Georgia Magazine - June 2020 - 4

MailBOX

Comments from our readers * Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett

Studying Civil War-era plants
for future medicines

GGeorgia
eorgia
Georgia
Georgia
Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle

GEMC

MAGAZINE

The power of plants
page 38

Goodbye, gluten!
page 42
MARCH 2020

Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle

GEMC

MAGAZINE

Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle

GEMC

Back to the future
Civil War-era plant lore may hold the
answer to drug-resistant bacteria
page 16M

®
THE

AGAZINE

HEALTH
ISSUE

Volunteer
medical clinics

I found the March 2020
article "Back to the future"
extremely interesting. [See page
16; bit.ly/b2tf320.] I believe
future new drugs will come from
plants that occur in nature.
Our ancestors were wise
people, as were the Native Americans. What great work these
young researchers are doing!
-Debbie Novak, Carrollton

page 26

High-tech
health care

I read with interest Jeanette
Gordon's letter [about wearing
an Asphidity bag] in your May publication. [See Mailbox, May
2020, page 4; bit.ly/gamb520.] I also endured folk medicine as a
child. Mother made little bags filled with asafetida, and
we three girls wore these around our necks to ward off
"whatever." They smelled terrible. When they got
dirty, she made new ones.
If I remember correctly, she purchased the potion
from the drugstore. The only time we rebelled against
her was when we began school. We simply refused to
wear them!
Asafetida is also known as "devil's dung" and is
considered a gastrointestinal drug. The smell is persistent
and alliaceous (like garlic), and the taste is bitter. It is
obtained from various Asiatic plants of the umbrel family
and was formerly used to treat some illnesses or in folk
medicine to repel diseases. I survived.
-Thelma Collins Steele, Rocky Ford
www.georgiamagazine.org

Cover_0320._in_progress.indd 1

2/12/20 1:43 PM

OC
IST

Sharing the good news
My husband, Ted, and I live in the Cambridge Grove
subdivision in Kennesaw. A local church had a parade through
our neighborhood and others nearby, honking horns, cheering
and waving signs reading "Keep the Faith," "We're in this
Together" and other similar sentiments. Many of us came out
of our houses to wave and cheer back.
This selfless act of love, support and kindness was unprecedented. Even in the most precarious of times, it is obvious that
we live in the best nation, in spite of hard times, because we
love and support one another and are proud to show these
Georgia Magazine

Health care workers are heroes
[Regarding "An open letter of tribute to all health care workers,"] Mr. Moore, you said it right. The people who are on the
front lines are risking their and their families' lives to help a nation in a tough fight for survival. [See Mailbox, May 2020, page 4;
bit.ly/gamb520.] They are heroes, and I agree with you that they
are the noblest of all. Sincere prayers, love and thank-you's for
the sacrifice.
-Denese Williams-Gipson,
Canoochee EMC member, Hinesville

page 32

My sister and I were both adorned each school
season with an Asphidity bag. I don't have any comK.
CO
M
/ IN
ment on the effectiveness of the various herbs, etc., in
SJO
Y
the bags, but I do believe the odor kept everybody in school
far enough away from us to keep us safe from flu and colds.
My grandmother was probably the reason we had to wear
them. Many things about her indicate a lot of Appalachian
influence.
-Helen M. Parker, Cobb EMC member, Acworth

feelings to our fellow Americans. Thank you to God and my
neighbors, and God bless America. God bless us all.
-Lydia Koch, Kennesaw

June 2020

In 2019, the World Health Organization declared 2020 as
the Year of the Nurse to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the
birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. At
that time, no one could have predicted a world pandemic
and the contributions front-line nurses would play in
caring for the millions of people affected.
In my 42 years as a professional registered nurse,
I have never faced a challenge as large as COVID-19,
nor have I been as proud to be a member of the
nursing profession. Those who choose the nursing field
answer a calling to care for people and to make a
difference in the lives of others. The more than 900
nurses employed at Southwell [health care system,
based in Tifton] answer this call with a passion,
tirelessly caring for others at home, at work
and in our community.
While the majority of the world has stayed
in the safety of their homes during this pandemic,
nurses leave their families and willingly go into battle to
save the lives of the ill in our communities. Their bravery,
steadfastness and selflessness are to be commended
and admired.
During this pandemic, our community has
shown amazing support for our nurses by sewing
masks and gowns, providing prayers, donating
food and drinks-and in countless other ways. You have no idea
how much this has encouraged and strengthened our staff. We
cannot thank you enough.
-Carol M. Smith, senior vice president and
chief nursing executive, Southwell, Tifton

Reader mailbag
I really enjoy the magazine. Thanks for lots of good reading
and electric service.
-Ann Vaughn, GreyStone Power Corp. member, Dallas
Share your thoughts. Email us at magazine@georgiaemc.com.
Please include your name, address and phone number.
Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

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Georgia Magazine - June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2020