Newsletter v1n7

"And we have made of ourselves living cesspools, and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases." (Plato, The Republic)

The DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWSLETTER Vol 1, No 7 February 2, 2001 "Free of charge, free of advertising, and free of the A.M.A." Written by ANDREW SAUL, PhD. of http://www.doctoryourself.com , a free online library of more than 180 natural healing articles with over 2,500 scientific references.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: NATURAL ALTERNATIVES

Clinical reports by qualified physicians treating MS with vitamins should never be dismissed out of hand. If one has been discouraged from looking into studies of successful nutrition-based MS therapy, one has been sadly misled. Persons seriously concerned need to take a personal look at the research.

Two articles on nutritional therapy for multiple sclerosis are posted at http://doctoryourself.com/ms_2.html (Dr Evers' nutritional therapy) and http://doctoryourself.com/calcdef.html (Dr Klenner's vitamin protocol). Both of these physicians were MDs, and had considerable success arresting multiple sclerosis, and at times reversing it. That is hard to believe, but is certainly interesting.

Many people with MS are already working on their diet and may be taking some vitamins. This is an excellent start. But Frederick Klenner, MD, used unusually large quantities of nutrients, especially thiamin. Thiamin deficiency in animals results in degeneration of the myelin coating of nerve fibers. This is anatomically indistinguishable from multiple sclerosis.

GOT CALCIUM? I think it is especially interesting that most Chinese folks eat virtually no dairy products, and have an average daily calcium consumption of only about 500 or 600 mg (which is about what the average American consumes.) Yet there is far less osteoporosis in China. Is this because the Chinese are perhaps more physically active than we? Yet many more of them smoke. Is it because they do not grossly overeat protein as we do? Because they drink less coffee?

Maybe it is because their calcium comes from vegetable sources. We should consider the possibility that veggie calcium is as important if not actually superior to dairy calcium.

Consider the cow: half a ton of animal with massive bone structure; gives quarts of milk a day; gives birth to calves weighing as much as 100 pounds... and eats only grains and grasses. The largest, biggest-boned, most muscular animals on earth (which includes rhinos, elephants, hippos... and cows... are ALL vegetarians. And they do not get osteoporosis.

As a former dairyman, I think that is an argument for grain and veggie calcium.

Eliminating sources of calcium loss is just as important as your calcium intake. Coffee, alcohol, smoking, and excess protein consumption all are probably quite significant factors in keeping you from losing out on the calcium you need.

For most casually-munching Americans, to drop dairy means one has to get very serious about vegetarian diet. To the majority of us, calcium supplementation is essential, and this goes double for the ladies.

More on calcium deficiency at http://doctoryourself.com/calcdef.html and at http://doctoryourself.com/osteoporosis.html

Reader's Say: ARTHRITIS STOPPED Kathy writes: "I was told by a doctor 4 years ago, that I had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I went for seven months, not knowing from day to day if I would be able to walk move my arms, hands, or legs. At one point I could not even walk to the bathroom without help. The doctor wanted to put me on drug therapy. He said since I was still young (45) I would have less chance of being crippled later in life if I took the drugs now. I told him that I believe God gave us the ability to heal ourselves, we just had to find the way. So I started looking. I landed on juice fasting and cleaning out the colon. It has been 3 years, and I've had no RA symptoms at all. I am back to doing all the things I did before RA came along. I try to juice at least 3 times a week, and I do seasonal 3- to 5-day fasts. I just thought I would share this with you, that it might help someone else."

Way to go, Kathy!

DY SALUTE TO VALENTINES' DAY Those little candy hearts with "I LUV U" and "BE MINE" on them have a special, super secret: they make great children's paints! I like to try this with kids: Have them collect their candy hearts, especially the purple ones. Grind them up, combine equal parts water and powdered candy, and stir. Get out a model-sized paintbrush and white paper and have the children write their names in food paint. It works all too well. Then ask the kids what it does to their stomachs. Listen carefully to their answers and insights.

But there's more! When I taught junior high, I wondered where the girls' rather weird colored hairdos came from. The girls 'fessed up: they dyed their hair with Kool Aid.

Not a new idea, it turns out. In "The Wizard of Oz movie," the animals used as the "Horse of a different color" were colored, from fetlock to mane, with a mixture of Jell-O powder.

In summation, I concede that artificial colors are great for dying horses' hair and painting pictures. But I am not convinced that we should voluntarily EAT paint. So read every label and vote with your dollars. Then send the only message that carries any weight in the food industry: DO NOT PURCHASE ANY FOOD THAT CONTAINS AN ARTIFICIAL FOOD COLOR.

The DoctorYourself Recommended WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: http://www.dorway.com/symptoms.html If by chance you are still an aspartame (Nutrasweet) user, or know someone who is, you may be interested in viewing the aspartame symptoms list. It is very interesting, and very lengthy.

BOOK REVIEW: How to live Longer and Feel Better by Linus Pauling (1986) New York: Freeman

After bringing high-dose vitamin C therapy for colds and flu to the public (and to much of the medical profession) around 1970, Dr. Pauling has had to spend quite a bit of time defending the vitamin from under-informed critics. In this recent work, Pauling presents his most thorough case yet for much-larger-than-RDA doses of ALL the vitamins. He answers his critics with facts obtained from impeccable research, respected medical journals and reputable scientific texts. Pauling has a rare gift for making the complex understandable, and his talent shows most clearly in this book. Distilling thirty PAGES of references into logical, common-sense advice, he covers vitamins and cancer, heart disease, aging, infectious diseases, vitamin safety, toxicity and side effects, medicines, doctors attitudes, nutrition history, vitamin biochemistry and more. With that, he still finds time to clearly summarize as he goes, and to include some personal thoughts on attaining world peace. This is perhaps the strongest presentation ever written on the need for supplemental vitamins. If you read only one book this millenium, may I suggest Pauling's HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND FEEL BETTER. (312 pp, paper)

WHAT IS FREEDOM OF CHOICE? "There is no freedom of choice without freedom to refuse." (David Hume)

I've asked my college students in health issues and behaviors classes to consider what so-called "informed consent" for vaccinations actually comes down to. Rather than shove a paper under Mrs. B.'s nose, with a needle in one hand and her baby in the other, informed consent perhaps should go something like this:

Six weeks before Mrs. B.'s well-child visit for her infant, Dr. C.'s office calls.

"Hi, Mrs. B. This is Dr. C.'s office. We'd like to remind you that we think your child should receive immunizations in about six weeks, and that we are sending you a packet of abstracts, or summaries, of peer-reviewed research on both the advantages, and the disadvantages, of vaccination. Please carefully review these materials. If you have any difficulty in the reading, or have any questions, please call me, Mr. D., personally. I will answer, or look up the answer, to whatever concern you have, or I will connect you with Dr. C. if you prefer direct discussion with her.

"You have the right to accept shots, or to refuse shots for your child under the Bill of Rights of the U. S. Constitution. We earnestly believe that you should choose immunizations, but will also acquaint you with the simple legal options you have if you do not agree. "Please call us back in about three weeks to schedule your appointment. Even if you decide to not immunize, we want you to know that we still want to have you and your child as our patients. You will be treated with friendliness and respect regardless of your position on vaccination."

Now THAT'S informed consent. Have you ever experienced it?

If you would like additional VACCINATION INFORMATION and viewpoints, consider a visit to http://www.909shot.com , the authoritative site of the National Vaccine Information Center.

My comments are contained at http://doctoryourself.com/vaccin_2.html and http://doctoryourself.com/vaccination.html Additional links include http://www.whale.to/vaccines.html http://www.trufax.org/menu/bio.html http://www.unidial.com/~metroprint/ http://www.vaccination.inoz.com/about.html http://www.avn.org.au/medical.htm These sites will present you with "references from peer-reviewed medical journals which question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines."

LETTER TO DY NEWS:

"We wrote about the hot-dog/leukemia and brain tumor connection (mentioned in the Doctor Yourself Newsletter, Vol 1 No 5) in the Gerson Healing Newsletter a few years ago, but the more people know about it, the better it is. When some of the leaders in the meat packing industry were confronted with the many studies indicating their connection with dead children, they brushed them off. "Controversial, needs further study, kids have been eating hot dogs for a long time, yada, yada, yada."

"Now when one or two children died of suffocation by dry-cleaning bags, they were instantly banned. When children die from small toy parts, the toys are instantly recalled. When the connection between hot dogs, ham and lunch meat is manifest (and it has been documented numerous times) ... SILENCE. Not one iota of concern over the potential lethal effects, then or since. And the carnage continues."

Howard Straus (Editor's Note: Mr. Straus is the grandson of nutritional cancer specialist Max Gerson, M.D.)

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"DOCTOR YOURSELF STEALTH FOODô OF THE MONTH" Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

I contacted the crafty people at Kraft Foods, Inc, one of the largest food processors on earth. I asked them a simple math question: How is it that your 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (or the 100% Romano, for that matter) also contains anti-caking ingredients such as powdered cellulose, which is another name for SAWDUST? Doesn't that mean your product is something less than just cheese standing alone? No, they told me, it's all cheese, and the additives don't count. Cool! Tell little Jimmy: The whole is less than the sum of its parts! Yeah, right. Kraft, you put fillers in your grated cheese, which has to mean less cheese. Do so if you must, but 'fess up and tell us the simple plain truth, OK?

You can encourage Kraft to review its basic math skills by calling 1-800-634-1984 where, they claim "your comments count!" and, interestingly enough, pledge your "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." Hmmm.

Today's Reason to Become (More of) a Vegetarian: EMU MEAT NOW FOR SALE

I do not doubt the culinary experience of Australia's gastronomic experts, but when somebody tells me of the yummy advantages of emu flesh, all I can think of are those huge five-foot high birds with dust-mop feathers, big round google eyes, four-inch beaks and ravenous appetites.

I don't think I could bring myself to eat emu, even though it would serve them right, as I was ungraciously harassed by a renegade flock of them in Canberra, Australia. I climbed a rock and got out of range. They sure are big.

And since they are flightless birds, maybe that description should not be "flock of emus" but rather "herd of emus." Herd of emus? Sure, I've heard of emus. Yuk.

Thanks, mate, but I'll have another bean burrito.

AND HERE IS YET ANOTHER REASON TO UNSUBSCRIBE to this newsletter: The New DOCTOR YOURSELF "Joke of the Week "

Off-duty Sgt. Joe Friday (of DRAGNET fame) went into an office on a repossession assignment. The secretary said, "Officer, are you going to take all our office equipment?"

"No," said Friday, "Just the fax, ma'am."

Surely you can do better than I have with this one. Submit humor suitable for mixed company to doctoryourself.com/contact.html Health-related one-liners are especially desired.

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR ALL to this newsletter available at http://www.doctoryourself.com/newsmail.html We have no products for sale, and we have no financial connection with the supplement industry.

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE: ALCOHOLISM AND ITS NUTRITIONAL THERAPY WHAT GOOD ARE ROSE HIPS? See For Yourself Which Countries Have Halted Fluoridation Headache: Natrual Remedies

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Copyright c 2001 and prior years Andrew W. Saul Permission to reproduce single copies of this newsletter FOR NON-COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE ONLY is hereby granted providing no alteration of content is made and authorship credit is given.