Why Earth Day Matters with Dr. Kate of Natural Factors
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but unfortunately it looked a little different. A day typically marked by group outdoor activities and education was instead celebrated in our own homes. Ironically, our quarantine has been a gift to the earth. The last two months have shown the self-healing abilities of nature and it’s been a light in this dark season.
Meet Dr. Kate:
On this week’s episode we’re talking with Dr. Kate Rhéaume about the impact a healthy (or unhealthy) world has on us. Dr. Kate is a naturopathic doctor, author, and educational speaker for Natural Factors with a wealth of real world experience. We discuss the impact of the environment on our health, specifically in our food and supplements.
Some Topics We Discuss:
What is Earth Day and why is it important? (2:57)
How can people embrace Earth Day every day? (8:06)
How can you tell if companies are embracing Earth friendly practices? (12:28)
Some key takeaways from this episode:
You can take steps to improve your own health and do it in a way that's planet friendly. (9:30)
By using what nature has provided us, we can see even greater yields in our crops than even using organic approved pesticides. (13:44)
Understand what label claims mean so you can make informed decisions about the products you buy. (18:42)
Products + Resources:
Get Social with Dr. Kate:
Twitter: @DoctorKateND
Facebook: @doctorkatend
Website: https://doctorkatend.com
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Brian Strickland: [00:00:00] This episode is brought to you by Natural Factors. Family-owned Natural Factors is one of the largest manufacturers of nutritional products and is dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements at the fairest prices. They're certified organic farm land located in British Columbia, Canada allows them to have complete control over the entire manufacturing process from seed to finish supplement. To learn more visit Natural Factors.com.
Hey everyone, welcome back to The Holistic Navigator podcast where we believe in the body's capacity for self healing if given the proper nutrients and care. My name is Brian Strickland. I'm the producer of the show and here with me in the studio as always is our host Ed Jones. We're actually recording this episode on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and we're excited to talk to our guest. Dr. Kate Rhéaume. Dr. Kate is a naturopathic doctor author and educational speaker for Natural [00:01:00] Factors. And today, we're spending some time reflecting on the impact that our planet's health has on our own, especially when we consider the importance of clean food sources and supplements. We've got a lot to talk about. So let's go ahead and get started. Here's the host of the show, Mr. Ed Jones.
Ed Jones: Thank you so much Brian for introducing this show. And again, this is Ed with the Holistic Navigator and we're going to speak today about something very important as a little bit off the normal routine of our conversation. We all know April 22nd is Earth Day and it will be the most unusual Earth Day because of the situation at hand in the world, which is kind of locking people down. So we're not having the gatherings and the normal routines that come with that but it's very vitally important that we continue this conversation about the importance of pulling not [00:02:00] just us, but the whole world together on one agenda of saving this planet with reasonable common-sense ideas. And today I have a guest that I've actually told her I've been trying to get her on the show for as long as I have had The Holistic Navigator and even before because she has a great history of training in natural medicines. She’s a naturopathic physician graduate and former faculty member of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine she lectures internationally on so many topics of health and wellness it one of which is on something that's so important in near to dear to my heart is Vitamin K, which we will be talking at a different time about that and its implications on health. But today welcome to The Holistic Navigator Dr. Kate Rhéaume. Welcome to this show.
Dr. Kate : Thank you very much. I'm delighted to be here.
Ed Jones: I want you to really maybe [00:03:00] let's take it from the standpoint of someone whose only modestly understands the term Earth Day and let's go into that as to what it really entails and why we need to really be focusing on that.
Dr. Kate: Well Earth Day, of course an end to this year Earth Day is the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day initiative and it is you know a time for everyone to take a moment, stop consider the planet both on the global level as well as our individual levels because everybody doing their part is what makes the difference to the whole. And of course as you mentioned before this year or today is is quite different than in the past with the state of the world as it is, there won't be gatherings to celebrate that however, this unusual situation does give us an opportunity perhaps to consider our place in the world in a way that we hadn't before. [00:04:01] And maybe make steps and changes going forward that will have a positive impact.
Ed Jones: You know, I truly in my heart of hearts feel that this is a turning that would not have happened without the significant pandemic going on. And I believe a lot of this evolution of attitudes and beliefs are going to be toward the positive. I see already so much introspection from individuals that I speak to about now. For their own health far greater than they used to and with that. They also embrace the fact that we have to have a healthy Earth in order to have a healthy body. And you know, I'm just I'm very optimistic that we are going to enter into a new age that will be beautiful in so many ways. We have to rebuild and will have to help others, but the end result of this will be a shining new place on this Earth. So I hope you others feel that way, but that certainly the way I do.
Dr. Kate: [00:05:02] I agree with you completely. I think sometimes it takes something quite dark for the light to appear in to emerge out of that and you know agreed that this has increased an awareness around health for individuals on a personal level as well as again on the level of the planet and there are a lot of things changing a lot of things in flux, and I think attitudes are shifting in part because of this trends, you know, it's a transformation of sorts. And I agree that I think good things will come out of it and I believe changes will happen not on their own but with intention we have changed the planet and we need to take responsibility for making different choices and changes or for some of us, you know, staying the path. And this is a time. This is a turning point.
Ed Jones: Absolutely and I know that there are so many topics under the umbrella of Earth day that we could bring up. Everything from GMOs [00:06:02] to the bees to the chemicals in our food supplements and make up. In fact my daughter Cady Kuhlman who's been on a couple of my podcasts. She has a Facebook group called Earth Conscious mama, and I just absolutely love it because despite my 41 years of intense study of health and nutrition. She's kind of gone off into the Cosmetic and health and beauty aids. I had no idea of the toxicities that are found in so many chemicals. That are legal in this country, but are not legal in many other countries. But she's kind of opened my eyes to even that category and I know dealing with companies in my industry since 1979, I think this industry the nutritional industry is one of the most ethical and focused types of industries that have the heart of the world at their top of their list of importance and It's not all about profit [00:07:02] by these really ethical companies its profit with Earth protection, with helping individuals, with safety. I just am so proud to be part of this industry and one and I'm not usually people who listen to me. No, I'm not here to really super promote or really plug companies that much I'm this is more about information. But Natural Factors, we got the chance to go up and visit that company. I think it was about two years ago, and I've never been more impressed with.. They have Earth Day every single day at that company. Seeing that farm up there was I mean, I still talk about it today and it's been two years since I went up there. But as far as like if the whole world could like be part of the mentality of Natural Factors, we'd have would have it solved. Let me tell you from the owner down, I saw that mentality and I could not be more impressed. So what you know, tell me a little bit more about how people [00:08:02] can like journey into this not Earth Day just on Earth Day, but kind of take into themselves this this important topic and life changing story that we're talking about.
Dr. Kate: Well, it can be quite an individual journey to begin with, you know, the reason one of the main reasons why I pursued my path in medicine as a naturopathic doctor was to practice medicine in conjunction with nature. And I think every individual can take charge of their own health in a way that is conjunction with nature and how their body works through the use of natural health products. And you know, the importance, of course, there is that the products are well made that, you know, you can trust the quality of them as well as things that you know, maybe happening beyond the label that you can't tell from a label. So it's I know what you mean when you said you had the any to go up [00:09:02] I presume to the Farms whole earth and sea farms in Kelowna, which they are nestled in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and it's a place that's difficult to capture in words that you really have to experience it, but we'll try to capture some of that but it really speaks to the seed to table and seed to bottle approach of supplements that actually also starts in the soil and has so much more that goes with it. But ultimately the point here is that you can take steps to improve your own health and do it in a way that's planet friendly.
Ed Jones: And you worded exactly right things that are beyond the label and I learned so much two years ago standing on that farm listening and I wish I remembered the gentleman's name. I'm sure you probably know it is very strong foreign accent.
Dr Kate: I’m guessing it’s Jan Slava.
Ed Jones: Yes, and he mesmerised myself and so many in that group about the songs [00:10:02] he was singing about the connection of nature to the end result of the plant, which then feeds the end result of human health. And I came back from that trip so wired up and convinced that this is giving me a new energy and path to help educate other people. And the fact that, like, their green drink alone, which I absolutely love, I recommend totally and I really kind of say when people come in and say ask me about green drinks. I say there's really only two companies that I just I really don't really trust anybody but these two and of course Natural Factors is number one. I said I've been to the farm. I've watched and I listened to how these plants were, I won't say the word babied, but they were like respected to the level that I've never seen and that respect is what produced the end result of healthy phytochemicals. Phytochemicals or why we drink [00:11:02] green drinks. These are not nutrients like vitamins. They're actually a whole different class that allows plants these molecules allow plants to be more disease-free, live longer, be healthier, be more robust. It's because of phytochemicals. Well, guess what? When we eat these or we drink these we're getting many of the same benefits. Again, you go back to the concept of Earth Day. This can't happen if you have a very only profit driven system. The only thing important is the end result. How much can we grow and how much can we say? Those are okay to have as your concept, but if that's the only concepts you're not going to have the complexity of nature that you speak about and I love the fact that you said, you know, you went into medicine and basically to combine medicine in conjunction with nature. nd there's so many people who don't really respect nature anymore in some conventional settings, and it's [00:12:02] very frustrating. But I have a hard time seeing how they cannot be convinced of the medicinal value of nature but yet they're out really saying Earth Days are really important. We should be protecting the Earth, but then they're not doing the other but I'm just ranting what so forgive me. So what again are there different like certifications or other things that can tell a consumer that this company is connected to this kind of conversation?
Dr. Kate: There are ways to tell that. Now I'd have to check the labels whether for example, some of the initiatives above and beyond the farm so I should probably back up a little bit. So we were talking about, you know, Whole Earth and Sea Farms which is this 1,000 Acres of organic farm land which was originally established almost four decades ago to grow initially was to grow echinacea because the Natural Factors company owner realized that once echinacea dries it quickly [00:13:02] lose its active ingredients. The idea was to be able to grow echinacea that could be fresh extracted at the processing facility right down the street from the farms, which is now our liquid encapsulation and soft gel, excuse me liquid extraction and softgel encapsulation facility. But of course having so much land it's possible to grow many other things and now many of the foods that go into the whole earth and sea products such as the multivitamins and the bone building formulas for example, as well as the the greens and proteins and greens many of the foods that go into those are grown on factors farms. And it is a labor of love as you know, you were able to witness which starts from the ground up and this has a ripple effect on the environment around it. And so because for example natural pest control is employed. So instead of spring even the allowable. Check [00:14:02] pesticides and herbicides. In fact those are not used in favor of little frogs and ladybugs. And these of course have a ripple effect on the local flora and fauna, the birds that can then eat those creatures and you can still have extremely high yields and do something that is giving back to the earth. And the level of this thick rich soil, which I'm sure you were able to see increases year by year rather than being depleted with this kind of a system. Now a nice byproduct of this is that studies have shown that growing by organic means because of the little nibbles from the bugs and you know symbiotic creatures in the area, you will have an increase in fact in those phytonutrients and those antioxidants because that's what the plants produce to protect themselves from those creatures and as a by-product for us it ends up making [00:15:02] those plant foods more nutritious. So that is a wonderful relationship that again you can't tell from the label.
Ed Jones: Absolutely, you cannot because labels are informative but they're also straight marketing and that's the way there's nothing wrong with that. And I remember the story that the gentleman told when I was on the farm and we were sitting next to this huge, huge tree that was gorgeous. I don't know trees well enough to know what kind it was kind of like a willow but it was I think he said a hundred plus years old or whatever and he was speaking about the fact that on one type of plant they were going to harvest that they have methods to determine what time will the phytochemical content be at its peak. And this one particular plant may have been echinacea. I'm not sure show that it would be at its peak about 2:30 a.m. in the morning. Well Natural Factors being the company they are [00:16:02] they pulled their true crew out early. They pick the plant between three and six because they knew once the sun came up there would start to be decreasing levels of this phytochemical. And I'm thinking what company ever have I heard that has done this. I know there may be others but I've never seen one in person. So, you know, I came back from that just really a changed attitude about how I look at food, how they grow , the supplements and how companies are harvesting these things. And I think there's some things, you know vitamin C and other certain nutrients. We're just going to have to just be willing to say okay they came from somebody else. We don't know how they're grown, but they have active ingredients but not when it comes to things like whole food and whole food multiples ,and the green drinks. Those we can't leave to that chance. And I watched that film going on an airplane about a year ago called Big Little Farm. And I think that's the name. Have you seen that? [00:17:03] Okay, it says this couple and they basically did exactly what Natural Factors did. They revered the land they set up a balanced equilibrium system. So that one system balances the other system and it was one of the greatest little films I've ever seen and I encourage my listeners to watch so I think it's called Big Little Farm that did come out of my foggy thinking at this moment, but I think it is true. And you know, I love the fact that you said the ripple effect because that is what happens whether it be positive or negative when you grow foods based on respect for the earth just like we're talking about on Earth Day. We are going back to respecting the various levels of Earth that are at the beginnings of it. You don't fix things at the end by pretty packaging or throwing something together. The nature and Earth know. They're the magicians on how to put these things together for us to harvest that we have to be, you know building [00:18:03] this Earth structure instead of tearing it down and that's of course what Earth days about is what natural factors, I know there's super committed to that and I just, you know can't say enough about the fact that I'm thrilled that we're talking about it and and I do believe again because of the change going on. This is the time that I will be the game changer for Earth Day. I think from now on it's going to just get better and better about respect for this Earth.
Dr. Kate: Absolutely great. And you know what I realized that earlier you asked me, how can you tell some of these things and some way from looking at the label and I went as I was responding. I got a bit transported away in my mind to the farms and the big willow tree and I don't think I really got around to answering that question. We were talking about more things behind the label, but for people who do want to get a more concrete sense of this, there's two things that you can see on a Natural Factors label to respond to your question as well. As for example, the Whole Earth and sea products one [00:19:03] is something called ISURA. It's a little flower. In fact, it's a little echinacea flower and the word is ISURA as well as an indication about the Plant A Seed and See What Grows. So the Plant A Seed and See What Grows Foundation does speak to some of the initiatives beyond the products even beyond the farms that help provide opportunities for people to experience seed to table food cycle. And help preserving with original seed strains and helping feed people who are micronutrient deficiency, for example. So a portion of the sale of all of the whole earth and sea sarms products does go to this Foundation. You can find out more about it at seewhatgrows.org as well as then the other side of this is the ISURA. ISURA is in fact a third party verification that shows that you are getting [00:20:03] exactly what it says on the label and nothing else that would be unwanted or surprising and this includes GMOs that the product are GMO free as well as contaminants above and beyond the even strict Canadian guidelines since these products are produced in Canada, but above and beyond those guidelines. This is technology that can test for say maybe trace pesticides that might have come in from you know, if this is not a product that is completely produced from you know ingredients on the farm if it's coming in from somewhere else, can we guarantee it says organic, but can that be guaranteed? And the ISURA symbol is another thing that people can find on the label of a product that helps speak to a bit these processes that are going on behind the scenes.
Ed Jones: You know, you are allowing me to bring back some of my memory of that trip because I now remember going into the scientific part of the buildings and the professors [00:21:03] or the head technicians were explaining about how many products raw material wise will be tested by Natural Factors that they kick out. They send it back because of trace contaminants of many types. It could be less potency of the active ingredient, could be the chemicals the pesticides, the GMOs, all of that together they are so strict that they're sending back. I don't know what percent but a decent percent of product will guess what people is not being thrown away. Those products are simply being purchased by someone else who doesn't live by those standards and that's why we have to have people or companies or assurances that vet the products that we take nutritionally. And you know, our main sponsor here is is Nutrition World at nutritionw.com. And Nutrition World has vetted all of these products. They will never sell anything that would not be on the level that we are speaking about. So this one [00:22:03] of the few companies around that I know that are not doing it just to sell a product is doing it to market the right product to the right people because they need help and they want I want you know people to always have good information. So that's why I'm speaking about it. And you know, we vote with our dollars today. We've always voted with our dollars, but it's even more Important at this time. So I want to you know, again if people listen to me, they know I'm rarely plug a company Natural Factors is premiere on every level not just a few of them. And you know, I didn't get this from a rep telling me I visited the company for five straight days and I can tell people across the board. You never have to worry not one single thing. Do you have to be concerned about with purity and with Natural Factors, and I love you know, so many of their products from the greens, to the proteins, to the multivitamins, to everything including the non food supplements. They just still have the highest [00:23:03] ethics anything else you'd like to say in closing my friend about Earth Day or leave the people with one last message?
Dr. Kate: Well, if this is such a wonderful topic to discuss because you know this aspect these things that go along, you know behind the scenes at the farms is not something that I do get to get into very often. So it's such a pleasure to be able to speak to you about it as well. Since you have been there and seen it for yourself. But I think this you know, it goes back to our beginning point that people can take steps to take charge to improve their own health and do it in a way that is in alignment with the planet and part of that is knowing a little bit more about the background of the natural health products you're choosing since they're not all made equally and so thank you for the opportunity to sort of share this information and bring it to the Forefront
Ed Jones: And thank you, Dr. Kate Rhéaume and we will be talking to you very soon about my other big thing, which is Vitamin [00:24:03] K and it's so super importance in the health of individuals. I've just been so thrilled that we could bring into a different conversation in about respect and companies and quality because you know, if you do something or you purchase a product. And like you could buy some tires for your car. That would be less than maybe say average and you're going to be okay. Probably you're going to build a drive from point A to point B, and they may wear out quicker, but generally they're going to be okay. That's not true with nutritional supplements and or other health products. We are trying to maintain an optimal health and if we if we've never seen that before, I think the public has now fully realized that a healthy immune system is key to longevity and not having diseases that will be devastating to us. And I've said this so many times before in the past two months everybody listening. We've all had if we're [00:25:03] my age we've all had at least a hundred viral infections may be hundreds throughout our life. Guess what cured it people? Your own immune system did it so it makes total sense. Let's build our immune system because it will weaken with age. Let's do it with quality information and quality products. So Natural Factors again is the company I'm speaking about and I so appreciate all your time Dr. Kate today and everyone listening tune in next time for another informative type of information that I think will help everyone. And I say this probably every other podcast. I separate the world into two classes of people: Learners and non Learners. I'm sorry, but the non Learners are going to be at a real disadvantage with their health because they're relying so often on a fix-It person or plan that doesn't involve building the health of the body. We're here to help you do that we’re your partners along this journey. Thank you everyone. This is Ed at The Holistic Navigator. [00:26:06]
Brian Strickland: The information on this podcast in the topics discussed have not been evaluated by the FDA or any one of the medical profession and is not aimed to replace any advice you may receive from your medical practitioner. The Holistic Navigator assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or listener of these materials. The Holistic Navigator is not a doctor or doesn't claim to be please consult your physician before beginning any health regimen.