Commonwealth Podcast For Holistic Herbalism

Our model of the primary determinants of health is the Four Pillars: food, sleep, stress, and movement. These things are in our individual control – or at least, that’s how we think of them and talk about them, most of the time. But the truth is, there’s a fifth pillar, and it can directly impact how an individual person eats, sleeps, and moves, as well as what stressors they are subject to. It’s community.In our society, systemic oppression in the form of racism, sexism, heteronormativity, ableism, and other such forces mean that minorities and oppressed groups are subject to greater health risks than their privileged peers. This remains true even if we compare individuals with similar socioeconomic status, health history, etc. The health impacts of systemic oppression are something that holistic practitioners cannot ignore if they truly want to work to heal “the whole person”.Our work must go beyond the individual, and address injustices at the community and societal levels.A small sample of the research on