Soil Biology and the Eastern Perspective on Health – A Guest Blog from Dr. Ting Ho

 
The reductionist school of Western Medicine in the US and Europe has continued to pursue the wrong strategy on wellness and quality of life. The root cause is due to overspecialization without due considerations to holistic view of life. This approach is in opposition to a more systemic or holistic approach which is a more traditionally Eastern perspective.
When viewing the world systemically, mankind is looked upon at as an integral part of nature and thus environment, the habitat, air, water, soil, food and the multitude of living organisms interact with the human to bring about a healthy life.
Food as medicine is an example of this Eastern or Systemic approach. Most people are concerned about wellness, not disease. If we are careful to eat what we need, which includes a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, our bodies function well. Nothing to excess and all in moderation. Fermented black teas, fruits, fresh nuts and plenty of fresh vegetables. Meat in moderation and never overeating.
The basis of good health is more complicated than pushing expensive drugs to provide temporary relief. It’s about preventive, maintenance, food, exercise, breathing and appropriate lifestyle changes.
So long as we are seeking the silver bullet targeting specific medical condition, it is a delusion. A single microbe as an agricultural solution is the biological equivalent of this reductionist mindset.
Bad food, bad air, bad water, stress, toxic chemicals, and environmental degradation are causes we need to focus on if there is going to be more effective use of public spending on health. Of all these complex factors, safe, clean food is most significant contributor to good health and higher quality of life.
The Eastern perspective takes a different approach. Man is looked at as an integral part of nature and thus environment, the habitat, air, water, soil, food and the multitude of living organisms interact with the human to bring about a healthy life.
Food as medicine is the right approach. Most people are concerned about wellness, not diseases. If we are careful to eat what we need, which includes a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, we will do our well. Nothing to excess and all in moderation. Fermented black teas, fruits, fresh nuts and plenty of fresh vegetables.  Meat in moderation and never overeating.
The basis of good health is more complicated than pushing expensive drugs to provide temporary relief.  It’s about preventive, maintenance, food, exercise, breathing and appropriate lifestyle changes.
So long as we are seeking the silver bullet targeting specific medical condition, it is a delusion. A single microbe as an agricultural solution is the biological equivalent of this reductionist mindset.
Bad food, bad air, bad water, stress, toxic chemicals, and environmental degradation are causes we need to focus on if there is going to be more effective use of public spending on health.  Of all these complex factors, safe, clean food is most significant contributor to good health and higher quality of life.
I believe that in order to wake up people to the value of clean safe food and its relationship to holistic health, we must join forces and build strong alliances.
We need to build a strong common bond to break the stranglehold of vested interests.
Food is the source of energy and nutrients for every human. It is a fundamental right, inalienable and inviolable. We don’t even feed bad food to dogs and cats. Let us team up and be part of the greater cause. It is our common cause.
Today, the US is spending close to 20% of her  GDP on healthcare, and only a fraction of that percentage on food.  Look around, people are feeling the need to depend on opioids and energy drinks to pass the day, surely we must realize how terribly wrong things have gone.
A significant component of the solution is healthy soil to produce healthy foods.

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Dr Ting Ho is currently CEO of a Hong Kong-based company, Qi Biotech Company Limited, focusing on from food safety, healthy nourishment and seeds-to-table strategy, including the creation of supply chain to support production, processing, storage, and distribution.  His current interests include Halal Food logistic platform development with a number of Muslim nations, including UAE, Malaysia, Qatar, as well as Austria, Brazil and Mexico.  He is also a collaborator on the Danube Macro-Region, through a number of organizations based in Vienna and Eastern Europe.
Since leaving his position as Chief Economist of FedEx Corp, where he played a crucial role in developing the FedEx global logistics networks, including Asia One Networks, China and Southeast Asian markets, he has held a number of operational and advisory positions.
These include the IOT (Internet of Things) Advisory Committee for the Guangdong Provincial government, where shared insights on logistics planning, the information revolution, Big Data, Industrial 4.0, Automation and deployment of robots and intelligent drones for civilian and industrial use, and the use of supply chain management hardware and software.  He is instrumental in setting up the Southern China Logistics Platform for tracing and tracking the flows of cargoes in and out of China.