Summer

Brand Obama - The First 100 Days

The BBC’s American television soap Mad Men offers a rare glimpse of the power of corporate advertising. The promotion of smoking half a century ago by the “smart” people of Madison Avenue, who knew the truth, led to countless deaths. Advertising and its twin, public relations, became a way of deceiving dreamt up by those who had read Freud and applied mass psychology to anything from cigarettes to politics. Just as Marlboro Man was virility itself, so politicians could be branded, packaged and sold.

It is more than 100 days since Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. The “Obama brand” has been named “Advertising Age’s marketer of the year for 2008”, easily beating Apple computers. David Fenton of MoveOn.org describes Obama’s election campaign as “an institutionalised mass-level automated technological community organising that has never existed before and is a very, very powerful force”. Deploying the internet and a slogan plagiarised from the Latino union organiser César Chávez – “Sí, se puede!” or “Yes, we can” – the mass-level automated technological community marketed its brand to victory in a country desperate to be rid of George W Bush.

No one knew what the new brand actually stood for. So accomplished was the advertising (a record $75m was spent on television commercials alone) that many Americans actually believed Obama shared their opposition to Bush’s wars. In fact, he had repeatedly backed Bush’s warmongering and its congressional funding. Many Americans also believed he was the heir to Martin Luther King’s legacy of anti-colonialism. Yet if Obama had a theme at all, apart from the vacuous “Change you can believe in”, it was the renewal of America as a dominant, avaricious bully. “We will be the most powerful,” he often declared.

Perhaps the Obama brand’s most effective advertising was supplied free of charge by those journalists who, as courtiers of a rapacious system, promote shining knights. They depoliticised him, spinning his platitudinous speeches as “adroit literary creations, rich, like those Doric columns, with allusion…” (Charlotte Higgins in the Guardian). The San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford wrote: “Many spiritually advanced people I know… identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who… can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet.”

In his first 100 days, Obama has excused torture, opposed habeas corpus and demanded more secret government. He has kept Bush’s gulag intact and at least 17,000 prisoners beyond the reach of justice. On 24 April, his lawyers won an appeal that ruled Guantanamo Bay prisoners were not “persons”, and therefore had no right not to be tortured. His national intelligence director, Admiral Dennis Blair, says he believes torture works. One of his senior US intelligence officials in Latin America is accused of covering up the torture of an American nun in Guatemala in 1989; another is a Pinochet apologist. As Daniel Ellsberg has pointed out, the US experienced a military coup under Bush, whose secretary of “defence”, Robert Gates, along with the same warmaking officials, has been retained by Obama.

All over the world, America’s violent assault on innocent people, directly or by agents, has been stepped up. During the recent massacre in Gaza, reports Seymour Hersh, “the Obama team let it be known that it would not object to the planned resupply of ‘smart bombs’ and other hi-tech ordnance that was already flowing to Israel” and being used to slaughter mostly women and children. In Pakistan, the number of civilians killed by US missiles called drones has more than doubled since Obama took office.

In Afghanistan, the US “strategy” of killing Pashtun tribespeople (the “Taliban”) has been extended by Obama to give the Pentagon time to build a series of permanent bases right across the devastated country where, says Secretary Gates, the US military will remain indefinitely. Obama’s policy, one unchanged since the Cold War, is to intimidate Russia and China, now an imperial rival. He is proceeding with Bush’s provocation of placing missiles on Russia’s western border, justifying it as a counter to Iran, which he accuses, absurdly, of posing “a real threat” to Europe and the US. On 5 April in Prague, he made a speech reported as “anti-nuclear”. It was nothing of the kind. Under the Pentagon’s Reliable Replacement Warhead programme, the US is building new “tactical” nuclear weapons designed to blur the distinction between nuclear and conventional war.

Perhaps the biggest lie – the equivalent of smoking is good for you – is Obama’s announcement that the US is leaving Iraq, the country it has reduced to a river of blood. According to unabashed US army planners, as many as 70,000 troops will remain “for the next 15 to 20 years”. On 25 April, his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, alluded to this. It is not surprising that the polls are showing that a growing number of Americans believe they have been suckered – especially as the nation’s economy has been entrusted to the same fraudsters who destroyed it. Lawrence Summers, Obama’s principal economic adviser, is throwing $3trn at the same banks that paid him more than $8m last year, including $135,000 for one speech. Change you can believe in.

Much of the American establishment loathed Bush and Cheney for exposing, and threatening, the onward march of America’s “grand design”, as Henry Kissinger, war criminal and now Obama adviser, calls it. In advertising terms, Bush was a “brand collapse” whereas Obama, with his toothpaste advertisement smile and righteous clichés, is a godsend. At a stroke, he has seen off serious domestic dissent to war, and he brings tears to the eyes, from Washington to Whitehall. He is the BBC’s man, and CNN’s man, and Murdoch’s man, and Wall Street’s man, and the CIA’s man. The Madmen did well.

Source - John Pilger

Delhi

Vegetarianism - Debunking Myths

Over the years, a number of myths have surrounded vegetarian diets and those who adopt them. Most of these are misconceptions. What are some of these vegetarian myths and what is the reality? Let's see:

Myth #1
All vegetarians are animal-rights activists. Research shows that most people adopt a vegetarian diet for the health benefits. The second most cited reason is animal rights. Even the people who mentioned animal rights say that health is the number one reason they follow a vegetarian diet.

Myth #2.
Vegetarians don't get enough protein. There was a time when nutritionists and dietitians even said this _ but no longer. Now, we know that vegetarians get plenty of protein. What they don't get is the excessive amount of protein found in the typical modern diet. If you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, then getting enough protein is not an issue.

Myth #3.
Vegetarians don't get enough calcium. This myth is applied, in particular, to vegans - vegetarians who have eliminated meat and milk products from their diets. Somehow, the notion got started that the only good source of calcium is milk and cheese. Granted, milk does have a good supply of calcium, but so do many vegetables _ especially green, leafy veggies. The truth is, vegetarians suffer less from osteoporosis (a deficiency of calcium that leads to weak bones) because the body assimilates the calcium they eat more easily during digestion.

Myth #4.
Vegetarian diets aren't balanced, so vegetarians are risking their health for their principles. First of all, a vegetarian diet isn't out of balance. It has a good proportion of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat - the three macro nutrients that are the cornerstone of any diet. Plus, vegetarian food sources (plants) tend to be higher sources of most of micro nutrients. Another way to look at it is this: The average meat eater consumes one or fewer servings of vegetables a day and no servings of fruit. If a meat eater does eat a vegetable, chances are it's a fried potato. "Out of balance" depends on your perspective.

Myth #5
A vegetarian diet is all right for an adult, but kids need meat to develop properly. This somehow makes the assumption that protein from plants isn't as good as protein from meat. The truth is, protein is protein. It is all made from amino acids. Children need 10 essential amino acids to grow and develop properly. These amino acids are as readily available in plants as they are in meat.

Source - Your Life Source

Fractal

Cancer Is Not A Disease

What you are about to read may rock or even dismantle the very foundation of your beliefs about your body, health and healing. The title, "Cancer Is Not a Disease" may be unsettling for many, provocative to some, but encouraging for all. This book will serve as a revelation for those who are sufficiently open-minded to consider the possibility that cancer and other debilitating illnesses are not actual diseases, but desperate and final attempts by the body to stay alive for as long as circumstances permit.

It will perhaps astound you to learn that a person who is afflicted with the main causes of cancer (which constitute the real illness) would most likely die quickly unless he actually grew cancer cells. In this work, I provide evidence to this effect.

I further claim that cancer will only occur after all other defense or healing mechanisms in the body have failed. In extreme circumstances, exposure to large amounts of cancer-producing agents (carcinogens) can bring about a collapse of the body's defenses within several weeks or months and allow for rapid and aggressive growth of a cancerous tumor. Usually, though, it takes many years, or even decades, for these so-called "malignant" tumors to form.

Unfortunately, basic misconceptions or complete lack of knowledge about the reasons behind tumor growth have turned "malignant" tumors into vicious monsters that have no other purpose but to kill us in retaliation for our sins or abusing the body. However, as you are about to find out, cancer is on our side, not against us. Unless we change our perception of what cancer really is, it will continue to resist treatment, particularly the most "advanced" methods. If you have cancer, and cancer is indeed part of the body's complex survival responses and not a disease, as I suggest it is, you must find answers to the following pressing questions:

* What reasons coerce your body into developing cancer cells?

* Once you have identified these reasons, will you be able to change them? What determines the type and severity of cancer with which you are afflicted?

* If cancer is a survival mechanism, what needs to be done to prevent the body from taking recourse to such drastic defense measures?

* Since the body's original genetic design always favors the preservation of life and protection against adversities of any kind, why would the body permit self-destruction?

* Why do almost all cancers disappear by themselves, without medical intervention?

* Do radiation, chemotherapy and surgery actually cure cancer, or do cancer survivors heal due to other reasons, despite these radical, side-effect-loaded treatments?

* What roles do fear, frustration, low self-worth and repressed anger play in the origination and outcome of cancer?

* What is the spiritual growth lesson behind cancer?

To deal with the root causes of cancer, you must find satisfying and practical answers to the above questions. If you feel the inner urge to make sense of this life-changing event, (cancer that is), you most likely will recover from it. Cancer can be your greatest opportunity to help restore balance to all aspects of your life, but it can also be the harbinger of severe trauma and suffering. Either way you are always in control of your body.

To live in a human body, you must have access to a certain amount of life-sustaining energy. You may either use this inherent energy in a nourishing and self-sustaining or in a destructive and debilitating way. In case you consciously or unconsciously choose negligence or self-abuse over loving attention and self-respect, your body will likely end up having to fight for its life.

Cancer is but one of the many ways the body tries to change the way you see and treat yourself, including your body. This inevitably brings up the subject of spiritual health, which plays at least as important a role in cancer as physical and emotional reasons do.

Cancer appears to be a highly confusing and unpredictable disorder. It seems to strike the very happy and the very sad, the rich and the poor, the smokers and the non-smokers, the very healthy and the not so healthy. People from all backgrounds and occupations can have cancer. However, if you dare look behind the mask of its physical symptoms, such as the type, appearance and behavior of cancer cells, you will find that cancer is not as coincidental or unpredictable as it seems to be.

What makes 50% of the American population so prone to developing cancer, when the other half has no risk at all? Blaming the genes for that is but an excuse to cover up ignorance of the real causes. Besides, any good genetic researcher would tell you that such a belief is void of any logic and outright unscientific (as explained in the book).

Cancer has always been an extremely rare illness, except in industrialized nations during the past 40-50 years. Human genes have not significantly changed for thousands of years. Why would they change so drastically now, and suddenly decide to kill scores of people? The answer to this question is amazingly simple: Damaged or faulty genes do not kill anyone. Cancer does not kill a person afflicted with it! What kills a cancer patient is not the tumor, but the numerous reasons behind cell mutation and tumor growth. These root causes should be the focus of every cancer treatment, yet most oncologists typically ignore them. Constant conflicts, guilt and shame, for example, can easily paralyze the body's most basic functions, and lead to the growth of a cancerous tumor.

After having seen thousands of cancer patients over a period of three decades, I began to recognize a certain pattern of thinking, believing and feeling that was common to most of them. To be more specific, I have yet to meet a cancer patient who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious. Cancer, the physical disease, cannot occur unless there is a strong undercurrent of emotional uneasiness and deep-seated frustration.

Cancer patients typically suffer from lack of self-respect or worthiness, and often have what I call an "unfinished business" in their life. Cancer can actually be a way of revealing the source of such inner conflict. Furthermore, cancer can help them come to terms with such a conflict, and even heal it altogether. The way to take out weeds is to pull them out along with their roots. This is how we must treat cancer; otherwise, it may recur eventually.

The following statement is very important in the consideration of cancer: "Cancer does not cause a person to be sick; it is the sickness of the person that causes the cancer." To treat cancer successfully requires the patient to become whole again on all levels of his body, mind and spirit. Once the cancer causes have been properly identified, it will become apparent what needs to be done to achieve complete recovery.

It is a medical fact that every person has cancer cells in the body all the time. These cancer cells remain undetectable through standard tests until they have multiplied to several billion. When doctors announce to their cancer patients that the treatments they prescribed had successfully eliminated all cancer cells, they merely refer to tests that are able to identify the detectable number of cancerous cells. Standard cancer treatments may lower the number of cancer cells to an undetectable level, but this certainly cannot eradicate all cancer cells. As long as the causes of tumor growth remain intact, cancer may redevelop at any time and at any rate.

Curing cancer has little to do with getting rid of a group of detectable cancer cells. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are certainly capable of poisoning or burning many cancer cells, but they also destroy healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc., which often leads to permanent irreparable damage of entire organs and systems in the body. A real cure of cancer does not occur at the expense of destroying other vital parts of the body.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people who were once "successfully" treated for cancer die from infections, heart attacks, liver failure, kidney failure and other illnesses because the cancer treatments generate a massive amount of inflammation and destruction in the organs and systems of the body. Of course, these causes of death are not being attributed to cancer. This statistical omission makes it appear we are making progress in the war against cancer. However, many more people are dying from the treatment of cancer than from cancer. A real cure or cancer is achievable only when the causes of excessive growth of cancer cells have been removed or stopped.

Power in the Word

Cancer is the second leading "cause" of death for Americans. According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.2 million cases will be diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. in 2008. More than 552,000 Americans will die of it. Among men, the top three cancer diagnoses are expected to be prostate cancer (180,400 cases), lung cancer (89,500 cases), and colorectal cancer (63,600). The leading types of cancer among women are breast cancer (182,800 cases), lung cancer (74,600), and colorectal cancer (66,600 cases).

Cancer is not just a word, but also a statement that refers to abnormal or unusual behavior of cells in the body. However, in quite a different context, cancer is referred to as a star sign. When someone tells you that you are a "cancer", are you going to tremble with fear of dying? It is unlikely, because your interpretation of being of the cancer sign does not imply that you have cancer, the illness. But if your doctor called you into his office and told you that you had cancer, you would most likely feel paralyzed, numb, terrified, hopeless, or all of the above.

The word "cancer" has the potential to play a very disturbing and precarious role, one that is capable of delivering a death sentence. Being a cancer patient seems to start with the diagnosis of cancer, although its causes may have been there for many years prior to feeling ill. Within a brief moment, the word "cancer" can turn someone's entire world upside down.

Who or what in this world has bestowed this simple word or statement with such great power that it can preside over life and death? Or does it really? Could it actually be that our collective, social belief that cancer is a killer disease, in addition to the aggressive treatments that follow diagnosis, are largely responsible for the current dramatic escalation of cancer in the Western hemisphere? Too far fetched, you might say! In this book, however, I will make the point that cancer can have no power or control over us, unless we unconsciously allow it to grow in response to the beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, thoughts, feelings we have, and the life choices we make.

Would we be just as afraid of cancer if we knew what caused it or at least understood what its underlying purpose is? Unlikely so! If truth were told, we would most probably do everything to remove the causes and, thereby, set the preconditions for the body to heal itself.

A little knowledge (which is what we call ignorance) is, in fact, a dangerous thing. Almost everyone, at least in the industrialized world, knows that drinking water from a filthy pond or polluted lake can cause life-threatening diarrhea, but still only few realize that holding on to resentment, anger and fear, or eating fast foods, chemical additives, and artificial sweeteners, is no less dangerous than drinking polluted water; it may just take a little longer to kill a person than tiny amoeba can.

Mistaken Judgment

We all know that if the foundation of a house is strong, the house can easily withstand external challenges, such as a violent storm. As we will see, cancer is merely an indication that there is something missing in our body and in life as a whole. Cancer shows that life as a whole (physical, mental and spiritual) stands on shaky grounds and is quite fragile, to say the least. It would be foolish for a gardener to water the withering leaves of a tree when he knows so well that the real problem is not where it appears to be, namely, on the symptomatic level (of withered leaves). By watering the roots of the plant, he naturally attends to the causative level, and consequently, the plant regenerates itself swiftly and automatically.

To the trained eye of a gardener, the symptom of withering leaves is not a dreadful disease. He recognizes that the dehydrated state of these leaves is but a direct consequence of withdrawn nourishment that they need in order to sustain themselves and the rest of the plant.

Although this example from nature may appear to be a simplistic analogy, it offers a profound understanding of very complex disease processes in the human body. It accurately describes one of the most powerful and fundamental principles controlling all life forms on the planet. However skilled we may have become in manipulating the functions of our body through the tools of allopathic medicine, this basic, highly evolved principle of evolution cannot be suppressed or violated without paying the hefty price of side-effect-riddled suffering and pain - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I fervently challenge the statement that cancer is a killer disease. Furthermore, I will demonstrate that cancer is not a disease at all. Many people who received a "terminal" cancer sentence actually defied the prognosis and experienced total remission.

The Need for Answers

There is no cancer that has not been survived by someone, regardless how far advanced it was. If even one person has succeeded in healing his cancer, there must be a mechanism for it, just as there is a mechanism for creating cancer. Every person on the planet has the capacity for both. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you may not be able to change the diagnosis, but it is certainly in your power to alter the destructive consequences that it (the diagnosis) may have on you. The way you see the cancer and the steps you take following the diagnosis are some of the most powerful determinants of your future wellness, or the lack of it.

The indiscriminate reference to "cancer" as being a killer disease by professionals and lay people alike has turned cancer into a disorder with tragic consequences for the majority of today's cancer patients and their families. Cancer has become synonymous to extraordinary suffering, pain and death. This is true despite the fact that 90-95 percent of all cancers appear and disappear out of their own accord. There is not a day that passes without the body making millions of cancer cells. Some people, under severe temporary stress make more cancer cells than usual and form clusters of cancerous cells that disappear again once they feel better. Secretions of the DNA's anticancer drug, Interleukin II, drop under physical and mental duress and increase again when relaxed and joyful. Thus, most cancers vanish without any form of medical intervention and without causing any real harm.

Right at this moment, there are millions of people walking around with cancers in their body without having a clue that they have them. Likewise, there are millions of people who heal their cancers without even knowing it. Overall, there are many more spontaneous remissions of cancer than there are diagnosed and treated cancers.

The truth is, relatively few cancers actually become "terminal." However, once diagnosed, the vast majority of all cancers are never even given a chance to disappear on their own. They are promptly targeted with an arsenal of deadly weapons of cell destruction such as chemotherapy drugs, radiation and the surgical knife. The problem with cancer patients is that, terrified by the diagnosis, they submit their bodies to all these cut/burn/poison procedures that, more likely than not, lead them to the day of final sentencing, "We have to tell you with our deepest regret there is nothing more that can be done to help you."

The most pressing question is not how advanced or dangerous a cancer is, but what we need to do to not end up dying from it. Why do some people go through cancer as if it were the flu? Are they just lucky or is there a mechanism at work that triggers the healing? In other words, what is that element that prevents the body from healing cancer naturally, or what is that hidden element that makes cancer so dangerous, if it is dangerous at all?

The answers to all these queries lie with the response of the person who has the cancer, and not with the degree of "viciousness" or advanced stage it appears to have progressed to. Do you believe that cancer is a disease? You will most likely answer with a "yes," given the 'informed' opinion that the medical industry and mass media have fed to the masses for many decades. Yet, the most pressing yet rarely asked question remains: "Why do you think cancer is a disease?" You may say: "Because I know cancer kills people every day." I would question you further: "How do you know that it is the cancer that kills people?" You would probably argue that most people who have cancer die, so obviously it must be the cancer that kills them. Besides, you may reason, all the expert doctors tell us so.

Let me raise another question, a rather strange one: "How do you know for sure that you are the daughter/son of your father and not of another man?" Is it because your mother told you so? What makes you think that your mother told you the truth? Probably because you believe her; and you have no reason not to. After all, she is your mother, and mothers do not lie about these things. Or do they? Although you will never really know that the person you believe to be your father is, in fact, your father, you nevertheless have turned what you subjectively believe into something that you just "know," into an irrefutable truth.

Although there is no scientific proof whatsoever that cancer is a disease (versus a survival mechanism), most people will insist that it is a disease because this is what they were told to believe. Yet their belief is only hearsay information based on other people's opinions. These other people heard it from someone else. Eventually, the "truth" of cancer being a disease can be traced to some doctors who expressed their subjective feelings or beliefs about what they observed and wrote about in some review articles or medical reports. Other doctors agreed with their opinion, and before long, it became a "well-established" fact that cancer is a vicious illness that somehow gets hold of people in order to kill them. However, the truth of the matter may be quite different.

Wisdom of Cancer Cells

Cancer cells are not part of a malicious disease process. When cancer cells spread (metastasize) throughout the body, it is not their purpose or goal to disrupt the body's vitals functions, infect healthy cells and obliterate their host (the body). Self-destruction is not the theme of any cell unless, of course, it is old and worn-out and ready to be turned-over and replaced. Cancer cells, like all other cells, know that if the body dies, they will die as well. Just because some people assume that cancer cells are there to destroy the body does not mean cancer cells have such a purpose or ability.

A cancerous tumor is neither the cause of progressive destruction nor does it actually lead to the death of the body. There is nothing in a cancer cell that has even remotely the ability to kill anything. What eventually leads to the demise of an organ or the entire body is the wasting away of cell tissue resulting from continued deprivation of nutrients and life force. The drastic reduction or shutdown of vital nutrient supplies to the cells of an organ is not primarily a consequence of a cancerous tumor, but actually its biggest cause.

By definition, a cancer cell is a normal, healthy cell that has undergone genetic mutation to the point that it can live in an anaerobic surrounding (an environment where oxygen is not available). In other words, if you deprive a group of cells of vital oxygen (their primary source of energy), some of them will die, but others will manage to alter their genetic software program and mutate in a most ingenious way: the cells will be able to live without oxygen and derive some of their energy needs from such things as cellular metabolic waste products.

It may be easier to understand the cancer cells phenomenon when comparing it with the behavior of common microorganisms. Bacteria, for example, are divided into two main groups, aerobic and anaerobic, meaning, those that need to use oxygen and those that can live without it. This is important to understand since we have more bacteria in our body than we have cells. Aerobic bacteria thrive in an oxygenated environment. They are responsible for helping us with the digestion of food and manufacturing of important nutrients, such as B-vitamins. Anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand, can appear and thrive in an environment where oxygen does not reach. They break down waste materials, toxic deposits and dead, worn-out cells.

The body sees the cancer as being such an important defense mechanism that it even causes the growth of new blood vessels to guarantee the much-needed supply of glucose and, therefore, survival and spreading of the cancer cells. It knows that cancer cells do not cause but, prevent death; at least for a while, until the wasting away of an organ leads to the demise of the entire organism. If the trigger mechanisms for cancer (causal factors) are properly taken care of, such an outcome can be avoided.

It is commonly believed that our immune system protects us against cancer. However, this is only partially true. On the one hand, the immune system readily destroys the millions of cancer cells that a healthy human body produces as part of the daily turnover of 30 billion cells. On the other hand, the immune system takes no action to eradicate cancer cells that develop in response to a build up of toxins, congestion and emotional stress.

Cancers and all other tissues in the body are larded with cancer-killing white cells, such as T-cells. In the case of kidney cancer and melanomas, for example, white cells make up 50 per cent of the mass of the cancers. Since these T-cells easily recognize foreign or mutated cell tissue such as cancer cells, you would expect these immune cells to attack cancer cells right away. However, the immune system allows cancer cells to recruit it to actually increase and spread the cancer to other parts of the body. Cancer cells produce specific proteins that tell the immune cells to leave them alone and help them to grow

Why would the immune system want to collaborate with cancer cells to make more or larger tumors? Because cancer is a survival mechanism, not a disease. The body uses the cancer to keep deadly carcinogenic substances and caustic metabolic waste matter away from the lymph and blood and, therefore, from the heart, brain and other vital organs. Killing off cancer cells would in fact jeopardize its survival. Cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and waste products through the various cleansing methods advocated in my book Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation (www.ener-chi.com) removes the need for cancer.

Cancer is not a disease; it is the final and most desperate survival mechanism the body has at its disposal. It only takes control of the body when all other measures of self-preservation have failed. To truly heal cancer and what it represents in a person's life we must come to the understanding that the reason the body allows some of its cells to grow in abnormal ways is in its best interest and not an indication that it is about to destroy itself. Cancer is a healing attempt by the body for the body. Blocking this healing attempt can destroy the body. Supporting the body in its healing efforts can save it.

Andreas Moritz's book, Cancer is not a Disease - It's a Survival Mechanism, explains the root causes of cancer and how to eliminate them for good. Available through www.amazon.com or www.ener-chi.com.

Source - Natural News

Mystery

Swine Flu - The Frontline

Readers in Mexico have been emailing the BBC describing the sense of fear gripping the country as a result of a flu virus outbreak, which has so far claimed more than 80 lives.

The World Health Organization says the virus has the potential to become a pandemic.

Read a selection of BBC readers' comments below.

I'm a specialist doctor in respiratory diseases and intensive care at the Mexican National Institute of Health. There is a severe emergency over the swine flu here. More and more patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit. Despite the heroic efforts of all staff (doctors, nurses, specialists, etc) patients continue to inevitably die. The truth is that anti-viral treatments and vaccines are not expected to have any effect, even at high doses. It is a great fear among the staff. The infection risk is very high among the doctors and health staff.

There is a sense of chaos in the other hospitals and we do not know what to do. Staff are starting to leave and many are opting to retire or apply for holidays. The truth is that mortality is even higher than what is being reported by the authorities, at least in the hospital where I work it. It is killing three to four patients daily, and it has been going on for more than three weeks. It is a shame and there is great fear here. Increasingly younger patients aged 20 to 30 years are dying before our helpless eyes and there is great sadness among health professionals here.
Antonio Chavez, Mexico City


Friends working in hospitals say that the situation is really bad, they are talking about 19 people dead in Oaxaca, including a doctor and a nurse
Alvaro Ricardez, Oaxaca City

I think there is a real lack of information and sadly, preventative action. In the capital of my state, Oaxaca, there is a hospital closed because of a death related to the porcine influenza. In the papers they recognise only two people dead for that cause. Many friends working in hospitals or related fields say that the situation is really bad, they are talking about 19 people dead in Oaxaca, including a doctor and a nurse. They say they got shots but they were told not to talk about the real situation. Our authorities say nothing. Life goes on as usual here.

Young people are going to schools and universities. Buses and planes go and come from Mexico City as frequently as before. Even with two people dead locally, last night the local baseball stadium was full, mainly with young people. What's really happening? I know vaccines are good for nothing, and if you take care, maybe you won't die, so, why not acknowledge the real situation? I know that the economic situation is not the best, and it will worsen with panic. But panic comes from a lack of information. Many people travel for pleasure or without any real need. Stopping those unjustified trips can help a lot to ease the situation. We must do something!
Alvaro Ricardez, Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico

The truth is that it is very strange, what we are living through here. The streets are empty, we are all staying in our houses. People are only going out to the hospitals, drugstores and to buy food. The great majority have their mouths covered. Concerts, festivals, masses have all been cancelled, the football matches have all been played behind closed doors. On the television and radio, every commercial break contains information on the symptoms, saying that if you have them to go to the doctor at once. Although we have been told to go to work as normal on Monday, I am worried because I am employed at a company where there are many people and believe that it could be highly contagious. They say on the news that the cases that are most critical involve people aged 20 to 50.
Nallely T, State of Mexico


Everyone is very frightened, there are few people on the streets and we are all trying to be as safe as possible
Mariana, Mexico City

Right now the situation is quite scary. We've never been living under such circumstances and it's caught us completely off guard. We are a developing country so our health system isn't very effective, plus the fact that our city is overpopulated doesn't help much; the government is doing what they can but I don't think it's enough. So the future isn't looking too bright. Everyone is very frightened, there are few people on the streets and we are all trying to be as safe as possible. But not knowing exactly how the virus works and how it can be killed off creates a horrible uncertainty. I'm being pessimistic but that's how most people I've talked to feel.
Mariana, Mexico City

I have a sister-in-law from San Luis Potosi state in Mexico and we were told that in San Luis Potosi there have been at least 78 deaths, just in that city alone, not 68 in all of Mexico, as is being reported. Schools have been closed until 6 May in this state and in other areas in Mexico. Also, many public venues are being closed, so this makes it more deadly and dangerous than has been stated.
Migdalia Cruz, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

It's certainly been very quiet where I'm living in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, whereas normally the centre is almost uncomfortably packed at the weekend. Most people also seem to be wearing the face masks being handed out by the army around the city. There always seems to be a healthy mistrust of the government here, but I wouldn't say I'm sensing a great deal of paranoia or panic. It does seem as though the unprecedented actions being taken by the government to contain the virus don't match with the statistics being provided, however, so there is some doubt as to whether they're just being overly cautious or whether things are a lot worse than what they're telling the public.
Randal Sheppard, Mexico City

Right now, things are far from under control here. All the museums, zoos, and concert venues have been closed. Masses, football games, sporting activities, cultural activities, have all been cancelled. All schools will be closed until 6 May, from kindergarten to university. We don't know what to think, the truth is that the government isn't telling us the truth. This case is worst than we think, some people take this just like a joke but not me, this is serious! Als it seems clear that this illness doesn't appear to be affecting the whole country, just Mexico City, the State of Mexico and San Luis Potosi.
Carla, Mexico City

I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that we must avoid to panic, but telling the truth it might be better now to prevent and avoid more deaths.
Yeny Gregorio Dávila, Mexico City

The situation in Mexico City is really not normal. There is a sense of uncertainty that borders on paranoid behaviour in some cases. At this very moment, Mexican TV is showing how military forces are giving masks to the people in the streets. Moreover the news is sending alarming messages for the audience. Really, the atmosphere in the city is unsettling, a good example: pubs and concerts are being closed or cancelled and people don't haven thorough information. In this city (and country) there is an urgent need for assertive information, no paranoid messages from the government or the Mexican media.
Patricio Barrientos and Aranzazu Nuñez, Mexico City

Massive events have been cancelled at the National Auditorium - Mexico City's largest indoor venue with capacity of 10,000 - which has been closed. Two soccer games have been cancelled at the Olympic Stadium. A sold out game with 70,000 expected attendance will be played behind closed doors. Another game at the famous Azteca Stadium that would draw an attendance of 50,000 will also be played behind closed doors.
Juan Carlos Leon Calderon, Mexico City

It's eerily quiet here in the capital. Lots of people with masks, Facebook communities exchanging gallows humour, everybody waiting to see if schools and universities will stay closed for ten days (as goes the rumour). All masks have been used up, and we are waiting for new supplies.
Dr Duncan Wood, Mexico City


We will be sick soon and, well, do the math - 400 can infect at least another two per day
Adriana, Mexico City

Yesterday in my office it was a bit surreal walking in to see all in blue masks with deep cleansing of computer equipment and surfaces going on. Let's hope it is contained and does not escalate. The local news is reporting 200 fatalities and reports of flu spreading from areas outside of Mexico City. Given the volume of daily commuter traffic on cramped busses and trains, this may not have to be too virulent to be disastrous in human terms. I wonder what controls there will be on flights in and out.
Will Shea, Mexico City

I work for the government as a head of a computer infrastructure operations department. At work we are doing several actions to try not to expose workers. We sent several home. I support the Pumas football team and the very important match with the Guadalajara team will be played behind closed doors. My family and I are going to stay home all weekend. We feel a little scared and confused with the feeling that we are not given being told the truth. Many people think the numbers of dead people is higher than we are being told.
Marcos, Mexico City

The whole city is affected, I have a very bad feeling about this. Two of my friends at work are sick, they were sick for a couple of days, they went to the hospital and they sent them back to work. The doctor told them it was just a flu until Friday when the alarm was spread, then they were allowed to go home. I work in a call centre and I'm worried because there are no windows in the building so it cannot be ventilated and around 400 people work there.

We all have talked to our supervisor but no one has done anything not even sterilise or disinfect the area. We will be sick soon and, well, do the math - 400 can infect at least another two per day. The authorities say there's nothing they can do since it's a private company and I can assure you, the company I work for is not the only one like this in the whole city. Us workers don't have much protection from our government and if we want to keep our jobs we have to go anyway.
Adriana, Mexico City

My sister got influenza like symptoms two weeks ago. She is fine now, thank god, but similar cases have been showing up since two weeks ago. I work for a bank and we were told to take our laptops because there is a high possibility to work from home. I have gone out to buy some face masks.
Ruben Farfan, Mexico City

I'm a college student in Mexico City, and I can only say that the information that the media has provided doesn't seem to be enough, we do not now how serious it is because they have failed to mention it. There have been two ways of responding to this event, the ones that have entered themselves into quarantine claiming that the government is hiding something much more serious, and those who take this as a joke saying that everyone is overreacting. To put a cherry on top all kind of crazy rumours are flying around - that they are going to quarantine Mexico City, that a school and some specific branches of offices and jobs are going to be suspended for days to come, and so on. I wish more info was available, for example how to prevent it? Have there been many deaths? Is there a threat of an epidemic?
Mari A, Mexico City

I didn't hear about the flu epidemic until last night at 2330. Yesterday the streets were almost empty compared to a normal Friday afternoon. The media is bombarding the same information over and over again, but the authorities haven't said anything new yet, only that they have enough vaccines for those with the flu and that we should avoid public spaces.
Paulina, Mexico City

This is another blow to the tourism industry in Mexico, even though non of the events that is taken place is anywhere near the tourist areas of Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta, the news comes across as all of Mexico is affected! After wrong reports of drug related violence, military presence etc. in Cancun, which hurt the industry tremendously, now people think that all of Mexico is affected by a virus that is mostly present in the capital. I guess the problem is that this is a country where the capital carries the same name as the country, thus when people hear news about Mexico, albeit it refers to Mexico City, they assume it is affecting the whole country.
Rainer, Cancun

Source - BBC

SpyroGyro

Property

For the last week I've been meaning to do a big post on property. I've written before that we should just define the "owner" of a place as whoever lives there, and then we could factor out the whole concept of "property". Last month I discovered that Pierre-Joseph Proudhon had the same idea in 1840, in his book What Is Property? Specifically, Proudhon noticed that our word "property" blurs together two opposite concepts: the rights of someone who actually works with a piece of land, a house, a sum of money, a tool; and the rights of someone who does not work with it, who might never see it, but who is said to "own" it because, well, the rules say so, and we don't question them.

Looking just at land, where do pieces of "bought" land originally come from? Usually they are violently stolen from indigenous people, or in the case of unoccupied wilderness, some central authority simply declares "ownership" out of thin air. Tribal people have the concept of territory, but they would think it's insane for one tribe to "own" the land that another tribe occupies. Even neolithic farmers, who have already carved fields out of the forest, would not understand how one family could work a field "owned" by another -- unless they were slaves.

The concept of non-occupying ownership is like a magic spell that makes violent conquest and near-slavery seem natural. It enables ecological destruction, because people actually living on land, seeing the effects of their actions, are less willing to cut down forests and deplete topsoil than remote commanders seeing only numbers. And it enables positive feedback in wealth distribution: the two big ways the rich get richer are rent and interest, one where you pay a fee to the "owner" of land you're occupying, and the other where you pay a fee to the "owner" of money you're using.

So, should we make possession the whole of the law? I see two problems with this. The first is a problem common to all utopian schemes: if people are hyperselfish, and just following the letter of the law, there is no set of laws that can make a tolerable society. In this case, you might leave your house for a day and come back to find out that someone else has claimed it. To prevent this, we would need more and more elaborate laws and the assholes would always be one step ahead. Instead we need to work on a deeper level, and build a culture that discourages and punishes selfishness. In America, of course, we have the opposite, a culture that actively encourages psychopathy.

The other problem with possession-as-ownership is that even occupiers of land can abuse it, like the mining companies that are cutting tops off mountains in West Virginia, or renters who trash a house because they know they're not staying long. In this case, it's the absentee landlord who has a healthy relationship with the property (though not with the renters).

So I suggest a more useful distinction, not between possessing and non-possessing ownership, but between sustaining and extractive ownership. More generally, we can distinguish between sustaining and extractive relationships. An extractive relationship is what you have with an apple: you get it, you eat it, it's gone. It's not good to have an extractive relationship with a person, or a piece of land. Civilization as we know it has an extractive relationship with the whole planet. But as the extractable resources get used up, more and more human systems will have to develop sustaining relationships with their land. The challenge before us is to see how much social and technological complexity we can build without extractive relationships.

I'm also thinking about this in the context of money. In the Empire money system, rich people and banks have sustaining relationships with their piles of money -- they want their money to stay the same size or grow year after year. And they do this by having extractive relationships with people and land. In a system with depreciating currency, people are forced to have an extractive relationship with their money: If they hold onto it, it will decay, like an apple, so they have to use it up by spending it. And if they're smart, they will spend it to build sustaining relationships with people and land.

Source - Ran Prieur

Cupola

Big Pharma - Drug Pushers

AN international drug company made a hit list of doctors who had to be "neutralised" or discredited because they criticised the anti-arthritis drug the pharmaceutical giant produced.

Staff at US company Merck &Co emailed each other about the list of doctors - mainly researchers and academics - who had been negative about the drug Vioxx or Merck and a recommended course of action.

The email, which came out in the Federal Court in Melbourne yesterday as part of a class action against the drug company, included the words "neutralise", "neutralised" or "discredit" against some of the doctors' names.

It is also alleged the company used intimidation tactics against critical researchers, including dropping hints it would stop funding to institutions and claims it interfered with academic appointments.

"We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live," a Merck employee wrote, according to an email excerpt read to the court by Julian Burnside QC, acting for the plaintiff.

Merck & Co and its Australian subsidiary, Merck, Sharpe and Dohme, are being sued for compensation by more than 1000 Australians, who claim they suffered heart attacks or strokes as a result of Vioxx.

The drug was launched in 1999 and at its height of popularity was used by 80 million people worldwide because it did not cause stomach problems as did traditional anti-inflammatory drugs.

It was voluntarily withdrawn from sale in 2004 after concerns were raised that it caused heart attacks and strokes and a clinical trial testing these potential side affects was aborted for safety reasons.

Lead plaintiff Graeme Peterson, 58, claims the drug caused him to have a heart attack in 2003 after he took it for back pain and arthritis every day from May 2001.

Merck last year settled thousands of lawsuits in the US over the effects of Vioxx for $US4.85billion ($7.14 billion) but made no admission of guilt.

The company is fighting the class action in Australia.

The Federal Court was told yesterday that Merck wanted to gain the backing of researchers and doctors - or "opinion leaders" - in the fields of arthritis to help promote the drug to medical professionals when it was launched in 1999.

Mr Burnside said internal emails in April 1999 from Merck staff showed the company was not happy with what some researchers and doctors were saying about the drug.

"It gives you the dark side of the use of key opinion leaders and thought leaders ... if (they) say things you don't like to hear, you have to neutralise them," he said. "It does suggest a certain culture within the organisation about how to deal with your opponents and those who disagree with you."

The court was told that James Fries, professor of medicine at Stanford University, wrote to the then Merck head Ray Gilmartin in October 2000 to complain about the treatment of some of his researchers who had criticised the drug.

"Even worse were allegations of Merck damage control by intimidation," he wrote, according to Mr Burnside.

"This has happened to at least eight (clinical) investigators ... I suppose I was mildly threatened myself but I never have spoken or written on these issues."

Mr Burnside told the court Dr Fries went on to describe instances of intimidation, including one colleague who thought his academic appointment had been jeopardised and another who received phone calls alleging "anti-Merck" bias.

Dr Fries said in the letter that Merck had been systematically playing down the side effects of Vioxx and said the company's behaviour "seriously impinges on academic freedom". The court was also told a rheumatologist on Merck's Australian arthritis advisory board was angry he did not find out about Merck's decision to withdraw Vioxx until an ABC journalist rang to tell him. Mr Burnside said James Bertouch wrote to other members of the board saying he was "extremely disillusioned" with the company.

"In every possible way the company exerted itself to present the impression to the world at large that Vioxx did not provide any increased cardio risk ... when (a) it probably would and (b) it probably did," he wrote, according to Mr Burnside.

Peter Garling, acting for Merck, accused Mr Peterson of not taking the drug Vioxx in the months leading up to his heart attack in December 2003.

He said Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme figures showed he did not fill a Vioxx prescription for the drug in the two months before his heart attack.

Mr Garling put to Mr Peterson during his cross-examination that this was because he had retired from his job as a safety consultant and therefore he did not need to take Vioxx because his back pain lessened.

Mr Peterson denied this meant he was not taking the drug.

"No, I wouldn't accept that at all," he said. "I can remember taking Vioxx regularly."

The trial, before Justice Chris Jessop, continues.

Source - The Australian

Lines

Georgia Guidestones

The strangest monument in America looms over a barren knoll in northeastern Georgia. Five massive slabs of polished granite rise out of the earth in a star pattern. The rocks are each 16 feet tall, with four of them weighing more than 20 tons apiece. Together they support a 25,000-pound capstone. Approaching the edifice, it's hard not to think immediately of England's Stonehenge or possibly the ominous monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Built in 1980, these pale gray rocks are quietly awaiting the end of the world as we know it.

Called the Georgia Guidestones, the monument is a mystery—nobody knows exactly who commissioned it or why. The only clues to its origin are on a nearby plaque on the ground—which gives the dimensions and explains a series of intricate notches and holes that correspond to the movements of the sun and stars—and the "guides" themselves, directives carved into the rocks. These instructions appear in eight languages ranging from English to Swahili and reflect a peculiar New Age ideology. Some are vaguely eugenic (guide reproduction wisely—improving fitness and diversity); others prescribe standard-issue hippie mysticism (prize truth—beauty—love—seeking harmony with the infinite).

What's most widely agreed upon—based on the evidence available—is that the Guidestones are meant to instruct the dazed survivors of some impending apocalypse as they attempt to reconstitute civilization. Not everyone is comfortable with this notion. A few days before I visited, the stones had been splattered with polyurethane and spray-painted with graffiti, including slogans like "Death to the new world order." This defacement was the first serious act of vandalism in the Guidestones' history, but it was hardly the first objection to their existence. In fact, for more than three decades this uncanny structure in the heart of the Bible Belt has been generating responses that range from enchantment to horror. Supporters (notable among them Yoko Ono) have praised the messages as a stirring call to rational thinking, akin to Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Opponents have attacked them as the Ten Commandments of the Antichrist.

Whoever the anonymous architects of the Guidestones were, they knew what they were doing: The monument is a highly engineered structure that flawlessly tracks the sun. It also manages to engender endless fascination, thanks to a carefully orchestrated aura of mystery. And the stones have attracted plenty of devotees to defend against folks who would like them destroyed. Clearly, whoever had the monument placed here understood one thing very well: People prize what they don't understand at least as much as what they do.

Source - Wired

Waiting

Geopolitical Shifts

We have entered one of those rare historical periods that is characterised by a shift in global hegemony from one great power to another. The last such was between 1931 and 1945, and marked the end of Britain's financial ascendancy and its replacement by that of the United States. It might be argued that the cold war represented a similar period, but that is a fallacy: the cold war was an ideological struggle between two powers that were always hopelessly ill-matched. This new period is marked by the rise of China and the decline of the US. Arguably the process started around a decade ago, but at that stage it was barely noticed, such was the west's preoccupation with 9/11 and its after-effects. Indeed, the Bush administration was thinking in exactly the opposite terms: that the world was entering a golden age of American global power.

It is more appropriate, however, to date the beginning of the new era from 2008. First, the election of Barack Obama signalled a recognition by the US of the limitations of its own power and the need for it to co-operate with other nations. Second, China has reached a point where it is now clearly prepared, on the basis of the advances of the last three decades, to assume a more active global role. And third, the onset of the global financial crisis provides the context for the decline of American economic power and illustrates the extent to which it has become dependent on China for the continuation of its global financial hegemony.

Such periods of transition are profoundly unstable, deeply uncertain and fraught with danger. The world is fortunate - for the time being, at least - that it has an American president in Obama who is prepared to take a conciliatory and concessive attitude towards America's decline and that it has a Chinese leadership which has been extremely cautious about expressing an opinion, let alone flexing its muscles.

The picture, however, is changing rapidly; indeed, this year has already witnessed a marked change in Chinese attitudes. Ever since Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese approach has been based on taoguang yanghui - hide one's capabilities and bide one's time. But a succession of statements and initiatives suggest that Chinese policy has now entered a new phase. Premier Wen Jiabo expressed a strong confidence at the Boao Forum in Hainan on Saturday that China was successfully weathering the effects of the global economic crisis. During his visit to Europe for the Davos meeting, he made clear that reckless western economic policy, especially by the US, was responsible for the crisis. He also declared that China would not give funds to the IMF unless the latter was subject to major reform.

Later he expressed strong concern about US financial policy and its impact on the dollar, seeking reassurance that the value of China's US treasury bonds would not be prejudiced. In a carefully staged run-up to the G20 summit, Vice-premier Wang Qishan set out a vision of a new monetary order while, most dramatically of all, the central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, called for a new global currency based on using the IMF's special drawing rights, an idea immediately rejected by the US. Meanwhile, a meeting of the finance ministers and central bank chiefs from China, India, Russia and Brazil that preceded the G20 summit called for greater voting rights for developing countries in international financial organisations.

This new assertiveness is finding other forms of expression in Chinese society. A new book by five nationalistic authors, Unhappy China, argues that China has no choice but to become a superpower: published in March, it immediately shot to the top of the bestsellers list. There has also been an intense public debate about whether the country should continue purchasing US treasury bonds, especially given their extremely low interest rate.

It is now abundantly clear that China is prepared to take an active and interventionist role in international financial affairs. Given that the global financial crisis is at the top of every agenda and that reform of the existing global financial order is now irresistible, this has far-reaching implications: China will be a central player in whatever new architecture emerges from the present crisis. This represents an extraordinary change even compared with two years ago, let alone five years ago, when China was not even included in discussions on such matters. But it also has a much wider significance.

The rise of China and the decline of the US will, at least during this period, be enacted overwhelmingly on the financial and economic stage. And China has now demonstrated that it intends to be a full-hearted participant in this process. It is not difficult to predict some of the likely consequences: the G20 will in effect replace the G8 and the IMF and the World Bank will be subject to reform, with the developing countries acquiring a greater say.

The most audacious proposal that has so far emanated from Beijing, almost completely unforeseen, is the suggestion for a new global currency which might, in time, replace the role of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. Whether or not such a proposal would ever see the light of day, or indeed work, given that reserve currencies have always depended on a powerful sovereign state, it nonetheless provides us with an insight into the strategic financial thinking that now informs the Chinese government's approach. Clearly they recognise that the days of the dollar as the dominant global currency are numbered. This would also, incidentally, signal the end of New York as the global financial centre.

But this is only one side of the picture. On the other side is the growing role of China's currency, the yuan, which has so far attracted little attention. Although the yuan remains non-convertible, it is evident that the Chinese are seeking to progressively internationalise its role. The Chinese government recently concluded a number of currency swaps with major trading partners, including South Korea, Argentina and Indonesia, thereby widening the use of the renminbi outside its own borders. It is also in the process of taking steps to increase the yuan's role in Hong Kong. This is significant because of the latter's international position. In addition, the government has announced its intention of making Shanghai a global financial centre by 2020.

The likely longer-run trends, then, are perhaps not so difficult to decipher; the short term, however, in the context of a highly volatile financial climate, certainly is. The dollar's strength over the past couple of years remains something of an anomaly, given the catastrophic state of the US financial system. It would be a brave person who bet on the dollar's strength continuing; it is much more likely, in fact, that at some point its value will plummet. Should that happen, then the dollar's global position could rapidly be undermined and the need for more fundamental global financial reforms made more urgent. All of this would only serve to accelerate the decline of the US and the rise of China.

Source - Guardian

Hi

Pesticides On Airplanes

Did you ever wonder why you always get sick after flying on an airplane only to be told, “it’s because of the recycled air and all the sick people sitting next to you”?

Today I was talking to a client about my recent trip to Hawaii and being sick from the pesticides in the place we stayed. “You do know that they spray all the airplanes with pesticide also, ” she added.

I had no idea! At lunch I went home and turned to the internet to see what I could find and was shocked. Did you know that not only are the insides of most planes sprayed with pesticides between stops but some countries also spray the passengers of the plane with pesticides before arriving! (These countries include India, Jamaica, and Australia)

From the Mother Jones article, Danger in the Air :

The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticide, an environmental group based in Eugene, Ore., points out that pesticides, while dangerous on land, cause even greater harm when used on planes, because up to 50 percent of the air inside the cabins is recycled. “Pesticides break down slowly in the enclosed, poorly ventilated aircraft,” says NCAP spokeswoman Becky Riley. “Passengers are sealed in a chamber that has been gassed, and sit there for hours.”

From the article, Airline Passengers Are Sprayed for Bugs on the Pesticide Action Network’s website :

The airlines are not required to inform passengers at ticket purchase of flight sprays, and there is also no control over how much pesticide is applied on the aircraft. The Association of Flight Attendants reported in 2001 that one airline used 50-60% more pesticide than the maximum recommended by the World Health Organization. Between 2000 and 2001, one cabin crew union received complaints of pesticide-related illness on more than 200 flights. Many complaints cite damp surfaces and pesticide odors in crew rest compartments. Crews and passengers have reported sinus problems, swollen and itchy eyes, cough, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, skin rashes/hives that vary in intensity, severe headaches and fatigue, and heightened sensitivity to other chemicals. Some crew members have medical documentation of reactions consistent with nerve gas exposure, such as blood, optic nerve, and nervous system abnormalities.

There are also many lawsuits pending, filed by flight attendants who have developed chronic disease secondary to pesticide exposure.

From the article Airlines Confronted With Pesticide Issue :

What precipitated the latest concern for airlines was a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles by Houston attorney Linda Laurent on behalf of 350 United and American Airlines flight attendants against pesticide manufacturers. In addition, a class action lawsuit filed by attendants against the same manufacturers is proceeding through the courts in Louisiana. Laurent contends that one of the pesticides, which goes by the brand name Perigen, contains permethrin as the active ingredient. It is applied in concentrations of 2%.

“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prohibits permethrin to be used in occupied aircraft and allows it to be used only in the cargo holds at a concentration of 0.5%,” the suit said. “Currently, application…in passenger compartments of commercial airlines is at levels of permethrin four times that permitted by the EPA for cargo use. The EPA list permethrin as a possible human carcinogen.”

One of the most commonly used products is made by Airosol Co. of Neodesha, Kan., one of six companies named in a lawsuit by flight attendants. A warning label on the can says: “If inhaled, remove victim to fresh air. If on skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash affected areas of the skin with soap and water. Get medical attention if irritation persist.”

It is truly amazing to me that airlines could get away with this, especially without passengers knowing.

Source - Path With Paws

Ears

The Fraud Plays On....

This is starting to feel like amateur hour for aspiring magicians.

Another day, another attempt by a Wall Street bank to pull a bunny out of the hat, showing off an earnings report that it hopes will elicit oohs and aahs from the market. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and, on Monday, Bank of America all tried to wow their audiences with what appeared to be — presto! — better-than-expected numbers.

But in each case, investors spotted the attempts at sleight of hand, and didn’t buy it for a second.

With Goldman Sachs, the disappearing month of December didn’t quite disappear (it changed its reporting calendar, effectively erasing the impact of a $1.5 billion loss that month); JPMorgan Chase reported a dazzling profit partly because the price of its bonds dropped (theoretically, they could retire them and buy them back at a cheaper price; that’s sort of like saying you’re richer because the value of your home has dropped); Citigroup pulled the same trick.

Bank of America sold its shares in China Construction Bank to book a big one-time profit, but Ken Lewis heralded the results as “a testament to the value and breadth of the franchise.”

Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth professor of management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, also pointed out that Bank of America booked a $2.2 billion gain by increasing the value of Merrill Lynch’s assets it acquired last quarter to prices that were higher than Merrill kept them.

“Although perfectly legal, this move is also perfectly delusional, because some day soon these assets will be written down to their fair value, and it won’t be pretty,” he said.

Investors reacted by throwing tomatoes. Bank of America’s stock plunged 24 percent, as did other bank stocks. They’ve had enough.

Why can’t anybody read the room here? After all the financial wizardry that got the country — actually, the world — into trouble, why don’t these bankers give their audience what it seems to crave? Perhaps a bit of simple math that could fit on the back of an envelope, with no asterisks and no fine print, might win cheers instead of jeers from the market.

What’s particularly puzzling is why the banks don’t just try to make some money the old-fashioned way. After all, earning it, if you could call it that, has never been easier with a business model sponsored by the federal government. That’s the one in which Uncle Sam and we taxpayers are offering the banks dirt-cheap money, which they can turn around and lend at much higher rates.

“If the federal government let me borrow money at zero percent interest, and then lend it out at 4 to 12 percent interest, even I could make a profit,” said Professor Finkelstein of the Tuck School. “And if a college professor can make money in banking in 2009, what should we expect from the highly paid C.E.O.’s that populate corner offices?”

But maybe now the banks are simply following the lead of Washington, which keeps trotting out the latest idea for shoring up the financial system.

The latest big idea is the so-called stress test that is being applied to the banks, with results expected at the end of this month.

This is playing to a tough crowd that long ago decided to stop suspending disbelief. If the stress test is done honestly, it is impossible to believe that some banks won’t fail. If no bank fails, then what’s the value of the stress test? To tell us everything is fine, when people know it’s not?

“I can’t think of a single, positive thing to say about the stress test concept — the process by which it will be carried out, or outcome it will produce, no matter what the outcome is,” Thomas K. Brown, an analyst at Bankstocks.com, wrote. “Nothing good can come of this and, under certain, non-far-fetched scenarios, it might end up making the banking system’s problems worse.”

The results of the stress test could lead to calls for capital for some of the banks. Citi is mentioned most often as a candidate for more help, but there could be others.

The expectation, before Monday at least, was that the government would pump new money into the banks that needed it most.

But that was before the government reached into its bag of tricks again. Now Treasury, instead of putting up new money, is considering swapping its preferred shares in these banks for common shares.

The benefit to the bank is that it will have more capital to meet its ratio requirements, and therefore won’t have to pay a 5 percent dividend to the government. In the case of Citi, that would save the bank hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

And — ta da! — it will miraculously stretch taxpayer dollars without spending a penny more.

Source - New York Times

Pair

Cherries

I bet the big drug companies wish they had invented cherries -- they've proven to be the most powerful medicine in the world for eliminating gout and reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Cherries are such powerful medicine for gout and arthritis, in fact, the FDA went out of its way to try to muzzle cherry growers, preventing them from linking to scientific studies on cherries as a way to censor the information you're about to read here.

If the public finds out the truth about cherries, after all, they won't need arthritis drugs anymore (and Big Pharma will lose billions in profits). As you'll see in the collection of quotes about cherries, gout and arthritis (below), cherries are extremely safe, effective and fast-acting for eliminating swelling and pain. Eating just a few cherries a day keeps uric acid levels in check, preventing any recurrence of gout.

What's a good source for cherries? In addition to buying local organic cherries at natural grocers near you, you can also get cherry concentrates and cherry extracts from a variety of companies. As it turns out, even cooked cherry juice does the trick just as well as raw cherries!

If you suffer from gout or arthritis, you owe it to yourself to try the therapeutic use of cherries.

The FDA, of course, says cherries aren't medicine. The FDA is lying to you! (And they know it.) Cherries ARE medicine, and it's medicine that's safer, more effective and far more affordable than Big Pharma's toxic patented chemicals. Cherries are medicine that grows on trees.

The entire pharmaceutical cartel hopes you never find out the truth about cherries. They're depending on your ignorance to keep their profits flowing. Don't let 'em sucker you into taking expensive, dangerous medications when cherries might be all you really need! Try cherries (or cherry concentrate products) first, for at least 30 days. And when your pain vanishes, you can send a thank-you email to Mother Nature for providing this natural medicine to the world.

Read the quotes below to learn astonishing facts about cherries and gout...

Authors' Quotes on Cherries and Gout
Below, you'll find selected quotes from noted authors on the subject of Cherries and Gout. Feel free to quote these in your own work provided you give proper credit to both the original author quoted here and this NaturalNews page.

No attacks of gouty arthritis occurred on a nonrestricted diet in all cases, as a result of eating about one-half pound of fresh or canned cherries per day. One doctor said: A patient of mine had heard about cherries for gout. He was, in fact, a sufferer of gout himself. He decided to give the cherry therapy a try. After following this patient's progress over the past two months, I can only say the results have been nothing less than spectacular. The patient has ceased taking the prescribed medication for his gout and has an unlimited diet. This alone should make any gout sufferer take notice.
- Rapid Healing Foods by Ben Davis

He described how he had cured his crippling gout, which had confined him to a wheelchair, by eating six to eight cherries every day. Continuing to eat cherries, he claimed, kept painful gout away. He also cited twelve others who had cured their gout by eating cherries or drinking cherry juice. Soon afterward Prevention Magazine added to the mystery and mystique by publishing Dr. Blau's advice to use cherries as gout medicine.
- Miracle Cures: Dramatic New Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies by Jean Carper

For those with gout, life is just a bowl of cherries. Really, substances in cherries called anthocyanocides, are very effective at lowering uric acid levels, says Walter Crinnion, N.D., a naturopathic doctor and director of Healing Naturally in Kirkland, Washington. How many cherries should you eat? According to traditional healing lore and very preliminary research, eating anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 pound (about 70) of cherries a day may help people with gout, says Laurie Aesoph, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems by Bill Gottlieb

One morning he read a news item about the use of cherries for gout, and since there were some sour cherries in the freezer, he began eating a dessert dish of them at lunch and dinner. The swelling in his knee went down, and the stiffness was gone in three days. He continued eating two dishes of the cherries daily and has had no further attacks of gout in over a year.
- Miracle Medicine Herbs (Reward Books) by Richard Melvin Lucas

In a 1950 study, 12 patients with gout ingested one-half pound of cherries per day (or an equivalent amount of cherry juice), with no other dietary restrictions. In all 12 cases, serum uric-acid levels fell to normal, and the patients had no further attacks of gout. Cherry juice appeared to be as effective as whole cherries. While most of the results were obtained with black cherries, sweet yellow and red sour cherries were also effective. We have been impressed by the effectiveness of cherry juice as a treatment for acute gout.
- Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness: The Patient's Guide to Health and Healing by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.

Physicians prescribed cherries for epilepsy. In the 1920s in the United States, physicians touted black cherries to cure kidney stones and gall bladder ailments, and red cherries to remove phlegm. In 1950 Ludwig Blau, Ph.D., writing in Texas Reports on Biology and Medicine, claimed that he cured his crippling gout that confined him to a wheelchair by eating six to eight cherries each day. As long as he ate cherries, he avowed, the gout stayed away.
- The Food Pharmacy: Dramatic New Evidence That Food Is Your Best Medicine by Jean Carper

According to research from Michigan State University, if gout attacks, chew on some cherries. Dr. Muralee Nair, lead author of the study, suggests eating about 20 or so cherries a day to reduce the swelling and ache of a sudden gout attack. "Daily consumption of cherries," Nair says, "has the potential to reduce pain related to inflammation, arthritis, and gout." Some researchers think cherries might work as well as drugs, without the side effects.
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

I continued eating the sour cherries during their season and had relief the entire time. When I stopped eating them, the pain returned. I usually freeze cherries every year for pies, but instead of making pies, I resumed eating my frozen cherries. Doctors, family and lay people as well all laughed at me, but I still maintain that cherries were my cure for arthritis. Since that time if I ever get an attack I head for the freezer and my cherries. Mrs. M.G. reports: "After hearing about them, I began eating red, sour cherries for my gout".
- Miracle Medicine Foods by Rex Adams

Bing and Royal Ann cherries are both sweet, but Bings have deeply colored juice, whereas the juice of the other variety is colorless. Sour cherries - the ones most favored for pies, tarts and turnovers are similarly divided: morellos have colored juice and amarelles colorless liquid. The very popular tart cherry, Montmorency, is light to dark red with red juice. Sweet cherries are available from May through August, while sour cherries go from late June to mid-August. Nothing works better for gout than either raw sweet cherries (15 per day), cherry juice concentrate (1 tbsp).
- Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by John Heinerman

By accident one day I heard about cherries for gout. I had gout, so after hearing this, I immediately bought several cans of cherries. I ate them for about a week, and all the swelling and stiffness disappeared! It was a miracle! "As long as I eat cherries, there is no pain. Exercise, walking, bicycling and no pain. I will eat cherries the rest of my life, they are fantastic!"
- Miracle Medicine Foods by Rex Adams

The report says that "no attacks of gouty arthritis have occurred on a nonrestricted diet in all 12 cases, as a result of eating about one-half pound of fresh or canned cherries per day." This amazing fruit, often used in ice cream, cake, candy and desserts, may relieve your arthritis! Dr. Blau tells of astonishing cures by eating cherries-canned, sour, black, Royal Anne, or fresh black Bing cherries. One arthritis patient just drank the juice and the curative powers were equally effective.
- Miracle Medicine Foods by Rex Adams

One item I can guarantee you'll see on the recommended list of just about any integrative medicine approach to gout is this, eat more cherries, more on that in a moment. Gout, also known as metabolic arthritis, is a painful, largely inherited disorder in which the body can't properly metabolize uric acid. Usually the bloodstream contains a small amount of the stuff, but in gout there's a lot of it.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

According to a 1950 study of 12 people with gout, eating one-half pound of cherries or drinking an equivalent amount of cherry juice prevented attacks of gout. Black, sweet yellow, and red sour cherries were all effective. Since that study, there have been many anecdotal reports of cherry juice as an effective treatment for the pain and inflammation of gout. The active ingredient in cherry juice remains unknown. Lifestyle changes that may be helpful, people who are overweight or have high blood pressure are at greater risk of developing gout.
- The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions by Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D.

Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, and other dark red or blue berries are rich sources of compounds that favorably affect collagen metabolism and reduce inflammation of joints. Bioflavonoids found in black cherries have been used to reduce uric acid levels and decrease tissue destruction associated with gout. Gout patients should eliminate alcohol intake, which both increases uric acid production and reduces uric acid excretion in the kidneys.
- Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition by Larry Trivieri, Jr.

You can even find dried cherries, which are similar to raisins. Cherries boast not only great taste but also potential health benefits. With flavonoids, fiber, potassium, and traces of vitamins A and C, cherries have plenty of lookouts to guard your health. They're known to fight inflammation and, possibly, cancer. Try some cherries, and when someone asks if you're enjoying a delicious and healthy food, you won't have to tell a lie. You can easily say "yes."
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

According to a 1950 study of twelve individuals with gout, eating one-half pound of cherries or the equivalent amount of cherry juice prevented attacks of gout. Black, sweet yellow, and red sour cherries were all effective. Since that study, there have been many anecdotal reports of cherry juice as an effective treatment of the pain and inflammation of gout. The active ingredient in cherry juice remains unknown. Individuals with gout should not consume nutritional yeast or brewer's yeast, as they can raise uric acid levels.
- The Natural Pharmacy: Complete Home Reference to Natural Medicine by Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC

History & Folklore Dioscorides, a lst-century AD physician, claimed that cherries relieve gas. The 16th-century herbalist John Gerard recorded the French custom of hanging cherries in houses to ward off fever. Medicinal Actions & Uses In European herbal medicine, cherry stems have long been used for their diuretic and astringent properties. They have been prescribed for cystitis, nephritis, urinary retention, and for arthritic problems, notably gout. Cherries can be a helpful part of an overall regimen treating arthritic problems. Cherries' high sugar content makes them mildly laxative.
- Miracle Medicine Herbs (Reward Books) by Richard Melvin Lucas

A Michigan State University study found that 20 tart cherries were at least as effective as other painkilling remedies, including aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). That's why cherries are a popular folk remedy for arthritis and gout. Like many fruits and vegetables, Dried cherries make a cherries also have fiber and potas-great snack.
- Unleash the Inner Healing Power of Foods by The Editors of FC&A


Cherries are especially recommended; the patient should consume 1/2 pound of fresh or canned cherries a day. Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy body weight. Lose weight if overweight. Cherries are particularly effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, and other dark red-blue berries are rich sources of constituents called anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins.
- Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine by David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG

Cheer for cherries and berries, not all good things are off limits to people with gout. In studies, cherries (especially black cherries), blueberries, and strawberries have proven their ability to reduce levels of uric acid in studies. Black cherry juice is probably the most effective. Use it in pure juice form and drink \ to \ cup per day. shard-like crystals, this is a remedy tailor-made for people with gout. Typical dosage: 600 to 800 milligrams per day of product standardized to 1.5 percent harpagoside. Caution: Do not use if you have gastric or duodenal ulcers.
- The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.

Sweet cherries are a warming food that increases vital energy and tone the spleen-pancreas, liver, and kidneys. Also astringent, they treat involuntary seminal emission. Cherries remove excess body acids and blood stagnation and, when eaten regularly, are therefore therapeutic for gout, paralysis, numbness in the extremities, and rheumatic pain in the lower half of the body. Sweet cherries reduce vata and kapha and can be used in moderation by pitta. Cherries are an excellent source of iron and contain some phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, as well as vitamin A.
- The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Resource for Healthy Eating by Rebecca Wood

Consuming the equivalent of one-half pound of fresh cherries per day has been shown to be very effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, and other dark red-blue berries are rich sources of anthocyanidin and proanthocyanidin. These flavonoid molecules give the fruits their deep red-blue color, and are remarkable in their ability to prevent collagen destruction. Flavonoid-rich grape seed and hawthorn extracts are the best herbal recommendations for gout.
- The Healing Power of Herbs: The Enlightened Person's Guide to the Wonders of Medicinal Plants by Michael T. Murray, N.D.

Many people with gout swear that eating cherries helps quickly resolve attacks. Only one study, though, published in 1950, found that eating about a half-pound of fresh or canned Royal Ann or black Bing cherries a day helps lower uric acid levels. But it's worth a try. "Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries and other dark red-blue berries are rich sources of anthocyanidins and procyanidins," Dr. Pizzorno explains.
- Prevention's Healing With Vitamins : The Most Effective Vitamin and Mineral Treatments for Everyday Health Problems and Serious Disease by The Editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books

Blood-sugar balance-blood study of twelve people with gout found that eating one-half pound of fresh or canned cherries or drinking a full quart of cherry juice prevented gout attacks. In all twelve people, uric acid levels returned to normal, and the gout attacks ceased.
- Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Bodywork, and More by James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.

"Old country doctors would tell patients to eat black cherries to stop having gout attacks, and the remedy usually worked," he says. Auricular Therapy: Instant Natural Pain Relief for a gout Attack Lend an ear if you want fast relief from gout. "I don't know of any noninvasive remedy that works as quickly or as well for the pain of gout as ear acupuncture, or auricular therapy," says Jay M. Holder, M.D., D.C., Ph.D., a chiropractor and addiction specialist in Miami and Miami Beach. In Chinese medicine, a healthy person's life-energy, or chi, flows along subtle lines called meridians.
- Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems by Bill Gottlieb

The red in raspberries and cherries, the blue in blueberries, and the orange in peppers all contain powerful plant chemicals that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and frequently anticancer activity. The secret to the benefits of cherries and cherry juice are compounds called anthocyanins. These are the particular pigments in cherries that give them their bright red color and are considered to be the key to helping the body relieve inflammation. It's believed that the anthocyanins in the cherries cause the decrease in uric acid and the relief from the pain of gout.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Cherries' anthocyanidins have been shown to inhibit the activity of xanthine oxidase, the enzyme involved in the production of uric acid. Clinical studies have shown that consuming the equivalent of Vi pound of fresh cherries per day is very effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. The cherry season is brief, slightly more than three months long. Bing cherries usually appear at the end of May, peak in June and July, and are available through August, while Lamberts and other sweet, dark cherries arrive in mid-August.
- The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.

Boon from berries - help in another form comes from bioflavonoid molecules, which are found in cherries, blueberries, and other fruits. In the 1950s, researchers discovered that cherries could decrease uric acid levels and prevent a gout attack. You'd have to eat a lot of cherries, a half-pound a day to make a dent in gout. For the same results, you can take a bioflavonoid supplement or 2,000 milligrams of berry extract a day, says Dr. Maes. The best are those that have a combination of all the bioflavonoids or the extracts of several different berries, he says.
- Nature's Medicines : From Asthma to Weight Gain, from Colds to High Cholesterol -- The Most Powerful All-Natural Cures by Gale Maleskey

It seems that there may well be, and that alternative is to eat cherries. Yes, plain cherries-sour or sweet. They can all do the trick, and it doesn't matter much if they're fresh, canned or frozen. The cherries-for-gout story seems to start with Ludwig W. Blau, Ph.D., whose big toe at one time gave him so much torment that he was confined to a wheelchair. One day, quite by accident, he polished off a whole bowl of cherries, and the next morning the pain in his foot was practically gone.
- The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by Mark Bricklin

Celery and cherries appear to be very effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. Celery contains the compound 3-n-butylpthalide, while cherries are a rich source of flavonoids. Both of these compounds are beneficial in gout via several mechanisms, including the ability to inhibit the formation of uric acid by inhibiting the enzyme xanthine oxidase. The pain of an acute attack of gout is absolutely excruciating. In this situation, heroic measures are clearly appropriate.
- The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.

It is reported that you can use sweet or sour cherries and they can be fresh, frozen, or even canned to achieve Dr. Blau's results. Cherries (and blueberries and other dark red or blue berries) are rich sources of substances that have a powerful ability to prevent collagen destruction. It is certainly worth a try. About a half-pound of cherries daily for a week could give you some positive results.
- Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common Ailments by Robert M. Giller, M.D.

Eat more blueberries and cherries, because they're rich in substances that counteract purines, which cause gout, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. He says that some gout patients report finding relief by eating from a handful to up to l pound of cherries each day. He also advises people with gout to avoid anchovies, asparagus, mushrooms and organ meats such as liver and kidney, since they're high in purines.
- New Choices in Natural Healing: Over 1,800 of the Best Self-Help Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine by Bill Gottlieb

They may also help reduce uric acid levels, according to some research. Cherries and strawberries are popular folk remedies for gout. Go easy on vitamin C and niacin. Large doses of vitamin C and niacin can raise uric acid levels. The typical multivitamin/mineral supplement doesn't contain enough of either nutrient to trigger a gout attack. But don't take more than 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day, and limit niacin supplementation to 35 milligrams a day.
- The Green Pharmacy Anti-Aging Prescriptions: Herbs, Foods, and Natural Formulas to Keep You Young by James A. Duke, Ph.D.

Eat cherries or take cherry extract. Eating half a pound (225 grams) of canned or fresh cherries a day has been shown to be a very effective means of preventing gout attacks. When fresh cherries are out of season, use cherry extracts or concentrates in tablet or tincture form, available from many health-food stores. It is likely that cherries inhibit compounds that cause inflammation. This reduces inflammation after uric acid builds up in a joint. To flush uric acid from the body, drink no less than eight glasses of water daily.
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Many people claim to stave off gout attacks by eating eight ounces a day of canned or fresh cherries. I have one friend, for instance, who claims to have great luck in staving off gout when he eats black cherries. This therapy has never been scientifically demonstrated to work, but since so many people swear by it, I think it's probably worth trying. (One caveat, though: Buying this many cherries might be even more expensive than my allopurinol.) I'm going to give my Cherry Cocktail a try.
- The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World's Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs by James A. Duke, Ph.D.

For maximum benefit, nutritionists recommend organically grown cherries that are bottled or canned without the addition of sugar and chemicals, available from manufacturers of health food store products. Additional case studies, one woman reported that her husband obtained complete relief from gout in his toe and that the pain in his back and shoulders had eased within two days of eating sweet cherries. Another gout sufferer drank cherry juice daily for one week and reported that the pain in his knee, which had tormented him almost beyond endurance, was gone.
- Miracle Medicine Herbs (Reward Books) by Richard Melvin Lucas

Popular thought holds that black cherries, especially in the form of black cherry juice concentrate, are far better than red cherries. But all of this is modern folk medicine in the making. BRAD'S MIRACLE No More Pain, No More Drugs gout was ruining his life, and Brad McAdams, a forty-four-year-old draftsman in an oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, was worried. Diagnosed about seven years earlier, the gout had become so painful primarily in his knees, but also in his ankles, that he could barely walk. "It really hurt to move. There would be times when I just couldn't get out of bed."
- Miracle Cures: Dramatic New Scientific Discoveries Revealing the Healing Powers of Herbs, Vitamins, and Other Natural Remedies by Jean Carper

Blau published the information on the use of cherries for gout so that "it might offer a merciful means of relief to hundreds of thousands of American victims who suffer the agonizingly painful torture that drives many to thoughts of suicide. Later Evidence Eight years after Dr. Blau's report was published, an article in the Food Field Reporter 5 cited new evidence that gouty arthritis, gout, and similar ailments may be relieved by drinking canned cherry juice. It was reported that the cherry juice was taken by a number of residents of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who participated in the study.
- Miracle Medicine Herbs (Reward Books) by Richard Melvin Lucas

Black, sweet yellow, and red sour cherries were all effective. Gout Super Prescription #1 Homeopathic Colchicum, take a 30C potency every waking two hours for two days. This homeopathic remedy is specific for gout pains that are worse with any motion. Super Prescription #2 Celery seed extract, take 450 mg two to three times daily to treat and prevent gout. Celery seed extract has anti-inflammatory effects and may reduce uric acid levels. Super Prescription #3 Nettle root (Urtica dioica), encourages the elimination of uric acid from the kidneys.
- Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Bodywork, and More by James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.

We have been writing about the value of cherries (fresh, dried, or frozen cherries; cherry juice; and even cherry extract capsules) against gout for many years. This is another one of those remedies about which the old wives were way out in front of the scientists. In 2003, investigators at the University of California at Davis conducted a little study on 10 healthy women between 22 and 40 years of age. They measured the urate level and other inflammatory markers in blood samples before and after a dose of bing cherries (280 grams).
- Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy by Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.

Cherry juice is another way to get the gout-relieving benefits of cherries. In my book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, I shared one of my favorite desserts: frozen cherries. (You can get them in almost any grocery.) I take them directly from the freezer, put them in a bowl, and mix them with raw milk or yogurt, which promptly freezes on the cold cherries, forming a kind of cherry-flavored sherbet. Top with slivered almonds and enjoy!
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

If he forgot to take the cherries, while traveling, it took only a few days for the stabbing pain in his big toe to return with a vengeance. More than 20 years after Dr. Blau wrote up his experiences in a medical journal (his research at that time revealed that there were 12 other case histories of people whose gout or arthritis had been helped by eating cherries or drinking cherry juice), he told us that he was still eating six to eight cherries every day and was still in good health.
- The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by Mark Bricklin

Cherries are a well-known remedy for gout, arthritis, and rheumatism. They also help overcome numbness in the limbs and paralysis as a result of rheumatism. Part of their action in rheumatic disorders occurs from their ability to eliminate excess body acids. Cherries are most beneficial for treating disorders accompanied by coldness, such as when the person feels perennially cold. Richly supplied in iron, cherries are often used to improve the blood and treat anemia.
- Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford

Just three dried cherries a day could end your gout pain. It may sound like a miracle, but this delicious, vitamin-packed fruit is proven to relieve arthritis pain even better than aspirin, ibuprofen and other drugs with no stomach upset or other side effects. The secret lies in anthocyanins. These natural compounds not only give cherries their luscious red color, they also stop your body from making prostaglandins, the hormone-like substances that cause pain and inflammation.
- Unleash the Inner Healing Power of Foods by The Editors of FC&A

Nutritionally minded health-care professionals and other healers have known for eons that cherries help relieve the pain of gout, but now we have a scientific explanation for why. Compounds in cherries lower levels of uric acid in the blood. Less uric acid, fewer disposal problems, fewer crystals, less pain. A study at the University of California-Davis showed that consuming two servings' worth of cherries daily (280 g total) after an overnight fast significantly lowered the blood uric acid of women by as much as 15 percent.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Consuming one-half pound of fresh or canned cherries per day has been shown to be very effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, and other dark red-blue berries are rich sources of anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins. These compounds are flavonoid molecules, which give these fruits their deep red-blue color, and are remarkable in their ability to prevent collagen destruction.
- Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 by Michael T. Murray, ND

Finally, cherries are particularly useful in the treatment of gout. Gout is a type of arthritis associated with an abnormally high concentration of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is produced in the liver and enters the bloodstream. Under certain circumstances, the body produces too much uric acid or excretes too little. As uric acid concentrations increase, needlelike crystals of a salt called monosodium urate form. In time, these crystals accumulate in the joints, causing the inflammation and pain typical of gout.
- The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.

Relieve gout, prevent a variety of cancers. Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke with their hard little pits and rich, shirt-staining colors, cherries take a bit more work to eat than many fruits. But research suggests that cherries, which contain a compound called perillyl alcohol, are worth the bother and then some. "Perillyl alcohol is about the best thing we've ever seen for curing mammary cancer in laboratory animals," says Michael Gould, Ph.D., professor of human oncology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison.
- Prevention's New Foods for Healing: Capture the Powerful Cures of More Than 100 Common Foods by Prevention Magazine

Juicing about four handfuls of pitted cherries with 1/2 cup of strawberries can help neutralize excess uric acid and may help prevent gout attacks, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. She says people prone to gout attacks should drink this juice every day as a preventive. Work the kidney reflexes on both feet, recommends St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology.
- New Choices in Natural Healing: Over 1,800 of the Best Self-Help Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine by Bill Gottlieb

Enjoy cherries and cherry juice often. Cherries are an old nutritional remedy known to help reduce uric-acid levels. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of pure water daily to help flush toxins from your body. Take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement daily, but read the label first to be sure it contains no more than 5,000 international units of vitamin A and that the form of vitamin B3 it contains is niacinamide rather than niacin. In amounts greater than this, vitamin A can worsen gout.
- Smart Medicine for Healthier Living : Practical A-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Adults by Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND

The secret to the benefits of cherry juice are compounds called anthocyanins, which are the pigments that give cherries their bright red color and are also believed to be the key to helping the body relieve inflammation. As an added bonus, these same anthocyanins may significantly reduce your risk for colon cancer, the third leading cancer in America. Doctors and scientists believe that it's the anthocyanins in the cherries that cause the decrease in blood urates and the relief from gout pain. Anthocyanins act like natural COX-2 inhibitors.
- The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Eating large quantities of cherries, from one-half pound and up daily, has been found to bring relief to sufferers of gout, a disease that is characterized by an excess of uric acid in the blood and attacks of arthritis. Preparation: When being eaten for medicinal purposes it is best to take the cherries uncooked, freshly picked when possible, and very ripe. Also, cherry juice is a very healthful drink, cherry concentrate being available in all health food stores. A favorite of everyone is cherry pie, especially when homemade and right from the oven.
- Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts and Seeds for Healthful Living by Dr. Joseph M. Kadans, N.D.

Eating around twenty cherries a day may help with reducing headaches, according to researchers from Michigan State University. Men who drank tart cherry juice after performing weight-training exercises had less muscle pain and strength loss. (Women may also benefit but this particular study looked exclusively at men.) Gout, Arthrithis, Inflammatory Pain: Black or Bing cherries have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, specifically a substance called cyanidin, which may shut down the pain caused by uric acid crystals.
- 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life! by David W. Grotto, RD, LDN

Liberal consumption of celery, cherries, and blueberries. A low-purine diet has long been the mainstay of dietary therapy for gout. Foods with high purine levels should be omitted entirely. These include organ meats, yeast (brewer's and baker's), herring, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies. Intake of foods with moderate levels of protein should be reduced to one serving every two to three days as well. These include dried legumes, spinach, asparagus, fish, poultry, and mushrooms. Low-purine foods may be eaten in small amounts.
- The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.

Hawthorn berries, like cherries, are particularly effective in the treatment of gout, as their flavonoid components are able to reduce uric acid levels as well as reduce tissue destruction. Crataegus extracts are effective in reducing blood pressure, angina attacks, and serum cholesterol levels, preventing the deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls and improving cardiac function. Hawthorn extracts are widely used in Europe for their antihypertensive and cardiotonic activity.
- Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1 by Michael T. Murray, ND

Another reader shared this experience: "I used tart cherries to cure a gout attack and it worked." The real news is that the pain from osteoarthritis of the hip joint diminished also. I've been able to reduce my use of Celebrex from 400 milligrams per day to 200 milligrams per day and still have less pain. Celebrex (celecoxib) is not only expensive (400 milligrams costs more than $4 per pill), it also has potential side effects. You will find this kind of story sprinkled throughout this book. We can think of no better way to share the wisdom of our readers than to let you read their stories.
- Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy by Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.

One can lower uric acid levels by eating cherries, blueberries, or other dark red or blue berries every day. Folic acid, part of the B-complex family of nutrients, inhibits the production of uric acid, and vitamin C is valuable because it expedites excretion of uric acid. Other forms of prevention include eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet and watching one's weight, because obesity aggravates gout symptoms. Avoid these foods, which trigger attacks: organ meats, sardines, anchovies, dried peas, lentils, and other legumes.
- The complete Book of Water Healing - Using the Earth's most essential resource to cure illness, promote health, and soothe and restore body, mind, and spirit by Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D.

The easiest herbal way to control uric acid production may be to eat cherries, drink green tea, and watch your diet. Herbal strategies to enhance excretion of uric acid promoting excretion of uric acid through urination is a bit more problematic. You cannot simply use any diuretic, you would have to use one that expels the uric acid. Thiazide diuretics, for example, commonly used to control high blood pressure, can increase gout risk and uric acid blood levels if prescribed in high doses. The minidoses of aspirin used to prevent heart attacks can slow uric acid excretion by 15%.
- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

The body uses collagen to form connective tissue, which is damaged by gout. For some people, he writes, eating a half-pound of cherries (about 34) daily for a week will help relieve the symptoms. Donna Weihofen, R.D., a clinical dietitian at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. "Just eliminate those foods highest in purines," Weihofen says. "It will enhance the effects of the drugs and perhaps prevent some of the severe symptoms."
- Prevention's New Foods for Healing: Capture the Powerful Cures of More Than 100 Common Foods by Prevention Magazine

Herbal strategies to inhibit production of uric acid anecdotal reports indicate that eating large amounts of flavonoid-rich cherries (up to Vi pound per day) can be beneficial for gout. Several patients in the past have come in and told me this works for them. This makes sense, because numerous naturally occurring flavonoids have been tested that inhibit the effects of xanthine oxidase. These include those found in bupleurum root, green tea, capillaris root, tangerine peel, perilla leaf (zi su ye or P. frutescens), and kudzu. Quercetin has also been shown to do this.
- The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic Herbal Treatments by Alan Keith Tillotson, Ph.D., A.H.G., D.Ay.

In the Ukraine cornelian cherries are a frequent ingredient in bottled soft drinks, conserves, wines, and liqueurs. In folk medicine the fruit is used to combat gout, anemia, skin diseases, painful joints, and disrupted metabolism. Fruit, leaves, or bark have been employed for gastrointestinal disorders and tuberculosis. Russian scientists have reported that the fruit contains components that leach radioactivity from the body. Sugar content ranges from 4 to 12 percent, and the acidity ranges from 1 to 4 percent.
- Whole Foods Companion: A Guide For Adventurous Cooks, Curious Shoppers, and lovers of natural foods by Dianne Onstad

Cherries are a good "spring cleaner" to stimulate and cleanse the digestive system, the darker ones being all the more valuable to the system as they contain a greater quantity of magnesium, iron, and silicon. They are a well-known remedy for gout, arthritis, and rheumatism; part of their action in rheumatic disorders occurs from their ability to eliminate excess body acids.
- Whole Foods Companion: A Guide For Adventurous Cooks, Curious Shoppers, and lovers of natural foods by Dianne Onstad

Berries, especially cherries, strawberries, and blueberries, neutralize uric acid. Eat fresh berries as snacks or for dessert, and drink a glass of cherry juice every day. Flaxseeds are a highly concentrated source of essential fatty acids, the "good" fats that reduce inflammation. Add flaxseeds to juices, salads, or fruit plates, or use the oil as a salad dressing. One of the most important foods you can eat to prevent gout is fish. Eat fish such as salmon, cod, halibut, and sardines, as they reduce inflammation.
- Prescription for Natural Cures: A Self-Care Guide for Treating Health Problems with Natural Remedies Including Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Bodywork, and More by James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.

Black cherry juice is excellent for gout, and prevents tooth decay by stopping plaque formation. Cherries benefit the glandular system, remove toxic waste from tissues, and aid the functions of the gallbladder and liver. The ellagic acid content has cancer-preventing properties. The parts eaten are the skin and the flesh.
- Prescription for Dietary Wellness: Using Foods to Heal by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Consuming one-half pound of fresh or canned cherries per day has been found effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout.
- Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition by Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.

Source - Natural News