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Health Cop: “Stop Soda Pop!”

soda popA world famous expert on alternative medicine, Dr. Maoshing Ni recently did a study on the health pros and cons of soft drinks. For the category of cons, he found a lot, for pros not so much.

First of all, they just about always contain little to no vitamins or other essential nutrients known in a healthy diet. And the caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars, sugar substitutes and other additives and preservatives which they do contain, can in fact do damage to one’s health.

In fact, tooth decay, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, nutritional depletion and obesity in young children is often caused by an unhealthy diet, consisting of a soft drink overdose.

Also, if you were thinking that diet or sugar-free soda is a better health choice, think again. While the sugar overdose risk is cut in half with diet drinks, the sugar substitutes used in them is equally unhealthy. For instance, saccharin has been found to be a carcinogenic.

Aspartame, or nutrasweet, tricks the brain into thinking that it is sweet. It breaks down into acpartic acid, or phenylalanine and methanol at 86 degrees. This is bad because your tummy is usually about 98 degrees.

Breaking it down:
Sugar: The USDA recommendation for sugar consumption is about 2,000 calories per day. Most soft drinks contain more than this.

Dr Mao says:

“When you drink sodas that are packed with simple sugars, the pancreas is called upon to produce and release insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. The result of overindulging in simple sugar is raised insulin levels. Raised blood insulin levels beyond the norm can lead to depression of the immune system, which in turn weakens your ability to fight disease.”

Too much sugar also results in weight gain and increases the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Carbonation:
Carbonated beverages contain phosphoric acid, which depletes the blood calcium level. This is bad for the bones and can eventually cause osteoporosis.
As for the risks incurred with overdosing on caffeine, well, you can probably make a nice educated guess.

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Homeopathy? Not at Any Cost

I thought maybe we’d take a slightly different direction today. That is, a Western medicine one. Those who read this blog regularly probably assume, and rightly, that I do have an alternative medicine slant, this being an organic blog and all.

However, I do still believe in Western medicine.The way I see it, the two fields are both legitimate precisely because they don’t really overlap all that much. Alternative medicine primarily has to do with health. Maintaining it, strengthening it, putting us in line with nature so our bodies, products of nature, can more easily and efficiently move through their environment.

Western medicine, on the other hand, has more to do with sickness. Meaning, when your body is way off center, you might need some sort of technological intervention to get you back. A U-turn, a sharp curve left, something that’s out of the ordinary, because if you stay on the nature path when you’ve got a serious problem, you cannot forget that nature also has the capacity to kill you. Sometimes, nature is actually our enemy, and we must circumvent it. Failure to recognize this truth can be deadly.

eczema armsThe reason I’m writing about this now is that a case was just reported out of Sydney where a middle-aged couple was convicted of manslaughter for not seeking medical help for their 9-month old daughter who died of severe eczema, (pictured here) a common skin ailment among babies that is easily treatable. My nephew even had it for a few weeks.

In this case, the eczema was left untreated for 5 months, and the baby, Gloria, died of infections from open wounds in her skin as a result of the rashes. They finally brought her in to hospital when an eye infection was literally melting her corneas, but by then it was too late. The reason they did not take her in is that the father, Thomas Sam, a college lecturer in homeopathy, resorted to homeopathic techniques instead.

Homeopathy is a theory of treatment based on the assumption that an extremely diluted mixture of a substance that would otherwise cause similar symptoms at higher doses in a patient can actually cure a patient of those symptoms. This is fine, even if a bit strange, because it can’t really hurt you. But relying on that to the exclusion of Western intervention can, indeed, kill you, as it did to this baby.

Recently, my wife was prescribed a series of homeopathic treatments, to which I raised my eyebrow, but was OK with because other forms of treatment were also included. I remember being opposed to the practice because I didn’t see any scientific merit in it, but thought that, on the off chance that there’s something scientific to it that we just haven’t discovered yet, I’d be willing to give it a shot. But not at any risk.

Back to the story at hand, Sam refused to take Gloria to a hospital even after her hair actually turned white from the disorder. By the time he finally did, it was too late.

“Gloria was subjected to significant pain over an extended period of time and the omission of the offenders to seek proper assistance for her may be characterized accurately as cruelty,” Johnson said. “Each offender fell profoundly short of their parental obligations to their infant daughter.”

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PreCrea All Natural Blood Sugar Levels Reduction

PreCreaLocated in our pancreas are cell clusters called the Islets of Langerhans. About 60% of these cells, called Beta Cells, are designed to transform sugar into glycogen, which is basically a chain of sugars that your body can store away out of the blood and into the liver for energy reserves. The Beta Cells do this by secreting a hormone we know as insulin. If these cells start malfunctioning and can’t produce enough, then sugar stays in the blood and can’t be stored. Then the sugar starts damaging the organs and causes a whole slough of problems. The disease is called diabetes.

Nobody knows all the reasons why Beta Cells sometimes just conk out on us, but we do know that genetics coupled with overtaxing the cells has a lot to do with it. Meaning, a high sugar diet with little exercise can make your cells burn out. Luckily, there are warning signs before this happens. First, they start getting tired and produce less insulin. This condition is known as Pre-diabetes. If diagnosed early, steps can be taken to reenergize the cells and prevent full blown diabates from setting in.

PreCrea, a new herbal supplement, is one of these steps. It’s a twice-daily botanical cocktail designed to treat pre-diabates from three directions. First, one of its active ingredients, pterocarpus marsupium, actually helps protect and regenerate Beta Cells so the can produce more insulin. Second, cinnamon, another PreCrea herb, contains a chemical that functions as a copy of insulin. Third, Bitter Melon and Gurmar help prevent the absorption of sugars from the small intestine, so there’s actually less sugar for your Beta Cells to deal with, lightening their load.

And of course, if there’s less sugar in your body, you lose weight, which is another effect of PreCrea. As of now, it can be ordered by mail from their website. It has no known side effects as all ingredients are natural. So even if you don’t have pre-diabetes, nothing bad will happen to you. But you still might want to get diagnosed first.

THE ABOVE WAS A PAID REVIEW

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FDA Waging War on Natural Swine Flu Remedies

The US Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) is trying to censure all companies producing natural product remedies which are labeled as being effective in treating the H1N1 influenza virus, otherwise known as swine flu. The situation appears to be getting so intense that the FDA is putting out notices against these companies, saying”

“Firms that fail to take correction action,” the FDA warns, “may also be referred to the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations for possible criminal prosecution for violations of the FFDC Act and other federal laws.”

What seems to be going on is that only remedies that have been “approved” by the FDA, including Tamiflu (the anti viral drug produced by “Big Pharma” companies like Roche) and a new anti-swine flu vaccine also being developed by these mega pharmaceutical companies, are getting the blessing of the American watch dog cabinet department; and is being paid for by American taxpayers – many of whom won’t be able to receive the vaccine due to supply shortages.

Health observers are saying that by the time the new vaccine (said to be effective against the H1N1-A version of the virus) becomes available, the virus will have already mutated and combined with “local” flu viruses, making the vaccine’s effectiveness virtually useless.

Already, a wealth of natural herbal remedies against various forms of flu viruses is available in holistic and natural products stores. Many of them have been seen to help give a natural immunity to these viruses including ones like Avian or “bird flu” and SARS. But resistance to these remedies, including fortified Royal Jelly (made by bees), Vitamin C and D, Omega 3 oils, and olive leaf extract, has been going on for years and is nothing new. The hysteria being caused by the H1N1 virus (which appears to be no more deadly that the annual types of influenza that kills thousands to people world-wide) has resulted in even the White House becoming involved in trying to “protect” the American public from the disease.

Although not so prevalent now, with summer here and most people spending a lot of time outdoors, the H1N1 virus will most likely become more prevalent this coming fall and winter when most people are indoors – especially in shopping malls, schools and universities and other places where large groups of people often congregate (including indoor sports arenas and stadiums ). By the way, Vitamin D, obtained by most people from exposure from sunshine, is one of the best things to help a person build up a natural immunity against these viruses.

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Natural health personalities hold Longevity Conference in Vilcabamba Ecuador


Many of you will recall our article about a region in the South American country Ecuador known as Vilcabamba or the Valley of Longevity. This modern day Shangri-la is once again being featured in natural and environmental news sources due to a recent conference on longevity held there by the Natural News health website, under the organization by their editor Mike Adams. The conference included 25 health and fitness advocates who met in Vilcabamba’s beautiful settings and experienced for themselves the truly abundant and fresh fruits and vegetables that this place had already become world famous for the amazing longevity of it’s inhabitants, with ages past 100 being very common.

There must be something magical about this place to induce people such as Edwin Veelo, founder of Fitura.com, makers of one of the most potent anti-viral extracts on the market today, and Steve Sinclair, co-founder of the super food supplements company Enerfood to go all the way to this remote place, located in a mountainous region of southern Equador, bordering with Peru. Historically, Vilcabamba was a favorite resort location for Incan royal families, who must have known about the benefits of this region as early as 600 years ago.

Not everyone agrees that Vilcabamba is a modern version of Shangri-la however, and many scientists who have gone there to study the place, and it’s people, have come back saying that older people who claim to be well over age 100 may be exaggerating their age (and due to a lack of official birth certificates). Other scientists have confirmed that a combination of a year-round non-variable climate and a diet of healthy naturally grown organic fruits and vegetables; and eye tissue of 100 year old residents have been compared to those of persons living cities who are less than half their age.

Not everyone may go for the simple life styles and vegetarian diets (including juices from raw foods), but many people from modern Western societies have given up a life of electronic gadgetry and prepared food products to live the simple life. And if it means living to the ripe old age of 120, there might something to eating mani butter pudding (from a plant related to the peanut) and exotic cocktails of organic herbs fresh from the garden – all year round.

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Doctors’ cell phones carry dangerous bacteria strains

Ever wonder why diseases often spread in hospitals, even in supposedly sterile environments like new-born baby wards? A recent study carried in Turkey’s top medical university, Ondokuz Mayis, have concluded that call phones carried by doctors and other health care workers often have as many as three or more strains of bacteria on them, and even though they wash their hands thoroughly, the cell phones they carry are not disinfected. The findings said that the phones “act as a reservoir for transmitting bacteria from patient to patient”.

The study was carried out on 200 health professionals, and found that even though they observed requirements for washing hands and wearing clean uniforms, at least 95% of their cellular phones tested positive for at least one bacteria strain, with
12.5% of the phones testing positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria strains.

The MRSA bacteria is an antibiotic resistant of the common S. aureus bacteria that is responsible for staph infections. If the bacteria gets into the body and reaches sensitive organs, such as the lungs, the result can be serious complications, and even death. MRSA staph infections in hospitals have risen more than 63% between 1974 and 2004, and result in 94,000 MRSA infections and 19,000 deaths per year. Patients in hospitals are especially at risks, as they are often in a more vulnerable state of health.

The mobile phones, being close to the body, and in constant use by both physicians, nurses and other health care professionals are at risks for transmitting diseases, including to the phone owner’s own family. “The mobile phones are carried all day long and not cleaned properly” the study determined.

The study found that only one in ten health care workers cleaned their phones properly.

Although the banning of cell phones might prove to be too impracticable, as they act as paging devices while the workers are on duty, it was recommended that the phones be cleaned frequently with an alcohol or antimicrobial disinfectant.

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Acupuncture Found Successful in Relieving Post-Op Nausea

Acupuncture, the medical practice of inserting and vibration of tiny needles into various sections of body, has now been found to be beneficial for treatment of post-operative nausea and vomiting. A review of studies made on this kind of treatment, by Dr. Anna Lee of the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the Chinese Hospital in Hong Kong determined that what is known as P-6 or Paricardium 6 acupuncture treatment significantly reduces unpleasant symptoms of nausea and vomiting after various types of surgery.

Dr. Lee’s review was based on 40 different studies conducted which compared P-6 acupuncture and other acupoint stimuli, such as transcutaneous nerve stimulation and acupressure wristbands on the same part of the body. The review concluded that this acupoint stimulation reduced or eliminated the need for anti-nausea drugs.

P-6 acupoints are located on the underside of the forearm about 2 inches below the joint between the hand and the wrist. You can do a self-stimulation on this acupoint by relaxing your arm and then pressing your thumb between the tendons into the point until it feels quite tender. Hold it down firmly from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and then perform the same treatment on the other arm.

Hospitals and other medical facilities are welcoming these findings as an alternative to the use of antemetic or anti-nausea drugs (due to their increasingly high costs) and can be used before, during and after the surgery.

Mainland Chinese hospitals have been using this kind of treatment for years, often as the only means of alleviating these symptoms.

Acupuncture is now widely used in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including arthritis, fertility problems, migraine headaches, bed wetting, post traumatic stress disorder, breaking the smoking habit, and even sexual dysfunction.

Lee’s reviews of 40 studies covered 4,858 patients, most of them adults who had elective surgery performed under general anesthesia. In addition to findings on post-operative patients, it was found that acupressure wristbands, which stimulate the P-6 section of the wrist were similarly beneficial for reliving nausea in persons suffering form motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy.

Sources: NaturalNews.com & News-Medical.net

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Fighting Cholestrol and Treating Pre-Cardiovascular Disease

As people get older, a number of health issues need to be addressed and dealt with, including blood cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, hormone balances in both males females, and joint inflammation conditions such as arthritis. A website known as PreDisease.com offers a number of remedies that are said to be composed of all natural ingredients and help to treat these conditions while they may still be in the “pre-disease” stage, i.e. before they reach the point where irreparable damage may result.

This informative and easy to read website goes into detail concerning these conditions, and the particular product that is recommended for people to use. The site includes testimonials by patients who have used these products, and also invites physicians to participate in promoting the products which are said to be 100% natural, and contain no medical drugs or other substances that could be harmful to one’s health. The company that produces these products, PreEmptive Meds Inc. or PMI note that they “only promote these products through doctors in the USA” who have reviewed the clinical information dealing with these products and as a result make their recommendations to their patients. The products offered are classified as therapeutic nutraceuticals, or herbal supplements, and as such are not subject to FDA approval as pharmaceutical drugs are.

Fighting Cholestrol and Treating Pre-Cardiovascular DiseaseOne particularly worthwhile product is called PreLipid which contains phytosterols or plant cholesterols which are well known as being beneficial for lowering blood cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol, especially low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and otherwise known as “bad cholesterol” is one of the major causes of heart disease that results for arteriolosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

PreLipid is promoted as a “therapeutic botanical formulation developed from eight synergistic botanicals” which help to lower the “bad cholesterol” levels in the blood stream by the use of phytosterol cholesterols which help to reduce the level of LDL cholesterol fat deposits on arterial walls to reduce the risks of arteriolosclerosis. The ingredients also contain powerful antioxidants that help reverse arterial wall damage, and are particularly beneficial for people who have been smokers.

Each ingredient found in the PreLipid herbal supplement is noted and its particular benefit explained, enabling people to be better informed in order to consult with their private physician regarding the potential benefits of the product. People with potentially high blood cholesterol levels are advised to have a “fasting lipoprotein profile” test performed every 5 years to determine the amount of LDL cholesterol. And this advice is for all persons over age 20, and not just for middle aged or older people! Use of PreLipid is said to reduce a person’s blood cholesterol level by 30 to 40 percentage points, and that positive results are usually seen after only 8 weeks of use.

Naturally, the use of a dietary supplement such as PreLipid should be accompanied by undertaking a healthy diet of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables ,especially those high in high-density lipoprotein or “good cholesterols” (avocados, etc) use of monounsaturated fats (canola and olive oil for example), eating more fish and chicken, and a regular aerobic exercise program (walking, jogging, bike riding that raises the heartbeat for at least 20-30 minutes at a time) are recommend as well.

The only drawback to these products as offered through a site like PreDiesese.com, if one might consider it as such, is that the products, including PreLipid are not found in regular pharmacies or health and dietary products stores, but must be ordered directly from PreEmptive Meds Inc. But it appears that the company is offering enough incentives (including a two week free trial) to make the products offered more reasonable in price.

THE ABOVE WAS A PAID REVIEW

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Naturally Clean

Electrolyzed water cleans, degreases — and treats athlete’s foot. The solution is replacing toxic chemicals. The stuff is a simple mixture of table salt and tap water whose ions have been scrambled with an electric current. Researchers have dubbed it electrolyzed water — hardly as catchy as Mr. Clean. Used as a sanitizer for decades in Russia and Japan, it’s slowly winning acceptance in the United States. A New York poultry processor uses it to kill salmonella on chicken carcasses. Minnesota grocery clerks spray sticky conveyors in the checkout lanes. Michigan jailers mop with electrolyzed water to keep potentially lethal cleaners out of the hands of inmates.

Electrolyzed Water

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Virtual Drugs

Psychoactive drugs change a person’s state of mind, behavior, and intelligence. However, they also have negative side effects, social repercussions, and a lasting residue.

In contrast, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) works directly on our thought processes, without the need of any chemical intake.

How does it work? Well, our brain is an bio-electrical machine, where electric impulses are used to transfer information across individual neuron cells, and sometimes between different neuron cells. As any physics student knows, an electric current produces a magnetic field, and conversely, a magnetic field affects nearby electric currents. Therefore if we could manipulate the magnetic environment in our brains, we would get the chance to “play around” with our thought processes — or cognitive faculties.

This is exactly what TMS aims to do. It has the ability to instantly and temporarily affect specific regions in our brain, thus allowing scientists and surgeons to get “online” feedback for their research or surgical operation. On the other hand, regular TMS sessions might prove to have a lasting effect, and the possibility of a “TMS therapy” is currently examined across the globe in the context of relieving psychological ailments such as depression.

For example, a renowned researcher in Australia had discovered that people significantly improve their drawing ability while being stimulated by a TMS. The New York Times reporter even compared his TMS experience to a Savant ability. (Savants are genius autistic people).