not just a good anti-inflammitory - 20 reasons to use Turmeric

20 Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is one of nature's most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Tumeric has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye.

The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.

Here are 20 reasons to add turmeric to your diet:
1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.
3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.
4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.
5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.
7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.
8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.
12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression. (in combination with other herbs)
14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.
16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Turmeric can be taken in powder or pill form. It is available in pill form in most health food stores, usually in 250-500mg capsules.

Once you start using turmeric on a regular basis, it's fun to find new ways to use it in recipes. My favorite way to use it is to add a pinch of it to egg salad. It adds a nice flavor and gives the egg salad a rich yellow hue.

Contraindications: Turmeric should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor before doing so as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.

to read more on this go to:
http://www.nutritional-supplement-educational-centre.com/turmeric-benefits.html

How the American Medical Association (AMA) Got Rich

[Whatever Works Wellness] A Healthcare Issue that Politicians Don't Address

How the American Medical Association (AMA) Got Rich
http://mercola.com
- The American Medical Association (AMA) was dictatorially led for the first half of the 20th century by Dr. George H. Simmons and his protégé Dr. Morris Fishbein. Simmons and Fishbein both served as general manager of the organization and as editor of its journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
- Dana Ullman's book, "The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy" describes how, in 1899, Simmons began his 25-year reign as head of the AMA. At that time, it was a weak organization with little money and little respect from the general public. Simmons came up with the idea to transform the AMA into a big business by granting the AMA's "seal of approval" to certain drug companies that placed large and frequent ads in JAMA.
- Advertising revenue increased substantially, from $34,000 in 1899 to $150,000 in 1909. Critics of the AMA have called their seal-of-approval program nothing but a form of extortion, since the AMA did no testing of any products.
- In 1924, Simmons was forced out of the AMA due to the many scandals swirling around him. One investigation revealed that:
* Simmons had no credible medical credentials
* He worked primarily as an abortion doctor for many years
* He had had sex charges brought by some of his patients as well as charges of negligence in the deaths of others
- When he left, he took home all his personal files and burned them.
- His replacement, Morris Fishbein, was a specialist in publicity and the media; he was a medical doctor who never practiced medicine. Shortly after he became head of the AMA, he wrote several books sharply critical of medical practices that were not AMA approved. He called chiropractic a "malignant tumor," and he considered osteopathy and homeopathy "cults." Fishbein also extended Simmons's idea for the AMA seal of approval to foods, and by including a significant amount of advertising from food and tobacco companies, he was able to make the AMA and himself even richer. By 1950, the AMA's advertising revenue exceeded $9 million, thanks in great part to the tobacco companies.
- Sources:
* AlterNet April 10, 2008
* The Homeopathic Revolution
- Dr. Mercola's Comments:
This should certainly make you think twice when you see something christened with the AMA’s “seal of approval.” From the very beginning, the people behind the AMA were not about protecting your health; they were interested in gaining power and getting rich. And yet, it wasn’t that long ago that the AMA was still in the minority.
- People didn’t trust this new conglomeration, because in the 19th century, most Americans thrived on more natural approaches like homeopathic medicine. Then, in 1847, along comes the AMA. They wanted control and they wanted money, so what did they do? They kept all homeopathic physicians out of their “club,” and proceeded to call all related remedies “quackery.” If you didn’t want to pay to join the club (by advertising in JAMA), anything you recommended would also be criticized.
- Note that none of this was based on scientific evidence, or even anecdotal evidence of what was really healthy. It was solely about money. If you could buy your way in, your products and your name would be endorsed, end of story. Yet, at this time, people were still questioning the allopathic model that the AMA was touting. If you haven’t yet read Medical Control, Medical Corruption by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., please do, as it goes into great detail about the sordid events that followed.
- AMA: A True Medical Monopoly
The AMA claimed that the public did not know what was good for it and that the medical establishment must have total control. And they have since gained just that. “Thanks to this central committee of the medical cartel [the AMA],” Rockwell writes, “the number of medical schools and medical students is drastically restricted, state licensure further obstructs the supply of doctors, fees are largely secret and controlled across the industry, alternative treatments and practitioners are outlawed, pharmacists and nurses are hamstrung, and the mystique of the profession rivals the priesthood, although priests have a somewhat lower income. Meanwhile, the customer pays through the nose, even if he does not go to an otolaryngologist.”
- To put it simply, they took control of the medical schools and made it so that only those who graduated from one of them could practice medicine. Well, since they controlled the schools, guess what was largely taught? How to use prescription drugs. “The Rockefeller family had invested heavily in allopathic drug companies and wanted doctors to use their products,” Rockwell writes, and so they also gave grants to the schools that the AMA endorsed.
- This medical monopoly is largely responsible for the problems that exist in conventional medicine today:
* Heavy ties to the drug industry
* Reliance on drugs, surgery and hospital stays
* No competition, leading to outrageous prices that most Americans cannot afford
* Calling tried-and-true natural remedies and most all non-medical doctors quacks
- If this topic interests you, I would strongly suggest viewing the video about the 1988 book Murder by Injection. It explains how the Rockefeller Syndicate, U.S. government officials and the AMA formed an unholy triumvirate that successfully gained control of America's health care industry in the early part of the 20th century -- control that still continues to this day.
- Related Articles:
American Medical Association’s Secret Pact with the Federal Government
The AMA -- Murder by Injection
AMA Criticized for Letting Drug Firms Pay for Ethics Campaign
- Community Comments
DrScott
In October 1976, Chester Wilk, D.C. and four other chiropractors (one later dropped out) filed suit against the AMA. The Wilk suit also named many of the nation's other most prominenet medical groups as codefendants - groups such as the American Hospital Association, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Physicians, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. In 1987 (1) , following 11 years of legal action, a federal appellate court judge ruled that the AMA had engaged in a “lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott” designed to restrict cooperation between MDs and chiropractors in order to eliminate the profession of chiropractic as a competitor in the United States health care system. On August 24, 1987, after endless wrangling in the courts, U.S. District Court judge Susan Getzendanner ruled that the AMA and its officials were guilty, as charged, of attempting to eliminate the chiropractic profession. During the preceedings it
was shown that the AMA attempted to:
• Undermine Chiropractic schools
• Undercut insurance programs for Chiropractic patients
• Conceal evidence of the effectiveness of Chiropractic care
• Subvert government inquires into the effectiveness of Chiropractic
• Promote other activities that would control the monopoly that the AMA had on health care
(This was upheld by the 7th United States Circuit Court of Appeals.)
- The AMA offered a patient care defense; however, data from Workmen's Compensation Bureau studies served to validate chiropractic care. Specifically, studies comparing chiropractic care to care by a medical physician were presented which showed that chiropractors were “twice as effective as medical physicians, for comparable injuries, in returning injured workers to work at every level of injury severity.” In short, the AMA was found guilty of Federal Crimes (sherman anti-trust laws) against the chiropractic profession.
- Tondelaya
I have released myself from the mindset that I need physicians. Have not been to one in years. I am my own best caretaker.
- Joan Courtenay
Excellent advice. A scientist and medical doctor whom I greatly respect once told me that conventional medicine, as it is being practiced in North America, is not a science but a religion. I would highly recommend a one hour PBS special I saw a couple weeks ago called Sick Around the World. A journalist from the Washington Post visited half a dozen countries around the world to see how their health care system worked compared to that in the U.S. You can check it out at pbs.org where you can buy the DVD or find full transcripts of the interviews he did with experts and ordinary citizens in these countries. It will astonish you and give you some ideas about how we in North American are being hoodwinked about "how it's too complicated and impossible to change our health care system."
- It opened my eyes and I thought I knew about a lot about how other countries medical systems worked. For example, several of the countries have taken legislated steps to prevent doctors from being gate-keepers. In other words you can see any doctor or specialist you want simply by making an appointment with them directly. No referral needed. Taiwan is one such country. Taiwan also has a state-of-the-art electonic health care card, their health care is universally provided to all, etc. etc. Other countries have various versions of the same thing. These countries are leading the way and we are falling further and further into decay. We need people to wake up. This PBS program did it for me.
- HealthCoachSandraG
It gets worse. In the book "When Healing Becomes a Crime" a detailed description of how the AMA had a vandetta against natural therapies that they could not purchase and patent. Hoxsey had a better record of healing skin cancer than meds or radiation, won any case brought against him, but still have a 30-40 year battle with the power of the AMA, was eventually driven out of the country.
- Coconut123
I had and now have a back injury so I went to a paid worker's comp doctor. This was 1999. His report was not truthful but his assistant doctor wrote a more truthful report of what actually was wrong with my back. I also never got an MRI from him. He just read from a general x-ray. I had so much edvidence against him that I decided to report him to the AMA. Well, I phoned the AMA and I asked about this doctor and I was told he was the President of the local board in this area. I gave up of course. I knew it was a waste of time. Later, I went to a presurgical doctor and I was told that this worker comp doctor was paid $3,000 to 4,0000 in fees not to treat me so I would go away. I got a lawyer and I am now with disabilities of 40%. Also, this presurgical doctor I saw for 6 visits told me that she would think of something to get me 6 more appointments, which I didn't want. You can't trust worker's comp. I can tell you more stories about worker's comp. Nightmare!
- EQ
Bummer about the worker's comp nightmare. I had to go to a worker's comp doc about 2.5 years ago. I got really lucky. She was a very cool, and very open minded D.O. She was so amazed at how quickly I healed that she asked me to refer her to the other techniques I was learning. Amazing when a health professional is human & humble enough to learn from their patients at the same time they are trying to help. I wish there were more doctors like her.
- TCarmichall
I too suffered from a work related injury a few years back. Upon talking with my chiropractor I decided to let him treat it. When I spoke to the gal in Human Resources for my company, she told me quote "Chiropractors aren't real doctors" and that they wouldn't allow me to use one for my treatment. Upset and discouraged I told my chiropractor this and he responded with "Who is your company's Worker's Comp insurer?" When I told him the name he told me he was a preferred provider for them. So I called the Insurance Agency myself and needless to say they were more than happy to let my chiropractor treat me!!! I am so glad I did this. I know so much more about being healthy now, I'm glad I didn't go to some allopathic doctor who would have just drugged me! I am 100% "healed" through adjustments, massage and ultrasound therapy. Amen.
- trishaspring50
My Mother had a saying after living 14 years, by refusing conventional slash/burn/poison for lung cancer: "You go to a Allopathic Doctor, You get what you deserve." That was after she was given 2-6 months to live and went to a "homeopathy cult" who cared truly for her.
- Avery Marie
A chiropractor was able to do to my arm what no doctor could. As far as homeopaths, although my physician told me that I will have a thyroid problem for the rest of my life and that there is no cure, four days after receiving a remedy from a homeopathic physician, much to my surprise, I am experiencing changes indicating that reversal is taking place.
- KelleyEidem
Morris Fishbein played a central role in destroying the reputation of Dr. Emanuel Revici. The story is told in the book "The Doctor Who Cures Cancer." Fishbein singled out Revici in a famous speech he gave when he said, "Of all the ghouls who feed on the bodies of the dead and dying, the cancer quacks are the most heartless. Heaven speed the day when the advances of medical science against cancer, most dreaded of diseases, will deprive these ghouls of the sad soil on which they nourish themselves." Fishbein bragged about enlisting the aid of the IRS whenever he wanted to destroy one of his targets. Few people are more responsible for the suffering cancer patients have faced in the last 50 to 60 years than Morris Fishbein.
- herbprof
If you combine the AMA with the FDA you have a real two headed monster loose. Here is a huge tragedy dropped on the American public by this monster that few people know about. The 3M Company developed Tambocor an antiarrhythmic heart drug in 1989. A great deal of money and pressure was applied and this drug was pushed through quickly and released on the market. Within less than 2 years over 50,000 Americans were dead before the drug was pulled. That is equal to all the war dead in Vietnam. You would think that this would be enough to destroy or change this monster or at least get a legal handle on it. But the whole horrible mess was swept under the political rug. It was hushed up and the American public is unaware that this ever happened. Read the book Deadly Medicine, by Thomas J. Moore.
- tomalex
We need to educate our neighbors.The more people on our side, the larger the bulwark against this monstrosity. Unfortunately, many people want to be ignorantly bliss and are a large reason for the success of the ama and the system surrounding it. It's a battle for the minds of the people and unfortunately the people are losing miserably. Even when we want to do the right thing it's very difficult in the world we live in. For the dolts who don't even care, it's impossible unless the system is completely overhauled.
- Dana Ullman
I am truly honored that mercola.com choose to excerpt from my writing (I really love this site and respect Dr. Mercola). For people interested, the above article is a shortened version of the one at http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/81659,and this is an excerpt from my new book, "The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy". More info about the book is at: www.homeopathic.com, www.HomeopathicRevolution.com
- imahomeopath
Homeopathy is not a cult, rather a scientific system with a 200+ year history, well proven in clinical practice and trials. The evidence is readily available, although one must be careful not to be misled by those who would have us believe otherwise.
- MITCHIND
WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE IN THE USA GOING TO START USING THE " DEMOCRACY" YOU PrIDE YOURSLEVES ON. DO A CALIFORNIA RECALL AND GET RID OF FEW SENATORS, CONGRESS PEOPLE, ETC. THEY WILL START TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU. INUDATE THEM WITH MAIL SO THEY KNOW THE GAME IS UP. IN AUSTRLIA THEY HAVE TO WRITE A REPLY. SPEND YOUR MONEY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE WITH THESE PEOPLE. IF YOU TRAVEL BUY YOUR DRUGS WHSILT OVERSEAS. TAKE UP A BETTER LIFESTYLE AND DOnt GET AS SICK AND SCREW THEM BY DEFAULT. YOUR MOST IMPORTANT VOTE IS WITH WHOM AND HOW YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY
- health nut
Dr Fishbein's name has been read of before in a book titled "You 'Don't Have to Die". What a shame that one person could have such power that he awarded himself. My husband went to Tijuana, Mexico 20 years ago and was treated for melanoma cancer at the Bio Medical by Mildred Nelson with the Hoxsey treatment. The doctors here, in the US, told us if he had surgery and a skin graft and even IF they got it all that it would be back in 3 years and he probably would not be here in 5 years. Thanks to being told of Mildred taking this treatment to Mexico in the 60's we were able to travel there for treatment. My husband has never had surgery, chemo, radiation nor has he EVER been sick. We go back every year for check-ups and he has not had a recurrence since that time. How sad it is that everyone cannot know of the success of this treatment available at the Bio Medical Center today!
- saynotoquacks
This reminds me of how the American Psychiatric Association's very first chairman, Ewan Cameron, presided over MKULTRA, the CIA's Cold War brainwashing project. Very evil stuff.
- dar/
Morris Fishbein was instrumental in ruining Royal Rife and his machine to cure cancer which was filmed and documented killing cancer. Fishbein wanted a financial interest and Royal Rife who had been supported by interested parties who supported his research could not sell any interests in his machine. Per usual he was impoverish from litigation of the AMA. The Rife story is well documented in a video showing this remarkable machine as well as results using this machine.
- laurellee
Forbidden Cures http://www.wovoca.com/controversies-forbidden-cures.htm

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Daffodil Principle

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, 'Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.'

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead 'I will come next Tuesday', I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

'Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!'

My daughter smiled calmly and said, 'We drive in this all the time, Mother.'

'Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!' I assured her.

'But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks,' Carolyn said. 'I'll drive. I'm used to this.'

'Carolyn,' I said sternly, 'Please turn around.'

'It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.'

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, ' Daffodil Garden .' We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.



It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.. There were five acres of flowers.


'Who did this?' I asked Carolyn. 'Just one woman,' Carolyn answered. 'She lives on the property. That's her home.' Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. 'Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking', was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. '50,000 bulbs,' it read. The second answer was, 'One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.' The third answer was, 'Began in 1958.'

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.


That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .

'It makes me sad in a way,' I admitted to Carolyn. 'What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!'

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. 'Start tomorrow,' she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, 'How can I put this to use today?'

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off

Until you get a new car or home

Until your kids leave the house

Until you go back to school

Until you finish school

Until you clean the house

Until you organize the garage

Until you clean off your desk

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married

Until you get a divorce

Until you have kids

Until the kids go to school

Until you retire

Until summer

Until spring

Until winter

Until fall

Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt, and,

Dance like no one's watching.

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Healing touch: A new patient outreach program
By Phil Galewitz, Special for USA TODAY


Healing touch practioners Karen Lynch and Paula Kobelt
use the technique on Sheldon Smith at Grant Medical Center
in Columbus, Ohio.


Susan Iliff was out of the hospital within four days after open-heart surgery and never needed any pain medication.
She credited her speedy, painless recovery not just to her doctors, but also to an unconventional type of therapy she received at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.: a daily dose of healing touch therapy.
Every day, a nurse slowly guided her hands along Iliff's legs and feet and then lightly touched her elbows, wrists and forehead, stopping at each point for about a minute. By the end of the 30-minute session, Iliff would fall asleep in her hospital bed.
"It just put me into a deep state of relaxation," says Iliff, 58, a retired nurse who received the therapy in 2002 and 2005 at the hospital.
Scripps Green is one of at least 100 U.S. hospitals that have started offering the service in the past 15 years. Although there are no large clinical trials that prove its worth, hospitals offer healing touch based on strong anecdotal evidence that it works and the fact that there are no safety worries with this non-invasive procedure, says Diane Wardell, an associate professor of nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and a healing touch provider.
"Hospitals are being motivated by patients asking for complements to traditional care," Wardell says. "It's always a step forward for patients when alternative care is integrated into hospital settings."
Not just a rubdown
Healing touch is not a massage. Sometimes the practitioner's hands hover above the body and don't actually make contact. Healing touch is an "energy therapy" that uses gentle hand techniques purported to help re-pattern the patient's energy field and accelerate healing of the body and mind. It is based on the belief that people have fields of energy that are in constant interaction with the environment around them, Wardell says.
More than 86,000 nurses and other health professionals use healing touch in hospitals and in private practice, according to Healing Touch International, a non-profit Colorado-based group that certifies practitioners. Many hospitals offer the service at no extra cost —largely because insurance doesn't pay for it. Outside the hospital setting, healing touch costs about the same as a massage therapist — or between $80 to $100 an hour.
The limited studies suggest its effectiveness in a wide variety of conditions, including speeding wound healing following heart surgery, reducing the impact of osteoarthritis and migraine headaches, and reducing anxiety and depression for women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer.
At Scripps Green Hospital, healing touch is offered to all open-heart surgery patients. "This is so safe and there is no risk," says Erminia "Mimi" Guarneri, a cardiologist and medical director of Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine.
Guarneri became a believer in healing touch a decade ago when a viral infection knocked her out of work for the first time in years.
"After the treatment, I felt like I had so much energy and I felt better almost immediately," she says. "I felt if this can help me this much, it can help my patients."
Many concede that when they first heard about healing touch they thought it was weird. "I thought it looked a little kooky," says Karen Lynch, a pain management nurse at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. That was her reaction when she saw nurses provide the therapy in the hospital's coronary care unit.
But when Lynch showed up for work with abdominal pain a few years ago, she gave healing touch a shot. "In a few minutes, the pain was completely relieved," she says. "That's when I started wondering what was going on with this stuff and began getting trained in it."
Doctors support treatment
Lynch says most doctors don't fully understand how healing touch works, but they believe it when they see patients improve. "It's difficult for me to understand, but it works and there's nothing to lose, and it shows we are treating patients in a caring manner."
Arthur Katz, a heart surgeon in Boca Raton, Fla., says he's convinced healing touch has helped re-energize his patients who were struggling after surgery. "Every time I have used it on one of my patients, I have had a favorable outcome," he says. "The body is more than a machine. It has a mechanical component but also an emotional and psychological component and an energy component."
Last year, he did coronary bypass surgery on a woman in her mid-50s. Although the surgery went well, she was depressed after the procedure and was not motivated to get out of bed or to do other things to help her recovery.
"I tried everything I know. A firm approach, the nice-guy approach to encourage her, but nothing worked," Katz says. "After a healing touch session, she was like a different person with a smile on her face."

Winterize Yourself Against Colds and Flu This Year!

Hello to you all - Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but I thought this would be good to know for this time of year. this article comes from Matthew Loop DC




Winterize Yourself Against Colds and Flu This Year!
November 5, 2007

Fall and winter blow in a horde of new flu strains, not to mention the common cold and the so-called "stomach flu." What's the best way to protect yourself and your family against this year's onslaught? Winterize—or strengthen—your immune systems by following a healthy lifestyle that includes the right nourishment, regular exercise, enough sleep, healthy stress management, and targeted nutrients and herbs.

Cold and Flu Basics

Colds are minor infections of the nose and throat caused by several viruses. Colds can last a week, but some last longer, especially in children, the elderly, and those in poor health. According to the American Lung Association, adults in the United States get an average of two to four colds per year, mostly between September and May. Symptoms can include:

* Runny nose
* Congestion
* Sneezing
* Weakened senses of taste and smell
* Scratchy throat
* Cough

The flu, or influenza, is a respiratory infection caused by many viruses that pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. Between 5% to 20% of the U.S. population gets the flu each year. The flu can be serious for elderly people, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses. Symptoms come on suddenly and are worse than cold symptoms. They may include:

* Body or muscle aches
* Chills
* Cough
* Fever
* Headache
* Sore throat

The "stomach flu" may be gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the lining of the intestines caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasite.

How to Help Prevent Colds and the Flu

While science hasn't yet discovered a magic bullet to prevent all the viruses your family may be exposed to, bolstering your immune system with the right nutrients may significantly reduce your risk. Consider the following daily recommendations:

* Take a high quality, buffered vitamin C.
* Make sure you're getting enough zinc; half the people in the U.S. don't. Zinc supports the integrity of your stomach lining and helps boost immune function.
* Take medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, shiitake, and maitake to provide aggressive support for a healthy immune response.
* Add selenium for additional immune system support.

Other Lifestyle Factors that Aid Prevention

* Whenever possible, avoid close contact with someone who's infected.
* Wash your hands frequently, particularly if you've come in contact with an infected person or have touched an object they've touched.
* Avoid touching your nose and eyes, which serve as easy pathways for virus particles to get into your body.
* Put up a second hand towel in the bathroom for healthy people to use.
* Monitor the humidity in your room so your sinuses don't dry out.
* If you do come down with a cold or the flu, avoid contact with others.

If you are like most people and have concerns about staying healthy through the fall and winter seasons, please stop by my office. We can discuss an easy-to-follow nutritional and lifestyle program that is tailored to your individual health needs.

Laureli's personal note: something I've taken for years now and find very helpful. "Vita Biotic" it is made by Eclectic Institute. It is a vitamin, mineral and botanical combination. it is has been very effective to stave off the nasty cold for me. you can find it online or at central market and probably other health stores.


........

WANT TO FEEL GREAT TODAY?

WANT TO FEEL GREAT TODAY?

Try this little experiment:

Wherever you're sitting, lower your head and look down. Let your shoulders droop. Say to yourself quietly "I'm really depressed. I feel awful." How do you feel?

Now try this. Sit up straight, or stand up if you want. Look up toward the sky. Put a big smile on your face and say out loud with excitement "I feel GREAT today! I am alive with excitement and enthusiasm." Now how do your feel?

Do you notice a big difference? It's all due to your physiology. By changing your posture and your voice, you have changed your attitude.

Is it realistic to say "I feel great today" when life is full of problems?

Well, you have a choice.

You can choose to be depressed and despondent about your problems. You'll probably get some sympathy, but it's difficult to make your house payment with sympathy (unless you stand on the street corner with a "Will work for food" sign).

OR you can choose to attack them head-on with a positive attitude. Now a positive attitude won't change your situation. But if you hold your head high and look toward the stars, you'll see a lot more opportunities than if you're looking down and depressed. You'll have more energy and more success with other people.

You're in complete control of the way you act and the way you feel. Use that to your advantage every moment.
~ Ralph Marston

Get on the Ball!

A Fitness Buzzword
In case you haven't already heard, the latest trend in getting fit is core conditioning. Introduced to the public by physical therapists, core conditioning is all about strengthening and stabilizing the muscles of your midsection.
Core conditioning will help you improve your performance in many sports (skiing and tennis are two prime examples) as well as strengthen you for everyday tasks, such as carrying a 20-pound toddler, or three big bags of groceries.


Get on the Ball!
Here's how to perform a basic trunk curl (like a sit-up) on a fitness ball.

*To start, place your lower back on the ball and your feet on the floor, about hip distance apart.

*Cross your arms over your chest or place your fists at your temples.

*Next, slowly curl your trunk, allowing your shoulders and upper back to lift off the ball.

*Return slowly to your starting position, and that's it!

(If your neck gets tired, it's okay to place one or both hands behind your head for support. Try not to pull on your neck when you come up for the trunk curl - this can continue the strained feeling on your neck).

The key to doing the trunk curl is to use the trunk of your body & waist - feel the burn there not else where - keep the neck as straight as possible - you're not doing a neck curl....


**this was sent to me from a client who receives daily tips from Sonoma Diet.com
Thank You….