The Holistic Wisdom Journal  

September 1, 2001 ~ Articles In This Issue...

~ An Asian Approach To Weight Loss: Part One

~ Organic Foods- What does that mean?

~ Leonard Peltier- A Native American story that will move you.

An Asian Approach To Weight Loss- Part One
By Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D.
Holistic Wisdom C.E.O.

Over sixty million Americans are overweight and the diet companies are making a bundle marketing to people eager to lose their unwanted cellulite. A major problem in America is the confusion around what diets are healthy and what diets may even be dangerous. That is what has prompted me to write this article, as I have found that Asian medicine, having been practiced for thousands of years provides an effective, individualized, and alternative approach than the multitude of western fad diets.

To begin, I will review some of the Asian principles behind excess weight, and then will provide practical tools and suggestions based on Asian traditions.

The basic premise to good health is energy (life force or chi). When the energy that is in the body is adequate, it is able to fuel the metabolism so that food is transformed into energy and blood. When there is a lack of energy (chi), digestion and elimination suffer, and we begin to retain water and accumulate phlegm, fat, and cysts.

The idea of just cutting back on calories to lose weight may be effective, but will prove to be a short lived weight loss if healthy nutrients aren't consumed. What may be startling to you to learn is that the majority of over weight people are starving for nutrients. I know that sounds contradictory, but it is true. Most people who feel hungry all the time, and eat more are hungry because their body is not getting the nutrients that it needs. The overweight body is sending messages to the brain to get more nutrients, not empty calories in junk food, in order to run properly. When we eat more healthy, we will find we do not eat as much and we will reduce our cravings.

Junk food only creates a void of nutrients in the body, and with all the empty calories the body begins to put on fat, without the energy it needs. That is how junk food can become addictive. The weaker our bodies are, the more we crave food, the more we give it junk food, the more we are hungry... and the vicious cycle continues.

In Asian medicine, an increase in one's clothing size is an indication of a decrease in energy within the body. Physical movements become an effort, we feel puffy, slow, heavy, and often have water retention.

The first step in Asian weight loss is to strengthen the body by providing it with proper nutrients, and possibly combining using Acupuncture to aide the energy (chi) in flowing through the body properly. The second step is to begin loosing weight.

An Asian approach to weight loss is individualized... and there is not one method that applies to everyone. I will provide a quick break down of the most common approaches later in this article.

Energy within the body varies from person to person, and even varies within the same person depending on the time. That is why there is no universal weight-loss diet that works for everyone. The best diet is the one that will strengthen your weak chi.

Asian medicine links digestion with other bodily processes such as breathing, circulation, and immune strength. It is a holistic approach, looking at the whole person, not just a part (like the excess weight itself.)

Excess weight is put on for many reasons... emotional stress or unfulfilled needs, physical ailments, environment, and many others. All of the reasons that someone puts on excess weight goes back to the principle that they have weakened chi. Thus, it will be important for anyone who wants to loose weight to examine those things in their life that contributes to weakening their energy (life force).

Emotional Factors During Weight Loss -

Often emotions are trapped in the excess weight that we carry around. It is similar to how we can also store emotions within our muscles. If you have ever had a massage, then you may very well have felt emotional releases when you have had particular muscles worked on. Massage therapists are schooled to deal with their clients mental and emotional health for this very reason. While dieting to loose weight, you will most likely experience sensitive issues that you have not dealt with. Most people carry excess weight as a form of protection from their inner feelings. Often we can feel vulnerable when we begin to loose weight, and it is important to provide ourselves with emotional nurturing. This is a good time to journal, seek counseling, keep a dream journal, and use other tools to assist in cleansing not only your body, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well.

The tastes that assist in weight loss:

Five Tastes -

In Asian medicine there are five tastes that are used to treat various health problems. The "tastes" include -

Taste:                                  Examples:

Bitter                                      Green Tea, Spinach
Sweet                                     Pasta, Sugar, Cheese
Hot/Pungent                            Garlic, Chili Pepper, Clove
Salty                                       Salt, Olives, Seaweeds, Pickles
Sour                                       Lemon, Grapefruit, Vinegar

Bitter, sour and hot flavors all work to positively affect digestion for weight loss. Hot spices dissolve toxins, while bitter and sour flavors assist in eliminating them from the body.

An example of how this actually is experienced may be the difference between how you might feel after having a salad made with leafy greens, lemon juice, and radish (bitter, sour, hot), and eating something heavy and high in empty calories. After eating the salad, you may begin to feel more energized and refreshed. While eating something creamy, fat or sweet will sedate you and decrease the body's ability to cleanse itself.

General Asian Dieting Tips -

~ Drink Green Tea every day, not only does it contain antioxidants to assist in detoxifying the body, but it can be a nice way to start the morning.

~ Make sure not to starve yourself. The body will naturally respond by slowing your metabolism down, thus making it harder for you to lose weight.

~ Consume bitter tasting cleansing herbs to reduce your cravings for sweets. Eat or juice dandelion and other dark leafy greens. Also try using bee pollen or royal jelly.

~ If your tongue is whitish in color, you should eat a raw or cooked radish daily. If it is reddish in color, you should chew fennel seeds or licorice sticks (not the candy, the actual natural sticks). If your tongue is pale pink, then you should chew cloves, or use them in teas.

~ Never start the day with cold raw foods or drinks. These weaken digestion and can cause headaches and nausea.

~ Exercise before you eat. Sweating speeds the metabolism. Try to eat no later than one half hour after your workout. Also drinking cinnamon tea increases sweating.

In Asian medicine, there are what are termed as "constitutional types." These categories cover the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of a persons nature. The five elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood are used to categorize tendencies for someone's constitutional type. The most common constitutional types that people with weight problems fall into are weakness in the Earth and Water Elements.

Water Element Types -

If you have weakness in the area of the Water element you may be one of those people that can put on extra weight when eating nothing in excess at all. You tend to have water retention, and often feel tired. You will experience some or all of the following symptoms- poor digestion, allergies, hormone imbalances, or mood swings. Chronic problems with a water element deficiency show up as hormonal imbalances, depression, sexual dysfunction, and addictions.

Earth Element Types -

If you have weakness in the area of the Earth element you may be especially prone to gaining weight around the mid section and hips. You crave sweets, and heavy foods. You suffer from excess phlegm that congests the sinuses or results in headaches, abdominal bloating or even stomachaches. You most likely experience blood sugar problems that will make you feel tired or spacey. You may feel unhappy, ungrounded, or unsettled.

Chronic problems with a earth element deficiency show up in parasites, tumors, cysts, mental disorders, poor memory, and impaired concentration.

Chronic Obesity -

If you have struggled with excess weight over a long time, then all of the five elements are involved and will need to be treated. If this is your situation, you probably related to both the weaknesses in the Water and Earth element types. When reading about the different approaches to weight loss, you may want to alternate between the Water and Earth approaches as you will need to gain strength in both areas to successfully lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

A beautiful, overweight woman sat waiting for a consultation with an Asian practitioner. She badly needed to lose 80 pounds. She was working hard hours, coupled with big responsibilities. She often described herself as "wired and tired." She had a "superwoman" mentality, trying to do all things for all people. Yet, she was too tired to make an effort to lose weight.

Often this type of person has tremendous drive, and works under intense conditions. By the time of middle age, these types often have driven themselves into their careers, marriages, children, with no energy left for themselves. These types of people are unable to lose weight because they do not have the energy to do it. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you have to gain strength within.

Constitutional Types-

These categories cover the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of a persons nature. The five elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood are used to categorize tendencies for someone's constitutional type. The most common constitutional types that people with weight problems fall into are weakness in the Earth and Water Elements.

If you have struggled with excess weight over a long time, then all of the five elements are involved and will need to be treated. If this is your situation, you probably related to both the weaknesses in the Water and Earth element types. When reading about the different approaches to weight loss, you may want to alternate between the Water and Earth approaches as you will need to gain strength in both areas to successfully lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

Organic Foods- What does that mean?
By Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D.
Holistic Wisdom C.E.O.

What is organic produce?

Organic produce is produce with the absence of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from the air, soil and water. To the maximum extent feasible, organic farming systems rely on methods and inputs such as crop rotations, animal and green manurers, mechanical cultivation and aspects of biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and tilth. These measures are also used to supply plant nutrients, control insects, weeds and other pests.

What does "certified organic" mean?

Labels that read "certified organic" tell the customer the foods they purchase have been verified as organically grown by an independent third party. These third party agencies must enforce, at a minimum, the standards set by the each state's Organic Foods Act.

Certified produce meets standards beyond those set in the state law. To be certified, growers undergo farm inspections, including soil nutrient analysis. They also must document all crop and soil inputs, and must develop soil fertility and pest control plans so that in case of unexpected problems, the grower has a plan to deal with the problem without resorting to prohibited materials. Certified organic growers must keep complete yield, harvest and sales records, undergo at least two inspections prior to certification and, thereafter, annual inspections to verify that they meet requirements. To see if a producer is organic, you can ask the grower or the retailer to show you a current certificate.

What is the difference between "organic" and certified "organic"?

Produce sold as organic in must carry the labeling "Certified Organic." This labeling simply means that the grower is registered with the state as an organic producer. Registered producers are not necessarily certified, and may not ever have been inspected to verify their organic claims.

Why is certification important?

Certification protects consumers from fraud. Consumers who buy produce with the "Certified Organic" seal know the growers of the produce meet stringent standards of production and record keeping. Although growers may claim their produce is organic without certification, the extra step offers you assurance that the grower has been required to document and demonstrate the organic claim. Certified organic growers can provide back-up documentation on many aspects of its members growing practices.

The Federal Organic Law (which will tentatively be implemented within a year or so) outlines the minimum standards by which all certifiers must evaluate organic growers. However, until that law is implemented, standards will vary among certifiers. You should feel free to ask the certifying agency what standards they use. Different agencies may share different amounts or levels of information. If you are interested, you can always ask which records are available to you and be aware that the more you know, the more you can assure yourself of the authenticity of organic claims.

Is "no spray" or "pesticide free" the same as organic?

No. These claims usually mean the edible parts of a crop have not been sprayed with pesticides. However, synthetic fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides may have been used to grow the food. There is no legal definition for these claims (and no certification process).

What does "residue free" mean?

Residue free means a laboratory analysis (often of a random sampled lot) detected no pesticide residues on a particular food. Not all chemicals are tested for and, in fact, some tests for chemicals are too costly to use in such a program. Residue free produce is NOT organic because it may have been grown using synthetic chemicals and with methods that don't meet requirements for organic production. The residue free claim is not regulated - tests of the product are random and there is no assurance the producer of a residue free product has any commitment to building and nurturing the soil or avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals.

Why does organic food usually cost more?

In fact, it doesn't always cost more. At times certain organic products, such as lettuce and broccoli, are sold at prices less than those of conventional products. With more research into organic methods and increased production and sales of organic produce, prices should continue to be more competitive with conventionally grown produce.

But yes, organic food does often cost more. It costs more because organic production costs and risks are higher. Cover crops, for example, improve the soil but can mean land isn't producing an edible crop for a while. Organic farmers often pay higher costs for environmentally friendly farming practices such as beneficial insects and hand weeding. All organic farmers must pay for state registration; certified organic farmers also pay for certification costs. Furthermore, the cost of conventional food does not include the cost of dealing with the health and environmental impacts of conventional farming.

When you buy organic foods, you are investing not only in your health, but also in a system of agriculture that benefits the land and is committed to leaving a legacy only of clean foods and a healthy soil and earth.

Leonard Peltier- A Native American story that will move you.

A Dear Native American Who Has Been
WRONGFULLY Imprisoned For Twenty-five Years~

Leonard Peltier, a citizen of the Anishinabe and Lakota Nations, is a father, a grandfather, an artist, a writer, and an Indigenous rights activist. He has spent the last twenty-five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Amnesty International considers him a "political prisoner" who should be "immediately and unconditionally released." Despite political pressure and the efforts of various groups former President Clinton did not pardon Leonard and in doing so has left an innocent man imprisoned.

What can you do?

~ Start a support group, or join an existing one.

~ Subscribe to the newspaper, SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE, to keep informed.

~ Donate to the LPDC to help fund their efforts. Organize benefits.

~ Have your nations/tribes, churches, student councils, unions, city councils, etc. pass resolutions in support of freedom for Peltier.

~ Educate yourself as to the facts of the Peltier case and spread the word! Ask for more in depth resources.

~ Write editorials for your local paper. Copy and distribute this and other LPDC literature.

~ Write to Leonard Peltier: (he can receive US postal money orders, photos-not Polaroid, and paper back books) USPL Leonard Peltier #89637-132 PO Box 1000 Leavenworth, KS 66048

Want more information~

To read more about Leonard Peltier you can visit his site with more information, click here to go there, and remember to book mark ours before you leave!

Leonard Peltier A Native American story that will move you. Anyone who has even a basic understanding of the history and plight of Native Americans recognizes their terrible treatment at the hands of the U.S. Government. That history cannot be altered. Nothing can change the broken promises and treaties and subjugation of the first peoples to inhabit this continent.

In 1975, a man named Leonard Peltier was among those trying to prevent violence that was breaking out on the reservations due to the U.S. governments idea to merge the remaining tribes together. Peltier was an AIM (American Indian Movement) warrior heading an armed defensive encampment near the village of Oglala on Pine Ridge. On June 26 of that year, two (also armed) FBI agents, Jack Coler and Ron Williams--roared up to the camp, to search for a young Indian accused of stealing a pair of cowboy boots.

The agents had been to the camp the day before and had determined the "suspect" was not present. On that fatal morning, their aggressive entry was met with gunfire, and shortly thereafter, both agents and an AIM member--Joe Stuntz Killsright--were dead.

There followed one of the greatest "manhunt" in FBI history. While no determination has ever been made as to the circumstances of Stuntz's death--or any of the other AIM casualties of this period--the Bureau quickly decided that the killers of its agents were likely four Indian men: Jimmy Eagle (the individual supposedly sought in the boot caper), Bob Robideau, Dino Butler, and Leonard Peltier, all of whom walked cross-country and escaped the massive dragnet--including helicopters and armored personnel carriers--the feds threw across the reservation immediately after the fire fight.

Eagle was apprehended but never brought to trial; "lack of evidence" was cited. Robideau and Butler, captured in the wake of the explosion of their car near Kansas City, were brought to trial in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and acquitted amidst a controversy concerning FBI misconduct in the prosecution of their case (no effort has ever been made to investigate the FBI in this connection).

Peltier, earlier on, had sought asylum amongst the Cree people of western Canada. Apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the behest of the FBI, he formally petitioned the Canadian government to grant him status as a political refugee, contending that regardless of his guilt or innocence in any criminal matter, he could not receive a fair hearing in the U.S. because of his position as an AIM activist.

The FBI responded by providing the Canadians with two demonstrably fabricated "eyewitness" affidavits signed by one Myrtle Poor Bear, a clinically unbalanced Lakota woman who, it was later revealed, had never laid eyes upon Peltier and who was more than 50 miles from Oglala the day of the fire fight. The Canadians thereupon honored the U.S. extradition request.

With Robideau and Butler acquitted, and with its own conduct in question, the FBI was desperate for a conviction. The feds sought, and received, a change of venue from the scene of their disastrous prosecution in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to a new location in Fargo, North Dakota. Along with the site change came a change in the trial judges. The new one, Paul Benson, proved more accommodating to federal interests than had his predecessor; virtually the entire defense case which had won dismissal of charges against Butler and Robideau and which had exposed at least a portion of the FBI "investigative techniques" being utilized, was ruled inadmissible. The prosecution, on the other hand, enjoyed free reign. Despite prosecutor Lynn Crooks statement, "We can't prove who shot those agents." Leonard Peltier was sentenced to serve two life sentences for the "murder" of federal agents.

In appeals to the 8th Circuit Court in St. Louis, the defense was able to demonstrate severe procedural and evidentiary problems in the handling of Peltier's trial. Chief Judge William Webster duly noted these and found them "disturbing" and then determined a retrial was nonetheless not called for. Shortly afterward, Webster was named to head the FBI. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately refused even to hear the case. A judicial impasse had been reached.

Nevertheless, Peltier defense team members developed a second strategic approach, filing under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act for the release of FBI file documents related to the case. As of this writing, some 12,000 of the estimated 18,000 pages of FBI material have been secured. (The Bureau maintained the balance could not be released for reasons of "national security" but more lately says it has "lost" all the remaining documents.)

He has yet to be granted a new trial, despite court findings that the government withheld evidence favorable to him that "casts a strong doubt on the government's case".

Leonard Peltier is 57 years old and was born on the Anishinabe (Chippewa) Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. He came from a large family of 13 brothers and sisters. He grew up in poverty, and survived many traumatic experiences resulting from U.S. government policies aimed to assimilate Native Peoples.

At the age of eight he was taken from his family and sent to a residential boarding school for Native people run by the US Government. There, the students were forbidden to speak their languages and they suffered both physical and psychological abuses.

As a teenager Leonard Peltier returned to live with his father at the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. It was one of three reservations, which the United States Government chose as the testing ground for its new termination policy. The policy forced Native families off their reservations and into the cities.

The resulting protests and demonstrations by tribal members introduced Leonard Peltier to Native resistance through activism and organizing to help Native Americans. In the course of his work he became involved with the American Indian Movement (AIM) and eventually joined the Denver Colorado chapter. In Denver, he worked as a community counselor confronting unemployment, alcohol problems and poor housing. He became strongly involved in the spiritual and traditional programs of AIM.

Leonard Peltier's participation in the American Indian Movement led to his involvement in the 1972 Trail of broken Treaties which took him to Washington D.C., in the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs building.

Eventually his AIM involvement would bring him to assist the Oglala Lakota People of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in the mid 1970's. On Pine Ridge he participated in the planning of community activities, religious ceremonies, programs for self-sufficiency, and improved living conditions. He also helped to organize security for the traditional people who were being targeted for violence by the pro-assimilation tribal chairman and his vigilantes. It was here that the tragic shoot-out of June 26, 1975 occurred, leading to his wrongful conviction.

Leonard Peltier credits his ability to endure his circumstances to his spiritual practices and the love and support from his family and supporters.

This is a statement written by Leonard two years ago in 1999-

"This is the twenty-third year of my imprisonment for a crime I didn't commit. I'm now fifty-four years old. I've been in here since I was thirty-one. I've been told I have to live out two life-time sentences plus seven years before I get out of prison in the year 2041. By then I'll be ninety-seven. I don't think I'll make it.

My life is an extended agony. I feel like I've lived a hundred life-times in prison already. But I'm prepared to live thousands more on behalf of my people. If my imprisonment does nothing more than educate an unknowing and uncaring public about the terrible conditions Indian people continue to endure, then my suffering has had -- and continues to have -- a purpose. My people's struggle to survive inspires my own struggle to survive. Each of us must be a survivor.

I ACKNOWLEDGE my inadequacies as a spokesman, my many imperfections as a human being. And yet, as the Elders taught me, speaking out is my first duty, my first obligation to myself and to my people. To speak your mind and heart is the Indian Way. In the Indian Way, the political and the spiritual are one and the same. You can't believe one thing and do another. What you believe and what you do are the same thing. In the Indian Way, if you see your people suffering, helping them is an absolute necessity. It's not a social act of charity or welfare assistance; it's a spiritual act, a holy deed.

I HAVE NO APOLOGIES, ONLY SORROW. I can't apologize for what I haven't done. But I can grieve, and I do. Every day, every hour, I grieve for those who died at the Oglala fire fight in 1975 and for their families -- for the families of FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams and, yes, for the family of Joe Killright Stuntz -- a 21-year old brave-hearted Indian whose death from a bullet at Oglala that same day, like the deaths of hundreds of other Indians at Pine Ridge at that terrible time, has never been investigated. My heart aches in remembering the suffering and fear under which so many of my people were forced to live at that time, the very suffering and fear that brought me and the others to Oglala that day -- to defend the defenseless.

And I'm filled with an aching sorrow, too, for the loss to my own family because, in a very real way, I also died that day. I died to my family, to my children, to my grandchildren, to myself. I've lived out my own death for nearly a quarter of a century now.

Those who put me here and keep me here knowing of my innocence can take grim satisfaction in their sure reward, which is being who and what they are. That's as terrible a reward as any I could imagine.

I know who and what I am. I am an Indian -- an Indian who dared to stand up to defend his people. I am an innocent man who never murdered anyone nor ever wanted to. And, yes, I am a Sun Dancer. That, too, is my identity. If I am to suffer as a symbol of my people, then I suffer proudly. I will never yield.

IF YOU, THE LOVED ONES of the agents who died at the Jumping Bull property that day, get some salve of satisfaction out of my being here, then at least I can give you that, even though innocent of their blood. I feel your loss as my own. Like you, I suffer that loss every day, every hour. And so does my family. We know that inconsolable grief. We Indians are born, live and die with inconsolable grief. We've shared our common grief for twenty-three years now, your families and mine, so how can we possible be enemies anymore? Maybe it's with you and with us that the healing can start. You, the agents' families, certainly weren't at fault that day in 1975, any more than my family was, and yet you and they have suffered as much as, even more than, anyone there. It seems it's always the innocent who pay the highest price for injustice. It's seemed that way all my life.

To the still grieving Coler and Williams' families, I send my prayers if you will have them. I hope you will. They are the prayers of an entire people, not just my own. We have many dead of our own to pray for, and we join our prayers of sorrow to yours. Let our common grief be our bond. I state to you absolutely that, if I could possibly have prevented what happened that day, your menfolk would not have died. I would have died myself before knowingly permitting what happened to happen. And I certainly never pulled the trigger that did it. May the Creator strike me dead this moment if I lie. I cannot see how my being here, torn from my own grandchildren, can possible mend your loss. I swear to you, I am guilty only of being an Indian. That's why I'm here."

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier

Want more information~

To read more about Leonard Peltier you can visit his site with more information, click here to go there, and remember to book mark ours before you leave!

Article Pasted Together From Anonymous Sources

Thank You For Reading The Articles Contained In The Holistic Wisdom Journal

...Namaste
(I honor Spirit within you,
as you honor Spirit within me)