Herbal Remedies & Supplements

[Sassy]

This is a great site - there's a video that talks about the codex & gov't plans to make supplements, herbal remedies & alternative medicine part of the codex which would then require a doctor's RX to obtain them.  There is a petition to sign if you would like to voice your opposition.

http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php

Another thing that really doesn't make sense - you can buy all sorts of products from any country & it is considered free trade, but don't let a senior citizen or anyone else by prescription drugs from Canada or Mexico!  I guess the pharmaceutical companies won't get as big of a cut...  :-/

[MountainDon]

Signed, sealed and delivered!!    

Re the Canadian drugs, drug prices in Canada are regulated by the Canadian federal Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB). Good or bad, that's the main reason for the differences.  This Board establishes the maximum prices that can be charged in Canada for patented drugs. Maybe we in the USA have to make up for the shortfall north of the border?  Whatever the reason though, there are generally lower prices for name brand drugs. Personally, I have found some good prices on generic equivalents, when available, in the USA. By and large tho' Canadian drugs do cost less than the exact same thing in the USA.

http://www.aarp.org/research/international/perspectives/jul_03_rxprices_canada.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/drugs/

I wonder how drug prices are downunder? :-?

[glenn-k]

Maybe it's good that people can't afford the drugs-- several of the people I know only got well when they could no longer afford the  "medicine" the doctors are selling them.

I think they should keep their money grubbing sh-thooks off of herbal remedies - over the counter - etc.

[MountainDon]

Too many drugs at one time, legal or illegal, may be counterproductive.  :-/  When I hear about people with so many Rx's I have to wonder if anyone understands what the combined effect will be. I have a borderline blood pressure issue that does seem to be helped pharmaceutically but aggravated politically. .... Time to chill... Go hug a puppy.

[fourx]

Missed ""I wonder how drug prices are downunder?  "" Don.
There is a big difference in drug prices here if you are getting a Government welfare payment- Blood pressure tabs I use are about $AUD28 for 30, so less than a dollar a day. On welfare, they would be $4.50. Most drugs are capped at about 4 bucks for those on welfare.
Way less than the US on most things is the impression I get.

[Amanda_931]

You don't want to know about the US health care (big pharma care??) system.

The kind of standard treatment for asthma is over $200 a month--add an emergency inhaler and it goes on up.  I make the standard stuff last for two months.  And am very very glad I can do that.  Couldn't when I lived in Nashville.

Health insurance is likely to be 500 a month for a fairly decent policy.  For one or two fairly healthy people.  An acquaintance was told he didn't have something chronic and eventually deadly, but the only insurance he can get is somewhere around 1500 a month.  Not including his wife.

Start your herb gardens folks!

[benevolance]

Don

For blood pressure you need lots and lots of Omega 3.... start taking a huge supplement and you will be cleaning your arteries...Cutting your risk of a stroke or heart attack to almost nothing.

It is proven to increase circulation...remove plaque build up in the arteries and lower cholesterol...

I take a multi vitamin that has omega 3 in it....But if you are older or have blood pressure or circulation issues I would get on this immediately...You should feel a difference in your life almost instantly

http://www.icelandhealth.com

[glenn-k]

I know people who only use garlic - lots of garlic to get the blood pressure down.  Maybe you can get a prescription for it. :-?

[benevolance]

The omega 3 is the perfect example why the FDA is under extreme pressure from the Drug companies to stomp out natural supplements that will give us increased health and longevity...

Taking a couple types of vitamins or nutritional supplements can eliminate a couple of constantly and side effect heavy prescriptions...

For example...I am sure that half of americans 50+ take some kind of medication for blood pressure, cholesterol, risk of stroke or heart attack...Plaque build up in their arteries...etc...

When simply taking one omega 3 pill a day eliminates the need for costly prescriptions in most all cases for these ailments...

Bee Pollen eliminates the need for allergy medication in most people that suffer from mild to moderate allergies.... And while Allergy medication has all kinds of side effects bee pollen has none that are detrimental and a long list of ways it improves your bodies health and functions

Coral Calcium increases bone density...It help remove toxic acids from the body and helps get your body alkaline....It will treat mild arthritis...It will strengthen the joints in your body...Increase their function...Reduce swelling and pain

Flax Seed oil is another miracle natural supplement... It will cure type 2 diabetes!!!!!!!!! It increases our bodies ability to make use of insulin... It stabilizes blood sugar levels in the body. It increases your metabolism... It has fiber in it that clean out and neautralize your digestive tract....It has litigins in it that boost the immune system....That naturally fight and kill viruses, bacteria and even cancer cells! ...You will burn more fat...Convert more fat to muscle...and feel as hungry....

Want to trim down lose weight and watch your bloodsugar

The multivitamin I take twice daily has a high concentration of Omega 3, Flax seed oil...and Coral Calcium...I have no allergies so I am not taking the bee pollen but i have recommended it to others and they have had great success.

I will not live forever...I just do not want to be someone that has to take 20 pills a day to live like my uncle after his 5 way bypass surgery...I would like to prevent that type of lifestyle now!

the 4 supplements I just mentioned cure most allergies...Alleviate joint pain and minor arthritis...Completely cure type 2 diabetes...Eliminate all bloodpressure, cholesterol, circulation medications...

Drug companies would lose hundreds of billions of dollars if people bought these at the wal mart or grocery store instead of lipitor... or other expensive things like bood sugar testing equipment...insulin.. diet pills...etc...

That is why they are trying to kill off all natural supplements...

They would have these as drugs prescribed by doctors so they can make all the profits off them....

Mind you it would cost $100 for a small bottle of bee pollen instead of $5 bucks if the drug company was in control of it...

[glenn-k]

If the doctors get them it will just be the end because they don't know anything of them and won't prescribe them, with few exceptions.  The Doctor Gods only know what the Pharma people and gov. allow them to.

[glenn-k]

Except doctor Sum Ting Wong. :-?

[fourx]

...and Doctor Yu Phay Memore. He's married to that lady real estate agent, Gloria Somes.

..and their daughter, Emma Chisit, works in Price Control....







Stop it, fourx.

[Amanda_931]

Speaking of Emma Chisit--or in this case Chizzit--there was a short mystery series coming out from the late 80's through the early 90's with a heroine named that.  Occasionally someone would wonder what her name really was, since that was so obviously phony.  

Didn't realize what it was until now.

Pretty good series, with the funniest solution I've encountered for the "pet cop."  Emma was in her 60's, cleaning out houses for salvage.  

[benevolance]

Well a car buddy of mine is a chiropractor...He is anti surgery and anti drug companies...Which is why I allow him to tag along with me on car hunting expeditions

He tells me specific examples of ways drug companies try to get doctors to prescribe more drugs...Sending doctors on paid vacations that are called conferences in the Domincian or wherever...All expenses paid sort of thing at an exclusive club

Tells me about the kick backs and how much more money doctors make if they prescribe more drugs!

Really shocking stuff I know

The problem is that a doctor from 25 years ago would have zero problem not prescribing drugs...Or surgery for ailments..

The old remedy of rest.. let the body heal itself... If it hurts to lift 400 pounds stop lifting 400 pounds...

I had my childhood country doctor tell me the most important medical rule I still live by

He said pain was a good thing
That pain was the bodies way of telling us something is wrong. We might need to take it easy rest or stop doing something...But 9 times out of 10 our bodies will be an accurate measure of what is needed.

I just wish more doctors had the moral fortitude to tell patients to go home and get some rest...To stay off a hurt foot or to ice a bad hand....Instead of getting out the prescription pad

[Amanda_931]

Back in the late 50's big pharma sent samples by mail to the doctor's houses.  Even when the doctor was not actively practicing medicine.  The heavy duty tranquilizers that were in vogue then--Miltown--not to mention various forms of speed--Dexedrine, etc.

[Leo]

A little cilantro bye bye mosquitoes,The ancient Romans used rosemary for a antiseptic .the tip of the ice berg here is still far away or lost in time,.

[MountainDon]

It's in the news again....

FDA Wants to Eliminate Natural Health Care
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has launched another sneak-attack, trying to regulate your health freedom into oblivion. Through FDA's unholy partnerships with Big Pharma and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (an offshoot of the UN), we are very close to losing alternative health care in America. This is a crisis, and needs your immediate action......
http://www.newswithviews.com/DeWeese/tom81.htm
by Tom DeWeese

U.S. Health Freedom on Verge of Collapse
The anti-American FDA is actively seeking to undermine U.S. laws and harmonize our dietary supplement laws with Mexico and Canada. This is being done through the Trilateral Cooperation Charter – an illegal agreement set up with health regulatory agencies in Mexico and Canada. It is part of the campaign towards a North American Union, one which would be a catastrophe for health freedom in this country as dietary supplement laws in Canada and Mexico are far more restrictive than in the U.S......
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron23.htm
by Byron Richards, CCN

[Sassy]

Urgent - here is another link to sign a petition to prevent the FDA from controlling all dietary supplements & natural remedies - please fax & call your representative - they are voting this afternoon!

http://capwiz.com/lef/issues/alert/?alertid=9686581

[CREATIVE1]

Bee Pollen eliminates the need for allergy medication in most people that suffer from mild to moderate allergies.... And while Allergy medication has all kinds of side effects bee pollen has none that are detrimental and a long list of ways it improves your bodies health and functions

Yes, yes, yes! A sane approach.  For bee pollen and herbs, etc., at low prices, go to www.herbalcom.com.  Nice quality, too.  I get their beet, carrot, apple pectin, and various green powders and mix up a health drink that isn't for every taste  , BUT it really does the trick.

[Sassy]

Thanks for the link, Creative - looks like lots of choices plus reasonable prices.  Unfortunately, the Senate & congress passed the pharmaceutical/FDA bill - supposedly they left out the codex alimentarus. (sp)

[Sassy]

Haven't hit this topic for awhile...  The FDA is Sued  http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron45.htm

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I think there are herbal remedies that can be just as bad as some pharmaceuticals, BUT I think that those of us who consume these products (be it prescriptions or herbals) need to take responsibility for our own health.  I am not for anything that gives the FDA more power in regulating herbs/naturopathic meds.  That said, I use flaxseed in my daily cooking, and when DH and I could not get pregnant for more than a year after I miscarried, I took matters into my own hands and he started taking saw palmetto, zinc, and a few other supplements, and I took a few as well, and viola!  I was pregnant within a month.  When I had my first daughter, I developed this little growth on my left arm.  The doctor says it is a keloid from where the nursing staff left the same IV in me for four days (I was hospitalized at 5 months for several days.)  It never seemed to get any smaller, and I worried that it was not a keloid but something else... it seemed to cause nerve pain in my arm, and I can't wear a watch because it irritates it... so, just for kicks, I made a paste of turmeric and water and put a dab on there, and put a bandaid over it.  Each day, I reapplied the turmeric, and that thing shrunk until it is the size of a straight-pin head.  It no longer causes any pain or irritation.  Every now and then, I'll notice that it is a little raised, and I'll reapply the turmeric and it shrinks back immediately.  About 5 years ago, my mom had colon cancer... most of you know that that stuff just seems to come back again and again.  They were able to surgically remove all the cancer (it was a fairly large growth) and she never had to do chemo or radiation, and she's had a completely clean bill of health since then, BUT she completely changed the way she eats and the way she exercises, and i think that's what makes the difference.  She's been able to control her blood pressure and bone loss and cholesterol, much to the dismay of her MD, using herbal supplements and diet.  Every time her doctor wants to prescribe some med to mom, she tells her no, let her try something less destructive first, and then when she comes back in and proves that it works, the doctor just gets a little miffed.

[Sassy]

That's great about your mom & the rest!  I've been reading about "manuka" honey lately.  What caught my attention was an article in one of my nursing magazines that was using this honey to impregnate an alginate (seaweed) type of dressing for wounds & how miraculous it's been for healing wounds that had been there for years & nothing would work.

I looked it up on Google - there's several companies out of New Zealand that produce it & sell it.  I ordered some.  There's one kind with bee venom (if you are allergic to bee venom, you might not want to try it or use with great caution - very small amt to start out with to see if you'll have a reaction - keep the epi pen handy  ).  The kind with the bee venom is supposed to help with arthritis - I've been taking a teaspoon full once or twice a day now for a week - I think it is helping - haven't been taking any NSAIDS (naproxen or ibuprofen) for a week.  Usually, if I didn't take any, I would feel like I had the flu.  I usually take them when I'm working - the 12-13 hr shifts in ER get to be pretty long & I get to hurting real bad after towards the end of the 2nd day - sciatica real bad.  I also take magnesium, zinc & calcium at night - better absorbed with vit b & c.  I get a lot of muscle cramps & have a lot of nerve pain (hey, my body is just wearing out  )  So these things seem to help also.

There's an active factor in the manuka honey - for wound healing you want 16+ or more - just apply to a sterile dressing & place over wound - change every 24 hrs unless there is a lot of drainage - this is supposed to be lethal to  MRSA also.  The honey helps with GERD (reflux), esophageal, stomach & duodenal ulcers... so I've been making DH eat at least one teaspoon a day...    He seems to be doing better...  http://www.manukahoneyusa.com/

That's one of the reasons I'm concerned that they will implement "Codex" & regulate all herbs & vitamin/mineral supplements - we'll only be able to get them through the pharmaceutical companies - and everyone knows how well they regulate them    They are hand & hand with the FDA - their CEO's are interchangeable...

http://www.naturalsolutions.com/  Natural Solutions has a lot of info on Codex & faxes/e-mails you can send to your representatives.

[tanya]

Plain old water is a great healer too.  The body is almost all water and if you drink enough the body actually heals itself.  Try it next time you have a cold, drink as much water as you can stand and the enxt day you will be well it works!!!  I make my kids drink a big glass of water any time I hear them coughing and now even as adults they know to take water to bed when they have colds so that they can drink it without getting up.  My daughter and her husband used cold medicine for awhile but once they realized the water is free they went back to that.  I get horrible allergies and hay fever and I can't take any allergy medicines because I also have a kidney birth defect that makes it hard to digest any harsh substances so when I get sick I drink really cold water or soak in a lake, pool or cool bath it works every time and I never get that horrible allergy medicine after affect.  It wont be to long before the government decideds they have to get a piece of that pie too.  People who have their own fresh water wells will be the rich in the not to distant future. 

[Sassy]

Another flawed study?

CALCIUM & HEART HEALTH - FLAWED STUDY ALARMS WOMEN

By Byron J. Richards, CCN

January 29, 2008

NewsWithViews.com

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal has insinuated that calcium intake in elderly women may increase the risk for a heart attack. The study involved 1471 postmenopausal women (mean age 74). The story has been spread by major news media and has confused and needlessly worried many women who are taking calcium for their bone health. The study contains numerous flaws and therefore its conclusion is not reliable.

Calcium is well known to raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), lower LDL cholesterol, assist weight management, and support healthy blood pressure. All of these factors would obviously contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Various other studies have reported cardiovascular benefit for women, such as the Iowa women's health study which found a 33% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular events in women whose calcium intakes (diet or supplements) were in the highest fourth compared with those in the lowest fourth. In 2006 a study of significantly more women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (36,282 – ages 50-79) found that there was no increase in heart attacks or strokes while taking a combination of calcium and vitamin D.

The current study was conducted at New Zealand's largest university, University of Auckland. The university is well connected to Big Pharma funding and numerous commercial research ventures involving drugs, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. To its students it offers barnburner courses like "Dietary Supplements: creating expensive urine?" Let's be blunt – New Zealand is backwards on health freedom and has a dominant anti-supplement government which recently attempted (and failed) to take dietary supplements off the market and is currently threatening all sorts of harassment for dietary supplements. This university nor the country it resides within are a Mecca of nutrition science.

In the current study the calcium-taking group had more smokers, higher starting cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure, and more patients with previous stroke and other heart-related disease. Not a single adverse starting variable could be found in the non calcium taking group. What a joke! They picked a starting group of elderly frail people who are more likely to die from their own poor health and then tried to blame it on calcium.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron48.htm