UnSymmetrical

Before I share a great little tip on how to stop a sore throat from progressing into a week-long cold, please know that periodically experiencing a cold or the flu can actually be helpful to your health. If you have no idea why this is, please view the following popular article that I wrote on this topic:

What Most Doctors Won't Tell You About Colds and Flus

You just won't get this information on why colds and flus can help you stay healthy over the long run from medical textbooks and mainstream media - please consider sharing it with family and friends.

Although experiencing a cold or the flu once in a while can help rid your body of your weakest cells, I'm willing to bet that there are times when you would really prefer to delay such a period of cleansing and malaise.

Here's how you can stand a good chance of preventing a cold from developing:

As soon as you experience that sore, tickly feeling in your throat that precedes a full-blown cold, gargle with warm salt water.

Continue reading "How to Prevent a Sore Throat from Progressing to a Cold" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 06:59 AM | Permalink

"Dragon's blood" may sound like an exotic ingredient in a witch's brew or magic potion. But researchers in China are reporting that the material -- which is actually a bright red plant sap used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine -- contains chemicals that were effective in laboratory experiments in fighting bacteria that cause millions of cases of gastrointestinal disease each year.

In the new study, Weimin Zhao and colleagues indicate that "dragon's blood" has been used for years in China and other countries as a folk remedy for stomach ulcers, blood clots, and other conditions. Researchers, however, have never identified the active ingredients in dragon's blood responsible for its beneficial health effects on peptic ulcer and preventing blood clots.

The researchers isolated 22 different compounds from the powdered stems of Dracaena cochinchinensis, a common source of dragon's blood. The scientists tested the compounds' effects on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacteria known to cause most cases of stomach ulcers and gastritis.

Continue reading "'Dragon's Blood' Quenches Stomach Ulcer Bacteria" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Snapple teas and juice drinks claim on their labels to be "all natural" and "made from the best stuff on Earth."

But a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Monmouth County and moved to federal court last week begs to differ. The complaint, filed against Snapple and its parent, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, charges the use of high-fructose corn syrup in the drinks renders the "all natural" claim false and deceptive.

"The representation that something is all natural, as far as we're concerned, requires the product be all natural," said East Brunswick attorney Philip Tortoreti, who filed the complaint on behalf Stacy Holk, who lives in the Morganville section of Marlboro Township. "And high-fructose corn syrup is not all natural."

The lawsuit, which seeks class action status for New Jersey residents who drank certain Snapple teas and juice drinks during the past six years, wants a judge to force the company to alter its labeling and refund consumers.

Continue reading "Jerseyan Sues Snapple Over 'All-Natural' Claim" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 07:46 AM | Permalink

Brazilians are using all sorts of plants and herbs to alleviate pains and strains. What’s “in vogue” today is an herb called garra do diabo, or devil’s claw (scientific name, Harpagophyitum procumbens). But don’t be startled by the name; it’s not what you think. Devil’s claw got a bad rap in the name department. As you will see, it’s more like a gift from the gods in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, fibromialgia, bursitis, tendonitis, spinal problems, osteoporosis, and general muscular pain.

Its properties began to be studied around the time of WWII by European scientists, who dubbed it devil’s claw due to its many thorny spines that resemble claws. It has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and febrifuge (fever-reducing) properties. It also helps heal wounds, stimulates the digestive and lymphatic systems and helps in the production of bile from the liver and gall bladder. These qualities make it among the most sought after cures for lumbar and other back and muscle pain in South America.

Continue reading "Devil’s Claw is God’s Gift for Back and Muscle Pain" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 06:19 AM | Permalink

In 2735 B.C., a Chinese emperor recommended an extract from the ma huang plant (known as ephedra in the Western world) as a treatment for respiratory illness. Today, the chemical ephedrine is extracted from the plant and used as a decongestant (e.g., pseudoephedrine). Codeine, derived from opium, has long been used as an analgesic and cough suppressant.

During the Golden Age of Western herbology, which occurred from 500 B.C. to 200 A.D., Western physicians and scholars classified hundreds of plants useful in healing. By the Middle Ages, every household had an herb garden to supply it with medicines. Rhubarb was used as a laxative. Salicin, a forerunner of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), was derived from the bark of the willow tree. The tranquilizer laudanum, derived from the poppy, was later used to treat the "vapors" experienced by Victorian ladies.

By World War II, herbology was losing popularity in the West. Penicillin and other "wonder drugs" seemed to be cure-alls. And the war itself had cut off supplies of herbs from around the world. The advent of the drug industry with its synthetic medicines seemed to ring a death knoll for herbology, yet plants remain a major source of drugs today. For example, the previously mentioned ephedrine, digitalis (a heart strengthener), and vincristine (an antitumor drug) are all plant-derived.

Continue reading "Herbal Therapy in Dentistry" »

Posted by Vitamin Z at 03:01 PM | Permalink