Food Therapy at the College of Metaphysics Eating for Health and Vitality

by Dr. Christine Madar

Eating foods grown locally and in season was a way of life for nearly everyone in this country 100 years ago.  Very few people live this way in the current time period.  The College of Metaphysics is an institute of higher learning; one of the standards that is upheld is living in harmony with Universal Law.  Since the College was founded, we have tended our own organic garden with fresh foods and herbs, nurtured a fruit orchard, raised free-range animals, made our own cheese and butter, and dedicated two days each week of eating only fruits and vegetables.  We pick wild berries from the land and brew teas from wild plants such as plantain and dandelion.

The last weekend of May marked a monumental moment in the history of the College of Metaphysics when Dr. Fred Weaver and his wife Sandy Weaver, heads of the Tao Academy in Kansas City, came to teach a class on Oriental Medicine, including Qui Gong and food therapy.  Their teaching took our knowledge of how to use food for healing to a whole new level.  All food has an energetic quality.  Some foods are aggressive or yang in nature like beef, chicken and hot spices such as cayenne pepper and garlic.  Some food is receptive or yin in nature like limes, watermelon and bananas.  There are also neutral foods like apples and eggs. The science of understanding these energies is well established in traditional oriental medicine.

Food affects the energy of the meridians in our physical body.  Each meridian comprises a wholistic view of an aspect of life.  Sound, taste, emotion, climate, direction, color, numbers, organs tones, seasons and the elements of metal, wood, fire, water and earth are all incorporated into studying and balancing energy in each meridian.  For instance with the fire element the sound is laughing, the emotion is joy, the climate is heat, the season is summer and the taste is bitter.  Learning what foods aid in balancing the element of fire in the body aids one to harmonize with the natural cycle of energy in the body.  Interestingly these same principles are used in Feng Shui, an ancient and increasingly popular system of creating a smooth flow of energy in physical structures like houses and office space. (see related article)

We are enjoying incorporating our growing knowledge of food therapy into daily life at the College of Metaphysics.  Students and faculty have discovered that eating this way consciously requires less food and provides an even and sustained flow of energy throughout the day.  Those who come to campus for extended learning weekends such as Spiritual Focus Sessions or student events are sure to benefit from our growing awareness.•

I asked Dr. Weaver for help with our 17 month old daughter, Vivienna, who had extreme reactions to bug bites.  Mosquito bites swelled to the point that she was unable to bend her fingers and one bite caused her eye to swell shut.  I had tried pure essential oils, homeopathy and other natural remedies to aid in the discomfort.  These approaches had minimal or adverse effects.  Dr. Weaver suggested applying peppermint tea topically.  Additionally we should let her drink some of the tea because peppermint soothes inflammation.  This is the kind of “common sense” suggestion that is the heart of food therapy.  I began to apply the tea whenever she had new bite and to my surprise, when I offered her some to drink, she drank the entire cup.  When I do this, the bites do not swell at all.   The effect is dramatic and I have found it to be the most effective cure for basic summer bug bites!