*** Dominie's
Newsletter (Page 2 of 2)***
February 2004
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical
doctor. All material presented in this
newsletter is intended to be used for educational purposes only.
Consult with your own physician or health care practitioner before you make any
dietary changes. The information in this newsletter is not intended to treat,
cure or prevent any specific condition or disease.
8. LIGHT
KILLS GERMS
From William Campbell Douglas II,
M.D.--
Ultraviolet (UV) light has been one of the
mainstream's
whipping boys since forever. They're quick to condemn
this
"black light" for its detrimental effects on the eyes -
and it's (supposed)
deleterious effect on the skin. I can't
imagine how many millions of dollars
worth of cheap, ugly
sunglasses and goopy sunscreen have been sold in
defense
against this "killer."
But as you may know, I've been singing
UV light's praises
for years. It's actually an incredible healing tool. For
instance, brief yet intense exposure to ultraviolet light
kills almost
every kind of blood-borne bacteria and virus
(even HIV) under the sun. And
if the medical mainstream
would just open their eyes and see the light, we'd
all be
able to stroll down to the doctor's office and have every
blood
cell in our bodies periodically cleansed with
ultraviolet light in a safe,
simple process called
photoluminescence. It would save tens of thousands of
lives
every year.
But despite my best efforts to publicize UV light
for the
lifesaver it is, the medical establishment keeps turning a
blind
eye toward this miracle - until just recently, that is.
A few weeks ago,
my favorite medical journal, The Lancet,
published a report about how the
installation of UV lights
in the ventilation systems of office buildings
would
significantly reduce office workers' colds, sniffles,
allergies,
headaches, eye irritations, and other various and
sundry symptoms. The
lights were aimed at the climate-
control systems' cooling coils and drip
pans - places where
condensation and moisture allow bacteria to gather and
breed. And guess what?
Use of the lights correlated with a 99%
decrease in
bacteria. This translated into measurably fewer symptoms
among workers during the four-week test periods when the
lights were
turned on, with no adverse effects reported at
all. Costs for permanently
adopting the system hovered
around $14 yearly per employee - or less than an
hour's
worth of sick time. If even every eighth employee missed one
less
day because of an illness they avoided contracting
because of the UV
protection, the system would more than pay
for
itself.
9.
CAUSE OF FIBROMYALGIA
From an interview with Dr. Rodger Murphree
who wrote "TREATING AND BEATING FIBROMYALGIA," recommended by a newsletter
reader--
Question: "How do people get this
illness?"
Answer: "Their homeostatic system (self-regulating robot)
is shot! Along comes a stressful event, the flu, an accident or injury, the
death of a loved one, divorce, or other life-challenging situations and these
individuals simply fall apart. We are all born with a self-regulating system.
This is the little robot that runs the body: the autonomic nervous system
(hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands). The autonomic nervous system
helps regulate subconscious and conscious bodily functions. It regulates our
breath, how fast our heart beats, immune response, production and distribution
of hormones (thyroid, estrogen, adrenaline, serotonin), and coordinates how our
various systems work together. We don't have to think about breathing, pumping
blood throughout the body, releasing digestive enzymes, secreting insulin and
releasing blood sugar, or how to mend a broken bone. These daily miracles are
coordinated by an inborn homeostatic or balancing system that is involved in
every bodily function. Individuals with FMS and CFS, have malfunctioning
homeostatic systems. This imbalance causes the immune system to speak French,
the digestive system Spanish, the detoxification system Greek. This incredible
inborn intelligence that runs the body is finally unable to save them from
life's stresses. They're totally "burnt out." It can be a miserable
illness."
10. FIBRO WEB
ONLINE
A newsletter reader sent this link to Fibro
Web--
11.
ACETAMINOPHEN DAMAGE TO THE LIVER
From the HSI newsletter--
In 1995, a 23 year-old Philadelphia man named
Marcus Trunk began
taking a prescription drug that contained acetaminophen
to treat
a sprained wrist. When his prescription ran out, he took
an
over-the-counter acetaminophen for another week. Within a few
days he
developed a fever and began vomiting. When he went to a
hospital emergency
room, doctors gave him further doses of
acetaminophen. Within a week,
Marcus died of liver failure caused by
acetaminophen overdose.
Last
year an FDA review estimated that there are more than
14,000 unintentional
overdoses of acetaminophen every year, with
about 100 of those cases
resulting in death. This miserable
track record is far worse than the
approximately 100 TOTAL
deaths that were reportedly caused by overdoses of
ephedrine,
the hyped-up, synthetic version of the herb ephedra.
Nevertheless, you can say goodbye to ephedra. At the December
press
conference that announced the upcoming ban of all ephedra
products, FDA
Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan stated that the
herb presents, "An
unreasonable risk of illness or injury."
Needless to say, no one is
talking about a similar ban of
acetaminophen. Nor should they. Like ephedra,
no one makes you
take acetaminophen. If you want to take it, that's your
right.
And like ephedra, if you take acetaminophen as directed
you'll
probably experience little or no harm. But if you take
ephedra,
acetaminophen, or any other herb or drug recklessly, you may pay
a very high price.
Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in more
than 200
over-the-counter pain-killers, fever-reducers and cold
medicines,
so it's fairly easy to inadvertently take an overdose
of the drug. But in
spite of the dangers, I'll bet that most of
the people who use acetaminophen
on a regular basis think of it
as benign. They simply have no idea how easy
it is for a healthy
person to fatally damage their liver.
12. DOCTOR
YOURSELF.COM
Fascinating natural health site from a
newsletter reader--
13. LIVER
TOXICITY CAUSES FOOD SENSITIVITIES
From immunesupport.com's Tip of the
Day--
According to Katrina Berne, Ph.D., "Chronic
liver toxicity, resulting from overloaded liver-detoxification pathways, is
frequently associated with multiple sensitivities, with even minor toxic
exposure generating symptoms in some individuals. Those with extreme
gastrointestinal sensitivities and symptoms may suffer from leaky gut syndrome,
an allergic reaction to protein molecules that leak across the intestinal wall.
Antibodies produced in reaction to those substances activate the immune system
inappropriately. Enterohepatic resuscitation is achieved with a nutritional
detoxification plan of diet and supplementation. Avoidance of offending foods,
bland diet, and diet rotation are helpful in treatment. Liver function is helped
by milk thistle (silymarin)." (Source: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
Fibromyalgia and Other Invisible Illnesses, by Katrina Berne, Ph.D. Published by
Hunter House and available at www.hunterhouse.com or by calling
1-800-266-5592.)
14. LADY WHO
RECOVERED FROM CFIDS/IBS, ETC.
Link sent in by a newsletter
reader--
15. DRUG SIDE
EFFECTS
The following article was in an e-newsletter
I just received--
There's an advertisement on TV that makes me
laugh every time I
see it.
The ad is for an anti-depressant drug. And
typical of most
pharmaceutical ads, the list of possible side effects is
fairly
scary. But it seems like this particular list just goes on and
on
and on and on and on...
The list includes possible weight-loss, chest
pains, trouble
breathing, difficulty sleeping, sore throat, dry mouth,
fever,
nausea, etc., etc., etc.
When the announcer finally reaches
the end of this impressive
list, the smiling woman who's pictured on the
screen says, "I
finally feel like my old self again!"
The
juxtaposition and the timing are perfect - as if all of
those side effects
have made her feel like her old self again. I
certainly don't mean to make
light of depression, but this ad
just strikes me as absurd.
I shake
my head and wonder: Who would see this ad and think,
"I'm sold! Sign me up
for all that!"
16. CHERRIES
STOP PAIN
Two newsletter readers gave me info about
cherries!--
1. "Want to pass along a recent
serendipitous finding. Fell in love lately with some cherry tarts from my
local Wally Mart. Bought 2 packages (16) tarts and had one for breakfast
nearly every day, In a few days I noticed no fibromyalgia pain. Told
my husband it sure felt good not to hurt and wished I knew why I wasn't hurting
so I could keep doing it. Recently a full page ad appeared in local
newspaper advertising about using food for various health purposes.
At top of page was a picture of a bowl of cherries and said they stop
pain. Sounds unbelievable, but seems to be what did it for me. About
that time, I had finished them all off and the pain came back. I started
eating them again about 3 days ago and sure enough feel better today. Pain
gone again. Going to find a lower calorie way to eat them and see what
happens. Passing it on in hope it may work for someone else."
2. "Drink black cherry juice. It
alkalizes the body. Get the L & A brand. Knutsen brand
tastes terrible." [NOTE FROM DOMINIE: This
might be worth a try!]
17. TROUBLE
SLEEPING?
From immunesupport.com's Tip of the
Day--
Having trouble sleeping? Try spending some
time outside every day. Light exposure affects sleep by influencing circadian
(daily) rhythms and the pineal gland’s release of melatonin, a hormone that
induces drowsiness. Sometimes without recognizing it, older [or chronically ill
people] spend a lot of time inside because they aren’t going to work or aren’t
mobile. And even the strongest indoor light is several times weaker than
sunlight. The most natural way to increase your melatonin levels may be to spend
more time outdoors. Last year, Japanese researchers published research showing
that midday exposure to bright light increased the melatonin levels of elderly
study subjects and improved their sleep. (Source: Harvard Health Letter, May
2002)
18. SUGAR
FEEDS CANCER
19. SUNSHINE
AND LESS FMS PAIN
From immmunesupport.com--
Lack of Vitamin D Linked to Pain -
Fibromyalgia News
There is new evidence that small amounts of unprotected sun
exposure could be good for you. Earlier studies have linked vitamin D deficiency
with an increased risk for several cancers. Now comes word that it may also be a
major cause of unexplained muscle and bone pain - which could be a major
breakthrough for many fibromyalgia patients.
20. READER CURING
SELF OF FIBRO
I received a fascinating letter from a
newsletter reader who is using colloidal silver to help with her recovery from
FMS/CFIDS.
21. SPIRITUAL
UPLIFT CORNER
Our pastor preached a great Sunday evening message
from Psalm 84, about going through the Valley of Baca (tears) in our life and
making it a well that others can draw comfort from when they go through their
Valley of Bacas. He said when you don't know what to do, then do what you
know to do--such as pray, read the Bible and keep going to church. He said
that we are not citizens of earth trying to get to heaven, but citizens of
heaven trying to get through earth.
A hymn we sang that night was "On Jordan's Stormy
Banks." Our music director chose it, but didn't have any idea what
the pastor was preaching on that night. It went along with the message
really well!....
"On Jordans' stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful
eye,
To Canaan's fair and happy land where my possessions
lie.
CHORUS: I am bound for the promised land, I am bound for
the promised land,
O who will come and go with me? I am bound for the
promised land.
No chilling winds nor poisonous breath can reach that
healthful shore,
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death are felt and feared no
more.
When shall I reach that happy place, and be forever
blest?
When shall I see my Father's face, and in His bosom
rest?"
The pastor said that when you know your destination,
you are not nearly as bothered by your tribulation, nor worry about Satan's
accusation. He said that Satan likes to catch you in the Valley of Baca,
such as when the devil mocked Christ on the cross. These valleys in our
lives are unavoidable and often times unexplainable. He had such
encouargement for us. Bro. Ron said, "Child of God, listen to me, don't
lose your testimony in the Valley of Baca. We are citizens of heaven just
trying to get through this world. Dig a well for others who will
eventually follow and enter those valleys. Let them draw water from your
well that you digged when you were in that valley."
[Amen!]
22. DOMINIE'S
PERSONAL UPDATE
I have been very busy this past month with
piano teaching, recital, helping teens prepare for music competitions, as
well as my church musician responsibilities. I have a typical "Type
A" hectic schedule now that I am feeling well.
Last month there was a terrible flu
going around our community that put even healthy people in the hospital!
Thankfully I stayed well, despite my extremely busy schedule and contact with
many sick people and students. There were a couple of days when I thought
the flu bug was trying to get me too, but it never did. My husband
suggested some extra rest right away, and that helped me avoid getting sick.
Prior to taking the immune product I now use, I was sick frequently
for months at a time. You can read my FMS story at http://www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm and my
CFIDS story at http://www.fms-help.com/fatigue.htm I think that anyone with these conditions will be able
to relate to what I've been through!!! Also, see my homepage at http://www.fms-help.com for helpful
links.
UPDATE ON MY DAD: My
dad, who will be 91 on February 8, thanks each of you who sent in ideas for what
to do about his cancer (prostate cancer that has spread to the bones). He
is trying some natural alternatives now, since Mayo Clinic was losing the
battle. Here is what my dad emailed to me to tell you, my loyal
readers....
"The Lord has strengthened me during
the past couple months of 'downturn'. I thank you for your loving prayers and
the prayers of your friends. Let's all praise Him. Dominie, I want to
thank you and all your friends for the valuable suggestions, though I can't try
everyone. Thanks from my heart for the loving concerns. Please
continue to pray for God's healing power through the alternative supplements. -
Love, Dad"
My father is a true Christian gentlemen--a
man of honor and integrity and a blessing to all who know him. His
gracious and humble presence reveals that Christ is in control of his heart and
life. What a wonderful spiritual legacy my parents have given
me! I am forever grateful.
May you have a good month walking close to
our Savior.
Faithfully yours,
Dominie
Bush
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DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor. I
am a fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The purpose of this website
is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is presented as food for
thought. This information cannot take the place of professional medical
advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should come under the
direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding any of the
information in this website.