Is Herbal Medicine Just a Witch’s Brew?

We have made so many breakthroughs in health technology in the past 100+ years, that it may be difficult to imagine that a simple plant could be as effective as brightly colored pills that come in a child-proof bottle with an official looking printed label.

Many people immediately think “Doctor” at the first sign of an illness. And by that we mean a cold or flu or lump or pain, rash or discomfort. But we are often very unschooled about the warning signals that indicate a body is struggling, signals that may appear long before a problem sends us to the doctor.

Sadly, your MD won’t know anything about the warning signals, either, because a medical education in today’s world means managing and treating disease. It does not involve teaching patients how to manage their optimum health to prevent disease.

Heroism often involves bold actions. Performing surgery and prescribing caustic and potentially dangerous drugs is bold. Working with the body’s own rhythms, processes and innate wisdom may not seem so bold. No blood is shed, there may be no dramatic bedside vigil, no hair falling out, or brave suffering from the after-effects of the treatment.

With plant medicine there is a realignment of the natural order of the body. The internal processes are an intricate dance and it is only when a partner or step is missing that the seeds of illness are sowed.

Whenever any aspect of life goes off the rails, a change must take place. The attitudes, behaviors and negligence which started one on a destructive path must be recognized and set right again. Old habits must be shed and new, smarter actions must be implemented.

It is the same with health and the body. Plant medicine is how the body is formed, from the nutrients received in the womb. Plant medicine is how the body repairs. Surgery can cut out a damaged part, and is sometimes vitally necessary. But surgery does not repair-the body repairs. And drugs only block, suppress or kill functions or organisms. The body does not need drugs to repair or make new cells and chemical drugs also damage, giving the body even more of a repair job to do.

Herbs and plants contain the exact bio-chemical nutrients that are required for real healing to occur. A simple carrot contains over 200 plant-nutrients, and each one has a role to play in the life and wellbeing of our trillions of cells.

We only know some of the reasons that botanical medicine works, because research money is not spent on identifying all the parts. These days when money is spent on plants it is more often to discover how to isolate, create a synthetic copy, and patent the discovery so that the drug can cost $100 a pill instead of the $1.50 the original plant would cost. At least 30% of pharmaceutical drugs are knock-offs of plant medicines. https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/herbal-medicine

What we do have is thousands of years of plant medicines being used to help people get well. And since we have billions of people on the Planet, it must have been working fairly well.

So, herbals and botanicals are cheaper, safer, less damaging, and often times more effective than pharmaceutical drugs.

Since much of the information about botanical medicine is not available in the mainstream, it takes a bit of digging and some self-education, as well as the guidance of a professional. You may need your own book of remedies, but you don’t need any witchcraft or mysterious practices. Fortunately plants seemed to have been created to do their job for us. We have an incredible treasure house of real medicines in every farmer’s market, health food store, or supermarket.

It starts with what you eat every day. And there are specific botanicals have known medicinal properties you can tap into. When plants are made into supplements, how they are harvested and how they are prepared determines how effective they are.

Your body should be comfortable for you, and life in your body should be challenging but fun. If your body seems to be holding you back, don’t ignore the warning signs until a small problem becomes a big one. A small goblin is a lot easier to handle than a raging monster.

When Hippocrates said “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food”, he meant eat your way to wellness.  Those words are more relevant now than they were in 400 BC.  There is enough stress and strife and such an abundance of toxins around us that not eating well is like walking a tightrope with no end in sight. It is not a question of falling off the rope, just a question of how soon.

You can dress up a drug in a fancy costume, but it is still a phony when it comes to repairing the body. Opt for genuine original parts.

Happy Halloween!  

Anne Dunev, PhD, C.N. has over twenty years experience helping people feel better by finding the root cause of what is causing their symptoms. Addressing that with the correct natural and nutritional medicine is her strength. With help restoring balance and function, thousands of people are living happier, healthier lives.

Good News About Cancer

I am not writing to tell you about a new drug breakthrough, but about a group of people who are gathering information to help people become informed about preventing and treating the underlying causes of cancer. 

If you consider cancer to be the enemy, then knowing the enemy is your best defense. Understanding helps to lessen fear. 

We all know that the medical establishment owns the territory of cancer treatment. Although there is success in getting tumors to shrink and sending cancer into remission, all too often the cancer reappears in another part of the body, more aggressively than ever. The cancer treatment itself, chemotherapy, is carcinogenic, surgery may spread cancer cells, and radiation damages healthy tissue, as well as burning the cancer. I once asked a Pathologist (doctor who performs autopsies) what is the most damaging toxin he sees when he examines bodies after death. He told me that it is absolutely chemotherapy because “it turns the organs to mush”.  I have never forgotten that conversation.

So, the answer to cancer must lie in a) preventing it and b) addressing and correcting the underlying internal environment of the body that allows the cancer to take hold and take over. The only way to really get rid of cancer is to harness the ability of the immune system to seek out and eradicate the root cancer cells, which are stem cells or parent cells. All cells develop from stem cells. Cancer cells develop from stem cells gone rogue.

 The stem cells go rogue when there is an overload or imbalance or assault in the immune system. Restoring the innate ability of the immune system to regulate the body health is what holistic medicine does, and that is why lifestyle, nutrition and your mental/spiritual strength are the real keys to prevention.

If you would like to tap into this group of people who are sharing cancer prevention and holistic medicine information, and watch some documentaries on the subject click here. https://go.thetruthaboutcancer.com/?ref=27c139e2-d430-4c10-b82d-af3c7ea0db45

Be prepared for some shocks, because much of what you have been taught will be challenged. I thought I knew a lot about the general subject and I was surprised by some of the information presented.

Know that whatever steps you are taking to eat healthy food, maintain an optimum weight, take the right supplements, avoid toxins, and get your body moving are all smart ways to avoid any degenerative disease. The truth is pretty simple. The body needs some basics, and it works well when those basics are provided.

The immune challenges, like virus, fungus, chemicals, heavy metals, parasites, nutritional deficiencies, and parasites that seem to wreak havoc in the system and turn on mutant stem cells, can all be addressed. That is the good news.

If you watch the video, let me know what you think. There are nine parts and each one covers a different aspect of preventing cancer, and improving the immune system. You will need to purchase the video to watch the whole series.

Cancer is such a scary subject that many people just want to bury their heads in the sand, thinking it is a death sentence. This video series will reassure you that is not the case. Yes, you may need to make some changes in your life to prevent or treat cancer. There are many steps you can take today to lower your risk dramatically. I will be blogging more about that in the future. Knowledge is power, so spread the word. We are here to help, so let us know what help you need to have a bullet-proof Immune system.

What's In Your Coffee?

Going out for coffee may be hazardous to your health, as you can see from the photo, courtesy of FoodBabe.com. This proves that trendy and tasty do not equal healthy, even in a world where organic and gluten-free are the fastest growing food market niches.

So many of us are avoiding dairy and soymilk is a poor choice if you value your thyroid health, but we want something to put in coffee. For me, Almond milk does not cut it and has too much almond flavor, and coconut creamer is not rich enough, and often has added ingredients like carageenan that may be a concern.

Carrageenan is a seaweed extract that is used in the natural food industry to thicken foods and beverages. Degraded carrageenan has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. It seems to be destructive to the digestive tract. Undegraded carrageenan may not cause cancer, but it is still linked to leaky gut and damage to the gut lining. So, it may compromise your immune system.

The other dilemma is how to get more good fats in your diet, like butter, especially if you are cutting down on bread and grains.

Bullet-proof coffee or tea solves both problems!  Add a pat of butter (or coconut oil) and swirl your coffee or tea in a Bullet or blender to mix and emulsify the fat. Now you have the creamy texture of coffee or tea with milk or half and half, without the concerns about dairy reactions. If you are super-sensitive to dairy, you can use ghee, which is butter that has been heated to remove all the milk solids an leave just the fat, known as clarified butter in French cooking.

Coffee is a herb, like tea, and has antioxidants. For most people, in moderate amounts, coffee is safe to drink. It is dehydrating, so be sure to increase your water intake and don't substitute coffee for water! For even more antioxidants, add an organic green tea bag to your fresh hot brew.

So, now you can have rich coffee, without milk or oream, and get more butter in your diet. Butter has natural A and D and with all the concerns about Vitamin D, butter is a natural source. Notice that Nature always pairs Vitamin D with Vitamin A, as in fish oil. And butter is a great fat for hair and skin.

Let me know how you like Bullet-Proof Coffee. There is even a new coffee shop in Culver City called Bullet Proof Coffee, so butter as an alternative is spreading and maybe we will see it at Starbucks. Always choose organic butter or a grass-fed butter like Kerrygold from Ireland to avoid hormones and pesticides.

Have a great week!

Do You Know the Signs of Heavy Metal Toxicity?

All of us are exposed to heavy metals in the Western World.  Metals may be food, air, or water borne. You may work in an environment that uses heavy metals such as construction, agricultural, manufacturing or other industries. Corrosion may cause an exposure when a metal was used as an element, such as lead in pipes.

A metal may be a trace metal in tiny amounts that is essential in the body, such as copper. But even a vital metal is a problem when it overwhelms the body’s ability to excrete excess, and stores in the body, eventually causing cellular damage. Many metals are toxic to nerve cells, for example. Heavy metals will cause organ damage and often store in the small intestine, wreaking havoc with digestion and compromising the immune system in the gut. They are also known to be cancer-causing.

The good news is that toxic metals can be removed from the body by getting a substance to bind with them and pull them out, or increasing the body’s ability to push them out through detoxification pathways. When the heavy metal burden is reduced, the opportunity for healing the organ or tissue is greatly improved.

Here are some symptoms of metal toxicity: Fatigue, weakness, joint pain, digestive issues, brain fog, constipation, ulcers, sperm damage, headache, poor attention span, irritability, loss of memory, lower IQ, decreased attention span, anti-social behavior, kidney damage. Metals will interfere with enzyme function or cause DNA damage. If you are considering pregnancy, it may be very important to reduce your heavy metal burden before getting pregnant. If you want to prevent cancer, there are few steps you can take that would be more helpful than reducing your toxic metals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144270/

The most toxic metals are mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Knowing if you have an over-burden of these metals can help you take charge of your health, and protect your cells and organs in the long term. https://public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/HealthyNeighborhoods/LeadPoisoning/MedicalProvidersLaboratories/Documents/HeavyMetals.pdf

Now there is a simple dried-urine test (pee on a strip) that identifies if you have toxic metal over-load. The test also reveals your levels of the essential trace minerals of iodine and selenium, which are vital for heart health and to protect you against cancer. Bromine can bind with cell receptors to prevent you from being able to utilize iodine and the test checks your bromine level, also. Bromine is a common ingredient in commercial bread products.

The price of the heavy metal test is normally $205. For the month of October, get a $20 discount. If you have a heavy metal over-load, supplements or a detoxification program can reduce the burden. This may improve your symptoms and will reduce your risk of serious health issues. We live in a toxic environment. Until we can reduce the environmental toxins by getting industries to clean up their act and stop poisoning us, all we can do is help our bodies to cope with the health consequences.

The test is a simple test you take at home and send it to the lab. The results may change your life. Every step you take to rid your body of toxins, chemical, metal or pathogenic, will improve your chances of feeling your best, and reducing your risk of serious disease. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/metalsheavy/

Call the office to order your test kit. You don’t need an appointment and we can also mail the kit to you and send you the supplements, as well, if the results indicate that you need to reduce heavy metals. Find out if you are at risk and help your body stay strong.

Anne Dunev, PhD, C.N. has over twenty years experience helping people feel better by finding the root cause of what is causing their symptoms. Addressing that with the correct natural and nutritional medicine is her strength. With help restoring balance and function, thousands of people are living happier, healthier lives.