Natural Drugs and Cures Are the Answers to Chronic Illnesses

You will never see natural drugs or cures advertised in the media. But, turn to any network commercial television channel and you are guaranteed to see at least one advertisement for a synthetic drug during a commercial break. Big Pharma's (the drug industry) advertising budget literally runs into the billions of dollars. These dollars are well spent on slick, Madison Avenue commercials which soothes the listener with its message. The truth about cholesterol lowering drugs...

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The drug commercials are hard to resist. They are so well produced that they seem 100 percent innocent. The commercials will have you believing that only drugs provide the answer for any medical problem. However, natural drugs and not synthetic ones promote long-term health.

"...The general public has been brainwashed by TV ads, the news media, and the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) into believing that prescription drugs (#76) enrich their lives. Many also still believe that government agencies such as the FDA ensure that these drugs are safe and perform the way the pharmaceutical companies claim they do. Hogwash..." [Emphasis mine] (David Williams, Alternatives (For the Health-Conscious Individual; April, 2006 Volume II, No. 10)

This quote was taken from an article entitled Legal Drugs Kill, Too. This article also mentioned the now infamous drug, Vioxx. Vioxx was on the market for 5 years. It has been estimated that between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks and strokes were related to the drug's use. Neither Big Pharma nor the FDA is your friend. And natural substances which cannot be patented will never be given the green light.

"...The public seems to genuinely believe that the non natural drugs advertised on TV are safe, in spite of the plethora of side effects listed by the commercials's narrator, ranging from diarrhea to death...Remember all those TV ads heralding the wonders of Vioxx?..." (www.newstarget.com/009278.html)

Human nature being what it is, the very drugs consumers see advertised over and over again on TV ar the ones they ask their doctors for. They know absolutely nothing of natural drugs. This is why TV commercials are so important for the drug industry. Big Pharma has very deep pockets to promote their prescription and nonprescription drugs.

The consumer, despite the required disclaimer of possible side effects, feels that these synthetic drugs must be safe. After all, if they were dangerous, the government wouldm't allow them to be advertised. The tragedy with Vioxx should be a wake-up call for all of us. Safety for the consumer is not Big Pharma's, or the FDA's, major concern.

As an example of drug side effects, let's take a look at high blood pressure medication. Side effects include loss of libido, insomnia, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, arrhythmia, severe depression, disorientation, memory loss, liver failure, esophagitis, and fatal angioedema. Because of these crippling side effects, 40% of the patients prescribed this medication stop taking it.

All drugs advertised by the pharmaceutical industry are synthetic, and have been sanctioned by the FDA. Natural drugs and cures are banned. Synthetic drugs are chemical concoctions formulated in a laboratory, and are not recognized by the body. This is the reason these drugs cause the side effects they do.

Drugs are never formulated to cure anyone of anything. They are manufactured to simply 'mask' the sympton of an underlying problem. For instance, cancer has a cause. Whether it it's a diet high in refined carbohydrates or having an unbalanced omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid intake, or any number of other possible causes.

There is a conspiracy in America preventing natural drugs and cures from becoming public knowledge, and accessible. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in partnership with Big Pharma, the pharmaceutical industry, have made it illegal for any vitamin or supplement to claim to be able to heal, cure, or prevent any disease.

In the early 1990s Dr. Jeffrey Wigand exposed the hidden secrets of the tobacco industry. Back then it was a 50 billion dollar a year business. Dr. Wigand had been hired by the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company to find a safer cigarette. Brown & Williamson was the third largest cigarette company behind Philip Morris and R. J. Reynolds.

Dr. Wigand’s testimony revealed that the CEOs of the major tobacco companies lied to Congress when they testified that they did not know of the addictive nature of nicotine. As a matter of fact, addictiveness was their objective. Cigarettes were a delivery device for nicotine.

The story of Dr. Wigand and Big Tobacco was dramatized in a movie named The Insider (1999). Russell Crowe portrayed Dr. Jeffrey Wigand. Big Tobacco was driven by one motive and one motive only—the profit motive!

The 21st century is seeing the same thing as the 90s. Only this time it is the pharmaceutical companies who are the culprits. The drug industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. I think this industry is worse than Big Tobacco because we are conditioned to believe that prescription and nonprescription drugs are not only necessary, but that there are no natural drugs and cures.

Why do I compare the pharmaceutical industry to the tobacco industry of the early 90s? Because the pharmaceutical industry like the tobacco industry, is profit driven. They know the dangers of their drugs just like the tobacco industry knew the dangers of nicotine. They just don’t care about your health.

The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want to find cures for any health problem. A cure would erode away their enormous profits. I might as well tell you from the outset that I don’t believe in drugs (those synthetic products made by the pharmaceutical industry). I believe that if you do develop some medical condition, there are natural remedies (natural drugs) which can be used as alternatives.

Pharmaceuticals: Deadly Side Effects and High Cost

One study found that one of the major causes of falls in nursing homes is the side effects caused by medications.

Another study found that 97% of nursing home patients take at least one drug, with 17% taking 5 or more!

Yet another study found that many drugs can cause Parkinson's disease-like symptoms and concluded that "drug-induced parkinsonism is frequent."

Finally, another study listed 22 different categories of drugs that can cause symptoms that mimic Alzheimer's disease...plus 14 different over-the-counter drugs that can cause these symptoms!

The International Journal of Gynecological Cancer published an article on the breast cancer drug Tamoxiten. It seems that this cancer drug treatment results in an increased risk of uterine cancer incidence and mortality.

Cancer drug costs escalated by almost 16 percent in 2006; other prescription drug costs averaged a 3 percent increase. Note the following cancer drug costs and side effects:

Sunlight, one of many forms of natural drugs, is necessary for good health. A little known fact is that essential fatty acids (EFAs) allow the body to store light energy from the sun. Light consists of tiny particles known as photons. When your body has enough EFAs such as omega-3, photons from the sun will travel through the skin and be stored.

Eskimos live in a part of the world which has very limited sunlight. Their diet also includes some of the world's highest intake of EFAs. This came from the tons of cold-water fish they eat. When they ate this traditional diet, they didn't have a problem with depression, suicide, alcoholism, obesity, and heart disease. (They began to suffer these problems when they left their traditional diet and followed the Standard American Diet (SAD.)

Toxic to brain cells, mercury and aluminum over-stimulate the brain's immune system. There is compelling evidence that this mechanism can trigger Alzheimer's demetia, Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, autism spectrum disorders, and Gulf War Syndrome.

Mercury accumulates in the brain and is very difficult to remove. A non-lethal and healthy alternative to your yearly flu vaccine is having a strong immune system. The following nutrients will accomplish this: selenium, vitamins C and E and D3, zinc, and carotenoids (found in yellow, orange, and red vegetables and fruit.)

The FDA's ties are also obvious in that they not only cater to Big Pharma, but they allow dangerous drugs to be marketed. Case in point (and there are literally hundreds of cases) concerns the drug Evista.

Evista was originally approved by the FDA in 1997 to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women; in 1999 it was approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Common side effects of Evista include: hot flashes, leg cramps, swelling, flu-like symptoms, joint pain, and sweating. The FDA itself cautions, "...can cause serious side effects including blood clots in the legs and lungs, and death due to stroke."

You would think that this drug would be pulled off the market. Not so! But what the FDA did do was to seek approval to use Evista for reducing the risk of developing breast cancer. On July 24, 2007 the FDA's Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee sought for, and received approval to use Evista for reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and in women at high risk for breast cancer!

Now there are potentially more women who can be exposed to this dangerous drug. Evista, manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, had sales of $1.5 billion in 2005. Sales like this is a powerful motivator to seek to expand the drug's market.

This is madness! The patients are running the asylum known as the Food and Drug Administration!

As mentioned earlier, as a person ages, the less carnosine is stored in the body. Depending on the individual, doses can range from 500 mg to 1500 mg per day.

The by-product of the use of carnosine is lipofuscin. It becomes harmful when too much builds up over time. DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) flushes accumulating lipofuscins from the body. Laboratory studies have shown that up to 1600 mg per day can be taken without any harmful effect.

Most commercial sunscreens contain carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) like homo-salate and methoxicinnamate. They should be avoided. As a matter of fact, skin protection should begin on the inside.

In a recent study, researchers exposed a group of people to a controlled amount of solar-type radiation. They then gave half of them a cocoa drink rich in bioflavonoids. The other half was given a 'fake' cocoa drink with little nutritional value.

The cocoa with the bioflavonoids contained 61 mg of a flavonoid called epicatechin and 20 mg of another called catechin. The fake cocoa had less than 10% of these amounts.

The group which was given the bioflavonoid rich drink experienced a 15-25% reduction in UV-induced (ultra-violet) redness. Also, this group had greater skin thickness, increased skin hydration, increased blood flow, and less skin roughness than the other group.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with bioflavonoids. People who eat lots of fruits and veggies have healthy skin. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Add green tea and cocoa too.

Cataracts is the name for an eye condition in which a filmy deposit is produced that can ultimately lead to blindness. It affects over 20 million Americans. The standard treatment for cataracts is surgery.

But a double-blind placebo study which was conducted in Italy halted the progression of cataracts in 97% of the participants tested. They were given a combination of bilberry and vitamin E. The recommended dosage is 360 milligrams of bilberry and 100 milligrams of vitamin E.

British fighter pilots used bilberry herb or ate the jam because they found out that it enabled them to see better at night. Bilberry has also been discovered to strengthen capillaries in the eye and improve circulation.

In addition to people diagnosed with early stage cataracts, bilberry can be effectively used to combat eye fatigue by people who read a lot, work at a computer, or do a lot of close-up work. Bilberry can be purchased at any health food store.

Traditional medical researchers explain how seven common maladies can be managed without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. This research was published in the April, 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter. According to the researchers, these non-traditional approaches can be as, or even more, effective than pills.

Arthritis: combine weight loss with exercise and you may experience less pain with additional mobility.

High Cholesterol: add more soluble fiber (found in fruits, vegetables, and beans such as apples, prunes, citrus fruits, navy, kidney, garbanzo beans, peas, potatoes, etc.) to your diet to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol.

Cognitive Decline: memory training and physical exercise.

Depression: regular physical exercise

Diabetes: eat fewer sweets and simple carbohydrates; exercise

High Blood Pressure: lose weight, more exercise, reduce sodium intake

Osteoporosis: weight-bearing exercise such as squats and increase vitamin D and calcium.

Peripheral artery disease is a condition in which fatty deposits build in the arteries and restrict blood flow. Most commonly, PAD minimizes blood flow to the legs causing pain and numbness. It restricts the ability to walk and in extreme cases can lead to amputation. PAD develops when fatty deposits build up in the inner linings of artery walls, choking blood flow and oxygen to the legs, feet, arms and other places.

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York discovered that people with low levels of vitamin D in their blood experience an increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease. The findings were based on a United States government survey of 4,839 adults who had their vitamin D levels measured, and underwent a screening for PAD to assess blood flow in their legs.

"Participants in the survey who had the lowest vitamin D levels had a much higher prevalence of peripheral artery disease," said Dr. Michal Melamed, lead researcher.

According to study results, people in the lowest 25 percent of vitamin D levels were 80 percent more likely to have PAD than those in the highest 25 percent.

According to a naturopathic doctor, other doctors have told him that 80 percent of their patients were protein malnourished-despite the disease they had. The undernourishment was not due to not eating enough protein, but not being able to absorb it.

"A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels...Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain (http://www.medicinenet.com/migraine_headache/article.htm.)

Traditional medicine seeks to find ways to somehow stop the process of vascular constriction and dilation with drugs. Non-traditional medicine seeks to find the root cause of the constriction and dilation, and eliminate it. This will prevent the migraine from occurring instead of merely giving some relief once it has begun.

Alternative medicine (naturopathy for instance) sees the root cause of an allergic reaction may be poor or incomplete intestinal absorption. In other words, the gut may not be digesting food properly.

Some naturopathic doctors believe that when the intestines allow incompletely digested proteins and other nutrients to enter the bloodstream, the body views them as invaders. It is viewed that this allergic reaction can cause vascular changes resulting in migraine headaches.

Following this line of thinking leads to ways to improve the body's ability to absorb or assimilate nutrients. Predigested food products seem to allow the gut to heal and thus keep allergenic substances out of the bloodstream.

This site is dedicated to restoring health to a compromised gut. It has whole food, all natural products to accomplish this. These products to allow the gut to heal itself and another one to detoxify the liver can be taken with any prescription medication you may be on . (More...)

Migraines may begin from a malfunctioning brain stem. New techniques are being tested because of this new research. A drug that prevents gap junctions, a form of ion, from opening thereby not allowing the flow of calcium between brain cells.

Currently only a few medications can prevent migraine headaches. These medications, interestingly enough, were all developed for other medical issues such as depression, high blood pressure, and epilepsy.

The existing crop of medications used to treat migraines is effective in only 50 percent of patients, 50% of the time.

Triggers

Following are some of the common migraine triggers as reported by migraine sufferers:

Side Effects of Migraine Drugs

Migraine medications Maxalt-MTL and Zomig-ZMT contain aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) which itself is a trigger for migraines.

Natural Treatments

The major step to avoiding migraines in he first place is to eat healthy, nutritious meals. This means organic, whole foods and staying away from processed foods. Make certain to avoid all of the triggers.

Place 10 teaspoons of cayenne pepper in a glass of water. When the pepper reaches your stomach lining, endorphins are released. The endorphins will eliminate the pain.

A study found that green apple scent is effective in relieving migraine headaches.

The pain that is associated with arthritis, osteoarthritis (age-related) and rheumatoid (autoimmune disease that results in joint swelling and pain), is mostly associated with inflammation.

Traditional treatments for the pain caused by inflammation are NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Celebrex. As with most prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals, the side effects can be devastating.

Instead of merely treating the symptoms (pain), alternative cures aim to remove the cause of the inflammation. This can be done successfully by incorporating an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. This lifestyle consists of weight control and exercise, reducing stress in your life, and the addition of certain spices into your meals.

Foods cooked at high temperatures such as meats and fried foods contain huge amounts of advanced glycation end (AGE) products. AGE products trigger inflammation.

Among others, a study conducted at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City has shown that the consumption of AGEs is connected to increased risk for developing arthritis and other chronic diseases in which inflammation is a factor. Red meat along with all processed and snack foods should be removed from the diet.

A plant-based diet should be made a part of your nutrition plan. Fruits and vegetables are chock full of antioxidant chemicals which fight inflammation. A recent study published in Nutrition and Metabolism found that arthritis sufferers who made a plant-based diet a part of their life experienced significant reductions in pain.

Foods with the highest amounts of anti-inflammatory substances, which include dark berries such as elderberries, black currants, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, and blackberries, should be eaten daily. Also add red grapes which contain resveratrol and vitamin C rich fruits such as oranges and strawberries.

A study written up in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood had a 45% reduced risk for inflammation.

Omega-3 fatty acids reduces inflammation. Cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines are good sources. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids are good too. You will find these in nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans.

Green and black tea have polyphenols which fight inflammation. Two to three cups daily is good.

There exist several anti-inflammatory spices that should be incorporated into your anti-inflammatory lifestyle. Turmeric, garlic and ginger, commonly found in kitchen cabinets, can relieve joint pain.

Chronic stress produces inflammation. Stress should be managed by relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga, as well as exercise (Tidbit [#200]...)

Strokes are the third leading cause of death among Americans after cancer and heart disease. There are two types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic.

Ischemic stokes are caused by blood vessels which are blocked. The blockage itself is due to atherosclerosis, or hardening on the arteries. Hemorrhagic strokes are the result of weak brain blood vessels.

Many times a stroke will have no warning sign. When signs do occur, many times it goes unnoticed. These signs may be neurological symptoms such as sudden numbness on one side of the face, or in an arm. There may be other brief signs like: dizzy spells, momentary confusion, heaviness in an arm or a leg, or problems with speech (attempting to say a word or repeating a word over and over.)

Strokes have several high risk factors. These include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, migraine headaches, and a poor diet.

A healthy diet is a key to avoiding strokes. Antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamin C, zinc, selenium, and copper are all good for strengthening blood vessels. Make sure your diet includes magnesium, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids to make the likelihood of a stroke occurring very slim. Avoid pesticides, mercury, smoking, and do exercise.

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