Fall Tips for Health and Well Being
E-newsletter #5
Hi everyone,
Here is my newest e-newsletter offering. I hope you enjoy it. I try to make it very pertinent to current news, and, I invite you to give me input regarding your own concerns. If you would like me to address any particular topic, please feel free to call me at (925) 603-7300. Thank you very much and ENJOY!
Flu shots
Someone asked me today what I thought of flu shots. I told them I had no interest in ever getting one because:
1- they are based on a calculated guess as to which strains of flu are going to occur any given year. The resulting vaccine is only a guess.
2- I don’t really like shots. Even puncturing the skin in homeopathic terms can cause problems.
3- Even the nasal vaccine which bypasses needles can still be remarkably ineffective.
4- There is an alternative which is inexpensive and very effective, tastes great and is easy to use. What is it? Oscillococcinum. Yup; I have brought this up before. I have not changed my mind. Now with more drugs, vaccines, etc. being pulled by the FDA, my suggestion of the use of Oscillococcinum is even stronger this year. If you have any questions please call me.
If you want some of this homeopathic medicine please let me know. If you purchase some at a health food store take a dose now and each month for the winter’s duration. Please repeat the dose any time you feel a cold or flu coming on. You should be able to get through the winter on one box of the homeopathic ($8-$12). There is no need to take a whole vial of it; a capful is all you need for one dose and each vial holds several doses. Be well!!!
New test for Cervical cancer
I saw on the news recently there is a new test for cervical cancer – a wonderful development. Two new studies are out regarding a DNA test which is 95% accurate, though not as accurate for younger women. It has a higher level of false positives than the traditional Pap smear, but it is overall much more accurate. According to Reuters Oct. 3, 2007, a DNA test for HPV helps detect potentially dangerous lesions earlier than the commonly used Pap smear technique, Dutch researchers indicate that the test could mean fewer screenings for women and ensure that they receive earlier treatment for lesions that might lead to cancer, according to the journal Lancet.
“It is a better test because you pick up more lesions,” said Chris Meijer, a pathologist at VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam. “And because you pick them up earlier, you have more time to treat the women.”
The Contra Costa Times ran an article about the same subject just the next day. It stated that a combination of tests, the standard Pap smear and an HPV screening, together, improve the chances of early cervical cancer detection, significantly. HPV is Human Papilloma virus – a few of its 13 types cause cervical cancer. A large study of more than 12,000 women found that the combination of tests detected 51% more cancers than the Pap test alone. The combination test is suggested for women over 30, every 3 years. Women under 30, and those using only one test should be tested every year or two, according to the American Cancer Society.
Risks of heart disease
I read in the weekly USA weekend about risks for heart disease. Are you familiar with these?
1- Sugar – According to Stephen T. Sinatra, a board-certified cardiologist and co-author of Reverse Heart Disease Now: sugar inflames the blood vessels, which leads to increased clotting, prediabetic insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity. What you can do: Avoid high glycemic foods, maintain a trim waist size (38” for men and 32” for women) and eat a high-fiber diet.
2- Fats – Fats belong to three groups: “the good (mono and polyunsaturated), the bad (saturated) and the enemy (trans fats). What you can do: Read food labels, include good fats (wild Alaskan salmon, walnuts) as 30% of your calories and eliminate trans fats.
3- Toxic blood: Blood-thickening elements age you from the inside out are a very significant cardiovascular risk factor, especially for women. What you can do: Have your blood checked for elevated homocysteine, lipoprotein a, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen.
I suggest everyone who is worried about current high LDL, VLDL or triglyceride levels or who has a family history of heart disease take a comprehensive cardiovascular assessment. I have talked about this test before; it is a wonderful tool for determining your risk of coronary artery disease. It can put your worries to rest and/or give you guidance in preventing high risk heart conditions.
The FDA and OTC cold medications for young children
About the same time the above events were showing up in the media, the FDA was advised by an expert panel of pediatricians that cold medications were not helpful or safe for children less than 6 years of age. Two weeks after the FDA urged a ban on cold and cough medicine for use on children under 6, the drug industry voluntarily removed the medications for use on children under 2 years of age.
The whole upset came in response to 54 reported deaths due to decongestant use and 69 related to antihistamine use between 1969 and 2006. A majority of the deaths were of children under 2.
Response was sudden and strong in parents upset by the drugs removal. They felt helpless in the face of their children’s illnesses. An article in the Contra Costa Times subsequent to the first recall of the OTC drugs, suggested alternatives to the drugs. They were very familiar to me, as I have used these medicines for years. I find them to be very effective, very quickly and painlessly, for even the youngest of children. It is gratifying that we have such a large armamentarium available when drugs fail or are recalled. If you would like further information about treating children naturally please feel free to call me (925) 603-7300. There are many medicines available for all of the conditions that can plague young children.
Shingles
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children (varicella zoster virus, or VZV). It remains in the body for decades, sort of sleeping in nerve cells along the spinal column. VZV is a herpes virus that can be reactivated when a person’s immunity declines with age, disease, or immunity-suppressing drugs. When reactivated, the virus causes a rash and pain, on one side of the body, in one area. The lesions are blistery and very painful. They can travel to the face, and into the eyes — where they can impair vision and even cause blindness.
Recently the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel voted to make the new shingles vaccination routine for all Americans 60 and older. About 20% of the people who have had chickenpox eventually will get shingles. A person who lives to be 85 has a 50% chance of getting shingles. In about a third of cases, shingles turns into a very painful condition called postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN.
The new vaccine, called Zostavax, won FDA approval last May. A major clinical trial shows the vaccine to be about 51% effective in reducing shingles symptoms. It reduces painful PHN by at least two-thirds.
Fortunately, there are other ways to treat these conditions. In the homeopathic world there a small number of medicines that can very quickly remove the pain and dry up the lesions of Shingles, and even treat PHN. The last person I worked with who had Shingles was an older woman in a board and care facility. She relatively quickly improved from the initial Shingles episode and then from the PHN that occurred. There are alternatives to drugs, vaccines and surgery. They are very effective – please check them out if you or your loved ones are diagnosed with this bothersome condition. It is remarkable how quickly it can become a thing of the past with effective treatment.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is fast approaching and if you are anything like me, you won’t even be reading this until after the big event. First, I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you will be celebrating with family and/or friends and have a wonderful meal!!
The tendency with a big celebratory meal like Thanksgiving is to overeat. I have been there myself on more than one occasion. A simple home remedy is to burn some toast and take the blackened portion (a simple form of charcoal). It will pull any toxic material out of your gastrointestinal system and allow you to feel a lot better. A less unusual treatment is drinking a simple cup of peppermint tea. Indian restaurants offer fennel seeds after a meal (it helps break up intestinal gas). Another solution is to take the homeopathic medicine Nux vomica (30C is a good choice). Take one dose of 3 pellets, once, and watch for results. If you feel better, stop. If you don’t feel better, wait and repeat the dose in 2 hours. If you get better, then worsen, repeat the dose. For simple overindulgence (eating or drinking) Nux vomica is the premier remedy. Although it is best to not overeat, you are covered, should it occur. So, eat freely and enjoy!!
Ellen Potthoff, D.C., N.D. (925) 603-7300
Ellen Potthoff, D.C., N.D., Health Educator
Using the healing power of Nature to bring people
health, happiness and peace of mind.
(925) 603-7300
