Dr. Dennis Godby

WellWire: What was your inspiration for The Run?

Dr. Godby: My inspiration really began back in the 70’s and early 80’s where I was moved by accomplishments of activists like Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, in that one individual can really make a difference in stirring up a movement. Teaching social justice to about 1,000 students in a private school in the 90s, and my patients all deepened and inspired a greater commitment ! For me, it’s important to feel that I’ve contributed to the common good of this nation and planet. I feel this in my mind, in my heart and spirit, and it runs though my blood. I believe we can make a difference. My son, Isaiah had told me that when he was old enough he wanted to run across America and I made a commitment with him to do it, and now my other son Jeremiah has been inspired as has my nephew Jonas! I want to spread the word on natural medicine solutions and fairly simple lifestyle solution. These are drastic times and call for drastic measures, the steadily declining health of the American People is a national emergency.

WellWire: How long did it take you to train for this event? What’s your training schedule?

Dr. Godby: I started training around November of 2009, so about 20 months and I started by simply running one extra mile every single week.  What I discovered a few months ago was a training technique to dramatically reduce post-recovery time (which is especially important for an old guy like me). For every mile and a half I run, I walk for one minute. So in a 20 mile run, I would talk for 9 minutes.  Remember, it’s not about speed or records, it’s about determination and making it through.  I had a couple of setbacks with a hamstring injury which took 4 months to recover from and I wasn’t able to run in the California International Marathon. My younger son actually took my place, and I think that’s what inspired him to join us on The Run.

WellWire: Do you have any training tips for people looking to get in shape?

Dr. Godby: Always remember, not too far, not too fast, not too soon. I see the violation of this principle every day with friends, family and generally anyone who exercises. Realize that in the U.S. we have a ‘hurry up’ mentality and the body doesn’t work like that. Take time to build up and basically use common sense. Drink lots of water! I’ve been adding Ribose, by Researched Nutritionals along with electrolyes to all the water I drink. Remember that it’s more of a joint and ligament limitation as a pose to a cardiovascular limitation at the beginning. Give your body time to adapt, remember the basics. I’ve been taking a multivitamin by Douglas Labs, BCAA’s (branch chain amino acids by Pure Encapsulations), several adrenal products to supplement my training, and Nordic Naturals fish oil.

WellWire: How can people get involved with The Run?

Dr. Godby: We have an itinerary and a list of events you can attend. I’m taking support in the form of donations, a penny a mile. Sign up for a leg and run with me!  This is a movement and we need to get moving! Please go to TheRun.org and learn more about it, tell your friends, patients, through email newsletters, do what you can, where you can to spread the word. If you want a healthier America and more options in health care, we have to work for it.

Welcome back everyone! Things have been quiet over here, but behind the scenes we’ve been busy opening our new online shop.

We’ve brought together the highest quality vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements we could find — the same professional, quality products we use in our private practices and the same wonderful goods we recommend to our friends and family (like our DHA junior chewables).

Right now, we’re excited about our selection of B vitamins, probiotics, and omega-3 fish oil. But the WellWire Shop isn’t just about buying great products — we want to inspire you to become engaged with your health and to take positive action. Every time we bring you a product, we’ll tell you why we think it’s great and how best to use it.

Lastly, we believe in making our store accessible, so our prices will always be discounted by at least 10% for you, WellWire readers.

So, dig in! Browse our great articles, check out the new shop, follow our daily health tweets and enjoy! As always, we welcome your feedback.

What do you think is optimal nutrition for a pet?

Optimal nutrition is based upon the pet’s ancestral diet. Dogs and cats have very short digestive tracts and have not evolved to digest grains so we use grain free products. A lot of dogs and cats suffer from dermatitis and other allergy symptoms so you should really avoid feeding them beef, corn, wheat, soy and yeast. Some dogs and cats do okay with corn but others do not.

When we look at the ancestral diet of a cat or dog, we know that they most efficiently digest protein and fats, not carbohydrates. Cats and dogs were not eating any grains. They definitely weren’t farming. They definitely foraged for some vegetables and fruits, but definitely not wheat, corn, etc.

Before the modern grain-containing pet food, cats and dogs didn’t get obese, didn’t get diabetes, didn’t get thyroid disease.  Some estimate that 60% of overweight pets are because of too much grain consumption. People tell me that they don’t overfeed their pet too much cat or dog food, but overfeeding often sneaks in as too many unhealthy treats. Many pet treats found in the store contain a lot of what’s on the “avoid” list like artificial ingredients and lots of grains.

So for our store, we avoid the primary list of artificial ingredients, find products that use real meats and no by-products, and don’t use wheat or corn.

Do you recommend free-feeding?

We don’t recommend that you leave food out all the time. It’s best for your pet physiology and pancreas that they eat only twice per day. It’s also best for your pet’s sense of security that they know they will get food twice per day at a specific time. Pets don’t like to have to guard their food and worry about it all day long. If they know that at a certain time in the morning and certain time in the evening they are getting fed, its much less stressful. What a lot of pet owners who free-feed don’t notice is that most dogs and cats don’t nibble throughout the day and will actually choose on their own to only eat early in the morning and then again in the evening. Leave clean fresh water out all the time and pick it up 20 minutes before eating to preserve your pet’s healthy stomach acidity.

The raw food diet thing is probably the most controversial and debated subject in the pet food world right now. What’s your take on this?

I think the best diet you could feed your dog or cat is a well balanced raw food diet and the worst diet you could feed your pet is an imbalanced raw food diet. A lot of people try it, but the don’t do enough research to find out what the balance should be. A common mistake is for people to think that an all meat diet for their dog is healthy. Dogs will die with an all meat diet. Also, a raw food diet is not the same as feeding from the table. Dogs don’t do well with a lot of cooked foods or spices. A comprehensive well-balanced raw food diet is better than any bagged or canned food, but it’s the most challenging way to feed a pet. It also takes a lot of time.

The second best way to feed your pet is a using a frozen or dehydrated raw food diet. You don’t want to cook the frozen or dehydrated raw food, because heat destroys the raw food’s natural vitamins and enzymes making it less nutritious. I was one of the first retailers to have a frozen raw food section in my store. I used to buy hundreds of pounds of kidneys, livers and meat and make the food for my customers. Today, there are pet food makers that do this and I sell their products pre-packaged. I sell the best five frozen raw food diets. These are complete balanced diets.

The third best option is a dry kibble grain free diets. These somewhat match the balance of protein and vegetables in the form of dry food. We have the best three dry and canned grain free diets for dogs and cats. The problem with any consumer product is that there are a lot of other people trying to make grain free diets, but they don’t have the knowledge base on how to make a truly healthy and balanced diet.

What do you recommend for pet dental care?

The American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS) came out with a study about 10 years ago that found that dry dog food is only responsible for 5% of tartar reduction. Their recommendation was to use some sort of dental cleaning chewing device. An example of this would be a natural and toxin free raw hide, raw bones, or Nylabone. Basically it would be something that would mimic your dog chewing on a stick – a dog toothbrush found in the wild. Another option is brushing their teeth from the time they are a puppy or kitten. This is a really good way to bond with your pet.

Let’s move on the subject of fleas. Is there a way to avoid poisoning our pets?

I wrote a book titled Flea Control: A Holistic & Humorous Approach. The purpose of the book was to help people understand how to control or eradicated fleas without resorting to poisoning their pets. Many of the conventional veterinary flea control methods involve using topical poisons or pesticides on your pet or in your home or yard. A conventional flea collar, Advantage (Imidacloprid), or a flea bomb are all insecticides and poisons to humans and pets. These are neurotoxins with serious side-effects that persist on your pet and in your house for weeks getting absorbed by all members of your household, humans and animals.

What are some of the signs of an adverse reaction to some of the spot-on treatments?

Convulsions, seizures, shaking, vomiting, drooling, and more. The problem is many people apply these flea control chemicals to their pets and usually don’t notice the connection. They just think that their dog or cat is getting sick. The CDC got so many adverse reaction reports to these flea control chemicals that now the EPA is investigating the topical spot-on flea and tick control products for safety. The EPA has made recommendations for clearer labeling.

My book educates pet owners on the life cycle of fleas and how they can stop flea reproduction not only on their dog, but also within the home and yard. There are stages of the flea life cycle in which it is much easier to eradicate fleas than other stages. Diet also plays a factor in making your pet a desirable place or host for fleas. In the book, I teach pet owners how to have natural flea control without using harsh and toxic chemicals. I teach people how to take a holistic approach by treating the cause of why fleas reproduce in homes and on pets. I like to remind pet owners that just because it says the flea control product is naturally derived; it still may harm their pet. Natural is not always safe.

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Karla.

We love interacting with our readers, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, comments or our Ask the Experts column. Part of the effort to interact more closely to you guys is for us to share our own experience. What happens when we take our own advice? I tried it so you can see.

Oatmeal has been mentioned several times on the site as a healthy ingredient and energy booster. Not too long ago, I even recommended a good bowl of oatmeal to help fight PMS. After trying it out myself, I’ve concluded that oatmeal definitely has superpowers.

First, let me tell you about my experience with oatmeal as a great beauty product, especially now that summer is just around the corner. The oatmeal face mask is nothing new; it’s been around for a very long time and used as a staple in almost every spa. Although pretty common commercially, oatmeal face masks are underestimated at home. This is an extremely cheap and natural way to refine your pores and keep your skin fresh and clear.

Oats are abundant in saponins, chemical compounds found in various plant species. These compounds causes soap-like foaming when shaken in liquid, making oatmeal a great natural cleanser. Here is the basic recipe for a homemade oatmeal face mask, with an added special ingredient, Vitamin E jelly. Since oats are a natural oil-free ingredient, and if you’re like me with  skin that’s prone to dryness, pop in this additional ingredient to level the moisture. This is optional, of course.

1. Grind 1/2 cup oats in a food processor.
2. Pour the crushed oats into a clean bowl. Little chunks are okay, but make sure it’s powdery enough to spread evenly.
3. Mix 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup into the oats.
4. Slice a Vitamin E soft gel capsule in half and pour the jelly into the oat mixture. Mix well. If the mixture is too thick, you may add warm water until the desired consistency.
5. Apply on face, staying away from the eyes.
6. Lay down and relax, meditate, watch television or read a book for 10 minutes.
7. Gently wipe off mask with a damp towel. Rinse face clean and tap dry.

Aside from being a great beauty regimen, oatmeal has helped me in various nutritional ways as well.

• More filling, less calories. I love dessert, and I most especially love baking dessert. Try replacing all-purpose flour with oat flour, which you can find in a regular supermarket. I like homemade oat flour as well, which you can make by simply grinding oats in a food processor. You get twice the fiber, which makes you feel fuller, but more importantly, a huge chunk of your dessert calories will be scratched off. If you look for it, you’ll find gluten-free oatmeal flour too.
• Let’s get physical! I love including oatmeal as part of my daily exercise regimen. Having a nice bowl of oatmeal at least 2 hours before hitting the treadmill makes me so much more energetic. It improves my endurance for running as well. Oats send a signal to the body to burn fat more efficiently to send fuel to the muscles more quickly.

Do you have other great experiences with oatmeal? Do you have a great oatmeal recipe to share? Shoot us a comment below!

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.

A beautiful dome by Tend Living.

Meet my friend Britton Neubacher, founder of green-chic company Tend Living. Brit creates sustainable living sculptures that make you think twice about gardening, like the one above. What started as a small San Diego project has now transformed home and work spaces all over Southern California to reflect the native landscape in completely unique and beautiful ways. Read on!

WW: I love the name! How did you come up with it?

Britton Neubacher: I was looking for a word that would suggest action as well as a descriptor for the larger goal: taking care of our planet. I wanted to highlight the fact that I work with sustainable practices that support life and one that sees plant tending as a lifestyle. People seem to like that part so it has become my business name. More of the same good action!

WW: Tell me how the company got started, it was something of an art experiment wasn’t it?

BN: Tend began as a contribution to a sustainable design show at Design Within Reach in San Diego. My friend *forced* me into it and I was horrified, not able to see myself as an artist. I’m over that insecurity now though! The last thing Tend should be about is ego, so I try to leave self-consciousness out of the equation.

WW: Has sustainable living always been your way of life? How did your background in social justice influence your current inspiration?

BN: I think it has. I joined Greenpeace when I was eight and devoted my young life to environmental and animal activism, later, youth and women’s movements. My adult background is in crisis work with severely high-risk youth and community organizing around feminism and art activism. I have a graduate degree in women’s studies, which amazingly I was able to use for several years in the way of a career before I burned out.

WW: Why did you leave that industry?

BN: I’m really sensitive and didn’t practice enough self-care so I eventually had to accept that I was not a “lifer” in the helping industry. I think I made a little difference, at least I hope I did, but I feel so much more nourished and centered once I went with a more simple approach: to tend to the planet one plant friend at a time. It’s such a beautiful thing to assist a living being that naturally wants to thrive. People are too complicated and self-sabotaging for me! Also, I think plants bring people together in an unspoken language we all instinctively understand, so I actually feel more connected to people than ever now.

Britton Neubacher (on left).

WW: Some of us are new to interiorscaping, can you tell us a little about this type of design?

BN: Interiorscaping is the radical notion that people belong with plants. Really, it is just a fancy word for interior design through green and greenery. Placing plants in your living and work spaces provides aesthetic benefits and can combat rampant off-gassing known as “sick building syndrome.” It can even increase productivity. No environment is complete until it is supplied with life. Well-chosen and strategically-placed plants literally transform a space, and your life!

WW: How do you teach your clients and the community about the concepts of permaculture?

BN: I often plant on a graded arrangement (even in my orbs) so that the more water-loving plants will benefit from run-off of those needing less hydration. Terrariums are an excellent, semi self-sustaining eco-system in that the water requirements are greatly reduced and carbon dioxide usage is optimized. My goal is to make tending easy and fun so low-maintenance plants and plantings feed two birds with one hand, as they say. High-style permaculture with edibles may be the next frontier for me!

WW: With all the water Southern California uses to keep green lawns alive, how will Tend’s creations influence a shift toward cultivating natural landscaping involving native plants that conserve water?

BN: I’m hoping my work will help shift people’s perspectives to see drought-tolerant plants as more interesting than they may have realized. It’s all about providing a format for the already-amazing-but-commonly-over-looked. I try to approach any landscaping that I do as a larger version of my miniature creations, so hopefully people will also see exciting landscaping opportunities from my mini plant worlds.

WW: Brit, you’re becoming popularly known with your eco-friendly wedding creations. Do you see sustainable “green” floristry lasting beyond a trend?

BN: It may be wishful thinking, but I really do. I’d like to believe a trend that has global meaning behind it is less likely to become a passing fad. Shift the individual perspective and the collective consciousness follows, right? I guess that’s what we would call evolution. Green weddings are necessary for our human evolution! Ooooh, I need to market that declaration!

WW: What can we expect from here? Any fun summer projects on the horizon?

BN: Only to expect the unexpected! I hope to always bring a freshness to green living (truly, the gardening puns are endless). I do have a very special on-line store planned for Summer and some thrilling collaborative projects in the works, including the release of “Golly Pods,” a living sculpture line with Jason Lane of Bells & Whistles. Stay tuned!

WW: What advice can you give to folks interested in learning how they can become more connected with the natural landscape in their locale?

BN: Get outside, shut up and be still! Seriously, just getting out of our heads is the first step, nature does the rest. Pay attention to how plants affect you and allow them to share their magic with you. Enjoy the discovery and the inherent connection as you wish each other well. Then tend to it.

Visit Tend’s blog and Facebook to see how Brit is changing the planet, “one plant friend at a time.”

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

Chip Sammons and Allie, his 11 year old rescue.

The rain is coming down hard as I drive up to the humble storefront of Holistic Pet Center in Oregon City. Chip Sammons greets me and takes me to his office. His desk is wedged between shelves of veterinary, nutrition, dog, cat, biology, animal physiology and anatomy books, and stacks of file folders containing what I soon find out are thousands of articles of research studies on pet health. On the wall are pictures of his family and himself with many different dogs and cats. This man loves pets.

How did you become a pet food expert?

I had a Boxer 40 years ago who died of cancer at only 4 years of age. I felt that part of the death of this dog was my fault and I wondered if I could have done anything differently, like fed the dog differently. The veterinarian said, “No, and all foods are about the same.”

At this time, I didn’t know much about dog food, but his answer just didn’t seem right to me. This drove me to research the pet food industry. What I found out, horrified me. I found out it was legal to use certain ingredients including the bodies of cats and dogs who had died of cancer. These were called the 4D meats or the dead, dying, diseased and disabled meats of animals and pets that had been euthanized.

Is this practice of using the 4D meats still legal?

It is still legal to use meats from euthanized animals who were sick and/or dying in pet food! The first big news investigative exposé was the 1990 two part article by San Francisco Chronicle staff writer John Eckhouse. He was the first journalist to make the word renderers better known. In his article Mr. Eckhouse explains how millions of dead cats and dogs are sent to rendering plants every year to be processed into pet food and cosmetics. Even though the pet food companies were, as they claimed, “recycling,” the rendering process involves using harsh carcinogenic or cancer causing chemicals to breakdown the nutrients that make their way back into pet foods. Chemicals that persist from the rendering process include creosote, phenol and euthanizing agents like pentobarbital, and pesticides from flea collars.

Photo by muahace_dc.

What would be the ingredients to avoid when you’re looking at pet food labels?

It‘s a very similar to what you look for on food you’re buying for your family.

• Artificial preservatives
• Artificial colors
• Artificial flavors
• Nitrates
• By-products
• Sugars

These are the ingredients that cause cancer in pets. I was concerned with what could cause cancer.  I never intended to open a pet store, but in 1988, I opened Holistic Pet Center as a place people could buy quality and healthy pet food. My dream was to make a store in which people could purchase and thing and not make a bad decision. The exclusion list was the absolute criteria for anything I carried in my store. All products are safe and not cancer causing. Even twenty-two years later, I still use the same criteria for the products in my store. It’s a simple concept, but a very good way to ensure health and quality.

What is natural flavoring?

Natural is a tricky word because it doesn’t have a definition. Natural flavoring can mean almost anything. Sometimes it means natural and sometimes it doesn’t. I know what it means because I talk to the individual manufactures.

What are some of the signs and symptoms pet owners can look for if they are suspecting a food intolerance or allergy?

Some signs of a possible food related problem are redness on the belly, licking the feet, hot spots at the base of the tail, eye discharge, scratching on the chin, or “my dog/cat is constantly itching or scratching.” Another common phrase I hear is, “My dog has continual ear problems,” or I often have people ask, “Do you have something for my dogs ears?” My first question for pet owners who’s pets have these symptoms is, “What kind of food are you feeding them?”  Our experience is that when you get a pet on a more hypoallergenic formula that the problematic allergic symptom natural goes away.

Why are grains used in pet food?

When Ralston-Purina first made pet food and cereal, they used extruders. Extruders are long machines that compact the food, dehydrate it, and sometimes even bake or cook it, so that by the end of the line out pops kibble or cereal flakes. The only way to make the kibble stick together and not crumble into dust was to use some glue food substance. In the case of kibble and cereal flakes, gluten from certain grains was used in 1954 to produce the first dry dog and cat food. It took almost forty years for the first no grain dry pet food to come out in 1993.

What is ash content on a pet food label? Why is this listed on pet food?

Ash is not an added ingredient. Ash is literally what you would end up with if you burned the food. If the pet food has more by-products, there will be more ash. You want to look for the lower the ash content, the better. In fact if you are considering a good quality pet food, you shouldn’t have to look at ash, because it will have a low ash content. In other words, there will be very little by-products.

What are by-products?

By-products are anything other than meat. By-products include, according to the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), beaks, feathers, hair, hides, hooves, feet, eyes, bones, etc.

Photo by Hamed Saber.

Are organ meats considered by-products?

Yes. This is where my expertise for evaluating pet food products comes in handy. I actually have visited almost all the pet food manufacturer facilities to see what exactly the put in their food. Organ meats are considered by-products, but the ancestral diets of cats and dogs did include organs. In fact many scavengers and predators prefer organs for the nutrient density. Organ meats are great.

A lot of the good companies use organ meats in their by-products. The problem is the FDA does not allow the differentiation between by-products from animal parts like beaks and feathers, and by-products from organ meats. This lack of a clear by-product definition is a result of the FDA not allowing any one company the ability to claim something that other companies could not claim. Organ meats cost a lot more than chicken beaks. If a company lists kidney and liver on the front of the package, their ingredient list has to list it as by-products.

What other things should pet owners look for on labels?

So just to recap:

• Nothing from the primary list like the artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors;
• No by-products
• No sugar. In fact cats don’t even have a sugar or sweetness receptor. Sugar can be listed as sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose.
• No nitrates. Nitrates were actually banned by the FDA in the 1950s but the FDA never enforced the ban in pet and human food.  We all know that and it has been shown that nitrates cause cancer. The meat industry said that it would cause a major nutritional deficiency because people would not buy meats if they were grey. Nitrates are used to keep meat red in the grocery store. Also, the meat industry argued that if meat were not kept artificially red, truly decaying grey meat would not be easily discernible and many more people would get sick and die.

Look for part 2 next week as Chip and I discuss the controversial raw food diet, natural flea control, and dental care for your canine’s canines.

Dr. Gibran Ramos completed his six year training and internship in Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine. Dr. Ramos helps patients transform their lives and optimize their well-being at a private practice in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by author.

Back in the late ’90s and early aughts, a small but information-dense ’zine circulated in the Eugene, Oregon area called “Weed Lover.” The premise was that weeds offend gardeners by growing where they’re not wanted, but that they nevertheless offer great value by way of food, medicine and pulling nutrients up from the subsoil to feed neighboring plants. They also may be physically useful: one gardener tied her tomatoes to their cages using bindweed.

One of the very best things about using weeds for medicine is that you rarely have to entertain the usual worries about overharvesting. It’s an interesting exercise for an ethical wildcrafter to try: Find a field full of an unkillable weed and keep picking it for a while after you feel like you’ve done too much. (Don’t worry, you can always find an herbalist who can use some, or mulch your garden with the extra.)

I’ve tried this exactly twice. The first time was picking blooming yarrow on a friend’s land in the Columbia Gorge. The second was picking St. John’s Wort on a land trust in eastern Washington. In that case, the plant wasn’t even native, but rather a European invasive. It technically wasn’t even overharvesting, but arguably just a feeble attempt at restoration.

Weeds are survivors in the game of evolution for many reasons. Here let’s consider a few that help humans be survivors, too.

Dandelion (Taraxicum officinale):

I love to please the neighbors in early spring by “cleaning up” my front yard dandelions — then steaming lightly and adding a squeeze of lemon and maybe some local feta. Dandelion greens have long been a dietary staple for good reason. Aside from being prolific, one cooked cup offers a third of the daily value (the new RDA) of vitamin C and a whopping seven times the daily value of vitamin K. It also provides 144 percent of your daily vitamin A needs, 10 percent of your daily calcium, 12 percent of your manganese and 10 percent of your iron.

Dandelion leaves are used medicinally in tea, vinegar or tincture as a bitter, taken before meals to improve digestion, and as a simple diuretic to reduce excess water in the system. The root is used in similar fashion as a bitter and also to nourish and optimize function of the liver, the body’s most important detoxification organ.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) and cleavers (Galium aparine):

Among the first garden plants to really take off as the days begin lengthening, I use these for internal herbal spring cleaning. Both are mild herbs supporting the lymphatic system — the back channel of circulation and also where much of the immune system resides. A daily tea of the above-ground parts in season will help improve circulatory sluggishness after the relatively sedentary winter season. Preserve these in vinegar, brandy or vodka to have on hand the rest of the year.

Plantain (Plantago spp.):

Absolutely ubiquitous in most of North America and Europe, it’s easy to overlook the power of plantain until they day you need it and it’s not around. That happened to me in the remote town of McCarthy, Alaska, when I needed an astringent to reduce swelling and suck out infection in a friend’s foot.

Plantain is a wonderful simple astringent, which, as herbalist Howie Brounstein explains, “dry, draw and shrink swollen tissues.” (Blackberry fighters take note: blackberry root is a great simple astringent, too.) It also has constituents that help disinfect wounds. Muddle the fresh plantain leaf as you would mint for a mojito. either with a mortar and pestle or chewed a bit, and apply directly to the site. You can add to hot water for a soak or wash, or take internally for  mouth sores or persistent diarrhea — after checking with a doctor to figure out the cause!

Common mallow (Malva neglecta):

Photo by Dr. Orna Izakson.

Sometimes, however, one needs the opposite of an astringent. And that’s where mallow shines. The weedy relative of both marshmallow and hollyhocks, mallow root’s soothing and cooling demulcent properties are useful both topically and internally. Think of mallow externally for dry, itchy skin or to help a sun or other burn. Internally, mallow can help cool burning stomachs and acid reflux, protect and heal ulcers, moisten lung tissues and ease constipation.

To use mallow as a demulcent, make a cold infusion by adding cold water to some root in a cup or jar and letting it sit until the water starts to get slimy. That slime is the medicine you’re looking for.

A note of caution for weed gardeners: If you tend to encourage the growth of plants you love, you might want to think twice when it comes to the weeds. There’s little reason to fear you’ll eradicate your dandelions, but coddling them will just make it harder to achieve other garden intentions.

A version of this story appeared in In Good Tilth.

Dr. Orna Izakson, ND, RH (AHG) is a naturopathic physician, herbalist, gardener and writer. She specializes in respiratory issues, mood and women's health at Celilo Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon.

When it comes to fashion and giving back to the environment, how do you know for sure that you are purchasing eco-friendly and sustainable products? If you ask me, it’s confusing to choose, let alone find, credible organic claims made by designers and brands. I love that there’s a label launching next year that the average consumer like myself will be able to easily recognize and trust: L.E.A.F. (Labeling Ecologically Approved Fabrics™).

WellWire sat down to chat with L.E.A.F. founder and executive director, Elinor Averyt and here’s what she had to say:

WW:  Can you tell us, in sum, what L.E.A.F. is all about?

Elinor: The overall purpose of L.E.A.F. is to provide the first comprehensive and unifying eco-labeling program for clothing sold in the United States.

WW: Tell us more about yourself, Elinor. Have you always been involved with the apparel industry? What is it about your own personality that you think inspired you to pursue this advocacy?

Elinor: I started this project out of frustration with working on larger scaled societal issues at various non-profits in my 20′s and not seeing any definitive outcomes or results from pouring myself into these larger scaled problems.

I decided to take a step back and ask two questions: 1) What are the issues/problems keeping us stuck or sending us in negative directions as a society, and 2) What are catalysts we could put into place to help get some of these larger issues moving in new directions in a concrete, finite amount of time? Two issues that came to the forefront as continuing problems are both, 1) the lack of pervasive industry-wide accountability for depleting resources and pollution at a faster rate than the earth and its inhabitants can handle, and 2) the lack of pervasive consumer accountability for continuing this cycle by demanding low cost products (which are almost impossible to produce in environmentally and socially sensitive ways) and purchasing from companies creating problems in society.

The concept of eco-labels began to fascinate me as a potential, helpful solution to both of these problems to provide both marketplace inspiration to a given industry to clean up its ways, as well as to assist consumers with having an easier method to find and support the companies producing products in a more environmentally and socially sensitive manner.

That particular thought process is what basically landed me working on this project in the apparel industry.

WW: We understand that L.E.A.F. had just undergone its public review process. How can you describe the reception of the apparel industry and the general public to L.E.A.F.’s ideas? What was their primary concern, and how did L.E.A.F. respond to it?

Elinor: The public review was a success with over 150 participants. The premise of L.E.A.F. was generally received exceptionally well by the general public, and received with anticipated skepticism from industry stakeholders. You can see range of responses to the public review on our site, and you can access all comments and L.E.A.F. responses at the bottom of the home page.

WW: What makes this certification different from the already existing ecological programs in the US apparel industry?

Elinor: L.E.A.F. is actually not an official ‘certification’ program. Instead, L.E.A.F. is an umbrella eco-labeling program that communicates to the US consumers where a product has reached certain environmental and social achievements and certifications. This occurs by L.E.A.F. vetting which certifications have been reached within a product’s journey through its life cycle process.

Currently, there are certification programs that also have a consumer facing eco-label at the end of their certification process. However, due to the complexities of the apparel supply chain, it is difficult for any one standard or certification to cover a full range of inputs, processes and social issues addressed by the apparel industry’s complex and expansive life cycle.

Therefore,  L.E.A.F. aspires to end eco-labeling confusion in this industry by providing one unifying and comprehensive label to the US consumer that is inclusive of the valid certification programs that exist for this industry and that communicates the overriding certification history of any given product.

WW: L.E.A.F.’s label involves compliance with fair labor, organic/sustainable fibers and environmental manufacturing. In your opinion, what is the biggest issue in America today out of these three, if it’s possible to choose just one, of course.

Elinor: Although these are three major issues facing this industry, there are actually many diverse issues and impacts associated with this industry’s practices that extend beyond these ones.

These particular issues were chosen to launch the program as they have the most comprehensive certification programs in place to date (although Transfair USA will soon be launching its Fair Trade initiative for clothing sold in the United States).

It is difficult to make such a determination as each environmental and social issue associated with this industry’s life cycle, as each issue and its impacts are very complex, and each issue also seems to have equally important impacts to address and improve upon.

WW: What’s new with L.E.A.F. these days? How has it developed since the review process and what is your team currently up to?

Elinor: After the public review process, L.E.A.F. explored the potentials of new ownership taking control of the project, but was not successful in finding the right parent organization to take control of this situation. L.E.A.F. is now back full swing as its own, freestanding, small-scaled, non-profit organization that plans to grow in an organic manner. We are currently taking a three-pronged effort to get this program off the ground and launched to the marketplace. Our goal is that you will see L.E.A.F. labels in stores Spring 2011!

WW: Since L.E.A.F.’s efforts are still in the works and hasn’t been introduced in the marketplace yet, what can you recommend to our WellWire readers when it comes to making sure that they purchase products that fulfill L.E.A.F.’s ecological and social categories? What are the most common signs to look out for (i.e., similar to FDA-approved labels)?

Elinor: Well, right now, this is still a tricky task. The only certifications that back the organic claims made by designers and brands are the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and the Organic Exchange OE100 and Blended standards. If you see either of these certifications on a garment, you can trust the organic claim is valid. Currently, there are no consumer facing labels created by certification programs that communicate to consumers concerning social categories associated with this industry (i.e., fair trade and fair labor practices). I believe, however, Transfair USA will be launching their Fair Trade Certified™ program this fall 2010.

This is why L.E.A.F. aspires to launch as soon as possible, so that our program may hopefully serve in this capacity!

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.

This is me enjoying a coconut oil massage in Boracay, Philippines.

I was born and raised in the tropics and whenever I think of home, I think about coconut oil. Never a beach trip goes by without my friends and I getting hour long coconut oil massages from the island massage therapists. The smell and texture of coconut oil gliding against your skin is very different from regular massage oils. It’s organic, light and absolutely soothing.

Coconut oil has been around for generations and has been used by millions as a staple in their diet–it’s a great source of fat, does not burn easily and very resistant to rancidity.

But isn’t coconut oil bad for your health? There had been bad publicity about the high saturated fat content of coconut oil, but research shows that the structural make-up of coconut oil in terms of fatty acids is actually very unique and not unhealthy at all. The fat composition of coconut oil is made up of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA), which make this particular oil behave differently once it has reached the digestive tract: because its particles are considerably smaller in size, it is easily digestible and does not require too much energy to get absorbed, thus putting on less strain in our digestive system. Dr. Nishant also wrote about it in The Skinny on Coconut Fat.

Are you vegan or lactose intolerant? Coconut oil is a great substitute for dairy additives to snacks. For instance, you can toss your homemade popcorn with coconut oil instead of butter. Sounds weird? Bet you didn’t know that coconut oil is actually used in movie theater popcorn here in the US, which gives it its distinct flavor!

Fountain of youth. Coconut oil is loaded with antioxidants and can be a great addition to your beauty regimen. Aside from its moisturizing quality, coconut oil is also composed of Vitamin E, which is a popular ingredient used in many beauty products that help prevent premature aging. My personal favorite coconut oil beauty regimen is rubbing a few drops of it on my nails, which is my organic version of what I learned from my grandmother who would break open Vitamin E capsules and rub the liquid onto her fingers for healthier nails and softer fingers.

Health boost. Coconut oil is composed of lauric acid, which researchers were very excited to introduce as a powerful immune booster. With its antimicrobial properties, coconut oil is a great shield from bacterial and viral infections.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the summer. Coconut oil is a great organic stress reliever. It’s soothing quality makes it a very popular massage oil. It is also extremely gentle even to the most sensitive skin, so don’t be afraid to rub a few drops of it against your temples to cure mental fatigue. It smells great, too!

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.

Photo by Peter.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day here in North America. The observance, introduced by US senator Gaylord Nelson, Harvard student Denis Hayes and well-known eco-activist Paul Erlich originated in the early 1970s during what the senator described as a crisis and call to global environmental awareness. Today, nearly 175 countries from all around the world celebrate this holiday by showing appreciation for environmental conscientiousness.

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the overstatement of global warming and discord among politicians I asked around, is Earth Day important? I spoke to students at US college campuses, parents of young children, a few of my patients and professional colleagues and here’s what thoughtful folks had to say:

Janesh, Los Angeles, CA, mother of two: The fact that we have more people than natural resources covering the globe has really pushed environmental consciousness into the mainstream. It’s no longer hippies and rich yuppies shopping at the farmer’s markets. I think earth day is important because it highlights the message that grassroots efforts really can make a big a ripple that flows far. If it weren’t for earth day my kids might not be eating the organic veggies and meat that are now abundantly available city-wide. 

Jamal C., Philadelphia, PA artist and student of urban development: Having lived in Philly my entire life we’re just now witnessing a major shift in community awareness. They’re still trying to figure out how to recycle in some parts, but without earth day our garbages and dumps would still be overflowing. It’s just too easy to recycle and reuse. Services should be available to every single person in America. 

Sintal G., Palm Beach, FL, father of three, astrophysicist: I’m a bit skeptical about earth day although at the end of the day it delivers an amazing message we’ve been building as a national community since the 1970′s. When organic food and healthy eating loses its somewhat elitist undertones and is readily available to all levels of society that will be the true celebration of earth day.

Liz B., London, UK, professor of agricultural studies: Being a mother of two little kids in an overcrowded city I try to celebrate earth day everyday with my boys. Joy is only three, but already knows what items go in the blue recycling box! I think getting your kids involved and exposed to all aspects of the community in which you live will help them understand the global message of protecting the planet as they grow. We’re celebrating this year by planting a new tree!

Kim P., San Francisco, expecting mother UCLA school of medicine: Is Earth Day important? Of course it is! Are people actually responding that it’s not? As population density keeps increasing, this observance is more important than ever. For a society that claims to have some of the best health care on the planet it’s ironic that we still have so many sick people here. The Earth Day message is one that makes us stop if only for a moment to remind us that health care is earth care!

Looking for a fun way to celebrate earth day?

• Plant a tree or garden with your kids.
• Replace your current cleaning products with eco-friendly choices
• Get friends together for a city-wide recycling clean up. Talk to people on the streets about what you’re up to
• Start taking shorter showers
• Participate in a learning activity about the environment at a local university or library
• Skip the plastic at the grocery store
• Ride your bike

Christine M. Dionese L.Ac. specializes in integrative medicine, medical journalism and was the VP of marketing at WellWire LLC. Visit her wellness and lifestyle blog, Reaching Beyond Now.

Photo by Mai Le.

Got a question for us? Drop your tricky, random, wacky or plain confusing health question into the Suggest-O-Matic, leave a comment, or tag your tweets with #wellwire and our team of experts will answer them in this weekly column.

Q: Last year I was diagnosed with HPV. It has been suggested that I take standard anti-viral medication. I haven’t ingested a pharmaceutical drug in over 15 years and don’t want to now because my system is very sensitive to anti-virals. I only experience one or two break-outs per year. My immune system is strong overall and I don’t suffer from any serious (or even minor) illnesses other than this concern. Can you please suggest a non-pharmaceutical approach to addressing this issue? -Seetha B. Austin, Texas

A: HPV is a virus that has hundreds of strains and while some show up as warts in the genital area, other strains cause abnormal cells on your cervix. There are a lot of natural anti-viral treatments you can do to help support your immune system! Vitamins such as Vitamin C and Vitamin D are anti-viral. Herbs such as goldenseal, echinacea, andrographis, elderberry, olive leaf, and lemon balm are very supportive as well. You can also include anti-viral foods into your diet like ginger, garlic, onions and mushrooms.

Dr. Carrie Jones has practices in Tigard and Sherwood, Oregon where she focuses in all aspects of women's health. She is an adjunct professor at the National College of Natural Medicine, and writes and speaks regularly on the subject of women's medicine.

I’m sure most multi-taskers think multitasking is healthy and efficient because we get work done faster than usual. But is it really the way to go?

Barbara Rowley of Natural Solutions says that multitasking “pushes the brain to work in ways that end up making it slower and more error prone than good, old-fashioned focusing.” When I read this, I thought, my poor brain! I also looked back and compared my work output during a multitasking spree, as opposed to the results generated through sheer concentration. Research was right: my best projects were done when I had nothing else to think about but that project.

I know it’s easier said than done, but it can be done. I worked in a corporate setting for four years and straight out of college, so the idea of doing one thing at a time, let alone having a real break, was nowhere in my lifestyle vocabulary. But one day, I found myself hyperventilating during a party my friends threw for me and I had to leave to get some air. Why was I hyperventilating? I couldn’t help but look through the To Do List in my cellphone–yes, on a Friday night–thinking about how I can possibly do at least half of these things over the weekend. I didn’t realize that, by doing so, I was entertaining more work to be done on Monday. I realized I needed a lifestyle shift.

To kick the multitasking habit once and for all you have to get into small but very useful and effective lifestyle changes. Start with a 7-day non-multitasking challenge.

Here are some tips:

• Out of sight, out of mind. One simple but effective way to make multitasking hard to do is to put away things that trigger the temptation. If you need your laptop to work, turn off your cellphone. If you need your cellphone to work, turn off your laptop. Easy, right? The idea is to train yourself to do one thing at a time.
• Ration your tasks. When you focus on one thing, you can’t help but forget about the ticking clock. Realistically, we all have to work efficiently around a given deadline. This is usually why people take the road of multitasking, because single-pointed working can be time consuming. Set a timer. For every task, give 30 minutes to focus on that one task. I am pleasantly surprised each time, because I never thought I could accomplish so much in 30 minutes or less. Then, move on to the next task.
• Balance your thoughts. Don’t panic when you suddenly get distracted. During meditation practice, my yoga teacher would always remind us that the practice of yoga is all about balance; therefore, in meditation, we keep our eyes half open instead of the usual fully closed. When you keep your eyes half open, you are able to keep your awareness in the center, which Eastern gurus call the chakra, or the seat of consciousness. When you find yourself distracted with the thoughts of all your other tasks and to dos for the day, calm down. Take a deep breath, inhale and exhale for 30 seconds, acknowledge the fact that you have a lot to do for the day, but at the same time, you are also challenging yourself to do one thing at a time, which is the healthier path.

So if you’re a multitasking nut like I was, challenge yourself with these steps. I tried it, and I’m happier, more relaxed, and most importantly, I get the work done and I do it well.

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.