Dr. Bill Bailey, Ph.D., MH, ND, CNHP, CTN discusses issues in the Natural Health field.
Genesis 6:3 (Modern King James Version) “And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, in his erring; he is flesh. Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.” (Emphasis mine.)
128 years! It gives us something to shoot for… and it IS possible! Happy Birthday, Cruz!
I have been saying that this has been going on a LONG time! Now, others apparently are seeing it as well!
Drug Companies Are Inventing “New Diseases!”
“The practice of ‘diseasemongering’ by the drug industry is promoting non-existent illnesses or exaggerating minor ones for the sake of profits, according to a set of essays published by the open-access journal Public Library of Science Medicine. The special issue, edited by David Henry, of Newcastle University in Australia, and Ray Moynihan, an Australian journalist, reports that conditions such as female sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ‘restless legs syndrome’ have been promoted by companies hoping to sell more of their drugs.”
This is unconscionable. As the old saying goes, “Caveat Emptor,” (Let the buyer beware.) You need to realize that healthcare is just another area of commerce to these people, and scams are still scams! Dr. Mercola in his Health Blog puts it well: “Always remember that the drug companies are trying to sell you something. They’re not really concerned whether you’re sick, well, get healthy, or stay ill; they just want to get you to buy their products so they can increase profits to their shareholders. That is the mandate of nearly every corporation, and I haven’t seen a drug company that has gone off this path. And they will do whatever it takes to do that, including selling you cures for diseases that don’t exist.”
Well, Naturopaths and other Natural Health professionals have been saying for years that our fruits and vegetables are losing nutritional value over the “days of yesteryear.” Now, it seems that the more mainstream health world is coming to understand this as well.
Fruits and Veggies Losing Nutritional Value
“Donald Davis, a biochemist at the University of Texas, said that of 13 major nutrients in fruits and vegetables tracked by the Agriculture Department from 1950 to 1999, six showed noticeable declines — protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. The declines ranged from 6 percent for protein, 15 percent for iron, 20 percent for vitamin C, and 38 percent for riboflavin. ‘It’s an amazing thing,’ said Davis, adding that the decline in nutrient content has not been widely noticed.'”
“Not been widely noticed…” except for the natural health field. Come on, folks!
So… yet another drug is approved for “over the counter” sales… this time a fat blocker that has been linked in one study to abnormal cell growth… which could lead to cancer.
FDA Approves Dangerous Fat Blocker
“In one study, Xenical was found to cause abnormal cell growth in the lining of the colon, an early cancer indicator. And, since Xenical has been approved as a prescription drug in America, 28 incidents of breast cancer have been reported, or 14 times the number who used the appetite depressant Meridia.”
Omega-3 fatty acids could prevent or inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells, say researchers from the University of Pittsburgh at today’s annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research:
Omega-3s Could Stop Liver Cancer Cells Growth
“’It has been known for some time that omega-3 fatty acids can inhibit certain cancer cells. So, we were interested in determining whether these substances could inhibit liver cancer cells. If so, we also wanted to know by what mechanism this inhibition occurs,’ explained lead researcher Tong Wu, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.”
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.
“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.
“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.