White Pine (Pinus strobus)

Names:  Eastern White Pine, Northern Pine, Northern White Pine, Pin Blanc, Pinus strobus, Soft Pine, Weymouth Pine, Weymouths Keifer, Weymouthtall, White Pine

Appearance:  The White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a coniferous evergreen tree.  It’s trunk is tall and stright and the needles are blue-green.  Young trees are conical shaped, but as the trees age they develop wind-swept, horizontal, upturning branches.  This tree is easily identified by counting the needles in the needle-cluster bundles.  The Eastern White Pine is the only pine native to eastern North America that contains five needles per bundle.

Edible:  The Micmac Indians used the bark to make beverage and the Ojibwa used the young staminate catkins (the slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals that kind of resembles a “kitten’s tail”) for food and stewed them in with meat. They reportedly have a sweet flavor and do not taste like pine pitch.

A Russian writer says to use needles from 1 year old pine tree. Use 2 oz of washed needles. Grind them. Steep in 2 or 3 cups of poured boiling water. Let cool and steep in cool place for 2 hours. Strain, add honey and lemon to taste and drink. Loses vitamins if stored. Lots of C. 5X that of lemon juice. (Mama’s Home Remedies by Svetlana Konnikova)

-Cindy Moonrose, Eatable Weed Walks & Plant Classes

White Pine (Pinus strobus) has five needles per cluster.

I personally like to use white pine needles to make tea.  The taste is sweet and a bit piney, and tastes very good sweetened with honey. It is a wonderful way to get vitamins A and C, as well as all of the immune-boosting and detoxifying medicinal benefits as used by the Native American Indians.

Becki’s Recipe for Pine Needle Tea (Decoction)

• 1 gallon filtered or spring water
•  3 cups chopped pine needles
•  honey

In a large pot combine water and pine needles. Boil for 10 minutes, simmer until cool. Strain and sweeten to taste with honey. (This is technically a “decoction” because the needles are boiled.)

For convenience, I gather pine needles, chop, and fill a large ziploc bag full of the chopped needles and store them in the freezer. This makes it very easy to access the needles and to measure for making tea. To obtain the most benefit from the needles, it is best to pick the young needles located at the ends of the branches.

Note:  Always make sure you positively identify the pine tree before making pine needle tea!  Some pines are poisonous, such as Yew, Norfolk Pine, and Ponderosa Pine.

White pine needles are great in a vinegar! Take any size jar (with plastic lid) fill it with pine needles and then pour apple cider vinegar over it to fill bottle. Let sit for six weeks and it will be ready to use. I learned this technique from Susun Weed. Here is a link to her page on how to make vinegars: http://www.wisewomantradition.com/empoweringwomen/2009/03/making-springtime-wild-herbal-vinegars.html

-Cathy Webster

Medicinal:  Native Americans utilized White Pine for many medical ailments.  It has been said that Native Americans treated 80% of their medical ailments using pine.   Pine has been shown to bring relief to conditions such as fatigue, heart ailments, heart disease, kidney ailments, sclerosis, and varicose veins.  It has even been shown to improve eyesight!  Cancer patients drink pine needle tea to ease nausea, boost the immune system, and as a strengthening tonic.

Bark of the White Pine (Pinus strobus)

Bark: Native Americans used a decoction take internally for coughs, a poultice of wetted inner bark applied externally to the chest for strong colds,  a poultice of trunk of a young tree applied esternally to cuts and wounds, a decoction of raw bark was taken internally for rheumatism, steam from a decoction of raw bark inhaled for head colds, decoction of bark used externally for skin eruptions and scabs, and raw bark was taken internally for rheumatism, to prevent typhoid, and relieve stomach cramps.

Needles:  Native Americans used a poultice of needles bound externally to heal broken bones, needles were burned in the fall and the smoke used to fill the house and prevent all sickness, decoction of needles used used internally for coughs, colds and rheumatism, an infusion of young trees was taken internally as a blood tonic, decoction of needles taken internally to prevent scurvy.  Pine needles are very high in vitamin C and vitamin A (beta-carotene).  The needles were used to keep the early settlers alive during the first winter by preventing scurvy.

Scientists area currently exploring the medical uses of pine needles. Research is being done using pine needles as an antioxidant, antidepressant, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, anti-inflammatory.  Pine is also being studied for boosting the immune system, strengthening the heart, reducing triglycerides, treating Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, and dementia. A wonderful writeup on this can be found in The Amazing All-Purpose Pine on the website Dave’s Garden.

Branches of the White Pine (Pinus strobus)

Pitch (Sap, Gum): Native Americans used a poultice of pitch applied externally to felons and other similar inflammations, applied externally to boils to draw out pain and inflammation, used internally for coughs, colds and boils, the pitch was chewed for coughs, and boiled gum taken internally for sore throats.

White Pine (Pinus strobus) was extensively used by many Indians. New England tribes boiled the needles in water or maple syrup and drank this tea to prevent scurvy and to relieve coughs and colds. These needles contain five times more vitamin C than an equal amount of lemons, and they are also a rich source of vitamin A. Just chewing the freshly picked needles is very beneficial. The Obibway Indians used the seeds to flavor their cooking. The Iroquois Indians ate the sweet inner bark.

-Native Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes by E. Barrie Kavasch

Sources:

• Kavasch, E. (2005). Native Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes. Mineola: Dover Publications.
• Moerman, D. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany. Portland: Timber Press.
• Walker, B. (2011). Pine Needle Tea. Dave’s Garden. Extracted December 4, 2011 from http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3126/

Visit our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Visit our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants

The LuminEarth Library

Here is a list of some the books used in our research and experimentation. Enjoy!

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s  All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs:  An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest:  A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Herbal Home Remedy Book: Simple Recipes for Tinctures, Teas, Salves, Tonics and Syrups by Joyce A. Wardwell
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

Wheatgrass is a oxygen-filled super food

My dog just turned me on to one of nature’s most beneficial food sources for humans (and dogs and cats): wheatgrass. We’ve all heard of wheatgrass juice and yes, this is the same stuff. Now unpucker your face and read on!

It all started because my dog Katie loves to eat grass. At first this habit concerned me because I’d only heard that dogs eat grass when they’re sick. True, but then I did some research and it turns out that some dogs just enjoy grass and are often looking for something to replace the nutrients their diet is missing.  Oh, so grass has nutrients…duh, yeah like most things we are surrounded by; grass has been overlooked and at best relegated to the “ornamental” category. Most grass belongs there, but not wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is different. Anyway as providence would have it, my next issue of Dog Fancy magazine featured a one-pager on growing pet grass and suggested it was a good way to ensure that the grass my dog was eating was in fact nutrient-rich, organic and clean. So I went on line in search of organic hard red winter wheat berries to purchase and germinate for Katie.

I easily found the wheat berries I needed at a very reasonable price. I also found an enormous amount of information about wheatgrass and I soon began to understand that I would be growing this wheatgrass for my dog AND for me. In fact, I wondered why more people didn’t use wheatgrass in their diet as it seems to be one of the earth’s super foods – let me tell you a little bit of the info I found about wheatgrass:

Let’s start with chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the “blood” of plants. Virtually identical to our own hemoglobin (both substances carry oxygen to cells), chlorophyll is oxygen and nutrient rich and is easily absorbed into our blood making nutrient delivery efficient. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green. It is critical for photosynthesis which allows the plant to literally absorb sunshine and turn it into energy.

Here are some great things I learned about the benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll from the folks at WheatGrassKits.com:

• Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available.

• Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll.  The brain and all body tissues function at an optimal level in a highly-oxygenated environment.

• Chlorophyll is anti-bacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer. (think wheatgrass pulp)

• Farmers in the Midwest who have sterile cows and bulls put them on wheatgrass to restore fertility.  (The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.)

• Chlorophyll can be extracted from many plants, but wheatgrass is superior because it has been found to have over 100 elements needed by man. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil.

• Liquid chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body.

• Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins in the body.

• Chlorophyll helps purify the liver.

• In the American Journal of Surgery (1940), Benjamin Gruskin, M.D. recommends chlorophyll for its antiseptic benefits. The article suggests the following clinical uses for chlorophyll: to clear up foul smelling odors, neutralize Strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome chronic inner-ear inflammation and infection, reduce varicose veins and heal leg ulcers, eliminate impetigo and other scabby eruptions, heal rectal sores, successfully treat inflammation of the uterine cervix, get rid of parasitic vaginal infections, reduce typhoid fever, and cure advanced pyorrhea in many cases.

• Dr. Birscher, a research scientist, called chlorophyll “concentrated sun power.” He said, “chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs.”

• According to Dr. Birscher, nature uses chlorophyll (wheatgrass) as a body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of toxins.

Hard to argue with the benefits of chlorophyll or that wheatgrass is a great way to get chlorophyll.

Wheatgrass as survival food

As stated above, wheatgrass has over 100 elements needed by man for bodily survival. Wheatgrass contains the entire range of necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential amino acids, and nutrients (including beta carotene, folic acid and vitamin C) that we need to survive.

Wheatgrass is a complete protein. So basically if all you had to eat was wheatgrass, you could make it for quite a while and be quite healthy too.

Wheatberries (wheatgrass seeds) can keep for years (like 50+) as long as you store them in a cool, dry space and in an airtight container.

Wheatgrass in daily diet

Taking into account what I’ve already shared re: benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll, fresh, high quality wheatgrass juice has also been said to be useful in:

• Detoxing the organs

• Strengthening the immune system

• Boosting the body’s PH levels, reducing food cravings (weight loss/control)

• Improving eye sight and night vision

• Enhancing gum health

• Rejuvenating tissue

• Reversing the aging process, including eliminating gray hair (I know, right?!)

So what’s bad about wheatgrass?

While there’s nothing truly “bad” about wheatgrass and it is not toxic in any way even if you consume high quantities, there can be adverse effects to consuming too much wheatgrass juice. Keep in mind that wheatgrass is an excellent detoxifier, but detoxifying is never something you want to do too much or too fast.

If you’re new to wheatgrass you should limit your intake to 1 oz of wheatgrass juice per day, max. Keep to this for at least the first week. After that you can build to 2 oz per day, but even then the safest way is to take 1 oz in the morning and 1 oz in the evening. This stuff is potent!

Drink wheatgrass on an empty stomach or you may experience nausea. Wait at least half an hour before eating.

How to get wheatgrass into your diet

There are many ways to get wheatgrass into your daily diet, but keep in mind that fresh, organic wheatgrass juice is best. You can buy it flash-frozen and here are some links for you to consider in that regard:

For most of us, that means growing and juicing our own. So here are some tips on that:

Growing your own wheatgrass

Organic Hard Red Wheat Berries

You can certainly buy wheatgrass growing kits and for the beginner that may be the easiest route at first. But growing wheatgrass is really easy and if you want to go it alone, you’ll need:

• Organic hard red wheat berries
• Fine mesh strainer
• Cup or jar
• Plastic sprouting tray
• Organic potting soil
• Paper towels
• Plate or draining saucer

Instructions:

• Using the strainer, rinse berries well under pure running water
• Pour the berries into the cup or jar and fill with water, just covering the berries
• Soak the berries for 8 to 12 hours (shorter in the summer, longer in the winter)
• Fill your plastic tray with potting mix and place the tray on the plate or saucer
• Drain the berries using the strainer, rinsing gently and spread them evenly over the soil
• Layer 2-3 paper towels over the berries and water over the towels. Do this every day for 3 days, making sure the paper towels stay moist
• In 3 days time you should have grass shoots, so remove the paper towels and put the tray in a sunny location
• When the grass is 6-7 inches tall, it is ready for juicing and eating

Stuff to help you grow your own:

Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit – Grow & Juice Wheat Grass: Trays, Seed, Soil, Instructions & More	Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit w/ Hurricane Stainless Steel Wheat Grass Juicer- Everything to Grow & Juice Wheatgrass	Certified Organic Hard Red Wheat – 5 Lbs – For Growing Wheatgrass to Juice, Sprouting Seed, Grinding to Make Flour & Bread, Growing Ornamental Wheat Grass & More. Makes Excellent Food Storage. Outstanding Germination Rate.

Juicing your wheatgrass

You’ll definitely need a juicer for this process. Blenders don’t really work. Some find luck using a mortar and pestle. Either way, here are some tips:

• Cut the grass ½ “above the soil surface with scissors
• If using a juicer, follow instructions in the juicer manual
• If using mortal and pestle, first chop up the grass. Then, while adding a little water at a time, grind it into a fine paste. Use a clean muslin cloth to strain the juice into a cup. Repeat the process using the same leaves until the grass turns white (this means all the chlorophyll has been extracted)

Here are some additional links that may be of help to you:

Wheatgrass Juice 90 Caps	Wheatgrass Deep Cleansing Shampoo 12 Oz	Wheatgrass Sprouting Seed Cert. Organic (Agropyron elongatum; Tall Wheatgrass) 1 lb: C	Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine

Wheatgrass	The Wheatgrass Book	Starwest Botanicals Organic Wheatgrass Powder, 1 lbs	Healthy Juicer - Manual Hand Powered Wheatgrass Juicer - Wheat grass juicer

Resources:

Adamson, Eve (2011). “Grow Pet Grass”, Dog Fancy, August 2011

Stewart, Christopher. “Wheatgrass Exposed”, WheatgrassKits.com, 2009, http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/issue3.htm

“Benefits of Wheat Grass”, AmazingGrass.com, accessed August 2011,  http://www.amazinggrass.com/benefits-of-wheat-grass.html

“What Are Wheat Grass and Wheatgrass Juice?”, DynamicGreens.com, accessed August 2011, http://www.dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-benefits-of-wheatgrass.html

“Side Effects Of Wheatgrass”, WheatGrass.me, access August 2011, http://www.wheatgrass.me/side-effects-wheatgrass

“How much wheatgrass juice should I drink?”, HappyJuicer.com, access August 2011, http://www.happyjuicer.com/wheatgrass/how-much-wheatgrass.aspx

Pokeweed Berries

POKEWEED (Phytolacca Americana)

Other Names: American Nightshade, Cancer Root, Inkberry, Pigeon Berry, Poke, Poke Salad, Poke Sallet, Pokeberry, Pokeroot, Pokeweed, Skoke, Virginia Poke

Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Pokeweed is a robust perennial potherb that usually grows 4 to 12 feet tall, then dies back to the root during the winter. It is native to eastern North America but has been grown all over the world. Pookweed is an aggressive plant and is commonly found in disturbed areas all over North America. The plant is tinged with purple-red and has oval, untoothed, stalked, alternate emerald-green colored leaves with a width between 2 to 5 inches and length approximately 8 to 12 inches long. The plant flowers are symmetrical white with green centers eventually turning into dark purple, seed filled berries approximately 1/3 inch in diameter.

My interest in pokeweed began playing as young child in the countryside of rural Pennsylvania. My brotherand I would come home with the purple berries smeared all over our faces, arms and legs. “DON’T EAT those berries!” my mom would warn, “They’re POISONOUS!” I’m sure the same scenario occurred for many others in my age group and locale. This was probably the main reason I took me so long to get around to trying this delicious wild edible. Now I am glad that I did!

Pokeweed is one of the most widely used edible plants in North America, even though it has poisonous parts. Because the toxins can kill, this is not a plant for unsupervised beginners to eat. Study it over several seasons, build experiences with other wild foods, and work with an experienced forager before attempting to survive a pokeweed dinner.

-Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill

CULINARY USE OF POKEWEED

CULINARY RECIPES USING POKEWEED LEAVES

Pokeweed Basic Preparation 

Boil a large and a medium-sized pot of water to a rolling boil. Boil the pokeweed in the medium-sized pot for 1 minute. Drain, using a colander. Add more boiling water from the large pot, which is your reservoir, and boil another minute. Drain, add more boiling water from the large pot again, and boil another 18 minutes. Drain again. Press the greens against the colander with a slotted spoon to remove excess water. Season to taste and serve. Good with vinegar, pepper, oil, lemon sauce, and bits of smoke-flavored foods.

–Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill

Poke Salad

1 to 2 lbs. Poke Salad (Poke Leaves)
6 to 8 slices bacon
1 lg. onion
2 eggs
 

Pick and wash poke salad, bring to a rapid boil for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Bring to a rapid boil, starting with cold water, for a second boil for 20 minutes. Again drain and rinse with cold tepid water. Now for the third time, starting over cold tepid water bring to a rapid boil for 20 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let drain completely.

Meantime fry bacon and save drippings; set aside. Clean and cut onion in quarters. Take drained poke salad. Cook in fry pan that you fried your bacon. Add 1/4 cup of drippings and shortening from bacon. Add onion, 1/4 cup of water, salt to taste. Let steam fry until onions are sauteed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and garnish with hard-boiled egg and bacon.

-Cooks.com “Poke Salad”

MEDICINAL USE OF POKEWEED

Pokeweed Plant With Blossoms

The roots and berries of the Pokeweed plant are poisonous to eat, but are often used medicinally.  Poke root has been used as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral.  It affects the glands, lungs, spleen and kidneys and has been used to treat swollen and/or inflamed glands, breast cysts, and tumors.  In folk medicine it is used for its anti-inflammatory properties to ease arthritis and rheumatism.

In his book “The Way of Herbs”, Michael Tierra cites pokeroot as “one of the two or three most important native herbs for treating cancer” and indicates that it should be used with “a broad-spectrum blood-purifying formula, such as the Hoxsey formula” with dosage being “no more than 5-10 drops every 3 hours”.

Information on the Hoxsey Formula and Harry Hoxsey can be found in the book Cancer Salves: A Botanical Approach to Treatment by Dr. Ingrid Naiman .

Click here to watch Hoxsey: How Healing Becomes a Crime (Free)

Tierra also recommends making a syrup of fresh pokeroot, because a syrup lessens gastrointestinal irritation.  To make the syrup add fresh green pokeroot tincture to a base of syrup or honey.  (Click Here to Learn How to Make Tinctures.)  Tierra recommends using 5-10 drops every three hours.

Some research has shown that a protein contained in pokeweed, called pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), has anti-tumor effects in mice and laboratory studies. In test tube studies, PAP has also shown action against viruses such as herpes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Research has shown that pokeweed contains a compound that appears to enhance the immune system and has some anti-cancer effects in animals. According to one animal study, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), a protein contained in the plant, demonstrated anti-cancer effects in rodents. Another study found that PAP, when combined with an immunotherapy drug called TP-3, holds promise as a potential treatment for advanced osteosarcomas and some soft tissue sarcomas. Laboratory studies have suggested that certain formulations of PAP may be turn out to be useful against cancer cells that depend on hormones for their growth, such as cells from prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer.

PAP also acts against some viruses such as herpes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and it is being studied as a possible antiviral. In laboratory studies, it seemed to help protect cells against HIV, and researchers are studying whether it might help protect people from HIV infection. However, even though animal and laboratory studies may show a certain compound looks promising, studies in people are necessary to find out whether the results hold true for humans.

-Cancer.org

In her book “Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies”,  Jude Todd stresses that pokeweed should be used with caution in any home remedy.  “I call it the chemotherapy of herbs, as it is it is an extremely strong purge.  It duplicates the effects of cortisone, which stimulates the entire glandular system.”  She also indicates that it should be used “only when drastic measures are called for and when all other methods have failed or not suitable.”  Ms. T0dd also explains that pokeweed is a violent laxative and diuretic that cleans the entire system.

Adult Pokeweed with Unripe and Ripe Berries

HERBAL RECIPES USING POKE ROOT

Poke Root Tea

1 tsp powdered or cut dried pokeroot
1 cup water
Simmer pokeroot herb in water.

Recipe courtesy of “The Way of Herbs” by Michael Tierra.  Tierra recommends taking one mouthful several times throughout the day.

Poke Root Tincture

Click Here to Learn How to Make and Herbal Tinctures

Formula for Glandular System, Arthritic, and Rheumatic Complaints

Dried Poke Root
Sasparilla Root
Dandelion Root
Burdock Root
Spikenard
Ginger
Licorice Root (1/2 part of this)

Use equal parts to make a standard decoction.

Recipe courtesy of “The Way of Herbs” by Michael Tierra.   Tierra recommends taking two or three cups daily.

My Personal Use of Pokeweed

We eat pokeweed as a boiled green in our house.  I use the leaves only from all sized plants, making sure there is no red or purple in the vein of the leaves.  I do not use the stems, flowers, root, or berries.  To prepare the greens, I boil them three times discarding the water each time.  My family and I think pokeweed is delicious.  It is very tender and mild, it reminds me of asparagus.  We eat it as Poke Salad using the recipe above and in omelettes and quiche.

I have a great poke story! When my hubby had cancer last year..all of a sudden a poke plant started growing right outside my front door. I have lived here 23 years and never had one there before. Poke berries are a natural remedy to cancer. Don’t tell me nature doesn’t know our needs!

 -Jyll Renee’, Master Herbologist

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Sources:

Brill, S., & Dean, E. (2002). Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places. New York: HarperResource.

Cancer.org. (n.d.). Pokeweed. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from Cancer.org: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed

Cooks.com. (n.d.). Poke Salad. Retrieved July 20, 2011, from Cooks.com: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1650,150172-232192,00.html

Tierra, M. (1998). The Way of Herbs. New York: Pocket Books.

Todd, J. (1995). Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications.

In 1928 Richard Simmons, M.D. hypothesized that colds and flu virus enter through the ear canal. His findings were dismissed by the medical community. According to Dr. Simmons, contrary to what you may think or have been taught about how you catch the flu or the cold there is only one way that you can catch the two, and that’s via the ear canal not through the eyes or nose or mouth as most have believed.

Keeping your fingers out of your ears will greatly reduce your chances of catching them, but then again these two are microscopic and can be air-born and may land on or even in your ear. Once they have entered the inner-ear (middle-ear) there they begin their breeding process, and from there they have access to every avenue throughout our body to travel to and to infect and make us sick.

In 1938 German researchers had great success using hydrogen peroxide in dealing with colds and the flu. Their data has been ignored for over 60 years.

It is important to begin treatment as soon as symptoms appear. If treatment is started promptly effectiveness seems to be in the 80% range.

We have found remarkable results in curing the flu & cold within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) into each infected ear, (sometimes only one ear is infected) The H2O2 starts working within 2 to 3 minutes in killing the flu or cold; there will be some bubbling and in some cases mild stinging occurs.

Wait until the bubbling & stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 min) then drain onto tissue and repeat other ear. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide in 3% solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars.

Although this method is perfectly safe for infant/children to use, the loud bubbling and stinging frightens them, they”ll need someone they trust to put the hp in their ears. (don’t get h2o2 in the eyes- if you do, flush with water)

E-Mail From Subscriber to Mercola.com

Thanks to one of your articles in your newsletter about using peroxide in the ears for flu or colds, my family and I have had a relatively flu/cold free winter! We have been exposed to a serious flu in our area, but have managed to dodge it. Here are some specifics:

My 6 year old son had kept me up during one night with coughing and sneezing. By noon the next day he had a fever. I then remembered recently reading in your newsletter about using three drops of peroxide in each ear for 10 minutes. You should have seen his face when I told him I was going to put peroxide in his ears! He was nervous, but soon settled down. It bubbled a lot in both ears. I did only one treatment in each ear, and from then on, his fever went away and his symptoms were reduced to the sniffles. That night he slept well, as did mom. The cold did not return!

Next came myself. About a week later I felt like my head was in a “fog”, a familiar fog that is a sure sign I am going to get sick with a bad cold or flu. I used the peroxide treatment in each ear and went to bed about an hour early. The next morning I felt fantastic! Not a trace of illness.

Again about a week after I had felt something coming on, my husband started feeling “ugh”. I told him about the peroxide and he looked at me skeptically. But he tried it. And it worked! He works for the school district in the bus shop and is around the drivers (who are around all those kids passing germs about) frequently.

At the same time my 10 year old son who is rarely sick said he didn”t feel well. I wasn”t sure if he was saying that because he felt left out (the peroxide treatment aroused his interest), or if he really was coming down with something. So, I gave him a treatment, not seeing that any harm would come of it. He had strong bubbling on one side. He soon felt better and did not become ill.

The peroxide has been used a few other times on all of us with almost amazing results. There was a different result in one case, which had to do with myself. It had been a couple of weeks from my first use of the peroxide on myself.

I came home from our local library book sale which was held in the basement. I quickly became ill, as if allergic to something in the basement, of which this was my first time down there. By the next morning I had a full fledged cold and felt awful. I tried the peroxide.

Although I had to repeat the peroxide treatment about every 4 hours, the peroxide alone relieved my symptoms! I was a bit tired, but other than that, no sneezing, coughing, fever, etc. After about 4 hours I would feel pressure building in my head (especially the ears) and I would begin to get quite cranky. Then I would use the peroxide again and be much better.

The peroxide allowed me to maintain my schedule of homeschooling the boys and doing my chores. It worked better than anything I have tried over the years and had no side affects!

A few notes: the peroxide feels like ice when it is dropped into the ear! It usually did not sting. The hardest thing for me to get used to was the tickling of the bubbles!

Thank you again for the information on peroxide for flus and colds. This wife and mom has had many peaceful nights thanks to you! Thank you also for ALL the fantastic information that you pass along in your newsletter. If it weren”t for you, how would we know of these things?!?

Last fall I started using EFT and am very pleased with the results and that I have such a useful tool for others and myself. I learned of it through you. You have made a difference in many lives.

Sincerely,

Wendy Fyfe
Brush, Colorado

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My parents sent me outside a lot. This meant playing on the swings, sitting under the sun, or creating my own adventures in the yard. These days, children often spend more time indoors. In our electronic age, it’s tempting to allow kids to play on the computer instead of in the yard. It may even seem safer. Nature is dirty, but we are protecting our children too much?

Children are born with natural defenses that need to be reinforced by exposure to nature. In 1989, British researcher David P. Strachan observed that children in larger families developed fewer allergic problems than those in homes with less children. Based on that theory, many feel that children who are kept too sterile are more at risk of illness. Hand-washing, and being clean is important. Keeping the house hospital sterile and your kids inside is going over board. Let the kids play in the dirt!

Parents cover their children with sunscreen. My grandmother used to insist that her children spend time in the sun. In a CNN article written on August 03, 2009, Dr. Denise Man makes this point about sun exposure. “Seventy percent of American kids are not getting enough Vitamin D. These children have higher blood pressure and lower good cholesterol. They also have a higher risk for developing diseases at an earlier age.

Are there other reasons to let your children play outside more? Yes! Children learn important lessons outside. What is too high to climb? What is slippery? What can hurt me? Left to exploring nature, they develop assessment skills and creativity. My daughter is a serious student. As I watch her playing outside, I see the worries of the academic world disappear from her. She is no longer concerned about her spelling test. Her play isn’t limited by teachers or toys. One moment she is poking at the dirt with a stick, and the next she is talking to an invisible dragon next to an invisible castle.

Children should learn to love the outdoors and play outside on a regular basis. The appreciation for nature will go with them into adulthood. They need to experience the world to feel a responsibility for it.

Whatever the season, let your child go outside for the fun of it, and the good health of it. The world may become healthier too. Society benefits from healthy, happy, self confident and creative kids who grow into adults with the same characteristics.

By Jyll Renee’, Master Herbologist

Many people suffer one bout after another of colds and flu during winter months,  generally because the inner strength or “chi” is weakened.

What to do if you get the flu:

1. Tinctures and teas should be kept by the bedside of the patient. Eating is not important, but fluid intake is critical.
2. Keep the air clean. Burn sweet grass, myrrh, sage and/or frankincense as incense to purify and disinfect the air. It is good to open a window to air out the room once in a while.
3. Change the linen’s frequently.
4. Keep tinctures next to bedside, Oregon Grape root, Echinacea and combinations of these are helpful.  
5. Keep a thermos of tea by the bedside table, Mullein/peppermint is a good choice

Medicine foods to eat when you get the flu:

1. Chicken soup and/or Miso broth are easily digested and highly nourishing foods to eat when sick with the flu.
2. Onions are a member of the allium family; they are high in sulphur and a wonderful food and medicine. My favorite way to prepare them as a “medicine food” is to sauté them lightly in olive oil. When they are soft and transparent add a warm curry to the onions. Cook the onions and curry (nice to add chopped garlic).
3. Hot Ginger Aide is wonderful, grate fresh ginger root. Add boiling water and simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Take off of heat and add lemon juice and honey, sprinkle with a few grains of cayenne.  
4. Avoid orange juice. The high sugar content signals the body to produce more mucous which contributes to congestion. Save orange juice for a sunny day when you’re feeling great.

Fever

Fever is another of Nature’s marvelous body defenses and can be utilized to burn out infection when all else fails. Fevers often accompany flu, colds, ear infections, sore throats and “yin” imbalances or cold, congested-type symptoms. Regulate fevers; never let it get too hot or linger too long, for it will weaken the body’s defenses. Keep plenty of fluid in the body to insure against dehydration.

How to regulate a fever:

1. The following herbs are excellent for helping to lower fevers. Take them either as a tea or tincture; Catnip, Peppermint, Oregon Grape Root, Yarrow *These herbs are very effective when used in combination with each other, equal amounts of each herb is a famous gypsy formula that has been used for centuries.  
2. Cold packs over the forehead and feet. Wrap cold towels over the forehead and feet. Keep the rest of the body warm and free of drafts.
3. If persistent, a tepid bath will often prove helpful, and also hydrate the body. Wrap in cotton flannel sheets immediately following bath and get back in bed.  
4. Oscillococcinum; is a wonderful homeopathic remedy for flu’s and colds and can be purchased at most pharmacies.

Jyll Renee, Master Herbologist (Click here to learn more about Jyll Renee.)
765.644.0312

Related Links

• Health Improvement:  Use Sound Therapy to Improve Your Health
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• Self Sufficient Life Website
• Super Antioxidant Juice MonaVie for a daily dose of Acai – the highest rated antioxidant currently known on the planet!
• Ultimate Guide to Vitamins and Minerals Book Info

 

Beautifully written, this is a true story of a young mother’s journey to truth via free thinking while raising an autistic child.  Learn from Amy’s experience and research some truths about vaccines, the medical industry, and much more…

I’VE NEVER TOLD ANYONE THAT MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER WAS A SLAVE: A CRAZY AUTISM PARENT SPEAKS

by Amy Rosenquist

At the age of 18, I discovered the concept of critical thinking. Howard Mueller, a professor I had in my freshman year of college, taught me how to think outside the box, look beyond the sound byte, not necessarily believe everything everyone said just because they were a. older than me or b. on television. I was hooked, and spent the next three years enrolling in every single class he taught. Fifteen years later, when Noah was born, and he smiled at ceiling fans, got strange looking rashes in unusual places for no apparent reason, had diapers the color of neon green crayons, never slept more than 45 minutes at a stretch, my mind was long past the point of accepting inane explanations from pediatricians, such as “you’re just an anxious new mom, he’ll talk when he’s ready, go home and take some valium” or “he likes to spend his days turning on and off light switches because he’s industrious” or “the big bumpy rash on his scalp is because you didn’t wipe his cheeks after he nursed, and it ran up onto his head” at face value. I did my own research. I swore off pediatricians, found a doctor in another specialty, insisted that labs be done, and taught myself how to read the results. “I’m not asking you to agree with this position,” Dr. Mueller used to say, “I’m only asking you to understand it.” I wasn’t asking for a cure, but I damn well wasn’t going to rest until I had a thorough understanding, down to the cellular level, as to why my son was in what appeared to be a vegetative, and very ill, state.

One thing I’ve yet to hear about autism in the major media: they never talk about the poop. Every parent I know who has a child with autism has spent thousands of hours cleaning up uncontrollable diarrhea, dealing with impactions or constipation, intestinal disease or dietary or feeding problems or gastrointestional dysfunction of some type. However, due to the oddness of autism, almost never does this manifest in a typical manner that would indicate the child is sick rather than just badly behaved or weird, so it’s impossible to diagnose without, often, specialized labs that assess the intestines themselves. I lost count of how many carpets I ripped out, rugs I threw away, toys and furniture I set out in the alley after they couldn’t be fully cleaned, all while the pediatricians insisted that the digestive problems were accounted for by calling them “autistic behaviors.” “That’s just what these kids do,” they said sympathetically. “There is no reason why they do it. It’s an autistic behavior,” as if this term actually meant anything.

It’s mostly not been about hand flapping and lack of speech; it’s been about feeding problems, itchy, painful rashes, insomnia, and living in overalls due to bloating so bad that I couldn’t find a single pair of pants in any store or any size that went around his waist, though the rest of him was on the thin side, until he was six. I knew he was actually physically ill in some way, but no one could tell me anything except that there was “no cause and no cure,” and that if I was lucky, I would find a behavior therapy to train him to stop acting like a sick kid. Critical thinking skills: my son did not appear to have a childhood psychiatric or behavior disorder, especially not at two, when the pronouncements about his “autistic behavior” and how to reward/punish him out of it began, as psych meds and behavior training were the only available treatments. He appeared to me to have something a bit more holistic, something that was affecting most of his systems, beyond the obvious delays. Critical thinking skills: when 10 pediatricians tell you there’s nothing you or they can do, to pray for acceptance, to take them up on their offer to prescribe you a tranquilizer, to find a residential home for a 3 year old, you look somewhere else for answers.

Unconventional? Believes in quackery? According to the media, I’m a delusional, unenlightened parent, worthy of your pity as I cling with cult-like devotion to a set of beliefs akin to alien abductions and government conspiracies. In fact, Noah had been denied coverage by every major insurance company for a self-pay policy by the time he was three, due to his pre-existing condition. He had only a state medical card, and because of his extreme toilet problems, constant noises and inability to communicate in any way whatsoever, I wasn’t able to leave him in any sort of day care to go back to work. I took in rich people’s laundry and worked taking phone messages and paying bills for busy professionals, despite a Master’s degree and previous career teaching college. My options for paying cash to quacks didn’t exist. His medical card covered Quest labs, who told me that, based on a 24 hour urine sample, my son’s mercury levels were through the roof. So were his arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, antimony, titanium. Everything but lead – the only thing he’d ever been tested for, by his pediatricians. Walgreens filled his Medicaid-covered prescriptions for real live doctor-prescribed medications – no tree bark here – to treat his previously undiagnosed rampant bacterial infections, viral infections, fungal infections, metal toxicity. He took the same medication they give to kids with lead poisoning – apparently, it works to remove several other toxic metals, just as well.

His labs showed that consuming casein was causing high levels of casomorphins in his body, eventually building up and affecting his brain much the same way opiates would; thus his dazed, drugged existence, wherein he could lay on his bed for hours, watching the ceiling fan spin. His body doesn’t excrete good substances any better than harmful ones, so his calcium levels were way too high, causing, among other things, pain in his eyes, which explained why he was constantly poking and rubbing them. His dad had moved out before he turned two, and I couldn’t afford an attorney to enter a child support order. For awhile, we were poor enough to qualify for WIC, but it didn’t cover non-dairy milk, even if your child had a laboratory test showing he was allergic. In those days, you could only get special foods like that at Whole Foods; this was before all the grocery stores put in “organic” aisles and came up with their own health food product lines. We bought overpriced rice and soy milk with the little money we had, and I made cookies with palm oil shortening instead of butter. Noah took over the counter enzymes to help break down any casein proteins he might accidentally ingest, and very shortly, he was no longer sick. At all. In any way. All of a sudden, he was talking, reading, memorizing and singing whole songs, fully toilet trained, perfectly behaved, and an emerging gifted visual artist.

He’s now in some ways a typical almost-13-year-old, successfully wearing braces, opinionated about his style of shoes, hair, and clothing, and planning his weekends and school breaks in precise detail, from complicated Lego projects to restaurants, shopping, movies, and museum outings. He has his Christmas list ready months in advance, and he likes to draw and watch Youtube. He will be tracked into an art program for gifted adults with developmental disabilities, and exhibit and sell his paintings, when he leaves high school. He takes private art lessons, and adjusted and bonded beautifully to the one-week-old foster baby we added to our family last spring. He told me few days ago that he wants another baby sister when now 10-month-old Natalya is a little older – in December, 2012, to be exact. I tried to negotiate something in more the 2014-15 range, but he wasn’t having any of it. This is a child who, at three, sat for most of the day mutely in front of a pot lid, spinning it over and over, taking breaks to switch on and off the lights for awhile. No one expected him to function past the point of feeding himself with his hands. They told me he’d be in diapers forever, to put him on a waiting list for an institution so he’d get a space before he got too big for me to clean and control. Critical thinking skills: it is as crazy for me to tell you that Noah’s diagnosis applies to anyone else as it is for either “side” to claim that what is true for one child, is entirely true for all. But after extensive genetic, neurological, blood, stool, urine, tissue and psychological testing and a very successful treatment outcome, I can say with certainty that Noah’s autism was not caused by failure to bond in infancy, not a mystery with no cause and no cure, and not a fixed, purely genetic disorder. It was, all along, a treatable, physical, medical illness.

Why am I so angry at the latest news? Because I need to blame something absurd and impossible, rather than accept that my faulty genetics and better diagnosing has left me with a disabled son and a daughter on a 504? Is it really that easy to dismiss me as just another one of the crazy parents who blames something as simple and harmless as vaccines for my child’s disability, who insists he has a complex gastrointestinal-neurological-immune-developmental disorder instead of accepting the embarrassing reality that I have a kid with a psychiatric diagnosis? My outrage at the Wakefield “news” is at the idiocy of the reporters who never seem to have bothered to read the original case series. I can only speak to my own research and reading, but I have done a great deal of it over the past decade, and it does not support the media conclusions, now or then. A case series is simply a presentation of a series of cases; it is not research, it is not an experiment, it does not draw conclusions. And that is exactly how the Wakefield et. al. report actually reads, except that no one who’s currently reporting on it seems to have bothered to have actually read it. Wakefield presented the interesting finding that 12 of his patients had a bowel disease he had never seen before. End of story. An independent pathologist, not on Wakefield’s team, is the person who determined the bowel disease contained the live measles virus. Wakefield at no point in the paper drew the absolute conclusion that the MMR independently caused autism. He merely reported the strange findings. Yet the media continues to insist that Wakefield’s intention was to implicate the MMR in causing autism – a “fact” they’ve now reported for 12 years. If you read his original paper, this is simply not true. Other researchers have very openly blamed vaccines for autism, but I’ve not heard one of their names in a news story.

The person who filed the licensing complaint against Wakefield with the General Medical Counsel in Great Britian was not a parent or a patient. It was a journalist, Brian Deer. He couldn’t find a single patient or parent to join him in complaining about Wakefield; in fact every one of the parents that was contacted vocally supported Wakefield’s treatment of their child – which he did in the context of his job as a gastroenterologist. He never diagnosed or treated a single child for autism. He works in the field of intestines. These kids had bowel disease. He diagnosed that, and treated that. When he treated their bowel disease, their autism happened to improve. And for that, he lost his medical license.

Brian Deer works for a paper that is reported to have very strong ties to a pharmaceutical company which manufactures the MMR. The GMC never should have heard a complaint by a journalist who wasn’t a patient. You can’t make a licensing complaint to a medical board if you’re a third party who’s never actually been treated by the doctor in question, usually. The GMC has never explained why they were willing to make an exception in this case. And the “fraud” that’s been recently in the news – and this was over years ago, so why is it, once again, even IN the news? The “fraud” is based on information Brian Deer claims to have found in the children’s medical records, which he reports are in his apartment.

None of the parents are reported to have been aware that their children’s medical records were shared with a reporter. As far as my own reading behind the scenes goes, there is no evidence that consent was given to a newspaper to obtain and discuss their children’s medical records. It has never been clear whether Deer has even actually seen the records, or if they really are in his possession at this point. No one seems to be questioning either his statement that he has read the original records, or the fact that if he did, they would appear to have been stolen and information about them published without permission. Deer claims that it would be unethical for him to share the actual documents proving the fraud with anyone, since that would be violating the children’s confidentiality – as if (allegedly) having the records in his apartment does not.

So, to recap: you have a child who seems to have digestive problems, in addition to autism. You take him to a gastroenterologist, who diagnoses and treats the bowel disease. Your child improves, both medically, and as a result of feeling well, behaviorally. Your doctor writes a case series for informational purposes on how he diagnosed and treated your child, for the purpose of informing other doctors who might see the same disease in their practice. Your doctor loses his medical license and your children’s medical records are stolen by a reporter, who then claims he has information about your child’s medical care proving that the “research” the doctor did – which he never actually claimed to have done – was fraudulent, but that the reporter is ethically bound to not say exactly why it was fraudulent.

One of the children Leo Kanner reported in his original paper on autism – similarly, a case study, that first identified autism as a new disorder based on a small group of patients he had seen – also happened to suffere from juvenile arthritis. At 12, the child was given a remedy to treat his arthritis, and his arthritis improved. So did his autism. In fact, the arthritis remedy seemed to have completely cured him of the autism. You do not tend to hear, in the media, how that might suggest that, at least in one of the original cases, there appeared to be a somewhat dramatic immune component to the behavioral/communication problems.

When my great grandmother was three years old, her mother died in childbirth. The story I heard about this as a child was that she had died of childbirth fever, which I was told was something that just happened in those days, though for unknown reasons it didn’t seem to actually be a disease any longer. Childbirth fever, I later learned, was a highly contagious bacterial infection. In the mid 1800s, Dr. Ignatz Simmelweiss proposed that all doctors be required to wash their hands before delivering babies, and between patients. Prior to that, handwashing was simply not done, by doctors or anyone else. No one had suggested a benefit or need for it before Simmelweiss. He believed that invisible substances on doctor’s hands, carried from sick patients to well patients, might be responsible for the high rate of childbirth fever in hospital births – which in some wards was as high as 1:4. Think about that: up to 25% of women who went into the hospital to give birth might not come out alive. The response of the medical community was to ridicule Simmelweiss. The notion of an “invisible substance” on the hands that could transmit disease and needed to be washed off was evidence, they felt, that Simmelweiss was mentally ill. They took away his license, forbid him from practicing medicine, and threatened other doctors that if they were “caught” washing their hands or teaching it to medical students, they could expect the same. Simmelweiss was committed to an insane asylum, where he died.

Decades later, my great grandmother lost her mother to what ostensibly could have been prevented, had the doctor washed his hands, a practice which was still the subject of scorn and ridicule. Germ theory wasn’t accepted until a half century after Simmelweiss’ death.

My great great grandfather, suddenly a widower with a preschooler and a newborn in the 1800′s, hired a nanny, who refused to live in unless he married her. My great grandmother’s new stepmother took the newborn as her own child, but resented and rejected my great grandmother, an angry and grief stricken 3-year-old girl who had lost her beloved mother. At age 8, my great grandmother was taken out of third grade and sent to live under the stairs of a local wealthy family, required to work full time for the rest of her childhood as the family’s servant. I heard the story that she was “sold” at one point, and at another, that the family paid my great grandmother’s father and stepmother a yearly sum for her.

My great grandmother was a child slave. It appears, from what I can piece together, that she was a slave because the doctor who delivered her baby sister believed that the idea of handwashing was ridiculous. Fraudulent, you might even say.

When I was 13, my parents took me to get contacts. There weren’t a lot of options in those days, so although I got what they were calling “soft,” they were in fact thick and scratchy. The first time I rinsed them and put them in my eyes, it felt like I’d bathed my eyeballs in hot sauce. My eyes turned bright red, burning so badly I couldn’t open them. Further investigation led to the discovery that it was the 50%-mercury preservative, thimerosal, that usually caused that reaction in people; for more money, we could buy “thimerosal free” contact solution. I remember the terrible junior high anxiety that my parents wouldn’t want to pay extra for the thimerosal-free solution, and more fear going back to the eye doctor to ensure that my eyes hadn’t been scratched too seriously to put the contacts back in; both would mean a death sentence. I could not start high school in my enormous, thick plastic 70′s glasses. By the time I graduated from college, thimerosal had been banned from use as a preservative in most products, due to the number of people, like me, who had adverse reactions. I no longer had to search for the “thimerosal free” label for my contact solution, or pay for the more expensive version. It was even removed from animal vaccines due to the number of allergies and adverse reactions. The only place it was still used was in human vaccines.

At 49, my father stepped up onto a piece of exercise equipment at a local health facility, fell over, and died instantly. He had only recently gotten into working out, because it had only recently been something that doctors recommended and society accepted as necessary. For most of his life, he was told by the media as well as his doctors that smoking was, for the first couple of decades that he smoked, good for you – celebrities and athletes, as well as the Journal of the American Medical Association, touted the benefits of smoking for weight control and improved athletic performance (which today seems more horrific than funny), and recommended menthol cigarettes to “soothe the throat.” For a couple more decades, smoking was considered harmless, if not beneficial. Doctors and researchers publicly and frequently discussed research findings which proved that smokers did not have health consequences, that they were as or more healthy than nonsmokers. There’s a family story about one of my dad’s annual physicals, at which his doctor joked, “well, you smoke too much and you probably drink too much, but hell, we all do, and we’re all still here.” He only learned that smoking was dangerous in mid-life. It was too late. He died exactly one year and one day after he quit.

Medical research in the early part of the twentieth century also proved that smoking did not affect pregnant women or their babies – one interview from the 1970′s discusses the interesting conclusion that, while babies born to mothers who smoke are just as healthy as those born to non-smokers, they do appear smaller. “And frankly, some women might prefer smaller babies,” the interviewee observes to the reporter. One of my sisters was born full term, weighing less than six pounds. She’s diabetic now. I had bronchitis and respiratory illnesses almost constantly as a kid; I get pneumonia about every 2 years now, and still have to use an inhaler if I want to actually breathe, most days. It never occurred to me, growing up, that it was unusual to miss days or weeks of school every few months due to respiratory illnesses, and no one ever told my parents that I might have an impaired immune system, or sensitivity to substances like smoke. I grew up with ashtrays in every room, smoking in the car all year long. Our doctors’ waiting rooms and their private offices were smoke filled and littered with full ashtrays, as well. My parents were good people, and if one single doctor had told them not to smoke around us, the entire house would have been smoke free that same day. But no one did. It was safe. It was not harmful. If someone in those days raised the idea that it might be, they were scorned, ridiculed, called names that suggested they had fallen off the end of the left wing.

Noah had a difficult birth. As he entered the world, Demerol, pitocin, multiple anesthetics, stadol and IV antibiotic had made their way into his body, following an hour or so of fetal distress. He needed a chance for his little 8 pound, exhausted new self to recover before anything else assaulted his undeveloped immune system. Instead, at 24 hours old, he had a Hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B is a blood-borne illness, like HIV. The only babies at risk of developing the disease are those born to mothers with active STD’s or a history of IV drug use, who test positive for Hepatitis B. I had no risk factors; I am negative for the disease. Instead of asking, instead of testing me, they went ahead and gave him the shot. They told me they routinely gave it to all babies, rather than testing the mothers, because it was quicker, and harmless. Of course, not being a crazy autism parent at that time, I had no reason not to believe them. (Twelve years later, our foster child, Natalya, was born to a mother who had every risk factor for HepB. They tested her mother, her mother was – surprisingly – negative for the disease, and therefore it was determined that Natalya would not benefit from the vaccine until such time as she might engage in behaviors that warranted immunity.) Noah had an immediate, and dramatic, reaction to the HepB shot. They called in a consultant, who informed me that Noah had had an adverse reaction to the vaccine. A head nurse was immediately paged by the R.N. in the room, and called the consultant into the hall. “Don’t tell her that!” I heard the head nurse admonish the consultant. They both reentered the room. “It wasn’t the vaccine,” the head nurse said angrily. “It’s that you aren’t burping him properly after he nurses. That’s what made him get so sick.” The consultant vocally disagreed. The R. N. was asked to demonstrate how to properly burp my 1-day-old infant, now stiff as a board, with fluorescent green diarrhea, bulging eyes and inconsolable, incessant screams. The consultant was whisked out of the room.

Noah went on to receive every childhood vaccine, right on schedule. Every time, he got fevers, diarrhea, screamed inconsolably. I was told that those were normal reactions to vaccines, and didn’t indicate a problem. He got an extra set of shots at 9 months, because we had moved and his records had not been transferred yet. The doctor assured me it wouldn’t harm him. I believed her. I accepted that it was “normal” for my son – who already didn’t make eye contact, didn’t vocalize, didn’t seem to communicate or respond to anything at all, who I suspected was profoundly deaf and possibly visually impaired – to go to a well child visit, clearly not well, and return home even sicker, approximately every three months or so. It wasn’t until Noah had had somewhere around 350 mcg of mercury injected into his system that I learned that thimerosal – a substance his mother was notably allergic to – was the preservative used in the Hepatitis B, and most of his other, vaccines.

I despise being labeled “anti-vaccine,” because vaccines are premised on holistic principles with which I wholly concur. The problem is not vaccines. The problem is deceit shrouding the facts about vaccine ingredients that may cause an immune response in certain susceptible children, like mine, and the greed of the pharmaceutical companies. If I had openly been informed that my son was not at risk for HepB, that some vaccines contained substances (eggs and aluminum in addition to thimerosal) that I was known to be allergic to, I could have put some of them off until his immune system was better developed or until he was old enough to have allergy testing for those substances. My son clearly has my terrible immune system, so I could have chosen to only give him one at a time, controlling how much his immune system was forced to handle in one day. Whenever I sincerely asked about adverse reactions or the diseases he was being immunized against, I was met with dismissal, hostility and ridicule. I was told over and over that vaccines were harmless, like vitamins, and parents who worried were looking for things to worry about. Due to my own history of unusual allergic reactions, I’m somewhat sensitive to being labeled neurotic; I stopped asking questions. One main talking point used to justify cheaper vaccines containing toxic preservatives, and giving six to nine in one visit, is the great convenience to parents of doing it that way. Really? A few extra trips to the doctor, even a few hundred dollars over a couple years to pay for single-dose preservative-free vaccines, is a hell of a lot less inconvenient than a permanently disabled child. I would have gratefully paid more, and I would have been happy to bring him to additional visits so he could have had his vaccines one at a time rather than six to nine, all at once.

What I admit to being adamantly against is not having had either the information or the option to choose safe products for my child, administered on a schedule that would grant him immunity from disease without causing harm. I am against cost cutting measures by drug companies that put making a cheaper product ahead of offering more costly products to parents who choose to pay for them, believing their child might be prone to immune complications from certain preservatives or added ingredients. I should have been able to to choose immunity for my son AND lifelong physical and neurological health. I admit to being anti-autism. Noah should never have had to trade such debilitating disease and disability in order to be protected from what, for the most part, are less risky diseases than autism. Does that make me anti-vaccine? Does questioning corporate interests that harmed my child mean I am against the theory behind the original product itself? Critical thinking skills, I implore you.

After Annelise was born, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, and put on medication. After reading the clinic brochures and glossy Diabetic Living magazines from the pharmacy, I did my own research. In addition to my medication, I implemented dramatic dietary changes, lifestyle changes, including some holistic measures such as yoga and exercise. I added some carefully chosen supplements to my daily routine. In less than a year, I no longer needed medication to control my diabetes, and was complimented by my medical team as an example of an excellent patient. At my last doctor visit, my very conventional physician informed me that although I technically still carried the diagnosis of diabetic, at this point my labs and health were equal to, or better than, an individual who was not diabetic.

Let’s review: I am diagnosed. I pursue additional independent research. I make dietary changes, utilize alternative complementary therapies, and ingest non-prescription supplements. Result: Doctors applaud my extraordinary efforts, and proclaim me as cured as it is possible to be.

Critical thinking skills: my son is diagnosed. I do additional research, with the help of licensed MD’s. In addition to labs and prescription medication, dietary changes, alternative complementary therapies, and nonprescription supplements are added to support his treatment. Within a few years, he is dramatically medically, behaviorally, and developmentally improved. Result: I am now officially considered off the deep end, due to my beliefs and practices regarding his condition.

The sad story of Ignatz Simmelweiss has come full circle: from my great grandmother’s childhood under the stairs to her adult life, brimming with resentment and loss, and rendering her unable to raise my grandmother outside of the shadow of that childhood rage and pain. My grandmother then raised my father; she was a loving and well meaning, but visibly depressed, mother, and my father very well may have developed his addiction, which he believed to be harmless, in response. And now there is my son, who was born the same year that Wakefield’s original case series was published, which was mocked and ridiculed rather than eliciting caution and individual vaccine spacing for certain potentially susceptible children. As a result, Noah will spend the rest of his life living with the effects of what has come to be known as the Simmelweiss reflex (the reflex-like rejection of new knowledge that contradicts entrenched beliefs or paradigms) in the medical community, and my unintentional ignorance.

Critical thinking skills 101, according to Dr. Mueller, begins with the premise: “I’m not asking you to agree; I’m simply asking you to understand.” Most children received, and continue to receive, multiple vaccines, with preservatives, on the regular schedule. It is an important, one of the most important, tenets of my position, to clearly state that I do not disagree with that choice. I am not asking you to agree with me: It is as misguided to assume that all children are at risk of the complications that my son experienced, as it was to assume that my son’s experience would be the same as those other children. I am simply asking you to understand: Parents whose children did not and do not suffer adverse consequences are not wrong, but that does not prove anything except that my children and I were not as fortunate.

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Antibiotics kill off both harmful and beneficial bacteria in the body.  Certain helpful bacteria are needed by the body to assist with digestion and help destroy other harmful bacteria.  Because these “good” bacteria are destroyed along with the “bad” bacteria, it is important to replenish the healthy bacteria in your body.  This can be done by eating at least one eight ounce serving of plain yogurt daily for about two weeks after using the antibiotics.  For women experiencing vaginal itching or signs of yeast infection, a yogurt douche may be helpful.  This is made by combining two tablespoons of yogurt in a quart of warm water.

Antibiotics also disturb the digestive process.  Soothing teas will help with this.  Many groceries and drugstores carry teas that aid in digestion.  Look for teas that contain herbs such as catnip, ginger, mallow, lavender, plantain, and thyme.  Honey is a wonderful way to sweeten the tea.

The immune system will need rebuilding after the course of antibiotics has been completed.  A combination of raw garlic and thyme are very helpful in building immunity.  These can be taken in six-days cycles, with one day break from the treatment.   The body becomes depleted of nutrients and vivacity from being ill and taking antibiotics.  Strength can be restored quickly by eating salads and/or made of dandelion and violet greens, oatmeal, alfalfa seeds and sprouts, plantain seeds and sprouts, and young plantain leaves.  Teas containing herbs such as alfalfa, borage, red clover, strawberry leaf, and oat straw are also especially helpful.

Source:  Wardwell, J.  The Herbal Home Remedy Book: Simple Recipes for Tinctures, Teas, Salves, Tonics, and Syrups. (1998.) North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.

Learn More About The Herbal Home Remedy Book by Joyce A. Wardwell

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Courtesy of Lee Swanson Research Update, November 2010

Researchers at the NPO International Laboratory of Biochemistry in Japan recently undertook a review of scientific literature showing the benefits of green tea in promoting health. The review was published in the journal Chinese Medicine.

Researchers said: “The health benefits of green tea for a wide variety of ailments, including heart disease and liver disease, were reported. Many of these beneficial effects of green tea are related to its catechin, particularly (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, content. There is evidence from in vitro and animal studies of the underlying mechanisms of green tea catechins and their biological actions. There are also human studies on using green tea catechins to treat metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.”

For their review, the authors searched PubMed, EMBASE, AMED and China Academic Journals Full Text Database. They included articles about green tea’s health benefits in humans and animals, absorption of metal ions, antioxidation and inhibition of oxidative stress, carbohydrate metabolism, diabetes mellitus and more. The authors selected 105 peer-reviewed articles in English for the review.

Cited in the review are animal studies reporting that green tea catechins provide some protection against degenerative diseases.

Several epidemiological studies and clinical trials have shown that green tea may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, particularly hypertension and coronary heart disease. Other cited animal and human studies report an inhibitory effect of green tea on Helicobacter pylori infection and on the influenza virus, as well as an antifungal activity against Candida albicans.

Green tea consumption has also been associated with increased bone mineral density and protection against hip fractures. The authors report that tea catechins can affect iron absorption, particularly in those at risk for iron deficiency.

Green tea catechins, along with the antioxidant vitamins C and E and certain enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) are hypothesized to contribute to the total antioxidant defense system.

In vivo studies have reported that green tea catechins increase total plasma antioxidant activity. The content of the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde has been shown to decrease after green tea intake. One cited study of 25 patients with different gastrointestinal complaints measured the tolerance of green tea tablets and their effect on antioxidant status indices; a decreased level of oxidative stress was seen in the treatment group.

Tea catechins, especially EGCG, appear to have anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Recent data from human studies indicate that the consumption of green tea or green tea extracts may help reduce body weight, mainly body fat, by increasing postprandial thermogenesis and fat oxidation.

Cited studies in animal models of diabetes reported reductions in serum glucose levels with the administration of green tea polyphenols. In normal rats, green tea catechins reduced plasma triglyceride levels in an oral glucose-tolerance test. Green tea and green tea extracts have been demonstrated to modify glucose metabolism beneficially in experimental models of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A human study reported that green tea promoted glucose metabolism in healthy human volunteers as shown in oral glucose-tolerance tests.

The authors conclude that long-term consumption of tea catechins could be beneficial to high-fat diet-induced obesity and type 2 diabetes and could reduce the risk for coronary disease. They also added that further research should focus on the pharmacological and clinical effects of green tea and its mechanisms of action.

Chinese Medicine 5:13-21, 2010

Source:  Swanson Vitamins, extracted verbatim with permission on November 9, 2010 from http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/articles/weight-loss/green-tea-review-suggests-many-health-benefits.html?SoureCode=INTHIR387

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