Alternative Health looks at alternative ways of treating illness apart from the medical system.
Study: Black Seed Oil Relieves Pain Associated with Arthritis
Black cumin seed oil, technically known as Nigella Sativa or N. sativa, has been used for thousands of years for several maladies, disorders, and both infectious and non-infectious diseases, especially throughout ancient Mideast, Egypt, and Greece. Currently, black cumin seeds and oils (from the seeds) are used as traditional medicines in the Mideast as well as parts of Africa and Asia. It's principal and most abundant bioactive phytochemical ingredient is thymoquinone. In addition to the multitude of anecdotal reports demonstrating efficacy and safety, there has been a growing curiosity among modern medical researchers who have been researching black cumin seed oil’s thymoquinone for the past few decades. Two more studies have been added in 2018, both relating to black seed oil's ability to relieve arthritis. One was a review article and the other a human trial study.
Study: Replacements for BPA in BPA-free Products Just as Toxic – Time for Non-toxic Hemp Plastics?
BPA or Bisphenol A is a type of synthetically produced plastic derived from processing natural hydrocarbon fuels such as coal and crude oil. It’s often used for making polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins to coat the inner linings of metal food containers. BPA is a synthetic endocrine disruptor capable of creating hormonal imbalances by mimicking or partially mimicking hormones, especially estrogen, that can lead to certain cancers, neurological disorders, compromised immune systems, and cause fertility and gender issues with women and men. It was chemically created in the late 1800s but not used commercially until the plastic industry began using it during the 1950s. Concerns among health-conscious people have motivated food processors to claim their containers are "BPA free". But BPA substitutes, such as BPS and other bisphenol compounds are not mentioned when food and beverage processors make their BPA free claims. Scientists outside the plastics industry are raising concerns that BPS and other related biphenol compounds create the same hormonal issues as BPA.
Study: FDA’s “Safe Limits” for BPA Not So Safe
The first U.S. study of the effect on people of exposure to a hormone-disrupting chemical widely used in food packaging showed that levels the Food and Drug Administration deems “safe” can alter insulin response, a key marker for diabetes. The groundbreaking study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, administered low doses of bisphenol A, or BPA, to 16 people, then tested their insulin production in response to glucose, commonly called blood sugar. When insulin and blood glucose levels were compared to the same measurements taken without exposure to BPA, researchers found that BPA significantly changed how glucose affected insulin levels. Similar insulin and glucose tests are used by doctors for diagnosing diabetes.
Study: Splenda Not Completely Eliminated from Body – Leads to Weight Gain
Splenda advocates and defenders were given an inconvenient truth from a new study that put the brakes on Splenda’s parade of health claims for marketing purposes. Splenda is the brand name for sucralose. One of the health claims for this chemically-altered sucrose is that its molecules are inert, they don’t produce internal biochemical changes. And even though it sweetens much more efficiently than chemically-unaltered table sugar, it is completely eliminated from the body naturally after ingestion and not stored as fat or even used as energy. Therefore it is calorie free. This most current sucralose animal study turns the claim that it is not stored in the body completely upside down: “The average Splenda users should be informed that sucralose is accumulating in their bodies and that it forms metabolites whose effects are unknown. The long-range effects of sucralose are not understood. Furthermore, we already know that it has adverse biological effects,” stated study author Susan Schiffman, Ph.D. Interestingly, the fact that all the rats in the study gained weight counters claims of non-calorie weight loss that’s promoted with sucralose. The fact that metabolites are formed and detected proves that sucralose is not an inert substance. What those metabolites are, where they are stored, and what dangers they might create, has been addressed by this new study and other studies prior to 2018.
FDA Wants to Turn CBD Oil Into a Drug that Will Cost $32,500 as They Ban all Other CBD Oils
For years, consumers have benefitted from access to cheap, safe, and effective CBD oil supplements. But now the FDA says that CBD is a drug, not a supplement—a drug which will be sold for $32,500 a year. Legally the FDA could at any time remove all CBD supplements from the market, on its own volition, or if the drug company which holds drug market exclusivity requests FDA do so. Unless we change the rules, we may see a government-sponsored monopoly on CBD oil, and in the near future, additional monopolies on other cheap, safe, and effective supplements. This threat to affordable CBD oil shows how broken this system is. An opioid epidemic is ravaging our country, with drug overdose deaths surpassing car accident fatalities. People are addicted to and dying from FDA-approved drugs, yet the agency is poised to eliminate consumer access to a non-addictive, cheap, safe, and effective alternative in CBD oil—all so one drug company can charge tens of thousands of dollars for what currently costs a few dollars. The FDA will not protect us—they’re in on it! More drugs mean more user fees—more money—for the agency, so don’t expect the FDA to defend your access to supplements.
Is Modern Toxic Life Responsible for Skyrocketing Childhood Cancers?
No one really likes to talk about cancer, and childhood cancers are an especially unpalatable topic of conversation. Yet the fact is that cancers are among the top four causes of death for both children and adults. The newest U.S. cancer statistics for young people (under 20 years old), which cover the years 2001–2014, point to steadily increasing rates of pediatric cancer over that time period. Conventional entities such as the American Cancer Society offer no explanation for the increased childhood cancer rates, feebly asserting that “there are few known risk factors for childhood cancer” other than exposure to ionizing radiation. However, this disingenuous statement completely ignores the increasingly toxic environment in which we unreasonably expect children to thrive—and the many known and suspected carcinogens in that environment that may be ratcheting up children’s cancer risks, perhaps synergistically.
Study: Medical Cannabis Cures Inflammation in Gut – Hope for IBS, Crohns, Celiac Sufferers
A recent animal and human cell line culture study published August, 2018 confirms the anecdotal reports of healing inflammatory bowel and gut conditions with cannabis. Surprisingly, the study did not initially use cannabis. Its original purpose was to investigate the mechanics of inflammation in the gut using mice. They inadvertently discovered that impaired or insufficient internal endogenous cannabinoids known as endocannabinoids in the gut allowed inflammation to occur in the mice. The researchers concluded that adding cannabinoids from cannabis plant sources such as marijuana could be why so many IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome) and Celiac Disease sufferers experience powerful relief from cannabis. Lead study author McCormick's phrase "This gives clinical researchers a new drug target …" seems to imply that the intent of this study was to develop drugs for the pharmaceutical industry. Natural whole medical cannabis plants, which offer a plethora of disease cures that Big Pharma cannot offer, are not able to be patented. Knowledge of cannabis’s multiple uses is already beginning to impinge on the pharma cartel’s highly profitable medical monopoly, which relies on creating a synthetic version the active pharmacological component of a natural source to patent it. There is hope for sanity to prevail eventually, enabling cannabis to be readily available as a natural medicine for the many ailments and autoimmune diseases once considered incurable by mainstream medicine.
FREE Online Summit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) impact more than 400 million people. Symptoms can be painful, embarrassing and isolating, but you’re not alone and there ARE solutions! Left untreated, these pervasive digestion issues can have devastating effects on your quality of life — but there ARE solutions and our world-renowned experts are here to share them! Anyone who suffers from IBS, SIBO, leaky gut or related digestive disorders will benefit greatly from their cutting-edge research and education — information that’s available here first! The IBS & SIBO SOS™ Summit is hosted by health advocate and successful TV personality Shivan Sarna, and it is online and FREE from September 3-10, 2018!
Serrapeptase: A Wondrous Healing Enzyme for Inflammation
Serrapeptase is a type of proteolytic enzyme. Proteolytic enzymes digest proteins from whole protein foods. But serrapeptase does much more than digest proteins from food. It scavenges unwanted proteins throughout the body, chews up internal organ scar tissue, breaks up plaque deposits, and even destroys cancer cells before they form tumors. Serrapeptase, aka serratiopeptidase, was originally discovered in silkworms that create and use the enzyme to digest the tough mulberry leaves they live on then rapidly bore through their cocoons and fly away as silkmoths when they’re ready. Serrapeptase can function as a safe natural healing agent for many diseases and ailments. It is commonly used in most of Europe to treat sprains and ruptured ligaments and speed up post-operation recovery with less need for pain-killers. Chronic inflammation from autoimmune diseases can be treated with serrapeptase's ability to treat inflammation in tissues throughout the body, including joints and intestines. Removing the dead tissues and excess fibrin ameliorates the body's overacting immune system because the irritant is removed. Then actual healing can result without inflammation or pain. The Western medical serrapeptase pioneer in 1980 was Dr. Hans Nieper. He used serrapeptase for cardiac patients in Germany so successfully that some who had been scheduled for double or triple bypass surgeries managed well without them after using serrapeptase.
Strategies to Break Small-screen Addiction
If you are among the approximately 50% of adults and teens who feel addicted to smartphones or tablets, then this article about small screen addiction will be a valuable resource to you. If you are a parent who is concerned about the small screen habits of your young children or teen, then you will find helpful information here as well. The combination of addictive apps and small screen devices has a powerful capacity to elevate dopamine levels in the brain. This causes downregulation of the dopamine receptors on brain neurons, which makes it more and more difficult to experience pleasure. Finally, the overstimulation of neurons by dopamine begins killing neurons in the brain, which is a clear sign of physiological addiction. Thus, small screen addiction is very serious – it modifies and damages normal brain activity!
Colloidal Silver’s Advantage Over Pharmaceutical Antibiotics
Could the use of colloidal silver, a natural antibiotic that has been used for thousands of years, be a key answer to today's problem of pharmaceutical antibiotic overuse leading to drug-resistant pathogens? The beginning of the end for pharmaceutical antibiotics is blamed on its overuse, both with overly prescribing for humans and overuse with Big Ag and Dairy livestock. This rising problem is known as antibiotic drug resistance. Ironically, the more complex the chemistry of pharmaceutical antibiotics, the easier it is for pathogenic bacteria to figure them out and develop a resistance to them. This has been occurring with almost all pharmaceutical antibiotics. But this phenomena doesn’t exist with natural colloidal silver. Pathogenic bacteria haven't figured out a way around silver even after centuries of use. Before methods of suspending silver particles in distilled water as colloidal silver, silver coins and containers were used to prevent harmful bacteria from forming in the foods, beverages, and water contained. Antibiotics are prescribed even when patients have viral infections, adding to their overuse. Colloidal silver is not only an antibiotic, it is also anti-viral and anti-fungal. Antiviral pharmaceuticals tend to be ineffective and dangerous with huge side effects or long-term lowered immunity and sub-clinical issues created by upsetting the intestinal microbiome balance. So why aren't MDs recommending it?
Breaking Smart Phone Addiction: Raising Serotonin in the Brain
During active small screen addiction, there is a constant sense of being drawn to the devices and to use certain apps with the hope of gaining fulfillment, satisfaction, and pleasure. In other words, there are cravings that compel people to do certain things with their smartphones and tablets in the hope of getting a dopamine release and feeling good. Checking your phone every few minutes all day long, spending endless hours on apps such as Facebook, preferring to text rather than speak in person, getting up in the middle of the night to check your phone, texting while driving, losing touch with work responsibilities and family obligations are just a few of the symptoms of small screen addiction. As small screen addiction progresses, excessive dopamine levels in the brain cause brain neurons to downregulate their dopamine receptors. This prevents people from experiencing the pleasure they once enjoyed from their small screens. Eventually there is no pleasure, only compulsive use of the small screens, which is an indication that neurons in the brain have begun to die from overstimulation by dopamine. People with out-of-control small screen usage must also realize and admit that they are dealing with an addiction that has the power to control and eventually destroy their lives. This article will focus on raising serotonin in the brain, which will improve the sense of well-being and help to restore contentment and happiness.
The Drug Crisis in the U.S. Concerns Prescription Opioids, not Marijuana
There is a new shift being observed with the federal government looking to increase cannabis cultivation for research purposes accompanied by an intention to curb opioid production, according to an article from Marijuana Moment published recently by Forbes magazine. During the latter part of the Obama administration, there was some movement toward expanding sanctioned cannabis cultivation for research, which the DEA under Jeff Sessions Justice Department resisted until recently. Along with this potential increase of cannabis resources for research, the DEA has announced an intention to restrict opioid production and monitor opioid distribution more closely than it has been. Opioids include oxycontin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and morphine. All of these opioids are addictive, dangerous, and potentially lethal. Ironically, marijuana has recently been used to effectively help opioid prescription drug addicts painlessly walk away from them permanently within weeks.
FDA to Ban More Supplements?
On September 12, the FDA’s advisory committee on compounded medicine—medicine made for individual patients at specialized pharmacies—will meet to discuss five ingredients: alpha lipoic acid, CoQ10, creatine monohydrate, pyridoxal 5 phosphate (P5P), and quercetin dihydrate. If the agency doesn’t hear from patients and concerned citizens, we may lose access to individualized preparations of these important dietary ingredients. The Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) advises the FDA in writing new rules regarding what supplements and drugs can be made individually for patients with specific needs by compounding pharmacies. The main motivation behind the FDA’s attacks on compounded medicine is to protect the pharmaceutical industry from competition. With no other choice, patients who rely on compounded medicine would have to buy Big Pharma’s drugs. We can’t let them whittle away the ingredients allowed to be compounded. This “death by a thousand cuts” could end access for us to compounding pharmacies altogether.
Smartphone Addiction Related to Sugar, Narcotics, Alcohol, Pornography, Gambling Addictions
Everyone will be confronted by the power of addiction at some time in their lives – whether it is our own addictions or the addictions of others who are close to us. Simply put, the human flesh desires, lusts, and seeks to satisfy its cravings. Even though addictions are part of our lives, the typical response to the presence of addiction is to deny it exists until overwhelming consequences break down the wall of denial. As will be explained in this article, sugar addiction, narcotic addiction, alcohol addiction, pornography addiction, gambling addiction, shopping addiction, and smartphone (small screen) addiction are closely related. All these addictions damage neurons in the brain and eventually rob us of pleasure and happiness, leaving us feeling empty, lonely, and depressed.
Creatine Supplement Offers Protection Against Neurodegenerative Diseases Like ALS, Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s
Creatine is a highly touted supplement for building muscle mass rapidly with resistance exercising. You may have heard about it or noticed this if you've glanced at bodybuilder magazines or looked over the shelves of certain supplement stores that tend to cater more to athletes and bodybuilders. But it's wise to also explore some other non-athletic, less promoted applications of creatine that are beginning to show up in journal literature. Creatine can potentially ameliorate symptoms of ALS, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and ischemic stroke recovery. It is safe enough to consider for reducing stress, maintaining mental clarity when sleep deprived, protecting against several neurodegenerative diseases, and/or reversing many of their symptoms.
The Health Benefits of Chlorophyll: Supercharge Your Cellular Energy
There has been a quiet, gradual shift from thinking chlorophyll is simply part of a plant’s photosynthesis process that does not directly affect internal human cellular metabolism processing. Slowly, scientific research is recognizing how chlorophyll helps human life, not only by producing oxygen for us to breathe with photosynthesis, but internally, within our cellular metabolic processes.
The Health Benefits of Pistachios: Why This Tree Nut Should be Your Go-to Snack Food
Pistachios are tree nuts that have been around for thousands of years. The first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, mentions pistachios. One male tree is able to create two dozen female nut-bearing trees from its pollen. It takes five years for those trees to bear fruit. But those nut-bearing trees can continue producing pistachios for almost two centuries. Yet, domestic pistachio orchards came into vogue in America only recently, during the 1970s. Until even more recently, California almonds had center-stage for high nutritional value snacking. But it seems pistachios are gaining in nutritional stature within the tree nut industry, especially as the darker side of the almond industry becomes more well-known. Research studies done on pistachios show they are an excellent pre-biotic food source good at preventing diabetes, and that pistachio consumption in correlated to longer life spans.
Berberine Supplement Effective in Controlling Diabetes without Side Effects of Dangerous Drugs
The benefits of berberine are not as well known as most supplements on the market. It wasn't even widely available until recently. Yet it has been tried and tested for type 2 diabetes and fat accumulation reduction, including that of fatty liver. Our diabetic institutions are misleading people with pre-diabetics or metabolic syndrome testing and leading them into full-blown diabetes 2 with their recommendations, while mainstream medicine's prescription diabetic drugs are questionably efficacious with dangerous side effects, such as bladder cancer and unpredictable interactions with other drugs. Dr. Jonathan Wright of the holistic Tahoma Clinic in Washington state notes that several studies have shown that berberine, an alkaloid found in the herb goldenseal and other natural sources, can lower blood glucose as effectively as the drug metformin at similar doses (500 mg 3x/day).
How Big Technology Companies Control the Minds of the Masses Through Smart Phone Addiction
With the push of a button, tech companies can make a billion people have the same thought. The tool they use is the smartphone. The thought could be a bit of truth or it could be a lie. Regardless of the content of the message, they have the power to capture our attention and to insert a thought in our minds, even if the thought only lingers there for a few seconds before we move on to something else. This kind of mind control is not accidental but is part of an intentional plan of technology companies to get us addicted to their technology, to steal our time, and to build profitability at our expense. Research shows that it is common for many people to check their phones 150 times a day and to touch the phone 2,617 times every day. The top 10% of users touch their phones more than 5,400 times daily. How many times an hour do you check your phone? Supercomputers have now beaten the best chess masters in the world, and it is these same supercomputers that are used by tech companies to manage smartphone addiction. The process involves collecting information about our interests and using psychological and behavioral methods to get us hooked on their technology. Unless we understand the techniques being used to get us addicted and take steps to control how we use smartphones and tablets, these devices have a high potential for taking over our lives.