Category: Natural Health

This should come as no big surprise to most folks. However, there has been a general perception in the past that one should be less active as one grows older. Not if you want to live a long, and healthy life! Physical activity keeps the blood moving, supports bone strength, and has countless other benefits for the aging.

Physical Activity Helps Elderly Live Longer

“Elderly people who are physically active are much more likely to live longer than elderly people who are not physically active, according to a six-year study carried out by researchers at the US National Institute on Aging. You can read about this study in more detail in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 12 July issue.”

Standardized tests at Manchester University in England have done a study that suggests that the standard treatment for coughs – codeine cough syrups – are no more effective at reducing coughs than a placebo!

Lead researcher Dr. Jaclyn Smith said: “Codeine has long been considered the standard anti-cough agent against which others are measured, but until now little has been known about its impact in patients with chronic lung diseases.

“‘From a statistical standpoint there was really no difference between codeine and the placebo – despite the fact that the dose of codeine used far exceeds that in over-the-counter cough remedies.’ She added: ‘The effective treatment of chronic dry cough is an important unmet need in patients with chronic respiratory diseases, post-viral coughing and persistent coughing of unknown cause. Studies of cough in other clinical situations are urgently needed if codeine is to be continued to be used as a remedy.'”

Codeine ‘does not relieve cough’

What would benefit a persistent cough? Reinforce your natural immune system, for instance:

Eliminate processed sugars from your diet.

Get the right amount of sleep.

Eat garlic regularly.

Reduce stress in your life.

Consume a high-quality fish or cod liver oil daily.

Wash your hands regularly, using ordinary soap, not anti-bacterial soap.

Exercise regularly – take a walk in the sunshine!

A new randomized, placebo-controlled study demonstrates that cherry juice may be a good natural treatment for muscle pain caused by exercise.

Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain

“Historically, a number of approaches to prevent exercise-induced muscle pain and damage have been examined, but few have been effective. Declan Connolly, associate professor of education and director of the human performance laboratory at the University of Vermont and colleagues at New York Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma and Cornell University, evaluated the efficacy of a fresh, highly-concentrated, specially-processed tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage in a randomized, placebo-controlled study in 14 male college students. ‘The anti-inflammatory properties of cherry juice have been examined before, but the focus of this research was on a new area – muscle damage repair,’ said Connolly. ‘Only two species of mammals suffer this type of muscle damage – horses and humans.'”

This type of natural treatment is fascinating, in that it, obviously, has no side effects and contraindications as drugs would have.

“According to Connolly, next steps include identifying funding sources and collaborators to continue study of the cherry juice’s effectiveness in muscle damage repair and possibly arthritis, as well as research involving race horses.”

I have pointed out before that we are very much Vitamin D deficient in the United States. This is a natural result of the barrage of warnings that we get to stay out of the sun. Normal, unshielded exposure to the sun, especially about 20 minutes a day on the face and upper body causes the body to naturally produce Vitamin D. Not getting enough sun can lead to Vitamin D deficiency. And, Vitamin D deficiency leads to a variety of health problems, not the least of which is brittle bones.

A scientist is being ostracised for actually recommended moderate amounts of sunlight! How did we get to this stage?

What’s Wrong With a Little Sunshine?

Add this hysteria to keep people out of the sun with the fact that there is evidence that current sunscreens may be harmful in and of themselves, and you have another healthcare crisis brewing! Using a toxic sunscreen loaded with titania (titanium oxide) may lead to neurological damage, according to EPA researchers. Titania, the same material used to make white pigment for paint, is also found in sunscreen formulations, which claim to absorb ultraviolet light. Such “protection from the sun” comes at a price according to recent research: Toxicity when titania is intermingled with various cell types, including skin, bone and liver. Scientists exposed titania nanoparticies (some 30 nanometers in size) to the microglia cultures (cells that protect brain neurons) taken from mice. Over the short term, the mouse microglia protected neurons from titania by releasing natural chemicals to destroy them. Because it takes more than hour for those microglia to do the job, however, scientists believe this prolonged chemical reaction sets the stage for oxidative stress, the root of conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Study shows nanoparticles in sun cream may affect mice brain cells

“The Study, carried out by Bellina Veronesi of the US Environmental Protection Agency and published on the website Nature.com, looked at the affects of nano-sized Titania, now commonly used in sun cream formulations and often labelled titantium oxide, on cultures of microglia mice cells. Although Veronesi has stressed that the research does not necessarily imply that the Titania grains are harmful to the human body and other experts have aired caution over the interpretation of the findings, it does add to a growing body of research that suggests potential risks might exists when certain compounds are reduced to nano size.”

What is the bottom line? Moderation! Keep your sun exposure reasonable, to produce enough natural Vitamin D, but not so much that you get burned. Simple. So, why is that so hard?

Healthy adults taking maximum doses of Tylenol for two weeks had abnormal liver test results in a small study, researchers found, raising concerns that even recommended amounts of the popular painkiller might lead to liver damage. In the study, 106 participants took four grams of Tylenol — equivalent to eight extra-strength Tylenol tablets — each day for two weeks. Some took Tylenol alone and some took it with an opioid painkiller. Dummy pills were given to 39 others. There were no alarming liver test results among the people who took the placebos. But nearly 40 percent of people in all the other groups had abnormal test results that would signal liver damage, according to the study that appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.”

Tylenol Can Adversely Effect Your Liver!

I, personally, use a natural, herbal painkiller, if needed: White Willow Bark (Salix alba.) Willows have been used for centuries for pain relief and reduction of fever. The leaves can be chewed, and contain salicylic acid. This compound has been synthesized into acetylsalicylic acid, otherwise known as aspirin. Natural salicylic acid is nearly as potent as aspirin, however, the compound salicin from willow does not cause gastric or intestinal upset or bleeding as aspirin can, This is because willow does not block prostaglandins in the stomach or intestines.

The liver is the major “filter” for the whole body. Suppressed liver function can lead to many serious conditions.

Diarrhea can be a dibilitating condition. You can’t go anywhere or do anything because you are “tied” to a bathroom! A new study suggests that probiotics can be a treatment for this condition! Based on a meta-analysis of 34 randomized trials, probiotics reduced the incidence of antibiotic-related diarrhea by 52 percent. Generally, probiotics lowered the risk of diarrhea among adults (26 percent) and children (57 percent.) However, probiotics didn’t do nearly as much good for travelers’ diarrhea, according to the study, reducing it only by 8 percent.

New Study: Probiotics and Diarrhea

The study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 6, Issue 6, June 2006, Pages 374-382, says in part, “Evaluating the evidence by types of acute diarrhoea suggests that probiotics significantly reduced antibiotic-associated diarrhoea by 52% (95% CI 35–65%), reduced the risk of travellers’ diarrhoea by 8% (−6 to 21%), and that of acute diarrhoea of diverse causes by 34% (8–53%). Probiotics reduced the associated risk of acute diarrhoea among children by 57% (35–71%), and by 26% (7–49%) among adults. The protective effect did not vary significantly among the probiotic strains Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and other strains used alone or in combinations of two or more strains. Although there is some suggestion that probiotics may be efficacious in preventing acute diarrhoea, there is a lack of data from community-based trials and from developing countries evaluating the effect on acute diarrhoea unrelated to antibiotic usage.”

In severe cases of diarrhea, try taking large doses of probiotics over time, I have seen the effects reduced in hours by this method!

You know that as a Naturopath, I am always fascinated by how natural, non-chemical approaches keep turning out to be the best methodology for treating conditions and, generally, solving problems. Well, here’s a natural approach to the age-old problem of repelling mosquitoes! The American beautyberry plant, Callicarpa americana, that may keep the chomping insects away.

Scientists Confirm Folk Remedy Repels Mosquitoes

“Three repellent chemicals were extracted during the 12-month study: callicarpenal, intermedeol and spathulenol. The research concluded that all three chemicals repulse mosquitoes known to transmit yellow fever and malaria. Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were not tested as part of the study, but the USDA-ARS has since filed a patent application to use callicarpenal as an anthropod repellent.”

“Drinking a daily eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice can significantly slow the progress of prostate cancer, a study suggests. Researchers say the effect may be so large that it may help older men outlive the disease. Pomegranates contain a cocktail of chemicals which minimise cell damage, and potentially kill off cancer cells. The study, by the University of California in Los Angeles, appears in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.”

Pomegranate Juice Slows Prostate Cancer Growth

What do I mean by that? Allopathic medicine is what most American’s take for granted as “standard medicine.” It looks at symptoms of individuals and tries to classify and treat those symptoms. It normally (or, historically) does not look at overall well-being or nutritional deficiencies as an underlying foundation of disease. The standard allopathic treatment of a condition is to diagnose it, categorize it, and then prescribe a drug, or drugs, to “correct” the symptoms. Exceptions to this path is to cut out the offending organ or tissue, or in other ways to destroy it via chemical, radiation, or other extreme means. The Naturopathic approach is to look at the whole being… the whole, not the specific. A Naturopath uses a holistic approach that takes into account a client’s state of mind, spiritual condition, underlying nutritional requirements, weaknesses, and deficiencies, and even the bodies’ natural energy fields. These are two disparate approaches (but not necessarily completely at odds with one another.) The problem is that allopathic medicine is “the law,” so to speak. It has a complete “lock,” or monopoly, on medical treatment. And, as the old saying goes, “Absolute power, corrupts absolutely!”

Allopathic Medicine’s “Culture of Corruption”

“Lancet is one of the oldest and most prestigious medical journals in the world. So when a medical publication like Lancet questions the integrity of the medical profession, something is terribly wrong. For years, many of us have objected to the drug companies providing gifts, expensive dinners, travel, vacations, tickets to Broadway shows, sporting events and golf courses, and other freebies to doctors. The American Medical Association and other organizations agree and have established voluntary guidelines that limit doctors’ acceptance of gifts of more than token value. Unfortunately, these guidelines have not worked. Many doctors continue to accept drug company favors large and small, while maintaining that they can accept freebies without having their judgment swayed by drug company sales pitches. Studies have proven them wrong. Doctors’ prescribing methods are heavily influenced by drug company inducements. Because of increasing criticism, the drug industry has established voluntary guidelines about giving expensive gifts to doctors. The American Medical Association called these guidelines “a positive step,” but loopholes exist. Doctors can still accept money as ‘consultants’ to drug companies, which includes payments for attending drug-promoting seminars or all-expenses-paid trips to pricey resorts.” (Emphasis mine.)

I trust that the medical profession will cover these loopholes and “fix” the tie that currently exists between the drug companies and the medical profession. Until this tie is broken, unfortunately, it is hard to trust the allopathic medical industry!

Dr. Mercola has a great Blog entry, and link to a radio spot, that is airing warning of the issues involved in mercury in vaccines:

Vaccine Warning on the Radio

“‘Does your baby weigh over 500 pounds? According to the EPA, a person must weigh over 500 pounds to safely process the amount of mercury still present in certain vaccines, including flu shots. And, yet, these shots are recommended for pregnant women and infants…’ That’s how this awesome 60-second public service announcement about the dangers of mercury in vaccines grabs your attention at the start, and never lets go.”