Guess How Many Side Effects the Average Pharmaceutical Drug has

Jonathan Cho | Natural News

Image: naturalnews.com

It’s become a running joke that every pharmaceutical drug commercial ends with a quickly spoken laundry list of side effects that are often worse than the condition itself that the drug is supposed to treat.  That laundry list, however, is actually much longer than what’s stated on commercials.

A study found that the average drug is labeled with 70 negative side effects on average.  More disconcerting, the most commonly prescribed drugs averaged 100 negative side effects each, with antiviral drugs, antidepressants, restless leg syndrome drugs and Parkinson’s disease medications topping out the pharmaceuticals with the largest number of side effects.

Many of these listed side effects are very unlikely to occur.  However, because many drugs often go to market without adequate independent testing, pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in ensuring that they have a form of legal protection against lawsuits filed by people who suffered as of yet unknown drug-related harms.

Due to the plethora of natural, side-effect free alternatives, which often work more effectively than the drugs themselves, it can be prudent to compare all the available options before turning to prescription medication. Independent, scientific studies have been conducted on the vast majority of natural supplements on various aspects of health, and the results are widely available with a simple internet search.

 Sources:
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/drugs-average-70-negative-side-effects-each/

http://www.livescience.com/14293-drug-label-side-effects.html

http://naturalsociety.com/drug-labels-contain-70-negative-side-effects-on-average/

How to Heal Your Thyroid Naturally

Carly Fraser | LiveLoveFruit.com

Image: itsnotthegoodkind.blogspot.com

Can you really heal your thyroid with proper diet, exercise and stress maintenance? The answer is yes! When individuals are told they have hypo- or hyperthyroidism, the “only option” available to them by their doctors is drugs – these drugs also come with nasty side effects like heart palpitations, nervousness, insomnia, tremors, frequent bowel movements, discomfort in warm weather, and osteoporosis (bone thinning as a result of taking high medication doses for long periods of time).

How does the thyroid work? The thyroid sits in the front of the neck and is responsible for secreting proper amounts of thyroid hormone. The thyroid is incredibly important because it effects every cell in the human body by helping to increase or decrease the metabolic activity of the cells.

There are a variety of causes as to why your thyroid might be malfunctioning. Below are some of these causes:

Nutrient Deficiencies:
Chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12

Medications:
Beta blockers, birth control pills, estrogen, iodinated contrast agents, lithium, phytoin, steroids, theophylline

Nutrition:
Cruciferous vegetables, soy

Other:
Aging, alcohol, lipoic acid, diabetes, fluoride, lead, mercury, obesity, pesticides, radiation, stress, surgery

How can you fix your thyroid naturally?
Improving your overall health through eating properly and ruling out adrenal fatigue is the first step to helping your thyroid heal on its own, naturally. In addition, ensuring adequate sleep, recovery from any kind of exercise and proper stress reduction techniques are all critical in improving thyroid function.

Here are SIX STEPS to help your thyroid start functioning at it’s optimal best:

Foods You Should Be Consuming:
Seaweeds
Seaweed products like nori, kelp, dulse, wakame, etc. are very high in iodine which is what a lot of individuals with thyroid problems are lacking. Iodine is essential for proper thyroid functioning because it helps the thyroid gland produce the hormone thyroxin which regulates our metabolism.

Selenium-rich Foods
A major contributor to thyroid problems is a lack of selenium. This mineral keeps the various hormones produced by the thyroid gland in balance. Foods rich in selenium include garlic, kelp, onion, sunflower and sesame seeds as well as brazil nuts!

Essential Fatty Acids
To help out our metabolism, it is important to eat foods rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. This includes things such as leafy green vegetables, nuts (i.e., walnuts), pumpkin & sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and avocado. Don’t forget seeded fruits such as watermelon, berries, pomegranates, kiwi, etc. also contain these essential fatty acids within their seeds. Consuming watermelon seeds is harmless! They taste wonderful too! Finding seeded watermelons is pretty much near impossible unless you grow your own heritage watermelon or pick up non-hybrid watermelons from a local farmers market.

Copper & Iron-rich Foods
Copper and iron are also crucial to help the thyroid function properly. Foods rich in copper include things such as sunflower & hemp seeds, nuts (cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts), shittake mushrooms, spirulina, and tomatoes. Copper is also found (in lesser amounts) in pears, persimmons, peaches, apricots, prunes, dates, grapes, avocado, and potatoes.

For an extensive list of iron-rich plant foods to consume, click HERE.

Foods You Should Eliminate:
Soy
Soy is in the category of foods known as “goitrogens” which promote the formation of a goiter (enlarged thyroid). Goitrogens also slow down thyroid functioning and can trigger thyroid disease. The isoflavones found in soy are inhibitors of thyroid peroxidase which is the main factor in creation of T3 and T4. Inhibition of thyroid peroxidase can lead to thyroid abnormalities.

Too many cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables contain compounds called . This doesn’t mean to eliminate cruciferous vegetables – these guys are vitamin and mineral dense and have wonderful effects on the body. Simply limiting yourself to cruciferous vegetables 3-4 times per week, instead of 7 days a week is a good place to start! Cruciferous vegetables include things like carrots, beets, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, bok choy, chinese cabbage, watercress, arugula, turnips and parsnips.

Wheat Products (and other grains like rye, barley, millet & oats)
Foods that contain gluten (aka. wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats) contain gliadin (the protein portion of gluten), which closely resembles the molecular structure of the thyroid gland. When we consume gluten, this protein is targeted by the immune system for destruction – but, because the thyroid gland also closely resembles this protein, the immune system gets confused and also starts attacking the thyroid gland, mistaking it for the gliadin intruder.

If you must eat grains, consume pseudo-grains like rice, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, sorghum, teff or wild rice! There are plenty of options available, as you can see!

Coffee
Be wary of your coffee intake. Coffee raises cortisol levels, and cortisol slows down the production of thyroid hormone. In addition, if you are on thyroid medication, coffee consumed within 60 minutes of taking said hormone replacements reduces absorption even further. Our thyroid hormone consists of two main players: T4 and T3. T4 is needed to make T3, and T3 is the component that helps boost metabolism, keeps weight levels down, and puts you in a happy mood. High cortisol (triggered by coffee consumption, and other external stressors as mentioned below) blocks the production of T3, leading to slowed metabolism, weight gain and poor moods.

Stress Reduction:
Did you know that chronic stress can trigger a thyroid condition? If you suffer from any kind of thyroid condition, being able to manage your stress levels is essential! Especially if you wish to treat your thyroid naturally. When we are bombarded with stressful situations such as stressful jobs, relationships, financial issues, etc., our body goes into over-drive and our adrenal and thyroid glands become overwhelmed and stop functioning properly. As a protective mechanism, the body slows down thyroid hormone production to slow metabolism and slow down the catabolic process that normally occurs when the body is in a high state of stress.

Managing your stress by meditating and relaxing, getting out of toxic relationships with friends or lovers, opting for a job that will make you happy instead of stressed and learning how to properly manage your money are all ways to help de-stress and improve the functioning of the thyroid.

Exercise:
To improve thyroid function and to heal a poorly functioning thyroid you must exercise at least 3 days a week for 40 minutes! Whether that is walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, you name it! Exercise helps lower insulin levels (especially circuit training) which helps to boost thyroid function. Make sure you get adequate recovery time too! Without enough recovery time, your body will not have enough time to heal and this can lead to burnout.

Remove All Chemicals & Endocrine Disruptors:
This includes toxin-free living in your home and body. The endocrine system (also called “hormone system) is made up of glands throughout the body which secrete hormones to be released to other parts of the body (which respond to said hormones). The thyroid gland is apart of the endocrine system, and so it is important to avoid harsh chemicals, especially those classified as endocrine disruptors. Disruption of the endocrine system can occur via some chemicals which mimic a natural hormone and fool the body into over-responding to the stimulus or responding at times when not appropriate. Other endocrine disruptors block hormones from entering certain receptors, while others cause the overproduction or underproduction of hormones.

Many of your household chemical cleaners, hair-care products, skin-care products, air fresheners, perfumes, and the like, contain these chemicals. Going all-natural is the best way to avoid harsh chemicals. When it comes to eating food, switching to a high-organic, pesticide/herbicide/fungicide free diet is the best way to avoid any potential endocrine disruptors.

Here is a list of endocrine-disrupting chemicals which directly target the thyroid gland:
Persistent organohalogens (found in chemical cleaners, hair-care/skin-care products, etc.):

• Benzenehexachloride (BHC)
• Octachlorostyrene
• PBBs
• PCBs
• PCB, hydroxylated

Pesticides (found in MANY foods, not labelled organic: boxed, bagged, canned, fruits, veg):

• Acetochlor
• Alachlor
• Amitrol
• Chlofentezine
• Ethylene thiourea
• Fenbuconazole
• Fipronil
• Heptachlor
• Heptachlor-epoxide
• Karate
• Malathion
• Mancozeb
• Maneb
• Methomyl
• Mirex
• Nitrofen
• Pendimethalin
• Pentachloronitrobenzene
• Prodiamine
• Pyrimethanil
• Tarstar
• Thiazopyr
• Thiram
• Toxaphene
• Zineb
• Ziram

Other compounds:
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
Resorcinol

Metals:
Mercury

Sources:
http://livelovefruit.com/2013/11/heal-your-thyroid-naturally/

http://drchadedwards.com/1407/the-mismanaged-thyroid-gland-hormones/

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/thyroid-hormone-medications-for-hypothyroidism

http://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-gottfried-md/thyroid-coffee_b_1585136.html

http://www.epa.gov/endo/pubs/edspoverview/whatare.htm

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/basics/chemlist.htm

Are You Poisoning Your Pet? Things You Need To Know About The Pet Food Industry

by Jeff Roberts.

Are You Poisoning Your Pet? Things You Need To Know About The Pet Food Industry:

“One of the dirty little secrets kept by the pet food industry is that some by-products also contain substances such as abscesses and cancerous material. In my opinion, feeding slaughterhouse waste to animals increases their chances of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases. Some meat, especially glandular tissue, may contain high levels of hormones, which may also cause serious health problems including cancer. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these hormones are not destroyed by the high temperatures or pressure cooking used in the manufacture of pet food. Cats seem to be most adversely affected by high hormone levels. “ Healing Pets With Nature’s Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 11 - 

Our pets can bring us so much joy and peace amidst the chaos of our busy lives. They give us nothing more than their total attention and unconditional love and ask for minimal in return. However we’ve become consumed in learning about human nutrition and wellness and yet we seem to neglect the same consideration for our pets. We see a pet food label at the super market which reads “natural” and we immediately feel better about what we are feeding our animals. Unfortunately marketing most often leaves ethics at the door when promoting pet food products, and the term “natural” is often exploited to disturbing extremes.

The challenge comes in a society where the cost of living pressures us to save money wherever we can. Organic and nutritious food is expensive, processed foods are cheap. This reasoning often influences the majority, especially lower-middle class families, to invest in pre-packaged, frozen, and “convenient” foods. This logic is also applied when purchasing pet food. Considering the average 10 kg bag of “natural” pet food costs around $50 a CAN, it is understandable how one could stray away from buying organic pet food which costs more and usually comes in smaller bags. Buying “natural” usually strokes our cognitive dissonance and keeps us at ease.

The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the FDA supply us with no official definition of the term “natural.” One would naturally infer that this term would confirm that the pet food we are buying contains no miscelaneous chemicals, dyes, preservatives, etc., however this is not the case. Advertising is our generation’s greatest enemy. We see an image of a happy and healthy looking cat or dog and we immediately associate this with how our animals will be when they eat the particular food. Perhaps we see images of steak, fish, or poultry on the bag which helps make our decisions. The reality is that companies can label pet food as containing “natural meat” when in fact there is not a single bit of real meat in the mix.  Harmful chemicals are not required to be labeled either, which creates trouble for the more conscious brands which actually contain quality ingredients.

Natural News released an article which detailed gruesome information about the pet food industry,

“Let’s start with what usually appears as the protein source and the primary ingredient in pet food: Meat byproducts or meat meal. Both are euphemisms for the parts of animals that wouldn’t be considered meat by any smart consumer. The well-known phrase “meat byproducts” is a misnomer since these byproducts contain little, if any meat at all. These are the parts of the animal left over after the meat has been stripped away from the bone. “Chicken by-products include head, feet, entrails, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, stomach, bones, blood, intestines, and any other parts of the carcass not fit for human consumption,” writes Henry Pasternak in Healing Animals with Nature’s Cures.

Meat meal can contain the boiled down flesh of animals we would find unacceptable for consumption. This can include zoo animals, road kill, and 4-D (dead, diseased, disabled, dying) livestock. Most shockingly, this can also include dogs and cats. That’s right, your pets could be - cannibals. Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser writes, “Although leading American manufacturers promise never to put rendered pets into their pet food, it is still legal to do so. A Canadian company, Sanimal Inc., was putting 40,000 pounds of dead dogs and dead cats into its dog and cat food every week, until discontinuing the practice in June 2001. “This food is healthy and good,” said the company’s vice president of procurement, responding to critics, ”but some people don’t like to see meat meal that contains any pets.”

The process of how dead animals become food for our pets is even more disturbing. After all, it takes a lot to turn roadkill into something owners feel good about pouring into their pets’ bowls. Ann M. Martin describes the process in Food Pets Die For: “At the rendering plant a machine slowly grinds the entire mess in huge vats. Then this product is cooked at temperatures between 220 degrees Fahrenheit and 270 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes to one hour. The mixture is centrifuged (spun at a high speed) and the grease (or tallow) rises to the top and it is removed from the mixture. The grease becomes the source of animal fat in most pet foods. Oftentimes, when you open a standard can of dog food, you will see a top layer of fat. The centrifuged product is the source of that fat, which is meant to entice a hungry dog or cat. After the grease is removed in the rendering process, the remaining material is dried. Meat meal, and meat and bone meal are the end product of this process. This dried material is usually found in dry pet food.”

Rendering practices aren’t just gross; they’re also dangerous for your pets. The chemicals used to euthanize zoo animals, dogs and cats can survive the cooking process, which means these chemicals end up in pet food, and ultimately, in your pet. Martin writes, “Euthanized cats and dogs often end up in rendering vats along with other questionable material to make meat meal, and meat and bone meal. This can be problematic because sodium pentobarbital can withstand the heat from rendering. For years, some veterinarians and animal advocates have known about the potential danger of sodium pentobarbital residue in commercial pet food, yet the danger has not been alleviated.” In short, that means the poisons designed to kill pets are the same ones being fed to them.

Now that you know pet food manufacturers will seemingly go to any length to fill their foods with the cheapest sources of protein they can find, you probably won’t be surprised to find out that the other ingredients in pet foods aren’t much better. Cheap grain fillers, cellulose to bulk up the food, preservatives and poorly monitored vitamin and mineral supplements round out the recipe. In Healing Pets with Nature’s Miracle Cures, Henry Pasternak writes, “Remember, pet foods are primarily processed, grain-based diets. These foods are ‘fortified’ with synthetic B vitamins, which can cause a subclinical B vitamin deficiency.” Martin mentions in Food Pets Die For that one bag of dog food was overloaded with so much zinc that she had to take her dog to the vet because he became ill. She took the bag of food to an independent lab to verify that the zinc content of the food was 20 times the recommended daily allowance for dogs.

Preservatives in dog and cat foods keep them seemingly fresh for long periods of time: “Unfortunately, harmful chemical preservatives and other artificial additives are the norm in most pet foods. Some are intentionally added by the manufacturer, while others come from the herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides used by farmers to boost crop yields,” Pasternak writes. While some pet food companies have decided to use less harmful preservatives and natural preservatives, most pet food companies don’t find these ingredients to be cost effective.

What Can You Do Right Now?

This information can be difficult to take in, especially considering the amount of love we have for our animals. Shouldn’t the same love and consideration that we give to ourselves be taken into account with our pets? We have the ability to change all of this. The first step is to become as informed as possible. Susan Thixton is the creator of “The Truth About Pet Food”, a website dedicated to pet food awareness. It is an excellent source for any information regarding the ingredients contained in your pet’s food as well as the regulations surrounding the pet food industry today. She also offers recipes for easy and nutritious homemade pet food. “PetsumerReport” is another site which offers detailed information about pet food ingredients.

References:

1.) http://www.naturalnews.com/024776_food_pet_natural.html

2.) http://www.naturalnews.com/012647_pet_food_dog.html

3.) http://truthaboutpetfood2.com/the-worst-horror-of-pet-food-confirmed-in-spain

4.) http://www2.citypaper.com/about/vansmith.asp

Source: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/11/30/are-you-poisoning-your-pet-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-pet-food-industry/#sthash.LJhaTzAO.dpuf

Creativity is similar to insanity

Creativity and insanity are not that different according to scientists. 
After many years of studying human's mind, scientists from Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that the though pathways of creative people are quite similar to those of people with schizophrenia. Both lack some important receptors used to direct and filter thoughts. It could be this uninhibited processing that allows creative people to “think outside the box”. That could lead to mental illness in some people. But rather than a clear division, experts suspect a continuum, with some people having psychotic traits but few negative symptoms.

Many of the artists, writers and theorists, who are known for their high creativity have also had mental illnesses – Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, John Nash (mathematician portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie A Beautiful Mind) and many more. Creativity is often associated with an increased risk of depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

It's a well known fact is that people who have mental illness history in their family have a higher chance of being more creative. Professor Fredrik Ullen believes his discovery could help explain why. He looked at the brain’s dopamine receptor genes which experts believe govern divergent thought. He found that highly creative people who did well on tests of divergent thought had a lower than expected density of D2 receptors in the thalamus – same as people with schizophrenia. The thalamus serves as a relay centre, filtering information before it reaches areas of the cortex, which is responsible, amongst other things, for cognition and reasoning.

“Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus probably means a lower degree of signal filtering, and thus a higher flow of information from the thalamus,” says Professor Ullen.

He believes that barrage of uncensored information is what ignites the creativity. This would explain how highly creative people manage to see unusual connections in problem-solving situations that other people miss. Schizophrenics share this same ability to make novel associations. But in schizophrenia, it results in bizarre and disturbing thoughts. UK psychologist and member of the British Psychological Society Mark Millard said the overlap with mental illness might explain the motivation and determination creative people share.

“Creativity is uncomfortable. It is their dissatisfaction with the present that drives them on to make changes. Creative people, like those with psychotic illnesses, tend to see the world differently to most. It’s like looking at a shattered mirror. They see the world in a fractured way. There is no sense of conventional limitations and you can see this in their work. Take Salvador Dali, for example. He certainly saw the world differently and behaved in a way that some people perceived as very odd.”

Some companies have  secure, secret laboratories for their highly creative staff where they can freely experiment without disrupting the daily business. Chartered psychologist Gary Fitzgibbon says an ability to “suspend disbelief” is one way of looking at creativity.

“When you suspend disbelief you are prepared to believe anything and this opens up the scope for seeing more possibilities. Creativity is certainly about not being constrained by rules or accepting the restrictions that society places on us. Of course the more people break the rules, the more likely they are to be perceived as ‘mentally ill’.

He works as an executive coach helping people to be more creative in their problem solving behavior and thinking styles.

“The result is typically a significant rise in their well being, so as opposed to creativity being associated with mental illness it becomes associated with good mental health.”

Source: http://endoriot.blogspot.com/2013/11/creativity-is-similar-to-insanity.html

4 Ways to Eliminate Acid From The Body

Interviewer: So when our body is too acidic at any of those levels, what's actually happening internally?

Dr. Robert O. Young: Internally, the body's trying to get rid of it. It's trying to buffer it. The body has to get rid of its own waste products. Could you imagine how long you would live if you were to hold your breath and hold in that acid called carbon dioxide? How long would you live? Three to four minutes.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Robert O. Young: See, acid is very toxic and the body has to get through. It has to eliminate these acids through the four channels of elimination. What are those?

#1 Respiration

Respiration. We breathe out acid. We take in life-saving, life-giving oxygen. What's the others? 

#2 Urination

Well, urination. You have to pee your way to health if you want to be healthy. If you're not peeing regularly and eliminating your waste products, then that acid's going to go into the connected tissues and into the fatty tissues. For a woman, that means breast cancer. For a man it means prostate cancer. You don't want acids going into the connected tissues and into the organs and glands. So urination is very important. That's why we test the urine. 

#3 Bowel Movements

The third elimination organ is the bowels. You should be eliminating the bowel at least three to five times a day. If you eat three to five times a day, you should have three to five times the eliminations.

Most folks, especially children, are not eliminating regularly. In fact, they'll go for days without eliminating the bowel. This is a stage for acid buildup that can lead to an epidemic, which is around the world now, called type 1 diabetes. 

#4 Pores

The fourth elimination organ is our pores. We have 3,500 pores per square inch, and these pores are openings that allow for gases. We smell those in the form of body odor or liquid waste. They're coming from the lymphatic system, out of our tissues. Through the sweat glands, we remove waste products, which makes exercise so vitally important . . . 

Interviewer: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Robert O. Young: . . . and we must time every day. At least one hour to eliminate the acids that have built up in the connective tissues, including the muscles and the fatty tissues.

The below picture is used as a thumbnail when sharing this article.

source:
http://www.ihealthtube.com/aspx/viewvideo.aspx?v=d9436b25186668dc#

Men, Try THIS Before Reaching for Viagra

Varying degrees of erectile dysfunction (ED) are common in men and can significantly interfere with a healthy sex life. Often, it is simply a manifestation of stress or emotional problems, but it can also be a sign of an underlying health problem like heart disease. It is important that you work on finding out the foundational cause, and also that you resist the urge to simply pop a pill like Viagra as a quick fix. Viagra does carry a risk of potentially serious side effects, including:

Headache	Upset stomach	Flushing of the face
Blue/green color blindness	Blurred vision	Vision sensitivity to light
Sudden decrease or loss of vision in one or both eyes	An abnormally long-lasting erection that may cause permanent damage to your penis	Sudden loss or decrease in hearing, sometimes with ringing in the ears or dizziness
Heart attack, stroke, irregular heartbeat and death have occurred in men taking Viagra

As far as natural alternatives go, there are many options to consider including L-arginine, an amino acid that is the precursor tonitric oxide, a natural compound that helps relax your blood vessels. Nitric oxide signals the smooth muscle cells in your blood vessels to relax, so that your vessels dilate and your blood flows more freely. This helps your arteries to regain their elasticity and stay free of plaque.  L-arginine may also lead to increased microcirculation in genital tissues, which results in stronger erections and better sexual responsiveness, via this nitric oxide mechanism.

Scientific studies have shown that L-arginine can be particularly effective when used in combination with another natural agent,pycnogenol, which resulted in significant improvement in sexual function in men with ED, according to a Bulgarian study.¹⁰Similarly, a pilot study published in the journal European Urology found 6 grams of L-arginine combined with 6 mg of yohimbine, a compound found in the herb yohimbe, was successful in treating men with ED.¹¹ Aside from L-arginine, other natural alternatives include:

·         Panax ginseng and maca root, which have been used for centuries as libido-boosting tonics

·         Choline and vitamin B5. The neurotransmitter that triggers sexual messages in your brain, whether you're male or female, is acetylcholine (ACH). With too little ACH, sexual activity goes down. One way to safely and effectively enhance your ACH levels is to take choline supplements (1,000-3,000 mg) and vitamin B5 (500-1,500 mg).

Source: Mercola

6 Bodily Tissues That Can Be Regenerated Through Nutrition

It may come as a surprise to some, especially those with conventional medical training, but the default state of the body is one of ceaseless regeneration.  Without the flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body – life and death ceaselessly intertwined – the miracle of the human body would not exist.

In times of illness, however, regenerative processes are overcome by degenerative ones. This is where medicine may perform its most noble feat, nudging the body back into balance with foods, herbs, nutrients, healing energies, i.e. healing intention. Today, however, drug-based medicine invariably uses chemicals that have not one iota of regenerative potential; to the contrary, they almost always interfere with bodily self-renewal in order to suppress the symptoms against which they are applied.

Despite the outright heretical nature of things which stimulate healing and regeneration vis-à-vis the conventional medical system which frowns upon, or is incredulous towards, spontaneous remission in favor of symptom suppression and disease management, over the course of the past few years of trolling MEDLINE we have collected a series of remarkable studies on the topic...

Nerve Regeneration – There are actually a broad range of natural compounds with proven nerve-regenerative effects. A 2010 study published in the journal Rejuvenation Research, for instance, found a combination of blueberry, green tea and carnosine have neuritogenic (i.e. promoting neuronal regeneration) and stem-cell regenerative effects in an animal model of neurodegenerative disease.[1] Other researched neuritogenic substances include:

There is another class of nerve-healing substances, known as remyelinating compounds, which stimulate the repair of the protective sheath around the axon of the neurons known as myelin, and which is often damaged in neurological injury and/or dysfunction, especially autoimmune and vaccine-induced demyelination disorders.  It should also be noted that even music and falling in love have been studied for possibly stimulating neurogenesis, regeneration and/or repair of neurons, indicating that regenerative medicine does not necessary require the ingestion of anything; rather, a wide range of therapeutic actions may be employed to improve health and well-being, as well.

[View the first-hand biomedical citations on these neuritogenic substance visit our NeuritogenicResearch page on the topic]

Liver Regeneration – Glycyrrhizin, a compound found within licorice, and which we recently featured as a powerful anti-SARS virus agent,  has also been found to stimulate the regeneration of liver mass and function in the animal model of hepatectomy. Other liver regenerative substances include:

[view the first-hand biomedical citations on the Liver Regeneration research page]

Beta-Cell Regeneration – Unfortunately, the medical community has yet to harness the diabetes-reversing potential of natural compounds. Whereas expensive stem cell therapies, islet cell transplants, and an array of synthetic drugs in the developmental pipeline are the focus of billions of dollars of research, annually, our kitchen cupboards and backyards may already contain the long sought-after cure for type 1 diabetes. The following compounds have been demonstrated experimentally to regenerate the insulin-producing beta cells, which are destroyed in insulin dependent diabetes, and which once restored, may (at least in theory) restore the health of the patient to the point where they no longer require insulin replacement.

[view the first-hand biomedical citations on the Beta Cell Regeneration research page]

Hormone Regeneration – there are secretagogues, which increase the endocrine glands' ability to secrete more hormone, and there are substances that truly regenerate hormones which have degraded (by emitting electrons) into potentially carcinogenic "transient hormone" metabolites. One of these substances is vitamin C. A powerful electron donor, this vitamin has the ability to contribute electrons to resurrect the form and function of estradiol (estrogen; E2), progesterone, testosterone, for instance. [2] In tandem with foods that are able to support the function of glands, such as the ovaries, vitamin C may represent an excellent complement or alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Cardiac Cell Regeneration – Not too long ago, it was believed that cardiac tissue was uniquely incapable of being regenerated. A new, but rapidly growing body of experimental research now indicates that this is simply not true, and there is a class of heart-tissue regenerating compounds known as neocardiogenic substances.  Neocardiogenic substances are able to stimulate the formation of cardiac progenitor cells which can differentiate into healthy heart tissue, and they include the following:

Another remarkable example of cardiac cell regeneration is through what is known as fetomaternal trafficking of stem cells through the placenta. In a recent article we discussed the amazing process known as "fetal microchimerism" by which the fetus contributes stem cells to the mother which are capable of regenerating her damaged heart cells, and possibly a wide range of other cell types.

Cartilage/Joint/Spine Regeneration – Curcumin and resveratrol have been shown to improve recovery from spinal cord injury.  Over a dozen other natural compounds hold promise in this area, which can be viewed on our Spinal Cord Injury page.  As far as degenerative joint disease, i.e. osteoarthritis, there are a broad range of potentially regenerative substances, with 50 listed on ourosteoarthritis research page.

Ultimately, regenerative medicine threatens to undermine the very economic infrastructure that props up the modern, drug-based and quite candidly degenerative medical system. Symptom suppression is profitable because it guarantees both the perpetuation of the original underlying disease, and the generation of an ever-expanding array of additional, treatment-induced symptoms.

This is the non-sustainable, infinite growth model which shares features characteristic of the process of cancer itself - a model, which by its very nature, is doomed to fail and eventually collapse. Cultivating diets, lifestyles and attitudes conducive to bodily regeneration can interrupt this pathological circuit, and help us to attain the bodily freedom that is a precondition for the liberation of the human soul and spirit, as well.

Source: GreenMedInfo

Oldest Marijuana Stash Ever Found Likely Used for Medicinal Purposes

Natural Cures Not Medicine

Image: David Potter / Oxford University Press

In a grave in the Gobi Desert, nearly two pounds of Marijuana was found buried with the dead has proved to be at least 2,700 years old. After significant testing of the marijuana (no they didn't smoke it), it was proven that it contained high levels of the psychoactive THC drug which causes those who consume it to get high.

Previous research had claimed that the ancients of the area only grew hemp for clothing and rope but this recent discovery casts doubt on the singular use of the plant. The ancient people of the Gobi people did not use hemp for industrial purposes, they were getting high on marijuana either through eating it or smoking it, however no smoking utensils were found in the tomb.

Since it is believed that the people of what is now Turpan, China were not smoking the cannabis, it's highly likely that they regarded marijuana as a medicinal herb which they consumed orally that they used to treat many different ailments. Here are a few of the health benefits of cannabis that recent research has proven:

• 10 Cannabis Studies The Government Wishes It Never Funded
• Cannabis Prevents Cancer From Spreading
• Using Cannabis Oil To Cure Leukemia

See even more cannabis health benefits here.

Maybe the ancients were on to something, with all the health benefits that are now associated with the cannabis wonder plant, it's no wonder they were buried with it.

This brings us back to why the cannabis plant is illegal. According to republicreport.org, these are the top 5 contributors to keeping marijuana illegal:

1.) Police Unions: Police departments across the country have become dependent on federal drug war grants to finance their budget. In March, we published a story revealing that a police union lobbyist in California coordinated the effort to defeat Prop 19, a ballot measure in 2010 to legalize marijuana, while helping his police department clients collect tens of millions in federal marijuana-eradication grants. And it’s not just in California. Federal lobbying disclosures show that other police union lobbyists have pushed for stiffer penalties for marijuana-related crimes nationwide. 

2.) Private Prisons Corporations: Private prison corporations make millions by incarcerating people who have been imprisoned for drug crimes, including marijuana. As Republic Report’s Matt Stoller noted last year, Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies, revealed in a regulatory filing that continuing the drug war is part in parcel to their business strategy. Prison companies have spent millions bankrolling pro-drug war politicians and have used secretive front groups, like the American Legislative Exchange Council, to pass harsh sentencing requirements for drug crimes. 

3.) Alcohol and Beer Companies: Fearing competition for the dollars Americans spend on leisure, alcohol and tobacco interests have lobbied to keep marijuana out of reach. For instance, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors contributed campaign contributions to a committee set up to prevent marijuana from being legalized and taxed. 

4.) Pharmaceutical Corporations: Like the sin industries listed above, pharmaceutical interests would like to keep marijuana illegal so American don’t have the option of cheap medical alternatives to their products. Howard Wooldridge, a retired police officer who now lobbies the government to relax marijuana prohibition laws, told Republic Report that next to police unions, the “second biggest opponent on Capitol Hill is big PhRMA” because marijuana can replace “everything from Advil to Vicodin and other expensive pills.” 

5.) Prison Guard Unions: Prison guard unions have a vested interest in keeping people behind bars just like for-profit prison companies. In 2008, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association spent a whopping $1 million to defeat a measure that would have “reduced sentences and parole times for nonviolent drug offenders while emphasizing drug treatment over prison.”

(Source: republicreport.org)

It seems that the tide is turning in the marijuana debate, however. After Sanjay Gupta's recent flip-flop on marijuana, and the public polling now strongly favoring legalization, even the political establishment is starting to have to relax it's arrogant stance on marijuana policy. Whole states and cities are now voting to be legal pot sanctuaries as the old anti-marijuana propaganda that has been in full effect since the 1930's falls to the wayside of real science.