long winded biology session

ok, time for another long winded biology session. Betcha thought I'd given up!But in reading my course manual, I ran across more that I want to share, that sums up where my thoughts have been going in this field and the idea of our own health. "Health management-what a concept! The other day I picked up a medical magazine and couldn't even find the word 'health', instead the big catchphrase was 'disease management'. In agriculture and horticulture we are talking about 'pest management'. The concept of 'integrated pest management' is marketed as 'best management' because pesticides are 'integrated' into a more complex land management program rather that being the tool of first choice. But how can the poisoning of our environment be considered 'best' management? It seems to me that we don't have a clear concept of health, as is demonstrated by a search of the web for a definition of the term 'health'. Most of the definitions include negative references such as the 'absence of disease', suggesting that disease is an external threat. Form this perspective it seems logical to want to 'control' the 'disease', to want to kill all those bad germs and pests that 'cause' disease. No, this isnt a book on human health care. But there is the direct parallel between medicine and land management, becouase our mindset--our understanding of how health 'works' -affects our actions in both realms. In medicine we sseek health through drugs, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, in agriculture and horticulture we seek health through pesticides, pruning and fumigation. But no amount of drugs or pesticides will produce heatlh, because disease is not a drug deficiency and plant feeding insects are not a sign of pesticide deficiency. Obviously there is something wrong with our understanding of how health works. So lets try a different perspective. " She goes on to talk about how pests and weeds are signs of problems,not necessarily the problems themselves. Why is one pest so out of control, for instance? Instead of just spraying, ask questions. Where is its natural predator? Did I wipe out the conditions they need to survive and made it only good for the pest? Is the soil lacking in nutrients so the plants can be strong to fight off the pests? Instead of treating the symptoms, why not look deeper for the root of the issue. (Bad pun, sorry) "The health of any one organism and any one species is totaly dependent on the overall environmental health-the diversity and balance of all populations. This, of course, depends on the needfor a whole bunch of 'ingredients' to come together, but in the end the fact remains that the greater the biological diversity, the less the likelihood that any one population will dominate. Pest management decreases biodiversity, health management increases biodiversity. Pest management views health as an absence of disease, health management views disease as an absence of health. Pest management is a warfare approach, health management is a welfare approach. These approachs are based on totally different understanding of how Nature works." This is something I'm beginning to see in myself, in the medical system and now in the garden. Why are we so prone to the warfare approach? Why do we prescribe pills so quickly for a symptom without trying to dig deeper for a reason? Why am I so quick to spray that dandelion? Is it a need to dominate? A need to make things 'perfect'? Is it just I'm so busy I just want it dealt with, dont want to make the necessary changes in diet/lifestyle/ thought I might need to, to change how I feel, to allow that sunny dandelion to continue to amend the soil and feed the bees. (Yes people, dandelions have a purpose other than laughing at your dream of a perfect lawn.) For instance, in diet. I've made changes, kept some, left some, its a process, Somethings work, some dont, do I screw up and cheat? Heck ya, but I'm getting better. I'm learning to listen-and my bodies getting better at getting my attention. I'm learning to question whether I really need that quick fix pill, I'd rather do some digging and some playing around with food things. Its time consuming, annoying, and great when it works. And then theres the garden where I'm sure my neighbors hate my dandelions, but I found if you mow them down before they seed and leave them as green mulch they amend the soil and make it stronger for the grass to grow. Funny how all it takes is a change in perspective-and the willingness to ask why. And that is a step for mastery, is it not? "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit himself to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." Albert Einstein