Surviving Mesothelioma For Better Life

Mesothelioma is a usually rare form of cancer, almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease, cancer cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. The most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis (the serous covering of the testis.)

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in some way. Washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma. There is generally no association with smoking.

People who are found to have mesothelioma are most often told that the only treatment is surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. They are also offered a very limited life expectancy.

But what if you were given this diagnosis and you believed enough in your self to want to find a better way of care and a longer life.

Paul Kraus was just a person who said no to orthodox treatment, and now, some 12 years later has released his book, Surviving Mesothelioma, and Other Cancers to be a guide for people facing a diagnosis of cancer.

Having worked with people who have mesothelioma from time to time over the many years I have been working with natural healing I found the best outcomes came to people whose will to live was the strongest.

Paul Kraus is just one who held to this belief and now he shares this with you.

One of the best features of Kraus’s book is the format; He chose a format I use in my “Road to Health” series of books. I was pleased to see this format because I have had such positive feedback about it and how easy it is to get right to the information in the books.

A chapter about patient’s rights is included, which I cannot stress enough how important this is in today’s mainstream medical venue.

Reading each page in each chapter is uplifting, as well as providing good information. This is a book for patients and families, but I highly recommend it for all health care providers.

The core of this book, Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers, is that it addresses the four key points for healing: physical, mental emotional and spiritual.

With these, and Kraus’s book as a guide, you have a way to find your healing path.

Natural Health Issues: Kombucha

Kombucha is the Western name for sickly tea or tisane that has been fermented by a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a "kombucha colony," usually consisting principally of Bacterium xylinum and yeast cultures. It has gained much popular support within many communities, stated by talk show hosts and celebrities. The increase in popularity can be seen by the many commercial brands coming onto the retail market and thousands of web pages about this fermented beverage.
The culture contains a symbiosis of yeast species and acetic acid bacteria, mostly Bacterium xylinum. Species of yeast involved vary, and may include: Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii. The culture itself appears somewhat like a large pancake, and though often called a mushroom, or by the acronym SCOBY (for "Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast"), it is clinically known as a zoogleal mat.
The recorded history of this drink dates back to the Qin Dynasty in China (around 250 BC). The Chinese called it the "Immortal Health Elixir," because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing. Knowledge of kombucha eventually reached Russia and then Eastern Europe around the Early Modern Age, when tea first became affordable by the populace.
The word kombucha, while sounding Japanese to foreign ears, is a misnomer when applied to this beverage. In fact, Kombucha in Japanese refers to a tea-like infusion (cha) (actually, more of a thin soup) made from kelp (kombu), usually served to patients in convalescence. The Japanese refer to 'kombucha' as kōcha-kinoko, which literally means black tea mushroom.
The process of brewing kombucha was introduced in Russia and the Ukraine at the end of the 1800s, and became popular in the early 1900s. The kombucha culture is known locally as chayniy grib, and the drink itself is referred to as grib, "tea kvass" or simply "kvass", although it differs from regular "kvass" which is not made from tea and is generally fermented only with yeast and not the other bacteria which ferment tea to form kombucha.Kombucha contains many different cultures along with several organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, anti-oxidants, and polyphenols. For the home brewer, there is no way to know the amounts of the components unless a sample is sent to a laboratory. The US Food and Drug Administration has no findings on the effects of kombucha. Each strain of kombucha may contain some of the following components depending on the source of the culture:

1. Acetic acid, which mainly inhibits harmful bacteria and so is used as a preservative. It is also what gives Kombucha that 'kick' to its smell and taste.
2. Butyric acid, produced by the yeasts and when working with gluconic acid, and in help combat yeast infections such as candida.
3. Gluconic acid, effective against many yeast infections such as candidiasis and thrush.
4. Glucuronic acid, thought to be a component of Kombucha tea, known to aid the liver in eliminating toxic substances. Elevated levels of Glucuronic acid has been documented in the urine of Kombucha drinkers.
5. Lactic acid, found in kombucha in its most potent form, L-lactic(+).
6. Malic acid, also used in the body's detoxification process.
7. Oxalic acid, encourages the cellular production of energy and is a natural preservative.
8. Usnic acid, a potent antibiotic that exhibits antiviral, antiprotozoal, antimitotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Kombucha also contains vitamin groups B and C, beneficial yeasts and bacteria.

Health effects
No clinical studies have been performed that demonstrate any specific curative properties of kombucha. A review of the published literature on the safety of kombucha suggests no specific oral toxicity in rats, although other reports suggest that care should be taken when taking medical drugs or hormone replacement therapy while regularly drinking kombucha. It may also cause allergic reactions or other complications, and one should discontinue use or consult a medical professional if complications arise.
Advocates believe kombucha works by assisting in the phase II liver detoxification pathway, leading to efficient elimination of endogenous and exogenous bodily wastes. This hypothesis is due to the observation of increased glucuronic acid conjugates in the urine after kombucha consumption.
Early chemical analysis of kombucha brew suggested that glucuronic acid was a key component of it, perhaps assisting the liver by supplying more of the substance during detoxification. But more recent analysis of kombucha offer a different explanation, as outlined in the book in Analysis of Kombucha Ferments by Michael Roussin. Roussin reports on an extensive chemical analysis of a variety of commercial and homebrew versions of kombucha, and finds no evidence of glucuronic acid at any concentration.
But Roussin suggests that another component may have health benefits: D - glucaro -1,4 lactone, also known as glucaric acid. It serves as an inhibitor of the beta- glucuronidase enzyme, a bacterial product from the gut microbiota that can cleave the glucuronic acid conjugates and send bodily wastes back into circulation, thus increasing the exposure time before the waste is ultimately excreted. Therefore, the active component of kombucha likely exerts its effect by preventing bacterial disruption of glucuronic acid conjugates and increasing the detoxification efficiency of the liver. Glucaric acid is being explored independently as a cancer preventive agent.
Reports of adverse reactions may be related to unsanitary fermentation conditions, leaching of compounds from the fermentation vessels, or "sickly" kombucha cultures that cannot acidify the brew. Cleanliness is important during preparation, and in most cases, the acidity of the fermented drink prevents growth of unwanted contaminants. If a culture becomes contaminated, it will most likely be seen as common mold, green or brown in color. The kombucha culture at time of harvest. A healthy, new culture is light cream coloured and should be smooth.
There are many ways to prepare kombucha. Though kombucha is almost always prepared with sugar and tea, almost any beverage containing sugar and caffeine (such as cola or sweetened coffee) will allow the culture to grow, though the resultant beverage may be quite unpalatable. Many brewers also recommend using organic ingredients wherever possible to prevent the addition of unwanted chemicals and preservatives.
In one method, the beverage is made by placing some existing kombucha culture in a jar, usually a 3 liter glass container, then pouring in cold black tea with sugar. In about 8-12 days, the first portion of the beverage is ready; part of it is removed for consumption, and more tea with sugar is added to fill the jar. A mature kombucha is several centimeters thick and produces a portion of beverage every day. As the kombucha slowly grows, from time to time slices are taken off it, which can be used to start new cultures in separate containers.
Another method allows for the bottling and saving of kombucha for later consumption. As in the previous method, the culture is placed into a large glass jar and the tea is added. The jar is covered with a coffee filter or paper towel secured with string or rubber bands, and left for seven or eight days. Part of the kombucha is poured off into glass jars and refrigerated for a few days, while part is kept back to start a new batch. The refrigeration allows the flavor to deepen, and the natural carbonation to build up.Each time the kombucha culture goes through the fermentation process, it creates one new "mushroom" layer, or zoogleal mat, which will form atop of the original. After three or four layers have built up, the tea will become sour and taste somewhat like vinegar. When the new batch is ready, one may either use the second layer to start another batch, along with the original one for its own batch or it may be thrown away. Each culture can be used over and over again but most people discard an older one and use the newer to make their next batch of tea.

Photo: http://tashian.com

Another Controversial Natural Health: Ginseng

Ginseng is a plump rooted herb, inhabitant to well shattered, breezy, sheltered hardwood forests. This natural health herb does not grow in full daylight, so the ordinary place to plant it is in hardwood forests, where the trees give the needed shade. Ginseng is a perennial sow, but unlike other perennials, lies latent some years and does not grow new tops every year. The root does not pass away, but lies dormant until the next year. Ginseng is one of the most required after herbs on the market. The prospect for growing ginseng looks shows potential for many years as more and more is being used at the present in the United States in adding to the Orient. All Health Food supplies, medicine stores, and even the small gas stations now trade it in capsules, powdered, etc. The demand keeps going up every time.

Ginseng refers to species within Panax, a genus of 11 species of slow-growing perennial plants among fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. Natural health roots grow up in the Northern Hemisphere in eastern Asia (frequently northern China, Korea, and eastern Siberia), naturally in cooler climates; Panax vietnamensis, revealed in Vietnam, is the southernmost ginseng found.

Both American and Panax (Asian) ginseng rhizomes are taken orally as adaptogens, aphrodisiacs, healthful stimulants, and in the healing of type II diabetes, including sexual dysfunction in men. The rhizome is most regularly accessible in dried form, either in whole or sliced form. Ginseng leaf, although not as greatly prized, is at times also used; as with the rhizome it is most often available in dried appearance.

As with herbalism in common, ginseng's medical usefulness remains controversial. It has been complicated to confirm the medicinal benefits of ginseng using contemporary science, as there are paradoxical results from dissimilar studies, probably due to the broad variety and excellence of this natural health root used in studies. An additional issue is the profit latent of corporate research since ginseng cannot be unproved. As an outcome, high-quality studies of the effects of ginseng are odd. By the way, one of the improved studies relating ginseng essentially uses a proprietary ginseng extract.

There are references in the literature, including apparently authoritative compendiums that emerge to show relations with ginseng. Herbalist Jonathan Treasure of the United States National Institute of Mental Health traces the growth of half truths on an alleged undesirable herb-drug interaction between the monoamine oxidase inhibitor phenelzine and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). This initially was mentioned in a 1985 editorial by Shader and Greenblatt in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Shader and Greenblatt committed a couple of lines to the case of 64 year-old woman who took an undisclosed quantity for an private time of a dietary supplement product called “Natrol High” while concurrently taking phenelzine 60 mg qd. She experienced symptoms of “insomnia, headache, and tremulousness”. Treasure called Natrol by email and discovered within ten minutes that there was no Panax ginseng in the formula, but instead eleutherococcus which was then called by the trendy name "Siberian ginseng" and it was prearranged in a subclinical dosage mixed with a diversity of other herbs. The professed interaction effects are well-known side effects of phenelzine alone, which had been known in a high dosage and are not at all indicative of eleutherococcus. However this deceived article with a misidentified herb has been picked up in literature explorations, megastudies and is now acknowledged by conventional medical authorities such as Stockley’s, and is repeated in several botanical monographs e.g. World Health Organization (WHO 1999).

Notice: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not strictly make conform herbs and supplements. There is no warranty of strength, purity or safety of products, and effects may differ. You should constantly read product labels. If you have a medical circumstance, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should tell to a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy. Consult a healthcare provider instantly if you experience side effects.

Photo: http://www.wpr.org/

Omega 3 Microencapsulation – Not In My Orange Juice - The Newest Development To Cash In

In an effort to add Omega 3 from the right source (fatty fish) to our grocery store products, the latest attempt to cash in on the Omega 3 band wagon is microencapsulated Omega 3 fish oil in of all things, orange juice (Tropicana), butter (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter) and yogurt. Suffice it to say, microencapsulation is a complicated process that requires a scientific background to explain.

What I do know is, I never wish to add fish of any kind, in any form, encapsulated, freeze dried, flaked or otherwise to orange juice, butter, yogurt, or any food for that matter. It’s not only tremendously unappealing, many people are deathly allergic to fish. Will they have to read labels of orange juice, butter and yogurt to make sure dried or encapsulated Omega 3 fish oil is not lurking within?

We are inundated by commercialism, clever advertisers, hype, powerful food and drug companies complicated by our own time limitations to dig deep for answers. So we do our best to keep up, read a bit here, listen a bit there and assimilate information often on the run. When we walk into our grocery stores and see Omega 3 on products, our first reaction is to buy knowing we need to add Omega 3 yet so few know they just added more seed oils to their bodies. And with today’s textbook science clearly showing seed oils are the culprit behind chronic inflammation affecting Americans’ health today, it is not a stretch to call the behavior of food manufacturers unscrupulous in their duping of the American consumer in the most dreadful way – not the cash in their hand but the very health they are trying to either keep or restore.

Research once showed ALA from seed oils was beneficial to heart health and other diet-related diseases, yet those conditions continued to climb and studies began emerging linking an over-abundance of ALA and other seed oils to chronic inflammation (arachidonic acid) being at the core of those diseases. And unless you’ve stayed clear of fast food restaurants, prepackaged foods, treats, and your favorite sit down restaurant, you’ve unknowingly been consuming huge quantities beyond any healthy recommendation that was suggested just a few years ago.

The first attempt at misleading labeling was conscienceless but the newest of dropping tiny caplets of microencapsulated Omega 3 fish oil into juice and dairy products defies logic. My mind, nor my palate, can tolerate the thought of the taste or texture. At first glance it might appear as a step in the right direction by at least adding fish oil that we need but do you want fish oil delivered to you in those products? And if we throw Omega 3 microencapsulated fish oil into a wide array of grocery store products, how will we know if we’ve consumed a gram a day as suggested by the AHA or ten grams a day? It is estimated that by 2011, sales of Omega 3 enriched products will soars to $7 Billion Dollars.

A simpler solution is educating the American public as to the difference between food grade Omega 3 fish oils that offer no benefit and pure pharmaceutical grade fish oil from the right fatty fish that do. Purifying fish oil requires years of skill utilizing molecular processes. Suppliers who purchase 50 gallon drums of fish oil to turn into capsules for resale can afford to buy one, get one free and offer a two month supply for $25.00. Your health is precious and finding a quality source of fish oil only requires a little looking beyond the labeling.

Find a fish oil manufacturer (not a fish oil reseller, retailer or supplier) who began the process of producing fish oil by contracting with deep sea fisherman to deliver it to their lab. Make sure they either own the pharmaceutically lab purifying the oil or are aware of the lab’s standards. If not, your supplement passed through so many hands, it’s amazing it made it to the shelf in tact. Check for testimonies from real, satisfied customers who have experienced significant health changes. There are great fish oil products out there.

Author: Lois Smithers

Fish Oil Benefits

In the quest to achieve better health and wellness, fish oil supplements have become an increasingly popular way to take advantage of many different medical benefits. Fish oil originates from the tissues of oily fish, such as carp, herring, salmon, and fresh tuna. Today, fish oil is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids contained, which is known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and lessen the threat of coronary heart disease (among other things).

There are two main ways to include fish oil as part of a healthy diet. The first involves the consumption of oily fish, including sardines and cod, which contain oils throughout their body and about their gut, unlike other species of fish. Depending on the species, oily fish fillets may offer up to 30% oil. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, oily fish also provides a good source of vitamins A and D.

The second approach towards increasing the amount of fish oils in a diet is to purchase fish oil capsules or supplements. Many people are said to prefer the consumption of fish oil capsules because they are easy to follow and do not require laborious measurements in making sure recommended daily values are satisfied. To explore some of the many benefits associated with fish oil supplements and consumption, a few examples can be found below:

Decreased Pain Levels and Inflammation
Omega-3 fatty acids may posses the power to lessen inflammation in the body, as well as ease the pain associated with arthritis and cystitis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often report an improvement in joint pains and inflammation when taking fish oil supplements.

Treats Depression and Stress
Some individuals have been able to ease their symptoms of depression by implementing omega-3 fish oil supplements into their diet. Fish oils have also been linked to showing promise in treating bipolar and psychotic patients. Supplements may also help to promote the overall mood of patients, and may even reduce premenstrual stress.

Cardiovascular Improvements
The heart, arteries, and veins may benefit from fish oil because it has been known to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, while at the same time improving "good" cholesterol levels.

Fights Strokes and Heart Attack
The threat of stroke and heart attack may be decreased with the introduction of fish oils into a diet because they may help to prevent blood clots and other damage to the heart. A decreased risk of sudden death and heart attacks has also been seen.

Enhances Brain Activity
Fish oil is known to boost intelligence and overall happiness in users, as well as improve the memory and ability to stay focused. In the elderly, the risk of dementia and memory loss sometimes decreases with the use of fish oil supplements. Additionally, mothers who consume or take a high amount of omega-3/fish oils during pregnancy often give birth to children with a higher IQ.

Combats Childhood Disorders
Children, who suffer from disorders, such as ADD and ADHD, have experienced a better quality of life when incorporating fish oil fatty acids into their diet. Additional conditions that respond to fish oils include dyslexia and compulsive disorders.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Author: Lori Matthews