I would like to follow up on the chaga mushroom article that appeared in the Valley News (“On the Hunt for Chaga: Enfield Man Stalks a Pricey Medicinal Fungus,” April 11). I would have like to have seen more information on its medicinal properties. I have been drinking chaga tea daily for a long time, as have some of my sisters and friends, with excellent results — given that it is part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Well-being is a comprehensive and sometimes complex state of affairs and there are many people enjoying excellent health who do not consume chaga.
The indigenous people of Siberia (who gave it the name chaga) consumed chaga as both a drink and food complement to prevent degenerative disease, maintain physical stamina and live a healthy long life. They typically live to ages 90-110 in good health. Aside from energy and healthful longevity, a more significant potential use of chaga is its anti-tumor, anti-cancer properties. For 300 years, Russia and Baltic countries have been using chaga as a general tonic and later as a treatment for cancers, including breast, skin, rectal and stomach cancers. After years of research and testing, the Medical Academy of Science in Moscow formally approved it for the treatment of cancer. Unfortunately, western medicine in its characteristic (and very expensive) approach to disease, has not explored or considered the data. There is also data about chaga’s beneficial effects on pain management, stress, psoriasis and eczema (as a cream), tuberculosis, heart and liver disease, and intestinal worms. At this point these are only “claims” because for disease treatment, corporate “standard of care” research is not interested in these kinds of economical and readily available remedies, at least not after spending over $5 billion annually for prescription drug advertising and $24 billion annually marketing to doctors. Can you imagine turning on the TV and hearing, “Ask your doctor if chaga tea is right for you”?
Sandi Pierson
Orange
Mark R. Allen makes several salient points in his letter (“Court Opens Door for Discrimination,” June 9). He ends with, “The Supreme Court has set a bad precedent by declaring the discriminator’s religious freedom is greater than those who are discriminated against.” This is not a correct interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case.
The ruling is very narrow in scope and, in fact, reaffirms the idea of equal protection and rights for LGBT individuals. It does not give anyone license to discriminate based on one’s religious convictions. Quite the contrary. If one walked into the same bakery tomorrow and was rejected for the same reason, the baker could once again be charged with breaking Colorado’s law. One could say the court ruled on a technicality: The derogatory demeanor of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission toward the baker. I believe Justice Anthony Kennedy, especially, wants to ensure that when a broad-based opinion is handed down, it is based on a squeaky-clean case. While there are reasons to be apprehensive, the court’s ruling in this case was hardly the win religious conservatives were hoping for. It is neither a great loss nor a win for the LGBT community. We need to wait for a broader ruling.
Bernard Dauphinais
Groton, N.H.
In yet another demonstration of his extraordinary journalism and investigative reporting, Jim Kenyon presents a shocking revelation (“Green Money,” June 10). In this case, readers of the Valley News learned that the individuals who lead Dartmouth College and who oversee the education of thousands of students each year and hundreds of millions of dollars in research, are paid more than minimum wage. Without Kenyon, who’d have suspected that the individuals leading one of the country’s top educational institutions are well paid?
For Kenyon and the Valley News, stirring up resentment toward the “axis of evil” (Hanover, Norwich, Dartmouth College and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) is a full-time business. How much is that invaluable service worth? I can’t help but wonder how much you and the owners of the Valley News earn for doing that. Maybe you can use your extraordinary investigative skills and get back to us with that information?
Hal Manning
Hanover
Short of a genuine apology from our president for his boorish behavior at the G-7 meeting in Quebec, I urge Valley News readers to express to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada our embarrassment and our shame. Donald Trump’s words are his and his alone. We Americans consider Canada and Prime Minister Trudeau to be our neighbor and our friend.
Here is the address: Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2. This will cost you three U.S. postage stamps.
Betsey Barnes
Lebanon