In the '80s and 90's I listened regularly to The People's Pharmacy on the radio. I can't recall if it was AM or FM. If I had to guess, I'd guess AM. Seems it aired at 9:00 in the morning.
At the time, I suffered with serious allergies. During my 20ish years of that struggle, I saw over 35 health practitioners -- surgeons, medical doctors, specialists, homeopaths, counselors, chiropractors, naturopaths, and more. Years later, after I was free from the serious asthma and allergies, I called it the Physician Carousel.
One morning in the early '90s, the People's Pharmacy host was interviewing a man, Taylor Hay Jr., about an exercise routine Taylor had developed. (Click here for a 2022 article about Taylor who, at the time of the article, was 92 years old.) I had been a jogger, often running 5 miles at a time 3 to 5 days a week. I loved it. I liked to free roam when I jogged, instead of running a set course. I had jogged enough to know how long it took me to jog one mile. So, I calculated my miles by the amount of time I ran; thus, I could run anywhere I wanted.
After the asthma started, I had to give up jogging. I practiced yoga, Knowles Breathing, and some other breathwork that I can't recall now. But still, the asthma was violently persistent. So many stories, including two ambulance runs. But most of the time I, or someone else, drove me to the hospital when needed. I always carried inhalers and injectable epinephrin with me. At home I used a nebulizer which I would take with me on any overnight stays, including Way Advances and even when I worked overnight as a Camp-In Site Director at Discovery Place in Charlotte.
Anyway, I was always on the look-out for some kind of exercise I could do.
After listening to the interview with Taylor Hay on The People's Pharmacy, I ordered Hay's program called Synergetics. My husband and I learned it together. We practiced it faithfully for about 10 years. It was one exercise I could do and included (and still does) deep breathing as one dips and pivots through the routines. At the ten-ish year mark, in the early 2000s, I got well from the severe allergies, which was amazing. And I could then do other physical activities. I didn't start running again but did pick up long-distance hiking which I loved more than jogging.
I continued practicing Synergetics, sometimes regularly, sometimes sporadically, until February 18, 2024...
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