Category: Natural Health

Over the Counter (OTC) cough syrup is heavily advertised to help you keep coughing to a minimum during illness. But a new study says, in effect, don’t waste your money!

OTC Cough Syrup is Useless!

“Irwin’s committee echoed a 2004 paper by the Cochrane Collaboration, a non-profit group that reviews scientific evidence for medical treatments: ‘There is no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of OTC medicines in acute cough.'”

They go on to say that there is a string placebo effect that probably explains why people think they are effective.

I had a question from one of our readers in Canada on what to do to detox. I decided to go ahead and list my answer here, with the links, because I figure that many others may have this question as well…

There are several good links that I like:

This one:

Healthy.net Detox Article

Especially the section on: “How Do We Detoxify/Cleanse?”

And:

Detox Information

Here’s the “Supports” Section from that page:

Supports

Because of its many metabolic functions, the liver is the most important detoxification organ. Liver-supportive nutrients like the B vitamins (especially B3 and B6), vitamins A and C, zinc, calcium, vitamin E, selenium and L-cysteine are supportive of liver detoxification. Some doctors recommend a liver glandular during cleanses.

Saunas, sweats and dry brushing the skin are commonly used during cleanses to help purify the body through enhanced skin elimination. Massage therapy, especially lymphatic and even deeper massage, is also useful in supporting a detoxification program.

There are many cleansing herbs, including garlic, red clover, echinacea, dandelion root, chaparral, cayenne pepper, ginger root, licorice root, yellow dock, burdock, parsley and goldenseal.

I hope this helps!

Two new studies show that statins, the popular drugs used to lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks, offer no protection against cancer, contrary to what some earlier studies suggested.

Statins Do Not Prevent Cancer

Statin drugs have taken a lot of heat recently as some studies indicate that they may damage the heart and liver. Again, I firmly believe that the natural approach is best. Diet, exercise, and healthy attitudes and living will stand you in good stead!

A new study confirms what naturopaths have long taught… natural sunshine, which produces Vitamin D in the body, can help ward off cancer.

Vitamin D and Cancer

“Researchers reviewed 63 old studies and found that the vitamin could reduce the chances of developing breast, ovarian and colon cancer, and others.”

“The ‘natural’ form of the vitamin, called D3, is normally produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight, but is also obtained from certain foods such as oily fish, margarine and meat.”

“Scientists said analysis showed that, for at least some cancers, the vitamin D factor could not be ignored. Taking 1,000 international units (IU) – or 25 micrograms – of the vitamin daily could lower an individual’s cancer risk by 50% in colon cancer, and by 30% in breast and ovarian cancer, they said.”

Veggies are good for you! We’ve known that for some time. Now, it seems that research is proving this out!

High Veggie Diet May Help Ward Off Cancer

One of my instructors once told me that the best thing that you can do from a dietary point of view is to “eat lot’s of colors” when it comes to vegetables. In other words, not just greens, but yellows (corn, squash), purple (eggplant), red (tomatoes, beets), and orange (carrots), as examples. So… be sure to eat your colors!

Lead, and any heavy metals, are VERY bad for your health. The FDA quideline has been 0.5 ppm for candy products. The proposed new level that is “acceptable” would be 0.1 part per million (ppm) of lead.

FDA Proposes Lower Lead Levels in Candy

“Lead poisoning is associated with behavior and learning problems in children, and can also cause seizures or death. The risk is greatest in children aged 6 and younger. Most domestic and imported candies already have lead levels of 0.1 ppm or less. Certain candies imported from Mexico, however, have higher levels, apparently as a result of ingredients such as chili powder and salt. ”

Herbs that can help cleanse tissues of heavy metals:

1) Liver – spirulina, garlic, milk thistle, triphala, artichoke, fenugreek, turmeric

2) Lungs – garlic, mullein, oregano, turmeric, red clover

3) Lymphatic System – spirulina, garlic, green tea, red clover

4) Kidneys – dandelion leaf, spirulina, parsley, artichoke, nettle

5) Skin – oatstraw, red clover

6) Blood – artichoke, turmeric, red clover

7) Bowel – triphala, marshmallow, slippery elm

“Eli Lilly and Co. said Wednesday it has agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor and pay $36 million to settle charges that it illegally marketed and promoted its Evista osteoporosis drug for two unapproved uses.”

Eli Lilly Will Settle for $36 Million

Big Pharma wants to expand it’s market. If it has to break the rules to do so, well, so it goes. They are required to make a profit, not find optimal drugs… when push comes to shove. They have to justify their research, and it’s costs. You have a choice as an individual to use natural health resources… not rely on drugs and drug companies. The person that you see in the mirror is the person that is responsible for your health.

The short answer is, “Yes,” if they are mercury amalgam fillings, however, the long answer is much more complicated. “Yes,” because the mercury in them is unquestionably toxic. “Possibly, no,” if they are sealed properly and are not leaking material into your system. The only way to really know is testing.

Here is an interesting article on the issue from the Chicago Tribune:

Are Your Fillings Toxic?

Simply having your fillings extracted may cause more trouble than it is worth if you don’t currently have issues from your fillings, as the extraction process itself carries the risk of releasing material into the body. I would certainly not get any MORE amalgam fillings… there are good alternatives… but you would need to be tested to see if there are issues from your current fillings.

More Info on Mercury in Fillings

Lot’s of people take low dosages of Aspirin daily to ward off possible heart attacks at the behest of their physicians. A new study suggests that even this low dosage of Aspirin is not without concerns. It seems that there can be increased incidence of peptic ulcers in patients that take this low dose Aspirin regimen.

Low Dosage Aspirin and Peptic Ulcers

Herbs that benefit and strenthen the heart include: Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycanthus), Garlic (Allium sativum), and Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca).

Green Tea is a very beneficial beverage. There is research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. Here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful: cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cariovascular disease, infection, impaired immune function. Now, a new study indicates that Green Tea Extract can be beneficial to Leukemia patients:

Green Tea Extract and Leukemia

“A new case study by Mayo Clinic researchers provides preliminary evidence to suggest a component of green tea may lead to clinical improvement in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Findings are published online in Leukemia Research.

In the small case study, the researchers report on four patients who appeared to have an improvement in the clinical state of their disease after starting over-the-counter products containing epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an extract of green tea. Three of the four patients met the standard criteria used to define a response treatment for clinical trials. These same investigators had previously shown that EGCG kills leukemia cells from patients with CLL in the test tube by interrupting the communication signals they need to survive. That study was published in Blood in 2004.

‘The experience of these individuals provides some suggestion that our previously published laboratory findings may actually translate into clinical effects for patients with this disease,’ says Tait Shanafelt, M.D., Mayo Clinic hematologist and lead author of the article. Despite these encouraging preliminary findings, he urges caution. ‘We do not know how many patients were taking similar products and failed to have any benefit. We also do not yet know the optimal dose that should be used, the frequency with which patients should take the medication, and what side effects will be observed with long-term administration.'”