Ten golden rules of health and healing

Ten Golden Rules of Health and Healing

1. Stop putting poisons into your body.


2. Support your body's healing efforts. It takes 5-7 times more nutrition to rebuild and repair than it does to maintain.


3. Be patient and persistent. Nothing heals in the human body in less than three months — then add one month for every year the condition has existed.


4. Have moderation in all things.


5. Make peace with Nature.


6. Live closer to God.


7. Accept responsibility for yourself and your health.


8. Make as much of your diet as possible be raw whole foods.


9. Exercise regularly for the rest of your life.


10. Practice and learn to understand completely Hering's Law of Cure. Hering states, “All cure starts from the inside out, from the head down, and in the reverse order of symptoms as they have been suppressed.”

Medicine | Health | Alternative Health News | Golden Rule | Healing | Nutritional Supplements | HerbBlurbs.com | AltHealthNews.com

Wrong Time: Time magazine's anti-supplement article 10/1/06 dead wrong on facts

Wrong TIME, by Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA

The Time article “State of Reliefs: HOW THE CONTROVERSIAL YET POPULAR SUPPLEMENT BUSINESS EMERGED IN UTAH” (10/1/06) mostly deals with MLMs (multi-level marketers) rather than other types of dietary supplement companies, but there are a few problems with the reporting.

Time relies on quotes from notorious anti-supplement partisans who do not often admit to the peer-reviewed science of supplements: the Mayo Clinic and Dan Hurley. It is not even possible that Mr. Hurley's claim could be true ("the vast majority of supplements taken by Americans have been proven to be unsafe, ineffective or both"). If so, the FDA and the majority of companies that really do care about consumers' health would have already voluntarily or forcibly pulled them off the market. The mainstream dietary supplement industry's primary motivation is to provide safe, effective natural products, not to hurt or scam people.

Most dietary supplement companies are science-driven and their labels and claims are scrutinized for accuracy and compliance with federal laws, such as the law (DSHEA) that the article falsely accuses of reducing FDA authority. Even the FDA itself denies this on their own website, as well as in the Congressional testimony of several FDA commissioners.

DSHEA disallows any dietary supplement claims related to disease, so companies only offer documented structure-function claims as to how the supplements may affect the individual. These claims are submitted to the FDA for scrutiny and the agency has the power to ask for changes to these claims.

The law also provides that any ingredient introduced to the market after October of 1994 must have a New Dietary Ingredient packet submitted to the FDA with evidence of safety, as well as allowing the FDA to set rules for good manufacturing practices, so the article's claim that DSHEA "released manufacturers from demonstrating that products were safe before being sold" is not quite accurate.

In my personal opinion, Ephedra was only banned because of the FDA's misrepresentation of this herb’s safety record and an arbitrary dismissal of all of its proven benefits to produce a slightly negative risk/benefit ratio.(1,2) Rand Corporation researchers actually reported that up to 155 reported deaths possibly linked to Ephedra were contradicted by its own review of published Ephedra studies that found no deaths, strokes or any serious side effects reported from using the herb, yet the Time report only reports the association of Ephedra to these deaths, despite a complete lack of evidence of cause and effect.(3)

The Rand report also stated that Ephedra, with or without caffeine, provided a statistically significant increase in short-term weight loss compared to placebo: about 2 pounds per month for up to 6 months, which contradicts the FDA's decision that Ephedra has only risks and no benefits.(3) Several other review studies have also concluded that Ephedra is safe when properly used.(4,5) And while the Time article implies that an appeals court rejected the safety record of Ephedra ("Utah company Neutraceutical Corp. [sic] is still arguing that lower doses are safe, but in August the firm was overruled by an appeals court"). But the court did not really rule on whether or not the herb is safe because it was narrowly focused on the FDA's authority to implement DSHEA.

To read the original Time article, click on this link:
http://www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,1541294-2,00.html

REFERENCES:

1. 21 C.F.R. Pt. 119, Final Rule Declaring Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine Alkaloids Adulterated Because They Present an Unreasonable Risk (Published February 11, 2004) (Effective April 12, 2004) available at http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/98fr/1995n-0304-nfr0001.pdf

2. Federal Register: February 11, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 28).

3. Shekelle PG, et al. Efficacy and safety of ephedra and ephedrine for weight loss and athletic performance: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2003 Mar 26;289(12):1537-45. Epub 2003 Mar 10. PMID: 12672771

4. Morgenstern LB. Use of Ephedra-containing products and risk for hemorrhagic stroke. Neurology. 2003 Jan 4;60(1):132-5. Erratum in: Neurology. 2003 Mar 25;60(6):1055. PMID: 12525737

5. Soni MG, Carabin IG, Griffiths JC, Burdock GA. Safety of ephedra: lessons learned. Toxicol Lett. 2004 Apr 15;150(1):97-110. Review. PMID: 15068827

Medicine | Health | Alternative Health News | Neil E. Levin | Ephedra | Nutritional Supplements | HerbBlurbs.com | AltHealthNews.com

The green power of chlorophyll

Green Power by Charles Scott originally published in Energy Times, January 4, 2005

If you want to stave off infections, aging — even liver cancer — get your fill of chlorophyll, a vital nutrient in plants.

The green in plants possesses unique powers. Green landscapes soothe the soul. A verdant expanse of green vegetation offers comfort, peace and ecological consolation. What makes some plants, including vegetables, green: Chlorophyll, a substance that is also a crucial nutrient for better health.

Chlorophyll is a special chemical that consists of molecules which enable plants to collect sunlight. In a complex molecular process, vegetation then uses chlorophyll to harness the power from the sun's rays and build carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. Those carbohydrates form the basic nutritional building blocks that we and other animals need to survive and thrive.

Besides enabling the creation of carbohydrates, research shows that chlorophyll itself can help lower our risk of diseases like cancer. A recent study in China demonstrates that daily supplements of a chemical derived from chlorophyll can protect DNA, the genetic material in cells. When DNA is damaged and malfunctions, cells may reproduce wildly and become cancerous tumors.

The latest experiments, performed by scientists affiliated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Oregon State University (OSU), show that chlorophyll and its chemical relatives may insulate DNA from unhealthy changes linked to aflatoxin, a fungus that often contaminates corn, peanuts and soybeans. In China, liver cancer associated with aflatoxin is a widespread problem.

"In the area of China in which we did our study about one in 10 adults die from liver cancer, and it's the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide," says George Bailey, Ph.D., a professor of environmental and molecular toxicology at OSU. "The findings of this research could be enormously important to many areas of China, Southeast Asia and Africa, where aflatoxin-related liver cancer is a real concern. Many of these deaths might be preventable with supplements that cost pennies a day."

This research looked at about 180 people in Qidong, China. When people in the study were given supplements containing chlorophyll derivatives, they had less than half the DNA damage of people who didn't take supplements.

According to the scientists, chlorophyll and similar substances may act as interceptor molecules, blocking the absorption of carcinogens. As John Groopman, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, observes, the supplements these people took "...can effectively reduce aflatoxin levels, which should reduce the risk of liver cancer."

Closer to home, other researchers point out that chlorophyll-rich vegetarian foods may help protect us from carcinogens in the typical American diet.

If you've ever enjoyed a hunk of grilled meat, you've consumed substances scientists call heterocyclic amines, which are contained in the charred part of meat cooked on a grill. Studies have shown that these tasty tidbits can increase your risk of breast and other types of cancer. (Your risk from charred meat greatly increases if you are also a smoker.) However, if you eat a food like spirulina, a blue-green algae high in antioxidants that also contains plenty of chlorophyll, its protective substances can bind with these carcinogens within your digestive tract and keep them from being absorbed.

Green Keeps You Younger

While we always hear that eating more fruits and vegetables enhances our health, new research shows that eating green foods adds extra power to an anti-aging program.

Two experiments at the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, published in the Journal of Neurobiology (7/15/02), show that spirulina and other greens can help shield the brain from the antioxidant damage that accumulates as one ages and may help reverse declines in learning and memory.

The first study found that a diet rich in spinach helped lab animals stay smart as they grew older. Spinach's benefits, according to the researchers, are due to its rich antioxidant content, which can counteract free radicals (caustic molecules) created in the body during normal metabolism and increased by exposure to environmental pollutants, sunlight and radiation.

When free radicals attack, cell walls and other cellular structures are compromised and DNA can malfunction. A lifetime of free-radical damage can slow your thinking and may be one of the causes of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, says Dr. Paula Bickford, lead author on the project.

The second study found that the protective effect of green plants may be linked to their ability to reverse age-related accumulations of potentially harmful inflammatory substances in the brain. In this research, spirulina improved neuron function, lowered inflammation in the brain and reduced levels of chemicals linked to oxidative damage. In fact, spirulina didn't just slow the deterioration of neurotransmitter interactions caused by aging, it actually improved their function.

"Not all foods are created equal," says Dr. Bickford. "Cucumbers taste good and have lots of fiber. But unlike spirulina and apples, they are not rich in phytochemicals that have antioxidant or anti-inflammatory effects in the brain."

Green Immunity

Aside from assisting brain function, spirulina also seems able to help pump up the immune system. Researchers at the University of California at Davis found that adding spirulina to cultured immune system cells significantly increases the production of infection-fighting cells called cytokines.

A number of previous laboratory studies have found that spirulina can balance immune response: While easing allergic reactions, this powerful green food also was found to enhance the ability of immune cells called macrophages to both destroy bacteria and eliminate cancerous cells.

"We found that nutrient-rich spirulina is a potent inducer of interferon-g (13.6-fold increase) and a moderate stimulator of both interleukin-4 and interleukin-1b (3.3-fold increase)," notes Eric Gershwin, professor at UC Davis. "Together, increases in these cytokines suggest that spirulina is a strong proponent for protecting against intracellular pathogens and parasites, and can potentially increase the expression of agents that stimulate inflammation, which also helps to protect the body against infectious and potentially harmful micro-organisms."

What this means for you: Spirulina holds the potential to help the body protect itself against battalions of infectious invaders.

"People have used foods like yogurt and spirulina throughout history," says Judy van de Water, Ph.D., associate professor at UC Davis. "Through research, we are learning exactly how these foods improve immune system function and how they are a beneficial addition to our diet."

Throughout the history of life on earth, the healthy development of animal and human life has depended on green plants. Today, as our environment deteriorates and our bodies are under attack from an increasingly polluted world, we need those health-boosting greens more than ever.

Image: Alfalfa, a great source of chlorolphyll

Medicine | Health | Alternative Health News | Chlorophyll | Immune System | Safe Drinking Water | HerbBlurbs.com | AltHealthNews.com

Omega-3 fish oils slow Alzheimer's disease, studies show

Omega-3 fatty acids may slow cognitive decline in some patients with very mild Alzheimer's disease, recent studies reported in the October issue of Archives of Neurology indicate. Supplements showed no effect in more advanced cases.

Alzheimer's disease is a severely debilitating condition that affects thinking, learning and memory, beginning with declines in episodic memory (including memory about events in one's own life). Drugs that are used to treat symptoms do not affect the underlying cause and progression of the disease. Several studies have shown that eating fish, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, may protect against Alzheimer's disease, leading researchers to question whether supplements could have similar effects.

Read more.

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