"The Earth Path" by Starhawk

"Phantom Parks: The Struggle to Save Canada's National Parks" by Rick Searle

Interesting Links:
Utne Reader
David Suzuki Foundation
New Scientist
Discover Magazine
The Medical Post Online
Ad Busters!
New Internationalist
Mother Jones.com
Salon.com
NOVA On-line
The Book of Zines
Killing the Buddha
London Review of Books
American Council on Exercise
Runner's World
The Great Illusion


Recent reads:
"A Deepness in the Sky" by Vernor Vinge

"Celtic Folklore Cooking" by Joanne Asala

"Power Spellcraft for Life" by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

"Reinventing Medicine" by Larry Dossey

"Wicca: A Year and a Day" by Timothy Roderick

"The Science of the Craft" by William H Keith

"50 Years of Wicca" by Frederic Lamond

"The Magical Life" by Vivianne Crowley

"Which Witch is Which?" by Patricia Telesco

"Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville

"Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet" by Douglas E. Cowan

"An Ye Harm None: Magical Morality and Modern Ethics" by Shelley Rabinovitch

"Crystal Ball" by Sibyll Fergusen, revised and expanded by Witch Bree

"Gaia Eros: Reconnecting to the Magic and Sprit of Nature" by Jesse Wolf Hardin

"A Century of Spells" by Draja Mickaharic

"Evolutionary Witchcraft" by T. Thorn Coyle

"Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America" by Sabina Magliocco

"Kundalini for Beginners" by Ravindra Kumar

"Ka: Stories of the Mind and Gods of India" by Roberto Calasso

"Magical Tattwa Cards" by Dr. John Mumford

"WitchCraft Today (Expanded edition)" by Gerald B. Gardner

"Self-Initiation for the Solitary Witch" by Shanddaramon

"The Second Circle: Tools for the Advancing Pagan" by Vanecia Rauls

"Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard" by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

"Black Magick Woman: The Sinister Side of the Song of Solomon" by Janet Tyson

"Everyday Moon Magic" by Dorothy Morrisson

"Advanced Witchcraft" by Edain McCoy"

"Handfasting and Wedding Rituals" by Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein

"Joing Hearts and Hands: Interfaith, Intercultural Wedding Celebrations" by Rev Susanna Stefanachi Macomb

"Handfasted and Heartjoined" by Lady Maeve Rhea

"Handfasting: A practical Guide" bu Mary Neasham

" Goddess in the Grass: Sperpentine Mythology and the great Goddess" by Linda Fourbister

"Theories of the Chakras: Bridges to Higher Conciousness" by Hiroshi Motoyama

"The Knife Thrower" by Steven Millhauser

"Schizophrenia: A Very Short Introduction" by Christopher Finn and Eve Johnstone

"Schizophrenia: The Facts" by Ming T. Tsuang and Stephen V. Faraone

"A Community of Witches" by Helen Berger and Colleagues

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman"

"Scherzo" by Jim Williams"

"Goddess in the Grass: Serpentine Mythology and the Great Goddess" by Linda Fourbister

"The Forest of Souls" by Rachel Pollack

"Wiccan Roots" by Philip Heselton

"A User's Guide to the Brain" by John J Ratey, MD

"A Goddess Arrives" by Gerald Gardner

"A Community of Witches" by Helen Berger

"Nature Spirits" Selected lectures by Rudolf Steiner

"Fatal Majesty" by Reay Tannahill

"Myths to Live By" by Joseph Campbell

"The Secret Life of Germs" by Philip M Tierno Jr, PhD

"Adam, Eve, and the Serpent" by Elaine Pagels

"Whiteout: Melt" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Lieber

"Whiteout" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Lieber

"Queen and Country-Operation: Crystal Ball" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Leandro Fernandez

"Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert Heinlein

"The Sex Chronicles" by Zane

"The Black Man's Guide to Good Health" by Reed, Schulman and Shucker

"The Withdrawing Room" by Charlotte MacLoed

"Queen and Country-Operation: Morningstar" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Brian Hurtt

"The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2000" edited by David Quammen

"The Bourne Identity" by Robert Ludlum

"Gerald Gardner: Witch" by J.L. Bracelin

"Queen and Country-Operation: Broken Ground" by Greg Rucka illustrated by Steve Rolston

"The Ferryman Will Be There" by Rosemary Aubert

"Philosophy of Wicca" by Amber Laine Fisher

"Wilderness Tips" by Margaret Atwood

"Origins of Modern Witchcraft" by Anne Moura

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Don’t smoke, don’t drink, what do you do?

So, you go to the doctor and they ask you about your family history, they ask you if you smoke, if you drink and maybe they ask if you are sexually active, having unprotected sex or if you use “drugs.” You tell them the reason for your visit, they take out the stethoscope, listen to your chest, check your throat and do all those things that a doctor does when you go for a visit. Then they come up with a verdict… errr… diagnosis, and send you away with a prescription, referral or a set of instructions for you to follow.

But what about what I eat and breathe. Maybe I don’t smoke, but perhaps I work in a smoke-filled bar seven nights a week. Maybe I work in an environment where I am exposed to potentially carcinogenic chemicals and solvents. Maybe my diet consists of burgers and fries for every meal. Wouldn’t, shouldn’t these factors also be considered when a medical history is being taken.

Our physical environment must be one of the most important influences on personal health. Think about it. Where do we spend most of our time? Indoors. At work. At home. In the car. Each time we step into these environments, we are exposed to whatever environmental health hazards are lurking there. And we’re not just exposed once, we’re exposed repeatedly. Chronic exposure to low levels of potentially harmful chemicals may be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than single high-level exposure.

In pregnant women low levels of repeated exposure to solvents, pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals and dioxins may be linked to spontaneous abortion, stillbirth rates and congenital birth defects. Children exposed to low levels of heavy metals like mercury and lead may have behavioural defects and cognitive developmental problems. Allergies in adults and children are increasingly being linked to air quality, and dysfunctional immune system response is also an area being investigated in regards to environmental pollutants.

Potentially harmful environmental pollutants can lurk anywhere. They may be found in the cleaning products you use, the candles you burn, the building products used in your home, office or school. They can be the supplies you use making arts or crafts, renovating your home or painting your bedroom. They can be the air freshener you use to mask the pet odour, the fertiliser you use in your garden, or even the drinking water that comes out of your tap. And yes, while many chemicals have not been proved harmful – why take the risk; and shouldn’t questions concerning your environment be routine when visiting a doctor for a check up or visit for an illness. Maybe that low-grade headache you’ve had for months isn’t stress, perhaps it’s air quality. Maybe that rash that keeps coming and going is related to that nickel-plated necklace you wear on occasion. Maybe your child is hyperactive because all you feed him is pre-packaged food filled with additives and colouring. Maybe your wheezing is related to the fact that they haven’t cleaned the office carpets in four years!!! And perhaps if you work around chemicals or solvents all day, the physician should be more alert for illnesses that may come from this kind of repeated exposure.

It really wouldn’t be that difficult to work into the standard physician-patient interview. Where do you work; what kind of air quality do you have? Where do you live? How old is your home? What are your hobbies? Describe what you eat in a typical day, etc… it would take a few minutes, but it may give the physician valuable insight into the whole patient, and not just the body slumped into the chair across the desk.

Amanda 2:49 PM
E-mail your comments to: ramblingraven@cosmic-muse.com