Honour Thy Mother

May, the month that honours mothers, is my favourite month. As a mother of four grown children and two grandsons, I take this time not only to celebrate my own mom but also to enjoy watching my oldest daughter's motherhood as well.

In North America, the first Mother's Day proclamation was issued by the governor of West Virginia in 1910, and by 1912, Mother's Day was recognized around the globe. Honouring thy mother begins with respecting the body she gave you and the earth where our food grows.

As I look at my own beautiful, grown daughters I know I have taught them about love and fairness and, most importantly, about their health. They know I had strong convictions about not having them vaccinated, not allowing the dentist to put fluoride on their teeth, not using antibiotics except for absolute emergencies, and avoiding toxic soda pop. Sometimes it was hard for them. Like the time a health nurse told my youngest daughter that "her mother must not love her very much for not vaccinating her with hepatitis B in grade nine," or the dental hygienists telling them at six years old that "if they did not get fluoride, they would have cavities that needed drilling and fillings." Today, my heart smiles when I hear them tell their friends about all the natural treatments that can be used to heal what ails. The natural health message stuck to my daughters and they are now telling others an important message when you know the disease statistics for women.

Yes, we are living longer, but are we living healthier? Our rates of breast cancer in North America are increasing. In the 1960s, one in 20 women developed breast cancer. Today, it is one in eight. Ovarian cancer is a silent killer. Cervical cancer is epidemic. Osteoporosis affects one in four women. As many women as men are now troubled with heart disease. Estrogen was recently listed as a cancer-causing agent and many women have been taking this drug for decades. Each day we are bombarded by environmental estrogens and other toxins that not only increase our risk of developing cancer but also upset the delicate balance of female hormones causing endometriosis, infertility, ovarian cysts, menstrual irregularities, learning disorders in our babies and much more. Young girls are being prescribed birth control pills to improve their skin and yet few are told it causes B-vitamin deficiency, increases their risk of breast cancer and blood clots, and affects their ability to become pregnant later in life. Canada has one of the highest rates of hysterectomy in the world, and researchers have discovered most are not medically necessary. We have to take charge of our health and learn what is really causing all these conditions and how to prevent and treat them without dangerous drugs and unnecessary surgery.

Mothers, we must unite and start to teach our daughters about safer cosmetics, vitamins and minerals, and food. Not just food to feed our hungry belly, but food that heals, prevents and treats all these female problems. Remember, we are role models for our daughters. We teach them by example and then they teach their daughters. alive is dedicated to celebrating women's health. Each issue has several features on women's health and safer, healthier options for everything from deodorant to mammograms. Pass along alive to your mom, daughters, sisters and friends. Honour thy mother and thyself each and every day!