Venerating the Root : Part Two

Manifesting the ideal of "treating disease before it arises," Sn Smio emphasizes the importance of "venerating the root" by lavishing special care on women pre-conception, during pregnancy and birth, and postpartum and while breast-feeding, and then on children, especially in the tender beginning of their lives. This is an insight that is just as pertinent today as it was in classical China 1500 years ago. It is also a truth that makes economic sense, as insurance providers and public health advocates have learned. It is worth pondering Sn Smio's message especially in light of our modern lifestyle with its increasingly toxic environment, growing school and performance stress for children at younger and younger ages, and ever-shrinking access to healthy whole-body activity and play, sunshine, natural foods, the outdoors, and the rhythms of nature in general.