How Green Is Your Medicine Cabinet?

Prescription and Over-The-Counter drugs can find their roots (no pun intended) in ancient

herbal medicine. Aspirin, for example, was originally derived from sal acetic acid found in

willow bark, meadowsweet and the shrub spirea, morphine-based painkillers derived from opium from poppies, and the contraceptive pill from the Mexican wild yam. The World Health

Organization has published an estimates that 80 per cent of the world's population relies on

herbal medicine as primary medical care.

James Wong, an EthnoBotanist and author of "Grow Your Own Drugs", Harper and Collins,

writes,

"People have this idea that you have to hike to the depths of the Amazon to find the source of plant-based medicines, and that once you have got them you need a fully equipped pharmaceutical laboratory full of people in white coats preparing this stuff in really elaborate processes. That's a myth. Plant-based medicines have evolved as a response to situations where people don't have a lot of time or money. When I was studying shamanic medicine in Ecuador, if a woman had eight kids and one of them had stomach ache, she had to find something in her immediate environment that she could cook up on the stove while taking care of her other seven children."

In this Science/Medicine indoctrinated society, the first question that arises is, "Where are

the clinical trials to support this?" Sadly, they don't exist.... drug companies don't invest in expensive trials of natural cures, and the American Medical community is just now recognizing the curative effects of Alternative Medicine. Wong is careful not to make claims that he can't back up, and his book includes a number of disclaimers :

• consult a doctor before trying natural remedies, and particularly if you are on any other medication
• check for allergies
• make sure you have identified the plants you use correctly, since there isn't any documented trials to cite.

My purpose in the coming months will be to provide Alternative Cures, ancient in nature,

forgotten by many and remembered by a few, to once again return the "folk cures" and

"backwoods cures" to the forefront of the public mind. We, as a people, have always prided

ourselves as having the freedom to choose how we live....we must also have the freedom derived through knowledge to choose how we medicate and cure ourselves.

Vitamin D - The Now Nutrient Of The Millenia

ScienceDaily (Jan. 14, 2009) — Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "now" nutrient with health

benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.

In a recent article, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing researchers

concluded that "adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and

reduce complications for those who have already been diagnosed." See the latest issue of

Diabetes Educator.

"Vitamin D has widespread benefits for our health and certain chronic diseases in particular," said Sue Penckofer, Ph.D., R.N., study co-author and professor, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This article (in Diabetes Educator) further substantiates the role of this nutrient in the prevention and management of glucose intolerance and diabetes."

Evaluation of 3,000 people with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes found that they had low Vitamin D

levels, resulting from poor nutrition and reduced exposure to sunlight. Evidence from the

study suggested that Vitamin D plays an integral role in both insulin sensitivity and

secretion, and that it may be significant in the prevention of the disease."Management of vitamin D deficiency may be a simple and cost-effective method to improve blood sugar control and prevent the serious complications associated with diabetes," said Joanne Kouba, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N., study co-author and clinical assistant professor of dietetics, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "Diet alone may not be sufficient to manage vitamin D levels. A combination of adequate dietary intake of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, and treatment with vitamin D2 or D3 supplements can decrease the risk of diabetes and related health concerns. The preferred range in the body is 30 - 60 ng/mL of 25(OH) vitamin D. People at risk for diabetes should be screened for low vitamin D levels. This will allow health care professionals to identify a nutrient deficiency early on and intervene to improve the long term health of these individuals," said Mary Ann Emanuele, M.D., F.A.C.P., study co-author and professor of medicine, division of endocrinology and metabolism, Loyola University Health System.

In an article published in the December, 9, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American

College of Cardiology (JACC), practical recommendations for screening and treating low

vitamin D levels are proposed. "Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging

cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated," said James H.

O'Keefe, M.D., cardiologist and director of Preventive Cardiology at the Mid America Heart

Institute, Kansas City, MO. "Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple,

safe and inexpensive."

Home Remedies for Joint Pain

Joint pain is as natural as the sunrise.. everyone will experience some at some time in their life. Pain that comes from infections like a flu or cold, from training a muscle, or simply a headache. For many, however, pain is a constant companion which they have learned to tolerate. For them, there usually is a greater underlying cause than a simple infection.

Symptoms of joint pain around the body may result from swelling in and around joints. The joints may be difficult to move due to stiffness from the inflammation and being painful to touch. They are usually characterized by the redness and extra warmth.

Medical care required to diagnose and treat joint pain is becoming expensive. This is why many seek homeopathic and holistic remedies. Many are inexpensive and effective means of reducing the symptoms, lifting emotional spirits, and returning a "wholeness" to the sufferer. The following detail some remedies that one can use to obtain some relief:

1. First and foremost is activity- walk, stretch, move as often as often as possible. Failing to be active only weakens the muscles placing more pressure on the joints when you must move resulting in more pain.

2. Second, Cold pack and Hot pack - try to keep handy and available. These should be applied to the affected areas, try to keep them in place at least 15 minutes at a time to allow the maximum effect. Cold for swelling and inflammation - Hot for pain and stiffness.

3. Third - try to massage the affected are to improve circulation as well as calm the "harshness of the pain". Massage will relax the muscles around the joint without affecting muscle tone.

4. For short term relief - take an outer Cabbage leaf, break the spine of the leaf so that it lies flat, and heat in microwave for 20 seconds or more (until it is warm to touch). Place the cabbage leaf on the affected area and wrap with a cloth.

5. There are a number of over-the-counter medications that can relieve joint pain. When choosing one, it is important to select one that acts as an anti-inflammatory.

It is vital that you understand the cause of the pain. Only then can you effectively select an appropriate home remedy. You can select from all different types of relief: the use of heat and cold, massage, appropriate exercise and even over-the-counter anti-inflammatory. There is no need to experience unbearable pain when you can get the right home remedy for treatment instead of prescription drugs with their multiple side effects... get back the pain-free life that you expect and deserve the natural way!

AMA Doctors Recognize Alternative Medicine - Its About Time!

According to the latest government survey..More than a third of Americans use unconventional

therapies, including acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic, and native or traditional healing

methods. Practitioners in this field are self policed, recognized by their own schools and

accreditation groups. Some are licensed and recognized by their states, but most are not.

Tens of millions take vitamins and dietary supplements (from ginseng, aloe vera, and calcium

to fish oil and zinc) as reported by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. This is "fringe

medicine? Vitamins and supplements are the "insurance policy" for a nation of people who

don't "eat healthy" everyday.

Even doctors (mainstream medicine) recommend vitamins and supplements - vitamins for

pregnant women, calcium for osteoporosis, fish oil for heart patients, and more. The problem

lies in the dosages of each...too little or too much, as well as the quality level of each

product. Generally, they are considered safe with little or no interactions, unlike

conventional medicines that take a Physicians Desk Record (monstrously large book) to

illustrate all the interactions and "contraindications" (may cause .......).

Dr. Jeffery White, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Chief at the National Cancer

Institute joins Dr. Josephine Briggs, Director of the National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine ( the Federal Agency created 10 years ago) in the belief that

alternative and nutritional medicine is an "area of opportunity that deserves serious

study".

Many people simply buy OTC (Over The Counter) products to treat simple daily problems -

can't sleep, upset stomach, heartburn, memory problems, and aches and pains. Many of these

products have dubious effects because they are not combined with other elements to complete

the task for which they were bought. This can change only with more education, more

research, more interest in Alternative and Complementary Medicine, something which I hope

this new Administration will augment.