THE RIGHT HAND A newly appointed teacher was assigned the duty to handle a class in a school. The teacher who was handling that class had a very bad impression about the students. So she warned the new teacher about them and advised her to be stern, strict, rough and tough from the outset. Influenced by this advice, the new teacher entered the class with a grim face waving a cane to generate fear. The students were frightened seeing her expression. She asked them a question to test their previous knowledge and ordered that those who knew the answer should raise their right hands. Many students raised their right hands. Others who did not know the answer sat still, anticipating her violent reaction. While examining the students, she found that a boy in the last row had raised his left hand instead of his right hand. She assumed it to be an expression of gross misbehaviour and indiscipline, as she was prejudiced by the report of the previous teacher. She noted that he was probably the naughtiest student in the class. In a fit of anger, she rushed to the boy and thrashed him violently with the cane, shouting savagely, hoping that it would be an effective warning to all. The poor child fell down and cried aloud. Then she noted that his right hand was crippled and that was why he raised his left hand instead of his right hand, to show that he knew the answer. The teacher was shocked. She tried her best to pacify the crying child. Later she learned that the child had been a victim of poliomyelitis and used to write with his left hand as his right hand was totally deformed. This incident transformed the teacher. She became friendly with every student, asked them personal questions and learned the names, abilities, defects, special talents and family background of every student in her class. With this personal and affectionate approach she could easily win their appreciation and admiration. She became a very successful teacher and was loved and respected by all her students. Bias and prejudice may impair our judgment and damage human relations. Personal contact with intimate interaction with others is the best method of teaching, catechesis and evangelisation. Love is the language prescribed by Jesus for evangelisation. Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself” {Matthew 22:39 }. St. James advises, “Remember this, my dear brothers! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry” {James 1: 19 }. St. Paul advises, “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin….Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you….Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ” {Ephesians 4: 26 -32}. By: Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India. This is Story No. 156 in this site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click ‘Newer Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the ‘Story Themes’ to read stories on that theme.

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A beggar came and sat before me. “I want bread,” he said. “How wise you are,” I assured him. “Bread is what you need. And you have come to the right bakery.” So I pulled my cookbook down from my shelf and began to tell him all I knew about bread. I spoke of flour and wheat, of grain and barley. My knowledge impressed even me as I cited the measurements and recipe. When I looked up, I was surprised to see he wasn’t smiling. “I just want bread,” he said. “How wise you are.” I applauded his choice. “Follow me, and I’ll show you our bakery.” Down the hallowed halls I guided him, pausing to point out the rooms where the dough is prepared and the ovens where the bread is baked. “No one has such facilities. We have bread for every need. But here is the best part,” I proclaimed as I pushed open two swinging doors. “This is our room of inspiration.” I knew he was moved as we stepped into the auditorium full of stained-glass windows. The beggar didn’t speak. I understood his silence. With my arm around his shoulder, I whispered, “It overwhelms me as well.” I then leaped to the podium and struck my favorite pose behind the lectern. “People come from miles to hear me speak. Once a week, my workers gather, and I read to them the recipe from the cookbook of life.” By now the beggar had taken a seat on the front row. I knew what he wanted. "would you like to hear me?" "No," he said, "but I would like some bread." "How wise you are," I replied. And I led him to the front door of the bakery. "What I have to say next is very important," I told him as we stood outside. "Up and down this street you will find many bakeries. But take heed; they dont serve the true bread. I know of one who adds two spoons of salt rather than one. I know of another whose oven is three degrees too hot. They may call it bread," I warned, "but it’s not according to the book." The beggar turned and began walking away. "Don’t you want bread?" I asked him. He stopped, looked back at me, and shrugged, "I guess I lost my appetite." I shook my head and returned to my office. "What a shame," I said to myself. "The world just isn’t hungry for true bread anymore."

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Beggar And Bread

The wandering sage has finally returned from his travels. It is always good to visit distant places. It gives you a whole new perspective on things. People are basically the same wherever you go. They all have hopes and dreams as well as worries and fears. The problems arise when the worries and fears outweigh the hopes and dreams. It really feels like all of this financial pandemic crisis stuff causes a lot more stress and tension in people than is necessary. I don’t really get the sense that the mainstream media is helping at all. They seem to revel in sensationalizing all of it which only makes things worse. And while we may supposedly be in a recovery now all of the problems with population, limited resources, peak oil, climate change and economic meltdown are still escalating. Fortunately, with the arrival of spring (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) there is the feeling of rebirth and a new wellspring of energy that is bubbling up. We need to tap into this energy and make use f it. Too often it can feel like our problems are taking over our life. When we can feel a real connection to the Earth and the energy of the natural world those problems shrink down to a more manageable size. So, as with many of these posts, I’ll leave you with these simple words… Remember to Breathe

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return of the sage

Lately I have been listening to Deepak Chopak’s Life After Death: The Burden of Proof on audio. It’s a fascinating read (listen?) and intellectual journey. Chopak describes alternate realities as detailed by the Hindu risha’s and vedics, using modern theories of quantum mechanics and cutting edge physics to back-up the ancient claims. It it, he briefly discusses karmic law. Early on he talks about the near death experience (NDE: about which he seems to have done quite a bit of research) and the common experience NDE’s describe about the life review. Karmically, the life review goes backward beginning with the most recent event and working back to birth. He mentions an exercise that he preforms as part of his nightly routine whereas one reviews the past days activities and events, working backward from the most recent to waking in the morning. Apparently this exercises helps to release karmas that have been aquired while participating in the day’s events. I’ve implemented this practice, and have found an added benefit: that it induces a quick and deep slumber. I combine it with a qi gong breathing technique as follows: [I do the qi gong breathing morning and evening upon waking and retiring]. Qi Gong 3 Jiao Breathing Technique I learned this qi gong breathing technique in 1997 from a qi gong master, FaXiang Huo, with whom my qi gong instructor in acupuncture college (PCOM) apprenticed. All Qi Gong methods include a version of this simple exercise. Presented here is Mst. Huo’s take on it, passed down in his family. I do this lying down in bed, morning and evening; however, it was taught to me preformed in a standing position (horse stance). That may have been for demonstration purposes, and for abeiting beginner efforts at the practice. Mts. Huo directs that the excercise may be preformed standing, sitting or lying down. In Chinese medicine (and Qi gong/Tai Qi/martial arts) the torso/abdomen is dividing into 3 regions or jiaos (in Chinese), referred to as upper, middle and lower. The upper jiao is the area above the diaphram, which includes the organs of the lungs and heart. The middle jiao is the area between the diaphram and the navel, which includes all of the digestive organs. The lower jiao is the area from the navel to the public, which incudes the kidneys, reproductive organs and organs of elimination of waste. In Taoist thought, the Dantian, or Cinnabar Field (so named because of Cinnabar’s red color to denote something precious) is located in the lower jiao, 1.3″ below the navel, or midway btwn the navel and the pubis, approximately 1 1/2″ deep. The dantian is where the precious essence of life, one’s vital jing is store. Jing is a type of Qi (energy), decribed as being thicker and more rarified than qi. It is the primordial energy of life itself. Actually each of the jiao’s house the dantian: upper, middle and lower dantian, but the lower dantian is emphasized for preserving and cultivating jing qi. The middle dantian is located at the solar plexus, and is important for developing nutritive qi, the vital essence extracted from food. The upper dantian is said to be located in the brain’s pineal gland, located on the intersection of lines drawn inward from the between the eyebrows and traveling deep to between the ears. The upper dantian is the center of spiritual and mental energy. Mst. Huo describes the middle dantian as the area around the navel and says that it is the main energy storage area. He locates the upper dantian at the spiritual third eye, at the ctr of the forehead, above and btwn the eyes. He further identifies a ‘Shanzhoung’, located in the chest, btwn the nipples/breasts. He advises that when you concentrate on the shanzhoung, to focus on the chest in general, as if it were large and expansive, as the universe. [For more about taoist cultivation activities, reference "Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life" by Deng Ming-Dao]. When I do this exercise, I have been beginning in the middle jiao, progressing upward to the upper jiao, and finishing in the lower dantian. I sometimes take a few final breathes into the the middle jiao to complete the circle. However, Mst. Huo teaches the exercise begining in the upper jiao, progressing to the lower jiao, and finishing in the center, or middle jiao. This may be because expanding the upper jiao is the easiest: the lower and middle jiao’s are more challenging to isolate and expand without affecting the other areas. I will give the directions here as i have been doing the exercise of late, beginning in the middle jiao. Initially, when I began doing the exercise, I liked to visualize the organs in the respective region i directed the breath to, visualizing their functions and bringing zhong qi (chest qi, as the qi of the air mixes with the qi of the body in the region of the lungs) to each of the vital organs. I eventually dropped that visualization practice, and currently focus on the breathing. With eyes closed, begin by becoming quiet and noticing the body and breath. Relax the body, and begin noticing the breath coming in and out. Notice the breath becoming slower, more even and rhythmic. Keep the inhalations and the exhalations even as you preform this exercise, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. [ This is Mst. Huo's instruction. When I practice the exercise, I inhale and exhale through the nose ]. Mst. Huo cautions not to take big, loud or deep breaths while doing the exercise, and advises to push out the stale energy on the exhalation. Direct the attention to the middle jiao, drawing the breath to this region. Working with the inhalations and exhalations, allow this area to expand as fully as possible, without affecting the other areas of the torso (keeping the upper and lower jiao’s flat). Mst. Huo instructs during the exhalation to pull or suck in the middle jiao region as you push out the stale energy with the breath. Direct the breathing to the upper jiao/chest region. Begin to fill this area fully and completely with clean, fresh qi, isolating the chest from the other areas of the torso. Expand the chest fully, the stomach may contract and become a bit concave while you do this. Exhale quietly, slowly and steadily, drawing out the stale energy as you contract the chest and lungs fully. Now progress to the lower dantian, directing the breathing into the lower jiao. Expand the lower jiao as fully as possible, keeping the middle and upper jiao’s flat. As you exhale fully and completely, the middle jiao may contract slightly as well. Mst. Huo discussed the difference btwn formal and informal practice. In formal practice, one practices with eyes closed with deep concentration focused on one’s location btwn heaven and earth. [This is a position rooted deep in chinese philosophy, with human's position lying in the middle with heaven, or sky above and the earth below one's feet]. Men practice 36 cycles of breathing, and women practice 24 (these are Taoist numbers). I practice somewhat informally, meaning one can practice for any length of time. I work with each jiao until it feels that it is time to move to the next region. In this deep field of concentration i am aware of my body’s inner dialogue and signals. Informally, this exercise can be practiced at any time, while in line in the supermarket or bank, during a television commercial, while waiting at a traffic light, or during a work break: whenever you find a moment to do it. So, at night i have found that the following meditation promotes a quick, deep and relaxing slumber. This is my own eclectic combination of yoga & qi gong relaxation and breathing with a karmic review finish: Kath’s Karmic An Mian Tang or Meditation to Calm the Mind & Promote a Peaceful Slumber Lie on your back, relax your body and begin to notice the rhythm of your breath. Allow your body to relax , letting go of any tension. Focus your attention to the rhythmic nature of the breath. Watch the breath without attempting to adjust or change it in any way. Relax your eyes, allowing the eyes to drop back into the eye sockets. Relax the teeth, gums and jaw, releasing any stored tension here. Allow the tip of the tongue to rest on the upper palette (This is a mudra, or yogic seal). Relax the muscles of the faces, allowing the flesh to release and drop off the cheek bones. Relax the neck and throat, releasing any tension stored here. Allow all of the tension to leave the body. Let your arms and legs be like rivers, the tension through them out of the body. The body becomes limp, sinking into the floor (mattress). Bring your attention to the brain, allowing it to fall back against the pillow, as the mind relaxs fully. Turn the attention back to the breath, noticing the even, rhythic nature. Direct the breath into the middle jiao, and begin the 3 Jiao Breathing Excercise. After completing the 3 Jiao breathing cycle, let your attention remain on the breath for a few moments. Then begin the karmic review of the past days activities and events, beginning with the 3 Jiao breathing exercise, and working backward to the moment of awakening in the morning. Copyright 2009 Kath Bartlett I find that i often fall asleep before completing the karmic review. I sleep deeply and soundly. When I wake in the morning and come to consciousness, I begin the 3 Jiao Breathing Exercise before rising. Upon completion, I try to remember where I left off in the karmic review before falling asleep, and then I complete the review before rising. This practice, in combination with regular yoga and meditation allows me to remain in a rather calm and peaceful place. I especially notice the calm and peaceful nature of my mind in the morning, before the activities of the day take me into the physical realm. If you find that you wake during the night and have difficulting falling back to sleep, do the relaxation exercise and the 3 Jiao Breathing Exercise. If your mind is busy, complete the karmic review, and then meditate on your breath. I would appreciated hearing your comments about your experience with this exercise, and whether the practice aids your slumber and calms your mind. KB

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Insomnia Trick

Here’s my newest, favorite soup recipe. Is it ever delicious. I garnished it with a dollop of raw/cultured red cabbage that I found in a package in the refrigerator section at Earthfare. The red color popped beautifully popped in the bowl of the golden yellow soup, as did it’s tartness pop the flavor of this creamy potage. The recipe is from the cookbook of my favorite vegetarian restaurant in NYC: Angelica’s Kitchen. Peter Berley, the author of my 2nd favorite vegetarian cookbook: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, was a prior chef at Angelica’s Kitchen in earlier days, and is credited for recipe development. I see similarities and influences in the recipes and cooking styles of the 2 books. I keep an herb garden with staples like rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, thyme and so on, ensuring that I always have fresh herbs on hand to throw in a pot of whatever I’m cooking. I’ve made adjustments to the proportions and amounts of some ingredients and streamlined the directions a little bit. I always add a strip of kombu when cooking beans. It aids in their digestibility. You’ll find it in packages in the macrobiotic section at the natural food store. I highly recommend Mitoku’s gold rimmed packaged kombu from the Natural Import Company. It’s of a particularly high quality. The kombu is thick and comes from the part of a particular Japanese cove where the kombu has ideal growing conditions. There’s a link to their website on the bottom on the resources page of my website: www.AcupunctureAsheville.com KB 4C dried chickpeas, washed and soaked overnight Spring water 2 celery stalks 1-2 bay leaves 2 rosemary branches 6-8 fresh sage leaves 1/3C olive oil 4C diced yellow onions: 2 onions 1/2C garlic cloves, peeled: 1 1/2 heads 1/2C Fresh sqeezed lemon juice: 3 lemons sea salt and black pepper to taste 1 strip kombu (KB) Place the beans in a large pressure cooker with herbs, kombu and water to cover beans by 1″ or so. Bring to high pressure, lower heat and cook 45 minutes. While beans are cooking, heat oil in a large frying or saute pan over low heat. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook over lowest possible heat until beans are done: about 40 minutes. When beans are done, discard celery and herbs. Add the onions and garlic to the beans and puree. Add water as needed to make a thick soup. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. You’ll love it! The Angelica Home Kitchen: Mc Eachern Leslie. Ten Speed Press 2003, p132.

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Chickpea-Garlic Soup Mmm, Mmm Good

Todd Heisler/The New York Times Michelle Obama and Washington schoolchildren helped break ground on Friday for a vegetable garden on the South Lawn. Count me among First Lady Michelle Obama’s many fans. In a Larry King interview during the campaign I became aware of her eloquence, personal integrity and convictions and like King, found myself tipping my hat to her in my admiration of the level from which she dwells and operates. Like the fashionistas, I could not help but notice the evocation of Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal style and dress. And obvious to observation, Mrs. Obama does work out: she commands a compact and fully packed physique. But recently I have noticed something more. Mrs. Obama has some of Princess Diana’s instinct for using her celebrity and ability to draw the press to her spotlight. Because Mrs. Obama operates from a loftily place, she is using her bully pulpit to highlight causes which are important to her for uplifting our society. Since the inauguration, I have been noticing news articles about Mrs. Obama’s priorities concerning the White House kitchen and food policy. As a mother of two young daughters, preparing locally grow, organic foods, particularly vegetables are a priority. This past week she created a photo op commanding across the board broadcast coverage on TV news & entertainment channels and capturing newspaper headlines for several days discussing her groundbreaking of a White House organic vegetable garden. (Apparently Laura Bush also ran an organic White House kitchen, but sadly this was never publicized). Because of First Lady Obama’s spotlight, a discussion is arising among the chattering classes about sustainable and organic food policy. Here are a couple of articles run in Sunday’s New York Times. The first is from Mark Bittman, a food writer who’s column “The Minimalist” I follow, about the growing trend in eating organic, sustainable foods and the importance of eating fresh foods for maintaining optimal health. The second discusses the shaping of government food policy in emphasizing organic and sustainable farming. Like the First Lady, I have been preparing the ground for my organic, Victory Garden, watered by rain barrels. This weekend I’m weeding and might start planting peas, chard and lettuce. This is my first attempt at a vegetable garden, so I consider it a big experiment. Last year I planted late, but did manage to get a tasty crop of pole beans. I’ve been growing kitchen herbs for many years now. When the economy began slowing last year I decided to plant vegetables rather than flowers. KB This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the “Reprints” tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, via Associated Press GREEN THUMBS Workers at an organic farm in Carnation, Wash., tend to baby romaine lettuce. March 22, 2009 Eating Food That’s Better for You, Organic or Not By MARK BITTMAN In the six-and-one-half years since the federal government began certifying food as “organic,” Americans have taken to the idea with considerable enthusiasm. Sales have at least doubled, and three-quarters of the nation’s grocery stores now carry at least some organic food . A Harris poll in October 2007 found that about 30 percent of Americans buy organic food at least on occasion, and most think it is safer, better for the environment and healthier. “People believe it must be better for you if it’s organic,” says Phil Howard, an assistant professor of community, food and agriculture at Michigan State University . So I discovered on a recent book tour around the United States and Canada. No matter how carefully I avoided using the word “organic” when I spoke to groups of food enthusiasts about how to eat better, someone in the audience would inevitably ask, “What if I can’t afford to buy organic food?” It seems to have become the magic cure-all, synonymous with eating well, healthfully, sanely, even ethically. But eating “organic” offers no guarantee of any of that. And the truth is that most Americans eat so badly — we get 7 percent of our calories from soft drinks, more than we do from vegetables; the top food group by caloric intake is “sweets”; and one-third of nation’s adults are now obese — that the organic question is a secondary one. It’s not unimportant, but it’s not the primary issue in the way Americans eat. To eat well, says Michael Pollan , the author of “In Defense of Food,” means avoiding “edible food-like substances” and sticking to real ingredients, increasingly from the plant kingdom. (Americans each consume an average of nearly two pounds a day of animal products.) There’s plenty of evidence that both a person’s health — as well as the environment’s — will improve with a simple shift in eating habits away from animal products and highly processed foods to plant products and what might be called “real food.” (With all due respect to people in the “food movement,” the food need not be “slow,” either.) From these changes, Americans would reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat, as well as the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets, and greenhouse gases from industrial meat production. All without legislation. And the food would not necessarily have to be organic, which, under the United States Department of Agriculture ’s definition, means it is generally free of synthetic substances; contains no antibiotics and hormones; has not been irradiated or fertilized with sewage sludge; was raised without the use of most conventional pesticides ; and contains no genetically modified ingredients. Those requirements, which must be met in order for food to be labeled “U.S.D.A. Organic,” are fine, of course. But they still fall short of the lofty dreams of early organic farmers and consumers who gave the word “organic” its allure — of returning natural nutrients and substance to the soil in the same proportion used by the growing process (there is no requirement that this be done); of raising animals humanely in accordance with nature (animals must be given access to the outdoors, but for how long and under what conditions is not spelled out); and of producing the most nutritious food possible (the evidence is mixed on whether organic food is more nutritious) in the most ecologically conscious way. The government’s organic program, says Joan Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, “is a marketing program that sets standards for what can be certified as organic. Neither the enabling legislation nor the regulations address food safety or nutrition .” People don’t understand that, nor do they realize “organic” doesn’t mean “local.” “It doesn’t matter if it’s from the farm down the road or from Chile,” Ms. Shaffer said. “As long as it meets the standards it’s organic.” Hence, the organic status of salmon flown in from Chile, or of frozen vegetables grown in China and sold in the United States — no matter the size of the carbon footprint left behind by getting from there to here. Today, most farmers who practice truly sustainable farming, or what you might call “organic in spirit,” operate on small scale, some so small they can’t afford the requirements to be certified organic by the government. Others say that certification isn’t meaningful enough to bother. These farmers argue that, “When you buy organic you don’t just buy a product, you buy a way of life that is committed to not exploiting the planet,” says Ed Maltby, executive director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. But the organic food business is now big business, and getting bigger. Professor Howard estimates that major corporations now are responsible for at least 25 percent of all organic manufacturing and marketing (40 percent if you count only processed organic foods). Much of the nation’s organic food is as much a part of industrial food production as midwinter grapes, and becoming more so. In 2006, sales of organic foods and beverages totaled about $16.7 billion, according to the most recent figures from Organic Trade Association. Still, those sales amounted to slightly less than 3 percent of overall food and beverage sales. For all the hoo-ha, organic food is not making much of an impact on the way Americans eat, though, as Mark Kastel, co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, puts it: “There are generic benefits from doing organics. It protects the land from the ravages of conventional agriculture,” and safeguards farm workers from being exposed to pesticides. But the questions remain over how we eat in general. It may feel better to eat an organic Oreo than a conventional Oreo, but, says Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University ’s department of nutrition, food studies and public health, “Organic junk food is still junk food.” Last week, Michelle Obama began digging up a patch of the South Lawn of the White House to plant an organic vegetable garden to provide food for the first family and, more important, to educate children about healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become national concerns. But Mrs. Obama also emphasized that there were many changes Americans can make if they don’t have the time or space for an organic garden. “You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.” Popularizing such choices may not be as marketable as creating a logo that says “organic.” But when Americans have had their fill of “value-added” and overprocessed food, perhaps they can begin producing and consuming more food that treats animals and the land as if they mattered. Some of that food will be organic, and hooray for that. Meanwhile, they should remember that the word itself is not synonymous with “safe,” “healthy,” “fair” or even necessarily “good.” Mark Bittman writes the Minimalist column for the Dining section of The Times and is the author, most recently, of “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating.” Health Sports Opinion This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the “Reprints” tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. Suzan Walsh/Associated Press Alice Waters, the celebrity chef and an early advocate of local ingredients, at a farmers’ market in January. She and other food activists see the White House as an ally in Washington. March 22, 2009 Is a Food Revolution Now in Season? By ANDREW MARTIN ANAHEIM, Calif. AS tens of thousands of people recently strolled among booths of the nation’s largest organic and natural foods show here, munching on fair-trade chocolate and sipping organic wine, a few dozen pioneers of the industry sneaked off to an out-of-the-way conference room. Although unit sales of organic food have leveled off and even declined lately, versus a year earlier, the mood among those crowded into the conference room was upbeat as they awaited a private screening of a documentary called “Food Inc.” — a withering critique of agribusiness and industrially produced food. They also gathered to relish their changing political fortunes, courtesy of the Obama administration. “This has never been just about business,” said Gary Hirshberg, chief executive of Stonyfield Farm, the maker of organic yogurt. “We are here to change the world. We dreamt for decades of having this moment.” After being largely ignored for years by Washington, advocates of organic and locally grown food have found a receptive ear in the White House, which has vowed to encourage a more nutritious and sustainable food supply. The most vocal booster so far has been the first lady, Michelle Obama , who has emphasized the need for fresh, unprocessed, locally grown food and, last week, started work on a White House vegetable garden. More surprising, perhaps, are the pronouncements out of the Department of Agriculture, an agency with long and close ties to agribusiness. In mid-February, Tom Vilsack , the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic “people’s garden.” Two weeks later, the Obama administration named Kathleen Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University and a longtime champion of sustainable agriculture and healthy food, as Mr. Vilsack’s top deputy. Mr. Hirshberg and other sustainable-food activists are hoping that such actions are precursors to major changes in the way the federal government oversees the nation’s food supply and farms, changes that could significantly bolster demand for fresh, local and organic products. Already, they have offered plenty of ambitious ideas. For instance, the celebrity chef Alice Waters recommends that the federal government triple its budget for school lunches to provide youngsters with healthier food. And the author Michael Pollan has called on President Obama to pursue a “reform of the entire food system” by focusing on a Pollan priority: diversified, regional food networks. Still, some activists worry that their dreams of a less-processed American diet may soon collide with the realities of Washington and the financial gloom over much of the country. Even the Bush administration, reviled by many food activists, came to Washington intent on reforming farm subsidies, only to be slapped down by Congress. Mr. Pollan, who contributes to The New York Times Magazine, likens sustainable-food activists to the environmental movement in the 1970s. Though encouraged by the Obama administration’s positions, he worries that food activists may lack political savvy. “The movement is not ready for prime time,” he says. “It’s not like we have an infrastructure with legislation ready to go.” Even so, many activists say they are packing their bags and heading to Washington. They are bringing along a copy of “Food Inc.,” which includes attacks on the corn lobby and Monsanto , and intend to provide a private screening for Mr. Vilsack and Ms. Merrigan. “We are so used to being outside the door,” says Walter Robb, co-president and chief operating officer of Whole Foods Market , the grocery chain that played a crucial role in making organic and natural food more mainstream. “We are in the door now.” AT the heart of the sustainable-food movement is a belief that America has become efficient at producing cheap, abundant food that profits corporations and agribusiness, but is unhealthy and bad for the environment. The federal government is culpable, the activists say, because it pays farmers billions in subsidies each year for growing grains and soybeans. A result is an abundance of corn and soybeans that provide cheap feed for livestock and inexpensive food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup. They argue that farm policy — and federal dollars — should instead encourage farmers to grow more diverse crops, reward conservation practices and promote local food networks that rely less on fossil fuels for such things as fertilizer and transportation. Last year, mandatory spending on farm subsidies was $7.5 billion, compared with $15 million for programs for organic and local foods, according to the House Appropriations Committee. But advocates of conventional agriculture argue that organic farming simply can’t provide enough food because the yields tend to be lower than those for crops grown with chemical fertilizer. “We think there’s a place for organic, but don’t think we can feed ourselves and the world with organic,” says Rick Tolman, chief executive of the National Corn Growers Association. “It’s not as productive, more labor-intensive and tends to be more expensive.” The ideas are hardly new. The farmland philosopher and author Wendell Berry has been making many of the same points for decades. What is new is that the sustainable-food movement has gained both commercial heft, with the rapid success of organic and natural foods in the last decade, and celebrity cachet, with a growing cast of chefs, authors and even celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow who champion the cause. It has also been aided by more awareness of the obesity epidemic, particularly among children, and by concerns about food safety amid seemingly continual outbreaks of tainted supplies. While their arguments haven’t gained much traction in Washington, sustainable-food activists and entrepreneurs have convinced more Americans to watch what they eat. They have encouraged the growth of farmers’ markets and created such a demand for organic, natural and local products that they are now sold at many major grocers, including Wal-Mart . “Increasingly, companies are looking to reduce the amount of additives,” says Ted Smyth, who retired earlier this year as senior vice president at H. J. Heinz , the food giant. “Consumers are looking for more authentic foods. This trend absolutely has percolated through into mainstream foods.” While the idea of sustainable food is creeping into the mainstream, the epicenter of the movement remains the liberal stronghold of Berkeley, Calif. It was there in 1971 that Ms. Waters started a restaurant, Chez Panisse, that used fresh, organic and locally grown products, a novelty at the time that has been widely copied by other chefs. In the years since, she has become a food celebrity, the “mother of slow food,” as a “60 Minutes” profile called her. Mr. Pollan teaches journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, and is among a group of authors who have tapped into a wide audience for books that encourage local or organic foods while detailing what they view as health and environmental risks of processed foods and large-scale agriculture. His book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” has remained on best-seller lists since it was published in 2006. Another activist, Eric Schlosser , wrote “Fast Food Nation,” a critical look at industrialized fast food that was published in 2001 and is now required reading at some colleges. And Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University , has become a ubiquitous and widely quoted critic of commercial food manufacturers. Beyond authors, academics and chefs, the sustainable-food movement also owes much of its current success to pioneers in the organic and natural foods industry. Many started their businesses for idealistic reasons and have since turned their start-ups into multimillion-dollar, even billion-dollar, corporations. Manufacturers improved their organic and natural products, long confined to musty natural-food stores, so they could compete with conventional foods on packaging and taste. Whole Foods Market also lured more mainstream customers by redefining what a grocery store should look like, creating lush displays of produce and fish that have influenced more traditional grocers. Nancy M. Childs, a professor of food marketing at St. Joseph’s University , said sustainable food activists forced the broader public to focus on the quality and sourcing of food, which in turn has prompted demand for farmers’ markets and local produce. She says that “continual attention in the news” also gave the movement legs. But Ms. Childs worries that some of the activists’ recommendations for buying fresh, local or organic food cannot be adopted by many Americans because those foods may be too expensive. “By singling out certain lifestyles and foods, it’s diminishing very good quality nutrition sources,” she says. “Frozen goods, canned goods, they are not bad things. What’s important is that people eat well, within their means.” “We’d all love to live on a farm in Vermont, right?” she adds. Even Jeffrey Hollender, the president of the green cleaning-products company Seventh Generation, worries that some of his movement’s messages are a tough sell when consumers are stretched thin. Although some people argue that there are hidden costs to cheap food, from environmental damage caused by factory farms and fertilizer runoff to the health costs associated with eating highly processed, calorie-laden food, the fact remains that commercially produced food is relatively inexpensive. “The idea of the true cost of food?” Mr. Hollender asks. “That’s the last thing consumers want to hear right now.” The sustainable-food crowd isn’t alone in its love fest with the Obama administration and Mr. Vilsack. Food-safety activists have praised Mr. Vilsack’s remarks about creating a single food-safety agency, and nutrition advocates are enthused about his comments on school lunches and health care reform . “There are tremendous opportunities with health care reform,” says Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest . “Cutting sodium consumption in half should save over 100,000 lives a year.” THERE is little in Tom Vilsack’s résumé to suggest that he would one day be lionized by America’s food glitterati. A native of Pittsburgh, he became a small-town mayor and lawyer in Iowa, where he represented struggling farmers during the farm crisis in the 1980s. As a state senator and later as governor of Iowa, Mr. Vilsack promoted ethanol production and agricultural biotech, leading one consumer group to label him a “shill” for Monsanto. When a coalition of food activists and farmers, Food Democracy Now, circulated a petition urging President Obama to pick an agriculture secretary committed to sustainability, Mr. Vilsack was not one of its recommended candidates. Mr. Vilsack said that he was a chubby child and maintains a deep affection for cookies . But something has changed in Mr. Vilsack, an avid runner, including his eating habits. “I’m much more inclined to eat fresh fruits and vegetables,” he says. “I had organic yogurt for breakfast. Trust me, I would have not have had that two years ago, or four years ago.” He was motivated to eat healthier because he is expecting his first grandchild and regrets that his parents did not live to meet his own children. Mr. Vilsack’s brief tenure at the agriculture department has unnerved the food lobby and cheered sustainable-food activists, who are in agreement with many of his stated priorities. He has said he hopes to devote more resources to child nutrition to improve the quality of school breakfasts and lunches. He also wants to make sure that only healthy choices are available in school vending machines. Noting that the department’s recently released Census of Agriculture included more than 100,000 new small farmers, he said he wanted his agency to help them develop regional distribution networks. The small farms’ produce could be sold to institutional buyers like schools. Ultimately, he said, agriculture and food policy should fit into the Obama administration’s planned overhaul of health care, by encouraging nutrition to prevent disease. It should also be part of the effort to combat climate change , by encouraging renewable energy and conservation on farms, he said. Of course, Mr. Vilsack will need the approval of Congress for any major changes in farm policy, and therein lies his greatest challenge. Congress passed a farm bill last year that details farm policy for the next five years, and farm-state legislators say they are not interested in starting over. When the Obama administration recently proposed a budget that would cut subsidies to the nation’s largest farmers and bolster child nutrition payments, it was greeted with hostility in Congress, even by some Democrats. It didn’t help that Mr. Vilsack framed the budget as a choice between helping 90,000 farmers or 30 million children, a statement that he later characterized as inartful. Representative Frank D. Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma and the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that “this proposal is ill-timed, ill-conceived and completely out of touch with the realities of agriculture production.” FOR all the enthusiasm that sustainable-food activists and celebrities have for the Obama administration, their sudden interest in Washington has already ruffled feathers. Ms. Waters wrote a letter to the Obamas in January suggesting that she convene a “kitchen cabinet” to pick a suitable chef for the White House, “a person with integrity and devotion to the ideals of environmentalism, health and conservation.” Her letter touched off withering criticism in the blogosphere, with one food pundit blasting what he called Ms. Waters’s “inflexible brand of gastronomical correctness.” The Obamas stuck with the existing chef, who it turns out was already an ardent — though quiet — proponent of locally grown food. In addition, some sustainable-farm advocates who have worked on these issues for decades in Washington are chafing at the idea of celebrity activists swooping into town. Ferd Hoefner, policy director of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, says that during the Carter administration he fought to get $5 million in federal money to promote farmers’ markets (about the same as allocated last year). While he acknowledges that it has been an uphill fight, Mr. Hoefner said the activists had made major strides in recent years, winning more federal dollars for organic research and to help farmers convert to organic methods and add value to their operations by, for example, converting to grass-fed beef. As part of the economic stimulus plan , the Agriculture Department also plans to award $250 million in loan guarantees, spread over the next two years, for local and regional food networks, he said. Mr. Hoefner said he was impressed by the number of people who rallied for a White House garden. “We just want to make sure that interest in that symbolic action can be channeled into some of the more difficult policy challenges,” he said. Senator Tom Harkin , Democrat of Iowa and chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, welcomes newcomers to the cause but cautions that farm policy “does not have sharp turns.” Mr. Harkin has spent years trying to increase federal dollars for child nutrition and for conservation programs that reward farmers for protecting the environment, relatively small programs that he says can expand under the Obama administration. “We bend the track a little bit and get the train going in a little bit different direction,” he says. “We’re hoping we can bend it a little bit more. Consumers are demanding it.” There are already signs that the sustainable-agriculture track is bending farther than before. The conservative pundit George F. Will wrote a column endorsing many of Mr. Pollan’s ideas, and a prominent food industry lobbyist who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters said he was amazed at how many members of Congress were carrying copies of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” “I’m not sure how much it’s penetrating the mom shopping at Food Lion,” he says. “I’ve had so many members mention Michael’s name to me, it’s staggering.” Back in Anaheim, Mr. Hirshberg, the head of Stonyfield Farm, said he, too, is optimistic that change is at hand. But he reminded the small crowd that the organic industry remains a “rounding error,” roughly 3 percent, of the overall food and beverage business. “We’re at the starting line,” he says. “This is our job, our government. We’ve got to take it back.” Business Technology Science Health

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Organic & Sustainable Food & Environmental Policy for Our Nation’s Health

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) News Advisory Noted Author, Surgeon To Address “Chinese Medicine, Western Science and Acupuncture” at NCCAM’s Inaugural Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture What: National Book Award-winning author and surgeon Sherwin B. Nuland, M.D., discusses his experiences in China observing major surgery conducted without anesthesia, aided by acupuncture—and whether its effectiveness can be explained by current biomedical science. Dr. Nuland, author of The Uncertain Art: Thoughts on a Life in Medicine , and clinical professor of surgery at Yale University, will be the featured speaker at the inaugural Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. His lecture is entitled “Chinese Medicine, Western Science and Acupuncture.” Why: This lecture series was established in honor of Stephen E. Straus, M.D., founding director of NCCAM and an internationally recognized clinician-scientist, who died in 2007. Dr. Nuland, the first lecturer of the series, will draw on personal experiences as a surgeon to explore the idea that there are medical phenomena that cannot be explained by the investigational methods used by today’s biomedical science. When: Tuesday, March 10, lecture from 2:30–4:00 p.m. EST Reception and poster session from 4:00–5:00 p.m. EST Where: National Institutes of Health [NIH], Building 10, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland. Lecture: Masur Auditorium; Reception and Poster Session: Southeast Patio More information: Details are available on NCCAM’s website at nccam.nih.gov. Sign language interpretation will be provided; for other reasonable accommodation or more information call Karen Davison at 301-984-7191. Who Should Attend: The event is free and open to the public. Hosts: Presented by NCCAM and supported by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health with generous funding from The Bernard Osher Foundation. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov . NCCAM 1999–2009: Celebrating 10 years of rigorous research. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health [NIH] was established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the National Institutes of Health—improving health through scientific discovery. The Foundation identifies and develops opportunities for innovative public-private partnerships involving industry, academia, and the philanthropic community. A nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation, the Foundation raises private-sector funds for a broad portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance NIH priorities and activities. The Foundation’s web site is www.fnih.org . The National Institutes of Health (NIH)— The Nation’s Medical Research Agency —includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov .

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MD Speaks About Acupuncture Anesthesia for Surgery in Address to National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

I was just wat ching Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Power of Intention on PBS this afternoon. He highlighted some interesting medical research on the health benefits of preforming acts of kindness. Apparently researchers have studied the effects of acts of kindness on both the giver, receiver and the witnesses and have concluded that preforming acts of kindness increases serotonin levels and strengthens immune function in both the giver, receiver and witnesses of acts of kindness. Serotonin’s are brain neurotransmitters, a type of endorphin. Increased levels in serotonin’s are seen in happy people: increased endorphin levels are the brain chemicals responsible for the ‘runners high’. Many of the anti-depressant drugs function to increase brain serotonin levels. Researchers have found that witnessing, giving or receiving acts of kindness will increase these brain chemicals, in addition to strengthing immune function. It doesn’t get more empowering than that! KB

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Randon Acts of Kindness Improve Health

Patients periodically ask me about whether I include vitamin therapy in my practice. I do not, for a couple of reasons: I feel that if one is eating an organic, well balanced diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables s/he will naturally get her/his basic nutritional needs met, and therefore supplementing is unnecessary. On this point, however, mention must be made to the importance of eating an organic diet, which studies have shown are much higher in vitamins and minerals than their conventionally grown counter parts. I remember well a study done by Rutger’s University in the early ’90’s which set out to prove that organic produce is no higher in vitamin content than conventionally grown produce. However, the researchers were quite surprised to discover that the opposite is true: organically grown produce is significantly higher in vitamins and minerals than conventionally grown produce. Also, eating a well rounded diet is important here. If food groups are eliminated (contrary to what you may be thinking, chocolate is not a food group) or if the diet is based on fast food or junk food, then taking a general multi-vitamin may be needed to make up for vitamins and minerals lacking in the diet. Many of the vitamins end up in the bottom of the septic tank. When I was studying in acupuncture college, one of my fellow students previously worked for a vitamin company in NJ. He told us a couple of astounding facts. First, he said that if you talk to the workers who clean out the septic tanks you’ll find a cache of vitamin pills at the bottom with their names still imprinted. They were never broken down by the digestive system and integrated into the body. So it makes me wonder how many of these vitamins that are being swallowed are actually being assimilated. He also said that most of the vitamins made in the US were all being manufactured by the same company he worked at in NJ, regardless of brand and price. The company might use different binders, but there is not a whole lot of difference between the vitamins being sold over the counter (OTC) in the various drug, health food, and vitamin stores,regardless of the price charged, excepting packaging. For this reason, I have a couple of brands that I order from for patients using nutritional therapy that are only available to health care practitioners, and are not sold OTC. I am assured of the high quality and assimilation of these products. The vitamin industry is a multi-billion dollar, sales driven industry. I am suspicious that motive for profit outweighs any true health benefits of these products. The New York Times reported this week in the Science Times that “In the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life.” Here is the article for your perusal. KB This copy is for your pe rs onal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the “Reprints” tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now. February 17, 2009 Well Vitamin Pills: A False Hope? By TARA PARKER-POPE Ever since the Nobel Prize -winning biochemist Linus Pauling first promoted “megadoses” of essential nutrients 40 years ago, Americans have been devoted to their vitamins . Today about half of all adults use some form of dietary supplement , at a cost of $23 billion a year. But are vitamins worth it? In the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that extra vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life. The latest news came last week after researchers in the Women’s Health Initiative study tracked eight years of multivitamin use among more than 161,000 older women . Despite earlier findings suggesting that multivitamins might lower the risk for heart disease and certain cancers, the study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found no such benefit. Last year, a study that tracked almost 15,000 male physicians for a decade reported no differences in cancer or heart disease rates among those using vitamins E and C compared with those taking a placebo. And in October, a study of 35,000 men dashed hopes that high doses of vitamin E and selenium could lower the risk of prostate cancer . Of course, consumers are regularly subjected to conflicting reports and claims about the benefits of vitamins, and they seem undeterred by the news — to the dismay of some experts. “I’m puzzled why the public in general ignores the results of well-done trials,” said Dr. Eric Klein, national study coordinator for the prostate cancer trial and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. “The public’s belief in the benefits of vitamins and nutrients is not supported by the available scientific data.” Everyone needs vitamins, which are essential nutrients that the body can’t produce on its own. Inadequate vitamin C leads to scurvy, for instance, and a lack of vitamin D can cause rickets . But a balanced diet typically provides an adequate level of these nutrients, and today many popular foods are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals. As a result, diseases caused by nutrient deficiency are rare in the United States. In any event, most major vitamin studies in recent years have focused not on deficiencies but on whether high doses of vitamins can prevent or treat a host of chronic illnesses. While people who eat lots of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables have long been known to have lower rates of heart disease and cancer, it hasn’t been clear whether ingesting high doses of those same nutrients in pill form results in a similar benefit. In January, an editorial in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute noted that most trials had shown no cancer benefits from vitamins — with a few exceptions, like a finding that calcium appeared to lower the recurrence of precancerous colon polyps by 15 percent. But some vitamin studies have also shown unexpected harm, like higher lung cancer rates in two studies of beta carotene use. Another study suggested a higher risk of precancerous polyps among users of folic acid compared with those in a placebo group. In 2007, The Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed mortality rates in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements . In 47 trials of 181,000 participants, the rate was 5 percent higher among the antioxidant users. The main culprits were vitamin A, beta carotene and vitamin E; vitamin C and selenium seemed to have no meaningful effect. “We call them essential nutrients because they are,” said Marian L. Neuhouser, an associate member in cancer prevention at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “But there has been a leap into thinking that vitamins and minerals can prevent anything from fatigue to cancer to Alzheimer’s . That’s where the science didn’t pan out.” Everyone is struggling to make sense of the conflicting data, said Andrew Shao, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a vitamin industry trade group. Consumers and researchers need to “redefine our expectations for these nutrients,” he said. “They aren’t magic bullets.” Part of the problem, he said, may stem from an inherent flaw in the way vitamins are studied. With drugs, the gold standard for research is a randomized clinical trial in which some patients take a drug and others a placebo. But vitamins are essential nutrients that people ingest in their daily diets; there is no way to withhold them altogether from research subjects. Vitamins given in high doses may also have effects that science is only beginning to understand. In a test tube, cancer cells gobble up vitamin C, and studies have shown far higher levels of vitamin C in tumor cells than are found in normal tissue. The selling point of antioxidant vitamins is that they mop up free radicals, the damaging molecular fragments linked to aging and disease. But some free radicals are essential to proper immune function, and wiping them out may inadvertently cause harm. In a study at the University of North Carolina , mice with brain cancer were given both normal and vitamin-depleted diets . The ones who were deprived of antioxidants had smaller tumors , and 20 percent of the tumor cells were undergoing a type of cell death called apoptosis, which is fueled by free radicals. In the fully nourished mice, only 3 percent of tumor cells were dying. “Most antioxidants are also pro-oxidants,” said Dr. Peter H. Gann, professor and director of research in the department of pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “In the right context and the right dose, they may be able to cause problems rather than prevent them.” Scientists suspect that the benefits of a healthful diet come from eating the whole fruit or vegetable, not just the individual vitamins found in it. “There may not be a single component of broccoli or green leafy vegetables that is responsible for the health benefits,” Dr. Gann said. “Why are we taking a reductionist approach and plucking out one or two chemicals given in isolation?” Even so, some individual vitamin research is continuing. Scientists are beginning to study whether high doses of whole-food extracts can replicate the benefits of a vegetable-rich diet. And Harvard researchers are planning to study whether higher doses of vitamin D in 20,000 men and women can lower risk for cancer and other chronic diseases. “Vitamin D looks really promising,” said Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an investigator on several Harvard vitamin studies. “But we need to learn the lessons from the past. We should wait for large-scale clinical trials before jumping on the vitamin bandwagon and taking high doses.” Home Health

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Studies Show Vitamins Do Not Cure Disease or Prolong Life

Here’s an amazing video from a Qi Gong master, John Cheng of Java demonstrating his incredible abilities with qi , you can hardly believe your eyes. He lights a piece of paper on fire, turns on an LED light bulb, and sends a chopstick through a 1” thick wood table with a Formica top using qi emanating from his hands. A patient of mine went to Java to get treated by John and attests that this is legit. KB http://www.youtube.com/watch? v= RAAB 0 dbc 3Es&feature=related

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Amazing YouTube Video: Qi demonstration