Detox Your Body With The Sun (VIDEO)
April 16, 2012 by admin
Filed under News Stories
April 17, 2012
DrAxe.Com
By Dr. Josh Axe
“The sun does not cause cancer … it cured it. It’s the sunscreen that is causing so much skin cancer.”
Licorice Shown To Kill SARS And Other Lethal Viruses
March 26, 2012 by admin
Filed under News Stories
March 27, 2012
Activist Post
By Sayer Ji
“Watch out – the FDA will soon require Licorice to be sold as a drug now that it is known to be a health remedy.” –KTRN
Licorice has a rich and ancient history of use as a medicine, being rooted in Indian, Chinese, Greek and Egyptian traditions, alike. Technically a legume, related to beans and peas, its sweetness results from the presence of glycyrrhizin, a compound 30-50 times sweeter than sugar. This compound is what gave licorice its name, which derives from the Greek word γλυκύρριζα (glukurrhiza), meaning “sweet” (gluku) “root” (rrhiza). But glycyrrhizin’s properties don’t end with its sweetness; it is also one of the most powerful antiviral compounds ever studied.
A study on glycyrrhizin’s inhibitory activity against SARS-associated coronovirus published in Lancet in June of 2003, received little mainstream media coverage, despite its profound importance to human health. Mind you, only a few months before this the World Health Organization issued a press release (April 16, 2003) stating the recent outbreak of lethal Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia was caused by the same coronoviruses used in this study. With the world still reeling from global SARS hysteria and “preparedness,” i.e. stockpiling pharmaceuticals like Ribavirin despite their well-known lack of effectiveness, you would think more attention would have been paid to promising research of this kind…
In the groundbreaking Lancet study, titled “Glycyrrhizin, an active component of liquorice roots, and replication of SARS-associated coronavirus,” German researchers summarized their intention in the following manner:
The
And here is what they found:
Click here for the full report.
How To Treat Colds Naturally
November 15, 2011 by admin
Filed under News Stories
November 15, 2011
Natural News
By Randall Neustaedter OMD
“Cold are easy to prevent and cure. Pump up your immune system and watch your colds virtually disappear.” –KTRN
Winter cold and flu viruses can cause annoying, debilitating, or even dangerous symptoms. Fortunately, there are ways to head off colds and prevent complications.
If you think you may have been exposed to a virus, for example someone sneezes on you, one of your kids has a cold, or you shake hands with someone who is coughing, you can use xylitol nasal spray (Xlear) to ward off the cold. Xylitol inhibits the reproduction of viruses and bacteria.
The initial symptoms of a viral illness may include runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, foggy thinking, tiredness, aching muscles, headache, and fever with chills. As soon as you get any of these symptoms start taking vitamin C and elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra). Elderberry is available in liquid extracts and syrups that children can take, or as tablets or capsules, often combined with Echinacea. Elderberry is an antiviral herb that has been proven to reduce the symptoms of colds and flus, and Echinacea stimulates white blood cell production to encourage the body’s fight against infection.
The easiest form of vitamin C for children to take is Emergen-C flavored, powder packets, which also contain vitamin A, zinc, and elderberry. Avoid using chewable vitamin C, which can eat away tooth enamel. Colloidal silver or a liquid silver in water preparation (Silvercillin by Designs for Health) will provide additional antiviral support.
Click here for the full report.
Green Vegetable Consumption Stimulates Immune System Signaling To Support Optimal Health
November 3, 2011 by admin
Filed under News Stories
November 3, 2011
Natural News
By John Phillip
We all know that our immune system is the first line of defense against a wide array of potentially deadly pathogens, bacteria and viruses. Yet many people take this crucial defense barrier for granted and do little to ensure that they are adequately protected against a multitude of microscopic invaders. Researchers publish the result of a research body performed at the University of Cambridge in the journal Cell, and they demonstrate that compounds found in green vegetables, from bok choy to broccoli, are the source of a chemical signal that is important to activate a fully functioning immune system. Help protect yourself and your family from maladies ranging from the common cold and influenza to autoimmune diseases and certain cancers by including healthy portions of green vegetables in your daily diet.
Prior research indicated the breakdown of cruciferous vegetables can yield a compound that can be converted into a molecule, which triggers the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) on cell wall surfaces. Further reports found AhR’s can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in vegetables including broccoli, kale, spinach and many varieties of leafy greens. This action ensures that immune cells in the gut and the skin known as intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) function properly.
Include Ten or More Fresh Vegetable Servings Daily to Boost Immune Health
Researchers fed otherwise healthy mice a vegetable-poor diet for several weeks and were amazed to find that 70 to 80 percent of these protective IEL cells disappeared during this short period. Dr. Marc Veldhoen, lead study author, noted: “protective IELs exist as a network beneath the barrier of epithelial cells covering inner and outer body surfaces, where they are important as a first line of defense and in wound repair.” It was determined the number of IEL cells can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in cruciferous vegetables.
Poor dietary intake consisting mostly of hydrogenated and oxidized fats, sugar and processed foods directly alters the surface receptors of cells lining the digestive tract, responsible for more than 80 percent of our immune response. Researchers commented: “individuals fed a synthetic diet lacking this key compound experience a significant reduction in AhR activity and lose IELs. With reduced numbers of these key immune cells, individuals showed lower levels of antimicrobial proteins, heightened immune activation and greater susceptibility to injury.”
Click here for the full report from Natural News.
Vitamin D Fights Urinary Tract Infections
February 4, 2011 by admin
Filed under News Stories
February 4th, 2011
Natural News
By: S.L. Baker
Besides protecting from cancer, obesity, autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular problems, vitamin D helps build strong bones. And scientists have found this health building vitamin has a remarkable impact on the immune system, too. Vitamin D, it turns out, is necessary for the production of anti-microbial peptides, substances that fight off infection-causing bacteria, fungi, and viruses when these pathogens try to move into organs and through mucous membranes.
In fact, previous research has shown adequate vitamin D can help prevent colds and flu as well as serious lung infections, including tuberculosis. Now Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm have evidence that higher vitamin D levels offer especially strong protection against another common health problem — urinary tract infections (UTIs).
In their new study, just published in the journal PLoS One, the scientists wrote: “In the light of the rapidly growing problem of resistance to common urinary tract antibiotics, we suggest that vitamin D may be a potential complement in the prevention of UTI. Determining the vitamin D status of individuals with a history of UTI may be of importance to evaluate their ability to fend off intruding bacteria.”
The research team pointed out that the urinary tract is frequently exposed to infection-causing agents and has a built-in, rapid defense system. When pathogens threaten, an antimicrobial peptide known as cathelicidin is expressed if a person has a healthy immune system. The peptide is secreted by bladder epithelial cells and protects the urinary tract from an infection.
So what role does vitamin D play? The Swedish study found that vitamin D actually induces cathelicidin in the urinary bladder — but only when a boost in the antimcrobial peptide is needed in the face of a threatening infection. The researchers found this out when they analyzed bladder tissue biopsied from postmenopausal women to check for expression of cathelicidin before and after the research volunteers took supplements of vitamin D (in the form of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3) for three months. When the bladder cells were infected with the UTI-causing germ E. coli, the scientists observed a significant increase in cathelicidin expression after vitamin D supplementation.
This means vitamin D has a huge advantage over mainstream medicine’s widely prescribed antibiotics for urinary tract infections. That’s because when UTIs are treated with antibiotics, the drugs can harm beneficial bacteria in the gut and wreak havoc in the body. But vitamin D only produces germ-killing peptides at the site of an infection when needed, leaving “friendly bacteria” totally unharmed.
“By inducing and activating cathelicidin with vitamin D, a local rather than a systemic effect can be achieved. This could offer selective and site-specific treatment of pathogens without perturbing commensal [friendly] microbes elsewhere in the body,” the scientists stated in their paper.
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Vitamin D Found to Protect Against Obesity-Induced Cancer
December 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
December 21st, 2010
Natural News
By: David Gutierrez
Higher levels of vitamin D appear to protect women against obesity-related cancer of the uterus, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and published in the journal Comprehensive Cancer Research.
Researchers fed mice that were genetically predisposed toward endometrial (uterine) cancer either a high-fat or a normal diet. Mice fed the high-fat diet became obese. Half the mice were also given vitamin D supplements.
Among normal weight mice, the rate of endometrial cancer was 60 percent regardless of whether they received vitamin D supplements or not. Among obese mice, however, the difference was striking: while 67 percent of mice not given vitamin D developed cancer, only 25 percent of the vitamin-supplemented mice did.
“Vitamin D has been shown to be helpful in a number of cancers, but for endometrial cancer, our study suggests it protects only against cancer that develops due to obesity,” lead researcher Leena Hilakivi-Clarke said. “Still, if these results are confirmed in women, use of vitamin D may be a wonderfully simple way to reduce endometrial cancer risk.”
Vitamin D is produced in the skin upon exposure to sunlight. Scientists have known for decades that the vitamin plays a crucial role in bone and dental health, and in the last few years have begun to discover that it also plays a critical role in disease prevention.
In his book There is a Cure for Diabetes, Gabriel Cousens notes that higher levels of the vitamin have been linked with significantly lower levels of that disease.
“The benefits of … adequate vitamin D levels do not stop with diabetes, but significantly affect the complications associated with a … Westernized diet and lifestyle,” Cousens writes.
“Research shows that vitamin D has a variety of important benefits besides lowering blood sugar. It seems to protect against eighteen different kinds of cancers [and] has a significant positive impact on the immune system in fighting colds and flus, viruses, and TB.”
Click here for the full report from Natural News
High Levels of Vitamin C In the Blood Can Reduce Diabetes Risk
December 16, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
December 16th, 2010
Natural News
By: Duke Mansell
Mega dosing with Vitamin C has proven to be beneficial in curing diseases and viruses – from the common cold to cancer. Many books by Linus Pauling and thousands of patient cases by Dr Levy, Dr Cathcart and Dr Klenner have proven Vitamin C to be miraculous in its ability to help the body heal. However, mainstream medicine does not recognize Vitamin C as even an adjunct to current practices.
Higher Vitamin C levels in the blood have been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. A study from the American Medical Association Journal concluded that of 21,831 healthy individuals the top 20% with the highest Vitamin C plasma levels had a 62% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is likely that the increased levels of Vitamin C in the blood indicated a healthier lifestyle due to the amount of fruits and vegetables needed to obtain the higher levels of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C also has other positive effects on the body. Other studies have shown increased blood flow and reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, reduced arthritic pain and many, many others. One 16 year Harvard study indicated supplementing with Vitamin C could save 300,000 lives annually.
62% is quite significant when considering Vitamin C is non-toxic and easily obtained from your daily diet. There are no known instances of death occurring from mega-dosing with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is also water-soluble. Its half life is approximately 30 minutes so it leaves the body rather quickly when not utilized by way of the kidneys. Supplementation and IV use can be discussed with a holistic practitioner or naturopath; however, adequate amounts can be obtained from diet alone. For instance, One cup of acerola cherries can have as much as 2000% of the RDA meaning 10 to 12 raw cherries could have as much as 1800mg of Vitamin C. One small kiwi contains over 115% of the RDA.
Many studies never utilize more than 2,000mg or 2 grams of Vitamin C. In this case the blood plasma levels were approximately 2 grams in the highest 20%. Eating a raw diet of fruits and vegetables will put most people at this amount or much higher, and supplementing with this non-toxic water soluble Vitamin can have nothing but beneficial results.
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Virus Breakthrough Raises Hope Over Ending Common Cold
November 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
November 2nd, 2010
BBC
Scientists say they have made a landmark discovery which could pave the way for new drugs to beat illnesses like the common cold.
Until now experts had thought that antibodies could only tackle viral infections by blocking or attacking viruses outside cells.
But work done by the Medical Research Council shows antibodies can pass into cells and fight viruses from within.
PNAS journal said the finding held promise for a new antiviral drugs.
The Cambridge scientists stressed that it would take years of work and testing to find new therapies, and said that the pathway they had discovered would not work on all viruses.
Fighting viruses
Some antiviral drugs are already available to help treat certain conditions, like HIV.
But viruses remain mankind’s biggest killer, responsible for twice as many deaths each year as cancer, and are among the hardest of all diseases to treat.
The new discovery by Dr Leo James and colleagues transforms the previous scientific understanding of our immunity to viral diseases like the common cold, ‘winter vomiting’ and gastroenteritis.
It shows that antibodies can enter cells and that once inside, they then trigger a response, led by a protein called TRIM21.
This protein pulls the virus into a disposal system used by the cell to get rid of unwanted material.
The researchers found this process happens quickly, usually before most viruses have chance to harm the cell.
And they discovered that increasing the amount of TRIM21 protein in cells makes this process even more effective, suggesting new ways of making better antiviral drugs.
Dr James said: “Doctors have plenty of antibiotics to fight bacterial infections but few antiviral drugs.
“Although these are early days, and we don’t yet know whether all viruses are cleared by this mechanism, we are excited that our discoveries may open multiple avenues for developing new antiviral drugs.”
Sir Greg Winter, deputy director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “This research is not only a leap in our understanding of how and where antibodies work, but more generally in our understanding of immunity and infection.”
Click here for the full report from BBC
Hand Sanitizers Do Nothing to Prevent Viruses, Flu
September 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
September 20, 2010
Natural News
By Ethan A. Huff
Panic over last year’s swine flu pandemic led to the installation of millions of alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in places like grocery store checkout lines, restaurants and schools. Many people also began carrying with them travel-size hand sanitizers for additional protection from germs. But a new study out of the University of Virginia (UV) has found that hand sanitizers do practically nothing to prevent the transmission of viruses like influenza and rhinovirus, a major cause of the common cold.
Dr. Ronald B. Turner and his colleagues from UV evaluated 212 volunteers as part of their study, 116 of which were instructed to carry with them an “enhanced antiviral activity” hand sanitizer to be used every three hours throughout the day. The other 96 volunteers simply lived their routine lives with no interventions.
For ten weeks, researchers collected periodic samples from both groups to test the presence of influenza and rhinovirus. They also collected samples whenever any volunteer indicated flu or cold symptoms. At the end of the ten-week period, the hand sanitizer group had only slightly less cold and flu cases than did the control group. According to researchers, the difference was statistically insignificant.
“We all thought if you used hand disinfectants, it would have an impact,” Dr. Turner told The Daily Progress.
Funded by Dial Corp., a major manufacturer of hand soaps and hand sanitizers, the study is sure to shock many Americans who have come to rely on hand sanitizers as perceived protection against viral infections. But it also points to the fact that viral infections might be more of a threat from the air than they are from hand contact, which could change the way experts approach prevention strategies.
CDC Warns Public Pools Could Make You Sick
May 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
May 21, 2010
Google News
By Mike Stobbe
ATLANTA — You might want to look before you leap into a public swimming pool this summer.
A new government report shows one in eight public swimming pools were shut down two years ago because of dirty water or other problems, like missing safety equipment.
Kiddie pools were most likely to be the germiest, from fecal matter and improper chlorination.
The report is based on more than 120,000 inspections of public swimming pools in 2008, including those in parks and hotels. It’s the largest study of the topic ever done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released the report Thursday.
Each year, there are about 15 or 20 outbreaks from stomach bugs blamed on pools, the CDC said. Studies suggest a quarter of them are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites that should have been killed by proper pool treatment and chlorination.
Fecal particles are a common factor, especially in kiddie pools and fountains where children frolic. But urine is also a problem: It contains nitrogen that eats up chlorine in pool water, depleting the supply. Sweat and suntan lotion have the same effect.
