Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the Standard Process farms and production facilities. Standard Process is the company that produces the organic, whole food supplements we use in our office. Having been there 12 years ago, I continue to be impressed with what I saw and experienced.

It's refreshing to be able to call a supplement company "the farm:" acres and acres of rich Wisconsin soil enriched by the glacial runoff that brings with it plentiful minerals, enhanced even more by a comprehensive composting project. To see and feel the black, perfect soil and the vibrant vegetables growing there helps to better understand the nutrient density in the supplements that they produce and that we recommend.

This same land has been farmed by the same family-owned company since the 1920's. It has been organic since the onset. Never at any time in all these years have chemicals touched their soils. They use proper crop rotation and land rest principles, and were organic years before the term was even coined.

We watched the production process, from soil to supplement - From the unique weeding techniques and natural pest controls to the washing, sorting, and juicing of the fresh vegetables (then the fiber being returned to the compost piles), to the low-temperature, vacuum process to remove the water and leave the nutrients and enzymes intact, and then press-tableted into supplements of clinical potencies.

We visited the extensive Research and Quality Control labs and saw the exhaustive ways they test for potency, nutrient density, and other quality control issues.

Going through the climate-controlled warehouse, we saw barrels of beet, broccoli, kale, carrot and multiple other vegetables, as well as nuts, seeds, organ meats, etc., all powdered, dried and ready to be combined into a tablet or capsule.

What we didn't see was as important as what we did see. Having visited other vitamin manufacturing facilities during my lifetime, I noticed the stark absence of buckets of chemicals - no synthetic vitamins and no varnish and varnish-like glazes used to coat their tablets, as the majority of supplement companies use.

What I saw was wall-to-wall food! The purpose of supplements is to bridge the gap between what's missing in the diet (which is frequently so devoid of nutrients to barely be considered a food) and what the body requires for efficient operation and repair of all systems.

Supplements are intended to feed the body all the macro- and micro-nutrients and their co-factors to support various functions in the body. Most people struggle to be well because most get fed chemicals to force function (akin to whipping a sick horse), or perform other modernized techniques to help the person live with their condition when in actuality, the body is just starving for nutrients, and simply needs to be fed and built up.

To see this supplement "farm" is nourishing to the body, mind and spirit, and gives more hope regarding the health of humanity and the environment!

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health-care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.