From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 9, 1999
HEALTH ON HIS MIND HERE & AROUND THE WORLD
by Shannon Reitmeyer
Dan Wgner, 46, a pharmacist/herbalist, is doing more than ensuring good health for Pittsburghers. He's gone global to educate and promote healthy living to many Third World countries, foreign universities and local students.
Owner of Nutri-farmacy, a "natural" pharmacy located on the Wildwood section of Hampton, Wagner counsels his customers on the benefits of taking alternative medicines and allowing for natural remedies to coincide with conventional drugs.
He also offers classes through his pharmacy and instructs on such topics as yoga, nutrition and herbals. As always, Wagner feels that the more information a person has the better off he will be when making choices to improve his health. It is this thought and a trip to the Amazon four years ago to study plants that propelled Wagner to start making a difference worldwide.
While in the Amazon studying indigenous plants for healing, Wagner started volunteering in the local hospitals and lecturing on the benefits of alternative medicines at nearby universities. Inspired by this new outlet for providing information, he got involved with two organizations that arrange medical assistance for people of Third World countries.
Every year, Wagner now travels as a pharmacist-specialist with The World Health Mission, a nonprofit organization of physicians who volunteer their time doing medical mission work in Nigeria.
He also travels and is on the board of directors of Global Links, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to recycling surplus medical supplies and equipment for use by hospitals and clinics treating the poor in developing countries.
Global Links has been servicing the poor and needy in Central and South America for 10 years by sending millions of dollars of medical supplies, equipment, medicines and vitamins. Though many of these supplies are allocated through hospitals and medical supply companies, many volunteer physicians add to the surplus. Wagner provides vitamins and herbals from his natural pharmacy.
Unfortunately, civil unrest and corrupt foreign governments impede the work of these organizations, which rely on the determination of their volunteers to see the projects through.
Wagner said that many times when The World Health Mission sends shipments of medical supplies to Nigeria, it will ship two months ahead of time because of problems with custom officials who expect bribes to allow the supplies into the country. Regardless, the volunteers see to it that the shipments do make it into the country and are used for the people for whom they were intended.
On another occasion, Wagner accompanied a shipment of medical supplies from Global Links to a hospital in Ecuador. The shipment consisted mostly of sutures, surgical equipment, scissors, hemostats, forceps, syringes, clamps and staplers.
Wagner provided a huge supply of vitamins and nutrients. But the most important item, donated by the Bayer Corp., were six Glucometer-Elite blood glucose-monitoring machines. These much-needed instruments can accurately check blood sugar levels of diabetic patients, a luxury the hospital could not afford on its own.
After assisting in the setup of a glucose monitoring clinic in the hospital, Wagner took some time to do plant medicine work with a tribal, shaman in the Ecuadorian Amazon rain forest. Upon his return to the city, he found all roads into the city blocked due to civil unrest against a corrupt government. He had to escape the country immediately, his only choice being to leave his luggage and walk to the airport. After he had walked for four hours in the pouring rain, a Good Samaritan picked him up and drove him to the airport.
Regardless of the apparent unexpected dilemmas and although the missions may sometimes be difficult, Wagner sees the benefits far surpassing the dangers.
Following up with his plant studies, he accompanies Duquesne University students on instructional trips to places such as the rain forests of Belize. Wagner finds that spending time with primitive peoples who use plants for medicine may possibly help us find the cures to many major incurable diseases. On these trips he incorporates this philosophy into his work with The National Cancer Institute, as he aids its researchers in plant collections.
If you would like to aid in the efforts of Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based organization, contact Brenda Smith or Kathleen Hower at 412-361-3424.
Shannon Reitmeyer is a freelance writer.
Home
Copyright © 1999-2006 Danaura
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
2506 Wildwood Road, P.O. Box 238, Wildwood, PA 15091
Phone: 412-486-8595 or toll free 1-877-289-7478
Fax: 412-486-4898
Email: info@nutrifarmacy.com