Over the Counter Natural Cures (6 page)

FAILED PRO-HORMONE GETS INTO BOTTLED WATER

I love the convenience of bottled water, but I'm not a fan of man boobs. That's why I avoid it. During the early 1930s, bisphenol A (BPA) was created as an estrogen-mimicking pro-hormone. It was sidelined when it failed to pass the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's safety inspection (back when the FDA still had scruples) due to its ability to damage the liver while igniting cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Years later, a chemist learned to “attach” the BPA molecules together via a process known as polymerization, and BPA had a new use: plastic water bottles.

BPA can now be found almost anywhere in our convenience-addicted societies. Every time you take a sip from a plastic water bottle, you may
be guzzling estrogen. We all know estrogen makes great breasts, but no one intended it to make breasts on men. I avoid water bottles like the plague, and my physique shows it.

To counter concerns about the BPA risk, the bottled water industry insists that consumers are only exposed to “trace amounts” of BPA. What they don't mention is that BPA sticks to the insides of the body, causing it to accumulate over time! The body doesn't innately know how to get rid of BPA. So this toxin builds up and festers inside of us, increasing its infamous estrogenic effects. The FDA doesn't seem to mind man boobs or rapidly decaying health. As was noted in an article in
USA Today
(“FDA reviewing plastic ingredient BPA,” April 27, 2008), “This raises serious concerns about whether the science the FDA relied on to approve the use of bisphenol A was bought and paid for by industry.”

Although the FDA is slow to act on and release its research, other countries and some major corporations—including Wal-Mart—are acting quickly to deal with their health responsibilities. Products that contain BPA are being ousted rapidly, convenient or not. If you want to avoid the ill effects of BPA, abstain from plastic food and beverage containers.

WIDELY USED HERBICIDE MAY CAUSE PARKINSON'S

The European Union banned the use of atrazine several years ago. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not followed suit. Despite atrazine's proven ability to cause birth defects, deformities, Parkinson's disease, infertility, and even cancer, this liver-damaging herbicide is still heavily used on American crops. We eat, drink, and in some cases, breathe it (through crop dusting).

To avoid atrazine, filter your water, and choose organic foods. If you think organic food is expensive, try atrazine-induced Parkinson's disease. While the upfront costs of organic are greater than nonorganic,
you'll save tons by avoiding the costs of treating life-threatening illnesses associated with atrazine-laden foods.

HISTORICAL TOXIN THAT WON'T GO AWAY

Within fifteen minutes, all 2,500 students were evacuated from their school. A mercury-laden thermometer had been dropped and broken. The liquid element had spilled across the classroom floor. Chaos ensued.

The ancient Chinese found mercury in 1500 BC. The mysterious element was thought to increase lifespan. One of China's early emperors, Qín Sh
Huáng Dì, died while attempting to drink it and achieve eternal life. Every generation since has learned the same thing: mercury doesn't belong in the body. Havoc can ensue when the risk of exposure is high. Still, mercury is getting into our bodies far more often than it should.

Mercury occurs naturally as mercuric sulfide and is harmless. It becomes poisonous with human intervention. In the forms of mercuric chloride, methyl mercury, and thimerosal, it attacks the nervous system, kidneys, and liver. The toxic effects can sometimes appear clinically as autism, diabetes, and cancer. A host of other biological maladies—loss of teeth, nails, and memory—can also occur. School officials know this, so a broken, mercury-laden thermometer elicits mass panic in most of their minds and spurs immediate evacuation. But broken thermometers are the least of your worries.

Exposure to poisonous mercury compounds comes mostly from the air we breathe, thanks to coal-fired power plants. A study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in twelve women were harboring mercury in their blood above the levels considered safe by the EPA.
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Power plants aren't the only guilty parties. Mercury has no place in medicine. The Chinese emperor who thought mercury would prolong
his life learned this. But vaccine makers haven't. As of 2008, flu shots, vaccines for hepatitis A and B, and those for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis routinely carry mercury. The official stance of the FDA seems shrouded in a haze of conflicting messages. On one hand, FDA officials assure us that their studies show the amount of mercury to be harmless. And on the other, they are working frantically to remove the toxin. I'll take history as a teacher over an FDA-funded study.

PRESCRIPTION ROULETTE WITH YOUR LIVER

Environmental toxins damage your liver, and so do your prescriptions. Every time you swallow a man-made drug, you're compromising your health. Sometimes liver cells are damaged, and other times they are not. Taking pills is like playing prescription roulette with your liver. Each one passes through the liver with the potential for life-threatening consequences.

Scientists are fervently attempting to unearth these mysterious, deadly outcomes. “We're trying to understand why two perfectly healthy people can be taking the same drug, and one suddenly turns yellow and dies,” stated Paul B. Watkins, MD, a liver expert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Over-the-counter drugs can do the same thing. The commonly used painkiller acetaminophen is notorious for causing liver damage, as seen by liver enzyme leakage and even premature death. “Acetaminophen poisoning now accounts for at least 42 percent of U.S. acute liver-failure cases seen at major hospitals and one third of the deaths,” researchers reported in a study published in
Hepatology
.
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Most of these toxins flow into our body because of a lack of regulations. Laws appear to protect us from such toxic exposure, but appearances can be deceiving.

MAKE YOUR OWN LAWS

In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, which requires the EPA to determine safe levels of toxins in drinking water and over-the-counter products like toothpastes and soaps. These levels are called maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG). None of these levels are enforceable. When contaminants exceed the MCLG, there is no law requiring their removal. That's why triclosan and so many other toxins are found in everyday products.

The only way to avoid these toxins and live young is to make your own laws. Make it a point to read the fine print on your household items and cosmetics. If you can't pronounce the words on the label, ban the product from your house. Go to a local health-food store and choose natural! If you think buying safe products is more expensive, consider the cost of suffering from liver failure. And for around-the-clock protection, turn to Mother Nature for a detox cure that works safely.

MOTHER NATURE'S DETOX CURE

In light of the modern-day toxic soup, you have to become proactive at protecting your liver. The best way to do this is by supplementing with milk thistle (silymarin). I call it Mother Nature's detox cure.

Milk thistle has been used for more than two thousand years to treat acute hepatitis, chronic liver disease, jaundice, and gallstone disease. However, its ability to protect us from toxic exposure was not discovered until 1949. It showed beneficial effects against toxicity from the chemical reagents known as carbon tetrachloride, which can result in liver failure, coma, and even death when someone is exposed to them. Milk thistle successfully protected the liver, while escorting the toxic chemical out of the body. Twenty years later, it was formally acknowledged as a therapeutic agent against toxic exposure. Ever since, this natural detox cure
has proven wildly beneficial in protecting us from environmental toxins and prescription drugs—and even poisonous mushrooms.

Studying milk thistle's protective qualities, Mayo Clinic announced that “Multiple studies from Europe suggest benefits of oral milk thistle for cirrhosis. In experiments up to five years long, milk thistle has improved liver function and decreased the number of deaths that occur in cirrhotic patients.”
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As a toxicity remedy, milk thistle works in three distinct ways to preserve our health. Once ingested, the active ingredients bind to the squishy membrane of our liver cells to form a protective “shield.” This keeps foreign molecules out and essential nutrients in. Milk thistle also protects us from oxygen shock, making it a potent antioxidant. As a natural detoxification cure, it can also serve as a “biological janitor” to clean up foreign molecules. Through a process known technically as conjugation, milk thistle attaches to foreign molecules and carries them out of the body, keeping the liver free from the accumulation of toxic threats.
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This natural detox cure can be found inexpensively on any grocery store shelf.

THE OVER-THE-COUNTER NATURAL CURE

Traveling is my passion. My family and I venture out as much as possible. On one memorable trip, we tracked our way to Oaxaca, Mexico. I love the wide-open beaches, tranquil pace, and bustling markets. Considering that I'd be carting most of the bags through the many airports, I packed mine light. That meant I was only bringing one supplement. I chose milk thistle. On the way to the airport, my wife was going through the checklist. Bathing suit, check. Pacifier, check. Books, check. Passports, check. IPod, check. Milk thistle…no check. I forgot it. No worries. At any given place in America, you can be sure to find a Walgreens or Rite-Aid within ten minutes.

Both pharmacy giants sell Rite Aid–brand milk thistle for about $8.00. Using it every day as prescribed below would cost you a mere $9.00 per month! Don't let the price fool you. This “standardized” supplement is packed with milk thistle's full-spectrum active ingredients, which include the medicinal compounds silibinin, isosilibinin, silydianin, and silychristin.

Manufactured under FDA-approved good manufacturing practices, Spring Valley milk thistle contains no adulterants or excess fillers, according to my independent lab analysis. This can be verified with the certificate of analysis found at my site, www.overthecounternaturalcures.com. Other brands of milk thistle are sold, too, but they had unnecessary additions like soybean oil and caramel coloring.

Once ingested, milk thistle gets into your blood within about two hours. Once there, it can last for about ten hours. Rite Aid–brand provides their milk thistle as an 80 percent standardization, which means that you are guaranteed 160 milligrams per serving of its active ingredients. Adults will want to get 160 to 320 milligrams per day, split into two servings. If taking medications or excess alcohol, up to 500 milligrams per day is suggested. One serving in the morning and one before bed is perfect.

Milk thistle itself is nontoxic. Numerous studies have not only demonstrated its effectiveness but also its safety. Some health professionals have questioned its drug interactions, and rightly so, because milk thistle follows some of the same metabolic pathways as commonly used prescription drugs. This could theoretically prevent the safe detox of prescription drugs, if they're taken with milk thistle. Apparently, however, there is plenty of room on these pathways for multiple compounds. To date, milk thistle hasn't been shown to have any negative interactions when taken with drugs, and should be a normal addition to help avoid prescription drug toxicity.

In a study published in the
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
, scientists concluded that milk thistle has limited effect on the metabolism of several
types of prescription drugs. These included such drugs as statins, calcium channel blockers for hypertension, and digoxin for the heart, as well as many others.
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MOTHER NATURE'S DETOX CURE BATTLES CANCER

Western medicine took twenty years to accept the protective qualities of milk thistle. Recognition of its side effects, which are welcome benefits, could take even longer. Daily use of milk thistle could help ward off high blood sugar, hepatitis C, and even cancer.

Each and every cell in your body comes with a self-destruct program. Think of it as a built-in protection mechanism against early death. When cells are damaged, they destroy themselves so that they don't replicate and compromise total health. Scientists call this cell suicide. It's one of many ways we steer clear of cancer. When a cell becomes cancerous, it usually commits cell suicide before it turns into a deadly tumor. Sometimes this programming fails.

If our cells' self-destruct programming ceases to work, we can become overwhelmed with cancer cells and tumors. Recent studies highlighted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on milk thistle are showing that it can rewire the faulty cellular program to help damaged, cancerous cells commit suicide. Preliminary studies are hinting that this may prevent liver, breast, prostate, and cervical cancer.
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