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7 episodes with stephen buhner
3 episodes with stephen buhner
3 episodes with stephen buhner
3 episodes with stephen buhner
2 episodes with stephen buhner
2 episodes with stephen buhner
2 episodes with stephen buhner
4 episodes with stephen buhner
In this powerful episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Myriah Hinchey, a Lyme-literate naturopathic physician whose personal battle with Lyme disease, Babesia, and Bartonella shaped her pioneering approach to treatment. Dr. Hinchey is the founder and medical director of Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity & Optimal Health, creator of LymeCore Botanicals, and founder of LymeBytes, a global educational platform for Lyme disease. Dr. Hinchey shares how her journey from misdiagnosed childhood infections to a transformative diagnosis in her mid-30s inspired a career of advocacy and innovation in integrative Lyme treatment. Discover why she believes most chronic Lyme sufferers can heal — and how focusing on terrain, immune modulation, gut health, and targeted herbal antimicrobials makes recovery possible.
When Tim Scott's book, Invasive Plant Medicine, came out in 2010, it was an instant favorite of mine. In fact, it still influences the way I view plants and the natural world! I was so delighted to finally have the chance to interview Tim, and our conversation touched on many important threads from the book – from the question “what is native” to some of the actual benefits of invasive plants, and so much more.Tim also discussed a plant that inspires anger in many of the places it has taken hold: Japanese knotweed. Yet there is much to love about this much-maligned plant! Tim shared all about how he works with Japanese knotweed for both food and medicine – including his delicious recipe for Japanese Knotweed Pickles. You can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card from the resource section below.By the end of this episode, you'll know:► Why labeling plants as “native” or “invasive” can be problematic► Three ways that so-called invasive plants can actually often help to revitalize the land► A surprising way that Japanese knotweed can be worked with to process stored anger► What makes Japanese knotweed such a helpful ally for people with Lyme disease► and so much more…For those of you who don't know him, Timothy Lee Scott is an herbalist, business owner, and author of Invasive Plant Medicine, which was the first book to outline the healing benefits of invasive plants and their ecological functions in the environment. He is owner of Green Dragon Botanicals, which provides herbal remedies for Lyme disease and other infectious and chronic illnesses, and has specialized in treating Lyme disease for over 20 years, after first apprenticing with the late Stephen Buhner. Tim is a tireless advocate for the plant world and using herbs as medicine, and constantly questions the status quo of the technologically-based, corporate health care system. He currently lives in southern Vermont.I'm so excited to share our conversation with you today!----Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.comFor more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.----Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal...
Join us for a lively and informative conversation with dynamic herbalist, farmer, and educator Tammi Sweet. Her passion for soil and her perspective that "Compost is God" set the tone for a fun and insightful discussion. Discover the alchemical magic of composting, where kitchen scraps and yard waste transform into fertile, life-giving soil. We'll discuss practical tips for creating and maintaining a compost system that works wonders. Tammi will explain how organic matter turns into rich soil, boosting fertility and plant growth. Whether you're a composting newbie or a seasoned pro, Tammi's enthusiasm and years of farming experience will help you see composting in a whole new light.Tammi will also share about growing hemp and its close relationship with healthy soil. Learn how this versatile plant thrives with nutrient-rich compost and how it, in turn, enhances soil health. Tammi's holistic, knowledgeable, and practical take on soil, compost, and hemp cultivation will leave you inspired and ready to get your hands dirty. This is the first webinar in our Soils Series, culminating in our Soil Gratitude Ceremony. Join us on this journey of discovery and celebration of the Earth's incredible processes. Come and discover why "Compost is God" and how you can contribute to the health of our planet through soil and compost practices.Tammi Sweet loves to teach. It's her superpower. She has a magical ability to connect with almost anyone when teaching and help them understand complex material. For over 30 years, Tammi has shared her gift of teaching at various colleges, massage schools and herbal schools throughout the country. Her background in physiology makes her an invaluable resource to developing herbalists and massage therapists alike, who want to deepen their foundation as practitioners. In addition to her physiology expertise, Tammi is also a practitioner and teacher of herbal medicine. She is deeply influenced by her studies with accomplished herbalists, including Rosemary Gladstar, Pam Montgomery, Tom Brown, Jr. and especially Stephen Buhner's pioneering work on the heart as an organ of perception.In 2007, Tammi set out to “combine all the things I love into one curriculum and teach whatever I wanted in ways that made sense--on my own terms.” So, she and her partner Kris Miller launched the Heartstone Center for Earth Essentials.At Heartstone, Tammi and Kris run their Herbal Apprenticeship. Tammi also offers online courses that integrate physiology and plant medicine with Tammi's love of teaching, such as her signature course Anatomy & Physiology for Herbalists. The other branch of her teaching is Cannabis. In 2019 Tammi offered her first online course in Medicine Making with Cannabis. 2020 brought about her six month long Online Cannabis Grow course. Teaching these two courses led to publishing two books; The first; The Wholistic Healing Guide to Cannabis and her second, The Beginner's Guide to Growing Cannabis.Support the Show.
Today I talked about focusing on treating Lyme disease with herbs using the Buhner protocol. Stephen Buhner was instrumental in elaborating specific herbs that work on different issues with tick borne illness. Some of the herbs support immunity; some are antimicrobial; some are nutritive; some are antioxidant and neuroprotective. These herbs tend not to upset the digestive system the […]
Introduction: Ryan Courneya is a Lyme disease advocate who delved deep into the intricacies of this illness for years after getting sick and now wishes to share his discoveries and experiences with others. Ryan's Initial Experience with Lyme: Ryan didn't perceive ticks as dangerous, but hindsight reveals their threat. Endured stress from an intense lifestyle, leaning on exercise and supplements for relief. Pursued a career in marketing at Sanford Health, later transitioning through various sales positions. Began to notice health symptoms intensifying, wondering if they were linked to factors like caffeine intake. Medical Journey: Consulted primary care for routine evaluations. Misdiagnosed with occipital neuralgia and sudden onset depression and anxiety, but his health issues persisted. Felt that numerous doctors disregarded his symptoms. A friend proposed that his health issues might stem from Lyme, an idea that was both alarming and affirming for Ryan. Treatment and Recovery: Tested and found positive for European and American strains of Borrelia Burgdorferi, as well as Babesia Microti, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Parvovirus, and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Leveraged IV Ozone Therapy with an Ultraviolet (UV) component to combat Lyme bacteria. Incorporated the WAVE1 device by FREmedica, a frequency therapy instrument. Used herbal supplements, particularly Doctor Bill Rawls' Lyme protocol grounded in Stephen Buhner's research. Advocated for a proactive mindset as pivotal in the healing journey. Further Exploration and Treatment: Addressed potential mold concerns and explored methodologies for testing both his physique and residence for mold. Investigated treatments tailored for related viruses. Experimented with methylene blue, deducing it's most effective when combined with red light therapy. Underwent SOT Therapy, a method crafted to pinpoint and exterminate specific pathogens. In Ryan's case, it was directed at Borrelia Burgdorferi, the Lyme-inducing bacterium. Conclusion: Ryan emphasizes that while it's beneficial to reduce and manage pathogens, one doesn't need to eradicate all of them to maintain good health. He notes that certain microbes, like EBV, might remain but can coexist with a strong immune system in a balanced state. Stresses the significance of understanding one's life purpose in confronting chronic diseases. Ryan continues to assist others by recounting his journey. For a deeper insight into Ryan Courneya's healing trajectory and the therapeutic methods he embraced, tune into the complete episode on our website or any primary podcast platform.
Listener Maryanne wants to know, what's on my summer reading list? Altogether I have 96 books on my nightstand or in my wishlist, but the new herbal ones I currently have on hand include: The Male Herbalist by James Green, Live Longer Better by Joseph Dispenza, Wild Plants of Maine by Tom Seymour, Culpeper's Complete Herbal by Nicolas Culpeper, Eat the Weeds by Ben Charles Harris, The 40 Day Sugar Fast by Wendy Speak, The Trauma Informed Herbalist by Elizabeth Guthrie, Menopause without Medicine by Linda Ojeda, The Mood Cure by Julie Ross, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Holistic Herbs for Pets by Elizabeth David, Modern Encyclopedia of Herbs by Joseph Kadans, Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech, The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown, Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss, Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix by Matthew Wood, Holy Herbs by Sudhir Ahluwalia, Medical Herbalism by David Hoffman, Herbal Therapeutics by David Winston, The New Natural Family Doctor by Andrew Stanway, The Complete Housewife by Eliza Smith, The Weed Cookbook by Adrienne Crowhurst, and Herbal Antivirals by Stephen Buhner.
In our final podcast tribute to herbalist Stephen Buhner, we are sharing his informative webinar recorded in 2016 which discusses the use of herbal medicine in Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a topic Stephen had researched and written on extensively and published his book, Healing Lyme disease Coinfections in 2013.In this podcast Stephen details the aetiology of Lyme disease, the co-infections that are often present, the options for testing and diagnosis, and also provides us with treatment aims, basic protocols, the key herbal medicines to utilise and their mechanisms of action. As always, Stephen was extremely generous with sharing his research and clinical knowledge and we know that our practitioners listening will find the information in this podcast invaluable, practical and clinically relevant. ----Chapter MarkersApprox. 3:20 – “Spirochetes e.g. Borrelia species”Approx. 5:40 – “Lyme Disease Co-infections”Approx. 8:15 – “Relapsing Fever Borrelia”Approx. 9:30 – “Borrelia miyamotoi”Approx. 9:45 – “Biting Insects”Approx. 10:45 – “Chronic Disease Linked To Borrelia Infection”Approx. 15:05 – “Antibiotics”Approx. 15:40 – “Immune System Health”Approx. 16:10 – “Lyme Disease Symptoms & Testing”Approx. 22:10 – “Bacteria Forms & Features”Approx. 29:16 – “Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome & Chronic Lyme Disease”Approx. 32:50 – “An Ecological Disease”Approx. 39:00 – “Protecting Endothelial Integrity”Approx. 40:17 – “Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)”Approx. 42:30 – “Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)”Approx. 43:00 – “Protecting Collagen Structures & Enhancing Immune Function”Approx. 43:30 – “Lyme Neuroborreliosis”Approx. 48:00 – “7 Considerations When Treating Lyme Disease”Approx. 50:05 – “Antispirochetal Herbs; Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) & Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)Approx. 52:45 – “Cytokine Remodulators; Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) & Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)”Approx. 53:45 – “Collagen Protection; Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)”Approx. 54:25 – “Immune Modulators; Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa), Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris), Withania (Withania somnifera), Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthrococcus senticosus), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)”Approx. 56:50 – “Lyme Neuroborreliosis Interventions”Approx. 1:01:05 – “Septic Shock; Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis), Astragalus (), Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Kudzu (Pueraria lobata), Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), St. Mary's Thistle (Silybum marianum)”If you are a qualified practitioner and would like more information on the phytomedicines mentioned by Stephen Buhner, register/log in to the OptimalRx website to access and download free comprehensive herbal Tech Sheets: www.optimalrx.com.au-- DISCLAIMER: All information provided via OptimalRx is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for independent professional advice. Please seek the advice of a qualified health care professional in the event something you learn here raises questions or concerns regarding your health. Thank you.www.optimalrx.com.au
Continuing our tribute to Stephen Buhner, this podcast recording is all about stealth pathogens. Stephen recorded this in 2015 and he takes a comprehensive look at Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Borrelia infections, their impact on the body and the unique herbal medicines that we can utilise to target these difficult to treat infections. Stephen draws on both research and his clinical experience to provide a practical repertory that will assist Natural Medicine Practitioners to navigate these increasingly prevalent clinical presentations. Chapter markers:01:08 – Stealth Pathogens8:55 – Lyme Disease11:40 – Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) and Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)11:51 – Babesia14:28 – Cryptolepis (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta), Burr Marigold (Bidens species) and Qing Hao (Artemisia annua)14:40 – Sida (Sida acuta)16:00 – Burr Marigold (Bidens species) and Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza)18:50 – St. Mary's Thistle (Silybum marianum)19:05 – L-Arginine20:24 – Red Root (Ceanothus americanus)20:53: – Withania (Withania somnifera)22:45 – Detoxification24:28 – Bartonella28:15 – Sida (Sida acuta)28:25 – Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris), Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis), Red Root (Ceanothus americanus), Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Withania (Withania somnifera)29:20 – Isatis (Isatis tinctoria) and Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata)29:50 – Lyme Disease Neuroborreliosis30:47 – Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)30:58 – Arthritis and Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens)31:17 – Herbal Repertory34:42 – Mycoplasma40:40 – Burr Marigold (Bidens species), berberine-containing plants and Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris)41:46 – Sida (Sida acuta), Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), berberine-containing plants, Burr Marigold (Bidens species) and Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza)43:25 – Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) and Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)44:55 – Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database46:35 – Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata) and Isatis (Isatis tinctoria)47:00 – Olive Leaves (Olea europaea) and olive oil48:40 – Sida (Sida acuta)50:30 – Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia)52:17 – Usnea (Usnea species)54:40 – Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata), Isatis (Isatis tinctoria) and olive oil55:23 – Chlamydia55:40 – Sida (Sida acuta), Burr Marigold (Bidens species), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Pleurisy Root (Asclepias tuberosa) and berberine-containing plants58:40 – Resistant Pathogens and Plant MedicineIf you are a qualified practitioner and would like more information on the phytomedicines mentioned by Stephen Buhner, register/log in to the OptimalRx website to access and download free comprehensive herbal Tech Sheets: www.optimalrx.com.au-- DISCLAIMER: All information provided via OptimalRx is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for independent professional advice. Please seek the advice of a qualified health care professional in the event something you learn here raises questions or concerns regarding your health. Thank you.www.optimalrx.com.au
Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Herbalist Linda Conroy. Linda Conroy dedicates her life to connecting with the green world. She is a practicing herbalist, providing herbal education, workshops and apprenticeships, as well as individual consultations and her herb store. Linda also holds two masters degrees: MSS (Master of Social Service) and MLSP (Master of Law and Social Policy). Linda is a community organizer and the founder of the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda's primary human mentors are Isla Burgess, Susun Weed and Marshall Rosenberg. She has also studied with Tieraona LowDog, MD, Stephen Buhner, Cascade Geller Anderson, Ryan Drum, Eaglesong and Sally King of Raven Croft Gardens, Matthew Wood, Suzanne Tabert and many others. She has studied as well as studies women's mysteries with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Z. Budapest, Vicki Noble, Starhawk, Jean Houston and other of our inspiring foremothers.
Late last year, we sadly said goodbye to American Master Herbalist, Stephen Buhner, who passed away in December. We are so grateful for Stephen's legacy and have been paying tribute to him by sharing excerpts from some of the lectures he recorded for OptimalRx in 2015 and 2016. March's podcast recording is centred around the topic of herbal antivirals in the treatment of emerging, re-emerging and resistant viral infections. Stephen researched and wrote extensively on this topic, publishing several books addressing the issue of resistant pathogens, including “Herbal Antibiotics”, “Herbal Antivirals” and “Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections”. With the recent impact of viral infections upon society, this podcast will provide invaluable education for all practitioners.Herbal Time Stamps:00:50 Emerging Viruses and Herbal Antivirals06:40 Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)12:50 Isatis (Isatis tinctoria)13:45 Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)15:10 Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata)17:10 Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra)23:00 Ginger (Zingiber officinale)25:25 Lomatium (Lomatium dissectum)28:20 Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)29:10 Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)29:55 Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea)30:30 Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris)31:25 Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)32:20 Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)32:35 Baical Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)33:15 Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)34:45 Cytokine Storms and Septic Shock39:00 Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis)39:30 Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)40:20 Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza)40:45 Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) and Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris)-- If you are a qualified practitioner and would like more information on the phytomedicines mentioned by Stephen Buhner, register/log in to the OptimalRx website to access and download free comprehensive herbal Tech Sheets: www.optimalrx.com.au-- DISCLAIMER: All information provided via OptimalRx is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for independent professional advice. Please seek the advice of a qualified health care professional in the event something you learn here raises questions or concerns regarding your health. Thank you.www.optimalrx.com.au
Late last year, we sadly said goodbye to American Master Herbalist, Stephen Buhner, who passed away in December. We are so grateful for Stephen's legacy and are paying tribute to him by sharing excerpts from some of the lectures he recorded for OptimalRx in 2015 and 2016. In this podcast recording, Stephen discusses the use of botanical medicines as herbal antibiotics in the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections. Some of the herbal antibacterials he mentions include Cryptolepis (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta), Sida (Sida acuta), Qing Hao (Artemisia annua), Burr Marigold (Bidens species), Usnea (Usnea species), Juniper (Juniperus communis), and the berberine-containing plants. Stephen also details phytomedicines to support the spleen, like Red Root (Ceanothus americanus) and Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), and herbal synergists, such as Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Red Root. Stephen Buhner researched and wrote extensively on the topic of resistant pathogens, publishing several books including “Herbal Antibiotics”, “Herbal Antivirals” and “Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections”. With the number of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections on the rise, this podcast will provide invaluable education for all practitioners. If you are a qualified practitioner and would like more information on the phytomedicines mentioned by Stephen, register/log in to the OptimalRx website to access and download free comprehensive herbal Tech Sheets: www.optimalrx.com.au-- DISCLAIMER: All information provided via OptimalRx is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for independent professional advice. Please seek the advice of a qualified health care professional in the event something you learn here raises questions or concerns regarding your health. Thank you.www.optimalrx.com.au
Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Herbalist Linda Conroy. Linda Conroy dedicates her life to connecting with the green world. She is a practicing herbalist, providing herbal education, workshops and apprenticeships, as well as individual consultations and her herb store. Linda also holds two masters degrees: MSS (Master of Social Service) and MLSP (Master of Law and Social Policy). Linda is a community organizer and the founder of the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda's primary human mentors are Isla Burgess, Susun Weed and Marshall Rosenberg. She has also studied with Tieraona LowDog, MD, Stephen Buhner, Cascade Geller Anderson, Ryan Drum, Eaglesong and Sally King of Raven Croft Gardens, Matthew Wood, Suzanne Tabert and many others. She has studied as well as studies women's mysteries with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Z. Budapest, Vicki Noble, Starhawk, Jean Houston and other of our inspiring foremothers. www.moonwiseherbs.com
Intuitive living and finding attunement go hand in hand as we grow in our lives. Continuing from the previous week's episode, we listen as Stephen Buhner shares with us more about how ecosystems work in relationships. Open your eyes and see the realities of the world's systems. Join us if you want to learn about how the act of leaving your rational mind behind can guide you in your journey into feeling. ❂ About our special guest: Stephen Harrod Buhner is the author of Herbal Antivirals,Herbal Antibiotics, and 17 other works. He speaks internationally on herbal medicine, emerging diseases, complex interrelationships in ecosystems, Gaian dynamics, and musical/sound patterns in plant and ecosystem functioning. Guest's website: http://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/about/ (www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/about/)
Intuitive living and finding attunement go hand in hand as we grow in our lives. Developing our feeling sense and slowly learning to sense beyond rationality helps us develop a deeper attunement. Stephen Buhner talks about the feeling sense, the climate of our minds, and re-learning to live through the heart. Join us as he shares stories with us and we acquire more wisdom together. ❂ About our special guest: Stephen Harrod Buhner is the author of Herbal Antivirals,Herbal Antibiotics, and 17 other works. He speaks internationally on herbal medicine, emerging diseases, complex interrelationships in ecosystems, Gaian dynamics, and musical/sound patterns in plant and ecosystem functioning. Guest's website: http://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/about/ (www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/about/)
Diana Leahy joins us on the show this week! Diana is a Holistic Herbalist, Functional Health Coach, Shamanic Reiki practitioner, and all-around heart centered guide to wellness. Her practice is rooted in timeless vitalistic philosophical principle that the body has the power to heal itself and will do so if given the opportunity. Diana has a unique and amazing background dealing with personal extreme health challenges that lead her down the path to redefine herself and re-discover what health looks like through self-education, meaningful mentorship, and building intuitive relationships with medicinal plants through the combined study of herbalism and astrology. Our discussion takes us in many directions, from trauma healing and spiritual revelation to common wild medicinals and natural Lyme Disease treatments and tick prevention, this conversation is rich with tons of little gems for everyone to benefit from. The energy of the container we created in our discussion this week is warm, comforting, welcoming, and optimistic - I hope that you take away some of the love and caring expressed as we know it is much needed right now! Show Notes: https://www.instagram.com/freeheartproject/ (Diana's Instagram ) Diana's Website https://buhnerhealinglyme.com/ (Stephen Buhner - lyme and herbalism ) http://susunweed.com/ (Susan Weed - Founder of Wise Women Tradition of Herbalism ) http://www.klinghardtacademy.com/ (Doctor Klinghard - Chronic Lyme) https://www.herb-pharm.com/ (Herb Farm - widely available herbal tincture brand ) Mountain Rose herbs Woodland Essence https://redmoonherbs.com/ (Red Moon Herbs ) Time Markers: @7:36 Introduction @10:11 Interview start @11:59 - 18:19 When we study herbs, we are studying the cosmos! Ties between astrology, herbalism, and natural health @18:19 - 32:57 Diana's learning journey with health and dis-ease @32:57 - 40:29 How Diana developed intuitive practices in herbalism and the healing arts by letting go of old patterns and allowing mentors - plants and humans alike - to come to her. @40:29 - 48:48 The Power in Knowledge versus Information in regards to Health-Care, and how true wellness always needs to be tied to tradition before progress is made @48:48 - 1:12:25 Ticks as teachers, why holistic practitioners are needed, & what the sickest person on Earth knows about health!! @1:12:25 - 1:35:18 Sourcing herbs for stress and anxiety, and beginning to forage your own medicinals @1:35:18 - 1:41:16 Facing yourself: Voyaging outside of everyday life to where the veil grows thin… @1:41:16 - Diana's greatest moment of growth
bengreenfieldfitness.com/evolutionaryherbalism2 When I interviewed Gordon Wilson in the show "Are Christians Destroying The Environment? A Biblical Approach to Environmentalism and the “Dominion Mandate.”, I mentioned a book called The Lost Language of Plants by Stephen Buhner, which describes the innate intelligence built into the plant kingdom, and the loss of natural connectivity we rational, scientific humans have developed when it comes to the plant kingdom. Since then, I've continued my interest in the, shall we say, more spiritual, medicinal, and little-known aspects of the plant kingdom, including trees, leaves, roots, herbs, flowers, flower essences, essential oils, plant medicines, and beyond. One book I've discovered along the way is Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature by today's podcast guest, Sajah Popham. In Sajah's book, which weaves together herbal and medical traditions from around the world into a singular cohesive model, you're guided from an herbal practitioner's point of view to a comprehensive understanding of the practice and philosophy of healing with herbs. Sajah presents an innovative approach to herbalism that considers the holistic relationship among plants, humans, and the underlying archetypal patterns in nature. Organized into five parts moving from the microcosmic to the universal, Sajah's work explores a unique integration of clinical herbalism, Ayurveda, medical astrology, spagyric alchemy, and medical and esoteric traditions from across the world in a truly holistic system of plant medicine. A balance of the heart and the mind, the science and spirit of people and plants, Evolutionary Herbalism provides a holistic context for how plants can be used for transformational levels of healing for the body, spirit, and soul. For both the student herbalist and experienced practitioner, Popham's original perspectives guide you to a more intimate, synergistic, and intuitive relationship with the plant kingdom, people, and nature as a whole. Sajah Popham's mission is to share knowledge, tools, and medicine that promote the healing power of plants —to not just heal our bodies of disease, but to assist in the evolution of human consciousness back into its natural state. His holistic focus is on finding the universal principles and practices across herbal traditions and using plants in a way that not only brings about physical healing and rejuvenation but psychological and emotional health along with spiritual transformation. Sajah holds a degree in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University and has studied herbal traditions across the world and with some of North America's top clinical practitioners. He lives in the Pacific Northwest forest with his wife Whitney. Sajah's approach unites traditional models in a way that utilizes the whole plant (chemistry, energetics, and spirit) to heal the whole person (body, spirit, and soul) by getting to the root causes of disease. During our discussion, you'll discover: -How specific plant parts correspond to the four physical elements...07:10 -How each of us have different elemental "types"...14:08 -How we might design our lives based on our elemental types...25:40 -How to "type" a plant and know what elements it would feed and need...34:50 -What Sajah is skeptical about merging technology with understanding plants on a deep level...40:55 -Should we be concerned about eating plants due to their natural defense mechanisms...43:55 -An ideal day of eating for Sajah...48:25 -Some of the painful cuts Sajah had to make in his book...49:50 -And much more!... Upcoming Events: Las Vegas Keto Expo (October 15-16, 2021). Ben will be speaking at the Las Vegas Keto Expo along with 13 other keto experts. The first 300 guests to register here will get a free drink chip for the poolside party and a free t-shirt. Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar Episode sponsors: -Organifi Green Juice -Water and Wellness -Vuori -Kion Oregano Show notes: bengreenfieldfitness.com/evolutionaryherbalism2
BenGreenfieldFitness.com/herbalism When I interviewed Gordon Wilson in the show "Are Christians Destroying The Environment? A Biblical Approach to Environmentalism and the “Dominion Mandate.”, I mentioned a book called The Lost Language of Plants by Stephen Buhner, describing the innate intelligence built into the plant kingdom, and the loss of natural connectivity we rational, scientific humans have developed when it comes to the plant kingdom. Since then, I've continued my interest in the, shall we say, more spiritual, medicinal, and little-known aspects of the plant kingdom, including trees, leaves, roots, herbs, flowers, flower essences, essential oils, plant medicines, and beyond. One book I've discovered along the way is Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature by today's podcast guest, Sajah Popham. In the book, weaving together herbal and medical traditions from around the world into a singular cohesive model, you're guided from an herbal practitioner's point of view to a comprehensive understanding of the practice and philosophy of healing with herbs. Sajah presents an innovative approach to herbalism that considers the holistic relationship among plants, humans, and the underlying archetypal patterns in Nature. Organized in five parts moving from the microcosmic to the universal, this work explores a unique integration of clinical herbalism, Ayurveda, medical astrology, spagyric alchemy, and medical and esoteric traditions from across the world into a truly holistic system of plant medicine. A balance of the heart and the mind, the science and spirit of people and plants, Evolutionary Herbalism provides a holistic context for how plants can be used for transformational levels of healing for the body, spirit, and soul. For both the student herbalist and experienced practitioner, Popham's original perspectives guide you to a more intimate, synergistic, and intuitive relationship with the plant kingdom, people, and nature as a whole. Sajah Popham's mission is to share knowledge, tools and medicine that spread the healing power of plants - to not just heal our bodies of disease, but to assist in the evolution of human consciousness back into its natural state. His holistic focus is on finding the universal principles and practices across herbal traditions and using plants in a way that not only brings about physical healing and rejuvenation, but psychological and emotional health, and spiritual transformation. He holds a degree in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University and has studied herbal traditions across the world and with some of North America's top clinical practitioners. His unique approach integrates not only clinical Western herbalism, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, but also the practices of Medical Astrology, Spagyric Alchemy, and western esotericism. Sajah's approach unites these traditional models in a way that utilizes the whole plant (chemistry, energetics and spirit) to heal the whole person (body, spirit and soul) by getting to the root causes of disease. He lives in the Pacific Northwest forest with his wife Whitney. During our discussion, you'll discover: -How an evolutionary herbalist describes his "day job"...06:25 -The study environment at Bastyr University...10:15 -How a disconnection between the human and plant kingdom has helped to create some of the chaos we see today...13:00 -"Vitalism" and its connection to evolutionary herbalism...17:30 -Can plants be misused as is often the case with pharmaceuticals?...23:45 -Molecular herbalism contrasted with evolutionary herbalism...28:50 -How plants have their own electromagnetic field...36:20 -How plants have the same senses we do...40:15 -The "song" of a plant...45:20 -The Doctrine of Signatures and how Sajah "gets to know" a new plant...49:15 -A sneak-preview of what's to come in Part 2 with Sajah...1:07:04 -And much more!... Episode sponsors: -The Boundless Cookbook -Organifi Green Juice -Paleo Valley Beef Sticks -Kion Cold Thermogenesis Challenge -Butcher Box Show notes: BenGreenfieldFitness.com/herbalism
Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner Peter Kington has built a successful fertility and pregnancy-focused practice, working with couples and individuals experiencing sub-fertility. In this very open conversation with Mason Peter discusses erectile function, semen analysis, reproductive health, male health literacy, lifestyle, emotional, spiritual factors of male preconception, red flags for infertility, and breaking down cultural barriers around the male role in conception. Living in a world where infertility issues and IVF procedures are increasing, one can find an array of lifestyle, biological, and environmental factors that play a role in both men and women not being as optimally fertile as they could be. But how can we get to the root of what's causing infertility if the right diagnostic tools aren't being used, and the right conversations are not being had? Looking through the holistic lens of Chinese Medicine, Peter explains why male preconception is a vulnerable topic for men to openly discuss, especially when there is an infertility factor present that lies with them. One of the things that stands out about Peter Kington as a practitioner is his approach to diagnosis and his sensitivity to understanding the male psyche. In this insightful conversation, he explains that a good diagnosis is about looking for bits of information that give insight into the patents mind/body connection and being aware of the cultural narratives around male reproductive function. "So often I'll be presented with the situation where I'm talking to someone who's probably 33 or 34 years old. You go through everything, they drink moderately, they don't smoke, they don't do drugs, they might have a cup of coffee every day or two. They don't add sugar. They're doing all the right things. From an overall health perspective, they look healthy and okay. But then, when you drill down to the fertility results, they have these terrible outcomes". Mase and Peter Discuss: Masturbation. Semen analysis. Low sperm count. Male sexual health. Healthy ejaculation. Male preconception. The lifecycle of sperm. Male physical examination. Erectile function/dysfunction. Male vulnerability around sex. The pressure of conception. Pornography and low sperm counts. The micro environment of the Testes. Sperm/Semen; Whats the difference? The IVF path and options to support it. The impact of infertility and infertility treatment on men. Who is Peter Kington? Peter Kington is a registered Acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner who lives and practices in Brisbane, Australia. Prior to his Chinese medicine career, Peter had a short and unfulfilling career in retail before traveling the world as an international tour director. He graduated from the Australian College of Natural Medicine in 2005 when he also went into full-time practice. Initially, a generalist in his practice, but over time has built a fertility and pregnancy-focused practice that includes working with couples and individuals experiencing sub-fertility. In addition to his Chinese medicine degree, Peter also completed a Master of Reproductive Medicine. Since 2010 Peter has taught many professional development seminars to practitioners in Australia and New Zealand. He also completed a four-part series for eLotus in Los Angeles. Peter has presented papers at AACMAC, Acupuncture New Zealand's annual conference, the International Integrative Chinese Medicine Conference, and, more recently, the Rothenberg TCM Kongress and a two-part series for ATMS. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST Resources: Peter Kington.com.au Peter Kington Facebook Peter Kington Instagram Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We'd also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher, CastBox, iHeart RADIO:)! Plus we're on Spotify! Check Out The Transcript Here: Mason Taylor: (00:00) Hey there, welcome. Peter Kington: (00:02) Thank you for having me. Mason Taylor: (00:03) Absolute pleasure. I am quite humbled having someone of such experience on the podcast, talking to me about... Especially, I'm really excited to go into your style of talking about male preconception, which is obviously such a small aspect of what you understand and know from your expertise. Have your own practise. Nonetheless, it's an area that, just the little that I know about what you know, I just know we are going to be able to go deep into this, beyond the do this, take these herbs, work on testosterone. I just can't wait to dive into this slippery world. I don't know if you want to introduce yourself in any other way that wouldn't have been done to say hello to everybody. Peter Kington: (00:56) So, well thank you. My name is Peter Kington. I practise in Brisbane. I've been practising since 2005 in full-time capacity. I've kind of done it all a bit. I've owned a clinic and I had that for many years. That kind of came to an end when the building got sold. I just decided to have a break from being a commercial tenant and rented rooms in another practise. I did that for three years. Then, COVID came along. It would kind of change the landscape a little bit. I think I'd been sort of getting to a point, anyway, where I felt like I wanted to develop a more sustainable way of working and living harmoniously. The risks, I guess, from a business perspective that COVID brought to us all, but had business interests, meant that I thought maybe it's time to do what I've been thinking of for a long time, and that's, relocate my practise to a home base, practise which I did. It's the best thing I've ever done. Peter Kington: (02:03) It took a lot of stress out of my life, put a lot of joy back in my work, and I feel like I'm the practitioner I probably thought I was going to be 15 years ago. Didn't kind of get to and weaved around a little bit and got really stressed about that along the way several times. So yeah. Mason Taylor: (02:25) I mean being a professional or a business or not, you just mentioned it's probably time for you to live a little bit more sustainably and harmoniously, which is something especially in what you're delivering to people in helping them find harmony in their own bodies. What you can see, even for what I do at times, I've gone, my God, I'm not living sustainably, I'm educating about it, I'm talking about it, but I haven't quite made those leaps. I love hearing that. I've heard a few practitioners say that when this whole thing went down, all of a sudden, it's given that little pop and that capacity to change to go, you know what, I'm going to start actioning that move back into harmony. And then just seeing the blossoming come. Peter Kington: (03:08) I'm very mindful of being respectful of that because in this country, and certainly around the world, lots of people have had a very terrible impact from COVID. Here in Queensland, we've been very fortunate. So I'm grateful for that. But I realise in other parts of the country, that hasn't been the case. I certainly know of practitioners that have lost their businesses and their livelihoods because of extended lockdowns. I'm grateful for that, but also just from a personal point of view, being able to work from home, it's meant that I got rid of my car. So, that's one less car on the road. That's one less cost in our lives. Peter Kington: (03:51) I've bought a little e-scooter. I don't go anywhere through the week. If I have to go somewhere, I jump on that, scoot off, go and do what I have to do, and then come back. It's actually been really good. It's allowed me to feel a little bit more, I guess like I'm living a little bit more true to the values, like you said, the types of things that Chinese medicine practitioners bang on about. The whole practitioner, heal thyself. Sometimes, the ego can get in the way of that and we don't stop to think about the bigger picture. So yeah, here we are. Mason Taylor: (04:25) Here we are. I think holding that space, something emanates from you. Something emanates from a practitioner who is actually evolving along the road, and not just saying stuff. Peter Kington: (04:36) Yeah. I used to run two rooms. I ran two rooms originally because I had taken on this commercial space that was a bit more expensive. I was working a lot harder. I did that and I thought this is really good. I'm successful because I'm running two rooms, that's what successful practitioners do, that's what we get told. Then, I started to get really burned out. I figured out that okay I'm running two rooms but I'm actually working a lot harder to run those two rooms. I'm actually not seeing a lot of profitability from a financial perspective, as a result of running those two rooms. I kept perpetuating that myth in my head for a long time, but with this new arrangement, I just had one room. I see one person at a time. I can have a genuine conversation with people. I can do moxibustion with them, do as much of it that I need to do, rather than having to think about the next room that I've got to run to. Peter Kington: (05:39) When people are facing distress or discomfort, I can kind of be in that space with them and have them feel like they're heard, as opposed to me kind of looking at them and not registering what they're saying and thinking about a clock. It's taken a lot of that pressure off. At the end of the day, I think the people who come to see me get a better level of care. I can't imagine any circumstances under which I would ever revert back to that old model. Mason Taylor: (06:05) No doubt you're getting better results and that it's like everyone going back to slow cooking, slow food, slow living, slow healing. Peter Kington: (06:16) I call that the sourdough revolution. Mason Taylor: (06:18) Oo, yeah. The sourdough clinic renaissance. Well look, speaking of you speaking of myth, perpetuating myths, I'm going to use that to segue into our conversation around male preconception, because, there obviously are a lot of myths, but even the myth in where you need to start, that was something I'm really interested to talk to you about, what's the context in which we need to be having this conversation before we just start getting to the list of things you need to do to make yourself more potent. Or what's the point of male preconception even? That's probably a myth that the guys don't need to worry about it. That's probably the one to start with. Peter Kington: (06:57) Yeah. Men basically have to step up. There's a whole lot of sociocultural reasons why they don't and why they're avoidant around issues of fertility, masculinity and sexuality. They're all kind of intertwined. In this reductionist world of ours, and in a medical system that's reductionist... By the way, I just want to say [inaudible 00:07:26], I'm not an anti-medical person. Nothing I'm saying is meant to be destructive, not destructive but disrespectful to modern medicine. I think it's delivered us lots of many wonderful things. We all have our place on the spectrum of medical care. The medical model is a reductionist model in that it reduces things to a cellular level or two, a blood serum level, or if you've got a problem with your digestive tract you go and see gastroenterologists. If they can't define what's causing your irritable bowel syndrome, then there's a cause for that it excludes the other maybe lifestyle course. Then you get a person like me, you get that kind of holistic umbrella approach or nutritionist or naturopath. We kind of approach the body in a different way. Peter Kington: (08:12) I don't tend to think of that male ego, super ego, that gets in the way of lots of things, as being separate from the person that's sitting in front of me. I guess the thing that stops people from being in that space, that point of view, is that they haven't got a framework to process that something might be wrong. They go to a medical path, which is logical because that's what happens. The doctor might send them off to say have a semen analysis, and the semen analysis might come back and say that for the very low sperm count. Immediately, it's been reduced because it's been reduced to a parameter on a semen analysis, which then opens up the door to fertility treatment. Peter Kington: (09:09) The outcome of that will often be there's a referral for you to see an IVF specialist with the female partner. The IVF process will say well we'll just do ICSI, which is a particular type of IVF that bypasses male factor infertility and they select sperm and off they go. It bypasses the potential causes for infertility to just provide a treatment solution at the other end. It kind of gives the bloke a free pass, without having to think that the other issues follow the things that might actually be causing that low sperm count. It could be as simple as the diet they have, the stress levels they endure. That kind of thing is not always factored in. Peter Kington: (09:54) Where someone like me will instantly go to those types of things. But then, the responsiveness of the client to that is a whole other discussion which we should probably talk about as well, because that's part of the psychology. Mason Taylor: (10:09) Well I think that's a great place to start because it's definitely changing a narrative, a cultural narrative. Helping to evolve, it'll move it down the road, rather than going, you should be worried or you should be working, getting to the root cause, as you're saying, I'm sure where you're going to go right now, painting a broader picture that's going to allow that to happen in a more natural way and feel a little bit more empowering, rather than you're doing this wrong. You should be doing it this way. Peter Kington: (10:42) There's a couple of scenarios. The most common one is this. Of a morning, I'll wake up and I'll have a look at my work emails. They'll be an inquiry from my website. Often, that inquiry will have been generated at somewhere around 2 AM. It'll say something like hi, my partner and I are about to go down the IVF path and we'd like to discuss the range of options to support what we're going to do. The first thing is that's happened at 2 AM, which means that the person that's been googling at 1:35 AM has been awake. There's obviously something going on that's keeping this person up and it does. Very commonly, these inquiries come in, in the morning, after this overnight thing. Secondly, nearly always, when I say always I mean always women, even if it's the issue is about a name. The initial inquiry will nearly always be from a woman about the other person. Peter Kington: (11:50) The process then unfolds. I'll make contact with them. I'll call the person who's made the inquiry. I'll often just ask the questions, especially if the inquiry is about male factor, I'll just say ah so is the male partner on board with this, oh no he doesn't know I've contacted you. That's the third part of this evolving kind of cultural thing that, really what I've seen is, as from the beginning, it's actually a relationship issue, it's a relational issue between them, that this process is unfolding in this way. Peter Kington: (12:31) Then, there'll be a little bit of discussion about that. Eventually, it'll get to that point, where you either need to make an appointment, or you need to go off and think about it. Often, they'll go off and think about it and they'll say I'll have a talk to my partner about it. Then it might sit for a day or two or three. And then, there'll be a phone call back, or there'll be an online booking made, and it'll be the person that you've spoken to, but they will almost always be the female half of the relationship, not the male. So then, they'll come, and then quite often, that will filter down to so how can I help you? The response will be well as far as I know, I've got nothing wrong but my partner's got infertility issues. Right? The person that's sitting in front of you is the female part of the couple, for all intents and purposes, doesn't really have anything wrong. Wrong from a medical point of view, not necessarily from a holistic point of view. Peter Kington: (13:31) There is that evolving scenario. That's the first kind, I think. The second thing is that if you do happen to get a male, who comes to see you, what you're often confronted with is a really complex dynamic of someone who doesn't really know how to communicate about their body, doesn't really know how to communicate about their health, has a lot of trouble thinking laterally, across the spectrum of health, physical health, mental health, emotional health, social health. They often have trouble kind of thinking laterally rather than in a very linear sense. They themselves will come with a very reductionist way of thinking, which I think is probably a bloke thing, more so. I don't want to get too caught up in the men are from Mars and women are from Venus thing because it's a slippery slope. I think generally men do that, and I think they do that probably for a reason, because it helps them to bypass certain responsibilities along the way sometimes, and I say that as a man. (14:40) But then, they'll often come and their ability to communicate about what's actually, they're experiencing or how they're feeling, is often really challenging from a clinical point of view. We're presented with the situation where you'll be talking to someone who's probably 33 or 34 years old. You go through everything. They drink moderately. They don't smoke. They don't do drugs. They might have a cup of coffee every day, or two. They don't add sugar. They're doing all the right things. From an overall health perspective, they look healthy and okay. But then, when you drill down to the fertility results, they have these terrible outcomes. Peter Kington: (15:31) Their ability to kind of converse with you in a way that draws together the social, the emotional, the physical, all those types of things, it's often quite difficult. That's your job as a practitioner is to try and pull that together. But, there's a bit of a discord between how the male brain thinks and what it wants at the other end. Peter Kington: (15:54) They're the two most probable scenarios that you'll either get an inquiry about a male and you'll end up seeing the female, and to be honest, that's probably 90% of the time. Then, there's another scenario where you might get 9% of the time, where it's a female who inquires about a male, and the male comes. Very, very rarely, you'll then get that 1% where it's a man that actually contacts you for himself. Mason Taylor: (16:20) Yeah, I'm aware of the stereotype around that, blokes not wanting to talk about their issues, perhaps not being able to think laterally. But, it kind of amazes me that, that's still that extreme of a percentage that's only 1% of the guy, turning up on his own volition. In that case, would you say being really proactive and vulnerable in that situation? Peter Kington: (16:52) First of all, about statistics, that's just my made up statistics about myself [crosstalk 00:16:55] but that's actually probably pretty close to the map, to be honest. Vulnerable, now there's a word. Geez. Mason Taylor: (17:06) That's just relevant for me at the moment because I've got such a problem with becoming with my own vulnerability. That's maybe why I'm just putting that word in there. Peter Kington: (17:17) No, I think it's a good word. That's actually a really good word, Mason. I think it's probably that fear of... Okay, I remember when I was a kid, I was scared of thunderstorms. There was a reason for that, because our house got struck by lightning. It was very terrifying. I could remember all the smoke filling up the room, and the house shaking. It was a terrible, terrible thing to go through as a small child. For many years, I was quite anxious when thunderstorms come. Anyone who's ever been to Brisbane from October through to about February will know that, that's quite common because we get [inaudible 00:18:01]. Peter Kington: (18:01) It took me many years to sort of get to a point where I didn't actually get quite anxious. There was a certain vulnerability because I can remember being told by adults are you a man or a mouse? That was a very commonly said thing to me. Are you a man or a mouse? I can remember someone once saying to me, if you don't learn to get over this, how are you ever going to protect your wife when you grow up? Well, I ended up being gay. That was never going to be an issue on that front. In terms of this idea of being the protector. Vulnerability, that's a really good word, because I think a lot of what I see is actually vulnerability that's masked by that socialisation that men have to have all the answers, that men have to be the providers. Here we go back to men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. I think that's actually quite a real thing that a lot of men perceive that they have to be the strong one in the relationship. Peter Kington: (19:09) In recent years, I was invited to speak at an acupuncture conference over in New Zealand, in Wellington. I spoke a bit about this. I did some research and there was some really excellent research that came out of the University of New Castle, if I remember correctly, in New South Wales, around the impact of infertility and infertility treatment on men. The general essence of that is it actually deeply impacts men. But they don't express it. The reason they don't express it is if they have a partner who's actually undergoing the treatment, doing the injections in the belly, having the scans, having the anaesthetics to be able to have pick ups and go through all of that sort of thing, they have this feeling that they have to be the strong one. The one that stays to offer comfort when the hormones create an emotional cascade in their partner. So they have to have this strength. They keep having to demonstrate this strength over and over and over again, they don't give themselves that space to be upset, or having to grieve. They often express a very internalised guilt. Peter Kington: (20:25) I think the research now that's starting to be done around the impact of infertility on men, does kind of align with the kind of empiric observations that I've made in my practise, and that vulnerability that you talk about. Actually that's a great word because there's this fragility. But, getting them to express that is really, really hard. I have had [inaudible 00:20:53] years that I'm happy to share a few de-identified stories around that. I certainly have had some really interesting clinical experiences around that. Would you like to hear one? Mason Taylor: (21:04) Yeah, for sure. Peter Kington: (21:05) Yeah? Mason Taylor: (21:05) Yeah, yeah. Peter Kington: (21:06) I actually think it's a really good story. It was many, many years ago. It was probably one of the first men that I ever worked with. We knew that he had a fertility issue. He was the quintessential bloke's bloke. They lived on the margins of Brisbane, in a rural lifestyle kind of environment. I think, from memory, he was a tradie or a labourer or something like that. He worked in a very sort of alpha male type of environment. He had this fertility problem. His wife was coming to see me and she said do you think you can help him? I said it was possible. He just wouldn't come. The only way that she could get him to come and see me, was on the pretence that he had a sore elbow. So he was going to come and see me for the sore elbow. She hoped that if he came and saw me enough times for the elbow and I could help his elbow, he might develop the confidence to then have a conversation with me about his fertility. We might be able to kind of give it what we do and help that. Peter Kington: (22:21) I was quite inexperienced with this at the time. This was many years ago. I had probably only been practising for a year or two, maybe three. I hadn't had any of the experiences that I have now. He did come. We did the elbow. There was genuinely a problem with his elbow. It's not like we were just making that up. There was an actually issue there. True to how she thought it might be, the conversation started to kind of drift a little bit towards the fertility reading, we got talking about that. Peter Kington: (22:53) He eventually agreed to taking some herbs. So, I gave him some herbs based on what I thought was going on with him. One day, he came in and he sat down, and I could tell that there was something. We'd sort of built a rapport at this point. One thing that happens, I often find, with men is they don't engage with the ideas. They don't look at you. Chinese medicine, the eyes that we look to the soul that's the heart. It's the shen. It's a way of being able to sort of get a snapshot into the connectedness between one's spiritual and emotional self and the piece of the self. We'll often avert their eyes. They'll kind of look at you but just slightly just off to your side, to the temple. They don't quite give you the gaze all the time. Peter Kington: (23:42) He kind of used to do that. We got to a good point where we were having this good rapport. He came in on this day and he couldn't quite fix my gaze. He sat down. He used to wear this kind of cowboy hat sort of thing. He took it off and he set it down. He is just sort of sitting there and his eyes are fixed to the floor. He just wasn't communicating and it was really weird. Eventually, I said is everything alright? He went quiet. He said can I ask you a question, and I went, sure. He said I'm just wondering, and then he paused. This is a long time ago and I still remember this conversation really clearly, how it unfolded. I'm just wondering, and he paused. Uh, and he paused. I've got a little one and I'm really worried that because it's little, it's not going in far enough. Maybe that's why we can't have a baby. Peter Kington: (24:54) It set me back because the anxiety and the stress that this man carried. It was obviously something that he had thought about a lot for his life. He was obviously aware that, for whatever reason that, in his mind, what he had was not enough. It was inadequate. Then, they got to this point. There's this infertility issue and maybe that's the reason why. Peter Kington: (25:29) From my point of view as a practitioner, I needed to have sufficient knowledge to be able to have a conversation with him about the difference between how sperm works, how the penis works, and how the testes work. They're all very inter-related but different things. At the other end of it, I would assure him and reassure him that, so long as there was adequate penetration, that's all they needed to do. At the next point, it was the sperm that then did the next thing, carried their way through, and there's this interaction in the female reproductive tract that helps to facilitate that. Peter Kington: (26:11) This may be probably one of the very first times I realised this really low bar that men have about their bodies and health literacy. Having a realistic understanding of their body and how it works. I've had many, many instances since then, perhaps not to that extreme way, but certainly in terms of having conversations with people about their fertility, what they know about themselves, and how little they sometimes know. Peter Kington: (26:47) Another example is often people don't realise that what a man ejaculates is not necessarily a sign of their fertility, because the semen is the carrier. It's the agent. It's the sperm that live inside the semen, which you can't see, which are naked to the eye. That's what actually is the fertile component. Without being too visual and too crass, but I think we're among friends here so we can at least have a conversation, and you can delete me out if you want, if you need to. Mason Taylor: (27:25) If you learned the things that have been asked on this podcast. Peter Kington: (27:33) I'm sure. There's a point in most males' lives, when they figure out that if they touch that thing enough it's going to do what we call ejaculate. That's masturbation. It's usually done in privacy. It's usually done in the shadows of the night. It's usually done in the confines of the shower, while your parents are making dinner, or whatever. It starts at a very young age. It becomes something that males do, however frequently, or infrequently, I don't know. It certainly happens. I think that sets up a real domino effect about how men relate to their bodies because culturally, I think at least in our culture, it still seems to be something to be embarrassed about, ashamed of. Men don't certainly go out with their male friends, sit down, and say, hey by the way, when you ejaculate, how much do you produce? You know I like this look there's nothing conversation. Peter Kington: (28:35) I know because of my female friends and my clients, who've said to me at times that they often talk with their girl friends, or class of girl friends, about what their menstrual experience is like, about [inaudible 00:28:45]. There's a little less of a to do around that. Women are possibly a little more comfortable discussing those types of things. Then you get this other thing that gets set up, where you've got these young men that figure this stuff out. I guess these days with the internet they can find that a lot more, a lot younger, unlike when I was their age. I had to go to the school library and try to look things up in an encyclopaedia. They would kind of figure these things out. They would have to experience and then they would attach to that experience the sensation it gave them, the physical sensation of orgasm and release. They would not really have any other parameter until perhaps they're starting to look at porn, which then gives them a very unhealthy and unrealistic metric because there's a reason that they're via porn stars. It's not because they're actually representing the average. Mason Taylor: (29:43) It's just the way that it's edited. It's unfortunate. Anyway, sorry. Go on. Peter Kington: (29:52) Well, I'll come back to that because I've got a good story about that. Then, they get to this point in their life where they become sexually active with a partner, or partners, girlfriends and boyfriends, or whatever else they're doing throughout their life. They get to this point where suddenly they're being asked to be a parent. They've never really had to think too deeply between that first orgasm when they were 12, and the one that matters most, when they're 32. There's a real golf in there. Porn stars, fun fact, I read this not so long ago, that heterosexual porn recruiters actively recruit ugly men with small penises because they want the focus, the market is to be heterosexual men, who aspire towards the women in the video. If you want to be in the gay porn industry, you have to have a big phallus and look good, because they're appealing to gay men and they sense a desperation towards that. Mason Taylor: (31:02) The nuance of the gay porn industry, heterosexual, whatever. When you think that you're a teenager, you just stumble into it and start making these judgements on reality, and then you start hearing the stories of the way that the industry works and the way it works on psychology and the way they cut it. The order that they do the scenes in. Everything that goes into it, the injections that they do for the men. Peter Kington: (31:33) You mean saline injections. Mason Taylor: (31:35) Yep. You go oh my God, it's obvious now. It's so fabricated. It's so fabricated and you don't think of it when you're a little kid. Peter Kington: (31:48) I remember the first time I heard about a fluffer. We probably should explain to people what a fluffer is in case they don't know. A fluffer is the person who's employed to keep a man erect. They fondle them. They keep them kind of going. I think in this day and age, they probably also use a lot of Cialis and Viagra medication now, because filming days for porn stars are long, long days. They start really early and they go really late. They have to kind of keep going, and going, and going. From a Chinese medicine point of view, it's appalling because it depletes the gene, which is the Chinese way of accounting for the semen and the sperm. Peter Kington: (32:43) I remember the first sort of documentary about the porn industry, and it was on Netflix or one of those things, and I was watching it. You're right, the stuff they do have fabricated. It's basically just acting. Most of the time, it's bad acting because people in it aren't really actors, they're there because of their body. It's not because [inaudible 00:33:16]. Mason Taylor: (33:16) When it gets to this point where, because obviously you have a lot of men, who are infertile, or they're wanting to get their chances of making sure they can save during IVF. They want them to be better. I'm assuming what you're talking about, this barrier to engaging this conversation, also applies to any man who's going we're planning to conceive and I just want to ensure that I'm as healthy as possible. I've got the healthiest gene possible to contribute, to bring in this baby into the world. Is that the first barrier, the fact that there's something there. We don't talk about the insecurities about our size, insecurities about how much cum we are producing, the way we curve to the left, that we think we have funny looking pubes, whatever it is. That you're too big or whatever it is. Is it a barrier in what that's representing is we're not able to actually engage with that part of our body and therefore get into a place where we can potentially aid our fertility or become fertile. Peter Kington: (34:27) Good question. My conversations have involved very little to do with the anatomy of that person. I always ask the question has the doctor ever examined your genitals, because it's not really within my remit to do that. I'm not trained to, and that's really out of my scope of practise. I'm not qualified to examine someone's testes, for example, to see whether they are of an appropriate size, which can be an indicator of various genetic conditions. If males don't develop through puberty and the genitals don't evolve, they can have under-sized testes, which are often infertile. It's not my place to do that, but I will always ask the question about whether they've ever had a physical examination. I can tell you that almost always they never have. Even if they've been, with their partner, to an IVF doctor. IVF doctors are trained in female health and they do IVF as some sort of specialty. Peter Kington: (35:42) Over the years, there's been a couple of doctors I knew here in Brisbane that would have a look at the bloke's business. But by and large, that never happens. That's actually another massive problem, because women are used to having their genitals inspected because they go for their pap smear. They have to do that. Where men, unless there's a problem, it's not likely that a doctor's going to say hey pull your pants down, I want to have a look and see what's going on down there. It just doesn't figure into the Medicare seven minute increment. It's just not something that happens. Peter Kington: (36:18) I will ask that question. I do ask questions about erectile function. I ask questions whether a man has trouble achieving an erection. I ask questions whether they have trouble sustaining the erection during intercourse. I will ask questions of whether they have trouble losing the erection, whether the erection is painful, or whether they experience pain with or after ejaculation. I'll ask those questions. From a Chinese medicine point of view, that tells me something. Also, from a red flag point of view, that would be, if there were things that came up in there, they would be red flags to me, that I might say hey probably you should talk to your doctor about this because you know x y z. Peter Kington: (37:10) I don't ever ask questions about genital size. I don't ask them to trace it on a piece of paper and show it to me, or anything like that. That's not really appropriate. I do quite a bit, especially if men experience erectile function issues, that I kind of want to drill into that, to find out whether it's emotional or organic- Mason Taylor: (37:34) Mm-hmm (affirmative) Peter Kington: (37:34) In nature. I do want to find out, and this is always the case, usually, eventually it will become both. If a guy regularly is okay and performs to achieve erections and maintain them through to orgasm, and then they lose the erection after orgasm, which is normal, and that's what they're used to, and then all of a sudden, at one point, they have trouble with an erection just on a one-off, that could often just be enough to plant a seed of concern in the mind. So the next time they have to, there's this dark voice that talks in the back of their head that says what if that happens again. It almost becomes self-fulfilling. Peter Kington: (38:27) The other thing that I've learned over the years is when a couple is actively trying, if they know they have to have intercourse at certain time, and female partner comes from work and say by the way, we're going to have sex tonight because I'm surging, I'm ovulating, and he just really had a big day at work, he's really tired and he's not feeling the love, he's got to somehow manage to conjure up the energy to have an erection and have intercourse, that could be really hard. I've had many conversations with frustrated partners who've said well that's another chance we've lost this month because he wasn't interested in having sex. There's this pattern that then comes in about the pressure of conception. Peter Kington: (39:15) I think a part of it is that men are driven quite differently around this than women, because women feel the surge in the hormones. They know when the oestrogen is arising. They know they might be experiencing extra cervical mucus. They'll be feeling aroused perhaps which is what happens prior to ovulation because it's nature's way of saying you're ready, where men are wired differently. Sure, men can be fertile whenever because that's how men are designed. But if they are not feeling like they're just in that right space to be able to jump to attention, have an erection, and have intercourse at that precise moment, it sets up this real anxiety cascade. This stress response is often a really big cause of erectile dysfunction in men. Peter Kington: (40:15) There's always an organic possibility as well, which could be related to low testosterone. An anecdotal wave, and by the way if it's just anecdotal, if people have a concern about this, they really do need to go to a doctor and get this tested properly. The old joke about morning wood, morning erections that men will wake up with an erection, and when they don't, that can sometimes be an indication that their testosterone is low. Typically, it should be higher in the morning, after a night of sleep. So that can be an indicator, which would be something that someone should go off and get tested via blood. That's the only way of finding that out. Peter Kington: (40:58) Certainly that cycle of emotional impact, either through the pathway of just like a performance anxiety because of some triggering event, or outside of that, just the time of work, or there's been a global pandemic and your business has died, or there's all these other things that can happen which will trigger this emotional kind of cascade which can cause that to happen as a consequence. It's a really hard thing for men to process because when you're a teenager, the wind can change direction. That all just happens spontaneously and it's natural that as men age, the stimuli takes more stimulus to achieve. It takes more stimulus to sustain. That's just part of the natural ageing process. No one should feel shame or guilt about that. When there is a window of opportunity for a couple to conceive and there's this call, that can be a real problem because it sets up this cascade. Mason Taylor: (42:03) We were talking earlier about living in balance or in harmony, and making those changes, because when you're not living sustainably, I just think it reflects there in that, where we as men or as a society, don't put this erectile health as just a general health ed indicator. In Chinese medicine, it's such a huge thing that, even if you're not trying to get pregnant, there's a general awareness that if you are having a little bit of erectile dysfunction, if you're not feeling like you have a libido, it's an immediate red flag. You can start to get into a bit of harmony here and have a new, better foundation for health. That definitely doesn't happen in the worst and that we get to that point where we want to get pregnant. It's like this has been building up, most of the time it's out of the emotional pressure of the situation or it's been building up a long time. Now you want to very quickly be healthy and in harmony when it might take a little bit of a lifestyle journey as well. It's, I imagine, is a pickle clinically. Peter Kington: (43:10) Yeah, it is, because we've been acculturated to have had [inaudible 00:43:15]. Have erectile dysfunction, take Viagra. That's it. Mason Taylor: (43:22) For you, obviously, ideal for men to come and find you and not just have a pill, and hit me up in the morning. For your ideal for men in preparing for conception, getting themselves high libido, possibly greater quality sperm, a capacity to really contribute to that inoculation, make beautiful, strongest child possible, what are your ideals? What do you want to see men doing? Whether that's lifestyle or emotional or spiritual? Peter Kington: (44:05) I might just talk a bit generally. I think this probably scope here first to how long we talk about the aspects of this from more of a treatment type of thing we haven't really touched on in terms of a clinical setting. We could talk about that at some point with a bit more discussion about how sperm are made and how the physiology of it all happens. That's actually a really interesting discussion because I think men need to understand the physiology of their reproduction to understand sometimes how the intervention can help them. Mason Taylor: (44:45) Gothca. Peter Kington: (44:45) Okay. Having conversation, you and I sometime maybe around the physiological aspect and the time that into, say Chinese medicine treatment and what would happen in a clinical situation, would be in terms of probing the health of sperm. Generally speaking, the whole thing about Chinese medicine is it's predicated on a Chinese medicine diagnosis. So, the Chinese medicine diagnosis is not a biomedical diagnosis and that's the most important thing for anyone to remember. Peter Kington: (45:15) You'll go to a doctor and they'll do a semen analysis and they'll say to you, based on these parameters you're not going to conceive, naturally. So, you've got subfertility. There's your diagnosis. It's actually quite a meaningless diagnosis because there are a myriad of parameters on a semen analysis. There are seven main ones they use. It's the volume of the semen. It's the colour. It's the scarcity of it. It's the number of sperm. It's the motility of the sperm. It's the morphology of the sperm. That's six, I'm sure there's another one somewhere. There's all these measures right. Some men might be below in one measure. More likely, most men will be below in multiple measures on the analysis. When you say subfertile, it's quite meaningless because it doesn't really clarify what that means in the first instance. Peter Kington: (46:14) Be that as it may, someone comes and you go through the Chinese medicine framework, as a practitioner, and you ask questions, and I guess I've developed my own way of doing that after my many years of doing that, and learning lots of stuff about sperm and how it all works. You just look at the person. That's the first thing, just sitting and pointing towards the wall where my client would normally sit. You look at them. If you see someone who's got boobies and a bit of a belly, straight away you ask yourself, there could be some sort of hormonal imbalance going on there, either low testosterone or excessive amounts of oestrogen, which men in their system. There could be something going on there. Or you look at them and they are very ruddy in the face and they've got greasy skin and sort of slimy hair, or that tells me something from a Chinese medicine point of view. Or you look at them and they are pale, they're thin and that tells me something different from a Chinese medicine point of view. Peter Kington: (47:15) Really, the diagnosis that sits on a semen analysis is just another piece of information from a Chinese medicine point of view. It's not a be all and end all. It just tells us how that person's health dynamic is impacting that particular measure. I discounted this initially because from a Chinese medicine point of view, we have actually no way of a system. Classically, in the texts that talks about the practitioner tasting the semen. Be that as it may, it's not going to happen in 21st century Australia. Mason Taylor: (47:57) That'll be very edgy at the moment, won't it. Peter Kington: (48:00) That would be a brave practitioner that would do that. Mason Taylor: (48:04) Alright, requirements. Glasses of pineapple juice before coming. Peter Kington: (48:12) That's the first. The classics used to talk about sniffing it. I mean all these things are predicated on a man giving a sample. That's just not going to happen because you're going to end up in jail, or you're going to be de-registered, because someone is going to think that's got some sort of ejaculate fetish. Did you like how I was polite when I said that? Mason Taylor: (48:33) Yeah, absolutely. Peter Kington: (48:39) Maintaining a certain level of professionalism here. If you don't have the semen analysis to guide you, you don't know that. So it's useful. I'm not saying it's not. As a practitioner, you need to understand that. That's the sort of thing we might talk about some other time as well, because there's a whole sort of framework around that I've worked out over the years. You've got the semen analysis and it tells you something. You're only interested in that within the context of the person. If the person sitting in front of you is clearly 20 kilogrammes overweight, slightly short of breath, and got greasy skin and red complexion, that's going to tell me something. If the person sitting in front of you is lethally thin, pale, doesn't sleep, highly wired, very anxious, and has five cups of double shots of coffee a day, and they've also got lowsy sperm, that's going to tell me something different. Peter Kington: (49:37) The way I treat that man is going to be completely different than the way I treat the other one. Whereas bio-medically speaking, they'll go and have ICSI, which is where they get them to ejaculate in a cup, they put it under a microscope. They examine it and they actually choose the best sperm that they can find by visual inspection. They eject that into the egg. I'm not putting that down because that's clever medicine. It doesn't really go to the issues of why that man has got a low sperm count. It might be that it's just genetic. It could just be a genetic thing in which case, nothing is really going to change that. It's just the way that he was born. Peter Kington: (50:22) If it's because he has three chicken rolls and meat pie for lunch every day, and a highly sugar lated in ice coffee on his way to work every morning and he's up until 11 o'clock at night, watching porn and masturbating, and doing all of these other things that we can work through and try to repair and replace with other activities that are more nourishing and sustaining. Then, there's a real place for that intervention to take place, over a period of time, because sperm don't just improve overnight. You don't come from one acupuncture session and suddenly you've got a splendid number of sperm at your disposal. The lifecycle of the sperm is at least three months. Mason, the sperm you're making right this second, you will ejaculate in 91 days time. Set your clock to it. Mason Taylor: (51:14) Aww, cute. Peter Kington: (51:18) Three months. It's a three month life cycle. That's just producing that. Realistically, it's actually longer than that. You've got to think of this as a change in life over a significant period of time, if you're wanting to have a really deep impact on improving your overall vitality over the sperm. Mason Taylor: (51:42) As you say that, vitality of the sperm, one of the happy accidents, what happens there is you get a bunch of vitality as well and a bunch of healthy, happy sperm. Happy man. Peter Kington: (51:54) Yes, that's true. One of the great incongruities of working with men is that a man like you, I'm looking at you because we're talking over Zoom, who looks young, virile and healthy, and actually looks a picture of health, can come in and hand you a semen analysis that is actually completely the opposite. That's actually one of the really hard things to reconcile. If a woman comes to see you and says I've got heavy menstrual loss, I have huge clogs, massive pain and the menstrual blood is purple, and then you ask the questions and you find out that she drinks a lot of coffee, drinks a lot of alcohol, has a really high stress life, does all these things, for a Chinese medicine point of view, you can actually draw a line between those things and bring them together and provide a very clear diagnostic that provides a clear treatment path. Peter Kington: (52:54) Men have this very unusual thing where they will come and often their sperm health will be quite different from their physical health. That's the great challenge. That's what I was saying about sometime we should talk about the physiology of that. I've got this working theory that thinks of the sperm, when you think about it, testes are outside of the body. Tissue wise, the testes are the same tissue in men as ovaries in women. They call them amogalus anatomical structures. There's all these things. Men and women are basically the same thing. It's just that men have a Y chromosome and women have two X's. Men are XY. Women are XX. Peter Kington: (53:42) That different chromosome is what gives men a penis and testes and gives us hairy chests, facial hair, and deep voices in puberty. That's why women develop breasts and the female form. Part of that is the testes sit outside of the body. Because they sit outside of the body, if we were hunters and gatherers in the bush, our testes would hang free and they would sit ideally at around 35 Degree Celsius, the temperature inside the testes would be 35 degrees. That's the optimal temperature for making sperm. For women, the optimal abdominal temperature, core temperature, is around 36.2 or 36.3 degrees. So it's significantly warmer. Ovaries need a lot more warmth. Testes need a cooler external environment. Each, there's blood flow that carries nutrients and hormones, and helps to regulate the temperature of thermodynamics and keep it at this consistent temperature. Peter Kington: (54:47) When we think about men, we have to think about the testes as almost like a micro environment. I think that's why it is that you can have a healthy specimen as a person, but you can have unhealthy testicular outcomes because of this micro environment that's been compromised. Your job as a practitioner is to figure out what's going that's causing that and trying to rectify that. That's where some of those lifestyle things like not wearing tight underpants for instance. I'm wearing jeans right now. Well these jeans are pulling my go nads right up against my body. Fortunately, I don't need them to make babies with but you know they're pulling them up against my body. They're going to be keep them warmer than they ideally should be. Peter Kington: (55:35) Spa baths is a classic example. Men go in and have a soak in a spa or a jacuzzi at this time, that's probably set at probably 38 or 40 Degree Celsius to keep it warm but you're frying your balls while you're in there. Oops I said it. My professional video slipped. Mason Taylor: (55:49) I knew I'd get you eventually. Peter Kington: (55:54) I nearly said something else. There's this micro environment. I think that's a really big part of what a good practitioner needs to be able to do. A lot of the education I've done over the years with teaching practitioners, I've run these professional development seminars over about 10 years, has been about trying to teach practitioners about how the male bits work because in our study, we almost do none of that. We get taught how the female reproductive system works but very little is given to us about the way the male reproductive system works. A lot of my professional drive has been trying to help practitioners to understand this a bit better and find a framework to work within that wall. That way they can help clients. Mason Taylor: (56:44) I think when we first spoke, when you brought that up, it's like how there's so many oestrogen mimicking herbs established within Western Herbalism over decades and decades for women's fertility, [inaudible 00:57:04] etc. about when Stephen Buhner came along. He was like there's no androgenic herbs documented of being used in clinic whatsoever. We now understand women's preconception needs or fertility needs. There's not much going on for male fertility herbalism. I guess it kind of speaks to what you're saying. We've got to head off soon. I really can't wait to go into how the male bits work and continue to get that education out there. It's not just engagement, just getting that male engagement to begin with, not just having nothing wrong with you. It's her that needs to be worked on. Creating enough of a vulnerability. That's where this whole conversation needs to be starting. Peter Kington: (58:01) Yeah. Just as an example, lets just say that somebody has a low sperm count. Mason Taylor: (58:08) Mm-hmm (affirmative) Peter Kington: (58:10) I will ask them how often they ejaculate. I never ask how often do you have sex because my experience is that most men are not truthful about the difference between how much they ejaculate and how much of that is actually related to penetrative intercourse in the guise of trying to conceive. If you've got a low sperm count, there's this idea about if you've got a normal sperm count or a healthy sperm count, whatever that is, let's say a couple of hundred million sperm, it's healthy to regularly ejaculate. What that does is, the way that the male physiology works that there are actually sperm always sitting in the background in reserve. That's why men can have multiple ejaculations in a day and be fertile, unlike women who ovulate once a month. Once that ovulation passes, they're not fertile until the next time they ovulate. Peter Kington: (59:13) Men and women are wired differently. That's all well and good. If you're 25 years old and you've got a good healthy sperm count, it's actually not bad for you to be ejaculating fairly frequently. The general rule of thumb I say to my clients is every three days, every four days because what it does is it allows you to ejaculate, it gets rid of the sperm, and then it creates a fresh palette in that micro environment for the testes to recruit more sperm, to bringing forward ready for the next ejaculation. You're getting a good kind of replenishment for healthy sperm. Peter Kington: (59:54) If you've got a low sperm count and you're not following that sort of framework, and you actually masturbate twice a day, morning and night, and you're doing that every day, and then in the middle of that you're having a bit of sex because it's hey presto time, we've got to have a baby, it's highly likely that you actually don't have the physical capacity to produce enough sperm based on your numbers to be ejaculating viable sperm. This semen analysis is a useless tool but it's actually quite a good tool because we can see on the numbers what someone is producing. It allows someone like me to give someone like you, or someone else, the advice that might be so how many times are you ejaculating? When you get to that point in conversation, and you might find out that it's seven or nine times a week, there's probably a conversation that needs to be had about okay we might need to pull that back for these reasons. Peter Kington: (01:00:59) I've always found that if you could give a reason that's rooted in some sort of systemic, scientific methodology, men will listen to that. As opposed to, it's just because your genes going to be really badly affecting, which means something to me as Chinese Medicine Practitioner, that means nothing to the average person. From a professional point of view, being able to think and speak in two languages is really important. From a client's point of view, you just need to be able to give them manageable and bits of advice that they can enact. Peter Kington: (01:01:41) I do genuinely find, if you say to men, look I think you're ejaculating too much, let's try and keep it to no more than three times a week or once every 3 or 4 days, and you can explain to them why that's the thing, they'll genuinely try that. I'm also interested in why somebody needs to feel the need to masturbate 10 times a week because they think that actually says something as well. If it's a stress mechanism or if whatever that might be, I think that's an interesting insight as well. I'm always interested to find that out because it's just another piece of evidence for my diagnosis to help me to understand the connection between that person's mind and their body. Mason Taylor: (01:02:26) I mean it's fascinating and I always love this topic. I love talking about male preconception, infertility. I know we've got a lot of women that listen to this podcast. We've got more and more men. I know every time we talk about male sexual health, the feedback is just so positive. The guy's loving it. The wider female audience is eating it up, eating the topic up. I think that's a beautiful thing as well, is having women becoming just as engaged with this conversation, just as much as men becoming engaged in this conversation. Say vice versa, when we talk about women's fertility on this podcast and saying boys, you better be listening to his. Peter Kington: (01:03:21) The message though is if you've got a son, you need to talk to your son from a young age and demystify his reproductive function because it will make it a whole lot easier for him as he gets older if he can talk about his penis and his testes and his ejaculate and not feel awkward about that. It's rare I think in this world to find a man who can do that. I think that's the key to it. I think the key to it is for us all to better understand, be more health literate. I think the key to it is to be confident enough to be able to have conversations with your children, whether male or female, about how their bodies work. Peter Kington: (01:04:13) I remember once I got into a conversation with somebody. I didn't like it because it was getting towards rape blame. I just sat there, and I'm not a violent person, I'm a pacifist completely, I've never punched a person in my life, I've never hit someone in my life either, but I remember sitting there and thinking if I could just grab you right now and put your head through the wall of wood. Man was basically blaming, this wasn't to do with work, this was a social situation, blaming this woman for getting pregnant. I just sat there and I looked at him. I said you know what if you didn't ejaculate inside her, she wouldn't have been pregnant. Every unwanted pregnancy out there is actually because some bloke ejaculated. If you didn't want that baby, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. That's opening a whole other can, right on the clock. Mason Taylor: (01:05:12) It kind of sits in that same world. It reflects from not taking responsibility for your part to play in conception and fertility on that side of things. That same cultural narrative can then lead to the emergence of I'm not taking responsibility for the fact that there's a pregnancy here. Anyway, not a nice conversation and not a nice man, but nonetheless. Peter Kington: (01:05:40) It's that thing. The lack of awareness of consequence. You can bring it back to your word vulnerability. It is his ego driven attitude towards that was masking invulnerability and a sense of responsibility. But he didn't think of it like that. He was far too engaged in blaming her for not being careful enough. That's one of my bandwagons. Mason Taylor: (01:06:15) I definitely see how that is perpetuated, not as extreme as that obviously, but you can see how, when it comes to the act of getting pregnant, that the entire onus is put upon the woman. Even, she's pregnant. It's just the little simple things. I remember saying when we were pregnant, and having people say well she was pregnant, and I say I had a lot to do with that as well. I feel quite involved, not to take away from the reality that Taney was actually holding the child and underwent that huge process. I physically didn't. Nonetheless, having that conversation did allow me to engage. I got to engage with my responsibility of preconception via my engagement during the pregnancy. I get to take on responsibility as well. Ultimately, be a little bit more connected. Hopefully, feel a little bit more vulnerability around the process. Hopefully, become a better dad because of it, be connected to my child. It's like a domino effect. Peter Kington: (01:07:23) Yup. Mason Taylor: (01:07:25) Verse that's her. That's her responsibility. I'm aware of the time. We've gone over. Peter Kington: (01:07:32) Yes Mason Taylor: (01:07:33) I'm really appreciative to you and really looking forward to having you back on so we can really get into it. I know we said sink our teeth into it but no that's not quite the same. Mason Taylor: (01:07:47) Best place for people to get onto your work and use your clinic. Are you open for clients at the moment? Peter Kington: (01:07:55) Yeah, I'm just about to go on holidays but I suspect this won't be broadcast until after I come back. I'm always, always willing to hear from people. They can find me on the web by my name, which is PeterKington.com.au Mason Taylor: (01:08:10) Beautiful. Thank you so much for coming on. It's been a really great chat. Peter Kington: (01:08:13) Thanks, Mason. For more details go to: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/superblog/peter-kington-ep-126
Join Ellen and Jennifer as they talk about the book: Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm by Stephen Buhner.
bengreenfieldfitness.com/shadeofgreen Let's face it: Christians don't seem to be very good environmentalists. We have been shockingly bad at using our Bibles and our brains when it comes to conservation and the environment. Unhinged environmentalism is not the answer, but neither are ignorance and apathy. It's time for something different, and my guest on today's podcast - Dr. Gordon Wilson - feels that Christian responsibility for the natural world goes back to the very beginning, when God commanded us to "fill the earth and subdue it." This so-called "Dominion Mandate" is an authoritative alternative to both environmental activists and to those who think "conservation" is a word progressives made up. So what does "dominion" mean for us, living in a world of constant reports about impending global meltdown; of oils spills, pollution, and strip-mining; of extinction threats both real and imagined? Gordon and his new book contains a compelling Christian approach to biodiversity, conservation and other environmental issues, offering solutions and correcting errors while teaching us how to give thanks for and rule over all of creation. is currently a Senior Fellow of Natural History at . Before coming to NSA he was a faculty member at Liberty University from 1991 2003. He has also taught on a part-time basis at the University of Idaho and Lynchburg College. Gordon received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University in 2003, and also earned his M.S. in Entomology (1989) and B.S. in Education/Biology (1984) at the University of Idaho. He has published his dissertation research on the reproductive ecology of the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) in Southeastern Naturalist and The Herpetological Bulletin. He regularly writes popular natural history articles for Answers Magazine and has recently published a biology textbook called . He is also the narrator of a two part nature documentary series called by the same name. During this discussion, you'll discover: Opening remarks from Ben -How we've lost our perception of the intelligence of plants...10:00 by Stephen Buhner Christianity began process of removing sacred intelligence of all life after the fall of the Roman Empire "Dominion mandate" Nature is created by God for people; views creation as a mere resource rather than part of the creation Protestantism reduced sacredness to only Jesus Eastern Orthodox Christianity Movement within Christianity to renew an understanding of the sacred elements of the planet Human inventions has limitations: design flaws, human biases, etc. Reductionism: we examine systems by taking them apart This is not sufficient to fully understand the planet -Biophilia, and perceiving all of nature with the emotional bond we have with family and pets...14:30 by Stephen Buhner Loss of biophilia aggravated by: Not growing up in nature leads to a lack of appreciation for it The idea that Earth and nature is not "alive" Public school curriculum by and large have this loss of biophilia by David Orr Television has deleteriously affected imagination, creativity, storytelling, dreaming Television is to dreaming what junk food is to real food We've lost our connection to the sacredness of the universe with the advent of modern media and technology Two barriers to our understanding of our environment: Indoor television (video games to a lesser extent) Reductionistic scientism in a public school scenario Indigenous peoples will say their understanding of plants and plant medicine came from the plants themselves Ayahuasca supposedly revealed to people by the plants themselves Christians and scientists should spend more time in nature and perceive the sacred intelligence in plants Interview with Gordon Wilson -Life as a biologist and a Christian...35:25 Being a creationist is tantamount to being a heretic in the biology field at large (evolution is the cardinal doctrine) Wanted to learn the theory of evolution the way it was taught to prove he knew what they believed This approach more or less assuaged any animosity that may have existed between himself and his peers, superiors, etc. University deans and what not feared losing federal funding because a creationist is merely speaking, even if it's not his own views by John Ashton Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur were notable biologists who held to the creationist theory of the world -The pressing need Gordon saw in writing his book...43:15 Two contrarian views within the Christian community: Use of resources with little concern for the future Being influenced by environmentalist propaganda, governmental overreach, etc. Understanding God's "mind" in creating the world, life on it, etc. What is the Christian's proper use of creation within that context Humans as "image bearers" are tasked with preserving and enhancing the environment Gordon wanted the book to be readable and enjoyable for all -The "dominion mandate": What it is and what it has to do with environmentalism...47:00 "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" You can't have dominion over things that don't exist It's not for us to choose which creatures are useful and which are not "Rule" over creatures is not a tyranny Christ the head of the church, to present the church as a spotless bride; the church is to be beautified by his headship Dominion can be beautiful or bad, depending on the mindset of the one to whom authority is given Parable of the talents () -Common stereotypes among Christians when it comes to the environment...54:05 Anti-Green Andy: the environment is there for the taking, little concern for the future Apathetic April: Goes to church, gives zero purposeful thought to the environment at all Pre-Mil Pete: Christ is coming any day, so we shouldn't concern ourselves with the state of the planet; evangelize, evangelize, evangelize Green Greta: Loves the environment, but has drunk the secular, progressive Kool-Aid -The ideal "stereotype" of an environmentally-conscious Christian...59:45 William Wilberforce founded the first animal rights organization in England Work within your own sphere of influence Gordon's book is not a "how-to" guide, but an instruction in principles Guiding principles: Love God, Love thy neighbor (The Golden Rule) "A righteous man has regard for his beast." Animals should not suffer because we're lazy Make your home beautiful with plants If it's ugly, don't do it, even if it doesn't cause a huge tragedy Not polluting the air Comply with regulations because it's right, not simply to be in compliance Working at turning around the Titanic Government mandates may not be necessary if more people take a conscious mindset toward the environment -How fossil fuels have been unnecessarily demonized...1:09:05 More an indictment on "green" or "alternative" energy CO2 is not an "evil gas" There are healthy and unhealthy emissions Alternative energies are prohibitively expensive, but made affordable because of government subsidies Nuclear energy has received a similarly bad rap by Alex Epstein by Michael Shellenberger -Concerns over the ability to feed a growing world population...1:14:53 Alarmist projections have not come to pass Humans do not behave like animals (caring capacity); we're innovators Some parts of the world are encouraging younger people to have more children Regenerative farming is key to sustainability in the food supply Can't expect all problems to be solved overnight -Practical and moral ways to affect lasting change in the environment...1:23:00 "Christian conservationist" rather than an "environmentalist" Easy to become self-righteous by having certain practices that promote the environment Encourage innovation among the producers, versus guilting the consumer The solution to environmental problems is the solution to sin by Francis Schaeffer textbook by Dr. Gordon Wilson -And much more... Resources from this episode: - : by Gordon Wilson textbook by Dr. Gordon Wilson - Podcasts: - Other resources: by Stephen Buhner by David Orr by John Ashton by Alex Epstein by Michael Shellenberger by Francis Schaeffer Episode sponsors: - - - - - - Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Gordon Wilson or me? Leave your comments at and one of us will reply!
Stephen Buhner has put together an extensive document to answer this question. I am not even going to attempt to do it justice here and I am not even going to attempt to paraphrase it. What I am going to do is to copy and paste just enough of the protocol (what herbs to take to combat a COVID-19 infection) that you go and read the document in it's entirety. Read More: - https://www.rawforestfoods.com/blog/facing-covid19-with-intentionand-with-herbal-support/
In this episode, Sarah hears from Alexis Chesney, a naturopathic physician in Vermont who specializes in Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. She is also author of the book “Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases”. Alexis became interested in Lyme disease when a previously healthy friend and colleague developed many mysterious symptoms which turned out to be caused by Lyme disease.Dr. Chesney describes some of the treatments she has found effective over the years including antibiotics and herbal medicines. She also explains a Herxheimer reaction, a worsening of symptoms, which is caused by toxins that are released when bacteria die off. She describes how she treats patients who are experiencing a Herxheimer reaction, including herbal medicines, diet and hydration. Dr. Chesney examines some of the other tick-borne diseases that she sees in patients including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Bartonellosis. She notes that Bartonellosis can also be caused by flea bites and cat scratches. Dr. Chesney shares her experience about some of the herbal treatments available for Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections, touching on the other forms that Lyme bacteria take including the round form and biofilm. She cites a book by Stephen Buhner as well as other resources available for those who are interested in herbal treatments. Dr. Chesney tells us why she decided to write a book about preventing Lyme disease, and how living and working in an endemic area made her more passionate about prevention. In her book she provides pictures of different kinds of ticks, so that patients and practitioners are able to correctly identify ticks and understand which diseases they may carry, and describes in detail many ways people can prevent getting a tick bite in the first place.Dr. Chesney shares with us a bit about her own practice, including collaborations over the years with an herbalist, medical doctors and currently a nurse practitioner. She points to the different roles practitioners have in a patient's care, including primary care physicians and specialists such as neurologists and cardiologists. Finally she reiterates the importance of prevention and of adequate early treatment, to prevent the chronic symptoms of Lyme disease. Thank you Dr. Chesney for sharing your experience and expertise with us!Dr. Alexis ChesneyBuhner Healing Lyme Q & ABlue Crow BotanicalsShow notes
Jimi Wollumbin joins Mason on the show today to wax lyrical on all things microbe and virus related, very fitting considering the current climate and international lock down. Jimi is true renaissance man, who, over the last 20 years has had the opportunity to research and practice some of the most respected traditional medical systems on the planet, including the Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, Mongolian and Persian traditions. Jimi has also worked extensively in community health and international aid initiatives. These days Jimi's passion lays in the death and birth cycle of transformation. Jimi believes this is what the world needs on both an individual and global level. Jimi supports his clients through this transformational process at his Artemisia, his clinic based out of Northern NSW. "viruses are the medium of evolution, and they're distributed intelligent networks inside a massive big biosphere, which is Gaia, which is a huge supercomputer, single living organism that thinks, and responds, and computes really significantly. So we have to think of viruses in that context if we've got any hope of starting to approach what's happening at the moment, right?" - Jimi Wollumbin. Mason and Jimi discuss: Crises as a part of the universal order. Disease as a factor driven by your individual belief system and lifestyle. Corona Virus. The role microbes play in the web of life. Drug resistant bacteria. Viruses as a distributed intelligence. Viral replication and eco harmony. The use of reductionist linear thinking in a nonlinear universe. The value of exploring ancient mythology when transforming your personal health culture. Traditional medicine and integrative thinking vs evidence based medicine. Using herbs as allies in healing vs using herbal medicine within the "pills for ills" ideology. Healing and the death/birth cycle of transformation. Who is Jimi Wollumbin ? Jimi Wollumbin is Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Jimi is one of those rare individuals that is an expert in his field that also knows how to teach others. He has spoken at the United Nations, opened for Deepak Chopra and has even been personally insulted by the Dalai Lama. He teaches integrative doctors across America, sits on the faculty of the America Integrative Health and Medicine Association and is a lifetime member of the Tibetan Medical Institute's 'Friends of Tibetan Medicine'. After completing his internship in Chinese Medicine in TCM in Beijing hospital he has since completed 3 research exchanges at Ayurvedic hospitals in India, 2 with the Lama-physicians at the Tibetan Medical Institute, 1 with the Persian Hakims of the Unani Tibb Hippocratic tradition, 2 at the Trad-Med Department of the Mongolian National University in Ulaan Bataar and a 2019 trip through Siberia to research Shamanic medicine. Jimi’s original degree at the ANU was in philosophy and eastern religion which is why Dr Seroya Crouch describes him as ‘a philosopher of medicine’. He has written several books, none of which have been published, acclaimed or even read... yet. Jimi is the CEO and founder of One Health Organisation, a wellness-based charity that has distributed over 10 metric tonnes of herbs and supplements to 100 locations across 13 countries since 2005. Jimi brings passion and enthusiastic hand gestures to every conversation he is a part of. Resources: Jimi's Website Jimi's Blog Jimi's Instagram Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We’d also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher :)! Plus we're on Spotify! Check Out The Transcript Here: Mason: (00:00) Jimi, thanks so much man. Jimi Wollumbin: (00:01) It's a pleasure. Mason: (00:02) Round two for us, first round for Superfeast podcast. Jimi Wollumbin: (00:05) Yeah, great. I'm looking forward to it. The last round was really exciting, and we went to all sorts of magnificent places. Mason: (00:11) Oh, and your inspiring clinic as well, which you're full time in now. Jimi Wollumbin: (00:15) That's right. Mason: (00:15) Okay. Jimi Wollumbin: (00:15) Yeah. At the base of Mount Warning in UK. Mason: (00:18) I've been following along. I mean, just before we kick on, I mean, there's not too many people anymore that I follow on Facebook, but I love every one of your posts. Jimi Wollumbin: (00:29) I'm very touched. Mason: (00:31) Got a lot of them saved. [crosstalk 00:00:32] a lot of them saved. So just go and find Jimi Wollumbin and follow him. We were talking about, you've gone and you've got a clinic, can you just tell everyone the nature of what you're offering there? Jimi Wollumbin: (00:48) What am I offering? I previously used to offer alternative and traditional medical services around acupuncture, and herbal medicine, and body work, and helping people get well, and now I help people die and be reborn. And so, if people are just looking to mitigate their symptoms, then I'm not necessarily the best practitioner anymore because I found that those symptoms, whatever it is that they're struggling with, are always an invitation into a larger process of transformation. Jimi Wollumbin: (01:25) And at an individual level and a global level what we require, in my book, is transformation. And so, yeah, the dying and reborn process of transformation is what I'm really passionate about out at Artemisia. Mason: (01:36) Well, I mean, because coming in off the bat, especially if you're coming in from a Western model, you're like, all right, well that's some pretty heavy language that's going on there. But when you get into a clinical process and when you get into the fact that, how many little deaths are going on within the body at every moment and just the transformation cycles that need to occur with your energy at all times, I mean, these are the things that, the bed of basically all energetic medicine and Taoist medicine that is just... Qi is just.. Energy is just transforming and changing as you go along. Mason: (02:11) And in order to really be reborn through those processes, you need to deal with it a very multidimensional level, and I think that's why the only appropriate thing to talk about is to die and be reborn. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (02:24) Yeah. And just to make that understandable to the average person that might not have been engaging in this, is that 90% of our deaths and illnesses, 92-95 are chronic degenerative illnesses, right? And so that means they're lifestyle mediated. So you lived your way into your illness, but the lifestyle that you had is determined upon your beliefs. Right? And so you've got all these particular beliefs, I'm not lovable unless I work my ass off, I'm not safe unless I earn lots of money, something like this. So your belief structures determine your lifestyle and your lifestyle determines your diseases. Jimi Wollumbin: (03:01) And so those belief structures are really the viral memes, just to segue us towards the next conversation, that are giving rise to your symptoms. And it doesn't matter whether the symptom is a rash, or a joint problem, or indigestion, underneath that are these core ideas that you have that have driven you to behave and live in an unsustainable manner. And that then crystallizes into your lifestyle, which crystallizes into your diseases. And so it makes no difference what your disease is, if it's, you've lived your way into it, and overwhelmingly we do, it's going to require personal transformation. Mason: (03:39) So the personal transformation, especially to go back, because you used the word, you've been living in an unsustainable manner. And that's, I mean, that's where I personally feel that little deaths and reborn processes need to occur for myself, because to have to realize that what you're doing isn't sustainable and generally opens you up to the possibility of degenerating in one way or another. Mason: (04:04) As much as you might be doing all this other healthy shit and rocking it, but if you've really got something that's coming from, whether it's a belief pattern, whatever it is that's tweaking year towards unsustainability, then you're going to keep on being caught in that cycle and the only way is to really consistently let a part of you go, just like pass away. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (04:30) Yes, absolutely. And it's not a failure if you find yourself in there, because crisis is woven into the very heart of life, into the fabric of the universe itself, that crisis is what facilitates evolution and change, phase shifts. And so biology, any complex system generates crises, because it's complex. And then as that crisis emerges, then it facilitates the emergence to another level of hierarchy, another level of complexity. So evolution and change has crisis and chaos as a core part of it. Jimi Wollumbin: (05:05) And so if you find yourself sinking and swimming and being engulfed in crisis and chaos in your life, then it's not because you're a failure as a human being, it's your living out to the process of the evolution of matter itself. All life passes through that, and all species pass through that, and the earth itself is passing through that. And so I think it's really important not to have some ideal that if you don't have vibrant wellness you're spiritually failing yourself in some way, which is a terrible thing to be putting forth to people because- Mason: (05:37) But it's something that hangs on in the background. [crosstalk 00:05:39]. Jimi Wollumbin: (05:39) It hangs on a lot. It's very, very common in the new age, and it's toxic. It's a toxic meme. But we're going to talk about viruses today, and just to link those two ideas together is, what I was saying there is if somebody comes to me with a viral infection, then I don't... It's somewhat relevant what virus they have. I have to pay attention to that. Is it herpes, is it genital, is it this, where is it, what are the symptoms? Jimi Wollumbin: (06:08) But because they're opportunistic overwhelmingly, then I'm just going to go through that process of saying, well, what else is going on, how have you driven yourself to this particular point, and what are the beliefs underneath that? So what are the ideas or memes, if we use that language, right, these, what are the ideas that you've been infected with, the memes, that have driven the behavior that have now made you susceptible to this particular virus? Jimi Wollumbin: (06:35) And so that's what the work looks like at an individual level as well as the pragmatic stuff of these are the medicines and treatments that are useful in viral infections that sort of, the day to day bits of medicine. But the personal level goes like that. And I actually think that whilst everyone's got coronavirus on the brain at the moment, it's a perfect time to have the same conversation for us as a culture that needs to happen at an individual level about, wow, you've got a viral infection, so what does this mean? What does this mean to America? What does this mean to the global culture right now? Mason: (07:10) What does it mean in Australia when every single pharmacy and supermarket is literally sold out of face masks over this outbreak of the coronavirus. There's obviously a lot of worry and fear, and when you have, let's just say novel virus, if emerging and it's coming into public knowledge, at least, for the first time. It's been the first advertised outbreak. But I don't exactly know. I'm just talking between the lines, because I don't know exactly what's going on with coronavirus. I haven't been looking too much into it. Jimi Wollumbin: (07:44) Okay. Well that makes both of us really, I just have to flag my general ignorance as well about, I have an oral only policy on news, so I don't have any Facebook feeds or any social media feeds that I look, and I don't look at any websites. Mason: (07:56) Or conspiracy feeds. Jimi Wollumbin: (07:57) No feeds at all. The only way I get news about the world is filtered through other human beings that I trust, and so it that makes me the most ignorant and ill-informed person that I know. Mason: (08:07) And what it brings up, it's this interesting pattern. We can see with swine flu, bird flu, SARS, corona, it's this new ambiguity of us being susceptible and infected, not understanding quite what viruses are, which, that's where I feel like I'd like to jump into. Jimi Wollumbin: (08:26) Let's go there. Mason: (08:26) Let's go there, so- Jimi Wollumbin: (08:27) It'd be really, really interesting. Mason: (08:27) Yeah. Or, you want to just take the bat there and run with what we mean by that. Jimi Wollumbin: (08:31) So, just before we go into viruses, there needs to... I think, just a context of microbes. Right? And so just to see the larger context is that the web of life and the idea of a tree of life has been cut down by biologists. It's a bad metaphor, and it didn't work out. It's really officially a web of life. Jimi Wollumbin: (08:52) The web of life is microbial. And so that means that of the 23 kingdoms, we've got animals, plants, and fungi being macro, and the other 20 are all micro, right? And those macro ones, they're like the fungi, the fruiting body on top of this vast web of life. So life is overwhelmingly on this planet, microscopic and invisible to us. And the only reason that those microbes account for 90% of the species on this planet rather than 99.8985 or something, is because insects are in the animal category with us. Mason: (09:33) Right. Jimi Wollumbin: (09:34) Because of insects- Mason: (09:37) We bumped up. Jimi Wollumbin: (09:37) We bump it up to 10%. Mason: (09:38) They bump the mean up. Jimi Wollumbin: (09:39) Yeah. They bump it up, but you take them out and it's this microbes, so the web of life is microbial. And it's a web, right? Mason: (09:46) That's like cells are most bacteria in the human body kind of ratio. Jimi Wollumbin: (09:49) Just that sort of thing. So if you dehydrate me, I'm 19% microbial protein, it's like, wow, okay. And it's like that across the whole planet, the macro and micro thing. And the other important thing to see is that the bacteria are, we think of them as all these different species and that's helpful in a way, but they're all changing DNA, all changing DNA, like microbial lions changing DNA with microbial zebras, with microbial praying mantises, just swapping DNA. And so- Mason: (10:27) And many ways to swap as well. Jimi Wollumbin: (10:28) So many ways. Mason: (10:29) Directly to a different species, I'm randomly just going to leave this information here so that some other life form can come and get this- Jimi Wollumbin: (10:38) Here's the app. Mason: (10:38) ... and learn how to evolve. Jimi Wollumbin: (10:39) That right. Here's the piece. Mason: (10:40) It's insane. Jimi Wollumbin: (10:40) Grow wings like that. Mason: (10:42) [inaudible 00:10:42]. Jimi Wollumbin: (10:42) You know? Mason: (10:43) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (10:44) And it's, they're downloading large pieces like that. And so there's this huge subterranean, I mean that figuratively, but actually literally, microbes go kilometers under the earth, and if we would pile them up it's like four stories of microbial protein covering us right now across all of the oceans and all of the land, right? So this vast subterranean network, that's a single organism, that's a single network, because it's all swapping DNA and information around, right? Jimi Wollumbin: (11:16) And so it's this vast system of information processing that makes our technology and our internet look like a 1980s space invader machine compared to a quantum computer. The numbers, I mean, if I've got 35 trillion bacteria, and there's 7 billion of us humans, and we're a fraction of this... It's just... Mason: (11:36) Yeah, it boggles the mind. Jimi Wollumbin: (11:38) Vast, right? And so we have to see this huge web of life that is microbial, that fruits up in towards us and the other cute macro species where we're at, and profoundly intelligent. They invented sex. I mean, hallelujah, thank goodness, they have their own language, quorum sensing, all of these things, they have strategies, they hunt, they flee, they're intelligent, they solve mazes and all sorts of things, and they evolve at a staggering pace. And so, first off, that they evolve at a staggering pace is, we know that... Jimi Wollumbin: (12:17) Penicillin came out in '45 and 10 years later 80% of bacteria were already immune to it. Right? Mason: (12:25) Mm-hmm (affirmative)-. Jimi Wollumbin: (12:26) 10 years later. And Fleming had warned in the late 20s of the way in which they were getting immunity really quickly, before it was even available broadly, right? And so they just... Mason: (12:35) How was he onto that? Just working in the field? Jimi Wollumbin: (12:38) Yeah, in his own experiments. It's like things get immune really fast. Mason: (12:41) Right. Jimi Wollumbin: (12:41) He figured out in 1929 and he made a public announcement in 1945, the same year it all came out, right? 1954, nine years later, we got 65% to 80% immunity, right? And so because they're this huge smart network of everything trading genes, you put anything in and it passes all around. And so we throw our finest next generation bacteria antibiotic inside that, and then resistance forms, antibiotic resistance that is spread potentially through everything. Right? But not just resistance to that, but resistance to the next six drugs we haven't yet developed. Mason: (13:20) I love this world and it's floored me over the years, and at this point, a lot of it, I'm just like, yep, that's the reality. There's this huge web of life that's communicating and it's a whole kingdom upon itself, but when I think about the fact that they've become resistant to the antibiotic that hasn't been released yet, when I saw that data, I think it's like a Stephen Buhner first had data, is that fact they're living in the antibacterial soaps in the hospitals, you'd learn- Jimi Wollumbin: (14:02) Absolute zero, in nuclear reactors- Mason: (14:05) [inaudible 00:14:05]. Jimi Wollumbin: (14:05) ... Out in space affecting them also. Mason: (14:06) You learn the reality of just, well, yeah, what we're... And then you watch the traditional mindset go, look what we're up against. Jimi Wollumbin: (14:17) Yeah. Wow. Okay. So that's the viral meme that we'll come back to, that pace then. Let's put that one to the side.. At the moment. Mason: (14:24) All right. Jimi Wollumbin: (14:26) So we've got that vast network of really intelligent super processing that is the web of life, right, that we are a part of. It's not us and them, we're a part of it. And then inside of that then we've got viruses. And not very long ago we were like, viruses, do they even get categorized as being alive, because they're just dumb self replicating chunks of DNA. It's like we don't even give them status as living beings. Right? Mason: (14:58) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (14:58) That's where it was at. Right? Mason: (15:00) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (15:00) And since then, thanks, I believe, to computer programming and together with systems biology, we found that viruses have to be understood as a swarm. And so looking at the individual, of course this is one of the things we were looking at in a reductionist way and you can't see the forest for the trees, so we look at an individual virus, it's like an alien coming down and looking at one of our brain cells and saying, these guys are morons. Mason: (15:25) Good point. Jimi Wollumbin: (15:25) Right? It's like that. So you're looking at one bee rather than a swarm of bees. Right? And then I found that when I look at that they behave in ecosystems like top predators, and they move through large whole areas, right, and inhabit that inside macro species like monkeys. And then they will do that, and they want to maintain, like farmers, say, of animals, equilibrium so that they can have their own going home that's stable. Jimi Wollumbin: (15:55) But then if something happens, like a rival troop comes in, then those viruses will become virulent. And when they infect the rival troop, then the rival triple die or get sick and unpleasant and have to run away so that ecostasis is maintained. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (16:12) So we've got viruses as these large a-cellular, not having their own body, distributed intelligences, ecological demon, spirits of place that exist across multiple different beings and yet behave as a system in coordinated ways with all these different mutant mutations, right, all these different cells that have slightly different tweaks that will up-regulate one of those expressions and down-regulate another in order to maintain eco harmony so that they can continue. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (16:49) So it's like viruses are doing this. Wow. So viruses are clever distributed intelligences. And on top of it, the other thing is that the reason why we don't have a tree of life anymore and we've got a web of life, is that the idea of a species doesn't make any sense anymore because we see that species are all changing DNA as well. And that's thanks to viruses. So viruses through horizontal gene transfer are taking DNA out of a zebra and putting it into a rattlesnake. Mason: (17:17) That's the best [inaudible 00:17:18]. It's always the best. It's like you're part virus, you're part so many things. Jimi Wollumbin: (17:24) We're like 40% viral in origin that we can identify, or something like this, right? Mason: (17:28) 40%. Jimi Wollumbin: (17:28) Something really, really high. Mason: (17:30) I didn't think it was that high. Jimi Wollumbin: (17:31) So viruses are the medium of evolution, or at least one of the mediums of evolution on this planet, right? And it creates, that's the tension of micro evolutionary changes in a Darwinian model of random mutation, it's like the fossil record doesn't support it, and it's just like, how do we get these leaps that the fossil record shows? It can be through viruses taking chunks, can be one of the mediums, right? Either way, horizontal gene transfer is taking place. Jimi Wollumbin: (17:58) So viruses are the medium of evolution, and they're distributed intelligent networks inside a massive big biosphere, which is Gaia, which is a huge supercomputer, single living organism that thinks, and responds, and computes really significantly. So we have to think of viruses in that context if we've got any hope of starting to approach what's happening at the moment, right? Mason: (18:25) Yeah. Well, it brings on a bit of a dichotomy when you have a viral infection and you go... I think because it's like we needed to have started the conversation back a little bit further. It's like, right now you're like, what am I supposed to do? Am I grateful for this? Am I letting it... It's maybe not the time to be have any huge conversations, just go and get yourself dealt with, but what is the conversation that we have then? Jimi Wollumbin: (18:53) Well, the conversation is... Let me give a couple more missing pieces of the puzzle before we get to the conversation I think. Mason: (19:00) Great. And go into that virus, just clipping parts of DNA of the puzzle and putting them all into one perfect string. Jimi Wollumbin: (19:07) So we've got the viruses moving around like this, we've got the vast, huge network of microbes that is the web of life that we are a part of, and we're just little fruiting bodies. And we have, on the planet at the moment, technological evolution like we've never seen before. Right? We've never seen, you're just staggering at the change that has happened in my life. Mason: (19:31) Yeah. Staggering. Jimi Wollumbin: (19:33) No one can keep up with it, right? But that technological evolution from the industrial revolution or wherever you want to take it, has produced significant changes in the biosphere, and parallel to the technological revolution that we can see in the big clunky things at our big clunky multicellular level, which is not the majority of life, where we are, we see all this technological change because our phones are smarter. Parallel to that is massive microbial evolution, massive change, maybe not like we've never seen before, but like has not been witnessed in a long time I assume. Jimi Wollumbin: (20:10) And so this is because we've significantly changed the environment, and we've been pumping out tons and tons and tons and tons of antimicrobial agents like antibiotics through our beef and all of these different things that are all putting pressure on the web of life. And let me say the web of life is fine, the microbial kingdom, fine. Microbes, like we just said, they can exist in nuclear reactors. The first evidence of microbes on this planet is during the Hadean era named after Haitis when the earth is essentially just a slightly cool ball of lava with meteorites exploding on it, the microbes are all right. Right? Mason: (20:51) And it's same with the Gaia, same with Gaia. Jimi Wollumbin: (20:54) That whole piece, right? Gaia microbes, microbes Gaia, they're sort of cells of Gaia in a way. Mason: (20:59) It's fine. Jimi Wollumbin: (20:59) Yeah, so that's fine, but it is changing because we have changed the environment so radically. It's having to adapt, so it's adapting. But those adaptions of the microbial kingdom to create ecostasis or harmony like the... You know the viral monkey story? Or you know when microbes first learn how to take in carbon and shit out oxygen they almost killed themselves by producing this noxious gas of oxygen that drowned the whole planet in corrosive, oxidizing, nasty acidic oxygen. And the mass extinction happened because of that. Jimi Wollumbin: (21:40) And then they figured out, oh, we can just use that intense, intense gas called oxygen, which is like sulfuric acid, and we can breathe it. And so they adapted to that. And then we got the respiration processes that plants and that we now take a breath, take for granted. And so they evolve underneath those things ecological crisis and adapt. And at the moment we've got this massive bio shift. And so this is massive change in what's happening with the microbes, right? Jimi Wollumbin: (22:10) And so we see the extinction of some of the macro species, which is heart rendering, right, for us, but what we don't see is this tsunami of roiling rippling change that's happening at the microbial level that reflects what's happening at the macro level of just like, whoa, okay, there's so much more carbon, whoa, there's tons and tons and tons of antibiotics, whoa, there's less of these species, whoa, there's pesticides, and heavy metals, and whatever else, and- Mason: (22:39) And radiation and all the [crosstalk 00:22:39]. Jimi Wollumbin: (22:39) ... changing temperatures and radiation, gray spaces. And so it's like the web of life, that vast thing that would bury us four stories deep if we put this, the protein, the bacteria on top of us, is going through bacteria and viruses. And so over the last 25 years we've had like 30 brand new diseases emerge predominantly through ecological change and environmental change, and then through damning, through deforestation, through gray space, all that sort of stuff. Mason: (23:07) What's the gray space? Jimi Wollumbin: (23:09) Gray spaces where you've got huge environments that are manmade. And so- Mason: (23:14) Oh, and all that. Jimi Wollumbin: (23:15) Yeah, like concrete and all these sorts of things. Bacteria are thriving here, but they have to change to thrive inside plastic, concrete, EMF environments, right? Mason: (23:27) No real soil or ground- Jimi Wollumbin: (23:30) No, that's right. Mason: (23:30) ... just a little bit of [crosstalk 00:23:31]. Jimi Wollumbin: (23:31) So it's a different culture, right? Mason: (23:32) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (23:33) So it's a different microbial culture that- Mason: (23:34) Literally a different culture. Jimi Wollumbin: (23:35) ... thrives inside this culture that's here, right? And so all of those things are producing changes, right, so microbial changes, microbial cultural that reflect our cultural changes and our technological evolution, biological evolution that affects our technological evolution. And so then when we see coronavirus, then we have to have this conversation that we started off with like the person that comes to me with some other virus and say, well, you know what else is going on? I'm really exhausted, and I've been drinking too much, and I just had a divorce. And why was that? Jimi Wollumbin: (24:10) So I go, I guess I got a divorce because I was just never available, because I got the idea when I was a kid that I was unlovable. So I just had to work my ass off and all blah blah blah, and I drive people away like that, and now I'm exhausted, and my immune system is crashing, and I've got a virus. It's like, oh wow, good, it's time to take a good long hard look in the mirror. Mason: (24:25) Take this. Jimi Wollumbin: (24:26) Take a mirror home. That's the main thing, right? Mason: (24:31) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (24:31) It's like, wow, you lived your way into this. Mason: (24:33) Well, then you're asking them to take home a lifelong practice as well. Jimi Wollumbin: (24:37) Absolutely. Mason: (24:37) Which is interesting. Jimi Wollumbin: (24:38) But that's what's being asked of us as a species. Mason: (24:41) For sure. Jimi Wollumbin: (24:42) That process, right, of, what's coronavirus about, and all these other new diseases about, and what can we learn from it, and in what way do we need to change and adapt? Because at the moment we are on this thing of just like, let's just keep changing the environment to us rather than us changing to our environment, adapted to an environment. So there's a larger conversation of like, wow, okay, things are shifting really fast and we can see some of these diseases coming up. Jimi Wollumbin: (25:11) And not to fear monger, because people have pointed out that there's a large amount of fear out in the world at the moment about these viruses, but as somebody that's studied the history of epidemics, then we know that when we've mismanaged our environment really significantly, like in the middle ages or through the industrial revolution, that those diseases that come up, those microbial changes that have to adapt to that really significantly different environment, there's nothing medicine does and can do then or today, and just like, yeah, a third of the population just disappears. Jimi Wollumbin: (25:46) And this just comes for a period of time and then disappears like this English sweating sicknesses and you just, you'd be alive and then 24 hours later you'd be dead. And then when it's all done, the sweating, sickness, bacteria and virus have just disappeared. They come for a period and then they go after that. Right? And so there's due course for us as a species to have a degree of alarm about how we're mismanaging our environment and what the biosphere is going to do, not in a punitive sense because we are the biosphere, but just in terms of maintaining equilibrium and balance. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (26:19) And so coronavirus by itself doesn't frighten me, but the rippling and roiling of the microbial underworld is, that's what homeostasis can look like in the process of these mass macro ecological changes. We see the forests, we see the glaciers, we don't see what's happening in the web of life below that because it's too small for us. But it's moving like plate tectonics. Right? And coronavirus is one of those ones that's like this, but coronavirus looks all right. But the epidemiologists and my microbiologists that are alarmist, they have a good reason, because they've seen- Mason: (27:06) They've seen what can happen. Jimi Wollumbin: (27:08) They know what can happen. They do know what happens. So as a species, not as an individual, as an individual you shouldn't worry. And I just want to repeat that. Anyone that's really worried, I don't think as an individual you should worry at all right now, but as a species I really think we should worry because we terribly mismanaged our environment. And the changes that can come as a result of that can be frightening for us, not for life, not for the web of life, but for us as an individual species. Mason: (27:34) Yeah. And it's confronting, I mean, none more than when you go into the healing space of a hospital, and it's, you continue... Last decade I've been around lots of more nurses and doctors and become much more sympathetic of the human element, but I'm not sympathetic towards my own ignorance and nor for general ignorance as well, and also not an asshole when I try and point it out and think I'm a know it al. Mason: (28:08) But that environment is literally a storehouse of bacterial and viral infection because we keep on kicking the can down the road with antimicrobials, and antivirals, and antibiotics when it's a virus, just to be safe, so on and so forth, just chopping the organ out, sterile, no plants, no sunlight, none of that. It gets very significant when you take a- Jimi Wollumbin: (28:33) Oh, yeah. Mason: (28:33) ... back look or look back at, this is where we're doing our healing? Jimi Wollumbin: (28:37) It radicalizes and virializes the web of life. And so there's no good metaphors for this, but you could think of it as terrorist training camps, except it's not terrorist, it's just life. You could think of it as- Mason: (28:53) The way that we relate to it it is. Jimi Wollumbin: (28:54) Yeah. From our perspective, we're radicalizing, it's like that because they're still not terrorists, they're still interested just in harmony, but from our perspective they invoke terror so we think we think of them as terrorists. Mason: (29:05) For sure. Jimi Wollumbin: (29:06) We radicalize them in the hospital through those particular processes, but we don't just radicalize them, we evolve them. Mason: (29:13) We evolve them massively, right? Jimi Wollumbin: (29:14) Really quickly. And there's been more microbial generate... How does this go? Because they go through a generation in every two minutes or something like that, so there's more... What we see over the last 300 years of human existence in terms of technological evolution, we say, wow, look at that, that's happening every five minutes in the bacterial world. It's just, it happens so quickly. It's happened so quickly. Like one bacteria listed left to divide uninhibited would produce more cells than there are protons in the known universe in like two years or something like that. Jimi Wollumbin: (29:54) And they are evolving through that process constantly. So the process is really, really fast. And compared to our macro evolution, which is quite slow, the micro evolution is really, really fast. Mason: (30:06) So then if we start looking at, all right, if we are susceptible to illness and viral infections, say, in a treatment perspective, you've talked to our need to get to the root as well as then personalized treatment. Ongoingly, do you see the fact that we need to be working on that level to come into harmony within ourselves, in lifestyle and state of mind? In that essence, then what? Is it so that our immune system can be strong so we can be a part of nature? Mason: (30:38) Do we need to almost practice the little deaths because we've got this inevitable moving back to when we're going to die and be absorbed by this huge microbial kingdom? What's the point? Where do we fit with our health and our relatedness? Jimi Wollumbin: (30:54) Okay. So, I hear the invitation to speak in a clinical and individual level, and I promise I will, but first I want to say, if I just have a conversation like that and then said, and for yourself, make sure you do this and this and this so you're strong, I will be perpetuating the problem. And so the problem is this as I see it, right, is that we've been talking about genes and the way in which they move around, but we spoke previously about memes, like the viral infection of an idea that drove that particular man to destroy his marriage and his health. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (31:34) And so memes in evolutionary biology are ideas that spread through culture. So Christianity is a meme, catholicism is a meme, feminism is a meme, capitalism is a meme. All our isms are memes. They're ideologies that affect us, right? And so there's this continuity between microbial culture and human culture, between genes and memes, that goes around and around and around. Jimi Wollumbin: (32:02) And so on the one hand we can see, just imagine that there's a gene for selfishness and violence, which there isn't, and genes don't work that way, but imagine there is because it's easier to think about. And then we've got someone that's got that gene and then they create a tribe around them that's all got that gene, and then they create a country and an empire like the Roman empire that's based upon this particular gene spreading, every stage of that. Then they create culture around that, they creates stories around that, they create images, they create are practices that all have a meme involved of violence and selfishness. Jimi Wollumbin: (32:37) Now as that meme spreads to other cultures, their stories, their religions, and their religion is, it's survival of the fittest, that's their religion, say, as that idea gets out, then that idea changes those other people in the same way that that gene could change other people. Right? So genes can give rise to meme and then memes come down and change our biology culture. The meta emergent culture changes our biology as a species in the same way that your ideas change your biology and your biology changes your ideas. Jimi Wollumbin: (33:12) So we've got this movement of there's unhealthy ideas, cultural memes that are spreading across the planet behind the globalization of the world, and that fundamental... It's hard to put a word to what is that meme, because it's really complex, right? So there's no satisfying single quip. Right? But for the purposes of your question, I'm going to say the meme that is spreading is the meme of the fallacy of separation, that our economy is separate from our fine arts, that human culture is separate from the environment, that the icebergs is separate from your gut health. Mason: (33:54) I mean, even in the body strength is separate from flexibility. Jimi Wollumbin: (33:58) All of those. Mason: (33:58) Yeah. All of those. Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (33:59) All of those using reductionist linear thinking in a nonlinear universe overwhelming. Mason: (34:07) A universe- Jimi Wollumbin: (34:07) Right? Mason: (34:07) ... that literally doesn't have such thing as a straight line. Jimi Wollumbin: (34:09) Right. That's right. So that's the meme that I would say, the fallacy of separation, right? And that that is spreading across lots of different cultures. And as it spreads, they create technology and practices that then alter the environment that then virializes bacteria in particular ways, right? And then those bacteria will then spread genes and do things like that. So we've got this movement up and down in a complex system from its parts and the emergent holes that come out of them like this. Jimi Wollumbin: (34:39) And so when you say, well, what should I do? If I say, well, you know what you should do, Mason, is you should make sure that you get all the proper nutrition and you do this and this and this and this and this, I would be potentially spreading the fallacy of separation. Mason: (34:55) Well, what I'm thinking, well, yeah, what I was thinking there, what we do in terms of a mindset going forth, is it... Because I've thought about this and meditated on this for so long, and in the end it's just something to do to keep on coming back to yourself I imagine, but is there a surrenderedness, is there you're not in control? Is it, while you are a part of that web of life and so then the context of you becoming healthy isn't in, don't let that opportunistic organism come and kill me you bastard, I'm going to beat you. Is it something bad? I just want hear your insights of that core. Jimi Wollumbin: (35:38) Yeah. Good. So I definitely think that our own personal healing and our own personal journey is one of the most profound ways that we can affect the macro level as well. Jimi Wollumbin: (35:48) And there's this ancient connection between the micro and macro, right? That by getting healthy, by getting well, by engaging deeply in your process, your addictions, and the viral memes that you have in your family line and your own story, by starting to become conscious of those and healing those, by seeing the cultural ones that you've inherited of separation and fragmentation of who you are and how you see the world, then you're in a better place to be that little meme sharing bacteria in the web of life that says in moments like this, hey, have this little download. That's what I'm doing now. You and I are doing this now. Jimi Wollumbin: (36:33) We are virally spreading an idea. Well, we caught it from other people as well, it's not that we came up with it, but we're spreading this idea. And as it spreads that idea, then it changes the culture, and as we change the culture, then we change the way we do things, which is changing the environment, which is giving rise to those bacteria as well. Right? Mason: (36:52) Yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (36:52) So I definitely think that people engaging with their own health is really, really important, but it's how you do that and why you do that that makes all the difference. Because a lot of people have still the viruses Osama Bin Laden must be killed and protected against and I'm taking all these super herbs to kill the bug, must kill bug. Mason: (37:13) And now the water fast, like more skin scrubbing, more oregano oil all over me. Like it's- Jimi Wollumbin: (37:20) It's herbal antibiotics against life, antibiotic, against the web of life. And it's the fallacy of separation that underpins that. And so there can be no health in an unhealthy culture. There can't be. And so our deepest yearnings for self-preservation have to get married to the transformation of our unhealthy culture and the preservation of the environment that we live in. It has to be that. And also along the way, yes, we need to take care of ourselves and we can... Once I've said this piece, I can move on, and then we can talk about antiviral herbs and things like that as well. Mason: (37:59) Yeah. I guess it's got a context. Jimi Wollumbin: (38:00) It does. Then it has the context. Right? But the larger piece is that we can not isolate ourselves with adaptogenic, immunological, super extracted herbs from the vast biological upheavals of the microbial kingdom. We cannot, our best... We can't do that. Right? Human beings will survive, but there's no guarantees about any individual. Jimi Wollumbin: (38:29) And so the idea is, I think, folly to just try and lock ourselves away, and the idea is, I believe, to get whole and healthy, and to become a wellbeing so that we can participate in the process of healing our fractured culture and vanquishing those unhealthy memes that have changed our environment, that are giving rise to those virulent genes, viruses, and microbes. Yeah. Mason: (38:59) Then we become, funilly, the micro in the macro of the microbials at that point. Right. Which is a trip. They are our ancestors. Right? Jimi Wollumbin: (39:09) Absolutely. Mason: (39:10) It's the bacteria that created, and viruses, that created a cell structure that then enabled us to come about that. I like that because it doesn't change us. We're not expecting all of a sudden to put on completely new glasses and see the world in a completely different way, but you can feel the world in a different way. You can trust the course that you're on already. You're trying to become more loving, more healthy, less of an asshole, try and get as much information as possible. Mason: (39:36) The internet is connected, but humans aren't connected, so you can't get, as you say, because you have all these memes, and this bias, and these institutional official stories of what reality is. It's hard sometimes to know what's truth and what's not, therefore, it's hard to take action like a microbe would that is going to lead us towards a personalized evolution. And you can see this quagmire happening. I think it's going to pass. I think there's a lot of extremism. I also see a splitting of the chains. Mason: (40:13) When you said those gray areas, I always think sometimes you just see... And you can feel the pull, you can feel the pull of modernity and domestication at times, and then as well you can feel that pull of nature. And if you're going to be getting involved in one direction or the other, to an extent, this is all speculation, but this is something I think about a lot, there's various splits in the genes where, not that you have different speices necessarily, but along that line of a conversation. So, because that leads to there had not been a right or a wrong because we have many different paths as well. Jimi Wollumbin: (40:52) Yeah, there are. One of the things I was thinking when you were saying that is about the modernity piece, is I think that one of the most radical things that we can do is to not just consume ancient grains, but to consume ancient memes, and to preserve ancient meme. And so ancient memes are contained in the world's mythologies in these ancient, ancient stories because they hold wisdom, they hold huge chunks of information, like the bacterial chunks that say, this is how you fly, or this is how you get camouflaged, right? Jimi Wollumbin: (41:34) They contain this in this myth or poetic language. And when we take them in they're like a ferment or something that you introduce into your kombucha. It changes everything. You change the culture within through consuming these leavens of these ancient memes. And so I think when you it's hard to know, it's confusing. There's all these things going on, all that sort of stuff, in the world. It's like, personally, that's one of the reasons why I'm ignorant of a lot of things in the modern world, is because I'm cautious about the information that I consume. I'm cautious about the imagery that I consume. Mason: (42:16) Well, that's huge as a health piece. Jimi Wollumbin: (42:19) Yeah. Because it changes... They're memes. They're all memes. Right. And you're not immune to it. They're going to become a part of you. Mason: (42:25) Discernment is massive. Jimi Wollumbin: (42:27) Yeah. Far out, so anyway, so. So that's that piece. I think that it's in terms of saying, well, how do I navigate through this environment? Is the how do I live, is not what science has ever excelled at. Right. Because mythology is not bad science, it is a completely different piece. It's a guide on the nature of being and how to navigate through crisis and change. That's what's in those stories. So that's one of my prescriptions, right. Jimi Wollumbin: (43:04) To our culture and to anyone living, read and immerse yourself in ancient mythology, because there's this life saving memes inside there that go in like viruses and change your state of consciousness. And they change it profoundly by giving you different metaphors, different images, and different lenses so that you can see the world in a different way, you can see opportunities and crises in a different way. And if I've arrived at a different perspective in my journey as a practitioner, it's through that. It's through the regular consumption of ancient memes. Mason: (43:39) Is that what draw you back to Mongolia? Jimi Wollumbin: (43:42) Yes, that's what drew me back to Mongolia. Yes. Speaking of ancient meme, it's a place rich in, and Siberia as well, the shamanism there, a place very rich in ancient memes indeed. Mason: (43:55) You've got some of those stories on your Facebook page. I think I'll- Jimi Wollumbin: (43:57) I do indeed. Mason: (43:58) ... just tell people to stay there rather than going, give us your top 10 mentions. Jimi Wollumbin: (44:03) That's right. And so then, I feel like I've dodged your previous question of what are people to do in response at an individual level to viral illness. Mason: (44:18) No. You answered it. I mean, clinically it's always interesting. I'm quite over getting a checklist of things to do and the Western approach of having reliance. I think a 20% of your energy in towards knowing the practicality, if you go down there are certain actions that you can take upon infection feeling, whether it's... What is it? Is it hot, is it cold, or is it... And you can take appropriate action to get yourself back into harmony. Mason: (44:44) You really answered the beginning of it. Being a part of that web of life, first of all, it means you get infected and, I mean, part of it's a big thing. It's like something's going to get yet you, something's going to get you. Jimi Wollumbin: (44:55) But do you not want to be gotten is the question. Mason: (44:57) Exactly. Jimi Wollumbin: (44:58) Do you not want to be gotten? Mason: (44:59) Well, that's what drove me in health, I think, in the very beginning, was a subtle fear of death. And that's why I got a little bit orthorexic and parasites. And now I'm at the point where I feel like I can go back into that conversation of cleansing, knowing that cleansing isn't a separate conversation from my general, it is my general lifestyle and everything that I'm doing anyway. I've got a little bit more of that. What you're saying, it takes a long time to feel that unity and that connectiveness. Jimi Wollumbin: (45:30) Purify me of the idea that I need to be purified. Mason: (45:34) It's massive. And it's interesting as well, because part of you needs to go forth at times. All you've got is your mind to hang on to protocols to get healthier. But then the transition of when you're rejuvenated to an extent that you can stand in your own sovereignty and start, you start feeling these mythical stories inside of yourself. You don't even have to... all that wisdom inside of yourself, and that capacity to realize, whether you like it or not, on a very practical level, you're not separated. There are microbials in you that have connected... Jimi Wollumbin: (46:07) You can't live without. Mason: (46:08) You can't live without. Jimi Wollumbin: (46:09) You die if they go. We know this. Mason: (46:11) But then from there you go, okay, I'm not having a knee jerk response to an official story or a meme anymore. From there, I mean, we don't even have to talk about anti-microbials and antivirals. Jimi Wollumbin: (46:28) Well, the best thing you can do is very simple, is to maximize your own wellbeing. And so the goal of health is health, it's not fighting disease, and health is not the absence of disease. Mason: (46:38) Well, that's an interesting piece- Jimi Wollumbin: (46:40) Right? Mason: (46:40) ... because it's a good- Jimi Wollumbin: (46:40) We notice. The world health organization agrees, right? And yet again and again, it's same with herbalists, they get suckered into fighting disease and treating disease. And so then you'll see a famous herbalist circulating their coronavirus formula, which just shows disappointingly their absence of education in the foundations of traditional medicine and integrative thinking. Mason: (47:04) Do you mean that even, just to bring some context, do you mean that in regards to what we've talked about or even more basically the fact that there are going to be absolutely individualized reasons as [inaudible 00:47:17] the coronavirus in the first place. Jimi Wollumbin: (47:19) No. If five people have influenza virus, and let's say they had the same strain, when they come to a good therapist, then they get five different treatments. One of those people is a 85 year old woman, and how she's feeling is really exhausted. The next person is a 45 year old robust man who's got fevers. The next person is a seven year old child who's sweating a lot and vomiting, right? What we treat is we enhance the resistance and the wellbeing of those individuals. Jimi Wollumbin: (48:00) Yes, we have an awareness of herbs that are anti-microbial, but that's only one of a whole range of things that go in to improve the way the system is responding. We're trying to harmonize that ecology of that particular person, and so some of the medicines could be diaphoretics that open up the pores and help release, some of the medicines could be heating, some of them could be cooling, some of them could be focused upon reducing nervous tension because that's what's keeping them in a fight or flight response and has switched off their immune system at the mains. Jimi Wollumbin: (48:34) And they all require, so evidence based medicine and integrative medicine, and I teach integrative doctors in the States about how to get integrative and to think in an integrative manner, evidence based medicine is giving way to individualized medicine. Mason: (48:47) It has to. Jimi Wollumbin: (48:48) It has to, right? Mason: (48:49) Otherwise it's not medicine. Jimi Wollumbin: (48:50) There's no evidence. It's like when you average it out, it's like across 50,000 people, well then it becomes nonsensical because then there's one who is average, right? It's like the matchbox factory that puts 49 matches in every box and the other one that puts 51 they say the average matchbox has 50 matches, but there's no match box that has 50 matches. It doesn't exist. There's no average. Mason: (49:12) It's an interesting thing that happened. TCM is the classic example that went extremely Western, and went, even just the categorization of disease based on the symptoms. Which you kind of, you have some sympathy for the Western mind needing to go to an institution and get a piece of paper, and we need a regulatory body because we're not patient enough to have it be like a real teacher student download, and then most people just don't have the patients or... Mason: (49:38) I hardly think I've got the skill and patience to sit there in a clinic and do that individual assessment again and again, not at this point in my life anyway. That's tough. It's a special skill. Jimi Wollumbin: (49:50) The opposite is really tough actually, I would say, having been a practitioner for 20 years. Mason: (49:54) Being ineffective. Jimi Wollumbin: (49:56) And also, no one wants to be making burgers. People come, I give you my this protocol, the next person comes, I give you my that protocol. That's why you said, what do you do? And I said, well, I'm interested in helping people transform. I mean, interested in people, helping them die and be reborn, because that's what your ill health is an invitation for always. And that's what globally we require. Jimi Wollumbin: (50:23) We require each one of those individuals to be transformed, to die to themselves and to emerge as well-beings having vanquished some of the unhealthy cultural memes that they've had inside them so that then they can be the leaven for a healthy culture, because there can be no health and an unhealthy culture. And so we desperately require well-beings, but that happens individual by individual, and as it happens is a very personal process, and it's gutsy, and it's raw, and it's got sweat, and tears, and snort, and it's hard, and it's terrifying a whole bunch of the time. Jimi Wollumbin: (50:59) As you go through it, that's what transformation looks like. Just ask the caterpillar, I used to think the caterpillar crawled into its chrysalis and it was really cozy in there, and mood lighting and all that sort of stuff, and then it elongated and sprouted wings, but it doesn't, it turns to mush, and every single cell in that bacteria just dissolves into a Caterpillar smoothie, right? It's just like, except for these- Mason: (51:25) Sexy. Jimi Wollumbin: (51:25) ... small cells, the imaginal cells that hold the vision of flying, right? And that's like the soul, right, the imaginal realm, the imaginal cells in us. And so the process of healing is a process of alchemical transformation, and it's tough, and it's hard, and it is scary, but more scary than that is staying where you are. When it feels more scary to lose your soul and to stay in the little cage that you're at rather than to take this risk, and to go through, and to change, that's when I want to see you. I want them to book in with me then. Mason: (52:02) Yeah, I mean, and that process, it's, it can be harrowing and can take time. Jimi Wollumbin: (52:08) It is always harrowing. I've just been through one myself. It was incredible, but harrowing definitely. I had my own midlife crisis last year, and health things, and all this sort of stuff. It was definitely harrowing, but it's also profoundly liberating. And I'm not in a hurry to go back to it, but I'm so grateful. I would rather go back to that then go back to where I was and just continue indefinitely in the way that I was being, because I was possessed by particular ideas, particular selves, particular memes. Mason: (52:42) Identities, and yeah. Jimi Wollumbin: (52:43) Yes. All of those things, right, that were way too limiting, way too small for the vast pantheon of gods that inhabits every human being. And so I'm grateful for it, but yes, it was harrowing. Mason: (52:55) Yeah. It can be especially harrowing when you are enmeshed in the community where you've got yourselves and your identity tied up, yet it doesn't let you- Jimi Wollumbin: (53:04) Families, relationships, all of those. Mason: (53:07) Yeah. Cliques, social cliques, all that kind of stuff. It can't not be a part of medicine. You're right. And then these manifestations come up, that's when it becomes less of a mindset of just like this sickness is an opportunity just as an idea and you can actually start dropping into the reality of it. It becomes far more annoying being told that. What a great opportunity. It's like, shut up. Jimi Wollumbin: (53:27) Yeah. That's right. Mason: (53:30) I'm super sick right now. But it's like- Jimi Wollumbin: (53:35) Because there's no sense of what that is. It's just then it's a platitude, right? It's just thrown around, but there's no real understanding of what that is. But again, to come back to the macro, I think that this is required for us as a species, that individuals are willing to go on that journey, that they're willing to go right down that rabbit hole, that they're willing to go on a harrowing journey of initiation of descent into the underworld, like Persephone, of transformation and transmutation, is that, that's the hero's quest. Jimi Wollumbin: (54:11) Every one of us has that invitation. And the only way that our culture can be whole is if we have a certain number of imaginal cells, a certain number of initiated individuals that have been down to the underworld, that have died, that have drunk from those sacred waters and have re-emerged with gifts for those around them. And then they share those, those memes, those stories, those songs, right? They share them like that. Jimi Wollumbin: (54:36) That's the only way our culture is refreshed. Otherwise, a culture inevitably become stagnant, and ossified, and unhealthy, whatever it was at the start, it ends up, it used to be a signpost that pointed towards heaven, that pointed towards the moon, that pointed towards something worthwhile, and people used to use that signpost where their gaze was directed towards something, something truly worthwhile. Jimi Wollumbin: (54:58) And then after a while, people just start worshiping the signpost, and climb up on top of the sign post that pointed to Rome, or to heaven, or the moon and say, I'm at my destination and they get dogmatic and then they fight to defend the signpost, right? And that happens to every culture unless they're those people that go down, and when they go down, they go down crying and screaming, and hurting, and bleeding, and shaking, and terrified, into the underworld. But they emerge renewed. Jimi Wollumbin: (55:24) And so there's a lot of people that are hurting that will be listening to this. And there's a lot of people that will be scared and feel like they're not coping and that there are finally because of it, and again, I just want to say that that does not make you a failure. That makes you a hero on a quest, and to have the courage that it takes to keep going through that process, right, that's actually what healing looks like. It's a breakdown, a breakdown of those memes, it's a breakdown of those other identities, right? And that's what creates a well-being. That's what creates a resilient being. Jimi Wollumbin: (55:58) And if you want to be resilient, it's not really the goal, how can I be resilient so the bacteria can't get me? Wrong goal, wrong goal entirely. Mason: (56:07) Well, it's just a little bit misdirected, and with that reality that you've just been talking about, inclusive in the letting go, is as you move along.. The hardest thing is sometimes you find a community, or a person, or a practice, or diet, or whatever it is that was been super healing, and now a part of your process is to let that go as you go along. It's why it can be so harrowing and confusing. Jimi Wollumbin: (56:32) Absolutely. Mason: (56:33) However, then when you start talking about hydration, and herbalism, and sun exposure, if you're embedded in the process of the simplicity and enormity of what you're doing in this life and what you're going through, and in that context of I'm connected to all of this, and I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going, I'm doing it for me, and I'm doing it for others, and you're like, there's a focus on that sharing, all of a sudden it takes the charge away from the adaptogenic herbs. It takes the charge away from having to have the right water and diet, because it pulls it into context. Right? And that's what I like. Jimi Wollumbin: (57:13) Into a different context. Mason: (57:15) A hugely different context. Jimi Wollumbin: (57:17) A deeper, and a wider, and a broader context. Mason: (57:19) One that has reality. It's why, Superfeast, it's a weird thing, is why I don't go out and say like adaptogens, adaptogens, adaptogens, I talk about, in this instance I have the opportunity to talk about tonic herbalism in a Taoist philosophy. And so it's got this bed of, it's not really about the herbs, they fit in, and then they just fit into the flow, and they support something. Jimi Wollumbin: (57:40) They're a means towards an end, not an end unto themselves. Right? Mason: (57:44) And that's, it's not effective for longterm cruisy flowing, finding what for you, finding your own sovereign lifestyle and culture as you move along anyway if you create a health trend to everyone's got to be doing these things, it's not effective long term. I think it's a bad business model. Well, I think it is. Jimi Wollumbin: (58:09) Probably is, but it reflects a deeper understanding of what health really is as well. Because otherwise, we have this profoundly unhealthy culture with these profoundly unhealthy individuals infected by these cultural memes that rob them of happiness in a deep and fundamental way, that separate us from one another increasingly fragmenting us from parts of ourselves, our left brain from our right brain, our inner child from... All of these different parts of fragmenting and fragmenting and fragmenting. And there can be no health in that. It doesn't matter how many super foods you consume and how... Mason: (58:45) Except cacao and [crosstalk 00:58:45]. Jimi Wollumbin: (58:46) Except cacao. Right. Except chocolate. Okay, chocolate's an exception. Mason: (58:48) And then the thing is, it's not. It definitely isn't. So, yeah... That fragmentation. Jimi Wollumbin: (58:58)
We've got Amina Eastham-Hillier back on the show today. This time around Amina is talking all things Lyme disease. Amina is an experienced Lyme literate naturopath who specialises in testing and treating Lyme disease, Lyme co-infections, mould related illness and chemical sensitivities. Amina is a treasure trove of knowledge in her area's of expertise and today's chat offers a grounded and holistic approach to healing stealth infection and Lyme disease. Mason and Amina cover: Lyme disease. Health sovereignty and the importance of taking charge of your own health. The multifaceted approach required to remedy chronic health conditions. Ticks - "the dirty needles of nature". Principals of prevention, tips and tricks you can embody to minimise exposure to Lyme and other pathogenic bacteria. Inflammation and gut health. Stealth viruses and the havoc they can wreak. Living in harmony with nature, and that includes viruses and bacteria. Who is Amina Eastham-Hillier? Amina owns a successful multi-modality clinic in Noosa comprising of 18 practitioners. With over 15 years of Naturopathic and 25 years of Nutritional practice, Amina successfully treats chronic illnesses and complex cases. Amina is a Keynote speaker presenting to medical doctors and naturopaths at international conferences, medical documentaries, TV interviews, radio, seminars, webinars, podcasts and workshops. Author of “Lyme Natural” Amina won the award for ‘Australian Practitioner of the year’ in 2017 and is currently finalising her second book (Chronic stealth infections – Filling in the missing pieces). Resources: Amina Website Amina Facebook Amina Instagram Lyme Natural Website Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We’d also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher :)! Plus we're on Spotify! We got you covered on all bases ;P Check Out The Transcript Here: Mason: (00:03) Hey, Amina. Thanks so much for coming back on and chatting with me. Amina: (00:07) Oh, you're welcome, Mason. Thank you for having me. Mason: (00:10) Always a pleasure. I think it was about two years ago that we jumped on, when we were different podcasts by then. Mason Taylor Podcast. We chatted about Lyme, we chatted about mold, mold when just got distributed out. And so everyone in the SuperFeast community has begun to become familiar with you and your awesomeness and I want to continue pointing people in your direction because I've found you always really influential. And watching your Instagram, I love watching you being a practitioner, live and breathe the lifestyle up in your retreat. I love your foraging tips and I love watching all the notes when you go to these conferences, whether it's ... I know you're going to ... What's the conference you're going to this weekend, you're presenting at? Amina: (01:01) Oh, it's actually in September, but it's in Melbourne for metagenics and it's all on fatigue and looking at intricate details of just what's going on with people with fatigue and why are they not getting better? Looking at a lot of biotoxins and underlying viruses and lots of things. Very exciting. Mason: (01:26) Well, I just love watching the adventures because you go along, obviously, and attend and upgrade your skills. You can just really tell you're an absolute nerd for all of this. Amina: (01:36) I do love it. Mason: (01:39) Yeah. I feel like ... You know, we've spoken to you a couple times. I know how deep you can get into the nuance of the body and testings, and really going after and hunting for the source of symptoms. And you work a lot with people with extremely chronic illness. Right? Amina: (01:57) Yes, yes. I do. Mason: (01:59) And we were just talking about the fact, as well, before how when you look down the barrel of either going through western medicine, a lot of people go down that gauntlet and then come out the other side without answers. And then coming into the, for lack of a better word, the natural treatment, going down that route. I can understand why going down the western route is often necessary, of course, but is cozy and comfy because there's this integrated nature where there's a specialist for everything and your doctor will talk to the specialist. On the surface, that's the idea. There's a big web that you know you don't have to think. You're just caught in it. But then if you look down, often, the natural route, the amount of information out there, the amount of conflicting information, of course that's in the western medicine as well but it's that non-integrated web that makes it so difficult at times and you've kind of got to stand up into your sovereignty and be your own hub. Mason: (03:02) I know I send so many people your way when they're dealing with stealth infection or Lyme, as well, because I know ... I read that at Noosa Holistic Health ... Is that Noosa Holistic Health? Amina: (03:14) Yep. Mason: (03:15) Yep. And you were saying how you've really created a hub and how you ask for every single test that's ever been done through the western model or beyond in the natural world and try and create that melting pot. On that, I think it's important for people ... We're going to go into Lyme today. I think it's very relevant in this instance, but know whether we're dealing with chronic illness, whether it's stealth infection, or just a mystery. Finding someone who can create that hub and go and be the detective and be that central point, I just want to know ... obviously, you've created it. I just want to know the extent of which you put importance on that for someone. And then what do you like to see and procure in your patients for them to be able to feel like they have the capacity to start to be that melting pot, themselves, and really feel that health sovereignty while being supported by practitioners? Amina: (04:21) Okay. So first of all, when patients come in initially, obviously I'm listening for what their main concerns are. And I have a jigsaw puzzle template by my side and it literally has about 50 odd pieces and I can squidge them all around if I need to. And this empty, blank jigsaw puzzle template, I actually start writing everything on and it becomes a full puzzle. And I think that's the main thing for the people to understand when I'm first having consultations with them is that they may come in saying, "Have I got Lyme? Is it this? Is it that? What's wrong with me?" And you can never give one person a definite answer because, the thing is, there are often so many things. So there are many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Amina: (05:19) For example, someone might come in and they think that they've been bitten by ticks or they're not even sure, but they've got chronic fatigue, they've got pain. It might be just random pain, fibromyalgia-type pain or aches. It's often brain fog. Maybe a bit of sweating, maybe not, digestion problems, anxiety, all of the common symptoms that we see that aren't getting addressed with the normal medical models. And we just start putting it together. So I just go through a very comprehensive history and just putting all the pieces. So whether they have had chemical exposure, mold exposure ... I mean, this is a very broad summary of what I do. I think an answer to your question, is that ... Mason: (06:07) Yeah, for sure. I mean, I guess I almost wanted just to make sure everyone had an insight into the depth and level that you'd want to be able to demand or go and find with a practitioner in order to qualify. Amina: (06:21) Absolutely. Mason: (06:22) And then what's the difference? Do you see certain ... the difference between a patient and just some qualities that other patients, you can help imbue in them in terms of not feeling overwhelmed or feeling empowered in the fact that you can transfer? The fact that you, yourself, you've got so many patients, so much stuff going on. You can't hold the constant hub for every single patient. At some point, it needs to bridge over into the patient themself, especially with long-term healing. Right? Is there ... Amina: (06:53) Absolutely, absolutely. So what I like to do, I think it's really important, if patients want to. Not all patients want this. They do like the practitioners to take charge and they don't really want much information. But I think, these days, it's really important to take charge of your health and have it that each person really understands themself. So that's why I really encourage patients to gather all of your past medical results. It doesn't matter how long ago it was. Get as much information as you can. If you had a stool test with a naturopath 10 years ago, get it. Let's put it all together. Let's see, where did this start? Because of the patients that I'm seeing, they're often very chronic, complex patients that often have so many things going on and that's why it's very difficult for them to go to any one place and get a diagnosis. Amina: (07:46) So it's really important for us to gather as much information as we can. And if you haven't had past tests, that's great. That gives us a clean platform to go, okay. Well, now we know what we need to do in the way of functional medicine testing as well as working with their doctor and seeing what treatments they may be getting at that time. But I just definitely, I can't express enough how I think it's important for patients to take charge of their own health in a way of just knowing what's going on, knowing what has happened in their body before they got really sick, and understanding their family history, things ... Even looking at genetics can be really helpful, knowing what their sensitivities are and their triggers, and understanding the state of their adrenals and nervous system, and understanding their gut and being mindful of, "Is my gut going good? Do I need a bit of a detox at the moment?" Or, "Do I need a detox from life? Do I need to sort of step back and go and have a rainforest walk or something?" Amina: (08:56) So just being really mindful of all of the systems. And that's something of a naturopath that I think is really important for us to educate patients so that they know what to look out for and they know how to be their own sort of one-stop hubber and check in on themselves, as well as having the support of the professionals. Mason: (09:16) Yeah. I just don't think it can be said enough. It's a great reminder and I just wanted to bring that up in the beginning because, at SuperFeast, we get asked so many ... every day. It's phone, email, Instagram, getting so many questions and some of them very gnarly and very deep questions. We don't consider our role to kind of play practitioner, we just don't. We continue to stand in the fact that we're doing tonic herbalism and we are standing for a particular philosophy and lineage. However, we don't like leaving everyone high and dry. And so what I feel like I consistently want to do and for the podcast and having these kinds of conversations, is continue to make distinct ... just that simple nature of ... when you say, "Become your own practitioner," I feel like that's quite loaded because I'm prone to this, then I feel the pressure, and I'm very much prone to putting pressure on myself, to have a level of understanding using similar language, that a practitioner would have in a specialised area, of myself. Mason: (10:24) And then with that and put a couple of other things on my shoulders that I'm doing in life, it becomes overwhelming and I feel I'm kind of failing at this. I don't know how to manage my own body. I need to continue to rely on practitioners. But what you're saying, I just don't think it can be repeated enough for everyone to remember. If you just gather all that information so you know thyself, you can understand little patterns and your constitution. You get little clues and then put it into language that ... For me, it's been especially useful. Just put it into language for a lay person or just put it into language that's not charged and easy for you to then go take into your kitchen and your lifestyle because, as you said, just knowing. It can kind of seem like it just gets on repeat. And I just want to make sure everyone's listening. Reading your body and your digestion, watching the way that you're pooing, or your nervous system can tell if you can get that pattern to go, "Wow, it's time for a little bit of a walk. Right now, it's time for a little bit of practice... Amina: (11:21) Absolutely. That's right. And it's just having that understanding. And sometimes, I find when I go through and I put all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together, literally, and then the person can see, "Oh, there's quite a few things going on." Not to be overwhelmed at all, but purely just we can see, look, we do need to work on all systems here because all systems are affected. And of course, I'm not saying to be their own practitioner and treat themselves. I'm very, of course, into seeing a professional practitioner that can monitor and help you with the dosages of herbs and so forth and give you the right medicine. But just, I find a lot of people will bounce around from many practitioners to practitioners, different types of practitioners and still not understand the basics of what's going on with their body. If they could see that, they might not be as overwhelmed and see, "Okay, I need some help with my adrenals," or, "I might need to do a bit of a gut detox. I'll go and see my practitioner," be it naturopath, Chinese medicine, integrated doctor or whoever. And we work together. Mason: (12:34) Yeah. That working together, I don't think it's that rare anymore, but I don't know, sometimes it feels like it. I know that's definitely the biggest thing we get when we're like, "Look, we're really just going to have to encourage you to go and have someone onside, have a practitioner onside." And it can just seem like such a daunting task in the beginning, going and finding someone. But they're out there and if you're on the sunny coast, you know where to go. Mason: (12:59) So I want to dive into Lyme. And I especially just wanted to make sure I had this resource for everyone in the community who is asking us questions. There's just so much that I can do in terms of saying, "You know, read." I like Stephen Buhner's work. Sending to your website. But I just wanted to speak to a couple of things that come up constantly that I feel will be useful, and especially useful for my team, hearing it from you in this context to pass on. Mason: (13:37) For those of you that don't know Lyme disease, can you give a little elevator pitch, Amina, knowing that most people will know and there's many resources for people to get the understanding, including your website. But do you want to just give a little brief update for everyone? And especially your current understanding of Lyme infection? Amina: (13:55) Absolutely. And I must say that my current understanding is just becoming more and more expansive as the years go by. But your traditional textbook Lyme is someone's been bitten by a tick and that tick has given the person an infection of Borrelia bacteria. And as a result, the person gets very sick. So it's a tick-born bacterial infection. That's a very simple textbook example. However, we know that there are ... Now Lyme, I think, has become a bit of an umbrella word. In Australia actually, a lot of practitioners use the term more Lyme-like illness and I think that's probably more appropriate because we don't know exactly what we're dealing with. So there's a lot of different types of Borrelia, not just Borrelia burgdorferi. There's actually a hundred strains or so. Amina: (14:55) There's actually a lot of different types of Borrelia. We know that this Lyme-like illness is not just caused by ticks. We know there possible are other vectors. There's even been talk of mosquitoes. A study in Germany showing that mosquitoes could possibly be carrying Borrelia. I know there are possible other insects that can certainly pass on very similar co-infections, like midgies, sandflies and passing on things like mycoplasma bartonella, that co-infections that often coincide with Lyme patients. Amina: (15:31) And we know that it can be passed on by utero. So if a woman's pregnant, she could definitely pass it on to her baby. Doesn't mean the baby's going to have the full on symptoms like the mother may have had. I certainly have seen quite a few different levels of patients. Some people have a positive Borrelia result, maybe even from a couple of different labs, and they really are okay. They're not suffering from a lot of symptoms. And I've seen people that we test and they've got negative Borrelia and it's not being picked up. Doesn't mean it's negative, but in the blood, the urine, and serum. And they've had lots of tick bites, lots of rashes. Amina: (16:13) So it's a very broad umbrella term. But generally, I feel that now what we're dealing with when we're talking about Lyme-like illness ... the technical name is actually borreliosis because of it being from the Borellia bacteria infection. However, I think we just need to look at the facts that there are a lot of ticks and a lot of other biting vectors in Australia. We know that the ticks carry many bacteria. So rickettsia, ehrlichia, anaplasma, bartonella, which is a cat scratch disease as well. And we also know that Babesia, that's a very common infection in kangaroos and wallabies and is a similar infection to mosquito malaria. Amina: (17:08) And recent studies just last year have come up with Australian ticks ... The one study, they had 21 viruses that they actually found in the ticks and they were actually affecting penguins down south of Australia. But in the studies, they weren't so sure if these particular viruses are going to affect humans, which is a very kind of, I think, controversial subject and could be. So the point is, the ticks are also carrying a lot of viruses. In fact, in this particular study, two of the viruses hadn't even been discovered. No one really knew what they were. So they're pretty yucky things. Hence, we call them nature's dirty needles. Ticks, they really are a bit of a problem. Mason: (17:57) So just back to a couple of things. So you were talking about vectors, the possibility of passing on Borrelia by utero. And I think we got asked this question just after the mold podcast that we'd put out. It was one of the reasons I thought we've got to do a specific Lyme podcast, because someone was asking in terms of whether it can be sexually transmitted or via saliva. Amina: (18:22) I'm not sure via saliva. I, from a practitioner perspective and upon conversations with many other practitioners from Australia and overseas that deal specifically with Lyme, I'd say clinically, anecdotally, yes. It can be passed on sexually, considering it is actually very similar. It's a spirochaetae bacteria that's very similar to syphilis bacteria, which is passed on sexually, of course, and very similar way of presenting within the body. Like, the initial syphilis, you'd get the canker sores and Borrelia, you may get the erythema, target-type rash. May not, as well. And then the symptoms can flare up for a couple of weeks or so and then, maybe, be a little bit dormant for a few months and flare up. That can happen with the syphilis for sure. Amina: (19:16) So I think, yes. And why I think this is because I have seen families that we have tested the whole family and the mother might think she got it from the father for some reason. And upon testing, they all do have it. And the father or the mum says, "I've never been bitten by ticks or not to my knowledge." And then the children have it. So that has happened on a number of occasions. So I would say, yes. Mason: (19:44) Yeah. Okay. So going back to the dirty needles of nature. Obviously, we were talking about the simplicity before with understanding patterns of your body so you can read your body and take very simple actions. And then you accumulate an incredible amount of benefits through taking ownership and responsibility. I think what's confusing, definitely has been for me, is just the simplicity of that. You get lost in just how potent that small accumulation of practicing that, what that can do for your health. Mason: (20:20) In relation to Lyme, I think it's definitely worth something not being paranoid about, yet being extremely vigilant about, especially in the east coast of Australia, where we're at. The same as east coast of America and all these places where, obviously, you just need to be very real and not stay in your little box in your concrete jungle and be unrealistic about the fact that you live within gnarly nature and there is the possibility for many vectors to come and bite you. So in terms of just basic principles of prevention, have you got some just quick tips for people to embody into their lifestyles when they are camping or when they're foraging, as you do? Amina: (21:07) Absolutely. I live out in ... I've got acreage. So every day, I go for a walk through the forest. And with my dog and I sometimes go through long grasses. So of course, the first thing is to make sure that you check yourself for ticks when you get home. So I recommend people wear light clothing if they can and then you can see the ticks. And whenever I've gone for a walk, which is pretty much every morning, I just strip off and just get straight in the shower and those clothes end up going in the wash. I also check my dog, as well, because my dog is running around with me and she does get quite a few ticks, but we get them quite quickly. Amina: (21:48) So just be mindful of that. If it's a hot day and you've got a bunch of clothes, you're not sure ... because it's a lot of washing, otherwise. If you've got a bunch of clothes, you're not sure, it's a hot day, just put your clothes in a suitcase in the car. The ticks aren't going to survive in the heat of the suitcase. Or put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes. But definitely, you just need to check and be diligent about ... and just know, just check all over your body or your nooks and crannies. Amina: (22:19) I mean, I have had quite a few tick bites and, of course, I go straight in with my herbs, my echinacea and my astragalus and garlic, anyway, because I actually am taking my regular immune herbs and vitamin C every day. So I'm keeping my body healthy. So I think it's important to just be healthy, as well, of course. It comes down to diet, all that sort of thing. I mean, that's the extreme, walking through forests and long grass. If you're just going for ... You need to get out. If you're just going in a park or something, just be mindful. There's lots of places you can go where the grass is short. Tuck your pants into your socks sort of thing and just enjoy. I think the benefits of being out in the nature and out in the fresh air is so helpful for your nervous system and immune system, anyway. At the end of the day, you have to live. So this is really important. Mason: (23:22) And it always helps to have ... Well, I like using those tick-specific tweezers, having those around when you get the ... Amina: (23:29) Oh, yes. For sure. Always have good tweezers and you can use things. There are some sort of ... People use citronella and sometimes even a little bit stronger that they can spray onto their clothes, but I think if you're going to brush up against a tree or something like that, that's when you're more likely going to ... if you're brushing up against plants and if you have animals, because animals will bring ticks in the house. So you take your boots off in the house and go and make sure you have a ... get in the shower and just don't be sitting around on your bed sort of thing with your clothes that you've been out in the forest with. Things like that. Just be really diligent. Mason: (24:08) And in terms of if you do get a tick bite and you remove it, are you a fan of popping on dragon's blood? Any little myths that you want to bust around what you should be doing, topically? Amina: (24:23) I actually use ... I've got a medicinal throat spray that's got sage and thyme and echinacea and I actually spray that on the bite. Mason: (24:34) That's a great idea. Yeah. Amina: (24:38) I think if you can use your herbs, topically, I think something like good-quality manuka honey is really good. But otherwise, just keep an eye on it. I mean, if you're going to get bitten by these sort of types of insects and ticks and mosquitoes, you just need to be mindful and just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't come up in a rash. If it does, then you take further precaution. And, yeah. There's not really anything more I would put onto a tick bite, no. Mason: (25:10) Yeah, great. Just those little things to add to your culture. That's what people, over the years, when I ask ... I always get curious when people have all the herbs. And living in particular areas. Astragalus, for a lot of people, they're like, "Yep, in autumn." And then if I get a tick bite, comes up quite often that they ... just as you said. A little echinacea, even just getting a little bit of manuka inside of you, but they'll take a big does of astragalus, as well, if they have a tick bite. Amina: (25:39) Absolutely. Mason: (25:40) Just as a little precaution. Amina: (25:41) Absolutely. Mason: (25:42) And mushrooms, as well. I mean, you can get the shiitake, maitake, reishi's, and chaga's in and give it ... because there is going to be, at the time of consuming medicinal mushrooms and the beta-glucans they do in astragalus, as well. They're going to get into the bloodstream and you're going to see, most of the time, a direct impact on white blood cells and natural killer cells and macrophage activity. So that's the other one that always comes up. Amina: (26:08) Absolutely. Definitely. I've been using some medicinal mushrooms in my clinic recently. So just some new formulas and I'm just finding, yeah, the benefits are really awesome. I think it's great. Anything you can do to boost your immune system up, but definitely the shiitake, ganoderma (reishi), and so forth are really definitely helpful and part of keeping the immune system as strong as possible. Mason: (26:35) Yeah. I think we've got to make sure we stay in touch for when you really dive into the medicinal mushroom literature. It would really be good just to jump on and have a jam. Maybe at that point, that's what we can do when I get up to the sunny coast and I can come and visit you up there. Is it just called Hillier Retreat? Amina: (26:52) Yes. Mason: (26:52) Okay. I'm coming to visit you up at Hillier Retreat and we can go have a forage, because you've got ... Amina: (26:56) Absolutely. Mason: (26:57) The mushies up there are incredible, especially because obviously, being tropical, you can even find the tremella's snowflake mushrooms. Amina: (27:06) Oh, yeah. There's so many. It's actually fascinating. Every day when I go for a walk, I find new mushrooms and it's just because we've got a lot, there's tree's fallen and it's just the perfect environment. Oh, it's just amazing. Mason: (27:21) Can't wait. So then the other time we get a lot of questions, so probably the most for us is people writing to us and saying, "I've just been bitten by a tick," and they're not used to it. They haven't been in the shrub much and so ... But then after that, we do have a lot of people writing to us, whether it's themselves or their children, identify that it's been a tick bite, possibly, because I know that the rash or the bullseye esha is, I think ... what is it? Like, 60% of the time or something like that, that that..? Amina: (27:52) Different statistics. I've heard anywhere between 30 and 60% of people will get a rash. And if you've been bitten on the scalp or some nook and cranny, you're not going to notice a rash. And don't forget, some of the ticks are so minute, they're nymph, the size of a pinhead, the baby ones you're not even going to notice. You wouldn't even know. You'd just rub it up with a towel and you might not be aware of having one at all. Mason: (28:22) So just to help us consolidate our advice or if we're going to refer people to this podcast, what would be those first steps? What would you be looking out for symptomatically and what would be something that you'd go, okay, now you want to actually turn your head to that and knock it on the head? Amina: (28:39) Okay. So if you know, yes, there's just definitely been a tick or a tick was attached, you might not know how long it's ... If it's just literally crawled on your arm and you feel it attached, just take it off and it's not likely going to have passed anything on too severe. But we don't know how quick. The bacteria has to actually be passed on through the tick's hypostome, it's little, pointy sort of appendage that sticks into you. And it needs to be really actually feeding in a proper feeding moment for the bacteria to release from its stomach. So depending on how long the tick's been on you, just get the tick off as quickly as easy as you can without squeezing the tick. Amina: (29:27) Then, just be mindful. So you could certainly put any sort of antiseptic or a lot we just said, topically onto the bite. And then I would boost up with vitamin C. I would definitely boost up with those herbs. What to watch out for, if you do get a rash, then I would be more than likely, if you get a specific bullseye rash, I probably would recommend just go to a doctor and get a couple of weeks of Doxycycline, at least. Amina: (29:54) If there's no rash ... Sometimes it can just be a bit red and puffy and swollen. Lymph glands swell up. It could just be a normal sort of allergy reaction to the tick because that can definitely happen. So just keep an eye on symptoms and, at this point, I would definitely be boosting up those herbs. Your anti-spirochete ones, so your astragalus, echinacea, as we said. Siberian ginseng, for example. Garlic ginger, which I would recommend you get the practitioner support with that, with the dosages. Mason: (30:27) Would you put cat's claw in there, the uña de gato ? Amina: (30:30) You can, but it's very difficult to get good quality cat's claw in Australia, right now. Mason: (30:36) Yeah, you know what? I stopped stocking it because of that. Amina: (30:40) Yeah, it's very difficult. I would love to be ... I did use it a lot, but I haven't been able to get it for a good couple of years and until I know that my quality sources that I get it from are available and I'm not really trusting any other ones. But there's plenty of other herbs. Andrographis is another beautiful one for these initial infections. Amina: (31:02) So definitely, prevention is better than anything. So boost up on the herbs, anyway, and just be mindful. So that infection, you might not get any symptoms but, if in the next couple of weeks, two or three weeks, you do get some flu-like symptoms, I would go and get tested. As in, go and get checked with the doctor and just get checked. Things like rickettsia will come up quite quickly. You might need to wait about six weeks before the tests will actually show anything positive in those early stages, but I think that's a good cause for, if you have all of those symptoms, the rash, feeling not so good, lymph glands up, and then you get the flu-like symptoms, a bit of fever, it could be not necessarily Borrelia, it could be rickettsia, it could be a bit of babesia depending on the symptoms. So therefore, I would get onto it. Boost the natural packet treatment with your practitioner and you may need to go on antibiotics. Amina: (32:05) I say this very open-mindedly that there is a place for the antibiotics, of course, for traditional medicine or conventional medicine. And we can work together on that. So I think if that is the case, otherwise, if it's just a case of, "I've got bitten and now I'm okay a few weeks later," you've been taking your herbs, eating well, resting, and nothing really flares up, I'd say that you're probably okay, but just be mindful of those. It's the symptoms that come up like the aching joints, the knee pains that, "Mmm, didn't have that before," and you haven't been running or anything in particular, to know that there is an ongoing infection. And it's really ... yeah. Mason: (32:56) I assume it'll be similar symptom presentation in children? Amina: (33:00) Yes, but children often won't explain exactly what's going on, but you'll know. I mean, a child might get fevers. You'd know that. The glands are up, maybe. And if they're young, they'd probably be crying a lot, feeling very uncomfortable, irritable, not feeding so well. The stools might be a little bit loose, showing there's systemic inflammation that's affecting the gut, as well. Rashes, doesn't have to be the bullseye. A bartonella rash can be almost like stretchmarks on the body. Any sort of rash, I think, needs to be dealt with. Mason: (33:37) Yeah. And that was, when I got bit ... I think we've spoken about it. I mean, for some people might be new here, my interest was really spiked. And it was three years ago, and I got bitten by a tick, but it was very micro and it stayed on me for about three or four days and we just didn't catch it and we thought it was something else. And it was at that point, it had been feeding because it became engorged. And at that point, now I understand, oh, that's when you really got to watch it, when that engorgement has occurred there can be a transfer of bacteria. Got it out and then we were a few months away from having a baby and then I went down, the esha presented. "Okay," kind of kept on going. Kind of like, I don't know. I don't know if it was just because I was just so healthy and was just like, "Right, cool. I'll charge through this." And then after a few days, started getting fevery and started getting aching through the joints in my right hand, somewhat in my knees. Mason: (34:33) I'd listened to enough of Stephen Harrod Buhner. You can't listen to him or read his books without coming across Lyme quite extensively. So I was like, "Right. I kind of know what this is." And so at that point, in came the andrographis, the high dose vitamin C's, a lot of astragalus and all that. But it went on for, I think it was seven to ten days it went on and I just continued to deteriorate in fever and just couldn't get out of bed. And then I was listening to one of Stephen Buhner's podcasts and he was just reiterating that, at that point, this is when you ... He's teaching about antibiotic resistant bacteria now, running rampant as many awesome herbalists are. Yet, he's like, "At this point, that's when doxycycline is going to be very useful for you to knock it on the head," and I was just in that position. I definitely had that solid belief that I would never be turning to anything like that for the rest of my life, but yeah. That one Monday night, I was deteriorating thinking, "Geez, we're having a baby soon." Mason: (35:40) I'm at this point, and this is what I want to discuss with you next, I'm at this point where it's possibly able to be dealt with on a surface somewhat level, on acute or subacute level. And I obviously want to ensure that these bacterium aren't able to really dig their way into my system to cause that long-term infection. And so I did. I went Monday night to the emergency in Byron, showed them the rash because, here, they're a little bit more open minded. They were like, "Oh, yeah. We know what that is. Here's your doxycycline dose." And I know a lot of people have been turned away. However, I know a lot of doctors in emergency rooms have turned people away. So I'm not sure if you have any advice there on what they can ask for or say, but that sorted me out in 24 hours. And then I just continued to maintain that protocol of completely supporting my immune system and my nervous system for months. My whole lifestyle was that, but high, high doses of these herbs for quite a few months to get it out. Mason: (36:44) But, yeah. I think it's nice to hear that that's the advice that's still standing, still quite nice and simple... Amina: (36:53) Yeah, I think so because I've seen patients that, for example, they may have been bitten by a tick in California or in Germany and, straight away, they went to a doctor and they were only given maybe two or three weeks of doxycycline or similar. That's the main one, antibiotic. And even just taking it for that very short period of time did make it help their body, but they didn't end up getting a full-on chronic Lyme symptoms, have that go on for years and years. And how long you take it for is really dependent on the patient because some patients, in those acute times, may need it for quite a few months, that particular antibiotic and other antibiotics. But I think if you can just get in there as soon as possible and the herbal medicine, then you've got a really good chance. Amina: (37:48) And we can sort the gut out later. We can deal with the side effects of the antibiotics and we can work on that. It's better to, I think, initially do that. And some people can't take antibiotics, it's as simple as that. So therefore, we have to just do the herbs. But this is in the real acute, black or white, yes, you've got it. There it is and we need to deal with that infection. I think it would be negligent to not have it treated with the antibiotics and using the herbs. So when I see patients that are ... most of the patients I see that are more chronically Lyme, then it's a different story. I do feel it's a different story than if ... It's questionable whether the antibiotics might help them at that point if they've already had it for two years, also, it's like, mm, okay, that's where I probably would go more herbal medicine, but I'd go in very gently. I don't go in with the hardcore antibacterial herbs at high doses, whereas I would with the acute Lyme. Mason: (38:54) Yes. I mean, well that's ... Chronic Lyme seems to be, whenever I see anyone explaining the fact that we will have herxing reactions as you're removing infection from the body or busting up open biofilms, it's always Lyme disease that's used as the example. "Such as in Lyme disease..." Amina: (39:14) Yeah, absolutely. And it's very important to ... it's almost two disease, acute tickborn infections and treating someone that has chronic Lyme that they may not have even known whether they ever had a tick bite or anything but ... they may have a positive Borrelia, they have all the symptoms and then we need to treat it. That's when it becomes a beautiful example of how naturopathy can help by putting all those pieces on the puzzle and treating that person holistically. And if you don't treat all of the systems, if you miss out treating the adrenals, they're going to stay tired. If you don't detox them properly and work on the liver, they're not going to eliminate those lipopolysaccharides, the dead bits of the outer shell proteins of the bacteria upon killing them. Amina: (40:05) And inflammation has to be addressed at all times. The gut's got to work well every day. Every part of the body needs to be working at its best. When I talk about the jigsaw puzzle that I put together, there's so many factors then in chronic Lyme that are pieces of the puzzle then. It's not just about, yes, someone got bitten by a tick. Now we're looking at a full piece of toxins, mold, so forth, and the viruses. Mason: (40:37) Well naturally, because your immune system and your energy levels, your hormonal cascades are going to be out of rhythm during that time if you've had months or maybe years of chronic infection, as well. Right? So naturally, just on the back of that, not to say that there was stealth infection or stuff going on beforehand. Naturally, it's going to come into a ... And it often seems like a perfect storm. I've met a lot of folks, especially around area, had long-term chronic Lyme and they're exhausted from the treatment protocol. I've never seen more of a bit of a jadedness towards how much they need to do and keep their finger on the pulse to get well, when it is extremely chronic. Do you feel like by bringing back a little bit more flow in the sense of understanding the puzzle, understanding how the holistic nature of what phase we're in of treatment and also what the consistent pieces of the puzzle, as you were saying, got adrenal liver. Of course, they're going to be primary. What's your take on managing the mental load and the emotional load of that whole treatment protocol? Amina: (41:50) I think it's important to ... When we talked earlier about just taking charge of your health, you don't have to be knowing what to do, you just need to be understanding what's going on. And then work with someone that can put it all together. So for example, it can be quite simple. I can have someone with many, many piece of the puzzle. All those heavy metal toxins and genetic, MTHFR and pyrroles, and the mold exposure. It's all along there. Mason: (42:29) All the trendy things to get diagnosed with at the moment. Amina: (42:32) Yeah. All of those things. The tooth infection, the mercury fillings. It's all on there, you know? Mason: (42:38) You know what? Maybe a bit of SIBO. I know that's pretty hot right now. Amina: (42:41) Absolutely. SIBO. They've got adrenal depletion from stress that they've had. Usually, there's a period of time when they've had stress. So there's often many pieces of the puzzle. And then we need to sort of put it simply. And simply, I just look at the systems that need, basically, support. So diet. Diet alone can be amazing just to help the person with a personalised diet that's going to work for them. So making sure that they've got enough iron, enough vitamin B-12 for detox methylation, enough protein, amino acids for detoxification again, and neurotransmitter support for their nervous system chemicals. Amina: (43:30) And diet, I think, is such a ... obviously, it's a really important part, but I think it can be so overwhelming in itself for people of what they should eat. "I've got histamine sensitivity and salicylates and oxalates and ..." Mason: (43:44) Yeah. I mean ... Amina: (43:44) It can be very overloading. So I think just bringing it down to really simple, a simple basic diet, simple vegetables, and understanding what works for that patient and what doesn't, because everyone's different. So I think that the diet is the most important thing and reducing any sort of inflammation triggers. Obviously, alcohol, coffee, the basic things that would be better to reduce or eliminate if possible. I like to use anti-inflammatory herbs to reduce inflammation because inflammation is going to make everything worse. And stress is going to make inflammation worse. So we've got to also work on the nervous system, the adrenals for the adrenal support. Amina: (44:35) So in answer to your question of how do we put it all together, I think was what you were asking, is just looking at it and it just really needs to be simplified. Even looking at the liver and make sure the person is detoxing well. Well, you know, it's a case of how you feel when you eat. Do you feel nauseous after you take your B vitamins? That might indicate that your phase two detox pathways aren't working so well. You're not able to tolerate garlic of sulfurs or ... What's going on? Is there methylation problems? We can actually look, by understanding the symptoms, what may be going on there and offer that very basic liver support that might be just a case of having the right amino acids, proteins. Having some tumeric, some broccoli, sprouts. Making sure that maybe a bit of N-acetylcysteine might help just with ... obviously, we're trying to boost the Glutathione and make sure that the liver is doing its job. I love St. Mary's thistle for hepatoprotection and just to help the liver naturally do what it is supposed to do. Amina: (45:38) So it's just about looking at the areas that really need the most addressing. And symptoms of things like brain fog and memory and focus, concentration. That can just be often due to inflammation. So often, just having some anti-inflammatory support. tumeric, amazing. chamomile, calendula, fennel, marshmallow, beautiful herbs that will support gut and inflammation can actually reduce those symptoms just by working on reducing the inflammatory markers. Mason: (46:11) So a couple of things that are coming up. In previous conversations, we've honed in to certain explanations of particular issues using Classical Chinese terminology. And there's one thing I feel like, really, when I've gone down the depths of trying to understand naturopathy and that pathway and tried to ... I know for yourself, as well, I know the immense amount of success that you're having, which is incredible and I feel like, although I get the conversations from people who are in that exasperated state when it comes to not just naturopathy, but all doctors and all the different things that they're trying, and so I always try and not focus on that but really try and find out the key things that are, what's up? What's going on that lead to that exasperated state where someone can't really get on top of it? Hopefully, get through their symptoms and then get on the mend where they have that health sovereignty. Mason: (47:14) Something about the way that you talk about all this, I was trying to figure out why I feel comfortable and why ... Dan Sipple, I don't know if you know him. He's a naturopath down south of Sydney. Amina: (47:25) Oh, yeah. Yeah. Mason: (47:25) Yeah. So he's a good friend of mine. Our personal naturopath, but especially working with my mum. He originally introduced your work to me and he really liked your stuff, as well. I think there's a nice bridging there. Not that you can merge systems. I definitely don't think we can merge and lay over Classical Chinese medicine with naturopathy, but there's something that flows in when you talk that you don't so much purely sit in that, "All right, what's the symptom? Bang. Here, slap this protocol on." There's a looking, and maybe correct me if I'm wrong, but there's a looking for somewhat of the pattern that's leading to the pathology with a particular person and then a desire to understand what's constitutionally going on for them, which leads to a bit more of ... And I know that's the theory a lot of the time in naturopathy and that's the theory of, now, modern, traditional Chinese medicine which has deviated from the classical nature and deals with symptoms, but I feel like theoretically what they say they're doing and what's actually happening is two different things because, and quite often, what's in the way is living it as a way of life. Mason: (48:38) I feel like that's kind of what I feel is there's a bit more flow with the way you're talking about this and possibly why we see you getting such high success rates because there is that little bit of extra time in order to identify what that underlying pattern is, not just focusing on the shiny thing that is the symptom or the pathology. Amina: (49:04) That's exactly right. And one thing I'd like to bring up is what I'm doing a lot of work with at the moment, are the underlying causes of why are the people not getting better, or why they ... Sorry, that's my dog out there. Mason: (49:21) That's all good. Amina: (49:22) Beautiful Jessie. Why people start getting better when they start working on their bacterial infections, but then other symptoms arising and it's viruses. We're just not paying enough attention to the underlying viruses. And I think this is something that I'm really doing a lot of work on and I'm ecstatically excited about because I'm realizing that, when I'm working on the viruses with the patients ... For example, someone in their jigsaw puzzle, they had Epstein Barr virus, glandular fever, when they were a teenager. And they had immunoglobulins tested. So it would come up IGG. So, yes, they had that Epstein Barr virus virus a long time ago. The IGM may not be coming up, sort of active antibodies, but they're still presenting with funny sweats and aches and pains. And this is almost like new symptoms and we know that, with borreliosis and a lot of these Lyme-like illnesses, symptoms do move and change. Amina: (50:29) So looking at it, when you look at the person, you realize they had Epstein Barr virus, they've still got active herpes, or they had cytomegalovirus. Oh. And when we test, they actually had Ross River virus or Dengue fever comes up a lot, Barmah Forest. Coxsackie virus, which is your mouth, sort of your hand, foot, mouth disease viral thing. And what I've realized is that upon further testing ... There's a lab in Germany that, ArminLabs, that's actually looking at more detailed Epstein–Barr viruses and actually seeing that, even though a person had IGG antibodies, they're actually coming up with high levels of lytic Epstein–Barr virus within the cells. It's not the latent Epstein–Barr virus, which shows that basically the virus is now almost reactivating. Amina: (51:25) Now, viruses are not like bacteria. They have their own DNA or RNA, but they're not like bacteria. They have their own organelles. The virus needs to get into a living cell, be it a red blood cell or a bacteria and it uses the cells organelles. So it needs to use our own cell organelles in order to replicate. So if a virus is in a system that maybe that person's not massively healthy or they have low levels of mitochondria, which is your energy powerhouses of the cell, or the cell is not very sort of full on effective at that time, the virus will just sit there and hang out until the cell is more nourished or ready. Or the virus will go and find another cell. Amina: (52:20) Now what happens is, say the person starts dealing with their chronic Borrelia infection or their other bacteria, their gut dysbiosis or parasites, then it's like almost when the person starts getting a bit healthy, then the viruses will start replicating. Mason: (52:38) Oh, god. It's so ... Amina: (52:38) This is what's going on now and that's what I'm feeling is a big area. And I know that there are quite a few other, specialist practitioners that deal with chronic fatigue and retroviruses and things like that. There's a Doctor Dietrich Klinghardt in America that's looking a lot at retroviruses. And I would have to agree, because this is what I'm seeing, as well. And I think being mindful of that, we need to make sure that the person also has viral support and that we understand and the patient understands what's going on. Because otherwise, what happens is they take herbs and go, "Oh, yeah. I did this, but it made me worse." you know a full on Herxing that's not being dealt with because they're not detoxing well or ... Mason: (53:29) Yeah, sorry to cut you off there, but it's really poignant and I feel like it brings up a position where I've sat with so many years, having essentially given people access to tonic herbs and to these medicinal mushrooms and then educating them as much as possible about appropriate ways to integrate these with intention. But then when you get these questions about, "Well, this is presenting and this is presenting, what's happening to me?" it is only so far and I feel like I like presenting five or six different options of what's possibly going on. And the nature of saying it's a detox reaction or it's a herx has, seemingly over the last few years, seemed too simplistic just to put out there. You know what I mean? Amina: (54:22) Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep. Mason: (54:24) And so just hearing this, it's just further bridging for me. I never expect them to be simple answers that come forth when people get clue ... there's always a chance that a herb isn't for somebody, which is always the first that I like to put forth. And as well, also, doses being too large at a particular time. Amina: (54:48) Absolutely, absolutely. Mason: (54:50) So that gets presented first. And then going on to what comes down the line, which I ... and the general attitude, and I can feel it in you and I feel it as well, is, "Well, this is bloody exciting because there's something going on here." And just hearing that nature of, "I'm getting better," but then, bam, I just get another hit in the face and then I go down again to some new symptoms. That trap, that loop when you are working purely symptomatically and you're not going for that underlying pattern. Or in that sense, you haven't figured the pattern that the reason there's a backlog or a bottleneck within a person who's, because phase two detoxification isn't actually able to occur and because they gut these and actually were able to eliminate, that I feel like ... Mason: (55:39) The word that's coming forth, which you are using in a practitioner mindset, which I feel can very easily be transferred into someone's everyday life before going and looking for solutions from one herb or looking to find the exact reason why you are reacting positively or negatively, seemingly, to a practice or a herb or whatever it is, is you can bring in these very sensible ideas of looking at what is the pattern that your body is going to need to be supported in in order to basically stop that bottleneck of symptoms from occurring? Or even the bottleneck of positive effects from a herb. Mason: (56:21) If you take a herb, as far as I'm concerned, you don't necessarily want to be feeling waves of energizing and vitality straight away. It shows that there was maybe a little bit of a deficiency. Amina: (56:33) Yeah. Mason: (56:34) So that level of sensible nature, that seems like that and you kind of ... I don't know if you feel it. I know I try not to feel dismissive in this nature when I talk to people and go, "Look, back off. I want you to be really making sure that your gut, your nervous system and adrenals and liver," you hit on them before, it's where I land, as well, "are absolutely running on optimal and are optimised so that you can possibly eliminate any of the reactions from occurring in the first place." That's the ideal situation. But sorry, I just wanted to touch base on that because I feel ... I'm going to have my whole team, especially the team who I'm chatting to customers, just listen to this so we can get a bit more context of how to communicate it. Amina: (57:23) Sorry, what were you wanting me to ... Mason: (57:25) Nothing. I just stopped there. I didn't even ask a question. But I did interrupt you when you were in the middle of talking about what's going on, just after you were talking about the retroviruses, that I interrupted you there. But either I can go on with another question or is there any more of that? Because this is super interesting and [crosstalk 00:57:48] Amina: (57:47) Oh, there is so much more. I think it's just something ... Our science, at the moment, we just don't know enough about the types of viruses. Like I said, the tick study that just came out last year showed that the Australian ticks have 21 viruses. There's studies showing that estimations of ... We have 320,000 mammal viruses that are present in our current world and possibly more, but that's just based on looking at different types of animal genre and looking at the types of viruses that might be specific to them. And it's an estimation, but I think it's a reality. Amina: (58:33) And you think about a virus, a virus is the size of a pea compared to a bacteria that might be the size of a watermelon, compared to the size of a red blood cell that would be the size of one of those giant gym balls. So a virus is a tiny, micro, micro, microscopic thing, yet it can be so powerful. I think the whole looking at the retroviruses that mean that the viruses are either RNA or DNA. And the retroviruses, they start off the single-cell RNA strand virus into a cell. They can actually, as I said, use the cells organelles to replicate itself, but they can actually, change themselves to become DNA-type viruses and they actually change the DNA of the cell, because when that cell that now is full of this active virus that's changed itself, and it's now using the human cell's DNA, now when that cell replicates it actually has already some of the viral DNA or RNA within it. So it actually is changing us genetically. Amina: (59:48) And that's actually not a bad thing because, environmentally, evolution, we need viruses. We need viruses. We need retroviruses to change us for evolution. It's normal. That's been happening for thousands of years, but it's just interesting. I think, at the moment, due to the way we are, our toxic bodies, electromagnetic radiation, all the chemicals, glyphosate that's being used. All of that stuff is actually exacerbating this growth of the retroviruses. That's the problem. Mason: (01:00:25) Mm-hmm (affirmative). I'm really happy that you brought up the necessity there of just the fact that we are sharing an environment and we are co-evolving with a virus, because it does bring up that reminiscence of when germ theory was really rocking and we're still in the medical model trying to destroy bacteria and can conquer bacteria when bacteria is, in fact, a part of us and the origins of our cellular matrix that is our ancestors and likewise. We, to an extent, have been evolving and have the possibility of living in harmony with viral loads that'll have that mentality of going to war. Never really going to ... Mason: (01:01:14) If that's the entirety of your mindset towards it, it's never going to allow you to get into what the Tao and what all these ancient philosophies were talking to was to start to get into unison with nature and with the elements. And that's where those basic principles can come about to ensure that you are not overexerting yourself. If you can take the years, and years, and years to not ... you need to alter your lifestyle so that you find yourself being able to come predominantly at the world, I'm really working on this myself at the moment, from a parasympathetic space and ensuring that you are getting your beautiful amount of sun exposure, walking and moving consistently, remaining hydrated, a diet that is working for your constitution and your intuition and is somewhat simple in that nature and not shrouded in dogma, then you've got those basic patterns and principles that will hopefully allow you to get back into unison with nature. And then we have our little tests and our supplements and our things that we can take to help us compensate for the way the world is going for as much as we possibly can. Mason: (01:02:27) So that, to an extent, these bacteria, these nasty viruses, perhaps we can slightly get back into a place where we are living in harmony or able to have our own cells and immune system be able to manage them so they don't lead to chronic illness. And it always comes back to that simplicity. Amina: (01:02:50) It is really about living in harmony. Sometimes I feel like I just want to sort of say to patients, we really need to accept the fact that everyone is going to have a lot of chronic stealth infections. We have up to two kilos of bacteria in our gut. We need bacteria to survive. [inaudible 01:03:15] bacteria beneficial and commensal and then you disbiotic when it gets out of balance. And of course, like I've mentioned, the viral role is an evolution thing. It's not something we can stop. Viruses don't all necessarily have to be bad, but if the body is not in balance, that's when the viruses will affect ... There's a lot of bacterial viral interactions that go on and I think this is what gets missed in these chronic patients. It's not just the fact that they have underlying viruses that haven't been treated. It's the fact that the viruses are now coinciding with the bacteria and actually ... Amina: (01:03:58) For example, there's direct interactions like influenza, just your normal flu virus. When it comes into contact with, say, a staphylococcus-type bacteria, like staphylococcus aureus, for example ... and there's been studies proving this. The influenza virus, it's like a big sort of ... well, it's not, it's tiny, like a round shape and it has lots of appendages, like lots of sticky things sticking out of it, like lots of sort of protease is what they're called, like these cleavers. And the staphylococcus can actually make the viral appendages split. So therefore, say the virus has a hundred little arms coming from it, it splits them so it now has 200 appendages. So it has more ability to cling onto the cell wall that it's wanting to attack or to intrude. Amina: (01:04:59) So the bacteria actually help the virus when it's first initiated into the body to survive. And other ones, like your herpes virus, can actually cause an immune suppression type environment that actually can lead to ... I think there's a gingivalis type bacteria that specifically, if you've got herpes and you've got that particular gingivalis bacteria within the mouth, they're actually going to work together so that the virus can actually survive a lot easier. [crosstalk 01:05:35] Mason: (01:05:35) Mm-hmm (affirmative). So amazing. I don't know. I find that really fun. I find it really exciting. Kind of reminds me just not to be a snowflake with the fact that there are so many opportunistic organisms around us and it's not because they're bad, it's nothing evil, it's just ... Amina: (01:05:57) They just want to survive, but we're all trying to survive. Everyone's doing the best they can, including the viruses. And at the end of the day, I think we're almost ... What I was saying I'd like to say to patients sometimes is that we almost energetically need to make these are friends and we really need to love our body. And that's where it comes down to. It's a very spiritual aspect, I know, but loving ourselves, loving our body, accepting what is and just allowing the balance to occur. Not neglecting oneself, but in the best environment you eat well, you breathe well, you sleep well, you eliminate well, you'd be outside, be mindful, be in nature, do all of those things that you can do to create optimum holistic health. And then because the viruses are going to do what they're going to do and the bacteria's going to do what they're going to do, but we create an environment that everything is in balance and in harmony and no one takes the mickey because, otherwise, they become opportunistic in that toxic environment. Mason: (01:07:03) Yeah, it's like having a bunch of delinquent children sometimes inside, but. And I really appreciate ... We'll bring this home because I know you've got stuff to do, but I really ... having off the back of a conversation that's so practical and in reality, and shrouded in testing and understanding exactly what's going on and which organ systems need to be supported in order to come back to optimal within 3D reality. I 100% agree that, at that point where you mind feels comfortable, that you're moving and you're on top of that, then going in and reestablishing your relationship with yourself and the viral and bacterial and everything else loads that, within you, can often ... I've found it to be often one of the keys. Obviously, there's many keys along the way that will get people over a particular hump. Mason: (01:07:53) And I feel ... I guess that's ... It especially brings up ... I have a friend who does a lot of this work in reestablishing your relationship with the entity of even wifi and 5G. And if you are just doing that and that alone and not being real about what's actually going on on a cellular level, that possibly can be wishy washy, some of us are strong enough to actually ... and I think we can agree upon that just with that reframing can reestablish a flow of Qi and self function in order to bring some protection. But most of all, what it does is it allows us to move forward without an identity that is derived by opposition. When we are opposing our bacteria and we're in opposition to viral load and opposition to this sick state that we're in, we create a massive glass ceiling in what's possible for us to go forth in our emerging identity. Mason: (01:08:52) So I really appreciate you bringing that up. Thank you for that, Amina. Amina: (01:08:56) You're welcome. Thank you. Mason: (01:08:58) I think we've got a couple more. We could probably have a whole ... After you've talked in September, it might even be nice if you'd be up for coming and sharing on an even deeper level what you're discovering and excited about with these viral infections and these ... Amina: (01:09:16) Definitely. Mason: (01:09:17) ... retroviruses. I think, of course, it'd be really fun. And then dive into the mushrooms. And when I get up there, we'll have a deep dive and have a nerd-out on that world of mushie love. Amina: (01:09:28) That'd be
Today’s guest, Stephen Buhner, is such an incredible, intelligent, and warm human. He is a cosmic earth whisperer and a true shepherd of plants and connecting them to the human experience and us to them. In this episode of the podcast, we dive into Earth as an ecosystem and how we can shift back into alignment and connection with the intelligence of nature. How we can access our ability to feel through plant medicine that supports us in this life. We also touch upon mythic rites of initiation reclaim our individual and collective connection to being human. I can’t wait for you to listen to this episode and take in the wisdom of this man, this teacher, Earth poet, and naturalist. Stephen Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of twenty books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers. The greatest influence on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911. Stephen's work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman's Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. Stephen lectures yearly throughout the United States on herbal medicine, the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth. He is a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society - especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate science and technology. You can find more show notes and quotes on Lola's Empath To Power website!
STEPHEN HARROD BUHNER is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of fifteen books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. Stephen is a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society – especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate […]
STEPHEN HARROD BUHNER is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of fifteen books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. Stephen is a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society – especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate […]
No live show this week, we continue our journey with a replay of Stephen Buhner – plant ally, herbalist, brewer, and cooperator in the field of creation. Show aired: October 23, 2014 Caroline hosts Stephen Buhner, author of Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm, during the actual New Moon Venus in Underworld Solar Eclipse (2:57 pm pdt – on October 23, 2014), that our humbled human ingenuity be guided by Nature's greater genius. www.stephenharrodbuhner.com Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post April 4, 2019 – Archive: Cooperating with the Choreography of Creation appeared first on KPFA.
Caroline be unavailable this week ~ so we share a pertinent, woofy, rousing show from the ancient archive. Medicine abounds! All of nature wants to heal us! Caroline welcomes botanist Stephen Buhner, whose book The Lost Language of Plants guides our indigenous souls to re-animate an informed intimacy with the world, (and thus to heal sociopathic tyranny – which has gotten us all into this cruel global pickle). He has said that he can walk around someone's house and observe what “weeds” are growing there and diagnose the illnesses of the human inhabitants – because the plants want to heal us. www.stephenharrodbuhner.com (originally aired: November 29, 2007) Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Archive: Medicine Abounds! appeared first on KPFA.
Episode 12 of The Ground Shots Podcast. This longer *bonus* episode of the Ground Shots Podcast features a conversation with Turtle T. Turtlington on all things mead making while we drink several bottles of homemade mead Turtle brewed. Turtle was previously a guest on episode four of the podcast, where he chronicles his walk across the width of California. We talk about: instructions on how to make mead details on primary and secondary fermentation in mead making mead circles and their importance the alchemy and mercurial process of mead making changing and creating culture through fermentation herbs to use and not to use for mead making the magic of making meads on special dates and occasions mead making culture in western North Carolina a quick view into mead and beer fermentation history the influence of 'the church' on beer and ingredients the connection between fermentation to earth-based spirituality making mead with Scotch Broom and other edgy plants the relationship between being human and fermenting food and drink philosophy around alcohol consumption and the poison path how Frank Cook may have influenced the creation of this podcast It is important to do your own research before working with plants and fermenting them and to be aware of what herbs may be contraindicated during pregnancy. Books on mead making mentioned in the podcast: Stephen Buhner's 'Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers' Sandor Katz's 'Wild Fermentation' and 'The Art of Fermentation' 'The Compleat Meadmaker' By Ken Schramm Links: Turtle on youtube : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yBlF2BSHRPM Frank Cook on youtube : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XP6vDkg6Mw0 Link to my Blueberry plant profile with Turtle's blueberry mead recipe listed at the end: https://www.ofsedgeandsalt.com/blog/blueberryplantprofile Miranda Heidler of Wild Bergamot Handcrafts on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/wildbergamotcraft Wild Bergamot Handcrafts on Instagram: @wildbergamothandcrafts ************************** Support the podcast on Patreon Help us get to 100 patrons! Subscribe as little as $1/ month. Our Instagram page @goldenberries Join the Ground Shots Podcast Facebook Group to discuss the episodes Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the Ground Shots Project Theme music: Mother Marrow Additional music: Miranda Heidler of Wild Bergamot Handcrafts covering: You've Been a Friend to Me by the Carter Family and Like a Songbird That Has Fallen by the Reeltime Travelers Produced by: Opia Creative Visit our website: http://www.ofsedgeandsalt.com or http://www.thegroundshotsproject.com
We are reviewing Stephen Buhner's books called: Herbal Anti Virals & Herbal Antibiotics. Also, Adaptogens by David Winston and Steven Maimes, Herbal Therapy & Supplements by Mary A. Khun and David Winston --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jayne-simmons/support
ROBERT WOLFF & STEPHEN BUHNER are 2 of my favorite guests on tributaries. Original Wisdom written by ROBERT WOLFF Plant intelligence written by STEPHEN BUHNER Full interviews can be found with a name search… Ehud Sperling started Inner Traditions Bear and Company Publishing to, in his words, “Seed the dream of humanity….Our work is to put […]
Topics Disscussed: Earth, Nature, Plant intelligence, Consciousness, DMT, Genetic coding, Extraterrestrial planets We sit down with Stephen Buhner to talk about how we consider ourselves in relation to the rest of all life known on Earth, and even Earth it self. Stephen Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of twenty books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, herbal medicine, plant intelligence Support the podcast: Via our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/Ascend Show Notes - http://ascendbodymind.com/ascend-podcast/
Why You Should Listen: In this episode, you will learn about herbal approaches for treating Lyme diease, how the environment impacts Lyme disease, and how plant medicines can be used to modulate and balance health. About My Guest: My guest for this episode is Stephen Buhner. Stephen Harrod Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of twenty books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911. Stephen's work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. Stephen lectures throughout the United States on herbal medicine, the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth. He is a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society - especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate science and technology. Key Takeaways: - What drew him to the field of Lyme? - How has the environment and ecosystem impacted Lyme disease? - What has changed with the core protocol? - What herbs may be helpful for Bartonella, Babesia, and Mycoplasma? - Do we need to eliminate every microbe to be well? - Is astragalus a problem in Lyme disease? - What toxin binders may be helpful? - How do we modulate the immune system? - What herbs help with mast cell activation? - Do microbes develop resistance to plants? - Do antimicrobial herbs impact beneficial flora? Connect With My Guest: http://www.gaianstudies.org Related Resources: http://betterhealthguy.link/BuhnerLymeBooks Interview Date: April 18, 2017 Disclaimer: The content of this show is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or medical condition. Nothing in today's discussion is meant to serve as medical advice or as information to facilitate self-treatment. As always, please discuss any potential health-related decisions with your own personal medical authority.
Herbalism As Activism - Stories of healing, justice, resistance and change
In this episode... I interview Stephen Buhner, herbalist, teacher and prolific author. He been called an earth poet and a bardic naturalist. It’s a particular honour for me because i’ve had some opportunity to study with Stephen and he’s had an enormous impact on me and my healing path. We explore the age old question, What do Donald Trump, Hurricane Katrina, the mortgage meltdown, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and lyme disease have in common? It turns out they’re symptoms of the end of the the Age of Reason & Rationality. “Rationalist science is based on linearity and the belief of control. But non-linearity is what really happens here and control is an illusion. So, science itself is undergoing a metamorphosis.” We also touch on: Emergence of a new Paradigm for Reality Ecological healing and medicine that’s sustainable The function of depression Our culture’s fear of death and our perspective of health Reflections on “old age” as a developmental stage of growth: dealing with grief and redefining hope Stephen’s shares about his personal shift into “old age”, “... exploring the grief and tragedy of the world, but still have this certain warmth of heart without having the hysteria of a younger time of life.” I hope you enjoy this interview with Stephen Buhner as much as I did... Check out the Show Notes on my site
Biodynamics Now! Investigative Farming and Restorative Nutrition Podcast
Julian Palmer, the original formulator of changa, was born in North East Victoria Australia, where his father worked as an agricultural journalist and editor. In his early 20’s, he explored many forms of spiritual inquiry, practiced purification of intent and worked in web design and multimedia. After moving to the far north coast of NSW when he was 24, he quickly got seriously into psychedelics and since that time hasn’t really stopped exploring and learning about them and the states they could catalyze. Julians book "Articulations" is a catalog of his life work up to this point. It sums up about everything he wants to say about psychedelics. His next projects involve creating innovate film erotica and exploring indigenous psychoactive plants that are unknown to the western mind. This interview was recorded almost a yaer ago. Allan had a sense when he stumbled upon Julians website that his work was appropriate for the mission of The BD Now Podcast, which, at its core, is about maximizing human potential through appropriate levels of nutrition but he wasn' sure the world would embrace Julian's work as openly as he did. Since then, though, actor Edward Norton has spearheaded a very public campaign to raise funds for researching the use of magick mushrooms to eleveate the affecs of both depression and PTSD, foremost herbalist James A Duke has noted that Auyuasca is a healing herb with many benefits over and above iniiatiing visionary states and herbalist Stephen Buhner has stated that all forms of life search out the psychedelic molecules, not just humans. (Hes gone as far to say that during times of environmental uncertaintanty organisms from elephants to microbes seek out these molecules because they are radical adaptogens that make individuals and cultures capable of adjusting to change. They are not drugs, they are plant medicines and as Michael Phillips stated in a recent interview, all medicines area ultimately a form of nutrition The BD Now! Podcast does not advocate for the use of these plant medicines for the psyche and soul. We present Julian Palmers inights into the use of medicinal plants around the world for educational purposes only. Table of Contents Preface Chapter One : The Revelation of DMT First Steps Smoking Crystal DMT Rational Interpretations Chapter Two : The Meaning of DMT in The Trees There is a Neurotransmitter in Acacia Trees The Sentience of Plants Australian Acacia Species Containing DMT The Harvesting of Acacias Drinking an Acacia Floribunda Brew Chapter Three : Espiritu Naturale How the Plants can Work with Us Mescaline from the Cactus Changa Psilocybin Mushrooms Psychoactive Plants around the World Iboga and Ibogaine Chapter Four : Ayahuasca Introduction To Ayahuasca The Religion of Ayahuasca How I Facilitate Ayahuasca Groups Dosages of Tryptamines and Beta-Carbolines Two Ayahuasca Experiences Chapter Five : Considering Other Beings “But are the Beings Real?” Malevolent Beings and Schizophrenia A Simple Analysis of the Perspectives of Benny Shanon Chapter Six : Synthetic Chemicals Phenethylamines and Tryptamines (or Research Chemicals) LSD Ketamine MDMA and Love Chapter Seven : The Crisis and the Construct The Shaman vs God The Manual of Western Spirituality Pitfalls along the Way Chapter Eight : Working with It The Benefits of Pure Awareness The Shadow Processing and Integrating Feeching, Sound Navigation, and Telepathy The Guide Mebbing and Sex Chapter Nine : This Time and These Experiences Exploring New Age Transpersonalism The Follies and Pitfalls of Shamanism Thoughts on the Global Dance Party Scene Chapter Ten : The Challenges and Meanings of Drugs The Recreational Use of Drugs The Drugs don’t Work Credible Futures Appendix I : Changa: Smoking DMT infused into Ayahuasca and other Herbs Appendix II : The Origin and Utilisation of Changa Bibliography
Why You Should Listen: In this episode, you will learn about restoring your health from Lyme disease with herbal therapies with Dr. Bill Rawls, MD. As an MD himself, Dr. Rawls has a unique perspective on treating chronic illness and shares how he recovered his own health from the clutches of Lyme disease. Enjoy! About My Guest: My guest for this episode is Dr. Bill Rawls, MD. Dr. Rawls was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in his mid-forties and developed insomnia, fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, and eventually chest pain and heartbeat irregularities. As a doctor, he searched far and wide within the conventional medicine realm, but nothing added up. He then began searching outside of conventional medicine and towards health restoration. He became vigilant about his diet, adopted a moderate exercise program, meditated, and learned yoga. He also began to experiment with herbal supplements known to have restorative properties. This approach worked and he began to get his health back...until he was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme disease. He then learned about herbal protocols for combating Lyme disease and began to feel human again after a few months of using high-dose herbs. He has continued his exploration and is doing very well today. Dr. Rawls will be sharing his journey in detail in his new book Unlocking Lyme. Key Takeaways: - How did Lyme disease first impact Dr. Rawls? - How do we get exposed to Lyme? - Why is Lyme such a big problem today? - What are system disruptors and how do we mitigate them? - How did Stephen Buhner's work influence Dr. Rawls? - Is Borrelia here to make us deathly ill? - Can we get rid of every last microbe? Do we need to? - What is the virulence pyramid? - What herbs are helpful in Lyme treatment? - Are antibiotics needed in treating Lyme? - How do you address fatigue, brain fog, low energy, and inflammation? - What is the right diet for someone with Lyme? - What is the role of mold in those with Lyme disease? Connect With My Guest: http://betterhealthguy.link/VitalPlan http://betterhealthguy.link/RawlsMD Related Resources: Vital Plan Physician Formulated Supplements - http://betterhealthguy.link/RawlsMD Interview Date: January 20, 2017 Disclosure: BetterHealthGuy.com is an affiliate of Vital Plan. Disclaimer: The content of this show is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or medical condition. Nothing in today's discussion is meant to serve as medical advice or as information to facilitate self-treatment. As always, please discuss any potential health-related decisions with your own personal medical authority.
If you've ever wanted a completely different way to look at, perceive, and connect with the world, then do we have the Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm show for you. Today I'll be talking with Stephen Harrod Buhner author of Herbal Antivirals, Herbal Antibiotics and at least 17 other books including one of the most important, profound, and paradigm shifting books I've ever read, Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm. And that's just what I want to talk with him about today, our connection to the natural world, how to cultivate a completely a completely new realm awareness, and what it means for our day-to-day lives. That plus we'll talk about Barbara McClintock, Tom Sawyer Syndrome, butterflies and first grade, sharing a metaphysical moment with grandpa, Lyme disease and Japanese knotweed, White Pine, and Clark's Nutcracker and what in the world can happen if it's the sixties and you long hair in Texas. Self-Improvement and Self-Help Topics Include: What's the importance of Einstein's words “We can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”? What does it mean to look with luminous or child-like eyes? What happened to people with long hair in Dallas in the sixties? What are emancipation papers? What did he learn from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross? What do butterflies have to do with Nazi concentration camps? How do we abandon our preconceptions? What does it mean to see and hear in the old way? What does it mean to truly become aware? What are the challenges with science and a deconstructionist way of perception? How do we override our gating, or our limited scope of awareness? What does it mean to shift our consciousness? How do we develop our senses? What does it mean to follow golden threads? What do indigenous cultures understand about awarenss? Where does imagination fit into awareness? How do we see what is right in front of us, rather than merely looking at it? What is seeing with caring or seeing with friendship? To find out more visit www.gaianstudies.org Stephen Buhner on How to Step Outside Your Paradigm by Connecting with the Natural World + Guided Meditation! Health | Inspiration | Motivation | Spiritual | Spirituality | Meditation | Inspirational | Motivational | Self-Improvement | Self-Help | Inspire For More Info Visit: www.InspireNationShow.com
Bethany Williamson suffered a dramatic illness that left her recovering for six months. During that time, she journaled and explored the conditions of her life and career. This led to dramatic changes in how she spends her time and what she chooses to focus on. Bethany is a former elementary educator with a Master’s in Education and a Bastyr Trained Aroma Therapist. She is passionate about empowering families to take a natural approach to healing in their homes, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What was the number one thing that was holding you back from accepting self love? I grew up in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, when the expectations were “You are a giver.” Who is one person who has changed your life for the better? A friend of mine, Barbara Conner. She taught me what true friendship is. What is the best advice you have ever received? “Saying ‘no’ is not a bad thing.” What is a self care habit that you practice regularly? My morning ritual. I write down everything I appreciate, how I intend to feel that day, and what I delegate to God – things I cannot control. Do you have a favorite quote? “In the short run, there are two types of people who live in darkness. Those that are desperate to emerge, and those who are desperate to stay. When you finally realize that part of the reason you were chosen for this life was to shine your light for the first type, you’ll stop worrying about what the second type thinks of you.” Deborah Ivanhoff Can you share with us a resource or an app that we can use to help our own self care practice grow? A website called www.heartmath.com. There are programs and resources to teach you how to move from your head to your heart. What book are you reading right now? Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin and The lost language of plants by Stephen Buhner. What is the one thing that you are most passionate about? Plant based medicine and looking to nature for answers.
Join Sarah Holmes and Stephen Buhner as they discuss his book, The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature. Originally aired 2.04.10. Fund drive. The post Interview with Stephen Buhner – September 15, 2016 appeared first on KPFA.
Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Marcie Goldman. Marcie Goldman started her nutrition journey as a child growing up with a compulsive over-eater and dieter (her father went from morbidly obese to the "Biggest Loser"). Losing over 100lbs, he went from "food-addict" to "fit & healthy" before her eyes. At age 8, food meant LIFE or a constant battle. Most recently her passion for mental health led her to a certification as an Addiction Recovery Nutrition Coach through the Alliance for Addiction Solutions. She helps people recover from food, alcohol and drug addiction using nutrition therapy. this episode Q&A includes: • natural birth control- wild carrot seed or cotton root bark tincture for women, heat for men... • you get more nutrition- minerals, vitamins, proteins, polyphenols from nourishing herbal infusions than from multivitamins and supplements... • pregnant and lactating women thrive on including animal fat in every meal in addition to infusions... • cystic acne and violet infusion... • existential anxiety- oatstraw infusion and passionflower tincture... • nettle infusion improves everything in our health and our life... • fenugreek tea to help moderate blood sugar... • epstein barr- hypericum perforatum tincture and Stephen Buhner's book 'Herbal Antivirals' • cat with asthma- mullein milk • scientific tradition measures and fixes, heroic tradition cleanses and purges, wise woman tradition nourishes the whole...
Timothy Lee Scott is an acupuncturist and herbalist with a master’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine. His book, Invasive Plant Medicine, demonstrates the ecological benefits and healing abilities of invasive plants. Timothy studied extensively with Stephen Buhner, who wrote the forward to his book. Working with Buhner led him to work in the area of Lyme’s disease treatments, and Tim later formed Green Dragon Botanicals to provide remedies to the greater Lyme’s community. In this interview we discuss invasive plants, Lyme’s disease, Japanese knotweed and a few other herbs. You can visit Tim at http://invasiveplantmedicine.com and http://greendragonbotanicals.com
Gabriela Schneider is the Primal Blueprint Certified Expert, young science writer and cook behind beyondthebiteforlife.com. Gabriela has been using a combination of the autoimmune immune protocol, a ketogenic diet, and the PK protocol to treat her neurological chronic Lyme disease. About a year ago Gabriela was kind enough to gift us this guest post on the PK protocol for Lyme, and since then the article has been viewed over 6,000 times for an average of five minutes. Gabriela's blog has lots of fantastic ideas recipes for those eating according to the autoimmune protocol, and I'd also highly recommend her Instagram account. The book I mentioned the interview is called Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. During the interview, Gabriela mentions Dr. Kaslow, but meant to say Dr. Cahill (in reference to her parasite doctor).
This article by Global Freedom Movement. About This Episode This week on GFM Radio, we are ecstatic to present a fascinating and inspiring interview with Stephen Harrod Buhner. Stephen is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of twenty books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon […] The article Plant Intelligence: Beyond The Doors Of Perception With Stephen Buhner (Episode 29, GFM Radio) appeared first on Global Freedom Movement.
Take control of your health! Emerging viruses are becoming more virile and aggressive, and traditional medications are becoming less effective against them. In this companion to the best-selling Herbal Antibiotics, Stephen Harrod Buhner offers in-depth instructions on how to prepare … Continue reading →
Caroline hosts Stephen Buhner, author of Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm, during the actual New Moon Venus in Underworld Solar Eclipse (2:57 pm pdt), that our humbled human ingenuity be guided by Nature's greater genius. (Show originally aired October 23, 2014) The post Cahooting with the Choreography of Creation (Replay) appeared first on KPFA.
Caroline hosts Stephen Buhner, author of Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm, during the actual New Moon Venus in Underworld Solar Eclipse (2:57 pm pdt), that our humbled human ingenuity be guided by Nature's greater genius. The post Cahooting with the Choreography of Creation appeared first on KPFA.
Human Ingenuity willing to be guided by Nature's Ingenuity Be our Prayer. Caroline hosts Nina Simons and Kenny Ausubel, founders of Bioneers (25th anniversary) a Council of Ingenious Solutions at this Kairos moment in time. www.Bioneers.org Fund Drive- offering passes to Bioneers, tickets to Carolingian Talk, Carolingian Birthday Party 10.14 in Point Reyes, Plant Intelligence by Stephen Buhner. The post Nature's Ingenuty Be our Prayer appeared first on KPFA.
Planting the Radio Garden – kinship via sacred plants. Caroline welcomes, for the 1st segment of the show, college professor and writer on the therapeutic uses of LSD, Mariavittoria Mangini ("Yes, Grandma took acid!") and Valerie Corral founder of WAMM – Wo/men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana – followed by excerpts from our premium- with Dr. Andrew Weil, botanist Stephen Buhner and more! The post The Visionary Activist – Happy Solar Return Pacifica Fund Drive appeared first on KPFA.
Medicine abounds! All of nature wants to heal us!Caroline welcomes botanist Stephen Buhner, whose book, "The Lost Language of Plants,"guides our indigenous souls to re-animate an informed intimacy with the world, (and thus to healsociopathic tyranny – which has gotten us all into this cruel global pickle. The post The Visionary Activist Show – November 29, 2007 appeared first on KPFA.
Stephen Harrod Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of ten books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.
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