Although making up 13 percent of the population, African Americans own less than 1 percent of the rural land in the United States. White Americans, however, own a staggering856 million acres, which is about 98 percent of all rural property in the United States. Wild, right? So it's not crazy when I say that communities of color, low-income residents and other historically marginalized groups have traditionally faced barriers to accessing nature. That's why Ancestral Health Radio is dedicated to, and promotes, inclusivity and social justice through transitional lifeways. Because it's the most disadvantaged and powerless people in our societies who are most likely to be affected by rising fuel and food prices, resource shortages and extreme weather events. We want to increase the chances of all groups in society to live well, healthily and with sustainable livelihoods. We have to accept that although much progress has been made, there is much more work that needs to be done. And most ...
Is the first person to live to 1,000-years-old,alive today?And if that's true, what does that inevitably mean for the future of the human condition? One of the world's leading anti-aging researchers, Aubrey De Grey, (and strangely—my neighbor) believes that to be 100% true. Because, well, Aubrey's the one who said it. And if what Aubrey saysistrue, would you then believe Arthur C. Clarke's third law, which states: Any sufficiently advanced technology isindistinguishablefrom magic? Meaning that modern technology can seem like literal witchcraft to the ignorant, or simple science to the learned. Popular mystery writer, Agatha Christie, once wrote, "The supernatural is only the natural of which the laws are not yet understood." And I agree. However... Are we metaphorically "summoning the demon," as tech mogul Elon Musk fears? The Guardian published an article on former vice-president of user growth for Facebook—one you may have read or, at the very least, heard about in November of 2...
Did you know that some scientists say that oaks produce more nuts annually thanevery other nut tree—both wild and commercial—combined? Nuts, right? (Yeah, yeah—laugh it up. The pun was intended.) Acorns, or oak nuts, are nutritional powerhouses. Depending on the species, a single acorn can contain up to 18% fat, 6% protein, and 68% carbohydrate—with the rest just being water, minerals, and gut-healthy fiber. Acorns are also great sources of both vitamins A and C, as well as having a long list of essential and nonessential aminos acids. With those numbers, it’s easy to understand why the native people here in California never resorted to agriculture and why—interestingly—they never spoke of—or created traditions for—famine. To speak more about this abundant wild food, I'm excited to introduce to you someone I've mentioned many times on Ancestral Health Radio before: Daniel Vitalis. I waited for what seemed like a couple years for this interview... Which, by the way, is a sol...
Think about this for a second:More Americans hunt and fish than play baseball. What a trip, right? That's more than38 millionAmericans. And if that doesn't surprise you, this will: Hunting—overall—brought in more revenue ($38.3 billion) than Google ($37.9 billion) or the Goldman Sachs Group ($36.8 billion). Now ask yourselfthisquestion: "Why don'tIhunt?" Really think about this for a second. Mull it around for a few minutes, hours, days, whatever. But really think. Is it because of the blood, guts, and sinew? Is it your ethics or morality?Is it the fact that you live in a city or suburb and feel like you don't have access to the wild spaces needed to hunt? Or, maybe, it's as simple as a lack of money for all that expensive new gear. Whatever your reason, hunting is a huge undertaking in and of itself. Period. And for the novice not accustomed to growing-up in the hunting lifestyle, the process of learning and developing this fundamental life-skill can seem downright intimidating. ...
Is it possible to heal trauma in our personal and family lives by connecting with our well, deceased ancestors? Well... Provided you possess a beginner’s mindset equipped with the right animistic framework, my guest today, Dr. Daniel Foor ofAncestralMedicine.org, would say yes—you absolutely can. This week, Daniel and I delve into practical animism: where ritual and ceremony are used as tools for personal, family, and cultural healing. A few months ago I was surprised to receive an early copy of Daniel's magnum opus, aptly titledAncestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. Since then, I've probably recommended Daniel's book to nearly all my closest rewilding friends. Why? Partly because trauma—and ways we heal from trauma—was central to many of the topics shared at this year's first annual North American Rewilding Conference. It’s also worth mentioning that Daniel’s work was brought up several times throughout the two-and-a-half-day experience. So, without furt...
Have you ever thought of starting a homestead on your journey towards ancestral health? How about composting or gardening? Well... Today is a special opportunity to help a community member whose passion is about dismantling the industrialization of people and food through the acquisition of abundant, sustainable, and regenerative homesteading skills. Enter: John Moody ofSteader.com. John and I share a very similar mission, in that we understand there are skills and wisdom that need to be shared from the first-hand experience of elders within our community. And that today is an amazing opportunity to support a movement that helps build the groundwork for those to come. In today's episode, you'll learn... Why John says he doesn't think you should be able to deal with health and nutrition if you have not readthisbook, John and Jessica's 18-month transformation and simple weekly strategy that helped them both go from your typical standard Americans to what some might call the crunchy-hi...
Can agriculture be a sustainable path forward? This is the main question surrounding today's episode: Can we use the same technology that, arguably, has been one of the single-most destructive advents in the epoch of human history to move or usher us forward into a time where we're projected to hit an all-time population density of 9.5 BILLION people by 2050? With global desertification, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreats, decreased snow cover, rising sea levels, declining arctic sea ice, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events… What tools do we have at our disposal? How can we make an impact where it seems like none can be made? That's what we're here to find out. And why, in today's episode, my guest Doniga Markegard shares with us: Her amazing story of triumph as a child being taught traditional ecological knowledge through an experimental wilderness school in the Pacific Northwest, What holistic planned grazing is and what that means for the future o...
Did you know... That the average woman uses 12 products per day containing over 168 ingredients (absorbing close to 4 and a half pounds of toxic chemicals a year)... A man goes through 6 products with 85 ingredients... A child is exposed to 5 products with 61 ingredients... Whilst a teenage girl is exposed to a whopping 17 products with over 230 ingredients, every day... Most of which are untested, unsafe, and scientifically and clinically unproven. -- That's why it's important we pay close attention to what we putonour bodies just as much as what we putinour bodies, because, well... Not all products are created equal. Enter today's guest: Nadine Artemis. Nadine and her husband Rob run Living Libations, which is one of the premiere natural body care companies on the market. Nadine's cosmetic creations exceed the recommendations for the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices; use clear legitimate labeling;offer the highest quality oils and natural ingredients;are globally responsible; an...
Guys, listen up... About every two weeks, another language dies.Or, perhaps, a dialect. There are over 231 completely extinct languages and 2,400 of the world’s languages are considered to be in danger of dying out. That's why today's guest—Willem Larsen of the College of Mythic Cartography—joins me on the Season 2 Premiere of Ancestral Health Radio. Willem shares ways at how to look at story and language from an indigenous people perspective and how, if we wish to be heard in today's culture, the types of stories we need to build for ourselves. In today’s episode, you’ll learn: How story enriches and illuminates our land, The error of identity and the impact language can have on our perception of self, How American Sign Language can help you become a better tracker and storyteller, and... Much, much more... Episode Breakdown Willem shares the origins of his tracking career, 10 years prior to the College of Mythic Cartography How two authors challenged Willem to question his pe...
Did you know that more than an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease? And up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Crazy, right? Not only that, but women are five to eight times more likely to develop thyroid problems than men. And one in eight women will develop some form of thyroid disorder during her lifetime. This is just another clear example of an evolutionary mismatch disease... And the problem with trying to heal yourself and your thyroid is that most of the information will have you running in circles, including the (mis)information from the one you're supposed to trust the most—your doctor. That's why I'm excited to have Elle Russ—host of the wildly popular Primal Blueprint Podcast and author of The Paleo Thyroid Solution: Stop Feeling Fat, Foggy, and Fatigued at the Hands of Uninformed Doctors—join me on today's episode of Ancestral Health Radio. Elle and I discuss how you, the audience, can reclaim your ...