The Health Plus Letter
January 12, 2006, Vol. 4, No. 1
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher,
http://www.1healthyworld.com

If you prefer to read this issue online, you can read it, along with all other back issues, at http://www.1healthyworld.com/ezine.


Table Of Contents
What’s New
Quote of the Day
Fast Fact
Medical F/r/e/edom Alert (A New Threat to Our Health and Freedoms)
Vitamin D: Nutrient in the News
Two Self-Care Remedies for Avoiding Colds and Flu
Recommendations


Unabashed Plug

Amazon.com continues to offer my newest book, Health on the Edge: Visionary Views of Healing in the New Millennium at a healthy discount. To order it, visit http://www.amazon.com. 


What’s New

Hello and welcome to the 1^st issue of The Health Plus Letter in 2006. I wish all of my readers a very happy and healthy new year, filled with many blessings. Regardless of the shape the world may be in, each of us has within ourselves the power to shape our lives according to our dreams, and I am convinced that discovering and making full use of that power—which is at one with the Divine—is one of the primary lessons for us to learn in our lifetime.

In this issue, I am sharing two self-care tips that have kept me fr.ee of even a sniffle for over two years, as well as taking a look at vitamin D, a nutrient that has been in the news in recent weeks due to new research showing its many health benefits.

As always, please continue to send me your comments and suggestions. And please spread the word about The Health Plus Letter by passing it along to your friends and inviting them to subscribe.


Quote Of The Day

"In life, there are neither victors nor victims. If you're an adult and are still feeling emotionally victimized by others, then you're in an unconscious co-conspiracy with them to be victimized. In short, others will tend to sell what you will tend to buy."
--  Chuck Hillig


Fast Fact

In 2003 under a cloud of corruption, Congress enacted a new Medicare law to provide prescription drug coverage;but it was a giant giveaway to the insu/rance and drug companies. The companies hired 952 lobbyists, spent $141 million on lobbying and contributed more than $30 million to campaigns. Drug pro.fits rose $182 billion. Millions of seniors are n.ow confused or hurt by the new law.

Source: MoveOn.org – January 11, 2006

[Comment: Despite all of the mo.ney spent by lobbyists for Big Pharma and the insu/rance agencies, the new Medicare law was only passed after aggressive lobbying on its behalf by President Bush and others in his administration, including the awarding of various “pork” perks to senators and members of the House of Representatives that were essentially bribes. Moreover, all but 16 senators financially benefited from the passage of the law, due to the fact that they own sto.ck in Big Pharma. Many in the Bush administration also have close ties with Big Pharma and also profited accordingly. Such is the state of the (dis)union today.]

 
Medical F/r/e/edom Alert (New Call To Action)

Currently in play in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Sen.ate are two bills which could have a profound affect of our health care freedoms, for good or ill (no pun intended).

The bill that could have a positive affect has been introduced by my favorite member of the House, Congressman Ron Paul, of Texas, who consistently votes in favor of individual liberty as sanctioned by the Constitution. His bill, known as HR 2352, would, if passed into law, further  strengthen the protection afforded natural supplements under the DSHEA act of 1994 by reversing the  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s current stance on nutrients and permitting “the accurate label and labeling claims of the curative, mitigation, treatment and prevention effects of foods and dietary supplements on disease and health-related conditions.” This is an important bill that would go a long way to ensuring our medical freedoms if enacted as law. Please let your U.S Representatives know if you are in favor of its passage.

A bill that would have the opposite affect, weakening DSHEA in the process, is HR 3156, which is being sponsored by Congresswoman Susan Davis, San Diego, CA, and co-sponsored by Congressmen Henry Waxman, also of California (and long allied against the supplement industry) and John Dingell, of Michigan.

HR 3156 treats nutrients as potential toxins (through the use of Risk Assessment which is the wrong science for assessing nutrients), and as such, is totally unscientific and would cause tremendous damage to our health and the natural wellness industry. I urge you to let your U.S. Representatives know that you oppose passage of HR 3156.

You can make your opinion known by emailing your Representatives at the Democracy In Action website. Go to:

http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/healthfreedomusa/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=678

In addition, please support the following organizations, which are at the forefront of those working to protect our rights:

Citizens for Health - http://www.citizens.org

Alliance for Natural Health – http://www.alliance-natural-health.org (The leading organization fighting to preserve health f/r/e/edom in England and the EU.)

Institute for Health F/r/e/edom – http://www.ForHealthF/r/e/edom.org

International Advocates for Health F/r/e/edom (IAHF) – http://www.iahf.com

Health Lobby (Monica Miller) – http://www.healthlobby.com

To stay info/rmed of other developments related to medical f/r/e/edom, please visit http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org the website of Dr. Mattias Rath, a leading crusader for medical f/r/e/edom.

To see to what depraved lengths people will go to persecute practitioners of alternative medicine in the U.S., please read the following report by noted medical f/r/e/edom advocate Tim Bolen at http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/Suster2.htm

And to learn how corrupt and extensive Big Pharma’s monopoly is, visit http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/online/research/index.html the website for the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research. In particular, read their in-depth report The Pharmaceutical Drug Racket that you will find th/e/re.


Unabashed Plug

Learn the Truth about Heart Disease, Stroke and Hypertension. Most of what conventional medicine has to offer for treating these conditions is based on faulty and potentially dangerous assumptions. Discover the real causes behind these diseases and learn what you can do today to prevent and reverse them using safe and natural alternatives that have been scientifically proven to be effective. Read the critically-acclaimed eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease, featuring the contributions of Dr. Garry Gordon, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and many other leading heart specialists. To order or to find out more about this potentially lifesaving guide, visit http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Heart-Book-Info.cfm.


Vitamin D:Nutrient in the News

Last month, cancer researchers broke the news that daily supplementing with vitamin D could reduce the risk of cancers of the breast, colon and ovary by up to 50 percent. Their findings were based on a review of 40 years’ worth of scientific studies published about vitamin D. In making their findings public, the researchers stated that the evidence for the protective effect of vitamin D is so overwhelming that urg.ent action must be taken by public health authorities to boost blood levels of vitamin D via supplementation.

Writing about the findings, the London newspaper The Independent reported: “A growing body of evidence in recent years has shown that lack of vitamin D may have lethal
effects. Heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis are among the conditions in which it is believed to play a vital role. The vitamin is also essential for bone health and protects against rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly.

“Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight on the skin, which accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply. But the increasing use of sunscreens and the reduced time spent outdoors, especially by children, has contributed to what many scientists believe is an increasing problem of vitamin D deficiency.

“After assessing almost every scientific paper published on the link between vitamin D and cancer since the 1960s, US scientists say that a daily dose of 1,000 international units (25 micrograms) is needed to maintain health. ‘The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency combined with the discovery of increased risks of certain types of cancer in those who are deficient, suggest that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths from colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually," they say in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health.”

In recent years, researchers have come to understand that vitamin D actually acts less like a vitamin and more like a hormone, influencing may aspects of human health. As the report above makes clear, vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem, and not only during the winter, when the amount of our exposure to daily sunlight is typically reduced. For this reason, I’ve recently added vitamin D to the supplements I take each day. Based on the above information, you may wish to do so, as well. Should do so, make sure the type of vitamin D you use is vitamin D3.

Here are some of vitamin D’s health benefits:

Heart disease: Lowers insulin resistance, a major factors leading to heart disease.

Lung disease: May play a role in the ongoing repair of lung tissue.

Cancer (Breast, Colon, Ovarian, and Prostate): Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating cell production, a mechanism that becomes impaired during the process that leads to cancer, which is characterized by overproduction of cells.

Diabetes: In Type I (juvenile) diabetes, the immune system destroys its own cells. Vitamin D can counteract this process by acting as an immuno-suppressant, thereby helping to prevent overly aggressive immune responses that are a factor in Type I diabetes.

High blood pressure: Vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands, located atop of the thyroid gland in the neck. The parathyroid glands secrete a hormone that regulates the body's calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure, although the mechanism is not yet completely understood. Vitamin D deficiency interferes in this process.

Multiple sclerosis (MS): Vitamin D deficiency leads to limited production of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonal fo.rm of vitamin D3, which regulates the immune system, creating a risk for MS.

Osteoporosis and Rickets: Vitamin D is well known for its ability to strengthen bones, making it an essential nutrient for protecting against osteoporosis and childhood rickets.


Two Self-Care Tips for Avoiding Colds and Flu

It’s been over two years since I’ve last experience a cold or flu. Prior to that, I typically would experience at least a minor cold once a year or so, and though I would usually be able to recover from it within two-three days, I was ne.ver happy about the fatigue, coughs, and sneezing that were the hallmarks of my being ill.

I attribute my ability to stay well these past two years, even in the midst of winter, when I am exposed to many friends and family members who get sick during that time, to a number of factors. But two of them have noticeably worked for me. Normally, before developing a cold, my body gives me a warning sign, usually as a sore sensation in the back of my throat. In the past couple of years, I’ve received such warning signs a number of times, in each case soon after I either had overworked, had neglected to eat healthily for a few days, or had been under some other type of stress. As soon as the warning sign appeared, I reached for a bottle of oregano oil, a potent immune booster various holistic physicians I know started recommending to me about five years ago. I didn’t doubt their advice, but I didn’t start using it until my girlfriend developed a bad cold a few years ago. When various other nutrients failed to help her, I remembered what I’d been told about oregano oil and went to my local health food store to purchase some. Marilu recovered soon thereafter. Impressed, I decided to keep some on hand for myself.

At the first sign that I am at risk for developing a cold, I place a few drops at the back of throat. Usually, one time is enough to quickly (literally within ten to twenty minutes) put a stop to the threat, but on some occasions, I may add another dose or two throughout the day. I don’t recommend that you use oregano oil in undiluted fo.rm, as I do, however, because it tastes terrible and produces an uncomfortable burning sensation that can last for a few minutes. Instead, you may wish to add a few drops to a glass of pure, filtered water, and then drink it. The brand I recommend most is Oreganol®, which I find works best for me. You should be able to find it at your local health food store.

Last month, just prior to the holidays, I found myself receiving another warning sign that a cold was at hand. Not having any oregano oil at hand, I decided to try another self-care remedy a number of doctors had told me about. Before I tell you what it is, I want to mention that various health experts n.o.w believe that cold and flu viruses not only enter the body through the nose and mouth, but also through the ear canal. To prevent such viruses from taking hold inside the ears, various holistic physicians recommend placing an eyedropper full of hydrogen peroxide in the ears. (Hydrogen peroxide in 3 percent solution is all that is needed; it’s available at your local supermarket or drug store for less than a dollar a bottle.) I did this, not knowing what to expect, first tilting my head to pour a dropper’s worth of hydrogen peroxide into my right ear for a few minutes. According to the instructions I’d read, you need to wait until the solution starts to fizz. Once it finishes doing so, tilt you head back down and allow the solution to drain out of your ear, then clean it with a Q-tip. I did this, then repeated the process in my left ear. Within minutes, all warning signs of the cold were gone.

Today, I keep have a supply of both oregano oil and hydrogen peroxide close at hand. Obviously, these are not the only steps I take to maintain my health. (I also take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, as well as 4-8,000 mg of vitamin C in divided doses 2-3X/day, try to eat right, drink plenty of water, and wash my hands throughout the day, as well as ensuring that I make time to enjoy myself to minimize stress.) Yet I find that both of them have definitely enhanced my ability to remain fr.ee of colds and flu for so long. Try them for yourself and see if they work for you too.

(Note: If you develop a cold or flu, consult a physician if your symptoms linger beyond a few days.)


Unabashed Plug

Discover and Gain Control of Your Human Energy Field. Read Dr. Valerie Hunt’s Mind Mastery Meditations: A Workbook for the “Infinite Mind,” the empowering guide created by one of the world's foremost researchers into the human energy field, energy medicine, and the relationship between consciousness and health. Each of the meditations this eBook contains is designed to give you mastery of your mind and to empower you to discover the answers to why you are the way you are, your soul's needs, your unique talents and capacities, and your self-designed destiny. By practicing and mastering these meditations, you will become able to live your life with greater ease and success, speed your self-healing, and dramatically increase your ability to manifest your deepest goals. To order this life-changing guide, visit
http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Mind-Mastery-Book-Info.cfm.


Recommendations

Books

Unleashing Your Brilliance by Brian E. Walsh, Ph.D. This is a fascinating book that provides many fun and stimulating tools and exercises for increasing creativity and improving learning abilities. As the author makes clear, despite years of formal education, we are not taught how to learn. This book remedies that fact, providing a wealth of information on how to most effectively use and integrate our brain’s inherent neural structures with our emotions, beliefs, and the accelerated learning techniques that Walsh provides. I highly recommend it. (To learn more, visit the author’s website: http://www.unleashingbook.com)

Anansi’s Boy by Neil Gaiman. Just as Fat Charlie Nancy is about to inform his estranged father about his pending wedding, he learns that his father has died. Son thereafter, he discovers his father, whom he’s always resented, was a god. And that he has a brother named Spider who apparently inherited all of his father’s powers. And that’s when the fun and misadventures begin. I loved this book and if you like inventive fiction that effortlessly combines humor with the macabre and suspense, most likely you will too.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. The recent recipient of the National Book Award, this book movingly recounts the author’s year-long struggle to recover from the sudden death of her husband of 40 years and the life-threatening illness of their only child. Didion’s ability to translate her personal anguish and loss and struggle to regain a sense of normalcy into experiences that resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one is masterful.

The Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Hailed internationally as “the master of the intellectual thriller,” Perez-Reverte is one of Spain’s most popular writers. This novel is a brilliant account of the murky ambiguity that shadows clear-cut acts of right and wrong within the world of illegal drug-running. In Theresa Mendoza, the author has created one of the most fascinating anti-heroes in modern literature. I was hooked from the opening line, which is one of the best I’ve ever read.

It’s Superman! by Tom DeHaven. This book is a marvelous retelling of the world’s most mythic superhero. If you appreciate comic books (as I do with a passion), you will love this book. I sure did.
 

That’s all for this week.

Health and Blessings!

Larry Trivieri, Jr. (larry@1healthyworld.com)

Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com) 1514 Genesee Street, Suite 52, Utica, NY 13502. It is made available without charge for info/rmation purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.

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Le/gal Notice: The info/rmation in this eZine may be f/r/e/ely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, January 12, 2006, Vol. 4, No. 1. Copyright © 2006 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.

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