Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organic sulfur-containing compound that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, grains, animals, and even humans. MSM has earned a lot of attention for its use as a nutritional supplement. This is due to MSM’s reputation as a potent antioxidant booster that is believed to resist inflammation and oxidative damage, especially after exercise and strenuous activities. [1]
The first water soluble vitamins were numbered in sequence according to priority of discovery. But after their chemical structure was determined they were given scientific names. The third one to be discovered was the anti-pellagra vitamin before it was shown to be niacin. But the use of the number B-3 did not stay in the literature very long. It was replaced by nicotinic acid and its amide (also known medically as niacin and its amide). The name was changed to remove the similarity to nicotine, a poison.
The term vitamin B-3 was reintroduced by my friend Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, (Bill Wilson). We met in New York in 1960. Humphry Osmond and I introduced him to the concept of mega vitamin therapy. We described the results we had seen with our schizophrenic patients, some of whom were also alcoholic. We also told him about its many other properties. It was therapeutic for arthritis, for some cases of senility and it lowered cholesterol levels. (more…)
Throw away the aspirin and get rid of the anti-inflammatory medication because nature has all you need to rid your pain with far more effectiveness than any man-made pill can provide. They will also simultaneously advance your health with powerful nutrients which will set the terrain to help prevent future pain and illness…and they taste incredible! 
Chronic pain can really deter you from doing even your routine activities. Anyone who suffers from any kind of chronic pain can surely tell you how difficult it is sometimes to get up from the bed in the morning because back or knee or neck has ‘pins’ in it. (more…)
It’s disturbing to me that consumers will ponder a menu for much longer than they will the side effects associated with their medications. And even those who do look up their medicine or ask their pharmacist still don’t know that drugs can mug the body of nutrients, the very nutrients you need to stay healthy, to see clearly, have energy, keep you free of pain and maintain a happy mood.
Surprised? Most people are, and I can say that safely because I’ve been a pharmacist for 23 years, and I always get the same look when I tell people they need to “marry” their medicine with the right nutrient(s) to minimize or avoid (or reverse) side effects.
Don’t believe me? Let’s delve a little deeper into this. (more…)
The story of mycotoxins begins with the story of agriculture. In prehistoric times, humans initially began farming by forest gardening, planting along river banks, and planting in the wet foothills during monsoon season. Later, more organized farming began in the Fertile Crescent, India, Western Asia, and Egypt with these crops: wheat, barley, flax, vetch, lentils, peas, and chickpeas. As time passed, peoples in the Americas, Eastern Asia, and Africa began their own farming and agriculture techniques. (more…)
‘India has among the lowest rates of prostate, breast, colon, and lung cancer in the world. Some researchers attribute these numbers to the regular consumption of a common household spice, which has also shown to offer support for cognitive function and inflammation. The best part? Chances are, this spice may already be in your cabinet.
A cancer diagnosis can feel like a death sentence, with 1.4 million new cases of cancer per year resulting in more than 500,000 deaths per year in the US. While this is still a life-threatening diagnosis, new research may give hope.*
This research has scientists amazed at how a simple spice can promote healthy cell replication, and even support the health of patients undergoing chemotherapy.*
This is only one small role this spice plays in promoting optimal health.* For thousands of years in Ayurveda, this common spice was used for physical pain, liver ailments, healthy skin, mental clarity, intestinal health, bile flow, and fat metabolism.*
Tart cherries have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. According to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference (ACSM) in San Francisco, tart cherries have the “highest anti-inflammatory content of any food” and can help people with arthritis manage their disease long-term without pain medications.
Michigan researchers had previously shown that a cherry-enriched diet not only reduced overall body inflammation, but also reduced inflammation at key sites (belly fat, heart) known to affect heart disease risk in the obese. (more…)
I have always been interested in holistic medicine. Even as a teenager, I read and studied many different healing modalities. Given my love of medicine and my participation in competitive sports, it was no surprise to anyone that I became a Certified Athletic Trainer and physical therapist. Over the past 20 years in my healthcare career, I have worked in many different settings. The constants in my career have been interacting with people in pain and using all of my knowledge/skills to assist them in restoring maximum function.
I have a special interest in working with people who experience chronic pain. As happens with many people, it took my own experience to propel me to study and learn more about how to best help this patient population. In 2007, I became very ill with what was later diagnosed as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune illness (AI) caused by the body mounting an attack on the thyroid gland in an attempt to destroy it. For those who have not heard of this illness, the thyroid is a major part of the endocrine system. It is a gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is converted into energy. Thyroid hormones are essential for the function of every cell in the body. They help regulate growth and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body.
It may come as a surprise to some, especially those with conventional medical training, but the default state of the body is one of ceaseless regeneration. Without the flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body – life and death ceaselessly intertwined – the miracle of the human body would not exist.
In times of illness, however, regenerative processes are overcome by degenerative ones. This is where medicine may perform its most noble feat, nudging the body back into balance with foods, herbs, nutrients, healing energies, i.e. healing intention. Today, however, drug-based medicine invariably uses chemicals that have not one iota of regenerative potential; to the contrary, they almost always interfere with bodily self-renewal in order to suppress the symptoms against which they are applied.
Despite the outright heretical nature of things which stimulate healing and regeneration vis-à-vis the conventional medical system which frowns upon, or is incredulous towards, spontaneous remission in favor of symptom suppression and disease management, over the course of the past few years of trolling MEDLINE we have collected a series of remarkable studies on the topic…
