[Wallace T.]

There is a connection between the soft left and organic food, natural cures, New Age ideas like crystals, essential oils, etc. Health food stores tend to be concentrated in upscale urban neighborhoods, affluent suburbs, college towns, and elite resort areas.

However if you go to what was called the farther shores of politics. i.e. libertarians, traditionalists. conspiracists, survivalists, there is a string strong interest in organic foods, homeopathic medicine, etc., but not much for the New Age elements on the soft left. In the 1960s, the John Birch Society opposed fluoridated water and promoted alternative cancer cures. The promotion of said cures reportedly was the reason John Wayne left that organization.

[Steve_Seattle]

"However, if you go to what was called the farther shores of politics. i.e. libertarians, traditionalists. conspiracists, survivalists, there is a string strong interest in organic foods, homeopathic medicine, etc., but not much for the New Age elements on the soft left."

I almost mentioned in my post that not all of these unorthodox interests are necessarily bad or without merit. I myself have an interest in herbalism as a hobby, but I go to the doctor when I'm sick. I mentioned the "gruff" I-take-care-of-myself conservatives, and they are probably what you describe as "traditionalists" or "survivalists," and there's a point when far-left and far-right tend to merge on some points, as in 9/11 conspiracies, suspicion of GMOs, "natural living," and a few other things.