Tuesday, February 28, 2017

What Happens When You Eat 3 Whole Eggs Every Day? You’ll Be Surprised What It Does To Your Body

What Happens When You Eat 3 Whole Eggs Every Day? You’ll Be Surprised What It Does To Your Body

The seemingly simple eggs have a rich nutritional profile that can boost your overall health. Eating whole eggs is vital for your health – the yolk contains over 90% of the egg’s iron and calcium content, while the white contains half of the egg’s protein. Here are 10 reasons why you should eat eggs every day:
Eggs improve performance
Eggs are a highly satiating food – a single egg contains about 6 gr. of protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals although without vitamin C, which is why it’s recommended to drink fresh fruit juice along eggs and whole grain bread for breakfast.
Eggs can resolve your iron deficiency
People suffering from mild iron deficiency have reported symptoms of fatigue, headaches and irritability, but eggs can help you in this case due to their high heme iron content found in their yolk. Heme iron is the most absorbable and usable type of iron in food – it’s even more absorbable than iron supplements.
They improve the nutrient adequacy of the diet
Eggs are a valuable contributor to nutritious diets thanks to their nutrient density. According to a study, people who don’t consume eggs havea shortage of vitamins A, B12 and E. On the other hand, eggs have supplied 10-20% of folate and 20-30% of vitamins A, B12 and E in the diet of egg consumers. This study clearly shows the important role of eggs in your diet.
Eggs don’t increase the cholesterol levels
20 years ago, eggs were scrutinized due to their high cholesterol content, but, numerous recent studies have found no connection between consumption of eggs and coronary artery disease. Foods high in saturated fats and trans fats can raise your cholesterol levels and harm your health, but eggs are not in the same group – they are an excellent source of protein, which is not harmful to your body.
Eggs promote weight loss
Eating eggs and toast for breakfast have a 50% higher satiety index than a bowl of cereal. Many studies have shown that an egg for breakfast increases the satiety in overweight people and can stimulate weight loss.
Eggs promote brain health
Choline is an important nutrient that ensures proper brain development in fetuses and newborns. It can be found in high amounts in eggs – 1 egg a day can provide about 28% of a pregnant woman’s choline requirements.
This nutrient is very important during pregnancy and lactation, as its reserves in the body are depleted at that time. Animal studies have shown that the memory function of aged rats was determined by what their mothers ate during pregnancy, which shows how important eggs are during the 9-month period.
Eggs prevent cataract and protect your eyesight
Regular consumption of eggs, spinach and broccoli is related to cataract and age-related lens and retinal degeneration decrease, which is the main cause of blindness in older people. Eggs are an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants which protect your eyes from many diseases. Getting proper supply of them is crucial for proper eyesight.
Eggs are the best source of protein
Protein is one of the central elements in our diet, and it can be found in high amounts in eggs. Protein consists of certain amino acids which cannot be produced by the body and must be derived from our diet. A complete protein food contains all of the 9 essential amino acids which are used to build and repair tissues.
Although milk and meat are complete proteins, eggsare considered the best protein source. Compared to eggs, which have a 100 protein rating, milk is rated at 83 while meat is rated at 75. A single egg has the same protein content as 30 gr. of meat, fish or poultry, and it’s also the cheapest protein source among them.
Eggs protect our bones
Eggs are rich in vitamin D, one of the most important vitamins our body needs. We obtain some of our daily allowance of vitamin D from the sun, and the rest from our food. This vitamin is vital for calcium absorption and maintaining proper bone health, so eating eggs and dairy products regularly is crucial for protecting our bones from osteoporosis and similar bone diseases.
Eggs improve the quality of our hair and nails
Biochemical imbalances and shortages in the body are reflected in the hair, but eating eggs regularly can promote healthy hair due to their high content of Sulphur-containing amino acids. Many people have reported faster hair growth after incorporating eggs in their diet, especially if their previous diet didn’t include foods rich in zinc, Sulphur and vitamins A and B12.

Your Brain Has A ‘Delete Button’ And Here’s How To Use It!

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Your Brain Has A ‘Delete Button’ And Here’s How To Use It!


There’s an old saying in neuroscience: “neurons that fire together wire together.”
This means the more you run a neuro-circuit in your brain, the stronger that circuit becomes. This is why, to quote another old saw, “practice makes perfect”. The more you practice piano, or speaking a language, or juggling, the stronger those circuits get.

Scientists have known this for years. However, nowadays researchers learn another part of the truth: In order to learn something, even more important than practicing is the ability to unlearn, or to break down the old neural connections. This is called “synaptic pruning”.

This is how it works:


Imagine your brain is a garden, except instead of growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables, you grow synaptic connections between neurons. These are the connections that neurotransmitters like dopamine, seratonin, and others travel across.

“Glial cells” are the gardeners of your brain—they act to speed up signals between certain neurons. But other glial cells are the waste removers, pulling up weeds, killing pests, raking up dead leaves. Your brain’s pruning gardeners are called “microglial cells.” They prune your synaptic connections. The question is, how do they know which ones to prune?

Researchers are just starting to unravel this mystery, but what they do know is the synaptic connections that get used less get marked by a protein, C1q (as well as others). When the microglial cells detect that mark, they bond to the protein and destroy—or prune—the synapse.

This is how your brain makes the physical space for you to build new and stronger connections so you can learn more.

This is why sleep matters:


Have you ever felt like your brain is full, usually when you learn something new, or start a new job or a hobby? Well, it may just be.

When you learn lots of new things, your brain builds connections, but they’re inefficient, ad hoc connections. Your brain needs to prune a lot of those connections away and build more streamlined, efficient pathways. It does that when we sleep.

When you sleep your brain cells shrink by up to 60% to create space for your glial gardeners to come in and take away the waste. That’s how they prune the synapses.
Have you ever woken up from a good night’s rest and been able to think clearly and quickly? That’s why. It’s like running fragmentation on your computer.

This is the same reason naps are so beneficial to your cognitive abilities. A 10 or 20 minute nap gives your microglial gardeners the chance to come in, clear away some unused connections, and leave space to grow new ones.

Thinking with a sleep-deprived brain is like hacking your way through a dense jungle with a machete. It’s overgrown, slow-going, exhausting.

Thinking on a well-rested brain is like wandering happily through Central Park; the paths are clear and connect to one another at distinct spots, the trees are in place, you can see far ahead of you. It’s invigorating.

This is how you can control what gets deleted from your brain:


It’s the synaptic connections you don’t use that get marked for recycling. The ones you do use are the ones that get watered and oxygenated. So be mindful of what you’re thinking about.

If you spend too much time reading theories about the end of “Game of Thrones” and very little on your job, guess which synapses are going to get marked for recycling?

If you’re in a fight with someone at work and devote your time to thinking about how to get even with them, and not about that big project, you’re going to wind up a synaptic superstar at revenge plots but a poor innovator.

What you focus on prevails! You literally craft your own mind by choosing what you pay attention towards.
Of course, you can hardly control what happens to you throughout your day, but you can control how much it affects you. To be more specific, you can choose WHAT affects you and construct your own neural connections.

Instead of focusing on things that hold you back, focus on things that make you a better human being. Instead of imagining scenarios that will most likely never happen, meditate. Clear your mind. Bring your mind to the now and use your mental energy toward things that benefit you.

It really is a game of strategy. You need to smartly use your mind, to be smart. Resisting the temptation of things that don’t benefit you, that’s what makes you smart.
In order to delete something, simply, stop thinking about it. Even when you are reminded, change your focus and attention. Sooner or later it will get marked for recycling.


Anxiety, Depression and MTHFR Genetic Defect

Anxiety, Depression and MTHFR Genetic Defect




What is MTHFR?

Methyl-tetra-hydro-folate reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme that adds a methyl-group (CH3)to a form of folate to create methyl-tetra-hydrofolate (MTHF). This process is called methylation. It is essential to many functions in the body, as it allows MTHF to become a major methyl group donor to other nutrients, and allows the cycle of methylation to continue. These nutrients subsequently can donate their methyl groups to allow for many biochemical reactions in the human body to occur. One of the other most important methyl donors is Vitamin B12, which depends on MTHF tobecome methylB12 (methylcobalamin).
We ingest different forms of B12 and folate from our diet and other vitamin products, but they aren’t always the most biochemically ultized form, the methylated forms. If we have the MTHFR enzyme functioning optimally and do not have a gene mutation for this enzyme, then we are making methylfolate.

Some of the functions of methylation include:

  • Gene regulation
  • Detoxification
  • Process hormones
  • Build immune cells
  • Produce energy
  • Protect nerve cells
  • Production of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine)

Specific parts of the body commonly affected by methylation involve:

  • Neurotransmitters
  • Nerves
  • Immune cells
  • Hormones
You have probably been tested for the MTHFR genetic mutation based on your personal and/or family history of disease, and your current symptoms. You are not alone- roughly, 40% of the human population has some form of mutation that codes for this enzyme to work. Different types of gene mutations determine how active this enzyme is, (ie 35% of the time working, or 70% of the time and determines how “well” you are methylating folate). Knowing what form of mutation you have will help guide your practitioner on how best to supplement you.

Correcting your methylation pathways can have significant health benefits related to:

  • Sleep disturbance
  • Cardiovascular protection
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Fatigue
  • Chronic pain
If you have a gene mutation for the MTHFR enzyme, there may be side effects with supplementing the methylated folate and/or B12. This is because many of your biochemical pathways that depend on methylation were not working well prior to supplementation, and now they are being forced to work. If you are lacking certain nutrients to support these biochemical reactions, then your body can have side effects.

It is important to let you practitioner know how you respond to your supplementation, so that we can supplement you with other needed nutrients. Some of the side effects may include:
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Anxiety
  • Agression
  • Digestive upset
  • Headaches
  • Detox-like reaction

Monday, February 27, 2017

How Big Pharma gets away with selling crystal meth to children: By renaming it ‘ADHD Medication

How Big Pharma gets away with selling crystal meth to children: By renaming it ‘ADHD Medication

 Important Things You Must Know Before Giving Your Child ADHD Medication
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is known as a psychiatric disorder that causes attention deficits, hyperactivity, or impulsiveness which is not appropriate for a person’s age. Did you know that ADD and ADHD are not medical conditions? There is no brain scan or blood test to diagnose ADHD. However, doctors can put any child on a deadly schedule I or II pharmaceutical prescription.

 Important Things You Must Know Before Giving Your Child ADHD Medication

According to Dr. Tasneem Bahtia:

“ADD and ADHD are the result of neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine imbalances. The four main imbalances include high norepineprine and cortisol, dopamine dysfunction, serotonin deficiency, and insulin irregularity. Each of these imbalances are rooted in nutritional deficiencies that with correction, improve symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention. Food allergies and intolerances also contribute to malabsorption of nutrients.”
Controversies surrounding ADHD has been around since 1970. The topics of discussions include concerns about its causes, it’s even existence, its suggested treatment, and using stimulant medications as treatment for children and the criteria that is used to diagnosis ADHD. For a diagnosis of ADHD to be made, symptoms must begin by age 6 to 12 years and continue for more than 6 months.
The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes “Patients” of Normal Children

Other concerns are of possible overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis as ADHD leading to undertreatment of other possible psychiatric disorders. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, there are concerns regarding increased severity of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in individuals with a history of stimulant use for ADHD in childhood. Stimulants drugs are not approved for children between the ages of 2 and 6 years. Despite this, between 0.51% to 1.23% of children between theses ages are being treated with stimulants in the USA.
The National Institute of Mental Health states that, “under medical supervision, stimulant medications are considered safe”, and so, they recommend stimulants for the treatment of ADHD. Although, on February 9, 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended a warning label acknowledging the cardiovascular risks of using a stimulant drug to treat ADHD. I find this so appalling because stimulants are classified as Schedule II controlled substances in the United States.

In a recent interview on MSNBC, drug abuse and addiction expert Carl Hart of Columbia University stated that, “There isn’t much difference between the demonized street drug methamphetamine (also known as meth or crystal meth) and the prescription drug Adderall.”
Stimulants for Treatment Of ADHD
Stimulants that are being prescribed include, but not limited to: Ritalin (methylphenidate), and Adderall (a mixture of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine). Treatments with stimulant drugs are very dangerous.
  • According to scientific research funded by the FDA and the National Institute of Mental Health, drugs such as Ritalin increase the risk of sudden death by five hundred percent among children and teens.
  • Ritalin treatment has many side effects: Abdominal Upset, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss. Emotional and Behavioral Side Effects, nervousness, excitability, emotional ups and downs, insomnia and dizziness, headaches, irritability, crankiness, crying, emotional sensitivity, muscle tics or twitches and nervous habits.
Ritalin can be addictive in some patients. Withdrawal from this medication causes several effects: Fatigue, depression, disturbed sleep patterns, malnutrition, and cardiovascular complications which can lead to stroke and even death.
  • Adderall prescription have increased from 1.3 million in 1996 to nearly 6 million in 1999. Adderall is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine can be habit-forming.
  • Side effects, including::
    Nervousness, restlessness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, headache, changes in sex drive or ability, dry mouth, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss.
NIH recommends anyone who experiences any of these symptoms should call their doctor immediately:
Fast or pounding heartbeat, dhortness of breath, chest pain, excessive tiredness, slow or difficult speech, dizziness or faintness, weakness or numbness of an arm or leg, seizures, motor tics or verbal tics, believing things that are not true, feeling unusually suspicious of others, hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist), mania (frenzied or abnormally excited mood), aggressive or hostile behavior, changes in vision or blurred, vision, fever, blistering or peeling skin, rash, hives, itching, swelling of the eyes, face, tongue, or throat, difficulty breathing or swallowing, and hoarseness.
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Sources:
1. Kooij, SJ; Bejerot, S; Blackwell, A; Caci, H; et al. (2010). “European consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD: The European Network Adult ADHD”. BMC Psychiatry 10: 67. doi:10.1186/1471-244X-10-67. PMC 2942810. PMID 20815868.
2. Concise Guide to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (4th illustrated ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 9781585624164.
3. “CG72 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): full guideline” (PDF). UK National Health Service.
4. Ross RG (July 2006). “Psychotic and manic-like symptoms during stimulant treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”. The American Journal of Psychiatry 163 (7): 1149–52. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.163.7.1149 (inactive 2015-04-14). PMID 16816217.
5. “Statistics on Stimulant Use”. Public Broadcasting Service.
6. Vitiello B (October 2001). “Psychopharmacology for young children: clinical needs and research opportunities”. Pediatrics 108 (4): 983–9. doi:10.1542/peds.108.4.983. PMID 11581454.
7. Jim Rosack. “Controversy Erupts Over Ads for ADHD Drugs”. Psychiatr News 36 (21): 20–21. doi:10.1176/pn.36.21.0020.

The 7 Most Prescribed Drugs In The World ----And---- Their Natural Counterparts

Prescription-Drugs_healthyfoods

We don’t have to live in a medicated world, but we certainly choose to. The crux of the matter is that we refuse to proactively think about prevention because we reactively commit to treating the symptoms of underlying health problems. This is the allopathic model. We want the quick fix so we can continue our poor lifestyle and dietary habits. It doesn’t have to be this way, but it is. We can blame doctors, the medical institutions and healthcare systems all we want, but self-responsibility is our only recourse if we are ever to surface from this mess. There are no excuses–if you’re taking one of these drugs, consult with a Natural Health Practitioner this week about phasing out your medication and phasing in these powerful natural foods and remedies.
Of the over 4 billion prescriptions written every year, the United States and Canada make up more than 80% of the world’s prescription opioids (psychoactive medications). Between 1997 and 2012 prescription opioids increased in dosage by almost 500%. Pharmaceuticals and medical errors are now a leading cause of death. Painkillers are the leading cause of accidental death.
In the last 15 years of life, people are experiencing more pain for longer periods than at any point on our historical record. If you think life expectancy has increased to the benefit of mankind, you’re not looking at the numbers.

78% of U.S. prescriptions written in 2010 were for generic drugs (both unbranded and those still sold under a brand name). The most prescribed drugs aren’t always the best selling drugs, there’s a difference.
Prescriptions for pain, cholesterol reduction, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, antacids, antipsychotics, diabetes and antibiotics make up 100% of the most prescribed drugs.
Make a commitment to yourself right now and start incorporating some of these amazing foods into your diet with no consequence of side effects. When you accept this, you will get off prescription medications for good.
Check out the top 7 most prescribed drugs and the best natural remedies to treat and prevent disease.







1. HYDROCODONE (Acetaminophen/Vicodin/Oxycontin)

Use: For Pain

Currently the single most prescribed drug in the world. More and more doctors are getting huge payouts from pharmaceutical companies to promote these hydrocodone, especially generic drugs. They make up more than 20% of the top prescribed medications.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Fox News that doctors are handing out narcotics like candy. Some doctors are giving patients prescriptions for narcotics for even minor injuries.
How it Works:
It is an orally psychoactive compound that works as a narcotic and analgesic. It is biotransformed by the liver into several metabolites. It is highly dependent on metabolism by the Cytochrome P450 pathway.
Consequences:
Respiratory depression; bradycardia; coma; seizures; cardiac arrest; liver damage; and death. Inherited genes such as the Cytochrome P450 affects metabolic pathways–some cannot process it at all, whereas a smaller percentage can get even more strength from it than usual.
Natural Foods:
Ginger, turmeric, berries, cayenne pepper, celery/celery seeds, cherries, dark green veggies, walnuts.
See: Natural Healing Remedies: 10 Foods That Fight Inflammation And Pain


2. STATINS (Generic versions of Lipitor/Zocor/Crestor)

Use: Reduction of LDL Cholesterol
Approximately 15% of the top prescribed medications are generic statins. A study published in January 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine linked statins to 48 percent increased risk for type-2 diabetes.
The are NO scientific studies ever documented which have proved through causation that lowering LDL cholesterol prevents disease. The obsessed culture of lowering cholesterol may actually be causing cancer.
How it Works:
Statins artificially lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting a critical enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver.
Consequences:
Inflammation and pathological breakdown of muscle, acute kidney failure, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, interference with sex hormones and death.
Natural Foods:
Nuts, spinach, apples, turmeric, cranberries, tomatoes, green tea, fatty fish, beans, alfalfa herb, capsicum fruit, garlic, psyllium, fenugreek seeds, butcher’s broom, licorice root, hawthorn berry.
See:
New Data Shows Lycopene Reduces Heart Disease Up To 26 Percent
Two Apples a Day More Effective At Reducing Heart Disease Than Statin Medications
Top 5 Foods and Herbs To Control Cholesterol
World Renown Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease


3. LISINOPRIL (Prinivil/Zestril) AND NORVASC (Amlodipine)

Use: Reduction of High Blood Pressure
In combination, Lisinopril and Norvasc make up a whopping 23% of the top prescribed medications. This makes them the most prescribed generic medications (if combined) for cardiovascular disease and blood pressure. Individually, Lisinopril constitutes approximately 14% and Norvasc about 9%.
How it Works:
Lisinopril is typically used for the treatment of hypertension, congestive heart failure, and heart attacks. Norvasc is used for hypertension and angina. It accomplishes this by inhibiting the influx of calcium ions into vascular smooth muscle and cardiac muscle so it essentially interferes with the metabolism of calcium.
Consequences:
Cancer, blood disorders, development of breasts in men, impotence, depression, tachycardia, enlargement of gums, inflammation of the liver, elevated blood glucose, hepatitis, life threatening skin conditions.
Natural Foods:
Any foods high in vitamin C (chili peppers, guavas, bell peppers, thyme, parsley, dark leafy greens, broccoli), any foods high in magnesium (chocolate, green leafy vegetables, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin and squash seeds, pine nuts, and black walnuts) and any foods high in potassium (mushrooms, bananas, dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, oranges and dates). Coconut oil/water and CoQ10 are also very effective for lowering blood pressure.
See:
Magnesium Reduces Blood Pressure Naturally Without Side Effects
Low Salt Diets Do Not Decrease Blood Pressure, Period
Vitamin C Supplements Reduce Blood Pressure Without Side Effects Associated With Medication
Low Potassium Linked To High Blood Pressure


4. SYNTHROID (levothyroxine sodium)

Use: Hypothyroidism
A synthetic form of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, generic Synthroid makes up more than 11% of the top prescribed medications. It’s used to treat hypothyroidism. The related drug dextrothyroxine (D-thyroxine) was used in the past as a treatment for elevated cholesterol but was withdrawn due to cardiac side-effects.
How it Works:
It replaces the thyroid hormone which is naturally occurring in the thyroid gland essentially halting natural production.
Consequences:
Long-term suppression of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) causes cardiac side-effects and contributes to decreases in bone mineral density (high TSH levels are also well known to contributes to osteoporosis.) May also cause elevated blood glucose levels, heart failure, coma and adrenal insufficiency. TSH directly influences the whole process of iodine trapping and thyroid hormone production so use of synthroid directly affects how the body metabolizes iodine.
Natural Foods:
Any foods containing iodine such as seaweed, kelp, radish, parsley, fish, seafood, eggs, bananas, cranberries, strawberries, himalayan crystal salt. Also, copper, iron, selenium and zinc are essential in the production of thyroid hormones. Exercise a minimum of 20-30 minutes per day — enough to raise the heartbeat.
See:
Seaweed Extracts Can Help You Lose Weight, Mostly Body Fat
8 Critical Nutrients Lacking In More Than 70 Percent of Diets
The Number One Reason So Many Women Have Trouble Losing Weight


5. PRILOSEC (omeprazole/generic versions of nexium)
Use: Antacid
A proton pump inhibitor which constitutes just over 8% of the top prescribed medications. Omeprazole is one of the most widely prescribed drugs for reflux disease (GORD/GERD/LPR) and ulcers internationally and is available over the counter in some countries.
How it Works:
It suppresses gastric acid secretion by specific inhibition of the gastric acid ions in cells. The absorption of omeprazole takes place in the small intestine essentially turning off the switch which promotes healthy digestion of foods. Omeprazole is also completely metabolized by the cytochrome P450 system.
Consequences:
Angina, ulcers, tachycardia, bradycardia, palpitations, elevated blood pressure, development of male breasts, inflammation of the pancreas, irritable colon, mucosal atrophy of the tongue, liver disease/failure, elevated blood sugar, muscle weakness, skin conditions, tinnitus, inflammation of the eyes, urinary frequency, testicular pain, anemia and blood cell disorders.
Natural Foods:
Grapefruits, probiotics, broccoli sprouts, manuka honey, mastic gum, marshmallow tea, glutamine, slippery elm, deglycyrrhized liquorice (DGL), aloe vera juice, baking soda, pickle juice.
See:
Grapefruit Heals Stomach Ulcers
Broccoli Sprouts May Prevent Gastritis, Ulcers and Stomach Cancers
Manuka Honey Reverses Antibiotic Resistance, Treats Disease 


6. AZITHROMYCIN AND AMOXICILLIN

Use: Antibiotic
In combination, azithromycin and amoxicillin contribute towards a mind-blowing 17% of the top prescribed medications. Then we wonder why we have antibiotic resistance. On their own, each contributes about 8.5%. Azithromycin is one of the world’s best-selling antibiotics and derived from erythromycin. Amoxicillin is usually the drug of choice for children.
How it Works:
Inhibits the synthesis of bacterial cell walls and interfering with their protein synthesis. These drugs also inhibit the protein synthesis of good bacteria needed for immunity and proper digestion.
Consequences:
Inflammation of the liver, inflammation and destruction of the stomach lining, destruction of healthy bacterial populations, inflammation of the colon, allergic reactions, obesity, human antibiotic resistance.
Natural Foods:
Sunlight (vit D), garlic, coconut oil, turmeric, foods high in nicotinamide (vit B3) such as salmon, sardines and nuts. Also manuka honey, olive leaf extract, green tea, pau D’Arco, rose water, myrrh, grapeseed extract, golden seal, oregon grapes, oregano oil, andrographis paniculata, and probiotics.
See:
Garlic Proven 100 Times More Effective Than Antibiotics, Working In A Fraction of The Time
Before Antibiotics Ever Existed, Sunlight Was Used To Treat Diseases With Great Success
The Most Potent B Vitamin That Combats Infections Better Than Antibiotics Ever Could

7. GLUCOPHAGE (metformin)
Use: Oral anti-diabetic drug
Glucophage drugs round up the top 7 but the prescription rate of this drug is rapidly increasing. It makes up about 7% of the top prescribed medications. It is the first-line drug of choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in particular, in overweight and obese people. It also acts to indirectly lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
How it Works:
By suppressing natural glucose production by the liver, the drug activates an enzyme which plays an important role in insulin signaling, whole body energy balance, and the metabolism of glucose and fats.
Consequences:
Lactic acidosis, impaired liver/kidney function, decreasing thyroid stimulating hormone and testosterone, increased homocysteine levels, malabsorption of vitamin B12, B12 deficiency, bladder cancer, heart failure. The biggest consequence of diabetes drugs is that it causes pancreatic function to substantially decrease inhibiting several hormones and causing other imbalances which are never correctable without abstaining from the drug.
Natural Foods:
Black tea, Sunlight (vit D), potentially coffee (more research needed), turmeric, nuts, chia seeds, green leafy vegetables, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, red grapes, steel cut oatmeal, broccoli, spinach, green beans and strawberries. 90% of all cases of diabetes can be resolved by eating foods with a low glycemic load, and pursuing both weight training and aerobic exercise.
See:
Study on Black Tea Consumption From 42 Countries Shows It Lowers Diabetes Risk
Two More Bombshells For Vitamin D: It Prevents Both Type I Diabetes and Cavities
Coffee’s Anti-Diabetes Benefit
Healthy Diet, Moderate Exercise Reduce Diabetes Risk Better Than Drugs
How Turmeric Has An Anti-Diabetic Effect On The Body
The drugs on which we spend the most money are those that are still new enough to be protected against generic competition. That’s why drugs like Abilify and Seroquel (antipsychotics), as well as Plavix (blood thinner) and Advair Diskus (asthma inhaler) don’t make the list.
Dave Mihalovic is a Naturop

How To Boost Your Personal Power In Two Minutes

How To Boost Your Personal Power In Two Minutes (A Quick Psychology Tip)

What to do when you or your clients need a boost of confidence

Personal Power Psychology
Strong confident posture actually boosts your feelings of confidence and reduces stress
When you are sad or angry or happy, you tend to look sad or angry or happy.
Ok, that’s not rocket science.
But what I think you will find intriguing is that psychologist Paul Eckmann found that, no matter what culture you happen to born into, even some utterly remote culture that has never had contact with other cultures, if you’re sad, you tend to look down, make your body smaller by folding your arms perhaps, or you cry.

And when you’re happy you tend to smile and look upwards. When you feel brave and confident, you look brave and confident and when you are scared, you look scared.
In other words, the facial expressions and body postures, or what you might call ‘body language’ of emotions are universal and hard wired, rather than culturally driven or learned.
It’s not as if in Russia, say, they scowl when they are happy or smile when they are sad. The expressions and body postures associated with fear or happiness or anger… or whatever emotion… are universal.

The universal language of emotion

So when you’re confident, you hold open body postures and you look up.
Imagine someone sitting at a desk, their feet resting on the desk, sitting back with their hands clasped behind their head – that’s a confident look. Of course, you can look confident standing up or sitting down.
Now imagine someone looking down at the floor, arms crossed as if they are protecting themselves.
In one posture, you are nice and open and taking up space, and in the other, you are trying to make yourself smaller, literally as if you don’t want to be, or feel as if you shouldn’t be, there at all.
So when we feel an emotion it tends to make us look a certain way. But that’s not quite the whole story.

The Cocktail Party

When we ran our advanced hypnosis workshop live (it’s now online) we would finish with a fun exercise called ‘The Cocktail Party’.
People were paired off and each person was given a card with an emotion written on it. So, for example, person A might have ‘sad’ written on his card, while person B might have ‘confident’ written on her card.
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Then they were told to spend a couple of minutes talking about the weather or where they’d like to go or had been on holiday. But they had to talk with the facial expressions and body posture of the emotion on their card.
So person A with the ‘sad’ card would have to chat while looking sad and depressed, head down, miserable voice and so on.
In the meantime person B with the ‘confident’ card, would discuss weather or holidays while acting as confident as possible, open posture, head up, smiling and so on.
After a couple of minutes of talking ‘in character’ or, should I say, in the character of the emotion card they had been given, they were asked to swap cards but keep the same facial expressions and body posture.
So the person who had been looking sad had to continue looking sad, but try to communicate as if they felt really confident, while the other person had to continue looking really confident but talk as if they were really down…
As you can imagine, with a roomful of people, this got pretty hysterical.

The effects of ‘acting’

We noticed two important things from this exercise.
Firstly, our students would start to really feel the emotion they were acting. So ‘sad’ people with sad expressions and body postures would start to genuinely feel negative, while people with the ‘confident’ or ‘happy’ or ‘angry’ cards would also start to feel that way.
Secondly, it was nigh on impossible to swap cards and maintain a confident body posture and facial expression while acting sad or frightened.
So our physicality and the way we express that is caused by the emotions we feel.
But it also works the other way.

The two-way street

How we stand, and with what facial expression, can also make us feel a certain way and this has been borne out by scientific research.
It’s even been found that forcing yourself to look a certain way for just a couple of minutes can change the balance of certain hormones.
So this is powerful stuff.
If you watch people interacting, some will look powerful – even if they are physically small, they will still look confident and self possessed.
Psychological researchers have recently got interested in whether you can get people to have specific feelings and thoughts by getting them to behave in a certain way.
The answer is – you can.
For example, when people are artificially made to smile – they are told to hold a pencil long-ways between their teeth while doing a task – they report feeling more satisfaction with their task, and more upbeat generally.
This tells us that just working the ‘smile muscles’ of the face can make people feel better.
It’s also been found that teenagers who talk about what they want to do in the future feel much more confident that they will be able to achieve their goals when they talk about them sitting in an upright position, looking up.
So what’s going on here?

It’s the hormones

Men and women who are confident tend to have higher levels of the hormone testosterone and lower levels of the stress or fear hormone cortisol.
But guess what? How you sit or stand can increase your testosterone levels and simultaneously lower your cortisol.

Can you control your hormones?

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy at The Harvard Business School showed that adopting a so-called ‘power pose’ – the classic confidence posture, open body, arms outstretched, head up – for two minutes can raise testosterone levels by a fantastic 20%!
Testosterone is associated with confidence and social dominance, of course, but such a power pose also lowers stress (as measured by cortisol levels in saliva). So, as you feel more confident you also, of course, feel more relaxed.
Cuddy even recommends adopting a power pose for two minutes in the bathroom before a job interview (and, in fact, even this was tested in the lab!).(1)
Adopting a power pose for two minutes can raise testosterone levels by a fantastic 20%
Cuddy got test subjects to undergo a five-minute interview with unfriendly, impassive interviewers.
Without being told why, some of the participants were told to adopt power poses for two minutes before the interview, while others were told to adopt low power postures for two minutes. The interviews were videoed.
People who viewed the videos without knowing anything about the study all stated they would hire the interviewees who had adopted the confidence-inducing power poses just before being interviewed.
They described these people as ‘confident, passionate, enthusiastic, captivating, interesting, comfortable and authentic.’ A large pay off for a two minute power pose!

What I learned from this

Since learning about this research, I am careful not to hunch over my computer too much, or look down for long periods of time while sending texts. What we do with our bodies during the day has direct and immediate effects on our psychology – and on our life as a whole.
So how can you apply this in your everyday life? Other than avoiding ‘low power’ body postures?

How to use this information

A good time to use a power pose is when you face a ‘social threat situation’, perhaps during a time when you feel you might be judged.
This might be:
  • in a job interview
  • on a date
  • when public speaking
  • when you have to have a difficult conversation with someone
  • meeting new people.
Before you go into the situation, perhaps in the bathroom where no one can see you, stand or sit:
  • upright
  • head up
  • arms wide, maybe on your hips posing like the most confident person in the world.
Remember, it will instantly:
  • lower your stress hormone levels and
  • raise your testosterone levels.
Then, when you are actually in the situation, without being too exaggerated about it:
  • keep your head up and
  • keep your body posture open.
And see how much more confident and relaxed it makes you feel.
The human body and mind are more interconnected than we know (in our modern society anyway).

Don’t Believe the Hype – 10 Persistent Cancer Myths Debunked [Reprise-- Worth re-visiting the info]

Don’t Believe the Hype – 10 Persistent Cancer Myths Debunked

Google ‘cancer’ and you’ll be faced with millions of web pages. And the number of YouTube videos you find if you look up ‘cancer cure’ is similarly vast.
The problem is that much of the information out there is at best inaccurate, or at worst dangerously misleading. There are plenty of evidence-based, easy to understand pages about cancer, but there are just as many, if not more, pages spreading myths.
And it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction, as much of the inaccurate information looks and sounds perfectly plausible. But if you scratch the surface and look at the evidence, many continually perpetuated ‘truths’ become unstuck.
In this post, we want to set the record straight on 10 cancer myths we regularly encounter. Driven by the evidence, not by rhetoric or anecdote, we describe what the reality of research actually shows to be true.
  • Myth 1: Cancer is a man-made, modern disease
  • Myth 2: Superfoods prevent cancer
  • Myth 3: ‘Acidic’ diets cause cancer
  • Myth 4: Cancer has a sweet tooth
  • Myth 5: Cancer is a fungus – and sodium bicarbonate is the cure
  • Myth 6: There’s a miracle cancer cure…
  • Myth 7: …And Big Pharma are suppressing it
  • Myth 8: Cancer treatment kills more than it cures
  • Myth 9: We’ve made no progress in fighting cancer
  • Myth 10: Sharks don’t get cancer

Myth 1: Cancer is a man-made, modern disease

Cancer is as old as we are
It might be more prominent in the public consciousness now than in times gone by, but cancerisn’t just a ‘modern’, man-made disease of Western society. Cancer has existed as long as humans have. It was described thousands of years ago by Egyptian and Greek physicians, and researchers have discovered tell-tale signs of cancer in a 3,000-year-old skeleton.
While it’s certainly true that global lifestyle-related diseases like cancer are on the risethe biggest risk factor for cancer is age.

The simple fact is that more people are living long enough to develop cancer because of our success in tackling infectious diseases and other historical causes of death such as malnutrition. It’s perfectly normal for DNA damage in our cells to build up as we age, and such damage can lead to cancer developing.
We’re also now able to diagnose cancers more accurately, thanks to advances in screening, imaging and pathology.

Yes, lifestylediet and other things like air pollution collectively have a huge impact on our risk of cancer – smoking for instance is behind a quarter of all cancer deaths in the UK – but that’s not the same as saying it’s a modern, man-made disease. There are plenty of natural causes of cancer – for example, one in six worldwide cancers is caused by viruses and bacteria.

Myth 2: Superfoods prevent cancer

Blueberries
Blueberries, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, green tea… the list goes on. Despite thousands of websites claiming otherwise, there’s no such thing as a ‘superfood’. It’s a marketing term used to sell products and has no scientific basis.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t think about what you eat. Some foods are clearly healthier than others. The odd blueberry or mug of green tea certainly could be part of a healthy, balanced diet. Stocking up on fruits and veg is a great idea, and eating a range of different veg is helpful too, but the specific vegetables you choose doesn’t really matter.

Our bodies are complex and cancer is too, so it’s gross oversimplification to say that any one food, on its own, could have a major influence over your chance of developing cancer.
The steady accumulation of evidence over several decades points to a simple, but not very newsworthy fact that the best way to reduce your risk of cancer is by a series of long-term healthy behaviours such as not smoking, keeping active, keeping a healthy body weight and cutting back on alcohol.

Myth 3: ‘Acidic’ diets cause cancer

Body pH is tightly controlled, diet can’t change it
Some myths about cancer are surprisingly persistent, despite flying in the face of basic biology. One such idea is that overly ‘acidic’ diets cause your blood to become ‘too acidic’, which can increase your risk of cancer. The proposed answer: increase your intake of healthier ‘alkaline’ foods like green vegetables and fruits (including, paradoxically, lemons).
This is biological nonsense. True, cancer cells can’t live in an overly alkaline environment, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.
Blood is usually slightly alkaline. This is tightly regulated by the kidneys within a very narrow and perfectly healthy range. It can’t be changed for any meaningful amount of time by what you eat. And while eating green veg is certainly healthy, that’s not because of any effect on how acid or alkaline your body is.
There is something called acidosis. This is a physiological condition that happens when your kidneys and lungs can’t keep your body’s pH (a measure of acidity) in balance. It is often the result of serious illness or poisoning. It can be life-threatening and needs urgent medical attention, but it’s not down to overly acidic diets.
We know that the immediate environment around cancer cells (the microenvironment) can become acidic. This is due to differences in the way that tumours create energy and use oxygen compared with healthy tissue. Researchers are working hard to understand how this happens, in order to develop more effective cancer treatments.
But there’s no good evidence to prove that diet can manipulate whole body pH, or that it has an impact on cancer.

Myth 4: Cancer has a sweet tooth

All cells use 'sugar', not just cancer cells
Another idea we see a lot is that sugar apparently ‘feeds cancer cells’, suggesting that it should be completely banished from a patient’s diet.
This is an unhelpful oversimplification of a highly complex area that we’re only just starting to understand.
‘Sugar’ is a catch-all term. It refers to a range of molecules including simple sugars found in plants, glucose and fructose. The white stuff in the bowl on your table is called sucrose and is made from glucose and fructose stuck together. All sugars are carbohydrates, commonly known as carbs – molecules made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Carbs – whether from cake or a carrot – get broken down in our digestive system to release glucose and fructose. These get absorbed into the bloodstream to provide energy for us to live.
All our cells, cancerous or not, use glucose for energy. Because cancer cells are usually growing very fast compared with healthy cells, they have a particularly high demand for this fuel. There’s also evidence that they use glucose and produce energy in a different way from healthy cells.
Researchers are working to understand the differences in energy usage in cancers compared with healthy cells, and trying to exploit them to develop better treatments (including the interesting but far from proven drug DCA).

But all this doesn’t mean that sugar from cakes, sweets and other sugary foods specifically feeds cancer cells, as opposed to any other type of carbohydrate. Our body doesn’t pick and choose which cells get what fuel. It converts pretty much all the carbs we eat to glucose, fructose and other simple sugars, and they get taken up by tissues when they need energy.

While it’s very sensible to limit sugary foods as part of an overall healthy diet and to avoid putting on weight, that’s a far cry from saying that sugary foods specifically feed cancer cells.
Both the ‘acidic diet’ and ‘sugar feeds cancer’ myths distort sensible dietary advice. And when it comes to offering diet tips, research shows that the same boring healthy eating advice still holds true. Fruit, vegetables, fibre, white meat and fish are good. Too much fat, salt, sugar, red or processed meat and alcohol are less so.

Myth 5: Cancer is a fungus – and sodium bicarbonate is the cure

Ask any pathologist - cancer cells aren’t fungal
This ‘theory’ comes from the not-very-observant observation that “cancer is always white”.
One obvious problem with this idea – apart from the fact that cancer cells are clearly not fungal in origin – is that cancer isn’t always white. Some tumours are. But some aren’t. Ask any pathologist or cancer surgeon, or have a look on Google Image search (but maybe not after lunch…).
Proponents of this theory say that cancer is caused by infection by the fungus candida, and that tumours are actually the body’s attempt at protecting itself from this infection.
But there’s no evidence to show that this is true.

Furthermore, plenty of perfectly healthy people can be infected with candida – it’s part of the very normal array of microbes that live in (and on) all of us. Usually our immune system keeps candida in check, but infections can get more serious in people with compromised immune systems, such as those who are HIV-positive.

The ‘simple solution’ is apparently to inject tumours with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). This isn’t even the treatment used to treat proven fungal infections, let alone cancer. On the contrary,there’s good evidence that high doses of sodium bicarbonate can lead to serious – even fatal – consequences.
Some studies suggest that sodium bicarbonate can affect cancers transplanted into mice or cells grown in the lab, by neutralising the acidity in the microenvironment immediately around a tumour. And researchers in the US are running a small clinical trial investigating whether sodium bicarbonate capsules can help to reduce cancer pain and to find the maximum dose that can be tolerated, rather than testing whether it has any effect on tumours.

As far as we are aware, there have been no published clinical trials of sodium bicarbonate as a treatment for cancer.
It’s also worth pointing out that it’s not clear whether it’s possible to give doses of sodium bicarbonate that can achieve any kind of meaningful effect on cancer in humans, although it’s something that researchers are investigating.
Because the body strongly resists attempts to change its pH, usually by getting rid of bicarbonate through the kidneys, there’s a risk that doses large enough to significantly affect the pH around a tumour might cause a serious condition known as alkalosis.

One estimate suggests that a dose of around 12 grams of baking soda per day (based on a 65 kg adult) would only be able to counteract the acid produced by a tumour roughly one cubic millimetre in size. But doses of more than about 30 grams per day are likely to cause severe health problems – you do the maths.

Myth 6: There’s a miracle cancer cure…

Online claims aren’t scientific evidence
From cannabis to coffee enemas, the internet is awash with videos and personal anecdotes about ‘natural’ ‘miracle’ cures for cancer.
But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence – YouTube videos and Facebook posts are emphatically not scientific evidence and aren’t the same as good-quality, peer-reviewed evidence.
In many cases it’s impossible to tell whether patients featured in such anecdotal sources have been ‘cured’ by any particular alternative treatment or not. We know nothing about their medical diagnosis, stage of disease or outlook, or even if they actually had cancer in the first place. For instance, we don’t know what other cancer treatments they had.

And we only hear about the success stories – what about the people who have tried it and have not survived? The dead can’t speak, and often people who make bold claims for ‘miracle’ cures only pick their best cases, without presenting the full picture.
This highlights the importance of publishing data from peer-reviewed, scientifically rigorous lab research and clinical trials. Firstly, because conducting proper clinical studies enables researchers to prove that a prospective cancer treatment is safe and effective. And secondly, because publishing these data allows doctors around the world to judge for themselves and use it for the benefit of their patients.
This is the standard to which all cancer treatments should be held.

That’s not to say the natural world isn’t a source of potential treatments, from aspirin (willow bark) to penicillin (mould). For example, the cancer drug taxol was first extracted from the bark and needles of the Pacific Yew tree.

But that’s a far cry from saying you should chew bark to combat a tumour. It’s an effective treatment because the active ingredient has been purified and tested in clinical trials. So we know that it’s safe and effective, and what dose to prescribe.
Of course people with cancer want to beat their disease by any means possible. And it’s completely understandable to be searching high and low for potential cures. But our advice is to be wary of anything labelled a ‘miracle cure’, especially if people are trying to sell it to you.

Wikipedia has this excellent list of ineffective cancer treatments that are often touted as miracle cures, which is worth a browse. And if you want to know about the scientific evidence about cannabis, cannabinoids and cancer – a topic we’re often asked about – please take a look at our extensive blog post on the subject.

Myth 7: … and Big Pharma are suppressing it

Conspiracy theories don’t add up
Hand in hand with the idea that there is a cornucopia of ‘miracle cures’ is the idea that governments, the pharmaceutical industry and even charities are colluding to hide the cure for cancer because they make so much money out of existing treatments.

Whatever the particular ‘cure’ being touted, the logic is usually the same: it’s readily available, cheap and can’t be patented, so the medical establishment is suppressing it in order to line its own pockets. But, as we’ve written before, there’s no conspiracy – sometimes it just doesn’t work.

There’s no doubt that the pharmaceutical industry has a number of issues with transparency and clinical trials that it needs to address (the book Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre is a handy primer). We push regulators and pharmaceutical companies hard to make sure that effective drugs are made available at a fair price to the NHS – although it’s important to remember that developing and trialling new drugs costs a lot of money, which companies need to recoup.

Problems with conventional medicine don’t automatically prove that alternative ‘cures’ work. To use a metaphor, just because cars sometimes crash doesn’t mean that flying carpets are a viable transport option.
It simply doesn’t make sense that pharmaceutical companies would want to suppress a potential cure. Finding a highly effective therapy would guarantee huge worldwide sales.
And the argument that treatments can’t be patented doesn’t hold up. Pharma companies are not stupid, and they are quick to jump on promising avenues for effective therapies. There are always ways to repackage and patent molecules, which would give them a return on the investment required to develop and test them in clinical trials (a cost that can run into many millions) if the treatment turns out to work.

It’s also worth pointing out that charities such as Cancer Research UK and government-funded scientists are free to investigate promising treatments without a profit motive. And it’s hard to understand why NHS doctors – who often prescribe generic, off-patent drugs – wouldn’t use cheap treatments if they’d been shown to be effective in clinical trials.
For example, we’re funding large-scale trials of aspirin – a drug first made in 1897, and now one of the most widely-used off-patent drugs in the world. We’re researching whether it can prevent bowel cancer in people at high riskreduce the side effects of chemotherapy, and even prevent cancer coming back and improve survival.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that we are all human – even politicians and Big Pharma executives – and cancer can affect anyone. People in pharmaceutical companies, governments, charities and the wider ‘medical establishment’ all can and do die of cancer too.
Here at Cancer Research UK we have seen loved ones and colleagues go through cancer. Many of them have survived. Many have not. To suggest that we are – collectively and individually – hiding ‘the cure’ is not only absurd, it’s offensive to the global community of dedicated scientists, to the staff and supporters of cancer research organisations such as Cancer Research UK and, most importantly, to cancer patients and their families.

Myth 8: Cancer treatment kills more than it cures

Treatments have helped double survival
Let’s be clear, cancer treatment – whether chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery – is no walk in the park. The side effects can be tough. After all, treatments that are designed to kill cancer cells will inevitably affect healthy cells too.
And sometimes, sadly, treatment doesn’t work. We know that it’s very difficult to treat late-stage cancer that has spread throughout the body, and while treatment can provide relief from symptoms and prolong life, it’s not going to be a cure for very advanced cancers.
Surgery is still the most effective treatment we have for cancer, provided it’s diagnosed early enough for an operation to be done. And radiotherapy helps cure more people than cancer drugs. Yet chemotherapy and other cancer drugs have a very important part to play in cancer treatment – in some cases helping to cure the disease, and in others helping to prolong survival.
The claims on the internet that chemotherapy is “only 3 per cent effective” are highly misleading and outdated, and are explored in more depth in these two posts from the Science Based Medicine blog.

We also wrote this post in response to concerns that chemotherapy might “encourage cancer”.
It important to point out that in an increasing number of cases, the drugs do work. For example, more than 96 per cent of all men are now cured of testicular cancer, compared to fewer than 70 per cent in the 1970s thanks in part to a drug we helped to develop called cisplatin. And three-quarters of children with cancer are now cured, compared with around a quarter in the late 1960s – most of them are alive today directly thanks to chemotherapy.

We know that we still have a long way to go until we have effective, kinder treatments for all types of cancer. And it’s important that doctors, patients and their families are realistic and honest about the best options for treatment, especially when cancer is very advanced.
It may be better to opt for treatment aimed at reducing pain and symptoms rather than attempting to cure the disease (palliative care). Balancing quality and quantity of life is always going to be an issue in cancer treatment, and it’s one that each patient must decide for themselves.

Myth 9: We’ve made no progress in fighting cancer

UK survival rates have doubled over 40 years

This simply isn’t true. Thanks to advances in research, long-term (10+ years) survival from cancer has doubled in the UK over the past 40 years, and death rates have fallen by 10 per cent over the past decade alone. This article by our chief clinician, Professor Peter Johnson, outlines some of the key facts.
By definition, these figures relate to people treated at least 10 years ago. It’s likely that the patients being diagnosed and treated today have an even better chance of survival.

To see how the picture has changed, make yourself a cuppa and settle down to watch this hour-long documentary we helped to make – The Enemy Within: 50 years of fighting cancer. From the early days of chemotherapy in the 50s and 60s to the latest ‘smart’ drugs and pinpoint-accurate radiotherapy, it highlights how far we’ve come over the years.
There’s still a long way to go. There are some cancers where progress has been much slower – such as lung, brain, pancreatic and oesophageal cancers. And when you lose someone you love to cancer, it can feel as though no progress has been made at all.

That’s why we’re working so hard to beat cancer sooner, to make sure that nobody loses their life prematurely to the disease.

Myth 10: Sharks don’t get cancer

Sharks do get cancer
Yes they do.
This excellent article goes into why the myth about the cancer-free shark has been so persistent.
If you want to learn more about cancer and marijuana check this article out: http://bit.ly/1haHM4S 

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Thyme essential oil shown to kill up to 98 percent of breast cancer cells

Thyme essential oil shown to kill up to 98 percent of breast cancer cells

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Essential oils have become really popular   in recent years for their amazing health benefits.  Essential oils are a natural and effective way to help manage stress, deal with pain, boost mood, and fight off infection. Therapeutic grade essential oils are distilled from the bark, flowers, or leaves of a plant and can provide physical and psychological benefits. Hippocrates (circa 460BC – circa 370BC), known today as “the father of Western medicine”, mentioned thyme’s therapeutic uses in treating respiratory diseases and conditions.

Thyme essential oil  is one of the strongest antioxidants known to man. Thyme supports the immune, respiratory, digestive, nervous, and other body systems. Thyme essential oils contains large amounts of thymol. Thymol is one of the naturally occurring  compounds known as “biocides”.  Biocides are substances that can destroy harmful organisms.
But did you know that essential oils can also be an effective anti-cancer remedy?


Thyme essential oil shown to kill up to 97 percent of breast cancer cells

Thyme is native to the Mediterranean and was widely used by the ancient Greeks.   Thyme is a very large part in Mediterranean cooking. This might be the reason why Greek women have less than half the incidence of breast cancer compared to American women).
Oncologist researchers at Celal Bayar University in Turkey performed a study to determine what effect Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) might have on breast cancer activity.

They reported in the journal Nutrition and Cancer9 that Wild Thyme induced cell death in the breast cancer cells.
Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails: A definitive guide to essential oils that could save your life during a crisis
Thyme essential oil was found to kill 98% of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) in vitro after 72 hours of treatment. This was at a concentration of just 0.05% (at 0.01%, thyme essential oil still killed >40% of the cells). Thyme  essential oil was proven to  be the most powerful at killing cancer cells.  In other studies, thyme has also shown activity against oral and ovarian cancer. Thyme, or its essential oil, has also been used in Ayurvedic and traditional medicine owing to its strong antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal (potently killing yeast such as Candida) properties. It makes a great addition to a healthy diet focused on organic fruits, vegetables and whole foods and can be used as a flavorful herb in cooking or simply prepared as a tea.
Other health benefits of thyme oil include:
  • Helps reduce symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Helps regulate menstrual flow
  • Helps to increase circulation and elevates low blood pressure
  • Helps prevent cellulite
  • Help ease nervousness and anxiety
  • Helps fight insomnia
  • Help to eliminate bad breath and body odor