After the global celebration of Earth Day, I’m struck anew by the lack of official acknowledgement or even general discussion about the inextricable relationship between the state of Earth’s environment and our own health. It’s a grand missed opportunity to expand the ranks of newly awakened Earth stewards.

People are moved to action by things important and close to them. So the need is to clearly understand the proven links between individual health and the extinction of plants and animals, pesticide-laden genetically engineered food crops, toxic fossil fuel carbon emissions, degradation of our oceans and fresh water supplies, polluted air and the ramifications of producing and eating meat. Each has multiple layers of cause and effect, and we haven’t even touched on the economic fallout.

The next step is to promote intelligent discussion and understanding of alternative, eco-friendly, natural healing modalities and sustainability protocols. All serve to remind us that God our Creator is the master environmentalist and physician. He created a healthy self-sustaining planet, as history has well proved, until rampant overpopulation, poisonous chemicals and destruction of resources launched a downward spiral.

Many of us come to terms with these connections during our own or a loved one’s health crisis. It was during personal treatment for breast cancer at Miami Beach’s Mount Sinai Women’s Center that I finally sat up and listened to the facts, absorbed their meaning for me and moved to rid my immediate environment of harmful toxins.

I banned the Clorox that I had used to clean and disinfect everything. I switched to natural sweeteners because processed sugar breeds cancer. I stopped using pesticides and unnatural fertilizers which get tracked from the lawn into our home. These days, I seek out foods, products, resources and remedies that are more a part of nature.

As publisher of the Metroplex’s green, healthy and sustainable living magazine, I daily encounter information, professionals and resources that make it ever clearer how green living is healthy and healthy living is green. I have hope because cancer treatment and prevention are at the worldwide forefront of integrative medicine that is based on the mind-body and health-environment connections.

Thus, we are pleased to share our groundbreaking Rethinking Cancer issue in the hope that its thought-provoking approach may be life-changing for you and your loved ones. In addition to our national feature articles on “Rethinking Breast Health” and “Journey to Health,” we have contributions from some of our foremost local practitioners. Thanks go to Dr. Constantine Kotsanis and the Kotsanis Institute, the experts at Baylor Health Sammons Cancer Center and The Cancer Treatment Center of America and Naturopath Jennifer Trejo, of Abundant Life Wellness Center.

As always, we hope you are moved to action by something you read in this month’s issue and that at a minimum you will pay more attention to the ingredients of the products you let into your home and body. Thank you for letting Natural Awakenings of Dallas-Fort Worth into your life.

Blessings,

Bernice Butler, Publisher