2000 Spring Herb Conference a Great Success
This year's Spring Herb Conference turned out to be two wonderful days of learning and enjoying friends. Friday was the Nature's Sunshine School of Natural Health, taught by NSP Field Sales Trainer Scott Terry. Greg Halliday, Field Sales Trainer, and Dale Lee, President of U.S. Sales, were also at the School. Attendees said that they all had a wonderful time. Area Manager Sandy Schafer said it was the best one she has gone to. The School ran from 9:00 to 5:00, and at 7:00 on Friday evening the actual conference started at the Comfort Inn with Dale and Mary Myers. Dale earned his Master's Degree with an emphasis on Special Education and Behavioral management from California University of Pennsylvania. He has 26 years of teaching experience in Pennsylvania Public Schools, working primarily with students with ADD/ADHD. He earned his Doctor of Naturopathy degree from Trinity School of Natural Health. Dale also has 10 years of experience using alternative therapies for ADD/ADHD including Herbal Remedies, Nutritional Therapy, Counseling, and Behavioral Management. Dale and his wife Mary, a Certified Nutritional Consultant, work helping parents of ADD/ADHD children develop good parenting skills and learn how to protect their children Dale says, "Stick up for your children." They have written brochure called "ADD from A-Z: A Comprehensive Program for Children and Adults with ADD/ADHD." It includes sections on Characteristics of ADD/ADHD, Biological Bases, Dietary Factors Essential for ADD Children, Do's and Don'ts For Parents, Communicating, and a list of Nature's Sunshine Products for ADD. They stress the importance of a good protein breakfast. They made a lot of time available for questions from the audience.
On Saturday morning we continued the conference at the Washington State Community College with Charlie and Karen Finch, who told the story of Charlie's battle with chemical poisoning. I (Barbara) read his book before the conference, and I was still deeply moved as they told the story. Charlie is only alive because he started this ordeal with a very strong constitution. He went through a terrible struggle, and the main factor that saved his life was his strong desire to change his life and his willingness to do whatever it took to get well. All to often we as people are simply satisfied with settling for the worst and not even trying to learn or to get better. We must not do that! We must learn about what our bodies need and how to take care of this wonderful machine that God has given us to live in. We must work every day to increase our knowledge and improve our health. Charlie and his family and friends are a great example of that very thought. He could have easily quit many times, and most people would simply have said, "I don't blame him for giving up; he was really sick." No, he wouldn?t quit, and his family and friends kept on keeping on. They gave it all they had. With their knowledge and God's help they made it.
If you haven't read their book We Won't Let You Die, it is a "must read" for your own knowledge and to help others with chemical poisoning. More and more, people are suffering with different degrees chemical poisoning. We need to know how to help them. A good cleanse and Environmental Detox is a great start. One of the things that really struck me about Charlie's ordeal was how weak and "out of it" he was. He was totally dependant on others for many months. Sometimes when we are sick or hurting we can't put everything together ourselves. It is good for us to have the natural remedies nearby and the knowledge of how to use them properly, so we don't have to resort to over-the-counter or prescription chemicals. We will feel better, and our bodies will thank us for it. After we took a short break, Dale and Mary Myers came back and spoke about effective communication, and how the using of positive and negative vocabulary affects us and those around us.
After lunch, Karen Finch (a new NSP Regional Manager) spoke some more, giving us the details on how she helped Charlie. She told us about the herbal combination she calls "Charlie's Angeles" — Herbal CA, Passion Flower, and B Complex — very helpful in dealing with stress and chemical detoxification. She also told us how to use a vinegar bath not more than two times a week to draw toxic chemicals from the body: add one quart of raw apple cider vinegar to the bath water and soak for no longer than 20 minutes. Be sure to control the temperature of the water to avoid passing out, and always have an assistant in attendance for safety's sake. Charlie now has to be very careful of what he wears and eats, and he has to stay completely away from all forms of chemicals: he can't be around anyone who wears fragrances of any kind, and he certainly can't get near the cleaning products aisle of the supermarket. Karen stressed the importance of getting and keeping chemicals out of the house and away from Charlie and from us. She also stressed the importance of exercise.
Jonas Yoder had his Rebounder (a mini-trampoline) on the stage and Karen showed us how easy it was to use it for low-impact aerobic exercise. Jonas also demonstrated his dexterity on the Rebounder. Everyone thought his footwork was pretty fancy ? then he turned upside down and bounced on his head for a while. One physically fit man! The Rebounder is easy to use rain or shine — 10 minutes a day seems to do the trick — and easy to store when not in use. Later in the program we also got to hear from Jonas, which is always a pleasure. He gave us some fascinating statistics and shared more about natural health and why supplements are so important. A surprise impromptu speaker was a gentleman from Columbus, Ohio, who happened to be in the audience. When Jonas found out that he was a cancer researcher who had come to the conference to learn about herbal alternatives for health care, he convinced him to speak to the group about current trends in cancer research. Of course, we sent him home with a truckload of information on Nature's Sunshine Products and how they help the body in its fight against cancer.
Dale Lee then spoke for a while about NSP's current "hit parade" of Top-10 products and some of the exciting new things that are going on at home office, including a preview of some of the new products that are scheduled for release this summer. Sandy Shafer always introduces Dale as "the teddy bear of Nature's Sunshine." If you have know Dale for five minutes, you know why Sandy says that. Dale has been with Nature's Sunshine for over 20 years and is currently President of U.S. Sales. His top priority is to help Distributors and Managers — all of us in the field — to help others more effectively. When you ask Dale a question, he listens. NSP Field Sales Trainer Greg Halliday was the next speaker. Greg, who has been with the company about nine years, shared information about the company's new training opportunities.
Area Manager and Certified Natural Health Professional Sandy Schafer was the MC for the conference. She kept everything running smoothly for the weekend. Late on Saturday afternoon we looked around and nobody could find her husband Don Shafer. We heard several people asking about him. Seems he left the conference early to go home and prepare a great dinner for all the speakers and home office people so they could have a home cooked meal before going home. Don enjoys cooking and I am sure all who attended enjoyed the friendship and the wonderful meal. There were also many door prizes at the conference, and most attendees went home with one. Barbara won a can of Vita-Lemon and Rick won a NSP sweat shirt. We visited with old friends and met new ones. Everyone is so willing to share what they have learned about helping people and willing to pass it along. We really hated to see the weekend come to an end. Sandy asked everyone if they wanted to have another Herb Conference next year and everyone was enthusiastically in favor. It is so important for us to have a good education. When people like Sandy Shafer and Jonas Yoder and his family are willing to get great speakers and see that we have great education, it is wonderful. We certainly are making plans to attend next year, and we hope all of you can attend, too. What a blessing!
For additional training
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Charlie Finch's Fig Energy SnackCut the tops off of 20 to 25 black Mission figs and cut then in half lengthwise. In a small mixing bowl, cover the figs with Rice Dream (original, not vanilla flavor) and allow them to soak overnight. In the morning whip them up in the blender. Then add sliced bananas, shredded coconut, and pecans to taste. Add a bit of Rice Dream on top if you wish. Delicious! A good alkaline food. (Charlie says this is "his" energy snack, but Karen claims she got it when she was about 13 years old.)
Check Those Lot NumbersTo ensure quality and potency, NSP places lot numbers on its products. These numbers indicate the manufacture date and are easy to read. Let's use lot #91203859 as an example. The first and last digits (9 & 9) indicate the year the product was made (1999). The second and third digits (12) indicate the production month (December). The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh digits (0385) indicate the batch number (used in QA records). Products manufactured before June 1999 have three-digit batch numbers (seven-digit lot numbers). By looking at the lot number, you can always know exactly when a product was manufactured. As a general rule, if a product were stamped with lot #00203850, it would be good until February 2005 if it were a powdered herb (non-standardized), and until February 2002 if it were a liquid, softgel, standardized extract, or vitamin. At that time, the product doesn't suddenly become worthless. It's just that NSP cannot guarantee potency after that date. The product can still be taken safely, but the dosage may need to be increased. To maximize quality, store your products in a cool, dry area. Heat and humidity degrade products more quickly. Opened liquids should be stored in the refrigerator (if it states so on the label).
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"Nature's Sunshine has always encouraged its members and distributors to become educated about natural health. We believe that the more you learn, the more you can help yourself and others find better ways to become healthy. That's why we're excited to offer the Woodland collection with special direct-cost pricing. I encourage you to educate yourself by obtaining books and other materials now available to you." — Dale Lee, President of U.S. Sales, Nature's Sunshine |
Abundant Living is published somewhat monthly by Abundant Life Herb Shop, 1108 17th Street, Parkersburg, WV, for the Members and Distributors who are helping to make the goal of good health become a reality for all of us. This information is for educational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat disease. If you have a health problem we recommend you consult a competent health practitioner before embarking on any course of treatment. Abundant Living is an independent educational publication and receives no financial support from any herb or health product manufacturer. Copyright © 2000 by R. L. Sawyer and Abundant Life Herb Shop. |