Alternative Health & Healing Newsletter

May 2003

  TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Ø      News At-A-Glance

Ø      Kudos For Curry

Ø      Calcium:  Got Supplements?

Ø      Smoother Surgery

Ø      Bright Light May Increase Testosterone, Trigger Ovulation

Ø      Alternative Medicine – Definitions

Ø      What is Mucoid Plaque?

Ø      The Perils of Processed Meat

Ø      Air Ionizers:  Useful At Last

Ø      Three Tips For Managing Stress

Soon school will be out and the beginning of summer will be upon us.  With this comes an abundance of fresh summer produce.  Although I don’t especially enjoy the hot, humid Houston summers, I do look forward to the seemingly endless choices of good organic vegetables and fruits.  There’s not anything better than sitting on the patio eating cold watermelon and/or cantaloupe while enjoying the beauty and sounds of nature! 

A recent study at the University of California, Davis has found that organically grown berries and corn carry significantly higher levels of phenolic compounds, antioxidants thought to reduce the risk of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.  They had 50 percent more phenols than conventionally grown versions.  The great news is that this study also conveys that it is safe to assume that all organic produce is similarly endowed.  Now we have proof that organic is better!

Summer is also the time for much needed rest, relaxation and change of scenery.  Should your travels include Houston, we invite you to stop by Global Healing Center.  Dr. Group and I would love to meet you and if you let us know in advance, we’ll visit over some nice cold watermelon!

Enjoy your summer, be safe, exercise and eat healthy!

For Global Healing Center, Inc.

Loretta Lanphier, ND, CCN, HHP

NEWS AT-A-GLANCE

CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING (STATIN) DRUGS AND CO-ENZYME Q10

Anyone on the statin drug, Mevacor (as merely one example), might like to know that Canadian prescribing information includes a notice in the Precautions section stating the following:

Effect on CoQ10 Levels (Ubiquinone)

A Significant decrease in plasma CoQ10 levels in patients treated with Mevacor and other statins has been observed in short-term clinical trials. The clinical significance of a potential long-term statin-induced deficiency of CoQ10 has not yet been established….

If, for example, you are an American, your doctor will not see this information in the prescribing information on Mevacor.

But even though there is brief mention in Canada of the increasingly evident fact that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs deplete Q10, this information in the Mevacor Product Monograph does NOT include a summary of studies indicating that reduced levels of Q10 also occur with longer treatment with a statin. The doctor reading the product monograph is simply pointed to "See Selective Bibliography."

It is also not mentioned that studies show that reduced Q10 levels can lead to heart failure in patients with congested heart failure considered borderline.

How long can the companies, in effect, bury this and other related evidence that statins can have a harmful effect on the heart by reducing Q10 levels?

We feel that this is a simmering issue that has the potential to lead to numerous lawsuits and class actions as patients being put on statins (particularly those with borderline congestive heart failure) are not being advised of potential heart problems.

COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) RESEARCH

This is a risky area for CAM medicine because the studies of non-mainstream therapies are being mostly guided by the medical Establishment. It can be easy to dismiss a CAM therapy once some research data reveal lack of efficacy. The problem here is that this system is basically unfair because in the world of mainstream research there is often a pro and con battle that rages for years about the value of a particular treatment.

Unfortunately, the media have a knee-jerk reaction to CAM data and immediately condemn a therapy because some project doesn’t pass the first test.

By the same token, consider that once a CAM therapy gets good marks in a test, this has the immediate value of showing skeptics that they may be jumping the gun by giving some therapies the thumbs down without reason.

Expect much more research focus on CAM in the months ahead. The NIH (The National Center for Complementary And Alternative Medicine) is even training researchers in CAM.

There are two studies, in particular, sponsored by the center, that will receive a lot of attention. One is the first large-scale clinical trial of EDTA Chelation Therapy as a treatment for coronary artery disease. EDTA is an amino acid. It is claimed that when it is delivered to veins, it can help the release of toxic metals from the body. EDTA Chelation Therapy is a high volume alternative business in the U.S.

The other project will test the safety and effectiveness of the herbal remedy, St. John’s wort, as a treatment for minor depression.

DOCTORS SELLING DRUGS TO THEIR PATIENTS

Are doctors’ offices being turned into salesrooms? Some, certainly. And this practice is drawing more criticism as it becomes more common even though it is perfectly legal. Why? Because a doctor who sells a patient a product may be behaving unethically and involved in a financial conflict of interest. Doctors themselves (and their patients) are divided about the practice, as recent discussions in the medical journals have revealed.

This is an issue that runs through both mainstream medicine and CAM medicine.
Some doctors sponsor health product lines (even a hundred products or more) that could easily stock a big shelf in a pharmacy.

The issue blew up recently when The New York Times revealed how cancer doctors were selling cancer drugs. The so-called "chemotherapy concession." And it turns out, this direct selling to patients brings in a total of hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

More details of this practice of doctors selling directly to their patients are likely to surface, as conflict-of-interest issues in medicine are finally on the map.

THE BATTLE OVER GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD

As already highlighted by RFD, a major battle is brewing between the U.S. and the European Union on the issue of GM food. (The U.S. has challenged Europe’s moratorium on these foods.)

This is fast becoming one of the hottest issues in the health sphere. Unfortunately, the issue may be settled on the basis of outlandish World Trade Organization (WTO) rules that would allow putting the burden of proof on regulation-minded countries to prove that GM food is dangerous. This notion of first proving something is dangerous is a major undermining of the venerable idea that products must first be proven safe by manufacturers. This trendy approach, which neglects the "Precautionary Principle," has already become common in the approval for market of prescription drugs and medical devices. This backsliding has been going on for more than a decade and now we are faced with companies (and governments) demanding that critics of consumer products show evidence that the products are causing harm.

Because the science on GM food safety is far from complete, there is potentially much at stake (for human health and the environment) in this latest WTO scrimmage.

MEDICAL JOURNALS REFUSING DRUG ADS?

Yes, it’s true and may become a major trend. A new research journal, Annals of Family Medicine, will actually be supported mainly through dues. Six medical organizations (family medicine groups) have put this project together.

If it works and the concept spreads, it could seriously challenge the status quo and distance editorial content from the awesome clout of drug advertising.

The impact? Well, there is no need to get too excited about this right now, but it signals that some medical organizations are beginning to react to the corruption that plagues the medical field.

BAYER TO PAY $5.6 MILLION CRIMINAL FINE

This was part of a settlement to resolve allegations that the company overcharged the government insurance program for the poor for the antibiotic CIPRO and the high blood pressure drug, ADALAT.

COMFY-COSY: THOSE WORKING IN TOP JOBS IN THE REGULATORY AGENCIES OFTEN GO TO WORK FOR COMPANIES THEY ARE REGULATING:

This isn’t exactly big news but it goes on all the time. Here’s a particularly interesting example that recently came over the Pr Newswire:

"The Fleishman Hillard Pr firm has announced hiring former Food and Drug Administration head, Dr. David Kessler…He will offer enormous insight and value to our clients."

The PR firm represents a big-time pharmaceutical stable, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Pharmacia, Bristol-Myers Squibb….and so on.

MEDICAL ERRORS ON THE CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE FRONT?

What is behind some of them? This particular problem is not mentioned too often, but it is there, staring anyone in the face when they want to look: A HUGE AND DANGEROUS NURSING SHORTAGE. The American Hospital Association says hospitals in the U.S. have about 150,000 vacant available nursing positions. Is it surprising that an overloaded nursing staff makes errors? Why the shortage? Nurses retire and vacancies can’t be filled. Also, budget-strapped hospitals cut staff.

WHAT ABOUT PHARMACISTS?

How are they doing? Well, big chains have also been engaged in staff-cutting. Result: Misfilled prescriptions, some of which can be fatal. And, of course, those poor embattled pharmacists sometimes can’t read the chicken-scratch handwriting of the prescribing doctors. (Better check the medication when you get it!)

MANAGED CARE

Here’s a neat scam.  It works this way. In many cases, patients are required to first see a primary physician. That doctor then can refer the patient to a specialist. However, MONEY sometimes gets in the way of that process. Who’s MONEY? The primary physician’s MONEY. Because the managed care group sometimes puts MONEY in a reserve fund to cover referral costs. But, hey, isn’t it terrific when there’s some cash left over in the fund and it goes to the GP? Will this deter the GP from referring some patients? What do you think? Conflict of interest? You bet. This has got to stop. A major area of litigation is brewing here.

The most successful tyranny is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity but the one that removes the awareness of other possibilities, that makes it seem inconceivable that other ways are viable, that removes the sense that there is an outside.

-- Allan Bloom: "The Closing of the American Mind"

Kudos For Curry  From Alternative Medicine Magazine

Next time you prepare a fragrant curry or other delectable Indian dish, add some extra turmeric.  The spice gets its brilliant yellow glow from curcumin, which has been shown, in test-tube studies, to kill cancer cells.  In a recent showdown with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow that’s among the most difficult to treat, curcumin stopped the cells from replicating—and then did them in.

If you’re up to it, add a generous helping of organic black pepper as well:  The combination makes it easier for your body to absorb curcumin.

CALCIUM:  GOT SUPPLEMENTS?

In a new study from  the American Cancer Society, people taking even less than the daily recommended amount of calcium lowered their risk of colorectal cancer—and those who got more calcium from supplements than from dairy products received the strongest protection.

The study was huge; the researchers followed more than 120,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 74 for five years.  Subjects taking at least 500 milligrams of calcium a day tended to be healthier, leaner people with a lower incidence of colorectal cancer.  For those who got most of their calcium from a supplement, the reduced rate was as much as 31 percent.

Why didn’t dairy products deliver as effectively?  Some contain substances that have actually been linked to cancer, including hormones (natural and not), growth factors, and saturated fat, according to lead researcher Marjorie McCullough, a nutritional epidemiologist at the ACS.  Eliminating those elements is most likely what allowed the calcium to do its work.  “Dairy products are a mix of things, but calcium in supplements is just calcium.”

Note:  After years of clinical use, Dr. Hans Nieper of Germany, concluded that calcium orotate proved to be one of three mineral transporters that is the most active in passing through the cell’s double-layered outer membrane and is decomposed for utilization only by the inner components of the cell such as the mitochondria.  He also found calcium orotate valuable for its pronounced anti-inflammatory effect on a number of disorders, including:  arthritis; arteriosclerosis; retinitis, or inflammation of the retina; disseminated encephalitis; phlebitis and very effective against psoriasis. 

To read more and to purchase Dr. Nieper’s calcium orotate go to: http://www.ghchealth.com/details.asp?ItemID=48

Smoother Surgery  Dr. Bernie Siegel

As a surgeon I know the benefits of using hypnosis with patients, particularly in the OR.  The researcher would do well to study the work of Milton Erickson, or read some of my books, and they’ll realize you don’t have to wave a finger to hypnotize someone.  You can do it with your voice and through stories and metaphors.  I have had children fall asleep on entering the OR simply because they were told they would.  Suggestions and stories from an authority are hypnotic, too, and can control bleeding and do many other therapeutic things besides reduce pain.

Second, gazing at art not only shortens labor during childbirth, it also reduces the length of hospital stays and eases pain and anxiety.  Studies also show that patients respond better to outdoor natural scenes than to abstract paintings.  In fact, an organization called Bedscapes, founded by Joseph August, creates these specifically for the hospital environment.

Bright Light May Increase Testosterone, Trigger Ovulation

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have found that the levels of a pituitary hormone that increases testosterone are enhanced after exposure to bright light in the early morning.

The findings suggest that light exposure might serve some of the same functions for which people take testosterone and other androgens.

"The study also supports data that bright light can trigger ovulation in women, which is also controlled by luteinizing hormone (LH), the pituitary hormone we studied."

Published in the current issue of the journal Neuroscience Letters (341, 2003, 25-28), the study looked at LH excretion following bright light exposure (1,000 lux) from 5-6 a.m. each morning for five days in 11 healthy men ages 19-30.

The same group of men had their LH measured again after exposure to a placebo light (less than 10 lux) from 5-6 a.m. for five days.

The researchers found that LH levels were increased 69.5 percent after bright light exposure in the early morning.

The researchers also measured levels of melatonin, a hormone whose secretion is elevated in darkness at night, and inhibited by light.

Previous studies in animals had indicated that melatonin secretion might inhibit the effects of light on LH. However, the UCSD team did not find such evidence in humans.

"This finding suggests that, in humans, the duration of melatonin secretion may be less important in mediating light effects on LH secretion," said Shawn Youngstedt, Ph.D., UCSD assistant project scientist and one of the paper's authors.

Previous studies by the Kripke group and others have shown that bright light exposure helps alleviate the symptoms of depression.

According to the study's authors, sexual dysfunction such as loss of libido and decreased sexual activity, which are known depressive symptoms as well as side effects of newly developed antidepressants, may be helped by bright light exposure.

"The effects of bright light exposure on the LH secretion of normal volunteers should be replicated in depressed patients to elucidate the therapeutic effect of light exposure on the decreased LH levels and sexual dysfunctions of depression," the authors stated in the paper.

The paper's first author was In-Young Yoon, M.D., Ph.D., formerly a visiting scholar at UCSD and currently an assistant professor, Seoul National University School of Medicine, Korea. Jeffrey A. Elliott, Ph.D., UCSD associate research scientist was also an author on the paper.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE - DEFINITIONS -  © V. Bradshaw 1996

ORTHODOX MEDICINE which sees mind and body as separate entities, is based on Pasteur’s ‘germ theory’ which has resulted in the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry which funds, educates and controls modern medicine.

(In short, we are the random victims of external microbes and are dependent upon healing via external intervention (drugs, invasive techniques, surgery, etc.)

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE describes treatments which are not orthodox (mainstream medicine) - treatments which are an alternative to orthodox. In general, therapies are based on Bechamp’s ‘polymorphism and terrain theory’ which acknowledges and works with the body’s own in-built healing mechanisms.

(In short, we are responsible [please note - not the same as to blame] for our state of health which determines whether we are vulnerable to states which are defensive in nature but labeled inflammatory, infective or degenerative - a cause and effect relationship.)

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE is complementary to something else - usually to orthodox treatment. Being complementary to orthodox, it comes from the alternatives and is the nearest to what some believe is a ‘foot in both camps’ but this is not an accurate measure.

HOLISTIC (WHOLISTIC) MEDICINE addresses the whole person and not fragmented parts such as liver, bones, mind, heart etc. which orthodox medicine does and alternative medicine certainly can. Well people are seen as integrated, interactive whole entities on all planes (spirit, soul and body). By its nature all holistic medicine is alternative (to orthodox) but not all alternative medicine is holistic.

(In short, holistic medicine sees a person with difficulties which are manifest in ill-health and perhaps other areas). All treatments are from alternative therapies which are based upon Bechamp’s work.

The divisions between the above are not always clear-cut and many practitioners use parts from each. For instance, it is possible to give an orthodox drug in a homeopathic potency or attempt to suppress a symptom using herbs.

BACKGROUND

Complementary medicine is usually isolated alternative therapy(s) in addition to orthodox treatment and is no threat to pharmaceutical profits or orthodox status quo and is generally tolerated. (If the patient wants it, it can’t do any harm.)

Alternative medicine tends to be drastically opposite to orthodox medicine and in some areas cannot be compatible with it. For example, this type of health care, using its own diagnosis and treatment, could be involved with tissue detoxification (e.g. of dental materials, drugs, vaccines, pesticides, chemicals), and with nutritional and metabolic restoration.

Whether practiced by doctors or independently trained practitioners, this type of health care has met the wrath of the drug, dental and food processing industries. Orthodox medicine, dentistry and the food processing industries are BIG business (hundreds of billions of $’s annually) and anything which would dent profits (and subsequent government revenue) is not tolerated lightly. There are strong anti-alternative medicine lobbies which defy all logic and scientific investigative reasonings, being financially supported by orthodoxy. There is also a proud antagonistic attitude held by institutional orthodoxy against what they see as encroachment on ‘their patch’ by non-members (i.e. those who have not gone through orthodox training). There is a massive difference between the ‘sickness industry’, which contains both orthodox (majority) and alternative (minority) sectors, and health.

This does not impute motives of individuals, however, and many who are orthodox-trained do not hold with this institutional attitude, many of whom are sincere and caring. However, many of these same individuals have had to go into the private sector in order to practice the type of medicine and dentistry that THEY see fit to practice. The history of how modern medicine got into this state makes very interesting reading. Many have written books to make known their concerns:

BETRAYAL OF TRUST - Dr. Vernon Coleman; CONFESSIONS OF A MEDICAL ‘HERETIC’ - Dr. Mendelsohn; EXPOSE ON VACCINATIONS - N. Z. Miller; DIRTY MEDICINE - M. J. Walker; THE MEDICAL MAFIA - Dr. G. Lanctot; RACKETEERING IN MEDICINE (Suppression of Alternatives) - Dr. James P. Carter; BAD MEDICINE - John Archer and many, many more.

This is not a knock at orthodoxy. The purpose of this talk is an explanation of alternative medicine which cannot make sense without a background. Information is all individuals need to make their own judgments. Information and not judgment is the purpose of this talk but information must be factual to be beneficial.

Because of the attempts to eradicate alternative medicine, much misinformation and ridicule has been aimed at the alternative health sector. It has had its enemies within, too, with defragmentation and the ‘weird and wacky’. The average person in the street has had little contact with the results of real alternative medicine and is sadly lacking in exposure to accurate information as far as health and sickness goes. This is slowly changing with a more open climate in the press and television. (However, the press and broadcasting companies can be, and have been, legally bound by the Department of Health, i.e. orthodoxy, on health matters!!) This scenario is international and the same in Britain, the United States, Australia, Europe, etc. You will not get exposure to health through the media, only exposure to the sickness industry, be it orthodox or occasionally alternative. You will see this demonstrated with constant vaccination campaigns which are never countered by anti-vaccination information, for example, so that the public could make their own choices based on unbiased information. The vaccination campaigns are sales campaigns which use fear and ignorance to ensure public compliance. Ridicule, at the least, is the lot of any who attempt to interfere with the opinions and plans of the ‘powers that be’.

Alternative and complementary medicine can both be used in the same way that orthodox medicine is used - that is to ‘home-in’ on the symptom and get rid of it as soon as possible using harmless methods instead of drugs (all of which have side effects). This is beneficial in that no harm is done, but just as useless in the long-term if the message which the symptom carries has not been heeded.

OUR INATE BLUEPRINT

We are designed to be whole and healthy. Our bodies have in-built repair and maintenance programs. If you want to see one in action, look what happens next time you cut yourself. Why don’t you bleed to death? With this in mind, it is not difficult to understand that there is a cause for every effect that is contrary to health. Whereas orthodox medicine labels sickness with complicated terms and Latin names and tries to suppress symptoms with drugs, holistic medicine likens the symptoms to warning lights (similar to a car dashboard) and looks for the cause of the warning.

In this way symptoms are seen as innate safety and communication mechanisms to be understood rather than enemies to be feared and silenced.

Then, working with mind and body with natural means (homeopathy, herbs, nutrition, water, emotional stress release, lymphatic stimulation, detoxification, lifestyle and attitude changes etc.) addresses the cause of the warning along with resulting alleviation of symptomatic problems.

Life is a journey on an individual basis. None of us has the same start. Our symptoms are as unique as our finger prints. Some we can broadly pigeon-hole; others are exceptions to the ‘rules’. For example:

a) All headaches do not have the same cause

b) Mercury poisoning does not give the same symptoms in all people

When dealing with people, one has to assess what is required. It may be that a person is wanting the warning light (symptom) switched off but is not yet ready to face the cause of that warning (symptom) in his/her own life. A practitioner who understands this also has to assess what kind of help he/she is willing and/or able to give to others. Unless we, as practitioners, are attempting to take responsibility for the health of others, (most unwise), we have to find out what service we can provide for those who seek our help. Knowing that we will not prove suitable practitioners for all is not only realistic but essential if we are not to feel burdened by ‘failures’. This applies to the dental field as well as to the medical field.

Because we are all unique and are born and move at different rates, a narrow-minded view point on health matters is not very realistic or helpful to those who seek our help. Sometimes all we can offer someone is information and the offer of support/therapy at a later date, should they decide they require it. Because some do not wish to address causative factors in their ill-health now, does not mean they will always choose that way - we have to ‘leave the door open’. However, this has to be balanced with the wisdom of setting boundaries, not allowing ourselves to be used as emotional dumping-grounds and we need to consider the outcome of treating ad-infinitum when there is little compliance or subconscious sabotage programs preventing changes. The choice to address these ‘road-blocks’ to health is one which most people face in crisis, and one which cannot be ignored if health is desired.

For many practitioners, it comes as a shock to learn that people can

want to be well consciously but refuse to become well subconsciously.

This is a most important area to understand - it helps to makes sense of things which would otherwise appear confusing.

THE HEALTH PRACTITIONER

Any health practitioner has to learn the basics of anatomy and physiology along with other disciplines they will use. Alternative practitioners may learn homeopathy, herbalism, kinesiology, electrodiagnosis, chiropractics, osteopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, body works, iridology, cymatics, gem therapy, electro-magnet therapy, color therapy, nutritional therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture, stress release, counseling etc. etc. There is more than one way to skin a cat (horrible expression) so you may find individual alternative practitioners to be very different in their approaches.

As with typists to lawyers to mechanics and every other occupation, there are the good, the bad and a range between. This applies to practitioners too. Ask plenty of questions if you are looking for a practitioner. Know what help you want whether it be from orthodox or alternative sources. Realize that the responsibility for your own health is yours, whether you take that responsibility or not. You have choice in health matters but you must first know what you want, then find appropriate information, people and/or therapies to help you reach your goals - orthodox, complementary, alternative or holistic - the choice is yours.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust,

and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

The Perils of Processed Meat   AICR SCIENCE NOW Volume 4 Spring 2003

For cancer prevention, AICR advises eating no more than 3 ounces a day of red meat (pork, beef or lamb). It is preferable to choose fish or poultry. Research continues to support this advice. A recent review by British scientists of 13 studies in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention concluded that the risk of colorectal cancer is increased by 12-17 percent for every 100 grams (about 4 ounces) of red meat (beef, pork and lamb) consumed daily.

Processed meat, however, appears to be a much greater cancer risk. The British review noted a 49 percent increased risk when 25 grams of processed meat (about half a hot dog) is consumed daily. And in 2001, the European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer (EPIC), the largest study ever into diet and cancer, reported that a high consumption of processed meats correlates with increased colorectal cancer risk.

Nitrite: The Food Preservative

Scientists consider the increased risk from eating meat to come from the formation of N-nitroso compounds – NOCs – in the gut during digestion. Studies have shown that eating chicken instead of meat has no effect on NOC formation, which agrees with the lack of a link between colorectal cancer risk and chicken consumption in population studies.

The increased risk from processed meats is thought to come from nitrite, usually sodium nitrite, which is added as part of the curing process. Nitrite is used because it develops flavor and color and retards spoilage. Although regulations govern the amount of nitrite used, mounting evidence indicates that nitrite can combine with amines, which may be byproducts of amino acids formed by reactions with sugars in meat – even before consumption – to form nitrosamines, a form of NOC. Most nitrosamines are known carcinogens in test animals.

AICR-funded researcher Sidney Mirvish, Ph.D., at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is studying how processed meat leads to NOC formation and, eventually, cancer. "It may be possible to adjust the manufacture of processed meats to reduce their levels of NOCs, thereby reducing their ability to cause colon cancer," Dr. Mirvish says.

In his studies, mice were fed either a plain diet, one with hot dogs or one with sautéed beef. The level of NOCs excreted in the feces was high in the mice fed hot dogs or beef compared to the mice on a plain diet, with the highest level in the mice fed hot dogs. The results show that the NOC levels in hot dogs are about 10 times higher than those in fresh meat. Levels, however, vary among brands as well as for a single brand purchased at different times.

Future Work

Although further work is needed to establish whether NOCs in the colon from fresh red meat or processed meats actually induce cancer, the focus of Dr. Mirvish's future work is lowering levels of NOCs from processed meat. He warns, "Consumption of nitrite-cured meat has also been linked in several studies with brain cancer in children and in one study with leukemia in children."

What is Mucoid Plaque ?   Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D.

"The intestines can store a vast amount of partially digested, putrefying matter (as well as drugs and other toxic chemicals)—for decades even. Some intestines, when autopsied, have weighed up to 40 pounds and were distended to a diameter of 12 inches with only a pencil-thin channel through which the feces could move.

That 40 pounds was due to caked layers of encrusted mucus mixed with fecal matter, bizarrely resembling hardened blackish-green truck tire rubber or an old piece of dried rawhide. I call this mucoid plaque. This mucoid plaque, when it is removed during an intensive colon cleanse, often shows ropelike twists, striations, overlaps, folds, creases—the shape and texture of the intestinal wall.

Mucoid plaque may vary considerably, depending on the chemical conditions in a person’s intestines. It may be hard and brittle; it may be firm and thick; tough, wet, and rubbery; soft, thick, and mucoid; or soft, transparent, and thin; it can range in color from light brown, black, or greenish-black to yellow or grey, and sometimes emits an intensely foul odor.

One client I know, in the course of a month-long colon cleanse, passed a single length of mucoid plaque 15 feet long; another client excreted a total of 11 pounds of mucoid plaque during a cleanse. It is not unusual to pass a total of 35 to 45 feet of plaque, often in the last week. In our clinical experience of monitoring thousands of intensive colon cleanse programs over the last 14 years, most people pass a staggering amount of this strange substance.

I coined the term mucoid plaque, meaning a film of mucus, to describe the unhealthy accumulation of abnormal mucous matter on the walls of the intestines. Conventional medicine knows this as a layering of mucin or glycoproteins (made up of 20 amino acids and 50% carbohydrates) which are naturally and appropriately secreted by intestines as protection from acids and toxins.

However, mucoid plaque is different from the mucosal lining (mucosa) of the gastrointestinal tract. The latter acts as a necessary buffer to the gastrointestinal wall and as a lubricant for peristalsis; it is also responsible for the secretion of mucins which comprise mucoid plaque. The cells of the outermost layer of the mucosa (the epithelium) stay fresh and vital, renewing themselves every four to seven days.

It sounds paradoxical, but medical research indicates that mucoid plaque is a normal self-defense measure—natural protection from unnatural toxins.

Evidence indicates that mucoid plaque, with the possible exception of that found in the stomach, is unnatural to the healthy body and is found only after the body has moved away from perfect health and into a diseased state. The theory goes that if you were completely healthy, your system would produce no mucoid plaque because it wouldn’t need to.

When the body has been chronically subjected to (or put under attack by) drugs (such as aspirin or alcohol), salt, heavy metals (including dental mercury), toxic chemicals, parasites, harmful microbes and their toxins, and circulating immune complexes (immune cells locked onto undigested particles or foreign substances in the bloodstream), it produces mucoid plaque to protect itself.

The trouble is once the mucoid plaque is created, for whatever biologically important reason, it is not routinely excreted from the intestines. Instead it lodges in the numerous folds and crevices of this large organ and can remain there for many years. Over time, the mucoid plaque grows thicker, firmer, and more widespread—colonizing, as it were, the tennis court–sized interior of the intestines. Old feces adhere to the plaque and are not removed during a normal bowel motion.

The plaque slows down intestinal action, both waste excretion and nutrient absorption. It can harbor pathogens, including bacteria and parasites, which actually hide underneath the plaque; it may block the normal outflow of lymph and mucin drainage. It binds toxins to itself and contributes to bowel toxicity, slowly emitting toxins into the bloodstream. Finally, plaque creates a friendly environment for disease, in some cases for colon cancer and gastric carcinomas.

Gradually your immune system is weakened as the chronically toxic bowel environment destroys useful bacteria. Your liver becomes overburdened by the unprocessed intestinal toxins, and nerve meridian points in the intestines related to hundreds of other parts of the body are compromised.

A toxic bowel results in toxic blood and lymph, toxic organs and cells, and toxic function. The bowel “feeds” every organ, tissue, and cell in our bodies, so when the quality of feeding from the digestive system is contaminated or of poor quality, the cells and organs elsewhere in the body will be compromised and grow sluggish and inefficient.

So while mucoid plaque is “natural” in that the intestines produce it, it is most unnatural in that the presence of a large amount of it indicates a high degree of intestinal ill health. When the intestines are ill, you will be ill. "

“Everyone should know about OXY-POWDER!!”  L. Green, California.   Check it out at:

http://www.ghchealth.com/details.asp?ItemID=4

Air Ionizers: Useful at Last  Alternative Medicine | April 2003

Remember negative air ionizers? They're the groovy "you are near the ocean" devices that were yanked off the market in 1961 for being marketed with unsubstantiated health claims. (They were touted as curing disease as well as making people feel refreshed.) They've been back for a while - people now use them mainly to clean the air - and researchers at the University of Leeds in England think they may have some newfound value on the medical front.

It turns out they can stop diseases that are caused by acinetobacter, a type of bacteria that causes serious infections in hospital patients. Acinetobacter is not typically a concern for healthy people, but for critically ill hospital patients, it can cause fatal cases of pneumonia, blood poisoning, and other diseases. Even more worrisome, many strains have become resistant to antibiotics. (Each year about 2 million Americans contract infections while hospitalized, and 88,000 of them die from them, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Leeds researchers installed several ionizers in the intensive care ward at a local hospital to see what, if any, effect they might have on airborne disease. After six months, acetinobacter infections were reduced dramatically, according to the researchers' initial report.

While other studies have shown that ionizers can lower bacteria levels in the air, this is the first to demonstrate that reducing airborne acetinobacter lowers rates of actual infection.

The researchers plan to publish their findings in a medical journal later this year. Meanwhile, hospital officials have been so pleased with the outcome that they've asked the researchers if they can keep the ionizers in the ward.

Here is a copy of the actual press release from Leeds University:

New weapon to fight hospital infections – January 2, 2003

A potential new weapon in the fight against hospital acquired infections has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds.

The scientists studied the effect of negative air ionizers on infections caused by acinetobacter; a pathogen responsible for increasing numbers of sometimes fatal infections amongst hospital patients. Ionizers were placed in the intensive care unit at St James's University Hospital, which, like similar wards across the UK, has had recurrent problems with infections caused by acinetobacter.

For the first six months the researchers, from the aerobiological research group in the University’s school of civil engineering, monitored the normal situation in the unit, taking samples from surfaces, patients and from the air to monitor bacteria levels, and logging the number of patient infections. During the second half of the year-long trial, the ionizers were switched on, and the results were impressive: infections due to acinetobacter reduced dramatically.

Lead researcher Dr Clive Beggs said: "This is the first epidemiological study of its kind into the use of ionizers in hospital wards and the initial results are very promising. We believe that the negative air ions are removing the bacteria from the air, so stopping the transmission of infection. Our tests have focused solely on acinetobacter, but it’s possible the ionizers may have had an effect on other airborne bacteria. We now need to carry out further research to determine exactly how the ions work and how widespread their effects could be."

Even without further research, the fact the ionizers are already making a difference is good enough for lead consultant at St James's intensive care unit, Dr Stephen Dean. "We wanted to be involved in the trial as infections are a major issue for units such as ours, where many patients are already very vulnerable," he said. "The results have been fantastic - so much so that we asked the University to leave the ionizers with us. Since the trial finished in May, we've kept them in operation, and have continued to see greatly reduced acinetobacter infections on the ward."

Dr Kevin Kerr, lead clinical microbiologist on the project, said: “Acinetobacter infections are very difficult to treat as the bacterium is resistant to nearly all antibiotics, so prevention of these infections is of key importance. Ionizers may become a powerful weapon in the fight against hospital-acquired infection.”

The researchers have compiled their report for NHS Estates who funded the study, and will be publishing a paper on the research in the new year. They are continuing their work on negative air ions and are conducting further trials and experiments at the University of Leeds.

Notes to editors:
Acinetobacter is a bacterium found naturally in the environment. It can survive drying, and can persist in dust and on inanimate surfaces for extended periods. While it poses no real threat to healthy humans, when the body’s defenses are weakened it can cause serious infections. For these reasons it has become a significant problem in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units where patients are already critically ill. While there are few national data on numbers of infections from specific bacteria, acinetobacter is acknowledged alongside MRSA as a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections. Acinetobacter can cause infections of the lung (pneumonia), blood stream (septicaemia) and infections of surgical wounds and burns as well as urine infections. Such infections are difficult to treat as many strains of the bacterium are resistant to more than one antibiotic, with the most resistant strains only treatable by one or two drugs, and fully resistant strains are expected to develop in the near future. Attention is therefore being focused on preventative strategies.

Note:  Dr. Group recommends the GHC 2000 as one of the most efficient and cost effective negative ion generators.

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Three Tips For Managing Stress

(Remember the Zoloft article at the beginning of the newsletter?  Here’s a simple, no-cost solution that will not space you out on drugs and will provide only healthy side effects!)

1.  Make an appointment with God every day to pray and then keep it as if you were meeting the most important person in the world.

2.  Arrange your priorities.  If what you are doing won't make a difference a year or two or five, it probably doesn't matter that much now.  Separate the essential from the urgent. The most meaningful things flow freely connecting your heart, your head, and your hands.

3.  Take good care of yourself.  A healthy body, soul and spirit will allow you to care for others in a healthy way.  That means eating nutritious foods. Moving your body to the rhythm of an exercise you enjoy. Staying connected to those who love you. And allowing some time and space to be alone!

Refuse to be lazy about stress.  Take control of your life.

DISCLAIMER:  It is your constitutional right to educate yourself in health and medical knowledge, to seek helpful information and make use of it for your own benefit, and for that of your family.  You are the one responsible for your health.  In order to make decisions in all health matters, you must educate yourself. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Global Healing Center are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition, see your physician of choice. We do not claim to "cure" disease, but simply help you make physical and mental changes in your own body in order to help your body heal itself.

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  “He who does not use his endeavors to heal himself

 is a brother to him who commits suicide.”

Proverbs 18:9 (Amplified)