I had a wonderful conversation with a gentleman new to our store.

His world is medical research so exploring a health food store for personal health needs was foreign to him; laboratories, stats, docs and peer reviewed journals are what he knows and trusts. He told me he was taught to dismiss everything else as “anecdotal” and meritless and I appreciated his honesty and his courage to come in. It seems meds weren’t helping him so friends encouraged him to come talk to me and I’m so happy he did!

I told him I respect the commitment he’s made to his career and science but when it comes to human applied health, it’s important to understand and witness it from a firsthand perspective. The fundamental principles that natural approaches are based on is according to the unique needs of the individual rather than the “one size fits all” approach for the masses and you can only learn that directly. Especially when it comes to understanding herb’s and their chemical complexity, the best way to learn their actions is to see them in action and that made sense to him.

I could see how dedicated he was to his Life’s work as he could see how dedicated I am to mine. After we talked about specific products for his needs, he thanked me for showing him “a different side of things” and that he needed to rethink what anecdotal meant to him, which is very cool!

At the end, there was one thing we both agreed on when it comes to research…it must be done from a place of integrity and unbiased intention because when it isn’t, it disgraces all the good research being done. I’m grateful for open-minded and respectful conversation because that’s what moves us forward in a positive direction. Peace.