Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

Did you ever have a wound or sore that simply does not heal no matter what you try? Perhaps it’s even been treated by a physician, but still remains.

This type of wound is characterized by skin deterioration to the point where the underlying tissue is exposed. Such wounds are also called sores or ulcers and can have a variety of causes. But they all have one thing in common – prompt treatment is important to prevent infection and further deterioration of the surrounding area.

Today I want to talk about an issue that ties in with your gut health (the topic of my last article) — gluten sensitivity, which is sometimes also referred to as gluten intolerance. Gluten as you may remember is the grain protein found in wheat, rye, and barley that causes gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other seemingly unrelated symptoms such as headache, joint aches, depression, anxiety, and fatigue in sensitive individuals. All these symptoms arise as a result of an immune system reaction to gluten.

Many consumers have become increasingly aware of this issue and have been trying out gluten-free diets in such record numbers that the medical community has been questioning what in the world is going on that so many people think they are gluten intolerant.¹

The obvious answer is that maybe they really are. And the problem is that currently the only form of gluten sensitivity that is medically recognized is Celiac disease, an advanced form in which the immune cells cause damage to the intestinal villi. But the fact is, gluten sensitivity symptoms can range from a broad spectrum of fairly mild (but bad enough to affect a person’s quality of life), to very severe, like that seen in Celiac disease.

The spike in individuals seeking gluten-free diets shows that we are seeing another legitimate medical condition (gluten-intolerance) in which mainstream medicine’s diagnosis and treatment is inadequately dealing with people’s actual symptoms and experiences. To put it another way, patients are currently ahead of their doctors in dealing with the reality of gluten intolerance.

For the last several years I have been emphasizing the importance of reducing belly fat, but just as important is getting one’s gut into shape on the inside. What I’m talking about is intestinal health.

Antibiotics and probiotics are two key players here. Antibiotics wipe out friendly flora in our intestines. This was clearly demonstrated in a study of patients taking the popular broad spectrum antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, commonly known as “Cipro”, which wiped out about 30% of the patients’ good bacteria population. After treatment, it took up to four weeks to re-establish the original level of healthy bacteria, but some strains took up to six months or longer to re-establish.¹

As we enter the heart of cold and flu season, many of our patients want to know the best way to prevent coming down with these viruses. In my last article, I talked about whether flu shots really work. If you missed it, I said there is very little evidence that they do.

The best way to prevent flu or colds is to keep your overall health and immunity strong. That’s why you’ll see recommendations for making sure you dress warmly, get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids. Good hand washing is another great preventive measure, but there is a ton of evidence that shows another sure-fire way to lower your chances of catching a nasty cold or debilitating flu — and it’s not one that you see discussed often.

Lower your stress.

Every fall, hundreds of patients ask us if they should get vaccinated with a flu shot. As with any medical treatment, the risks and benefits always need to be fully considered. Every year I scour the literature for any reports of harm from flu vaccines and also to look at whether the data show that they were effective in preventing the flu.

Let’s start with the risks. The manufacturers of flu vaccines combine three strains of inactivated (dead) flu viruses, along with preservatives. Most of the controversy surrounding vaccines has to do with whether the preservatives are safe. In some cases, they clearly are not. Mercury as part of the preservative thimerosol has received the most attention since it is a known neurotoxin, and it is still in some vaccines.¹ At the very least, I recommend requesting thimerosol-free vaccines.

October was Breast Cancer Prevention month, and as always, fund raising and education initiatives were everywhere. There are many advances in our understanding of how breast cancer develops, yet out of all the articles I saw in the mainstream media, none of them explained the most important factors influencing breast health.

Most breast cancer is the type that is called hormone sensitive. That means it is cancer that forms in response to estrogen. It is usually implied that it is solely a matter of having too much estrogen (and/or other compounds that have estrogen-like structure) in the body. However if you dig deeper, you learn that it is not so much the estrogen itself, but how it is being metabolized in the body and whether it is balanced by adequate progesterone that are the primary problems.^1-2

Estrogen/Progesterone Balance

The balance between estrogen and progesterone is very important for breast health and is almost never mentioned in popular literature on hormone sensitive breast cancer. There is a big misunderstanding among some people in the medical community that progesterone increases breast cancer risk. This was due to studies that found that synthetic progestins formerly used in women on hormone replacement therapy did increase breast cancer risk. However, further study has clarified that natural progesterones do not.³

Nature is a powerful force. Harness nature’s power and you can accomplish big things.

And so it goes in the world of wound care. If you have a serious wound that won’t heal or even a mild skin ailment, working in harmony with nature can often give results that aren’t otherwise attainable.

Managing stress and emotions is a cornerstone of healthy living. New research documents yet another area where a person’s stress level affects their well-being. Stress definitely makes things worse for people with seasonal allergies.

Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State, has long studied the effects of stress. She recently reported the results of a study of the effects of stress on people with seasonal allergies (such as hay fever).¹

Have you ever noticed how you feel happier when you have a chance to sit or walk in the warm sun? Doesn’t just going outside on a sunny day calm your nerves and lift your spirits?

By contrast, consider what happens and how you feel during the cold and dreary winter months. Many of us experience darker moods. We are more likely to become sick with colds and flu. We often gain weight and crave carbohydrates.

Then, come spring and summer, these symptoms magically disappear without treatment. Well, there is a reason for this.

Your body needs sunlight just like it needs nutrients. In many ways, your physiology is as closely linked to the sun as that of plants. Plants use sunlight to photosynthesize chlorophyll. By a comparable process your body uses sunlight to photosynthesize vitamin D — a molecule that is vitally essential to almost every aspect of your biochemistry and physiology.

When I began the course work to complete my degrees in alternative medicine, I was required to study herbs — their actions and the healing power they can exert on the body. I was amazed to learn there is something in nature for almost any malady that mankind might suffer.

In addition, when you correct wrong living habits, add a nutritious whole foods diet along with cleansing and building herbs, you would be surprised how fast your body can heal from most chronic diseases.

Let me list a host of reasons why herbal remedies work both effectively and efficiently for chronic disease states — and in many instances, over time, will allow you to come off some, if not all, prescription drugs: