Butt Naked and Mini Trams

For years, I have been preaching about the importance of a healthy lymphatic system. So many in our health care system talk about healthy heart, lungs, etc., but never talk about the lymphatic system. Basically, the lymphatic system is responsible for carrying out the trash your body produces.

I have encouraged people to dry brush (youtube Video)their body every morning before they shower to get their lymph system moving.  Dry brushing has many benefits. One benefit I love is that it helps with cellulite.

 One day, I went to visit a delightful 90 year old lady who had just come home from the hospital. She had been placed on oxygen at home. As I was checking her blood pressure, heart rate, lungs and oxygen sat level, she shared with me that she was 90 years old and this was the first time she had ever been in the hospital her entire life. (She delivered her babies at home, what a woman!) I felt compelled to ask her for the secret to remaining so healthy. She told me that every morning since she was in her 40’s, she has gotten out of bed and jumped butt naked on her mini trampoline for 10 minutes.  She was keeping her lymphatic system healthy using the mini tram.

 I left her home thinking that she would not need the home oxygen for long. There are some people in life that you are grateful for the opportunity to get to meet. She was one of them. A wonderful lady with a great attitude and a zest for life. Oh, and yes, I did go out and purchase a mini tram for myself.

We can all do small things that can make a difference in our health.  Come by and talk with us about your challenges.  We would love the opportunity to assist you in your health goals.

Wellness for Life!

M.C. Pons RN

Guest Blogger

A Nursing Story-Making a Difference

It was Friday May 20^th 1988. My husband picked me up from work at lunch and we headed to the hospital to induce labor for our very first child. I was two weeks over due and the doctor felt like it was time to do something.  The joke at work was I was to have the baby on Friday and be back to work on Monday. Needless to say we did not pull that off.

The oxytocin drip was started and the dosage kept being increased in with no results. The monitor was showing contractions but I told my husband, I felt like a worm was crawling on my belly.  After a while the doctor came in and the decision was made to procede with a C-section.  That evening, my beautiful baby girl was born. I remember hearing her cry until they placed her in my husbands arms.  He then was allowed to carry her to the nursery while they closed my incision.

  The events that followed are a bit hazy so this is combined with what my family told me happened after my daughter’s birth. My mom stayed with me the day after while my husband ran some errands.  She noticed I was not perking up like she thought I should be.  She even mentioned it to one of the nurses. The nurse explained to her that I had just had major surgery, and that it was to be expected.  My mom told the nurse that she did not understand. “This is not like my Mary Carol”.  As hours passed,  mom was becoming more and more concerned. On Sunday evening, a nurse named Susan was assigned to me.  Mom told Susan that something was wrong. This was not like her daughter at all. Susan contacted the doctor on two different occasions and requested that he come and check on me.  Finally after the third call he came in and ordered ortho blood pressure tests.  Those bottomed out and he followed up with an ultrasound that showed a bladder flap hematoma the size of a softball.  They quickly slam dunked two units of blood in me and I was wheeled back in for emergency surgery to remove the hematoma.  Concerned, Susan put a call into our church and requested prayer for me because my life was in the balance. After surgery, I was then admitted to ICU for several days. Days passed before I was moved to the step down unit and finally able to go home with my baby girl.

After that experience in the hospital, I made the decision to go back to school to obtain a nursing degree. I wanted to make a difference in others people’s lives like Susan had made in mine.  Susan saved my life!  Had she not been persistent in calling the doctor, I would have bled to death in that hospital.

 

Fast forward to May 15^th, 2005

I was working as a nurse for a company that contracted with Hospices in Iredell County and several adjoining counties. Part of my job was to administer the IV pain control via a patient controlled analgesic pump for their patients. This particular day, I was setting up a lady in my own county. I got to the home, rang the door bell. Her husband  answered the door. He welcomed me inside and I could hear her voice in the kitchen. I knew that voice!  She walked in the den from the kitchen and her first words to me were, “I know you”.  I laughed and said, funny you say that because I recognize your voice but I don’t recognize your name. She smiled and said, well, I’m Carol.  I was your nurse in ICU after your daughter was born.  

In the following weeks, I learned from Carol that when she found out she was getting an OB patient in ICU, she tried to talk one of the other nurses that had OB experience into taking me.  She told me she was scared to death when I came down from surgery because  I was holding onto life by a toenail.  She said she kept talking to me all thru the shift telling me that I had better not die. I had a baby girl to take care of now and that baby needed her momma. I thanked her many times for the difference she made in my life. Needless to say, we became fast friends and I loved her dearly during those short months of caring for her. Carol passed away from ovarian cancer.

 I will forever feel blessed and thankful that God put these two wonderful nurses in my life.

So this is Nurses week. Thank a nurse that has made a difference in your life. 

Mary Carol Pons RN

Guest Blogger

Winter Weather, Morphine, Milk, and Bread

A recent snow flurry brought joking comments about those who will empty the grocery store shelves of bread and milk.  It is one of those things that people in the South say when it snows.  It never fails that any threat of winter weather produces casein and gluten shoppers.  Of course it is rare that any winter weather stays more than a day or two.

Some consider such behavior as odd.  After all, is it really that important since the roads will be clear tomorrow? Perhaps there is more to the compulsion to shop at the very hint of weather restricted access. It only makes sense if you look at it as a real food addiction. 

As it turns out, the protein casein (link)found in dairy products and the gluten found in wheat can actually turn into weak morphine like proteins. These react with opiate receptors in the brain.  The conversion of these type of proteins will vary from one person to the next. 

In my experience, the most common visual symptom of a gluten or wheat intolerance is fluid retention and inflammation.  The most common symptom of a dairy allergy is chronic sinus congestion.  Both of these can be accompanied by poor sleep.  An "O" blood type can have both allergies.  An "A" blood type is more prone to dairy intolerance. 

Individuals with a gluten or dairy allergy will consume their addictive food on a daily basis.  They also consume that type of food disproportionately compared with the other foods in their diet.  The most common response to the suggestion that one eliminates gluten from their diet along with the deer in the headlights look is:  "What else can I eat?"  It truly escapes them that fruits, vegetables, and meat are possibilities. 

If you suspect a food allergy try a modified elimination diet.  Stop eating that food (wheat or dairy) for 21 days.  On day 22, eat all you wish and stop again.  Notice any symptoms from day 22 to 24.  You may experience anything from a mild runny nose to full blown gastrointestinal upset. 

A food allergy has far reaching effects that include indigestion, inflammation, and hormone imbalance.  Hormone imbalance includes adrenal problems that impacts energy and sleep.  Thyroid hormone can be suppressed increasing weight.  Sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone can also be suppressed.  Identifying your food allergy can be the most powerful wellness change you can make.

Stay Well!

 

Antibiotics Causing Nerve and Tendon Damage

A recent customer asked what could be used for peripheral neuropathy.  He was not a diabetic and it began three weeks ago after a sinus infection.  He had taken an antibiotic known as ciprofloxacin.

This was likely a drug induced "side effect".  This August the FDA is requiring labeling changes to the antibiotic drug class known as fluoroquinolones that include AveloxÒ (moxifloxacin),  CiproÒ (ciprofloxacin), LevaquinÒ (levofloxacin), Factive (gemifloxacin), and NoroxinÒ (norfloxacin).  Fluoroquinolones carry the risk of serious peripherial neuropathy (nerve damage) that may be permanent. 

Peripheral neuropathy symptoms may include muscle weakness, tingling, numbness and burning pain of the legs or feet.   It can feel like freezing, burning, or electric like sensations.  Many diabetics experience these symptoms.  Unfortunately, this drug induced problem may be associated with other nerve related problems including tinnitus (ringing in the ears), decreased sense of smell or hearing, anxiety, headache, and memory problems.  In 2008, the FDA also issued a warning about tendon damage as some individual experienced a sudden tear of the Achilles' tendon.  This disaster may impact other joints to include inflammation of tendons, weakness,  and swelling.

Fluoroquinolone's are suppose to be used for serious bacterial infections.  They chemically have a fluoride attached which allows greater penetration in tissue that is not easy to reach.  This includes the brain where it interferes with GABA receptors associated with calming, hence, anxiety and panic attacks.  This class of antibiotics are also associated with the development of MRSA and C. Diff (Clostridium difficile) bacterial infections.

Who would think that taking a "simple" antibiotic had the potential to create such havoc? 

Diabetic neuropathy has been helped with alpha lipoic acid 300mg three times daily.  It is best to find a compound pharmacy (requires a prescription) that keeps this health fat frozen or in the refrigerator, as it is a perishable product.  Add a vitamin B Complex.   Magnesium Complex can be helpful for nerve or muscle related problems.  Neuropain HP by Natural Creations is a homeopathic that can be helpful for nerve related pain.  And, always take a good probiotic (Enterobiotic SBO) any time you take an antibiotic.

Stay Well

Pumpkin Seed Medicine

The fall is my favorite season.  The cooler weather and changes in the color of the landscape feels good.  It is also the season of the pumpkin, one of my favorite pies.  The winter squash known as pumpkin was part of the Native Americans diet shared with the Pilgrims.  Although most discard the pumpkin seed,  it is a useful nutritious food.  (Roasting Pumpkin Seeds)   It is odd that many prefer seedless grapes and then buy grape seed extract.

What you may not know is that the pumpkin seed is also a valued medicine that is rich in nutrients and medicinal properties, includes Vitamin A, C, and E.  It is also rich in minerals including zinc, manganese, potassium and phosphorous. 

Cucurbita pepo seeds (pumpkin seeds) is mentioned in many of the old Materia Medica (materials of medicine) references.  One primary use is in the treatment of parasites, including round and tape worms.  But the seeds and oils are also well known as a treatment for non-cancerous enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic hyperplasia). It is also useful for intense nausea and vomiting especially related to motion sickness or pregnancy.

 

Stay Well!

Gender Benders, Sperm Discount and Chemical Toxicity

I have heard a number of women mention that the younger men of today seem more feminine.  Is this perception, culture or environment?  The variables are too numerous to quantify. There is documentation that chemical toxicity mimics estrogen causing hormone havoc with gender bending effects. 

 The book, "Hormone Deception" by Lindsey Berskson, outlines an array of hormone disruptors that include wildlife/environmental gender problems.  Birds that bring pesticide contaminated food to their chicks created masculinized females that sing male mating songs.  Weird. 

In 1980 the Tower Chemical Company had a spill of DDT in Lake Apopka, Florida.  DDT is an insecticide in the biphenyl compound group that mimics estrogen.  Bisphenyls also include BPA and PCBs.  The result in alligator egg hatch was a change from 90 percent survival to 18 percent.  Male alligators were demasculinized with problems in reproduction including the absence of a phallus.  Remember most cities fogged the streets with DDT in the fifties and sixties. 

Another infamous biphenyl is Dethylstilbesterol (DES) that was given to pregnant women in the 1950's and 1960's.   The drug "designed" to increase the health of a baby caused miscarriages.  The result was devastating for some daughters that developed cancer.  There was also a study that found that forty two percent of DES exposed women had bisexual orientation verses 18 percent of their untreated DES sisters.

DES also caused men to experience low sperm count and problems with reproduction.  Other problems may include problems with the urinary tract, prostate, testicles, and enlargement of the breast.  There have also been some psychological effects including depression.   

It is interesting that during development, men require testosterone to develop their masculinity.  This testosterone converts to estrogen in the brain as an important part of their development.  So while men need testosterone, they also have a small amount of estrogen.

Biphenyl compounds are stored in fat cells and mimic estrogen creating a gender bending effect.  This is especially true if exposure takes place in the first trimester of pregnancy.  There is the possibility of hormone changes that happen during development.  Since these types of toxins are stored in fat, there is speculation that this problem has been passed down to subsequent generations.  This means that the baby boomers exposure to DDT and DES could produce gender problems for future generations.

To Heaven and Back

Last weekend marked the birth of my first Grandchild.  I made an airline reservation to fly out the next day to see this new addition to the family.  While browsing the books in the airport, I noticed "To Heaven and Back" (video introduction)...."A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again".

The life account of Dr. Mary Neal is certainly extraordinary.  Her life's journey as a teenager to becoming a well educated orthopedic back surgeon is unusual enough.  On a white water kayaking accident in Chile she was involved in a vertical pin and drowned.  Her faith gave her peace in her death.  She experienced heaven while her friends unsuccessfully tried to free her.  Eventually the force of the water broke both of her legs below the knees and she washed out.  It had been 15 minutes before the start of a  frantic effort to revive the blue corpse. 

Her description of heaven is something you will have to read.  She learned many things of our purpose and the interconnection we experience.  Of angels and God's all encompassing love.  Her purpose here had not yet been fulfilled and she was sent back.  Life came back into her body and she had a long and difficult recovery.  The difficulty was physical, emotional, and spiritual.  How could one experience heaven only to come back to this world?

As I gazed upon my Granddaughter, I was overcome with the joy of seeing a new life.  I watched as my daughter nursed her first child on the first day of her life.  I watched her father carry her around the room whispering things that only he and she could hear.  I held her as she slept.  A miracle of a new life, a spiritual creature here to have a human experience. 

The book offers a different perspective.  It is so easy for us to get caught up in the day and the minor obstacles.  It is easy to respond in anger or frustration.  The book reminds me to respond in love and compassion. 

Stay Well!

I'm Pretty Healthy

While there is a place for medication, by design it exists to suppress symptoms.  Drugs do not heal.  We are trained via culture and media to take one pill for this and one for that.  We live in a drug culture that trains us as children the way of the pill.

I have observed that most people think they are “pretty healthy”.  They can be on six or more prescription medications, have a current cold and they will say, “Overall, I am pretty healthy.”  It often takes a lot for them to make the shift to something is wrong.  How would you define “pretty healthy?  I can still get up in the morning and go to work?  I can make it to the mail box and back?  I go to the doctor and take my prescriptions?

I love positive thinking but it could be an obstacle to making change.  Sometimes we slip toward poor health so gradually that we don't even notice.  For some there may be a feeling of, "this is as good as it will get, or I am getting old".  I am sure that at some point in time, I will be old and it really will be as good as it gets.  However, there is a time before that where something really can be done.

Do we deceive ourselves into thinking we are healthy when we also know we have health problems?  Is it our survival mechanism to keep going, or do we truly believe we are healthy in spite of evidence to the contrary.  Perhaps it is a strong spiritual perspective carries you forward.  Are we intentional or unintentional in our self-deception?  A newsman once said, "we view things thru the prism of our experience".  Interesting. 

Advertising has pounded the message that drugs are good, the flu shot is good, and anything we tell you to do is for your benefit.  Many are sincere in this belief.  We know what we are doing because we are smarter than you are.  We have done all the research so you don't have to.  If you do not do as we say you are just ignorant.  Oh contraire.  Just some thoughts.

Stay Well

Constipation, Drugs That Make You Crazy and Antifreeze

Constipation can cause many unpleasant symptoms that can make you, let's say, irritable.  I recently became aware from the FDA that a prescription and over-the-counter drug used to treat constipation can make you crazy.  The FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) shows that Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 3350) has caused "neuropsychiatric events".  This refers to neurological symptoms of the brain and nervous system.  Such disorders may include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple sclerosis, ADD, schizophrenia, depression, autism, and dementia.  I would speculate that PEG interferes with the absorption of nutrients.  Another consideration is that the gut acts as a second brain.  There is a huge gut/brain connection.  We should have seen this one coming.

 

As a side note the same AERS reported problems with commonly prescribed gabapentin and antiacids known as proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, lansoprazole, Dexilant, Nexium, Protonix).

Miralax (PEG 3350) is made by attaching molecules of ethylene glycol as a chain.  Ethylene glycol is better known as antifreeze for the automotive industry.  It disrupts hydrogen bonds to change the freezing point of water.  As a laxative it increases water in the bowel. PEG, also known as Carbowax is used in an impressive array of commercial products for just about anything imaginable.

Last year(June 2012) the Empire State Consumer Commission filed a Citizens Petition with the FDA calling for:

 "An immediate recall of PEG 3350 laxatives for addition of a black box warning against use in children and warning of potential adverse events associated with PEG 3350 laxative products. Adverse events reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System include, but are not limited to:  gastrointestinal, renal, urological, hematological, neurological, neuropsychiatric, dermatological, and at least 3 child fatalities. Adverse events are also outlined by the FDA Drug Safety Oversight"

 The ability to have daily, yes daily, bowel movements is imperative to good health.  Good hydration will aid in this endeavor.  Consider a good probiotic such as Enterobiotic SBO to soften the stool and create a healthy bacterial environment.  Fiber is important to add bulk and absorb bowel toxins and bile.  Consider psyllium (Metamucil), psyllium and ground flax seed (Fiber PF), or bamboo cellulose (EZ Fiber).  Homeopathics include Constipation CP for children and Constipation Drops for adults. Severe cases may require enemas.  For a better position in the relief consider the Squatty Potty.

Stay Well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tramp Stamps, Millennials, and the Road to Cancer

In my youth, a tattoo was only seen on military men or bikers.  Otherwise it was something that was covered up.  One lady described it as her permanent reminder of temporary insanity. The poor choices made with the aid of an altered state of mind.  The label is or was a “tramp stamp”.  Today, it amazes me the number of individuals with tattoos.  Thirty eight percent of the Millennials (those born after 1980) (full report)have tattoos, compared with 32% of Generation X (1965-1980) and 15% of Baby Boomers(1946-1964).  Ironically, Millennials are more conscious of social issues, organic food, conservation via recycling, and healthful exercise.  For some a tattoo may be a way of feeling special, or an expression of individuality, devotion, or commemoration. 

Most of the health focus is on the self-imposed cleanliness of the operator, equipment and facility.  The famous last words from someone you don’t know…“trust me”.  Death by 1000 puncture wounds via the magical manifestation of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, Epstein Barr Virus, tetanus, tuberculosis or any other imaginable blood born infectious disease?  While the initial and post tattoo pain is real, the other death by 1000 cuts is the slow un-noticed embracing of change with unwanted consequences that impact our heath.  The tattoo is nothing short of a future health risk.

The first rule of health is to avoid toxic material.  Few know the composition of tattoo ink that is no doubt toxic material foreign to the body.  So we inject toxic material into the skin.  The ink goes into the cell.  The impregnation of the cell is the fourth stage of disease.  The fifth stage is degeneration of the cell and the sixth is cancer.

The body has mechanisms to remove toxins from the body, which means the material may travel thru lymph fluid or blood to end up anywhere.  It is possible that the liver may not be able to process such chemicals, especially if viruses, nutrients, drugs or alcohol compromises it.  This means the toxin must be deposited in fat or connective tissue for storage.  This is the creation of a disease state that will never be connected to acts of youth.  Do we really need a more toxic personal environment?

Live Well!

Know Ledge

Some take what they know as something that will not change.  Knowledge can become a fixed idea that ignores all else.  What if a new piece of information changes my mind?  It happens, so, how do you know that what you know is all there is?

After all, I have the complete ability to objectively perceive, analyze, and experience information without emotion or prejudice. I think I will just look for evidence that supports my preconceived fixed idea, which allows me to maintain my cerebral security.  That is simple.  “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest “ (The Boxer, Simon & Garfunkel).

There are those that make fun of past medical interventions as ignorant.  George Washington’s medical treatment, the bleeding of about 5 pints of blood in less than 16 hours contributed to his death.  That was the medical treatment of the day and I am sure the physicians were well intended.  I like the false security of just knowing how far we have come and how smart we are now.  

There are those that religiously believe in allopathic (today’s prescription/surgical treatments) medicine or “natural” medicine.  Some Allopaths make fun of natural medicine.  Some Naturopaths make fun of allopathic medicine.  There are strengths and weakness in both.  Stay open to both possibilities.

Stay Well!

The Body Electric

The body is electric.  (As an oddity, check out the electric man)  As a matter of fact, practically nothing happens in the body that is not related to electrical charge.  Your body is mostly water containing minerals that are electrically charged.  So it would not be too far fetched to imagine that electromagnetic fields (EMF) could impact the body in a small or large way.  Such EMFs are created by electric current and the magnetic field they create.  This includes any electrical power source: power lines, substations, transformers, wiring, microwaves, lights clocks, computers and cell phones.  Chronic exposure to EMFs can cause DNA damage, increase stress, affect immune function.

A client had experienced unexplained nausea, digestive issues and inflammation for about 3 weeks.  Homeopathic remedies were only briefly helpful.  This is what happened.

“My husband woke around 3AM and couldn't go back to sleep.  I woke up abruptly with the alarm clock ‘hollering’ making a noise that sounded like a ghost in the house. Ed experienced the same thing with the air purifier in the living room. The window air conditioners were also making crazy noises and we could not cut them off.   The light in our master bathroom came on and was so bright it looked like it could explode.  The power had turned the switch on itself.  In the living room smoke was coming from behind the TV.  I called 911 and Ed pulled the plugs from the outlet in that area.  Fire trucks came, and the Electric Company was called.   They discovered the old transformer had lost its ‘neutral’.  If we had not been at home our house would have burned.  But the crazy thing of it all was that my sickness left as quick as it came.  They replaced the transformer with a new one and I got better instantly. “

While this is an extreme case, there are numerous individuals that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields.  This is also a perfect example of actually determining the cause of an illness.  Elimination of is cause is the appropriate treatment.  Neither pharmaceutical, herbal, nor homeopathic interventions are appropriate.

Sleep can be impacted by an electromagnetic field.  This may include a clock radio that is too close to your head, a heating pad, an electric blanket, or an electric outlet.  The extremely sensitive may want to avoid an innerspring mattress that may act as a conductor.  Cell phones and the subsequent earpieces that many wear have been linked to brain cancer. 

While most of us will never experience such an issue, it is helpful to be aware of such an issue and perhaps take steps to avoid problems. 

Stay Well!

Mind Mimizing Drugs at a Pharmacy Near You......

From a health perspective there is nothing more worrisome as having memory or mind processing issues.  This is especially true if you have seen the impact of Alzheimer’s disease.  The study published online, November 2012, in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia offered a look at common drugs that impact cognition.  In just as little as two months, this class of drugs, known as anticholinergics, showed a 50 % increased risk of “mild cognitive impairment”.  Personally, I need all the brain power I can get.

Anticholinergics impact the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.  This communication chemical works in the brain and in nerve tissue for muscle activation.  It functions in memory, decision making and in sleep.  Acetylcholine is made from acetic acid (vinegar) and choline, a B vitamin.  A good source of choline is found in lecithin as phosphatidyl coline and is a good memory supplement.

Ironically, Benadryl® (diphenhydramine), an anti-histamine has long been used for sleep due to its drowsiness side effect.  Most would consider it as generally harmless.  But if it decreases your acetylcholine then sleep quality can be affected.  This is one of many drugs in a class of anticholinergic drugs that impair cognitive function.  Interesting is that many of the Alzheimer’s drugs work to inhibit an enzyme that degrades acetylcholine.  Some of these patients are also receiving some of the above drugs.

Others include but are not limited to:

Hyoscyamine (Levsin®, Donnatal®, Levbid®, HyoMax SR®)

Methscopolamine (Pamine®)

Dicyclomine (Bentyl®)

Bupropion (Wellbutrin®)

Dextromethorphan (common cough suppressant)

Ipratropium (Atrovent®)

Tiotropium (Spiriva®)

Products that may help memory include lecithin, coconut oil, Cerecomp, and Gaia Mental Alertness.

Stay Well!

Coke, Cocaine, Acid and Addiction

John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist at Jacobs’ Pharmacy created Coca-Cola in 1886.  That was a time when pharmacies dispensed cocaine, heroin and other currently illegal drugs at will.  Such medicines were thought to be helpful and harmless.  What a great way to have repeated sales for a fountain drink.  And what a bargain at just five cents a glass!

As a child the small 6-ounce green bottle was an occasional treat.  We would always look at the bottom to see where the bottle was made.  Collecting the bottles for the one cent deposit (nothing new about recycling) at the local filling station was the order of the day.  This practice eventually shifted to the no deposit no return concept for our modern convenience. 

“Soft” drinks have evolved from the occasional treat to a way of life.  The new addiction was not cocaine but sugar and artificial sweeteners.  Did I say addiction?  Just ask a long time user of diet drinks to stop and notice the blank stare on their face.  That information did not register.  For some these drinks completely replaced water.  After all, there is water in it…..right?

Smart Americans have becoming more health conscious to the point that even Coca Cola has noticed.  They realize they must change their marketing toward promoting their product as healthy.  So, we should drink our Coke and go to the gym?  After all it is really too much sugar that is the problem?

There is no doubt that the empty calories in sugar are not healthy and contributes to just about every known disease including cancer.  There are, however, many other considerations.  Normal body pH (the potential of hydrogen) of urine or saliva is a generally little acidic at 6.5 to 6.7.  Body pH is relative as the stomach pH is about 2 and the small intestine is 7.4.  Cellular pH is more acidic in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm.  We are actually like a battery with positive and negative charged areas.

Soft drinks can have a pH of around 3 depending on the drink.  In order to remain normal, your body will have to buffer this back up to 6.5.  Calcium is the most abundant buffer in the body.  The more you consume the more calcium you loose.  At some point your body may not be able to keep up resulting in a more acidic overall pH.  This can make you more susceptible to diseases of all types including cancer. 

Water is the recommended fluid of choice.  The most common water recommendation is weight divided by two equals the number of ounces per day.  This can vary due to weather and overall exertion.  Make sure you consume water without chlorine or fluoride.  There are water filters that will remove these harmful chemicals.  Water can be enhanced by adding lemon or lime.  Other options include Nitro Powder for electrolytes.  Hydrate I or Hydrate II can enhance the body’s ability to utilize water.

Stay Well!

Deer Antler Velvet, Bone Growth and Sperm Count

Eleven years ago, my female German Shorthaired Pointer produced Buster.  He became a Dual Champion (Field Champion and Show Champion).  His owner called me earlier this year and offered him to me as he was getting out of the dog business.  I really wanted another litter sired by this exceptional dog but that was a gamble due to his age. 

Buster arrived, a little over weight with some joint stiffness.  A trip to the vet to check his sperm count produced the following comment from the vet.  “The port wine color of Buster’s ejaculate is quite alarming…..The good news is that he is producing viable sperm cells.”  The vet recommended a three-month course of antibiotics.  Given my background, she knew I probably would take an alternative approach.  I started him on Prostate Advantage an herbal prostate formula.  Arnica 30C and Phosphorous 30C were added to his water every other day to address the blood issue.  I also added Avinotripin every day.  Avinotropin is a product made from deer antler velvet, which has concentrated growth factors. 

 

 

Three weeks later the prostatic fluid was clear and the sperm count was still low at a few hundred thousand.  One week later the sperm count was 2 BILLION (yes this was done by a lab machine), with 90 percent motility and good morphology.  Buster was also leaner,  moved freely, and could jump in the front seat of my truck.

Buster is back in business.  

Deer antlers are distinguished from horns, as they are re-grown each year.  The velvet is a soft spongy growth that supplies nutrients to growing bone.  This is the fastest growing bone structure in nature.  Growth starts in late spring and is completed by the end of the summer.  At some point in time, usually late winter, the deer shed the antlers.  These become a source of minerals for forest animals.

In Chinese medicine deer antler velvet is valued for the nutrient, minerals and hormone related issues.  The benefits reported are many.  Last year, my wife had a traumatic compound fracture of the ankle and lower leg.  After 2 months, x-ray showed one small bone that was not healing.  After one month of Avinotropin, the bone was healed. 

Amazing stuff!

Nocebo Expectations?

Some will remember the Andy Griffith Show where Emma Watson was taking her pill for her aches and pain.  The pharmacist, Ellie Walker, was conflicted about refilling her prescription with a placebo.  Emma simply could not live without her pill.  In a clinical trial some get a real drug and others get a placebo.  There can be a placebo effect on individuals taking the real drug.  This means that the placebo effect can be beneficial to the results for the real drug.  If you believe a medical treatment will have a positive effect then you are more likely to have that experience. 

The nocebo is just the opposite.  A harmless substance creates a negative effect.  If you are uncomfortable with a medical treatment, the inability to embrace it could be a problem.  What if a physician prescribes a statin drug for elevated cholesterol, which you do not want?  Every time you swallow you have a negative feeling.  The results can be about one’s expectations.

Interesting. 

Stay well!

Safe Weed Killer

The ever popular Round Up weed killer is toxic to humans and the environment.  Here is a cheap and effective way to kill unwanted weeds and grass without the harsh chemicals.  The picture is one day after I sprayed the formula in a strip.  The dying vegetation was the same as the right and left.

One Gallon of Vinegar
1/2 cup of table salt
1 teaspoonful of dish washing detergent.

If you use this in your garden you could substitute Himalayan Salt to add trace minerals to the dirt.

Stay Well!

Shingles?

 

“I awoke with bumps on the top of my head, but didn’t think much about it.  There was light pain.  The next day the pain caused me to shave my head, so I could see what was going on.  Initially, I thought that I had been bitten by a spider multiple times. The pain was heavy.  On day four the pain became oppressive and was constant and unceasing.  By day six there were blood blisters and continuous misery.”  (From a shingles sufferer)

Most would think the end of the symptoms of infection means you will no longer have to deal with that illness.  In childhood many got chicken pox (Varicella zoster virus), producing a skin rash that lasts about 6 days.  This usually creates a permanent immunity to Chicken Pox.  However, this virus lays dormant in nerve tissue and can be reactivated in older adults as Herpes zoster (shingles).  This usually happens when the immune system is compromised, particularly after an emotional upset.  So the same organism causes two different sets of symptoms with different names.  The pain of shingles known as postherpatic neuralgia can be almost unbearable. 

A shingles vaccination, known as Zostavax, became available in 2006 but had limited availability.  It is the same virus as the Chicken Pox vaccine only stronger.  Over the last 5 years, I have observed an increase in the number of shingles patients.  Some speculation suggests a correlation with the chicken pox vaccine, or shingles vaccine causing reactivation of the virus.  I know of one individual that got shingles after getting Zostavax.  Other factors could include an overall lowering of community immune function. 

Prescription treatments include antivirals, gabapentin, and other pain medications.  The homeopathic approach includes Apis mellifica for initial burning and tingling sensations.  Rhus toxicodendron is used for the blister stage.  Mezereum can be used for the crusting stage.  Cortsym Gel or Calendula cream can be applied topically.  Neuropain HP can be used for nerve pain. 

Another product is the Herpes Zoster Series Therapy that contains 10 single vials of the virus in homeopathic form.  Each vial is a different potency and can be taken as a preventative or treatment. 

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Chicken Pox Party?

My child has chickenpox, bring your children over for a party!  Such was a common practice since the 50’s; before vaccination, parents had few options.  Exposure to any “wild” virus offers better immunity that a vaccination.  This is a logical assumption since all viruses generally enter the body thru the eyes, nose or mouth and follow a normal immune response verses as a puncture wound.  Getting chickenpox is reported to give permanent immunity to chickenpox while vaccination is only temporary requiring booster shots.  Many of the earlier complications included Reye syndrome that was associated with giving a child aspirin while they had a viral infection.  Never give a child aspirin.

As some parents continue this practice, The Atlantic reports some state health officials are “cracking down on these parents who play Russian roulette with their children’s health.”  They are particularly baffled since a vaccine for chickenpox was approved in 1995.  Having an unequivocal belief that any vaccine is worthwhile could be a barrier to looking at actual risk, benefits, and options.

Varicella zoster (Chickenpox), a member of the herpes family, is a relatively mild childhood disease but can be difficult for adults.  Whether you choose exposure to the wild virus or a vaccination, make sure your child is healthy at the time.  Never vaccinate a child that is sick.  Recently vaccinated children can be contagious so they should not be around pregnant women or individuals with compromised immune systems.

Prior to 1986 the risk of deaths from chickenpox complications was less than 50 children per year, which is 0.0014% (Preblud, S.R. Pediatrics 1986;78:728-735).  These are generally associated with previously compromised immune systems.  Women that contract chickenpox while pregnant during the first 16 weeks have a higher risk of birth defects in their child. 

Complications of the vaccine include pneumonitis (<1%) and seizures (<0.1%) The FDA Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System during the first year of the vaccine reported over 1,500 events, 76 were serious, with 2 deaths.  Vaccine injury information documented a decreased incidence of chicken pox but an increase in the Herpes Zoster (shingles) infection or a reactivation to Herpes Zoster.  Normally the Herpes Zoster does not occur in children.  There are also reported outbreaks of chicken pox in vaccinated children. 

It seems clear that natural immunity is superior.   However, parents should make informed choices about their children's health.  This includes actually looking in to vaccine information concerning risks and benefits.

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Got Gravel?

Last Friday, one of my college friends sent me a picture of this big toe that was red and inflamed.  His doctor diagnosed it as gout but drew blood to be sure.  “What can I do about this until the blood test comes back?”  I asked him, “how much water and soft drinks do you consume every day?”  “Little water and 3 Mountain Dews a day.”

The short answer was 80 to 100 ounces of water, stop the soft drinks, Colchicum 30C, and Stinging Nettle tincture.  Also find someone with an ionic footbath to unload some of the toxin.

Most of the individuals with gout, kidney stones and in some cases gallstones consume too many soft drinks and too little water.  This is a great way to create internal gravel that requires drugs and/or surgery to resolve. You must have water for the body to function properly including the dilution of metabolic toxins.  Daily “soft” drink consumption is a form of slow poisoning that creates an acidic environment making you ripe for disease. 

An original family copy of Gunn’s Domestic Medicine (1839), describes gout with grim possibilities.

 “In gouty subjects, whose vital powers have been greatly impaired by frequent or violent paroxysms; by indulgence in spirituous liquors or wines or in savoury dishes, or by any other cause, and especially when the stomach does not perform its office, and general debility prevails.”

“The vital powers in gouty subjects advanced in years, and even in young gouty invalids who have abused their constitutions by intemperance are often in so reduced a state, that life is only kept up by general or local irritation, or what may be termed morbid nervous excitement; and, on subduing it by an anodyne, death suddenly ensues.”

The prescription and homeopathic treatment for acute gout and rheumatism is Colchicum autumnale (Meadow Saffron).  Prescription colchicine was available at least since the 1930 for about 10 cents a tablet.  This was before the FDA and their 2006 initiative to test unapproved drugs.  A generic company did the necessary testing and was granted a patent in July of 2009.  The drug now cost over 5 dollars a tablet.  The FDA’s wisdom took a drug that had been use for hundreds of years in this country and in Europe to require real scientific testing for safety and effectiveness.  Most would agree that this is a ridiculous price increase, and perhaps manipulation of the system.  At the same time manufacturer did invest a lot of money to satisfy the FDA requirements.

Colchicine can be a violent poison with the most common side effect as diarrhea.  The homeopathic Colchicum autumnale 30C is economical and does not carry the same toxicity profile as the prescription drug.

The herb, Stinging Nettle (Urtica urens) is an old treatment for gout as a tea or tincture.  It aids in the breakdown of metabolic waste such as the uric acid.  Homeopathic Urtica can also be used for gout.

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