If
your browser has a yellow warning above, click
on it and choose Allow Blocked Content. We guarantee
there is NOTHING at this site that will hurt your computer.
Cut your cholesterol nearly in half--with avocado? Yes, according to scientific
studies, an avocado can lower your cholesterol up to 42%. Avocados
are positively packed with heart-hea and they're rich in a compound
called beta-sitosterol, which has been shown to lower
cholesterol in 16 separate studies.
Our Latest Supporter
Research shows that a moderate exercise program,
three times a week is nearly as effective at relieving depression
as antidepressants.
Note: the
above books are E-books. They will be sent to your email address
(with no shipping charge) and HALF the purchase will be donated
to this organization.
Only half the people on prescription drugs
actually take them as indicated due to side effects.
Check This Out!
This is the only non fish form of DHA/EPA. We are currently
experimenting with recipes
using this wonderful essential fatty acid. And this site sells
it for less than anywhere on the web.
As some of you might have noticed, we’ve been closed since
June. Our computers went down nearly losing everything. As a
retired IT professional, I cannot tell you how important it
is to keep your data backed up. Having said this, we first lost
our backup drive, and two days later, we lost the main drive.
It’s taken this long to recover most of our data. I now have
a triple backup system in place, and have purchased another
computer (a network of three) with which I will do my photography
and videography. I swore I would not go into debt to keep this
here project alive, but, again, I broke my promise.
Additionally, since I volunteered
for Simply the Best to do their accounting and email on this
system, they too were down, but we handled it the best we could
manually and only made a kazillion errors.
On the plus side, with the
new computer setup, I can now photograph weddings, special events,
and high school portraits. All the proceeds will go to the International
Wellness Directory and keep this little hobby up and running.
When the new system is installed,
I’ll be posting some of my latest photography on the web, so
keep your eyes pealed to
David’s PhotoArt.
I’ve also been doing some
more experimental photography using only a flashlight as my
light source. Because of the crash, and catching up on my work,
I’ve not yet even had a chance to put them on my computer, but
after the holidays, I will, and I’ll post them.e holidays, I
will, and I’ll post them.
And if anyone out there wants
to buy me a gift for Christmas, check out the flashlight below:
In our last newsletter, I
offered to send any interested readers a pound of my own personal
stash of Diamond V XPC (I used it on my chicks this past summer,
and I did not lose one to disease) for a donation of $15.00.
We got three takers, and that was acceptable.
However, Dr David Williams,
who writes the newsletter Alternatives, published a
little piece about EpiCor and how he decided to buy the 90 pound
bag of Diamond V XPC. He suggested to his readers to locate
the product online, and suddenly I was inundated with hundreds
of orders.
I am not equipped to pack
up that much of anything, my supply ran out, my suppliers could
no longer furnish it, and I finally found one supplier over
two hours away that carried it.
So if you, like Dr David
Williams’ readers wish to try it (I’ve filled capsules with
it; you can find a little kit for doing this), then you’ll have
to go here: Diamond V XPC.
You will notice that I’ve had to raise the price of the donation.
However, those using it are reporting that so far, they’ve not
caught any dreaded winter bugs.
And the next thing we can
all do is get our troops home as quickly as possible. Write,
call, visit your reps in
Washington. We need them here at
home. Now.
One last thing: the reason
I do this web site, the books, and the directories (yes, I’m
so far behind I don’t know where to start).
I wanted you to know that your web site helped
to save my dad's life. : )
With info I got there, info I got from my
docs and info I've read in books my dad's prostate cancer is
undetectable. His type of cancer rated an 8 on the Gleason scale
and his PSA levels got up to a 45. When it got that high he
went ahead and had localized radiation which brought his PSA
down to 11. He finally agreed to do the things I was suggesting
to him and now his PSA is down to a .06 and at his physical
exam yesterday the doc said he couldn't even feel the prostate
anymore.
He eats a cup of raspberries every day. I
got him to shift his diet to a more alkaline one. He takes green
magma every day, beta glucans 1/3,1/6, zinc, saw palmetto, selenium
etc.,etc.etc. He's 88 and counting!
Just thought I'd say thanks.
This is what keeps me going.
In future issues, we’ll be
reviewing lots of books, CDs, you name it. We’re really behind,
but we’ll catch up soon.
Oh, and if you want to make
a donation to our cause this Holiday Season, please do. The
software we use to create our directories and find alternative
physicians, naturopaths, etcetera for our readers jumped from
$200.00 per year to $1,000.00 per year.
I awoke one night with this
terrible burning pain in my chest. I felt like I was having
a heart attack. But could it be heartburn? I’ve never had debilitating
heartburn.
The next night, I awoke to
the same thing. I thought my chest was going to explode. Only
one thing to do: call the VA and set an appointment.
When I arrived at the VA,
my doctor called me right in. I told her the problem, and she
typed at her computer, told me to go directly to the lab for
blood tests and then next door to get an EKG.
A lot of people complain
about socialized medicine. Most of them are the ones making
lots of money in our money based system of medicine. They say
that there are long waits, the service is poor, etc. etc.
Within ten minutes I was
back in my doctor’s office where she told me: It’s heartburn.
Apparently, if you you’ve
had a heart event, they will find specific enzymes in your blood
stream.
So, it was quickly ruled
out. In ten minutes, with no waits. At the lab I was taken straightaway,
and ditto at the EKG lab.
The VA system is an example
of how well socialized medicine can work. Yes, there are exceptions
(e.g., Walter Reed) but they’ve been caused by budget cuts (during
a time of war when vets are returning in droves).
My doctor wanted me to get
an esophagogastroscopy. She explained that the procedure lasted
less than five minutes; that they would insert a tube with a
camera attached to take pictures.
I’ve always had a fear of
suffocation since I was a kid. I told her this and she responded:
"They give you this new drug, Versed. Once they give it to you,
no matter what they do, it won’t affect you, and afterwards
you’ll forget everything."
“Oh,” I said, “like high
school.”
I remember the doc inserting
the IV, and I felt a cool liquid entering my vein. I asked if
they’d just given me the anesthesia, and he replied, “It’s not
really an anesthesia.”
“Oh,” I said, “then you’re
not an anesthesiologist.”
He said, “No,” and began
to tell me all about the drug, but that’s as much as I remember.
Now I can’t wait for my next Colonoscopy.
It turns out that there was
nothing wrong with my stomach, I did not have a hiatal hernia,
but they did find Candida on my esophagus.
My doctor sent me Tagamet®
and an anti-fungal medicine, but I decided to use a less harsh
therapy. I like the fact that my body digests food. I don’t
need an acid blocker. And the anti-fungal meds had side effects
I wasn’t interested in exploring.
I began a daily routine of
10 drops of
Magnascent
(it’s antifungal) in the morning, upping it from the usual 3
drops per day. Then I followed that by a squeeze of Grapefruit
Seed Extract in the back of my throat. It’s horrid. Getting
it down is difficult, but in the back of your throat, you can
swallow and quickly wash it down. I also added
iFlora 4 Women
(was called iFlora Candida) to my regimine.
Symptoms vanished within
three days, but I continued the protocol till my bottle of Grapefruit
Seed Extract was finished.
I’ve been a fan of Dr Sears’
a long time. I’ve read some of his work in one of the horde
of newsletters that trample down my mailbox (both physical and
electronic). One day his people came to me asking if we would
review one of his books.
It’s called the Pace® Program.
I began reading it, and the
more and more I read, the more it seemed if I’d already written
this. You see, the first chapters tore into aerobic exercise,
revealing the myths so many still kneel to. It was so close
to our findings, that we asked him if we could publish his first
two chapters in our next edition of Bypassing Bypass. In exchange,
we would link to his site so you could get the rest of the story.
I’ll give you a hint.
You work out hard, then soft,
then hard, then soft, then…
At this pace, you’ll teach
your body to burn more fat while resting. Oh, I should tell
you that there are side effects: your heart becomes stronger,
and your lung capacity grows.
Yes, it does all those things
that we’ve been told aerobic exercise does. Only, research shows,
it (aerobic exercise) does not.
You see, our bodies haven’t
evolved much since we were hunter gatherers. The life of a hunter/gatherer
was spent walking long distances, sometimes carrying great loads,
interspersed with running at breakneck speeds either trying
to capture something to eat, or trying to escape something that
wanted to eat him. We were born to be hunter/gatherers.
Whether you jog, run, walk,
swim, jump rope, or ride a bike, you can do the Pace® Program.
I chose the bike.
At this same time, I discovered
Dr Hyman (he’s yet to contact us). His book Ultrametabolism
caught my eye. I read it and liked it. Eating to boost our metabolism.
What a concept. Some reviews say that his theories go beyond
the research, but he’s done his homework. Nothing he claims
has been disproven in any study. Far from it. Studies back him
up.
One thing that keeps Americans
fat is that we skip breakfast, and then snack at night. That
is the first thing you’ll learn to reverse when you pick up
this book.
The PACE® Program and
Ultrametabolism are my gift to you to start you new year.
The PACE® Program can be yours in less than ten minutes. You
just click and download. Untrametabolism will take
a few days to arrive. You can also order a hard copy of the
PACE® Program.
Magnascent Goes to
Africa Why not get it to your home
too?
We received
a letter from a person with contacts in
Africa
who wanted to make nascent iodine for the population there
suffering from malaria. It seems that all those making Edgar
Cayce’s iodine recipes refused to give away their secrets.
I immediately
contacted John Brookshire and got both parties together.
John not
only gave them the instructions, he created a video showing
them the entire process.
John is
an angel. I hope you will all support his work, because, suddenly
the FDA has defined iodine as a controlled substance, and John
spent some $2,000.00 to get a license to make his nascent Iodine.
Additionally,
I discovered an error in our reports on Iodine that I will try
to clear up here, and later, I’ll repair the articles.
What is
sold as Atomidine today is not nascent iodine.
From 1926
to 1935, it was nascent iodine. However, today, there are forms
out there made with iodine trichloride, which is simply a dangerous
form.
Edgar Cayce
gave two readings on how to make Atomidine. He gave both to
Sunker Bisey who decided, because of cost, to make the second
form (from reading 358-2, rather than the first form (from reading
358-1) since the cost of this first process was prohibitive.
This all occurred during the Great Depression, and the first
recipe, which sold for a dollar a bottle, was preferred by the
manufacturers over something no one could afford.
The difference
between the two iodines is that the weaker method charged the
molecules putting them into an energetic state, while the stronger
method, true nascent iodine, broke the bonds holding the molecules
together. The mild form is often referred to as Atomidine or
Detoxified Iodine. The stronger form is true nascent iodine,
or called, by John Brookshire, Magnascent.
The results
from Magnascent are astounding.
It is just a darn good product.
Here is
a testimonial we received from one of the people who used his
iodine:
My name is Terri B. and I was diagnosed with Small Cell Cancer
in June 2002. The tumor was wrapped around my coronary artery.
The Dr’s told me I would live a year, maybe less, because the
small cell cancer would keep coming back. Sure enough, within
a year I started jumbling my words and losing my balance. The
MRI found a tumor the size of a lemon inside my brain. It was
around this time that I bumped into John Brookshire again. He
suggested I try [Magnascent] to help with the numerous side
effect from chemotherapy and radiation. I was very impressed.
I would put 3-5 drops of [Magnascent] in a glass of water in
the morning and at night, and I could tell a big difference
in my energy level within a week. I was able to get up more
and even wanted to get out of the house to go somewhere besides
to the Dr or for tests. I also read a great book on the effects
of not enough iodine in our bodies, and was shown how much this
wonderful potion was helping women with Breast Cancer.
Here it is 2007 and I haven’t had any symptoms for over two
years. I still use the [Magnascent] daily and I thank John for
helping me get stronger
We’ve not
yet put Iodine in our list of Alternative Cancer Therapies,
but when I get the time, I will.
We will
also review a book by Dr Brownstein on iodine in the near future,
but in the meanwhile, you can order it yourself. Dr Guy Abraham
has been testing iodine on breast cancer and prostate cancer,
and he and Dr Brownstein are thoroughly convinced that when
the body gets enough iodine, these cancers simply start to melt
away.
Additionally,
a lack of iodine (suffered by upwards of 85% of our population)
affects our intelligence. In an article from the New York
Times, December 16, 2006, entitled
In Raising the World’s I.Q., the Secret’s in the Salt,
experts suggest raising
the quantity of iodine in our salt (to levels first proposed
by a Dr Marlin – as we reported in an earlier article on iodine)
would increase our intelligence.
“For 5 cents
per person per year, you can make the whole population smarter
than before,” said Dr. Gerald N. Burrow, a former dean of
Yale’s medical school and vice chairman of the iodine council.
A reader
sent us an interesting take on this:
I thought this was really interesting, though
it doesn't mention iodine specifically. Since we know that mothers
who don't get enough iodine tend to have dumber kids, it is
interesting that mothers who eat a lot of fish tend to have
smarter kids (even if the fish have mercury). This fits in interestingly
with the "mermaid" hypothesis . . . . People living by the shore
usually eat a fair bit of seaweed, which chelates mercury [bonds
with mercury so it can pass], so even if the fish did have extra
mercury, it might not be an issue. But the fetus would get all
that nice iodine and omega-3 fatty acids to create a nice big
brain.
The Thyroid Foundation of
Canada published a paper on
Iodine
Deficiency Disorders in which they claim that “iodine
deficiency currently represents a significant public health
problem for 1575 million people (almost 30% of the world's population)
in 110 countries. 655 million are affected by goitre, 20 million
are believed to be significantly mentally handicapped as a result
of iodine deficiency which is therefore the most prevalent preventable
cause of impaired intellectual development in the world today.”
They go onto say:
Severe iodine
deficiency may manifest itself by Cretinism i.e. children born
with severe hypothyroidism. Neonates and young infants constitute
the target population for the effects of iodine deficiency because,
from a public health viewpoint, the most important complications
of iodine deficiency are irreversible brain damage and mental
retardation which result from iodine deficiency and thyroid
failure during fetal and early postnatal life.
Other naturally
occurring goitrogens can aggravate or simulate iodine deficiency,
and these include such foods as cassava, maize, bamboo shoots,
sweet potatoes, lima beans, and the Brassica group of vegetables.
Iodine deficiency and/or these goitrogens interfere with the
production of thyroid hormone, thus causing an increase in TSH,
an increased size of the thyroid gland (goitre), and hypothyroidism.
The consequences
of iodine deficiency even in developed areas such as Europe is enormous. For example the cost of the diagnosis
and treatment of goitre due to iodine deficiency in Germany in 1986 was estimated at 700
million dollars, yet prevention by iodized salt would cost only
2-8 cents per person per year.
Elevated
thyroid uptake due to iodine deficiency aggravates the risk
of thyroid irradiation and development of thyroid cancer in
the case of a nuclear accident. Even in
Europe, clinically euthyroid school children born
and living in an iodine deficient environment exhibit subtle
or even overt neuropsychointellectual deficits as compared to
controls living in the same ethnic, demographic, nutritional
and socio-economic system, except that they are not exposed
to iodine deficiency.
Iodine is an essential nutrient.
Period. The simple fact that our government demands that our
salt be iodized in a dosage that simply keeps us from developing
goiters, while still keeping us iodine deficient means that
each of us must get enough in our diet on our own.
John is working with a physician
in
Africa testing his iodine. Here is a letter
he received from the good doctor:
I’m sorry
for taking so long to reply on your e-mails. I took leave
for a month and went to Mozambique to have a good rest.
I do
not mind if you use my name in the newspaper. I am still
experimenting with the Iodine with lots of good results although
you do not get the same results with all the medicines with
everyone. Overall it seems to work very well for Ostio-arthritis,
Rumatoit-arthritis and even Gout. I also use it for Septicemia
and I find it very effective to put the undiluted drops on warts.
It also worked very well on kidney failure. Yesterday
I gave it to someone with full blown HIV on anti-retroviral
treatment that failed, so I am waiting to see the response.
It is important that you mention that this study is in (it’s)
experimental phase and the results were found with only a few
patients. It will take a few years and lots of patients
to really come to a conclusion. So far I had no side-effects
or allergic response but, I am very positive that you can treat
many illnesses with great success with this very inexpensive
medicine.
I will
keep you updated on my results all the time. Unfortunately
most of my patients are (rural) black, so when they get cured,
they do not come back to inform me about it. They have
no contact numbers, which means I can’t get into any contact
with them to find out. I do believe that God had not brought
this medicine to me all the way from
Zambia
for nothing, so I expect that in this year, great things
are going to happen. I hope to generate some income with
the Iodine, that I can go back to Zambia, to help our friend with all
his good work.
We also got a letter from
a woman with breast cancer who is under the care of Dr Guy Abraham.
She writes: “It’s saving my life!”
Here is another letter:
Just good
health info to pass on. 3 months ago my doctor tried to
prescribe thyroid medicine to me. I convinced him to let
me try liquid iodine in my water morning and night before committing
to the pills. I just got my results in today and good
news. My thyroid went back up to normal.......no thyroid
prescriptions.
Word to the wise: We do not have enough iodine in our
diets.
What can you do? Help yourself
and your family by supporting John’s work.
Medical Intervention─A
Leading Cause of Death Filed under the heading Duh!
Posted on: WACCOBB.NET
Not long ago I read a report that made the astonishing claim
that the leading cause of death in the US is the American medical
system. Medicare's recent announcement that it will no longer
reimburse hospitals for the cost of treating certain "serious
preventable events," such as an object left in a patient's body
after an operation or giving a patient the wrong kind of blood,
and particular infections amounts to a frightening acknowledgement
of how bad things have gotten in mainstream health care.
Authors of the report on causes of death, published in
Life Extension magazine, attributed nearly 800,000
deaths each year to medical interventions, in contrast to approximately
650,000 deaths from heart disease and 550,000 from cancer. The
methodology they used to calculate that number didn't stand
up to our analysis, so I don't think the numbers are quite so
high. However, it did get my attention since the figures came
from credible sources including peer-reviewed medical journals,
citing for instance, 106,000 deaths annually from adverse drug
reactions, 98,000 from medical errors and 88,000 from infections.
This compares with 160,000 deaths from lung cancer anticipated
for 2007, for instance. Death can't be held off forever, of
course -- but preventable deaths from hospital-acquired infections,
especially if due to poor hygiene such as those transmitted
by not washing hands, are particularly egregious.
For greater insight into the risks we face, I spoke with
David J. Sherer, MD, a board-certified anesthesiologist in Falls
Church, Virginia, and the coauthor of
Dr. David Sherer's Hospital Survival Guide: 100+ Ways to
Make Your Hospital Stay Safe and Comfortable (Claren).
He said that although this report is controversial and somewhat
alarmist, it has elements of truth. Numbers can always be crunched
and interpreted in different ways, but the indisputable point
here is that medical errors and complications or adverse effects
from medical interventions have reached a crisis point in this
country -- one that needs to be addressed. That's beginning
to happen.
Dr. Sherer and I discussed what's behind this alarming trend
and how we can protect ourselves.
BEHIND THE RISE IN MEDICAL-RELATED DEATHS
First of all, the problem is not that medical practitioners
have suddenly and inexplicably become sloppy and careless. That's
far too simplistic an explanation. Instead, Dr. Sherer chalks
up the alarming statistics to a number of different factors:
The American public is getting older
and sicker. Growing numbers of graying baby boomers are
developing the diseases of aging -- heart disease, diabetes,
orthopedic problems, etc. In the meantime, in people of
all ages, ballooning rates of obesity contribute to these
same health challenges. More sick people mean more medical
interventions... and in hard numbers, that adds up to more
mistakes or complications.
In a kind of medical "perfect storm," just as more Americans
are developing serious health problems, we're struggling
with a shortage of medical support personnel including
nurses, which decreases the attention paid to patient
needs and details of treatment. Also, managed care has
meant doctors have less time to devote to patients during
office visits and, as a result, are less likely to know
the particulars of their history. Dr. Sherer warns that
this sets up a system ripe for errors.
Americans today take more medications than anyone else
in the world -- and drug companies are working hard
to get us to take even more. Spending on direct-to-consumer
drug advertising has increased over 300% in nearly a
decade, to $4.2 billion in 2005 from $1.1 billion in
1997. With that much money aimed at advertising drugs
not just to save lives, but to enhance mood or correct
erectile dysfunction or alleviate restless legs syndrome,
Dr. Sherer points out that drugs are often being taken
by people who don't need them. More drugs mean more
drug reactions and interactions to juggle than ever
before... again, many more opportunities for errors.
We're paying closer attention to medical
errors and preventable complications and -- paradoxically,
the harder we look for them, the more we find. This makes
the numbers look terrible in the short run, but in the long
run this increased vigilance and accountability should result
in improved care.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Forewarned is forearmed: There are many proactive steps you
can take to shield yourself and your loved ones from this epidemic
of deaths related to medical interventions. At the doctor's
office or in the hospital, Dr. Sherer recommends...
Bring an up-to-date list of all medications
you take. Make sure that you list not only
prescription drugs, but also over-the-counter medications,
herbal remedies, vitamins and other dietary supplements.
These can all react with one another. Also list the
condition for which you take each drug.
Include correct name, spelling, usage and dosage.
Dr. Sherer cautions that many drugs -- for example,
Xanax (for anxiety) and Zantac (to treat ulcers) --
sound similar. A comprehensive and accurate list that
includes the condition for which a drug or supplement
has been prescribed will help ward off confusion and
errors. This is especially important when dealing with
health-care professionals who don't speak English as
their first language.
Tell practitioners about any drug allergies
or sensitivities and all pre-existing conditions.
For example, perhaps you are allergic to penicillin.
While this information should appear on your chart,
don't take for granted that it does. Reminding health-care
providers of your medical history, including drug allergies,
is a simple and effective way to avoid potentially life-threatening
medical errors.
Do your homework. If you are scheduled
to take a new drug or undergo a test or procedure, first
research it at reliable government, hospital or university-based
Web sites such as
www.medlineplus.gov or
www.mayoclinic.com or
www.jhu.edu (Johns Hopkins). Peer-reviewed journals
such as the Journal of the American Medical Association
(jama.ama-assn.org)
and the New England Journal of Medicine (content.nejm.org)
can also be excellent sources of information. An objective
non-biased drug assessment database is available through
both print and on-line subscription (www.factsandcomparisons.com/)
-- ask your health-care provider and/or pharmacist whether
they use it.
Speak up. Ask your doctor the right
questions. Why do I need this drug/test/procedure? What
are the risks versus benefits? Is this the best drug/test/procedure
for my condition? What about side effects? In the case
of tests, are the results typically straightforward
or subject to interpretation? How often is this test/procedure
performed at your facility? How often does the surgeon
or other medical practitioner perform it? In both cases,
the more often, the better. Will there be pain or discomfort?
If your physician can't or won't take the time to answer
your questions, it's time to get a new physician.
Designate a friend or family member to be your
advocate. When you're ill, it's all too easy
to become nervous and forget the questions you want
to ask, or fail to recall your physician's advice. It's
not only comforting to have a trusted advocate by your
side at such moments, it also contributes to a better
understanding of the situation on your part, and more
accountability on the part of your caregivers. If you're
in the hospital, try to have someone with you or visiting
frequently so that they can get help/nurse's attention
if need be.
Take personal responsibility.
In the long run, you remain in charge of your own health.
Responsibility includes not just your interactions with
medical practitioners, but also making lifestyle changes
that reduce your risk of illness.
No doubt we will continue to hear more about this vitally
important health topic -- and I'll continue to cover it in upcoming
issues of Daily Health News. Given that hospitals will
now have to absorb the costs of their mistakes due to Medicare's
refusal to provide coverage for "serious preventable events,"
with a stipulation that prevents billing patients for them,
too, it's clear that they will focus intently on reducing these
events, which can only be good news. And meanwhile, Medicare's
new hospital inpatient provisions will result not only in an
estimated savings for the government of more than $20 million
annually -- but, we can only hope, the saving of many lives
as well.
Landmark Study Reveals New and
Innovative Concepts in Psychological Cancer Treatment Official Press Release
Author Rob van Overbruggen PhD shares
his expertise and utilizes the power of the human mind to influence
the cancer process in Healing Psyche
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands - In Healing Psyche: Patterns and
Structure of Complementary Psychological Cancer Treatment (CPCT),
author Rob van Overbruggen describes the evolution of his ground-breaking
concepts in psychological cancer treatment, how they differ
from the more traditional psychological modalities, and how
they have been carefully developed into a complete and complementary
approach to treating cancer by tapping into the powers of the
human mind.
During the research process, Van Overbruggen discovered overlapping
patterns from different psychological approaches to cancer therapy.
In his book, he identifies those psychological patterns that
influence the cancer process and how those patterns can be changed
to aid the healing process. Supported by many references
to scientific literature, Healing Psyche is an analysis of the
influence of mindset, behavior, emotions, and coping styles
on cancer.
Based on his meticulous research, Van Overbruggen makes scientifically
based suggestions for creating effective programs for somatic
healing and offers tips for further research into the healing
potential of the mind. The book will be of great help
and interest to a wide range of health practitioners and therapists
who work with patients diagnosed with cancer. Patients themselves
will also benefit from the new hope that these alternative healing
approaches provide. Part therapeutic guidebook and part research
dissertation, Healing Psyche will serve as a valuable addition
and support to integrative medicine.
"This is a groundbreaking research paper that reads more like
a page-turning novel. Full of absorbing case studies, Van Overbruggen
presents some of the most provocative and mind-bending cancer
research around."
- Ellen Tanner Marsh, New York Times best-selling author
For more information or to request a free review copy, members
of the press can contact the author at his site 'healingpsyche'.
Healing Psyche: Patterns and Structure of Complementary Psychological
Cancer Treatment (CPCT) is available for sale online at
Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale
and retail channels worldwide.
About the Author:
Rob van Overbruggen holds a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy,
and is an internationally licensed hypnotherapist, neuro linguistic
programmer, and time line therapy trainer. He is the founder
and director of Mexion, a company specializing in therapy and
training.
From the Author:
After decades of research and billion
dollars spent biomedical science has not yet discovered the
cause for breast cancer. Every 13 minutes someone dies of breast
cancer. Even if biomedical methods and technologies have enormously
improved, health care costs have risen at a very high rate synchronistically.
Many organisations work together to beat this disease, however
the Heal Breast Cancer Foundation is the only independent organisation
that truly works on a holistic approach. Their independent research
projects will shift the mainstream focus away from a biomedical,
symptomatic therapy model towards a biopsychosocial prevention
model.
That is why I support them and want to donate ALL my profits
to them. All (!!!) revenue of the sales of my book (sold on
December 12 2007) "Healing Psyche" will be donated to their
campaign and research. If my book ends up in the top 5 of
amazon.com then I will make an additional donation of $500
to support their cause.
Tony Isaacs, a good friend of our work, and
author of Cancer's Natural Enemy, sent me a couple of bottles
of Advanced Colloidal Silver. I used it for a few infections
and it worked.
How It Works:
Silver inhibits the growth of one-celled organisms, (such as
bacteria and viruses) by deactivating the organism's oxygen
metabolism enzymes. In turn, this destroys its' cell membranes,
stopping the replication of its' DNA.
The historical use of the
mineral silver by mankind is long and indisputable. For
thousands of years, it has been used for the same reasons we
are using it now in our Advanced Colloidal Silver supplement
form. From mankind'searliest
history, silver has been used in the making of food and drink
vessels, as well as eating utensils. Today, silver is being
used in swimming pool filters, food cutting boards, bandages,
burn dressings, and water filters for NASA.
Advanced Colloidal Silver contains ONLY mineral and distilled
water and is not a salt, iodide, protein, or gelatinous based
product. When we use the term "colloidal silver", we
use the
Chemistry definition
of "colloid" as a system in which finely divided
particles [silver] are dispersed within a continuous medium
[distilled water] in a manner that prevents them from being
easily filtered or rapidly settled. Advanced Colloidal Silver
contains no gelatinous products and is simply trace mineral
and distilled water.
One minor drawback
to using colloidal silver is that it can't distinguish between
good an bad bacteria, so you'll need to supplement with a good
probiotic.
My personal favorites are, as many of you know, the
iFlora line from
Sedona Labs.
Advanced Colloidal Silver is the purest form
around. We invite you to take a look at it, and we request that
those using it send us their thoughts. We always like feedback.
Click here to visit the shop of our newest partner:
Utopia Silver.
Switch on Your Anti-Aging
Genes From Dr Alan Sears'
Health Confidential
New research has uncovered a gene that can
increase lifespan dramatically, as much as 100 percent in one
study.1 All living things carry it – including humans. Even
more exciting is the discovery that natural substances found
in certain foods have the power to activate this gene.
We first discovered evidence of this “longevity
gene” about twenty years ago. If you starve mice, giving them
a nutritionally balanced diet with very few calories, their
lifespan increases dramatically. Later studies revealed that
this strange effect wasn’t limited to mice: calorie-restricted
diets produced similar results in many life forms, from single
celled organisms to plantVery recently, we found the explanation
for this mysterious phenomenon. They isolated a family of genes
called sirtuins (“silent information regulator proteins”). Sirtuins
kick in under conditions of severe stress, bringing about a
miraculous transformation.
They transmit signals to every cell in your
body that literally cancel out the effects of aging. The processes
that lead to cell death slow to a crawl, buying your body more
time. o a crawl, buying your body more time.
The discovery of sirtuins pointed to another
amazing fact. Most folks think of genetics as written in stone.
You have the genes you inherited, and that’s it. What sirtuins
show is that certain genes can be awakened and called upon to
change your body in the course of a single lifetime.
You’re probably saying to yourself, “Do I
have to starve myself to live longer?” Good point. The problem
of how to “wake up” sleeping sirtuin genes had scientists stumped
for years. They had to find some other way to flip the “off
switch” on aging.
That’s where foods come in. Turns out some
contain a natural compound that unleashes the anti-aging power
of sirtuins as effectively as calorie restriction. It’s called
resveratrol.
Nature’s Solution
Resveratrol’s
higher in plums, grapes, blueberries and cranberries. Other
plants also make smaller amounts. Its power to enhance and prolong
your life goes beyond anti-aging. Years of research have shown
that resveratrol boosts heart health, combats cancer, ramps
up energy levels, limits the inflammation that causes arthritis,
and benefits a number of major organs, including the heart,
liver, and pancreas. It also has the remarkable capacity to
halt cell “malfunctions” that can be lethal, like tumor generation.
As if that weren’t enough, resveratrol also
acts as a potent antioxidant, binding with “free radicals,”
the molecules that cause cell damage and lead to death over
time.
The list of resveratrol’s many health benefits
is long indeed. Let’s start with the heart.
Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too
Back in the 80’s, researchers stumbled on
a mystery they called “the French Paradox.” Conventional wisdom
had long held that if you eat a lot of saturated fats, your
arteries would clog up, putting you on the fast track to a major
heart attack.
But when they compared the average diets
among people in different countries, their theory went out the
window. The French were eating all the fat they wanted – cheese,
cream, meat, buttery pastries, cakes, and desserts, even foods
made out of pure fat like pâté – and yet they had much lower
rates of heart disease than Americans, who ate just as much
fat.
In other words, the French were having their
cake and eating it, too. Why?
Further analysis offered a clue: the French
love wine as much as they love fatty foods. Something in wine,
they realized, was highly beneficial. So they performed more
testing in the lab and uncovered the one of the main causes:
the grapes used to make wine were rich in resveratrol.
It turns out that different wines have different
levels of resveratrol. Wines made from Muscadine grapes have
the highest levels.
Beverage
Total resveratrol
(mg/L)
Total resveratrol
in a 5 oz glass (mg)
Muscadine
Wines
14.1
- 40
2.12
- 6
Red Wines (Global)
1.98 – 7.13
0.30 – 1.07
Red
Wines (Spanish)
1.92
– 12.59
0.29
– 1.89
Red grape juice
(Spanish)
1.14 – 8.69
0.17 – 1.30
Rose
Wines (Spanish)
0.43
– 3.52
0.06
– 0.53
Pinot Noir
0.40 – 2.0
0.06 – 0.30
White
Wines (Spanish)
0.05
– 1.80
0.01
– 0.27
Meet One of Your Heart’s Best Friends
I’ve been studying ways to boost heart health
for thirty years, and I’ve never come across anything more powerful
than resveratrol.
There are actually two kinds of resveratrol,
“cis-“ and “trans-resveratrol.” It’s the second kind appears
to be the most beneficial.
One way it protects your heart is by preventing
blood clots, a major cause of heart attack, particularly in
older folks. In one study, researchers gave healthy male subjects
a blood-clotting factor along with high doses of trans-resveratrol.
They found that trans-resveratrol prevented their blood platelets
from sticking together.3 Not only does this help your heart
– it also prevents strokes, another effect of clotting.
Another way it powers your heart involves
miraculous capability called “angio-genesis,” a fancy term for
blood vessel growth. Trans-resveratrol acts a bit like bypass
surgery by creating new blood vessels to deliver more oxygen
to your heart when it’s not getting enough.
Finally trans-resveratrol drives down levels
of bad fats called triglycerides. These are the fatty acids
that clog your arteries. Scientists have been able to lower
triglyceride levels as much as 15 percent in pre-menopausal
women using concentrated grape powder.4 It’s this particular
property that helped to explain the “French Paradox.” The French
were eating fat, but it wasn’t clogging their arteries as fast
as in Americans.
A “His-and-Hers” Cancer Fighter and
Natural Sun Block
Resveratrol is a major weapon in the battle
against cancer – in both men and women.
Someday, doctors may turn to resveratrol
instead of drugs or surgery as a first-line defense and treatment
for prostate cancer. In mice, it’s been shown to reduce prostate
cancer risk as much as 87 percent. And in those who’d already
developed prostate cancer, resveratrol slowed tumor growth up
to 49 percent.5
For women, resveratrol may prove just as
powerful in the fight against breast cancer. Another study on
mice found that it slowed tumor growth and killed off cancer
cells and the blood vessels they need to grow.6
This is truly amazing, if you think about
it. Resveratrol acts just like chemotherapy in mice, but naturally
and without any of the horrific side effects of chemo. And while
it stimulates blood vessel growth to benefit the heart, it kills
the blood vessels that feed tumors. When it comes to preventing
cancer and heart disease, it’s you’re guardian angel.
What’s more, a number of studies suggest
that resveratrol may prevent leukemia, pancreatic cancer, colon
cancer, and lung cancer.
Plants use resveratrol to protect themselves
from the harmful effects of too much sun. It may be able to
do the same thing for humans. Scientists looked at resveratrol’s
effects on skin tumor development in mice caused by harmful
UVB rays.7 They used it just like a lotion, applying it to the
skin twice weekly for 28 weeks. Not only did it prevent skin
cancer; it also slowed tumor growth significantly.
Ramp Up Your Physical Strength and
Vitality
Resveratrol may also turn out to be for humans
what spinach was for Popeye. In one study, it turned mice into
Mighty Mice, granting them extraordinary strength and stamina.
Once fed resveratrol, they ramped up their aerobic capacity,
lengthened their running time, and burned more oxygen. Researchers
also noticed that resveratrol enhanced their muscles’ ability
to turn fuel into energy.
Adding icing to the cake, the same study
confirmed resveratrol’s power to enhance overall health and
vitality: it boosted the immune system, protected the nervous
system, and optimized liver, muscle, and fat cell function.
It also prevented diabetes and obesity by lowering insulin resistance,
the main cause of type 2 diabetes.8
Unlock Your Body’s Native Power
Resveratrol taps into your body’s natural,
life-giving force, unleashing vitality, energy, strength, and
stamina. It can literally add years to your life.
The problem is how to get enough of it.
Nearly all the experiments I mentioned used
quantities of resveratrol well beyond what you’d be able to
get from drinking a lot of wine or eating plums all day. So
this is a case where supplements are a better option. They’re
inexpensive and safe. You can find them in health food stores
or on line. I recommend around taking 10 mg per day.
I’ll also be formulating my own mix of resveratrol
in the coming months. Once it’s ready, I’ll let you know.
____________________
1. Howitz et al, “Small molecule activators
of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan,” Nature,
2003, 425(6954):191-6.
2. Sinclair DA, Guarente L, “Unlocking the
secrets of longevity genes,” Scientific American, 2006, 294(3):
48-57.
3. Wang et al, “Effects of red wine and wine
polyphenol resveratrol on platelet aggregation in vivo and in
vitro,” International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2007 9(1):77-9.
4. Zern et al, “Grape polyphenols exert a
cardioprotective effect in pre- and postmenopausal women by
lowering plasma lipids and reducing oxidative stress,” The Journal
of Nutrition, 2005, 135(8):1911-7.
5. Harper et al, “Resveratrol suppresses
prostate cancer progression in transgenic mice,” Journal of
Carcinogenesis, 2007 28(9):1946-1953.
6. Garvin et al, “Resveratrol induces apoptosis
and inhibits angiogenesis in human breast cancer xenografts
in vivo,” Cancer Letters, 2006, 231(1): 113-22.
7. Aziz et al, “Chemoprevention of skin cancer
by grape constituent resveratrol: relevance to human disease?”
The FASEB Journal, 2005, 19(9):1193-95.
8. Lagouge et al, “Resveratrol improves mitochondrial
function and protects against metabolic disease by activating
SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha,” Cell, 2006,127(6):1109-22.
To get Dr Sears' Health Confidential
Newsletter,
click
here.
Miracles From Miracle Skin Products™
Customers send us their praises.
I never
get tired talking about Ron Salley’s line of creams. Ron has
gotten orders from around the world because of our efforts to
promote them. As many of you know, if it’s good, if it works,
we’ll promote it, and if we receive negative lots of negative
feedback, we’ll drop them and erase every mention of them found
at this site.
Simply the
Best started up because of the unique products we’ve discovered
in this journey to perfect health. Simply the Best is the only
site on the web handling Ron’s amazing creams.
Diabetic
Wounds: Ron has received tons of letters from his customers
who have used HealonPF™ for their diabetic wounds. I am currently
researching products that can help these nearly untreatable
inflictions for a future article, but the findings are slim.
I cannot even tell you the number of people who’ve told Ron
that his HealonPF™ saved a limb.
One recent
customer had a team of doctors working on his foot for more
than six months only to tell him that it would, in all probability,
have to come off. He got a bottle of HealonPF™, used it twice
a day over a six week period, and it healed right up. His doctors
claimed it to be a “miracle” and then went on to take full credit
for the event.
We expect
to receive photographs (before and after soon), so stay tuned.
Two cases
of spider bites (by the Brown Recluse) healed completely with
no rotting flesh.
One young
man in
Texas
had a lung condition that limited his lung capacity, and
it was progressive. Each day he had more and more trouble breathing.
When the doctors could no longer help him, he got some HealonPF™,
put a few drops of it into a sauce pan, simmered up the solution,
put a towel over his head and breathed in the steam. He did
this once a day for ten days. He reports that he can finally
breathe without straining; that he feels like he’s been given
a new set of lungs. When he showed his doctor the bottle of
HealonPF™ that had worked its magic, the doctor told him he
didn’t want to hear about it, but added that he should continue
using it.
Personally,
I’ve found that when I have a sinus inflammation, I first put
a few drops of Magnascent
into a netipot and thoroughly clean out my nasal cavities. I
then spray some SinusBuster
up there with a bit of
Colloidal Silver.
Finally, I do the procedure mentioned above, and it’s gone.
Ron has
created an ointment from his HealonPF™, and it’s currently being
tested by Dr Hall (who is one of his admirers). For deep core
diabetic wounds (that go right down to the bone), the doctor
has found that he can pack the wound, which has saved some limbs
that had, according to the medical world, not a chance of ever
healing. Ron is not currently manufacturing this new product;
it’s in the testing phase. His products are expensive to make,
and he wants more clinical studies before it goes into production.
We’ll be the first to tell you when this happens.
It seems
that beauticians have been using the HealonPF™ for sever acne
with great results. Ron also makes an Acne Formula, and used
together, he’s not seen an acne condition that can’t be cleared
up.
Ron is also
working with veterinarians. Hot spots on dogs can clear up in
two weeks with HealonPF™. One of the top horse Vets in Texas is now testing Ron’s experimental Healon™
Ointment on Laminitis. Laminitis is deadly in horses. In fact,
a recent Kentucky Derby winner was put down because of it. We’ll
get back to you soon on the results. There is no cure for Laminitis.
If Ron’s ointment is successful, he’s taking me to
Jamaica, because he’ll
be a multi-millionaire.
For third
degree burns, nothing seems to compare to HealonPF™. Even blisters
clear up quickly.
Ron recently
got a large order from Korea, due to our web site, and he sent
us half the profits from the sale, and just in time; we had
to pay our computer guru for recovering our 19 years of research.
We cannot thank him enough for this.
So, if you
don’t have a bottle of HealonPF™ in your first aid kit and one
in your car, this Christmas Ron will send you a free bottle
of HealonPF™ for any orders over $100.00.
Additionally,
I convinced Ron to market his amazing lip balm. Most lip balms
contain petroleum products (which have been linked to cancer,
in fact, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly® has been outlawed in
Europe
because of this). Ron’s product are 100% natural, kosher,
and organic (when possible). We’ve read testimonials about this
stuff that are unbelievable. Some women have been using it on
their crows feet and bags under their eyes. Whenever I let someone
try mine, they love it. In fact, they often walk off with it.
The process
to make his Lip Balm is long, tedious, and expensive and he
never wanted to market it. I told him you have to sell this
stuff, so why not sell it for $15.00? He said that’s awfully
steep for a Lip Balm. I said, “No, it isn’t. Not for this stuff!”
Finally,
Ron’s Psoriasis formula has help a lot of people, but on some,
it’s done nothing. Psoriasis is a weird condition. There are
a lot of products out there, and like Ron’s formula, sometimes
they work, sometimes they don’t. We could easily publish only
the positive testimonials here, but that’s not our style.
If any of Ron’s products do not work for you, you get your money
back, including the shipping. That’s his guarantee.
Just click on the link below to go to the only site on the web
supplying these amazing products.
Get a free bottle of HealonPF™
for orders over $100.00 made before 12/31/07.
Introduction to
HoloSync™
One quick path to peace and wellbeing.
Aside from the fact that we’re six months
behind in our work, we do plan to review a lot of CDs on meditation
and hypnosis.
HoloSync™ is just one of the recording
schemes we will investigate in depth in a future newsletter.
We get a lot of letters here, and one subject
we get often is: I CAN’T MEDITATE!
Our society runs at a ridiculous pace. The
American Dream has become a nightmare. Most families have both
parents working full time, and far too many have to maintain
two jobs. Finding a peaceful space (or time) to meditate is
difficult. Trying to clear one’s mind seems impossible. This
is where HoloSync™ comes in.
As you read this, your brain is sending the
words you see through your brain in electrical impulses. The
speed at which these impulses travel is called frequency. Brain
frequencies are measured in cycles per second, or hertz.
Let’s take a look at these frequencies:
Delta: 0-4Hz
In the Delta state, you are in a profoundly deep sleep.
The Delta phase serves as regenerative state.
Theta: 4-8Hz
This is a trance state. If you’ve ever seen someone staring
off into nowhere (or have done it yourself) then you know
the Delta phase. It is our most creative state. Our thoughts
are visual or emotional, rather than linguistic or, as some
would say, rational.
Alpha: 8-12Hz
When you open your eyes and passively view your surroundings,
without much thinking, just observing, you are at the Alpha
state. When you listen, you simply listen. The moment you
stray and start thinking of other things, or how to respond,
you enter the Beta phase.
SMR: 12-16Hz
When you are doing things automatically without thinking,
you are in the SMR phase. Driving a car is mostly done in
this phase. Most of the time you don’t have to think about
how to steer or use the accelerator or clutch. Only when
you reach an intersection or a stop light do you have to
think about what you are doing. Or, of course, should you
suddenly find yourself sliding on ice, your brain kicks
in high gear, and you reach the Beta phase. Professional
dancers, skaters, and musicians often perform their art
in this state. The rest of us have to think about what we’re
doing.
Beta: 16-20Hz
This is your active thought state. We study, learn, and
plan in the Beta phase. Pick up a pencil and add a group
of numbers, and the Beta phase kicks in.
It is possible to alter your brain frequencies.
We do this by finding a quiet place and entering a meditative
state. However, as most report to me, they just can’t do it.
In meditation, we try to focus on nothing.
Many techniques tell you to focus on your breathing. When something
comes into your mind, acknowledge it, and push it to the side,
and continue to focus on your breathing.
Meditation slows the brain waves and synchronizes
both hemispheres. (Yes, one side can be running at a different
frequency than the other.) When you reach a state of consciousness
where the Theta phase takes over, and both hemispheres are in
sync, you reach a place of peace and well being.
However, many people tell me they just cannot
do this. The moment they sit down, begin to breathe and center,
thoughts of taking the kids to the dentist, getting to the supermarket,
the laundry in the basket, a meeting with the PTA, or an upcoming
holiday just begin to bombard them.
Again, this is where HoloSync™ comes in.
HoloSync™ is a process used to synchronize
both hemispheres of the brain at a desired frequency by playing
audio patterns containing binaural beats or tones. Binaural
means “two tones.” All mammals are binaural, in that we have
two ears.
The secret behind HoloSync™ is that, using
earphones, one ear gets one tone, while the other gets another,
but the brain hears a third tone created by the two combining.
In one set of CDs we will review (someday),
they gave a great demonstration. First they played one tone
in my left ear. Then they played another (very similar) in my
right ear. Then they played them both together, and it was amazing:
I heard this fluctuating “wawa” sound in my brain. It was a
great demonstration.
The HoloSync™ CDs aim at bringing you slowly
into the Theta or Delta states.
While first using the CDs, I and others with
whom I shared the experience, found that focusing on nothing
became quite easy. When something intruded our thoughts, they
automatically vanished and again we were focused and centered.
I’ve heard reports from a Buddhist Monk who
spent years learning to attain higher forms of consciousness
that he was absolutely amazed at this recording process that
helped so many get instantly what he’d been working on for years.
So, to all my readers, if you want to get
the gift of peace, tranquility, and well being for Christmas
this year, this is one gift to give your self (or a loved one).
Learning Strategies has a series of CDs called
Euphoria. Check it out by clicking here:
Euphoria. This is a large package with advice from some
of the top experts in the field of self-empowerment, including
Chunyi Lin, my qigong instructor.
Other CDs at this site are called Paraliminals.
We've reviewed their Smoke-Free CD in the past (in our article
on Quitting Smoking. Other's
we've been privilaged to review are: Deep Relaxation, Ten Minute
Supercharge, Ideal Weight, and New Behavior Generator. All of
them can be viewed by clicking here:
Learning Strategies Paraliminals. They make an excellent
Christmas gift to yourself or a loved one.
I have a very eclectic taste in movies and audio CDs. In fact,
since my retirement, I've become a movie nut, and often contribute
to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
My collection of movies is way over the 3,000 mark now and still
climbing.
But even with 500 channels on your TV, it's amazing how many
kids today don't know who Laurel and Hardy were or have never
seen a Charlie Chaplin film.
Charlie Chaplin
Hollywood knows Charlie Chaplin. Movies today even steal many
of his gags.
For the best introduction to Charlie Chaplin that will give
you hours of pleasure, I suggest the Essential Charlie Chaplin
Collection.
However, if that's a bit too spendy for you,
then I would suggest this "must have" two DVD collection: The
Chaplin Review.
All of the films in this little collection
are priceless, but one, The Idle Class, has been a
favorite of mine since I was a kid. One of the first gags in
the film has Charlie, an upper-class drunk, forgetting his pants
and entering the lobby of his hotel. As he makes his way to
the phone booth, the characters upstage of him perform their
functions coincidentally covering his trouserless body. This
gag has been subsequently lifted by the writers of
the Spy Who Shagged Me. However, the way Charlie, once
he realizes his situation, gets back to his room is pure Chaplin.
Another scene to watch for is when he gets
a letter from his wife that she's not coming back till he quits
his drinking. I've not found anyone who can keep a straight
face watching this gag.
The product is sold by a seller for whom
we are not an affiliate, but heck, it's Christmas.
Laurel and Hardy
This comic duo has no equal.
Stan Laurel was a comic genius. All comic duos have their problems,
but Laurel and Hardy never quibbled about a gag, since Hardy
trusted Laurels sense of comedy explicitly. Though their work
is old, their gags are timeless, and often lifted by
contemporary
Hollywood
directors.
Laurel
wrote many of the scripts, directed some, and produced some,
though only one movie actually lists
Laurel
as the producer, Way Out West.
Hardy helped write just one
movie, Sons of the Desert.
They were awarded an Academy
Award for only one short film: The Music Box, and Stan did receive
a special lifetime achievement Oscar shortly before his death.
Only recently has Turner
Classics started showing their work, though in the mid eighties,
local channels still ran a Laurel and Hardy Comedy Hour (which
I recorded to video tape religiously). Sadly, today many people
have never heard of them.
I’ve introduced this duo
to teens of friends, and at first they respond with something
like, “Oh, black and white,” but within minutes, they’re rolling
with laughter. Stan Laurel’s comic timing is impeccable.
Firesign Theater
As a child of the sixties
(yes, with flowers in my hair and roaming the strip in Hollywood) I was introduced
to the Firesign Theater while still in high school. Their comedy,
though slightly over my head at the time, had me in tears. All
of the players are highly educated. Their comedy pokes fun at
our mass media, with most of their “radio” skits involving a
character watching television (and often channel surfing).
I was first introduced to
the word “hologram” in their work. These fellows are all degreed
from top universities, and their allusions to history, science,
literature, and pop culture are wide, varied, and deep.
When youngsters hear them
today, they think: “Oh, that’s really old.” However, the clichés
heard were not clichés when recorded. Some of their lines have
made it firmly into our language today.
One thing you will quickly
learn is that for the next ten to twenty years, every time you
listen to them, you will hear something new.
Don’t Crush That Dwarf,
Hand Me the Pliers
is the story of a man watching himself on TV all night long.
It is rated R. Lots of references to drugs (heck, it was the
sixties).
How Can You Be in Two
Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All
has a different skit on each side (though they reference the
other side of the phonographic album during the skits). One
side has the Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye,
while the other side begins with one of those ubiquitous Car
Commercials (come on down!) we all heard in the LA area in the
sixties, and ends with James Joyce’s Ulysses. The anti
war theme is relevant today. It is rated R with even more of
references to drugs.
I Think We’re All Bozos
on this Bus is a
trip to a Disneyland
like theme park called The Future Fair. Even the word Bus
is a reference to computers (which back in their day used up
half a city block and had less than ten megabytes of memory).
Welcome to the Future! (It’s smaller, but, ahhh, cleaner.)
They will all make you think,
make you laugh, and make you play them again and again.
P.S. I've just introduced a few friends to
my collection of the Firesign Theater this past month. They're
still laughing.
Betty Boop
Here’s a question for you:
What color is Betty Boop’s hair?
Everyone says, “black” because
she’s always drawn that way in posters. However, in her two
color cartoons, her hair was red.
Another question: What was
Betty Boop before she was human?
Weird question? Not really.
She was a dog. In her first seven cartoons Betty was a dog.
She quickly transformed into a spicy flapper from the twenties,
and after the Hays Office started enforcing their edicts(1934),
Betty’s character and clothing began to get toned down. Her
skirts grew longer, and her fans fell away. Her voice, Mae Questel,
stayed with Max Fleisher’s studio to become the voice of Olive
Oyl, Popeye’s goilfriend.
The double collection (below)
is a great introduction to Betty’s early years. In fact, the
first time Louis Armstrong appeared on film was in a Betty Boop
Cartoon that went by the name of the song Louis and his Band
perform: I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You
Rascal You.
You’ll also find Cab Calloway
in this collection, singing about Cocaine and Heroin, but the
kids won’t know; they’re presented in street slang. Many of
Betty’s early work would not have made it past the Hays Office
had they established just a few years earlier.
Much of these old cartoons,
though, as well as Charlie Chaplin’s work, and some Loony Tunes,
are filled with racism. They are the product of their time,
and you might want to explain a few things to your kids.
Loony Tunes
The Loony Tunes Collections
are my absolute favorites. These cartoons were not produced
for solely for children. They were created for the child in
all of us.
In the “olden days” when
we went to a movie, we went for entertainment. Today, we go
for entertainment, but we get assaulted with advertisement after
advertisement and movie trailers followed by movie trailers.
In my day, each film was
preceded by a cartoon. So now, when I make a DVD (recorded from
my Tivo), if there is room, I always add a cartoon.
These collections are sheer
gems. They contain commentaries, historical documentaries, and
lots of special features. You will meet the crazy geniuses behind
the Tunes, such as Tex Avery who was to the cartoon what Color
and Sound were to movies. You’ll meet Frank Tashland (who went
by many names, such as Tish Tash) who sped up cartoons faster,
even faster than his mentor Tex Avery, and used camera angles
that influenced Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Wells. Tashland went
on to direct films for
Hollywood, which the boys of Termite
Terrace referred to as “a step down.”
You’ll learn that the voice
of Bugs Bunny (and Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzalez, and
more), was done by Mel Blanc, who, by the way, hated carrots.
However, after trying everything from raw potatoes to celery
and apples, found that the only way to get the crunch-crunch
sound of a carrot was by munching on a carrot. So, after every
bite of a carrot followed by a line, Mel spit the carrot into
a bucket.
You’ll learn about all the
people behind the characters and gags from Warner Brothers.
You’ll meet Chuck Jones, who first designed Bugs Bunny, and
later you’ll meet Robert McKimson who finalized Bug’s Character
in his model sheet
drawn in 1943. You’ll meet a lot of people who never got
credits in the openings, such as the animators, the sound effects
people, and many voices. June Foray did a lot of female character
voices for Warner Brothers, but was virtually unknown till she
created the voices for both Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha
on the Bullwinkle Hour.
And don’t forget to watch
The Wabbit
Who Came To Supper, for its famous “shower
scene” in which those nutty guys managed to slip a few frames
past the people in the Hays Office. And don’t forget to pay
attention to the paintings on Elmer Fudd’s walls. He has four
nudes.
And be sure to watch a few
cartoons with the music (and sometimes sound effects) only.
The artwork alone in these pieces are remarkable. The sunrise
in Claws For
Alarm, is sheer artistic genius. Additionally, this
is just one of two cartoons in which Sylvester is Porky Pig’s
pet, and gets no lines, though in the first one, Scaredy Cat,
Sylvester does get to meow.
Disney's On the Front Lines
Did you know that Walt Disney
played an integral role in defeating the Germans during WWII?
When the war began, Disney
was nearly shut down. Many of his employees had been drafted.
With hardly a workforce, Disney got contracts from the US Military
to make training films (a few are in the collection below).
While working for the military,
Disney read a book by Alexander Procofieff de Seversky, an aviation
pioneer. The book was Victory Through Air Power.
Disney created his own
Victory Through Air Power, which started out with the history
of flight in cartoon form. As a child, I watched excerpts from
this documentary, but only as an adult, with the release of
Disney’s On The Front Lines, was I able to see the
entire production of Victory Through Air Power.
With Seversky himself lecturing,
Disney intersperses animations of Serversky’s theories on the
tactics of long distance bombing. The animation is simply amazing
and the quality…well, Disney never did anything poorly.
When the film was released,
Winston Churchill went to see it. Upon meeting with Roosevelt,
he was surprised to learn that Roosevelt had not yet seen the
movie and arranged for a copy to be sent to
Roosevelt. Roosevelt watched it, and within a month, our factories began
producing long distance bombers; and the rest is history.
Included in this collection
is the Academy Award wining cartoon, Der Fuehrer's
Face. Donald also joins the army in one of the cartoons,
and we get to see his middle name: Fauntleroy.
This is an amazing piece
of history. Your children will love the cartoons, and you don’t
even have to tell them they’re getting a college course in the
history of WWII.
Jaques Tati
Finally we have two works
by a French director, writer, producer, editor, and actor. He
was voted the 46th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment
Weekly, and of the list of fifty, he was the only one who
had directed a paltry 9 films.
I’ll lay odds that no one
reading this has ever heard of this man, let alone having ever
seen his films.
They are masterpieces. Tati
is a genius of visual gags. He’s also an audio gag genius. You
can hardly hear the dialogue, but you can hear the sounds he’s
amplified. In fact, the dialogue is hardly central to his work.
For Playtime, the
most expensive French film of its day, Tati employed 100 construction
workers to build two buildings using ,700 square feet of glass,
38,700 square feet of plastic, 31,500 square feet of timber,
and 486,000 square feet of concrete. The production began in
October of 1964 and ended in October of 1967. Tati went bankrupt
making this film, and it did not make a very big splash at the
box office. However, Tati lived long enough to get the recognition
he deserved. Even Roger Ebert added Playtime to his
“great movies” list in August of 2004.
The movie comes with a documentary
showing the work that went into the production.
Together, Mon Oncle
and Playtime have been compared to Charlie Chaplin’s
Modern Times, the story of an anonymous character trapped
in a modern world.
Tati plays the main roll
of Mr Hulot, an eccentric, conservative, goofy yet good-willing
character who seems to be doomed to do everything wrong in the
modern world.
Tati’s genius is the gag.
Every scene turns into something else. There is so much going
on, you will have to see these over and over to catch it all.
Guaranteed, if you order
these films, you’ll be the only one on your block to own them;
perhaps the only one in your city. And everyone will wonder
what the heck you’re laughing at.
P.S. My friends will be getting gifts from these selections.
Another Christmas Suggestion
Something you can use
all year long (for many years).
So your kids
have a favorite DVD (or CD)
or perhaps 20 favorites. They’re constantly playing them. Mom
has to wipe the fingerprints off of them to get them to play
properly. One day, the media just doesn’t play. There’s another
$14.50 down the drain.
I have another solution.
It is NOT illegal to make
backup copies of your DVDs and CDs. You paid for them. If they
no longer function, you have the right to have a backup copy.
It is illegal to make illegal
copies of a DVD or CD.
Before I loan out one of
the many DVDs I have in my collection, to a friend, or neighbor,
I always make a copy. Some people just don’t handle these media
properly. I have one friend who never puts DVDs back in their
jewel case. I’ve learned to back them up.
AnyDVD
is the best darn program in the world. It allows you to do exactly
as its name suggests. It can read ANY DVD.
CloneDVD2 will
do exactly that too: it clones any DVD (only if AnyDVD is running
on your computer) to a DVD or DVD image file (.ISO).
An
Open Letter TO Farrah Fawcett
From our good friend
at Cancer Decisions, Ralph Moss
On my own behalf, as well as that of
my coworkers, and the readers of our weekly online newsletter,
I want to wish you success in pursuing innovative cancer treatments
in Germany. I applaud your courage in seeking an approach that
hopefully will be less toxic and more effective than the treatments
you have so far been offered in the US.
With this open letter, I also hope to counter some of the
negative comments that have been made in the media about your
treatment choices. Some of the derogatory comments about "the
murky world of overseas clinics" have come from the tabloids
- no surprise there. As your spokesperson told People
magazine, "It is now clear that the tabloids are as invasive
and malignant as cancer." I wish there were some way to shield
you from their abusive attacks.
Far more surprising have been highly critical comments from
individuals associated with major US cancer institutions. Isn't
it ironic that before your diagnosis you served as a celebrity
spokesperson for the American Cancer Society? Now, some people
associated with ACS and similar organizations have forgotten
this former service and, in effect, have washed their hands
of you.
Interviewed by the Associated Press about your case, Barrie
Cassileth, PhD, is quoted as saying, "I would [tell a patient
considering alternative treatment] that they are signing their
own death certificate. I would say they are wasting time they
could otherwise spend happier and with their families." Dr.
Cassileth is chief of the Integrative Medicine Department at
the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York and has
been prominently associated with your former organization, the
ACS.
I find such statements both highly inappropriate and contradictory.
Saying that people are "signing their own death certificate"
by pursuing innovative cancer treatments outside the US implies
that they would not be signing their death certificate had they
only stayed in the US for treatment. While I do not presume
to know the details of your case, I assume that you were fully
informed by your American oncologists of the treatment options
for your cancer, and found them unacceptable.
I am sure you did not make the decision to seek treatment
in Germany on a whim, but after due deliberation of all your
options. Dr. Cassileth's melodramatic statement implies that
you are wasting your time by doing so and that you could instead
spend "happier" time with your family. Not everyone will choose
to, as it were, wait out the clock. I thoroughly understand
your desire to seek more effective treatments, including those
available abroad. This is of course a very personal choice,
which is determined in part by one's resources and fighting
spirit. But the fact that some people choose to seek out other
possibilities abroad rather than give up hope at home is not
a sign of irrationality.
Medicine develops unevenly and is still partly determined
by national characteristics. (For confirmation, see Lynne Payer's
classic
Medicine and Culture.)
Consequently, there are treatments available in Europe that
are not yet available here, and vice versa. Dr. Cassileth seems
to think that all German cancer clinics are a monolith and that
all their techniques are the same and equally ineffective. But
the topic of German innovative medical treatments is a huge
one. According to one German Web site (www.klinik.de)
there are presently 2,200 private clinics in Germany, containing
500,000 beds and treating 17.5 million patients annually. Many
of these are cancer patients. These clinics were not set up
to treat Americans, but primarily to serve the interests of
the indigenous population. Germans in general (including many
of their doctors) have a more positive attitude towards natural
medicine than do their counterparts in America. In my experience,
the German clinics are generally well run and are in full compliance
with both local laws and international standards of ethical
patient care.
Germany has long been a world leader in cancer research and
treatment. German biologists pioneered almost every step in
understanding the nature of this disease. Despite the terrible
setbacks of World Wars I and II, German doctors continue to
be well trained and well informed on all aspects of cancer care.
In the use of complementary medicine they are without peer in
the West. German doctors have either pioneered or expanded the
use of mistletoe, enzymes, thymic peptides, immunotherapy, hyperthermia,
and a host of other innovative techniques. These methods are
sometimes employed alongside surgery, radiation and chemotherapy,
when these are deemed necessary.
A glance at this year's program of the 41st Medizinische
Woche (Medicine Week), held October 27-November
1, in Baden-Baden, reveals a panoply of treatment options that
are unknown by most American oncologists. Recently I had the
honor of co-editing a medical textbook on the German approach
to integrative cancer therapy with Josef Beuth, MD, professor
of complementary medicine at the University of Cologne. Our
volume,
Complementary Oncology
(Thieme) gives some idea of the range of these treatments and
the depth of their scientific evaluation including, in some
instances, through the use of randomized controlled trials.
In conclusion, Ms Fawcett, I hardly think you are wasting
your time, much less signing your own death certificate, by
going abroad for treatment. You have made a rational decision
under extremely difficult circumstances, and that decision deserves
the utmost respect, not a flippant dismissal of your survival
prospects. All people of good will wish you the best of luck
in your search for effective treatments.
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
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the "Go to Original" links.
The Fluoride Conspiracy
"Fluoridation is the greatest case of scientific
fraud of this century." - Robert Carlton, Ph.D, former EPA scientist,
1992
The history of forcing fluoride on humans
through the fluoridation of drinking water is wrought with lies,
greed and deception. Governments that add fluoride to drinking
water supplies insist that it is safe, beneficial and necessary,
however, scientific evidence shows that fluoride is not safe
to ingest and areas that fluoridate their drinking water supplies
have higher rates of cavities, cancer, dental fluorosis, osteoporosis
and other health problems. Because of the push from the aluminum
industry, pharmaceutical companies and weapons manufacturers,
fluoride continues to be added to water supplies all over North
America and due to recent legal actions against water companies
that fluoridate drinking water supplies, precedent has been
set that will make it impossible for suits to be filed against
water suppliers that fluoridate. There is a growing resistance
against adding toxic fluoride to our water supplies, but unfortunately,
because fluoride has become "the lifeblood of the modern industrial
economy"(Bryson 2004), there is too much money at stake for
those who endorse water fluoridation . The lies of the benefits
of water fluoridation will continue to be fed to the public,
not to encourage health benefits to a large number of people,
but to profit the military-industrial complex.
The story begins in 1924, when Interessen
Gemeinschaft Farben (I.G. Farben), a German chemical manufacturing
company, began receiving loans from American bankers, gradually
leading to the creation of the huge I.G. Farben cartel. In 1928
Henry Ford and American Standard Oil Company (The Rockefellers)
merged their assets with I.G. Farben, and by the early thirties,
there were more than a hundred American corporations which had
subsidiaries and co-operative understandings in Germany. The
I.G. Farben assets in America were controlled by a holding Company,
American I.G. Farben, which listed on it’s board of directors:
Edsel Ford, President of the Ford Motor Company, Chas. E. Mitchell,
President of Rockerfeller’s National City Bank of New York,
Walter Teagle, President of Standard Oil New York, Paul Warburg,
Chairman of the federal reserve and brother of Max Warburg,
financier of Germany’s War effort, Herman Metz, a director of
the Bank of Manhattan, controlled by the Warburgs, and a number
of other members, three of which were tried and convicted as
German war criminals for their crimes against humanity. In 1939
under the Alted agreement, the American Aluminum Company (ALCOA),
then the worlds largest producer of sodium fluoride, and the
Dow Chemical Company transferred its technology to Germany.
Colgate, Kellogg, Dupont and many other companies eventually
signed cartel agreements with I.G. Farben, creating a powerful
lobby group accurately dubbed "the fluoride mafia"(Stephen 1995).
At the end of World War II, the US government
sent Charles Eliot Perkins, a research worker in chemistry,
biochemistry, physiology and pathology, to take charge of the
vast Farben chemical plants in Germany. The German chemists
told Perkins of a scheme which they had devised during the war
and had been adapted by the German General Staff. The German
chemists explained of their attempt to control the population
in any given area through the mass medication of drinking water
with sodium fluoride, a tactic used in German and Russian prisoner
of war camps to make the prisoners "stupid and docile"(Stephen
1995). Farben had developed plans during the war to fluoridate
the occupied countries because it was found that fluoridation
caused slight damage to a specific part of the brain, making
it more difficult for the person affected to defend his freedom
and causing the individual to become more docile towards authority.
Fluoride remains one of the strongest anti-psychotic substances
known, and is contained in twenty-five percent of the major
tranquilizers. It may not seem surprising that Hitler’s regime
practiced the concept of mind control through chemical means,
but the American military continued Nazi research, exploring
techniques to incapacitate an enemy or medicate an entire nation.
As stated in the Rockefeller Report, a Presidential briefing
on CIA activities, "the drug program was part of a much larger
CIA program to study possible means of controlling human behavior"(Stephen
1995).
EDITOR'S NOTE: Though we
appreciate getting articles from other sources, we should
report that the idea that Hitler's scientists experimented
with fluoride has been pretty much debunked. This is such a
polemic issue, that it is truly hard to get to the facts
because everyone has his own agenda. However, we have to go
with those debunking the Hitler/Fluoride connection.
The ‘dental caries prevention myth’ associated
with fluoride, originated in the United States in 1939, when
a scientist named Gerald J. Cox, employed by ALCOA, the largest
producer of toxic fluoride waste and at the time being threatened
by fluoride damage claims, fluoridated some lab rats, concluded
that fluoride reduced cavities and claimed that it should be
added to the nation’s water supplies. In 1947, Oscar R. Ewing,
a long time ALCOA lawyer, was appointed head of the Federal
Security Agency , a position that placed him in charge of the
Public Health Service(PHS). Over the next three years, eighty-seven
new American cities began fluoridating their water, including
the control city in a water fluoridation study in Michigan,
thus eliminating the most scientifically objective test of safety
and benefit before it was ever completed.
American ‘education and research’ was funded
by the Aluminum Manufacturing, Fertilizer and Weapons Industry
looking for an outlet for the increasingly mounting fluoride
industrial waste while attaining positive profit increase. The
‘discovery’ that fluoride benefited teeth, was paid for by industry
that needed to be able to defend "lawsuits from workers and
communities poisoned by industrial fluoride emissions" (Bryson
1995) and turn a liability into an asset. Fluoride, a waste
constituent in the manufacturing processes of explosives, fertilizers
and other ‘necessities’, was expensive to dispose of properly
and until a ‘use’ was found for it in America’s water supplies,
the substance was only considered a toxic, hazardous waste.
Through sly public re-education, fluoride, once a waste product,
became the active ingredient in fluorinated pesticides, fungicides,
rodenticides, anesthetics, tranquilizers, fluorinated pharmaceuticals,
and a number of industrial and domestic products, fluorinated
dental gels, rinses and toothpastes. Fluoride is so much a part
of a multibillion-dollar industrial and pharmaceutical income,
that any withdrawal of support from pro-fluoridationists is
financially impossible, legally unthinkable and potentially
devastating for their career and reputation.
Funded by US industrialists, in an attempt
to encourage public acceptance of fluoride, Edward Bernays,
known also as the father of PR, or the original spin doctor,
began a campaign of deception to persuade public opinion. Barnays
explained "you can get practically any idea accepted if doctors
are in favour. The public is willing to accept it because a
doctor is an authority to most people, regardless of how much
he knows or doesn’t know"(Bryson 2004). Doctors who endorsed
fluoridation didn’t know that research discrediting fluoride’s
safety was either suppressed or not conducted in the first place.
Fluoride became equated with scientific progress and since it
was introduced to the public as a health-enhancing substance,
added to the environment for the children’s sake, those opposing
fluoride were dismissed as cranks, quacks and lunatics. Fluoride
became impervious to criticism because of a relentless PR offensive,
but also because of it’s overall toxicity. Unlike chemicals
that have a signature effect, fluoride, a systemic poison, produces
a range of health problems, so it’s effects are more difficult
to diagnose.
Recently declassified US Military documents
such as Manhattan Project, shows how Fluoride is the key chemical
in atomic bomb production and millions of tons of it were needed
for the manufacture of bomb-grade uranium and plutonium. Fluoride
poisoning, not radiation poisoning, emerged as the leading chemical
health hazard for both workers and nearby communities. A-bomb
scientists were ordered to provide evidence useful for defense
in litigation, so they began secretly testing fluoride on unsuspecting
hospital patients and indignant, mentally retarded children..
"The August 1948 Journal of the American Dental Association
shows that evidence of adverse effects from fluoride was censored
by the US Atomic Energy Commission for reasons of "national
security" (Griffiths 1998). The only report released stated
that fluoride was safe for humans in small doses.
During the Cold War, Dr. Harold C. Hodge,
who had been the toxicologist for the US Army Manhattan Project,
was the leading scientific promoter of water fluoridation. While
Dr. Hodge was reassuring congress of the safety of water fluoridation,
he was covertly conducting one of the nation’s first public
water fluoridation experiments in Newburgh, New York, secretly
studying biological samples from Newburgh citizens at his US
laboratory at the University of Rochester. Since there are no
legal constraints against the suppression of scientific data,
the only published conclusion resulting from these experiments
was that fluoride was safe in low doses, a profoundly helpful
verdict for the US Military who feared lawsuits for fluoride
injury from workers in nuclear power plants and munitions factories.
Fluoride pollution was one of the biggest legal worries facing
key US industrial sectors during the cold war. A secret group
of corporate attorneys, known as the Fluorine Lawyers Committee,
whose members included US Steel, ALCOA, Kaiser Aluminum, and
Reynolds Metals, commissioned research at the Kettering Laboratory
at the University of Cincinnati to "provide ammunition"(Bryson
2004) for those corporations who were fighting a wave of citizen
claims for fluoride injury. The Fluorine Lawyers Committee and
their medical ambassadors were in personal and frequent contact
with the senior officials of the federal National Institute
for Dental Research, and have been implied in the ‘burying’
of the forty year old Kettering study, which showed that fluoride
poisoned the lungs and lymph nodes in laboratory animals. Private
interests, sought to destroy careers and censor information
by ensuring that scientific studies raising doubts about the
safety of fluoride never got funded, and if they did, never
got published.
During the 1990’s, research conducted by
Harvard toxicologist Phillis Mullenix showed that fluoride in
water may lead to lower IQ’s, and produced symptoms in rats
strongly resembling attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD). Just days before her research was accepted for publication,
Mullenix was fired as the head of toxicology at the Forsyth
Dental Center in Boston. Then her application for a grant to
continue her fluoride and central nervous system research was
turned down by the US National Institute of Health (NIH), when
an NIH panel told her that "fluoride does not have central nervous
system effects"(Griffiths 1998).
Despite growing evidence that it is harmful
to public health, US federal and state pubic health agencies
and large dental and medical organizations such as the American
Dental Association (ADA), continue to promote fluoride. Water
fluoridation continues, despite the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)’s own scientists, whose union, Chapter 280 of the
National Treasury Employees Union, has taken a strong stand
against it. Dr. William Hirzy, vice president of Chapter 280,
stated that "fluoride (that is added to municipal water) is
a hazardous waste product for which there is substantial evidence
of adverse health effects and, contrary to public perception,
virtually no evidence of significant benefits"( Mullenix 1998).
Although fluoride is up to fifty times more toxic than sulfur
dioxide, it is still not regulated as an air pollutant by the
American Clean Air Act. Since thousands of tonnes of industrial
fluoride waste is poured into drinking water supplies all over
North America, supposedly to encourage gleaming smiles in our
children, big industry in the US has the benefit of emitting
as much fluoride waste into the environment as they like with
absolutely no requirement to measure emissions and no way of
being held accountable for poisoning people, animals and vegetation.
In August 2003, the EPA requested that the
National Research Council, the research arm of the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), re-evaluate water fluoride safety
standards by reviewing recent scientific literature, because
the last review in 1993 had major gaps in research. "Neither
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor the National
Institute for Dental Research (NIDR), nor the American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry has any proof on fluoride’s safety or
effectiveness"(Sterling 1993). The International Academy of
Oral Medicine and Toxicology has classified fluoride as an unapproved
dental medicament due to it’s high toxicity and the US National
Cancer Institute Toxicological Program has found fluoride to
be an "equivocal carcinogen" (Maurer 1990).
Currently the US government is continuing
to introduce further fluoridation schemes throughout the country,
including the Water Act passed in November 2003, which has made
it impossible for water companies to undergo civil or criminal
hearings as a result of adding fluoride to public water supplies.
In a society where products containing asbestos,
lead, beryllium and many other carcinogens have been recalled
from the marketplace, it is surprising that fluoride is embraced
so thoroughly and blindly. It seems absurd that we would consider
paying the chemical industry to dispose of their toxic waste
by adding it to our water supply. Hiding the hazards of fluoride
pollution from the public is a capitalist-style con job of epic
proportions that has occurred because a powerful lobby wishes
to manipulate public opinion in order to protect it’s own financial
interests. "Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling
power of our country... our minds are molded, our tastes formed,
our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of"
(Bernays 1991).
Getting
Weaker as You Age? Here's a simple way to stay strong.
If you're over
the age of 50, you may have noticed that your muscles are getting
weaker. It happens to all of us, even when we follow a good
exercise and weight lifting program. And it's very dangerous,
as it makes you more prone to losing your balance and falling.
Fortunately, there's a simple way to slow down how fast you
lose that muscle strength.
Researchers recently studied 891 seniors and their selenium
levels. They found that those who are low in this essential
mineral have a 69% increased risk of poor hip strength. They
also found that they had nearly double the risk for poor knee
and grip strength compared to those who had higher levels.
This study confirms other studies that showed the same results.
In fact, in China there are areas of very low selenium in the
soil. People in those areas tend to age much quicker than areas
where selenium is more common.
Selenium is one of my favorite nutrients. I use it with almost
all of my patients. All of us have toxic heavy metal in our
system. Selenium protects you from these. Here's how: Toxic
metals, such as mercury and lead, bind with selenium. The selenium
inactivates the metal when they bind together. However, that
process costs you a selenium ion for each toxic metal ion it
binds. So it's important to get plenty of selenium.
I usually recommend 200 mcg per day. In some cases, I use up
to three times that amount. There are great preparations on
the market. But most high quality multivitamin/mineral formulations
will have between 100-200 mcg (this includes Healthy Resolve's
Max Plus www.healthyresolve.com/maxplus,
which has 200 mcg). So, if you are taking one of these and doing
well, you shouldn't need more.
The one exception is if you have a lot of amalgam fillings.
In these cases, you should consider an additional 200 mcg on
top of your multivitamin/mineral.
Yours for better health and medical freedom,
Robert Jay Rowen, MD
Ref: Am J Clin Nutr, 2007; 86(2): 347-52.
To subscribe to Dr Rowen's wonderful
newsletter, write him here:[email protected]
If you
have problems with insulin resistance, high blood pressure,
or vascular disease, I've got great news. You can significantly
lower your risk for heart attack with a grain.
That's right! Researchers tested a novel grain for its heart-protecting
benefits on 20 subjects. The average age for the participants
was 64. And all of them had well-controlled diabetes. They
randomized all of the participants to receive either 37
grams a day of Salba or wheat bran for 12 weeks. They otherwise
remained on their conventional diets. The published results
have even taken me by surprise.
Salba, which is a grain that was popular with the ancient
Aztecs, significantly reduced systolic blood pressure by
an average of 6.3 mm. The highly significant heart-disease
risk factor hs-CRP dropped by 40%. And the blood-clotting
risk factor - von Willebrand factor - dropped by 21% compared
to the controls.
Additionally, Salba induced significant decreases in hemoglobin
A1c and fibrinogen by the end of the study. A1c tells you
how much damage your high blood sugar is inflicting. Fibrinogen
is a risk factor for thick and clot-prone blood. So reducing
both is great news.
Salba didn't have any negative effects. In fact, it helped
the diabetics maintain good glycemic and lipid control,
which is amazing for a grain. The study authors concluded
that Salba can help improve major cardiovascular risks factors
safely.
I'm really excited about this report. I'm not a big fan
of most grains, as you have to cook them before you eat
them. However, there are exceptions. And Salba is one of
those exceptions. Patients often tell me they would love
to be able to add grains or some cooked source of denser
calories. And Salba may hit a grand slam - a novel grain
that reverses what most processed grains cause.
Salba is available online and in many health food stores.
And it's fairly inexpensive. Please stay tuned for a more
in-depth report on this fantastic grain I'm writing for
my newsletter. If you're not a subscriber yet, please visit
my website
www.secondopinionnewsletter.com and sign up today.
Yours for better health and medical freedom,
Robert Jay Rowen, MD
Ref: "Supplementation of Conventional Therapy with the Novel
Grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) Improves Major and Emerging
Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes: Results
of a Randomized Controlled Trial," Vuksan V, Whitham D,
et al, Diabetes Care, 2007 August 8.
Editors Note: it is still
hard to find Salba on the market, but there are a few products
that include Salba in their ingredients. Visit your local
health food store and ask for them.
More and more information
is circulating on how Vitamin D can slash your risk of various
cancers by up to 77%. However, at the same time, a study published
in JAMA has been reported negatively, even though it supported
all the previous studies. Guess who owns the media?
In
Canada,
their Canadian Cancer Association has published volumes on Vitamin
D and cancer prevention, but our own American Cancer Society
refuses to follow in step. One more reason to boycott this horrid
organization.
Most studies seem to feel
that we should be getting between 1000 - 1500 IU of Vitamin
D daily. That’s an awful lot of sun for fair skinned people
(who require the upper limits), and impossible in the winter
time up north. Personally, I take at least 2,000 IU daily.
I found a sites that sell
Vitamin D in 1000 IU doses inexpensively.
This just in (3/30/08): The FDA has just published the following:
Selenium may reduce
the risk of certain cancers. Some scientific evidence suggests
that consumption of selenium may reduce the risk of certain
forms of cancer. However, the FDA has determined that this evidence
is limited and not conclusive.
Studies show that Selenium can reduce DNA
damage, reduces oxidative stress (a precursor to many cancers),
and has a positive impact on genes that are linked to the progression
of cancer.
So, we also found you some
Selenium. The best form of selenium is L-selenomethionine (as used in the studies).
And yes, we have become an
affiliate to their site, so purchasing from them supports our
work.
And please, always give us
feedback on your shopping experiences from these sites.
1 lb golden raisins(sometimes
called white raisins, not ordinary black raisins)
gin (approximately 1 pint)
shallow glass bowl (Pyrex®
is good; crystal is bad)
glass jar with lid
eat just nine of these raisins daily
Spread the golden raisins evenly on the bottom
of the glass bowl and pour enough gin over them to completely
cover. Let them stay that way until all the gin is absorbed.
It can take up to a few weeks.
When the gin is absorbed, transfer the
raisins to the jar, put the lid on and keep it closed.
Do not refrigerate.
BHT is an antioxidant and common
food preservative, approved by the FDA for food, oils and
fats. Over 25 years ago, a paper was published in the journal
Science showing that BHT could inactivate herpes simplex
and other lipid coated viruses in vitro (In lab dishes).(1)
This was followed by another paper published in Science
showing that BHT could prevent chickens from dying of Newcastle
disease.(2) The herpes virus and the virus that causes Newcastle's
disease have a lipid envelope. That is, the nucleic acid
core of these viruses is coated with a fatty membrane. Viruses
of this type require an intact lipid membrane in order to
penetrate cell walls [sic.] and infect living cells.
BHT appears to work against such viruses by disrupting their
lipid membranes making them vulnerable to the immune system
and impairing their ability to penetrate human cells. BHT
also removes binding proteins that the virus uses to penetrate
cell membranes. In addition, BHT acts as an antioxidant
neutralizing free radicals that damage cell membranes and
cause inflammation. It is believed that the destructive
action of many pathogenic viruses involves the destructive
action of free radicals on cellular membranes. More recent
studies have confirmed the anti-viral activity of BHT against
many different human and animal viruses including CMV (cytomegalovirus),
(3) pseudorabies (4), genital herpes (5), HIV (6) and some
strains of influenza.(7)
A few of the viruses that have a lipid envelope and may
be affected by BHT include herpes simplex I, herpes simplex
II, herpes zoster, ckytomegalovirus, west nile virus, HIV
virus, influenza virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, avian
flu influenza virus and the SARS virus. Remember that BHT
has not been clinically tested and approved to treat these
infections.
Based on these early scientific results, some individuals
afflicted with herpes virus infections began experimenting
on themselves with BHT. They used dosages in the 250 to
3000 mg. per day range with the result that they experienced
a reduction in herpes outbreaks. For some, their eruptions
remained suppressed for as long as they continued to take
BHT daily. For others, they were able to eventually discontinue
taking BHT with no recurrences. BHT is discussed in Mann
and Fowke's book "Wipe Out Herpes with BHT" and Pearson
and Shaw's book "Life Extension".(8)(9)
At issue is that none of the controlled studies on the antiviral
properties of BHT have been performed on humans. Rather,
most of the experiments have been conducted in the laboratory
or on animals. In addition, BHT is a common, inexpensive
substance that is unpatentable. No pharmaceutical company
will invest money in researching and certifying its value
as a medication. Furthermore, it may be difficult to perform
human trials because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has approved BHT for use only as a food preservative, not
as a medicine.
Therefore, it is not approved for the treatment of herpes
infections or any other disease. While doctors have the
authority to prescribe BHT, they could face peer pressure
and malpractice insurance issues for using unapproved treatments.
You are, therefore, unlikely to get a doctor to recommend
or prescribe BHT. If you decide to make an independent decision
to take BHT, at least tell your doctor what you are doing
so that he can give you advice regarding your diagnosis,
your other treatment options, potential consequences, possible
drug interactions, etc.
The lack of approval hasn't stopped some people from using
BHT on their own to treat herpes or other viral conditions.
While there is no accounting of how many people have used
BHT to treat herpes and other viral infections, the estimates
run from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
BHT Safety Concerns and Side Effects
Studies performed on rats demonstrated liver and kidney
damage at doses of 0.5 to 1.0 grams per kilogram.(10) This
is the equivalent of a 160 pound adult taking 73 grams per
day. Compare this to a typical suppressing dose of 0.25
to 0.50 grams per day and a typical dosage for an acute
outbreak of 1.0 to 2.0 grams per day. No evidence was noted
for BHT causing cancer and conflicting results were obtained
regarding effects on the immune system, tumor formation
and other effects. Again all of these tests were done on
rats and usually using high doses far in excess of therapeutic
dosages.
BHT is metabolized by the liver and some of the rat experiments
showed a suppression of liver enzymes and enlargement of
the liver. This implies a degree of liver toxicity if the
dose is high enough. At what dose a human might experience
some degree of liver toxicity is unclear. Liver toxicity
is a common side effect of a great many medications including
some common over the counter pain relievers. If you are
taking BHT or choose to take BHT, consider asking your doctor
to do a blood test to measure your liver enzymes.
A large number of individuals have taken BHT in therapeutic
doses for extended periods of time with no reported adverse
effects. (8)(9) A case was reported in The New England Journal
of Medicine of a patient who took 4 grams of BHT as a single
dose on an empty stomach and experienced severe gastric
pain, nausea, vomiting and dehydration.(11) To be fair,
a number of substances including aspirin, vitamin and mineral
supplements some foods and many common medications can produce
similar effects when taken on an empty stomach.
Additional anecdotal reports indicated that BHT may cause
hives in a few individuals who are sensitive to BHT. BHT
was also observed to temporarily cause a decrease in blood
clotting when individuals first begin taking it in substantial
doses. One individual reported dizziness and disorientation
when taking 3 grams per day. His symptoms disappeared when
he dropped his dose down to 250 mg. per day. (8)(9)
There are a few physicians who regularly prescribe BHT for
herpes treatment and outbreak prevention and consider it
safe. There have been no formal clinical trials on humans
to definitively determine the safety status of BHT.
BHT Dosage
Based on anecdotal information, it appears that a dosage
of 250 mg. to 1000 mg. per day may be effective for many
people. Dr. Ward Dean, M.D. recommends a dosage of 250 to
500 mg. per day as an anti-oxidant and 2000 mg. per day
in divided doses for acute herpes outbreaks.(12) Anecdotal
evidence also suggests that therapy at this dosage may be
insufficient to suppress herpes outbreaks in some individuals.
It is hypothesized that combining BHT with other measures,
either alternative or orthodox, may be more effective than
using BHT alone.
BHT Precautions
No one knows
if there are any yet unrecognized health risks of large
doses of BHT.
Patients
with diseases that compromise liver function should
have their liver enzymes monitored by a physician.
BHT is fat-soluble,
so thin people may need less and may be more susceptible
to side effects.
BHT can interfere
with blood clotting. It may pose a risk to persons with
clotting problems or persons using anti-coagulant medications.
Doses of
BHT should start small and gradually increase.
A few people
are chemically sensitive to BHT.
Alcohol should
be avoided for at least several hours before and after
taking BHT. Alcohol may have a stronger effect than
usual.
BHT can interact
with some drugs.
BHT is best
taken with food, both to minimize any possible GI distress
and to facilitate absorption.
Anyone who
choses to take BHT with or against medical advice should
consult a physician regarding their actions to obtain
a diagnosis, advice on alternative treatments and advice
on possible drug interactions.
[1] Snipes W, Person S, Keith A, Cupp J. Butylated hydroxytoluene
inactivates lipid-containing viruses. Science. 1975;188(4183):64-6.
[2] Brugh M Jr. Butylated hydroxytoluene protects chickens
exposed to Newcastle disease virus. Science. 1977;197(4310):1291-2.
[3] Kim KS, Moon HM, Sapienza V, Carp RI, Pullarkat R.
Inactivation of cytomegalovirus and Semliki Forest virus
by butylated hydroxytoluene. J Infect Dis 1978;138(1):91-4.
[4] Pirtle EC, Sacks JM, Nachman RJ. Antiviral effectiveness
of butylated hydroxytoluene against pseudorabies (Aujeszky's
disease) virus in cell culture, mice, and swine. Am J Vet
Res. 1986;47(9):1892-5.
[5] Richards JT, Katz ME, Kern ER. Topical butylated
hydroxytoluene treatment of genital herpes simplex virus
infections of guinea pigs. Antiviral Res 1985;5(5):281-90.
[6] Aloia RC, Jensen FC, Curtain CC, Mobley PW, Gordon
LM. Lipid composition and fluidity of the human immunodeficiency
virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1988;85(3):900-4.
[7] Chetverikova LK, Ki'ldivatov II, Inozemtseva LI,
Kramskaia TA, Filippov VK, Frolov BA. Factors of antiviral
resistance in the pathogenesis of influenza in mice [in
Russian]. Vestn Akad Med Nauk SSSR 1989;(11):63-8.
[8] Pearson D, Shaw S. Life Extension: A Practical Scientific
Approach. New York, NY: Warner Books, Inc.; 1982:206-207.
[9] Mann JA, Fowkes SW. Wipe Out Herpes with BHT. Manhattan
Beach, Calif: MegaHealth Society; 1983.
[10] Lanigan RS, Yamarik TA, Final report on the safety
assessment of BHT, Int. J. Toxicol., 2002:21 Suppl 2:19-94
[11] Shlian DM, Goldstone J, Toxicity of butylated hydroxytoluene,
N Engl J Med, 1986; 34; 648-649
[13 Williams GM, Iatropoulos MJ. Inhibition of the hepatocarcinogenicity
of aflatoxin B1 in rats by low levels of the phenolic antioxidants
butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene. Cancer
Lett 1996;104(1):49-53.
[14] McKee RH, Tometsko AM. Inhibition of promutagen
activation by the antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole
and butylated hydroxytoluene. J Natl Cancer Inst 1979;63(2):473-7.
[15] Franklin RA. Butylated hydroxytoluene in sarcoma-prone
dogs. Lancet 1976;1(7972):1296.
[16] Schwarz KB. Oxidative stress during viral infection:
a review. Free Radic Biol Med 1996;21(5):641-9.
[17] Hannuksela M, Lahti A. Peroral challenge tests with
food additives in urticaria and atopic dermatitis. Int J
Dermatol 1986;25(3):178-80.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed without profit to those who have expressed
a prior interest in receiving the included information for
research and educational purposes. The International Wellness
Directory has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator
of this article nor is the
International Wellness Directory endorsed or sponsored by
the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to
our readers and allow for verification of authenticity.
However, as originating pages are often updated by their
originating host sites, the versions posted on the International
Wellness Directory may not match the versions our readers
view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
On Dec. 7, Health
and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson unveiled
a national plan to combat the growing incidence of type
2 diabetes. It's the most common form of this disease, characterized
by a growing resistance to the normal effects of the hormone
insulin. A primary goal of the new federal program is to
increase people's awareness of what they can do to prevent
or manage this disorder, which costs the United States some
$132 billion a year.
Vinegar
as a Sweet Solution? By Janet Raloff
Research by nutritionist
Carol S. Johnston of Arizona State University East in Mesa
suggests one easy measure that might have a notable impact:
Consume more vinegar.
A few tablespoons of vinegar prior to a meal—such as part
of an oil-and-vinegar salad dressing—could benefit people
with diabetes or at high risk of developing the disease.
Her studies indicate that 2 tablespoons of vinegar before
a meal—perhaps, as part of a vinaigrette salad dressing—will
dramatically reduce the spike in blood concentrations of
insulin and glucose that come after a meal. In people with
type 2 diabetes, these spikes can be excessive and can foster
complications, including heart disease
In Johnston's initial study, about one-third of the 29 volunteers
had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, another third had
signs that they could become diabetic, and the rest were
healthy. The scientists gave each participant the vinegar
dose or a placebo to drink immediately before they ate a
high-carbohydrate breakfast consisting of orange juice,
a bagel, and butter. A week later, each volunteer came back
for the opposite premeal treatment and then the same breakfast.
After both meals, the researchers sampled blood from the
participants.
Once ingested, carbohydrates—sugars and starches—can quickly
break down into glucose that builds up in a person's blood
(see The New GI Tracts). That's why people with diabetes
frequently have to severely curb their carb intake. High-carbohydrate
meals also prompt hunger to return earlier than low-carb
meals do. Indeed, such observations spawned the low-carb
diet craze (see Counting Carbs).
Although all three groups in the study had better blood
readings after meals begun with vinegar cocktails, the people
with signs of future diabetes—prediabetic symptoms—reaped
the biggest gains. For instance, vinegar cut their blood-glucose
rise in the first hour after a meal by about half, compared
with readings after a placebo premeal drink. In contrast,
blood-glucose concentrations were only about 25 percent
better after people with diabetes drank vinegar. In addition,
people with prediabetic symptoms ended up with lower blood
glucose than even healthy volunteers, after both groups
drank vinegar.
In these tests, vinegar had an effect on volunteers' blood
comparable to what might be expected from antidiabetes drugs,
such as metformin, the researchers reported last January
in Diabetes Care. A follow-up study has now turned up an
added—and totally unexpected—benefit from vinegar: moderate
weight loss.
Both findings should come as welcome news during this season
when sweet and caloric treats taunt diabetics, who face
true health risks from indulging in too many carbs.
In a pickle
Why vinegar? A nutritionist, Johnston was looking for possible
diet modifications that would make meals less risky for
people with diabetes. While reviewing research published
earlier by others, she ran across reports from about 2 decades
ago that suggesting that vinegar limits glucose and insulin
spikes in a person's blood after a meal.
A few research groups had conducted limited follow-up trials.
For instance, Johnston points to a 2001 paper in which researchers
at Lund University in Sweden evaluated pickles—cucumbers
preserved in vinegar—as a dietary supplement to lower the
blood-sugar rise in healthy people after a meal. The Swedish
team, led by Elin M. Östman, reported that pickles dramatically
blunted the blood-sugar spike after a high-carb breakfast.
Fresh cukes didn't.
"I became really intrigued," Johnston says, because adding
vinegar to the diet would be simple "and wouldn't require
counting how many carbs you ate." t first, she attempted
to replicate findings by others, focusing specifically on
people with diabetes or prediabetic symptoms.
When these individuals showed clear benefits from vinegar
after a single meal, Johnston' group initiated a trial to
evaluate longer-term effects. It also explored vinegar'
effect on cholesterol concentrations in blood. The Arizona
State scientists had hypothesized that by preventing digestion
of carbs in the stomach, vinegar might cause carbohydrate
molecules to instead ferment in the colon, a process that
signals the liver to synthesize less cholesterol.
So, in one trial, Johnston had half of the volunteers take
a 2-tablespoon dose of vinegar prior to each of two meals
daily for 4 weeks. The others were told to avoid vinegar.
All were weighed before and after the trial.
As it turns out, cholesterol values didn't change in either
group. To Johnston's surprise, however, "here was actually
about a 2-pound weight loss, on average, over the 4 weeks
in the vinegar group." In fact, unlike the control group,
none in the vinegar cohort gained any weight, and a few
people lost up to 4 pounds. Average weight remained constant
in the group not drinking vinegar.
Johnston would now like to repeat the trial in a larger
group of individuals to confirm the finding, but that study
is currently on hold.
Why? To no one's astonishment, the study volunteers didn't
like drinking vinegar straight—even flavored, apple-cider
vinegar. Indeed, Johnston says, "I would prefer eating pickled
foods or getting . . . vinegar in a salad dressing."
Now, the scientists are developing a less objectionable,
encapsulated form of vinegar and testing its efficacy. Although
there are commercially available vinegar dietary supplements,
Johnston notes that they "don't appear to contain acetic
acid," and based on studies by others, she suspects that's
the antidiabetic ingredient in the vinegar.
References:
Johnston, C.S., C.M. Kim, and A.J. Buller. 2004. Vinegar
improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal
in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Care 27(January):281-282. Available at
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/27/1/281.
Östman, E.M., H.G.M.L. Elmståhl, and I.M.E. Björck. 2001.
Inconsistency between glycemic and insulinemic responses
to regular and fermented milk products. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition 74(July):96-100. Available at
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/74/1/96.
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is distributed without profit to those who have expressed
a prior interest in receiving the included information for
research and educational purposes. The International Wellness
Directory has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator
of this article nor is the
International Wellness Directory endorsed or sponsored by
the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to
our readers and allow for verification of authenticity.
However, as originating pages are often updated by their
originating host sites, the versions posted on the International
Wellness Directory may not match the versions our readers
view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Editor's Note: Read labels!
Most store bought pickles are made with white vinegar.
The only vinegar you
should ever consume is Apple Cider Vinegar. Unpasteurized
Apple Cider Vinegar is even better. Keep it refrigerated.
If the label says Vinegar, assume it is White Vinegar. White
Vinegar should be used as a cleaning solution only.
And don’t forget
the other method we’ve already talked about that will
help to stabilize your blood sugar: Coconut Products.
Check out our
Coconut Recipes and make sure you get your coconut
products from our friends at
Wilderness Family
Naturals,
in upper
Minnesota. When you support
them, they support us.
ADHD:
Toddlers are given powerful drugs that aren’t licensed
or safe
Children as young as three are being given
a powerful drug such as Ritalin to treat their ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder) - even though it's not licensed for use among small
children, and nobody’s been checking to see how safe the drug
is in this age group.
Early studies suggest that around a third
of small children given Ritalin or another ADHD drug have such
a bad reaction that they have to stop treatment. Reactions have
included sleeplessness, irritability, repetitive behaviour or
thoughts, and appetite loss.
The drugs also affect the child’s growth.
Children on an ADHD drug are around 20 per cent shorter, and
55 per cent lighter, for their age.
(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association,
2007; 298: 1747-9).
Here's scientific fact:
People who treat, for instance, their type 2 diabetes by NATURAL
methods, including diet, herbs, supplements, and exercise, do
FAR better in every measureable respect -- including all the
specific "complications" you mention -- than those who use drugs.
Natural methods follow
the dictum of the Hippocratic oath to "first do no harm", get
at underlying causes, and produce total benefits, whereas allopathic
medicine suppresses symptoms, with no long-term benefit and
great harm, including "side effects".
There is actually no
such thing as "side effects", just effects. And the total effect
of conventional medicine on chronic disease is decidedly not
positive, nor remotely cost-effective in any sense.
People who take a prescription medication
for a chronic disorder INVARIABLY face a cycle of increased
dosages, NEW medications for the "side effects" of the old,
and overall deterioration of health. Not to mention that prescription
medicines are responsible for the spiraling out-of-control cost
of medical care.
Natural approaches are much less expensive,
much safer, AND much more effective in terms of total and long
term effect. It's not much of a choice, really.
P.S. Clinical trials of drugs have been repeatedly
shown to be flawed. You can basically "buy" any result you want.
The new "wonder drug" of today is killing people tomorrow. So
much for the validity of clinical trials. Even people in conventional
medicine have a saying, "The only 'safe' drug is a NEW one."
A friend sent me this letter.
It was a response from a right-wing friend who thought we need
to focus more energy on fighting terrorism (though it was leaked
today (12/03/03) that the President wants to slash funding to
the antiterrorism programs).
Here is her response:
I know what I want in 2008.
I want more war,
more national debt, less health insurance, less income,
more foreclosures, higher prescription prices,
more child molesters in congress, more closeted gay
politicians, more slave labor, more lying, more secrecy,
more wiretapping, more intrusion into my personal life,
more laws written by lobbyists, fewer civil rights,
more lead in toys, more negative feelings about America,
more Christianity in government, more wealthy politicians,
more private armed militias, more outsourcing, more
contaminated food, more downsizing, more white slavery,
higher oil prices, more cross-dressing mayors, more
war profiteering, more dead innocent Iraqi's, more dead
soldiers, more dead children, and more contempt for
the Constitution.
That's why I'm
voting Republican
The latest telephone poll taken by the Florida
Governor's office, asked whether people who live in Florida
think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
29% of respondents answered: "Yes, it is
a serious problem."
71% of respondents answered: "No es una problema
seriosa."
The Bathtub Test
During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked
the Director how
you determine whether or not a patient should be
institutionalized.
"Well," said the Director, "We fill up a bathtub, and then
we offer a
teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him
or her
to empty the bathtub."
"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would
use the
bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."
"No."said the Director, "A normal
person would pull the plug. Do you
want a bed near the window?"
This morning on the way to
work I rear-ended a car at a stop light while not really paying
attention.
Anyway the fellow who was driving got out.
And he was a dwarf.
He said "I'm not happy."
I said "Well, which one are you then?
For Sale: Slightly Used Tazer
I bought something
really cool for my wife. The occasion is my retirement,
and I was looking for a little something extra for my lovely
bride. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket purse-sized
Tazer gun with a clip.
For those of
you who are not familiar with this product, it is a less-than-lethal
stun gun with two metal prongs designed to incapacitate an assailant
with a shock of high-voltage, low amperage electricity while
you flee to safety. The effects are supposed to be short
lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant but
allowing you adequate time to retreat to safety. You simply
jab the prongs into your250 lb. tattooed assailant, push the
button, and it will render him a slobbering, goggle-eyed, muscle-twitching,
whimpering, pencil-neck geek.
If you've never
seen one of these things in action then you're truly missing
out; it's way too cool! I've seen several demonstrations
for cops, but I found this handheld one for civilians.
Long story
short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded
two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.
Nothing! I was so disappointed. Upon reading the
directions (we don't need no stinkin' directions), I found much
to my chagrin that this particular model would not create an
arc between the prongs. How disappointing! I do love fire
for effect.
I learned that
if I pushed the button, and pressed it against a metal surface
that I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth
between the prongs that I was so looking forward to. I
did it.Awesome!!! Sparks, a blue arc of electricity, and
a loud pop!! Yipeeeeee... I'm easily amused, just for your information,
but I have yet to explain to her what that burn spot is on the
face of her microwave.
Okay, so I
was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it
couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, etc.,
etc. There I sat in my recliner, her cat looking on intently
(trusting little soul), reading the directions (that would be
me, not the cat) and thinking that I really needed to try this
thing out on a flesh and blood target.
I must admit
I thought about zapping the cat for a fraction of a second and
thought better of it. She is such a sweet kitty after
all. But if I was going to give this thing to my wife
to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance
that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? Was
I wrong to think that? It seemed reasonable to me at the
time.
So, there I sat in a pair of shorts with my
reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose,
directions in one hand, Tazer in the other. The directions
said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your
assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms
and a loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly
make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.
All the while
I'm looking at this little device (measuring about 5" long,
less than 3/4 inch in circumference, pretty cute really, and
loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries) thinking to myself,
"no way!" Trust me, but I'm getting ahead of myself. What happened
next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.
Those of you
who know me well have got a pretty good idea of what followed.
I'm sitting there alone, the cat looking on with her head cocked
to one side as to say, "don't do it buddy," reasoning that a
one-second burst from such a tiny lil' ole thing couldn't hurt
all that bad (sound, rational thinking under the circumstances,
wouldn't you agree?). I decided to give myself a one-second
burst just for the heck of it. (Note: You know, a bad
decision is like hindsight-- always twenty-twenty.
It is so obvious
that it was a bad decision after the fact,
even though it seemed so right at the time. Don't ya hate
that?) I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button,
and *&%$$#[email protected]##@!!!!!
I'm pretty sure that Jessie Ventura ran in
through the front door, picked me up out of that recliner then
body slammed me on the carpet over and over again. I vaguely
recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, nipples on
fire, testicles nowhere to be found, soaking wet, with my left
arm tucked under my body in the oddest position.
The cat was standing over me making sounds
I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking
to herself, "do it again, do it again!"
Note: If you ever feel compelled to mug yourself
with a Tazer, one note of caution. There is no such thing
as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You're not
going to let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your
hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. Then, if you're
lucky, you won't lodge one of the prongs 1/4" deep in your thigh
like yours truly. That hurt!
A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as
time was a relative thing at this point), I collected my wits
(what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.
My reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace.
How did they get there? My triceps, right thigh and both titties
were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up
with Novocain, as my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs., give or take
an ounce or two, I'm pretty sure.
By the way, has anyone seen my testicles?
I think they ran away. I'm offering a reward. They're
round. Miss 'em...! Sure would like to get em back.
I wonder what retirement day two will bring?
retirement day two will bring?