All about nature and its benefits: 2012

Saturday 3 March 2012

Epsom Salt

The following is a chapter of my book called Small Things Can Make A Big Difference (Victor Pan 2012 Copyright) It is not the final draft, but very close to it. Any feedbacks or comments would be much appreciated. If you want to leave comments on this blog, go down to comments and click the word. It will then take you to the page were comments can be written. Thank you.

Disclaimer: The following chapter is not meant to heal or cure any problems or disease that you may be experiencing. For proper help and treatment with the use of Epsom salt see a medical expert on the subject or an alternative recognised medical practitioner. The author is not responsible for any problem or damage that occurs to the reader and those you choose to apply and use Epsom salt.

Also, this chapter is not to cover the subject of Epsom salt, its uses and many benefits/side effects.

Epsom salt

What are Epsom salts made up of and where are they found?

They are a naturally occurring mineral that is found in water. It is a mineral that is made up of oxygen, hydrogen, sulphur and magnesium. (1) More properly known as magnesium sulphate, Epsom salts derives its popular name from the town of Epsom, England, where the compound was first distilled from water. (2)

Benefits of Epsom salt

This long-time remedy has been useful for almost everything from relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, aching limbs, back pain, healing cuts, muscle strain, treating cold and congestion to drawing toxins from the body. It lowers blood pressure, creates a relaxed feeling, improves sleep, concentration, and helps muscles and nerves to function properly. It can prevent hardening of the arteries by lowering blood pressure, protects the elasticity of arteries, prevents blood clots and reduces the risk of heart attacks.

Eases stress and relaxes body

Stress drains the body of magnesium and Epsom Salt is considered to be a natural stress reliever. When dissolved in warm water Magnesium Sulphate is absorbed through the skin and replenishes the level of magnesium in the body. The salt draws toxins from the body, sedates the nervous system, reduces swelling and relaxes muscles. The magnesium helps to produce serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. Research shows that magnesium also increases energy and stamina by encouraging the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy packets made in the cells. Magnesium ions also relax and reduce irritability by lowering the affects of adrenaline.

Relieves pain and muscle cramps

An Epsom Salt bath is known to relieve inflammation and relieves pain, making it beneficial in the treatment of sore muscles, bronchial asthma and migraine. In addition, it has been known to heal cuts, reduce soreness from childbirth and relieves colds and congestion.

Exfoliates dead skin

Massage a handful of Epsom Salt mixed with a tablespoon bath oil or olive oil and rub over your moist skin to exfoliate and soften your skin. Then sponge down.

Helps muscles and nerves function properly

Studies show that magnesium is an electrolyte and helps to ensure proper functioning of the muscle, nerve and enzyme. It is also known to be critical in the proper use of calcium in cells.

Makes insulin more effective

This salt also increases the effectiveness of insulin, helping to lower the risk or severity of diabetes.

Relieves constipation

Numerous studies have revealed that Epsom Salt can also be used to treat constipation. The salt acts like a laxative. It increases the water in the intestines and can bring about temporary relief from constipation. However, it is strictly warned that Epsom salts should not be used to relieve constipation without the consultation of a physician as it may prove to be harmful in some cases. (3)

From the Epsom Salt Industry Council

Studies indicate that Epsom salt may help to relieve stress in a number of ways. Studies also show these benefits from the major components of Epsom Salt.

Magnesium, one of the chemicals components of Epsom salt, is responsible for the following actions and functions in the body:

Eases stress and improves sleep and concentration
Helps muscles and nerves function properly
Regulates the activity of 325 plus enzymes
Helps prevent artery hardening and blood clots
Makes insulin more effective
Reduces inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps
Improves oxygen use

Sulphates:

Flushes toxins
Improves absorption of nutrients
Helps form joint proteins, brain tissue and mucin proteins
Helps prevent or ease migraine headaches

Note to readers:

Such information that can be found in the Epsom Salt Council can be seen as ‘misleading’ in terms of what does the company benefit from propagating the health benefits of Epsom salt. The website does not offer any links to sales of Epsom salt. It does, however, offer information to three different categories of the uses of Epsom salt: beauty, garden and health. It is, as far as I have seen, a website that offers advice on the many uses that can be obtained from Epsom salt.

While increasing your magnesium levels, Epsom salt also delivers sulphates, which are extremely difficult to get through food but which readily absorb through the skin. Sulphates also stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and help to detoxify the body’s residue of medicines and environmental contaminants. (4)

Side effects of Epsom salt

What does Epsom salt do inside your body?

Regarding the chemical sulphate, it aids your body to create a pathway that processes salicylates, phenols and other chemicals and substances that your body sees as possible toxins – this can include heavy metals. The body may have more toxins to process than it can handle because of a lack of sulphur. To alleviate the unpleasant reactions such as hyperness, aggression, tantrums, sleep problems, night sweats, irritability, eczema and other skin conditions you can help the body get rid of the amount of toxins that enter it or supply more sulphur to increase the amount of toxins that can be processed from the body. (5) Sulphate has an influence over almost every cellular function. Sulphate attaches to phenols and makes them less harmful, and sets them up for being excreted by your kidneys. Sulphate is used to regulate the performance of many other molecules. Many systems in the body will not function well in a low-sulphate environment. Sulphur is so critical to life that the body will catabolise protein from the muscles to keep it from running too low. (6)

Another possible use of Epsom Salt is that it can cleanse, soothe and dry herpes sores as well as relieve itching and tenderness. An Epsom salt bath is the best method of application for such a condition. (7)

Some negative side effects of misusing and using Epsom salt

Although there hardly any serious side effects of using Epsom salt in a limited quantity, there can be some side effects like: allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives), flushed skin, drop in blood pressure and/or a slowed heartbeat; nausea with vomiting, reduced awareness and drowsiness. (8)

Before using Epsom salts

This medicine may not be suitable for everyone and some people must never have it. Always get advice from a healthcare professional before having this medicine if:

you are allergic or sensitive to or have had a reaction to any of the ingredients in the medicine
this medicine is for a child under five years of age
you have severe stomach pain
you have nausea or vomiting
you have kidney problems (9)

Documentation of hypermangnesia

The following information can be found on a case study which showed Epsom salt enemas lead to deaths and illnesses. The study is called Fatal Hypermagnesia Cause by an Epsom Salt Enema: Case Study. This study, in my opinion, shows how Epsom salt should not be used unless proper knowledge is known of the potential risks, of it many chemicals and their use/overuse. I still believe Epsom salt is a fabulous natural remedy, if used correctly. It should be common sense that a seven year old boy, should not be doing enemas with any adding of extra ingredients to the water.

The following explains hypermagnesia and some of its sources.

Epsom salt was first described in 1695, when Dr. Nehemiah Grew took water from a well in Epsom, England, and created Epsom salt. Epsom salt is essentially 100% magnesium sulphate. One tablespoon of Epsom salt contains approximately 35 g of magnesium sulphate, which is 3.4 g (287 mEq) of elemental magnesium. This is a considerable amount, considering that the recommended daily allowance for an adult is only 300 to 400 mg per day. Since that time, Epsom salt has been used for numerous ailments including abdominal pain, constipation, sprains, muscle strains, hyaline membrane disease, and cerebral edema. The first report of death caused by an Epsom salt enema was published in 1943 by Fawcett and Gens. Before this report, Fraser reviewed the literature on the toxicity of Epsom salt from 1841 to 1909 and found 7 cases of magnesium toxicity from Epsom salt use, with 5 deaths. Magnesium enemas were used in the treatment of infants with hyaline membrane disease in the early 1970s until they were found to have no benefit and resulted in deaths caused by hypermagnesemia. Magnesium enemas were also used in the management of elevated intracranial pressure in the 1920s, based on an incorrect theory that causing water loss in the rectum would result in fluid loss in the brain and therefore might lower the intracranial pressure. Again, this was found to have no benefit and resulted in deaths caused by hypermagnesemia. Magnesium is one of the most abundant cations and is the second most abundant intracellular cation found in the body. It serves as an important cofactor for most cellular metabolic and energy-related reactions involving phosphorus. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and the proper functioning of the Na-K-ATPase pump. In addition to these roles, magnesium competitively binds to calcium channels and hence acts as a natural calcium channel blocker. Hypermagnesemia is a potentially lethal condition that may not be as rare as is commonly thought. In 1990, Whang and Ryder studied more than 1,000 patients admitted to a community hospital and found the incidence of hypermagnesemia to be 5.7%, whereas only 12% of those were clinically suspected. Hypermagnesemia is usually found in patients with renal insufficiency who have a creatinine clearance of less than 30 mL/min. Other patients at risk for development of elevated serum magnesium levels are patients with excessive magnesium loads. Potential sources of excess magnesium intake include antacids, laxatives, cathartics, and parenteral administration. Other less common causes of hypermagnesemia include rhabdomyolysis, tumour lysis syndrome, adrenal insufficiency,vhyperparathyroidism, and hypothyroidism. (10)

Some deficiencies of magnesium and sulphate

Studies reveal that a diet, which is deficient in magnesium and sulphate, can lead to various health problems such as malfunctioning of the kidneys, various heart diseases including heart attack, and poor blood circulation. Increasing the level of magnesium in the blood will help to regulate the electrolytes and raise the level of serotonin (monoamine neurotransmitter). When the serotonin level increases, it not only helps in de-stressing but also improves your sleep. The toxins of your body are easily flushed out if the level of sulphates is normal.

Scientific research to back up possible use of Epsom salt, to increase magnesium and sulphates in the body

Scientific experiments show magnesium and sulphates can be absorbed by the human body externally. Dr Rosemary Waring was one of the many doctors to conduct a study on such claim. The test included 19 people, 10 male and 9 female ages of 24-64 years of age. All but three people had their magnesium increased. The values before the first bath were, mean 104.68 ± 20.76 ppm/ml; after the first bath the mean was 114.08 ± 25.83 ppm/ml. as for The individuals who had not had their blood magnesium levels increased, had correspondingly large increases in urinary magnesium showing that the magnesium ions had crossed the skin barrier and had been excreted via the kidney. Free inorganic sulphate levels in plasma rose in all subjects after bathing in Epsom salts (mean pre-bath, 3.28 nmol/mg protein ± 1.40, 2h after 1st bath, mean 5.59 nmol/mg protein ± 3.08). No volunteers complained of any adverse effect. (11) The study that gave these results, can be said to be lacking in evidence. There were insufficient people to prove the effectiveness of the Epsom salt being absorbed through the skin. There was also a difference in male and female absorption of different chemicals, which there is a need for further studies that can be carried out to see whether it is about age of sex specifically. Epsom salts can do wonders for a person suffering from arthritis. Bathing daily in water containing Epsom salts solution will help to increase the blood circulation and reduces swellings in the joints. (12)

Magnesium

Two studies conducted in France at the Clermont University, showed that magnesium, which can be found and easily absorbed through the use of Epsom salt, helps reduce inflammation by increasing cellular activity involved in inflammation. The increase of magnesium decreases the inflammatory response, while reduction in the extracellular magnesium results in cell activation. (13)
Magnesium (Mg) deficiency results in a stress effect and increased susceptibility to physiological damage produced by stress. The effect of Mg deficiency in the development of insulin resistance in the rat model is well documented. Recent findings support the hypothesis that the Mg effect on intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis may be a common link between stress, inflammation and a possible relationship to metabolic syndrome. (14)
Magnesium deficiency in rodent is linked to an inflammation syndrome. A study was done to see whether a lack of magnesium deficiency in rats could modify vitamin A. magnesium deficiency was accompanied by a reduction in plasma retinol and plasma retinol concentration. The data gathered from the study strongly suggest that the decrease in plasma retinol concentration, resulting from the level of its binding protein, is related to the inflammatory effect of Mg deficiency. These results point to the possible interference of Mg deficiency on the use of plasma retinol as an indicator of vitamin A status. (15)

References

1 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-epsom-salts.htm

2 http://www.livestrong.com/article/98960-drink-epsom-salts-detox/

3http://www.lymeneteurope.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3164

4 http://www.greenecoservices.com/green-health-and-beauty-epsom-salts/

5 http://www.thepeacefamily.force9.co.uk/epsom.html

6 http://www.thepeacefamily.force9.co.uk/epsom.html

7 http://www.naturalnews.com/029109_genital_herpes_remedies.html#ixzz1nkGd Uyn7

8 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drugmagnesium_sulfate/article_em.htm#sideeffects

Note on the website:

Although the following website was useful for information on Epsom slat and its possible side effects, I personally found the website a source of medical and government propaganda. There are more side effects listed and how bad it is and can be for you and few possible benefits.

http://www.nhs.uk/medicineguides/pages/MedicineOverview.aspx?medicine=Epsom%20salts

10 http://www.alternativehealth.co.nz/cancer/liver/Fatal_Hypermagnesemia_

Caused_by_an_Epsom_Salt_Enema.pdf

11 http://www.mgwater.com/transdermal.shtml

12 http://www.mgwater.com/transdermal.shtml

13 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16712775

14 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20513641

15 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19271422

Further links

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/use-epsom-salts-13-wonderful-ways.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/medical-uses-of-epsom-salts.html

Further references for Epsom salt
YouTube video, what is Epsom salt? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URjwfum_azU

Sunday 5 February 2012

Liver Cancer and Fighting It The Natural Way

The following information is very useful in treating liver cancer using natural ways. Always make sure that you know what you are doing and are aware that some foods are better raw, organic and unheated. Do your own reasearch and continue your life long journey of learning. Thank you for reading and when you can check out www.youtube.com/user/healthyliving2012 for videos on health.

Liver cancer diet, food, supplements herbs vitamins by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body -- the skin is larger -- filling the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. It has two parts, a right lobe and a smaller left lobe. The liver has many important functions, including: Filtering harmful substances from the blood so they can be passed from the body in stools and urine; making bile to help digest fats from food; storing glycogen (sugar), which the body uses for energy.
There are two ways in which cancer can involve the liver. The cancer can arise from the liver itself (primary liver cancer) or it can spread to the liver from a primary tumor at another site (secondary, or metastatic, cancer).

Liver cancer is diagnosed in about 19,000 Americans annually but is much more common elsewhere and is the fifth most common cancer globally. Risk factors include chronic liver infections and some forms of hepatitis. The disease is common in China and countries without widespread use of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is routinely given to U.S. infants. Liver cancer doesn't respond well to conventional chemotherapy and is often diagnosed too late for surgery to be an option. Many patients die within a year of diagnosis.

Natural liver cancer treatment or prevention
Many herbs and nutrients have an influence on liver cancer prevention and treatment. I will mention a few that I have come across and this article will be updated as more information becomes available. Please note that research in this area is minimal and should not be used to forego traditional medical treatment for liver cancer unless your doctor reads this information and concurs with trying some of these supplements. We will need significantly more research in this area of herbal medicine before we can make any statements with confidence regarding the role of herbs in liver support.

AHCC -- Active Hexose-correlated Compound - is a mushroom extract that has been tested as an immune enhancing, liver protective anti-cancer supplement.

IP-6 has been reported to have in vivo and in vitro anti- cancer activity.

Broccoli sprouts and their extract could be considered.

Mangosteen is a fruit

Lycium or wolfberry also known as goji berry

Cornus officinalis

Diet and liver cancer
Certain foods, among them milk and fruit, appear to reduce the likelihood of developing liver cancer. Dr. Renato Talamini, at the National Tumor Institute in Aviano, and colleagues studied 185 patients with liver cancer and a comparison group of 412 "controls" without cancer. As intake of various foods went up, the risk of liver cancer went down. High intakes of milk and yoghurt reduced the chances of developing liver cancer. High consumption of white meat lowered the risk by 56 percent, and with high intake of fruit, it went down by 52 percent. Vegetables, too, apparently had a protective effect, but this didn't reach significance from a statistical standpoint. The researchers saw that the findings held good for patients with hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Dr/. RenatoTalamini advised that, to ward off liver cancer, one should "adopt a correct diet, rich in fruits and vegetables." Also important, he added, "is limiting consumption of alcohol beverages and avoiding HCV infection by practicing safe sex and eliminating needle sharing." International Journal of Cancer, 2006.

In a population-based prospective study of Japanese individuals, consumption of vegetables, green-yellow and green leafy vegetables was inversely associated with the risk of liver cancer. British Journal Cancer. 2009. Vegetable, fruit and antioxidant nutrient consumption and subsequent risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective cohort study in Japan.

The amount of fat accumulated around internal abdominal organs influences the likelihood of a recurrence of liver cancer following treatment.

Liver cancer symptom
Abdominal pain is generally the initial and most frequent symptom of liver cancer. While the pain my be severe in some instances, the pain is more likely to be a persistent dull ache, which intensifies in later stages. Weakness and weight loss are also common symptoms of liver cancer. Liver cancer is sometimes called a "silent disease" because in its early stages it often does not cause symptoms. But, as the tumor grows, liver cancer symptoms may include: Pain in the upper abdomen on the right side; nausea and vomiting; swollen abdomen (bloating); weight loss; loss of appetite and feelings of fullness; fatigue and weakness; yellow skin and eyes, and dark urine from jaundice; and lastly fever. Please note that a number of medical conditions can cause these symptoms, they are not exclusive to liver cancer.

Liver cancer treatment
Primary liver cancer is difficult to treat. Surgical removal is the best option but these tumors are often too large and too extensive for surgery. Chemotherapy is occasionally used for inoperable tumors but any benefit is usually short lived. Unfortunately liver cancer cure is difficult.
   Several different types of treatment may be offered for secondary liver cancer, most frequently chemotherapy. Surgeons may also resect one or two isolated, metastatic liver tumors.

Metastatic liver cancer
Metastatic cancers are tumors that spread from the organ or origin. Because of its blood supply, the liver is a common site for some cancers to spread. Some of the most common cancers that spread to the liver are those originating in the colon, pancreas, lung and breast. Lymphomas and leukemias can also invade the liver. So can others.

Liver cancer survival rate - liver cancer prognosis
Unfortunately, survival rates for primary liver cancer are low. Survival rate depends on the stage of the liver cancer. Liver cancer prognosis depends on many things, including how early the tumor has been detected. Surgery may be an option if the tumor is small enough and caught early. The success rate of this surgery, however, is low; only ten to twenty percent of all hepatocellular carcinoma surgeries succeed in entirely removing cancerous tissue. If the surgery is not successful, the disease is often fatal within three to six months; the prognosis for liver metastases is equally poor.

Liver Cancer statistics
Primary liver cancer (cancer that starts in the liver) is one of the most common cancers in the world, with approximately one million cases reported every year. This ranges from about 15,000 cases in the United States to more than a 250,000 in China. About 80% of people with primary liver cancer are male.

Liver cancer cause
In the western world, most people who develop liver cancer usually also have a condition called cirrhosis of the liver. This is a fine scarring throughout the liver which is due to a variety of causes including infection and heavy alcohol drinking over a long period of time. However, only a small proportion of people who have cirrhosis of the liver develop primary liver cancer.
     Infection with either the hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus can lead to liver cancer, and can also be the cause of cirrhosis.
     Steroid abuse, smoking, and exposure to toxins are additional causes of liver cancer.
     People who have a rare condition called haemochromatosis, which causes excess deposits of iron in the body, have a higher chance of developing liver cancer.
     In Africa and Asia a poison called aflatoxin, found in moldy peanuts and grain, is an important cause of liver cancer.
     High blood levels of the pesticide DDT are associated with an elevated risk of liver cancer.

Hypothyroidism
Women with long-standing hypothyroidism, commonly referred to as an "underactive thyroid," are at increased risk of liver cancer. By contrast, hypothyroidism is not significantly associated with this malignancy in men. Hepatology, May, 2009.

The role of Coffee
A study, published in the August 2005 issue of International Journal of Cancer. based on data from more than 60,000 Japanese adults, bolsters the findings of another study published earlier this year that linked coffee consumption to a lower risk of liver cancer. In the current study, researchers found that men and women who drank at least one cup of coffee a day were less likely to develop liver cancer than those who drank little or none. Compared with occasional coffee drinkers, habitual drinkers were 29 percent less likely to develop liver cancer over the 7 to 9 years the researchers followed them. And in comparison to their peers who never drank coffee, their liver cancer risk was 42 percent lower.

Liver Cancer Research
Effect of lycium barbarum polysaccharide on human hepatoma QGY7703 cells: inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis.
Life Sci. 2005.
Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, extracted from Lycium barbarum that is a kind of traditional Chinese herb, is found to have anticancer activity. In this study, the effect of lycium on the proliferation rate, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis in the human hepatoma QGY7703 cell line were investigated. The study suggests that the induction of cell cycle arrest and the increase of intracellular calcium in apoptotic system may participate in the antiproliferative activity of lycium in human liver cancer QGY7703 cells.

Chemical aspects of coumarin compounds for the prevention of hepatocellular carcinomas.
Curr Med Chem Anti-Canc Agents. 2005.
The normalization of plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) has been proved to be a strategy for preventing the development of liver cancer in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infection. Glycyrrhizin, a plant medicine, normalizes plasma ALT and prevents liver cancer. However, glycyrrhizin is administered intravenously and thereby chemical which is effective on oral administration is required. Coumarin compounds are active components of herbs used for the treatment of various diseases. The ability of coumarin compounds to lower plasma ALT were examined. Furocoumarin effectively lowers plasma ALT, but the safety range between the effective and toxic dosages is narrow. In contrast, osthole, a simple coumarin, causes strong reduction of plasma ALT and also inhibits caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, this chemical is quite safe upon large dose administration. In the structure of osthole, the methoxy group at position-7 and the 3-methyl-2-butenyl group at position-8 were elucidated to be essential for the beneficial effect of this chemical. We conclude that osthole will become a leading chemical for synthesizing a compound which prevents liver cancer on oral administration.

Chemoprevention against hepatocellular carcinoma ( liver cancer ) of Cornus officinalis in vitro.
Am J Chin Med. 2004.
The water extracts of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zuce against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was studied for its chemopreventive potential. Three HCC cell lines and three leukemic cell lines were tested with XTT assay. Extracts of C. officinalis inhibited all these HCC cells and leukemic cells at a concentration of 100 microg/ml and was dose-dependent. P53 and Ras significantly affected its activity against HCC. Extracts of C. officinalis also possessed the anti-oxidant activity through free radicals scavenging activity at a concentration of 50 microg/ml. In summary, our experiment implied that C. officinalis might be a candidate for chemopreventive agent against hepatocellular carcinoma through the antioxidant and anti-neoplastic effects.

Garcinone E, a xanthone derivative, has potent cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.
Planta Med. 2002.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with chemotherapy has generally been disappointing and it is most desirable to have more effective new drugs. We extracted and purified 6 xanthone compounds from the rinds (peel) of the fruits of Garcinia mangostana L. ( mangosteen ), and then tested the cytotoxic effects of these compounds on a panel of 14 different human cancer cell lines including 6 hepatoma cell lines. Our results have shown that one of the xanthone derivatives from mangosteen which could be identified as garcinone E has potent cytotoxic effect on all HCC cell lines as well as on the other gastric and lung cancer cell lines included in the screen. We suggest that garcinone E extract from mangosteen may be potentially useful for the treatment of certain types of cancer. Liver cancer symptom.

Additional herbs for liver cancer
Celery seed extract

Questions
Would lipoic acid be helpful in liver cancer?
I have not seen any research regarding the use of lipoic acid supplement for liver cancer.

My wife of 61 years of age has been told by the hospital, after taking some tests such as blood tests and ultrasound, that she has got liver cancer. It was a big shock for us. She has no symptoms. She takes yearly abdominal ultrasound and mammogram as well as a chest x-ray and up to last year these tests were all negative. My wife had breast cancer in 2001 and she was all right after an operation, chemo, radiotherapy and spent five years on tamoxefen. She even had liver function tests last August and they were perfect. Last May’s various blood tests were mainly good except the liver function tests. The bilirubin was normal, but her ESR was 38. She has an appetite all right The CBC was good. The doctors want now to give her chemotherapy. Deep down inside she does not want to have it. She is quite prepared to try alternative ways. She is very fond of homeopathy. In fact she goes to one regularly. . Is it possible for Dr. Sahelian to prescribe some herbs, vitamins, or supplements, to see how she goes for a month and then I take another ultrasound or blood test for the liver. My wife is light weight ne ver smoked and does not drink alcohol. She is on a vegetarian diet and takes at least five servings of fruit a day. I read so much about the goodness of curcumin, isoflavones, genestein, quercetin, resveratrol and ellagic acid, beta glucan, etc and of course green tea. Perhaps, such supplements can find a way to destroy these cancerous cells. On the other hand I would greatly appreciate Dr. Sahelian’s advice without any liability.
I cannot offer specific advice but hopefully some of the information on this page will be helpful.

Doctor's Say Fasting Is Good?

These are some quotes that I found that were said by doctors and even written in medical journals. It is a shame that they are not out more in the open for the public to see, read and learn from. Hope you like it. Visit my youtube chanel when you can.

"Fasting is a valid experience. It can benefit any otherwise healthy person whose calories now have the upper hand in his/her life."
The New England Journal of Medicine
"Fasting is an effective and safe method of detoxifying the body...A technique that wise men have used for centuries to heal the sick. Fast regularly and help the body heal itself and stay well. Give all of your organs a rest. Fasting can help reverse the aging process, and if we use it correctly we will live longer, happier lives.
Each time you complete a fast, you will feel better. Your body will have a chance to heal and rebuild its immune system by regularly fasting [a major benefit]. You can fight off illness and the degenerative diseases so common in this chemically polluted environment we live in. When you feel a cold or illness coming on or are just depressed-- fast!"
James Balch, M.D. and Phyllis Balch, C.N.C.
"In my practice I have seen fasting eliminate lupus and arthritis, remove chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, heal the digestive tract in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and quickly eliminate cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and angina. In these cases the recoveries were permanent."
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. (has fasting center in NJ)
"The ideal technique for successful fasting is the use of fresh, raw fruit and vegetable juices. On such a diet, the full spectrum of nutrients is supplied in an easily assimilated form, so the digestive tract is able to remain essentially at rest."
Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., who established holistic medical clinics in Chicago, New York, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Honesdale, PA, and authored "Radical Healing: Integrating The World's Great Therapeutic Traditions To Create A New Transformative Medicine," hailed as "a masterpiece"
by Carolyn Myss, M.D., and "an instant classic" by Deepak Chopra, M.D.
"I often observe in the fasting participants that by four days of fasting, concentration seems to improve, creative thinking expands, depression lifts, insomnia stops, anxieties fade, the mind becomes more tranquil and a natural joy begins to appear. It is my hypothesis that when the physical toxins are cleared from the brain cells, mind-brain function automatically and significantly improves and spiritual capacities expands."
Gabriel Cousins, M.D.
"Whether the patient has a cardiac condition, hypertension, autoimmune disease, fibroids, or asthma, he or she must be informed that fasting and natural, plant-based diets are a viable alternative to conventional therapy, and an effective one”
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of Fasting And Eating For Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease
"Fasting must be recognized as a fundamental and radical process that is older than any other mode of caring for the sick organism, for it is employed on the plane of instinct and has been employed since life was first introduced upon the earth. Fasting is nature's own method of ridding the body of 'diseased tissues,' excess nutriment and accumulations of waste and toxins. Nothing else will increase elimination through every channel of excretion as will fasting."
Herbert M. Shelton (DC, ND) says in his 400 page book, The Science and Fine Art of Fasting (©1978),
“The healthcare of the future will have to be both more effective and less costly than what we have available today. Fasting [and detoxing], as a therapeutic modality, is safe, effective, and a true healthcare bargain.”
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
"Juice Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment...it is the 'operation without surgery'…it is a cure involving exudation, reattunement, redirection, loosening up and purified relaxation. While fasting, the patient improves her or his physical health and gains much, but he or she will have neglected the most important thing if the hunger for spiritual nourishment that manifests itself during fasting is not satisfied."
Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., 1876-1966, Germany's great, self-described "fasting therapist" who founded several renowned Buchinger Kliniks in which he conducted "more than 100,000 juice fasting cures."
"Fasting can help reverse the ageing process, and if we use it correctly, we will live longer, happier lives."
Dr. James Balch, MD
"In over 70 years of supervising fasts, I have seen miracles happen to people... Its power to heal and rejuvenate the body is unsurpassed."
Dr. Bragg, ND, PhD
"There are hundreds of journal articles in the medical literature documenting the value of fasting in improving the function of the entire body including brain [cites studies]. Fasting has been repeatedly observed to alleviate neurosis, anxiety and depression."
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
"I had a medical practice for 20 years in NYC, supervised hundreds of long fasts, and I found that the physical healing or weight loss was but a pleasant side effect. What really happened is that the person got in touch with their higher self, their true self, and came to the experience that healing can take place at every level, simply by letting go and allowing Mother Nature to do her work"
Dr. Rai Casey

Source:

http://blueprintcleanse.com/doctors-orders.html

What Symptoms To Expect When Your Diet Is Improved - Stanley Bass

What Symptoms to Expect When You Improve Your Diet
(or Start Fasting)
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Going on a fast, or improving your diet, may cause you to feel sick

INTRODUCTION

If I were asked which is the area of greatest misunderstanding and confusion in the field of nutrition, I would immediately be forced to reply, it is the failure to properly understand and interpret the symptoms and changes which follow the beginning of a better nutritional program.

HIGHER QUALITY NUTRITION

'What is meant by a better nutritional program? It is the introduction of foods of higher quality in place of lower quality ones.

For example, if a person replaces a protein rich food such a pork with beef, the beef may be considered the superior of the two - due to its easier digestibility, lower and less saturated fat content, etc. Similarly chicken is superior to beef, and fish is superior to chicken because of its more rapid digestibility and lower saturated fat content.
Lima beans, lentils or chick peas, which are eaten at the same meal with vegetables, are superior in all the nutrients needed to rebuild health.
As we go higher on the scale of quality, we begin to include protein rich food which may be eaten in the unfired (raw) state, such as cheese which is made from raw milk and unsalted.
Then we ascend to the nuts and seeds which are eaten in the natural state (raw and unsalted).

HIGHEST QUALITY - RAW FOOD

To summarize: the closer the food comes to the natural state in which it occurs, or the closer to its raw, unfired (raw) form, the higher its quality.
In this condition, all the enzymes are found intact. The amino acids are in their finest form. The minerals, vitamins, trace elements, carbohydrates and "life force" are present. The life force, in turn is capable of reproducing healthy tissue.

This same classification of quality which we analyzed in relation to protein rich foods applies to the carbohydrates (the starch and sugar-rich foods), the fats and the mineral-rich foods.

TOXIC SUBSTANCES

The quality of a nutritional program is also improved by omitting toxic substances such, as coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, salt, pepper, etc. from your diet.

FOODS AND RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS

What is the relation of quality of foods to recovery from illness?
It is this in a nutshell: The higher the quality of food we eat, the quicker we recover from disease, provided we are able to digest and assimilate properly.

To this must be added the knowledge of

proper food combining
proper order of eating the different kinds of food at a meal: e.g. the most easily digested food should be eaten first, the more complex one second, and the most concentrated item last
the correct quantity of food to be consumed (of each type) in the meal
the correct time for eating (when hungry, and not by the clock)

REMARKABLE CHANGES

Now - what happens when a person follows these rules and makes a decided improvement in the quality of food consumed?
Remarkable things begin to happen to the body as well as the mind. The amazing intelligence present in every cell of the body and the wisdom of the body in its operation, immediately becomes manifest.
The rule may be stated thusly: When the quality of the food coming into the body is of higher quality than the tissues which the body is made of, the body begins to discard the lower grade materials and tissues to make room for the superior materials which it uses to make new and healthier tissue.

NATURE SELF-CURING

This is the plan of Nature - the body is very selective and always aims for improvement for better health. The body always tries to produce health and always will, unless our interference is too great. Only then do we fail to recover and degenerate further into disease.

The self-curing nature of many conditions such as colds, fevers, cuts, swellings, injuries, etc., furnishes endless examples of how the body tends towards health - always - unless we do something to stop the process.

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS

What are the symptoms or signs which become evident when we first begin to omit the lower grade foods and instead introduce superior foods - those which are most alive, more natural than we are accustomed to?

Usually within three days, the symptoms vanish and we feel stronger due to the recuperation which follows.

To a lesser extent the same process occurs when we abandon lower quality foods and replace them with better foods.

LOWER QUALITY - MORE STIMULATING

Lower quality has undergone more preparation.
Spices, salt and other ingredients have been added, as they tend to be more "stimulating" than less prepared and more natural foods. Animal foods such as meat, fowl, fish etc. are more stimulating than cheese, nuts and vegetable proteins.

Consequently the withdrawal of stimulation which follows the abandonment of animal food produces a slower heart action - a resting phase - which registers in the mind as relaxation or a decrease of energy. This initial letdown lasts about ten days or slightly longer, and is followed by an increase of strength, a feeling of diminishing stress and greater well-being.

AVOIDING FAILURE

Now let us return to the symptoms which occur in the process of regeneration. The person who starts a better diet, stays on it for three days to a week and then quits will say, "Oh, I felt better on the old diet - the new one makes me feel weak." He failed because he didn't give his body a chance to adjust and complete its first phase of action - recuperation. If he had waited a while longer, he would have begun to feel better than before he started.

RECUPERATION - PHASE ONE

During the initial stage (lasting about ten days on the average to several weeks in others), the vital energies which are usually in the periphery or external part of the body such as the muscles and skin, begin to move to the vital internal organs and start reconstruction.
This shunting of much of the power to the internal region produces a feeling of less energy in the muscles, which the mind interprets as some weakness. Actually, the power is increased, but most of it is being used for rebuilding the more important organs and less of it is available for muscular work.
Any weakness which is felt here is not true weakness, but merely a redeploying of forces to the more important internal parts.

RELAX FOR SUCCESS

Here it is important for the person to stop wasting energy, and to rest and sleep more. This is a crucial phase, and if the person resorts to stimulants of any kind, he will abort and defeat the regenerative intent of the body. It is impor-tant that he have patience and faith and just wait it out, and after a while he will get increasing strength which will exceed by far what he felt before he began the new program.
Success in recovery or improvement of health hinges upon the correct understanding of this point - realizing that the body is using its main energies in more important internal work and not wasting it in external work invol-ving muscle movements. Be wise, take it easy here and relax. Just coast in,. your work and social obligations until you're out of the woods.

RETRACING - CLEANUP

Retracing: As one continues on the improved diet and gradually raises the food quality, interesting symptoms begin to appear.
The body begins a process called retracing.

"Now we have a chance to get rid or this old garbage and build a beautiful new house. Let's get started immediately. Let's get this excess bile out or the liver and gall bladder and send it to the intestines for elimination. Let's get the sludge moving out of the arteries, veins and capillaries. These smelly, gassy, brain-stupefying masses have been here too long - out with them!
These arthritic deposits in the joints need cleaning up! Let's get these irritating food preservatives, aspirins, sleeping pills and drugs out of the way, along with these other masses of fat which have made life so burdensom for us for so long.
Let's get going till the job is done - till we have a beautiful house - and from there on we'll keep it a beautiful ideal model house."

CATABOLISM - ELIMINATION

During the first phase (called catabolism), the accent is on elimination, or breaking down of tissue. The body begins to clean house. - In short, to remove the garbage deposited in all the tissues - everywhere. During this period. the body removes the ashes from the furnace preparatory. So getting a better fire.
Here the accentuation is on removal of the gross and immediate body obstructions. Wastes are discarded more rapidly than new tissue is made from the new food. This becomes evident as weight loss.

STABILIZATION

This persists for a while and is then followed by the second phase - called stabilization.
Here the weight remains more or less stable. During this phase, the amount of waste material being discarded daily is equal to the amount of tissue which is being formed and replaced by the newer, more vital food. This occurs after the excess of obstructing material in the tissues has been removed.

ANABOLISM - BUILDUP

This state persists for a while and is then followed by a third phase - a build-up period called anabolism, wherein weight starts to go up, even though the diet is lower in calories than it was before. At this point, much or more of the interferring wastes have already been discarded. -

The tissues which have been formed since the diet was raised in quality are more durable and do not break down easily. Also new tissues are now being formed faster. This is due to the improved assimilation made possible by the ceasing of wrong food combining.
The body's need for the usual amounts of food decreases, and we are able to maintain our weight and increased energies with less food. Many are able to function very efficiently on two meals a day. As the body progressively increases efficiency and decreases in tissue breakdown under exercise, so do we gradually need less and less food to maintain life.
The higher the percentage of raw food one lives on, the slower the rate of tissue deterioration which one evolves into. A sick body requires a gradual carefully worked-out entry into this stage, where one is able to live on a 100% unfired (raw) diet.

SKIN RASHES

Returning to the symptoms which occur on a superior nutritional program, people who have had tendencies in the past to recurring skin rashes or eruptions will frequently tend to eliminate poisons and harmful drugs through the skin with new rashes or eruptions. If they go to a doctor now who is not familiar with this aspect of nutrition, he will diagnose it as an allergy.

They ask. "How come. I'm eating better now than I ever did before, and instead I'm getting worse?" They don't understand that the body is retracing.

The skin is getting more alive and active. It's throwing out more poisons more rapidly now that the body is building more power which is saved from those hard-to-ingest meals which have been discontinued.

TOXINS DISCARDED

These toxins being discarded are saving you from more serious disease which will result if you keep them in your body too much longer - possibly hepatitus, kidney disorders, blood disease, heart disease, arthritis, nerve degenerations or even cancer - depending upon your hereditary or structural weaknesses. Be happy you're paying your bills now in an easy-payment plan.

CONSTRUCTIVE HOUSECLEANING

With some, colds which haven't appeared for a long time may occur, or even fevers. This is nature's way of housecleaning. Understand that these actions are constructive, even though unpleasant at the moment. Don't, but don't, try to stop these symptoms by the use of certain drugs, or even massive doses of vitamins, which will act as drugs in huge concentrations.

RESPECT THE CURING PROCESS

These symptoms are part of a curing process, and don't try to cure a cure. These are not deficiency conditions or allergic manifestations - not if you're eating properly in quality, quantity, combination and sequence.
Here is where experienced advice is a great value. Unfortunately, there are few books present today which give full guidance to the average reader. Try to find guidance through a doctor or teacher who has the requisite experience in this most confusing of all subjects - nutrition in relation to health and disease.

MILD OR SEVERE SYMPTOMS

You may he eating perfectly in regard to quantity, quality and observing all the correct rules, and still symptoms will occur. Those who have lived better lives in the past - who have eaten better foods and who have abused their bodies less with overeating will have reactions ranging from almost none at all or very mild symptoms which may be uncomfortable or acute.
Those who have lived worse lives and poisoned themselves more will experience more severe symptoms - if their liver, kidneys, or other important eliminating organs have been damaged. When they have been renovated to the point of fair working order, they will no longer produce symptoms.

EXAMPLES

Headaches may occur at the beginning:
fever and/or colds may also appear:
the skin may break out;
there may be a short interval of bowel sluggishness,
occasional diarrhea.
feelings of tiredness and weakness,
disinclination to exercise,
nervousness, irritability, negativity or mental depression,
frequent urination etc.

However, the great majority of people find their reactions tolerable and are encouraged to bear with them, because of the many improvements which have already occurred and are becoming more evident with each day. This acts as an inspirational force to them.

SYMPTOMS WILL DIFFER

The symptoms will vary according to the materials being discarded, the condition of the organs involved in the elimination and the amount of energy you have available. The more you rest and sleep when symptoms are present, the milder they are and the more quickly they are terminated. Be happy you are having symptoms.

YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER EVERY DAY

Realize deeply that your body is becoming younger and healthier every day, because you are throwing off more and more wastes which would eventually have brought pain, disease and much suffering.

Those who have the worst symptom-reactions and follow through to their successful termination are thus avoiding some of the worst disease which would eventually have developed had they continued their careless eating habits.

CYCLICAL IMPROVEMENT

Don't expect to go on an ascending scale of quality, that improving your diet will make you feel better and better each dax until you reach perfection. The body is cyclical in nature. and health returns in a series of gradually diminishing cycles.

For example: you start a better diet and for a while you feel much better. After some time, a symptom occurs - you feel nauseous for a day and have diarrhea with a foul-smelling stool. After one day you feel even better than before and it goes fine for awhile. Then you suddenly develop a cold, feel chills and lose your appetite. After about two or three days (assuming you don't take drugs or do anything else about it), you suddenly recover and feel better than you did for years.

Let us say this wellbeing continues for two months, when you suddenly develop an itch or rash. You don't take anything special for it. This rash flares up, gets worse and continues for ten days, and suddenly subsides. Immediately after this you find that your hepatica is gone and your energy has increased more than ever before. The rash became an outlet for the poisons in the liver which produced the hepatitis.

DOW JONES RECOVERY CYCLES

This is how recovery occurs - like the cycles in the Dow-Jones Average at the beginning of a bull market recovery.

You feel better, a reaction occurs and you don't feel as well for a short while. You recover and go even higher. Then another reaction occurs, milder than the last. You recover and go even higher. And so it goes, each reaction milder than the last as the body becomes pure.
Each reaction becoming shorter in duration and being, followed by a longer period of feeling better than ever before, until you reach a level plateau of vibrant health.
Here you become relatively disease-free.

CONCLUSION

We must learn to obey the laws of Nature. We must learn to eat simple pure and natural foods, properly prepared and combined, and our bodies in return will cast off all the poisons we have taken in during our lives.

The mysteries of the body, the operations of nature, the vital forces working in nature are far beyond what our minds are prepared to understand at present.
Every great physician or scientist who ever lived marvelled in awe and humility at the wonders of nature. Yes - we are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

How Important Is Diagnosis? - Stanley Bass

Stanley S. Bass:
How Important is Diagnosis?

CAUSE OF DISEASES

Barring injury, emergencies, or complications resulting from injury, such as hemorrhaging, broken bones, etc.., let us begin with conditions that are classified as diseases.
Generally speaking, diseases are caused by any or all of 3 factors - namely enervation, toxemia or deficiency.