Archive for March, 2009
A much talked about green powder in the world today is barley grass. This is a food supplement taken from barley before the grain has developed. It is claimed to be a powerful immune system stimulant, an antioxidant, a good source of chlorophyll and possibly a preventative for cancer, diabetes and many other ailments.
Barley grass helps to boost energy levels. The chlorophyll found in barley grass assists the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. It is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, SOD and live enzymes, which literally makes this green powder a living, healing food. SOD found in barley grass helps the body to detoxify chemicals and foreign substances, thereby helping to prevent the onset of disease and cancer.
One of the unique qualities of barley grass is its ability to protect the fibroblasts in the lung cells from the damaging effects of radiation and other cancer-causing substances. However, barley grass must be taken on a regular basis before exposure to these toxins in order for this protection to occur.
In my practice as a naturopath, I am privileged to hear of the most wonderful real-life stories of self-healing from cancer patients. I know of one man who removed a cancerous tumour in his knee and pelvis by consuming large amounts of barley grass and chlorophyll in addition to a pure, organic whole foods diet. He had previously tried conventional medicine but to no avail. After only a few months of using nature cure remedies such as these he re-visited his doctor for follow-up tests. There were no signs of the tumour present in his body, much to the surprise of his doctor.
This is one real-life account and I am sure there are many more. However, what may work for one person may not work for another, as humans we are all completely different in our genetics, personalities and physical characteristics. To find an ideal program to suit your specific needs, it is always best to consult with a caring, professional and experienced health practitioner.
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A balanced diet and moderate consumption of healthy foods without regular overeating are the most important components of a healthy diet, especially on a long-term basis. Other aspects, such as eating organically produced foods, are important in the fine tuning of our diet and perhaps to avoid conditions/diseases related to the ingestion of pesticides, and other chemicals and toxins.
Nowadays, fruits, vegetables, meats and grains are produced relatively quickly to allow for the increased demands of a growing population. To do this, most farmers use pesticides, hormones and special chemicals to speed up the overall production process, and keep their crops and livestock in the best looking condition possible. This also allows for a higher percentage of sales, but what about you as a consumer? As a consumer you may be unaware of the long-term harmful effects these chemicals may cause. Conditions such as cancer, asthma and chronic bronchitis have been linked to deadly chemicals produced from crops and meats.
Chickens are a good example of this intensive farming process. They are cruelly kept in tiny little cages and injected with large amounts of antibiotics and hormones to rapidly increase their growth rate. A little chick grows from being a baby to an oversized chicken in less than six weeks due to the use of harmful antibiotics and growth hormones placed in their feed, and injected into their bodies. Where do you think these chemicals go?
These chemicals do not evaporate into thin air. When you buy these chickens from supermarkets and chicken shops, you are exposing your children to the effects of harmful antibiotics and growth hormones. In my naturopathy practice I have been able to see the effects that excess intake of poultry has on the health of my clients. Women and men often present with conditions such as infertility, candida, emotional and hormonal imbalance, menstrual problems and other similar health conditions related to excess hormone and antibiotic intake. By simply avoiding these hormonally treated meats and using free-range poultry instead, many of my clients have returned to good health. In fact, two of my female clients who were unable to fall pregnant, conceived after simply removing hormonally treated meats from their diet and replacing these with free-range and organic produce.
It is a much safer choice in our society today to try to purchase organic produce. What this means is that the crops and meats have reached the market without the use of any chemicals. The soils have a good amount of nutrients and minerals, allowing you to get a greater value of nutrients from organic produce. Try to avoid chemical additives and chemically treated foods. Instead purchase organically grown produce, which provides ten times as much nutrition as its comparative chemically sprayed produce and allows you to avoid any harmful side effects associated with the use of pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics and growth hormones.
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CANCER: KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY
Author: admin
Knowledge in its essence is self-empowerment. It provides us with a level upon which to communicate, to ask questions and seek answers. Without knowledge, we remain in a dark and ignorant position and hand our power over to those people we believe have the right to choose the direction of our lives. Knowledge of your own health condition is extremely important. If you wish to have some control over the direction of your cancer and you still want to keep your strength and self-worth, then seek answers.
I now realize there is very little information available to people with cancer, as the medical profession prefers to keep details of this a closely guarded secret. Even they understand the power of knowledge and wield this all too dangerously to their advantage. This is one of the main reasons I chose to write this book. During my fight against cancer, I found very limited information about my type of cancer and the doctors were less than happy to provide me with further details. This can make you feel extremely frustrated and helpless. Many medical professionals prefer to keep information regarding your cancer on a strictly need to know basis. For whatever reason this is chosen, try not to give in and seek your own answers, especially if the doctor you are seeing is reluctant to delve deeper for you.
One advantage of today’s modern world is the advent of the internet. Here we can find a multitude of answers and it is, in most cases, totally free. At the back of the book I have listed a number of wonderful and informative websites that you may find useful in your fight against cancer.
Ask your doctor for copies of all test results and statistics about your type of cancer, and any other printed information they have available about your illness. It is advisable to ask the doctor to provide you with a photocopy from the latest MIMS concerning the side effects of your cancer treatment and drugs. (MIMS is a drug guide used by health professionals, detailing pharmaceuticals and their side effects). At least this way you can be aware of any nasty side effects or symptoms from cancer treatment. It is definitely less of a shock to be forewarned, than to wake up with some frightening symptom that you’ve never experienced and you were never warned about.
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Lung Damage
Diet
• Eat plenty of yellow, white and orange vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, apricots, squash, garlic, radish, onions, ginger, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, lotus root, green leafy vegetables and onions.
Vitamins and Nutrients
• Coenzyme Q10 improves oxygenation (90 – 270 mg/day).
• Beta-carotene and vitamin A (50 000 IU/day), vitamin Ñ and vitamin E. Silica is also useful.
Herbs
• Astragalus, Echinacea, pau d’arco, horsetail, mullein and myrrh are all very useful herbs for strengthening and protecting the lungs.
Lifestyle
• Practice deep breathing exercises daily to oxygenate and heal the lungs. Other useful exercises include yoga, tai chi, martial arts, chi gung, aerobic exercise and swimming.
Maintain Weight
Diet
• Try to eat nutrient-dense, protein-rich foods. Good sources of protein include fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, halibut, cod), organic chicken breast/thigh or turkey, legumes, soy products, brown rice, organic/grain fed meats (red meat no more than 3 times/week) and nuts and seeds. Drink energy/protein drinks, fruit shakes and smoothies.
• Making vegetable soups with legumes, vegetables and a protein source is a great way to maintain weight and energy levels.
• To stimulate the appetite eat plenty of alfalfa sprouts – these miracle sprouts have long been proclaimed as an excellent appetite stimulant.
Vitamins and Nutrients
• Free form amino acid supplements (3 1/2 grams/day) or protein powder.
• Vitamin  complex supplement is also very helpful.
• Malabsorption in the gastro-intestinal tract can cause rapid weight loss as nutrients are not being absorbed to maintain body mass. If lowered absorption is present, supplement with either digestive enzymes, bitters or hydrochloric acid supplements.
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Cancer is an extremely common condition in today’s society. The treatment for cancer, especially in less affluent countries is already pre-determined by the doctor. This is also the case in many Western countries like Europe, New Zealand and Australia. It is almost guaranteed if you have any type of cancer you will most likely need an operation to remove the cancerous growth or tumour, followed by chemotherapy, radiation therapy or cancer drugs to prevent further cancer from occurring in the future or to remove the remainder of the cancerous cells in the body.
In countries more advanced in technology such as America, an alternative treatment may be offered. The doctor may remove a portion of the tumour and send this off for testing to see which type of chemotherapy drug or other cancer treatment will have the greatest effect on the cancer. New anti-cancer drugs are being developed all over the world (US and Australian scientists being in the forefront) and are proving successful in treating many forms of cancer. However, at the present moment, these forms of treatment are ridiculously expensive and only affordable by extremely wealthy people.
In less affluent countries we have limited options, although we have a large range of highly skilled alternative therapists and talented doctors to assist in treatment. Treatment is based largely on past experience, research and success with treating particular types of cancer.
A great amount of secrecy surrounds the diagnosis, treatment and recovery of cancer. Many doctors are afraid to tell patients the entire truth concerning their cancer and treatment, and patients are not well informed enough to ask the right questions concerning their disease. One of the most important tools and aids any person can attain in their fight against cancer is KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is power and self-empowerment is necessary in fighting and overcoming your disease.
I myself had a very aggressive form of cancer, with very little information available due to its rarity in women. This made me feel helpless and at the mercy of doctors and their treatment prescribed. Before the operation I was given a consent form to sign which would allow the doctors to basically do as they wished while I was under anaesthetic. At twenty-seven and with a desire to have a family, this was a very scary thought. I was signing a form giving the doctors permission to remove my reproductive organs. Fortunately, I have been involved in the medical field for many years as a qualified naturopath and I knew where to access the most useful information. Thank God for the internet and caring practitioners. On my consent form, I only allowed my very skilled doctor to remove the tumour and I instructed him to leave all of my reproductive organs in place. This was mostly acknowledged, hopefully allowing me the opportunity to have children in the future and the doctors the opportunity to use their skills to their full advantage and to realise there are usually surgical alternatives available.
Never sign a consent form until you research the facts concerning your type of cancer or until you ask your doctor the right questions and are happy, confident and satisfied with the treatment being offered. Remember, you are a person and you have rights!
My heart goes out to the many women and also men from previous generations who were at the mercy of barbaric medical doctors. It was common practice many years ago for doctors to immediately give women hysterectomies, even if their other reproductive organs were perfectly okay. Today, these women are suffering the consequences from the ignorance of the ‘old school doctors’ from that generation. Many of today’s doctors tend to be much more open to alternatives and if asked, may provide the patient with alternative treatments currently available.
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SYFLIS: TESTING RESULTS
Author: admin
If a person tests positive, then standard practice calls for a second test to be performed to determine whether or not he or she is really infected with syphilis. This second test, called the treponemal antibody test or fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbed test (FTA-ABS), is very specific for syphilis and is intended to detect different antibodies than the tests described earlier. This test occasionally also shows up positive in a person who is not infected with syphilis, but this result is rare. Once a person has a positive FTA-ABS test from infection with syphilis, this test rarely reverts back to normal, even after successful treatment; it is therefore not a good test for monitoring whether or not treatment has been successful.
These tests can also be performed on body fluids other than blood, such as fluid from the spinal canal to determine whether the infection is affecting the neurological system (neurosyphilis).
If all the tests for syphilis are negative and the disease is still suspected, a blood test is usually repeated at about three months from the suspected date of infection; as already noted, it may take up to three months after infection to show a positive blood test.
All partners within the last three months (or possibly within the last year, for those with later stages of the disease) of persons infected with syphilis should be screened. Those who have had sexual contact with a person who is thought to be infectious are usually treated despite negative test results. Anyone diagnosed with syphilis is usually evaluated for other sexually transmitted infections, since the likelihood of infection with other STDs is high. Infants with syphilis are tested in the same ways in which adults are. Syphilis is reportable to the health department in most states, and there are anonymous partner-notification programs, so that persons who may have been infected can be called in for treatment.
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ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO HERPES MANAGEMENT
Author: admin
Of the many nontraditional approaches to the management of herpes symptoms, some are effective, some are not, and many more have not yet been adequately studied. Most people find what works best for them by trying a variety of therapies, and many find that a combination of therapies is effective. Most of the following therapies work best as complementary medicine—that is, they should be used along with standard medical treatment. Be aware that there are no cures for herpes yet: Avoid anyone claiming to offer a cure. Do not pay a lot of money for a treatment whose safety and effectiveness have not yet been studied, especially if doing so means that you will not be able to afford antiviral medications, whose safety and effectiveness have been proven.
Here are several nontraditional approaches to the management of herpes that may help and that (based on all that we know) will not hurt:
Ice. Applying ice directly to the area of an outbreak may help to lessen the severity of symptoms and prevent an outbreak altogether if applied when prodrome or warning symptoms occur. Placing the ice in a plastic bag and then wrapping it in a thin towel may make this treatment more tolerable. It can be used for both oral and genital herpes.
Drying Agents. Agents that dry the skin, such as cornstarch and alcohol, may promote healing, because the drier the lesions are, the more quickly they will heal. However, alcohol may cause pain when it comes into contact with lesions. In addition, wearing loose cotton underwear can promote healing of genital lesions by allowing them to dry.
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STD GENITAL WARTS TREATMENT: IMIQUIMOD
Author: admin
Imiquimod is a topical cream that has recently been approved for triggering the body’s own immune response in the treatment of external warts (it is not to be used for warts of the vagina, cervix, or inner anal area). It is less painful than some of the other treatments. Imiquimod is applied in a thin layer three times a week on alternating nights, at home, for up to sixteen weeks (though many people clear their warts in much less than sixteen weeks). It is washed off in the morning, six to ten hours after application. The advantages of this treatment, despite the sometimes lengthy treatment time, are that the recurrence rate is lower and that, like podofilox, it can be used at home. One study showed that it cleared the warts in 72 percent of women and 33 percent of men after use for sixteen weeks. Of those whose warts resolved, 72 percent remained wart free after three months. It is not to be used during pregnancy.
Imiquimod is an option for people who are traveling or who for any other reason cannot visit their health care provider for treatments. It is expensive (about $100 for a month’s supply) and should not be used with barrier methods of birth control, such as condoms and diaphragms, because it makes them more likely to break or leak. It can cause a dramatic redness of the skin as well as skin ulcerations, but there is usually less pain than with the other topical treatments.
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BARRIER METHODS: SPERMICIDE
Author: admin
As noted previously, spermicide, in addition to offering protection against pregnancy, also kills viruses such as HIV and herpes virus, and bacteria such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, in the laboratory. It is not known whether, in practice, spermicidal foam or cream adds additional protection against infection, but it may. Spermicides are best used in conjunction with a condom, and they should not be used in place of a condom. As many as 30 percent of people may have some allergy to nonoxynol-9, and the inflammation of the tissues in the genital area from this allergic reaction may actually make STD transmission easier. The bottom line is that if you do not have an allergic reaction to this spermicide, it may aid in the prevention of STD transmission.
Studies are currently under way to determine if other substances offer any protective benefit.
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MAKING PSA MORE MEANINGFUL: PSA VELOCITY
Author: admin
Perhaps the most promising approach to PSA is to look at PSA velocity—its rate of change from year to year. The supposition is this: If cells double at a much faster rate in prostate cancer than in BPH, and if prostate cancer produces more PSA than BPH does, it’s likely that PSA’s yearly rate of change will be much greater in a man with prostate cancer than in a man with BPH. In other words: It stands to reason that if a man’s PSA is going up, he has a cancer—and that cancer is probably growing.
In one study, researchers at Johns Hopkins made use of a massive data base called the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. (Since it was begun in 1958, about one thousand five hundred men have participated in this study, returning every other year for physical examinations and a battery of medical tests. Their blood samples from every checkup are stored for future studies.) The investigators looked at three groups of men who were involved in this study— those with BPH, those with prostate cancer, and a control group of men with no prostate disease. Looking at twenty years’ worth of stored blood samples, investigators found that the men with prostate cancer had “significantly greater rates of change in PSA levels than those without prostate cancer up to ten years before diagnosis.”” In other words, by tracking changes in PSA levels, they were able to detect prostate cancer years before it could be diagnosed by other means. For example, at five years before diagnosis—when PSA levels weren’t appreciably different between men with BPH and men with prostate cancer— there was already a big difference in PSA velocity in men who turned out to have prostate cancer versus men who had BPH and the control group.
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