Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar

Home remedies and natural treatments are becoming more popular for those seeking alternative health solutions as well as both a strained economy health care system and economy.

Often simple home treatments are found right in our kitchen cupboard and have a plethora of uses as well as effective results.

While ACV has long been used over time to treat a host of ailments, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is becoming an increasingly popular natural supplement or treatment.

Apple Cider Vinegar is creating through a two step fermentation process. The first step is the apple fermented into hard apple cider and the second fermentation creates Apple Cider Vinegar complete with enzymes and extra acids. It's the two step fermentation along with using organically grown apples that made the difference between a high quality ACV and a inferior substitute.

A few of the ailment Apple Cider Vinegar has been shown to be effective on are:

Acid Reflux
Acne
Athletes Foot
Blood Pressure Reduction
Constipation
Improved Digestive Health
Night Sweats/Hot Flashes
Weight Loss
Yeast Infection

These are just a few of the ailments ACV is effective on. Want to learn more? Visit Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for a more detailed list of ailments you can help or eliminate with this all natural treatment.

Take it every day with honey and see for yourself how beneficial Apple Cider Vinegar is to improve your overall health.

Slow Down The Aging Process

If you are like me, you are constantly checking your watch.  Not the one on your wrist but your life watch.  The years creep up on us and then one day they are no longer creeping, but instead they are flying by.

Since you are checking your life watch, you are probably looking for ways not only to improve your health, but to slow down the aging process so that life watch keeps ticking long into triple digits!

This is the reason I got excited when I discovered:  Reset Your Biological Clock, written by Dr. Al Sears, M.D.  Maybe, if you are in fact like me, you will likely get excited about it too!  If so, read on......

Stay Active, Vital & Energized

Work hard, play hard and keep doing what you love well into your 80s, 90s or 100s.

That’s not wishful thinking – it’s a medical reality. With new breakthrough technology, you can stay active and keep moving like a 50-year-old right through the age of 100.

You’ll find the keys to this rejuvenation in Reset Your Biological Clock, the revolutionary new book from renowned integrative physician and natural health expert Dr. Al Sears, M.D.

He reveals an exciting breakthrough that can enable you to turn on your anti-aging genes and reduce the effects of 10 to 20 years of aging. Find out how you can look 30% younger … reverse your genetic clock and recreate the body you had in your 20s …

If you want to stay independent and do more than you ever thought you could, click here to get started…Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for something you probably haven’t heard about. Researchers discovered the primary cause of human aging – the long-sought-after “genetic clock” – and how to halt aging in its tracks.

Dr. Al Sears has been involved in this cutting-edge technology since its beginning.

You can now use this Nobel Prize to knock years off your age and live healthier and longer than ever before. Read below to discover how to turn back your genetic clock, reverse the aging process, overcome fatigue and look years younger...

Swine Flu Deaths

We continue to see the panic button pressed daily on the Swine Flu.

The vaccination that may or may not be mandatory.

Whether this wonder vaccination will be ready in time. (Ready for what?)

Is it safe to travel here...or there?

The Obama administration is using terms like "Preparing for the worst."

No matter what form of media you read or watch, the Swine Flu or H1N1 is everywhere. It's no wonder we aren't all running in terror through the streets over this alleged Super Killer.

Well how about we give it the attention it deserves?

Here are some statistics that may help you see a little clearer what is happening with the Swine Flu:

In 1967 the Hong Kong Flu killed 700,000 people worldwide. This was the last time the World Health Organization declared a flu pandemic until....

Now. A flu pandemic has been declared even though the Swine Flu has only killed 1462 people globally to date. Hmmmm.

Millions and millions of people get some variety of the flu every year. Statistically a relatively low number die from it, especially directly from it. For example, in 2006 in the US, 56,326 people died from the flu, however 55,477 of those people died from underlying complications they had before contracting the flu. In other words, their immune systems were already weakened when they contracted the flu. The number of people in the US who died from the flu in 2006 was 849.

The number of people who have died here in the US from Swine Flu to date is 447.

There are those who argue a vaccination is necessary even with this ridiculously low number because if we had an outbreak of the Flu, our health care system may not be equipped to deal with all the people suffering from underlying conditions and have weakened immune systems. Therefore the fix is to vaccinate them with an newly developed, under tested vaccination. I guess we can all be the test study for this vaccination and just see what happens.

Not me. I prefer to have a healthy strong immune system that can fight off the flu and countless other health villains, so I can go on about my life without missing a beat. Fortunately I'm not alone in my belief as thousands of others are beginning to educate themselves about the Swine Flu and other health issues thus taking the responsibility of their health into their own hands.

Which side of the fence are you on?

An Alternative Approach

Alternative Medicine or Naturopathic Medicine is based on the belief that the body can heal itself. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

Yes, the body can certainly heal itself if it's in a natural state or environment, but can it heal itself when it's in an unnatural state?

When we routinely pump unnatural substances like soda's, artificial sweeteners, nicotine, processed foods, over the counter and prescription drugs (all are synthetic), refined sugar and flour, tap water that is chlorinated, air that is polluted....

Wait let me catch my breath...never mind I can't my lungs are too full of well...everything that shouldn't be there and not enough of what should be...like oxygen.

Think about it.

Do our bodies really stand a chance if we continue to put garbage in and no garbage is coming out?

When I first began thinking about this concept I was confused. Afraid. Definitely unsure where to turn. Until I began to really research. I mean really look beyond TV ad's and "news" shows.

You can too.

Don't rely on the news you are fed. Go looking for some answers.

Ask yourself some thought provoking questions.

For example: If drugs really cured us of our illnesses, where would be drug companies be besides out of business? Do they really want us to get better?

What about doctors? If we weren't stacked up in their waiting rooms waiting to be cured and "treated" with drugs, would they have enough business to sustain the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed?

If we were healthy with simple cures and best practices that helped us lead a natural life would insurance companies be profitable?

Ask yourself who turns the wheels of your health? Is the answer the bottom line on a profit and loss statement?

Think about it. Is that who you want holding the end result of your good health in their not so objective hands?

So what can you do?

Well, first read. Your curiosity to something brought you here, didn't it? Read and read some more.

Here are some best practices to start with:

• Eat raw, fresh foods as much as possible.
• Read labels on processed food, educate yourself as to what some of this "stuff" is.
• Drink filtered or bottled water, then drink some more.
• Look for alternative natural solutions to the synthetics you have become used to.
• Think about cooking from scratch instead of a box, microwave container, or eating fast food.
• Read and research a little more every day.
• Find the right natural supplements so you may obtain a higher level of ideal health.
• Build a healthy immune system to prevent your body from becoming sick.

Start making small changes every day. Before long you just might see those timid baby steps you started out with become long confident strides moving toward ideal health, naturally!

Swine Flu Update

BY MARIA CHENG and FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press Writer Maria Cheng And Frank Jordans, Associated Press Writer

GENEVA – The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic Thursday — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years — as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

In a statement sent to member countries, WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic warning level from phase 5 to 6 — its highest alert — after holding an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts.

The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. It will trigger drugmakers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine and prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.
"At this early stage, the pandemic can be characterized globally as being moderate in severity," WHO said in the statement, urging nations not to close borders or restrict travel and trade. "(We) remain in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers."

On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of swine flu, including 141 deaths. Read More

What Is Colloidal Silver?

Considering all the media coverage of the Swine Flu or it's more recent name of H1N1, the growing threat of the Superbug MRSA's resistance to antibiotics. Combine this with the fact an estimated 43 million people are living without health insurance, it's no wonder so many of us are turning to alternative natural healing.

An increased interest has been realized in the use of colloidal silver to treat bacterial infections as well as a plethora of viruses.

The first question many people ask is: "What exactly is colloidal silver?"

Well first, plain old silver itself kills bacteria. Think of the silver pails that cow's milk goes into or a silver spoon that goes into the proverbial wealthy baby's mouth which actually happened in Europe during the plague. Even early settlers in America would throw silver coins into their wells to keep the water bacteria free and potable. Now fast forward this thinking and picture Band-Aids recent marketing campaign. Yep, silver is the solution to fighting bacteria. Just Google Curad + silver and see the results.

Now you see from very early times to current times silver has amazing healing qualities. The good news is we don't have to stop at bandages. Colloidal silver is simply nano (massively small) particles of silver suspended in water. These particles are so small they don't settle, or loose their molecular identity. They just hang suspended in the water or solution waiting to go to work providing you with natural healing.

When ingested, these particles go to work in our bodies killing bacteria and viruses so we may enjoy health naturally. Bacterial organisms need a supply of energy to live, the silver blocks this energy supply and the bacteria or virus is no longer able to survive.

Colloidal silver kills an astounding 650 or so strains of bacteria and viruses. A conventional antibiotic kills approximately a half dozen or so. Not much of a comparison is it?

Combine these advantages with the fact that some colloidal silvers are non toxic even when tested thousands of times above the normal dose with no adverse side effects. Perhaps you can now see how using colloidal silver to treat countless varieties of bacteria and viruses allows us to enjoy good health naturally.

The New Silver Solution - Safe to Use

Patented:

This is the only colloidal silver producer with a product so unique and effective that it was deemed a new product, and therefore approved for patent by the United States Patent Agency.
The New Silver Solution has the Only 2 Patent Approvals on a colloidal silver product in the last 80 years. The patent has also been filed internationally, as well as specifically in Japan.


To View The Patent Click Here


According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Poison Control Center, colloidal silver is considered harmless. Dr Samuel Etris, a senior consultant at The Silver Institute, reports that there has never been any allergic, toxic, or carcinogenic reactions to colloidal silver. The U.S. Government's Center for Disease Control confirmed that fact in 1995.

Even when it was tested at 200 times the normal adult dosage, the NEW Silver Solution® was found to be completely non-toxic - unlike many antibiotics and other silver products.

Testing


There are numerous independent universities and private laboratories that have been and are currently doing test work on the The New Silver Solution. Test work completed so far includes: antibiotic test comparisons; bacteria work; yeast work; safety and toxicity data; independent tests against other colloidal silver products; water treatment tests, etc.

New Data

We are constantly striving to gain new and important information on the effectiveness and uses of its product. We currently have four new studies and a double-blind clinical trial currently underway, with several more studies already in the planning stages. The new studies include: major disease studies at independent universities and laboratories, a double blind clinical trial on mouth sores, an EPA surface disinfectant study for our EPA surface disinfectant filing, and a new series of water disinfectant tests from an independent certified water purification laboratory. Dr. Bjorn Nordstrom, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has used silver in his cancer cure method for many years. He says the whole thing is very simple. This brought rapid remission in patients given up by other doctors.

Humanitarian Aid


The New Silver Solution is the only colloidal silver approved by an international health consortium as an antibiotic alternative, for use in its hospitals and water treatment units in Africa, South America, and Asia.



Source:

Nutronix International

swine flu

Below is an article reprinted from CNN.com. It's discussing the potentially "pandemic virus" that has recently popped up seemingly out of nowhere, the Swine Flu Virus. While I don't think it's a cause for panic, it surely indicates we need to educate ourselves on the possibility it could visit our respective neighborhoods. I'm interested in hearing what you think.

More cases of swine flu reported; WHO warns of 'health emergency'
(CNN) -- A potentially deadly new strain of the swine flu virus cropped up in more places in the United States and Mexico on Saturday, in what the World Health Organization called "a public health emergency of international concern."

The most recent reports Saturday afternoon were of two confirmed cases of the virus in Kansas -- bringing the number of confirmed U.S. cases to 11.

Those joined nine confirmed cases in Texas and California and an apparent outbreak at a private school in New York City, where officials say eight children likely have the virus.

Mexican health officials say 81 deaths are now "likely linked" to the swine flu virus.

President Felipe Calderon on Saturday issued an executive decree detailing emergency powers of the Ministry of Health, according to the president's office.

The order gives the ministry with the authority to isolate sick patients, inspect travelers' luggage and their vehicles and conduct house inspections, the statement said.

The government also has the authority to prevent public gatherings, shut down public venues and regulate air, sea and overland travel.

The WHO's Gregory Hartl said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains.

"Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to dealing with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to dealing with this new virus," Hartl told CNN.

In Mexico, otherwise young and healthy people have been hit by the virus -- "one of the pieces of the puzzle that is worrying us," he said.

Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities because of the virus, and the country's National Health Council said all Saturday's soccer games would be played without public audiences.

WHO has sent experts to Mexico at the request of the country's government, Chan said.

Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, was expected to officially announce the two cases later Saturday, a written statement from the state said.

All of the eight U.S. patients in Texas and California have recovered, Dr. Richard Besser, the acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday. Two of the cases were in Texas, near San Antonio, and six of the cases were in southern California, the CDC said.

More than 1,000 people have been sickened in Mexico, and officials are trying to determine how many of those patients have swine influenza, the country's health minister, Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, said.

U.S. health officials said Friday that some cases of the virus matched samples of the deadly Mexican virus.

On Saturday, New York's Bureau of Communicable Diseases said preliminary tests from a Queens school suggest that eight out of the nine cases of the virus found there are probably swine flu.

Dr. Don Weiss said the samples will be sent to the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the subtype of the strain. The results will likely come back either Sunday or Monday.

He said the samples, which were taken from oral and nasal swabs from nine students at St. Francis Preparatory School, came back positive for "Type A" flu and the tests will need to determine the samples' subtype -- which could be swine flu.

He said up to 200 students at the school reported feeling ill.

"What's concerning about this is, first, that it's likely swine flu; second is that at this time it is spreading from person to person," Weiss said.
When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off.

The people sickened in Kansas are a man who traveled to Mexico on business and his wife, Eberhart-Phillips said. The man had flu-like symptoms when he returned and went to his doctor, and his wife got sick about three days later, officials said.

Neither of them was hospitalized, and one is still sick, he said.

The United States had not issued any travel warnings or quarantines by Saturday afternoon.

The Canadian Public Health Agency had issued a travel health notice, saying, "The Public Health Agency of Canada is tracking clusters of severe respiratory illness with deaths in Mexico."

Symptoms of swine flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC said.

Besser advised people with flu-like symptoms to stay home from work or school and to see a doctor.

Antibiotic Threat

There was a time when the question, "When will infectious disease be wiped out?" was a realistic, seemingly achievable question.

Now the new realistic question seems to be, "When will the next deadly plague occur?"

We have read about and feared AIDS and MRSA. Super bug is now a part of our vocabulary as often as the "24 hour bug" was twenty years ago. We find E. coli and Salmonella in our produce and peanuts and who knows what else on an alarmingly regular basis. Old diseases like tuberculosis are "making a come back".

Many infections are able to withstand most, if not all antibiotics. We, however, continue to take antibiotics for the most minor ailments thus causing a plethoa of bacteria and viruses to develop immunity to the drugs that were ironically created to eradicate infections in the first place.

According to the NY Times, there is a "new" bacteria to add to the list. It is Clostridium difficile, an infectious bacterium that attacks as a stomach bug. It causes an estimated 350,000 cases per year in hospitals alone and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people per year.

The disturbing problem with this bacteria is that antibiotics can actually trigger this bacteria to strike. Because antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria in the body, often times upon completion of an antibiotic our immune system is missing the healthy bacteria. If we come in contact with C. difficile, it can create an opportunity for this bacteria to flourish.

The article further states that in some cases the only treatment for C. difficile is to remove the patients colon, and relapses are not uncommon once a patient has recovered.

To read the article in it's entirety, please click here.

Stories like this continue to reinforce to me the importance of a healthy immune system, in addition to thinking twice about taking antibiotics as well as any other pharmaceutical drug unless absolutely necessary.

It also provides yet again incentive to explore the many choices available to us for alternative antibiotics and many other products that help us live healthy and naturally.

Another Apple Cider Vinegar Testimonial

I am compelled to provide a left handed testimonial for Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). I have previously posted about the wonders of ACV and feel the need to do so again.

My daughters and I were having our hair done a couple of days ago. The lady who takes care of us asked me if I knew any alternative ways to take care of acid reflux as she knows about my "natural" obsession. She told me she has struggled with acid reflux for years with no good solution to correct the misery created by this chronic condition. She has taken both over the counter as well as prescription medication. While both would give her some relief after a period of time, she had to take the medication all the time to prevent occurrences and didn't like the side effects of either medication.

I told her about ACV and she told me about a friend who sent her to the grocery store to buy some. When she did, she told me the taste and resulting burn confirmed she would never try that again. I explained the difference of organic versus the distilled, pasteurized grocery store variety. The organic version is alkaline versus acidic with all the natural health miracle's of the "mother" due to not being pasteurized.

She seemed skeptical so while she was attending to my daughter's hair, I scurried to a nearby health food store and picked her up a bottle. Yes, I am that cool and thoughtful, but that's another post.

Today, two days later, I was near the salon so I dropped in and guess what? Her acid reflux is gone, not a hint of it remains. She hugged me and declared her amazement.

It really feels good to help someone. I hope this post reaches someone who is suffering from the same condition. If you are that person, I too, was one who felt the burn of acid reflux as well as my husband and we can both tell you ACV definitely stops it in it's tracks.

To read more about the wonders of ACV go here.

Or here.

In The News

Docs seek gag orders to stop patients' reviews

Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – Wed Mar 4, 12:14 am ET

CHICAGO – The anonymous comment on the Web site RateMDs.com was unsparing: "Very unhelpful, arrogant," it said of a doctor. "Did not listen and cut me off, seemed much too happy to have power (and abuse it!) over suffering people." Such reviews are becoming more common as consumer ratings services like Zagat's and Angie's List expand beyond restaurants and plumbers to medical care, and some doctors are fighting back.

They're asking patients to agree to what amounts to a gag order that bars them from posting negative comments online.

"Consumers and patients are hungry for good information" about doctors, but Internet reviews provide just the opposite, contends Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a North Carolina neurosurgeon who has made a business of helping doctors monitor and prevent online criticism.

Some sites "are little more than tabloid journalism without much interest in constructively improving practices," and their sniping comments can unfairly ruin a doctor's reputation, Segal said.

Segal said such postings say nothing about what should really matter to patients — a doctor's medical skills — and privacy laws and medical ethics prevent leave doctors powerless to do anything it.

His company, Medical Justice, is based in Greensboro, N.C. For a fee, it provides doctors with a standardized waiver agreement. Patients who sign agree not to post online comments about the doctor, "his expertise and/or treatment."

"Published comments on Web pages, blogs and/or mass correspondence, however well intended, could severely damage physician's practice," according to suggested wording the company provides.

Segal's company advises doctors to have all patients sign the agreements. If a new patient refuses, the doctor might suggest finding another doctor. Segal said he knows of no cases where longtime patients have been turned away for not signing the waivers.

Doctors are notified when a negative rating appears on a Web site, and, if the author's name is known, physicians can use the signed waivers to get the sites to remove offending opinion.

RateMd's postings are anonymous, and the site's operators say they do not know their users' identities. The operators also won't remove negative comments.

Angie's List's operators know the identities of users and warn them when they register that the site will share names with doctors if asked.

Since Segal's company began offering its service two years ago, nearly 2,000 doctors have signed up. In several instances, he said, doctors have used signed waivers to get sites to remove negative comments.

John Swapceinski, co-founder of RateMDs.com, said that in recent months, six doctors have asked him to remove negative online comments based on patients' signed waivers. He has refused.

"They're basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment rights, and I really find that repulsive," Swapceinski said.

He said he's planning to post a "Wall of Shame" listing names of doctors who use patient waivers. Read More..........

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Since doctors run their practices as businesses, shouldn't we, the consumers, be free to voice our opinion good, bad and otherwise, regarding the service we received? We are not tracked down by any other type of business and demanded to retract our statements; are doctors exempt and if so for what reason? The only reason sited in the article is that bad comments could potentially ruin a practice. Yes, I suppose if you continually provide shoddy service, perhaps you are in the wrong business.

Drink Your Veggies

Super food supplements and drinks have become a comprehensive way of getting much, if not all, of what we miss in our diets due to poor eating habits. Many people are either too busy and too entrenched in their life-on-the-go-fast-food-no-time-to-cook diets. Some folks just plain don't like their veggies and consequently miss getting the nutrients only found in whole, natural foods.

Sometimes if you are like me, you try to eat all the right things and do a pretty good job most of the time. I am always pushing myself to eat healthier, but a little help now and then would sure give me a boost. Which brings me to a super food I've been drinking, Berry Greens Boost. I mix one little scoop in a glass of water and drink the nutritional equivalency of eating eight salads. That is a lot of veggies in just a few gulps. A huge benefit is that it does not have the caffeine, stimulants or massive amounts of sugar that many of these drinks have. The ingredients are all natural, nothing artificial at all. The energy boost, however, after drinking my veggies is amazing. Just good pure energy without the jumpy stomach and shaky hands.

I did have an adjustment period while I got used to the taste. It has a berry taste, but you can taste the green stuff as well. I combine it (which is the only way my kids will drink it), with banana's, fresh pineapple, kiwi and orange juice. Now we get our fruit and veggies all in one delicious drink. I also add it to my daily drink of apple cider vinegar and for some odd reason the two flavors compliment each other. What I can't do is drink this after 6:00 PM or else I find I have a little trouble sleeping as soundly as I usually do.

If you are looking to enhance your nutritional intake each day, whether you already eat enough of the good stuff or if you need to improve your nutritional intake, this is definitely an effective way towards achieving Ideal Health.

Antibiotic Overkill

After contracting the Mad Dog Itch and the resulting futile trips to various doctors who shook their heads and gave me a variety of ineffective prescription drugs, I made a commitment to take the correct vitamins and supplements, eat better, and make my body healthier to prevent illness from striking. In the event I got sick, however, I surmised would still go to the doctor and get an antibiotic. I have since thought otherwise. First let me say we are completely overwhelmed by antibiotics. We run for one at the first sign of a symptom. We demand one for every infection and every perceived infection, ear, throat, respiratory, tooth, cut, you name it. Then there are viruses, we want antibiotics for those too, but the reality is antibiotics do nothing for viruses. Now here's the scary part, many doctors will give you one, (just ask, you'll see) even when you have a virus....."just in case" they will say.

Allow me to share a little scenario on the vicious cycle of antibiotics. First of all, antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. This statement in and of itself is vitally important due to the major overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Let's say you scurry to the doctor in panic mode because your throat is sore and you had strep throat two years ago and you certainly don't want to go through that again. The doctor sees no sign of infection, but gives you a "just in case" prescription of antibiotics and after a few days of taking them you feel better. The reality is you actually had a virus that came and went all by itself. The antibiotic you pumped in your body had to do something, so off to work it went eagerly killing good bacteria right and left. So now you are enjoying a yeast infection because good bacteria that naturally corrects the overproduction of yeast has met it's untimely demise from the antibiotic. While you are busy fighting that nasty yeast infection, you realize you feel bad, downright awful. Before you know it you have a cold that turns ugly and evolves into a sinus infection. Since your body was depleted from good bacteria, it's worn out and just doesn't have the fight it used to. Ironically this is the same fight a healthy body would have to kill off this infection. So of course off you go to the doctor to get yet another antibiotic and this time it has to be bigger and badder than the last one because the first one is no longer effective as your body is now immune to it. And so on and so on.

Do the drug companies care? Heck no, they are selling you multiple drugs and after all that's what they are in business for, to sell lots of drugs. The more the better for them. Does the doctor care? Perhaps, but if we were all healthy and didn't run to his office for every little bug, how long would he continue to have enough customers to sustain the nice, cushy lifestyle he has become accustomed to?

So what to do? If you are sick, really truly sick and there is a drug that will save your life, will you take this drug? Of course you will, I will too. However, to back up a few dozen steps, the ideal scenario is to prevent your body from becoming sick in the first place. Build your body into a fortress of ideal health that bacteria and viruses can not penetrate. Rid your body of toxins to build up your immune system. A strong immune system is your first line of defense to combat bacteria and viruses. In the event you need to fight a virus or infection, educate yourself and consider some natural treatments before resorting to drugs. Alternatives are out there.

MRSA - Not Just In Hospitals Anymore

A Deadly Bug Invades Our Towns
By Dr. Ranit Mishori
Publication Date: 12/07/2008

A few years ago, I began noticing an unusual number of patients coming in with what they described as spider bites. In clinics and emergency rooms across the U.S., colleagues were seeing it, too: Young people and old, male and female, complaining about a skin sore not unlike a pimple, often red and swollen, sometimes oozing and painful. The only thing was, very few of these patients recalled being bitten by a spider or any other kind of insect.

That’s because, in most of these cases, it wasn’t an insect. But it was a bug—a bacterium called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known to most of us now as MRSA. These patient complaints were clear signs of what is now a MRSA epidemic.

According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, MRSA caused more than 94,000 life-threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2005. One study in The New England Journal of Medicine found MRSA 59% of the time when adults came to emergency rooms with skin infections.

MRSA is not new. It has been plaguing our hospitals for decades. It kills by infecting the blood and lungs of very sick patients or those recovering from surgery. But at least doctors knew—o r thought—that if you weren’t a hospital patient in weakened condition, MRSA wasn’t going to find you.

“That is no longer true,” says Dr. Robert Daum, a pediatrician and infectious-diseases specialist at the University of Chicago. “Hospital transmission is not what’s driving the epidemic disease we see everywhere.” New strains of MRSA have been born outside hospital walls and are finding anybody and everybody. That includes, says Dr. Rachel Gorwitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “otherwise healthy people in the community, including children.”

Consider Susan Wagoner, 49, a businesswoman from Scottsdale, Ariz. MRSA first appeared as a small abscess on her upper leg. Even though she was treated with antibiotics, the abscess grew larger, and then another one developed elsewhere. The pain became excruciating. As weeks turned into months, her illness forced Wagoner to quit her job, and she says, “I began looking into funeral arrangements.”

Grant Hill, the NBA all-star, contracted MRSA a few years ago as a skin infection near his ankle, and he had to spend a week in the intensive-care unit. “I was lucky to survive,” Hill says.

Not so lucky was an 18-month-old in Chicago named Simon Sparrow, in good health before MRSA got into his lungs. Once it took hold there, even the most aggressive treatment could not rescue the toddler.

These new strains of MRSA—not all as deadly as the one that afflicted Simon—are showing up all over the community: Read More

Antibiotic Alternatives

Antibiotic's and more specifically antibiotic alternatives are of particular interest to many of us. We keep hearing about MRSA and it's resistance to conventional antibiotics as well as all the stories about salmonella and E-coli food poisoning in the news lately. It is becoming clear that we need to establish new treatments, not just for the likes of MRSA and food contamination, but the more common everyday bacteria like ear infections, strep throat, UTI's and candida to name just a few. I found the article below on the FDA's website:

Facts About Antibiotic Resistance

Disease-causing microbes that have become resistant to drug therapy are an increasing public health problem. Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria, and childhood ear infections are just a few of the diseases that have become hard to treat with antibiotic drugs.
Other facts:
Though food-producing animals are given antibiotic drugs for important therapeutic, disease prevention or production reasons, these drugs can cause microbes to become resistant to drugs used to treat human illness, ultimately making some human sicknesses harder to treat.
About 70 percent of bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one of the drugs most commonly used to treat infections.
Some organisms are resistant to all approved antibiotics and must be treated with experimental and potentially toxic drugs. Some research has shown that antibiotics are given to patients more often than guidelines set by federal and other health care organizations recommend. For example, patients sometimes ask their doctors for antibiotics for a cold, cough, or the flu, all of which are viral and don't respond to antibiotics. Also, patients who are prescribed antibiotics but don't take the full dosing regimen can contribute to resistance.
Unless antibiotic resistance problems are detected as they emerge, and actions are taken to contain them, the world could be faced with previously treatable diseases that have again become untreatable, as in the days before antibiotics were developed.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/antiresist_facts.html

It's very nice the FDA recognizes we have a serious problem resulting from the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. What's unfortunate is that there are effective ways to treat infectious bacteria and even viruses (which antibiotics are powerless to treat) and the FDA won't approve these alternatives or allow those that offer them the ability to sell them unless they attach a disclaimer indicating the product is not approved by the FDA. This doesn't mean a product isn't effective, it just means the FDA doesn't have their stamp of approval on it, which could translate to the fact there isn't enough money to be made from these products and more specifically the products can't be called drugs and marketed as such. And if there isn't mega money to be made, well it just doesn't fit into the grand scheme of things.

It's unfortunate that in order to find an effective natural treatment for bacterial infections as well as plenty of other ailments, we are on our own to find good reputable resources. Alternative natural treatments don't have the over saturation of TV commercials, print ads and even Internet advertising that we constantly see for conventional drugs. That leaves those of us who are searching for alternative choices wading through all the thousands of products and information out there in order to make an educated decision.

Another Great Home Remedy

My youngest daughter is one of those little kids who immediately acquires a runny nose and nasty cough the minute the weather cools off. It drags on and on. One bout of flu like crud is almost gone and presto, there it is again. Bigger and badder than it's predecessor. And so we go, on and on.

A couple of weeks ago I was reading a blog, Heart Failure Solutions Carrie, the blogs author wrote a very informative post on the harmful effects of using cough medicine. When we cough, it is our bodies way of getting all the nasty stuff out. We then turn around and suppress it with cough medicine and defeat the bodies purpose of naturally curing itself. To read more about the harmful effects of cough medicine and more useful information, visit Heart Failure Solutions

Now back to my hacking daughter. In her post about cough medicine, Carrie recommends applying Vicks Vapor Rub to the bottom of your feet, putting socks on and getting a good nights sleep. We tried this and incredibly her cough was much improved after the first night and completely gone after the second night.....and hasn't returned. This child who has drug a runny nose and cough around with a box of Kleenex for as long as I can remember is now cough free.

No doctor visit, no prescriptions for drugs with multiple, harmful side effects and a healthy child at last. This home remedy is going to remain on my Top Ten Favorite List of Home Remedies for a very long time!

The Sunshine Vitamin

Winter is here, for some it's been here for a while, arriving quite early this year. Winter brings many things, skiing, snow boarding, lighting a fire, hot cocoa, snow balls and snow men. It also brings less sun light.

Having grown up in Michigan I know what it's like to truly experience winter. I also know what it's like to high tail it south because of that experience. The hardest part of winter that I can personally relate to is the lack of sunshine. I remember days upon endless days of little to no sunlight. Endless gray and cold. The lack of sunlight and the depression that results from it has been discussed and studied for many years. More and more I keep reading that we can experience Vitamin D deficiency as a result of too little sun, most often occurring in the winter.

You see the most efficient way for our bodies to absorb Vitamin D is through sunlight as opposed to milk or even supplements as previously thought. Vitamin D deficiencies can lead not only to weak bones, but high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and several auto immune diseases, particularly muscular dystrophy. Studies have revealed that cities with limited sunshine, Seattle WA, for example have much higher rates of those suffering from MS than cities that receive more sunlight.

So what do we do during these months of limited and often times non existent sunlight? Even those of us who live in milder climates experience limited amounts of Vitamin D absorption in the winter as UV rays are much weaker than in warmer months. Well the next best thing, researchers say, is supplements. The RDA for adults varies with the rule of thumb being 400IU per day, with many researchers and doctors claiming we need a much higher dosage, particularly during the winter. Do your research to determine the best amount for you.

In the spring when the sun reappears and regains it's warmth along with more intense UV rays, what about the risk of skin cancer? A good question no doubt with all the attention skin cancer has received in recent years. We have now been taught to slather on the sunscreen and cover up before exposing ourselves to the sun's harmful rays. Now we are discovering the sun is once again our friend. Well researches say that just fifteen minutes on your face, arms and legs each day can provide you with enough Vitamin D to sustain a healthy body and help prevent disease. So get outside, put your face to the sun and get yourself some Vitamin D. If you live in a climate that is suffering from sun deficiency, get outside as much as possible, take your Vitamin D supplements until our friend, The Sun, returns with the crocuses.

• Resources: The Chicago Tribune Archives

Apple Cider Vinger, Natures Miracle?

Even though I'm in the business of selling wellness products, I love a good old fashioned home remedy and am constantly searching for "new" old school practices before taking myself or family to the doctor or taking a drug whether it's prescription or over the counter. I have come to believe that a pillar of Ideal Health is to maintain an alkaline PH. Scientists believe an acidic body leads to many illnesses and disease. That is why I take Coral Calcium every day, and try to eat more alkaline than acidic foods. This prompted me to write the post "The Oldest Woman In The World" and share some of what I have learned.


Well I have to share another great way towards achieving an alkaline body as well as a plethora of other health benefits. Apple Cider Vinegar can help you on your way to a much healthier body. I was skeptical at first as I had previously believed that vinegar was very acidic, however Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has the opposite effect. A teaspoon one to three time per day can also help in the following ways:


Acid Reflux, Acne, Athletes Foot, Blood Pressure, Night Sweats/Hot Flashes, Water Retention, Hiccups, Weight Loss, Wart Removal, Ear Infections, just to list a few.


I can tell you in my household, in the couple of months or so we have been using it, it has stopped acid reflux in it's tracks, hiccups countless times, improved digestion, and cured a nasty case of swimmers ear. I'll have to get back to you on the weight loss. Studies indicate that Apple Cider Vinegar can assist in losing weight gradually. An example of what the studies revealed was an average height woman weighing 210 lbs, taking 2Tsp before each meal over a two year period lost 30lbs while changing little in her diet and exercise routine. While it's not clear how ACV helps us lose weight, it is believed that a combination of increased metabolism, reduced water retention and appetite suppression is what contributes to shedding stubborn pounds.


Don't think you can stand the taste? No problem, that strong, bitter taste can be mellowed by mixing with water, or mix it with 1 Tsp honey and a little water. Before you know it, it actually becomes quite tasty, although my kids don't share my opinion on that! It is necessary to use an organic ACV that has not been pasteurized, filtered, refined or distilled. Once processed, the vinegar looks pretty, but all the good stuff has been removed. Organic ACV can be purchased at a health food or vitamin store. This cost is very reasonable, especially when factoring in the health benefits. I spend just over $5 for for a quart which lasts my family of five about four weeks.


In my quest to achieve Ideal Health, in addition to adding Coral Calcium to my drinking water each day, taking the correct vitamins and supplements, making an effort to eat more alkaline foods, I also drink my yummy cocktail of ACV and honey. To read more about this amazing home remedy go to:
apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com

Coming Soon....

Ideal Health Solutions has relocated. This blog is in a state of transition while Ideal Health's new home is constructed. Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Check back often to see our work in progress.

We look forward to bringing you the latest information to improve your health, naturally.