Good Thing, Bad Thing, Who Knows?

Recently, while planning summer activities, I came across an announcement for a classical music event in Santa Fe. As the event appeared to require proof of vaccination, I moved on and did not bookmark that page. In preparation for an upcoming visit to the Harwood Museum in Taos, I checked out the location’s website, which states that proof of vaccination is required for events in the Arthur Bell Auditorium at other ticketed events where noted.

In New Mexico, the COVID-19 public health orders ended on March 31. The federal public health emergency ended on May 11. I wrote a tweet expressing my surprise at the prolongation of vaccination and/or mask requirements and asked the question, “At what point are people going to call it a day?” (See below for three additional examples I found while I was preparing this piece).

My tweet garnered supportive responses, as well as some negative ones. If you’re going to step into the arena, you need to be prepared to take a few punches. Some commenters accused me of not caring about the health of others. This was exasperating–even somewhat depressing–to me.

There was a bit of irony to the comments about my disregard for other people’s health. In addition to the fact that I work in the mental health field, I write more frequently about health than about any other topic. My goal is to share information with those who are looking for alternatives to the mainstream medical paradigm. 

In January of 2022, I wrote about my thoughts about the COVID-19 response. I was frustrated because the public health measures had focused on defeating germs and not on supporting people’s health from the ground up.  

At times, persuading people to consider alternative approaches to health feels like an uphill struggle. Years ago, I told a friend, “If I have helped even one person, I will be satisfied.” 

The truth is that I have helped more than one. In thinking about the reactions to my tweet, I recalled a few examples:  

A GAPS Christmas story

In 2009, I was living and working in Toronto. I traveled frequently for work. On a flight, I met an HR manager from a large airline. She told me about an employee whose 10-year-old son had Crohn’s disease. The child required medication. “There are other options,” I thought. I went on to tell her about the GAPS diet and referred her to Dr. Tom Cowan, an alternative medicine doctor in private practice in San Francisco at that time. Dr. Cowan had helped a close family member of mine with Crohn’s disease. The HR manager thanked me for the information, and I soon forgot about the conversation.

Just before Christmas, I received an email from her. She wrote, “I am not sure if you remember me, but we met on a flight from Vancouver to Toronto back in October. We spoke about Crohn’s disease. I just wanted to let you know I recently spoke with the father whose son has Crohn’s disease. He just told me they are adjusting his [son’s] diet and it seems they are on the right track and he is doing REALLY REALLY well. They actually have taken him off the meds, which is a wonderful thing and the father is ecstatic. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of the information and most of all your kindness.”  

Better with butter

Last year, I wrote an article about children’s nutrition and school performance. In that piece, I discussed the importance of animal fats, including butter, in the diet of children. A friend who is an educator and mother of two read my article. Her family had been cooking primarily with olive oil. My friend reported to me that, after she introduced quality butter into the family diet, her younger son, known for his sweet tooth, no longer craved sugary desserts and treats. 

Embracing terrain theory

A few weeks ago, one of my Twitter followers wrote, “I haven’t had to use antibiotics since August. I first heard about [terrain theory] from Katharine, and after discussing it with a friend, I realized that my family has always practiced it.”

Good thing, bad thing

When something happens to us, we are quick to label that experience as “positive” or “negative.” I am reminded of the old Sufi tale, Good Thing, Bad Thing, Who Knows, which I first heard from executive coach Dr. Srikomar Rao.  If we do not immediately label an event as “bad,” time may allow us to see a broader picture. A few people’s harsh responses to my tweet prompted me to consider how I have positively impacted the health of others. From an online kerfuffle, this blog post, my first in nearly a year, was born. 

I take heart from remembering these stories and wish all readers good health and a positive outlook. 

Disclaimer. All information in this article is solely the opinion of the author and for educational purposes only. No information in this article is intended as diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or cure for any health condition.

As of date of publication, the following events were requiring proof of vaccination and/or masks: 

Santa Fe International Literary Festival - May 19 - 21, 2023

Global Santa Fe activities (May 31, 2023)

Bonnie Raitt concert - September 17, 2023

© 2016-2023 Katharine Spehar. All rights reserved.

Image credit: Pixabay.com

What Organic Gardening Can Teach Us about COVID-19

In memory of my mother

What does growing delicious tomatoes have to do with fighting the coronavirus? Quite a lot, it turns out.

When I was growing up, my mother loved vegetable gardening. She created our family’s enormous garden, with over 15 kinds of vegetables, as well as various herbs. Our garden even featured strawberries and rhubarb. Being something of an overachiever, my mother was not content with just one variety of sweet corn or tomato, bean, pepper, or pea; she grew several of each.

Especially memorable were the tomatoes. More than two decades after my parents had moved from my childhood home, my mother and I would occasionally reminisce about the tomatoes from that garden. We raved about their flavor, texture, and juiciness. We agreed that they were the best tomatoes that we had ever eaten, and we had both tried plenty of tomatoes over our lifetime.

But that quality of tomato was not born overnight.

To prepare for the arrival of their second child, my parents had moved into a newly-built house on a property that was just under an acre and a half. The house was constructed on the site of a former sand and gravel pit. The mining activities had removed the topsoil, and the area was later used as a landfill. The trash that had been dumped there was eventually compressed and the space filled again with sand, gravel, and some top dressing. 

It was on top of this pile of sand and compacted rubbish that my mother started her garden literally from scratch.  She utilized organic gardening methods long before they became fashionable, so we used no chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. (See photo below).

In the early days, the soil was poor, and we had many pests. A few years ago, she and I talked about those struggles. “The first year was the worst for tomato hornworms,” my mother recalled. “In organic gardening, the goal is to strengthen the plants so that they are resistant to bugs,” she explained. 

Over decades, we built up the garden soil with cow manure, chicken manure, straw, compost, and leaf mulch, as well as my personal favorite, fish fertilizer. (Is there an emoji for holding your nose?) As the years went by, our plants thrived more and more. With each passing year, the tomatoes became more delicious. By building up the soil, we enabled the growth of strong, healthy plants that were resistant to pests and bore the tastiest of fruit. Adding a range of organic matter to the garden developed the soil microbiome, which plays a key role in the health of plants. 

Just as my family built up the soil in our garden, we humans can strengthen our own terrain and become more resistant to pathogens of any kind. For me, one of the very discouraging aspects of the COVID-19 response has been the focus on simply defeating germs. There has been almost no emphasis on strengthening the terrain. Public health officials have told us to lock down, practice social distancing, use hand sanitizer, wear masks, and get vaccinated. Few doctors have spoken about the importance of strengthening our terrain, including our microbiome. 

Modern infectious disease treatment is based on germ theory, which holds that pathogens of various kinds invade the body and cause illness. An alternate view, terrain theory, holds that a healthy terrain is inhospitable to pathogens; only if the host becomes weakened can a germ take hold. Over the past two years, we’ve seen many people become very ill and die from COVID-19, unfortunately. Others, however, haven’t experienced any symptoms at all. Could the severity of illness–or the very susceptibility to it–be related to a person’s terrain? 

If we think of our body as a garden that needs to be cultivated, we can strengthen our terrain by eating nutrient-dense whole foods, including bone broths and meats from pasture-raised animals, consuming vegetables grown in healthy soil, and ensuring an adequate intake of fat-soluble vitamins. It’s also critical to nourish the intestinal microbiome (gut flora) by eating some fermented foods like yogurt or sauerkraut. In addition, it’s important to stay hydrated, get enough rest, and avoid environmental toxins.

Sadly, I’ll never again have the chance to eat those wonderful tomatoes of my childhood. But it’s never too late to strengthen our own terrain. If my family could grow delicious organic vegetables in a former gravel pit, then you, too, can build a healthy terrain and microbiome in your body…and you’ll be ready for the next germ that comes down the pike. 

This post was inspired by Dr. Tom Cowan’s June 9, 2021 Facebook post about terrain theory.

Disclaimer. All information in this article is solely the opinion of the author and for educational purposes only. No information in this article is intended as diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or cure for any health condition.

© 2016-2023 Katharine Spehar. All rights reserved.

Image credits: Pixabay, Walter M. Bellemore

My uncle, parents, and maternal grandmother by the garden in its early years.