Once again, Dr. Stanislav Burzynski is under attack by the Texas
Medical Board. This time, they intend to use a combination of outright
falsehoods and distortion of the facts to attempt to close down
Burzynski's clinic, in the process denying patients the right to choose
anything else but Big Pharma's lethal cocktail of surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy (i.e., cut, burn and poison).
Make no mistake, this is all about the money. In other words, Dr.
Burzynski's therapy is not under the control of a major pharmaceutical
company, and they simply can't stand that. So they are using every
means at their disposal to destroy what is turning out to be a
revolutionary and effective treatment for many different kinds of
cancer. Think for a minute about the cynicism and disregard for human
life on the part of Big Pharma this indicates: if they cannot profit
from this therapy, then no one can have it, no matter how many lives it
saves.
The producers of the Burzynski Movie have created a means for you to
let your voice be heard on this important issue. It is at the link at
the bottom of this message. Please use it to contact Texas Governor
Rick Perry and your federal and state legislators to tell them you want
your right to choose, and Dr. Burzynski's right to practice, to be
protected.
Dr. Burzynski's upcoming trial is but one more indication that we are
winning this battle. It is up to each of us to continue to keep the
pressure on so that our right to choose is preserved, and we can
continue to turn the tide against the medical/pharmaceutical/insurance
complex.
Thanks for your support of health freedom,
November 7, 2011
Dear
Burzynski movie subscribers,
The Texas Medical Board vs. Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, April 11, 2012
They're
back. After the ten-year battle ending in the Texas State Supreme Court
in 1996 resulted in a not guilty verdict for Dr. Burzynski—the Texas
Medical Board is making another dangerous attempt at shutting him down.
On April 11, 2012, the Texas Medical Board will try to revoke Dr.
Burzynski's medical license, resulting in the closure of his clinic, the
abandonment of all his patients, and risking any possibility of
Antineoplastons gaining FDA-approval.
No different than the
levels of absurdity and underhanded tactics clearly outlined in the
original documentary about Dr. Burzynski—the Texas Medical Board is up
to the same dirty tricks. This time, we will have the entire world
watching, and the entire world fighting back to stop this trial from
happening—and that
means you.
First, watch this video and send it to friends. Not only
does it outline the charges involved in this case, but it also gives you
a glimpse at a new side of Dr. Burzynski's treatment. Much of the
footage used in this short film was initially intended for the "Chapter
2" documentary—so it also serves as a sneak peek into the new
documentary about Dr. Burzynski that also covers the story from 2000 up
until today—to be released in 2012.
Second, we need you to write
letters, send faxes, make phone calls, and send emails starting with
Governor Rick Perry, since he appointed the heads of the Texas Medical
Board. Once you have done this, we ask that you also write, call, fax
and email as many of the Texas representatives as you have time for. If
you are friends or have connections with a your local Congressmen or
Senators, urge them to pay attention to this issue as well. Remember,
this isn't about Texas, it's about our right as a human race to chose
our own cancer treatment—and not allow decades of important
gene-targeted cancer research to be flushed down the toilet in the name
of protecting the profits of an industry that doesn't want Burzynski to
survive. Everything you need to join this fight can be found
by clicking here.
If you have a divinely inspired story you would like to share let me know at <studio4moms@gmail.com>
Angel of God,
My guardian Dear
To whom God’s love
Commits me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light , to
guard
To rule and guide.
This is the
prayer I used to say as a little girl. I don’t know if all Christians learn
this, or just Catholics, but I said it nightly for a long time
before going through the list of family membersand friends to bless before falling off to sleep.
I don’t say it
much now, but it does give me comfort on the rare occasion when I do say it.
Now I just seem
to have frank conversations or call out for help and invariably receive it.
I was just watching the show "Angles Among Us” where people call out for help in extreme situations. And I certainly would too!But now I ask on mostly a daily basis,
for help even for little things.
“Can you help me find my glasses, please?” is a common plea. My life would be so
much more frustrating and difficult without the help of God by way of the Angels (Thank you,
God & the Angels!)
All faiths have an angelic tradition. Even though I believe Angels help all who ask, not just Christians,I haven’t always sought their help.
As a teenager I do remember two distinct times that I believe God intervened to help me. I am certain there were Angels involved.
I was having
difficulty with my trigonometry course. Most everyone thought our teacher, Trudy W., was a great teacher, though I was not
among that group. She didn’t like questions, and she was impatient with people
who “didn’t get it”. My class had a number of “smarties” in it and so things
seemed to move very fast. Some days we’d go over material and the class would get
caught up in shouting out the answers. If you couldn’t keep up… well, the
attitude was ‘don’t be a drag on the class’.– Mind you, I was a good student and certainly no
troublemaker.
If I had a question you can bet others did too.
So there I was really baffled by the math and Trudy, rather
than helping, made a denigrating remark to me for all to hear. I was angry and humiliated. I wanted retaliation, truth be told.I had a very sharp 4 inch pencil in my
hand that was weighted like a dart. The thought of hoisting that pencil at her,
with the precision a dart is capable of and aiming for the point right between her eyes was
my single, dark focus.I
could visualize the hit. I felt the satisfaction of it. I teetered on the brink of
bringing my vision into reality.
As the internal
struggle raged, I realized Trudy had said something, though
I couldn't really hear her over the roar of rage in my head.
“ You can’t do
that” a quiet but confident voice said.
“Think of what will happen to you… to her…,” it insisted.
“This is not who you are,” it reminded me.
I struggled to
get a grip- It wasa bit like waking up from a
pleasant dream, I didn't want to! Reluctantly my head began to clear.
I wonder if she had any idea of how close I came to putting out her eye
that day… I don’t think my aim would have been perfect- but close enough to do damage.
I finally came
back to myself and thought better of playing darts with her as the target.
I decided I
would have to go home and figure it out the trig. myself.
Later in the day I put all my notes and assignments in front
of me and turned on the TV. The noise from talking was distracting, and the
events of the day played in my head mixing with my doubt that I would never
understand this stuff. Distraction was just what I needed emotionally. I hoped that the noise of the TV would drown out the
doubt. I finally turned over to a UHF channel just for the static white noise,
which we called "snow".
I realized that
I needed a very good grade on the test the following day in order to pull up my sagging
grade. But this trigonometry made no sense to me, and I didn’t see the point of
it ! (I still don’t and have never used it since) Even today 36 years later, I like to understand
why I am doing what I am doing. I guess the not knowingwhat the point of trigonometry waspart of my problem.
Feeling
hopeless, I said a quiet prayer, “Please God, help me understand this stuff.”
No sooner had I thought the thought than a literal
“light bulb” went off in my head.
I actually saw one flash in my mind’s eye. The
key tounderstanding what I didn’t understand appeared as a theory to be
tried out…. I did the first problem using the “theory” and tentatively checked
the answer. It was correct! Wow!
Could it be that simple? Suddenly it was like solving a puzzle and I had just found the missing piece.
I like solving puzzles and I moved on to the next problem & quickly worked through
it. Again I checked the answer and was astounded to see that it was correct!
I then looked back over the previous assignments and realized everything I had
been doing wrong… at least I was consistent! I re-did most of the assignments
till I was absolutely sure that what I was doing was going to work consistently.This took me all of an hour or two.
Then I stopped. I was ready to
do battle with Trudy; battle of a different sort.
Class began with the testing call-to-your-mark. “Get out a
pencils and clear your desks.”The
clock had begun ticking as students bowed there heads- not to pray, (though some may have) but to begin the test. I am not sure that I said a
prayer that day, but I already knew I had divine help the day before. I guess I assumed it was still in action. I was
thankful and anxious to get the test behind me.
I began. Problem 1. Done. Problem 2. Done. Etcetera,
etcetera.. until I had completed all the problems and the bonus points. I
looked up. Everyone else was still working. Normally I don’t check my answers, because
I talk myself out of them and usually the first answer is the correct one, but this time I did. I still had the same answers. Still no one else was finished…
I had never been the first one to finish a test before… Should I go a head and
hand it in? or wait around?
I was afraid if I looked like I was waiting around, Trudy might accuse me of
cheating… since she knew that I had not know the answers yesterday.. I didn’t
want to look as if I was waiting for something.
I walked towards the front of the room.
Trudy’s little piercing
eyes followed my progression suspiciously.
“Do you have a question?” she hissed.
“No” I offered,
“I am finished. I am turning in my
test.”
“Don’t you want to double check it?” She asked as if I
needed to be told.
“I already did,” Iquietly responded and returned to my desk.
She took the
test and graded it placing the red tip of her pen next to each problem.
Eventually she looked up at me with a poker face, and a crooked finger motioning that I should stand before her.
Oh boy, I
quavered inside, what’s this about as I walked not confidently back up to her desk. She pointed down at my freshly graded paper. I looked confusedly at her & then she removed her
hand from the upper left hand side of the paper. It read in large red letters 104.
That’s 100% plus 4 bonus points! All the points possible on the test and enough to pull my grade up to a very strong B!
I would like to
add that there was a ‘well done’ from her, butI don’t remember that there was.
The moral(s) of
this story ?
1)backing down from near revenge pays?
2) I am an imperfect being & still-I asked for help and I received it?
3)Beyond receiving help, I received it in a way
that was beyond what I would have expected. It wasn't just a good grade- it was everything I could have earned and was faster than the smartest kids in the class.
God gives generously & perfectly?
4) Years later I still glean other lessens from it. Trudy played a role in something bigger than teaching trig and it turns out she was a great teacher- even if I didn't understand or appreciate her role at the time. I am still amazed by the lesson. And still thankful for it.
5) I still don't see the point of trig., but that class, that incident is one of my most important and memorable lessons ever!
By the way, it
took the other "smarties" another 10 minutes to finish the test.I don’t know
who was more surprised: Trudy or I.
Ahh, Perfection! Thank You!
Barb Kaiser RN/ BSN Holistic Health Consultant
If you have a divinely inspired or angelic story you would like to share let me
know at <studio4moms@gmail.com>
I would like to forward this email I received on to my readers:
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX presents an innovative and empowering new vision for shifting our approach to young people and sexual health in the United States. While American teens live in a society that uses sex to sell everything from lipstick to laptops, they are rarely afforded opportunities to discuss sex and sexual health in an open, honest way. Through interviews with real parents and teens, health experts, and faith leaders, director James Houston presents a revealing look at how American attitudes towards adolescent sexuality impact teenagers. The United States has among the highest teen pregnancy and STD rates in the industrialized world.
Produced in collaboration with Advocates for Youth, LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX is both a catalyst and a tool to initiate healthy conversations in kitchens and classrooms across the country.
Don't forget to tune in this Saturday on TLC!
Broadcast Premiere LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX April 9, 2011 on TLC 10pm/9pm central
I have been doing some on line reading for a friend about cancer treatments and ran across this on- line book.
I encourage you to down load it and maybe print it off to give to someone you know who has been diagnosed with cancer. If you don't know someone now... I can guarantee you will in the future. The statistics are against us.
Who do you know whose child is having behavioral problems? Not just the typical ones normal for that stage of development, but ones that leave the parents confused and scared about the future? Is he /she a bully? Incredibly shy? ADD/ADHD? Or maybe he/she is a nightmare to his/her siblings (and you) Torturing the neighborhood pets? Hearing voices? Going into rages? any number of other out of the ordinary childhood behaviors? This is no laughing matter to a loving parent. Assistance can be hard to find, expensive, and of questionable help.
These videos could be a God-send. Please pass them along to your friends and family. (I am including the links to the You-tube files for when I remove the videos from Studio4Moms.com)
In case you are not convinced I have
included a video by someone who worked within the criminal justice
system, which is Video
#7
These videos by Dr. Russell Blaylock MD are extremely important information for parents and society to sit up and pay attention to.
After the shootings in Arizona where Rep.Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, the news was quick to talk about the lack of security/ the need for more security. I heard one woman address the real problem as the increasing amount of mental illness in this country (and around the world). She brought it up but it seemed to fall on deaf ears and blind eyes, then the conversation went on to something else. It was very disheartening, as I am sure many parents with troubled kids would agree.
This is an issue few want to talk about because from a medical perspective the answers are vague and the treatments still less than optimal, and that is an understatement.
Why some people with certain backgrounds are susceptible to mental illness and others aren't confounds medicine. Lots of theories come in and out of style, but still there is little understanding. And the pills they hand out like candy are untested in children, have many side effects, and only postpone the problem in many cases, if it is addressed at all. And sometimes, maybe more often than we like to think, a witches' brew of medication make the problem worse.
My least favorite rationalization, but one you will still hear, is blame MOM. Oh, yeah, such an easy target. Get over it! Moms take on an over abundance of responsibility and guilt, & with a few rare exceptions, Moms, I'd like to say, you are not responsible for every act your child, especially adult child, commits.
That being said listen to these videos and if you are responsible for how Junior and Juniora eat ( and you are if you are buying their food, preparing and serving).. then take heed.. responsibility does follow.
I used to watch the psychiatric patients in my care eat, and several certainly had some odd eating habits. I wondered even back then if the illness was affecting their eating habits or if their eating habits played a rolein their illness. I have long believed it was the latter.
Wake up, Moms & Dads! What the food industry has to offer is not only ruining ours and our children's physical health, but also our mental health. What affects the body affects the brain. Once you know, you need to act.
My advice is: if you are at all concerned about your child's behavior, perhaps something he or she does that is problematic, out of the ordinary, scary, or even a diagnosable illness: start here and start now... cleaning up the diet... (and also not stated in the videos too clearly)...get off wheat and wheat products.
I like Dr. Oz., don't get me wrong. He probably has great "bedside manner" based on his television presence, and I would probably like him as a physician. Though I can tell you there are many things we would disagree on, but ultimately it's my body, so it's my decision. He puts some interesting stuff on his show, but he is also woefully behind the times in other areas.
So kudoes to Dr. Oz for having Dr. Mercola on his show again and this time letting him speak! I remember being frustrated by the fact that he was continually cut off when he was on Dr. OZ before.
Dr. Mercola isn't on target about everything (who is?) but in my opinion he is ahead of the curve on most things and right on target many times. I am quite sure he could have talked all hour and really "wowed" the crowd and totally pissed off a lot of traditional (allopathic) doctors and more importantly TV sponsors. And that is probably why we don't see too much of Dr. Mercola or people like him on the airwaves. Thank God for the Internet. And I mean that!
Now I will take issue with and point out a few things about what was on the show today:the discussion of Adenomyosis,
fybroids & polyps. And by the way they did not have Dr. Mercola comment on the section of the show they discussed the conditions adenomyosis, fibroids, or polyps. I am sure he would agree with me that there are other things that can be done first rather than relying only on medication or surgery.
Traditional allopathic medicine is great at diagnosing you when you get with someone good. Doctors or their staff can even explain what's going on to you, if they have the time, which is more and more rare. However all they have to offer for the most part is a pill with side effects that can be anything from uncomfortable to devastating or surgery. Unfortunately, so often they have little or no interest in what has gone wrong in the body that causes it to do the things it does. And with the way medicine is practiced now, in honestly they have no time to contemplate such things. See my article : How to Get the Most out of your Doctor's Visit.
So I will throw out a couple of ideas: these are my theories and they make some sense. Chances are good that if you looked into a nutritional profile of someone suffering any of these maladies you would find some nutrient deficient and probably several deficiencies
I will start with a real basic.. lack of Vitamin C. In the alternative world where we place much emphasis on a good diet and supplementation, many of us feel that a healthy adult should be adding 3 grams, that's 3000mg, of Vitamin C daily. Vit. C plays a big role in healthy tissue formation, and since as explained by Dr. Oz, that tissues ruptures and pools blood throughout the uterus causing adenomyosis, I really have to wonder if those suffering from it are vitamin C deficient.
Another deficiency might be Vitamin P, otherwise known as bioflavanoids ( The P stands for Phytochemicals.) These are components of fruits and vegetables that help with clotting and assist vitamin C to do its job more effectively.
Woman suffering from very painful adnomyosis may also be magnesium deficient. Low
magnesium can lead to very painful menstrual cycles and irritability.
Low magnesium can also cause all types of pain to be worse than it
would be if there was enough magnesium on board.
Having a diagnosis of adomyosis would certainly be a good reason to clean up ones diet and start adding increased amounts of vitamins C, K, P, and also Magnesium. Most people are magnesium deficient in this country, even those who eat a lot of veggies, as magnesium is in now becoming deficient in our soil. Magnesium is a necessary nutrient that influences hormone production. Not enough magnesium? Very likely hormone problems.
The next thing I would recommend looking at is gluten in the diet... yeah, you haven't heard Dr. Oz talk about that have you?
Anyone who is gluten intolerant is not absorbing nutrients well and in particular may be low in vit K, the blood clotting vitamin.. so the question I'd like answered is do they ever check vit K levels in such a situation...probably not. Hmm ... let me go check that out.... No, not seeing any tests done. Gluten can mimic many other illnesses. If you have an sort of illness and that includes physical or mental, do yourself a favor and take a "gluten vacation"About 2 weeks is long enough for your body to clear gluten.It will give your body a needed rest
from trying to digest gluten. Allowing the body to rest from gluten frees up other nutrients to better
heal what is happening in your body. When you start back on gluten, eat a good dose. Assume that any ill effects experienced are due to gluten. Then really rethink whether continuing to eat something that gives you symptoms is a good idea.
Research indicates that adenomyosis is most likely to occur between the ages of 35- 50 as the gap between the amount of estrogen and progesterone widens (see article on dry eyes). Progesterone levels drop as many as 10 years before estrogen which suggests it might be worthwhile to try topical progesterone, which you can buy over-the-counter. It is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. I like FemGest.
A great book to read is What Your Doctor May Not Know About Perimenopause , by Dr. John Lee, M.D. This book has been life changing for many woman, including myself.
OK, so there you go, if you suffer with Adenomyosis, and frankly, fibroids and polyps, it may help you tremendously to start adding these supplements and foods that contain these nutrients to your diet. You will want to give it a few months to start to work, 3 at least. There are many other things you can do and this is just a starter package of suggestions. When you hear the words "all we can do is..." or the only things to do is.... just understand that those are limitations the medical community has boxed themselves into. They could check your nutritional levels but don't. Why? That's a discussion for another article, but briefly there is little money in supplementing someone to give their body what it needs to heal, and they are used to practicing this way.
To Your Good Health, Barb Kaiser RN/ BSN Holistic Health Consultant
I recently picked up a magazine that, granted, is a few years old. Someone wrote in a question asking about developing dry eyes the week before menstruation and wondered if it had anything to do with the onset of menopause, as she was 45 at the time.
The doctor answered that she had "dry eye syndrome" and to ask her doctor about prescription eye drops. The doctor indicated it had many causes including fluctuating estrogen levels.
Saying someone has "dry eye syndrome" when they complain about dry eyes is a lot like telling them they have "stomach ache syndrome" when they complain of a stomach ache. In fact it is exactly like that. Kind of ridiculous, huh?
Here is what you want to know about those dry eyes: Yes, it is related to the onset of menopause. Actually it is possible that this occurs in the perimenopausal stage which begins 10 yrs before menopause. You are officially in "menopause" when menstruation has stopped for a full year. So at age 45 you are more than likely well into perimenopause.
The dry eyes are due to the imbalance between amounts of progesterone & estrogen. It is not due to the dropping estrogen. Many symptoms of menopause actually begin before estrogen drops, during the 10 year prior to menopause as progesterone drops.
And along those same lines are you having thinning bones even though you have not stopped menstruating? You can also look to dropping progesterone levels. Progesterone's role in bone building is to help build up bone. Estrogen's role is to help break down bone. You need both processes to make bone. But medicine just seems to want to focus only on getting your body to hold on to the old bone longer than the body thinks it should, and forgets about bone building process except to have you down calcium and now vitamin D. This is in itself incomplete and requires another article to cover it completely.
The development of dry eyes along with other symptoms (dry mouth, sleep disruptions, hot flashes and numerous other perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms) can be eliminated or greatly lessened by using 1/4 tsp of over-the-counter progesterone cream ( I like FemGest) No you do not need a prescription. Don't believe doctors who tell you must have prescription progesterone. The OTC progesterone works great. It's a lot less expensive. I recommend it to many women and they all tell me it helps tremendously. Just take it on the schedule as you would The Pill, stopping it when you start your period for about a week. Apply it to your body where there is fat and rotate regularly, breast, thighs, stomach, buttocks, upper arms.If you start feeling fatigued you may be using too much. Use as little as you need to get an effect. You may start out using 1/8 tsp twice a day and change to 1/8 tsp once a day if you are still getting good results.
If you would like to know more about this I recommend reading What Your Doctor May not Know About Perimenopause, by Dr. John Lee, MD.
This is a great read for any woman staring down the road at 40 and even good reading in your 30s so you are prepared. And do your girlfriends a favor and pass this tip on to them, as it was passed on to me. As the title says...your doctor may not know about perimenopause.
To Your Good Health, Barb Kaiser RN/ BSN Holistic Health Consultant
In the Rush of Christmas shopping I woke up with a sore throat. It wasn't allergy. It had a more ominous feel to it.
OH NO!.... I didn't have time for that! I made up this recipe and it worked great.
I am sharing it with you:
16 oz Water 1/8 tsp salt(I like a good pink or gray sea salt for consumption, but for this you may use either seasalt or table salt) 1 tsp of xylitol (check at your grocery or health food store) 2 drops of iodine (SSKI) Warning: DO NOT use topical iodine which is yellow and poisonous to consume)
Gargle and spit a few times; keep the glass by the sink & repeat hourly, or when symptoms return.
My soar throat was gone by mid-morning and never turned into the cold I knew was lurking.
Wishing you a happy, health New Year! Barb Kaiser RN/BSN Holistic Health Consultant
PS: In the New Year I will be available by Skype to ask health questions. You may continue to email questions at <studio4moms@gmail.com> Please put "question" in the title.
Kudos to President Obama for repealing" Don't Ask Don't Tell"!
As one who served in the Navy I am happy to see the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell". I served with many fine sailors, doctors, nurses and others who were homosexual or bisexual. We didn't talk about it, but often we knew or thought we knew who was or wasn't gay. So what? As long as we could count on them to do their job with integrity is what mattered.
Like any other individual in the military they were there to serve their country and did so very well.
Knowing anothers sexual preference should not interfere with the mission of the military. Of course there will be things to worked out. But just like the admission of women and minorities into the military, this is the next step.
The military has always had homosexuals in its rank and file. This is important to remember. The difference is now acknowledging that. Denial of a fact doesn't change the fact.
Denial of a fact is subversive. It corrodes in ways that are not always apparent. Lies are corrosive in the same way. This new step which some find potentially hurtful to the military and its members will eventually prove to strengthen the troops.
A dose of truth may hurt at first( isn't telling the truth often scary and hurtful?) but like a dose of antibiotics it may be necessary and end up improving the health status of the receiver and others (protecting the community).
Kudos again, President Obama and all the others who worked so hard to do this! It's about time.
To Your Good Health, Barb Kaiser RN/BSN, Holistic Health Consultant
There are a number of reasons that this may be, but if you are coming down with a sinus infection or already have one, you maybe looking for some fast but natural relief. The article at the bottom of today's blog is from Orthomolecular.org & is about Vitamin C which can be used immediately to help your sinus suffering.
Vitamin C has been bad mouthed by the parts of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Establishments over the last few years(again), but what remains true is that Vitamin C is a remarkable nutrientthat most of the animal kingdom makes in abundance. It helps them to both prevent illness and quickly overcome illness when sick.
Somewhere along the way our human ancestors and thus modern man lost the ability to make vitamin C. ( Corey Holly and I jokingly call it "Humanity's Fall from Grace") and now we must consume it to stay healthy. But consuming it in the amount that the rest of the animal kingdom makes naturally would be impossible with out the help of supplementation.
The average adult should have a minimum of 3 grams (That's 3000mg in case you forgot how to convert) daily. Many people need more than that, much more.
The Traditional Approach: Expensive, Ineffective, & Time Consuming Several years ago I had a sinus infection and did the traditional route...went to the doctor and got a prescription for Zithromax. It had worked well in the past. But this time, while my symptoms cleared, the day after I stopped the medication the symptoms began returning. So back to the pharmacy for another Rx... at $70 dollars a pop. $140 dollars later, plus, the cost of decongestants and tissues-- so upwards of & $150...My symptoms again returned. Desperate, frustrated, & annoyed, I turned to a Vitamin C Flush.
The Royal Vitamin C Flush: Effective, Fast & Cheap
I began to take vitamin C (500-1000mg) hourly the first day( while awake). Every 2 hours the 2nd day , every 3rd hour the 3rd day and every 4 hours the 4th day. My symptoms were reduced by 50% the 2ND day and 98% by day 4. This was not the typical flush, but I gauged it by bowel tolerance as explained in the article and it is easy to remember. I also drank at least 8 glasses (12 oz each of water) & eliminated sugar. ( Today I would add a pinch of sea salt to that water) Note: There are other flushes on the Internet that follow a different protocol, that require less vitamin C. I had been sick for 3 weeks and felt I was pretty depleted.You may want to look at the others before trying one.
Precautions for Natural Antibiotics and Prescription Antibiotics
I don't use the Flush on a regular basis & I have not used prescription antibiotics since then either. I actually have worked to increase my immune system and root out the cause of the frequent sinus infections. Sometimes I do use natural antibiotics such as olive leaf extract or grapefruit seed extract. These work very well and quickly. But, be sure to treat them as you would an antibiotic-- in other words- ttake them consistently and for a full course, generally a week to 10 days.
Follow them up with a probiotic or a good live culture, no-sugar-added yogurt to replenish the good bacteria killed off in your gut. Take the probiotic or yogurt a minimum of double the number of days you took the natural antibiotic. Staying on the probiotic yogurt or cultured food will only enhance your immune system. So incorporating it into your daily healthy eating and supplementing is even a better idea.
I also have a series of other methods I use when I feel a sinus problem coming on that I think work quite well to nip it in the bud. I would rather prevent the onset of a sinus infection than have to do the flush or antibiotics( natural or otherwise)
Keep a Netti at the Ready! Using a Netti pot has been a great boon to my sinuses. I boil filtered water in a tea kettle, both to sterilize it and to get rid of chlorine, & then let it cool to room temp. or slightly warmer. I measure out 2 cups of water in a Pyrex pitcher and add 1/4 tsp of regular non-iodized table salt (not sea salt) & 1/4 tsp baking soda. Mix . Pour into Netti Pot and irrigate sinuses.
Basic Solution for Irrigating 1/4 tsp table salt (non iodized) 14 tsp baking soda ( bicarbonate) 2 cups of warm water
Irrigating your nasal passages can take a little getting used to, but it is not hard to do. Directions come with the Netti pot. The fluid is about the same salinity as your nasal passages and the bicarbonate is alkaline, which is good for healing. The fluid will moisten and plump up any cells that are dried out, due to low humidity (your heater provides that) or even dehydration. If your tissues are swollen it will help to decrease that. It cleans out the bacteria, virus or fungi, any of which can cause an infection. Flushing your sinuses also clears out allergens which can mimic some symptoms of infection and set you up for a real infection.
So, you don't have to know what is causing your sinusitis; infection or allergy. Flushing or irrigating your sinuses can provide relief for both.
Also, something else I do that I find easy, inexpensive and effective is that while irrigating my sinus passages with the basic solution, I also frequently add some alternating components:
I will add a drop or 2 of SSKI ( iodide) to the Basic Solution of a full Netti pot and irrigate. Then a few hours later I will add 1/2 a tsp of Xylitol( which you may find at your local grocery or healthfood store, if not go to Swansons) to the Basic Solution and irrigate. The reason I don't do them together is that the Xylitol causes the cells in your nose to become slick so that the infective agent or irritant cannot stick to them. It's just my theory, but it makes sense that if you use the Xylitol first the iodine may pass right through without connecting to the receptor sites on the cell walls.. I like to get the iodine in first because iodine kills, bacteria ,virus, and fungi. All cells in the body have receptor sites for iodine, not just the thyroid as was previously thought and is still espoused by mainstream medicine.
Travel Tips to Stay Healthy
You can go out and buy a product called X-clear which contains Xylitol and spray it in your nose, but I feel that irrigating sinus passages reaches a larger area. X-clear is convenient to use before and during travel to help prevent all that bacteria/viral laden recirculated air on airplanes from setting up business in your nose and making you ill on your trip. I would recommend too that you increase your vitamin C and vitamin D prior to, during, and for a few days after your trip. See videos at left side and read article to learn more about Vitamin D Okay, now to really learn about Vitamin C don't miss the Orthomolecular.org article that follows. If you are home from work dealing with sinus problems, read it today because if you did what I do for my sinuses, tomorrow you're going to feel like going to work! :)
If you found this article helpful & would like to show your appreciation, please remember Elimu Africa (read Get Some, Give Some) as a way to continue the circle of giving. Thank you!
To your Good Health, Barb Kaiser RN, BSN Holistic Health Consultant <studio4moms@gmail.com>
Thank you to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service for the following article:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service,
December 3, 2009
Vitamin C As An Antiviral: It's All About Dose
(OMNS, December 3, 2009) One of the most frequent questions from
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service readers is, Just how much vitamin C
should I take?
Our bodies cannot make vitamin C (ascorbate), although most animals can. We
must get it from our food and from supplements. But how much do we really need?
Persistent arguments on this question may be settled by looking at how much
vitamin C animals manufacture in their bodies. The answer is: quite a lot. Most
animals make the human body-weight equivalent of 5,000 to 10,000 milligrams a
day. It is unlikely that animals would have evolved to make this much vitamin C
if they did not need it and use it. Indeed, cells in many human body tissues
concentrate vitamin C by 25-fold or more over blood concentration.
Each person's need for vitamin C differs because of differences in genetics
and individual biochemistry [1,2,3]. Further, our bodies undergo different
stresses, and we certainly eat different foods. Therefore, the daily need for
ascorbate to maintain health for an adult varies between 2,000 - 20,000 mg/day.
Linus Pauling personally took 18,000 mg of vitamin C daily. Although he was
often ridiculed for this, it is interesting to note that Dr. Pauling had two
more Nobel prizes than any of his critics. He died at age 93. Abram Hoffer, MD,
a colleague of Pauling's, took megadoses of vitamin C and successfully gave it
to thousands of patients over 55 years of medical practice. Dr. Hoffer died at
age 91.
Antiviral Function When we are challenged with a viral infection,
our need for vitamin C can rise dramatically, depending on the body's immune
function, level of injury, infection, or environmental toxicity such as
cigarette smoke [4,5]. Ascorbate at sufficiently high doses can prevent viral
disease and greatly speed recovery from an acute viral infection. Surprising to
some, this was originally observed by physicians in the 1940s and has been
verified and re-verified over the last 60 years by doctors who achieved quick
and complete recovery in their patients with ascorbate mega-doses [5]. The
effective therapeutic dose is based on clinical observation and bowel tolerance.
Clinical observation is essentially "taking enough C to be symptom free,
whatever that amount may be." Bowel tolerance means exactly what you think it
means: the amount that can be absorbed from the gut without causing loose
stools. [5,6]. Very high doses, 30,000 - 200,000 mg, divided up throughout the
day, are remarkably non-toxic and have been documented by physicians as curing
viral diseases as various as the common cold, flu, hepatitis, viral pneumonia,
and even polio. [4,5,7]. On first reading this may sound incredible. We invite
interested persons to read further, starting with the references listed below,
and especially Dr. Frederick R. Klenner's Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin
C. This short book is posted in its entirety at http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clinical_guide_1988.htm
.
Mechanism For Ascorbate Antiviral Effect Several mechanisms for
vitamin C's antiviral effect are known or suggested from studies [4,8]. The
antioxidant property of ascorbate promotes a reducing environment in the
bloodstream and tissues, enhancing the body's response to oxidative stress from
inflammation [9], thereby helping to fight microbes and viruses that propagate
in stressful conditions [10]. Ascorbate has been shown to have specific
antiviral effects in which it inactivates the RNA or DNA of viruses [11,12,13],
or in the assembly of the virus [14].
Vitamin C is also involved in enhancing several functions of the immune
system. Ascorbate can enhance the production of interferon, which helps prevent
cells from being infected by a virus [15,16]. Ascorbate stimulates the activity
of antibodies [17], and in megadoses seems to have a role in mitochondrial
energy production [18] . It can enhance phagocyte function, which is the body's
mechanism for removing viral particles and other unwanted debris [4]. White
blood cells, involved in the body's defense against infections of all types,
concentrate ascorbate up to 80 times plasma levels, which, if you take enough
vitamin C, allows them to bring huge amounts of ascorbate to the site of the
infection [4]. Many different components of the immune response, B-cells,
T-cells, NK cells, and also cytokine production, all with important roles in the
immune response, are enhanced by ascorbate [19-23]. Additionally, ascorbate
improves the immune response from vaccination [24,25].
Summary Vitamin C at high doses is effective in preventing viral
infection and enhancing recovery. Several mechanisms are known, including
specific viral anti-replication processes and enhancement of many components of
the body's cellular immune system. When taken at an appropriate dose in a timely
manner, ascorbate is our best tool for curing acute viral illness.
References:
[1] Williams RJ, Deason G (1967) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 57:1638-1641.
Individuality in vitamin C needs.
[2] Pauling L (1986) How to Live Longer And Feel Better, by Linus Pauling
(Paperback - May 2006) ISBN-13: 9780870710964
[3] Hoffer A, Saul AW (2009) Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone:
Megavitamin Therapeutics for Families and Physicians. ISBN-13: 9781591202264
[4] Levy TE (2002) Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and
Toxins. ISBN-13: 9781401069636
[5] Hickey S, Saul AW (2008) Vitamin C: The Real Story, the Remarkable and
Controversial Healing Factor. ISBN-13: 9781591202233
[6] Cathcart RF (1981) Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance, anascorbemia,
and acute induced scurvy. Med Hypotheses. 7:1359-1376.
[7] Klenner FR (1979) The significance of high daily intake of ascorbic acid
in preventive medicine, in: Physician's Handbook on Orthomolecular Medicine,
Third Edition, 1979, Roger Williams, PhD, ed., p 51-59.
[8] Webb AL, Villamor E (2007) Update: Effects of antioxidant and
non-antioxidant vitamin supplementation on immune function. Nutrition Reviews
65:181-217
[9] Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH (2006) Immune-enhancing role of
vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab.
50:85-94.
[10] Kastenbauer S, Koedel U, Becker BF, Pfister HW (2002) Oxidative stress
in bacterial meningitis in humans. Neurology. 58:186-191.
[11] Murata A, Oyadomari R, Ohashi T, Kitagawa K. (1975) Mechanism of
inactivation of bacteriophage deltaA containing single-stranded DNA by ascorbic
acid. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 21:261-269.
[12] Harakeh S, Jariwalla RJ, Pauling L (1990) Suppression of human
immunodeficiency virus replication by ascorbate in chronically and acutely
infected cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 87:7245-7249.
[13] White LA, Freeman CY, Forrester BD, Chappell WA (1986) In vitro effect
of ascorbic acid on infectivity of herpesviruses and paramyxoviruses. J Clin
Microbiol. 24:527-531.
[14] Furuya A, Uozaki M, Yamasaki H, Arakawa T, Arita M, Koyama AH (2008)
Antiviral effects of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids in vitro. Int J Mol Med.
22:541-545.
[15] Gerber, WF (1975) Effect of ascorbic acid, sodium salicylate and
caffeine on the serum interferon level in response to viral infection.
Pharmacology, 13: 228.
[16] Karpinska T, Kawecki Z, Kandefer-Szerszen M (1982) The influence of
ultraviolet irradiation, L-ascorbic acid and calcium chloride on the induction
of interferon in human embryo fibroblasts. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz).
30:33-37.
[17] Anderson R, Dittrich OC (1979) Effects of ascorbate on leucocytes: Part
IV. Increased neutrophil function and clinical improvement after oral ascorbate
in 2 patients with chronic granulomatous disease. S Afr Med J. 1;56476-80.
[18] Gonz lez MJ, Miranda JR, Riordan HD (2005) Vitamin C as an Ergogenic
Aid. J Orthomolecular Med 20:100-102.
[19] Kennes B, Dumont I, Brohee D, Hubert C, Neve P (1983) Effect of vitamin
C supplements on cell-mediated immunity in old people. Gerontology.
29:305-310.
[20] Siegel BV, Morton JI (1984) Vitamin C and immunity: influence of
ascorbate on prostaglandin E2 synthesis and implications for natural killer cell
activity. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 54:339-342.
[21] Jeng KC, Yang CS, Siu WY, Tsai YS, Liao WJ, Kuo JS (1996)
Supplementation with vitamins C and E enhances cytokine production by peripheral
blood mononuclear cells in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 64:960-965.
[22] Campbell JD, Cole M, Bunditrutavorn B, Vella AT (1999) Ascorbic acid is
a potent inhibitor of various forms of T cell apoptosis. Cell Immunol.
194:1-5.
[23] Schwager J, Schulze J (1997) Influence of ascorbic acid on the response
to mitogens and interleukin production of porcine lymphocytes. Int J Vitam Nutr
Res. 67:10-16.
[24] Banic S (1982) Immunostimulation by vitamin C. Int J Vitam Nutr Res
Suppl. 23:49-52.
[25] Wu CC, Dorairajan T, Lin TL (2000) Effect of ascorbic acid
supplementation on the immune response of chickens vaccinated and challenged
with infectious bursal disease virus. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 74:145-152.
Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight
illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and
non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Damien Downing, M.D. Michael Gonzalez,
D.Sc., Ph.D. Steve Hickey, Ph.D. James A. Jackson, PhD Bo H.
Jonsson, MD, Ph.D Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari,
Pharm.D. Erik Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
I recently saw Randy Stern perform in the Austin area. This was the second time I had seen him, and he had gotten even better in the 6 months between performances. I guess traveling all over the country performing will do that.
If you live in the Austin Area check out where Randy will be playing. He currently calls home NYC, but is moving to Austin. ( Great for Austin!) If you would like to help fund his next album, check out his ambitious fundraiser.He has some nice incentives for donations. Listen to some of his music on his website, Randy Stern Music.
Music is good for the soul. Music soothes the savage beast. Music reduces stress. Good, good, good vibrations- Randy's got them. Reducing stress while elevating vibration is good for your health.
Wishing you good health, Barb Kaiser RN/ BSN Holistic Health Consultant & Ind. Ambit Consultant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, November
11, 2010
Vitamin C And The Law
A Personal Viewpoint by Thomas E.
Levy, M.D., J.D.
(OMNS November 11, 2010) As a patient, you have
the right to any therapy that is not prohibitively expensive,
established to be effective, and not prohibitively toxic.
Any physician, or panel of hospital-based
physicians, claiming that vitamin C is experimental, unapproved, and/or
posing unwarranted risks to the health of the patient, is really only
demonstrating a complete and total ignorance or denial of the scientific
literature. A serious question as to what the real motivations might be
in the withholding of such a therapy then arises.
A doctor has the right to refuse to see you or
treat you. A doctor does not have the right to deny you any therapy that
is inexpensive and known to be effective and nontoxic; if there is
toxicity involved, the patient can discharge his responsibility for such
toxicity with proper informed consent. A doctor does not have the right
to deny you consultation with another doctor that may have conflicting
medical points of view.
Just as ignorance of the law is no sound defense
to legal charges brought against you, ignorance of medical fact is
ultimately no sound defense for a doctor withholding valid treatment,
especially when that information can be easily accessed
While a hospital may or may not have a legal
right to dictate to its physicians what they may or may not do, the
patient and the family of the patient have the legal right to sue that
hospital for any negative outcome that is perceived to directly result
from such interference in patient care.
The patient and the family of the patient also
have the right to sue any physician that refuses to administer an
inexpensive, nontoxic therapy that is established to be of use in the
medical literature, such as vitamin C, especially when no other options
other than permitting the patient to die are offered. Doctors have a
very strong herd mentality, and they do not thrive well when forced to
deal with a lawsuit alone, and possibly not even with the backup of
their malpractice insurance company, which would seriously question why
an approved medicine such as vitamin C was withheld from the patient.
Remember that any insurance company always looks for a legal way not to
pay expenses or settlements.
In a court of law, legal decisions regarding
medical issues are usually decided by comparing a doctor's actions (or
inactions) to the accepted standards of medical practice in the
community in question. The legal sticking points relate to how different
that community might be from others, and whether the accepted standard
of practice is too far deviated from overall mainstream medicine norms.
The legal system struggles with reconciling
something well-established in the medical literature, but not reflected
in the standard medical textbooks. A case involving withheld vitamin C
would not currently have any direct legal precedent of which I am aware,
but there are multiple reasons to believe that the time is ripe for the
law to rule for the patient's right to receive vitamin C in the
hospital over the doctor's "right" to withhold it.
The time for changing the view of vitamin C by
the law and mainstream medicine has arrived. Over the past 20 years,
many more doctors have begun to routinely give 50 grams (50,000 mg) or
more of vitamin C intravenously on a regular basis to patients with the
entire gamut of medical conditions. These doctors have come from the
same medical schools and postgraduate training programs as their
unlike-minded mainstream counterparts, meaning they have the same
traditional credentials and warrant equal consideration.
The law recognizes that there is no one perfect
medical approach to a patient. Having an increasingly large body of
doctors who recognize the importance of vitamin C will allow the courts
to permit an additional "school of thought" as long as enough
traditionally-trained doctors think that way. The question yet to be
legally determined is, How many such doctors is "enough?"
Under United States law, the long-standing Frye
standard (1923) held that expert opinion based on a scientific
technique is admissible only where the technique is generally accepted
as reliable in the relevant scientific community. This standard made it
almost impossible for any technique embraced by a minority, however
competent or appropriately trained, to ever coexist with, much less
supersede, a technique embraced by the larger scientific community.
Basically, majority always wins, and minority always loses.
The Daubert standard (1993) finally
replaced the Frye standard. Daubert held that the court
should:
Evaluate whether the science can be or has
been tested
Determine whether the science has been
published or peer-reviewed
Consider the likelihood of error (quality
and quantity of the data)
Evaluate the general acceptance of the
theory in the scientific community
If the court is so inclined, the evaluation of
general acceptance in the scientific (medical) community does not have
to invoke the "majority rules" nature of the earlier Frye
standard. Rather, it can allow the consideration that enough scientific
studies embraced by enough qualified doctors could prevail legally.
However, any final ruling would be heavily dependent on the particular
facts of the case and the precise intervention requested of the court.
The principles of Daubert do not assure a
victory for vitamin C proponents in a court of law, but they do allow an
objective judge to see that the body of evidence supporting vitamin C
usage is clearly established in the mainstream medical literature,
warranting a thorough legal evaluation as to why it is not yet a
permissible therapy. These principles allow for much more flexibility
than the earlier Frye "majority rules" standard.
Also, with any individual case in which a doctor
refuses to administer vitamin C and serious damage (including death)
occurs, a strong legal case can be now be made that the burden of proof
falls with the doctor to show:
That the therapy was exceptionally
expensive, toxic, and/or unproven
That the patient's best interests were
somehow best served by withholding vitamin C
Always try to make an alliance with your doctor
and avoid an adversarial relationship if at all possible. Theoretically,
if your doctor really wants to do what is best for the patient and is
not more concerned with being told what to do, much stress and conflict
can be avoided by all. However, do not hesitate to let your doctor know
directly that you will avail yourself of all your rights or your family
member's rights as a patient to optimal health care if so forced.
A very common "out" in all of these scenarios is
to suggest that "further studies" should be done. More information is
always useful, but vitamin C has already been researched more than any
other supplement, or even most pharmaceutical drugs, in the history of
the planet. Don't allow another 70 years of research to transpire before
its proper use begins.
Stand up for your rights today. The way medicine
is practiced will never change until the public demands it and the law
legitimizes it. Remember, it's your body and your health. Doctors are
answerable to you, not you to them.
Thomas Edward Levy, M.D., J.D. is a graduate
of the Tulane University School of Medicine and the University of Denver
College of Law. He board certified in Internal Medicine and is also a
Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He was admitted to the
Colorado Bar in 1998 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1999. Dr. Levy
is on the Editorial Board of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service.
References:
Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir.
1923)
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579
(1993)
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective
nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News
Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Ian Brighthope, M.D. (Australia)
Ralph K. Campbell, M.D. (USA)
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)
Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Ellis, M.D. (Australia)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)
Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)
James A. Jackson, Ph.D. (USA)
Bo H. Jonsson, M.D., Ph.D. (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)
Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Jagan Nathan Vamanan, M.D. (India)
In going back to my roots- I started this blog, in part to highlight video content from Studio4kids that I thought was helpful for parents and fun for kids.
Studio4Kids in now KidMaZing. Their content is still good for parents and fun for kids!
Here is their press release which highlights a new partnership with Professor Garfield
STUDIO 4 NETWORKS LAUNCHES KiDMAZiNG AND ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PROFESSOR GARFIELD FOUNDATION The Partnership to Bring Access to Award-Winning Educational Programming and to Develop New Original Kids Programming Offerings Los Angeles, Ca. – May 14, 2009. The new KiDMAZiNG On-demand channel, which launched May 1st to replace Studio 4 Kids On-demand, inked its first new programming agreement with The Professor Garfield Foundation. Under the agreement, KiDMAZiNG’s early childhood developmental programming will be available on www.ProfessorGarfield.org and original content from The Professor Garfield Foundation will be airing on KiDMAZiNG On-Demand. The two partners will also collaborate to develop and launch new original kid’s educational programming for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. “We are extremely excited to partner with one of the true visionaries of cartooning history. Jim Davis has created a global cartoon brand that reaches millions of children” states Studio 4 Networks’ CEO Ed Stansfield. “We are looking forward to working with The Professor Garfield Foundation to leverage Garfield’s extreme popularity with kids around the world to develop and bring great new educational programming resources to families across North America.” “We have been watching Studio 4 for some time now and are very big supporters of Kidmazing’s mission to provide top quality educational programming that is entertaining and truly connects with kids” states Bob Levy, General Manager of The Professor Garfield Foundation. “Kidmazing programming helps parents and teachers to teach kids skills and values that ultimately result in self-confidence and a happy outlook on life.” Through the partnership, programming will be available online through www.ProfessorGarfield.org and www.Kidmazing.com as well as across all of KiDMAZiNG On-demand television homes across the US and Canada. A summer 2009 launch date is expected. About Studio 4 Networks With its three On-demand networks - KiDMAZiNG, Studio 4 Fitness and Studio 4 Learning – Studio 4 Networks (www.studio4networks.com) is dedicated to providing programming that enriches family’s lives. It is one of the nation’s leaders in the rapidly growing market for video-on-demand (VOD), available in AT&T, Charter, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Rogers, Shaw and other television systems. About Professor Garfield Foundation The Professor Garfield Foundation learning portal is a fun interactive online environment where children can safely explore, learn and creatively express themselves. The Foundation (PGF) was formed in 2003 as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization to provide children, parents, and teachers an opportunity to enhance and support classroom learning in new and innovative ways. The PGF Learning Portal is a partnership between Paws, Inc., the world headquarters of Garfield the Cat, and Ball State University, one of the preeminent educators of classroom teachers in the world. Contact: Colin Phillips, COO, Studio 4 Networks 323.935.2700 ext. 207
Best Wishes, Barb Kaiser RN/ BSN, Holistic Health Consultant & Ind Ambit Consultant
I am passing along this e-mail I received because it is the best description I have heard of a woman's experience of a heart attack. As many of you may already know, most of the symptoms of heart attacks taught through CPR classes and just generally what the public is aware of is a man's heart attack. (By the time I
received it there was no author listed, but I am thinking she would be
happy to have me pass this along via my blog.)
"My Heart Attack Experience- Female Heart Attack ( Myocardial Infarction)"
Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack? You know the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat grabbing the chest& dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack,
I had a heart attack at about 10:30pm with no prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading and interesting story my friend had sent me, and thinking, "Ahhh... this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up." A moment later I felt a that awful sensation of indigestion when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball... going down the esophagus in slow motions and it is most uncomfortable.You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast & needed to chew it more thoroughly, and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation- the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anythings since 5:00pm.
After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up and down my SPINE ( hindsight, it was probably my aorta spasms) gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum( breastbone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR) This fascination process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws,"AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening --- we all have read and/or heard about jaw pain being one of the signals of a myocardial infarction (MI) happening, haven't we? I said aloud to my self and the cat, " Dear God, I think I am having a heart attack!"
I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else....but, on the other hand, if I don't know body will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment.
I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the paramedics.... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if my front door was near to me, and if so to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.
I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me on to the gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St, Jude ER the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medication?' but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into my aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery....
I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-3- minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude's are only minutes away from my home and my cardiologist was already on the go to the OR in his scrubs to get going on restarting my heart( which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stints.
Why have I written all this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.
1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men's symptoms but the inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act) It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last ) MI because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Mallox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they will feel better in the morning when they wake up... which doesn't happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine so I advise you to call the paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasant happening that you've no felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!
2. Note that I said , "Call the paramedics, and if you can, take an aspirin. Ladies: Time is of the ESSENCE! Do Not try to drive yourself to the ER!!! You are a hazard to others on the road.
Do not have your panicked husband who will be speeding anxiously and looking at what's happening with you instead of the road.
Do Not call your doctor- he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or his answering service) will tell you to call the paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved!. The paramedics do, principally the OXYGEN that you need ASAP( as soon as possible). Your doctor will be notified later.
3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that an elevated cholesterol reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure) MIs are usually caused by long term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep.
Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.
So there you have it. Do not ignore the symptoms mentioned here or any odd symptom. Get thee to the ER, pronto. Call 911.
In another blog we will discuss cardiac health and what you can do to prevent an MI naturally.
Few times during the year rival the danger to our health more than September through January. I call it the "Fest Season". First are the school festivals, followed by the ethnic festivals which sometime depend on which group or groups of people settled your area. Locally the Renaissance Festival, the new Celtic Fest, Greek Fest, Oktoberfest, & Wurstfest fall both before and after Halloween. This is also the time of year many of us go to carnivals. All this is just a prelude to the real feasting: Thanksgiving. Christmas, & New Years.
That's four months of "festing" and feasting, folks! From September 'till New Years there is candy, soda, delicious desserts (my favorite: pecan pie at Thanksgiving & Christmas), cookies, more candy, candied yams,candied apples, popcorn balls, highly sugared cranberry sauce (great antioxidants, but tons of sugar), jello salads, plenty of high carbohydrate corn, potatoes, breads and alcohol. Who can go to those fests without sampling the fare: (Isn't that part of the point?) beer, pastries,pretzels, sausage, sodas, funnel cake, cotton candy. And for the holidays: mustn't forget the cookies & fudge for the neighbors, red wine for Grandpa, Uncle Ed's favorite vodka, Mom's white wine, Dad's martini, beer for friends, candy canes for the kids. You get the picture. There seems to be one celebration after another serving piles of high carbohydrate, high sugar treats, &/or high alcohol for 4 months prior to & culminating with New Years!
Oh! And I almost forgot those "poorly-timed" birthday celebrations; plenty of cake and ice cream. We had 3 birthdays around Thanksgiving in my family growing up. Now we start the Christmas season with one birthday and end it with another.
Then there are the gifts that come home from work or arrive by mail or carrier, often filled with treats we would never go out of our way to buy. But there they are tantalizing us. And there's almost nothing better than a hot toddy, hot apple cider, or eggnog on a chilly night!
Be Sugar Sharp
Are you beginning to see how much sugar we consume? I bet we consume a large percentage of our yearly intake of sugar during the last 2-4 months of the year. Most of us cannot get through this season without gaining a few pounds (myself included), but forget the weight gain for a minute....Why? Because as much as we are willing to put on a few pounds to indulge, this sugary celebration lowers our immune function tremendously:
Just a mere teaspoon of sugar lowers the function of your immune system for 4-6 hours. A typical soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar!
Read more about the many harmful effects of sugar, besides weight gain, at
Do you want your immune system scraping the floor while you are trying to get the shopping done for Christmas? Really, is there any good time for that?(Oh, and the guy who used the cart ahead of you, sneezed into his hands, and then pushed the cart down the next aisle. Later that night he has the flu.) I know you can keep your hands away from your face (if you you really pay attention,) but can little Emily who is 'helping' to push & swinging on the cart? Even when you tell her numerous times not to touch her face? Not likely.
Light(en) Up Stress
Staring down the barrel of flu season again, every year this time, the warning bells alarm: “get your flu shot!” The news media likes to cause panic. So do the pharmaceutical companies. It sells. It creates emotional stress and people tend to act under stress. Emotional stress also greatly lowers the functioning of your immune system. According to some sources constant emotional stress ranks right up there with smoking as being deleterious to your health. Between the sugar we consume and the emotional stress of the holidays coupled with the "fear-the-flu" message from the media, medicine and pharmaceutical companies, it is no wonder people think the flu is inevitable without the aid of the flu shot.
Avoid Fester's Syndrome
Is it really the Flu Season or a season of appalling health habits(SAHH)?It is easier to say flu season (and SAHH is not real catchy). I just don't happen to think it is all that accurate, so I'll call it Fester's Syndrome, (originally from too much feasting or "fest"-ing) But as I look at the original definition of the word "fester" I find, interestingly, that the real definition of fester fits too: a) to cause increasing poisoning and irritation b) to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration. Isn't that what we do during the Fest Season? "Undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration": too much food, sugar, alcohol, & stress and not enough, exercise,sleep, relaxation,nutrition, & water?
The observation that the flu is common this time of year has been interpreted as meaning that the germ is there, & people have little or no control over getting it unless they get the flu shot. This is nonsense. This is bad science. It does not take into account the many influences in our environment that chip away at our immune function. It does not look at personal health habits. Science offers a "silver bullet injection" instead of looking at causes. There is plenty you can do to not fall victim to the flu and it doesn't have to include a flu shot. Flu shots do not guarantee that you won't get the flu, and recent studies have shown that they don't even reduce the number of deaths associated with the flu.
My insurance company sent out an email which gives the basics about flu: what it is, how it differs from the common cold, and of course, (sound the alarm), "Get your flu shot!"
It’s an okay article for as far as it goes. But it minimizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle and completely excludes what I think is one of the most important things to do to avoid the flu & a host of other illnesses: supplements.
I used to be one of those people who would get the flu shot. Working as a nurse I was exposed to a lot of illness. It seemed reasonable. Then as a young mother I had what I thought was the flu and it lasted for months. The residual effect was asthma symptoms and had me using an inhaler. I truly believed I needed that flu shot. I definitely needed something. I certainly wasn't very healthy then, despite my efforts.
I tell you this because now my family and I have been “flu free” for 10 years since 1997,
ever since we made a few simple changes. So what did we do?
1) We started taking vitamins (good ones, not the cheapo ones we had been taking) with optimal level of nutrients; not the outdated, old fashioned ones that have RDA level of nutrients. We could see and feel a difference within 2 weeks of starting. (Mind you we had been taking vitamins for years before that. )We continued to mark improvements in our health a year out. Having not had the flu in 10 years I think I can point to taking good vitamins as a large reason as to why we have avoided it. There are a several of other things we do as well.
2) I like to add some extra vitamin D, as many studies now say that Vitamin D may be the key to helping to prevent not only the flu, but also cancer. Low vitamin D levels lower your immune function. You can ask your doctor to check your levels.
At Atuscedero State Hospital significantly lower levels of flu were found among inmates living in the same wing of the prison. It was later found that those inmates had been receiving supplemental vitamin D that the other inmates had not been receiving.
When you consider that many people start out with low levels of vitamin D, then stay inside bundled up during the winter, never seeing the sun, and further develop lower vitamin D levels, it makes sense that they might be more susceptible to infection during the "flu season." 1000IU/day is the recommended amount of vitamin D by some sources. Others say we need more, much more. Dr. Jay Rowen who writes Second Opinion recommends up to 5000IU/day year-round, but especially in the winter months. He reports that he has not seen any evidence of toxicity at levels even higher than that, but that few people are getting even a 1000IU/day.
It is actually difficult to raise your vitamin D levels. Milk is an inconsistent source of vitamin D and we don't drink much at my house. Our multivitamins have some, as do the calcium supplement we take, but I also have some liquid drops that contain both water-soluble and fat-soluble formulations of vitamin D. My parents and grandparents took cod liver oil for vitamin D & it is still a good source. The Life Extension Foundation feels that low levels of vitamin D constitute a national health emergency. They make a good case. Read more about the urgent need for Vitamin D supplementation in Life Extension Foundation.
3)Get Enough Sleep Science has finally found a link between your immune function and sleep...it's about time. Most adults need between 7-8 hours of sleep. Your children probably need more depending on their ages.
4) Eat Balanced Meals (& Listen to Mom) Fruit and veggies are still as important as Mom & Grandma said they were, & remember, they said it first, before science "proved it". Mom also wanted you to take vitamins and the AMA only within the last couple of years acknowledged that need. So listen to your mother!
5) Drink Plenty of Water- not just liquids. Liquids generally include fruit juice, sodas, coffee, tea, and alcohol for some, especially around the holidays.The last 4 liquids
can act as diuretics, causing you to lose more fluid than you drank. Not good. Dehydration is a big cause of physical stress and lowers your immune function, besides a causing a number of other health problems. With the heat on in your home and lower humidity, you will need to keep your consumption of water up.
6) Use a Humidifier&/or vaporizer You don't want your nasal passages drying out.This is a portal for germs. Moisture in the air also helps keeps the secretions in your chest loose and fluid.(Yuck!) This allows you immune cells to move around easier and do their attacking & clean-up job more effectively. It also helps you stay hydrated at night when you don't necessarily want to be consuming a lot of water. (Hello! Sleep is important..see #3?)
7) Limit sugar Intake. You should have figured this out by now.( If not, you are skimming & not very well!) Another reason to choose water over juice & soda, is that juice and soda contain high amounts of sugars. I am not saying don't ever eat sugar, though it does have numerous negative health effects. I am a realist. I am saying cut back. Don't make as many cookies. Cut the amount of sugar you use in a recipe. You can usually eliminate up to half the amount. You'll have to experiment. Offer treats that are not sugar based. Try some new(healthy) appetizers, nuts, red pepper or roasted garlic hummus. Yummm! Make sure you are eating enough fruits, veggies, high quality protein, fats and carbohydrates(the ones with fiber) so that you are not hungry and tempted to over- indulge. There are plenty of sources on the Internet and of course there is always a book available on the subject of how to cut sugar from your diet.
I do not recommending using sugar substitute except for stevia, Lo-han, and perhaps Xylitol (although there is even some controversy surrounding it. Darn!) All the other well-hyped sugar substitutes have a number of negative effects on overall health and can be particularly problematic for certain individuals and groups of individuals. Excitotoxins: the Taste that Kills, by Russel Blaylock MD, (professor of neurosurgery) goes into more detail, if you are interested.
8) Practice Stress Reduction: exercise, yoga, tai-chi, whatever appeals to you
Think of all the physical stressors you encounter during the holidays: the shopping with crowds, driving with roads packed with cars (and idiots, I meant to say, distracted, stressed-out, and possibly sick drivers), crowded airports, & tight schedules. There is nothing like a holiday celebration to bring out emotional stress brought on by visiting family and in-laws. Ask any therapist. And let's not forget the newest stressor: elevated terrorist threats. Is it any wonder it can be difficult for many to stay healthy this time of year?
By the way, stress and sugar use up your B vitamins so taking an extra B-Complex vitamin might be beneficial. You could take a Valium (if you could get one) but why? Your body is screaming out for more nutrition., not drugs Low magnesium levels also result in more stress and anxiety too. I like to sit down with a cup of "magnesium tea" to relax. It's raspberry-lemon flavored, sweetened with stevia (Peter Gillham's Natural Vitality. No, not paid for that.)
9) get fresh air- Fresh air does not have the high concentration of germs that indoor air has & getting out in it and breathing deeply is a great way to reduce the stress, not to mention, it let's you get away from some of your greatest stressors. You know who I mean!
10) I also keep extra vitamin A, vitamin C, and Zinc on hand always, as they are the foundation of nutrients needed for fighting off viral and bacterial infections. You rip through these nutrients the way a puppy rips though newspaper. So stalk up on them and remember to take them when you feel the first tingling of illness. I take 50,000 IU of vitamin A the first few days, 1000-2000mg of C every 4-6 hours (I like Ester C) and suck on a zinc lozenge every other hour for the first day. In doing this I have successfully limited colds to a day or two or nipped them in the bud completely.
Vitamin C itself is worthy of more discussion about it's role in your immune function. If you take nothing else, take vitamin C, at least 500mg twice a day. I take about 6 grams/day. Individual needs vary greatly. If you bruise easily or get sick easily, you probably need more vitamin C.
11) Eat yogurt with live cultures or take a probiotic. At least 70% of your immune system is located in your gut. A lot of our eating and drinking habits (including drinking chlorinated water) kill off these incredibly important microbes. Antibiotics greatly reduce the numbers of good and bad bacteria. Supplementing them helps repopulate your gut, which protects you from other undesirable microbes. It is a constant battle. You can help support the good guys! Studies show that children who take probiotics after a course of antibiotics have fewer relapses.
Understanding just how important these microbes are constitutes a relatively new area of research. Just a few years ago medicine taught that there were under 50 different kinds of microbes. The latest count has identified more than 1000 different kinds of microbes. They appear to do many complex things such as make vitamins, extract energy, and nutrition from food. They may play a role in maintaining your weight, among other things, and have been known to turn on and off cancers. Research has just scratched the surface on their role in your health.
Research doesn't always filter down to the frontlines of care quickly, so don't wait for your doctor to recommend a probiotic. Start taking them now. My own gastroenterologist said that if more people knew about probiotics, it might put him out of business. Well, I don't know if he was serious about that, but the point is they are important to health. We may never understand their complete complexity.
12) Zycam
Another thing we do is add Zycam to our small arsenal of medications. The original Zycam states that it is a homeopathic gel that is placed on mucous membranes- nose /mouth at the first signs of cold or flu. They took "flu" off the label in the last few years, so I guess it works best for colds, but sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. You don’t have to call the doctor. You just have to have it and use it. It is absorbed quickly and acts fast. There are many different preparations of Zycam now. My favorite is still the original. It can unplug a nose that feels like a block of wood on your face faster than Afrin. It can shorten the duration and severity of a cold and possibly the flu. I think it is great stuff! I tell everyone I know. ( & no, the company doesn't pay me).
Tip: I use the original and squirt a small amount on the end of a sterile Q-tip and gently put it inside the nose close to the nostril opening and rotate so that the gel covers the nasal tissues. Remove the q-tip & turn over the q-tip using the other sterile end. Squirt out another small amount on it to apply the inside of the other nostril.(a large drip will do). The point of this is to not contaminate the tip of the bottle. Teach other family members this procedure if they are old enough or do it yourself so that a) other family members can also use the same bottle & b) you will save money and c) prevent discomfort.
A bottle runs about $12 and you can get through a season with one or 2 if you are careful not to contaminate the tip. (You and your other family member might not have the same illness, so you don't want to trade germs.) The other reason to use the product sparingly is that if you use the amount recommended by the manufacturer, I (and other members of my family & some friends) have found that over time the gel starts to burn. This may be an allergy to something in the gel. Using a smaller amount still did a fine job and did not cause burning. Zycam is a great product.
It took my husband and my mother 2 years of me telling them "Try the Zycam." Finally they both tried it and then, they both told me that I should try it! ARGG!! I guess in those 2 years they forgot I had recommended it to them two years ago! ( Do you see why I blog!? A written record is a means of sanity) You will want to keep some Zycam on hand and remember to use it at the first signs of cold and flu.
Flu? Who Me?
I haven't seen lines around Walgreen's on the news this year & people complaining that they haven’t gotten their shot, but I have seen constant reminders at my grocery store to "Get your Flu shot here!" I have also seen it at Wal-greens, CVS, on a billboard outside a doctor's office, & in the newspaper. More personally I went to see a doctor recently and had a procedure most over 50 are familiar with. That night I began running a fever and had chills. Whatever I had was coming on like gang-busters. A half hour into it, wearing two bathrobes, two blankets and a hat, (& looking ridiculous!) it occurred to me that this was a lot like the flu. My joints were achy too. I called the doctor. He said, "Sounds like the flu. Did you get your flu shot?" NO? Why not?!"
I like this guy. He did a good job and I would recommend him to anyone, but I don't believe that everyone should get a flu shot. In fact there are a lot of reasons you may not want to get a flu shot, reasons that the makers of flu shots don't go out of there way to share with you, and I certainly didn't want to get into them right then. I told him that I don't get the flu and if I did, perhaps then, I would consider the possibility of getting a shot next year. Was that politically correct? Not bad for a gal with 102 degree temperature!
Unsuspected Stress
I know I said we hadn't had the flu in years, so why did I have the flu, or at least the beginnings of the flu? Have you ever had the prep they give for colonoscopy? If you have then you know you are cleaned internally from stem to stern. Even though I drank fluids continuously as suggested, by the morning of the procedure I was dehydrated enough that I was dizzy. Dehydration, as I mentioned earlier in this article, is a tremendous stressor to ones system. Added to that fact is the understanding that at least 70% of one's immune system is located in the gut & that gut has just been chemically scrubbed; another tremendous stressor to the immune system. Lastly, part of the protocol called for consuming 64 oz of Gatorade. That's a lot of sugar. Just 1 teaspoon lowers one's immune function for 4- 6 hours. Imagine how much sugar is in a gallon of Gatorade! The effect of all those things together makes it is easy to see how I could start getting the flu after that kind of assault on my immune system. Chances are good that we all get exposed to the virus during "flu season" even if we feel fine. The germ is there just waiting for an opportunity. Destroying our lines of defense are the just the breaches needed to give the virus the foothold it needs to spread.
Flu? NOT!
13) Oscillococcinum
The other flu remedies I like to keep on hand is either Oscillococcinum (a mouthful to say & kind of pricey) or Flu Care, (cheaper and effective), or Gelsinium. All are homeopathic remedies that help with flu symptoms ,or if taken earlier enough, can knock out the flu. This is what I took the night I was bundled up 4 layers deep and still shivering hard enough to make my teeth clatter. First I took the Gelsinium. After about 15 minutes I could tell my temperature was still going up fast, so I broke into the box of Oscillococcinum. I took one dose and I could feel that that my temperature was not going up as fast. A couple of hours later I took another dose and went to bed. I took no aspirin, Tylenol, or Motrin. Sometime during the night my fever broke and my achy joints subsided. The next day I felt kind of weak, as if I had been really sick, but no signs of the flu...fever, joint aches, headache, sore throat, cough, no appetite. I feel like I dodged the "flu-bullet". So I stand by my 10 year flu-free record. Oscillococcinum is also a terrific product and they sell it in family packs of three. ( No... don't get paid for that either)
14) Be sure and wash your hands frequently, especially after shaking hands with anyone, and after being out in public places (remember the grocery cart?) as soon as you get home (besides the usual times: bathroom, before eating, preparing food, after sneezing or coughing into your hand)
15) Train yourself to cough or sneeze into your elbow. This reduces the amount of infective agents you spread by touching objects and exposing yourself to. This is shown in the the video from Studio4kids.tv
16) Keep your hands away from your face!! This keeps the germs from entering your mucous membranes, ie mouth, nose, eyes.Coughing or sneezing into your hand, while protecting those immediately around you, also exposes you to whatever else you have picked up on your hands as you clasp your hand to your face.
17) Certain herbs can help build your immune system. A friend recently sent me
Martha Stewart's website.(Thanks, Carolyn!) It has a list of herbs and homeopathic remedies to help you out. These are good, & some I have already mentioned. I suggest you pick only one or two to try. The cost of using all would be substantial and their use confusing. You may not know which one helped you if you use several of them simutaneously. I have concerns about using the Chinese derived herbs because of the apparent lack of quality control coming out of China. If you are already taking medication for a health problem there is always cause for some concern about mixing herbs and medication.
18)Change your toothbrush. Since the flu virus mutates quickly it is prudent to change your toothbrush after being ill. Perhaps not changing out a toothbrush is part of the reason family members relapse with the flu & pass the flu back and forth. This is recommened for individuals with Strep infections too. And is a good idea in general after any illness.
If you take nothing else from this article remember this: the flu virus is only a small part of the equation of actually "getting the flu."
Stress + lousy diet + dehydration + high exposure to other people's germs + sugar + sugar + sugar + low Vitamin. D levels + even more stress+ lack of sleep+ the actual flu virus =
( lack of /or reduced personal health habits + the flu virus) = The Flu
If you stuck with me this long you may be wishing that you read this before Christmas. Well I had hoped to put it out then too, but things happened, (but not the flu) But remember, "flu season" is still with us...even though the the "fests" have all played out. The resulting flues probably occur because of the health choices made, holiday stressors, and maybe unforseen circumstances within the last few months. Don't despair: Clean up your act now. Work on your immune system. A strong immune system will help you avoid the flu and other illnesses too.
A dear friend called me the other night because her daughter was writhing in pain with nausea and vomiting. What could she do for her daughter, she wanted to know? There is nothing worse than standing by helplessly while our child suffers. I went through a very similar thing with my 20 year old recently and believe me, it doesn't get any easier the older they get.
It was easier for me to think since I wasn't in the room with this girl I have known since she was 6 weeks old. Here are a few things I recommended that evening and several more I have come upon since. The bottom line is that if you have kids, you will have need of these at some time and often it is at the most inopportune times. (Think: 2 a.m.- Who wants to go to the store then?) If you live by yourself- even more reason to "be prepared."
OK Scouts.....
1) Sip small frequent sips of water
- Mix in a couple of pinches of sea salt and a pinch of sugar. (Gatorade or Pedialyte if you have it) Helps prevent dehydration and electrolyte imbalance
-Don't make it too cold or too warm unless the patient wants it that way.
-This treatment resulted in one last rush to the bathroom for the sufferer and then she slept the rest of the night. Was it the treatment? Or had the illness played itself out? I don't know. I have reason to think it may have helped. It can help prevent dehydration.
2)Try hot, cold, warm or cool
-I offered my daughter a hot water bottle or heating pad. She found some comfort in the hot water bottle.
-The other daughter prefers a cooler approach since she used to say that her tummy "felt hot" before these events. She preferred a cool wash cloth, one on her forehead and one on her stomach.
-If your child doesn't want either heat or cold, do not force her to try it. Move on to something else.
3) Try Gripe Water
-Gripe Water is an herbal remedy used in Europe (and this country many years ago) It seems to be making a comeback, as I have seen it in several stores here.
-It contains sterile water combined with several herbs, usually ginger, fennel, dill, chamomile. It is good for colic, but would also be worth a try for nausea & vomiting.
4) No Gripe Water?
-You may have any of the herbs from Gripe Water(what an awful name!) in your kitchen cabinet and try making up a tea with those.
-Try 1 tsp herb to one cup near boiling water: steep, cool, strain, serve. It should be room temperature generally before serving.
5) Raspberry Leaf or Mint Tea- can be helpful in relieving nausea.
6) Coke or Cola Syrup- My mother used to give us Coke Syrup for both nausea and vomiting.
-Walgreen's still sells this, though they call it Cola Syrup. It runs $3.49 for 4 oz.
-Children can take 1-2 teaspoons/ hour. Adults take 1-2 tablespoons/hour.
-CVS pharmacy said they didn't have it (actually the person I spoke with didn't know what it was/or for) but then neither did Walgreen's at first.
-Have the clerk ask the pharmacists. He or she should know
-It lasts a long time so you can purchase a bottle and store it on the back shelf till you need it.
7) Try a flat soda-(soda-pop, pop, or cola- whatever your region calls it). Coke, or Pepsi, or Ginger Ale, I got through my 1st pregnancy with Mountain Dew and though it helped with the nausea I wonder what impact it had on my child who later developed ADHD- Don't do it
-Stir with a spoon till all the fizzy is gone.
-The gas from the soda will aggravate nausea and vomiting in most, so get rid of it.
-Again room temp is usually best
- Use decaf- especially if you are pregnant
8) Unisom mixed with Pepsi???
The Pharmcatalyst website explains how the vomiting center is controlled by the brain. That is partially correct. Your body has many triggers for nausea and vomiting. Some of those triggers are psychological,(seeing another person vomit can trigger the same response in you). But if you are vomiting because your have a gastro-bug or food poisoning, your body is vomiting as a defense mechanism. Just because modern pharmaceuticals may be able to stop the vomiting, doesn't mean it is good for your body to do so. In holistic health it is better for your body to rid itself of the poisoned food rather than to have it go through your system. When the body has emptied itself of the offending food, and continues to be stuck in a pattern of nonproductive vomiting, it is appropriate to intervene and stop the vomiting.
-I am not recommending this, but in case you saw it on either of the following two websites, I think it is worth some discussion:
-On Sethblog.com there is a discussion about whether it is ethical to be selling the information on Pharmcatalyst website. For $5 you can learn about an over the counter medication that eases nausea and vomiting.
-The active ingredients (according to Seth) are Unisom (doxylamine, the active ingredient, is an antihistamine) and Pepsi.
-If your kid is throwing up and miserable you are not worrying too much about the ethics, but you do need to be concerned about the safety!
-The use of this product is not recommended for those under the age of 6.
-Doxylamine has been in a number of Tylenol cold remedies because it helps you sleep.
-I won't pay the $5 because I won't use this, but if you do, make sure there are safety guidelines on how much Unisome to give your child. And be sure to read& heed all the safety warnings. There are a number of exceptions to using this remedy listed before you pay your money.
-And keep in mind that children are not small adults. You can't necessarily give "half the dose" or a "third of the dose" and be sure it is safe for a child even though this is done by the medical community at times.
-The pharmacist who writes this site claims the medication causes drowsiness,but won't keep your child from getting up to vomit...but I am not so sure....
-The last thing you want is for your child to aspirate (breath in) some of the vomit. !!! I don't know if he is a parent, but I don't trust his statement for all children. You know your child and how easy or hard he/she is to wake up.
-Use your judgment and don't assume that the pharmacist is right on this score.
That being said:
9)Unisom During Pregnancy
-The active ingredient in Unisom, doxylamine is used in the treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum (severe vomiting in pregnancy)
-It is used in conjunction with Vitamin B6, which is also used as a stand alone treatment for the same condition by more holistic practitioners.
-Talk to your doctor before using any medications during pregnancy.
-There are risks and side effects in using any & all medication.
-An unborn child is at particularly high risk.
Interesting that both uses of Unisom are mixed with other treatments that are also used as stand alone treatments .... makes me wonder if Unison would even work by itself.... But perhaps the added ingredients potentiate the effects.
9) Raspberry leaf tea or mint tea can help to sooth nausea.
10) Ginger Tea- My favorite for relieving nausea- I know I mentioned ginger under "gripe water". But I feel it deserves its own paragraph. I used this recently when I experienced severe nausea as a side effect of a medication for 10 solid days-
-Yes, all medications have side effects. I can't emphasize that enough. I made ginger tea every morning & afternoon and that is what got me through the day.
-The latest studies show that ginger tea is as good as many of the drugs given for nausea, and unlike the drugs, there is not a long list of side effects associated with ginger.
-So the next time you are at the grocery store grab some ginger root from the produce section.
-When you get home put it in a freezer baggy and toss it in the freezer.
-When you need it take it out and carefully scrape off about 1-2 teaspoons of ginger. Place in a cup and pour boiling water over it. Let it steep and cool before drinking. Add sugar if desired. The sugar can be helpful for the nausea too.
-I love ginger so I also ate the ginger remains in the cup. The tea eliminated my nausea for a minimum of 4 hours. Impressive!
11) Try some Essential Oils This is something you have to pick up at the store unless you happen to have some real essential oils around the home.
-Do not use substances that contain fragrances that mimic essential oil. They are not the same thing, and do not work like essential oils.
-Lavender oil works well at relaxing people and helping them to sleep. The active molecules work on the brain through the olfactory system and it doesn't take much to work- a drop or two. Based on this theory and that of how the Unisom works, it makes sense that the essential oils might also act on the centers that control vomiting.
-Here is a recipe from Aromatherapy, by Valerie Gennari Cooksley:
"1 drop basil, 1 drop of peppermint,1 drop of lavender 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Rub in hands to warm and inhale deeply over the nose and mouth area ( 3 slow relaxed inhalations) then massage gently over the abdomen in a circular motion. Other helpful oils include lemon, anise, and fennel. You can place them on a tissue and breathe."
-If the odor aggravates the nausea be sure to wash hands thoroughly.
12) Homeopathics can be very helpful
-The one I keep on hand is Nux Vomica and that is easy to remember because the name is so similar to that which it treats.
-There are numerous homeopathic preparations that help nausea and vomiting that are accompanied by different specific symptoms. This can make it difficult for the parent to know which is the appropriate remedy for the child.
-It will probably be labled Indigestion" or "Stomach" or "Gastro"- something that will indicate for stomach problems
13) Reflexology from Body Reflexology: Healing at your fingertips, by Mildred Carter & Tammy Weber.
-The authors recommend a point to press between the two large tendons of the wrist and 3 finger widths down from the wrist (towards the elbow).
-They suggest that you press this "button" until the patient experiences an aching sensation.
-It can take 25 minutes of more for severe nausea. It seems this technique was very helpful for two young men who suffered from sea sickness long after they had gone on land.
-It's free, harmless, and requires no drive to the store... definitely worth a try.
Lastly,
You may have your own method that works well for you and your family. We would be glad if you shared it. Or if you try one of these and it works well, please let us know. Likewise, if it is a dismal failure... that's good to know too. But remember no treatment is successful 100% of the time on 100% of people.. not even medications.
My first article on nausea and vomiting is my most read article on this blog so I thought I would add to the list of possible things to do for nausea based on my latest successful experience.
I spent last week so far under the weather that I started to think there was no sun. A viral sinus infection complete with migraine, left me sitting up in bed for two nights with miserable nausea.. My local pharmacy no longer sells the cola syrup I referred to in the first article. I had checked a few weeks ago just to keep some on hand. Two cups of my all-time best remedy for me, ginger tea, did little to help relieve the nausea, though chewing on some of the root did help a bit. You won't get a child or many adults to do that though.
In my desperation to distract myself, I grabbed my IPod and started listening to some enjoyable music. I had to adjust the music so that I didn't find it too loud, nor too fast,(Gypsy Kings, you made it worse) and within minutes I was dropping off to sleep..( Thank you, Dixie Chicks!) I did wake up several times that night and did still experience nausea especially when I tried to lie down, but as long as I kept propped up with pillows I was comfortable enough to get to sleep.
One of the links in the first article states that nausea is really in the mind.That makes some sense. There is a very strong mind gut connection. However there are times when the turmoil is definitely the stomach and the mind has nothing to do with it.
But when it seems that you are dealing with nausea that you feel you would be better off going ahead and vomiting, but cannot, you might try listening to some soothing or just plain music you love.
It is becoming common knowledge that stress is responsible for most of our illnesses.(Up to 80% or more illnesses are influenced or brought on by stress) And let's face it, money stress is a huge source of stress.
Today I am going to give you the best tool I have found to deal with money stress.
You know how you dread opening your electrical/gas
bill when the temperatures have been soaring above 100 degrees in Texas? Or dipping
below freezing? ... Don't you feel the dread (yes, that's stress) as you open the envelope?
Well, I help people in Texas
lower their energy bills as much as 30% Other states may be less, but there are great incentives to change service to Ambit Energy, including the opportunity to earn free energy! Imagine-- no or low cost energy bill (How does $5.00 a month sound?) What would you do with the extra cash?I am guessing you already know.
You may or may not be aware that energy is
being deregulated all over the nation by government mandate. This is
predicted to be the largest redistribution of wealth ever... 5 times bigger
than the break up of "Ma-Bell" back in the late '80s.
Some believe that break up was largely
responsible for the advances we have in cell phone technology... I didn’t see
the vision then, but I do now.
Think of what this might do for energy
technology!It might give green
energy a real boost! ( You may not care about that, but I do.) Competition breeds innovation. We could use some of that these days.
I am an Ambit Independent Consultant. Iam a consultant for the competitors to the former energy monopolies.
Ambit is rated the fastest growing privately
held company in this month's ( October)issue of INC. 500, and it's no wonder!
Energy is something used by everyone, everyday,
practically every minute! Can you make money in this business?
Yes, I have already started!
I was shocked at how quickly and easily I
earned my first $300 check!
I'd be interested in helping you get started-
Email your questions, level of interest and if you are not interested for yourself, any referrals of people you know who want to lower their costs or increase income. Why would you keep this a secret?
I am very interested in your health.( Read some of my other articles to get aquainted with me ) And I know that money is a huge factor both in getting access to health care, taking good care of your body, and taking time off from work when you are sick. This all costs you money.
Helping to alleviate those stresses will translate into better health for most.
Perhaps with the money you save you can pay for higher quality food or supplements. You can also earn travel points for every kilowatt used for that well needed vacation. After all stress is the greatest instigator of illness.
Barb Kaiser RN, BSN Holistic Health Consultant/
& Ambit Independent Consultant
Contact me @ <studio4moms@gmail.com> put "money stress" in the title
Disclaimer:
This is an Independent Consultant Web site (or blog) and is not created nor maintained by Ambit Energy (a Texas-based Retail Energy Provider, PUCT Certificate #10117). The site owner is solely responsible for the content. The Ambit Energy Independent Consultant logo and name are the property of Ambit Energy Holdings, LLC and are used on this site by permission.
Magnesium? Yes... you have heard of it, but if it were that important wouldn't your doctor be telling you about it? Well, unfortunately, no.
Transdermal Magnesium Therapy
by Marc Sircus, Ac. OMD, is a great read to explain why you need
magnesium, why you are not hearing much about it, and explains one of
the easiest and most effective methods to replace the magnesium you
lose everyday. Magnesium is necessary to carry out over 300 enzymatic
reactions/day in your body.
What do you suppose happens when you don't have enough on board? Do you think those reactions are important, or did nature just throw them in there for fun?
Here are some other conditions affected by low magnesium, or in some cases may actually be the cause of the problem:
ADD/ADHD Autism anxiety asthma
allergies arthritis blood pressure breathing problems chronic pain- (including cancer pain) constipation dental problems depression diabetes eczema emotional instability heart problems kidney problems (with some kidney problems magnesium supplementation is dangerous)
( Speak with your doctor & read chapter in book on contraindications) inflammation infertility (men & woman) lowered immunity memory problems menopausal problems neuropathy ( numbness with or without pain) muscle pain muscle twitching osteopenia osteoporosis PMS poor bone growth premature ejaculation problems associated with aging problems associated with pregnancy pre-eclampsia Restless Leg Syndrome sleeping problems slow healing sexual problems sports performance
In
fact there is just about no health problem that a low magnesium level
won't make worse, & may actually be the cause or significantly
contribute to the problem.
Are you getting the picture? Magnesium is hugely important! Most of the
problems are discussed in the book in depth & the book is well
documented.
Going Green?
The
truth
is
most of us don't get near enough magnesium. One of the best
sources is green vegetables, but let's face it, a lot of people don't
like green vegetables. Even if you are like me and do like them,
magnesium can be lost in cooking. Many of our dietary habits
also place huge demands on our magnesium levels such as consuming
alcohol, sugar and refined carbohydrates, ie baked goods, caffeine. Our
needs are much higher
than a serving or two of spinach can provide. So while you are feeling
smug about eating a large salad for lunch, just know that you are
likely still not getting enough. However, you are doing better than
most of the population.
Magnesium Drains sugar refined carbohydrates ( baked goods, white rice polished grains) alcohol caffeine illness stress medications-see list below. This list is more than likely extremely incomplete as there are so many drugs on the market and have been for a long time.
Drugs (List from Pharmacology- A Nursing Process, 6th addition, Kees,Hays & McCuistion) Diuretics- anything that drains potassium Lasix, Edecrin Mannitol Antibiotics- Tobramycin Gentamiacin Carbenicillin Neomycin Polymyxin B Amphotericin B (we used to call it Ampho-terrible) Digitalis Calcium gluconate Insulin Laxatives Corticosteroids- cortisone, prednisone
How Much Is Enough?
The general recommendation for magnesium today is somewhere between
400-600mg a day. But as with all
things needs very with gender, size,
age, illness, stress, individual absorption capabilities,medication,
and type of magnesium taken. And
because our environment is so filled with toxicity our needs increase
dramatically as magnesium is needed to detox all that environmental
pollution we have absorbed. And by the way, medications have their own
toxic residue which is part of the reason they lower mag. levels.
With
an increase in the understanding of Magnesium's role in our health,
people involved in Integrative/Complementary health may recommend up to
a 1000mg daily and a ratio of 1:1 magnesium
to calcium rather than the 2:1/ Ca to Mg; which is currently being
promoted
by many.
Some African tribes flourished with strong bones, healthy teeth and no osteoporosis on as little as 400mg of calcium a day.
Allopathic medicine recommends between 1200-1500mg/day, and still we
have increasing rates of osteoporosis and osteopenia. The difference?
Those African tribes received much more magnesium from their
plant-based diet (along with other trace minerals, vitamins K) and
vitamin D from sunshine.
The author of All You Health Questions Answered Naturally, Maureen Kennedy Salaman, recommends a ratio of 4:1. That's Magnesium, 4
to Calcium, 1. I thought it was a misprint when I first read it, but
she repeats it consistently throughout her book. I
will say she is the only person I know of who recommends that much, but
given our increased needs for magnesium for detox purposes, I think she
may be on to something.
Transdermal Therapy Beats Oral Consumption
According to Transdermal Magnesium Therapy by Marc Sircus, Ac. OMD (
Doctor of Oriental Medicine) taking magnesium supplementation by mouth is
a slow and often ineffective way to increase intracellular magnesium.
A number of problems in individuals can affect absorption. Being low in
magnesium actually reduces your absorption capability, according to the author. Well, that is a bummer!
Transdermal
replacement
can much more quickly increase magnesium levels without
causing loose stool, so common when replacing magnesium. Applying it
topically(/transdermally) makes it easier for kids who
can't or won't swallow pills. Older people too may have difficulty
swallowing large supplements and don't absorb well. Of course there
are the infants and the infirmed who may well need supplementation and
transdermally would provide both magnesium and touch. Both are
important. People report stinging sensations when magnesium is applied
on the skin, so dilution may be called for and care to avoid open sores.
Eat a lot of Sweets During the Holidays?
For those of you who read Temper Tantrum/ Restless Leg Syndrome
you may want to consider that magnesium deficiency could be at the
root of Juniors' temper tantrums, (or your frustration in dealing with
them.) When you consider that sugar is a huge drain for magnesium and
that magnesium helps to keep you & Junior or Juniora relaxed, it
might not be surprising that after the holidays, the younger kids may
have more temper tantrums. This goes for older kids and adults,
though they might experience irritability or depression. I noted that
the highest read article on this blog after the holidays and at the
return of school was temper tantrums. Coincidence? I think not.
Depressed or Know Someone Who Is?
Some
think that magnesium deficiency may be at the root of this nation's
high rate of depression (that along with decreased intake of Omega 3
fatty acids.) Neurotransmitters regulate mood, sleep, motivation,
concentration, and really just about all mind & body endeavors.
Availability of magnesium is imperative in order to create these
neuro-transmitters. That is why without magnesium so many systems are
affected and so much dis-ease occurs.
Magnesium replacement is
recognized by the allopathic health community as a treatment in heart
attacks, pre-eclampsia, and constipation. Unfortunately beyond that, the medical
community doesn't really concern itself with teaching the patient
about this unmet need, mainly because they too are in the dark. And
they are educated to use medication.
If you are on medication for depression be sure to check with your
doctor before adding magnesium to your regime. Magnesium may affect
the dose of medication.
Lithium may cause an imbalance in blood levels of magnesium as oppposed to cellular levels of magnesium, which would be dangerous. Definitely speak with your doctor before taking any magnesium if you are on Lithium.
Got Milk?....Cow's Milk and a Lot of Bull!! Yes, and Increasing Rates of Osteoporosis in Women and Men!
Unfortunately there is such an emphasis on taking calcium and very
little on magnesium. And the case of milk exemplifies this: high
calcium and phosphate but low to nothing in magnesium. If milk were
such a good source of calcium, and calcium were all it is cracked up to
be, do you think we would have increasing rates of osteoporosis? We
cannot rely on calcium alone to build bone. And milk's calcium is just not very available.
Nor
can we rely on the Milk Council or advertisers to provide us with
health information or have the best interest in our health. They have a product to sell.
Magnesium (along with trace minerals and vitamin D3) are probably as important as calcium for Bone building for several reasons:
1)calcium
provides structure: but magnesium provides flexibility. Brittle Bones
break easily. They may be hard, but inflexible.. think concrete vs steel. 2) magnesium plays a big role in hormone and neurotransmitter creation. Both tell your body how and when to make bones. Without the correct instructions the job doesn't get done right. 3) without the other components Ca doesn't get used for bone and it gets laid down in other areas of your body...& not where you want it. Where do you think those calcified blood vessels and calcifations in eyeballs come from?
1 Out of 6 Children has a Learning Disorder. Do You Know One ( or more)?
*This statistic is just shocking and deserves a whole other blog.*
Kids
with ADD/ADHD , autism and other learning disabilities are on the
Autistic spectrum and many have increased problems absorbing
magnesium. Add that to a diet that doesn't provide enough magnesium to
begin with, may contain sugar which uses up magnesium, plus medications that use up magnesium, your child is
headed for extreme deficiency of magnesium which can manifest in any
number of problems: tantrums are just one. You too Will experience increased stress and increased magnesium needs.
RLSers (those of you with Restless Leg Syndrome-about 15% of the population!) Take Heed!
In
that same article on Temper Tantrums, I discussed that I had taken
magnesium in the past and it didn't help my RLS, but I have since
learned that the detox I did opened up mineral magnesium receptor sites
and allowed the magnesium to go where it was supposed to go and do what
was is suppose to do. Magnesium also helps with the detox process. So
if you have RLS, detox is still very important, but so is magnesium
supplementation. I like Liquid Zeolites for detoxing. I find them to
be safe, fast, effective, & inexpensive. Using
a a topically applied magnesium gel/oil may be a faster more effective
method to get relief from RLS even if magnesium supplementation hasn't
worked in the past.
Working with Your Doctor/ Health Care Provider
Blood
levels of magnesium do not reflect the intracellular amounts of
magnesium, since the blood magnesium makes up about 1% of total
magnesium according to Dr. Circus. The body will do whatever it can to
maintain proper blood levels of magnesium because it is so immediately
essential to heart function. Getting tested for cellular magnesium
levels is not that accurate, convenient, or necessary. The most common side effect of
too much magnesium is diarrhea. Pharmacology: A Nursing Process states:
"Hypomagnesemia is probably the most undiagnosed electrolyte deficiency. This is most likely because hypomagnesemia is asymptomatic until the serum magnesium level approaches 1mEq/L.The total serum magnesium concentration is not representative of the cellular magnesium levels"
I would have to say that there are any number of symptoms of low magnesium, but you have to know what to look for, take an interest in finding the source of the problem not just getting rid (temporarily) of a symptom, and you have to undestand how common the hypomagnesemia or low magnesium is.
If
you are taking medications you should, of course, let your doctor know
you are supplementing with magnesium. Magnesium can affect the dose of
some medications. You may actually be able to reduce or eliminate your
blood pressure medication, but only do so under medical supervision.
Replenishing
magnesium levels within the cell can take a while; up to a year if you
are doing it orally. The transdermal approach is suppose to allow
faster absorption that can occur in less than 3 months and many people
claim to feel a difference with in a week or two.
Yours in Good Health, Barb Kaiser RN, BSN, Holistic Health Consultant
I love this idea. If I was sure everyone would wash their hands and didn't have a concern about exposure to light and air degrading the supplements I might do it. In the meantime I strongly agree with the writer's sentiments.
Wishing You the Best Health, Barb Kaiser RN BSN, Holistic Health Consultant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service,
January 26, 2010
Vitamins and Teenagers: A Personal Statement by Stephen H.
Brown, PhD
(OMNS, Jan 26, 2010) In our house, vitamin supplements sit on the counter in
open bowls like nuts, dried fruits, or jelly beans.
Colds, respiratory illnesses, intestinal viruses, mono, and other infectious
diseases are constantly present in American schools. In response, my teenage
kids have placed four bowls on the kitchen counter - a large one in the middle
full of vitamin C surrounded by three smaller bowls of niacin, vitamin D, and
thiamine tablets. They help themselves to the vitamins when they feel the need,
and many of their friends have adopted the idea as well. Regularly, the kids
report that the vitamins actually work. The most frequent comments are, "Wow, I
can breath through my nose again!", and "I was sure I was getting sick yesterday
but I feel fine today."
How did this start? My father introduced me to vitamin C as a teenager and I
was further inspired by Linus Pauling's "How to Live Longer and Feel
Better." (1) In order to safely raise my kids on extra vitamins with maximum
effectiveness, I started actively researching orthomolecular medicine. As a
result, I advised my teenage children to focus on responsive dosing of four
vitamins that are underrepresented in modern diets. I provided the following
suggested daily doses as a starting point:
6000 mg of vitamin C 4000 IU of vitamin D 200 mg of thiamine 250
mg of time-release niacin
There is an obvious association between vitamin intake and poor health.
Teenagers can understand this. Some might think that it is not good parenting to
let teens have unfettered access to nutrients. We need to constantly remember
that these and other vitamins are non-prescription for a reason. (2) As previous
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service articles have pointed out (3), vitamins are
remarkably safe. They are far better then sugary candy, fast foods loaded with
sodium and fat, or caffeine-laced soft drinks.
Vitamin supplements have been widely available for only a few decades. For
the first time, families have the ability to independently control intakes of
essential nutrients. A very large amount of research has repeatedly shown that
proactively controlling micro-nutrients is necessary to optimize health.
Easy access, peer acceptance, and occasional obvious usefulness, in that
order, appear to me to be important motivators for teenagers. I am hopeful that
my kids are more sensitive to their own health and the health of their friends,
and are looking for an association between supplement use and improved
health.
The kids know I'm the family "expert" on vitamins and I have occasional in
depth conversations. I rarely maintain their interest. Vitamins have not, in my
opinion, taken health care's center stage because this theory is not
particularly exciting. But you can prove it works by giving it a fair trial.
The vitamin revolution is about behavior. I don't care why the kids take
vitamins B1, B3, C, and D. I just care that they take them, and stay well as a
result. Watching my children and their friends independently control their
vitamin intake has been a turning point for me. I believe that my kids are
ordinary kids and that most kids will respond similarly.
Media scare stories aside, the overwhelming scientific evidence is that we
are living in a time of epidemic vitamin deficiency. Supplements correct that
when food groups eating does not or can not. Deficiency of just these four
vitamins is often responsible for the multitude of disorders that qualify
children for special education and asthma medication. Later in life, inadequate
vitamin intake clearly contributes to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, excessive
dental cavities, anorexia, depression, dementia, and sleep disorders. Persons
wishing to confirm or question this statement are encouraged to look at the
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service archive, freely accessible at http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml .
With the stakes so high, all methods of increasing consumption of these four
vitamins are worth consideration. My kids have definitely benefited from
supplemental vitamins. I'm hopeful that other parents will find this simple
option equally useful.
(Stephen H. Brown received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Yale. He has worked
for industry in the field of heterogeneous catalysis since 1988 and has 80
patents. Dr. Brown has been blogging at www.cforyourself.com since 2006, and contributing to the
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service since 2007.)
(2) Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Giffin SL.
2008 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers'
National Poison Data System (NPDS): 26th Annual Report. Clinical Toxicology
(2009). 47, 911-1084. The full text article is available for free download at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Portals/0/2008annualreport.pdf .
Vitamins statistics are found in Table 22B, journal pages 1052-3. Minerals,
herbs, amino acids and other supplements are in the same table, pages
1047-8.
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight
illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and
non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada) Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico) Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United
Kingdom) James A. Jackson, PhD (USA) Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D (Sweden)
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA) Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto
Rico) Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada) Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
(Netherlands)
I know of 3 people who have recently come down with pneumonia. Being low in Vitamin C increases ones risk for contracting pneumonia, so it makes a lot of sense to take higher than normal doses of vitamin C when you have pneumonia. The recommendation for the average healthy adult is about 3 grams a day. But that is just an average. And it is for healthy individuals. Need goes up with illness and the duration of the illness is related to what nutrients you have on board for you body to work with to heal you. Many people need more, much more!
I try to take 6 grams a day, and when I don't I have back problems. Yes, that's related too! (but another article)
The goal for taking the right amount of vitamin C is reaching bowel tolerance. Take increasingly higher doses of vitamin C throughout the day until you develop loose stools or an upset gut, then back off to the next lower dose. At this point I just don't take anymore until my gut has calmed down. Think "titration." Remember high school chemistry? You want to continue taking regular doses of vitamin C without ending up with diarrhea or a really nauseated feeling. You will be surprised at how much vitamin C it may take to reach bowel tolerance.
Don't expect your doctor to know this or " believe in it". (See article below) The studies are out there, but why would he/she look for them when they can write a prescription for an antibiotic? Unfortunately many cases of pneumonia are viral, in which case antibiotics will not work on the pneumonia, though they might prevent a secondary infection.
Vitamin C & vitamin D taken in recommended higher doses go a long way in protecting you and your family from "what is going around."
Thanks again to Orthomolecular Medicine for pointing out in the article below a great irony of contemporary medicine's attitude about vitamin C today.
You may want to load these onto your computer to keep or even print them off. Both are lengthy, but well worth the read.
Other
articles by other researches are listed at the bottom of the following
article. Just follow the links and you too will become and expert in
Vitamin C!
Wishing you great health in the New Year, Barb Kaiser RN BSN, Holistic Health Consultant High-Dose Vitamin C Therapy Proven Effective
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service,
January 5, 2010
High-Dose Vitamin C Therapy Proven Effective "My doctor
doesn't believe in vitamins." Since when is medicine based on belief?
(OMNS, January 5, 2010) The medical literature has virtually ignored 75 years
of physician reports and laboratory and clinical studies on successful high-dose
vitamin C therapy.
Effective doses are high doses, often 1,000 times more than the US
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Daily Reference Intake (DRI). It is a
cornerstone of medical science that dose affects treatment outcome. This premise
is accepted with pharmaceutical drug therapy, but not with vitamin therapy. Most
unsuccessful vitamin C research has used inadequate, low doses. Low doses do not
get clinical results.
Investigators using vitamin C in high doses have consistently reported
excellent results. High doses were advocated almost immediately after ascorbic
acid was isolated by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, M.D. (1893-1986). Notable early
medical pioneers of high-dose vitamin C (ascorbate) therapy are Claus Washington
Jungeblut, M.D. (1898-1976); William J. McCormick, M.D. (1880-1968); and
Frederick R. Klenner, M.D. (1907-1984). More recently, important work has been
published by Hugh D. Riordan, M.D. (1932-2005) and Robert F. Cathcart III, M.D.
(1932-2007).
It Was 75 Years Ago Today
Dr. Jungeblut, Professor of Bacteriology at Columbia University, first
published on vitamin C as prevention and treatment for polio, in 1935. (1) Also
in 1935, Jungeblut showed that vitamin C inactivated diphtheria toxin. (2) By
1937, Jungeblut demonstrated that ascorbate inactivated tetanus toxin. (3)
Between 1943 and 1947, Dr. Klenner, a specialist in diseases of the chest, cured
41 cases of viral pneumonia with vitamin C. By 1946, Dr. McCormick showed how
vitamin C prevents and also cures kidney stones; by 1957, how it fights
cardiovascular disease. Beginning in the 1960s, Dr. Cathcart used large doses of
vitamin C to treat pneumonia, hepatitis, and eventually AIDS. For more than
three decades, beginning in 1975, Dr. Riordan and his team have successfully
used large doses of intravenous vitamin C against cancer. The use of doses of
tens of thousands of milligrams of vitamin C per day may be the most
unacknowledged successful research in medicine.
Heard this one before? "If vitamin C was that good, doctors would tell their
patients to take a lot of it." It is surprising how many physicians have done
precisely that.
What's that? Your doctor still doesn't?
Why? Decades of physicians' reports and controlled studies support the use of
very large doses of vitamin C.
References:
(1) Jungeblut CW. Inactivation of poliomyelitis virus by crystalline vitamin
C (ascorbic acid). J Exper Med 1935. 62:317-321.
(2) Jungeblut CW, Zwemer RL. Inactivation of diphtheria toxin in vivo and in
vitro by crystalline vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Proc Soc Exper Biol Med 1935;
32:1229-34.
(3) Jungeblut CW. Inactivation of tetanus toxin by crystalline vitamin C
(l-ascorbic acid). J Immunol 1937;33:203-214.
For More Information About:
Dr. CW Jungeblut: Claus Washington Jungeblut, M.D.: Polio pioneer;
ascorbate advocate. J Orthomolecular Med, 2006. Vol 21, No 2, p 102-106. http://www.doctoryourself.com/jungeblut.html
In addition to (1) above, Dr. Jungeblut's other polio papers include:
Jungeblut CW. Vitamin C therapy and prophylaxis in experimental
poliomyelitis. J Exp Med, 1937. 65: 127-146.
Jungeblut CW. Further observations on vitamin C therapy in experimental
poliomyelitis. J Exper Med, 1937. 66: 459-477.
Jungeblut CW, Feiner RR. Vitamin C content of monkey tissues in experimental
poliomyelitis. J Exper Med, 1937. 66: 479-491.
Jungeblut CW. A further contribution to vitamin C therapy in experimental
poliomyelitis. J Exper Med, 1939. 70:315-332.
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight
illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and
non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Damien Downing, M.D. Michael Gonzalez,
D.Sc., Ph.D. Steve Hickey, Ph.D. James A. Jackson, PhD Bo H.
Jonsson, MD, Ph.D Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari,
Pharm.D. Erik Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
Using the computer can both increase isolation or broaden your world. Studies show that human connection is a vital component of health. Hours spent on line, excluding real people can diminish health. Conversely, the ability to establish community on-line can help others as we share common experiences, differences, problems, & triumphs.
The Internet can also help you take action to help others right from your own home. Feeling good about helping others changes your chemistry, which changes your vibration. Healing is about changing your chemistry and increasing your vibration.
There are lots of ways to do that; healthy food, water, supplements, herbs, exercise, meditation, prayer, community, EFT, laughter, love.....(& more) Thankfully, the list is extensive and possibly limitless! You have more control and hope than you may be aware of!
Just a reminder folks-- if you have received information that you found helpful on this site and would like to show your appreciation, I would ask that you consider passing along the benefit you received by considering helping to support Elimu Africa, which supports schools in Tanzania.
My friend Kristy went there to work a few years ago and was so moved by the people there that she came home, and with the help of others started ElimuAfrica, a non-profit organization to help the many children who grow up in great poverty and would otherwise not receive an education. She like many others who have been there fell in love with these "lovely, joyful people" and was inspired to help to create something bigger than herself.
We so often take for granted what we have: schools, availability of paper, pens, books, computers, easy access to online information. Our kids can even get tutoring right through the computer at sites like StudyBeat.
In the abundance that surrounds us, let us not forget the many who have so little, And that the school, teacher, homework, and books that our kids grumble & complain about, make up an education that is highly prized around the world; not something to be dreaded at the end of Christmas
vacation.
As you are placing your end of the year donations, please consider Elimu Africa.
Donations can be made by check or on line. Even small donations are helpful to these families who live on a a dollar or two a day.
Thank you, Wishing you good health in the New Year, Barb Kaiser, RN, BSN, Holistic Health Consultant
I am a big fan of Vitamin C as you can tell from many of my articles including the last one. I thought I would pass this great article from Orthomolecular.org along because it further explains the wonders of Vitamin C. The baseless fears of Vitamin C held by many in the medical community are also explained away. The bottom line is many illnesses could be handled at home and without dangerous pharmaceuticals if more people understood the need for increased levels of vitamin C both as a preventative and a cure. The article contains a nice guideline for using vitamin C during illness. I've used less and still gotten great results. I like Natrol's Ester C. Remember: bowel tolerance.
Thanks to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service for this article.
Wishing you health though out the holiday season and beyond, Barb Kaiser, RN, BSN, Holistic Health Consultant
Putting the "C" in Cure: Quantity and Frequency are the Keys to Ascorbate Therapy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service,
December 15, 2009
PUTTING THE "C" IN CURE: Quantity and Frequency are the Keys
to Ascorbate Therapy
Comment by Andrew W. Saul Editor-In-Chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News
Service
(OMNS, December 15, 2009) What is it about a little left-handed molecule of
six carbons, six oxygens, and eight hydrogens that ticks off so many in the
medical community? Maybe it's cases like this one: Ray, a health professional I
know, had an 11-month old son who was very sick for over a week. No one, and I
mean no one, in their family had had any sleep in a long time. They were up
night after night with this child, who had a high fever, glazed watery eyes,
tons of thick watery mucus and labored breathing. The child would not sleep, and
did little else but cry. The baby was under the care of a pediatrician, who, in
the infant's eleven months on earth, had already prescribed twelve rounds of
some very serious antibiotics. That they clearly were not working was all too
apparent to Ray, who out of desperation decided to try something he previously
had been taught to not try: bowel tolerance quantities of oral ascorbate. Ray
and his wife gave their baby vitamin C about every 15 minutes. As a result, the
baby was noticeably improved in a matter of hours, and slept through the night.
With frequent doses continuing, the child was completely well in less than 48
hours. Ray calculated that the child had received just over 2,000 mg vitamin C
per kilogram body weight per day. This is even more than what vitamin C expert
Dr. Frederick Robert Klenner customarily ordered for sick patients. Remarkably,
at 20,000 milligrams of vitamin C/day, that baby never had bowel-tolerance loose
stools. (1)
With such a little body, you have to marvel at where all that ascorbate was
going. Of course, it is the opinion of those who promulgate the US RDA and
related nutritional mythology that almost all of that baby's vitamin C went
uselessly into the toilet. Ray and his wife would tell you differently. They
would say that their sick child soaked it up like a sponge, and then promptly
got better. You choose the answer that works for you.
Quantity of Dose
Dr. Frederick Robert Klenner earned his MD from Duke University School of
Medicine and was subsequently board certified in diseases of the chest. (2) A
working summation of Dr. Klenner's therapeutic use of vitamin C is 350
milligrams vitamin C per kilogram body weight per day (350 mg/kg/day), in
divided doses. (3) Since a kilogram is about 2.2 pounds, this translates to:
mg of Vitamin "C"
Body Weight
Number of Doses
Amount per dose
35,000 mg
220 lb
17-18
2,000 mg
18,000 mg
110 lb
18
1,000 mg
9,000 mg
55 lb
18
500 mg
4,500 mg
28 lb
9
500 mg
2,300 mg
14-15 lb
9
250 mg
1,200 mg
7-8 lb
9
130 - 135 mg
Although these quantities may seem high, Dr. Klenner actually used as much
as four times as much for serious viral illness, administered by injection.
The oral doses listed above are, for the doctor, comparatively moderate.
Frequency of Dose
For those unable to obtain intravenous vitamin C, it is essential to pay
special attention to one of the most important aspects of vitamin C therapy:
dividing the dosage improves absorption and retention of vitamin C. High
oral doses of vitamin C yield higher blood levels of the vitamin, and dividing
the oral doses maintains those higher levels. Although initially seeming almost
too obvious to mention, these are not self-evident concepts. Many a medical
website and government-based dietary recommendation hinge on ignoring them.
Hilary Roberts, PhD, writes: "Stressed and even mildly ill people can tolerate
1,000 times more vitamin C, implying a change in biochemistry that was ignored
in creating the RDA. In setting the RDA, unsubstantiated risks of taking too
much vitamin C have been accorded great importance, whereas the risks of not
taking enough have been ignored. Real scientists understand that 'no scientific
proof' is a fancy way of saying 'we don't like this idea.'" (4)
And there is ample proof to not like. Vitamin C, in very high doses, has been
used to successfully treat several dozen illness (5), with a published,
peer-reviewed literature spanning the last 60 years. Therefore, the
effectiveness and safety of megadose vitamin C therapy should, by now, be
yesterday's news. Yet I never cease to be amazed at the number of persons who
remain unaware that vitamin C is the best broad-spectrum antibiotic,
antihistamine, antitoxic and antiviral substance there is. Equally surprising is
the ease with which some people, most of the medical profession, and virtually
all of the media have been convinced that, somehow, vitamin C is not only
ineffective but is also downright dangerous.
Bias against Ascorbate Therapy
When you pick up a health or nutrition book and need to know really fast if
it is any good or not, just check the index for "Klenner" and three other key
names: Cathcart, Stone, and Pauling. Robert F. Cathcart, an orthopedic surgeon,
administered huge doses of vitamin C to tens of thousands of patients for
decades (6), without generating a single kidney stone. Irwin Stone, the
biochemist who first put Linus Pauling onto vitamin C, is the author of The
Healing Factor: Vitamin C against Disease. (7) Pauling cites Stone thirteen
times in his landmark book How to Live Longer and Feel Better (8), a
recommendation if there ever was one. The importance of vitamin C's power
against infectious and chronic disease is extraordinary. To me, omitting it is
tantamount to deleting Shakespeare from an English Lit course.
Because of such bias, the primary way patients (and through them, their
physicians) have been exposed to Dr. Klenner's work has been through Dr. Lendon
Smith's 68-page Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C: The Clinical
Experiences of Frederick R. Klenner, M.D. (9) Upon discovering this book,
one of my undergraduates submitted a paper to another class discussing a
substantial number of medical references she had found on vitamin C as a cure
for polio. That course's instructor told me privately that the student's work
was absurd, and he literally described her as a "dial tone." I recall a
nutritional presentation I made to a hospital staff. All was going well until I
mentioned using vitamin C as an antibiotic, as Dr. Klenner did. The mood changed
quickly. And how many of us have heard this old saw: "If vitamin C was so good,
every doctor would be prescribing it!"
Cardiologist Thomas Levy, MD, explains: "I could find no mainstream medical
researcher who has performed any clinical studies on any infectious disease with
vitamin C doses that approached those used by Klenner. Using a small enough dose
of any therapeutic agent will demonstrate little or no effect on an infection or
disease process." (10)
Preventive Doses
Dr. Klenner recommended daily preventive doses of 10,000 to 15,000 mg/day. He
advised parents to give their children their age in vitamin C grams (1 g = 1,000
mg). That would be 2,000 mg/day for a two year old, 9,000 mg/day for a nine year
old, and for older children, a leveling-off at about 10,000 mg/day. As for me, I
simply say, "Take enough C to be symptom free, whatever that amount may be." It
worked for my family. I raised my children all the way into college and they
never had a dose of any antibiotic. Not once.
It is high time for medical professionals to welcome vitamin C megadoses and
their power to cure the sick. Cure is by far the best word there is in medicine.
It would seem that you cannot spell "cure" without "C." I do not think Dr.
Klenner would dispute that.
(Andrew W. Saul taught nutrition, health science and cell biology at the
college level, and has won three New York State teacher fellowships. He is the
author of Doctor Yourself and Fire Your Doctor! and, with Dr.
Abram Hoffer, co-author of Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone and
The Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism. Saul is featured in the documentary film
Food Matters.)
(3) Klenner FR. The significance of high daily intake of ascorbic acid in
preventive medicine, p 51-59, in: A Physician's Handbook on Orthomolecular
Medicine, Third Edition, Roger Williams, PhD, ed. Keats, 1979.
(4) Hickey S and Roberts H. Ascorbate: The science of vitamin C. 2004.
ISBN 1-4116-0724-4. Morrisville, NC: Lulu.
(10) Levy TE. Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the
Incurable. Livon Books, 2002. ISBN: 1-4010-6963-0 and 978-1401069636
Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight
illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and
non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Damien Downing, M.D. Michael Gonzalez,
D.Sc., Ph.D. Steve Hickey, Ph.D. James A. Jackson, PhD Bo H.
Jonsson, MD, Ph.D Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari,
Pharm.D. Erik Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
If you have enjoyed reading these articles &/or have derived benefit from some of the suggestions and would like to show your appreciation, please head over to Elimu Africa where my friend Kristy has been working hard to help support schools in Tanzania to educate a number of children in the hopes of breaking the chains of poverty..
I know there is some helpful information for free at Studio4moms. And it is because of this it is my hope that you will feel compelled to donate to Kristy's cause. I am no sort of sales person for myself, but I don't mind asking for someone else. Heck! I don't even mind using a little guilt (must be my Catholic upbringing)
Even a very small donation would be helpful. Elimu Africa is a legitimate non-profit organization. Their tax number is available on the site along with instructions on how to donate.
When you read about the kids being helped through Elimu Africa you will really feel appreciative of what you have and what we take for granted... like being able to look up health advice for free from the comfort of our own homes.
Please remember what you have freely received; you now have an opportunity to continue that circle of giving...
Hope you all had a wonderful and healthy Thanksgiving!
Just when you think you know it all.... you don't. This is a good thing for us all to remember and especially our medical and nutritional communities. (and of course the government goes without saying!)
The Take Home Message is: 1) We need much more vitamin D than previously thought. 2) One sized does not fit all! Age, weight, health, body size, activity, location affect the amount you need.(and possibly other considerations not yet known!) 3) We could wipe out Vitamin D deficiency in a year and thus reduce many illnesses. 4) I bet that would do more to help health care than all the plans devised in Washington& it would be a heck of a lot cheaper! 5) Consider joining the study of vitamin D available at Grass Roots Health
The following video is about the need for vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Turns out we need a lot more than previously thought because Vitamin D may help prevent many more health conditions than we were aware of. The information on the benefits of Vitamin D is coming out fast and furious. Your doctor and certainly your insurance company ( and our government) are not keeping up with it. So that leaves it up to you .... mostly moms. It is too important to ignore.
This is a bit long but certainly entertaining and very informative. So blow off the nightly news (if it is really important-- you'll hear about it tomorrow and the day after) and sit down and watch this 58 minute video) Because unlike most of the news, this will affect your life, your children's, your spouse's, your friends', and family's.
Here are some other resources to learn about vitamin D.
With all the bad press that supplements still get ( amazing!) in the news media and even still within the "hallowed halls" of medicine or medical research, I thought I would pass this along. What's even more remarkable is that those who would attack the safety and efficacy of supplements often hand out medication with little regard to the statistics that showed that properly and improperly prescribed medication reached the third leading cause of death in America within this decade. I am researching what the statistic is today, but I am guessing it isn't much better... so far no luck. If you find something up to date, please pass it along.
I gotta ask, do these guys live under a rock?
To Your Good Health, (Remember to take your vits!)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 14, 2009
No Deaths From Vitamins or Minerals
Poison Control Statistics Prove Supplements' Safety
(OMNS,
October 14, 2009) There was not even one death caused by a vitamin or
dietary mineral in 2007, according to the most recent statistics
available from the U.S. National Poison Data System. The 132-page
annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers
published in the journal Clinical Toxicology shows zero deaths from
multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths
from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin. (1)
Furthermore,
there were zero deaths in 2007 from any dietary mineral supplement.
This means there were no fatalities from calcium, chromium, zinc,
colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. There
was one death from chronic overdose of magnesium hydroxide, commonly
known as the laxative/antacid milk of magnesia, and it was
inappropriately listed in the "dietary supplement" reporting category.
Nutritional supplements do not contain magnesium hydroxide.
Over
half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even
if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes
154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion
doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or
mineral tablet, the numbers are considerably higher, and the safety of
nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.
61
poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison
Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical
toxicologists. In 2007, NPDS reported 1,597 fatalities from drugs and
other ingested materials. Not one death was due to a vitamin or dietary
mineral supplement.
If nutritional
supplements are allegedly so "dangerous," as the FDA and the news media
so often claim, then where are the bodies?
References:
(1)
Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Heard
SE; American Association of Poison Control Centers. 2007 Annual Report
of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison
Data System (NPDS): 25th Annual Report. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2008
Dec;46(10):927-1057. Full text article available for free download at http://www.aapcc.org/DNN/Portals/0/NPDS%20reports/2008%20AAPCC%20Annual%20Report.pdf Vitamins statistics are found in Table 22B, journal pages 1027-1028. Minerals are in the same table, page 1024.
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.
Editorial Review Board:
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Damien Downing, M.D.
Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D.
Steve Hickey, Ph.D.
James A. Jackson, PhD
Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.
Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D.
Erik Paterson, M.D.
Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.
Well I have had my new KitchenAid dishwasher for about a week and I am happy to report it does an excellent job.
I am still not thrilled about the tall tub. I did put my wooden cutting board in there just to try it out & it does fit nicely. However, it also dries out the board and required a lot of oiling, so I won't be doing that again. I will add that I think that adding two inches rather than 4 to the height of he tub would have allowed a number of other slightly larger items to be placed in the dishwasher, but would have not lowered the appliance to such an extent that it required more back strain. It would have been a happy compromise. Perhaps that will change the next time dishwashers are redesigned.
An added note about LG dishwashers; a well informed source, who shall remain nameless ( to protect his job) told me that LG has had nothing but problems with the LG Dishwasher. In the short amount of time it has been on the market it has been redesigned 3 times! I believed he termed it " he worst dishwasher on the market." I don't know if that is true, but it didn't do a good job on my dishes and there were, of course, the rest of my complaints in the last article. He wouldn't have one in his kitchen nor would he put one in for his mother.
Good enough for me. And I fell vindicated!
One thing I forgot to mention in the previous article is the new design for the placement of the dishwasher controls. Some companies are putting them on the very top 1 & 1/2 inch band that closes under the counter. On my counters it fits right out of sight and that can be a problem both to program.. you always have to open the door to program the washer and if your dishwasher happens to be very quiet. When you barely hear it run and you cannot see any lights or lack there of, if your dishwasher isn't running it may not be apparent to you. Three hours later after you thought you ran the cycle through and you are getting ready to unpack the dishwasher, you may find that you have a tub full of dirty dishes yet.
Barb Kaiser,RN, Holistic Health Consultant ( & chief disherwasher @ the Kaiser Haus with over 40 years of experience doing dishes, and therefore expert)
1) It can't be Green if it's built with "planned obsolescence" 2) Buying new racks for your dishwasher is a real racket. 3) Let's not Tip-Toe 4) Not all change is good- Tall Tubs 5) Prong Spacing Changes Ahead: Beware 6) Optical Illusions Happen- Don't Believe Everything You Read 7) How to Stem Wine Drinking - A New Goal in Dishwasher Design?
1) It can't be Green if it's built with "planned obsolescence" Our house & thus dishwasher are 6 years old this October. We already need a new dishwasher. This really bugs me because I grew up with the same dishwasher that worked for over 10 years for a family of 8. That means it ran fully loaded, 3 times a day. Today's dishwashers, and I expect tomorrow's dishwashers cannot and probably will not keep up with that kind of performance. I'll tell you, if "green" is really important to these companies then they will stop building appliances with planned obsolescence. An appliance should last more than 6 years. Our 6 year old Whirlpool was used at most twice a day and often only once a day. That tells you that the appliances built today have about one third the life( and that's being generous) that they could have or used to have. We need to change that to be a green, sustainable society.
2)Buying new racks for your dishwasher is a real racket. If a dishwasher is going to break down by year six, you can expect the decline to start earlier and our Whirlpool dishwasher was noticeably deteriorating after one year. The plastic on the dishwasher racks started to come off and the prongs eroded away leaving a rusty stumps. We had the low end version of Whirlpool put in by the builder Wilshire Homes. Thanks again, Wilshire.
I looked into replacing the racks, but found they cost in the vicinity of $200! Please! The dishwasher probably didn't cost much more than that... so we waited till it stopped doing a reasonable job of cleaning to replace the whole thing.
3) Let's not Tip-Toe Around it:
Tip#1: Tip #1is very important, but like the manufacture and probably you, I forgot it. It is this: of all the appliances you use in your house, this one is probably the one that is used the most and is the most labor intensive. Because of this you should plan on looking even a little longer for and being prepared to pay a little more on this particular item than you might with other appliances. Make sure it fits your needs and you will be happy with it. You are going to be spending a lot of time with it, hopefully ( kind of like a spouse- you probably don't want the first thing that comes a long, right?) Tip #2: Don't by the low end product. In a year you will wish you spent a bit more. Tip #3: Buy a model with the nylon racks; they last longer Tip#4:If you are building, pick out a better dishwasher than what the builder will put in or hold off having the builder put one in & have it put in later. Don't forget that if you have the builder put in a higher end model you will pay dearly for it, but you'll never see the price tag. You will just pay interest on it for the next 30 years. Question:What is the interest on a $700 dishwasher paid over 30 years? Answer: I don't know, I am still wondering how much I actually paid for the cheapo- version plus 30 years interest. Tip#5: bring a tape measure on your shopping trip.. Measure your dishes and wine stem diameters before shopping if you plan on buying an LG and/or possibly other brands. Be sure and write them down because you will most surely forget such forgettable information. Tip #6 really goes without saying: but I'll say it anyway : don't believe everything the salesman tells you, even if he is really nice& really knowledgeable. Check for yourself Tip#7: Is as important as Tip #1: shop at a store that has a good return policy just in case, because unlike your spouse, you can't divorce your dishwasher.
4) Not all change is good- Tall Tubs Dishwashers today have changed since 6 years ago and not for the better! I can tell from the design of today's dishwashers that the people who design them either a) never do the dishes or b are midgets! (no offense to midgets) They have designed what is call a "tall tub" which is on average about 4 inches taller than the previous tub. Sounds like a good idea until you actually use it, or for that matter stop to think about it. Here's the problem: 4 inches means having to bend over another 4 inches and not just once, but every time you put something on the bottom rack. They have also made dishwashers deeper ( which is actually a good idea).( Hey, I am not all about complaining. I can recognize a good idea and give credit where it is due) The dishwasher of yesterday held about 12 place settings I was told... I really think they are wrong about that though. I suspect it was more like 8, based on my family's usage. None the less, I was told that today's dishwashers hold between 16 and 24 place settings. Again I don't know if that is actually true, but you get the picture. They are suppose to hold more.* However, adding 4 inches to the height of the tub doesn't really increase the number. It is the depth to the back of the tub which is responsible for the increase in number. The depth has changed from 20 inches to 22 inches. The width has remained stable. * I checked the booklet-- even the drawing shows only 11 dishes of one kind. Point taken. It holds more but it does not hold 16-24 place settings. (See tip #6)
Here is what adding 4 inches of height does: it provides 4 more inches of space vertically and you could conceivably put a platter or larger cutting board in the dish washer.
Barb's Barb? Well, I rarely have anything that big to put in the dishwasher. My cutting boards are wood and I don't put them in the washer. It's not good for them. For the rare occasion of putting something that large in the washer ( and I still haven't figured out what it would be) here is what I have sacrificed:
My back. I now have to bend over 4 more inches each and every time I put something in the dishwasher. At the extreme end that is 24 large dishes , 24 small dishes, 24 bowels, 24 forks, 24 knives, 24 spoons, & various preparation and serving stainless ware. I 'm not going to do the math, but I can see that's over 100 times of bending over another 4 inches. So to recap: an extra 4 inches 100 times a day, 365 days a year and let's say at least 6 years! It doesn't take a rocket scientist nor even an ergonomic specialist to know that that much bending over ( and twisting is always involved too) is bad news for ones back! And if you don't believe that that actually makes a difference then you might also take note: If you buy a machine with a nice arched handle on it, stand in front of your dishwasher while wearing flip-flops and open the door, it will slap down the tops of your feet( where you have more nerve endings than in your shins. Ouch! I was just getting the hang of not hitting my shins with the door.
I am flexible. I can bend over with my hands flat on the floor, knees perfectly straight, but that doesn't mean I want to do it over a hundred times while packing and unpacking the dishwasher! It is incredibly annoying. I have spent over $600 on machine that every time I bend over I am reminded how much I don't like packing & unpacking the dishwasher. Before I never even thought about it. Imagine how much I enjoy the thankless, never-ending-job of cleaning the kitchen now! And my back is feeling it. If ever there was a recipe for a back injury this is it. I predict a rash of repetitive back injuries9 called dishwasher back , of course) complicated by the emotional upset and aggravation of a stupid design by a possibly well-meaning, but thoughtless-and- unhelpful-around-the-house-and-especially-kitchen design engineer, (most of whom I feel fairly certain are men.) Sorry guys... my husband and my dad excluded... I know a lot of you don't help pack the dishwasher. I am guessing the designers don't either. Or perhaps they are just a sadist. In any case probably for the next 402,000 times , that's me packing & unpacking the dishwasher for the next 6 years I am going to think how much I don't like the designer( ooh...bad karma) and since I don't know who he/they is/are, I will just blame LG. You may, of course, insert the name of your dishwasher's maker since they all bought into this stupid idea of a design.
Even the sales man had to agree with me, but unfortunately that is all that is available in the stores, except the low end Whirlpool which I started out to replace! argggh!!!
Now let us not forget the last change to which you should be cautioned:
Not All Change is Good-Prong Spacing Changes Ahead: Beware
Hey! Look the prongs on the dishwasher rack are closer together. I am sure the designer thinks that means you can fit in more dishes.Wait! This is the same guy who doesn't do dishes. Should we believe him??? Have you learned nothing?
Most of us who buy dishes know that dishes come in a variety of thicknesses. I have had dishes as thick as Stoneware in the past, but now own thin, shatters-into a million-tiny shards-when dropped-on-tile-but-otherwise-are-indestructible Correlle. Guess which fits better (not great) into the prongs that our now closer together? My LG dishwasher is the one with the close prongs. The others, fortunately, have not caught onto this short sighted change.( no pun intended) And this is a big reason why my LG is going back to Best Buy. Thank Goodness Best Buy has a great return policy. (See tip #7.) You can avoid this problems if you buy just about any other brand, unless they all get on the same band wagon.
5) Optical Illusions Happen The picture provide by the manufacturer about how to pack your dishwasher's top rack is very possibly not based in reality. Even though we have all seen a comic book with Superman lifting a train engine, we also know that it does not actually happen. And likewise, you shouldn't be surprised when you are unable to place 10 bowels on the top rack flanked on either side by cups, as depicted by the manufacturer's guide.
6) How to Stem Wine Drinking - A New Goal in Dishwasher Design? Not only does the guy who designed the machine not do the dishes, but very likely does not drink wine because the rack that settles over the wine stem doesn't fit our wine glasses. It begs the question why he put it there in the first place. Maybe his boss is a wine drinker and told him to put one in. But again, like the dishes -he didn't realize that not all wine glass stems are not the same diameter. I actually pulled out a tape measure just now and measured the discrepancy for accuracy sake. I own several styles of wine glasses.. The diameter of the wine stems vary from 3/8ths of an inch to 1/2 inch and sometimes that variation occurs on the same glass if the stem is tapered, for example. However the slot to hold the wine stem is an incredible 1/4 inch. I dare say I have never seen a wine stem that thin and if there are they would be broken in short order!
What to Do? I can't do anything about the "tall tub" except warm up my back with stretches to keep up with the demands of filling the dishwasher and (continue taking extra vitamin C which helps prevent back injuries and do some EFT to help reduce my anger at the designers), or just have my kids always fill the dishwasher (I like that I idea!)
I will encourage you however, if you agree with the extra 4 inch problem to complain to manufacturers. I am sending a copy of this letter to several of them. I'll let you know if they respond Ha! Not that it will do me any good anytime soon. They are delivering the new Kitchen Aide dishwasher and taking away the other new LG dishwasher this Wednesday.
I found myself envious of my mom's old Kitchen Aide. It is 6 years old, runs great, does not have a tall tub, doesn't have rusted out stubs for prongs. It was the deciding factor in my replacement dishwasher. I hope they haven't gone the way of Maytag.
Hope that helps( you from making the mistakes I made) Barb Holistic Health consultant & Frustrated Dishwasher Shopper
Well I went back to the ATT store today because my phone still wouldn't hold the voice mail number.Ii was told by a different sales associate that if that happened I should assume the problem was with the account and that I should come back in again( that's the third time) and they would deal with it.
Fortunately the sales rep. I dealt with yesterday was not there. I had come to suspect that he was more the problem than ATT.
First of all a couple of corrections: My phone cost $29.99 not $39.99 after discounts and rebates, and the rebate was $50, not $70. This made me think that the cost of the box valued incredibly at $50 might have something to do with the coupon on the box. I was assisted by a very knowledgeable and friendly sales rep who informed me that some of the things I was told about ATT's policy were incorrect. for instance; if my or my daughter's phones continued to have problems the restocking fee would be waived after the third trade out. And while that is an inconvenience, it is definitely better than being told that I could continue to trade out the phone for the same model as many times as needed.
I still have issues with a restocking fee for a product that does not do what it should, but I can understand that it can take time to adjust to the complexities of the phone and the company would rather not rush in and replace it with a different brand when the problem is the customer adjusting to the new technology. Some things may not be actually functional problems. For instance finding the "zoom" on the camera took the sales rep. quite a bit of time, but she did find it. I was beginning to think that the phone only brought it up occasionally & was malfunctioning. I was wrong.
On the other hand, $50 for the box? That still baffles me. Perhaps Best Buy absorbs some of the costs because their sales reps don't work on commission or they have enough other products that they can absorb the lost costs associated with now having a "used phone" Even the ATT manager whom I discussed my frustrations with admitted that actually understanding the thinking behind the policy was complicated and not all that clear to him. I can live with that. What I had difficulty with is an uninformed, impersonal sales rep. passing along erroneous information and seeing my frustrations and questioning him multiple times it never occurred to him to seek out a higher authority to offer another,better explanation or possibly admitting that he did not understand the policy himself.
Acting like the automaton extension of the company will bring down reactions some people might otherwise save for the faceless corporation they do not trust and or like, but feel they must do business with occasionally.
My daughter did a job very similar to his so I restrained myself from coming really unglued, but the man across the counter from me did not. I don't know what his beef was but he did tell that sales rep. to cancel his account even if it was going to cost him more. He said he was fed up with coming in a dealing with his problem. At least he didn't curse at the rep. That does happen and that is unfortunate.
So, so far things are working ok. I will delay the details of shopping for a dishwasher for the next entry.
I haven't done a Barb's Barb since I first started this blog, not that there haven't been things to complain about, but today was an expensive, exasperating day, so I am letting loose.
And who will be the target of my barbed tongue and furious fingers? None other than the same company I purchased both my cell phones and dishwasher from; LG. And not to be let off the hook the company that sold me the phones, ATT. I have nothing but high praise for the company who sold me the dishwasher however; Best Buy. I May save the dishwasher barbs and warnings for tomorrows blog so if you are looking for a new dishwater, hold off till you read some of my tips. You will be surprised to hear what has changed (and not for the better) in dishwasher world.
Back to the phone. Our cell phone plan was coming to an end and we decided to update our phones. I was perfectly happy with my old phone. It had no camera ( I have two already; a nice 35 mm and a digital) What do I need a camera phone for? And the family and friends con viced me that texting would be very hand. It is scary how much I use it now.
The problem? We bought 3 LG phones and none of them function without flaws of one kind or another. My phone will not hold the voice mail number for more than 24 hours. It is a nuisance, but not terrible. It also doesn't delete things when it says it has. No... I can assure you I was doing it correctly . It WAS the phone that malfunctioned. It takes a very long time to start up and sometimes it will not shut down even when I hold the button for near a minute. Those are just the things I know about and since I am not a kid who is on it all the time it is very possible that I have just scratched the surface of what is wrong with it. Is there something wrong with me that I expect the electronic equipment to work?
My daughter's phone would turn off while she was texting. Considering that all our phones take up to 45 seconds to start up, that is a considerable problem when it happens repeatedly. The other daughter says hers isn't running properly either, but neither did her other phone so she is used to it. ? It destirbs me that her generation or maybe it is just her thinks its oka y for it not to function properly whe it is new. My husbands phone ( it isn't LG) wouldn't turn off either. He finally had to take the battery out of it.
Now what gives? If it isn't functioning properly now is it going to get worse over time? That is my concern. So it is only 3 weeks since we bought the phones and I took 2 out of the 3 back. Really now, if you brought 3 of the same items from any company and none worked properly wouldn't you assume that that company had put out a poor product? and more than likely yo would think you are a fool to buy another one. I am thinking lemons.
Remember: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me?
I was shocked when I was told I would have to pay a $35 restocking fee, if I wanted to change brands. Excuse me? but a $35/phone fee for a phone that doesn't operate correctly and to top it off, because we had tossed the box there was another $50 fee for the box!!! OUTRAGEOUS! The box is worth $50?!!*&^%$%#$#@!!! ( that was what I was thinking) and pretty much said without the expletives. I was very bluntly and rudely told that was the policy and the young me slapped down the card board cut out that stated the policy. I asked if it was on our paper work and he replied it was on the sales receipt. Hello? you only see that after they have your money. And it does not tell you how much you are going to be in for if you throw away the damn box.
So if the 3 of us wanted to trade our phones for something that might actually do what it says it would do, it would cost us $255. That is quite a racket( I mean business model) you have going there. And at this point I don't know if it is LG or ATT or both.
Give me a break. In what world do you have the right to a) charge a restocking fee for something that is not functioning properly and needs repair? and at lone shark rates?
Believe me I will be checking into the lemon laws of my state after I post this blog. That is quite a business model you have going for yourself. Following that plan any scheister who sells a piece of crap but posts a notice that there is a restocking fee like yours could do a pretty good business.
I was also told that everyone does that. To which I informed him that Best Buy does not charge a restocking fee. I don't think he believed me, but right after this encounter I did go to Best Buy and not only do they not charge a restocking fee, but they don't have the stupid rebates that you require you to send in all the documentation in order to get your $70 savings. They just charge the same low rate without rebate. So my phone at ATT was advertised for $39.99, but that was after you deducted the rebate. The upfront cost was $109.99
Best Buy sold that phone for $39.99 when you sign up for the plan. Same phone, same carrier; ATT. Go figure?!
Needless to say I won't be doing business with the ATT store again, unless I have problems with my cell phone. The young man assured me that I can bring that cell phone in as many times during the first year as I needed and we can change it out an unlimited number of times. Thanks, just what I want to spend the year doing.
Trying EFT for the first time seemed like and exercise in the ridiculous & I guess it might have been if it hadn't helped my problem. The moment I finished tapping through the protocol, I felt nothing different. I still felt the same anger I had fumed over for the last 5 hours, 3 of that on a long walk. But then...
I went out to the kitchen to talk with my daughter. When I got there I saw a can of garbanzo beans and thought, " I'll make some hummus. John likes hummus." That was when it hit me. The thought of John-- who had been the object of my stomping around the neighborhood, no longer made me angry. In fact I suddenly realized his point of view had some validity, and further I recognized that I was pulling something from our past and plopping it down as a "done-deal" into our future. I was afraid something that happened long ago was going to happen again. "That's not fair," some distant, wise part of my brain said.
I made the hummus and offered it up as 'truce hummus". It went over better than expected; it was a hit.
Normally in the past our struggles have resulted in 5 days of silence, eventually working the problems out, but at great expense of energy and peace. I don't have those kinds of reserves anymore, & I have decided that that way of relating is not making either of us happy.
What is it? EFT is a way of tapping on certain acupuncture/pressure points while focusing on a specific feeling and in doing so helping to release or reduce that feeling. That's the simple explanation.
You can use it on all sorts of things like physical complaints, such as backaches, head aches, bruises, joint pain, allergic response, just too mention a few. You can also use it on emotional issues. It is even being used successfully on dieters, addictions, for clients with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,and other emotionally charged areas. You can use it on your pets, and babies. There are no side effects, and it is free to use on yourself. There are individuals, oftentimes therapists, councilors, etc that are certified in using EFT and they will charge for the service. The results are often quite dramatic.
I use a lot of supplements and they can do amazing things for the body, but they can be expensive too. And like medication, sometimes they don't really address some issues.
Recently a friend of my daughter's got poked in the eye. Not that serious, but she has an odd reaction to her own tears and gets very red and blotchy around her eye. She says it feels like lots of pressure and I think there may be some burning and itching. This happened when we were at a festival. Homeopathic remedies would have been helpful for such a thing, but they were all at home. So I offered to do some EFT. A couple of minutes later her eye had returned to normal.
My daughter said that the friend thought it was "just the placebo effect" and perhaps it was. But is there anything wrong with that?
What is the placebo effect? Wikipedia defines it as a "sham medical treatment." How unfortunate, but that does reflect the general attitude. It's a funny thing that medicine often scoffs at the placebo effect.. .... Oh its just the body doing what we hope it would do. Heal itself, comfort itself. Darn body!
My feeling has always been surprise, amazement, & dismay that so many in the medical community berate the placebo effect when I think they should be pouring millions of dollars into studying how it works and how can we elicit a placebo response all the time.
Wouldn't that be great? No meds? fewer surgeries, your body in its top peak healing-machine-mode. Let's not forget that the body heals itself without our intervention much the time. Sometimes it needs some assistance from a specialist, like a doctor or therapist... Oh... there's the catch. If we could get our bodies to heal our illnesses, reduce or get rid of our pains and discomforts... what would the point of medicine be and the drug industry in particular? Perhaps that explains the belittlement of the placebo effect.
When I was in nursing school I learned that the placebo effect accounted for up to about 35% of the positive outcomes for medical treatment, including medication & surgery. Imagine my surprise and yours too, to learn that in some cases up to as much as 70-90% of positive outcomes have been attributed to the placebo effect.!
When a medication is getting a 70 % positive response rate that is considered excellent. However, it begs the question, how much is caused by the placebo effect? You won't hear much out of the drug companies about that.
So frankly it doesn't concern me that my daughter's friend thinks that "it was just the placebo effect" If EFT provides a reliable way to tap into the placebo effect (no pun intended), then so much the better.
However, the placebo effect explanation does not explain why it works so well on animals and babies.
If you go to Emotional Freedom Technique Website you can down load a basic instruction Manuel for free and start after you read it. There is a low cost DVD course also available. But you don't need it to get started. This is the founder's site (Gary Craig) and should be your first stop.
If you have a specific problem you may want to Google the problem and EFT and see if you come up with a video, usually on You-Tube of a person doing EFT. They will walk you through the steps and help you find the words to say. There are a lot of videos can get stared quickly.
This is such a disturbing video and there are several books out by reputable people about the dangers of fluoride in our water. Discoloring teeth, though dismaying and possibly unsightly, may be only the tip of the iceberg. And it is on the rise.
I am very sorry to say that despite our efforts, both my daughters have fluorosis. When I asked the dentist about it he said it was from Amoxicillin, however, the link remains weak. Fluorosis seems to be more related to supplementing with fluoride in water, dental treatments, and toothpaste.
Our oldest daughter was on Amoxicillin frequently during her early years, but in retrospect, the younger one was not. The dentists did do fluoride treatments on both of them long before I was aware the the dangers. I am convinced that fluoride in water and dental treatments are the culprit behind their fluorosis.
Fluoride, Who Needs it?
We have used fluoride free toothpaste for years and have had great check ups. I attributed cavity free checkups to healthy diet and supplementation. I noticed that many of my friend's children had many cavities. They went to the dentist regularly, used fluoridated water, and tooth paste, but did not use supplements. The only thing we did differently was to supplement with high quality vitamin/minerals and fish oil.
Both my husband and I grew up with fluoridated water and using fluoridated toothpaste. I know for a fact that I had a healthy diet and his was pretty good too. However, neither of us supplemented with vitamins as children and as a result, we and all our siblings had our fair share of cavities. My daughters have had no cavities. They are now 14 & 21. I would even go as far to say that I took a lot more care for my teeth than my daughters did while brushing as a child too,but still had some cavities. So what accounts for the difference?
I still believe that diet & supplementing was & still is the greatest factor in cavity-free teeth. I know my daughters have had a healthy diet as did we their parents, so it boils down to supplementing with a good high quality vitamin and mineral supplement &/or fish oil. I wouldn't narrow it down to one or the other; vitamin or the fish oil. It could be a combination of both.
I have found that taking supplements seems to increase the effects of medication, and I wonder if taking supplements also increased the effect of the fluoride. I see no reason why it could not. Fluoride is listed as a drug on the back of toothpaste tubes, complete with warning for overdose. This could certainly pose a problem for the upcoming generations as more and more people realize they need supplementation to be healthy. Could this be why fluorosis is on the rise?
If you and your children take supplements and drink fluoridated water you may want to find another source of water, such as bottled water without fluoride or a filtration system that removes fluoride. Cosmetics aside, fluoride is not needed in our water supply, nor toothpaste, and can have some really negative health consequenses. It's a shame and ethically a crime that two entire generations have passed and the public is just now becoming aware of the dangers of fluoridating the water system.
Please get educated about this health threat and sign the petition against adding fluoride to our water. Go to Fluoride Alert for more information and resources. Get your neighbors involved and perhaps you can get fluoride removed from your water systems.
