|
|
|
Alternative Medicine in the News
October 2010 edition 92
published weekly
|
|
Clove Oil Eases Pain, Kills Viruses
We often associate the sweet pungent aroma of cloves with the holiday season, but few people ever consider its therapeutic properties. Essential oil of clove can be used for a whole range of purposes, including: pain relief, and killing fungi and viruses.
Easing Pain
Clove essential oil's is best known for its ability to alleviate
toothaches, making it a common ingredient in natural toothpaste and
mouthwash. Additionally, it is often added to liniment and massage
oils since it component, eugenol, has anti-pain properties.
Candida Infections and Athlete's Foot
Recent research in the journal Mycoses
demonstrates clove oil's antifungal properties and supports its use on
athlete's foot. Additional research shows that it is effective against
a wide variety of other fungi, including candida and vaginal yeast
infections.
Kills Viruses
This potent aromatherapy oil has also been shown in studies to halt
reproduction of the herpes viruses including those linked to cold sores
and shingles.
Because it is a potent oil and can be irritating to mucous membranes
and the skin, it should always be diluted in a carrier oil like sweet
almond or extra virgin olive oil (about 3 drops in a teaspoon of
carrier oil). Also, be sure to do a test patch on the inside of your
arm and wait for 24 or 48 hours to be sure you aren't sensitive to the
oil.
|
Toothache Relief: Oil of Cloves
Need short-term
relief for an unhappy tooth? A natural remedy is oil of cloves, which
has antimicrobial, germicidal and antiseptic properties, and contains
the pain-killing compound eugenol, making it very effective in
relieving dental pain. Clove oil has long been used in dentistry, mixed
with zinc oxide to create temporary fillings, and as an anaesthetic
before those drugs were available. It is an ingredient in quite a
number of dental products, including toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Clove oil is potent, and this is a case where a diluted "dab will do
ya." Undiluted clove oil can cause serious problems: burning, nerve and
tissue damage, and pain. Excessive use can cause vomiting. This oil
should not be ingested in large quantities nor applied to broken skin.
Children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with bleeding
disorders, diabetes, kidney or liver disease should not use clove oil.
To make a dental compress, mix two drops of pure clove oil with 1/4
teaspoon olive oil. Saturate a gauze pad or cotton ball with the
mixture and place it beside the tooth. You can also take a wet cotton
swab and a dot of oil and apply it directly to the site of infection.
Be precise to avoid unpleasant sensations to the tongue. Prior to using
the compress, clean area as gently and thoroughly as possible, removing
any food particles. Pain relief should kick in pretty fast.
If the toothache involves a molar, you can gently bite down on the
cotton ball, leaving it there as long as possible. However, do not go
to sleep with any compress in your mouth.
This remedy is for short-term pain relief. Any persistent dental pain should promptly receive the attention of a dentist.
Oil of cloves can be purchased over-the-counter at many pharmacies or at your local health food store.
|
Christian Belief Misunderstands Yoga
posted by Delia Quigley Sep 25, 2010 10:04 am http://www.care2.com
As more people are experiencing the benefits of yoga, Christian
leaders are telling their flock that yoga will lead them astray. I've
heard this before, actually 30 years ago when I began a serious
practice of yoga. According to the Christians I encountered at the time
yoga was considered an abomination, a link to the devil. I was damned
for practicing it and I was doubly damned for walking away from the
Church. I was pretty well damned, and yet I knew in my heart that it
brought me closer to the divine.
The thinking today, according to Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is that Christians who practice yoga, "Most
seem unaware that yoga cannot be neatly separated into physical and
spiritual dimensions. The physical is the spiritual in yoga, and the
exercises and disciplines of yoga are meant to connect with the divine." And herein lies the misunderstanding.
According to the sage Patanjali, who recorded what we know about the Eight Limbs of Yoga some 5000 years ago, Asana
(hatha yoga postures), are of little importance and are practiced
merely to calm and focus the mind of a beginner and to prepare the
physical body to sit for long periods of time in meditation. Ultimately
yoga is not about the physical body, but about revealing one's true
self and one's connection to God, regardless of one's religion.
According to some legends, when the old Swami masters sent their disciples
here to the West, they told them just to teach westerners Asana to let the Asanas awaken the mind, step by step, for it is
inherent in the practice to do so. Rather than proselytize and demand
our awakening let the body first detoxify, open and then the magic can
arise.
What has evolved from these first teachings is a bare bones practice
that can be taught by Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Christian, Jew, or
Protestant; in homes, gyms, office, yoga studios, church or in Times
Square. It is a gift passed down through generations, a way of
understanding human nature, of connecting to Mother Nature, of learning
compassion, tolerance and patience. There are no age restrictions on
who can practice this age-old discipline; indeed it has been designed
to keep the body youthful, strong and flexible, while opening the
awareness of the mind.
Attempt to balance on one leg and you soon learn not to take
yourself too seriously, not to sweat the small stuff, which is not to
say you don't sweat when stretching and massaging your way through an
hour's class. And then there's the intake of breath, nectar of the
divine, feeding every cell in your body, renewing, rejuvenating and
reviving your entire system. Most importantly, yoga teaches you how to
be present to a given moment, for there is only the present; and after
a day of being worked over by life there is nothing like yoga to gently
put you back together. |
Discover the Superfood Power of Coconut
(NaturalNews) Foods that have an incredible array of health benefits
that go well beyond just their nutrient value are considered
'super-foods.' Mothers' milk is considered the most perfect food on the
planet for human consumption do to its ideal nutritional content and
immune boosting compounds. The closest match in nature to mothers' milk
is found within the coconut. This tropical staple is loaded with many
powerful fatty acids that give it a unique taste and an abundance of
health enhancing benefits.
Coconut oil is rich in healthy small to medium chained saturated fats called medium chain triglycerides or MCTs. Most common vegetable or seed oils consist of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs. The LCTs put more strain on the pancreas, liver, and GI tract. The body must package these LCTs with carrier proteins that require special enzymes to effectively metabolize.
These
MCTs are smaller and permeate cell membranes easily without the need
for carrier proteins and special enzymes. MCTs are sent directly to the
liver where they
are immediately converted into usable energy rather than being stored
as fat. In fact, MCTs do not depend on bile or pancreatic enzymes to be
effectively metabolized. This makes coconut oil fully digestible by those who have had their gallbladder removed.
Coconut oil is the most stable of all the commonly used fatty acid sources due to its high composition of saturated fats.
This stability is very important because it reduces the free radical
load on our bodies. Physiologist and biochemist Ray Peat, Ph.D.
considers coconut oil to be an antioxidant due to its resistance to oxidation and free radical formation.
Coconut
oil helps to balance hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels and boost
the cellular healing process. It is also known to stimulate the thyroid
and reduce stress on the liver and pancreas. This increases metabolism
and helps us burn fat more effectively. Additionally, coconut oil
increases our energy levels due to its very clean and easy digestive
process.
Both mothers' milk and coconut oil are rich in the
immune boosting lauric acid which is converted in our body to
monolaurin. Monolaurin contains extraordinarily powerful anti-biotic, anti-viral,
and anti-fungal properties. Unlike man-made anti-biotics and
anti-virals these fatty acids pose no danger within our bodies. They
are completely harmless to us, yet powerful at destroying harmful microbes
by damaging the cell membrane of these competing organisms. This makes
coconut oil one of the best foods to eat during cold/flu season.
These
MCTs are also known for their ability to speed the healing process of
cuts and bruises by destroying dangerous microbes and enhancing
cellular metabolism and tissue repair. It is also very soothing and
great at reducing stress when it is applied onto face, temples, and
scalp.
Coconut oil is fantastic for keeping the skin and connective tissue strong and supple. It helps protect skin from the aging
effects of free radicals and naturally reduces the appearance of lines
and wrinkles. It is also one of best nutritional moisturizers for our
hair and scalp. Applying coconut oil has been known to enhance texture
and highlights in hair while eliminating dandruff and dry skin.
Using Coconut Oil: (Always get Extra-virgin coconut oil)
1.Rub into hair and onto skin as a moisturizer after shower.
2.Use as a natural deodorant by applying to underarms.
3.Use coconut oil when you cook due to its incredible stability
4.Take 1-4 tsp of extra-virgin coconut oil in raw form daily
5.Use coconut milk for shakes, smoothies, and creamy recipes
6.Snack on coconut flakes daily
http://products.mercola.com/coconut...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut
http://www.ofspirit.com/brucefife1.htm
http://www.coconut-connections.com/...
|
|
Yoga & Meditation at Abha Light House
YOGA
Mondays - Wednesdays
5:30 - 6:30
Cost: Ksh 300
4 classes for Ksh 1000
MEDITATION
Tuesdays
6:30 - 7:30
Cost: free!
Welcome!
Call for information: 0710-620323 / 0733-895466
|
|
Quick Links
:: :: ::
We source our articles from the below links. There's a lot of information out there, perhaps you'd like to subscribe directly to these links free e-zines.
Natural News
Emaxhealth.com
Ray Collins Good Life Letter
Hpathy.com
Zeus Info Service
What the Doctors won't Tell You
:: :: ::
Did you miss an earlier edition?
You can visit our archive of previous mini-e-zines. click here
:: :: ::
Why not forward this mini-ezine to a friend or two?
|
|
|
Have you noticed mainstream health news getting crazier lately?
Friday, September 24, 2010
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
(NaturalNews) Mark your calendars. This week goes down in history as
the most bizarre health news weeks in the history of the mainstream
media. I've noticed more truly strange and illogical health stories
this week from the conventional press than ever before, and I'll share
a few of those with you below.
Bizarre health news story #1 - You can get fat by standing next to fat people
U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Times and even the Wall Street Journal all reported this week that obesity is contagious. If you stand next to fat people, you might "catch" their fat-ness, they reported.
It
gets even better: This "contagious obesity" is caused by a cold virus,
they reported, and someday there may be a "treatment" for it. Care to
guess what that treatment will be? Try not to laugh when you read this:
A vaccine for obesity!
Yep. Seriously. "Did you get your fat shots this year? Cuz if you don't get your fat shots, you might get fat!"
I mean, why not? They've got everybody fooled with the flu season vaccines which are worthless. Why not promote fat vaccines,
too? Then they can point to all the people who are obese and say, "You
didn't get your vaccine, did you?" And this is how junk science becomes
mainstream medical mythology.
By the way, to make this story even more hilarious, check out the Los Angeles Times which reported these two stories only ONE day apart:
Story #1) "More evidence links a virus to obesity..." (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/se...) (meaning you can catch obesity from people around you)
Story #2) "Having a heavier college roommate may mean you won't gain that much weight" (http://www.latimes.com/health/boost...) (meaning that if your roommate is obese, you will be thinner)
These
two stories are, of course, contradictory. Yet they appear in the same
newspaper just one day apart. Now, granted, the LA Times is a large
paper, and sometimes it's difficult for the right hand to know what the
left hand is doing, but if the paper had its B.S. sensor operating as
it should, it never would have published the "obesity is contagious"
story in the first place.
Bizarre health news story #2 - Vaccines prevent heart attacks!
This is being reported by The Telegraph UK, The Independent and even The American Council on Science and Health,
all of which reported that flu shot vaccines might "lower the risk of
heart attacks." This was based on a laughably flimsy study published in
the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
The laughable part is that this study didn't even look at whether vaccines could lower heart attack risk in the first place.
As
Dr. Kirk Garratt, associate director of the division of cardiac
intervention at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City explains, "This
study did not measure risk of heart attack in vaccinated and
non-vaccinated people. It measured rates of vaccination among heart
attack patients and those without heart attack."
This quote, by
the way, is from a Businessweek / Healthday article which actually does
a decent job of asking intelligent questions about the study (http://www.businessweek.com/lifesty...).
Ah, so you see, the study only measured whether heart attack patients
choose to get vaccinated more frequently than non-patients. And yet
from that, the mainstream media wildly distorted the study, pulling
statistics so far out of context that the final published result is all
but meaningless.
Of course flu shot vaccines don't prevent heart
attacks. Or if they statistically did, it might only be because
vaccines just kill people from neurological damage before they can
suffer a heart attack anyway, thereby reducing the number of heart
attacks in vaccinated patients because corpses don't suffer heart attacks.
For the record, both Reuters and Businessweek (Healthday)
did a solid job reporting this story, actually expressing a fair amount
of skepticism at the findings, unlike other mainstream papers that got
suckered into an utterly false conclusion based on truly shoddy
pseudoscientific thinking.
Bizarre health news story #3 - Honest labeling might confuse you!
As the GM salmon fiasco unfolds at the FDA, where scientists have found themselves lost in a highly technical discussion of things that don't matter
while ignoring the really important questions, we've learned that if
genetically modified salmon is approved by the FDA, it won't be labeled
as such.
And here's the real kicker: The biotech industry claims
that labeling GM foods would just "confuse" consumers. Information, you
know, can be so darned difficult to comprehend. All those words!
David Edwards, the director of animal biotechnology at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, explained in this way: "Extra labeling only confuses the consumer," he says.
Seriously? So labeling GM salmon with the words "GENETICALLY MODIFIED SALMON" would confuse people?
Not
really. It would, however, cause virtually everyone to not buy the
salmon, which is precisely why they don't want it honestly labeled as
such.
But here's the best part: Edwards goes on to say "[Labeling] differentiates products that are not different."
Seriously? GM salmon isn't different from regular salmon? Then why are they growing it?
Why does it need FDA approval to enter the food supply? And why is all
the technology used to create GM salmon patented if it's no different?
What
part of "modified" in the phrase "genetically modified" does David
Edwards not comprehend? If you MODIFY something, then it's DIFFERENT.
(It
is at times like this that I wonder if you and I have all been
magically teleported to a world run by idiots, and we are burdened with
the lifelong task of pointing them all out...)
The FDA, for its
part, says that requiring honest labeling of GM salmon would be
"illegal" and so it can't require such labels. This is all revealed in
a Businessweek article you can find here: http://www.businessweek.com/lifesty...
So let me translate these astonishing quotes for you in plain language. What the biotech industry is saying is that we're all too stupid to understand the words "genetically modified" and that placing such words on a product would just "confuse us."
And the FDA says placing a "genetically modified" label on genetically modified fish would be illegal!
Therefore, the only solution is to leave all consumers in the dark and hope nobody notices.
More bizarre news?
The first two examples in this story referred to really bad reporting. The third example was about good reporting on bizarre statements made by people of influence who are trying to stuff genetically modified foods down our throats.
Now,
in no way am I attempting to characterize all mainstream media
reporters as doing a poor job. In fact, there is evidence that some reporters are actually getting smarter because they're starting to question the lies of Big Pharma and the FDA.
The
mainstream media is a mixed bag, of course, but there are some emerging
examples of solid reporting on health issues that you'll notice if you
pay attention. The New York Times, Washington Post and even Reuters
often do a fair job of health reporting, even if they are occasionally
suckered into some ridiculous press announcement by a so-called
"scientific medical journal" pushing the latest scam in Big Pharma's
disease mongering play book.
Hint: PLoS remains the single most
trustworthy mainstream medical journal of all, in my opinion, as it
takes no advertising money from Big Pharma or biotech companies.
Virtually
all mainstream media outlets have bought into the pseudoscientific "get
your flu shot" quackery, of course. That's something most journalists
write about without even engaging their skeptical brains in the least.
Maybe they should read the actual science next time instead of engaging
in knee-jerk journalism: http://www.naturalnews.com/029641_v...
Still,
things seem to be improving. For one thing, mainstream media companies
are frequently out-maneuvered by independent online news and blog sites
such as the one you're reading now, and they realize if they don't
start speaking to the real needs of real people rather than pandering
to the slanted interests of their corporate advertisers, they risk becoming irrelevant virtually overnight. So many are trying to take steps to be increase their "information-to-B.S." ratio.
Getting
caught publishing ridiculous health news stories from time to time
doesn't help their case, of course, and this week we saw a lot of big
names in the mainstream media look pretty darned stupid on the health
news front.
But hey, maybe it's contagious. Maybe you can catch
"bad reporting disorder" by standing next to other mainstream
journalists at an industry lecture or something.
Don't worry,
there will soon be a vaccine for that, too. And when it comes out, I'm
sure it will be covered in all seriousness by U.S. News & World Report
|
Natural Treatments Shrink and Eliminate Fibroid Tumors
(NaturalNews) Fibroid tumors are tumors composed of fibrous tissue
which generally occur in women during their reproductive years and
shrink or disappear after menopause. Most of the time they are benign
and cause no apparent symptoms; however, in other instances, fibroid
tumors can result in severe discomfort and may include heavy bleeding
and pain. Conventional medicine's answer to fibroid tumors is very
often a hysterectomy or other type of surgery and medications - none of
which guarantees that fibroids will not return. Nature, on the other
hand, can shrink or eliminate fibroid tumors by addressing their source
cause and utilizing remedies which create an environment in which
fibroids are no longer welcome.
Fibroid tumors are also known as
myomas, leiomyomas and fibromyomas. Their cause is not fully known,
though estrogen is considered a primary factor in their growth. The
jury is out, however, on whether the use of progesterone to treat women
with uterine fibroids alleviates or promotes fibroids. One side claims
that that lack of progesterone is the cause of tumor growth, while the
other side points out that fibroids grow at a faster rate during
pregnancy when progesterone levels are high.
Fibroid tumors can
vary in size from so minute that they can only be identified under a
microscope to very large. They can present themselves as a single tumor
or as several masses. Although their rate of growth is generally slow,
they can grow quickly during pregnancy. Symptoms include abnormal
bleeding (sometimes severe enough to cause anemia), menstrual pain, and
a swollen abdomen. Fibroids can also cause infertility.
Fibroid tumors fall into the following three categories:
*Subserous tumors appear outside of the uterus.
*Intramural tumors are confined to the wall of the uterus.
*Submucous tumors appear inside the uterus.
Avoiding
birth control pills can help prevent fibroid growth. Just as these
tumors grow faster during pregnancy, their growth is also accelerated
by birth control pills containing estrogen. Pesticides and herbicides
used on food products are also estrogen mimicking products to avoid.
Tampons and napkins bleached with chlorine can also mimic estrogen.
Some natural treatments
Following
are remedies which may be effective in shrinking or eliminating fibroid
tumors as well as alleviating discomfort and symptoms:
Fibroids
can be reduced by consuming at least three servings of whole grains
and/or beans daily. Whole grain and beans also protect against breast
and endometrial cancer.
Eliminating excess estrogen will result
in shrinking fibroids. Dandelion, milk thistle, and yellow dock help to
metabolize estrogen from the body.
Chasteberry tincture is often
used successfully to shrink and prevent the return of fibroids. It
reduces excess estrogen, balances hormones, and reduces inflammation.
However, results often only become apparent after several months of
usage. The dosage is 25 to 30 drops two to four times a day.
Additional
herbs effective in treating fibroids include black cohosh, Siberian
ginseng, red clover, goldenseal, red raspberry, licorice root, dong
quai, and motherwort.
Supplemental oleander extract, primarily
used in addressing cancer and HIV/AIDS, is also often effective against
fibroids and other types of tumors and irregular cells
Liver cleanses and drinking plenty of water to expel toxins from the body may also be very helpful.
Warm
castor oil packs placed on the stomach is another effective method of
shrinking fibroids and relieving pain. Ginger compresses are also
effective.
Exercise helps the body to free itself of toxins and
regulate ovulation. Some women experience tumor reduction while
following a vigorous exercise program.
Lastly, taking a variety
of digestive enzymes in quantity several times a day on an empty
stomach has been reported to be very effective at removing fibroid
tissue. For more information see:
http://www.naturalnews.com/028285_e...
|
How to Naturally Shrink Uterine Fibroids
http://www.ehow.com/how_5029075_naturally-shrink-uterine-fibroids.html
Uterine Fibroids occur in approximately 25% of white women, and 45% of
African American women. Fibroids can be very troublesome, causing
symptoms such as bloating, excessive bleeding during your period, and
pressure on internal organs. For those women who are nearing menopause
it is often recommended to just wait and see, and while the fibroids
may grow during this time, after menopause is complete, they will
shrink substantially, and not pose such a huge problem. In the
meantime, there are several natural, alternative therapies, that can
help ease the symptoms of fibroids and may help shrink them.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Blackstrap Molasses (unsulphured)
Apple cider vinegar
1. A natural option for shrinking fibroids is taking between one to two
tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day. This can be taken plain, by
spoon, followed with a small glass of water. You may also mix the
blackstrap molasses with a small amount of warm water in a glass and
sip. Another delicious alternative is to mix the blackstrap molasses
with a teaspoon of warm water, and then fill your glass with milk. It
tastes just like chocolate milk. The benefit of molasses is that it is
high in potassium as well as iron. Iron is particularly beneficial for
women with anemia due to excessive bleeding.
2. Another alternative natural therapy for uterine fibroids is apple cider
vinegar. Take a teaspoon or two daily, mix in water or your favorite
juice. It tastes great with apple juice. Apple cider vinegar is also a
great weight reducer.
|
Using Medical Imaging to Diagnose Back Pain is Most Often Worthless
(NaturalNews) The most common diagnostic tests that doctors order on
those who suffer from back pain are medical imaging tests. Doctors are
quick to order X-rays, CAT scans and expensive MRI's for both acute and
chronic back pain, but new evidence points to the fact that slipped
disks, degenerative changes and even herniated disks and compression
fractures are simply normal variations that occur in the aging process
that are no more dangerous or painful than gray hair and wrinkles.
While most doctors requesting these tests are doing so in order to find
the cause of people's pain, several studies are beginning to show that
just as many people WITHOUT back pain have the exact same structural
back problems as people WITH back pain.
Interestingly, studies
are showing that SO many 'healthy' and pain-free people have these same
changes that the differences between the two are 'statistically
insignificant'. This means that these problems are simply normal
changes due to aging that nearly everyone has and, in most cases, are
just simply not the cause of people's pain. This seems extremely
counterintuitive and even paradigm-shifting for most who have back
pain. Because they can see right there on their test that they have
this terrible structural problem, they absolutely believe that their
pain is due to this obvious problem. There is one doctor, however, who
didn't believe this and was a lone voice who encouraged the studies to
be done. After years of treating back pain unsuccessfully, he realized
that the area where pain was being experienced often did not 'match up'
with the expected areas of pain that the imaging tests would have
suggested.
The conclusion that Dr. Sarno came to was shocking;
the 'horrible' findings on medical imaging actually meant nothing at
all in most cases, and almost none of his patients were experiencing
pain BECAUSE of these abnormal findings. He developed a theory called
Tension Myositis Syndrome and has successfully treated tens of
thousands of back pain patients, including celebrities such as John
Stossell and Howard Stern, by educating them. Back pain, according to
the TMS theory, doesn't stem from the structural problems found on
imaging, but from tension leading to such severe muscle tightness that
it creates a lack of oxygen to muscles and nerves. This lack of oxygen
causes pain that leads to anxiety which leads to more tension, pain and
anxiety. Once educated that unconscious stress is causing their pain,
and not these structural abnormalities, often the pain simply
disappears.
While many doctors and researchers believe that Dr.
Sarno's success is caused by the placebo effect, he argues that since
there IS no treatment, only education about the true cause of the back
pain, there simply cannot BE a placebo effect! He also argues that if
there was something so terribly wrong with the structure of the back
that it was causing pain, then nothing short of remedying the
structural problem would relieve the pain. In any case, peer reviewed
studies have shown that Dr. Sarno's work has led to lasting pain relief
in 58 - 88% of back pain sufferers that he sees- and that is pretty
good for having no treatment at all.
Resources
http://www.smi-mindbodyresearch.org...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.105...
|
|
|
|
Medical Disclaimer:
The information contained within does not take the place of medical diagnosis or
prescription. See your health care provider in case of sickness.
Editorial Disclaimer: Publication of these articles are to promote food for thought. The opinions expressed in these articles may not be the opinion of editors.
|
|
|
