The older I get, the more energy I put into shopping. I don't mean that I embark on marathon shopping sprees. Rather, I make a conscious choice about how I spend my money, especially when it comes to buying food and nutritional supplements. I buy organic 99 percent of the time because I'm convinced fruits, vegetables, and grains grown without pesticides are more nutritious and will help protect me against cancer and other modern-day diseases. And by supporting organic farmers, I know I'm supporting the health of our planet.

When I spend my money on organic food, my intention is to contribute to sustainable agriculture so our farmers have an opportunity to thrive and work in a safe, healthy environment. Organic farming helps preserve our drinking water while ensuring healthy wildlife habitats, such as streams, rivers, and coastal areas, and for this I am grateful.

My nutritional supplement purchases are based on the same principles. As a health writer and past owner of one of the first health food stores in Colorado, I discern which companies produce the best products and which produce mediocre or inferior products, and I know which companies have good manufacturing practices. But truth be told, there really isn't a whole lot of difference between most brands - unless, of course, that brand utilizes organic and wildcrafted ingredients, and outstanding manufacturing practices.

My favorite company
So when I recently learned about a company that I believe to be sincere about producing life-enhancing, organic nutritional products while helping to protect the planet, I got pretty excited. In fact, I called Mitchell May, CEO and founder of The Synergy Company in Moab, Utah, to tell him I am totally inspired by his personal story, philosophy of business as a spiritual path, and organic nutritional supplements. One thing led to another, and May invited me to visit The Synergy Company's award-winning production plant.

A miraculous healing story
The Synergy Company was started quite literally by accident. In 1972, on a rainy Alabama road, May was pronounced dead at the scene of a horrific car crash, but was later resuscitated. It took 45 minutes for rescuers to free him from the wreckage, which left him with 40 fractures, severed nerves, massive muscle loss, punctured lungs, and multiple shards of metal embedded throughout his body. His doctors told him, "Mitchell, you're never going to walk again. If you live, there's no way your immune system will function. We've got to amputate your legs."

But May, who was just 21 years old, refused. "I knew there was some key to this experience, and I had to inhabit it all the way. I didn't want any medical interventions that didn't include my full participation. I had a sense that there is an unseen world, from where the source of life begins. I was terrified and confused, but I knew that somewhere in my being that if I tapped into it, the source would be there," says May.

As it turned out, Jack Gray, a remarkable healer who was being studied by researchers at the parapsychology department at UCLA, ended up working with May, helping him tap into that energy and regain his health and the use of his legs. May went on to make medical history by miraculously regenerating nerve, muscle, and bone and by walking three years later, which the doctors said was impossible. His recovery was so phenomenal that it was one of the first unconventional healings documented in medical journals and studied by researchers. (You can hear the full story of May's remarkable recovery by going to our Audio page.)

Today, May racewalks, backpacks, and hikes in the canyons near his home in Moab. But his passion is overseeing The Synergy Company, including formulating products, acquiring organic ingredients, and mitigating the impact of harvesting methods on indigenous populations and the environment.

The creation of Pure Synergy
May became Gray's apprentice for seven years and spent years thereafter helping ill patients harness their own energy to relieve pain and suffering. During this time, May began to experiment with herbs, algae, mushrooms, and other plants. He became his own living experiment, subsisting for two years on just carrot juice and the superfood formula he named Pure Synergy in order to "see how it would affect my consciousness and physiology," he says. Throughout this period, he felt completely clear and focused while spending 10 to 12 hours a day healing patients, and sleeping only two to four hours a night. May shared Pure Synergy with friends, patients, and holistic practitioners, and when he couldn't keep up with the demand, he created The Synergy Company in 1992 to produce and distribute the product internationally.

The benchmark of superfoods
You've probably heard about how antioxidants and phytonutrients are important for promoting longevity, vitality, and health. Pure Synergy, a synergistic blend of more than 60 superfoods and botanicals is chockful of superb antioxidants, phytonutrients, and so much more. With more than 30 years of clinical use, this original superfood is the benchmark by which all other superfood formulas are measured. But what sets Pure Synergy apart from the rest is the number of organic or ethically wildcrafted ingredients - each is meticulously grown, selected, and prepared exclusively for and by The Synergy Company using state-of-the art technologies from seed to finish. Additionally, unlike most superfoods on today’s market, Pure Synergy contains no additives, binders or fillers.

Commitment to the environment
There are several reasons I completely trust the products offered by The Synergy Company. I like the extraordinary amount of care that May puts into developing a product. Also, I respect Synergy's commitment to environmental stewardship. "The need for a deeper stewardship of our ecosystem and ultimately our humanity must become the foundation upon which today's businesses are built," says May. "It is my belief that business and corporations have a responsibility to be actively part of the solution, and not exacerbate the problem."

May puts his money where his mouth is. For example, Synergy works with organic farmers throughout the world to help them create a viable livelihood and safeguard the environment. The company's Pure Radiance C®, the first organic and natural vitamin C, contains camu camu berries - considered the world's richest source of natural vitamin C - which are gathered by the indigenous people of the Amazon. With Synergy's support, these communities are protecting their homeland from the destructive practice of clear-cutting the rainforest, as they create a sustainable economy based on the tradition of wildcrafting camu camu. "The most significant choice we make is the use of organic or ethically wildcrafted ingredients in our products," says May. "In fact, it may be the single most influential thing that any one person can do to help restore environmental health and renew communities."

Synergy received the Environmental Consciousness Award for Excellence in Manufacturing by the State of Utah for a long list of accomplishments. The company incorporates a full range of water-conserving and energy-efficient technologies. Additionally, Synergy employs a broad range of sustainable practices, including the use of 100 percent biodegradable cleaning agents at its certified organic and kosher production facility. Supplements are packaged in easy-to-recycle glass bottles that are stuffed with organic cotton and protected by biodegradable cornstarch packing materials for shipping.

Synergy also received the Visionary award for purchasing 100% of its energy from wind power as a founding member of the Blue Sky program. Ultimately, the company is directly responsible for a reduction of 140 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Many Synergy employees have also signed up for the Blue Sky program in their own homes.

Additionally, in cooperation with Plant-It 2020, Synergy is participating in a reforestation program to annually plant indigenous trees in the United States at a rate that far exceeds the number of trees necessary to offset the carbon dioxide emissions associated with all of the company’s work-related activities.

The power of one
Creating solutions such as these is a satisfying way to make a difference in fostering a healthy relationship with the earth. And the active use of conscious choice is a potent tool for businesses and individuals to foster change for the betterment of humanity and our planet. The simple choice to eat certified organic food and whole-food supplements is a personal solution that might be more important to your health, your family's health, and the health of our planet than any other lifestyle choice you make.

Mitchell made a choice to translate everything he has learned from his healing journey into his work as a healer and formulator of beautiful, life-affirming nutritional supplements. He has consciously shaped his beliefs and values in a way that supports the health of the planet and all its inhabitants. And for that I'm especially grateful.

Barbra Cohn is a health writer living in Boulder, Colorado. She is the daughter of one of the original "health nuts," and has been eating organic granola and drinking carrot juice since 1966.