The Health Plus Letter
June 26, 2008 Vol. 6, No. 12
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
Mind/Body Approaches for Healing Arthritis (Part 1)
Self-Care Tips for Preventing and Reversing Gingivitis
Recommendations
Medical Freedom
Contact Information
New This Issue
Welcome to another issue of The Health Plus Letter. This week, I’m excerpting part of 1Healthyworld.com’s eBook on arthritis that explores how you can use the techniques of mind/body medicine to heal arthritis. In addition, as a followup to last issue’s article on the link between gum disease and cancer, you’ll find more in-depth tips for how you can prevent and reverse gingivitis.
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.
Quote Of The Day
“What luck for rulers that men do not think.”
-- Adolph Hitler
Fast Facts
More than half of the dangerous side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs are only detected after they’ve been on the market for seven years or more.
Source: A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (cited by Jonathan Conn, author of Politics, Profits and Pharma.).
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.
Mind/Body Approaches for Healing Arthritis (Part 1)
[The following article is an excerpt from the eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Arthritis. It is available at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Arthritis-Book-Info.cfm]
Stress is a common part of everyday life, but it can become harmful to the body when it is prolonged or chronic. It affects the body in very real, physical ways by influencing the immune and hormonal systems. For arthritis sufferers, this can mean an increase in pain and inflammation. A basic premise of mind/body medicine is that chronic stress contributes to illness and that relaxation techniques and learning positive ways of coping with stress will improve your health. In this chapter, we examine how stress, suppressed emotions, and lifestyle choices can contribute to arthritis. We also explore a number of therapies that can help you re-program negative thought patterns into more healthful ones, deal with stress in a positive way, and incorporate habits for relaxation into your life.
Success Story: Mind/Body Therapies Help Resolve a Case of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Prue, 42, developed rheumatoid arthritis seemingly overnight. The pain and stiffness hit her feet first, then spread to her wrists and hands, and finally to her neck and back. Synovial cysts had formed on the carpal bones (connecting the wrist to the hands) aggravated by the repetitive motion of typing required for her job. Like many of our arthritis patients, Prue first pursued a conventional medical treatment through rheumatologists, who prescribed prednisone, Plaquenil®, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs). After two years on these drugs, Prue experienced very little pain relief and later developed gastrointestinal problems (irritable bowel, occult blood in the stool indicating gastrointestinal bleeding, gas, and bloating). To offset the pain caused by her pain medication, Prue took an average of 12 aspirin per day, which caused yet more side effects. Frustrated and feeling hopeless, Prue came to see us six years after the onset of her arthritis.
We ran a battery of tests on Prue that showed a number of underlying physical problems contributing to her arthritis:
Intestinal permeability or "leaky gut syndrome"—Intestinal permeability means that toxins leak into the bloodstream through the intestinal lining. Once bowel toxins enter the bloodstream or get absorbed by connective tissues, they can trigger inflammation.
An overburdened liver—Prue’s liver was overwhelmed by the increased levels of toxins entering the bloodstream from the intestines. It was unable filter these toxins and they re-entered the bloodstream where they were absorbed into tissues, leading to inflammation and putting additional stress on the immune system.
Bacterial infection—A harmful bacteria called Enterobacter taylorae present in Prue’s stool sample contributed to her maldigestion and intestinal permeability. Harmful bacteria can alter the pH of the stomach, which in turn shuts down the sequential phases of digestion; food is not properly digested and nutrients are not absorbed.
Mineral deficiencies—Hair mineral analysis found that Prue had inadequate levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and chromium, as well as selenium, germanium, and molybdenum, which are important nutrients in liver detoxification. Her copper was in excess.
Food allergies—Prue had sensitivities to bananas, beans (green, kidney, and yellow wax), cheese, eggs, cow’s milk, mushrooms, black and white pepper, sugar cane, wheat, and baker’s and brewer’s yeast.
Our first goal was to help Prue solve these underlying problems and achieve better control of pain and inflammation without depending on prescription drugs. We initiated a program of dietary changes, vitamin and mineral supplements, and other therapies to alleviate her condition.
Once this was accomplished, Prue wanted to focus on the psychological and emotional elements of her arthritis. She was frustrated at work because she found it difficult to say "no" to additional work loads even if she was too busy to handle these requests. People, especially her immediate supervisor, took advantage of her pleasant and good-natured disposition, and ne/ver considered the physical limitations of her arthritis. Hiding behind an artificial smile, Prue felt angry at herself for not expressing her true feelings. Her silence toward her co-workers eventually grew into resentment and jealousy. She was jealous of their self-confidence, a quality that she didn’t possess but compensated for by trying to please everyone. Prue’s silence didn’t help to improve her self-esteem; instead it only fed her unexpressed anger and diminished her ability to stand up for herself.
We pointed out to her the psychological effects of holding in anger, as expressed in her body by the "freezing up" of her joint mobility. The effects of suppressed emotions can extend beyond the psyche and into the physiological realm, where the body responds to pent-up anger by slowly breaking down. Prue turned all of her frustrations in on herself, contributing to the onset of a self-destructive disease such as arthritis.
We often see emotional problems such as anger in correlation with liver imbalances. This connection is clearly elucidated in traditional Chinese medicine, which recognizes areas of the body that correspond to different emotional states. In Prue’s case, this connection was the major contributor for her onset of arthritis. The problems that Prue described to us about her co-workers was not an isolated incident, but an example of a pattern of behavior that contributed to a history of chronic illness. Another effect of Prue’s internalized anger and subsequent low self-esteem could be found in her poor lifestyle choices, which worked to undermine her health. Prue had uncontrollable chocolate cravings that she succumbed to daily. The amount of sweets (pies, ice cream, and cookies) that she ate in a week outnumbered the amount of fruits or vegetables. In addition, she rarely exercised. These are lapses that even conventional doctors would not condone for a rheumatoid arthritis patient.
To support Prue’s recovery, we had to redirect the way she perceived herself and her emotions and help her make wiser choices in behavior and health. We used a technique called Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a question-and-answer exchange that detects unconscious patterns of thought and behavior and provides ways to alter those negative patterns. We asked Prue about her identity, personal beliefs, and life goals. She considered her disease part of her identity, as if without arthritis she would cease being herself. Based on this first NLP session, we designed affirmation tapes that would help her regain control of her identity. She listened to these tapes during hydrotherapy in the flotation REST (reduced environmental stimulation therapy) tank, which we recommended to reduce her stress levels.
In NLP, the patient envisions being healthy and happy. If Prue could imagine herself healthy, then her body could respond to this positive stimulus by triggering the necessary immunological responses for healing. Without positive visualizations of health, Prue might have dutifully taken the supplements that we prescribed yet not believed that it would make a difference. She would be stuck thinking that she was not worthy of being healthy. Her body would have believed her defeated attitude and she would have remained sick.
We also used visual imagery sessions to teach Prue how to relax in stressful situations. We asked Prue to hold in her mind a picture of a distressing or emotion-provoking situation (such as a conflict with a co-worker or supervisor) and focus on relaxing her body in that situation. Imagery is like a dress rehearsal, so that the patient can learn to feel more relaxed when a stressful real-life situation occurs.
After 12 weeks on this program, Prue was pleased by her improved physical health. She no longer suffered stiffness and pain in her joints and her digestive problems had cleared up shortly after discontinuing conventional drugs and changing her diet. The cysts along her wrists were no longer painful, but an MRI scan showed evidence of fluid in the synovial sheaths (membranes lining the cavity of a bone through which a tendon moves). Examination by an orthopedic surgeon determined that aggressive surgery to remove the fluid was not necessary since Prue had no pain from the increased fluid and had not lost strength in her grip. And Prue found that she had more self-confidence as well. She actually said "no" to a co-worker’s request to take on an additional project and felt like that response generated a more respectful attitude from that co-worker.
[Continued next issue.]
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.
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.
Self-Care Tips for Preventing and Reversing Gingivitis
Gingivitis is the most common type of periodontal (gum) disease, resulting in inflammation of the gums. It can be acute (short-lived), chronic (ongoing), or recurrent. Left untreated, the inflammation can spread, involving more tissues, such as the membranes around the base of the teeth, and possibly result in erosion of the underlying bone. This is known as periodontitis, the major cause of bone loss in adults. Gingivitis has recently been shown to be capable of spreading bacteria to other areas of the body, contributing to other forms of illness due to the toxic burden placed on the body. Among these illnesses is heart disease.
Symptoms of gingivitis include red, inflamed gum tissue that bleeds easily when exposed to very minimal injury (such as that caused by teeth brushing and flossing or eating hard foods). Usually there is no pain. Gingivitis normally occurs due to poor oral hygiene, which leads to the buildup of bacterial plaque (sticky deposits made up of mucus and microorganisms that adhere to the teeth due to poor dental cleaning habits.
While gingivitis is normally not considered to be a serious health condition, it may be an initial sign of an underlying systemic problem or debilitating disease, such as diabetes, leukemia, allergies, immune dysfunction, heavy metal toxicity, or nutritional deficiencies (including vitamin C, B-complex vitamins – especially folic acid -, calcium, magnesium, and/or zinc).
Causes
The primary causes of gingivitis are poor dental hygiene (nonregular brushing of the teeth and lack of flossing), poor diet, and/or nutritional deficiencies. Smo/king is also a major factor in the development of gingivitis, and periodontal disease in general, with smokers being 2 to 4 times likely to suffer from such conditions. Birth control pills, which deplete the body of folic acid, may also be a factor.
Prevention
The best way to prevent gingivitis is to adopt healthy dental cleaning habits, which include daily removing plaque buildup through regular brushing, flossing, and the use of an antiseptic mouthwash. Regular dental checkups and teeth cleaning are also advised. It is recommended that you see your dentist (ideally, someone who practices holistic dentistry) every six months, and more frequently if you already suffer from gingivitis. A healthy diet that avoids junk foods and refined carbohydrates is also essential, as is treating any underlying systemic health problems. Self-care approaches for dealing with gingivitis include diet, nutritional therapy, botanicals, and other topical treatments.
Diet-Emphasize a whole foods diet that includes at least 5 to 7 daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, high fiber foods, and plenty of pure water (especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night) to help cleanse the mouth. Junk foods, refined carbohydrates, soda, commercial fruit juices, and artificial flavorings should all be avoided. Brushing and flossing after each meal, or at least two times a day (morning and evening) is also recommended.
Nutritional Therapy-Many holistic physicians and dentists recommend following flossing with a gargle of liquid folic acid (0.1% solution). Do this for one minute 1 to 2 times/day, and then swallow. If you cannot find liquid folic acid, you can buy folic acid crystals in 800 mcg capsules. Empty 2 capsules in water and use this to gargle. Folic acid supplements (500 mcg to 1 mg daily) taken orally are also advised. Other useful nutrients for treating gingivitis include: vitamin C (1,000 to 3,000 mg/day), vitamin A (25,000 IU/day for several months), calcium (600-1,500 mg daily), vitamin B complex, beta carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, zinc, and CoQ10. (To determine your overall need for nutrients and correct dosages, consult with a nutritionally-oriented physician. If your gums do not respond within several weeks of daily flossing, a healthy diet, and nutritional supplementation, see a dentist and/or physician.)
Herbs: Herbal remedies, used both internally and topically, can also be helpful. A commonly prescribed botanical remedy is to combine equal amounts of the tinctures of myrrh and echinacea and apply small amounts to your gums 3 times/day. You can also make a mouthwash using an infusion of either sage or chamomile. Rinse thoroughly, but do not swallow. Ayurvedic physicians also often recommend brushing your teeth using a paste of neem powder. (Mix with water and apply directly to your toothbrush.)
Topical Treatments-Use toothpaste or other oral hygienic products that contain vitamin C, citrus seed extract, tea tree oil, or baking soda. Or combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste to brush your teeth with. Massage your gums with your fingers 2 to 3 times a day, and also be sure to brush your tongue, especially if it is coated, as the tongue can often contain bacterial deposits that can exacerbate plaque buildup. Liquid chlorophyll can also be applied directly to the gums.
Note: The information above was adapted from Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, co-authored and edited by Larry Trivieri, Jr. (Celestial Arts, 2002).
Recommendations
Books
M Is For Magic by Neil Gaiman. Another wonderful collection of short stories by one of my favorite fantasists.
Next by Michael Crichton. I never fail to learn something any time I read one of Crichton’s novels. In this book, I discovered some amazing and disturbing truths about what is already occurring as a result of gene patents, along with Crichton’s speculations about potential future abuses. As he states at the onset, “This is novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren’t.” Well worth reading.
Websites and Links
http://www.bioethika.com - One of the websites of health expert Ingrid Naiman, a health writer I really enjoy reading because of how informed she is.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/prescription/politics - This link brings you to a PBS Frontline investigation entitled Dangerous Prescription that every American should know about.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1669587865067156619&hl=en- This link takes you to a video that documents Monsanto’s aim to dominate the world’s food supply. (Among other things, Monsanto is the world leader in manufacturing the genetically-modified foods that are already raising serious health concerns.)
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 there.
That’s all for this week.
Health and Blessings!
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
Contact Information: Due to the inordinate amount of spam this email account receives, I no longer use it to receive emails. 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) 3 Greenwood Court, Utica, NY 13501. 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.
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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, June 26, 2008, Vol. 6, No. 12. Copyright © 2008 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.
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