Health & WellnessS


Pills

Why pharmaceuticals are really the "alternative medicine"

Sayer Ji
Green Med Info
Sat, 20 May 2017 17:41 UTC
pills
Did you know that natural medicine was once, and still is, the default medical system on this planet?

In fact, the use of synthetically produced patent medicines (pharmaceuticals) is a relatively recent development (circa 1870), and should really be called the "alternative medicine" vis-a-vis time-tested, far safer approaches that rely on food, spices, and carefully prepared and administered plant extracts.

A powerful new report released by the Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom reveals that there are currently 28,187 plant species recorded as being of medicinal use throughout the world. In addition, the report revealed that fewer than 16% (4,478) of the species used in plant-based medicines are cited in a medicinal regulatory publication.

While the lesser developed countries are the primary users of plant medicines, they are used in great abundance throughout the world. Even in countries like Germany where conventional, drug-based medicine is the default approach, about 90% of their population also uses herbal medicines. Even the most pharmaceutically obsessed country in the world, the United States, spent 17 billion dollars on traditional herbal medicines in 2000 alone, and the number has grown steadily since then.
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Life Preserver

Beating the overdose crisis - what works and what doesn't

Kenneth Anderson & April Smith
The Fix
Thu, 18 May 2017 17:14 UTC
overdose crisis
Cheap, non-stigmatized, widespread access to Opiate Substitution Therapy is the key difference in successful countries.
While other countries are succeeding in reducing the number of opioid overdose deaths, U.S. rates are rising.

It's no secret that there's a drug overdose crisis in the United States. Opioid overdose deaths have risen 255% from 1999 to 2015. The US has failed to beat the opioid epidemic with drug courts, 12 step rehabs, and even medications like Vivitrol. However, seven other countries have overcome a huge drug overdose crisis very cheaply using technology which is more than 50 years old. Their secret? They have made methadone, an extremely cheap drug which costs less than a dollar a day for a maintenance dose, readily available to everyone who needs it. Rather than mandating expensive and stigmatizing methadone clinics, they allow any patients who need methadone to take their doses in their doctors' offices or even at pharmacies... for free!

In order to find out what works and what doesn't work in fighting an overdose crisis, I looked at data from 33 countries which have published detailed data about drug dependence, overdose, and treatment responses over a long period of time. A major overdose crisis was defined as more than 2.0 drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 person years. Long term success was defined as a greater than 40% reduction in overdose deaths for a minimum of nine years. Seven countries were successful at greatly reducing overdose deaths: Australia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland (Full details of my analysis can be found here).
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Health

Your oral microbiome has a significant impact on your overall health

Mark Sisson
Mark's Daily Apple
Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00 UTC
oral microbiome
In response to my post on oral health a few weeks ago, one reader offered a comment about the oral biome, and it's a worthy follow-up, I'd say.

The human oral cavity is home to hundreds of microorganisms. Latest estimates place the number of bacterial species in your mouth at close to 700, with the odd fungus, protozoa and even virus thrown in for good measure. This oral microbiome isn't a whole lot different than that of our gut, but where things get interesting is when we consider the diverse range of habitats within the mouth: teeth, tongue, cheeks, gums, tonsils. All provide different living conditions for those microorganisms that colonize them, but that diversity of habitats also encourages a diversity of species.

And it's fair to say that human microbiological research as a whole began with the mouth. In 1683, Dutch businessman and self-taught scientist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek scraped off a bit of plaque from his teeth, slotted it under his home-made microscope, and was the first person ever to physically see his own bacteria. Suddenly, one's body was no longer wholly one's own.

Since then, the study of oral microbiology has waxed and waned, but in recent years the topic has been a hotbed of activity in the scientific sphere. While the health of your gut flora is important, it's becoming increasingly apparent that so, too, is the health of your mouth flora.

Comment: Further reading:

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Attention

Dr. Sircus: Modern medicine is a disease

Dr. Sircus
drsircus.com
Wed, 17 May 2017 15:02 UTC
modern medicine
Doctors, their medical organizations and the great pharmaceutical companies practice a sinister form of medicine that directly causes suffering and pain in people's lives. Thus, I am not surprised when James Howard Kunstler writes that modern medicine is a hostage racket:
"Medicine is now a catastrophe every bit as pernicious as the illnesses it is supposed to treat, and a grave threat to a nation that we're supposed to care about. If you thought banking in our time was a miserable racket — which it is, of course, and by "racket" I mean a criminal enterprise — then so-called health care has it beat by a country mile, with an added layer of sadism and cruelty built into its operations. Nobody in the system will say what anything costs and nobody wants to because it would break the spell that they work in an honest, legit business. The services are provided when the customer is under the utmost duress, often life threatening, and the outcome even in a successful recovery from illness is financial ruin that leaves a lot of people better off dead. The system is one of engineered criminality. It is inflicting ruin on millions."
The majority of people believe in the medical pharmaceutical con - that the snake-oil remedies with all the side effects will actually cure their ailments. Many people believe this fantasy and are willing to bankrupt themselves and their families in their desperate and misguided need to believe. What they are buying into is disease because modern medicine is a disease, it is a plague and people die right and left from it.

Even when there is good news, when a cancer patient recovers after being poisoned with chemotherapy and radiation the bad news usually comes later when the cancer comes back or a number of side effects like heart attacks set in.
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Hearts

Hugs that heal: The importance of touch

Dr. Mercola
mercola.com
Sat, 20 May 2017 13:36 UTC
group hug
From the time you were born until the day you die, touch is an important part of your emotional and physical health. Infants deprived of touch grow up with developmental and cognitive delays, attachment disorders and higher risk of serious infections.1 On the other hand, premature infants who are held skin-to-skin exhibit better cognitive skills, are more resilient to stress and have more organized sleep patterns, even 10 years later.2

These early touch-based interventions demonstrate the need for touch in psychological regulation. The benefits of touch don't diminish with age. The late Virginia Satir, psychotherapist and generally acknowledged as a pioneer in family therapy,3 spoke about the importance of touch and hugs as it relates to a person's emotional health, saying:4
"We need [four] hugs a day for survival. We need [eight] hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth."
This may represent the minimum and optimum thresholds to generate sufficient oxytocin, a hormone released by your pituitary gland in response to physical touch. The simple act of hugging may not only increase your bond with others, but may also boost your physical and emotional health.

The Importance of Touch

In the absence of touch, children become almost unrecognizable, developing personality disorders and other conditions that make it difficult for them to live in society.5 Historical reports of children who grew up "feral," or in the wild without the benefit of touch, show they often have difficulty assimilating into a group.

Touch is the primary language to communicate compassion and is fundamental to communication, bonding and health.6 It supports the immune system, reduces stress, encourages sleep and has no side effects. It doesn't drain your batteries, but recharges you instead.

Comment:

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Hearts

EKG readings show smart meters interfere with heart rhythms

Catherine J. Frompovich
Natural Blaze
Sun, 21 May 2017 12:01 UTC
ekg reading
One of the most intrepid independent lay EMF/RF and AMI Smart Meter investigators Warren Woodward of Sedona, Arizona, has taken upon himself to put AMI Smart Meters to the heart test.

First, some backup information.

Warren has been working "pro se" providing testimonies at hearings before the ACC (Arizona Corporation Commission). Below is a video of Warren in action at one of the APS (Arizona Public Service Electric Company) Rate Case hearings (April 27, 2017) involving AMI Smart Meters—something more people should participate in, in my opinion.

You will notice how those who ought to know relevant information apparently do not, i.e., Scott Bordenkircher, who holds the very important sounding title of Director of Transmission and Distribution Technology Innovation and Integration at APS.

Comment: More on smart meters' health effects:

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Health

Sulforaphane: The miracle health compound you've probably never heard of

Christina Sarich
Waking Times
Wed, 17 May 2017 20:11 UTC
broccoli sprouts
There's an active phyto-compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, mustard seed, kale, etc. that you're going to want to know more about, if you aren't already familiar with it. Sulforaphane is cancer preventative, promotes heart health, induces better brain functioning in autistic children, slows aging, and acts as a powerful nootropic, halting inflammatory factors in the body linked to everything from depression to obesity.

It's an absolute powerhouse, but you have to use it correctly. Dr. Rhonda Patrick passionately discussed sulforpahane at length in an interview recently, but following are the highlights.

A Precursor Nutrient

Sulforaphane is a precursor nutrient. Meaning, when it enters the body, it starts out as something else and is processed into the super beneficial compound which can stop cancerous tumors from doubling, and help diabetics to balance their blood sugar levels, among hundreds of other clinically-proven health benefits. It is stored as a precursor, and only because bio-active if it is chopped or chewed.

Comment: Sulforaphane also helps to maintain the blood-brain barrier and aids in heavy metal detox.

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Health

Munchausen by Proxy and the strange story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Catherine Townsend
Crime Feed
Mon, 15 May 2017 15:16 UTC
Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard
Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard
To the outside world, Gypsy Rose Blanchard appeared to be a frail, childlike woman in a wheelchair who relied on a feeding tube and dozens of medications to survive — all of which were lovingly provided by her mother, Dee Dee.

Dee Dee Blanchard told friends and family that Gypsy, 25, had the mentality of a seven-year-old child and had been diagnosed with leukemia and a myriad of other illnesses during her lifetime. The plight of the young woman and her devoted mom inspired generosity — and a large social-media following.

But after Dee Dee Blanchard was found stabbed to death on June 14, 2015, the world would learn the shocking twist: Gypsy had no health problems at all.

After police found Dee Dee's body, they tracked down Gypsy and her secret online boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn in Wisconsin. They found Gypsy there — and she didn't need a wheelchair. In fact, Gypsy could walk, speak articulately, and had no need of oxygen or medication. She was not even bald — she had merely shaved her head. The disabled child act, she told police, was a complete fraud concocted by her mother.

Comment:



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Magnify

Candida auris: The 'superbug' fungus is spreading across the US

Kristen V. Brown
Gizmodo
Fri, 19 May 2017 13:43 UTC
Candida auris
© CDCCandida auris.
Over the past nine months, the number of US cases of an emerging, multi-drug resistant fungus has ballooned from 7 to more than 122. What's more, the fungus, Candida auris, seems to be spreading, according to a field report the Centers for Disease Control released Thursday.

So-called 'superbugs' usually reference bacteria that are especially hard to kill, having evolved resistance to multiple antibiotics. Superbugs have become a major problem, with some bacteria evolving resistance to so many drugs there is no longer a readily available way to kill them. To stave off an antibiotic apocalypse, we may eventually need to discover lots of new drugs, or alternate methods of vanquishing these tough critters.

Like those bacteria, C. auris appears to have evolved resistance to multiple drugs. It causes severe illness and has a high-mortality rate, especially among high-risk, hospitalized patients. The fungus was first identified in 2009 and has now been reported in more than a dozen countries. According to the CDC, which issued an initial warning last June, 77 cases have been identified in hospitals in seven states, mainly in elderly people. The number jumped to 122 when close contacts of those patients were also screened.

Comment: CDC alert: Candida Auris - The latest superbug creation

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Magic Wand

Valerian root helps you relax and sleep better

Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Authority Nutrition
Thu, 20 Apr 2017 13:26 UTC
Valerian Root
Valerian root is often referred to as "nature's Valium." In fact, this herb has been used since ancient times to promote tranquility and improve sleep.

Although it has received a lot of positive attention, questions have also been raised about its effectiveness and safety.

This article outlines the benefits of valerian, explores concerns about its safety and provides guidance on how to take it to get the best results.

What Is Valerian Root?

Valeriana officinalis, commonly known as valerian, is an herb native to Asia and Europe. It is now also grown in the US, China and other countries.

Flowers from the valerian plant were used to make perfume centuries ago, and the root portion has been used in traditional medicine for at least 2,000 years.

Unlike its delicately scented flowers, valerian root has a very strong, earthy odor due to the volatile oils and other compounds responsible for its sedative effects.
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