then I must not succumb to suicide in this lifetime. In subsequent years, on more than one occasion, this single belief has stopped me from further suicide attempts.

Instead, I have reached out for help.

Just reach out This article is not about justifying, condoning or endorsing suicide. It is meant to educate about the pain that someone is in when they are suffering and it is my hope that the walls of stigma and shame are broken down.

If you know someone who is

depressed, maybe a phone call from you will make all the difference in his or her life. Don’t get upset if they don’t call you back—don’t take it personally.

Just reach out again anyways.

Maybe knock on their door to make sure they are OK. Don’t give up on people who are depressed because they are too negative or it takes too much effort. Try to put yourself in their shoes, be compassionate and understanding, remove the critical views you may have and open your heart so that their heart may, in turn, be healed.

Road to recovery When I work with patients, I teach them about the eight pillars to health: 1. Stress 2. Sleep 3. Exercise

4. Nutrition and supplementation 5. Thoughts and emotions 6. How they behave and react in the world 7. Their environment/ support group 8. Spirituality In my work, the foundation is always compassion—for my patient and teaching them to love themselves. It all comes down to love: Do you love yourself enough to make the changes I am going to ask you to make?

Do you love yourself enough to take the steps that I am going to ask you to take? And, in the case of mental health, do you love yourself enough to not take your own life?

It is my hope that you do and that your heart is open enough to learn how to love yourself and you allow me to help you down the road of recovery.

I’ve made a video and I hope you consider sharing it with anyone you know who may be experiencing mental anguish: https://w w w.youtube.com/ watch?v=B-7sRQRy0xY. Christina Bjorndal, ND, graduated from the University of B.C. in 1990 with a bachelor of commerce degree with honours. She completed her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2005. In Canada, she is considered a leader in the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, ADD/ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizoaffective disorders. She is currently completing her second book, Beyond the Label: Moving through stigma and shame to mental wellness. www.drchrisbjorndal.com | www.beyond-the-label.com

Naturopathic Medicine Prevention | Treatment | Education | Wellness

BC’s Naturopathic Doctors: The Experts in Providing Science Based Natural Medicine

Link to the BC Naturopathic Association for: Physician Referrals Student Information Wellness News Health Updates Doctor Directory Newsletter

800.277.1128 www.bcna.ca

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2nd ANNUAL

A

utism research continually demonstrates imbalances in various organ systems, not just the brain. Practitioners and parents alike are now understanding that autism is a whole body disorder, not strictly a neurodevelopmental disorder. And through various seminars, courses and conferences, practitioners with a special focus on pediatrics mental health, gain greater insight into abnormalities and thus appropriate therapies for those with autism. The biomedical approach focuses on the underlying core metabolic issues. Here are some take home points – from my brain, to yours:

CONFERENCE Exploring natural medicine for mental health

If you, your child or or someone close to you is suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, schizophrenia or another mental health concern you should attend Mind-alive!

This extraordinary 2nd annual event features experts in orthomolecular medicine, nutrition, lifestyle, mindbody connection, and more.

With displays, lectures and dialogue attendees will discover a variety of natural treatments for mental health.

Saturday October 24, 2015 9am to 5pm Vancouver Convention Centre (East) Meeting Rooms 10 -12 $30 for public $20 for members

Autism as a Whole Body Disorder

KEYNOTE: Creating Healthy Minds in Children: Nutritional and Environmental Factors John Gannage, MD Moving Beyond; A Clinicians Journey to Mental Wellness Christina Bjorndal, ND

1. Autism and related disorders have inflammation as a core component.

2. Similarly, mitochondrial dysfunction can be a central feature, and how to find it through lab testing is better understood.

3. The gut remains the most important ecosystem. It is intimately connected to brain function, and brain tissue inflammation. Treatment starts there.

4. Up to 35% of autistic children have a seizure disorder. Many need 24 hour EEG’s, and anti-seizure treatment to optimize learning and healthy development.

5. Nutrition deficiencies, within the body or the brain compartment itself, are documented. B6, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin D, EFA’s, Vitamin A, Folinic acid and others are measurably important.

2nd A

6. Diet therapy plays a central role in management.

7. Environmental toxicants promote both oxidative stress and an inflammatory state.

8. Methylation defects are relatively common.

9. Microbes and metals are key players – triggering autoimmunity, oxidative stress and acquired mitochondrial impairment.

10. Children’s brains need protection now more than ever – and the process can start before conception.

If you, your child or or some to you is suffering from stres 11. An experienced biomedical physician is a critical part of the autism depression, PTSD, schizophr management team.

another mental health conce

As an Integrative Medicine physician for over 20 years now, I amshould as excited attend as Mind-alive!

I’ve ever been about the prospects of assisting chronic conditions, by applying an This extraordinary understanding of metabolism and nutrition-based therapies. We have better re- 2nd annu experts in orthomole search informing a more consistent approach, starting with a proper features understanding medicine, nutrition, lifestyle, of the message symptoms are sending. It all begins with listening to patients and/ body connection, and more. or their parents, following the timeline, ordering appropriate tests, and utilizing the With displays, lectures and d arsenal of supportive treatments at our disposal. The complexity is attendees still there,willbut discover a var the mystery is less. natural treatments for menta — Dr. John Gannage, MD, Markham Integrative Medicine

Saturday October 24, 2015 9am to 5pm Vancouver Convention Centre Meeting Rooms 10 -12 $30 for public Markham $20 Integrative for members

Creating Healthy Minds in Children: Nutritional and Environmental Factors Presentation Abstract: Drawing upon his extensive training and clinical experience, Dr. Gannage will discuss the Integrative medical approach to optimizing healthy brain development and function in children. His talk will emphasize key dietary and nutrition aspects, while explaining the importance of maintaining a healthy gut ecosystem and avoiding environmental contamination.

Presentation Bio: John Gannage, MD, CCFP, is the Medical Director of Medicine, a multidisciplinary family practice that bridges conventional and alternative medicine.

More than half of his practice consists of working with developmentally delayed children and For tickets, visit their families, recommending therapeutic diet plans, customized nutrient support, management of www.han environmental exposures and support for immune and digestive systems. Dr. Gannage regularly presents educational seminars for the public and health professionals, and has written numerous articles for publication.

Live A New Reality!

Deanna LoTerzo, Life Coach & Therapist

Brain Fog: Diet Does Not Equal Nutrition Jason Marr, ND

Healing the Mind through the Body Manon Bolliger, ND

Balancing the Mind Catherine Cameron, DrTCM

For tickets, visit www.hans.org Balancing the Mind Selena Faiers, MD

Health Action | www.hans.org

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Turning an Individual’s Pain into Society’s Gain The story of the Flaman-Morris Home and recovery from schizophrenia

by Michael Volker

Flamen-Morris Home, Lebret, Saskatchewan

W

hen light suddenly turns to darkness, we tend to look for the explanation. Forty years ago, when vitality exploded into debilitating depression, Sister Theresa knew she had to leave the classroom. Her teaching career was about to take a 90-degree turn.

Fast forward four decades and, today, Sister Theresa Feist is a healthy, thoughtful, passionate woman whom I had the pleasure of meeting in September 2013 at the final annual general meeting (AGM) of Healthy Horizons, a natural-health organization in Saskatchewan.

At the AGM, I made a presentation to the Healthy Horizons board about the likeminded non-profit work of Burnaby-based Health Action Network Society (HANS). I was impressed that day by the turnout of members and by the passion that flowed from the sometimes heated discussions between them. Still, as much as I was amazed by these members and their passion for natural health, I was also amazed by the board members and one in particular stood out as a glowing personality who exuded passion and caring.

Sister Theresa welcomed me like she had welcomed so many into her home and her life.

In 1970, Sister Theresa

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Mabel Fowler and Sister Theresa

suffered horrifically from schizophrenia. She was a youthful woman with everything in life to look forward to and had just started her teaching career. But for some undiscovered reason, she was in severe psychological pain and nothing helped.

Fortunately, she found herself under the care of Dr. Abram Hoffer, a pioneering physician in orthomolecular (nutritional) therapy for mental health.

Relatively soon thereafter, she was able to welcome what she calls a “new wholesome lifestyle, a diet free of junk food” that led her back on the pathway of living a balanced and fulfilling life.

Sister Theresa documents this amazing transformation in a well-written autobiography Schizophrenia Cured (available through HANS with a minimum $20 donation).

Not only did she experience a personal recovery, but she would also go on to dedicating her life to helping others with mental—and soon, any— health issues.

With the help of visionary George Morris, Sister Theresa purchased a home in Winnipeg.

For the next 18 years, she and many dedicated volunteers— particularly Mabel Fowler, a legal secretary and mother of 16 children—worked to improve the lives of others.

In 1999, benefactor Frank Flaman made possible a move to an area of lovely natural beauty, Lebret, Saskatchewan.

At this sanctuary, now named Flaman-Morris Home, a long list of individuals would stay and get treatment for whatever illness ailed them. The residence could care for up to eight people, and those eight were selected by their ability to cooperate and benefit.

The strategy was simple: teaching how to eat, think and live a wholesome life. “ ‘Truthful, gentle, humble’ describes the disposition that we would teach,” says Sister Theresa.

Some residents would stay for a day, and some would stay for as long as three years. The Lebret home had taken over a

huge chapel with a meditation room and garden. “We had time and a place for reflection and prayer. We had a paradise for healing,” recalls Sister.

In 2012, Sister Theresa and helper Adelene needed to slow down and finally decided to downsize. They now operate in a condo, still in the Qu’ Appelle Valley; they take appointments for holistic guidance and their message remains about “making the wise choices to restore and maintain good health.”

The goal of Flaman-Morris Home, stated simply, is “Optimum good health for maximum numbers,” and their many years of helping others are commendable.

At HANS, we wish our friend, Sister Theresa, all the best and thank her for sharing her story.

Michael Volker is the director of operations of Health Action Network Society. To receive a taxdeductible receipt for a donation to Flaman-Morris Home, contact michael@hans.org

The Right Dietary Fats: Essential for Mental Health

by Yvonne Dollard Perc and Christopher M. Stephens

H

ealthy fats are brain food. Responsible for maintaining the functionality of your neural networks, fats known as lipids form 80 percent of the dry weight of the brain. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, medical research has long focused on neurotransmitters alone when examining mental illness. Now, the fundamental importance of fat in the brain for neurotransmitter function and the potential for fat deficiencies to impair mental health is becoming clearer in the medical community.

Rather than seeing mental problems as intractable, we can recognize the fundamental importance of healthy fats and return them to our diets.

A basic analysis of our typical western diet shows intake of the types of fats required to maintain mental health has sharply declined.

Simple carbohydrates, trans fats and other refined products are now dominating our diets. As these changes occur, the relationship between lipid deficiencies and the rising rates of mental illness seen in the western world is becoming clear. Many wellknown mental health problems, including bipolar, anxiety and personality problems, relate to insufficient levels of healthy fats in the brain.

Importance of omegas Lipids including essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 build the structure

and form of the brain and maintain its function in several critical ways. Profoundly influencing neuronal membrane behaviour, essential fatty acids are obtained exclusively through the diet. These fats support the function of our receptors, transmitters and neurotransmitters. Without enough of these healthy fats, space is taken by the wrong types of fatty compounds at the expense of brain function.

Healthy fat sources Rather than seeing mental problems as intractable, we can recognize the fundamental importance of healthy fats and return them to our diets. Good sources of healthy fat include olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and fish. In fact, fish consumption has been related to reductions in depression-related complications, according to discussions in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Nuts, especially walnuts, and superfood seeds like hemp, flax and chia provide healthy proteins to

support brain function.

Together with healthy fats, organic green leafy vegetables provide essential enzymes and minerals that support brain function.

Cutting down on refined products such as simple carbohydrates supports blood sugar stability and reduces inflammation.

Excessive dependence on seed oils and use of trans fats is a common failing of our typical diet that deprives our brain of the right fats.

As medical research highlights the importance of dietary fat intake for brain function, we can make nutrition and lifestyle choices that significantly contribute to our mental health.

Yvonne Dollard Perc of Island Healthworks is a master herbalist, sclerologist, nutritional consultant, acutherapist, iridologist and health education specialist with over 30 years’ experience. Christopher M. Stephens, MSc, is the communications manager for Island Healthworks. Subscribe to their weekly column at www.islandhealthworks.com | 250-468-7685 Health Action | www.hans.org

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Health Canada and the Drug-ification of Natural Health Products

loosestrife to bring swollen tissues back down to normal tone.

Restoring balance versus eliminating germs

These herbs will also provide the phytonutrients necessary for the ultimate resolution of the aforementioned conditions.

Unfortunately, the addition of herbs such as chickweed, purple loosestrife or even Althea root would not be recognized as being an “active” ingredient. I say this as, back in 2010 in Oxford, Missouri, Robin Marles, one of the early scientific advisors of the NHPD, dismissed the addition of such herbs as little more than “fairy dusting.” This was and still is typical of the mindset of NHPD, now known as NNHPD. Having inquired of industry consultants close to the NNHPD if there was any chance of recognition of this food component of herbs, I was advised that no, it would only be “active” ingredients and only those with a strong demonstrated scientific support that they would recognize.

However, if one is to properly understand herbal medicine and to use it to advantage in dealing with the serious diseases today, it is absolutely necessary to remodel our view of herbal therapeutics.

by Rick DeSylva, RH

I

t has been a little more than 10 years since the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD—now called the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate or NNHPD) officially brought into force the regulations governing the manufacture and sale of natural health products or NHPs. While it may well be argued that there is greater validity and social sanction given these substances, the trade-off seems to have been that the NNHPD will only assign a natural product number (NPN) when given the purely “scientific” confirmation of therapeutic efficacy.

Stuck on drugs My argument is not with this aspect of investigational science; I honestly welcome the validation of its prior traditional usage for the knowledge that it imparts.

The issue though, is the “drug” model used to interpret the host of biochemical substances found in a plant. This focus on key active ingredients separates certain classes of compounds from anything else that remains. There is no interest in any synergists, mineral salts, mucilage or other such secondary and tertiary compounds. To the medical/scientific mind, they

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are unworthy of consideration of how they fit within a larger therapeutic matrix.

This mindset wasn’t always the case. Let’s go back to the findings and recommendations of the 1998 report Natural Health Products: A New Vision, accepted by then Minister of Health Allan Rock. This report was based upon a year-long consultation with stakeholders, academia and scientists, and it specifically states that these substances were neither drugs nor foods but incorporated elements of both. For this reason, the drug model was an inappropriate regulatory model for these substances and that a new model was required for regulation.

Health Canada agreed to implement the findings of this report, and struck the Office of Natural Health Products, later to be known as the Natural Health Products Directorate.

Unfortunately, later on in early 2001, the draft documents came out for standards of evidence and the good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for this supposed new

regimen. I found these draft documents were, in effect, an identical copy of the drug GMPs. I know this to be certain, as the scribe for Health Canada had simply replaced the word “drug” with that of natural health product—but forgot the last two pages of this 20-plus page document. There in unblemished copy was the word drug and not NHP.

Nutritive, sanative, restorative herbs What is needed here is an acknowledgement of a different but equally valid model of therapeutic rationale. This rationale has its origin in the perception of the early physiomedicalist practitioners (the forerunners of the traditional and modern naturopaths) who saw herbs as “nutritive, sanative and restorative.” They understood that herbs provided a measure of nutrition (nutritive), that they were health giving (sanative) and, most importantly, that over time they were truly restorative and could rebuild tissue and

bring the human organism back to a healthy state.

Many herbs—specifically, many herbal formulas—contain compounds such as mucopolysaccharides, mineral salts, essential oils, astringents and other co-factors that address the biochemical deficiencies of chronic, degenerative disease.

It is these same components that can change a diseased state back into a condition of health.

As an example, in cases such as ulcers, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome, the mucin layer of the intestinal tract needs to be rebuilt and restored to its proper state of being. The characteristic inflammatory process as well as the fungal and the emotional components all need to be addressed.

In treating the ailments above, one of the most important types of herbs used is that of the demulcent, the mucilaginous, soothing emollient that will coat the abraded surface and, over time, serve to rebuild its protective coating. Herbs such as Althea root and slippery elm bark powder contain this mucilaginous compound, formerly known as mucopolysaccarides, now called glycoaminoglycans. In addition to these herbs, one must add chickweed (and its nascent sodium), for its ability to counter inflammation, and an astringent such as purple

Only “active” allowed

Staying power of germ theory Thus, it is apparent that what we are witnessing today is the drug-ification of herbs.

It is the continuation of the germ model of thinking about disease causation, assigning an overwhelming level of

What we are witnessing today is the drug-ification of herbs.

importance to pathogenic entities, and thus the need to eliminate them with “active” ingredients only, by whatever synthetic or natural means.

To consider changing the underlying terrain, as was the focus in the work of Dr. Gunther Enderlein in his massive work Bacterial Cyclogeny, is shunned as being without foundation and of no importance in dealing with the growth of various pathogenic entities.

Such scientific ignorance is profoundly disappointing and indicative of the hold that modern medicine has in perpetuating the germ theory of disease.

The problem is that this model ignores the various underpinnings of the disease process: the unbalanced ratio of acid to alkaline/base values in the blood and tissues, itself brought on by poor functional activity of the filters of the body, the kidneys and liver.

Ideally, the blood should be slightly alkaline, with the tissues slightly acidic; the body is similar to a battery, and must have a difference in electro-potential in order for innate biochemical processes to take place. Mineral ratios— potassium versus sodium, magnesium versus calcium, iron versus manganese, and many other relationships and counterbalances—must be present in proper ratios to achieve a healthy state.

When there is imbalance

and the blood and tissue become very acidic, pathogenic entities mutate into more virulent forms; conditions such as arthritis occur due to attempts at rebalancing the pH by robbing the body of alkaline calcium from the bones. In this low-oxygen environment (due to the higher hydrogen ion component of acids) conditions such as candidiasis develop. This, in turn, is a major component of a variety of conditions such as male and female reproductive tract issues, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, a host of autoimmune disorders and even cancer.

Let’s get back to botanics The thrust of traditional medicine, specifically botanic medicine, has always been to restore basic systems back to balance. Poor functional activity of the systems— digestion and alimentation, blood and circulatory system, elimination (bowels and kidneys), nerve force and respiration/oxygenation—all contribute to the imbalances noted above.

Further, the more modern addition of biological transmutation sheds light on how this ebb and flow of acid versus base fluctuates according to both need as well as intention of the moment. Sadly, there is a profound lack of interest in and

knowledge of these principles because they don’t fit within the germ model. Were this otherwise, our world would indeed have a much healthier populace.

It is past time to rethink the modern position on herbs and what they offer. If we ignore the “food” nature of herbs, if we ignore their rightful place in the armamentarium of herbal therapy and if we ignore the fading body of knowledge inherent in herbal medicine, we have only our outlook to blame.

The rise of highly resistant pathogens and the increase in new and different diseases is due to the abandonment of the older body of knowledge and its primary focus on maintaining health and well-being. The result is that our bodies are becoming very diseased due to buildup of waste and other toxic matter—both in our diets and in the environment.

What defences are left if we ignore what lies hidden in nature’s bounty and in the manifold secrets of herbal medicines?

Richard DeSylva, RH, is the owner of The Herb Works (Rockwood, Ont.) and has been a practising herbalist for more than 37 years.

He is a proponent of botanic medicine, a branch of herbalism that sees herbs as very specialized foods for the cells of the body. A founding and current board member of the Ontario Herbalist Association and the national Canadian Council of Herbalists Association, he has lectured and written both locally and internationally on herbal medicine.

The contents of this article were first presented in a lecture given June 12, 2015, in Comox, B.C.

Health Action | www.hans.org

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Introduction to Bowenwork Therapy

by Denise Onslow

The Bowen technique is appropriate for all ages.

B

owenwork, or the Bowen technique, is a dynamic system of muscle and connective tissue therapy that was developed more than 50 years ago in Australia. It utilizes subtle stimulations to the body delivered by hand to trigger the body to shift into a healing response.

The Bowen technique offers tremendous benefit to clients with very little effort on the part of the practitioner. It may provide relief for many types of pain and other ailments and it does so holistically, via the body’s innate healing mechanisms. The practitioner performs “moves” with his or her hands that delivers signals to the nervous system at specific locations (on muscles, tendons, ligaments or nerves), and the body responds in its own time, within its vital capacity. The Bowen technique is appropriate for people of all ages, in all degrees of health, including babies and children, expectant mothers, seniors and athletes.

Rather than focusing on one single complaint, the Bowen technique addresses the entire body, by restoring balance via the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

The ANS controls over 80 percent of bodily functions and is very susceptible to external stressors. Most people today live in a constant state of high stress and sympathetic ANS overstimulation (fight, flight or freeze mode). Healing can occur only after the ANS shifts from sympathetic

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to parasympathetic dominance (rest, relax and repair mode). The Bowen technique enables that shift.

During a session, the client often drops into deep relaxation. This shift could explain, in part, the common observation that a Bowen technique session seems to reactivate the recovery process in situations where healing from trauma, sickness or surgery has stalled or reached a plateau.

What is a treatment like?

A typical Bowen technique session generally lasts 45 minutes. Clients usually

lie on a comfortable treatment table or may be seated in a chair if required. Treatments can be administered through light clothing, so there is no need for the client to disrobe, and there’s no need for oils or lotions.

A session involves one or more procedures, each of which consists of several sets of moves. The moves are short, gentle and purposeful, and are delivered mainly via a practitioner’s fingers. Between each set of moves, the practitioner pauses a few minutes to allow the client’s body to begin responding. As the nervous system begins to adjust the tension level in the muscles, the practitioner senses when the client is ready for the next set of moves.

In contrast to other hands-on modalities, where the practitioner imposes correction on the client through manipulation, the Bowen technique facilitates the body in healing itself, with minimal intervention.

The client’s body will experience a continuing response to the technique over several days.

Denise Onslow is a registered Bowenwork instructor with the Canadian Bowenwork School.

She teaches the internationally standardized Bowtech training program. www.canadianbowenworkschool.com

Cortisol and the Stress Chain Reaction The good and the bad news

by Brenda Eastwood, RNCP

Chronic stress can lead to a state of elevated cortisol or cortisol surges. This can happen even after the stressful events have passed.

C

ortisol is a steroid hormone released by your adrenal glands under stress. The normal release of cortisol is essential for a balanced life and allows your body to handle stress and to maintain the immune system. When the body properly produces and uses cortisol, it raises your energy and focus. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and reduces swelling, redness and itchiness, heat and even pain.

But when your body is constantly bombarded with emotional stresses—parenting your children, driving in rushhour traffic, meeting work deadlines—as well as physical, nutritional and chemical sources of stress, the sustained high levels of cortisol will eventually take you down.

Depleted serotonin and GABA Chronic stress can lead to a state of elevated cortisol or cortisol surges. This can happen even after the stressful events have passed.

Excess cortisol depletes serotonin (your happy hormone) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, a chemical messenger that tells the brain to be quiet), so over time you may start barking at your spouse and children, become irritable with friends and coworkers, and

suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia.

Cortisol levels are supposed to drop at nighttime, allowing your body to relax and recharge.

If you get a cortisol surge during the night, you might wake up suddenly feeling alert, startled, agitated and hypervigilant, making quality sleep impossible.

If your cortisol levels are too high, you might notice that, even if you’ve been tired all day, you get a second wind right around bedtime. Then you toss and turn all night—and feel tired again the next day.

Steps to lower your stress in minutes Breathe. Calmly and slowly.

Breathing through your nose activates your parasympathetic nervous system so you can relax. Just taking a minute or two to do this will often change

valium. Taken as a supplement, GABA can not only help you turn off stress reactions after an upset, it can actually help prevent a stressful response your perception of a stressful when taken prior to an expected situation. ordeal (such as an exam or a Slow down. Sit down to eat plane trip). Try 1 to 3 500-mg so you can actually “rest and capsules mid-evening and then digest” and assimilate your 1 to 3 capsules before bed. nutrients effectively. If you are Holy basil is an adaptogen, always eating at your desk, in meaning it brings balance to the your car, on the soccer field, entire body and protects from your body is still in “go” mode. stresses of all kinds. It balances Stay present. Try not to the hormones and helps reduce multitask all day long. This excess cortisol levels. If you keeps your nervous system feel “tired but wired” this may responding with “fight or flight” be the best herb for you. Try hormones constantly. Pick one 1 capsule twice daily. task at a time and be mindful during that task.

Brenda Eastwood, RNCP, is an

Natural cortisol-lowering solutions Magnesium citrate with ltaurine decreases the release of cortisol and promotes sleep.

Most everyone experiencing sleep issues will be deficient in magnesium. Try 250 to 700 mg before bed.

GABA is your brain’s natural

author and a women’s health and hormone specialist. Her 33 years of experience include 17 years in private practice, hundreds of seminars and workshops, radio and television interviews, and an online coaching program. Her new book is Get Off the PMS and Perimenopausal Roller Coaster: Learn 9 Natural Fast Track Solutions to Balanced Hormones. www.

HormoneRollerCoaster.com Health Action | www.hans.org

35

Orthomolecular Treatment for Adverse Effects of HPV) Vaccine

by Atsuo Yanagisawa, MD, PhD

I

mmunization of adolescent girls with the human papilloma-virus (HPV) vaccine was initiated with the intention to prevent uterine and cervical cancer. The first HPV vaccine, called Gardasil (Merck) was approved in 2006, and a second vaccine called Cervarix (GSK) was introduced in 2007. By the end of 2013, approximately 130 million doses of Gardasil and 44 million doses of Cervarix had been distributed worldwide. In 2010, both vaccines were widely given to Japanese girls. In April 2013, Japan added both HPV vaccines to their government-recommended vaccination schedule.

In June 2013, only two months after the law was issued, the Japanese government suspended the recommendation for these vaccines. A new study reported that the adverse events of Gardasil and Cervarix were

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1.7 to 3.6 times higher than other vaccines. The government task force analyzed reports of HPV vaccine injuries. They examined 2,500 cases and found 617 (25 percent) cases to be serious.

Amazingly, the official task force then issued this statement: “We find no physical cause for the alleged and presumed adverse reactions in those vaccinated girls, so we cannot recommend any specific therapy. We conclude that their so-called adverse reactions are psychosomatic. The government should provide counselling to the girls so that they may be freed from their psychosomatic reactions.”

Severity of side-effects When other health experts re-evaluated those cases, they determined 1,112 (44 percent) to be serious. The initial onset of symptoms occurred several weeks to a year after the

HPV vaccine was given. They included headache, dizziness, muscle weakness and pain, nausea, hypersomnia, learning difficulty, impaired writing, photophobia, tremors of arms, feet and fingers, joint pain, irregular menstruation, gait disturbance, memory loss, skin eczema and acne.

Girls who had adverse effects from the HPV vaccine were variously diagnosed with: n Higher brain dysfunction n Guillain-Barré syndrome n Multiple sclerosis n Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) n Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) n Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) n Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) n A nti-phospholipid antibody syndrome n Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) n Rheumatoid arthritis

n Chronic fatigue syndrome n Fibromyalgia n Cushing’s syndrome (exposure to high level of cortisol) n Hashimoto’s disease (immune system attacks the thyroid) n Hyperprolactinemia (high prolactin, induces breast development and lactation)

HPV vaccine contains toxic aluminum Vaccines often contain an adjuvant, which is an additional chemical added to provoke the body’s immune response to the vaccine. The HPV vaccines contained an adjuvant that consisted of an aluminum compound, amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate (AAHS).

Current research strongly implicates aluminum adjuvants in various inflammatory neurological and autoimmune disorders in both humans and

animals. For example, a recent research paper explained that nanomaterials such as this aluminum adjuvant can be transported by immune system cells first into the blood, lymph nodes and spleen, and in some cases may penetrate into the brain. This type of access throughout the body is potentially life-threatening.

The brain symptoms are often the most delayed because of the time the aluminum takes to travel from the blood through the blood-brain-barrier into the brain.

Aluminum accumulates in neurons in the brain, and it is toxic to neurons, causing a variety of pathological conditions. It inhibits uptake of dopamine and serotonin, which are important neurotransmitters in the brain.

Aluminum toxicity is a known factor in Alzheimer’s disease and may contribute symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Dementia resulting from kidney dialysis is related to aluminum and results in memory loss, loss of coordination, confusion and disorientation. In animal experiments, rabbits given aluminum showed difficulty in memory retention and learning.

Effective treatments for the adverse reactions from the HPV vaccine Protocol 1: Vitamin C, Glutathione Cocktail, given

by IV (Dr. Yanagisawa) – Sterile water, 250 ml – Vitamin C, 12.5–25 g (12,500–25,000 mg) – Glutathione, 800–1,200 mg – 0.5 M magnesium sulfate, 10–20 ml – 8.5% calcium gluconate, 2 ml

Doctors should be made aware of HPV vaccine adverse effects.

– Vitamin B-complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12) Case history: May 23, 2014.

When a 17-year-old female visited the clinic, she could not walk without assistance.

She complained of general fatigue, joint pain and frequent involuntary movement. The patient was treated with an intravenous Myers cocktail containing VCG (vitamin C 12.5 g and glutathione 1,200 mg) and oral nutritious supplements (including vitamin C, vitamin B, curcumin, SAMe). After 10 days of vitamin C and glutathione therapy, she could walk without an assistant. By December 2014, she could play tennis.

Frequency and duration of involuntary movements were decreased and fatigue and pain dramatically decreased. * For more protocols visit the original article at ortho molecular.org/resources/ omns/index.shtml Dietary protocol (Dr. Claus Hancke) – A lkaline foods with no fish, sugar, wheat or milk – No chemicals or aluminum in the food (e.g., aluminum in table salt) – More greens, nuts and berries – Use healthy fats: olive oil, coconut oil and organic butter – Choose tea rather than coffee – No alcohol or tobacco – To make the body more

alkaline, take a glass of water with one teaspoon bicarbonate and the juice from a lemon three or four times a day.

Other treatment options – Ferulic acid from rice bran for memory loss, learning disturbance – Low-dose theophylline for headache, 50 to 100 mg in the morning (excellent improvement in some patients) – Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) for hypersomnia, headache; 3 mg before sleep – Supplements for joint pain, gait disturbance and to improve stem cell release

Summary The timing and appearance of adverse effects and symptoms of the HPV vaccines vary for each patient. These symptoms differ from anything that we have previously experienced.

Unfortunately, governments and medical professions have not faced the problem proactively.

Although treatment with orthomolecular medicine has been helpful in many cases, it is not always adequate to return the patient to normal. In order to establish an effective protocol, scientists and clinicians must work together.

The onset of adverse effects from HPV vaccines arrives several months to a year or more after the injection. This delay makes it very difficult to link

the symptoms with the HPV vaccine. In Japan, more than 1,200 girls have been registered as severe cases and more patients are registered every day. We estimate more than 100,000 unrecognized cases of mild to moderate adverse effects in girls vaccinated with HPV. The symptoms are commonly seen as fatigue, muscle pain, headache, learning disturbance, difficulty in awakening, hypersomnia, irregular menstruation, among others.

Doctors should be made aware of HPV vaccine adverse effects. Unfortunately, there is no evidence about the effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention by the HPV vaccines. Therefore, in my opinion as a concerned physician, we should discontinue this harmful HPV vaccine as soon as possible.

Atsuo Yanagisawa, MD, PhD, is president of the Japanese College of Intravenous Therapy. Previously he was professor of clinical medicine at the Kyorin University School of Health Sciences and professor of clinical cardiology at Kyorin University Hospital.

He thanks Dr. Damien Downing, president of the British Society for Ecological Medicine, and Dr. Claus Hancke, specialist in general medicine, for their important contributions to this paper. This article is a condensed version of Dr. Yanagisawa’s presentation at the 2015 Orthomolecular Medicine Today conference in Toronto, Canada. Reprinted with permission from Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (OMNS).

Subscribe to OMNS for free at orthomolecular.org/subscribe. html and check out the archives at orthomolecular.org/resources/ omns/index.shtml Health Action | www.hans.org

37

e c n a l a B e n o m r r Ho ssini o f g n i l Christina Pere c y y b C d e Se

by Christina Peressini

The protocol involves alternating between a series of seeds and oils over the two phases of a woman’s cycle.

Your Seed Cycling Schedule

The female body often responds favourably to seed cycling because it has roots in the natural world. It is a whole-foods-based protocol and, since our bodies recognize nutrients from food, the beneficial constituents are generally assimilated quite well.

Seed cycling will not work for women who are three or more years into menopause and it may have limited benefit for women who have had their ovaries removed. If you have a regular menstrual cycle, start seed cycling on the first day of your period. If you do not have a regular period or you no longer menstruate, start seed cycling on the next new moon. If you are on the birth control pill, follow your pill cycles. Some women find that by making small adjustments to their seed cycling schedule from one month to the next, they can gradually adjust their cycle so that menstruation starts when the moon is new.

Also, seed cycling is often undertaken in concert with the phases of the moon, which over several months can coax the body into a rhythm that is in keeping with nature, something many of us are in need of. As a society, it’s been a long time since we started our workday at dawn and retired at dusk. Now, we wake to an alarm at the same time every morning year round, and we work late into the night on computers and smartphones whose blue glow can interfere with sleep cycles and hormones. We have tuned out the rhythms of the natural world and tuned in to a modern world that often does little to benefit our bodies.

Since seed cycling is a gentle process, it may not resolve all hormonal imbalances, but the vitality of seeds can be a tremendous support for many women, including those experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause, and can be used to support other protocols for hormone-related conditions that might require a stronger approach.

The seeds + oils All of the seeds and oils used in seed cycling are ideal sources of essential fatty acids, some of which are known for reducing inflammation. They support the production of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins that are responsible for such roles as dilating and contracting muscles, blood clotting, regulating hormones and influencing fertility and cell division.

Flaxseeds (taken on days 1 to 14) are estrogenic in nature and have a modulating effect, which is to say, women high in estrogen can experience lower estrogen levels when eating flaxseeds, and women low in estrogen can see an increase in estrogen as the flax binds to estrogen receptors on cells. Flax is a great source of fibre and the short-chain omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid (ALA).

Pumpkin seeds (taken on days 1 to 14) are rich in zinc, which helps to prepare the body for progesterone production in the 14-day luteal phase that follows in days 15 to 28.

Pumpkin seeds are high in the omega-3 fatty acid linolenic acid (LA).

Sunflower seeds and sesame seeds (taken on days 15 to 28) are rich in zinc and selenium as well as fats which support the production of progesterone.

Fish oil (taken on days 1 to 14) is high in two kinds of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish oil supports a pathway of estrogen metabolism, which in turn promotes a weak estrogenic effect much like flaxseeds.

Christina Peressini is a graphic designer, writer and nutritionist.

She is passionate about educating and informing people about natural health in a way that’s meaningful and memorable. foodhead.ca info@foodhead.ca 604-730-1123

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Day

1

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14 15

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Moon New

Hormone Levels + Ideal Menstrual Cycle

1st day of period

Full

FOLLICULAR PHASE

is gen Estro

Ovulation

nt ina m do

LUTEAL PHASE e is do n o r e t min ges ant Pro

36.7ºC

Basal Body Temperature 36.4ºC Seeds Oils

Daily: 1 tbsp flaxseeds + 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (ground)

Daily: 1 tbsp sesame seeds + 1 tbsp sunflower seeds (ground)

Daily: 1,000 - 1,500 mg combined EPA and DHA from fish oil

Daily: 500 mg evening primrose oil

YOUR PERSONAL SEED CYCLING CHART Month + Date

Evening primrose oil (taken on days 15 to 28) is high in the omega-3 fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and plays a role in progesterone production.

Cut out and keep nearby as a handy reference

Regulating sex hormones has benefits for women in all stages of life. A 25-year-old woman who is experiencing menstrual cramps and bloating, a 35-year-old woman who is looking to increase her fertility and a 55-year-old woman who has started having hot flashes can all use seed cycling to rebalance hormones and improve outcomes.

The Basics of Seed Cycling

Helpful tips Grind all seeds using your own coffee grinder reserved for nuts and seeds only.

Grind fresh daily if possible. Optionally grind a few days’ worth and store in the fridge.

Buy organic oils and seeds when available and if your budget allows.

If you fail to see results after at least three months, discuss modifications to this protocol or another course of action with your health-care provider.

Use your own system of note taking in the Personal Seed Cycling Chart above or in a separate calendar. Keep track of anything you wish to examine or resolve: menstrual cycle, PMS signs and symptoms, basal body temperature, sexual activity. Keep past charts on file so you can compare them over time.

Health Action | www.hans.org

39

Treating the Symptoms of Perimenopause

by Alana Shaw, ND, and Jeda Boughton, Dr. TCM

L

ike puberty, menopause is a normal part of aging that all women experience. Perimenopause refers to the changes that occur before your body stops menstruating, and menopause is the completion of your body’s reproductive window.

Contrary to popular belief, estrogen levels do not gradually decrease in the years before menopause. They remain within range or slightly elevated until approximately one year before the cessation of menses. Many of the symptoms experienced by perimenopausal women in the transition years can be

become irregular and often heavier. Hot flashes, insomnia, memory problems, fatigue, heart palpitations, depression, anxiety, vaginal dryness and incontinence are some of the most common complaints.

Menopause or thyropause?

Many simple changes can make significant differences in perimenopausal symptoms.

explained by higher and more variable estrogen levels. This is especially troublesome as ovulation becomes irregular, leading to lower progesterone levels. A condition known as “estrogen dominance” arises.

Perimenopause typically starts two to eight years before your body enters the official menopause stage at an average age of 51. As ovulation becomes less frequent, cycles may

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Many women find the symptoms of perimenopause confusing and ask the question: could this be my thyroid? The answer is yes. Hypothyroidism (when the body lacks thyroid hormone) increases with age and is more common in women.

As we age, thyroid hormone production slows down and conversion of T4 to T3 (the biologically active thyroid hormone) decreases.

Elevated levels of estrogen, or “estrogen dominance,” is a well-known cause of thyroid problems and is particularly evident as hormones fluctuate in the perimenopausal years.

Because the symptoms of hypothyroid and

perimenopause are so similar, the key to effective treatment is always understanding the root cause of the imbalance.

One key distinguishing factor is body temperature. While both may be associated with sweats, a sense of internal coldness is a hallmark symptom of hypothyroidism. When it comes to fatigue, women with hypothyroid often feel tired despite adequate hours of sleep.

The fatigue of perimenopause is often due to broken sleep and waking frequently at night.

Adrenals: The missing piece of the puzzle For most women, the adrenal glands hold the key to a smooth transition into menopause.

When your ovaries decrease production of estrogen and progesterone, your adrenal glands should compensate by generating more of these hormones. These important glands produce the hormones dehydroepia ndrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione,

which are converted peripherally to estrogens and testosterone.

The adrenals also make small amounts of progesterone. If your adrenals are forced to make high amounts of cortisol during times of chronic stress, they may not be able to compensate for your ovaries, and bothersome symptoms often arise. Ideally, as menopause begins, your adrenal glands should facilitate the production of enough sex hormones to prevent severe symptoms.

Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture address the underlying imbalances that lead to the symptoms of menopause. These imbalances can be related to your thyroid, adrenals and other systems such as your digestion.

For example, your kidney system, much like your adrenals, is an important foundation for your hormone production. If your foundation is weak, you will not have enough energy to power the rest of your body’s processes. Further, a fragile digestion will inhibit absorption of the nutrients that enrich your blood and tissue, causing symptoms such as night sweats, poor memory and irritability.

In Chinese medicine symptoms are caused by a disharmony between the yin and yang energies in your body: yin is the restorative and nutritive force (like blood) and yang is

the active and circulatory force.

Yin energy is similar to the function of estrogen in your body. Like low estrogen, yin deficiency can cause symptoms such as dry skin and hair, hot flashes, rosacea and low libido.

In this case, treatment will focus on enriching yin and balancing your estrogen levels.

For example, your practitioner may advise you to eat foods that contain plant estrogens such as mung beans, flaxseeds and seaweeds or to avoid spicy foods that generate too much heat.

Acupuncture, herbal medicine and mindful breathing exercises can help address your health to decrease or eliminate the symptoms of menopause.

Acupuncture is effective for calming your nervous system to reduce stress and promote a restful sleep—both of which are essential in restoring your endocrine system.

The goal is to strengthen weaknesses to help reduce symptoms as your body moves through perimenopause. When you see a Chinese medicine practitioner, she will complete a TCM pattern analysis to determine your body’s def-

iciencies. Chinese medicine is based on individual diagnoses, so dietary and treatment recommendations will depend on your specific patterns.

Naturopathic medicine Naturopathic physicians have several goals when working with women in perimenopause: n Address bothersome symptoms by identifying the root cause of hormonal imbalances.

This is accomplished with a thorough case history and a physical evaluation and often includes blood, urine or salivary hormone tests. n Provide education and preventative plans for conditions that commonly arise such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and sexual dysfunction. n Offer a space for introspection, reflection, evaluation and celebration of this major lifemilestone.

The first-line treatment for all women as they approach menopause is always lifestyle modification. There are many simple changes that can make significant differences in peri-

For most women, the adrenal glands hold the key to a smooth transition into menopause.

menopausal symptoms; for example, both alcohol reduction and increasing activity levels can improve sleep quality and prevent bone loss.

Botanical medicines are very effective treatment options when used in a holistic and targeted fashion. Hormone normalizers such as red clover, dong quai and black cohosh have quickly become household names and can be great alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Other, often overlooked, botanicals include nervine herbs and adaptogenic herbs, which help support the nervous system and adrenal glands. Some lesser-known gems include blue vervain and motherwort, which, when used in combination, help ease anxiety and promote sleep.

Rhodiola has been used for centuries to treat depression, mental and physical fatigue, low thyroid function and other menopause-related symptoms.

When thyroid function is a concern, ashwagandha is an incredible herb that supports both thyroid and adrenal function.

For most women this individualized and natural approach is effective for providing timely relief. However, for some women with severe symptoms, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) may be needed to ease this transition and improve quality of life. As with any pharmaceutical intervention, the ideal approach means using the right hormone, at the right dose, at the right time, in the right person. Talk to your local naturopathic physician about a customized approach that is right for you.

Alana Shaw, ND, and Jeda Boughton, Dr.TCM, practise with the team at BodaHealth, a multidisciplinary wellness clinic specializing in women’s health in Vancouver, B.C. bodahealth.ca

Homeopathy for Depression and Perimenopausal Symptoms

D

id you know that women are twice as likely to develop “significant depressive symptoms” once they enter perimenopause? The results of an interesting new study involving 133 participants are promising and indicate that individualized homeopathic treatment may provide an effective and cost-effective options for perimenopausal women with depression.

The study, published earlier this year in the journal PLOS ONE, compared individualized homeopathic treatment and Fluoxetine (another name for the SSRI drug, Prozac) for moderate to severe depression in peri- and postmenopausal women. This study was of the highest quality as it was

a randomized, double-dummy, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial, and it was also the first of its kind. What it found was interesting: both groups had improvement in their depression symptoms, but participants who received individualized homeopathic treatment also reported significant improvement in their physical symptoms.

Homeopathic medicines are very inexpensive compared to conventional prescription costs and are non-toxic and all natural.

– Christy Zettl, Zettl Homeopathy, Vancouver and Kelowna , B.C. www. zettlhomeopathy.ca | 604-355-WELL(9355) Health Action | www.hans.org

41

The Power of Positive Intention Messages

Overcoming the Love of Power

Harness it for yourself

I

by Sabrina Chen-See, DC

H

ave you had one of those days?

You woke up late. You rush off to work, then realize you forgot the laptop and have to head back. It’s raining and you’re mad at yourself. This is one of those days when everything that could go wrong, will go wrong.

Well, snap out of it! Literally! Put a rubber band around your wrist, pull it and let it go.

Your mind was getting out of control.

How can you break out of the pattern of spiralling negative thoughts? By harnessing the power of positive intention messages.

In any given day, you have 60,000 thoughts. Many of them are repeated because we follow a daily routine. We wake up, wash our face, brush our teeth, eat breakfast, change our clothes, take the same route to work, perform the same duties.

Many of them are reflexive, too. We expect that if A happens, then B will follow. See if you can finish these sayings: “Money doesn’t grow on _________.

“Crime doesn’t _________.”

Many of us don’t have many original thoughts. That’s especially so if we spend our free time in front of a TV or computer and don’t spend much quiet time with our thoughts. Too often when one thing goes wrong, we expect a cascade of negative things to happen.

Snap! We have to break out of that cycle otherwise the whole day can be negative and we’ve wasted much of our precious personal power. We’re left feeling drained, unmotivated and like a failure.

Our negative thoughts have become a selffulfilling prophecy.

Snap! Ouch! Why should you keep hurting yourself? Because when you

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Stop expecting failure

and instead,

anticipate

associate the negative thought with pain, you’ll try to avoid it. And the shock of the pain leaves a temporary void in your mind.

This is where you can insert the positive intention messages, like “I’m a good mother,” “I will succeed,” “I’m good at what I do” or “I love my life.” Please make up your own. Then, anchor the positive thought with a nice-feeling action, like clenching your fist in victory or hugging yourself. A subtle action that you alone will notice is preferable.

To make your positive intention messages even more powerful, use them just before you sleep. Think of why you’re really good at what you do; why you love your life; what success looks and feels like.

These last thoughts will repeat 20,000 times during the night and give credit to your positive intention messages. If you hear the same messages enough times,

success

you’ll come to believe it.

You can change your mindset. Stop expecting failure and, instead, anticipate success. There are five simple steps: 1. Snap! out of your negative thoughts 2. Fill the void with positive intention messages 3. A nchor the positive intention message with a feel-good action 4. Focus on positive intention messages just before you sleep 5. Repeat, repeat, repeat for 90 to 120 days for best results A board-certified atlas orthogonal chiropractor, Sabrina Chen-See, DC, has advanced training in head and neck traumas, concussions and brainstem-related isues.

She is also certified in chiropractic pediatrics and the Webster technique to help pregnant women and children. www.DrChen See.com

by Trish Lim-O’Donnell, CCP n March 2015 my husband asked me to accompany him to a meeting for one of his clients to help him with navigation as well as to bring him some Chinese luck. I was only too happy to oblige when I get acknowledged this way. As usual I bid him sweet good luck and reminded him I shall be meditating all over him and his client. I then roamed around that area in North Vancouver checking out quaint stores, food markets and beautiful trees and generally giving thanks for my day.

Following my nose, I found this charming flower shop with an amazing quote by Jimi Hendrix inscribed on its wall.

It was so bold and spoke to my heart that I was captivated!

The quote revealed owner Sam Solis’ love for nature and all things gorgeous as well as his spiritual intent. My spirit found companionship in this man’s creativity and dare, and the quote filled me, as I was already working on this subject.

is about coming to terms with growing our assertiveness to achieve the things we need and want without the need to abuse or dominate others. If you abuse or dominate others, you have fallen away from your highest conscious self. At the most awakened level, we owe it to our humanity—our collective conscious—to grow our awareness on how we deal with one another every step of the way. The power to grow beyond the needs of our limited ego remains our finest goal.

Need for power

Mindful interaction

As is so often the case, you go through life needing power in order to be your own person.

You seek it in your relationship with everyone you interact with, whether they are family or those significant to you, in work or personal life. The struggle for power is about respect, recognition, validation, affirmation, equality and selfesteem.

Our journey on this earth

Humility and simple, straightforward assertiveness can be the mindful way you interact every day. When others seem to overstep their place and it causes you pain, you can address it directly by stating what is uncomfortable for you because it diminishes your sense of self or equality.

For those who are older and weaker, whether they are family or colleagues, you can take

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” – Jimi Hendrix care to walk a tad more gently so we don’t screw up. It only takes a moment’s openness, willingness and readiness to write a new chapter with each

other. I assure you, your pay-off in peace, fulfillment and thrill will be unequivocal.

When we acknowledge in ourselves this insatiable appetite for power so we feel superior; when we lay down that mantle of war and division and pick up instead love—the mantle of consciousness and free will—from the deepest part of ourselves, we will know peace and luminosity, the ultimate reach of our journey.

Trish Lim-O’Donnell, CCP, is a relationship coach and spiritual guide, writer, ISMT teacher and E.Q. Music recording artist with 28 years of personal and professional life coaching experience. www. trishlimodonnell.com

Experience Homeopathy as a distinct and unique system of medicine.

For acute or chronic conditions visit our website to find a qualified practitioner near you.

www.bcsh.ca Health Action | www.hans.org

43

Beyond Einstein

Conditioned spaces could be used to revolutionize the medical system and the natural health field.

Psychoenergetics with William Tiller

by Alexis Costello

where we can use them to effect real change in both the physical body and the environment at large.

“My goal is to build a reliable bridge of understanding that connects physical science at one end, through emotion and psyche, and firmly implanted in spirit at the other end. And to make it solid enough that people will walk across it.”

“E

instein was wrong.”

This is the response to a comment I had just made about how confusing early books on quantum physics are. You can almost hear the twinkle in his eyes through the phone as William Tiller, a physicist with an impressive academic background, utters these words.

He says that the issue with those first glimpses into the quantum world stems from a misunderstanding by Einstein and his contemporaries as they tried to impose their new findings on the system they were already comfortable with.

“The founding fathers [of physics] tried to squeeze particles and waves into one dimension and things didn’t make sense. In reality, there are seven dimensions. At that time, everyone believed it was a distance/time only world.

If there’s another domain out there you can tunnel through, you open the door to superluminal engineering and then you don’t have to worry so much about lightspeed.”

The lesson here for us? Follow where the science leads you, rather than trying to make it fit what you think you already know!

Every year, the International Kinesiology College (a group with members across the globe that oversee certain branches of specialized kinesiology) hosts a conference somewhere in the world, gathering together

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Tapping the subconscious mind

Tiller contends that we can play with our internal energies to the point where we can use them to effect real change in both the physical body and the environment at large.

some of the most cutting-edge presenters and instructors in the field of specialized kinesiology and energy medicine.

For the first time in 15 years, this conference was held in Canada last month.

Keynote speaker William Tiller is probably best known

for his work in the What the Bleep Do We Know? movies, but he has been very busy since then establishing the field of psychoenergetics, which links the human psyche to energy fields and flow. Tiller contends that we can play with our internal energies to the point

Tiller sees specialized kinesiology work as one of the vehicles that will help human beings move ahead as a species. Using muscle testing as a biofeedback mechanism helps the conscious mind to become more aware of some of the information that the subconscious is storing.

“We must all become able to do this meaningfully in the future,” says Tiller. “We must be able to frame meaningful questions that can be answered as a yes or no by our muscular system.”

Tiller is careful to clarify that much of the accuracy of the testing depends on the individual asking the questions. “We know that the body acknowledges questions that can be answered yes or no, but there is a problem of subjectivity. The better one can become at controlling their subjectivity, the more the error bars can be kept tight.”

Really, this means that the better we are at keeping our own

thoughts and wants in check, the clearer the information gathered by muscle testing is.

This is something to keep in mind, both when choosing a practitioner and when trying to muscle test yourself.

Conditioned spaces One of the fascinating aspects of Tiller’s research involves what he refers to as conditioned space. This is a room or space that is maintaining a different level of dimensional reality than what we move through most of the time. This is created through the power of intention towards a specific goal. These conditioned spaces could be used to revolutionize the medical system and the natural health field.

He talks about an experiment where 44 children with autism and their parents scattered around the world were effectively worked on from within one of these conditioned spaces simultaneously by a small group. (For the full details of this and similar experiments, refer to the downloadable White Pages at tillerinstitute.com.)

“We started this [experiment] on December 3, 2012. On December 4, we got a call from a mother in Australia who has an autistic daughter that hadn’t spoken in three years and was usually up all night and restless.

Not only had the daughter slept all night, but when she woke, she smiled lovingly

at her mother and spoke 20 cognitively meaningful words through the day.”

This would be an amazing story if a practitioner was in the same room as the child, but as a story about healing intention and work being broadcast over thousands of miles by people who didn’t know her, it is extraordinary.

He believes in the potential to create conditioned space in areas like neonatal wards in hospitals, which would allow babies to thrive, or to allow a doctor to work on 100 to 1,000 people with the same health challenges all at once, regardless of their physical location. These are ideas and concepts he fleshed out further at the conference.

The idea behind one of Tiller’s books, entitled Some Science Adventures with Real Magic, is that when phenomena don’t fit into the scientific paradigm of the day it will be labelled as “magic” until the paradigm changes. I, for one, am looking forward to some scientific magic.

For more information on William Tiller’s work, visit www.tillerinstitute.com.

Alexis Costello is a health practitioner and instructor and owner of Happily Holistic Natural Health and Wellness. She is a homeschooling mom of three and the vice president of the Canadian Association of Specialized Kinesiology. www.happilyholistic.ca | office@happilyholistic.ca

It’s natural health like you’ve never heard it before

Join us in September-October: Fall begins with a Special Report on Integrative Cancer Care Treatment. Host Steve Herringer speaks with Dr. Janice Wright, MD, Clinical Director of Inspire Health, specialist in supportive cancer care treatment. Also joining us is Dr. Adam McLeod, ND, of Vancouver’s Yaletown Integrative Cancer Care Clinic, with his new book “Integrative Cancer Care, the Power of Being Informed”.

October brings another Special Report on GMOs with Percy Schmeiser, Saskatchewan farmer and activist, as he shares his incredible story. This same show will include an interview with Rachel Parent, of Kids Right to Know, on the need for mandatory labeling of GMOs. All this and more coming this fall, because there is no show like The Natural Health Show.

With host:

Steve Herringer Listen every weekend: Toronto’s AM740, Saturday at 11AM (ET) Vancouver’s AM980, Sunday at 5PM (PT) Download your favourite shows and listen while travelling:

thenaturalhealthshow.ca Call toll free: 1.855.333.TNHS(8647)

Health Action | www.hans.org

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Nutrient-Dense Immune-Boosting Tea This powerful blend of nutrient-rich plants gives your immune system a kickstart. This also makes a savoury broth that you can use as a base for soups and sauces.

Ingredients: 1 cup dried seaweed (such as kombu, wakame, nori, dulse, kelp, sea lettuce) 1 cup dried mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, reishi, chaga, portobello)

To make the tea/broth, simply add 1 rounded teaspoon of dry tea per cup of liquid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If you added dry chaga and reishi mushrooms, you will want to strain out the broth as those mushrooms are quite fibrous and unpleasant to eat.

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crease digestive juices, helping to decrease gas after a meal with excess fat. You can also enjoy this drink as a preventative and drink a small glass before or during your meal.

Drinking healing teas is a practical way to sustainably consume medicinal nutrientrich herbs and mushrooms on a daily basis. Incorporating teas into your daily diet is a simple way to enjoy the benefits of these healing plants in an inexpensive and delicious way.

Colin Medhurst, HHC, RYT, is a holistic health coach, yoga teacher, cancer guide and herbalist in training. He is also a photographer/ videographer and full-time firefighter, and though he’s your stereotypical firefighter, he’s powered by plants not steaks. He co-founded Feed Life, a Vancouver plantbased lifestyle company educating people on how to increase energy and heal their bodies through food. Courses are offered online and in person. www.feedlife.ca | 604-790-9358

Chamomile Lemon Pudding A delicious low-sugar dessert, this pudding will help you relax after a long and stressful day.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp chamomile 1 cup hot water 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup, or more to taste 1 tsp vanilla powder 1 tbsp lemon zest 2 tbsp coconut butter 2 tsp arrowroot powder Method: Steep chamomile in hot water for 15 minutes then strain out chamomile.

Pour tea into a small saucepan with honey, vanilla powder, coconut butter and lemon zest and heat until butter and honey have melted.

In a small bowl, mix arrowroot powder with 2 tablespoons cold water until a loose paste forms. Over low heat, whisk arrowroot mixture into chamomile mixture until smooth. Turn up heat to medium and keep whisking until pudding is bubbling and starts to thicken. Turn off heat and serve pudding slightly warm.

Colin Medhurst

H

erbal teas have been brewed and consumed as herbal medicines for thousands of years.

Brewing tea is an easy and convenient way to extract the nutritive phytochemicals of herbs and mushrooms. The following three tea recipes are my favourite ways to modulate the immune system, soothe digestive upset and prepare for a restful sleep.

The nutrient-dense ImmuneBoosting Tea is ideal for those who want the enhancing effect of medicinal mushrooms and seaweeds. This tea is also an excellent base for a broth and makes the perfect gift for someone who needs help with healing or feels under the weather.

The reishi mushroom has been widely researched for its effectiveness on helping to stimulate immune function and activate the body’s natural killer cells to prevent cancer from

For a calm and restful sleep, chamomile is one of my favourite ingredients.

Normally the flowers are made into a tea and used for its sedative effects for a restful sleep. Studies have found that, when used in consistent low doses, chamomile may be an effective alternative treatment for anxiety. Here chamomile has been incorporated into a delicately flavoured pudding that can be eaten two hours before bedtime as an alternative to drinking it in a tea.

Digestive upset is one of the most common health complaints. Cleaning up your diet to include more nutrientdense foods as well as reducing fried and processed food is a good start. However, when you do get an upset stomach, the Digestive Chai will help calm the digestive tract and reduce gas and bloating after a meal.

The antispasmodic effect of fennel on the colon helps to reduce bloating and cramping.

Ginger and turmeric help to reduce inflammation and in-

Colin Medhurst

To boost immunity, soothe digestion and promote sleep proliferating. The mushroom has also been shown to increase the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.

The chaga mushroom is a natural biological response modifier, also known as an immune modulator. It will stimulate the body’s immune function when necessary and will slow it down when it’s overactive—especially helpful when managing autoimmune diseases. The beta-glucans in chaga can help bolster our body’s adaptogenic reaction to mental, physical and environmental stress, making it useful in neutralizing the immune-compromising sideeffects of some pharmaceuticals and compensating for the agerelated decline of our immune system.

The seaweed in the recipe provides a large amount of calcium, the thyroid-regulating iodine, and of the immunestimulating fucoidan, a phytochemical found in brown seaweeds like kombu and wakame.

garlic powder onion powder oregano

Method: In a food processor, blend mushrooms, seaweed and spices into a fine powder.

Store in a glass jar in your pantry, and as long as nothing wet is introduced, the dry tea can last for up to six months.

Healing Teas

by Colin Medhurst, HHC, RYT

1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp

Turn the page for another great healing tea recipe Health Action | www.hans.org

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Digestive Chai The blend of healing spices here helps to make digestion easy and stress-free. Enjoy before, during or after a meal.

Ingredients: 4 cups almond or coconut milk 8 pods cardamom 2 sticks cinnamon 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated

(avoid for Pitta types

or use powdered instead) 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp 1 pinch

coriander seeds cloves black peppercorns anise seeds fennel seeds nutmeg Maple syrup or coconut nectar to sweeten

Bring the almond milk to a medium temperature in a sauce pan in the stove.

Add in fresh ginger and spices and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with maple syrup or coconut nectar to sweeten.

Colin Medhurst

Method: Place all dried spices in a mortar and grind with a pestle until whole seeds slightly crack (one or two twists).

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o l i e n a t u r a l s . c a

“GMO labeling is mandatory in 64 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, Russia, China and all the countries in the European Union. But not in Canada or the USA, so my question is: WHY NOT US?” - Rachel Parent

Food Solutions for a Healthy Gut 3 top tips to aid digestion

by Julie Daniluk, RHN

D

o you suffer for indigestion, gas, bloating?

Here are three tips to help soothe your digestive system.

1. Increase antiinflammatory herbs and spices If you suffer from bloating and gas, try foods called carminatives that prevent or relieve gas and are used to help soothe the digestive process.

Cumin: Added to a broccoli and black bean stir-fry, for example, cumin helps with the digestion of beans, which is why they’re often found in recipes together. Other carminatives include caraway, cinnamon and cardamom.

Ginger: A traditional antinausea remedy, research confirms ginger can help quell nausea due to pregnancy, chemotherapy and operations.

A 2008 study in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology confirmed healthy volunteers who took ginger capsules along with a bowl of soup found their stomachs emptied more quickly. This function helps reduce bloating and prevent heartburn.

To soothe motion sickness, chew raw ginger (a 1-inch/

Food for Thought

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Many berries including pomegranate, cranberry and raspberry may prevent gastrointestinal infections.

2.5-cm piece) several hours before and during travel.

You can make your own candied ginger by dipping raw ginger slices into honey and dehydrating them in the oven.

2. Create an immunity fortress Increasing fibre, antioxidants and phytonutrients in our diets helps to build our immunity and our gut health.

Fibre: Consuming 25 to 35 grams of fibre a day not only helps kill your cravings and

balance your waistline, it may also help protect against cancers.

One 2007 study found that a high-fibre intake was associated with a decreased risk for esophageal and gastric cancers.

Fibre is important for our overall digestive health—particularly in preventing constipation. Spinach, cauliflower, carrots, ground flaxseeds, apples, pears, broccoli, beans, figs and pears are all great fibre sources. Start slowly, adding more fibre every few days, and drink lots of water. This will help prevent the gas,

cramping and bloating that can occur if you add fibre too quickly.

Slippery elm bark: This king of stomach-healing fibre is esteemed mainly for its soothing properties. It is effectively used internally as a mucilaginous herb to coat and soothe mucous membranes while also absorbing toxins that can cause intestinal imbalances. Slippery elm is an effective remedy for duodenal ulcers, gastritis, diarrhea, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids and heartburn.

unds of bac teria living in our gut. o p e e r h ve t We ha

Citrus fruit: According to a survey of studies published in the March 2008 issue of Gastric Cancer, citrus fruit has been shown to have a protective effect against stomach cancer.

An easy way to boost up on citrus is to enjoy steviasweetened lemonade served hot with ginger powder for maximum anti-inflammatory action.

Cruciferous vegetables: Lab studies show that one of the phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables, called sulforaphane, can stimulate enzymes in the body that detoxify carcinogens before they damage cells. Another compound called indole-3carbinol also activates detoxification enzymes. Cruciferous vegetables include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese (napa) cabbage, collard greens, daikon radish, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, maca, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, shepherd’s purse, turnip and watercress.

Vitamin A foods: Foods high in pro-vitamin A, such as yellow and green veggies and fruits, help the cells in the stomach lining flip over faster. This repair mechanism reduces cancer risk as well.

If you suffer from bloating and gas, try foods called carminatives that are used to soothe the digestive process.

These vegetables are also rich in vitamins C and E, and folate.

Berries: Research shows that many berries including pomegranate, cranberry and raspberry contain compounds called phenols that may prevent gastrointestinal infections from pathogens such as salmonella and H. pylori. Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes, may zap stomach pathogens while leaving the healthy bacteria alone, according to a 2007 study from the University of Missouri–Columbia.

3. Make a nice home for good gut microbes Can you believe we have three pounds of bacteria living in our gut? Nearly 100 trillion bacteria fight it out in our digestive tract for a piece of the digestive turf. Bacteria fight the yeast and the yeast fights the bacteria like a scene out of West Side Story! The trick is to improve the ratio of good to

bad bacteria by eating foods that contain healthy bacteria, known as probiotics.

Probiotics, which include lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, keep the lining of the colon healthy and may improve gut motility and sensation. As part of the digestive process, L. acidophilus produces lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide, which create unfavourable conditions for the growth of harmful bacteria. While much of the research has centred on intestinal health, studies point to potential positive effects on the mouth and stomach as well.

There is even growing evidence that friendly bacteria can help you lose weight!

Probiotic foods: Found in fermented foods such yogurt, miso and sauerkraut, probiotics can make it through the gastric acid to the colon, where they go to work on helping your body absorb more nutrition and removing extra estrogen from your body. For those sensitive

to dairy, almond yogurt and coconut yogurt are becoming very popular. Fermented daikon (or carrots or beets) is available in many health-food stores and provides good bacteria that help you heal. You can also add a probiotic powder to your favourite non-dairy milk and enjoy great benefits.

Prebiotics: To support the growth of probiotic bacteria, also choose foods known as prebiotics that naturally contain lots of soluble fibre (like bananas, yacon syrup, garlic, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, honey, leeks and onions). Foods labelled prebiotic usually have added inulin, a soluble fibre most often extracted from chicory root.

Julie Daniluk, RHN, is an author and nutritionist. Her first bestselling book, Meals That Heal Inflammation, advises on allergyfree eating that tastes great and assists the body in the healing process. Daniluk’s second book, Slimming Meals That Heal, helps people shatter the need to count calories and conquer cravings by offering the Live-It program. As the co-host of the reality cooking show Healthy Gourmet (Oprah Winfrey Network), she negotiates the ongoing battle between taste and nutrition. www.juliedaniluk.com

Reduce Tummy Weight Gain with Healthy Fats

S

ome foods may actually help target your tummy fat. A 2007 study published in Diabetes Care revealed that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), particularly olive oil, prevented fat from accumulating around the abdomen. Other sources of MUFAs include avocados, olives, dark chocolate, walnuts, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds.

In laboratory cultures, the phenolic com-

pounds in extra virgin olive oil had strong antibacterial effects against eight strains of H. pylori, including antibiotic-resistant strains.

The compounds were also shown to be capable of remaining stable in the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach. Look for a single estate olive oil with a pressing date for greatest purity and quality.

– Julie Daniluk

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Do You Have a Leaky Gut? The inner workings

by Rishi Verma, MD

C

Over

onsiderable medical research is aimed at an evolving concept in medicine called leaky gut syndrome or intestinal permeability. This concept is very important for patients and physicians to understand, as it has been linked in medical literature to a host of problems, including arthritis, autoimmunity, chronic fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

The list of associated problems continues to grow as we further develop an understanding of the link between the immune system and the gut.

There are 10 times more intestinal bacteria than there are cells in the entire body!

A delicate balance Learning about leaky gut syndrome starts by explaining the inner workings of the gastrointestinal tract.

More than one hundred trillion bacteria live together in our digestive system. There are 10 times more intestinal bacteria than there are cells in the entire body! These bacteria live in a state of harmony or antagonism, depending on the

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80% of our immune system resides along the walls of the

gastrointestinal tract

type of organisms that reside in the individual’s tract. They form a community that is constantly changing and adapting to the external factors that we introduce into the system.

The most common bacteria found in the intestinal tract are bacteroides, lacto bacillus, bifidobacterium and streptococcus—these are commonly found in commercially available probiotic supplements.

These bacteria manufacture substances that modulate our immune system, allow for breakdown of nutritional products, control oxidation in our bodies and keep the fragile intestinal walls healthy.

As a result of the barrage of artificial substances constantly entering our bodies, researchers are finding that this delicate

balance is being disrupted in many individuals. This disruption, or dysbiosis, is brought on by the ingestion of manufactured chemicals, poor food choices, painkiller medications and, most importantly, antibiotics.

Food breakdown The other important fundamental to understand is the highly structured process of breaking down food products to allow for their adequate digestion. This process starts in the mouth where saliva moistens the food and breaks down certain starches, while the teeth grind the food into pieces small enough to enter the system.

The next very important

aspect of digestion occurs in the stomach, where a combination of stomach acid and an enzyme called pepsin break down proteins into their amino acid constituents. One requires sufficient amounts of stomach acid and pepsin to continue the process of digestion. It is the presence of acidic stomach contents that stimulates the release of further digestive enzymes from the pancreas to continue the digestion process.

Only those foods that are adequately broken down into their basic molecular structures are allowed to pass through the intestinal walls and be absorbed into the body. Any breakdown along the chain of events will lead to undigested foods in the intestines and the sensation that many people know of as

“indigestion.” These undigested foods sit in the digestive tract for the bacteria to ferment, leading to unwanted by-products of fermentation. These byproducts aggravate and inflame the delicate intestinal walls.

Damaged intestines You can see from this basic physiology how easy it can be to disrupt the internal workings of the digestive tract.

A barrage of undesirable foods and environmental toxins enter the digestive tract, leading to dysbiosis and digestive enzyme disruption. The presence of undigested food becomes a feeding frenzy for bacteria/ parasites/yeast residing in the gut, which ferment the undigested food.

The combination of fermented food products, abnormal

gut bacteria /parasites/yeast and the presence of foreign chemicals in foods all lead to damage of the fragile intestinal walls. The intestinal walls are normally comprised of desmosomes, which are tight junctions that do not allow large molecules to pass through. Normally, large undigested molecules will not pass through the desmosomes and will make their way into stool to be excreted. In leaky gut syndrome, however, the damaged intestines have developed cracks in the walls, and now the larger molecules have a portal of entry into the body.

Constant inflammation What is interesting to know is that over 80 percent of our immune system resides along

the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. The body has evolved in this fashion because it knows that the most common portal of entry for foreign invaders is through the intestinal system.

The immune system will check all substances that enter the body. If the molecule is compatible with our system, it will pass safely. If an unwanted large molecule is allowed to pass through the leaky gut walls, the immune system will create a response to deal with that molecule, which involves a process of inflammation.

As more and more of these molecules pass through, the immune system becomes further burdened, and the body evolves into a constant state of inflammation. Given that inflammation is the underlying cause of the majority of medical illnesses, you can now

see how conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, arthritis and autoimmunity often start in the gut.

There are tests that can be done to assess for leaky gut syndrome, as well as the state of the internal environment of the intestines. Once the physician understands what is happening inside your intestinal walls, he or she can then set up a program to start the process of healing your gut.

Rishi Verma, MD, is a Vancouverbased family physician who specializes in integrative medicine.

As medical director of Balance Medical Center and Westcoast Women’s clinic, Dr. Verma is leading the charge towards a more patient-centred preventative focus in the Canadian medical system. www.balancemedical.ca | 604569-0488

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Exercise and Nutrition: The Success of Synergy

by Breanna Walker, BKin

W

hen it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, people often wonder: “What is more important, nutrition or exercise?” At InspireHealth we believe both are of utmost importance and when considered together, proper nutrition and appropriate exercise make a powerful immune-boosting team.

Why is the link between nutrition and exercise important?

Think synergy: When we consider healthful nutrition and appropriate exercise as

two parts of a greater whole, we benefit more than when we focus on them independently.

Exercise aids the work of the colon: The colon is a

muscle, and, like all muscles, it functions best when we live an active lifestyle.

Nutrition fuels exercise: Carbohydrates are our body’s

main source of energy. Glucose is used in the cells to produce adenosine triphosphate or ATP, a molecule needed for muscle contraction. When we eat a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, our bodies have the macronutrients we need to sustain physical activity.

Both support detoxification: Staying hydrated and eating a high-fibre diet help our liver, kidneys and colon eliminate toxins. Exercise also helps cleanse our bodies through sweating, deep breathing, moving our digestive organs and circulating lymphatic fluid.

Although nutrition and exercise work closely together, focus on only one at a time!

Vibrate for Better Health

W

ithout exercise or another intervention, the aging process is directly linked to loss of muscle tissue and bone mass and density, plus the gaining of unwanted weight and a decreased range of motion.

Sadly, for many senior citizens, conventional exercises that would help to slow or reverse the aging process aren’t a viable option. Traditional exercises are too high impact for the joints and connective tissues of those in the advanced stages of life, and to be effective these types of workouts simply take too much time.

Whole body vibration machines offer an effective tool for anti-aging. This form of exercise prevents muscle loss related to the aging process by affecting virtually every muscle and muscle group in the body

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without any user overload, and because it also dramatically reduces strain on joints, ligaments and tendons, it is a solution for bodily rejuvenation.

This form of exercise has demonstrated significant gains in almost all measures of muscle performance in sedentary and elderly individuals. But one study, performed by the University of Liege in Belgium, investigated the effects of controlled whole body vibration exercises on overall health in elderly patients and found that after six weeks (performing four, one-minute sessions daily, three times a week), the participants experienced: n 77 percent improvement in equilibrium n 60 percent improvement in vitality n 57 percent improvement in the quality of walking

n 41 percent reduction in pain n 23 percent improvement in general health The secret for seniors to feel better and live longer is exercise, and studies have shown that a mere 10 minutes of whole body vibration is equal to a one-hour work out with weights in a gym or fitness centre.

And since it’s accomplished with little stress to your joints, tendons and ligaments, it can be a very good therapy regimen if you’ve suffered injuries, if you’re elderly, or have disease conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis, which would normally limit your fitness program.

—L aura Pelletier , whole body vibration specialist, Kwikfit C anada Ltd. www.kwikfit4 u.com | 250-769-5552

Avoid eating on the go: If energy and resources are going to working muscles, they cannot be optimally supporting digestion. Be mindful and present in each activity, take time to slow down and enjoy your meal.

When and what to eat to fuel exercise?

Balance your blood sugar: Eating a balanced meal or snack with carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean protein helps to prevent blood sugar levels from spiking and crashing.

Too much carbohydrates in our system causes the glucose that is not used as energy to be stored as fat. Conversely, too little glucose triggers our stress response, causing fat to be conserved and necessary structural proteins to be burned as fuel.

Food in the tank, not in the stomach: How much to eat depends on the time until activity. If you have less than 30 minutes before your activity, eat a quickly digesting carbohydrate such as a piece of fruit. With one to two hours before activity, try a wellbalanced snack like trail mix. If you are planning a meal two to three hours before, incorporate a complex carbohydrate, lean protein and healthy fat. And always consider your digestion time!

Rest and digest vs fight or flight: Eating when we are relaxed and present allows proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Following exercise, once your heart rate and breathing have returned to normal, make sure to refuel with carbohydrates 30 to 45 minutes after, and have all

Together, proper nutrition and appropriate exercise make a powerful immune boosting team.

three macronutrients within 90 minutes.

Moving forward: A complete activity plan Wake up rested: Set routines and plan ahead—go to bed and wake up at the same time, prepare healthy meals and plan a time to exercise the day before.

Pre-hydrate: Prepare your body for activity by staying hydrated. Without adequate water, our blood is less efficient at transporting oxygen and nutrients and our muscles are not able to generate strong contractions.

Pre-fuel: Remember—fuel in the tank, not in the stomach.

Warm up: A gentle warmup incorporating full-body movements and deep breathing allows our bodies to prepare for further exertion. This will help prevent injuries and early fatigue.

Exercise: Find activities you enjoy doing! A well-balanced exercise regime should include aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, balance and coordination training throughout the week. Not sure where to start? Consult a professional to have a program designed for you.

Cool down and stretch: Allow your body time to adjust following exercise. Stretching helps to prevent muscle soreness and assists recovery throughout the day. Hold stretches for at

least 30 seconds while breathing deeply and relaxing the areas you are stretching.

Re-hydrate: Continue to replenish fluids for the remainder of the day. Instead of sugary drinks, try adding fruit or fresh mint to your water.

To restore electrolytes and minerals lost during exercise, try coconut water.

Re-fuel: Restoring all three macronutrients will help prepare you for another day of activity. Carbohydrates will replace depleted glycogen stores, protein will help to repair and strengthen muscle tissue

and fats will build new cell membranes and hormones.

Rest, recover and rebuild: It is not just physical activity that makes us stronger and healthier. Rest and relaxation after exercise allows our immune systems to heal our bodies and repair damaged tissues.

Breanna Walker, BKin, is an exercise therapist at InspireHealth in Vancouver. Walker has seen firsthand the effect an empowering and supportive environment can have on the healing process. She supports people with a cancer diagnosis to incorporate appropriate exercise routines into their daily life. She leads exercise classes multiple times per week and teaches gentle and restorative yoga classes open to patient and support members. www.inspirehealth.ca | 604-734-7125

carOlyne abrams

OsteOpathic practitiOner Vancouver and north Vancouver www.lighthealing.ca | 778.229.4532 carolyne@lighthealing.ca Some of the conditions I treat: back and neck pain body system dysfunctions, eg. digestive arthritis breathing difficulties migraines spinal curvature (scoliosis) headaches nerve pain, eg. sciatica whiplash concussion and brain injury joint problems pregnancy and post-partum issues sport and work injuries infant and childhood problems post-operative pain gynaecological issues TMJ/jaw problems and post-dental trauma, braces Health Action | www.hans.org

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Acupuncture for Sports Injuries and Pain Conditions

by Chun-Kai Wang, Dr. TCM, RAc

W

hen people think of musculoskeletal issues, the first things that come to mind are chiropractic, physiotherapy and massage therapy. Acupuncture is usually sought after all the aforementioned have been exhausted yet relief is still not present. Actually, acupuncture can be the first line of choice and be extremely effective. It doesn’t have to be the last thing people go for. Here I list some of the common clinical applications of acupuncture that we frequently see.

Headaches Most headaches are not musculoskeletal in nature but will often be interpreted as so. Many have no relation to musculoskeletal causes. It is often said bad posture is a reason but it is seldom the case. It is just an easy way to explain a highly complex issue.

Headaches can occur on the front, back, sides or all over the head. In acupuncture, they

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are all treated differently by targeting different meridians that run through the head.

Headaches are also often the offshoot of internal disorders, which acupuncture treats wonderfully as well.

Neck pain Frequently neck problems are blamed on the cervical vertebrae. I’ve seen patients who have been manipulated but the problem persists. Not all neck problems are related to the neck bones. There are also instances where neck pain is so severe that manipulation is not possible. With acupuncture, however, it is greatly reduced in as little as one session.

is the energy behind that is the key. Acupuncture effectively moves the energy blockages, leading to recovery of range of motion.

Back pain From a physical perspective the lumbar vertebrae may be blamed for the cause of the pain. Individuals may then do back surgery and some of them end up with paralysis of the lower legs. In TCM back pain is usually related to deficiency of the kidney energy, which governs the lower back. Kidney energy declines as a person ages and this is why back pain appears more in the senior age group. Acupuncture can help boost and support the vitality of the kidneys thereby effectively treating this problem without the possible side-effect of lower limb paralysis.

Frozen shoulder In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) frozen shoulder happens because the energy that passes through the crevices of the shoulder joint becomes stalled and waste material accumulates, causing difficulty in raising the shoulder. This is a problem often approached from the muscle and tendons but it

Knee pain Knee pain essentially originates from inside the knee or from the ligaments that tie the knee together. Neither of these structures has much blood

supply so modern methods have little to offer. While there is not much blood circulating through it, there obviously is energy circulating because in TCM various meridians course through the joint. Knee pain is one of the problems often treated effectively with acupuncture, whether it is mild to severe with obvious edema.

Ankle pain Ankle pain often results from sports injuries. In acute cases there may be swelling while in chronic cases the swelling usually isn’t evident.

Acupuncture treats either of these very well. I’ve had a patient who sprained his ankle and the swelling persisted there for two weeks with no signs of going down. After acupuncture the patient was back playing basketball within a week.

Chun-Kai Wang, DrTCM, RAc, is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and registered acupuncturist who sees patients throughout Metro Vancouver, B.C. www.drwang.ca | 604-836-3968

Therapeutic Touch for Gentle Healing

by Sondi Bruner

W

hen Marie Pressl’s 12-year-old granddaughter sprained her ankle while playing lacrosse, Marie immediately took action, but not in a way you’d expect from a retired nurse. As soon as she mobilized the joint, Marie implemented therapeutic touch (TT), a non-invasive energetic healing technique. Days later, Marie’s granddaughter successfully completed the Vancouver Sun Run. Some might attribute this miraculous recovery to age; however, countless patients and therapeutic touch practitioners would disagree. A widely researched, evidence-based holistic practice, TT was developed in the 1970s and planted its roots in a hospital setting. It has been gaining popularity, expanding its reach to more than 70 countries. It’s practised in hospitals, hospices, long-term care facilities, shelters, midwifery clinics and the home, helping everyone from premature babies to cancer patients improve their health.

Marie, a practitioner with the British Columbia Therapeutic Touch Network Society (BCTTNS), learned the modality in the 1980s from its founders, Dr. Delores Krieger and Dora Kunz. She practised TT on her patients to help them relax, and taught her fellow nurses how to perform TT as well.

“I thought, this is too good.

I’ve got to start teaching other people,” she says.

Therapeutic touch is based on the belief that issues in the body stem from imbalanced or blocked energy.

How it works Therapeutic touch is based on the belief that issues in the body stem from imbalanced or blocked energy. During a TT treatment, a practitioner will intuitively assess the energy blockage and work to clear the blockage by manipulating and rebalancing energy. A practitioner doesn’t need to physically touch the patient, though many patients request to be touched as well.

Once the harmful energy has disappeared, the patient is in a better position to heal.

Healing benefits Patients appreciate TT because it’s gentle, simple, relaxing and effective. TT has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety and pain, to boost immune function and to quicken wound healing. Sometimes, the results are instantaneous, while in other cases healing can take a while.

Jean Ruttan, another BCTTNS member who practises in Maple Ridge, B.C., had been dealing with chronic neck pain and could barely move, and one session of TT had an instant healing effect. She immediately wanted to learn how to do it herself.

“I was sold. I got into a class and never looked back,” she says.

TT can be practised anywhere, in one-to-one sessions or in groups, on children, teens, adults or the elderly, on animals; it can even be effective virtually.

What research shows A number of research studies bear out therapeutic touch’s claims. One study of 40 newborns in neonatal intensive care who were given TT after a painful procedure found that the modality promoted relaxation and improved the babies’ vital signs. In another study, patients who were about to undergo coronary artery bypass

surgery were divided into two groups: one received TT and one did not. The TT group experienced a drop in pulse rate and average number of breaths, indicating relaxation.

The B.C. Therapeutic Touch Network Society and its 115 provincial members work one-to-one with clients, and have partnered with medical and alternative professionals.

They’ve implemented TT in hospitals—where the practice is used pre- and post-surgery, which can lead to a reduced need for pain meds. BCTTNS also collaborates with the B.C. Cancer Agency and InspireHealth, the integrated cancer centre.

To find a therapeutic touch practitioner or workshop in your area, or for more information, visit www.bc therapeutictouch.com.

Sondi Bruner is a Vancouver-based writer, holistic nutritionist and recipe developer. She specializes in digestive health and allergenfriendly diets. www.sondibruner. com. Explore vegetarian, glutenfree and dairy-free recipes on her food blog, The Copycat Cook. www. thecopycatcook.wordpress.com Health Action | www.hans.org

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What Do Diet and Nutrition Have to Do with Pain?

by Caroline Coombs, BSc, ND

provoking inflammation in your body and thereby contributing to pain. MRT is a sophisticated blood test that provides a personalized profile of foods that stimulate the release of inflammatory mediators (messengers in the body that cause inflammation). MRT is available at Port Moody Health.

C

hronic pain is a complex and often frustrating condition. Those who have suffered with chronic pain know that there is no onesize-fits-all, quick-fix solution that works for everyone. For that reason, it is important to take a multi-pronged approach to pain management that addresses the root cause and minimizes the many risk factors for persistent pain.

While there is not one specific diet that has been shown to reduce pain across the board, it is well established that inflammation, obesity and deficiencies of certain nutrients can increase one’s risk of chronic pain, and all of these factors are readily influenced by the foods we eat.

It follows that a diet that minimizes inflammation, helps to maintain a healthy body weight and ensures adequate intake of crucial nutrients would provide an optimal environment for recovery from pain.

Inflammation and diet Inflammation is the immune system’s protective response.

Following injury or infection, inflammation occurs and primes the nervous system to be more responsive to pain. In this context, pain serves as reminder to rest the body so that it can heal. When inflammation be-

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comes chronic, however, it can cause central sensitization of the nervous system, which means that the pain sensation can become exaggerated or inappropriate.

This strong link between pain and inflammation explains why anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen are so effective at managing pain.

The typical North American diet tends to be very pro-inflammatory, and much of this effect is due to the predominance of omega-6 fatty acids and sugar. The most inflammatory omega-6 oils include soy, corn, safflower, sunflower and cottonseed oil. These oils are used extensively in packaged, processed and restaurant foods because they are cheap. Added sugars and refined carbohydrates are the main ingredient in most packaged foods and beverages.

These rapidly absorbable carbohydrates spike blood sugar and insulin, setting off an inflammatory cascade. This is bad news, and not only for those in pain: Chronic inflammation

has also been linked to most of the predominant chronic illnesses of the modern era, such as depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and certain cancers.

The typical North American diet tends to be very pro-inflammatory.

What to do about it

Nutrients and pain

Eliminate processed and packaged foods, fast foods, refined carbohydrates and added sugars. Limit restaurant food and ask your server which oils are being used.

Eat a nutrient-dense wholefoods diet heavily centred around plants and rich in healthy fats; cold-water fish, coconuts, avocados and olive oil are all great examples.

Eating more colourful berries and vegetables will help ensure that your diet is rich in antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals and oxidative stress.

If pain persists following these recommendations, mediator-release food sensitivity testing (MRT) can identify which foods in particular are

Ensuring that the body has adequate nutrients to function and heal optimally can also be an important factor in pain management. Some of the more common deficiencies associated with chronic pain include vitamin D, magnesium and vitamin B12.

Vitamin D: Many people are unaware that in the Northern Hemisphere we do not get enough sunlight during the winter months to synthesize vitamin D, even on a bluebird day. This means that many Canadians are deficient in this important vitamin. If blood vitamin D levels are low, vitamin D supplementation may result in significant imcontinued on page

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Smart Meters

When Will You Get Sick?

What they aren’t telling you

by Caroline Coombs, BSc, ND

T

he government of B.C. has mandated that every home and business will have a “smart electricity meter” to replace the trusted analog meter that we’ve had for many decades. We are told they will be cheaper, more accurate and just as safe as the analog, but is this true?

by Ron Gale

Many meters have failed in B.C. but no agency is monitoring.

It’s almost as if no one wants to know.

Toxic health effects These meters have many problems, first of which is that they emit thousands of microwave signals every day. Science has shown that microwave radiation causes many biological effects ranging from headaches, sleep problems and allergies to DNA damage and cancer. Electromagnetic radiation has been classified as a 2B “possible” carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer—the same classification as lead, DDT and many industrial chemicals.

Fire hazard As important as this issue is, another that is more urgent is that these meters have several design flaws that cause them to be fire hazards, including: n They are made largely of combustible plastic, whereas the analog meters were made of glass and metal. n Each meter contains a lithium metal battery that can explode when exposed

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to heat (like that from the summer sun) or moisture (like condensation). n A remote disconnect switch (which can be used to shut off the power when it is decided that someone is using too much, when people don’t pay their bills or when they move) arcs and can cause fires. Smart meters were recalled in Saskatchewan when switches caused the meters to melt or burn.

One of most important flaws is that the utility company is usually installing these meters into an old base that was designed, tested and certified to hold an analog, and nothing else.

In a recent Texas lawsuit, in

sworn testimony, long-term utility employees reported that many ITRON Openway smart meters—the same type being installed by both B.C. Hydro and Fortis B.C.—have burned.

They determined that a major reason for the fires is that the meter is incompatible with the base. You can find this legal brief at www. stopsmartmetersbc.com Many politicians and the utility companies deny that these meters are putting lives and properties at risk. Many meters have failed in B.C. but no agency is monitoring. It’s almost as if no one wants to know.

It is time to admit that these devices are defective and, as with any defective product,

should be recalled. We should demand that every ITRON smart meter be removed and replaced with a safe analog, and all costs refunded.

No one would keep a defective toaster, so why should we have to keep a defective device that can cause health defects and possibly risk burning our homes down?

Sharon Noble, director of Coalition to Stop Smart Meters, has been working to educate the public about the health effects of microwave radiation from wireless devices for 10 years, fighting smart meters specifically for five years.

She sends out updates to keep people informed. If you would like to receive them, email director@ stopsmartmetersbc.com

I

f you knew well in advance when a cold or the flu would catch up with you, would you want to know? I did!

About 20 years ago, I was handed a pocketbook entitled Folk Medicine: A New England Almanac of Natural Health Care from a Noted Vermont Country Doctor by D. C. Jarvis, MD. Glancing at the 1958 publication date, I decided that it would probably be quite outdated and put it into my gym bag.

One day riding home on the Skytrain, I reached into my gym bag and opened the book randomly. The first paragraph I looked at stated: “If you are a small boned, blond haired blue eyed male from Northern Europe or of British Isles stock, you’ ll get sick in the late winter, early spring. If you are a big boned, dark haired male from the same area, you’ ll get sick in the late fall, early winter.”

I’m sure that regardless of your ethic origin, you will also have a time when you are most susceptible to illness.

This excerpt caught my attention as earlier that year I had come down with the flu. This made me wonder if I could prove if this theory applied to me. Loving statistics, I looked at my 20-plus years of human resource files at the Vancouver Police Department and noted the dates and reasons for my sick leave. Then I analyzed the data.

In more than 20 years, I had a total of 42 sick days, averaging out to 2.1 per year. I divided the sick days into the police shifts I was working, and was quite surprised

No one can cha

that whether I was on days, evenings or midnights, it made little difference to the outcome. I then divided it between five-year periods, between the ages of 30 and 50, and again found little difference.

On a large calendar I noted each sick day within the year.

Bingo! The majority of my sick days were in a six-week period between the middle of January and the end of February. My ratio of being sick within that 40-day period was 10 times greater. This fit the profile for someone of my size and ethnic origin, according to that book.

eir D ng e t h

NA

One of my analytical colleagues suggested that, given this data, I would simply will myself into getting sick each year at that time. I disagreed, as my plan was to become more proactive about my health and use this information to make nutritional, supplemental and lifestyle changes leading up to and during this time period, to see if I could cut down on sick time.

Within the next 10 years until my retirement, I had no sick time to speak of.

No one can change their DNA. However, we all have control over many other contributing factors that affect our health. Still today, when this time of year approaches, I double up on my supplements, ensure that my diet follows my 80/20 rule (eat carefully 80 percent of the time, ease off on the other 20 percent, within reason), manage my stress level, and get enough sleep, something I really had to work hard on, particularly when I served in the Vancouver Police Department.

Thanks to the wisdom found in folk medicine, combined with consistent choices to be more proactive about my health, colds and the flu rarely catch up with me to this day.

In summary, keep up to date on the latest in health information. My numberone source is the quarterly issues of Health Action.

Ron Gale is a retired Vancouver Police Department detective and the past president of Health Action Network Society. Currently he and his wife work from home and can be reached at Healthy Business Consulting Ltd. info@healthybusiness.ca | 604-789-6414

r, we all have control over many other e v e w o H contributing fac tor s that af fec t o u r he a

l th .

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For Peat’s Sake Save this climate change saver

by Gerard John Cowan

T

raditionally, bogs have been seen as worthless, ugly pieces of land, holding little or no intrinsic value. Indeed, the phrase “bog standard” is used to denote anything that is basic, ordinary, unexceptional or uninspiring. Bogs have such a serious image problem that, in Ireland and Scotland, the word bog has long been a slang term for toilet. “Going to the bog” is synonymous with “going to the bathroom.”

Bogs may not catch the eye in the way rainforests or coral reefs do, but they hold a subtler charm. In recent years, the negative image of bogs has started to be overturned.

People are reassessing bogs and discovering that they are a fascinating ecosystem, vital in the fight against climate change. The principle reason for this change of view lies in the chief product of bogs: peat. In recent years bogs and mires have come to be known as peatlands in order to throw off the negative connotations associated with bogs.

What is peat?

Bogs have a variety of flora growing in them, the most famous of which are sphagnum mosses. Sphagnum has been credited as “the bog builder” by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. It is capable of growing in the highly saturated, low-nutrient

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It is estimated that the peatlands in the Northern Hemisphere alone store up to 450 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

bog environment because it is able to absorb a vast amount of water and does not need as much nutritional input as larger forms of vegetation.

Once bog vegetation dies, it decomposes at a much slower rate than vegetation found in other ecosystems.

The slower decomposition happens because bog water is acidic and low in nutrients.

This is the secret to how peat is formed. The decomposing bog vegetation slowly begins to form a new peat layer, storing large amounts of carbon and preventing it from making its way into the atmosphere. It is estimated that a metre of peat takes thousands of years to accumulate. Fresh layers of sphagnum mosses grow on top of the peat layer, and the cycle continues until a dome shape is formed at the top of the bog.

Peat has traditionally been used for a number of purposes.

In European countries, includ-

ing Ireland, Finland and the Netherlands, peat was extracted to be used as a fuel source to heat homes. Peat was never a major source of fuel in North America. Instead, it is used in horticultural composts and starter soils. Indeed, the peat extracted from Burns Bog, Delta, B.C., was used primarily for horticultural purposes.

Peat harvesting is now regarded as an unsustainable practice, due to the length of time peat takes to form and the damage that can be done by extraction over a short period of time. Entire bogs can be erased in just a few decades. The peat harvesting industry in Burns Bog only lasted from the 1940s to the 1980s, but in that time 40 percent of Burns Bog’s peat layers had been harvested to a depth of two metres, and huge damage was caused to the bog’s hydrology. Something that had taken ten thousand years to accumulate was almost wiped

out in just four short decades.

In addition, peat extraction techniques cause enormous damage to the hydrology of peatlands. The harvesting techniques require the drainage of peatlands in order to gain easier access to the peat. This is achieved through digging ditches to release the water. As a result, peatlands are left with a much lower water table than is necessary for a viable future.

Remember; peatlands/bogs are still primarily wetlands, and adequate hydrology is vital to their survival.

How do bogs help prevent climate change?

Peatlands help prevent climate change by permanently absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and preventing the release of methane. Figure 1 demonstrates how a bog with a high water table can act as a carbon sink. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere by the vegetation growing on the surface of the bog. As the vegetation dies, it sinks under the water table and forms new layers of peat. Provided the

water table remains high, the carbon dioxide and methane produced by the decomposition cannot be released into the atmosphere.

Contrast that with the low water table bog in Figure 2.

Peatlands generally have a low water table as a result of human activities. The peat extraction and agricultural industries have traditionally dug ditches in order to lower the water table and dry out the peat. This makes it easier to extract the peat or sow a different type of crop.

In Figure 2, the carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere is not trapped under the water table and turned into peat. As the vegetation dies, it releases methane (the most intensive greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere. The dry peat becomes aerobic, resulting in carbon dioxide making its way into the atmosphere. Instead of acting as a sink for greenhouse gases, the bog is now acting as a source.

The release of these harmful greenhouse gases contributes to the warming of our atmosphere and the changes in our climate.

It is estimated that the peatlands in the Northern Hemisphere alone store up to 450 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Were this carbon to be released into the atmosphere, it would have catastrophic consequences for our climate.

What can be done to save bogs?

Now that you are aware of the importance of peatlands in preventing climate change, you may be wondering what is being done to save these essential ecosystems. The short

Figure 1

Figure 2

answer is, not enough. Many peatlands around the world are still being harvested, developed on or drained for other purposes.

However, things are gradually beginning to change, and efforts are being made to preserve or restore many of our valuable peatlands. In many peatlands, including Burns Bog, efforts are being made to restore the water table and encourage the growth of sphagnum mosses. This is done through blocking the ditches that were dug when the peatlands were being exploited.

Over time, results have shown that the water table in these

damaged peatlands can return to a sustainable level. With the water table restored, conditions are right for sphagnum moss to again thrive. Indeed, in some bogs, sphagnum mosses have been planted to encourage quicker growth with positive results.

In addition, peat is declining as a fuel source, and there are many alternatives to peat in horticultural soils. So, really, there is no logical reason for continuing to destroy such a valuable resource. We do not need peat for fuel or compost, and by damaging peatlands we would ultimately be harming ourselves with a worse climate.

In his poem, Bogland, the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney marvelled at the ability of peat to preserve historical artifacts for centuries. He referred to it as “kind black butter.” Perhaps, peat can perform its greatest act of kindness in preventing climate change.

Gerard John Cowan is a research and communications coordinator with the Burns Bog Conservation Society. His complete report is available from the society for $19.95 plus shipping. www.burns bog.org | 604-572-0373. Reprinted from permission from the Watershed Sentinel, summer 2015 issue. www.watershedsentinel.ca Health Action | www.hans.org

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How to Live in Harmony with Autumn Give your lungs a breather and build immunity

by Sean Quigley, RAc

A

utumn is a time for transition and renewal.

As the days shorten we adjust to less sunlight and cooler temperatures and start to organize for the winter and a long hibernation ahead. We move toward deeper thinking and reflection and tend to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle.

According to Joerg Kastner, author of Chinese Nutritional Therapy, “autumn is characterized by the eternal decline of nature—drying and cooling.

The natural movement pattern is inward. Yang energy decreases, the small yin appears (yin within yang) and the energies of the body gather on the inside.” Summer is yang and winter is yin, full energy versus dormancy. Our internal organs and processes reflect how the seasons change.

Autumn and immunity The lung is the organ of autumn. It controls the body’s surface and skin, is in direct contact with the environment and is responsible for immune defence systems of the body.

When we strengthen the lungs and corresponding systems, we build Wei qi or defensive energy and immunity. Here are some Chinese medicine recommendations to consider.

Dietary recommendations to boost lung qi: Try to include some mildly acrid and energetically warm foods that compensate for the onset of

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external cold, such as oats, millet, corn, rice, carrots, leeks, radishes, horseradish, cauliflower, beef and lamb.

If you feel an inner coldness along with shivering and the possible beginnings of a cold or sickness, the acrid flavours of garlic, cinnamon, chili, ginger, pepper and onions invigorate qi circulation and quickly bring defensive energy to the surface.

The foods that are harvested during this time and keep well should also be included in our diets, such as squash, apples and pears. For drinks, spiced teas and high-proof alcohol such as vodka help the internal fire.

Herbal formula to boost lung qi: Yu Ping Feng San (Bai Zhu—atractylodes, Huang Qi —astragalus, Wu Mei— sour plum, Sheng Jiang—

fresh ginger, Fang Feng— Ledebouriella root) This formula is named Jade Windscreen Powder, because like jade it is valued and precious. It acts as a screen against wind, which is the environmental force associated with pathogens such as viruses that cause common colds and flus.

This formula is used for spontaneous sweating due to qi deficiency, spontaneous sweating due to Wei qi deficiency or lung qi deficiency. It has been shown to increase white blood cell count, settle digestion and regulate sweating.

Acupressure massage to boost immunity: You can massage these points several times a day, for 5 to 10 minutes: – Fengmen (wind gate) – Bladder (BL)12

– Feishu (lung shu) – Bladder (BL)13 – Fengchi (wind crux/pool) – Gallbladder (GB)20 – Fengfu (wind mansion) – Governing Vessel (DU)16 These points are useful to release the exterior, tonify the lung and stop cough. They are located on the upper back between the scapula and on the back of the neck up to the base of the head.

Zhongfu (central palace) – Lung (LU) 1: This point is useful to disperse fullness in the lung, stop cough and tonify the lung and spleen. It is found about an inch below and lateral to Lung (LU)2, which is located about six inches from the midline, in the depression below the lateral end of the clavicle.

Autumn and digestion

Autumn and sadness

The lung and the large intestine have an intimate relationship in Chinese medicine as their channels pass through each other’s organs, creating one of the many yin/ yang pairs in our body. The health of the lung and your well-being through autumn are directly linked to the function of your bowels, so it is an important time to ensure your bowel movements are healthy, smooth and regular.

As well, during the last period of each season the spleen is strong enough to resist pathogenic factors. Autumn is the perfect time to nourish and support our spleen and digestive system. We want to build enough warmth and energy to ensure strength to maintain a warm core for the inevitable arrival of winter.

Things to avoid: Both fatty, oily foods and cool or cold dairy products burden the spleen and cause dampness and phlegm disorders (bronchitis and sinusitis, especially during wet weather).

For many the autumn brings sadness, the emotion of the lung. Sadness often depletes lung qi, leaving us more susceptible to colds, flus and/or other bronchial disorders. Many of us are affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is defined as depression/sadness associated with autumn and winter, often thought to be a result of less light. If we can nurture the habits and lifestyle choices that improve our mood, we can also help to protect our body from external pathogens.

Tips to improve your mood include: n Embrace positive hobbies and relationships n Try breathing meditations or Qigong (breathing with the “sssssssss” sound on outbreath) n Walk outside for fresh air and increased circulation n Use phototherapy to boost vitamin D production and improve circulation n Sleep longer hours when summer passes and more darkness arises

Nutrition and Pain continued from page 58

NMDA receptors. Low magnesium can thus contribute to muscle cramping and pain.

Magnesium is used up under stress and has been depleted in our soils from industrial farming techniques. Foods high in magnesium include dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, fish, avocado and bananas.

Vitamin B12: Having adequate levels of B12 is important for a healthy nervous system and deficiency can cause or worsen some cases of nerve pain. Blood levels of vitamin B12 can be tested and the

provements in pain. The optimal range for vitamin D in the blood is 150–250 nmol/L. We can test your vitamin D levels on site at Port Moody Health to see if you might benefit from supplementation and determine the dose that is appropriate for you.

Magnesium: Magnesium is necessary to relax smooth muscles and plays an important function in blocking pain transmitting receptors called

Supplements to aid mood and immunity: Probiotics, fish oils and vitamin D supplements are recommended to stay warm and protect your skin, avoiding typical fall illnesses such as cold, flu and lung pathologies.

Autumn and dryness The lungs do not like dryness, but they do like to be gently moistened. Too much and it is pathological and mucous accumulates. Too little and the tissue can crack causing bleeding from dryness.

During the autumn the main environmental influences are wind and cold; the wind dries out tissues and the cold constricts. The lungs can be depleted of moisture or can tighten as a result of the cold. When the lungs are dry they require moistening through nourishing lung herbs and spices. When the lungs are constricted and accumulate with cold and mucous they require a dispersing and warming intervention such as cinnamon or ginger.

To moisten the lungs: To avoid internal dryness, include most adequate way to identify a deficiency is to test methymalonic acid levels in the blood. We offer methymalonic acid testing at Port Moody Health. If a deficiency is identified, vitamin B12 can be administered via injection to replete levels more quickly and overcome any issues with absorption.

Pain is often a limiting factor in many aspects of life—from work to exercise to daily activities of living—and can lead to fatigue, depression, weight gain and side-effects of

foods that are moistening, such as squash, nuts, seeds, pear, alternative milk products (hemp, almond) and yams. For breakfast you can incorporate oatmeal, eggs and avocados.

For lunch or dinner, try soups and stews made with squash and/or yams. When you snack have smoothies or a nut pâté.

Drink one or two cups of room-temperature lemon water daily, an especially useful habit to incorporate in the morning.

Be sure to drink (your weight in pounds x 15 ml) warm water per day.

Consider using natural skin moisturizers such as coconut oil, shea butter or sesame oil.

Sean Quigley, RAc, graduated from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver, B.C., where he completed three years of studies in acupuncture. He has furthered his knowledge by completing courses in the treatment of infertility, pregnancy and labour support, and is also skilled at treating pain. He practises at Yinstill Reproductive Wellness in Vancouver. www.yinstill.com | 604-873-9355

drug dependency. There is a way to break the cycle of pain and live the life you want.

Caroline Coombs, BSc, ND, is a naturopathic physician and health educator. She teaches nutrition for pain management at the ChangePain clinic in Vancouver, B.C., and has been featured on Pain BC’s radio show, Pain Waves, discussing the links between pain and nutrition. Dr. Coombs is currently accepting new patients in Vancouver and Port Moody, B.C. dr.carolinecoombs@gmail.com | www.drcarolinecoombs.com Health Action | www.hans.org

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Not So Simple to Say No to GMO Labelling only goes so far The GMO Issue

by Deane Parkes

H

et’s not naïvely think the 10 percent do not have more power than the 90 percent. Thankfully there are dedicated, caring people across Canada helping raise awareness to create new food labelling laws. I see two main issues regarding genetically engineered (GE) foods.

Issue 1: Labelling?

I do my best to eat organic and grass-fed; however, my diet inescapably includes GE ingredients, as does the diet of most people in North America.

GE food has become deeply rooted on grocery shelves; up to 80 percent of supermarket packaged food and drink as well restaurant food are estimated to contain GE ingredients.

There is mounting evidence, since GE crops entered the food chain in 1996, of a rapid increase in autoimmune and other diseases. I believe we will see more and more food labelling state: “Does not contain ingredients that contribute to GE farming or GE production.” Consumers will demand it!

Labelling, though, will not slow down the introduction of new GE crops. GE food producers are still heavily lobbying to introduce more GE food to market. Labelling may even help the GE food movement—what does it matter what new GE crop enters the market as long as it’s labelled? The irony of it:

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If an estimated 90 percent of Canadians want genetically engineered food labelled, the other 10 percent must be holding things up? you will purchase, in good conscience, non-GE organic ethical food in a GE corn plastic bottle printed with GE soy ink.

Issue 2: GE farming Is GE farming safe for the environment and society?

Even though more research shows a link between GE crops and human and environmental health, I see no slowdown in

government or school funding supporting research to expand GE food technology.

Clearly GE food labelling does not stop the proliferation of GE crops across North America and in the bodies of an increasingly obese and diabetic society.

GE labelling does not stop the damage to farmlands, ecosystems, water tables, fields contaminated by terminator seeds and farmers’ personal

health, or the chemical assault on crops and lungs.

Consider the meat industry and the marketing of grain-fed beef. Grain fed = GE cornand GE soy-fed beef. The meat industry is built on GE crops and the grain farmers receiving government subsidies for the GE crops they grow to feed the animals. Without government subsidies on GE crops the farmer would be out of business. The well-funded GE food industry also employs and supports millions of citizens who live in our communities working in the GE supply chain: farms, chemical manufacturers, universities, researchers, seed corporations, governments. It is not as easy as saying “no to GMO” as millions of families depend on GE food revenues.

To understand how deeply imbedded GE technology is in our society, I highly recommend The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I laughed when the author mused that corn is truly the “survivor of the fittest,” enslaving world powers and humanity into helping it spread worldwide, creating laws, fighting for its rights, spending billions on research so it survives longer, and destroying rainforests and ecosystems. Pass the corn chips, please.

Deane Parkes has been the president of Preferred Nutrition, a distributor and manufacturer of natural health products available in health food stores.

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