This week I received a couple of questions about doing a gall bladder flush for gall stones. It’s a common question that I thought I should address with an excerpt from my Future Health Now Encyclopedia. The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile that is used to emulsify fats. There is an intricate balance between cholesterol, lecithin, and bile acids in the production of bile. If the diet is high in saturated fats, which become liquid at 149°F and solid below that temperature, they will thicken the bile and lead to a buildup of cholesterol and subsequent stone formation in the gallbladder. (Yes, the body temperature is only 98.6°F) If there is insufficient lecithin, gallstones can also form. The pain from gallbladder attacks is from sludge or stones in the gallbladder that are trying to exit through the narrow bile duct. A fatty meal stimulates the gallbladder to excrete bile for fat digestion but will also cause extreme pain if there are stones present. Stones in the gall bladder can be seen and diagnosed by an ultrasound. An interesting avenue of research is the allergic component of gallbladder attacks. Other than medications, the biggest offenders are eggs, pork, onions, fowl, milk, coffee, and oranges. Try avoiding these foods before having surgery. Gallbladder Flush Only if there are no stones seen on ultrasound should a gallbladder flush be attempted under the watchful eye of a naturopath or herbalist. The ingredients for the flush consist of apple juice, olive oil, and lemon juice. Consult with a practitioner for the formula. Diet: Supplements: * Taurine, 250 mg once or twice daily to help balance and utilize calcium and magnesium and produce bile. * Lecithin: Egg‐based lecithin powder or capsules to balance the cholesterol and bile in the liver. Dosage: as directed on the label, helps break down cholesterol. * Choline 500 mg twice daily, helps produce bile. Herbs: |
To keep this blog brief and to the point let me simply edit an excerpt from my Future Health Now Encyclopedia on treating diabetes. Diet: 1. Protein: wild salmon, free range chicken and free range beef or lamb. 2. Complex carbohydrates (whole grains, legumes, and vegetables). 3. The avoidance of simple sugars and white flour. 4. Stevia, from the leaves of a plant that grows in South America; Just Like Sugar™, and xylitol are the best sweeteners to use. None of them affect blood glucose so they are safe to use in diabetes. You can find it in health food stores. 5. Don’t use the sugar substitute, aspartame, which can worsen blood sugar control and cause weight gain, headaches, nerve damage, and eye damage, because it is made partly from wood alcohol, which breaks down to formaldehyde. 6. Emphasize fiber from oat bran, flaxseed, and apples which all have a positive effect on keeping blood sugar balanced. 7. Read The Yeast Connection and Women’s Health (Crook & Dean, 2005) and IBS for Dummies (Dean & Wheeler, 2005). I also suggest that you try to identify possible allergies by eliminating likely suspects (dairy, wheat, corn) from the diet for several days and then eating several meals of one of the suspected foods in one day and see how you feel. Better yet, do a blood test or finger stick for glucose levels. If your blood sugar is elevated after eating a particular food, avoid it. Supplements: * Vanadium, Chromium, and Zinc: Choose an angstrom‐sized liquid mineral product. * Magnesium: Choose an angstrom‐sized liquid mineral product. Take two doses * Calcium: Choose an angstrom‐sized liquid mineral product. Take one dose twice * Vitamin B complex: Choose a food‐based organic product. Dosage: 100 mg twice * Vitamin C: Choose a food‐based organic product. Dosage: 500 mg three times daily. www.grownbynature.com * Omega 3 fatty acids: from fish oil and flaxseed oil: Choose a mercury‐free source of fish oil. Dosage: 2‐3,000 mg daily. * Garlic: Eat one or two cloves daily For more on diabetes and 133 other conditions, a homeopathic formulary and other natural medicine advice, see my eBook, Future Health Now Encyclopedia. Remember, you’re best defense against disease is to stay healthy! |
I’ve compiled an inexpensive magnesium handbook that will give you a complete update on magnesium since the last edition of The Magnesium Miracle. It’s also complete enough to be your very first magnesium book! It’s called How To Change Your Life With Magnesium. Every day I receive questions about magnesium. I try to answer them all but I’m losing that battle. To give you the detailed answers that you require and to give me time to breathe, it was necessary for me to write this book. Its 63 pages are jammed packed with the benefits of magnesium, a description of a dozen disease conditions, over 35 miracle magnesium stories from readers and 9 pages of Q&A. No matter how many times I say that magnesium can be used for just about any ailment, people still ask. So, when you read the magnesium miracle stories you will get a sense of how to apply magnesium to your life. Here’s what one enthusiastic reader has to say. “I love your informative articles! You are a godsend! Fortunately, I’ve been using magnesium for a few months, now, and I’ve benefited immensely. My exercise program includes 50 miles of mountain bike riding and I’ve had a resting heart rate of 45 beats per minute for a couple of years. Unfortunately, my cardiologist insisted I might have some hidden heart problems, and talked me into a nuclear stress test last February. My health was nearly flawless before the test, but it took me 8 months (and finally the magnesium) to recover from… heart rhythm irregularity, painful joints and lower back. I call my approach my “new way of living” program. People are always asking me how I’ve done it, but when I tell them, I sense that they’re predestined to remain entrenched in their old ways. Like the old saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ‘em drink”. Here’s what happened when I took magnesium: 1. Unexpectedly, my toxic peripheral neuropathy is almost completely gone. 2. I no longer need to take ALA + acetyl l‐carnitine (for my heart) at all. 3. My irregular heartbeat is no longer pounding like a Swiss watch. 4. My lower back and joint pains are gone, and I can work out in the fitness center to my heart’s delight despite being 67 years old. 5. Even my eyesight has sharpened.” How To Change Your Life With Magnesium is in a PDF format so you can search for any topic you want using the Find function. You can read the book on your computer or print it out. Hopefully the book and magnesium will become mainstays in your life! |
I recently received an email from a reader who asked if it was acceptable to drink Crystal Light and other flavored and artificially sweetened waters to get your water quota each day. The short answer is NO. Before I launch into a rant, I want to ask why people feel the need to flavor their water in the first place. Water is not boring, it’s not a waste of your time, it shouldn’t have to be dressed up to entice you to drink it. Water is water. Your body is at least 70% water and you need to replenish it constantly; not drinking water for 2 days can be fatal. Case closed. OK, I’m not that mean…you can add lemon juice, cucumber slices, stevia, apple cider vinegar…any number of natural flavors. Don’t succumb to the marketing ploys to make you feel you need to drink “sexy” waters. Number one: they are spiked with synthetic sweeteners. Number 2: they are expensive. The worst one is aspartame. When you read “diet” in a food or beverage product, it’s usually aspartame-sweetened. The subterfuge begins by making people believe that by using “diet” products they are doing something good for their health. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I wrote in my Death by Modern Medicine eBook, aspartame is composed of one molecule of aspartic acid, one molecule of phenylalanine and one molecule of methanol (free methyl alcohol). That’s 33% free methyl alcohol, a poison that can cause blindness. And two free amino acids that are potent brain neurotransmitters that shouldn’t be taken in the free form. When aspartame breaks down in the body it forms the following metabolites: Formaldehyde, a class A carcinogen, diketopiperazine (DKP) a brain tumor agent, and formic acid (ant sting poison). I’m also often asked to comment on the new vitamin waters. I do believe that homeopathy works but I must tell you that the amount of some of the vitamins in these waters is definitely so low you could call it homeopathic. Or in this case it’s actually homeopathetic! These companies are relying on the pubic’s gullibility that they can get enough vitamins in processed water to make a difference in their health. The only thing that’s going to work is the placebo effect. Me? I just stick with plain, filtered water! I use an Athena alkaline water filter and the water tastes great. You can check it out on my Resources page under Recommended Supplements and Products. |
In my blogs I share information with you that will positively impact your life. I try to stay clear of the negative. But sometimes a story comes along that is so outrageous I have to comment. On August 17, 2010, at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Atlanta, Dr. Donald Light presented his research in a paper titled, Pharmaceuticals: A Two-Tier Market for Producing Lemons and Serious Harm. Dr. Light is a professor of comparative health policy at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It seems that this bombshell was not reported on mainstream media but it made the rounds of the alternative medicine websites pretty quickly. Dr. Light’s research validates what many of us already know. He found that 85% of new drugs being created are more harmful than beneficial. But will that information ever make it to The View or The Today Show? I was a guest on The View about a dozen times in the 1990s but when the drug companies began flooding the airways with TV ads, the invitations dwindled to nothing. It’s an unfortunate fact that a disproportionate amount of TV advertising is controlled by drug companies. So, it’s no surprise that there are no alternatives discussed on mainstream. Media doctors quickly learn they have to toe the line and promote the standard practice of medicine, which boils down to drugs and surgery. My frustration at the Machiavellian turn that medicine had taken into the rabbit hole of drugs is why I wrote Death by Medicine in 2003. You can obtain that paper freely on the Internet. Two years later I expanded it into Death by Modern Medicine, now available as an eBook. As I said, I don’t like to focus on the negative and this is the only one of my 20 books that sheds light on the sickening turn of medicine to the dark side. If you or your friends think that drug companies are looking out for YOUR best interests and want to see you healthy and off drugs, think again. Give them a copy of Death by Modern Medicine so they really understand what they are up against. As the antidote to medical intervention, I created my online wellness program, Future Health Now! With this program you realize that it’s really up to you to live a healthy lifestyle and I can show you how to do it in simple, easy steps. I apologize if this seems like a blatant promotion of my books and program but I’ve wrestled with the dilemma presented by the overmedicalization of health for decades and I’ve come to the conclusion that the only solution is if people take charge of their own health. |
When I first began to experience menopause my hot flashes were heralded by a feeling of impending doom! And no matter how many times it happened, each time was like the first – my mind wasn’t able to say, oh, a hot flash is coming. I just thought the world was coming to an end. Then, the hot flash came, which in itself was horrible, but I welcomed it because the feeling of doom ended. Yes, you might say I know a thing or two about menopause! There is no one supplement for menopause. For decades medicine tried to say that synthetic estrogen was the answer then it added synthetic progesterone. But that prescription fell apart when the first proper study ever done on the combination proved it was unsafe. I do work with clients in my telephone consulting practice using bio-identical hormone and hormone-precursor creams through a saliva testing lab in California. However, they are not always necessary. There are many remedies you can get in your health food store that can bring relief. Here’s an excerpt from my Future Health Now Encyclopedia. Natural Hormone Support for Menopause First, try to get enough rest and sleep and eat a good diet and detoxify. I use LL’s Magnetic Clay. Start with “Natural Clay.” Simply blend up 1/2 to 1 cup of clay in your blender with lots of water and pour that into your hot water foot bath or tub. Soak for 30 min and wash or shower off. Supplement support for the adrenal glands includes: Herbs: 2. Black cohosh: This herb can treat mild symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, mood imbalance, heart palpitations and vaginal dryness. The dosage of black cohosh in tincture form is 10 drops in water, two to three doses daily. 3. Vitex: Enhances progesterone production. Dosage: as directed on the label. Homeopathy: Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12117397 |
Homeopathy is a form of medicine based on using highly diluted material which sparks the body’s natural system of healing. A mineral or a plant substance is diluted and then shaken vigorously in a process called succussion. The dilutions are so infinitesimal that there may not even be a molecule of the substance remaining in the medicine. The succussion is said to impart the vibratory rate of the substance into the water to “activate” it. The best way to learn about homeopathy is by experiencing how it works on an injury. The main injury remedy is arnica. It is widely used for pain, shock, swelling, bruising after any injury, or post surgery, including dental work and childbirth. Arnica can treat symptoms any time after an injury no matter how long ago. Arnica cream or a variation called Traumeel can be applied directly on the injured area. If the wound is open or the skin is broken, the cream must not be used because it mat cause the wound to fester. (I love the opportunity to use fester it’s one of my favorite words!) Arnica also works for mental as well as physical shock. Beyond bruising and sprains, it can treat physical exhaustion and sleeplessness due to overexhaustion. The lesser-known uses are for gout, toothache, bee stings and wasp stings. To match a remedy, homeopaths look at your whole picture. They find that arnica works best for people with a fear of being touched. And if you have a painful injury, the last thing you want is someone poking at you. Other classic symptoms include: the bed feels too hard, a fear of being approached, the whole body feels beaten up and bruised, muscles feel achy. Symptoms that respond to arnica are: worse from touch, from exposure to hot sun, from motion, and in damp, cold conditions. Symptoms that respond to arnica are ones that get better when lying down with the head low and not propped up. You can find arnica in health food stores and in some pharmacies. I keep vials of arnica pellets in all my purses and arnica cream all over the house. The potencies for acute symptoms are 6C, 12X, 30C. Potencies in the 200C range are better used by homeopaths to treat chronic diseases. Knowing the homeopathic remedies to use for first aid or minor ailments means you don’t have to use unnecessary drugs. You can learn more about arnica and 30 other homeopathic remedies in Part Five of my Future Health Now Encyclopedia eBook. You can even compile a first aid kit with some of these remedies so you have non-drug solutions readily available. |
And the enemy is you! Well it’s part of you. But it’s not your fault! It’s actually the labyrinth of your mind. Here’s what happens. Something in your universe is bothering you so much that you can’t sleep. It could even be the nightly news! Think about it, you’re inundated at 11pm with all the horrors in the world. How can that be good for your brain? You can’t solve all the world’s problems. You can’t even fathom how they occur. Yet, you lie awake worrying and fretting. Then there’s the in-laws, the boss, employees, kids, your partner, taxes, your income, your car. You spin them around in your brain like a gramophone all night long. The mental and physical energy associated with a constant state of worry is very depleting. Many times you’ll have a major event in your life and your sleep suffers. But that’s normal and you should try not to get too upset. You should realize that it will pass. Even though you may want your doctor to give you a sleeping pill so you can get some rest, it may not be the wisest thing to do. I’ve seen far too many clients getting “hooked” on sleep medications and antianxiety medications. The withdrawal effects are often worse than the original insomnia or anxiety. I’d love to prevent even one person from going down that rabbit hole. Here are some sleep strategies that I discuss in my Future Health Now! online wellness program and my Future Health Now Encyclopedia. 1. When a major event affects your life, try to remember that “This too shall pass.” 2. Stop watching the nightly news. Staying away from all news programs would serve you well. 3. Don’t watch a rousing rerun of the TV series “24” before bed, your racing adrenaline will only keep you awake. 4. Keep a diary where you write out what’s bothering you in your life. That simple action can keep things “off your mind.” 5. Take magnesium before bedtime to relax your muscles and calm your mind. 6. Read my Treating Coffee Addiction blog and use homeopathic coffea 12x if coffee is keeping you awake. 7. Try to see the glass as half full; give praise for what you do have an try not to focus on what you think you don’t have and make use of the phrase “Not in my universe.” 8. Remember that sleep medications were originally designated for short-term (2 weeks) use only. They never “cure” the underlying reason for insomnia. |
Whether coffee is good or bad is relative and based on the individual. For today’s tip, here’s the “Coffee Addiction” excerpt from my Future Health Now Encyclopedia to help you decide whether you are addicted and what to do about it. Coffee is probably the most consumed beverage on the planet and there are many reasons why. It’s a stimulant and a laxative, which may account for a recent flood of media reporting that coffee is a health drink! If your blood thins out and circulates well because your heart is stimulated by coffee and you are not as constipated when drinking java – yes, you may experience benefits. If you are already stressed to the max, adrenalin pumping non‐stop and addicted to other stimulants like alcohol and sugar, coffee is simply adding to your stress and toxic load. An accumulation of stimulants can make your heart jumpy and set your nerves on edge. In a certain group of stressed‐out and toxic folks, even one cup of coffee is enough to trigger heart palpitations. You know you’re addicted because, when you try to stop, you get a pounding headache – that can’t be healthy. The only way out is to cut it out! The good news is that you don’t have to go cold turkey. Start by taking magnesium supplements. Magnesium citrate powder is a good form to start with. Magnesium is the body’s natural energizer. It also relaxes the bowel, so it has a gentle laxative effect. It’s also calming as it neutralizes adrenalin surges, which prevents anxiety and treats insomnia. All of which are the opposite of coffee’s effects. Plan a time 2‐3 weeks after starting magnesium to wean off coffee; you will be amazed how easy it can be. With magnesium under your belt, switch to black tea for one week only. Then stop black tea and switch to herbal teas or a grain coffee substitute, available in health food stores. For withdrawal symptoms of irritability, sensitivity, and headaches take homeopathic Chamomilla 12X (one dose, 3‐4 times a day). If you experience insomnia, take homeopathic Coffea 12X, one dose 3-4 times a day. You can also increase your magnesium intake by one more dose. Take both remedies for one week after you’ve quit. Remember to read labels, because some herb teas, especially green tea, can be caffeinated. And believe it or not, the clay detox I talk about all day and every day will help you detox from coffee. I use LL’s Magnetic Clay. Start with “Natural Clay.” Simply blend up 1/2 to 1 cup of clay in your blender with lots of water and pour that into your hot water foot bath or tub. Soak for 30 min and wash or shower off. Giving up coffee is often the first step on your pathway to better health. I cover this and several other addictions along with 133 other conditions in my Future Health Now Encyclopedia eBook. It’s the type of desk reference you can have on your computer desktop that will assist you for many years to come. |
Someone recently asked what I thought about taking Nattokinase and Indian Gooseberry Extract to prevent high cholesterol, elevated CRP (C-Reactive Protein, a heart inflammation indicator), high blood pressure and blocked arteries. My first thought was that these are very expensive supplements to use for prevention. Nattokinase is very helpful for blood clotting and I recommend it when people refuse to take coumadin. It’s an enzyme from natto (fermented soybeans). Indian gooseberry extract is from the amia plant and there is a long history of its use for treating diabetes, cholesterol and inflammation. However, I rarely find I have to recommend Nattokinase, Indian gooseberry, L’carnatine, D-Ribose or Co Enzyme Q10. Instead I introduce people to diet and lifestyle changes with my Future Health Now! program. And I start most clients on some form of magnesium. I’m also not inclined to recommend expensive products promoted by doctors whose job it is to scare people into thinking they need these products. Or confuse people by saying the opposite of what research says just so they can appear more knowledgeable. It’s a sales tactic and I don’t like seeing people manipulated. Leaping to use Nattokinase and Indian Gooseberry if you are not already fully supplemented with magnesium reminds me of how allopathic medicine treats blood pressure. I wrote about this in my Magnesium Miracle book. I sat in on an appointment with an internist with a patient who had intractable high blood pressure. I asked if he was prescribing magnesium. The doctor said that if the four different types of antihypertensive drugs don’t help a patient, he will add magnesium, and it always works! Only professional courtesy kept me from shouting, “Why not prescribe the magnesium first, before all the other drugs with their nasty side effects?” My tip for today: Use magnesium first. Then add heart other supplements and only continue them if they are helping you. Don’t be like one of my clients who came to me on 85 supplements a day. His complaint was digestive problems. I told him it was probably from swallowing too many pills! In my Future Health Now Encyclopedia you can read how I treat cholesterol, blood pressure and heart disease And be sure and get a copy of The Magnesium Miracle. You can bring it to your doctor who can help you wean off unnecessary heart medications. |
