Out of desperation Ausubel sought alternative forms of medicine where he learned what had caused his health crisis- massive exposure to a chemical called dioxin, a toxic environmental pollutant.
Upon learning that most people exposed to dioxin died of cancer or a stroke, Ausubel realized he was lucky to be alive and wanted to give something back to the world.
After a brief stay in Santa Fe, he moved to a farm just outside town where he met other back-to-the-landers who taught him about organic gardening, natural building, composting toilets, solar energy, and vegetable canning.
This pursuit led him to Gabriel Howearth who had spent years with indigenous farmers learning about traditional healing plants and ancient farming practices.
[13] Ausubel has written several books— When Healing Becomes a Crime: The Amazing Story of the Hoxsey Cancer Clinics and the Return of Alternative Therapies (2000); The Bioneers: Declarations of Interdependence (1995) and Seeds of Change: The Living Treasure (1994).