In the last week, I've been doing some serious soul-searching. Well, truth be told, I live in a near-constant state of restating my assumptions and priorities in life. But recently, thoughts of "this stuff" have been weighing heavily on my mind.

The serendipitous nature of the universe manifested about an hour ago, when I received a call from a naturopath 2,000 miles away from me in New England. The parent of a patient of his was doing some research and discovered my post about Lobelia's usefulness with seizures. She passed the article along to the doc, who picked up the phone and called me to discuss it more.

You can't see it, but I have very large and cheesy grin on my face which will probably stay there for the rest of the day. While I'm not a big believer in waiting for signs from above, I'm not so stupid as to refuse to follow the well-lighted path when it emerges from the shadows.

To that end-- I'm back. I'm not exactly sure where the path heads. I'd like to write more and eventually author some books on naturalism, botanical medicine, marine life... whatever. In order to get there, I have to start writing things. So I'm betting that this site will develop in that direction over time. Wish me luck!

I know, I know... It's been too long since I've posted. Sorry. I'll try and do better from now on; promise.

I was scanning a quick google news search today trying to figure out what to enlighten you about, and right near the top was a link to a story about herbal remedies and menopausal symptom relief.

How appropriate, as I've got two clients right now in the process of perimenopause I'm working with. Jumping over to the document in question, I quickly discover it's a "Dear Doc" column and not one devoted to herbal or natural remedies. The jist of the conversation is this:

Writer: "I'm 50 years old and experiencing classic menopausal symptoms (not to mention a pain-in-the-ass husband) of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, crying jags and low libido over the past several years. I can't take conventional HRT as I've a history of breast cancer in the family. After doing some research, I've been on Black Cohosh and a soy preparation. Guess what? Hot flashes are gone." (No mention of the other symptoms. I guess those are better...)

Doctor: "What the hell is Black Cohosh? Never heard of it... But don't trust natural foods (Of course, why would anyone trust anything that comes from nature?) because their unregulated. (Or it could be that you're just uneducated. Ever heard of DSHEA?)

Standard routine for most women... or anyone approaching their allopath about natural supplements or herbal remedies. The good news is that Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and other botanical medicines are very effective to women going through the various stages of menopause. There's also Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex agnus-castus), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) and a host of other wonderful plants that are very beneficial.

But next time you've got a question about some herbal prep you picked up in a health food store after your own research, you might want to consult with an herbalist... before you perplex your poor medical doctor.

With the recent media attention drawn to the herbal industry surrounding the Ephedra concerns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced their intention to crack down on the manufacturing process in an effort to improve consumer health and safety.

However, a very significant cause for concern dealing with the ingredients of "natural supplements" is being ignored. It's a concern I raise to all of my clients. Would you feel "safe" about your bottle of herbs if you knew that it may contain trace amounts of nail polish remover or other industrial solvents?

These solvents are used to extract the desired constituents from the plant matter. Two very common solvents are water (teas and tissanes) and alcohol (tinctures and extracts). Water doesn't have very good preservative properties, so you won't find many off-the-shelf products extracted with water. Alcohol is often called "the universal solvent", and acts as a very good preservative. Sometimes, glycerin is used to "displace" the alcohol in children's remedies or for those clients wishing alcohol-free products.

But alcohol is expensive, and it is pretty slow-acting. Large corporations or manufacturers of herbal products need to cut expenses and get products on the shelf faster. Hence the introduction of nail polish remover and other chemical solvents. In theory, the solvent is evaporated from the compound before packaging. They swear it's safe, citing the extremely low levels of chemical residue.

I, however, do not want even trace amounts of nail polish remover in my herbs.

This is not the only option. Many reputable companies, such as Gaia, New Chapter, Herbs, etc., and Herb Pharm use super critical carbon dioxide and other various non-toxic compounds in their manufacturing process. It's more expensive and time consuming, and you probably won't find these on the shelf of your local Costco. You will, however, get a better product in the end... and no surprises.

Yes, I think we should crack down on the manufacturing process of herbs. Let's get these solvents out of the process. In turn, we'll get rid of the companies more interested in wealth accumulation than health accumulation.

OK, faithful readers. It's been a long time since my last rant, and I'm feeling the need to vent again. Well... perhaps vent isn't the proper word to use this time. No, this time I think I'll be quite rational when I point out this particular brand of prejudice that infects Western medicine.

Just a few days ago, the American Stroke Association heard from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine researchers studying the comparative effects of a combination of the Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng) Panax notoginseng (also know as Sanqi), versus Duxil, a prescription medication used in dementia treatments in individuals with Alzheimer's. This study marks the first time the combination of P. ginseng and P. notoginseng have been studied for their effectiveness in treating mild to moderate cases of dementia. However, both herbs have long histories as tonics for the elderly.

Interestingly enough, the study concluded that the herbal combination was significantly more effective than the pharmaceutical.

"The patients in the group taking the ginseng showed a significant increase in their average score on five memory tests, including immediate and delayed story recall, delayed word recall, verbal learning and verbal recognition.

Their total memory score was significantly higher than for the group taking Duxil..."

Western researchers have a significant philosophical difference with Eastern researchers in the composition of the tests. You may have heard the term "double-blind" in reference to tests. Simply put, neither the researchers nor the participants know if the subject receives the test material or a placebo until after the trial is over. This is done, ostensibly enough, as to not influence the outcome of the trial period. As such, one half of all research subjects will not receive anything other than a sugar pill in most cases.

This is an abomination of medicine in the eyes of Eastern researchers. They simply cannot understand why one half of the subjects don't get any treatment. As such, they test against known effective substances. For them, it's not a question of "does it work?", but "how well does it work?"

Chinese researchers will often take this a step further, ending trials midway through when one group is obviously improving to a much greater degree than the other. Rather than have people suffer in the name of "science", they truly wish good health to be achieved by all subjects. I suppose you could say they don't treat them like subjects at all, but more like real live human beings.

Now before you jump up and start defending double-blind studies, let me take it to an extreme. Let's say that Black and Decker builds a new hammer. If the company adopted Western scientific principles, they'd need to set up a test where the new hammer was compared against a placebo. "Group A, you'll be pounding a nail into this 2x4 with our new hammer. Group B, just use your fist." I hope they have plenty of pain-killers nearby! OK, sure I glossed over the "blind" part, but you see my meaning.

At what point will Western researchers accept empirical evidence gathered outside of the lab? When will compassion for their patients, the people presenting the illness before them, take center stage? I for one welcome the Eastern research with open arms, and look forward to more studies like this. Of course, we won't see many coming out of this country, as nearly all research is conducted by pharmaceutical companies... and there just isn't any profit in an un-patentable herbal compound.

Bob: "I'm an oncologist."
Sue: "Really? I've been avoiding dairy to lose weight. Is that a good idea?"

---

Jill: "I'm a graphics artist."
Jack: "Oh? I have cousin in agriculture. Do you know him?"

---

And when Evo says "I'm an herbalist" to friends, family and others who ask his occupation, he receives equally as ludicrous responses.

My 76 year old Grandfather replied with "You know... back in the Navy, we used hydrogen peroxide to fix dang near everything. We used to gargle it and drink it..."

Some friends replied with "Really? Well we take colloidal silver every day, and it's just the best thing!"

{Sigh} That's OK. Education is part of being an herbalist. And from the looks of things on the radio, TV and the Internet, a great deal of good and bad education in the form of advertising is going on out there about "alternative medicine".

Today I discovered an article written for the Star Tribune in Minnesota. If you've read me before, you'll know I'm no fan of conventional media and how they knee-jerk react to traditional medicine. However, I think this article is about as fair as you can get, even though it is critical of some alternative practices.

Specifically, they have this to say about colloidal silver:

Silver does have antibacterial properties, Kingston (a dietary supplement expert who is vice president and senior toxicologist at the PROSAR International Poison Center in St. Paul) said. That's why it once was used as a disinfectant for the skin and eyes, he said. Mercury, another heavy metal, also can kill disease-causing bugs and was once used similarly.

Chances are most folks are aware that mercury is an environmental toxin. What they may not be aware of is how often mercury was used for hundreds of years by the conventional medical community to treat a host of illnesses. Often times it worked... if you managed to survive the treatment or the round of iatrogenic illnesses that followed for the rest of your life.

Note: I'm not trained in nor have I studied the effects of colloidal silver on or in the human body. Keep in mind that I'm an herbalist... you know, plants? Metals aren't plants.

It's worth a read, but keep it in context. Just like you should keep all those "get well/skinny/larger breasts/sleepy/high/erotic/non-bald" ads that are flooding the airwaves right now. These companies don't put this stuff out to make you look/feel better... they do it to make money. Do they work? Some of their claims aren't outrageous... but many are. My advice: remember it's advertising. Things that sound too good to be true often are just that.

You know, you'd think I'd have grown calloused to this kind of crap by now. Yet it still gets my goat all the way up when shit like this gets plastered all over the news.

From the AP Wire: Echinacea in doubt
"Echinacea, a popular but largely untested herbal remedy for the common cold, showed no benefit when given to a small group of college students with sore throats and stuffy noses, researchers say."

1. Medicago sativa (Alfalfa) was the "placebo". Yes. That's right. Alfalfa. Another medicinal plant specifically indicated for viral infections like the common cold. Loaded with chlorophyll and minerals (like zinc), Alfalfa can lessen the duration of a viral attack, providing the body with nutrients depleted during the battle with the invading virus. Some placebo.
   
2. The Echinacea pills were provided by a multi-level marketing company. Oh boy. Nothing like getting the cream of the crop, fellas. We are keenly aware of the shoddiness of some companies schlepping their "herbal" products, who are more concerned with profits than the quality of their products. Shame on you...

But that immunomodulation isn't a magic bullet. For my clients, I recommend they does themselves (with the tincture, not the bulk herb) every 90 minutes while the infection of virus is acute. That's 2 ml taken about 10 times a day... and sometimes for several days. Don't forget that the common cold is a royal pain in the but to shake off, which is why modern allopaths have so far been completely unsuccessful at a "cure", resulting in symptom masking.

And that's another thing that has be pissed off about this study. The specific reports from the participants judged how they felt. But Echinacea does nothing for symptom masking! There are plenty of other herbs that will help with the labored breathing like Osha (Ligusticum porteri), bring down the fevers like Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) or deal with the aches and pains like Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). You know... symptom relief. No, Echinacea doesn't do much for symptoms, working at a much deeper level.

OK. I'll put the soap box away for the moment. Until someone else comes along and publishes this kind of rubbish. Then I'll dust it off and pound the pulpit some more...

Recently, Newsweek ran an in-depth analysis/report on what is becoming quite a trend in the western medical community, Integrative Care. Considering that integrative medicine is why I got into herbalism in the first place, it gives me great joy to see this topic so prevalent in the media today.

Integrative medicine gets back to the heart of what healing arts should be. I almost said, "what they were", but that would be an untrue statement for Western medicine. A general lack of respect and trust has been expressed on all sides of the table towards other practitioners and professionals for the past thousand years or so. No, integrative medicine doesn't put us back on good terms with one another; we were never there. But it does provide us with a good roadmap of how we can help clients and patients make the best personal healthcare choices.

I think everyone would agree with me when I say that sick people want nothing more than to feel better. As a health care professional and a compassionate fellow human, I naturally want to help them in any way that I can. But am I the best choice? As an herbalist, am I equipped or qualified to deal with every case the comes before me? Of course not. If the next knock on my door were a gunshot victim, I'd do him better service by calling 911 as opposed to trying to staunch the flow of blood with Yarrow or offering some pain relieving tincture. Conversely, doctors shouldn't be treating winter colds and flu bugs with antibiotics, they should be referring most of them to a qualified herbalist. An acupuncturist might better serve asthmatic patients, and tai chi might be just the thing for the poor soul suffering from fibromyalgia.

But how is the patient or client to know? At the moment, they have pain, the sniffles, labored breathing, abdominal pains, copious sweating… and they just want it (or them) to stop. Should we provide some type of Quick Reference Guide to direct them to the proper practitioner? Maybe set up a 1-800 hotline to point them in the right direction. Surely I jest. Well yes, as a matter of fact I do. With integrative medicine, they do what they would normally do; call or go see the person who they think can make them feel better. But it's quite possible the person they call or chose to visit may suggest alternate pathways in the best interest of the client, allowing them to make their own decisions.

In this newfound world of respect, all health professionals are completely comfortable with the arenas they are most qualified to help, while simultaneously being keenly aware of the other affiliated practitioners and their areas of expertise. Even the insurance companies have pulled their collective heads out of their neither regions, understanding that it's more cost effective (not to mention the right thing to do) to cover the referral to a holistic professional rather than pay for ineffective office visits and unnecessary medication.

Gone is the infighting, jealously and near-constant finger pointing. In it's place we find mutual understanding, respect and a commonality that seems to have been forgotten somewhere along the way-- the well being of the client/patient. It's the reason we got into this field in the first place, isn't it?

This is why I've chosen to establish my clinic in Cottonwood, Arizona. It's a small enough town to get to know the majority of the medical doctors, chiropractors, specialists and naturopaths, yet big enough to draw on a sizeable population. Holistic healthcare is enjoying a sort of renaissance here in Northern Arizona, having everything to do with the proximity to Sedona. People here (and other places) want this, of that I'm absolutely certain. I hope to be the catalyst that provides it for them. I'll let you know how it goes…

(Thanks to Forbidden Science for bringing this to my attention)

A recent Reuters story says...

The percentage of the world's plants threatened with extinction is much larger than commonly believed, and could be as high as 47 percent if tropical species are included...

I'm troubled by this story not just because I'm an herbalist, but because I'm frightened to what's happening to life on our planet. Let me state that I completely understand that extinction is the way things go on this world. No species is immune to this natural progression of life. It's just the way things work.

What's sad is how quickly a single species is hastening the demise of so many other companion species. Sadder yet is the fact that I'm part of this species that seems to have not a care for the wellbeing of the other beings on this planet, nor the delicate balance that allows us to enjoy conditions which provide for our own prosperity.

Luckily, not all humans are hellbent on destructive practices. One organization in particular, the United Plant Savers, is dedicated to the preservation of a variety of medicinal plants that are threatened. I encourage all of you to contribute to this organization and to spread the word of their efforts.

I was reading a report on a recent study where it was found that nearly a third of all American kids are using some type of holistic medication, and close to 1 out of every four uses herbal medicine or dietary supplements.

The study goes on to claim that almost half of the parents didn't feel it necessary to provided the kid's doctor with that information. First, that's probably a bad idea. If you're going to see a physician, he or she needs to be made aware of any herbs or supplements you're taking. Yes, I realize there is the "scowling look factor" to consider, but if I assume you're seeing a physician that respects your choices this shouldn't be an issue. Some conventional drugs and traditional herbs don't mix. Now off the soapbox and back to the issue at hand.

In the story, the researchers admit that most of the holistic therapies are relatively safe. However, the very next statement reads as follows:

"The more important concern is that someone might use alternative therapies at the expense of conventional treatments for diseases that could easily be treated with existing therapies"

If my baby has diaper rash, wouldn't some soothing emollient herbs (like Marshmallow) be better than applying an isolated steroid? If I have adult onset diabetes, are you suggesting that regular insulin shots is the better alternative to me losing 50 pounds and changing eating habits to a more healthy diet?

I would think that the more important concern should be the person receiving the best possible health care that does the least amount of damage during the healing process. It doesn't necessarily need to line the pocket books of pharmaceutical companies, nor does it need to perpetuate the isolation of the patient from the healing process.

Now this is strange. At 3:00 PM today, I was smacked with the most intensely painful headache I've ever encountered. True, I'm a major wuss when it comes to pain and I rarely get headaches except for the self-induced over-indulgent nature. Today's was a doozy. I had to suffer through an hour long telephone conversation, all the while rubbing my temples, pulling at my scalp and thinking of how much it hurt.

Recognizing when I'm beat, I left the office to try and take care of the problem at home. I downed at least 90 mils of a custom compound called "Artemisia's Pain Forumla". I discovered this formula in Wolf Creek this winter when my wife twisted her knee in a skiing accident. It's formulated by herbalist Jennie Blechman of Artemesia Botanicals in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It helped my wife then as well as when she had reconstructive surgery on her ACL a few months ago (yep, same knee, this time a hockey accident.)

After a half an hour, the Pain Formula wasn't cutting it. Still a throbbing, motion sensitive pain behind my left eye. Right after I took the tincture, I also applied some Lavender essential oil to my forehead, temple and upper cheek area. I've found Lavender very helpful when I do get mild headaches, like the one I had over the weekend. (That was flu recovery, and not the brown-bottle variety.) Not today.

And in case you're wondering, Tylenol or aspirin were simply out of the question. I've been free of that stuff for a little over two years now, and I'm not heading back if I don't have to. The trouble is, I was out of any other pain killer in my personal apothecary. Noting much to do than try and sleep it off.

I had a bit of fresh Eschscholzia tincture that I made earlier in the year. Not a very powerful sedative, but as much pain as I was in, I didn't think it would take much coaxing for my body to head to nighty-night land. I also wanted to make sure that flu virus wasn't lingering around from a couple of days ago, so I added a dash of Larrea to the mix. (Did you read about my Larrea experiments? Fascinating.)

Within 15 minutes, the throbbing was gone. It was still around, but only noticeable when I sat up too quickly or moved my head suddenly. That was 10 minutes ago. Now I have the "memory" of the pain, but a quick shake of the head shows it gone baby, solid gone!

It's been said before that each headache is as unique as the person suffering it is. I'm a believer now! And it looks like a little Eschscholzia and Larrea combo is a lethal combo to mine!

Consider the following opening line of text taken from a study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

When quality of life is considered, combined estrogen-progestin hormone therapy (HT) is highly cost-effective for treatment of perimenopausal symptoms.

I'm puzzled. I'm further puzzled by the article, which apparantly shows that women on the pharmaceuticals in the study gained a whopping 1.7 additinal months of life. Surely I'm reading this thing wrong. Can someone help me out here?

I lost someone today. Well, to tell the story straight, my Mother lost one of her closest friends. I can't recall a time growing up when I didn't know Kathy, so I guess that means I've known her all my life. Kathy was only 51 years old.

But those were long years on Kathy. Years of drug and alcohol abuse tend to catch up with you sooner or later. Her body gave up its fight two weeks before her 52nd birthday. And while the fight was long, the last battle was, luckily, relatively short.

Mom called me yesterday at around noon and told me Kathy was sick. The doctors diagnosed advanced cirrhosis of the liver, renal failure and an inflamed pancreas. Her color was school-bus yellow, according to mom. Mom new Kathy was in a bad way and was calling me (1,000 miles away) to see if there was anything I could help with, assuming she made it over this first hurdle.

Too bad we never got a chance to try. Kathy's body gave up the fight about nine hours later.

Here's the irony. While this was going on, I'm sitting in clinic with a client recently diagnosed with a congested liver. Recalling the conversation with my Mom from earlier in the day, I kept Kathy in my mind as I'm helping my client make some dietary, supplement and botanical choices to assist the healing of her liver.

My sister called just as the session ended to tell me the news. Dandelion, anyone?

Effective immediately, you can't call me "Pagan" anymore. I scoffed at that name once before in my life, but readopted it over the last couple of years. It was just easier than trying to explain Pantheism to people. But a recent article in the Arizona Republic is causing me to pull the plug once again.

This weekend is the Autumnal Equinox, also known as Mabon. It also coincides nicely with a Full Moon, making the timing doubly as meaningful. It seems that a few select individuals calling themselves "Pagan" here in the Valley were contacted by (or more likely initiated the contact) our local paper to discuss the upcoming "Pagan Pride" celebrations slated for this weekend.

I like what Zuly is writing about the coming equinox. I've been marking the celestial occasions, such as full moons, equinoxes and solstices, for the past couple of years and find them immensely more satisfying than the humano-centric ones we've grown accustomed to as of late.

Some choice excerpts:

At the Equinox, we have one brief, yet utterly magical moment of complete and total balance as the earth and the sun face each other equally. It is a time for reflection and rest, a time to give thanks for the harvest, and a time to prepare for the next quarter of the year. It is an excellent time to give thanks to the earth for sustaining life season after season.

I encourage you, though, to consider marking Mabon this weekend. What we call God and what we call Nature are not separate entities. Taking time to mark the special moments in the Wheel of the Year allows us to reconnect with our Creator – who created the earth and all of nature, and I believe, set the Wheel of the Year in motion – and with one another.

One more thing: the Full Moon is Saturday, September 21. Called the Harvest Moon, this full moon will coincide with the equinox -- within hours -- making it a particularly beautiful and magical equinox. If you don't do anything else to mark Mabon, just take a moment to stand outside on Saturday or Sunday night and marvel in her splendor. I guarantee it will move your soul.

Thanks, Zuly, for keeping things in perspective for me.

A wonderful quote posted on Sprezzatura today.

I remember as a child hearing my impatient missionary father … [as] he explained to an elderly Chinese gentleman, "Does it mean nothing to you that if you reject Christ you will burn in Hell?"

The Chinese gentleman smiled as he replied, "If, as you say, my ancestors are all in Hell at this moment, it would be unfilial of me not to be willing to suffer with them."

I've seen a couple of other posts (like this one ) in regards to this topic from Becoming. The idea is rather simple.

September 11, 2002 should be a quiet day; no special reports, no documentaries, no television, no radio. Nothing.

Regardless of how you feel about that date in history, whether you be from this country or another, all of us could use a break from the force-feeding of mass media.

For me, I'll listen to CD's in the morning rather than the radio. I'll not surf around Google News, or anything remotely like reporting. In my car, it will be silence for me, giving me time to reflect on my tasks for that day. No, I won't dwell on the events of last year... but you can if you feel like it.

September 11, 2002. The day the media died.

Stumbling around in blogerdom today, I came a cross this article by Richard Kahn regarding the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development. (Warning: serious political bent here. Read no further if you don't want to shatter your image of me.)

Richard posts his thoughts and musings on the Vegan Blog: The (Eco) Logical Website. While I am not a vegan (or even a vegetarian,) I highly recommend this blog to keep up with what's current regarding the environment.

Since I can't seem to get the link to wind up right on the appropriate post, scan the page for the date Tuesday, September 03, 2002 and the entry entitled:
A Radical Plan to Save the Summit: Don't Save the World, Save Yourselves

The first two paragraphs sum it up nicely:

"The summit is now officially a disaster and a failure. There were low hopes going in and there will be even less coming out.

The United States has been made into the world's enemy, as the E.U., Russia and China have teamed up with developing nations to paint America as the neo-liberal giant that seeks only to rape the environment and labor at any cost in order to make its books come out right."

Worth a read!

Put your thinking caps on and give this article by Tom Matrullo (his blog is called IMproPRieTies and is very insightful-- but has nothing to do with herbalism) a quick read.

Well, no way you'll give it a quick read, as you'll need to go over it a couple of times. But it explains perfectly well why I have no interest in signing a record contract.

Have you heard about the Banned Books Project yet? Definitely worth a look...

Since this is all over the news, at least online, I feel it needs a response. I love all the attention that our industry has been getting... sort of. On one hand, it brings us lots of attention. On the other hand, it's an opportunity for ignorant individuals to gain the spotlight and divert attention to their own causes.

Last week, the National Institutes of Health (notice the "dot-gov", as in government) announced their plans to study the following botanicals:

• Allium sativa (Garlic)
  
• Ginko biloba (Ginko)
  
• Crataegus oxyacanthus (Hawthorn)
  
• The elusive "phytoestrogens"

Harold Slyvester posted tipped us off to this little tidbit over on the AHG forums area. Thanks, Harold!

Jenny Thompson of the Heath Sciences Institute has written up a great e-Alert. Sitting around with the ubiquitous boob-tube on, I can't help but take pause when the pharmaceutical ads (which happen at the rate of seven gazillion a minute, it seems) talk about side-effects in similar proportion to those found in placebo or sugar pills.

Wait a minute. Sugar pills causing nausea, headache, vomiting, irregular heart beat? Is something going on here I'm not being told?

Jenny thinks so. Take a minute to read the full article. And wake up!

Now this was kinda fun! No, it really has nothing to do with herbalism, but all work and no play will make Jack a dull boy, right? And that goes for Evo's, too!

Online polls telling you what kind of thing you are seem to be all the rage these days in the blogging community. I've resisted the temptation (no pun intended) until BeleifNet came out with Belief-O-Matic. Take the test and find out where you stand.

Here are my top five results for all the world to see:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
   
2. Neo-Pagan (95%)
   
3. New Age (91%)
   
4. Liberal Quakers (87%)
   
5. Secular Humanism (75%)

Time to put on my rant hat for a minute, folks. I just read this story and have to get some things aired out in the open. Maybe I'm not seeing this from the perspective the government wants me to, but I kinda pride myself on that.

Here's the headline: Power Lines Probably Risky

Read that again. Probably risky. Let's see here. Exposure to massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation, the likes of which were never apart of our (or any things) evolutionary past, just might not be the best thing for us. Well. If that isn't a solid "maybe", I don't know what is!

And how did they (this time the California Department of Health Services
) come to this iron-clad conclusion? Nothing like an eight-year study costing seven million dollars to do the trick!

Here's an example of just how far they stick there necks out after eight years and seven million bucks:

"To one degree or another, all three of the DHS scientists are inclined to believe that EMFs (electric and magnetic fields) can cause some degree of increased risk of childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease and miscarriage..."

How do I sign up for one of these studies? Just think what we could do with eight years and seven gazillon dollars! Probably come up with something better than "to one degree or another", don't you think?

Koo-run-DARE-uh. You gotta make sure and trill the "R" sound for the appropriate effect. One of my favorite words for healer. It's a Spanish name, still in use today in Latin America and describing local native healers, all of whom incorporate herbal medicine in their art.

I've been fortunate enough to meet a curendera by the name of Francisco from near the Mexico-US border in Arizona. He spoke to us (I was with a group of student herbalists) via a translator and healer in her own right, Mimi Kamp of Bisbee, AZ. A truly amazing journey, where we learned of his craft as we walked through the desert.

I recently read a story on the origin of the word. In Costa Rica there is a volcano called Rincon de la Vieja, or Old Woman's Place. Many many moons ago the area was ruled by a chief named Curubande. The chief had a daughter, Princess Curubanda (think Victor and Victoria,) who was madly in love with a prince from an enemy tribe.

Failing to keep their affair secret, the chief captured the prince, whisked him off to the top of the volcano and tossed him over the side. Insane with grief (and slightly budding of child), the princess abandoned her former life and went to live near the last spot her dead lover walked the earth. When the baby was born she sacrificed the child to the volcano, wanting the child to be with it's dead father.

Nuts as she was, she became a great healer, using the healing mud and ash from the volcano and the plants that grew around the mountain to heal the sick. People from all around the land would come to consult with the princess, who simply became known as "the curendera."

Welcome, everyone!

I'm Evo Terra, an herbal therapist and educator located currently in Phoenix, Arizona. I've been pondering for some time now exactly how I was going to do this: get A Simpler Way up online. I decided to combine my love of herbalism with my newfound passion for blogging.

I suppose many folks interested in herbalism don't know what blogging is. But that's OK, as I’d be willing to wager that there are a fair number of avid bloggers out there who don't know what the heck an herbalist is, either! We'll call it a learning experience for both sides then!

One more note before we get started: I'm no designer. I would like to thank my close friend David for providing his talents in creating my logo. Thank you very much, David. You are quite simply the most talented designer and artist I've yet to meet. I'm happy to count you as a friend.

Also thanks to Robyn of Ain't Too Proud to Blog for turning me onto hostmatters. The installation of Moveable Type went very smoothly. Good choice, and go Sooners! I'll probably be turning to you again in the future as my neophyte MT skills could use a little honing.

Well... since we're up and live, let's get started!

First my loving wife. "Sean called and wants to know if you're riding together tomorrow." she said.

"Nope." Said I. "Starting tomorrow, I'm taking the bus."

A look of incredulity crept over her face. "What?" She quizzically asked, followed by the obligatory "Why?"

I offered a variety of reasons, from the 4000-mile trip we had just taken on my leased car to the much more meaningful environmental benefits of mass transit. But that look of perceived insanity never left her eyes. And she turned introspective.

"You're not going to do that when NJ starts school, are you?" He's almost 10 now, and completely capable of getting himself ready and off to school in the mornings. He did it all last year, unbeknownst to her because she left for work in the wee hours. The conversation remains unresolved.

Our friends across the street had another perspective. "What the hell is wrong with your car?"

"Nothing," I said... unless you count the miles I racked up last week.

"How long are you going to do this?" they asked. I didn't have an answer. I really don't know. I wasn't aware that these decisions had to have an end-date.

From the 72 year-old man who lives a few doors down, a man who can recall the impact of the great depression yet now lives in ample luxury, "Are you all right?"

Now how do answer that? I just laughed and continued walking. Somehow, I knew I wouldn't be able to explain it to him if I had wanted.

One of my employees who lives near my house came in today and offered me a place in her and her husbands car on their way to work. I politely declined, stating that I already had one abandoned carpool buddy, and that I actually enjoyed the time I had to read and think for that extra hour in the mornings.

That's the amazing thing about the bus. Here you are surrounded by people and you never, never talk to them. Oh, maybe you'll make a comment to the bus driver, or maybe someone new comes on and asks where this bus is headed or when the next one leaves, but none of the idle, worthless, crappy chit-chat that takes up your carpooling time with the people that you know. Some first-and-only-time bus riders are taken aback by the "comatose" people on the bus, but I don't see them that way at all. When I've asked a question, or made a comment to someone, they've always replied in a very civil tone, and never once looked at me like I was breaking some sacred taboo by emitting words from my mouth.

There's one guy on the bus who doesn't share in the need for quiet and solitude like the rest of us. He talks non-stop. To whoever is sitting next to him. If no one will talk back to him (which they normally stop doing after a few minutes), he talks to the bus driver, who, oddly enough, seems to enjoy the exchange as they converse for the entire route occasionally. A few days ago, it was my turn to be on the receiving end of his conversation.

"Where do you work?" he asked. I told him and politely inquired the same of him, falling right back in to the meaningless idle chatter we are all brought up to expect from others as true conversations.

He then asked "What do you do?" where I responded again.

"I'm the eBusiness Manager for the company. Basically, I'm my team is responsible for all of the company's Internet-related activities."

A few seconds ticked by while he absorbed this information. It obviously wasn't the answer he was expecting. "I'm a file clerk." He said, pausing and looking away for just a moment before his gaze swung back to me and continued with "Why are you riding the bus?"