Natural methods to prevent and treat kidney stones

(NaturalNews) The excruciating pain of passing a kidney stone usually makes sufferers go to the hospital. In most cases, physicians aren’t able to do much except send the patient home with a prescription for painkillers. In instances where a stone is particularly large, doctors use shock waves to break the stone into pieces small enough to pass through the urethra. Either way, the patient incurs the usual outsize bill that goes with any emergency room visit. Rather than experience first-hand why the saying “harder than passing a kidney stone” has become a common way to describe an agonizing experience, you may want to take adjust your diet to avoid the formation of these mineral deposits comprised of calcium, uric acid or the amino acid cysteine. Highly acidic diets tend to create an environment which encourages kidney stones, while more alkaline diets help prevent these kind of deposits. Soft drinks, coffee, alcohol, products containing corn syrup and most forms of animal protein have an acidic effect on the body. Some fruits and vegetables have a more alkaline effect, while others are more acidic. Some otherwise healthful foods such as rhubarb, spinach, beet greens, sorrel, green tea and chocolate can contribute to kidney stone formation because they contain oxalic acid. You can learn more about alkaline/acidic balance on NaturalNews (http://www.naturalnews.com/026971_body_health_alkaline.html). This link (http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm) also provides useful information about where specific foods fall on the acidity-alkalinity scale. Drinking plenty of pure water also helps discourage the formation of mineral deposits in the kidneys. Holding the bladder rather than urinating when nature calls can also contribute to stone formation. Unless there is a history of kidney infection, people who maintain diets which emphasize fruits and vegetables over animal protein generally have a lower risk of kidney stones. Symptoms of kidney stones may include nausea and vomiting, as well as pain in the lower back and/or abdomen and blood in the urine. There are natural home remedies which can help dissolve kidney stones, as well as natural aids to help ease stones out of the body more quickly and reduce the pain associated with kidney stones. Western herbal remedies to prevent kidney stones include meadowsweet, sarsaparilla, joe-pye weed and plantain which help cleanse excess uric acid from the kidneys. Goldenrod is so effective in helping dissolve kidney stones that in Germany, where herbal medicine has received more official acceptance than in the U.S., it is part of the recommended course of treatment. Multiple scientific studies have verified the folk medicine wisdom which has long prescribed goldenrod for a variety of kidney, bladder and urinary tract disorders. Herbs such as St. John’s wort, agrimony, horsetail, nettles, yarrow and shepherd’s purse can offer some relief for the kidney stone pain and bleeding. Next time you treat yourself to some fresh corn on the cob, don’t discard the silky part of the cornhusk known as cornsilk. Instead, boil the cornsilk in pure water along with some marshmallow herb to make a potent stone-dissolving tea. Cornsilk is an excellent example of how the move away from fresh, whole foods deprives people of natural healing. If you buy frozen corn, or the pre-husked and cut corn on the cob, you miss out on this substance which also aids against urinary tract stones, urinary tract infections, hypertension and prostate disorders. The name of Amazon herb chanca piedra actually translates as “stone breaker.” Concoctions of this plant have long been used in South America to break down stones of the kidneys and gallbladder. It is also effective against a host of ailments from diabetes to jaundice. Sources http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm http://library.mothernature.com/l/herbs-for-health-and-healing/kidney-stones_1072.html http://www.herbreference.com/cornsilk.html http://www.naturalnews.com/021294.html http://www.rain-tree.com/chanca-techreport.pdf

How vitamin B-12 treats Alzheimer’s disease

(NaturalNews) Go ahead and tell someone that they should give their loved one, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or Dementia, a dose of vitamin B12 that is 300 times the recommended daily intake, and they’ll probably cover their ears and run the other way or tell you they are afraid of “overdosing.” In fact, most people don’t even know where vitamin B12 comes from, or what the body needs it for in the first place. On top of that, there are several myths about vitamin B12 that need to be dispelled, and several misconceptions of where it comes from in its most natural, most beneficial form. There is a widespread belief that meat is the primary source of vitamin B-12; however, many nutritionists and their research reflect that cooked animal protein actually impairs the ability of the body to absorb this essential vitamin. The vitamin is heat sensitive, and therefore normal cooking can destroy up to 90 percent of its usefulness. So then what foods do we turn to in order to find useful vitamin B-12? Although animal and dairy products are a “popular source”, the natural soil microbes and bacteria found on wild food, such as unwashed garden plants, are typically enough to supply many of your vitamin B12 needs. In other words, organic vegetables, which most likely are not doused in pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, have exactly what the body needs. The “sterile” process of washing your vegetables is mainly known to be done to remove the chemical agents farmers use to keep away pests and bugs from destroying them, but that same “sterilizing process” also washes away soil microbes and bacteria that grow on raw fruits and vegetables, which our bodies need to duplicate in the intestinal tract for proper “assimilation” of vitamin B-12 to take place. The ultimate source of all nature’s B-12 is manufactured by the friendly bacteria in an animal’s intestinal tract, and this is true for all vegetarian animals, including human beings. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease, which may have its beginnings rooting from a deficiency of vitamin B-12. Humans are born with serum levels of B-12 at about 2,000 pg/ml. This level often declines steadily throughout life, giving “credit” to common Western diet. If consumers and natural medicine advocates can keep an open mind when addressing AD, we give our loved ones a fair chance at stopping AD in its tracks and possibly reversing dementia, and according to recent research, the earlier you address the problem, the better fighting chance you have of reducing or even defeating it. In the early 1980′s, my grandmother Esther began showing signs and symptoms of dementia. At the time, I was about 13 years old, and when my parents brought me to visit her at my Aunt’s home, my grandmother barely recognized me. My father said she was having problems with her memory, and then she actually walked us into a bathroom as she offered to show us her “bedroom.” Within two years, she did not recognize even her closest family members, including her husband. It was a total nightmare for the entire family, and Grandma Ester lived liked this for over ten years. Could vitamin B-12 have been the remedy? I wish we had known about it then so we could have tried it. So clear the clouds of doubt you have about vitamin B-12. If it can’t hurt, and can only help, why wouldn’t you try it? It’s water soluble, so if you take “too much,” your body will simply excrete the excess. There are no proven side effects. So, if a simple at home nutritional program could actually save your loved one from a degenerative disease that is considered “worse than death,” why wouldn’t you try it? Sources: 1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7989889/Vitamin-B-is-revolutionary-new-weapon-against-Alzheimers-Disease.html; Health News 2. Survival Into the 21st Century; Planetary Healers Manual; By Viktoras Kulvinskas; 1975. 3. http://alternativesante.superforum.fr/t1179-david-wolfe-on-B12.

Prevent illness by increasing your intake of potassium

(NaturalNews) High blood pressure, which afflicts roughly one-third of Americans, and heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US, are both often attributed to bad habits like excess sodium intake and poor overall diet. However, a new report released by the US Institute of Medicine suggests that potassium deficiency may also be a critical factor in these diseases, and that Americans would do well to consume more potassium-rich foods as part of their regular diets. According to the report, the average American consumes half of the recommended daily amount of potassium, which is 4,700 milligrams (mg) a day for adults. A 2010 study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found that consuming this amount of potassium every day can significantly improve blood pressure, as well as reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100913161826.htm). Potassium is also responsible for helping to keep a balanced pH level inside the body. When pH levels go awry, the body is more prone to developing disease. And maintaining healthy bone mass, nervous system health, muscle function, kidney health, and adrenal function, all require regular high intake of potassium. But to put 4,700 mg of potassium into perspective, a person would have to eat roughly ten bananas a day in order to meet the government’s bare minimum threshold for potassium intake, which is most likely lower than what is needed to obtain full, optimal health benefits. Even an whole avocado contains only about one-third of this minimum recommendation. So what can you do to help increase your daily consumption of health-promoting potassium? Besides eating more bananas and avocados, which contain about 500 mg and 1,600 mg of potassium each, respectively, you can also integrate more beets, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, Lima beans, potatoes, and raisins into your diet. Winter squash, tomatoes, spinach, and prunes also have very high levels of potassium. To learn more about potassium, and to see a more detailed list of potassium-rich foods, visit: http://www.thepotassiumrichfoods.com/ Sources for this story include: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=11161&Section=Vitamins

HHS warns that all infant formulas are contaminated with toxic fluoride

(NaturalNews) Piggybacking on the recent government announcement concerning overexposure to fluoride, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now announced that all infant formulas are contaminated with fluoride, and that when mixed with the fluoridated water provided in most US cities, the combination is a toxic threat to babies and infants. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of all US children are overexposed to fluoride. Many of these children are now afflicted with dental fluorosis as a result, which is a tooth disease involving the mottling and staining of enamel. In January, the CDC adjusted the recommended recommended water fluoridation levels from 1.2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) to 0.7 mg/L (http://www.naturalnews.com/030952_CDC_fluoride.html). However, a 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association says that even the adjusted levels are too high, stating that “[m]ost infants from birth to age 12 months who consume predominantly powdered and liquid concentrate formula are likely to exceed the upper tolerable limit [of fluoride] if the formula is reconstituted with optimally fluoridated (0.7 – 1.2 ppm).” Besides baby formulas and tap water, many other food items are also contaminated with toxic fluoride. Juices, crackers, breads, teas, and fruits often contain high levels of fluoride. And since there is no verifiable way to know precisely how much fluoride children are ingesting from various food and drinks, exposure is far more widespread than most people are aware. “Exposure to excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults, and may result in effects on bone leading to pain and tenderness,” says the US Environmental Protection Agency on its fluoride information page. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never properly tested fluoride for safety. It is the only unregulated, unapproved drug that is forcefully injected into the water supplies of millions of people who have no choice in whether or not they are exposed to it. There is no justifiable reason why fluoride is added to water, and there is no “safe” level of it. Numerous studies have found, however, that fluoride exposure is linked to lowered IQ levels, mental retardation, thyroid dysfunction, bone problems, the calcification of the pineal gland and other organs, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal problems, kidney disease, respiratory dysfunction, sexual disorders, cancer, and tooth decay (http://www.naturalnews.com/fluoride.html). Be sure to catch the NaturalNews.TV video Fluoride Deception for more information about toxic fluoride: http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=42652E035A1B1BAAAE1F340B54694975 Sources for this story include: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hhs-all-infant-formulas-contain-fluoride-avoid-mixing-with-fluoridated-water-117760088.html

Calcium and vitamin supplements reduce breast cancer risk

(NaturalNews) Taking vitamin and calcium supplements may reduce women’s risk of breast cancer by as much as 40 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, and presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. “It is not an immediate effect. You don’t take a vitamin today and your breast cancer risk is reduced tomorrow,” researcher Jaime Matta said. “However, we did see a long-term effect in terms of breast cancer reduction.” The researchers conducted the study on 457 healthy women and 268 with breast cancer, all of whom had been taking vitamin and mineral supplements for the past five years. The women filled out a questionnaire about which vitamins and minerals they were taking, how regularly they took them, and if they were still taking them. They then took samples of each woman’s blood and measured her DNA’s ability to repair itself of damage. “This process involves at least five separate pathways and is critical for maintaining genomic stability,” Matta said. “When the DNA is not repaired, it leads to mutation that leads to cancer.” The researchers found that calcium supplements significantly increased a woman’s DNA repair capacity. Taking calcium supplements also decreased a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 40 percent, while vitamin supplements decreased it by 40 percent. Women who had a low DNA repair capacity, a family history of breast cancer, and no history of breast feeding were all more likely to suffer from breast cancer. When the researchers adjusted for calcium’s effect on DNA repair capacity, they found little remaining effect on breast cancer risk. This suggests that calcium helps prevent cancers by boosting DNA’s ability to regenerate from damage. The mechanisms by which vitamin supplements protect the body from cancer were not determined. “The importance of the study is that it’s addressing normal doses, the recommended amount of vitamins, not high-dose supplements,” said Victoria Seewaldt of Duke University. Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-04/aafc-vac041210.php; http://www.themedguru.com/20100421/newsfeature/calcium-multivitamins-may-lower-breast-cancer-risk-study-86134300.html.

Zinc helps prevent pneumonia in the elderly

(NaturalNews) A new report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that zinc plays a very important role in health maintenance. In a study of over 600 seniors from 33 different nursing homes in the Boston area, researchers found that seniors with healthy blood levels of zinc are 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with sub-par levels. The study was a follow-up to a previous one which found that people given 200 international units (IU) of vitamin E every day for one year are 20 percent less likely to develop upper respiratory infections, including common colds. But after a follow-up, the trial also revealed that a majority of those same participants had low levels of zinc in their blood. Subjects in the first trial were supplemented with only half the recommended daily intake of zinc and other essential vitamins, but those who had normal blood levels of the mineral overall experienced less infections and needed fewer antibiotics. Those with zinc deficiencies were far more prone to developing prolonged illness. Zinc is a necessary mineral for maintaining health in many other areas as well. The eyes and prostate, for example, need zinc in order to function properly. “[Zinc] is…important for the proper functioning of the immune system — which you definitely want in top working order! Zinc also aids in the regulation of blood pressure and the mineralization of bone,” explains Elaine Magee in her book Food Synergy: Unleash Hundreds of Powerful Healing Food Combinations to Fight Disease and Live Well . Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/usdo-aze081010.php http://www.naturalpedia.com/zinc.html

Drowning in soda: America’s health problems made far worse by massive soda consumption

(NaturalNews) The booming popularity of sugary soft drinks has led to 6,000 more deaths, 14,000 more cases of heart disease and 130,000 new cases of diabetes in the past 10 years, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-San Francisco and presented at the annual Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention conference of the American Heart Association. “We can demonstrate an association between daily consumption of sugared beverages and diabetes risk,” researcher Litsa Lambrakos said. “We can then translate this information into estimates of the current diabetes and cardiovascular disease that can be attributed to the rise in consumption of these drinks.” The researchers found that sugary soft drinks also contributed to the loss of 21,000 life-years, plus an increase of 50,000 in the life-years spent suffering from heart disease. “We probably underestimated the incidence, because the rise is greatest among the young, and our model focuses on adults 35 and older,” researcher Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo said. The analysis included juices with sugar added but excluded 100 percent juice. “Juice from fruit itself is nutrient-rich, and its nutritional value goes beyond the carbohydrate content,” said Robert H. Eckel of the University of Colorado, a former president of the American Heart Association. The findings may build new support for the growing push for a soda tax. According to policy experts, a tax of just one cent per ounce would reduce soda consumption by 10 percent. “The reason why there is a current debate about a tax is that scientific evidence in populations has consistently shown that more than one drink a day increases your risk,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “The finding suggests that any kind of policy that reduces consumption might have a dramatic health benefit.” A single serving of soda or other sweetened soft drink contains between 120 and 200 calories of sugar, equivalent to a man’s recommended intake for a full day and exceeding the recommended daily intake for a woman. Sources for this story include: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/636642.html ; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7376295/Sugary-soft-drinks-lead-to-diabetes-research-finds.html.

Teenage girls live on junk food

(NaturalNews) Teenage girls eat substantially worse than teenage boys and older women, according to the preliminary results of the United Kingdom’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey. The average teenage girl consumed 54 grams (1.9 ounces) of French fries or other fried potatoes per day, in comparison with only 40 grams per day among women between the ages of 19 and 65. Teenage girls consumed 14 grams of potato chips and other salty snacks each day, 22 grams of chocolate and candy, and 37 grams of cakes and cookies. In contrast, adult women consumed only 6 grams, 10 grams and 27 grams of these foods per day, respectively. Teenage girls were getting an average of 13.1 percent of their daily calories from saturated fat, higher than both the percentage in boys (12.7 percent) and the recommended daily maximum (11 percent). When it came to sugar consumption, girls performed marginally better than boys but were still above the daily maximum, acquiring 15 percent of their daily calories from sugar. Boys were getting 16.3 percent of their daily calories from sugar, in comparison with the recommended maximum of 11 percent. Teenagers’ unhealthy habits do not stop at junk food. Twenty-nine percent of teenage girls reported smoking cigarrettes, as did 16 percent of teenage boys. When it came to alcohol, the disparity was even more striking: 11 percent of girls between the ages of 13 and 15 were drinking alcohol weekly, compared with only 1 percent of boys of the same age. At the same time, teenage girls were not eating enough overall. In particular, they fell short on consumption of fruits and vegetables, averaging only 2.8 servings per day. Only 7 percent were eating the recommended five per day. Teenage girls also failed to eat enough iron-rich foods, placing themselves at risk of anemia. “Broadly, teenage girls don’t eat enough,” said Alison Tedstone of the Food Standards Agency. “Overall, they are a stand-alone group of the population whose diets are poor.” Sources for this story include: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article7020912.ece.

Vitamin D deficiency confirmed as common across a range of rheumatic conditions

Two separate studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, with over half of all patients having below the “normal” healthy levels of vitamin D (48-145 nmol/L) in their bodies. A further study assessing response to vitamin D supplementation found that taking the recommended daily dose did not normalize vitamin D levels in rheumatic disease patients.

Vitamin D deficiency confirmed as common across a range of rheumatic conditions

Two separate studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, with over half of all patients having below the “normal” healthy levels of vitamin D (48-145 nmol/L) in their bodies. A further study assessing response to vitamin D supplementation found that taking the recommended daily dose did not normalize vitamin D levels in rheumatic disease patients.

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