Year: 2006

According to Dr. Mercola’s recent blog entry, diabetics need more Vitamin D. With Spring coming soon… get some fresh air and sunshine! Sunlight is the best natural source of Vitamin D.

Diabetics Need Vitamin D

“Italian researchers compared blood samples from more than 450 patients with type 2 diabetes against a similar number of healthy folks. Nearly a third more diabetics were found to be lacking in the right amount of vitamin D versus the controls. Type 2 diabetes was more prevalent among women who were taking insulin and useless statin drugs and controlled their condition poorly.”

Capsaicin, the compound that gives red pepper its heat, could stop the spread of prostate cancer, claims a new study.

Red Pepper and Prostate Cancer

“Red chilli pepper has previously been linked to inhibiting the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and has been suggested to cut fat and energy intake when added to the diet. ‘We show that capsaicin has a profound inhibiting effect on the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo , inducing apoptosis [programmed cell death] of prostate cancer cell lines,’ wrote lead author Akio Mori from the University of California, Los Angeles. The new study, published in the journal of Cancer Research (Vol. 66, pp. 3222-3229), showed that the protein NF-kappaB, shown to be active in hormone-independent prostate cancer cells in vitro, was significantly inhibited by the capsaicin.”

I love it when natural, herbal treatments are shown to be so effective in fighting such conditions!

Studies in mice suggest the popular herbal remedy Gingko biloba might help fight human brain and breast tumors. Mice treated with an extract of Gingko biloba leaves both before and after being implanted with human breast or brain tumors had decreased expression of a cell receptor — peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) — associated with invasive cancer, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, in Washington, D.C.

Gingko Biloba May Help Fight Cancer

“It is very encouraging that Gingko biloba appeared to reduce the aggressiveness of these cancers, because it suggests that the leaves could be useful in some early-stage diseases to prevent them from becoming invasive, or spreading,” study senior author Vassilios Papadopoulos, director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization and associate vice president of Georgetown University Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.

Natural Health advocates having been saying for years that depletion of nutrients in the soil is leading to fruits and vegetables that have less nutritional value. Now, this is coming out in the general press:

Fruits & Veggies Losing Their Nutritional Value

Organic and natural farming techniques can restore the nutritional value to our foods, but it is more expensive. However, our health is worth it!

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder that causes ulcerations in the small and large intestines. “Conventional wisdom” has been that it is somehow linked to an over-active immune system. However, Traditional Naturopaths have long believed that natural reinforcement of the immune system is in order. Now, the Allopathic community appears to be “coming around” as well.

New Theory on Crohn’s Disease

“Dr. Alistair Forbes, medical director of the gut disorder organisation Core, told the BBC News website the work was ‘very exciting’ and consistent with other pieces of work which suggested Crohn’s was linked to a weak immune response. He said: ‘The cause of Crohn’s remains unknown, and although there are genetic factors, it is quite clear they don’t explain the whole thing. Crohn’s is clearly related to the bacterial flora in the gut, but how is not clear at all. There are several pieces of information that suggest Crohn’s is linked to an abnormality of the immune response, rather than an excessive one in the first instance.'”

However, they are still looking toward treatment with a drug, rather than natural means to stimulate immune system strength.

Mercury is a neurotoxin. Mercury is used as the “carrier” for most vaccines. Check out this article in Dr. Mercola’s Blog:

The Destructive Power of Vaccines

Many children are vaccinated and do not have these crippling effects. I understand that. But, that even one innocent child should suffer is too many!

All those cuts of steak look so bright and red and inviting, right? Well… here’s how they do it!

How You Are Being Fooled at the Meat Counter

Carbon Monoxide?!? Somehow, that doesn’t sound so inviting, does it? And, no studies on the long term effects of these practices. Bright. Something tells me that we will be hearing from this in the future!

Fact one: Drugs are artificial substances created by man to mask symptoms, or, in some cases, to alleviate symptoms. Fact two: Artificially fighting flu viruses with drugs can cause the virus to mutate and become resistant to the drug. Fact three: This leads to stronger more dangerous viruses that can more easily overcome weakened human immune systems.

Flu Drugs Ineffective Against Flu

I find it interesting that these scientists said that they were “shocked” that the flu drugs they trust in so highly were now ineffective! They, themselves, have been saying for years that this would happen, and now they are surprised that it has? I wonder.

“‘We were absolutely shocked at the findings,’ said Rick A. Bright, an immunologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘This renders this class of drugs useless for influenza for now and for the foreseeable future. We don’t expect this to go away any time soon, especially as other countries use it in over-the-counter formulations.’

Others said the news was not so shocking, given the propensity of bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics. ‘We see emerging resistance to antibiotics, so it’s not surprising to see viral resistance,’ said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.”

Both viruses and bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics. Deconstructing the word “antibiotics” reveals that it means “anti” (“against”), “bio” (“life”)… it is designed to kill. They want it to kill bacteria and viruses that cause disease, but it kills indiscriminately. It also kills good flora in the intestinal tract necessary for proper digestion. Must of what is called “acid reflux disease” can be traced to overuse of antibiotics killing intestinal flora. If you are in this boat, one approach would be to replenish these helpful bacteria. Of course, this is only one of many reasons for such digestion issues. The bottom line is that drugs are NOT a panacea! It is far better to naturally improve your health by strengthening your immune system. This is the naturopathic approach.

Make YOURSELF more resistant to disease, instead of making disease more resistant to drugs!

What I am about to say, is… humbly, my opinion. But, that’s what Blogs are about, right? Let’s set it up this way. Big Pharma (large drug companies) have an agenda… to sell drugs. Yeah, obvious, I know. But, their goal is sell as many drugs as possible. Some time back they decided that if they could sell a lot of drugs with “X” number of diseases, then “X+more” diseases would allow them to sell more drugs! So, I believe, they started coming up with “conditions” and “tendencies” and “syndromes” that their drugs treated. Cancer is a REAL disease. It is organically demonsratable. So is a virus. But some “conditions” are “emotionally based” and some “syndromes” are seen only through “behaviors.” So, if you figet and have a hard time maintaining your attention… it may be a “disease!” Now, I CAN’T say that ADHD is one of these “created” diseases. I simply don’t know. However, they long ago prescribed drugs to folks … and drugs are ALWAYS dangerous! However, NOW these ADHD drugs are killing some people. Ooops! Now, the FDA is requiring Big Pharma to post warnings on their precious drugs! THAT might cut into sales! Maybe.

Warnings Advised on ADHD Drugs

“A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Thursday narrowly voted to recommend putting the strongest type of warning possible on widely prescribed stimulant drugs for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

The FDA had asked the committee to consider what types of studies could be used to look at whether the drugs, which include Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin, Methylin, Metadate and Concerta, increase the risk of sudden death, heart attacks or strokes.

An FDA report released prior to the meeting said that 25 children and adults had died suddenly from 1999 to 2003 after taking ADHD drugs.

Doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions last year for stimulant ADHD drugs, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information company. ”

31 million prescriptions!!! Wow! That’s a lot of profit! And, unfortunately, a lot of consequences from un-natural drugs damaging the health of “patients.” It is a shame.

As we know, candy that contains sugar is very bad for teeth. It promotes the bacteria that attack teeth. But one recent study indicates that there is a “candy” that is actually good for your teeth – licorice!

Licorice Good for Teeth

“Licorice has a possible benefit “for promoting oral health with licorice extracts,” Shi told Reuters. Still he warned that more research is needed before anyone should take up chewing licorice as a way to prevent cavities.

But just because we should wait, it doesn’t mean Shi has to. He and his team are currently developing sugar-free lollipops that contain the active component in licorice which could be used to promote oral health in kids and seniors. Preventing cavities never tasted so sweet!

The study findings were published in the Journal of Natural Products.”