Rod and Karen are joined by Mee Ok Icaro to discuss her ayahuasca journey, being diagnosed with a terminal illness, plant medicine vs pharmaceutical industry, aging in our narcissistic society, the role of community in becoming mentors, the role death plays in society and leading with generosity.
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We live in a country where grief is profane … we sanitize it, hide it, compartmentalize and move on. But that takes a toll on us all. No one “knows” how to grieve, and the traditions we currently have in place aren’t serving us. Employers say they are there for you and let us know if you need anything, but it’s hollow. There was no understanding or grace afforded to me, when I was still not my best self three months after losing my mother-in-law. The toll it takes on your spirit when you’re desperately trying to stay normal in a really abnormal situation is long-haul trauma.
I’m afraid to listen to this episode because of this:
“plant medicine vs pharmaceutical industry”
Plant medicine is very often the basis of new pharmaceutical developments. It can be very powerfull. It all belongs together.
You must’ve ignored a lot of the conversation if this is what you came away with. In America the pharmaceutical industry got people hooked on opioids while lobby against plant medicines. Alcohol and tobacco lobbyists also stifle alternative medicines as well as the research on them. It may be different in Germany but we know what we are talking about here. I know Big Pharma is your industry but our lived experience in our country isn’t negated by that.
We have been very trusting and complimentary of pharmaceutical companies on our show. We believe in facts, data and clinical trials. But it doesn’t mean we will ignore the centuries of capitalistic malfeasance caused by Big Pharma in America either.
What you are saying is absolutely true. Maybe I didn’t express clearly what I mean.
When I was a child, I learned from my grandfather about plant medicine and 100% know that lots of it works. But because it works its not always as harmless as it sounds. It’s harder to say how many leaves to eat instead of pills, the active ingredient varies in a natural product depending on for example the time of the year. It’s the same question about side effects also, some plant medicine can interact with your birth control for example. So you have to study this on your own before using it, the upside is , it can be free. I know some people think, because it’s natural, it’s harmless and has no side effects but that’s not true. Or, same like with pharma drugs, you can’t take it because of an existing health condition. But again, the plant has no information on it. You have to research it.
Is big pharma greedy? Yes.
“They’re gonna see someone being free” is such a great description of the root of the “parents rights” movements we see rolling through a lot of school boards across the US – political action rooted in the fear of your kids learning early that they don’t have to be scared of you.
I give this episode five stars. I enjoyed listening to Mee Ok Icaro and loved how you all talked about grief, death, and dying. Because of a lack of knowledge and understanding, we miss many opportunities to share how grief, death, and dying affect us.