Going with the (Energy) Flow

Dr. Arden Andersen is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and biophysicist who practices medicine in Santa Ana, California. You can read his blog at

http://ardenandersen.blogspot.com/

I have been reading his book, The Anatomy of Life and Energy in Agriculture, and given his unconventional thoughts on agriculture and health, it has been a very eye-opening experience. One of the central concepts of the book that really resonates with me is the idea that the key to maintaining balance and health in all living systems, from cells to organisms to ecosystems, is metered and uninterrupted energy flow. That seems simple enough, and the global scientific community appears to be in agreement on this principle, and yet it seems that this principle is regularly ignored by those who produce (or, more accurately, those who set policy for producing) most of the world's food. Whether it is ignorance or willful disregard, the failure to abide by this basic principle results in the production of foods of inferior quality and the use of production methods that have numerous detrimental effects on the environments in which the foods are grown. Why is it that such a basic concept seems completely ignored by those who produce the majority of the world's food supply? I would say that in a list of many possible answers, greed and shortsightedness would be near the top.

Andersen also contends that it is calcium that is "the foundation element for all biological life." His explanations make a great deal of sense, but I don't think I would have guessed that calcium was so crucial to so many processes within a growing plant. Perhaps even more surprising is Andersen's claim that it is also calcium which plays the most important role in providing structure to healthy soils.

I am looking forward to reading more articles by Dr. Andersen.