It was a smaller than usual Wise Traditions Conference this year – some say because of the presidential election and others say that it was just more difficult to get to Montgomery, Alabama. I enjoyed it because it felt more intimate.
There were so many talks to choose from so I will share just a few tidbits from the ones I attended.
Morning Movement
One of my favorites was the early morning movement class with Kim Thompson. This year she incorporated a new movement called Integrative Positional Therapy that incorporates stretching, slackening and strengthening of the different muscles to help realign the body to relieve pain. It made so much sense and I felt a big difference in my body after attending the classes.
Ask the Practitioner Panel
During the “Ask the Practitioner” panel there were many interesting questions. One question was regarding seed oils: black currant seed oil was recommended for eczema. Andreas Seed Oils were highly recommended because of how gently they are treated – Andreas recommends mixing fresh flax oil with quark (it sounds like the Budwig Protocol). The oils that Dr Cowan recommended from the Andreas Seed oils were the black cumin seed and the coriander seed oils. Sally Fallon suggested reading Chris Masterjohn’s article on oils called ‘Precious Yet Perilous’.
Another question was regarding insomnia: the recommendations were for linden tree gemmo, a few drops before bed and Amla C tablets.
Karen sitting in a relaxing sauna in the exhibitor room. There are so many interesting vendors at the conference.
Asher Cowan of Dr. Cowan’s Garden vegetable powders.
Broth, of course.
Dr. Cowan talking about his new book, Human Heart Cosmic Heart. He offers a new way of understanding the heart (i.e. the heart is not a pump) and what it means to love and be human in our world today.
Saturday banquet menu.
Nina Teicholz talked about The Big Fat Surprise, her book about the politics of nutrition. She showed how misinformation about saturated fats and cholesterol became accepted in the scientific community for so many years and how the scientific studies now show that more dietary fat, including saturated fats, leads to better health.
Fueling the Ancestral Athlete
Ben Greenfield suggested that raw milk is a good workout recovery fuel. Foods for athletes – bone broth, bone marrow, sea salt, eggs, organ meats, soaked seeds and nuts, coconut oil, chia seeds and pemmican. He eats his carbs at the end of the day. And he suggests far infrared saunas for workout recovery, specifically the ClearLight Sanctuary sauna.
How the Immune System Works
Tetyana Obukhanych was a fascinating and knowledgeable speaker about the immune system. AMPs, antimicrobial peptides, are our natural antibiotics. They destroy pathogens and are induced by Vitamin D. A study showed that Vitamin D supplementation decreases the incidence of the flu in school children. She said that fever is an SOS signal – it notifies the branch of the immune system to step up responsiveness – and that sugar decrease our immune response for 5 hours and that Tylenol depletes glutathione which is crucial for the immune system. Raw milk replenishes glutathione.
Homeopathy for the Early Years
Kate Birch suggests that disease always starts in the vital force (the glue between the body and the spirit). Increased morning sickness is caused by an overly toxic body so protects the baby.
By Karen Hamilton-Roth