Good Relationship

For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the first full day of spring! For me, the solstices and equinoxes are the closest thing to a "religious" holiday. I always take these days off as times for ceremony and reflection, both on my own and with the members of my community. They are important transition points in the yearly cycle of the seasons, and excellent times to honor our relationship with the world that we are part of.

Spring may be officially here, but spring weather will probably be later than usual this year!

This morning when I was out at my prayer circle offering my morning prayers, beginning for the first time this year in the eastern direction of this new season, twice I heard the call note of a male red-winged blackbird as one flew overhead. In this region red-wings are the first birds to arrive from wintering in the south. Hearing them for the first time on this first day of spring was a good omen that, in spite of the lingering below normal temperatures, spring is arriving. There are other signs as well. Among the birds that overwinter here, the cardinals and black-capped chickadees started singing their spring songs a couple of weeks ago. The robins started whinnying around the same time, but I only heard the first one singing this afternoon when I was walking my dogs in the woods. The song sparrows haven't started yet, but they will soon. The dark-eyed juncos are still here. They won't be heading back up north for some time yet.

The increasing intensity and amount of daylight as the sun climbs higher in the sky each day is another sign that is very noticeable. The greatest amount of change per day of the amount daylight occurs at the time of the equinoxes - three minutes per day at the latitude where I live. During the last couple of decades the red-wings have usually arrived much sooner than the equinox. After this years longer and colder winter their call is a welcome sound.

The trembling aspens (Populus tremuloides) are getting impatient!

In contemporary Western society we tend to live cut off from the natural rhythms and cycles of nature, both within us and around us. We do so at our own peril! Not only has it had an overwhelming negative impact on our physical, psychological, spiritual and social well-being, it has similarly affected the well-being of our Earth Mother and all of the other beings that we share our lives with. Our life is only as healthy and fulfilling as the quality of our relationships.

As an herbalist, it is essential that I am in a good relationship with the medicines that I use and the land where they live. My role is as a mediator between the medicines and Nature, and human society - both as a healer and as an educator. It would be awesome if we lived in a society where we are as time-rich as our ancestors, the traditional peoples of the world, once were. I could take people out and acquaint them with the medicines that they need so that they could be in a deeper relationship with those medicines. The healing would be so much more powerful! Sadly, this is not possible any longer.

That being said, for people who wish to live a life of greater health and well-being, and who also have an interest in herbs, getting to know some of the plant medicines even on a casual basis can be a powerful way to enrich our lives and enhance our healing process. It allows us an opportunity not only to create a deeper relationship with some of the plant people, but with all of Nature as well. Whether we are atheists or agnostics, or believe that the natural world is connected to or an expression of a deeper spiritual reality, we must acknowledge that all healing comes from Nature. Connecting with plant medicines and Nature are essentially two sides of the same coin when it comes to the healing process.

Some plants overwinter as a rosette. This European sweet violet (Viola odorata) is taking advantage of full sun

(in the winter only) and a slightly south facing slope.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s when I first started teaching, the Herbal Field Studies workshops (which were then called 'Herbs of Ontario') were the first courses that I offered. Teaching people how to identify local herbs during the various stages of their life cycle, harvest them and use them was a big part of what these workshops were and are about. However, my primary objective was to use the participants' interest in herbs as a means of getting them out into Nature. This is an essential part of the healing process because it is our disconnection from Nature that is directly and indirectly the main reason why people and society are unhealthy to begin with.

Eventually I knew I needed take it deeper and after experimenting with different content and formats The Spirit of Herbs workshops were born: first as a weekend, then six days, then eventually (in response to where I knew the Medicine needed to go and requests from students for more) I added two more workshops to the series. I consider these workshops to be the most important courses that I teach. For any herbalist, having a wealth of knowledge of herbs and a good system for applying that knowledge is essential - as is plenty of experience. Together they can produce profound healing. However, what separates the good herbalists from the great herbalists is the depth of their relationship with the medicines. This is not only true for herbalists, but for anyone who uses herbs personally or professionally. The deeper our relationship with the herbs and Nature, the deeper the healing we are able to receive or facilitate when we need to use them.

The Spirit of Herbs workshops are also my favorite courses to teach because they always stretch me. To teach the Medicine I have to be able to live it. It is always a powerful learning and transformative process for me having to hold the space for the benefit of the participants and offering the Medicine at a much deeper level. It is also a profoundly humbling and fulfilling experience for me to witness the transformations that the participants go through as they develop a greater capacity to connect more deeply with themselves, the plant medicines and Nature.

Grandmother white pine (Pinus strobus) is happy to enjoy some early spring sunshine!

I spend some time sitting with her every day when I walk my dogs.

In summary, I can not over-emphasize the importance of being in and connecting with Nature. It is essential to who we are because we are Nature and Nature is us. This is not only the experience and wisdom of traditional peoples worldwide, for those who need "proof" there is a growing body of research that is beginning to demonstrate it as well (for example, see: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100502080414.htm; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130422101303.htm; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107093323.htm). What's amazing is that the benefits that are being demonstrated in these studies are the result of relatively simple things like more trees in urban areas, or spending a little time exercising or doing activities in more natural settings. Most people are still pretty distracted when they are in "greener" spaces: by their thoughts and by their technological gadgets. Add a certain level of quiet of our mind and deeper connection and the benefits increase exponentially!

The workshops that I offer provide an opportunity for participants to deepen their connection with Nature through their interest in medicinal plants. However, there are other teachers out there that offer similar experiences through other connections. For instance, in his recent book What the Robin Knows, Jon Young provides guidance about how we can foster a deeper connection with Nature through learning the language of birds. Whether it's birds or other animals, general nature awareness, or wilderness survival, there are teachers and mentors who truly walk their talk and from that place of experience and knowing are able to help others to more deeply connect with themselves and Nature by developing these skills in a way that fosters greater awareness and good relationships. Developing these personal interests is an excellent way to more deeply connect with Nature and live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

One of the most important tools for achieving this, which is explained in detail in Jon's book, is what we call the sit spot. It is simply a place in as natural a setting as possible where we intuitively feel good and can spend time sitting quietly and observing the world around us through the seasons. Although it's great for those of us who live in rural areas or on the edge of parks or other natural areas to find a sit spot that is in a more wild, natural environment, the most important characteristic of a good sit spot is its accessibility. The more effort we need to put into getting there, the less often we will use it. It's much better to find a nice spot under some trees in our backyard than some place that we need to walk or drive 20 minutes to visit, because the more often we use our spot, the deeper the results. Nature is everywhere! All we have to do is quiet our mind and be fully present with all of our senses. When we do this in the same spot on a regular basis, it provides a framework from which we can really get to know a place through its various cycles and changes. It is best if we can spend some time there at least several times per week. The more we make this a priority in our life, the greater the benefits. This season is a great time to start!

On that note, I would like to wish everyone a great spring (or great autumn to my sisters and brothers in the Southern Hemisphere)!

Healing Bone Fractures, Part 2 of 5

This is the second in a series of posts in which I am documenting the process of treating a serious fracture of my right leg. In Part 1 I discussed the details behind the injury and the initial protocols that I used with the remedies I had available while I was still away. In this post I am going to explain the protocol that I implemented when I returned home.

I returned home on evening of Sunday February 3rd, four days after my injury and three days after my surgery. On Monday we picked up some additional supplements that I needed and then on Tuesday I made up a couple of new formulations specifically formulated to address my injury. This is the protocol that I implemented at that time:

Homeopathics: I am taking Arnica 200C, Hypericum 200C and Symphytum 200C individually, four pellets per dose alternated throughout the day. The dosage of each remedy varies over time according to the following protocol:

• Week 1: Arnica 4 doses per day; Hypericum 4 doses per day; Symphytum 4 doses per day.
• Week 2: Arnica 3 doses per day; Hypericum 3 doses per day; Symphytum 3 doses per day.
• Week 3: Arnica 2 doses per day; Hypericum 2 doses per day; Symphytum 3 doses per day.
• Week 4: Arnica 1 dose per day; Hypericum 1 dose per day; Symphytum 3 doses per day.
• Week 5 and onwards (until my bones are completely healed): Symphytum 3 doses per day.

Herbs: I created three new formulations to address my specific needs:

• A systemic herbal formulation prepared from 1:5 fresh herb tinctures containing turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) 18%, common horsetail herb (Equisetum arvense) 15%, boneset herb (Eupatorium perfoliatum) 15%, St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum) 15%, American plantain herb (Plantago rugelii) 15%, common comfrey herb (Symphytum officinale) 15%, wild ginger rhizome (Asarum canadense) 5%, white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 2%. This formulation is a specific for healing damaged tissues and blood vessels, bone, and improving general circulation. Boneset and turmeric also have a significant tonic action on the liver which will help address any stress on my liver from the medications and other aspects of my hospital experience, as well as protect my liver from any toxicity from the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the comfrey, which is the best herb I know for healing bones and well worth the very slight risk of toxicity. Given that the comfrey will not exceed the 15-20% range in any of the formulations that I use and will be combined with herbs that can mitigate its potential toxicity, the likelihood of any toxicity is almost nil. Boneset and horsetail are also specifics for healing bone tissue. This formulation is taken in 6 ml doses three times per day on an empty stomach, 5-10 minutes before each meal.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is an excellent healing herb that is very effective for the healing of bone tissue.

• A systemic herbal sleep formulation prepared from 1:5 fresh herb tinctures containing English lavender flowering spike (Lavandula angustifolia) 20%, St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum) 20%, catnip herb (Nepeta cataria) 20%, American plantain herb (Plantago rugelii) 15%, hop strobilus (Humulus lupulus) 15%, turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) 9%, white pine leaf/twig (Pinus strobus) 1%. The dosage of this formulation is 6 ml immediately before bed and additional 3 ml doses through the night, as required. Getting sufficient sleep is one of my greatest challenges. I tend to be a light sleeper. I sleep on my sides and wake up four or five times a night feeling a bit stiff and change my position, flipping from side to side and then falling back to sleep fairly quickly. With my broken leg I can only sleep on my back. This is difficult for me because as a general rule I can't sleep on my back, and it also doesn't allow me to shift my position sufficiently. By half way through the night my lower back is very stiff and sore. Most nights I'm only getting five to six hours sleep, and that's with the sleep formulation. Occasionally I get a bit more. Getting sufficient sleep is critical to the healing process, so I made this formulation to help me sleep better. Notice that it contains a few of the herbs that are in my daytime formulation. This is to help continue to support the healing process through the night. It is also important that the overlapping herbs contribute to the sleep formulation. You will find few, if any, references to plantain having sedative properties, but it does. As a general rule, whenever someone is taking more than one herbal formulation concurrently, it is usually preferable if there is some overlap between the herbs in the different formulations. As in this case, the overlapping herbs must contribute to the desired actions of both formulations.
• A topical liniment made up of a base containing 1:5 fresh herb infused oils of pot marigold flower head (Calendula officinalis), Canada goldenrod leaf (Solidago canadensis), wild bergamot herb (Monarda fistulosa), coltsfoot leaf (Tussilago farfara), St. Johnswort herb (Hypericum perforatum), northern white pine leaf (Pinus strobus) and American plantain herb (Plantago rugelii). This infuse oil was prepared last year. The herbs are in descending order based on proportion as I am not certain of the exact percentages. To the base oil I added the following essential oils at an overall potency of two drops per ml of base oil: rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis) 25%, English lavender flower (Lavandula angustifolia) 25%, black spruce leaf/twig (Picea mariana) 15%, marjoram herb (Origanum majorana) 10%, eastern hemlock leaf/twig (Tsuga canadensis) 10%, Roman chamomile flower head (Chamaemelum nobile) 5%, yarrow herb (Achillea millefolium) 5% and eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) 5%. I apply this twice a day, immediately upon waking and just before bed, to the lower thigh, knee and half of the foot of my injured leg as my leg below my knee and half of my foot are covered by a tensor bandage. I also apply it to the hip, knee and ankle of my left leg, and my wrists, as these areas are being stressed in unusual ways due to using crutches.

In this photograph we have common plantain (Plantago major), an alien species that has naturalized throughout

North America, on the left, and American plantain (P. rugelii), our native species, on the right. Notice the

reddish colour at the base of the petioles (leaf stalks) of American plantain. Most people

(including herbalists) don't realize that these are two different species.

Two weeks after my surgery I went to the hospital to have my stitches removed. There was a lot of pressure on my stitches due to the edema in my leg that occurs whenever I am moving around in an upright position. The blood and lymph tends to pool in my leg because I am not using my leg to walk, which is necessary to efficiently pump the fluids out of my leg against the force of gravity. As a result, the doctor decided to leave every second stitch in my lower, longer incision for another two weeks. In the mean time, beginning a couple of days after I got my stitches out I started poulticing the shorter incision from which all of the stitches were removed. I am applying a poultice twice per day for 30-45 minutes. The primary herbs that I am using are common comfrey leaf (Symphytum officinale), stinging nettle leaf (Urtica dioica), pot marigold petals (Calendula officinalis), purple loosestrife herb (Lythrum salicaria), and a bit of whole flax seed (Linum usitatissimum) to increase the mucilage content. I use these herbs in roughly equal proportions (except for the flax seed) and each time add a sixth herb in a similar proportion. I have a lot of "ends" which are small quantities of herbs that are left over from when I harvest herbs to make tinctures. I dry these remainders and use them when the opportunity arises. This is one of those opportunities. Each time I make a poultice I use a different sixth herb. Some of the herbs that I have used so far include elecampane leaf (Inula helenium), wood nettle leaf (Laportea canadensis), Canada goldenrod herb (Solidago canadensis), blueweed herb (Echium vulgare), blue vervain herb (Verbena hastata), wormwood herb (Artemisia absinthium), yarrow herb (Achillea millefolium), yellow bedstraw herb (Galium verum) and pearly everlasting herb (Anaphalis margaritacea).

Supplements: I was able to obtain the additional supplements that I need over the course of the first week that I was back so that since about a week and a half after my injury I have been on the full complement of supplements that I need to help heal my leg. These supplements are very important whenever there is significant tissue damage, but they are particularly important for healing damaged bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments, regardless of the cause of damage. I use a similar supplement regimen for the treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Although there are a number of supplements available that are formulated for building bone tissue that contain some of these nutrients, I chose not to use any of them because I didn't like any of the formulations. All of them were missing important nutrients, had way too much calcium relative to the other ingredients, and most of them were compromised in some way by using cheaper, low quality ingredients such as magnesium oxide. As a result, I had to put this supplement regimen together using a fair number of products. Nevertheless, the importance of using all of these nutrients in the right balance can not be over emphasized. I have listed them here by nutrient instead of by which ones I am taking with each meal, as I did in the first post of this series, so that it is more clear what I am taking. All of these are taken with meals:

• Vitamin A: 3,500 IU with breakfast; 3,500 IU with dinner.
• Beta-carotene: 750 IU with breakfast; 750 IU with dinner.
• Vitamin C (calcium and magnesium ascorbate): 1,485 mg with breakfast; 1,360 mg with lunch; 1,485 mg with dinner.
• Vitamin D: 1,200 IU with breakfast; 1,000 IU with lunch; 1,400 IU with dinner.
• Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols, acetate): 115 IU with breakfast; 40 IU with lunch; 315 IU with dinner.
• Vitamin K: 60 mcg with breakfast; 80 mcg with dinner.
• Calcium (citrate, ascorbate, malate): 150 mg with breakfast; 135 mg with lunch; 450 mg with dinner.
• Magnesium (citrate, ascorbate, malate): 60 mg with breakfast; 60 mg with lunch; 260 mg with dinner.
• Zinc (citrate): 5 mg with breakfast; 25 mg with dinner.
• Silicon (aqueous horsetail extract): 4.7 mg with breakfast; 4.7 mg with lunch; 4.7 mg with dinner.
• Manganese (chelate, citrate): 0.5 mg with breakfast; 5.5 mg with dinner.
• Copper (citrate): 0.5 mg with breakfast; 1.5 mg with dinner.
• Boron (chelate): 350 mcg with breakfast; 350 mcg with dinner.
• Selenium (chelate): 50 mcg with breakfast; 150 mcg with dinner.
• Polyphenol complexes (flavonoids, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins and catechins from extracts of berries, citrus, grape seed and green tea): 325 mg with breakfast; 225 mg with lunch; 325 mg with dinner.
• Quercetin: 100 mg with breakfast; 100 mg with lunch; 100 mg with dinner.
• Lutein: 0.5 mg with breakfast; 0.5 mg with dinner.

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are a very rich source of anthocyanins and flavonoids, including quercetin.

Some of these are ingredients from a multivitamin that I am taking with breakfast and dinner. It is a good quality low potency multi with an excellent trace mineral content. It does not contain iron. I did not list all of the ingredients of the multivitamin, only those that are important for bone repair. However, the full range of nutrients in the multi are important to support healing in general. Mostly what I haven't listed are the B vitamins and some of the other trace minerals. In addition, I am also taking omega-3 fatty acids in the form of organic flax seed oil, 2-3 teaspoons taken throughout the day mixed in food (but not heated).

In addition to the above supplements that I am taking with meals, I am also taking the following on an empty stomach three times per day 30 minutes before each meal:

• Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 400 mg.
• Glucosamine hydrochloride 300 mg.
• Betaine 80 mg.
• Hyaluronic acid 10 mg.

Probiotics: Another one of the challenges that I am dealing with is constipation. It started with fasting from food and water for 16 hours before my surgery and was further aggravated by the intravenous hydromorphone and three courses of intravenous antibiotics that I was given through the night after my surgery. However, the ongoing issue is that I am spending a lot more time sitting and can't walk or run, which is important for good bowel tone. I am addressing this by taking a high potency probiotic supplement that contains 25 billion active cells of a combination of eight active strains of bacteria. I take this first thing in the morning in a glass of warm water with a tablespoon of whole organic flax seed. My bowel movements gradually returned to normal during the first week that I took this and I am continuing to take it on an ongoing basis.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus: An important probiotic species.

Exercise: This is another of my major challenges. The surgeon wants me to spend most of my day sitting or laying with my injured leg raised. This is not an option. It's bad enough that the muscles in my right leg are getting weaker. I'm not going to sit around and let my whole body atrophy. Plus, I have clients and students that depend on me and lots of work to be done. My life has definitely slowed down and there are many things that are too difficult or impossible for me to do, but I'm not out of commission completely. I have sit stations all over my house where I work, eat and rest consisting of a padded chair to sit on and a second chair with a pillow on it that I can put my leg up on. I have found that there is a delicate balance between sitting and moving around upright. If I do either for too long, the edema in my lower right leg gets worse.

Aside from the exercise I get moving around on crutches, every morning before breakfast I do an upper body workout with light weights and lots of stretching. I'm also working my injured leg as best I can. Whenever I'm sitting for periods of time I periodically massage my thigh and knee. I also wiggle my toes a lot and gently stretch the tendons and ligaments in my ankle and knee. In addition, I'm doing my best to work out my right knee and hip as best I can without being able to walk. To maintain some level of strength in these joints I do leg lifts from my hip raising my whole leg, and from my knee raising my lower leg several times per day for a few minutes. I also "pump" my leg while I'm walking on crutches by raising my leg and bending my knee on one step and then lowering my leg on alternate steps. As before I also continue to do deep breathing exercises in which I "feel" the life force or qi energy flowing into and out of my leg.

Diet: My diet is pretty good in general. It is almost completely organic and I get a lot of variety. My only concern is getting a bit more good quality protein. I have been a vegetarian for 33 years. Contrary to what some people believe, it is very easy for vegetarians to consume sufficient protein. Nevertheless, a good supply of high quality protein is necessary to heal bone tissue. Rather than bump up some of the typical high protein vegetarian foods such as beans or nuts which are harder on the digestive system, I have decided to increase my protein somewhat by eating one or two organic, free-range eggs most days. I have to strike a balance here and not eat too many eggs because for me eggs tend to be constipating.

So there you have it! This is the regimen I am following at this time. It is very intensive. I probably spend about 10% of my waking hours engaged in some aspect of this healing protocol. However, that's not bad considering I am still working at about 60% capacity instead of laying around like the surgeon advised me to. Also, with the exception of the intravenous hydromorphone and three courses of intravenous antibiotics that I was given through the night immediately after my surgery, I did not fill the prescription for painkillers that the surgeon gave me and only had to take a single dose of acetaminophen about 24 hours after my surgery. When I had the stitches removed, the surgeon prescribed another course of antibiotics and some anti-inflammatories. I didn't fill those prescriptions either. My intent is not only to stay relatively functional through this process, but also to make sure that my bones heal well and are strong enough to allow me to continue doing what I've always done. I'm also hoping to be able to start putting some weight on my leg a fair bit earlier than the three to four months that the surgeon predicted.

Overall, I have to say that the biggest challenge for me has been not being able to walk the land. In my normal life, every day I take my dogs out for about an hour and a half and walk the trails through the fields and forest where I live. Aside from the obvious benefits of the exercise and fresh air for the dogs and myself, it provides me with an opportunity to deepen my ongoing relationship with the land; to observe what changes are taking place; to stop periodically at one or more of my favorite sit spots and just be. I'm also missing the winter. Last year was the warmest winter I can remember. There was pretty much no snow. This year we are having a somewhat more "normal" winter. I am missing walking through the snow; breathing the cold, crisp air; feeling the wind on my face; the calls of the chickadees, goldfinches and nuthatches. At best a couple of times a week when the conditions are good I can put the spiky snow things on the bottom of my crutches, go out and sit behind my house by our fire pit and gaze out over the landscape. I really do appreciate those moments.

"The Land" in winter.

Most of the details relating to the protocols that I am using have been covered in these first two parts of this series. From Part 3 of this series onwards I will discuss any changes that I make to these protocols and provide updates on how things are progressing.