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| Alternative Medicine in the News
January 2011 edition 106
published weekly |
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If given a fair choice, most consumers would choose alternative medicine over conventional health care
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
(NaturalNews) As a strong proponent of free market economics, I have long wondered why free markets don't seem to be operating in the health care industry. Today, it finally hit me with great clarity, and I'll share that with you here. But first, a primer on free market economics:
As the free market theory says, "greed is good" because innovators can only get rich by figuring out how to deliver more goods, services and life improvements to consumers who purchase those items. The genius who figures out how to build a better car -- or a less expensive car of the same quality -- earns the business of consumers and is financially rewarded as a result. Greed drives innovation, the theory goes, and innovation benefits consumers even as it fills the pockets of corporate CEOs, too.
This model works under one critical assumption, and it turns out that assumption is not true in health care today (for reasons you'll see below). Which assumption is it? That consumers will rationally purchase only those things that are in their own self interest (things that benefit them) and, equally importantly, that consumers have access to the information they need to make an informed decision.
So, for example, if a solar panel manufacturer figures out a way to make a new line of solar panels with twice the current efficiency at the same cost as current solar panels, consumers will rationally choose to purchase those solar panels and will experience a benefit as a result (but only if they have access to accurate information about the improved performance of those solar panels). The CEO who runs the company that figured out how to make the new, improved solar panels will also reap the financial rewards at the same time.
This is called free market theory in a nutshell.
How it all fell apart in health care
But all this falls apart when corporations are selling products that harm consumers under an irrational system protected by government intervention. Many pharmaceuticals, vaccines and treatment services (such as chemotherapy) actually harm consumers far more than they help them. Knowing this, no rational consumer would choose to purchase such products. So the health care system must engage in some rather devious marketing distortions to cajole people into buying their faulty products:
#1) People are TRICKED into thinking they need these products that harm them. This is accomplished through disease mongering (pushing fabricated diseases such as ADHD), emotional advertising and bribing physicians in order to influence their drug prescribing behavior.
#2) People are LIED TO about the risks of using such products. Drug companies, in particular, routinely lie to consumers by burying negative clinical trials, bribing researchers to produce positive study results, exaggerating claimed benefits in television advertisements and other similar methods.
#3) People are ISOLATED from information they need to know in order to make a rational decision about conventional medicine's products. They are not allowed to know the truth about the dangers of drugs as revealed in clinical trials, for example. The FDA even conspires with drug companies to hide this relevant data.
#4) People are FORCED into a monopolistic choice by the government outlawing alternative choices such as natural cancer remedies or certain nutritional supplements. Once again, the FDA plays a key role in discrediting natural alternatives. The health insurance industry also enforces this monopolistic approach by covering conventional sick-care therapies (such as heart bypass surgery) while not covering natural therapies that help prevent degenerative disease.
#5) People are KEPT IGNORANT of the actual costs of health care through Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance coverage. Consumers have no idea what they're being billed for most medical procedures because they're not footing the bill! So hospitals, clinics and cancer centers bill whatever amount they can get away with.
Why this recipe works for the sick care industry
Remarkably, this recipe of deception has achieved tremendous success, creating a trillion-dollar global market in bad medicine largely based on quack science combined with manipulative marketing.
Of course, it's not really a free market to begin with. This market is a protected, monopolistic market that's propped up through government regulatory action designed to eliminate competition. It only exists under the illusion of a free market, where consumers think they're making a "free choice" about what drugs to take, not knowing they have another option to avoid taking those drugs altogether and do something completely different to protect their health.
Government intervention harms consumers
One conclusion from all this is that when the government gets involved in protecting one particular industry while allowing "greed" to run its course inside that protected industry, the result quickly becomes harmful to consumers even while corporate CEOs (in Big Pharma) accumulate wealth. We see this in Wall Street as much as we do in health care... notice how the trillion-dollar bailouts all went to the wealthiest money criminals even while debasing the currency held by the working masses?
On the Big Pharma side of things, rather than creating better and more innovative products, these companies are in the business of marketing disease first, followed by introducing a chemical pill designed to treat that disease. This is precisely the story behind restless legs syndrome, for example, or the recent push to use drugs to control your uric acid levels.
When governments interfere with free market economics, they inevitably create an unfair playing field that favors one group of companies over another, and that favoritism will always result in financial exploitation that inevitably harms consumers.
The best way out of this would be to deregulate all health care and end the monopoly on medicine currently granted to Big Pharma (and even doctors at the state level). By allowing all providers of health services and health products to compete on a level playing field, without government favoritism, selection or censorship, consumers would quickly learn which products or services work best to protect their health, and they would rapidly shift their purchasing behavior in that direction.
This would cause a windfall of profits in the realm of natural health and alternative medicine, by the way, even while sharply reducing the profits of Big Pharma and the sick-care industry (because it produces virtually no positive results). In fact, this is precisely why the government is not pursuing a free-market approach to health care right now: Because to allow consumers a truly free choice about how to treat their own health would spell the end of some of the wealthiest corporations in the world -- the drug companies whose very existence depends on ignorance, deception and scientific fraud.
Conventional medicine must force consumers to use it!
This is why the FDA continues to censor the truth about nutritional supplements, by the way. It's the reason why Medicare won't cover Traditional Chinese Medicine or homeopathy treatments. This is why the AMA has waged a 100-year war on the chiropractic industry. Conventional medicine works so poorly and is such a total failure in terms of its results that it has to force consumers to use it. Sometimes at gunpoint! (With the forced chemotherapy treatment of teens, for example.)
No other system of medicine in the world is such a total failure that a government has to force its own citizens to use it through a campaign of disinformation, monopolistic controls and active censorship of alternatives.
Today, Americans think they live in a free country. But most do not realize their entire health care system is structured in direct opposition to free markets and free choice. The sick-care industry can't afford for you to have a free choice, because to do so would destroy their entire business model.
Opting out of sickness and into health
You can, of course, opt out of the entire system as I have done. I spend exactly $0 on health insurance, doctor visits and health care. With all the money I save by not writing checks to a system of failed quack medicine, I instead buy superfoods, nutritional supplements, gym memberships and organic fresh produce that I juice and drink every day. This level of personal health commitment combined with true freedom of choice terrifies both the government and the sick care industry which is precisely why Obamacare mandated that all Americans must buy sick-care insurance or be fined by the IRS.
Think about it: If conventional health care really worked, would they have to send IRS agents after people to force them to buy into it? This is "gunpoint health care" where you get to choose any system of medicine you want as long as it's the one the IRS says you have to choose. Sounds a bit like Communist China, doesn't it?
What we really need is a truly free market for health care products and services. ...a level playing field where natural remedies can be honestly marketed with accurate health claims and where healers of all kinds can engage in healing services without being arrested or threatened with imprisonment. State medical licensing boards, in particular, should be completely dissolved. They are the monopolistic power hubs that enforce conventional medicine monopolies at the state level while criminalize alternative cancer doctors.
A truly free market in health care would revolutionize health in America while ending the dark age of Big Pharma dominance over the entire industry. One day soon, let us hope we may have an opportunity to invoke truly free market economics that will unleash a new era of freedom and healthy living while giving the natural side of medicine its well-deserved opportunity to compete against the failed system of conventional sick care.
In a fair competition, 4 out of 5 consumers would choose natural medicine over conventional medicine. That is precisely why they cannot allow such a freedom of choice to exist.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030923_alternative_medicine_consumer_choice.html#ixzz1AJu2VLao
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Understand the difference between real healing and suppression of disease
Dana Ullman, MPH, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Anyone who has taken a painkiller certainly knows that there is a big difference between temporary relief and real healing. Even though a person who takes a painkiller may not consciously feel pain, it is widely understood that this relief does not necessarily mean that a "cure" or a "healing" has occurred.
And yet, it is surprising how many people think that various conventional drugs have performed some type of miracle just because they provided short-term relief of pain or discomfort. Little do many people know that when a drug "works", this may be the "bad news". It may be that the drug works by suppressing the disease, thereby creating a much more serious physical and/or mental disease.
Although antibiotics and select other drugs may be an exception to this general observation, getting rid of an infection will not influence the immune factors that led the person to be susceptible to infection in the first place; and in fact, antibiotics are known to disrupt one's inner ecology, disturb assimilation of nutrients, and even tend to make the person more susceptible to new infection.
Painkillers, on the other hand, may provide great reduction in pain, but this may result in the person continuing to walk on that injured ankle and cause increased injury. The person with arthritis, as another example, may continually take one or more painkilling drugs that provide some relief, but these drugs also create their own tolerance, addiction, or pathology, usually leading to much more serious health problems.
Differentiating Real Healing from Suppression of Disease
Homeopaths and naturopaths both assert that there is a big difference between real healing, palliation of symptoms, and suppression of disease, even though each of these results may initially seem to be the same.
What people don't usually understand is that there may be a danger in the frequent or recurrent application of treatments that suppress symptoms. The concept of suppressing symptoms is well accepted and understood in psychology. It is commonly observed when a person suppresses his or her emotions, such actions tend to push the emotional turmoil deeper, leading the person to explode at some future time (often at people who are not directly related to the origin of the person's problem).
While people may be familiar with the problems associated with the suppression of emotions, people are generally not familiar with the possibility that many conventional medical treatments can suppress their physical symptoms, driving the disease deeper into the person. And yet, suppression of disease is so commonplace in today's medical treatment that it is virtually ignored.
Doctors and drug companies tend to minimize the real problems of suppressing the disease process by referring to the "side effects" of a drug. And yet, pharmacologists commonly note that the determining of a drug's "effects" and its "side effects" are completely arbitrary. They are both the direct effect of the drug upon the human body.
Ironically, many conventional drugs are touted specifically for their ability to suppress symptoms or even suppress the body's own immune system. Ultimately, pushing the disease deeper into the person is the result of using pharmacological agents that are explicitly prescribed for their ability to control or inhibit symptoms; these symptoms are the natural defensive functions of the body. Suppression of disease may provide the semblance of benefit (or at least short-term benefit), but it ultimately may make the person much sicker. Such suppression of the disease process may lead to increased chronic disease, immune dysfunction, and mental illness, all of which we are seeing together in epidemic proportions.
Resources:
Larry Malerba, DO. Green Medicine: Challenging the Assumptions of Conventional Health Care. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2010.
Dennis Chernin, MD, MPH. The Complete Homeopathic Resource for Common Illnesses. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2006.
About the author
DANA ULLMAN, MPH, is one of America's leading advocates for homeopathy. He has authored 10 books, including The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy (foreword written by Dr. Peter Fisher, Physician to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), Homeopathy A-Z, Homeopathic Medicines for Children and Infants, and (the best-selling) Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (with Stephen Cummings, MD). He is the founder of Homeopathic Educational Services (http://www.homeopathic.com), America's leading resource center for homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, medicine kits, software, and distance learning courses. Homeopathic Educational Services has co-published over 35 books on homeopathy with North Atlantic Books (which are distributed by Random House).
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How to treat blisters naturally
(NaturalNews) We've all had blisters. We get them from wearing new shoes or working outside without wearing gloves. We can get them if we suffer from a burn or if we're injured. Some blisters are caused from illness or diseases. Things like eczema, chicken pox and impetigo can cause blisters. When you have a blister it's important to keep it clean and dry. Also don't try to open your blister. Once the blister is open the tissue underneath can easily get infected. If you get a blister there are several natural things you can do to stop the pain and help keep it from getting infected.
Aloe vera juice is a great natural treatment for blisters. Aloe vera is a plant that you can purchase at your local plant nursery or even your local home improvement store. It's easy to grow at home and easy to take care of. It has been used for many years to treat wounds. Even Alexander The Great used it. He had an island off of Somalia that he only used to grow aloe vera for its "amazing wound-healing" ability.
Once you slice off a piece of its stem aloe vera juice will flow from the plant. You can simply apply this juice to your blister. You can also make your own bottle of aloe vera juice. Slice up several leaves from the plant and put them in a glass jar. Then cover the leaves with vegetable oil. Allow the plant and oil to soak for 60 days and then strain. Keep the oil in a dark glass container. Make sure you label the container because aloe vera doesn't have much of a scent; you won't be able to take a sniff and figure out what's in the bottle. You can use your homemade aloe vera juice on blisters as well as burns, rashes and other wounds.
If your blister gets infected you can use barberry. Barberry has been used as a healing herb for thousands of years. Its uses date back to ancient Egyptian times when they would use it to prevent plagues. It's used today for its antibiotic, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Barberry is a very powerful herb so always use it in small doses.
Hypericum ointment is another blister remedy. You can purchase this at many health food stores. When you get a blister always make sure to leave it alone. Put a bandage on it to prevent it from coming open. As soon as it comes open clean the area and continue to keep it clean while it heals. Protect the open blister by keeping it covered. Use the above remedies to make sure your blister doesn't become infected.
Resources
http://www.ritecare.com/homeopathic...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/ar...
http://www.helium.com/items/1189998...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030290_blisters_natural_remedies.html#ixzz1AJwZRTnW
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Dealing with bed bugs the earth friendly way
Parents often say "sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite". I thought it was quite funny and that bedbugs, like the bogeyman, were just another adult-created myth. It turns out that bed bugs are very real and a problem that's been quietly growing over the last few decades.
What are bed bugs?
A bed bug is a small insect growing 4 - 5 mm (1/8th - 3/16th of an inch) in length that feeds on the blood of humans and other animals. As its name suggests, it frequents mattresses and other cushioned furniture. Bed bugs are not strictly nocturnal, but are more active at night.
Bed bug bites are often very itchy and the itchiness tends to last longer than mosquito bites. In rare cases, allergic reactions to the bites may cause nausea and illness. However, the itchiness can often cause insomnia and some people may get skin infections from scratching the bedbug bite.
Bedbugs were believed to be eradicated 50 years ago in many countries; but are now re-appearing at an alarming rate.
New York has been particularly hard hit. According to a New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board April 2010 report, In 2009, 311 (New York City's Web site and phone number for government information and non-emergency services) received 33,772 bed bug-related inquiries, up from 21,922 in 2008 - an increase of 54%. There were 426 confirmed bed bug cases resulting in treatment in 243 New York City public schools in FY 2009, twice as many as the preceding year.
Why the sudden bedbug re-emergence?
Bed bugs were pretty much wiped out due to extensive use of DDT. Unfortunately, DDT wasn't only effective on bed bugs; it also had negative effects on humans and other creatures too. It was banned for the most part in the USA by 1972, but even over 35 years on it can still be found in animals. Many of the other pesticides used for controlling bed bugs are also now banned or restricted due to human and environmental health issues.
The banning of DDT isn't the only reason - some believe it's just an issue of awareness having decreased.
So how do you get rid of the little suckers?
Getting rid of bed bugs - the green way
You may need professional services and pesticides, but perhaps try these more environmentally friendly ideas first; particularly if the infestation isn't too bad. These tips seem to be the strategies mentioned the most around the web.
A good old fashioned clean
The first thing you should do is wash your bedding and dry thoroughly in a hot dryer (or dry clean woollen items). Infested areas should be vacuumed thoroughly, including the mattress and all furnishings.
Remove clutter
The more furnishings and junk you have in a room, the more hiding spots you provide; so clear up clutter.
Sealing
Being so small, any nook or cranny can become a hidey hole not just for bed bugs, but also their eggs; so seal all holes, gaps and cracks.
Smother 'em
Mattress bags can be used to smother existing infestations and to prevent new instances occurring. The mattress bag should be checked regularly for tears, which can then be taped over. Pillows should also be similarly encased.
A moat for your bed
After dealing with any current infestation, bed bugs can be discouraged from future attacks by pulling a bed away from the wall, ensuring that bed linen doesn't touch the floor and placing frame legs into dishes of fluid such as tea tree oil to create a protective moat.
Steam 'em
It seems that bed bugs can be killed with temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) so steam cleaning carpet, furniture and drapes is now widely used to kill bed bugs and their eggs.
Insecticidal dusts
These dusts may not include insecticide as such; but ingredients such as borax or silica powder. They work by rubbing off the bed bugs shell and drying the insect out. They can be applied in cracks and crevices and along baseboards.
Have you had a bedbug infestation you've overcome using environmentally friendly means? Please share your tips below!
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This Overlooked Trace Mineral Nutrient could Wipe Out the Diabetes Epidemic
(NaturalNews) Our bodies are designed to utilize a very large number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients; however, some nutrients can play such important roles in good health that they should perhaps be recognized as the "master nutrients". In the first of what will be a continuing series of articles, we will take a look at a vital, yet largely overlooked, mineral nutrient and how it could almost single handedly wipe out the growing epidemic of diabetes: GTF chromium.
A healthy diet and regular physical activity have been rightly identified as keys to preventing and controlling diabetes. However, what has not been recognized is that regular consumption of the correct form of chromium could, along with sensible eating and being modestly active, virtually eliminate diabetes. Thanks to our unhealthy SADS diet and mineral depleting soils, each decade is bringing us more chromium deficiency. The deficiency has now reached a crisis state, with 90 percent of us estimated to be deficient in chromium.
More than 50 years ago the trace element chromium was identified as an essential nutrient at the National Institutes of Health by Dr. Klaus Schwartz due to its role in blood sugar metabolism. A molecule named Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF) was found to be primarily composed of chromium. Dr. Walter Mertz, an assistant to Dr. Schwartz at the time, noted in 1959: "Type II diabetes is not a disease. It is the lack of a natural ingredient, known as GTF chromium."
More than 30 years ago, Columbia and Yale graduate and Dartmouth University medical school professor Dr. Henry Alfred Schroeder wrote that "the typical American diet, with about 60 percent of its calories from refined sugar, refined flour and fat . . . was apparently designed not only to provide as little chromium as feasible, but to cause depletion of body stores of chromium."
Chromium works together with insulin in providing sugar to the cells for energy. If chromium levels decrease there is a corresponding decrease in sugar delivery from insulin. Modern medical terms such as "insulin resistance" and "insulin sensitivity" should be more accurately replaced with "gross chromium deficiency".
As health historian Christopher C. Barr explained, insulin is a transport mechanism. It is like a truck that transports glucose to be unloaded at the cells insulin receptors. Chromium rich GTF molecules are like dock workers which assist in getting the sugar (glucose) to the insulin receptors. If there are less and less GTF "dock workers" then the work of providing sugar to the cells becomes unproductive. A traffic jam of insulin "trucks" in the blood stream results in higher and higher blood sugar levels as the problems of chromium deficiency increase over time.
Although we do see chromium supplement promoted for various health areas, we hear very little about GTF chromium. A major reason is likely because the vast majority of medical research is oriented towards finding new patented medicines. Another might be due to the US government owning a patent on a different, much less effective but more highly promoted, form of chromium - chromium picolinate.
The right form of chromium is whole foods grown GTF chromium, and the right daily amount is about 100 micrograms taken three times daily. If every American took 100 per cent whole food GTF chromium, ate reasonably healthily and got modest regular physical activity, it would virtually wipe out diabetes. In addition, at a time when the Obama administration is asking agencies to find $100 billion in health care savings, universal use of GTF chromium would save at least $100 billion annually from the $218 billion annual costs of treating diabetes.
[footnote from Didi: Interestingly Nature herself provides chromium in sugar cane; it is Nature's way of providing balance. It's humans that remove this mineral by producing white sugar. Fresh sugar cane and sugar cane juice are actually GOOD for you]
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Why It is Important to Drink Lots of Water
(NaturalNews) More than fifty percent of the human body is made of water. Knowing that, it's not hard to realize how important staying hydrated is to a person's well-being. In fact, dehydration can cause confusion, dizziness, and sluggishness in addition to other more serious symptoms. And while people can go for weeks without eating, a person can't live more than a few days without water. Water is a precious, valuable resource for the human body.
Knowing this, people still persist in drinking beverages that don't truly hydrate and cleanse the body. In the modern day, it's so much easier to grab a sugary soda or a grande latte than it is to pour a simple, clean cup of water. But if a person can drink the water instead, she will reap so many benefits! Here are just a few of them:
Detoxification: Randa Khalil says on Disabled World's website that water is "the most ancient and potent natural detox aid ever known to mankind." Unlike other fluids people can put in their bodies, water is clean and pure, and it helps the body remove toxins from their diet. The kidneys have a daunting task, but water can help them.
As a diet aid: It might sound funny, but lots of people on the Standard American Diet confuse thirst for hunger, so instead of drinking a glass of water, they eat! While many foods have water in them, there might not be enough to satisfy a person's thirst. If a person is trying to watch his weight, he might try drinking a glass of water first. His body will thank him.
Rehydration: People need to rehydrate during the day. As people lose water simply by living - through urination and breathing, people lose water every day, so it's important to fill back up. People also need to rehydrate when they have been exercising or if they are ill; in fact, water is even more important during these times.
Water is important in so many ways, but people today are worried about their water sources. Fortunately, there are good filtration systems to cleanse water before a person drinks it. People on a budget can purchase water pitchers with replaceable carbon filters. These filters can remove many impurities in water, toxins like lead, mercury, copper, and cadmium. Some filters can even remove a majority of chlorine and fluoride.
There's no excuse not to drink plenty of water. After all, doesn't it make sense to replenish the body's most important element?
Sources:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/proper...
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030279_water_health.html#ixzz1AJzQtzV2
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Watermelons lower blood pressure as good as statins and provide many other benefits
(NaturalNews) Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is common for many of us from time to time and it has often been the practice of doctors to treat high blood pressure by prescribing dangerous statin drugs. Now, researchers have found that healthy watermelons can do just as good of a job without all the nasty side effects which have been linked to statin drugs.
In a study just published in the American Journal of Hypertension, food scientists at Florida State University found that consumption of six grams of L-citrulline extract from watermelon extract for six weeks normalized the blood pressure of all nine adults in the study who previously had elevated blood pressure.
"We are the first to document improved aortic hemodynamics in pre-hypertensive but otherwise healthy middle-aged men and women receiving therapeutic doses of watermelon," said Dr. Arturo Figueroa, lead researcher of the new study. "These findings suggest that this 'functional food' has a vasodilatory effect, and one that may prevent prehypertension from progressing to full-blown hypertension, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes," added Figueroa
The large watermelon fruit is the richest edible source of the amino acid L-citrulline, which regulates healthy blood pressure. L-citrulline is converted to another amino acid, L-arginine, once in the body. However, taking L-arginine as a dietary supplement can cause nausea, gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea, especially among adults who already suffer from raised blood pressure.
"Individuals with increased blood pressure and arterial stiffness - especially those who are older and those with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes - would benefit from L-citrulline in either the synthetic or natural (watermelon) form," Figueroa said.
Helping lower and control blood pressure is just one of many health benefits for the large summertime favorite. Watermelons have the highest water content of any fruit and, in addition to being a supreme thirst quencher, are excellent sources of several vitamins: vitamin A, an antioxidant which helps maintain eye health; vitamin C, which strengthens immunity, heals wounds, prevents cell damage, and promotes healthy teeth and gums; and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy.
Tomatoes have been highly advertised as a great source for lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Watermelon, however, has the highest concentrations of lycopene of any fresh fruit or vegetable.
Watermelons also have plenty of thiamine, magnesium, and potassium which are all vital for optimal health. Thus if your children, or perhaps yourself, are reluctant to dig into spinach, other dark green leafy vegetables or lima beans on a regular basis, servings of watermelon would be a very healthy substitute - and would make a healthy addition at any rate.
Watermelons help muscle and nerve function and help maintain the body's proper electrolyte and acid-base balance. They also reduce the risk of colon cancer, asthma, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Watermelons are also excellent for kidney health as it can both flush the kidneys and dissolve kidney stones. One of the most popular and effective natural remedies for kidney stones is a tea made from watermelon seeds, though often the juice alone in plentiful quantities will do the trick.
A good one way to cleanse both the colon and the kidneys is to go an entire day consuming nothing but watermelon. Besides flushing the kidneys it will also usually clean out the colon as well - so well, in fact, that a good piece of advice is to not stray too far from available toilet facilities from about mid-afternoon on when doing a watermelon flush.
Sources included:
http://www.wddty.com/watermelon-as-...
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com...
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fo...
http://healthmad.com/nutrition/10-h...
http://www.naturalnews.com/028828_k...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030283_watermelons_blood_pressure.html#ixzz1AJziW7YJ
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Homeopathic remedies help morning sickness
Pharmaceutical medications are toxic and always cause harm; an unborn fetus is especially susceptible to the toxic effects of pharmaceuticals. It is especially important for pregnant women to avoid all pharmaceuticals during pregnancy. Numerous times a drug manufacturer has claimed that a drug is safe, only for it to be yanked off the market after it has caused serious harm. For example, the commonly prescribed morning sickness drug Bendectin was voluntarily pulled off the US market by its manufacturer following numerous lawsuits alleging that it caused birth defects. Unfortunately, the drug continues to be prescribed routinely in Europe as well as in Canada, where it is known as Diclectin. But what your doctor probably will not tell you is that there is a safe, non-toxic and effective solution for morning sickness: homeopathy.
Herbal remedies such as ginger and peppermint tea are some of the most commonly recommended natural solutions for nausea during pregnancy. While these herbs may work for some women who have mild morning sickness, ginger and peppermint will not help a woman with severe morning sickness. Women with severe morning sickness can, however, benefit tremendously from homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a complete, natural system of medicine that is over 200 years old. It is immensely popular in many parts of the world, including Europe, India and South America. Homeopathy has no side effects, is non-toxic and can be used safely during pregnancy.
These are some of the most common homeopathic remedies for morning sickness:
Colchicum: This woman's morning sickness is worse after smelling food, especially cooking food. She vomits even at the thought of food. Her nausea is also worse from even the slightest movement.
Ipecacuanha: This woman has constant, persistent nausea. Even vomiting doesn't relieve the nausea and she feels worse when lying down.
Nux Vomica: Nausea is worse in the morning and from eating. The stomach is very sensitive to pressure. If necessary, Nux Vomica can be taken in alternation with Ipecacuanha.
Lacticum Acidum: Nausea is better after eating and worse from the smell of tobacco smoke. Her appetite is not affected, or she may have increased appetite.
Sepia: Nausea is worse in the morning. She is sensitive to odours and craves sour foods. She may be depressed and may regret the pregnancy.
Symphoricarpus: This is a good non-specific remedy for morning sickness if other remedies fail to give results. The nausea is worse after any motion with aversion to all food.
Potency and Repetition
Use either a 12C or 30C potency (strength) of the indicated remedy a few times per day, as needed. If a few doses bring no relief, try a different remedy.
Where to Buy Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies can be bought at most health food stores, natural pharmacies, or online.
[added comment from Didi: Abha Light pharmacy has a complete stock of homeopathic medicines. Contact us for all your needs.]
Precautions
Please note that this is not a complete list of homeopathic remedies for morning sickness. If symptoms persist or worsen, consult with a classical homeopath in your area.
References
Brody, Jane E. "Shadow of Doubt Wipes out Bendectin" The New York Times, June 19, 1983. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...
Castro, Miranda. Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Baby's First Year St. Martin's Griffin, 1993.
Perko, Sandra J. Homeopathy for the Modern Pregnant Woman and her Infant, Benchmark Homeopathic Pub, 1997.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030917_morning_sickness_homeopathy.html#ixzz1AK0KRng2
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Aspartame exposed - GM Bacteria used to create deadly sweetener
(NaturalNews) The manufacturers of the most prevalent sweetener in the world have a secret, and it's not a sweet one. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in thousands of products worldwide, has been found to be created using genetically modified (GM) bacteria. What's even more shocking is how long this information has been known. A 1999 article by The Independent was the first to expose the abominable process in which aspartame was created. Ironically, the discovery was made around the same time as rich leaders around the globe met at the G8 Summit to discuss the safety of GM foods.
The 1999 investigation found that Monsanto, the largest biotech corporation in the world, often used GM bacteria to produce aspartame in their US production plants. The end result is a fusion between two of the largest health hazards to ever hit the food industry -- artificial sweeteners and an array of genetically altered organisms. Both have led to large-scale debate, with aspartame being the subject of multiple congressional hearings and scientific criticism. Scientists and health advocates are not the only ones to speak out against aspartame, however. The FDA received a flurry of complaints from consumers using NutraSweet, a product containing aspartame. Since 1992, the FDA has stopped documenting reports on the subject.
The process in which aspartame is created involves combining an amino acid known as phenylalanine with aspartic acid. First synthesized in 1965, aspartame requires bacteria for the sole purpose of producing phenylalanine. Monsanto discovered that through genetically altering this bacteria, phenylalanine could be created much more quickly. In the report by The Independent, Monsanto openly admitted that their mutated bacteria is a staple in the creation process of aspartame.
"We have two strains of bacteria - one is traditionally modified and one is genetically modified," said the source from Monsanto. "It's got a modified enzyme. It has one amino acid different."
Multiple studies have been conducted regarding genetic manipulation, with many grim conclusions. One study found that the more GM corn was fed to mice, the fewer babies they had. Another study, published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, found that the organs that typically respond to chemical food poisoning were the first to encounter problems after subjects consumed GM foods. The same study also states that GM foods should not be commercialized.
"For the first time in the world, we've proven that GMO are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized. [...] Each time, for all three GMOs, the kidneys and liver, which are the main organs that react to a chemical food poisoning, had problems," indicated Gilles-Eric Seralini, an expert member of the Commission for Biotechnology Reevaluation.
Consumer groups are now curious as to whether or not other products secretly contain genetically modified ingredients. Due to the fact that the finished product's DNA does not change when using genetically modified bacteria, it is hard to know for sure. With the FDA ruling against the labeling of GM salmon, it is becoming more of a challenge to determine whether or not a product contains GM ingredients. Consumers are voicing their opposition for GM ingredients going incognito, with the largest growing retail brand being GMO-free products.
"The public wants to know and the public has a right to know," said Marion Nestle, a professor in the Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health Department at New York University.
Unveiling the secret process in which aspartame is created acts as yet another reminder to stay away from artificial sweeteners, and one should choose natural alternatives such as palm sugar, xylitol, or stevia.
[Editor's Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and wellbeing of all living creatures.]
Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...
http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/akt... (PDF)
http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030918_aspartame_GM_bacteria.html#ixzz1AK0z671F
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