Whats in your diet? Stress, Music and Clean Food

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday, particularly the food. Since my perspective on most health issues start with nutrition and diet, we'll look at stress, because stress depletes essential nutrients, causing serious imbalances, some of which can even be fatal. That kind of segues into a strategy that I found useful.

Last month I attended a concert given by the Bronx African American History Project, at Fordham University. Fordham University is on Fordham Road, a major thoroughfare coming of the George Washington Bridge which includes a major shopping district, so traffic is very intense. Needless to say, when I got to the concert I was a stressed out. The concert was a tribute to Elmo Hope a local musician and featured Jazz Master Jimmy Owens, an old friend. After twenty minutes of the concert I was totally unstressed. Most pharmaceuticals take twenty minutes. It seems to me that we've been marketed away from our best first option. Studies show music is used therapeutically to combat depression, lower blood pressure, and improve heart rate variability. “Music instead of Medicine” should be part of a cancer survivor's arsenal.

Now, back to my favorite subject, “Clean Food”. I'm advised that Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) has achieved “Non-Land-Grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources University” (NLGCA) status. The renewable resource means the U.S. Farm Bill will be assuring agricultural research enterprises in our region.

Finally, I attended an informative brainstorming session that served to identify partners and resources in the region. We are temporarily identifying ourselves as the “Human Food Chain Project”. This fits my advocacy for organic enterprises and to make our region the “Organic Capital of the World”. Stay tuned for more details.