Friday, October 16, 2015

Sensationalist Headlines and the Importance of Reading Comprehension

The sensational headline stating “Supplements Send 23,000 to Hospitals” is not only misleading but is out and out untrue

If anyone troubled themselves to actually read the story they would have found several glaring discrepancies. There is no factual evidence to justify the 23 thousand ER  cases. It is a statistical estimate. Look at the figures! Over a nine year period, (9 years!) there were 3667 cases reported in, I am guessing , 63 large ,metropolitan hospitals. The researchers then ESTIMATED  a national number.   Hospitals are supposed to report adverse events to the CDC. Why did they have to go looking specifically? What were they looking for? What were the parameters of their study?

How can anyone lump vitamins, herbal supplements such as echinacea or hawthorn berry with the junk products sold on the internet and MLM’s? I do agree that the categories they  were looking for are the usual suspects (sexual enhancement, weight loss, increased energy,and body building). We have warned  for years to stay away from this crap, because it usually contained caffeine, ephedrine and other legal stimulants. Gee, do you think  people buying this stuff might have high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems? 

Did you see in the article the reasons for going to the ER was irregular heartbeat and chest pain? No one is going to the ER because their multivitamin caused  a problem. Just as a final note, I noticed they did not include the number of people who suffer severe complications and many deaths each year from over the counter products and prescriptions. Given a choice  I will take my echinacea and my vitamin supplement instead, with no fear of hospitalization.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Homeopathy under assault!


The FDA has proposed revisiting its policies on homeopathy, after problems with products like ZICAM and AIRBORN, which in my opinion are not really homeopathics in the truest sense. Some in the industry say they support the government’s efforts in order to get rid of some bad apples, but they hope this does not become a crusade against homeopathy as a whole. After reading some blogs and websites, it appears the anti homeopathy and anti alternative forces are coming out of the woodwork on a witch hunt.

Most of the posts i read had  referred to the lack of scientific evidence or proper studies.
The most irritating statements came from people who stated that homeopathy goes against known chemistry ,science, and physics, or they made fun of the “water memory” idea.
Fortunately, I attended a workshop many years ago, conducted by James Oschman PhD, a world authority on energy and complementary medicine. He wrote a book on the scientific basis of energy medicine, and covered homeopathy in chapter 10.  
In just a few paragraphs  Oschman clearly explained in scientific terms what the “water memory “ is. Here is just an example:

In homeopathy, molecular signatures are transferred from a biologically active molecule to the water in which it is dissolved. This happens when the homeopath “successes” the sample.  Succussion is a method of vibrating or sending a shockwave through the solution. Dissolved molecules are made to vibrate intensely and coherently and they therefore emit their electromagnetic signatures( emission spectrum)
One plausible mechanism for water memory storage, published by Dr. C.W. SmIth(1985) is that hydrogen bonds hold water together in a helical structure  that acts like a coil. The magnetic components of fields emitted by the vibrating molecules induce current flows through the water helix. These currents reverberate within the water structure, much like the ringing of a bell.  Even when the sample has been diluted to the point that the original molecule is gone,  the signals stored in the water continue to vibrate for a long time.”
The ability of atomic systems to recall coherent electromagnetic pulses is known to physicists (Brewer and Hahn 1984)”

Okay, so maybe it is not simple, but it is very understandable. Our bodies are 70% water. there are systems in our bodies we still do not fully understand. We still cannot explain what gives us life, for heaven’s sake!
So when  detractors say there is no scientific basis for homeopathy, it just means they have not looked far enough, or it does not fit their measuring process. Homeopathy may not fit neatly into Newtonian physics, but it sure as hell fits with quantum physics.


One last note:  Even if homeopathy is placebo, so is every medicine. If homeopathy is a placebo, and we are witless dupes, please explain to me how a skittish horse can be given  Ignatia, and minutes later it will be docile. How did you get the horse to understand it would work? I know, the detractors will say this is anecdotal.  My feeling is there is not enough money to be made by the big Pharma to really care about working with homeopathy. Just my opinion.



Thursday, February 26, 2015

 I had a great phone call today, that just reinforces the knowledge that the path we are on is the right one.
One of our customers has been taking care of a friend who is in kidney and liver failure, and is presently on dialysis. He has been given 2-3 months to live.  "Bill" contacted me and  asked what could be done to help his friend. I had to be very careful about making any suggestions because of the dialysis, but told him to talk to his doctor and see if milk thistle could be added to his regimen. "Bill told the doctor of his experience with milk thistle and had his doctor talk to the new doctor.  The doctor approved using a guaranteed potency milk thistle of 350 mg. This morning I was told  that the patient not only was alert, but took his own medicine and then asked for wipes to clean up. The doctor is amazed that the patient is as alert and active as he is. This after only five days on the milk thistle. Bill and his wife were crying as they told me the story. Truly, there are miracles to witness using these gifts from the Creator. I am not saying the patient is out of the woods, but the milk thistle is helping and, who knows? We will keep watching his progress.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Quality Counts

Just had a lady in today, who was trying to detox her liver from some very powerful meds. She said she was using a drug store brand of milk thistle, and was still not getting better after almost a year. This is just another example of knowing the good brands from the rest. We have had so many people make unbelievable improvements  and recoveries when using a quality product. If you are taking something and haven't seen improvement in 2-3 months, you probably have the wrong stuff. Please, stay away from discount, drug store and other house brands of herbs. The quality is not there.

Friday, February 13, 2015

How much crap are you full of?

I just heard a commercial taking about " you could be carrying up to 22 pounds of waste in your colon." Fear not, for they have the answer to a healthy colon and can help you rid yourself of all that unwanted waste and weight,..... for a fee  of course... I have seen ads in the paper and in magazines showing the same diseased colon over  and over. You know, the same one that was taken from John Wayne. Didn't you know he died with that same 22 pounds of stuff in him.  Really? Where do people get this from?  Have you ever had a colonoscopy? Did you weigh 22 pounds less after the clean out? I didn't think so. Are we that niave? Have we become children in our innocence and believe EVERTHING we read on the internet?

NY Attorney General goes after bad supplements

 Did you happen to catch the news about Walmart, Walgreens GNC and Target?  It seems they have been selling herbal supplements that did not even contain the main ingredient  or had ingredients not listed on the label. Walmart's Echinacea contained no echinacea, while GNC's St Johns Wort contained no St Johns wort.  One supplement even contained "houseplant", whatever that is.  This might be one reason you can buy "standardized" products for so little. Apparently it did not cost much in the first place because the herb wasn't there.  For decades my wife and I have been trying to warn consumers about the  quality of products and the secondary market. In this case, it is not the fact they sold used product, it was that there was no product.

 I have always marvelled at some of these companies that can offer a "buy one get two free." How is that possible that you can give away two thirds of your inventory and still make a profit?   That would be like owing one dollar and giving away three dollars. Seriously? How good do you think that first bottle was?

Just some food for thought. Oh, and please do not think I am advocating for some of the garbage sold on the internet at exorbitant prices.  We were all raised with the idea that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, the con men and shysters figured that out and are raking in millions on the trusting souls hoping to find help for their pain or suffering.

Just remember, CAVEAT EMPTOR. Let the buyer beware. If you do not know the company, you had better know  someone who can honestly advise you on some of the products.