Farmacology, by Dr Daphne Miller

Good health is built from the ground up. Literally, according to a new book titled Farmacology by Dr. Daphne Miller. Her book provides an insightful view on sustainable health and healing which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a well-written narrative of the health of our food systems as related to the well-being of our body- each regarded as complex, dynamic organisms requiring holistic maintenance and treatment.

After visiting seven family farms across the US, each chapter draws links between common ailments such as asthma, stress, and cancer, and the types of food we put in our body as means of treatment (and how 'non-foods' are often a root of these problems).

As a writer, I appreciated Dr. Miller's intelligent, yet user-friendly writing style. Her humor, sentiment, and personal anecdotes from "down on the farm" interjected with discussions of scientific medical research makes this a fascinating read for anyone interested in whole food, agriculture, and healthy living.

Dr Miller's holistic approach to wellness seems like total common sense. Eat seasonal. Eat local. Eat food that comes from farms where the earth, plants, and animals are treated with respect and care. Every time I navigate through our neighborhood's monstrous grocery store, I wonder how many people actually eat 'real food'. I even wonder where most of the produce comes from. Despite having beautiful and sometimes exotic vegetables piled high for row upon row, most of it isn't farmed locally- let alone in-state. "Garbage in. Garbage out." We really do become what we eat. I can't recommend this book enough for Dr. Miller's valiant effort to bridge medical and ecological sciences into a thoughtful take on the relationship our bodies have to the earth.

The timing of this book couldn't have come at a better time as I launch Seasoned Travels, a Columbus-based culinary tourism company dedicated to preserving, exploring, and building culinary traditions and cultural heritage. I have been in touch with Dr. Miller (Twitter) who is a physician and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Fran. She graciously agreed to let me pick her brilliant brain as many of our Seasoned Travels tours nod heavily toward agritourism and meeting food producers. We are planning some interesting farm-to-fork itineraries to Northern California with hopes of having Dr. Miller speak to our group. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned for this and until then, get yourself a copy of Farmacology, plant a garden, and get to know your local food producers! You are what you eat.