Julia Woodford

Wow! With a record total of 47 entries in Vitality’s Guide to Organics 2010, this has got to be our yummiest issue of the year. It’s exciting because this big honking Guide showcases the flourishing organic movement in Ontario. And its growth is thanks to you, the consumer who spends extra effort and money to support this important agricultural sector. Indeed, for those aiming to prevent disease or recover from it, organic foods can be a matter of life and death. So every time you choose organic over conventional, you’re adding your buying power to the organic industry, which in turn adds political clout to the clean food movement. Once again, the personal becomes the political.

I don’t think any of us started out as activists; it just became inevitable in the course of pursuing our passion for human and environmental health. After working on this June issue for the past several weeks, it occurred to me that Vitality has evolved far beyond its original mandate as a magazine  – into a forum for health activism that covers a remarkable range of issues.

Premier Dalton McGuinty’s recently proposed drug reforms have certainly drawn a firestorm of opposition from pharmacies, and have renewed the debate on how best to handle our future healthcare needs in the face of a $25 billion government deficit. About 75% of the $4 billion the Ontario government spends annually on prescription medicine is for brand-name drugs and the other 25% is for generic drugs. That’s a lot of drugs that citizens are footing the bill for.

The winds of spring are blowing through Vitality this month, bringing fresh ideas to make your season sing and dance. In “A Taste of Wild Things”, holistic nutritionist and popular TV personality Julie Daniluk combines the earthy flavour of burdock, the bitter tang of dandelions and fiddleheads, and the luscious texture of morel mushrooms to create a smorgasbord of spring recipes that will startle your tastebuds and jump-start your liver. This cuisine is in perfect harmony with spring – prime time for flushing toxins from the liver, kidneys, and lymph glands. Indeed, wild foods are powerful medicine for cleansing body and spirit.

Some say March is the cruelest month. It’s still freezing out, we’re tired of winter, and spring is still a ways off. So to stoke the fuel in your furnace, this issue we bring you Pat Crocker’s feature on fiery fare for your table. With recipes fuelled by chile peppers, Crocker will get your blood running faster as she turns up the heat on late winter dining.

Wow, here we are already a month into 2010, with Chinese New Year just around the corner. Astrologer Neil Somerville predicts that the Year of the Tiger will be a time of change and opportunity.

At this point in the year, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from the rest and relaxation coming up in the next couple weeks. Because this is a double issue, my staff and I get to take a big fat break, which is well deserved by everyone here. Meantime, this has been a truly remarkable year for Vitality Magazine – from a hefty increase in the size of our readership audience, to the publication of many powerful articles (the series on vaccine alternatives continues to get thousands of hits on our website), to the evolution of our staff into a well oiled machine. It’s all good!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much controversy in regards to influenza vaccination as what we’re witnessing now. This is good – controversy makes you think. To add to the debate, this month we complete our trilogy of alternatives to vaccination, those that we think are most worthy of consideration. In the September issue we brought you Herbalist Michael Vertolli’s summary of botanical medicines that both prevent and treat H1N1. In October, we published Dr. Zoltan Rona’s prescription for vitamins to address influenza of all varieties, with a specific focus on vitamin D3.

Wow, I’m turning 52 this year and never felt better. Unhindered by the chronic diseases typical of women my age, I’m free to enjoy a fearless midlife. Am I some sort of superhuman who lives a squeaky clean lifestyle? Heck no. I work too hard, play too hard, and have enough bad habits to sink a ship. But what I do have going for me is unrestricted access to the wealth of information, natural health products, and services that Canadians enjoy. These are what keep me healthy, happy, and free of disease every day of the week.

Wow, there’s so much going on in the world of natural health and green living that it’s hard to keep track of it all. But we’re giving it our best shot! From an Events Calendar jam-packed with things to do and places to go, to our Annual Guide to Organics which is literally busting at the seams (we could have put in more but we ran out of room) – this issue will inspire you to get out there and get involved. We are fortunate to live in a province that is bustling with green entrepreneurs and dedicated health professionals who bring a wide array of choices right to our doorstep. And they’re all here in Vitality – ready to share their insights, experience, and tools for healthy living with you.

These are exciting times for green business. Demand for organic food is growing at a rate of 15 to 20% per year (read our scary story on what the mad scientists are doing with GMOs and Biotech and you’ll understand why). What people really want is clean food on their plates and they’re pushing the marketplace to meet this demand. Ontario farmers are working hard to give us what we want, and our job as consumers is to reward them with our loyalty. Every dollar spent on local organic food is an investment not only in our own well-being but also the health of our environment and our local economy. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. And as the global climate becomes more unstable (think hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, and flooding) causing foreign crops to fail, a strong local organic network will ensure that our food supply remains stable.

This month, herbalist Michael Vertolli brings us an updated and expanded version of his popular Summer First Aid feature, which encompasses everything from lavender essential oil for burns to homeopathics for wound healing. Personally, I’d pick homeopathics over drugs any day of the week (especially Traumeel for stubbed toes or post-surgical swelling and Rescue Remedy for sudden shocks, accidents, and emotional upsets). Armed with Vertolli’s recommended remedies, you can create a personalized tool kit that will get you through the summer with ease.

Linda Gabris adds a new twist to barbecue season with her Fruits and Berries on the Grill feature in this issue. This will be of great interest to vegetarians eager to add flare to summertime meals, as well as carnivores ready to experiment with new combinations.

And Chinese Medicine specialist Tom Fung brings us his take on preventing and treating cancer using strategies from the Far East. I find this a good reminder that conventional Western medicine is not the only choice when dealing with life threatening disease, so it’s worth considering alternative treatment methods that have a much longer history. Since most disease arises from chronic inflammation in the body, therapies with the best track record for clearing inflammation should be front and centre in disease recovery.

It’s been a very busy year for Vitality so far, and we’ve had a great time bringing you the best that our community has to offer. Now we’re taking a wee summer break, and will be back (with bells on) in September.

Have a terrific summer,