The Health Plus Letter
October 4, 2007, Vol. 5, No. 18
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher
http://www.1healthyworld.com
You can read all back issues of The Health Plus Letter at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ezine.
Table Of Contents
New This Issue
Quote of the Day
Fast Fact
The Mainstream Media and Why They Are Bad For Our Health
Happiness Is An Inside Job by C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhDSelf-Care Tips for Dealing With Kidney Stones
Recommendations
Medical Freedom
New This Issue
Welcome to another issue of The Health Plus Letter. This week, I’m discussing the blatantly biased coverage by ABC News of actress Farah Fawcett’s decision to go to Germany to seek alternative treatment for her recurring cancer. Said coverage illustrates the dishonesty inherent in how the mainstream media address health issues.
Also in this issue is another important observation by renowned holistic physician Dr. C. Norman Shealy. This time Norm discusses why happiness is so important to health, and why so many people aren’t happy. And you’ll also find self-care tips for effectively dealing with kidney stones.
As always, please continue to send me your comments and suggestions. And please spread the word about The Health Plus Letter by passing it along to your friends and inviting them to subscribe.
Quotes Of The Day
“Before you build a better mouse trap, it helps to know if there are any mice out there.”
— Yogi Berra
“Childrens do learn.”
-- President George W. Bush, speaking before a group of NYC school children, 9/26/07.
(Earlier that month, he also said, “I heard somebody say, Where's [Nelson] Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.” Nelson Mandela is not only alive, he was also a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq.)
Fast Fact
Despite the widespread use of vitamin supplements in the United States, there is not even one death per year caused by vitamin supplementation. By contrast, properly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs kills over 100,000 people in the US each year.
Source: American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 22, No. 5, September 2004
Unabashed Plug
Discover and Gain Control of Your Human Energy Field. Read Dr. Valerie Hunt’s Mind Mastery Meditations: A Workbook for the “Infinite Mind,” the empowering guide created by one of the world's foremost researchers into the human energy field, energy medicine, and the relationship between consciousness and health. Each of the meditations this eBook contains is designed to give you mastery of your mind and to empower you to discover the answers to why you are the way you are, your soul's needs, your unique talents and capacities, and your self-designed destiny. By practicing and mastering these meditations, you will become able to live your life with greater ease and success, speed your self-healing, and dramatically increase your ability to manifest your deepest goals. To order this life-changing guide, visit
http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Mind-Mastery-Book-Info.cfm.
The Mainstream Media and Why They Are Bad For Our Health
Recently, actress Farah Fawcett decided to go to Germany to seek out alternative treatment for cancer, due to the fact that the conventional treatment she received in the United States resulted in a recurrence of her condition. Using the following link, you can see how ABC News reported this story: http://snipurl.com/1rrm8.
What’s wrong with this reporting? Let’s start with the tone of its opening few paragraphs. To whit:
“Actress Farrah Fawcett and the late Coretta Scott King are among the thousands of people who have turned to alternative approaches to cancer treatment when conventional medicine has failed.
“It's often a last-ditch attempt to find a cure, one that brings the patient into a murky world of offshore clinics and unproven courses of treatment that are scorned by the medical establishment.”
The first paragraph, as far as it goes, is factual. It’s the second paragraph that is deceitful because of its implications. While it’s true that many people who seek out alternative cancer treatments do only do so as “a last-ditch attempt” (meaning they’ve exhausted all conventional treatments to no avail), to state, as the writer does, that this in turn leads them “Into a murky world … of unproven courses of treatment …scorned by the medical establishment” is wholly irresponsible writing that paints a very negative picture of the entire arena of alternative cancer treatment facilities. A while there certainly are people and facilities within that arena that do prey on the hopes of cancer patients, that fact in no way diminishes the legitimate alternative cancer approaches that are also available, yet, in the US at least, hardly known.
Moreover, consider the use of the phrase “offshore clinics.” According to the piece, Ms. Fawcett is traveling to Germany to receive her treatment. Were a citizen of Germany to come to the US to receive cancer treatment, would travel to the US also be categorized as going “offshore?” Such a connotation can easily be inferred to mean a shady and illicit venue, when in fact Germany happens to have a far greater success rate for cancer treatments than what has been achieved by the cancer industry here in the US. Why, then, did the author of this piece choose such a phrase?
The article then proceeds to quote Barrie Cassileth, who touts herself as an expert in alternative medicine. She even wrote a book about it, which I’ve read and which I can tell you is riddled with inaccuracies that showcase her ignorance on the subject. No doubt that is why she is the chief of the Integrative Medicine Department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. (Sloan-Kettering having an integrative medicine department is again to the Pentagon having a Department of Peace – I won’t hold my breath for anything worthwhile to come from either.) Cassileth, proving her ignorance, states: “I would [tell a patient considering alternative treatment] that they are signing their own death certificate…I would say they are wasting time they could otherwise spend happier and with their families.”
I wonder what Cassileth would say to the numerous cancer survivors and their physicians who gather in Los Angeles each Labor Day weekend to attend the Cancer Control Society’s annual convention to attest to the value of alternative medicine for treating cancer. I’ve done so and I’ve met many long-term cancer survivors there and elsewhere whose lives were saved by alternative cancer treatments. Obviously they didn’t sign their own death certificates when they made their choice to seek out such treatments. But you’d never know that if you only relied on this ABC report.
To the article’s credit, at least the president of the Cancer Control Society, Frank Cousineau, is included within it. But his comments about cancer approaches used in Germany are immediately followed by this blatant falsehood: “But further details about the techniques [employed in Germany] are hard to come by…” Oh, really? Then how is it that, a few years ago, I was able to have complete and unimpeded access to one of the leading integrative cancer clinics in Germany – Klinik St. George – where I was assisted by its full-time Ph.D. statistician, who is charged with keeping meticulous records of every patients who comes to the Klinik for treatment? Not only did I discover that the Klinik’s overall success rate for stage 4 cancers is 60 percent (remissions of five years or more), I was also able to interview a number of these long-term survivors, all of whom were in vibrant health despite, in some cases, literally being at death’s door when they first came to the clinic years earlier. How did I gain such access? The Klinik was simply informed that I was researching viable cancer alternative treatments.
The writer of the piece states that, “the clinics approached by ABCNEWS.com declined to comment or simply did not return calls.” Given the blatant bias against alternative medicine by the US mainstream media, I don’t blame them. Still, a simple web search on the part of the writer would have provided much of the information she was allegedly looking for. For example, to find out more about Klinik St, George, all she had to do was visit www.klinik-st-georg.de/e/index.html.
Instead of doing so, she elected to bring out Stephen Barrett, so that he could cast further aspersions on alternative medicine. Barrett is described as a “retired psychiatrist who runs a site called quackwatch.com, which publishes information about alternative clinics.” In actuality, Barrett publishes reams of inaccurate information about anything that falls under the alternative medicine umbrella. He’s done so for years and in my opinion he is no more than a paid whore for the pharmaceutical cartel. He has also been discredited more than once in courts of law due to the malicious and inaccurate statements he has made against a number of alternative medical practitioners. (For more on that subject, visit my friend Tim Bolen’s website www.bolenreport.net - Tim takes special satisfaction is seeing that Barrett gets his just desserts.)
But even if Barrett was not so discredited, what qualifications does a “retired psychiatrist” (in actuality, he’s unlicensed) have that would make ABC News seek him out for this report? The answer is none. But that doesn’t prevent the mainstream media from trotting him out nearly every time they decide to cover alternative medicine.
And, just to make sure that viewers and readers of the piece don’t miss its point, the reporter gives Cassileth the last word. “There are no viable ‘alternatives’ to mainstream cancer care… There are dozens — probably hundreds — of spas and clinics that claim to treat advanced cancer successfully. None of them work.”
This too is a lie, but it goes by unchallenged. And this is what passes for investigative journalism these days.
Bottom line, if you rely on the mainstream media to inform you about your health and health choices, you are making a big mistake.
And for anyone interested in learning more about actual evidenced-based alternative approaches for treating cancer, I highly recommend that you consider attending the Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies for Cancer Advocates seminar that will take place on January 10-11, 2008 in West Palm Beach, Florida. To learn more about this conference, visit http://annieappleseedproject.org/evcamforadc.html
Unabashed Plug
Learn the Truth about Heart Disease, Stroke and Hypertension. Most of what conventional medicine has to offer for treating these conditions is based on faulty and potentially dangerous assumptions. Discover the real causes behind these diseases and learn what you can do today to prevent and reverse them using safe and natural alternatives that have been scientifically proven to be effective. Read the critically-acclaimed eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease, featuring the contributions of Dr. Garry Gordon, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and many other leading heart specialists. To order or to find out more about this potentially lifesaving guide, visit http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Heart-Book-Info.cfm.
Happiness Is An Inside Job By C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.
I first heard this phrase about 30 years ago. Prior to that, it had never occurred to me that happiness was an outside job! About that time, I had also read one of Hans Selye's books in which he stated that you should strive in live to find a job which is not work, but play. And, after working with over 30,000 depressed people, I began looking at people who attend various conferences. To my surprise, I learned that Freud the Fraud was correct about one theory - most people have a death wish! At least 40% of Americans are clinically depressed, and another 40% have what I call a subclinical depressive miasma. In other words, they are NOT happy!
Everything in life is relative. As Maslow emphasized, the basic essentials are water, food, clothing and shelter. Without these, life is such a struggle that happiness is hardly an issue. The issue is survival. Beyond these essentials and air, little is essential. Even without these one still has the choice of attitude. As Viktor Frankl emphasized in Man's Search For Meaning, everything, including freedom, can be taken away, as it was in German concentration camps, except one's attitude towards the situation. He wrote that even in such serious abuse situations, one has to accept that there must be a purpose. Even if you never learn the purpose, you have to assume there is meaning, as anything else is insanity!
Money, jewels, fame, unlimited sex, etc. are often available to great celebrities, movie stars, sports heroes, etc. But how many of them are happy? Watching one of the wealthy on ''You're Fired'', I am repulsed by the vindictiveness and obvious lack of compassion that substitutes for entertainment. I actually once tuned in for five minutes and turned it off! A vast majority of movies today emphasize violence. I see nothing of artistic or redeeming value in such trash. I have known personally several of the super wealthy. I have yet to know a truly happy one, although I am sure some exist! In India on two occasions, I have been amazed that many of the poorest, wearing only something like a diaper, engaged in very hard menial work, appear to be happy. I spent many hours talking with them, attempting to understand the essence that leads them to happiness.
It seems to me that happiness is an attitude about life in general. It is a sense that I AM OK. Happiness is recognizing that your only real responsibility outside yourself is to do no harm to others. Then your responsibility to yourself is to do no harm to you. It may not be obvious, but science demonstrates that anger, guilt, anxiety and depression - and all their synonyms - are the major causes of virtually all illnesses, including accidents. You cannot afford the luxury of anger, guilt, anxiety and/or depression. Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting it to kill the other person.
There is, of course, a greater purpose in life than just surviving, without harming. That purpose is expressed best in THE URANTIA BOOK:
“Love is the desire to do good to others.”
That greater purpose is indeed love, the essence of spirituality. The single greatest human drive is to love others, nurture others, to help others, to do good to others. Nothing outside self is as gratifying as the joy that one receives in helping others. And, of course, there is also doing good to self! This does not mean being a narcissist. It does mean taking care of your body, mind and emotions - nurturing you. Common sense, the uncommon commodity, should be the guide in making choices. Treat yourself with compassion. Choose health enhancing food, exercise and thoughts. '”Every thought is a prayer. Thinking sets in motion spiritual forces to bring about change in body, mind, companions, environment, hope and despair.” Think happy. Happiness is indeed an inside job! And it should be JOYFUL PLAY!
C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.
www.normshealy.com
President, Holos University Graduate Seminary
Founding President, American Holistic Medical Association
Author of LIFE BEYOND 100
Copyright © 2007 NormShealy.com, All rights reserved.
Self-Care Tips for Dealing With Kidney Stones
Kidney stones can form anywhere in the entire urinary tract (kidney, bladder, the ducts in-between, or the ureters), and primarily occur because of calcium (oxalate) and/or phosphate that has come out of solution. If left untreated, the stones can block these areas of the urinary tract, causing pain, bleeding, and other problems.
Symptoms of kidney stones include sudden and excruciating back pain that may come and go and that often radiates from the back across the abdomen and into the genital area or inner thighs. This pain can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, possible blood in the urine, pain on urination, and chills and fever. Stones in the urinary tract can be one of the most painful conditions, similar to the pain of childbirth.
In some cases, there may be no symptoms, depending on where the stone is located and its size.
What To Consider:
One in every 1,000 adults is hospitalized each year in the US because of kidney stones. Kidney stones also tend to be recurring, typically reforming within seven years.
Kidney stones are more common during the summer, possibly due to concentrated urine caused by increased sweating and insufficient fluid intake. In general, mild chronic dehydration can play a role in the development of kidney stones. Chronic stress can also play a role. In addition, kidney stones may be due to genetics. If one parent had kidney stones, there is an increased risk in his or her children. Cadmium poisoning may also play a role and needs to be considered if other treatment methods fail.
Note: Kidney stones that are high in calcium may be a signal of hyperparathyroidism (excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone). In serious cases of kidney stones ultrasound that fractionalizes and breaks down the stones may be advised. See your medical doctor for more information about this.
Self-Care Tips
Diet: Diet alone cannot get rid of the stones. Higher-than-normal levels of oxalate related to a diet high in oxalic containing foods, such as rhubarb, spinach, leafy vegetables, and coffee, can promote kidney stone formation. High levels of dietary refined carbohydrates can also cause kidney stones. Sugar stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, causing increased calcium excretion through the urine. Other dietary factors that cause increased calcium excretion in the urine and promote stone formation are increased intakes of coffee, colas, acid-forming diets (such as high protein and grains), insufficient water intake, and excessive salt consumption. Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid can also encourage the formation of kidney stones and should be completely eliminated.
The most important dietary actions are to increase your intake of pure filtered water, fiber, and green vegetables, and reduce refined sugar consumption. Foods that are helpful in decreasing kidney stone formation include cranberries, black cherries, rice bran, kombucha tea. In addition to avoiding sugar, also avoid or reduce your intake of salt, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, nuts, chocolate, pepper, and animal proteins.
Nutritional Supplementation: Helpful nutrients include: magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C (keep your total daily intake below 6 grams to avoid increasing oxalate formation), vitamin A, proteolytic enzymes (away from meals), raw kidney glandulars, fat-soluble chlorophyll, lipoic acid, and the amino acids glutamic acid, lysine, and methionine.
Aromatherapy: Hyssop and juniper essential oils can be helpful.
Ayurveda: Cumin, coriander, and fennel tea. Drink one cup three times a day.
Herbs: Combine the tinctures of gravel root, cornsilk, wild yam, and blackhaw in equal parts and take one teaspoon of this mixture three times a day. Or drink one cup of an infusion of nettle three times a day. Other useful herbs include uva ursi, horsetail, and dandelion root.
Homeopathy: Berberis, and Sarsaparilla are both useful homeopathic remedies.
Hydrotherapy: Constitutional hydrotherapy of alternating hot and cold water packs applied two to five times weekly, and a hot pack applied to the abdomen and lower back several times a day can help relieve and prevent flare-ups of pain.
Juice Therapy: The following juices can help stimulate the overall health of the urinary tract and potentially flush out the stones: lemon juice; carrot, beet, and cucumber juice with a dash of garlic and/or horseradish; and/or cranberry and watermelon juice.
CAUTION: If your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional.
(The above information is adapted from Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, co-written and edited by Larry Trivieri, Jr.)
Unabashed Plug
Protect Yourself From Energy Pollution With the BioElectric ShieldTM. Energy pollution is all around us in the fo/rm of harmful electromagnetic frequencies and radiation (EMFs and EMR) emitted by power lines, cells phones, computers, and many other so-called modern conveniences. By wearing the BioElectric Shield pendant, you can protect yourself from the harmful effects of EMFs and EMR. To obtain a BioElectricShield, visit http://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=408491. To learn more about how and why the BioElectric Shield works, see my article about it at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ezine/vol4no9.cfm.
Recommendations
Websites
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071002213442.htm - Remember the bird flu scare and how the drug Tamiflu was supposed to help stem the epidemic? Well, as I pointed out when the bird flu scare first hit, there was no epidemic. And now it turns out that Tamiflu makes bird flu worse.
http://snipurl.com/1rrqj - Speaking of flu drugs, this article confirms what many holistic physicians have been saying about flu shots for years – namely that their benefits are “greatly exaggerated.”
http://snipurl.com/1rrr0 - So naturally the FDA recently approved Flu Mist for two- to five-year old children.
http://snipurl.com/1rrr8 - And it’s not just flu shots that have exaggerated benefits. According to this report, “Pharmaceutical companies are overstating the effectiveness of their drugs, and may be placing patients at greater risk, because animal laboratory studies they fund are biased.”
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst093007.htm - One more reason why I like Congressman Ron Paul.
http://snipurl.com/1rrq3 - You may have heard that employees of Blackwater, the private contracting firm currently operating in Iraq with the full backing of the Bush administration, were charged by the Iraqi government with killing innocent civilians. What you probably don’t know is that the preliminary report investigating this claim was written by a Blackwater employee.
Medical Freedom
Please contact and support the following organizations dedicated to protecting our health freedoms.
Citizens for Health - http://www.citizens.org
Alliance for Natural Health – http://www.alliance-natural-health.org (The leading organization fighting to preserve health f/r/e/edom in England and the EU.)
Institute for Health Freedom – http://www.ForHealthF/r/e/edom.org
International Advocates for Health Freedom (IAHF) – http://www.iahf.com
And to learn how corrupt and extensive Big Pharma’s monopoly is, visit http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/online/research/index.html the website for the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research. In particular, read their in-depth report The Pharmaceutical Drug Racket that you will find th/e/re.
That’s all for this week.
Health and Blessings!
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
(To contact me, visit www.1healthyworld.com/contactus)
Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com) 1514 Genesee Street, Suite 52, Utica, NY 13502. It is made available without charge for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.
The Health Plus Letter is fully compliant with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
Legal Notice: The information in this eZine may be freely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, October 4, 2007, Vol. 5, No. 18. Copyright © 2007 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.
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