Your Life-Your Choice ISSN 1488-0253 March, 2001 Issue 70 Letter From the Editor In case you've been too busy to notice, the sun is getting brighter, the days are getting longer and Spring is definitely upon us. Although this fresh, new season is filled with beauty and splendor, it is a constant struggle for those who suffer from environmental allergies. All types of allergies are a reflection of an impaired immune system. There are several issues that can cause this, which is a discussion deserving of an entire article in itself. However, to properly heal an allergy, you need to treat the cause as well as the symptom. Logically, it is necessary to identify the culprit and (if possible) remove it from your diet or environment. Meanwhile it's imperative that you build up your immune system, and purge your body of toxins. In most cases, a combination of therapies proves to be the most successful in treating allergies. Among the therapies that have proven to be most effective are Diet & Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture, Ayurvedic Medicine, and Homeopathy. Often a person suffering from allergies is also the victim of digestive disorders. These must be corrected before any significant improvement can occur in the treatment of allergies. Remember to always consult your health care practitioner before changing your diet or health care regime. Some herbs may cause havoc with other medications you're taking or health issues you may have. Echinacea is a tremendous immune enhancing supplement. Garlic has well documented health effects including enhancing the immune system through stimulation of natural killer cell activity. Bee Pollen is helpful for people with allergies because, aside from containing all the nutrients the human body needs, it also strengthens the immune system. Some people, an estimated 0.05% of the population, may be allergic to bee pollen, so caution should be taken. It is best to try taking a small amount in the beginning (1 or 2 granules) and gradually build yourself up to about 1 tsp every day. Astragalus Root, Golden Seal Root, and Brazilian Ginseng are herbs geared to strengthening the immune system. Nettle is a well known remedy for hay fever and other allergies. It helps relieve inflammation caused by allergic reactions and clears congestion in the nose and chest. Ephedra has been used for more that 4,000 years to treat asthma and upper respiratory infections. This is a decongestant which can relieve stuffy nose, watery eyes, and other cold and allergy symptoms. It may also relieve headaches. CAUTION: Do not use this herb if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, or thyroid disease unless under the supervision of your doctor. Do not exceed recommended dose. If you are pregnant or nursing, check with your doctor before using any ephedra preparations. Acupuncture is highly successful in restoring the immune system. Because of this, Acupuncture and Acupressure both have much to contribute to a person afflicted with allergies. Often tremendous success can be seen with only a few treatments. Ayurvedic Medicine directs its' focus on the digestive system and works towards repairing this aspect. The digestive system is responsible for eliminating toxins from our bodies. If this is impaired and your body becomes overwhelmed with toxins, it will react with health issues like allergies and asthma. Ayurvedic Medicine encourages a rotation diet in these instances. A combination of diet and herbs are the treatment of choice with this modality. Homeopathy works on the principal that exposing the body to small, diluted doses of the substance that a person is allergic to will encourage the body to heal itself. This modality involves a variety of factors and takes into consideration the entire patient and every aspect of their health. Homeopathy also shares a high degree of success in dealing with allergies. Regardless of which avenue you decide to pursue, make sure you see a practitioner qualified in that field. Your health is too important to leave in the hands of anyone else. Until next time, the best of health to you. Sources: Alternative Medicine; The Definitive Guide Herbal Knowledge - Clive Buchanan Earl Mindell's Herb Bible Brigitte Synesael Editor of Your Life-Your Choice Make it your business to be informed! No one cares more about you than YOU. http://www.Life-Choices.com =========================================== ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE: 1. "Healer, Heal Thyself...First" 2. Top Dog - Multi-Minerals for Prevention 3. Tea Tips - Study Shows Green Tea May Reduce Effects of Arthritis 4. Nutrition and Peak Performance *** Please rate this Ezine at the Cumuli Ezine Finder. http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/info/default.ldml?pub_code=alterh =========================================== Section 1 "Healer, Heal Thyself...First" by Laurel Duran, CMT http://www2.amigo.net/bluecord Recently I searched the Internet for health insurance plans that cover CAMS (Complementary and Alternative Medical Services, specifically: massage therapy and bodywork, nutritional counseling, acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathic care, herbal remedies, natural chelation therapy and biofeedback). In the process, I was surprised to find that with one exception, insurance company websites do not provide any space for the visitor to ask her own questions or make requests for specific health care coverages. Each company I researched had already decided what questions their visitors would need to ask and they provided answers to those. With just one exception, none of these companies mentioned anything about CAMS. That single exception was a comprehensive plan offered to us Complementary and Alternative Medical Service professionals ourselves! While my overall findings reflect an unfortunate state of affairs for the general public, as a professional Massage Therapist I am fascinated to see that we not only provide others with our holistic CAM services, but we have so much personal conviction about holistic healing methods that we are ensuring - or "insuring" - that our own medical plan gives us CAM coverage. This trend brings me to important questions about health care providers: When you are selecting a health care professional, do you factor THEIR personal health into your choice? If your health care professional suffers from chronically "incurable" health problems, would you be less confident about their ability to help you heal from your own health problems? I personally find great truth in the words "Healer, heal thyself" because health care professionals are only capable of giving you what they themselves believe in. Whatever information they pass on to you must first pass through the filter of agreement with their personal belief system before it reaches you. If for example, an allopathic medical doctor suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and migraine headaches, she might self-prescribe an array of medications to "control" each of her problems. Each medication brings several side effects with it, and because her medical training centers around prescribing medicines, she self-prescribes additional medications to counteract those side effects. Her "personal health" routine revolves around taking a variety of pills throughout the day which help her cope with physical, mental and emotional limitations. Because her medical training in the United States did NOT include nutrition and definitely did not even suggest there are mental connections to physical illness, her belief system provides little hope for any help beyond a complicated regime of "pain management" and non-curative adaptations to an uncomfortable life. If she decides to stray from such a limited health care belief system, she is very likely to be ridiculed by colleagues and left without medical insurance coverage for whatever alternative health care modalities she chooses, paying out of pocket for such services just as her patients must. When faced with a desire to truly heal herself, such a physician would, in my opinion, have plenty of emotional cause for the exhausting internal battle against Nature that is resulting in her chronic fatigue, depression and headaches! In her medical practice, when a female patient seeks help in dealing with the downward emotional spirals that wash over her while she passes her days at an extremely unfulfilling job and in an unfulfilling marriage, the doctor can only prescribe "antidepressant medication to stay focused" because that is what she believes in for herself. She was never trained to consider that our emotions are a powerful tool serving as a life compass, letting us know when we've veered off course. In fact, in medical school she was taught that emotions are harmful, obstructive and must be controlled by purely rational science. This example is taken from a real client's life, and as her Massage Therapist my best offerings of help during massage include first and foremost, honoring the negative emotions contained in her headaches, fatigue and depression that are desperately trying to surface and heal her. Secondly, I encourage her to learn about her own nutritional deficiencies and to supplement them. And like an umbrella of support over all her self-healing work, I remind her that when she places healing HERSELF as her number one priority in life, the positive, self-empowering effects of this commitment to personal integrity will shed healing power onto her patients too! It is by walking her talk that she heals herself, and it can only have a positive effect on her patients. As an alternative health care professional who healed herself of quadriplegia, I cannot overemphasize the importance of every health care worker putting their own health FIRST on their list of life priorities. Without the grounded power of personal conviction, our healing service to others may become mindless rituals that hold no enduring value. Just as much for my own good as for my clients', "Healer, heal thyself...first" continues to be my number one responsibility in life! ----- Read about Laurel Duran on our Meet the Team page; http://www.Life-Choices.com/team.html ******************************************* Our sponsors make this newsletter FREE to subscribers. Please take a moment to visit them. ******************************************* Free Super Spectrim - For Youth, Health, Vitality and Happiness - the world's most scientific and nutritionally advanced supplement available. Based on Dr. Anthony Pescetti's ("the Father of Time Release" and Nobel Prize Winner) original formula. 12-hour time release. Experience the difference today! Visit us at www.superspectrim.com ********************************************* WEIGHT LOSS MYSTERIES REVEALED! A new research report shows that food is often NOT the reason you have trouble losing weight. Learn the secrets of successful weight loss. Order now and receive a free gift with every report. http://www.diets-dont-work.com/?ylyc ********************************************* Section 2 Top Dog - Multi-Minerals for Prevention Signs of mineral deficiency in your pet. Dry brittle hair, poor growth, mental confusion, irritability, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, urinary problems, depression, allergies, skin disorders, nervousness, muscular weakness, poor digestion, tooth decay, poor metabolism and heart irregularities. Wow! lots of reasons to give your pet a well balanced formula with a blend of absorbable trace minerals, and vitamins everyday. Our pets bodies run on minerals and trace minerals. Every pet needs a Maintenance Dose everyday. Combine Multi-Min with SENIORS TONIC for the older pets, watch their energy levels pick up. A liquid formula means no more hiding pills in a piece of meat or cheese, just mix the drops in your pets food. An added bonus is that the assimilation factor is so much greater. ----- Do you have a specific question about your pet's health that you would like to have an answer to? Talk to our TOP DOG. http://www.life-choices.com/cj/pet.html *************************************** Section 3 Tea Tips- Study Shows Green Tea May Reduce Effects of Arthritis Ongoing studies by a research team at Case Western, reported in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are suggesting a link between consumption of green tea and reduced incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers, who have been conducting the study on laboratory mice, have focused their inquiry on the polyphenols (antioxidants) present in green tea. The study also provides evidence "that mice fed green tea polyphenols were significantly less susceptible to the development of collagen-induced arthritis, and if they developed arthritis, the disease was late in onset and mild in comparison to mice not given green tea polyphenols," reports the Journal of Chinese Medicine. Source: Journal of Chinese Medicine, October 1999 Thousand Cranes Tea http://www.life-choices.com/cj/tea.html *************************************** Our sponsors make this newsletter FREE to subscribers. Please take a moment to visit them. *************************************** The NutriCounter can help you to lose weight quickly, moderately, or slowly and be able to stay with it literally forever. You will look great, feel great, and be healthier than ever! And you will still be eating the foods you love! You WILL get the results you are looking for. Guaranteed or your money back - no questions asked. http://life-choices.com/cj/nutricounter.html *************************************** Awaken your creativity. Eliminate mental fatigue. Relieve tension. Our pure essential oils address your lifestyle needs through therapeutic aromatherapy. We manufacture the purest aromatherapy body care products available. Our products are made with uncompromising quality, using the highest grade therapeutic essential oils from around the world. Our products do not contain mineral oil, artificial coal tar dyes, or synthetic scents. Adorn the goddess within, and create a euphoric effect on the soul. http://life-choices.com/cj/spa.html *************************************** Section 4 Nutrition and Peak Performance Dr. John H. Maher, Editor "Longevity News" Your FREE Anti-Aging Prescription On-line. RxforWellness.com The most important "nutrient" for performance is water. Training athletes should consume .66 oz. of H2O for every pound of body weight. A diet that supports healing, repair and growth is 5 small, balanced, well chewed meals a day. A balanced meal means approximately 20 to 30% protein, 20 to 30 % fat, and 40 to 60% carbohydrates. Training athletes should consume 1 gm of protein per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body weight. Body builders might consume 1 gram per pound! Whey protein is an excellent way to add protein without adding fat and carbohydrate. Soy protein isolates have many anti-aging and cancer inhibiting effects. Lots of low starch fruits and vegetables adds anti-oxidants. Those who exercise and train need extra amounts. Adding a top of the line mega multi-vitamin/mineral , iron free (unless a menstruating female) as excess iron is a pro-oxidant and therefore excellerates aging. Adding creatine, an important amino acid for muscle energy, improves muscle size, anaerobic endurance, reaction time and speed. Creatine hydrates muscle so it is very important to drink lots of water to prevent cramping. Loading with 10 to 20 grams for a week, then cutting to 3 to 10 grams a day, is the best pattern, being sure to take with lots of carbohydrates, like fruit juice to maximize muscle uptake. Body builders and hard training athletes might consider the additional amino acids glutamine and taurine, the two most abundant protein building blocks in muscle. Two grams of glutamine with 200 mg of niacin will increase human growth hormone by four fold briefly and is great 1/2 hour before exercise. Before sleep is another excellent time to spike HGH levels. L-carnitine, 1 to 4 gm a day is the supplement of choice for endurance athletes. It supports fat burning and re-cycles lactic acid. DHEA and androstenedione are two precursors to the most powerful anabolic (body-building) steroid, testosterone. Unfortunately, this can lead to abuse by the young, whose hormones are usually already out of control! However, those over 40 will often find their performance, energy, speed, recovery and lean body mass improve greatly with proper supplementation. This is because the levels of anabolic hormones like HGH and testosterone start to decline at about 30 years old. ----- Read about Dr. Maher on our Meet the Team page; http://www.Life-Choices.com/team.html //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Disclaimer All material appearing in this newsletter is provided for educational purposes only. It is provided with the understanding that authors and contributors are not offering medical advice or services. We strongly encourage you to consult with your own physician regarding any recommendations with respect to your own medical condition. Advertisement in the Your Life- Your Choice newsletter does not indicate endorsement on our part. 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