Since the 1930s there has been research involving natural alternative medicine.  Here are some notable examples of physicians who came to note the power of natural medicine.

Dr’s. Wilfred and Evan Shute. In 1933 Dr’s. Wilfred and Evan Shute were some of the first doctors to use large doses of vitamin E to treat heart disease. At that time, antioxidants and free radicals were rather obscure concepts in the chemistry of oxidation, far removed from issues of health and disease. Also at that time, using vitamins to treat serious diseases such as heart disease and diabetes was considered by the medical establishment as misguided at best and outright fraud at worst.

In 1985, Linus Pauling wrote: “The failure of the medical establishment during the last forty years to recognize the value of vitamin E in controlling heart disease is responsible for a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and for many early deaths. The interesting story of the efforts to suppress the Shute discoveries about vitamin E illustrates the shocking bias of organized medicine against nutritional measures for achieving improved health.”

Dr. Szent-Györgyi. Dr. Györgyi became interested in a chemical agent, present in plant juices, which had the effect of delaying oxidation, such as the browning of a sliced apple exposed to the air. He suggested that this agent, which was also present in cabbages and oranges, was the mysterious Vitamin. By 1933, he had isolated the substance in kilogram lots and named it “ascorbic acid” which means “the acid which prevents scurvy.” In 1937, he won the 1937 Nobel Prize for his discovery of vitamin C. He was the first to predict the use of Vitamin C for cancer.

Irwin Stone, PhD Irwin Stone became interested in the anti-oxidant properties of ascorbic acid, then newly discovered, as a means of protecting food against deterioration. He continued his study of vitamin C for the next 50 years, and in the 1950s he established that humans would benefit from ingesting much larger amounts of ascorbates than the medical and nutritional establishments considered adequate.

Dr. Fredrick Klenner. “In the early 1950s, Dr. Fredrick Klenner began his work with mega doses of vitamin C. He used doses up to 100 grams per day orally or intravenously. In clinical reports he recorded the excellent response he saw when it was given in large doses. For example, polio patients given vitamin C suffered no residual defects from their polio. A controlled study in England on 70 children, half given vitamin C and half given placebo, confirmed that none of the ascorbate treated cases developed any paralysis while up to 20 percent of the untreated group did. This study was not published because the Salk Vaccine had just been developed and no one was interested in vitamins. Dr. Klenner’s work was ignored.”

Dr. Klenner was the first physician to emphasize that small amounts of ascorbate do not work. He said, “If you want results, use adequate ascorbic acid.” As a result of seeing consistent cures of a great variety of viral and bacterial diseases with huge doses of vitamin C, he published over twenty medical reports. Orthodox medicine’s rejection of his lifesaving work stands as a reminder to all medical mavericks practicing today. “Some physicians,” Klenner wrote, “would stand by and see their patient die rather than use ascorbic acid because, in their finite minds, it exists only as a vitamin.”

Dr. William J. McCormick. Over 50 years ago, it was Toronto physician William J. McCormick, M.D., who pioneered the idea that poor collagen formation, due to vitamin C deficiency, was a principal cause of diverse conditions ranging from stretch marks to cardiovascular disease and cancer. This theory would become the foundation for Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron’s decision to employ large doses of vitamin C to fight cancer.

Over twenty years before Pauling, McCormick had already reviewed the nutritional causes of heart disease and noted that four out of five coronary cases in hospital show vitamin C deficiency. McCormick also early proposed vitamin C deficiency as the essential cause of, and effective cure for, numerous communicable illnesses, becoming an early advocate of using vitamin C as an antiviral and an antibiotic. Modern writers often pass by the fact that McCormick actually advocated vitamin C to prevent and cure the formation of some kidney stones as far back as 1946.

Linus Pauling, PhD It was two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling who coined the term “ortho molecular.” Ortho molecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body. Pauling identified sickle-cell anemia as the first molecular disease and subsequently laid the foundation for molecular biology, and then developed a theory that explained the molecular basis of vitamin therapy. Irwin Stone first introduced Pauling to Vitamin C, recommending 3,000mg a day, which was 50 times the RDA. Pauling and his wife began taking this amount, the severe colds that he had suffered from several times a year all his life no longer occurred. After a few years he increased his intake of vitamin C to 100 times, then 200 times, and then 300 times the RDA (now 18,000 mg per day). Pauling lived to be 93.

“Professor Pauling, as always, is ahead of his time. The latest research on vitamin C substantiates his twenty-five years of advocacy and investigation on the benefits of vitamin C.”, said J. Daniel Kanofsky, MD, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Josef Issels. Because of his well-known professional skills, his kindness, and relatively high rate of survivors, many cancer patients in the terminal stage came to consult German Dr. Josef Issels. In 1951, one wealthy and grateful patient funded his private clinic, where he continued his successful work until 1960, when he was arrested by the German ‘Kriminalpolizei’ on the instigation of his medical opponents. He had to close down his clinic for years, in spite of a report from an independent scientist who had concluded that, of 252 terminal cancer patients with histologically proved metastases, 42 had survived for at least five years (17%) with the Issels therapy. For terminal patients, such a score is disproportionately high.

Issels believed that cancer was the end stage, the ultimate symptom, of a lifetime of immune system damage which had created an environment for the tumor to grow. He argued that conventional therapy just looked at the tumor without recognizing this longtime pre conditioning period. Dr. Issels saw the body as having great potential to heal itself. Good nutrition and a clean environment were central to his therapy.

In the end, Issels was proven to be right. From 1967 to 1970, Professor J. Anderson of King’s College Hospital and member of the World Health Organization inspected Issels’ reopened clinic. He confirmed the highly significant survival rate of Issels’ terminal cancer patients. His legacy is continued by the work of his wife, Ilsa and his son Christian.

Dr. William Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman was among the very first physicians to therapeutically employ mega doses of vitamin B3 (niacin, or niacin amide). He prescribed as much as 5,000 mg of niacin amide daily, in many divided doses, to dramatically improve and restore range of joint motion in arthritic patients. Kaufman said, “I noted that niacin amide (alone or combined with other vitamins) in a thousand patient-years of use has caused no adverse side effects.”

Over 50 years ago, Kaufman showed remarkable foresight half a century into the future of ortho molecular medicine, describing how the lack of a just a single nutrient can cause diverse diseases, including what is now known as attention-deficit hyper activity disorder.

Emanuel Cheraskin, MD, DMD. Dr. Cheraskin was among the very first to recognize and demonstrate that oral health indicates total body health. “Health is the fastest growing failing business in western civilization,” he said. “Why is it so many of us are 40 going on 70, and so few 70 going on 40?” The answer, he said, was our neglect of the paramount value of nutrition, an educational deficiency that Dr. Cheraskin devoted a lifetime to eradicating.

Hugh Desaix Riordan, M.D. Hugh Riordan was one of the most knowledgeable, both as a maverick par excellence and as an historian of mavericks. Hugh was an ortho molecular fighter, who fought hard and consistently on behalf of ortho molecular concepts. He was challenged legally when he wanted to treat his patients with high dose vitamins in the hospital. He won. He was the first to demonstrate how large doses of vitamin C are chemotherapeutic for cancer patients. His main work had to do with the schizophrenic syndrome and with the treatment of cancer using nontoxic vitamin C chemotherapy. Hugh was the leader in making available to cancer patients a treatment that is effective, safe, economical and very tolerable.

Abram Hoffer, M.D., PhD Dr. Abram Hoffer has spent the past five decades conducting research related to the practice of ortho molecular medicine, which emphasizes the use of nutrients in optimum doses for the treatment of a wide range of diseases.

In 1952, Dr. Hoffer and his colleagues began developing a more effective treatment for schizophrenia that involved a biochemical hypothesis. They tried two nutrients: vitamin C and vitamin B3. He found that we could halve the two-year recovery rate of patients just by adding these vitamins to the program. This was the first major systematic attempt to use large dosages of vitamins therapeutically. In 1955 he also discovered that niacin lowered cholesterol levels.

These pioneers and others were first ridiculed, and were ignored by the medical establishment, but were eventually proven to be right.

In part two of The Power of Natural Alternative Medicine we will discuss the regulation of nutritional supplements and little known history of natural medicine.  This publication is courtesy of  RMBarry Publications who publish various books about Melaleuca Products (also commonly misspelled as meleleuca”)

Besides wrinkles, the other type of lines that scares women is stretch marks. The orange-peel-like skin occurs when there is a rapid growth during puberty or with gaining or loosing weight. Pregnancy and obesity are the most likely ways to have the effects of stretch marks. During pregnancy, stretch marks can be found at the breasts, abdomens, legs, buttocks and even at the under arms.

There are no specific ways to have these lines removed completely. Stretch mark removal treatments or product will actually helps to reduce the visible lines and will be able to make the skin appear flawless like before but not clearing the markings. These treatments can be in the form of topical creams, ointment, and Collagen pills or for the drastic measures; laser treatments. Some mentioned that stretch marks could be prevented by always applying moisturizer that contains cocoa butter during pregnancy to the areas that are more likely to have the markings.

Other ways in removing the stretch marks would be through alternative medicines. Herbs and some types of Ginseng can be used as an alternative stretch mark removal treatment. After giving birth, it is wise to apply Aloe Vera extracts to the skin as it contains compounds such as polysaccharides, mannans, anthraquinones and lectins that act as moisturizer to the skin. In traditional Malay custom, Jadam, a processed product of Aloe Vera is applied to the abdomen skin of the mother who just gave birth as a stretch mark removal treatment. The jadam is heated with water until it becomes a gel-like substance to be applied on the skin before wearing the corset. This is to be done everyday during the confinement period to have the hourglass figure and also to reduce the stretch marks.

Nowadays, alternative medicines are no longer called the rural medicines or the eastern medicines anymore. Researches are being done worldwide in this area and it also recognized as a safer way to cure diseases. With this medicines emerging in the market, people will have more options to have and to lead a healthier, better life in the future.

What is Sciatica?

It is important to understand just what exactly sciatica pain is although it is often confused with other medical conditions and sometimes even used as an umbrella term for anything else that is not easily diagnosed! Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis in itself. Sometimes sciatica pain can be confused with other serious medical conditions such as a tumour or infection so a careful diagnosis is always important. This article will outline some basic facts about sciatica and point to sciatica home remedies.

What Causes Sciatica?

Basically it is severe acute pain in the lower back or it can be constant back pain radiating from the

lumbar region of the back. The pain is caused by pressure or irritation of one or more nerves exiting the lower spine that make up the sciatic nerve. There are many medical conditions that can cause this, for example, a spinal disc has moved out of its original position and can therefore irritate the nerve root in the lower back which is joined to the sciatic nerve. Pain can be acute- lasting less than a month. Chronic pain will usually last longer than six months- the percentage is between 1-5% of all lower back pain cases.

Pain can be felt along all or part of the course of the sciatic nerve which runs from the lower back, through the buttock into the calf and even into the foot.

Sedentary lifestyle, weak back and stomach muscles are usually causes of sciatica. Obesity will put an enormous strain on the spine and therefore increase pressure on the vertebrae.

How Is Sciatica Normally Cured?

Anti inflammatory drugs and surgery are solutions which may or may not cure the condition. Spinal manipulation, massage therapy and physical therapy are all possible solutions and are sometimes recommended before considering surgery.

What is the remedy for this condition and what can be helpful instead of going down the path to drugs and surgery?

Many doctors recommend bed rest but exercise is usually much better in the long term for healing this condition. Some patients like to rest for a few days after an acute attack but if inactivity continues, this may make the pain worse. It is essential to understand that if the back muscles become weak and flabby from lack of exercise, then they will be less able to support the back.

Weak muscles here will cause more pain than before and will increase the chances of injury due to sudden movement.

Exercising the lower back area and postural stretching can be enormously beneficial. Careful attention needs to be paid to posture and body mechanics to get the maximum benefit from the exercises. Exercises need to be done twice a day and under supervision of a trainer or instructor.

Overall, sciatica sufferers can avoid a lot of agonising back pain by maintaining a support for the back while sitting (avoiding sprawling on a couch!) and maintaining good posture, avoiding standing for long periods of time and using safe techniques for lifting heavy objects. Caring for your back should be an essential part of your daily routine. You can find out more about home remedies and an alternative cure for sciatica by looking at the link below this article.

Some of you may not know where the stretch marks come from. In truth, it is the result of the skin’s overstretching. In a few instances such as weight loss ,obesity, , puberty, and mostly caused during pregnancy, the skin gets extended beyond what is normal. These marks are often the scars that produce a tremendous effect on the skin’s collagen production. Collagen is a type of protein which cause the growth of the connective tissues of the skin. Most people who suffer from stretch marks frequently lose their self esteem and get embarrassed about their skin. Sometime their feeling are mixed with confusion how to get effective stretch mark cure. And Beside that there are some ways that need considered based on cost budget. But it’s no worry. There’s great information it’s no longer to get confused as there are some effective and cheaper ways how to remove or conceal stretch mark.

In order to remove or hide Your stretch mark alternative to using costly stretch mark removal laser surgery that is very expensive. There are some ways how to remove or hide Your stretch mark. It’s really effective and cheaper rather than surgery. The first is Massaging stretch mark removal cream on to your skin once or twice per day in skin areas such as : Abdomen, thighs, buttocks and breasts will ensure that your stretch marks remain in a very mild state or preferably, completely disappear.

Then the second way is using concealer product. But it must be considered as waterproof product. And it is especially made for concealing stretch marks. Again, these will cover them only but not eliminate them.

The third way is using Baby oil. Another inexpensive stretch marks removal tip is the use of baby oil that needs to be massaged on the skin in large amounts. Do it as the skin is still wet from bathing. It both aids in moisturizing the skin and enhancing its absorption capacity. The baby oil can be best used along the abdomen area. Do this with a moistened cloth while alternately providing the skin with hot and cold cures.

Then the last is natural way using Stretch mark removal cream of which contain several natural ingredients. And surely this cream won’t cause bad side effect. These natural cream include vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D3, squalene oil , aloe vera and grapefruit seed extracts. The natural mixture above is for strengthening of the area of skin that the cream is applied to and for stimulation of new skin cell production.. This not only helps in reducing stretch mark scars as much as possible, but also prevents further development.

The affect of stretch marks is not only physical but also psychological for most woman. Sometime what you might read from some companies trying to sell you stretch mark removal products, the stretch mark is difficult to eliminate completely. For this reason prevention is better than cure, which is why I recommend the use of stretch mark natural cream, which concerns on both prevention and removal.

The cheaper alternative to over the counter or doctor prescribed treatments is home remedy for stretch marks. In fact, many of the products that claim to remove stretch marks can actually only diminish its appearance. Therefore, sometimes the remedies we find at home can even do a better job than the ones we pay for at the store. There are many kinds of home remedies that one can choose from. The list below will help you narrow down these choices.

- Exercise – Right diet – Natural and herbal formulas

Regular Exercise – If you want to spend little or nothing at all to remove stretch marks, then exercising would be a good choice for you. Because stretch marks usually develop in the areas like the thighs, abdomen, hips, and arms, there are some exercises to help you firm these areas. Stretch marks only appear if the skin is rapidly stretched to its limit and the elastic fibers break. Once the skin is tightened again, the appearance of the scars will be lessened.

Concentrate on Problem Areas – The exercises are easy to do and there is no need for you to hire a trainer to teach them to you. You can start the regimen by doing twenty leg raises. You can also do inner thigh exercises to firm this area of your leg. Another exercise that can firm the whole thigh is by swinging your legs. Just sit on a chair and swing your legs up and then down. These are all very safe and you can even do them while on the phone. To firm your bottom, lie face down on the floor with your arms on the side. Raise your right leg first then down, and then do the same with the other leg. You don’t have to raise your leg too high; three to six inches off the floor will suffice.

The Goal – The goal for all the exercises is to do twenty lifts for each exercise, three times a week. If you are too busy to do any of the exercises mentioned above, there are also other ways to keep your body firm and fit. You can walk instead of drive, take the stair instead of the elevator, or clean your own lawn instead of hiring someone else to do it for you.

Aside from pregnancy, weight gain also causes stretch marks. Hence, managing your weight and eating a balanced diet will help you avoid the scars. Another easy home remedy for stretch marks is by eating the right foods. By eating fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants like vitamins A, E, C, and D, these nutrients will scrub off the damaging free radicals and likewise make your skin firm. Drinking a lot of water everyday will also help enhance the elasticity of your skin, therefore, keeping the stretch marks away.

However, drinking a lot of water and eating right still won’t keep pregnant women from the natural expansion of their bodies. This is the reason why natural and herbal solutions are still used as home remedy for stretch marks. Here are a few examples of what you can use to reduce stretch marks. Some of these cures may already be in your kitchen pantries.

- Peanut butter ( maintains normal skin function) – Milk ( skin smoother and hydrator) – Olive oil (skin moisturizer discovered by ancient greeks) – Aloe Vera ( heals overstretched skin tissues) – Ground coffee ( exfoliates the skin) – Grapeseed oil (renews stressed skin tissues) – Vanilla extract (smoothens skin)

The Natural Mix – There is also an easy to make home remedy for stretch marks recipe using cocoa butter, wheat germ oil, sesame seed oil, apricot kernel oil, vitamin E oil, grated beeswax, and vanilla extract. Mix all of the ingredients together except the vanilla extract and heat the mixture until the beeswax and cocoa butter have melted. After removing it from the heat, blend in the vanilla extract. Once cooled, you can start massaging it into your skin, specifically on the areas with stretch marks. If you do this everyday, you can also prevent stretch marks from developing.