So much for evidence-based government and healthcare decisions!

This is truly marvellous news - simply the most heartening thing I've read in PULSE for years.

The government's decision is a victory for liberty and democracy in this country and a slap in the face for those who would seek to thwart the rights of GPs to send patients to fully qualified doctors on the NHS who use homeopathic medicine.

New research, published in the journal Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis, shows that monkeys given the 1990s vaccine schedule experienced similar brain changes to those seen in children with autism

Researchers used scanning techniques to assess brain growth and function between vaccinated and unvaccinated monkeys, and in vaccinated monkeys before and after the administration of vaccines

Those monkeys exposed to the vaccines had significant changes in brain growth and development.

The editor-in-chief of the journal, Dr. Kris Turlejski, describes the findings as "alarming" as they "support the possibility that there is a link between early immunization and the etiology of autism."

The same research team has already found that baby monkeys given the hepatitis B vaccine (adjusted for weight) on the first day of life, suffered neurological delays. More about this research can be read at http://homeopathyplus.com.au/hepatitis-b-vaccine-linked-to-brain-damage/

Gardeners can safely repel slugs and snails from their plants in no time at all with homeopathy.

Farmers 'in-the-know' use a simple homeopathic remedy called Helix tosta (toasted snail shell) to safely defeat the snails and slugs among their crops and report that after just one treatment, these pests avoid their plants for up to four months! Best of all, the slugs and snails will crawl past a juicy meal just to munch on an untreated plant further away. Not even heavy rain seems to reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

While some farmers spray the remedy directly onto the plant, others have had equally good results by watering it into the soil above the roots. It's as if the snails get the message to pack up their shells and leave - and that's exactly what they do.

This is great news for those who are fed up with having their freshly planted seedlings nibbled to the ground - especially as Helix tosta is easy to use, available here in Australia and harmless to people and wildlife. This means no nasty burns if spilt on the skin or trips to the hospital if swallowed by a child. The energetic effect of Helix tosta disappears soon after use, leaving only a healthier and more resilient plant that is completely safe to eat.

Helix tosta is the Latin name for a homeopathic remedy made from toasted snail shell. Homeopaths have used Helix tosta for more than a century for certain respiratory problems and tuberculosis, especially when the person is coughing up blood. The remedy has been used as a snail and slug repellent only in more recent times.

Helix tosta is available from the Homoeopathy Plus shop but for those who like a hands-on approach, it is an easy remedy to make. The following instructions will have you producing 100,000 litres of snail and slug repellent from just one small snail shell. Amazing! Never let it be said that homoeopathy is expensive or lacks efficiency.

Does all this sound too fiddly? No problem. Helix tosta is now available from the Homoeopathy Plus shop in vials of stronger-acting 6C pills. One vial of 100 pills will make up 20 litres of slug and snail repellent. Just add one pill to 200 ml of water, shake vigorously, and then spray or water your plants. Easy!

Does it Really Work?

When we first received our Helix tosta remedy we too wanted to see if it worked. Not a single snail or slug could be found around Fran Sheffield's garden (must be those kookaburras) so it fell to Michelle Keats, another Homoeopathy Plus practitioner, to trial it on her snail infested rhubarb. This is what happened:

"When I was first asked to do this I thought, what a crazy idea!  But I dropped a pill into a bottle of water and sprayed my rhubarb where the snails normally thrive, and waited to see what would happen. The next morning there was not a snail to be seen .... until I turned the leaves over. They had all clustered on the undersides. I sprayed the leaves again but this time, on both sides. Since then it truly has been a case of, 'not a snail to be seen'. I have checked the rhubarb day and night and it remains completely snail free. Some have parked themselves on the wall beside my garden but none have ventured onto the plants.

I am seriously impressed. I've been told that this effect will last a few months, even if it rains, but I guess that is something I will have to wait and see.

Next time I am going to try watering the roots instead of spraying the leaves."

After getting this report from Michelle, we are keen to know what takes place when others use the remedy, so if you decide to give Helix tosta a go we would love to hear what happens to your snails! Everyone who orders a vial during November and December ('09) will be asked to complete a quick and easy 3-question survey:

Did you use the remedy on plants troubled by snails or slugs?

Did you spray the remedy on the leaves of the plant or water it into the soil around the roots?

Was the remedy successful?

There are two ways to order your Helix tosta remedy - either purchase it alone ($15.00) from the Homoeopathy Plus shop OR receive it free of charge with any other order (excluding books) placed during the month of November. A couple of weeks after your purchase, we will email you the survey that should take no more than one minute to answer. Please take the time to fill it out as we would really like to know what happened in your garden!

Why Use Helix Tosta?

Because it is cheap and because it is safe.

As we have already discussed, for a small amount of electricity and preserving alcohol (we suggest vodka), trailer-loads of Helix tosta can be prepared from just one small snail shell. If you would rather save your time and effort though, the pills can now be purchased for a fraction of the cost of other snail killers and deterrents from the our shop.

Helix tosta is also safe. Unlike many other products, Helix tosta has no toxic ingredients to harm you, your plants or pets, wildlife or the environment.

How Does it Work?

Certainly not by chemicals. When correctly chosen, homeopathic remedies stimulate an energetic response from either humans, animals, or plants that improves their resistance to pathogens and disease. This is exactly what happens when Helix tosta is used for deterring snails and slugs. Just like us, plants in less than perfect health are attacked by parasites and disease. When a plant is strengthened by the needed homeopathic remedy (ie. Helix tosta in this instance) it is less attractive to slugs and snails -  they either die out or move to greener pastures.

More than Snails

Homeopathy can be used with all living things. While many people know it treats human health problems, and some know that it treats animals, only a few know that it works just as well with plants for their pests or diseases.

Useful though this knowledge is, agrohomeopathy, homeopathy for plants, is much more than just getting rid of snails and slugs. It is used around the world to treat all manner of plant diseases, repel pests, improve soil productivity and increase crop yield - and all in an environmentally safe and supportive manner.

New Zealand Patients Tell Researchers that Homeopathy Works

X-rays could be one cause of schizophrenia, especially if you were exposed to the radiation when you were in the womb. Fetal x-rays interfere with brain development, and they could be responsible for other problems such as learning difficulties and memory loss.

Researchers who made the discovery in a series of laboratory tests on monkeys believe that the greatest damage is done if the fetus is x-rayed in the earliest stages of its development inside the womb. Monkeys that had been x-rayed in the womb started showing brain development problems by the time they were five, although earlier tests when they were two years old had not detected any issues. In the tests, the monkeys had learning and memory problems, which are both important signals of schizophrenia.

Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, who carried out the study, say that the earliest stages in the womb are critical, and any interference could have a detrimental effect on mental - and general - health.

(Source: Biological Psychiatry, 2010; 68: 108).

By increasing circulating levels of vitamin D, sunbathing may help increase men's testosterone levels and thereby their sex drive, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Medical University of Graz, Austria, and published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.

"Men who ensure that their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things," said Ad Brand of the Netherlands-based Sunlight Research Forum.

Researchers tested vitamin D and testosterone levels of 2,299 men over the course of several months. They found that like vitamin D levels, testosterone levels peaked in the summer and dropped during the winter. They also found that men who had at least 30 nanograms of vitamin D in every milliliter of blood had the highest levels of circulating testosterone.

Vitamin D is produced by the body upon exposure to sunlight. Scientists recommend that light-skinned people get at least 15 minutes of direct sun per day on their face and hands, while darker skinned people may need up to three times as much. The body can synthesize all the vitamin D it needs in a fraction of the time it takes to sunburn.

"Enjoying the sun safely while taking care not to burn should help people strike a balance between making enough vitamin D and avoiding a higher risk of skin cancer," said Jessica Harris of Cancer Research UK.

Sunscreen blocks the ultraviolet radiation necessary for the body to synthesize vitamin D.

As people spend less time in the sun, vitamin D deficiency has become an issue of growing concern, especially in regions far from the Equator where the sun is weaker.

Vitamin D is now known to not only help the body develop and maintain a healthy skeleton, but also to help regulate the immune system and prevent against chronic health conditions such as heart disease, dementia and cancer.

Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8493042.stm.

The U.S. embargo of Cuba between 1991 and 1993 caused more than just economic consequences for the tiny island nation; it also caused interesting medical consequences that wealthier nations could learn from. The medical consequences of the embargo included an 'outbreak' of a painful nerve problem called 'neuropathy' that ended up affecting over 50,000 people. While it was determined that this 'epidemic' was caused by a virus, this virus was not treated with antiviral medications, antibiotics or any other pharmaceuticals. This epidemic was completely stopped in its tracks and the more than 50,000 people affected were CURED simply by taking a multivitamin supplement.

Neuropathy is a nerve condition that causes pain and decreased sensation in many parts of the body but typically affects the lower extremities where it is called Peripheral Neuropathy. However, it may also affect the hands, the hearing, the face and even the nerves of the eyes causing not only pain and decreased sensation, but also deafness and blindness as well. The Cuban Neuropathy Epidemic, as this outbreak was later called, affected a combination of the extremities, the hearing and the eyes - sometimes in the same person. Young and old alike were affected and medical care was scarce due to many factors related to the embargo:

But in this environment of minimal funds in a so-called 'third world' country, the majority of the 50,000 people affected were completely cured of their neuropathy with nothing more than plain over-the-counter vitamin supplements. Even those who were so severely affected that they required hospitalization simply received intravenous vitamin infusions in the hospital while the government instituted a free multivitamin distribution program for the rest of the population. Those with neuropathy were 'cured' and the neuropathy 'epidemic', except for a few isolated cases, ended completely.

Today in the US, there are tens of thousands of people - primarily diabetics and the elderly - who are suffering with neuropathy and are told that there is no cure. They have blood tests, CT scans, perfusion scans, electrical muscle tests and nerve conduction tests. In the end, they are given pain pills and told that they will have to live with excruciating nerve pain and decreased sensation for the rest of their lives. For diabetics, this decreased ability to feel their feet can mean wounds that don't heal and amputated limbs; for the elderly, the ever-present risk of falling and breaking a bone is compounded.

While not ALL cases of neuropathy can be cured with multivitamins, as the Cuban Neuropathy Epidemic teaches us, there certainly are some cases that CAN be improved or cured with vitamins. Yet there are almost no doctors in 'first world' countries that will discuss vitamins for neuropathy despite the lessons from Cuba and from some liberated prisoner-of-war camps where the same phenomenon has been observed. Doctors in western countries require formal double-blind placebo-controlled trials to perceive a therapy as being worthwhile. So the lack of studies using vitamins to treat peripheral neuropathy ensure that people in western countries with this debilitating life-altering illness will not be given the same option of simply trying a safe and inexpensive multivitamin supplement as they would be if they lived in a third world country.

Resources:

http://www.easy-immune-health.com/c...

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...