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Home - Heartland Healing
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Fear is not an Option - |
Changing your mind is easier than you think
by Michael Braunstein
Our world has grown in complexity by quantum leaps. Not so long ago we were pleasantly entertained by television that broadcast only three channels of programming and, quaintly, signed off each night with the national anthem, going to video snow until the next morning’s farm report. Now it’s hundreds of channels and a remote that accesses more information about the movie I’m watching than the director or any of the stars knew about it.
We used to have simple phone numbers like REgent-1771. Now it’s 10 digits. And we have to add our fax number, our cell number and our Skype account. Once, we could go to the store and buy a tomato. Now we have to ask if it’s organic, local or from Mexico, hydroponic, genetically modified. We used to look at the sky, see dark clouds and lightning, and decide it might be good to get indoors. Now we feel we have to check the radar on our Blackberry or iPhone. And don’t even get started on internet, PIN numbers, email and GPS.
Yet, at the core of that complexity is a system powerful because of simplicity: digital. The intricacy of 21st century life is only possible with the ability to reduce every function and aspect of our lives to the digital mathematics of a combination of ones and zeros. It’s one or the other. No gray. 10011101 says more than you think. A combination of bytes like that, programmed accordingly, can say or do almost anything. We live in a digital world.
The same sort of simplicity applied to the power of thought can give us control of our happiness, our health and our reality.
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Literary Food Fight - |
Michael Pollan’s latest offers escape from the Western food chain
by Michael Braunstein
If bookstores were gardens, Michael Pollan’s latest offerings might be considered the cream of the crop. Pollan writes about food. Not in the way you might think — not like a chef would write about food, or a diet guru, or a health expert or nutritionist — especially not like a nutritionist. (In fact, Pollan might be the world’s foremost anti-nutritionist.)
Pollan writes about food from an insightful social, historical, evolutionist, environmentalist and health perspective. He sees the forest despite the trees and connects the reader with the source of food: nature, as adapted and harmonized with by humans. The fact that Pollan can cover such deep issues about the single-most crucial activity that humans do to survive and still engage the reader with a can’t-put-it-down style is a testimony to his writing skills and talents.
Pollan’s 2006 Omnivore’s Dilemma initiated a nationwide dialogue about the perils inherent in our industrial food chain, what it means to the planet and to the individual. With Dilemma, Pollan captured the energy of a wave that has been cresting over the past few years since the idea of returning to real food started in the 1960s. Dilemma described the disparate roots of modern processed foods like a McDonald’s chicken product versus real food from a real farm. One remembers its roots. The other is as far from the fabric of nature as spandex is from cotton.
Pollan’s latest, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, continues to contrast real food with what passes for the Western diet. But Pollan adds more. As the subtitle implies, this is a manifesto, a public call and plan for action. A book in three main sections, the last part describes what the American eater can do to break free of tight shackles of the industrialized food chain and shorten that chain so that the food we eat can be safer, more healthful and enjoyable.
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Kitchen Cabinet Medicine - |
Herbs found in pantry may make recipe for healing
by Michael Braunstein
Long before Western science started tinkering with DNA and playing god with the genomes of plants and animals, healers were relying on what Nature provides to help the body regain a healthy balance when health issues arose.
Nature’s pharmacy is stocked with minerals, elements, plants and foods that can restore health or maintain it when used regularly. Try as they may to find what they call “the active ingredient,” reductionist scientists, who like to break natural substances down to incremental parts, usually end up missing something. Their patentable, profitable derivative of nature’s medicine (drug) ends up with dangerous side-effects or is found to work no better (or worse) than the substance Nature provided. |
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Justin Time - |
by Michael Braunstein
It’s fair to say we’ve seen a pretty stressful spring and early summer. The economy, weather and day-to-day life seem to exact their toll by raising our stress levels. Doctors often talk about the role stress plays in health issues and serious diseases. Fortunately, there is a natural answer to the problem of stress that has been known for millennia: meditation. This week presents a valuable opportunity for Omaha residents to learn an effective, reputable and time-tested method of meditation taught by Friar Justin Belitz.
Fr. Belitz is a Franciscan and an Omaha native. He is founder of The Hermitage in Indianapolis. He regularly returns to Omaha to offer classes in a form of meditation known as the Silva Method. The Silva Method is a thoroughly researched and well-known way to learn how to meditate.
Belitz has been teaching the Silva Method for 30 years. He holds degrees in Philosophy, Theology, Music Education and Psychorientology, and an honorary Ph.D. in metaphysics. He is also trained as a Certified Silva Method Instructor. Perhaps the greatest compliment heard about Belitz is that despite degrees and titles, he is a down-to-earth teacher. His classes are energetic, fun and even entertaining.
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Discovering Life in the Desert - |
Seekers have historically entered the changeless desert and returned
transformed
by Michael Braunstein
Against the desert’s stark, apparently barren backdrop, any sign of life stands out. Any movement, any color besides the narrow shades of grays and ochres, stands out. This gives the impression that the desert is devoid of life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The desert is a sea of energy. It is pure primal life. It is radiant heat, yawning night breezes, a solar nexus where the central source of our planet’s life, Sol, reigns supreme. The desert has the tendency to strip away the temporal and material, leaving us with the essence of life: energy. |
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Searching for a True Natural Diet - |
Inaugural meeting of the local chapter of Weston A. Price Foundation may help
by Michael Braunstein
When Heartland Healing was founded in 1994, the mission statement was simple: to provide information to the public about the alternative healing arts. For the first several years, the primary focus was to inform about traditional medical practices common to systems unassociated with Western culture, practices such as acupuncture, ayurveda, herbal medicine and the like, most of which have existed for thousands of years.
However, more recent writings and projects have provided information regarding the environment, the impact that current events and lifestyles have on the planet. Some of the most intense focus has been on the food chain — how it is produced, what is in it and how it affects our bodies and the planet. As stated by the Environmental Working Group, no other human activity affects the Earth or what we put in our bodies more than farming. That is why food, its production and wholesomeness are appearing front and center in so much of the media. |
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Prius Report Card: Year Three - |
Toyota Hybrid gets better mileage than predicted
by Michael Braunstein
We first saw the Toyota Prius hybrid in April of 2005 at Earth Day Omaha. A group of owners had their personal cars on display. We sat in one and were surprised at the roominess and cargo space. The stickers on the window said a lot: 51 MPG highway, 61 MPG city. But to me the most important sticker was the one that identified the Prius as an AT-PZEV.
Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle is a designation by the demanding California Air Resources Board. 2004 and newer Prius’ are known as Generation III versions and the designation AT-PZEV means the Prius has near-zero tailpipe emissions and zero evaporative emissions.
Two hours after sitting in our first Prius, we were on the waiting list for one. Five weeks later, we drove it home.
While there were a few things about the Prius that took some getting used to for me, they mostly had to do with the fact that 21st century automobiles are way too automated. I don’t like when a computer chip gets between me and the road, as with computer-controlled braking and traction control. But overall, the first couple of years with the Prius were very enjoyable. I remain impressed at how comfortable it is to drive, how it has plenty of power to get us through the Rockies in Colorado and cozy enough to survive minus-32° F. in Winnipeg. |
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Think Global, Grow Local - |
Grow a garden and feed your head
by Michael Braunstein
We had salad for dinner at our house last night. It was no modest iceberg-lettuce-and-cherry-tomato affair. No, it was pretty significant in content and size — and in meaning.
There were about a dozen different types of lettuces and spicy micro-greens. There were also Swiss chard, spinach, French breakfast radishes, white icicle and red globe radishes, cucumber, beefsteak tomatoes, chives, blanched asparagus and oregano. The mélange was crowned with thin slices of grilled rib-eye steak from grass-fed Angus. Mild English-style cheddar flakes garnished the perimeter with wedges of hardboiled free-range eggs. Dressed lightly with olive oil, organic apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, it was a delicacy to behold.
The significance of this salad goes beyond gustatory fulfillment, nutrition and health. It was an absolutely spectacular taste delight and more. It represented one of the things our household is doing to try to change the path of climate change and help the planet remain hospitable for humans and hundreds of other species. When I explain, you’ll see how. |
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Summer Remedies, Some are Not - |
Old wives’ tales help summertime ails
by Michael Braunstein
These are folk remedies that may be useful during summer. Some might be found in the kitchen instead of the drugstore.
Sunburn Remedies and Prevention
Sunburn is a fact of life. Cloudy days, sunny days — it may not matter. And there may be a hidden reason why iced tea is popular in summer. Drinking tea, iced or otherwise, may be a good idea in summer. Tea contains properties and chemicals that show promise in protecting skin from ultraviolet damage. Active ingredients include tannic acid and theobromine. Both cool the skin once it becomes sunburned. The ancient Chinese applied cloths soaked in cool tea directly onto the skin.
Catechins, found in green and black tea, protect against ultraviolet light. Green tea also contains polyphenols which, when consumed, may protect skin from sun damage.
Say hello to aloe. Aloe vera is a virtual pharmacopoeia in a single plant with dozens of internal and external uses. The range is broad, from intestinal cleansing to gingivitis, skin rashes to wrinkles. The most common use is for burns of all types. |
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Here Comes the Sun - |
Sunblock, not the sun, may be cause for skin cancer concern
By Michael Braunstein
We called it “suntan lotion.” I think the idea was that you would tan faster and avoid sunburn. That meant you could hang out all day at Peony Park and get your money’s worth for the 35-cent pool fee. Back in the day, there weren’t so many brands and varieties. There was the ubiquitous Coppertone, of course, and a fancy one called Hawaiian Tropics with that incredible artificial banana scent. Both were too rich for us non-country club kids. We fashioned our own using baby oil with a few drops of iodine tincture. Man, what a tan.
The lotions we now use in summer are called sunblock. This is, of course, because we want protection from sunlight. Sunlight has become the enemy and has been indicted in the world court of scientific scrutiny as a premier cause of skin cancer. Well, as in a court of law, indictment does not mean conviction; and in the case of Mr. Sunshine, the jury is out. |
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Peak This - |
Our fuel-hardy ways are almost over
by Michael Braunstein
The illustration on the dustcover of Richard Heinberg’s newest illustrates our situation clearly. It’s of one of those pyramid-shaped house of cards, whose images depict oil wells, mammoth grain harvesters, power lines, ocean water, blue skies and a rainforest. All of those images are inextricably linked, and Heinberg’s Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines posits that those elements are delicately balanced and fragile as a house of cards.
Many readers will be familiar with the term “peak oil.” It refers to the point in the production of fossil fuel oil where we shift from an increasing supply to a decreasing supply. Global demand for fossil fuel has increased so much that our daily appetite for oil has far outstripped supply. We have found all the oil supplies there are on the planet; our rate of extracting them is declining and will not rise again.
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Option Master’s Memorable Words - |
Dr. Tom Osborne talks yoga, meditation and what works
by Michael Braunstein
Organizers of the inaugural Omaha Health Expo: Mind, Body and Spirit Fair estimated that more than 10,000 visitors came to the Omaha Civic Auditorium April 26-27 to see booths, speakers, seminars and displays. More than 250 exhibitors filled both levels of the Mancuso Convention Center and the Exhibition Hall. There were more than 50 free workshops and seminars.
Omaha Health Expo Director Bob Mancuso, Jr. announced before Saturday’s keynote speakers that the Expo was the largest event held at the Civic in more than five years. The event also included a morning Corporate Walk Challenge and a Bike Ride Challenge.
The range of exhibitors ran the gamut from esoteric and mystical to the mundane and materialistic. Psychic healers, pure food and water advocates, Eastern therapies like acupuncture and ayurveda shared exposition space with pharmacies that offered bio-identical hormone therapies and hospital groups providing information on how to improve health by getting a better night’s sleep. Exhibitors came from as far away as Florida and the West Coast. Veteran show vendors who are familiar with the national circuit of shows like these said it was the best example of a holistic health event they had seen aside from either coast.
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Going Green? Start with Your Lawn - |
As Elvis once wrote, ‘Clean up your own backyard’
by Michael Braunstein
With crises in food prices worldwide, skyrocketing fuel costs, vanishing species and climatic concerns rampant, turning attention to lawn care seems trivial. But you know what? Maybe that’s exactly where to start. With most Americans oblivious or in denial about diminishing global resources, perhaps changing notions of a perfectly green, weed-free, well-cropped yard is just the thing to do.
You have a healthy, useful and attractive lawn without the poisons, petrochemicals and chemical-based fertilizers, making your yard safer for children and pets.
“It is completely possible to get a good-looking lawn without all the chemicals,” said Paul Gilligan of Natural Turfcare, Gilligan’s eight-year-old lawn care company. He helps gardeners get with the green through organic methods. |
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A Busy Weekend for Options - |
Peace, health and wellness programs offered
by Michael Braunstein
The thousands who came through Elmwood Park last Saturday for the best Earth Day celebration in memory will find it hard to believe there is even more going on in the city this weekend. Elmwood was jammed with more exhibitors, visitors, animals, musicians and performers than ever, while fabulous food vendors, live music and a beer garden kept revelers smiling until sundown. Earth Day Omaha has become the semi-official “kick-off” to summer in the city. The increased urgency of environmental awareness has led to one of the most important events of the year as demonstrated by the huge attendance.
More events are coming this weekend, including the annual Peace and Justice Expo; a celebration of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day at Joslyn Art Museum; and the inaugural two-day Omaha Health Expo: Mind, Body, Spirit Fair at the Civic Auditorium. |
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Earth Day 24/7/365 - |
Elmwood Park festival serves as reminder
by Michael Braunstein
In Omaha, ground zero for Earth Day is Elmwood Park. The 2008 version promises to be the most notable yet, perhaps for the urgency the very cause presents. There are more exhibitors than in previous years and the event features more musical acts, more activities and longer hours. There’s even a beer garden.
Earth Day Grows Up
The environmental movement’s legendary beginning is commonly thought to be the 1970s, though common sense would tell us that societies and cultures understood and promoted harmony with the Earth from the earliest times. Official nationwide and global celebrations called “Earth Day” began in the Northern Hemisphere spring of 1970. In Omaha this year it’s April 19.
The event will again be mounted in the friendly confines of Elmwood Park near the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. It is organized by the non-profit Earth Day Coalition. |
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Allergy Drug Alternatives - |
Springtime shouldn’t cause suicide
by Michael Braunstein
It’s baaaack. Spring is here and pollen is in the air. First come the trees and flowers and soon enough, the ragweed and grasses. To millions of Americans that means sneezes and sniffles, watery eyes and itchy skin. To drug companies it means billions of dollars in revenues from over the counter drugs or those prescribed by doctors. All drugs have side effects and it’s fair to ask if the side effects are worth it, especially when there are safer alternatives.
Spring allergies can be terribly annoying. For some they can truly interfere with the quality of life and might get so bad that one might jokingly say, “I could kill myself.” But one could hardly take that as a serious threat — until now.
Sobering news in the media recently. The Food and Drug Administration reports that the popular allergy and asthma drug Singulair, produced and sold by the beleaguered drug dealer Merck, is under investigation for possible links to suicide amongst users.
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When Business as Usual Fails ... - |
It’s time for Plan B
by Michael Braunstein
Lester Brown doesn’t mince words when describing the future of our children’s world.
“If we do not act quickly to reverse the Earth’s environmental deterioration, eradicate poverty, and stabilize population, their world will decline economically and disintegrate politically,” Brown writes.
Brown is president and founder of the Earth Policy Institute, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. Considered one of the world’s most astute and accurate environmental analysts, he has written more than 40 books, including his most recent, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
Only a couple of years ago, scientists were talking about global warming and environmental collapse as something we should seriously think about; we should get to work on the problem. The sense of urgency was based on projections that could be some very serious environmental changes by the end of the 21st century, 90 or so years hence. Well, according to Brown and all the evidence he so thoroughly presents in his book (more than 100 pages of the 400-page book are references and footnotes) we don’t have that 90-year window. In fact, it’s likely we may get our fingers cramped in the sash as it slams shut soon. |
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Miracle Grow - |
Omaha urban garden project exceeds expectations
by Michael Braunstein
When Stephanie Ahlschwede inaugurated a project to establish neighborhood gardens in the Omaha community in 2005, she had high hopes. Ahlschwede is more properly known as Rev. Ahlschwede, though she seems to be equally at ease digging in a garden as she might be digging through Scripture to prepare a sermon at Dietz United Methodist Church, where she is pastor.
Ahlschwede joined Project Coordinator Jessica Mews for an interview with Heartland Healing. The project is BIG Garden and is administered by United Methodist Ministries. Ahlschwede, in addition to her role as pastor at Dietz, is Executive Director of UMM, Missouri River District. That includes portions of 12 eastern Nebraska counties, from Blair to Falls City, the Missouri River to Fremont with more than 70 United Methodist congregations. |
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Drugs on Tap - |
Prescription drugs are coming out of our faucets
by Michael Braunstein
Nearly three years ago Heartland Healing covered the issue of drugs in America’s tap water. The topic is in the news again after an Associated Press investigative report found that 41 million Americans are exposed to prescription drugs just by drinking tap water.
That drugs are in our nation’s streams and lakes is not news. It’s not even news that they are in our tap water. The AP report, though, emphasizes how widespread the problem is. It shouldn’t surprise us. A Kaiser Foundation survey found that 91 percent of Americans surveyed say they take prescription drugs. Many take more than one every day. And we’re a nation that believes in drugs for almost any use. We feed all kinds of drugs to livestock and chickens, and those excesses were some of the first to show up.
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Pill-Popping Pressure - |
American epidemic of hypertension could use alternatives
by Michael Braunstein
It’s not surprising that Americans are stressed out. We’re bombarded with stressful situations almost minute-by-minute. That feeling of pressure seems to come from the outside but it can result in feeling pressure on the inside. It’s estimated that more than 50 million Americans suffer from hypertension or high blood pressure.
After iatrogenic diseases, heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Like high cholesterol, high blood pressure is a condition doctors say contributes to heart disease and stroke. Americans are seduced by direct advertising to take pills to reverse the conditions so it’s not surprising that after antidepressants, blood pressure medication and cholesterol-lowering drugs are the best sellers.
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