talkin’ ‘bout sports medicine, herbs for young people and healing the earth
David Crow, author of In Search of the Medicine Buddha, is an acupuncturist and herbalist who travels the world supporting a vision of grassroots healthcare, sustainable use of botanical medicine and restoration of global ecology through indigenous systems of healing including Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. In order to learn more about the present – and future of botanical medicines and youth involvement in health and wellness – YAP staffers sat down with David Crow. (Pictured, below at the Learning Garden)
Frank C. Prater: What is the mission of Floracoepia?
David Chow
David Crow: Our mission is to increase the health consciousness of society, provide high-quality plant-based medicines, alleviate the suffering of poverty, restore and protect the environment and biodiversity and to replant the global garden.
Radha Ruiz: What are the hidden gems in the overall purpose of Floracoepia that we fail to see?
DC: Every herb and essential oil contains an entire history of use and a wide variety of medicinal functions that humanity is rapidly forgetting. Every medicinal plant offers the potential for alleviating poverty. Every plant is useful for purifying the environment.
RR: In what way do you involve youth in your work?
DC: I am the cofounder of The Learning Garden at Venice High School in Los Angeles. This is a school garden that offers opportunities of education in the organic cultivation of foods and medicinal plants, and the opportunity to study outside in a healthy environment. I also give lectures to many groups of people about the benefits of natural medicine, including students of all ages and grades.
FCP: Is there a dramatic difference between working with adults and youth?
DC: People of all ages are very similar: some are open-minded and progressive and interested in health consciousness, and some are not. However, when it comes to healing the body, younger people have more vitality and can regenerate from illness and injuries faster than the elderly. However, many young people are more easily influenced by peer pressure in areas such as dietary habits.
RR: How may your practices and herbs be applied towards the field of sports medicine?
DC: Acupuncture, massage, essential oils, herbs, nutrition and diet can all be used beneficially for enhancing performance, preventing injuries and treating injuries. Each of these is used differently, both preventively and therapeutically.
FCP: In what ways can an athlete benefit from these remedies?
DC: The various types of natural medicines work in a variety of ways, which could be summed up as enhanced circulation, improved muscle tone, strength and flexibility, improved nutritional status, increased coordination, stronger functioning of the nervous system, improved concentration, relaxation and so forth.
FCP: Is this limited to only certain sports? If so which ones?
DC: All athletes practicing all forms of sports are benefited in various ways from the proper application of the various therapies offered by natural medicine.
FCP: What remedy is effective for athletes who experience knee, hip, back and joint pain?
DC: In general, the combination of sports massage, acupuncture, herbal oils and liniments work well for this problem. These treatments can be enhanced with the internal use of anti-inflammatory herbs and nutritional supplements. Understanding the cause of the problem from the structural and mechanical viewpoint is crucial, as well as rest. Excessive use of ice should be avoided, and alternated with warming anti-inflammatory liniments.
RR: How fast and how effective are herbal remedies?
DC: There are different types of herbal remedies for different purposes or problems. Some herbs are used for long-term enhancement of strength, endurance and concentration; these herbs have a more gradual effect. Others are used for immediate treatment of injuries, such as liniments, plasters and poultices; these can have an immediate effect. There is a vast body of scientific research and thousands of years of empirical evidence validating the effectiveness of herbal remedies.
RR: How can one go about accessing herbal medicines?
DC: One should consult with qualified practitioners of natural medicine. If one is self-medicating using herbal remedies, [a person] should be highly educated about the specific products and the potential side effects.
FCP: Talk about the common flu what types of herbal remedies are beneficial?
DC: The most important and famous herb for the common cold is Echinacea [Echinaea purpurea or E. angustifolia]. Goldenseal [Hydrastis canadensis] is an important natural antibiotic for the flu. The best treatment and prevention of both are to use essential oils such as eucalyptus, pine, spruce and other trees in diffusers in the home, and to breathe their vapors in steam.
RR: Do you believe that natural medicines are fairly put in the public eye? Why or why not?
DC: There are many negative, misleading and inaccurate medical reports that are the result of the pharmaceutical industry attempting to discredit natural medicine. At the same time, the natural medicine industry also makes misleading and false claims about their products. The consumer has a right to know what natural medicines do and do not do; unfortunately, this often requires a lot of independent research for patients to find out. A good practitioner of holistic medicine should give patients truthful information without trying to sell them unnecessary products and allopathic doctors should know when to recommend natural alternatives.
FCP: What do you think it takes to place natural medicine as the “top” preferred choice for consumers?
The Learning Garden
DC: Natural medicine is already the preferred choice for people who are well-educated and health conscious [about natural medicine]. As more people become more educated about the benefits of natural therapies, this trend will increase.
RR: How would/do you go about convincing young people about the importance and value of natural medicine?
DC: Most young people are not exposed to the benefits of natural medicine, because that information is not part of the educational system. Every school should offer education about the benefits of healthy eating, natural lifestyle and holistic medicine; every school cafeteria should serve healthy food and junk food and sodas should not be sold on campuses. When young people are exposed to this information they will be more interested in using these therapies for themselves, and if they are not, that is their choice.
FCP: Would you say that the future of natural medicine is a bright one?
DC: It is bright in the sense that more and more people will be using natural medicine. Unfortunately, the reason that more people will be using this medicine is because of increasing diseases in our society and lack of effective and nontoxic treatments by modern medicine. The ultimate goal of natural medicine is to educate people about how to prevent illness, and that means that we must have a complete revolution at the medical, educational, economic and ecological levels before we will become a healthy culture.
For more information on Floracoepia or David Crow: www.floracoepia.com.
For more information on the Venice High School Learning Garden: www.thelearninggarden.org.
View the LA YOGA magazine profile of the Learning Garden in the May 2004 issue online at: www.layogamagazine.com.
To read more articles by YAP youth, stay connected with youth on the move, or read back issues, visit www.yapwitus.com.
By Franke C. Prater (21) and Radha Ruiz (17)
