Lotus Guide
Holistic Resources
P.O. Box 135
Chico, California 95926
530-894-8433 (89-GUIDE)
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Your Horoscope
Health Nutrition
FRESH! ... Fine Real Edibles Sow Happiness
By Baba and Mharia Ross-Walcott
We are always amazed at how large corporations can spin us around with words. For instance, what is “conventional” about conventional foods? These are foods processed with chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, toxic pesticides, irradiation, and genetic manipulation. Who do the corporations think they are fooling? Well, unfortunately, quite a few. However, for those of us who want a healthier life, there’s also the prospect of becoming sustainable and helping our communities become more sustainable. A movement is happening in rural communities to do just that and people such as Baba and Mharia are on the front line of “being the change” we’ve been waiting for.
Rahasya and Dhara~Lotus Guide
It's the most amazing way to live—choosing to eat local organic goods that were planted, weeded, and picked by people who are part of the community in which we flourish. Baba and Mharia Ross-Walcott are bringing on the fresh goods! Living the fresh life means choosing to grow or buy local vegetables and fruits. They taste better, contain more nutrition and support, and sustain the hopes, land, and hands of local farmers. Everybody benefits.
Many of us are excited by the renewal of old-fashioned goodness on the table and plate. The Slow Food Movement gains traction as we reclaim our own ability to fall in love with our kitchens all over again, rekindling the old ways of growing, preparing, and preserving food. If it comes out of the ground, it makes common sense—pure and simple. Baba Ross-Walcott is a farmer man, having grown up watching his grandfather work the fertile hills of western Jamaica—growing yam, banana, and plantain. Baba has a passion for the simple good life, and he wants to share it. Working an acre off Eaton Road, the Ross-Walcotts welcome people to help on the farm, and they will continue to sell their produce locally. They now have a greenhouse full of sprouting seeds and a root cellar in progress for winter storage.
Building a sustainable way of life is no joke. Our modern lifestyle has become a liability, with corporate interests dominating the economic landscape. Terminator seeds and seeds dipped in pesticides are the order of the day. It's time to reeducate ourselves about what is what and why health is our wealth. We make it our business to figure out how to maximize on the simplicity of a holistic edible experience. Going fresh is the natural way!
No More Smoke in the Skies, But How about Your Lungs and Blood?
Hello again, dear readers. What an amazing and misadventurous summer we have had in our beautiful area. The tragedies of the fires that devastated our land and homes in June and July have left many of us shaken and shocked. I have spoken with so many people who have suffered through these months and in every case the resiliency of the human being and human spirit has impressed me beyond any expectation. “That which does not kill me only seems to make me stronger!” apparently is the theme our community has adopted through our recovery from this traumatic time.
So, what am I recommending for people’s recovery? Mostly, of course, I have focused on support and cleansing for the lungs and blood/liver.
During the worst of the fires all of us were breathing so much smoke that everyone I spoke to was complaining of lungs burning, eyes burning, sinus inflammation, and aggravation of all eye, ear, nose, throat, and lung conditions. My first encouragement to people was to get New Chapter’s Supercritical Antioxidants (“Smoke Shield”), because of its history as being created primarily to protect the lungs from smoke damage and to dispel toxins lodged in bronchial tube linings; one of New Chapter’s organic men’s or women’s One Daily multivitamin to give to the blood and organs the organic trace nutrients they need to defend themselves; and New Chapter’s organic Breathe! mushroom supplement to increase the lungs’ capacity to take in oxygen and use it more efficiently.
Our biggest seller for the lungs was Eclectic Institute’s Cordyceps Mushroom (it’s amazing how well educated people are about medicinal mushrooms). Eclectic’s fresh freeze-dried mushrooms are the best and Cordyceps has a famous and constant history of being used by Himalayan mountain climbers. Cordyceps has even made international sports headlines. At the Chinese National Games tournament in 1993, a team of nine Chinese women runners shattered nine world records, breaking the world record for the 1,000-meter run by an unprecedented 42 seconds. They gave credit for their success to two things: 1) their intense training regimen and 2) Cordyceps mushrooms. Apparently Cordyceps increases respiratory activity and metabolism of lactic acid, helping the cells remain more oxygenated. I’ve been using Eclectic Institute’s Cordyceps Mushroom with about 200 mg of Bluebonnet’s Ubiquinol (a form of CoEnzyme Q10) to help the processing of oxygen in the cells and to take a load off the lungs and heart. My result? Easier breathing and more energy.
I have also been using Eclectic Institute’s Blood Support, with fresh freeze-dried burdock root, red clover blossom, yellow dock root, nettle leaf, and dandelion root, all very grounding and healing for liver and kidneys.
With all my excitement in healing through this crisis we have all shared I almost forgot! Something I take for granted is my near-constant use of Nature’s Way Thislyn, milk thistle extract to protect my liver from not only carbon monoxide and particulate poisoning but, also from me, myself, and my habit of enjoying an antioxidant-rich glass of a good organic red wine. Three capsules of Thislyn before I indulge and three capsules after protect the liver from alcohol damage. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
Among two more treasures from Nature’s Way is the best probiotic I have ever used—its Optima with 35 billion viable bacteria as colony-forming units—and the best total cleanse formula on the market, its Thislyn Cleanse, which I used as a blood cleanser during the fires and smoke pollution and which I will use again as the season changes, at the end of September. I hope all of you will also do a cleanse such as these at least twice a year to get out accumulated and unwanted environmental poisons.
Bless all of you who have survived this last summer’s trials and bless all of the firefighters for their heroic efforts to save our homes and lands from the ravages of the fires.
“No down is not but followed by an up.” All disasters secretly have a gift wrapped in them. This is law, which means we in this area must have some great blessing to follow the recent trauma. Prayers for all of us to grow from this again toward the stars of our greater destinies.
Donald Payne
S&S Produce & Natural Foods
P.S. A special blessing to all returning and new students to our wonderful education systems. Of course we all take responsibility for our own lives; however, your educated choices will form the future for all of our and your children to come. Peace be with you.
