Editorial
Volume 27 Issue 1 — May/June 2021
by Melva Armstrong

We have come through the last blast of winter during spring. We are now looking to enjoy the return of the leaves on the trees and bushes, along with the flowers that we so dearly love.

Many of you will already have been busy planting seedlings inside and are getting ready to put them in the ground. It’s the season that so many of us love to be able to grow our own food. Some will have their own garden and others will join community gardens, and some will have plants in pots on their balcony. Whatever the case may be, I wish you happy gardening.

We are now into year two of the restrictions in the province and around the world. It is extremely hard on everyone. Yet we are all kind, caring people who are finding ways to adjust to these government requirements that keep changing from week to week. In all of these unsettling circumstances, I’m trusting you are managing to cope well and peacefully. I would like things to be back to normal and I keep praying that will happen soon. May you all be finding some sense of comfort and joy amidst the ongoing uncertainties.

I have very much enjoyed working on this issue with all the wonderful people who are part of it, and I thank each and every one of them. It has been fun, and with all the contributions combined, there is a wealth of information inside each page to help you as you navigate your life journey in a whole and healthy way.

You have likely heard of people who travel to distant countries to attend wholistic medical facilities, such as health spas, that offer a wide variety of natural wellness therapies and treatments. The term for this is called “medical tourism,” which is a popular and growing industry. However, much of this activity has currently ceased due to the many travel restrictions. Now, here’s the good news: you can be a medical tourist right here in Saskatchewan! Our feature, written by Sussanna Czeranko, a naturopathic doctor and author of dozens of health-related books and hundreds of articles, is called Be a Medical Tourist in Your Own Backyard (p. 10). Dr. Czeranko runs Manitou Beach Naturopathic Clinic, where she specializes in a large number of naturopathic spa therapies. She writes about the many other offerings that Manitou Beach has to offer, from the healing waters of the lake to the art gallery and Danceland, to live music, Mother nature, plus much more. It sounds perfect for the likes of medical tourists, as well as curious explorers.

It’s garden time on the Prairies, when we have the opportunity to feast on fresh, seasonal, local produce. Hélène Tremblay-Boyko has provided a wealth of local food source nutritional information and growing tips in her article, Here, Look in the Garden Bed (p. 8). She covers the gamut on all the nutrients in the plants and how the local grown kind have the highest quality because they are freshly picked and eaten and haven’t travelled on a truck for days. She’s also included some yummy recipes for all those garden veggies you are growing.

Former food columnist Stacey Tress has popped back into this issue to share her love of one of her favourite garden foods in Spring Greens—Spinach (p. 12). She covers an amazing list of ways to use spinach, describes its nutritional qualities, and tops it off with one of her best recipes.

We have an interesting update on the cannabis industry in Sue Letwin’s article, Let’s Hold Hands and Space Together (p.21). Sue had been studying this industry for a number of years and has her finger on the pulse of it, and at the same time is creating a library of information on this subject. Any questions you may have about cannabis, Sue is the person to contact.

“What can we do to create a world where we feel safe and secure?” asks Michael Stodola in his article, The Medicine for Now and All Times (p. 30). He says there is a wonderful natural world just outside your door and away from the controlling confines of technology. Nature will help us be in balance with the world, he says. But first, he adds, we need to put down our devices, turn them off, leave them inside, and go out into the natural world, which will help us go within to the source of our true being, where we will find the answers.

Be sure to read from cover to cover, as there is so much more in these pages for you to discover and enjoy.

In light and love. Blessed be!

Namaste
(The spirit in me honours the spirit in you)