Category: The Best Years In Life

The salt and mineral rich Dead Sea is one of the world's earliest spas. The Roman king of Judea, Herod the Great, and Egypt's Queen Cleopatra both enjoyed the healthy benefits of the Dead Sea. Multiple studies have shown that the sea's mineral essentials are effective for psoriasis, acne, and rheumatism.

Nearly every city in the ancient Roman Empire had at least one bath, which served as centers for bathing and socializing. The hot springs in Baden-Baden, Germany, were well known to the Romans, and its waters bring relief for rheumatism, gout, paralysis, neuralgia, and skin diseases. Britain's Queen Victoria was an annual visitor during her reign.

Other civilizations which have long embraced healing baths include China, India and Native America. Archaeologists in India's ancient Indus Valley Civilization unearthed a large pool-like structure with steps at both ends. In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European to see the "Valley of the Vapors", which is the area known today as Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The rich and famous regularly traveled by private rail car more than 100 years ago to Mount Clemens, Michigan, "America's Bath City". It offered luxury resort hotels with heated baths, which were widely known to relieve arthritis and rheumatism pain, as well as skin problems such as eczema. Thousands of polio patients were also drawn to the waters. Legend had it that people came to the city in wheelchairs and left walking under their own power. Among regular visitors to Mount Clemens baths were Henry Ford, William Randolph Hearst, Mae West, Babe Ruth, and European royalty.

Today, you need not travel to a health resort or even a local spa to enjoy the many benefits of hot mineral and herbal baths. All you need is a bath tub, hot water (generally speaking, the hotter the water the better so long as the water is not scalding) and healthy minerals, herbs, etc., either singly or in combination. Some of the most popular ingredients are:

Sea salts, especially ancient sea salts, are loaded with minerals and trace minerals.

Epsom salt relaxes sore muscles and joints and contains magnesium, an essential mineral most of us are deficient in.

Lavender and other essential oils, such as rose and juniper, fight depression and relieve tension and stress.

Baking soda helps neutralize chlorine and is good for muscles and skin.

Citric acid bonds with minerals and, combined with baking soda, makes the mineral bath effervescent.

Witch hazel is antiseptic and good for bruises and skin conditions.

Vinegar is wonderful for the skin and has numerous healing benefits.

Additionally, a number of popular Chinese ingredients are used in healing baths including:

*Water lily pads (stress)
*Oriental wild yam (stress, female problems)
*Du Zhong (knees, joints)
*Osmanthus (stress, depression)
*He Shou Wu (blood, energy, arthritis)
*Flos Lonicerae (blood cooling, heat and toxins removal, skin disease)
*Plantain (skin diseases)
*Radix ginseng (stress)

Tips:

*Keep hydrated and boost your bath benefits with an iced glass of healthy tea and/or juice at your side.
*Hot baths are very relaxing. If you have a large tub, avoid falling asleep. A spa pillow may provide some insurance.
*Where applicable, use water filters designed to remove chlorine and/or fluoride for the healthiest baths.

Tinnitus is a little understood condition and, while many causes have been suggested, there is no general agreement in medical circles on the causes and treatments in medical circles. Inflammation and poor blood flow are considered to be among the primary culprits. Other causes which have been identified or suggested include: wax buildup, fluid in the ear, spongy bone growth in the inner ear (otoslcerosis), low blood pressure, high blood pressure, and a breach of the eardrum.

One of the best ways to help improve circulation and prevent inflammation is getting plenty of healthy physical activity, including moderate exercise. In addition to physical activity, a good plan for relieving and possibly eliminating tinnitus is to eat a healthy diet and take supplements which help reduce inflammation and improve circulation.

An anti-tinnitus diet should be a mostly high protein, nutrient dense diet which includes lots of fresh raw fruits and vegetables. Use healthy items such as coconut, olive oil, grass-fed meat, free range eggs, avocados, nuts/seeds, and non-starchy vegetables as primary fuels every day.

Food items which reduce and protect against inflammation include nutrient and phytonutrient dense fruits & vegetables, healthy fats, and grass-fed/free-range animal products. Choose fruits which are mostly low-sugar and rich in anti-oxidants. Examples include berries, lemons/limes, & grapefruits.

Some of the best meats are non-farmed cold water fish (especially salmon), free range organic chicken, turkey, beef and bison. Do not consume processed meats or meat from animals subject to unhealthy and inhumane feed lot practices. Raw organic goat milk is an excellent nutrient dense food which usually does not have inflammatory properties found in other dairy products.

Herbs which are noted for their anti-inflammatory properties include:

*turmeric
*ginger
*dandelion
*oregano
*garlic
*green tea.

Foods that can aggravate tinnitus are saturated fats, dairy products, sugar, salt, processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods. Avoid coffee, tea, sweets, and alcohol, as these foods can result in low blood sugar.

B vitamins help reduce and prevent inflammation. Vitamin B12 is considered to be essential for combating tinnitus because it is essential for the formation of the myelin sheaths that surround and protect nerve fibers. B12 deficiency can make nerves more susceptible to inflammatory damage. Healthy meats are good sources of B12 and other B vitamins.

As reported by Natural News, the supplement pycnogenol has been shown to be effective against tinnitus for many people. See:

http://www.naturalnews.com/030042_p…

Among other beneficial properties, pycnogenol is a powerful anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants limit free radical damage and the inflammation which such damage can cause. Other powerful anti-oxidant items which have shown powerful effects at enhancing blood supply to the inner ear and reversing symptoms of tinnitus are: grape seed extract, resveratrol, and bilberry.

Other items which can help reduce inflammation, enhance circulation and help treat tinnitus include:

*vitamin E
*zinc
*choline
*EPA
*DHA
*GLA
*ginko biloba (especially when applied as ear drops)
*maidenhair tree extract (applied as ear drops)

Melatonin has been reported in at least one study to help improve tinnitus symptoms and provide better sleep.

Note: Use digestive enzymes and apple cider vinegar to enhance the absorption of proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and supplements.

In the new study just published in the journal Bone, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) found that 12 weeks of daily 30-minute vibration improved bone density around the hip joint, femur and long leg bone in mature mice equal to humans aged 55 to 65. All of the improved density measurements reduce the likelihood of a hip fracture, one of the most common causes of disability in the elderly. The researchers also found a reduction in a biomarker that indicates bone breakdown and an increase in the surface area involved in bone formation in the vibrating group.

The scientists theorize that the rhythmic movement of body vibration exercises cells so they work better. Vibration prompts movement of the cell nucleus, which is suspended by numerous threadlike fibers called filaments. In addition, the movement releases transcription factors that spur new osteoblasts, the cells that make bone. With age, the balance of bone production versus bone loss and destruction tips to the loss side.

"The filaments get all deformed like springs and then they spring back," reported lead researcher Dr. Karl H. Wenger, biomedical engineer in the MCG Schools of Graduate Studies and Medicine.

Doctor Wenger also reported that the vibration technique worked even better on people with slow-healing fractures. In the case of an injury, vibration acts on stem cells, the master controllers of the healing process.

"We think that in fracture healing, you get a more dramatic response. We don't know exactly why it affects the biology differently but it's likely because of the extent to which stem cells invade the injured area," Wenger said.

Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan, including over 10 million cases in the United States, and the incidence is rising rapidly due to our aging population. Between 1990 and 2000, there was nearly a 25% increase in hip fractures worldwide. By 2050, the worldwide incidence of hip fracture in men is projected to increase by 310% and 240% in women.

A 10% loss of bone mass in the vertebrae can double the risk of vertebral fractures, and similarly, a 10% loss of bone mass in the hip can result in a 2.5 times greater risk of hip fracture. Nearly 75% of all hip fractures occur in women and about 25% of hip fractures in people over 50 occurs in men. The combined lifetime risk for hip, forearm and vertebral fractures coming to clinical attention is around 40%, equivalent to the risk for cardiovascular disease

In addition to bone shaking, there are many other natural ways which can help prevent bone density loss, build stronger bones and prevent fractures – and that includes avoiding fluoride and dangerous bone drugs. To find out more about how a healthier diet and lifestyle and key natural foods items, vitamins, minerals and other supplements can help, see:

Though it lacks the cardiovascular benefit of other forms of exercise, studies have shown that whole body vibration can also improve muscle strength and weight loss. For example, one study found that women who dieted and used a vibration machine three times a week lost almost twice as much weight as those who did more conventional exercise, especially stomach weight.

by: Tony Isaacs

(SilverBulletin) The immune system is normally our natural first line of defense against illness and bad health. However, sometimes immune systems function abnormally due to deficiencies and disorders where the body either loses its natural immunity or else the immune system turns against the body it is supposed to protect. In either case, natural immune modulators may provide the key to maintaining a strong and properly functioning immune system.

D3-5
Rose Laurel OPC

Immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. There are more than 80 different immune-deficiency syndromes, including the most common and well-known immune deficiency, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

Mainstream medicine has little understanding and no cure for immunodeficiency and often attempts to manage it through long-term antibiotics. Antibiotics often have dangerous side effects. In addition, long term use of antibiotics destroys the body's beneficial intestinal bacteria which leads to bacterial overgrowth, lowered digestion and absorption of nutrients and ultimately even lower natural immune function.

Autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue due to an inability to distinguish between healthy body tissue and antigens (such as microbial pathogens). The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues.

As is the case with immunodeficiencies, mainstream medicine has little understanding and no cures for autoimmune disorders. In most instances, mainstream medicine employs unnatural immunosuppressive drugs to reduce the immune system response. Besides a number of dangerous side effects such drugs often cause, they also reduce the body's natural immune response to actual illness.

Nature may provide a key for controlling and beating immune disorders in the form of natural immune modulators. Immune modulators can either up-regulate or down-regulate natural immune response as needed, enabling people with immune disorders to have more normalized immune function without the side effects of unnatural medications.

Five powerful natural immune modulators are:

Magnesium

Magnesium is a powerful and essential immune modulator. Known as the "master mineral", magnesium is involved in no fewer than 300 body processes. A deficiency in magnesium has been strongly linked to immune disorders and it has been variously estimated that anywhere from 70 to 95 percent of us are deficient in magnesium.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3, known as the "sunshine vitamin", is essential to life itself. Several studies in recent years have indicated that vitamin D3 is a powerful immune modulator which could be useful against autoimmune disorders. Furthermore, like magnesium, deficiency in D3 has been linked to autoimmune disorders. The best source of D3 is sunshine. When that is not feasible, supplemental D3 can help.

Curcumin

Curcumin is the major component of the common kitchen spice "turmeric". It is a wonderful herb which has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties and it has been shown to inhibit autoimmune disorders. Note: curcumin is ordinarily not very bio-available. Consuming piperine (black pepper) and/or coconut milk may improve absorption somewhat, but the best therapeutic value may be found in curcumin supplements designed for high bio-availability.

Blackseed oil

Blackseed oil (Nigella sativa) is another powerful immunomodulator and it has been used for centuries for a wide variety of illnesses. The prophet Muhammad was reported to have said that blackseed is a "cure for everything but death".

Oleander extract

Oleander is noted as a supreme immune stimulator and for its success against cancer, HIV and other conditions. However, it appears that oleander is also a powerful immune-modulator, with many reports of it helping people with immune disorders. Note: only properly prepared non-toxic supplemental oleander extract should be used since the raw plant is quite toxic.

On February 4th the FDA made an eyebrow-raising decision to give exclusive rights to the generic drug to KV Pharmaceutical after declaring the drug to be an "orphan drug".  As a consequence, low-income mothers and their babies will be put in grave jeopardy and a huge financial burden will be created for the health insurance companies, private citizens, and government programs that have to pay for it

The drug, Hydroxyprogesterone caproate, is a synthetic form of progesterone known commonly as 17P and it has been used since 1956 to prevent premature births.  It is administered as a weekly injection, which means that the price hike for KV’s new Makena drug could bring the total cost during a pregnancy to as much as $30,000.

Doctors say the $30,000 price tag will almost certainly deter low-income women from getting the drug, leading to more premature births. “That’s a huge increase for something that can’t be costing them that much to make”, stated Dr. Roger Snow, deputy medical director for Massachusetts’ Medicaid program. “For crying out loud, this is about making money!”

Dr. Arnold Cohen, an obstetrician at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, observed, “I’ve never seen anything as outrageous as this.”

The non-profit March of Dimes, which has received funding from KV Pharmaceutical and initially supported the company’s New Drug Application, sent a letter to KV “expressing our serious concern about the price of Makena.”

Two senators, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, want the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the price that KV Pharmaceuticals (KVA) is charging for its brand new Makena drug for high-risk pregnancies.  The senators contend that, given that versions of the same drug have been available from compounding pharmacies for many years at a fraction of the cost, the drugmaker, they charge, is engaging in price gouging.

Senator Brown also sent a letter to KV Pharmaceutical asking the company to “immediately reconsider” its pricing. “I am deeply concerned that your company appears to be taking advantage of FDA approval at the expense of women, children and federal and state budgets,” Brown wrote. “By ratcheting up prices, fewer women will be able to afford the drug, increasing rates of preterm birth nationwide. This isn’t in the interest of children, new mothers, or taxpayers.”

Lung issues common with premature births can have lifelong repercussions with an increased propensity toward asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia, among other early birth issues.  In the long run, because of birth complications, the babies will need to be hospitalized for perhaps months, all at the expense of taxpayers.

The Orphan Drug Act is meant to encourage pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for uncommon diseases and conditions.  However 17P treatments were already developed and approved and were already in use for years for a condition that is far from uncommon.

Besides declaring the drug an orphan, the FDA also raised questions by awarding exclusive rights to a company it had previously fined and sanctioned heavily.  Just this month, former KV CEO Mark Hermelin – whom the FDA had essentially banned from the industry last November – pled guilty to overseeing the sale of poorly manufactured and oversized morphine sulfate tablets and other drugs in 2007 and 2008.  He was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail, pay $1 million in fines and forfeit $900,000 in earnings.

Hermelin's sentence comes on the heels of a long list of recalls and violations by KV Pharmaceutical and its subsidiary, Ethex.  KV production was put on hold in 2009 in the United States after the FDA cited the company for selling unadulterated and unapproved drugs.  In 2008, Ethex Corp suspended manufacturing and shipments for all products after several generic drug recalls due to mislabeled drugs.

In November KV shareholders filed suit for being misled.  That same month, the company announced that it would be relying on on a NYSE financial distress exception in order to sell stocks and secure funding to help it stay afloat.

However, with help from the FDA the company has more than rebounded. Company stock rose 131% the day after the FDA announced awarding KV exclusive rights to 17P (which will be marketed under the trade name Makena). KV stock, which had been as low as 61 cents a share last year, ultimately reached a high of over $13.

The fine and the light jail sentence for Hermelin comes amid increased pressure from critics of the FDA and pharmaceutical companies to levy real criminal consequences against drug company executives, as opposed to simply fining the companies.  Hermelin's fine may have been covered via stock sales by a “beneficial owner” relative.  Records show that on the third of March, Arnold L. Hermilin sold 100,000 shares of KV stock at over $10 per share.  Under federal securities law “Beneficial owner” is a term which can be used for a person who has the power to dispose of stock held in another name.

Not surprisingly, the backlash over the unconscionable price hike has been significant – so much that KV hired the public relations firm Golin Harris to handle the mess.  Jennifer Forst from Golin Harris writes: “Ther-Rx Corporation [a subsidiary of KV] announced the list price of Makena at $1,500 per injection. A patient’s out-of-pocket costs (copay) for Makena will likely be substantially less than the list price and will vary based on her health insurance provider and her insurance benefit design.” In other words, insurance, which consumers and companies pay for via premiums and taxes, will have to pick up the whole tab.

Though the actions against Hermelin and past actions against KV may play well with the public, one has to wonder:  On balance, did either KV Pharmaceutical or Hermelin really pay a price?
Fortunately for natural health-conscious consumers, there are natural progesterone products which are safe, effective and less costly than even the generic progesterone shots.

Sources included:

http://www.anh-usa.org/fda-turned-a-ten-dollar-treatment-into-money-maker/
http://blogs.forbes.com/davidwhelan/2011/03/11/is-kv-pharmaceutical-a-flat-out-evil-company/
http://seekingalpha.com/article/259085-kv-pharmaceuticals-under-federal-scrutiny-for-price-gouging
http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/oversized-morphine-recall-jail-time-drug-executive-16810/
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/12/01/daily50.html
http://www.thestreet.com/story/10924884/1/k-v-pharmaceutical-company-announces-reliance-on-financial-distress-exception-to-nyses-shareholder-approval-policy.html
http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/insiderTrading?symbol=KVa.N

For example, the following inexpensive suggestions cover just about all the bases for eliminating existing cancer and keeping it at bay:

*Eat the flaxseed/cottage cheese combo which is an integral part of the highly successful Budwig Diet protocol. Note: be sure to use small curd cottage cheese to come closer to the original quark Budwig used. If you are a bit of a do-it-yourself type, you can also make your own healthy quark cheese at home with a bit of effort. See:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029990_q…

*Eat lots of raw minced garlic and lots of hot peppers – either cayenne or habanero.

*Eat a mostly raw, mostly vegetable diet and be sure to include lots of cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. See:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029420_b…

*Consume much of your vegetables in juiced form. Juiced vegetables are key components of many successful natural cancer protocols, most notably the Gerson protocol.

*Avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, white bread/bleached flour and fast foods, junk foods, micro-waved foods, processed meat products and processed foods in general.

*Take lots of the inexpensive spice turmeric, which contains the cancer fighting adaptogen curcumin. Curcumin is also a very good natural anti-inflammatory. Note: curcumin is not absorbed very well, but you can increase absorption by also taking coconut milk and/or black pepper along with it.

*One must-take supplement is milk thistle, which is essential for maintaining good liver health. This is needed to handle an increased toxic load on the liver due to cancer cell die-off.

*Do coffee enemas once or more each day. Coffee enemas help open up the bile ducts so that toxins can be eliminated more efficiently. They also greatly increase glutathione production and help relieve pain.

*Parsley, chlorella, cilantro, dandelion root and apple pectin all help bind and eliminate toxins, especially heavy metals.

*In addition to regular direct sunshine also try to get plenty of indirect sunlight in the eyes daily. In the summer of 1959, fifteen cancer patients at Bellevue Medical Center were instructed to stay outdoors as much as possible without wearing glasses or sunglasses. By autumn, the tumors in 14 of 15 had not grown, and some patients had gotten better. The one patient that didn't have good results had not fully understood the instructions and had continued to wear prescription glasses.

*Eat plenty of dark seeded grapes (preferably organic), seeds and all. Grape seed extract is a known immune booster, antioxidant and cancer fighter. One cancer fighting protocol calls for doing only two things: fasting and eating dark seeded grapes.

*Oleander is a very powerful cancer-fighter and immune booster, especially when combined with an overall anti-cancer lifestyle and other key cancer fighting and immune boosting items. Though it is available in supplement form, you can also make your own extremely effective oleander extract at home for just pennies

The ancient Egyptians discovered that vanilla beans would cure a headache almost every time regardless of how serious the duration or intensity. Though they did not discover why vanilla worked, they found that it was three times more effective than their previous best treatment, turmeric.

One headache sufferer reported that nothing had worked for his constant headaches of 40 years until he turned to vanilla. He drank a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract in 8 ounces of water before going to bed, and the next morning the usual headache pain was only half its normal intensity. Two days later it was gone completely and hasn't returned in over a year.

If vanilla does not do the trick, here are some other natural headache remedies to try:

General Headaches

* Dull a tension headache by massaging a few drops of peppermint essential oil into your temples. Peppermint appears to prevent your body from sending pain signals to your central nervous system. According to one German study, peppermint works as well as 1,000 mg of acetaminophen.
* Mix one teaspoon of finely ground cinnamon (called dalchini in India) in one teaspoon water and apply to the forehead. This remedy can be very effective for headaches caused by exposure to cold air.
* Lying down in a dark room, and perhaps getting an hour or two of sleep, will almost always make you feel better.

Migraine Headaches

* To prevent and relieve migraines, grind a 1 inch piece of ginger root and add to an eight ounce glass of fruit juice; drink once daily. For more immediate relief take the piece of ginger root and chew on it. Ginger extract can also be used. Note: Ginger has quite the hot, spicy flavor but can offer quick migraine relief.
* Magnesium deficiency can cause migraines. Up to 95% of us are deficient in magnesium and taking 250 mg or more per day may be just the ticket to relieve migraines.
* Taking a hot shower followed by a cold shower of five minutes each, as hot and as cold as you can stand them, may relieve migraines in as little as 20 minutes. While you are in the shower, think pleasant thoughts and remind yourself that everything is OK and so are you.
* Grind lemon peels and apply as a paste on the forehead. Migraine cures using this remedy has been found very effective and long lasting by many.
* Use one of the following mixtures:
– 1) Mix 200 ml of spinach juice with 300 ml of carrot juice.
– 2) Mix 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices with 300 ml of carrot juice.
* Drink 2 tablespoons of vinegar
* Grind fresh ripe dark grapes and drink the pure juice.
* Blessed thistle, cayenne, chamomile, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, lobelia, thyme, and wood betony have all been used separately and in combination for migraines.

Sinus Headaches

* Eat a jalapeno pepper as soon as possible to help drain the sinuses and relieve the headache.
* Peppermint steam inhalation acts as a decongestant and can quickly relieve sinus headaches.
* Make a paste from dry ginger with a little water or milk and apply to the forehead.
* Take 10-15 basil leaves, 4 cloves and one teaspoon dried ginger, grind into a paste and apply to the forehead.
* Try a hot footbath along with a cold compress on the forehead.

*For deep coughs, nebulize with superior colloidal or ionic silver and lobelia (five parts colloidal silver to one part lobelia) as well as take colloidal silver internally. You can make the nebulizer combination even more effective by adding one part mullein extract.

*Mullein is a very useful herb for coughing. It can be taken internally as well as nebulized in extract form.

*Use neti pots. Many people have found relief from coughs by using saline solution in neti pots.

*Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) may be best known as a candy, but as a tea it can lick a lingering cough. Steep a licorice root tea bag or one teaspoon of the loose dried root in one cup boiling hot water for five minutes, and drink up to three mugs of it throughout the day. Your cough should improve right away, but you can continue to drink three cups a day for up to three days. Licorice can raise your blood pressure, so don't drink it if you have hypertension or diabetes.

*Make your own wild cherry cough syrup and decongestant. Cover the bottom of a crock pot with wild cherry bark and add enough honey to cover the bark. Set the crock pot at the lowest setting; then, cover and let the mixture cook for two days, stirring occasionally. After two days, strain the mixture and use the syrup as a cough syrup and/or decongestant.

*Boil Thyme leaves and make thyme Tea. This will help stop the cough from tickling you and from waking you up.

*Try this almond paste remedy: Soak almonds overnight. Remove their skin. Make a paste of the almonds with a bit of butter and sugar (organic unrefined sugar is best). This remedy can be especially useful for a dry cough.

*Make a hot tea with lemon and raspberry jam and then drink plentiful amounts of it throughout the day.

*Drink hot organic milk with honey at bedtime for nighttime cough relief.

*Herbal cough syrup made from yarrow extract can be very effective and can often be found at health and supplement outlets.

*An odd sounding home cough remedy is this one: Sprinkle sugar (organic unrefined is best) on one tablespoon of butter and eat it. Sounds odd, but many report it usually does the trick.

*Though perhaps not completely "natural", the combination of alcohol spirits, lemon and honey often works well for eliminating and relieving coughs. Mix four ounces of honey (especially locally produced raw clover honey), four tablespoons of lemon juice and a shot glass of spirits. Take a tablespoon at a time as needed. As one person who was told of this remedy observed, "either my cough will either get better or I will cease to care about it!" (His cough got better)

The medical term for shingles is "herpes zoster". After having chickenpox, the virus becomes dormant in nerve tissue – but can be reactivated years later as shingles. Shingles are most common in adults between 60 and 80 years old and those with weakened immune systems.

Shingles spreads through the skin as a rash or blister similar to chicken-pox. It is associated with grueling pain, itchiness, burning sensation and sometimes even numbness. Once the blisters burst open they can often be healed within a week or two, leaving behind light scars which will soon disappear.

While shingles may not be a deadly disease, it can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, such as those suffering from HIV, those getting mainstream cancer treatments and those who have organ transplants.

When shingles rash appears on the cheek or near the eyes, it is important to get prompt medical attention, as shingles in the eyes can cause temporary or permanent loss of vision.

To avoid shingles outbreaks:

*Build and maintain a strong natural immune system. See:

http://www.naturalnews.com/028093_l…

*Get plenty of rest.

*Avoid and manage stress.

A good combination for getting rid of shingles is colloidal silver, proteolytic enzymes and olive leaf extract.

Colloidal silver is an extremely effective pathogen destroyer which can be taken internally as well as applied topically. Recent studies have found that: 1) Colloidal silver attaches itself to viruses and prevents them from replicating and 2) There are specific silver receptors on human nerve tissue – the location where the shingles virus "hides out".

Proteolytic enzymes are produced naturally by the pancreas to help digest the protein, and they are reported to be able to strip away the protective outer layers and heads of viruses. These enzymes are found in certain foods, such as papaya and pineapple, and are also available in supplement form.

In a German study, 96 people with shingles took proteolytic enzymes for 14 days and another 96 people with shingles took acyclovir, a standard antiviral medication. Both groups experienced similar pain relief and skin improvement. The group taking proteolytic enzymes had significantly fewer side effects.

Olive leaf extract is a very effective anti-viral that has been reported to conquer viruses that mainstream medicine considers impossible to eliminate, such as Hepatitis-C. One patient who had suffered from shingles for nine years reported experiencing complete relief within two days after beginning to use olive leaf extract.

According to the research, which was published in the February issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, eating a bowl of spinach every day makes your muscles "profoundly" more efficient. Researchers found that eating 300g spinach reduced the amount of oxygen needed to power muscles when exercising by as much as five percent.

The ingredients which make spinach work so well are the nitrates found abundantly in spinach. Nitrates make the mitochondria, the "engine rooms" of cells, more efficient.

"It is like a fuel additive for your muscles – it makes them run much more smoothly and efficiently," said the lead author Dr Eddie Weitzberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

In the study, Dr Wietzberg fed people the pure nitrate supplements equivalent to the amount in a plate of spinach every day for three days. At the beginning and end of the experiment participants pedaled strenuously on an exercise bike while their oxygen intake was measured via a tube to the mouth. At the end of three days, the difference in energy intake was found to be between three and five per cent – which is considered to be a significant amount.

Originally it was thought that the iron content of spinach made it a power-food. Now scientists have found that it is nitrates which are the true energy-boosting ingredient found in spinach and other green leafy vegetables.

"We know that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but the active nutrients haven't been clear," said Dr Weitzberg, who also added: "It is a profound and significant effect. It just shows that Popeye was right."

Previously Prof Weitzberg and colleague Professor Jon Lundberg demonstrated that dietary nitrate increases levels of nitric oxide in the body with the help of friendly bacteria. Nitric oxide helps open up blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and improves circulation. Nitrates appear to help stop the loss of energy in the mitochondria due to heat loss, making the cell – and thus the muscle – more efficient.

The new study shows yet another benefit of nitrate and the nitric oxides that stem from them; however, questions do remain. While the new study results show that increased dietary nitrate can have a rather immediate effect, it is not clear what might happen in people who consume higher levels of inorganic nitrate over longer periods of time.

It is likely much healthier to consume nitrates and other beneficial items by eating fresh vegetables and plants (sorry Popeye, but canned spinach is much inferior to fresh spinach). When you get valuable nutrients from whole food sources, you not only get the natural organic form of such items, but also get all the supporting compounds found in the natural source.

Best of all would be to consume spinach and other produce which is certified organic. In addition to having far less of the common pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals found in non-organic vegetables, organic produce is usually much more nutritious – an important consideration in today's mineral-depleted soils.

As natural health authority Jon Barron noted in his book "Lessons from the Miracle Doctors", a bowl of spinach our grandmothers ate had eight times the nutrition in the typical bowl we eat today.