European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Nabanita Herrera sorts bags of herbs used in cures practice by her family an ancestors in new Mexico. Government examining alternative Medicine by Nancy Plevin the associated press Nabanita Herrera has been walking the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Northern new Mexico for nearly half a Century hand picking medicinal herbs to ease a slew of ailments. The 59-year-old Chi randers or healer follows a family tradition handed Down through at least four generations. Herrera says the Yerba Santa Osha Root and 103 other herbs she gathers can help relieve the symptoms of arthritis asthma and a Host of other ills. Quot a lot of people come to me after they go to a doctor Quot Herrera said from her Mountain Home in Truchas. Quot a lot of people depend on my  but such  therapies As Herrera s herbal Medicine along with acupuncture homeopathy and others often Are dismissed in the United states As bogus treatments based on Faith . Now the government is taking note. Congress through the National institutes of health in Bethesda  has allotted $2 million to the new Federal office of alternative Medicine to fund studies of therapies outside the mainstream of Western Medicine. Or. Steven Kanig president elect of the greater Albuquerque medical association gives a qualified Blessing to the new office but also asks Quot at a time when health costs Are at 1a percent of Gnu Gross National product and rising can we afford to invest in these articles of Faith Quot proponents of alternative Medicine use the same argument to defend the research As a Means to validate therapies that generally Are cheaper and less invasive than Standard medical treatments. Quot unless we Start to find a counterpoint to conventional Medicine there s no Check on the system Quot said acupuncturist Glenn Wilcox of Albuquerque. Quot there s no marketplace Competition. We be got one system that is a virtual monopoly a one Point of View and one system Quot or. Joe Jacobs who Heads the new office comes from both medical worlds. He witnessed herbal Healing on his Mother s Kan awake Mohawk Indian. Reservation near Montreal and received his paediatric training at the Yale University school of Medicine and Dartmouth medical school. He also worked for the Indian health service on a reservation in new Mexico. Quot in Gallup we had a lot of patients and families who took advantage of the Opportunity to see a traditional healer Quot Jacobs said. Quot we often worked together. I m convinced that it s important. Quot the medical delivery system could Benefit a lot by looking at the experiences of indians with the Indian health service but it does t have to be an either or  Jacobs who will begin seeking Grant proposals shortly Hopes to examine among other things How nontraditional methods could be used in the treatment of cancer and aids Quot this is a tremendous Boon to alternative Medicine Quot said or. Karl Robinson an Albuquerque physician who specializes in homeopathy. Quot it s an Opportunity for us to put up or shut up. In a free Market i think it s time for us to be Able to show we can deliver the  right boots and socks fend off cold feet by say Squires the Washington Post during the Winter Many people need to take special precautions to keep their feet warm. Quot people go out and ski and skate and do fitness walking or running and they forget that what May he acceptable for their feet in August does t always work when temperatures Are hovering in the Mill Jos Quot said Glenn Gastwirth Deputy executive director or the american podiatric medical association. Even those who Are More sedentary May dress warmly from the Waist up but forget to consider their feet he said. Following Are recommendations for caring for the boots and your feet a the Best insurance against icy feet is wearing warm socks and boots. Choose boots constructed from breathable material such As leather to Cut Down on perspiration. But be sure to Waterproof the leather to keep out moisture and look for corrugated soles that help provide More traction on ice and Snow. A Wear Wool socks or a Wool blend to help keep feet warm. Synthetic socks and stockings  to perspire More especially a problem for women who Wear stockings inside fashion boots All Day. A when possible allow wet shoes to dry completely before wearing them outdoors again. It usually takes a full 24 hours for shoes to dry. A take added precautions to keep feet warm if you have circulatory problems or diabetes. Avoid wearing constricting socks stockings or shoes especially in the cold and limit exposure to Low temperatures. A warm cold feet and toes gradually. Rub with hands or place feet in tub of warm not hot water. A seek prompt medical treatment for skin that blisters or turns White both indications of frostbite. Just wondering the smell of Snow avoiding toadstools q by the new York times w my grandmother used to say Quot it smells like Snow a and sure enough it would Snow by Nightfall. Is there any scientific explanation for this a a depending on what kind of Snow it was she May very Well have been Able to smell the wind that heralded it said Dan Graf a meteorologist at Pennsylvania state University. A one kind of Snow results from warm moist air gliding Over cold air near the ground Quot he said Quot and that kind is typically accompanied by southerly  such storms Are big Snow producers he said and depending on geography these winds from the South May come from areas that have a different Aroma. Each City or Region has its own characteristic smelt Graf said and any number of factors could contribute to it including Industry and agricultural activity and residential pollution. In the Northeast southerly winds often come from latitudes where there is still Green vegetation and areas where there is More Industry to produce Ozone. Winds from areas of denser population carry the fumes of chimneys cars and burning leaves. Quot in general Quot Graf said Quot a southerly wind is a often perceived to have a sweeter smell and a Quot nicer feel and while it May not be warmer it is often More humid Quot the most prodigious moist snowstorms of the Northeast coast Are often accompanied by an Ocean wind from the East or Northeast with its characteristic Marine smell Graf said. Not much smell is usually associated with the second major kind of Snow brought by cold winds blowing from the North especially from cold dry regions of Canada where there is Little Industry and where most Trees Are Bare in Winter. In general these winds bring flurries and Snow showers and squalls Graf said. Unless there is added moisture from bodies of water like the great lakes he said the Snow is not As Likely to be heavy. C5 does cooking a poisonous mushroom with a Sterling Silver spoon or Coin make the spoon turn Black a no and there is no one infallible test for which mushrooms will cause illness. David Arora in mushrooms demystified ten Speed pres said that Quot empirical approaches such As the Silver Coin Quot test Are without exception pure  he Points out that there Are several a mushroom toxins each with a different action that cause illness and sometimes fatal poisoning. Overindulgence allergy and food poisoning from spoiled mushrooms can also cause nausea vomiting and diarrhoea As can anxiety Over whether the mushrooms Are poisonous. I the Best guide to which wild mushrooms Are poisonous is an experienced and knowledgeable mushroom Hunter Arora a f a e Tor b01h expert and non exp is. Don t eat a mushroom unless you re absolutely sure its edible. In other words when in doubt throw it  Quot the stars and stripes a tuesday february 9,