Homeopathy Articles In NZ Sunday Star Times Ill-Informed By Ignorant Doctors

‘Kiwis Big Believers in Homeopathy’ reads the head-line of the Sunday Star Times. January 22nd, 2012.

But Homeopathy Has Been Proven.  It is not just a belief.  I will explain further on, how Homeopathy has been subjected to suppressive laws which have meant that research findings are not published in regular medical journals.

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Many medical doctors use Homeopathy in their practices in New Zealand, yet one NZ doctor has been trying to get doctors banned from using Homeopathy. This is the doctor who the Sunday Star Times quote in the first of two articles on Homeopathy.  Both these articles attempt to discredit Homeopathy.  The  doctor quoted in the first article, Shaun Holt, has stated in other newspaper articles, that the reason that Homeopathy works for some people, is because of a placebo effect, and not because the chosen Homeopathic remedy has any innate power to reverse certain conditions.

But his point of view simply shows his ignorance, as does the view of the university researcher who derides Homeopathy in the second article.

In these two separate articles on Homeopathy which appear on the same page, The Sunday Star Times has come out on the side of two medical people, one a doctor, the other a university researcher, who,  in the second article, objects to the use of Homeopathic principles in a flea collar for pets.  Both these medical people  illustrate their ignorance about how Homeopathy works, and  are obviouslyignorant about the many thousands of success stories which Homeopathic science can claim.  Both these articles  in the Sunday Star Times appear at first glance to be giving Homeopathy a ‘fair go’, but on reading further, one discovers that they damn Homeopathy with faint praise.

The first article reads:  ‘Kiwis big believers in homeopathy’ –  as if homeopathy is only a placebo, something which the patient believes will help him, without there being any physiological effect from taking a Homeopathic medicine.  This, of course, is what Shaun Holt would have us believe. He has stated in previous articles that he thinks Homeopathy is ‘quackery’ and that, in the cases where it has worked, it is only because the patient has believed that it will help him.  He is one who promotes pharmacuetical drugs above all other treatments, and would,  if he could, make sure that all alternatives are banned.  Only last year, an article was published in a NZ paper which quoted Shaun Holt as saying that he thought doctors should be prohibited from using Homeopathy in their clinics.

You can bet your bottom dollar that neither Dr Shaun Holt, nor the university researcher who is quoted on the same page, will have tried a  professional Homeopathic treatment for any ailment, and nor will they have watched the progress of a patient who has been successfully treated by an experienced Homeopath over the course of an illness.  These are ‘book learned’ people who really have NO  idea what they are talking about when it comes to the effectiveness of  Homeopathy.

One has to wonder what the pay-off is for these two medical people, if any, from pharmaceutical companies behind the scenes.  Perhaps their ‘research’ is funded by the pharmaceutical companies.  This is how the big drug companies maintain their control of the health scene.  They  manage to get herbs banned, and Homeopathy and other alternative medicines discredited, through paying doctors and certain researchers  to say what they want them to say.

Some doctors are as corrupt as some people  are in any walk of life, and will take on a fight which they know is amoral just to get at the money.  Others may take on the fight unwittingly, because they are nit-wits, and not very intelligent, except that they once had the ability to learn their craft by rote, to pass their exams.  This type of doctor lacks the ability for real,  unbiased, critical analysis, and they are easily influenced by drug companies who indoctrinate them with the results of their research, which is always designed to make the pharmaceutical product look good, even when it turns out to be extremely harmful and damaging to people’s health.

Time and Time Again,  Homeopathy has cured infectious diseases, and been of great benefit to people with ailing health.  Homeopathy does not have the risk of negative side effects which pharmaceutical drugs do.  The very fact that Homeopathy is a safer alternative to drugs drives the drug companies, and many doctors, to distraction in their attempts to find fault with it.

People like Dr Shaun Holt, who are agin Homeopathic medicine, are forever coming up with the argument that ‘Homeopathy has not been proven’, but this is plain nonsense.

The reason that the value of homeopathy is kept silent, and the reason that ignorant people like Shaun Holt claim that ‘no papers have been written to validate the use of Homeopathy’, is because the drug companies in America made it illegal to publish any research on Homeopathy in medical journals, a long time ago. Homeopathy has a long history of suppression.  The result is, as these two latest articles in The Sunday Star Times illustrate, that the media generally are STILL perpetuating the myth that Homeopathy ‘does not have anything in it, and is just a belief, just quackery’.  The media is still working on the side of big business in opposing Homeopathy without allowing an expert in the field to have his say, and without divulging the results of research into Homeopathy.

Homeopathy is NOT quackery.  There are still reputable Homeopathic hospitals functioning in the UK today.  The Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London is one of them.

This movement to kill Homeopathy began after Homeopathy ‘took on’ in Europe.  The Royal family and their elite friends converted to Homeopathic medicine after its success was illustrated in Europe, when an epidemic of cholera  in the 1890’s was treated effectively with Homeopathic medicine.  Drug giants, who, in the early part of the 1900’s  were already beginning to exert their power and influence over the medical profession in the USA, and on the government via the FDA, began to vehemently oppose Homeopathic medicine, which they obviously saw as being a threat to their ever-growing empires.  A legislation was passed in the 1920’s which effectively silenced the researchers of Homeopathy, and those practitioners of the science.  This silencing of the Homeopathic fraternity occurred because the medical authorities decided that no research would be allowed to be published.

This has effectively kept the public from being properly informed about the efficacy of Homeopathy and how it works.  The effect of this censorship has been to keep Homeopathy under wraps and for it to be perceived by many as ‘quackery’.  All to the financial benefit of the pharmaceutical companies, of course.

These Sunday Star Times articles are following the patterns of old.  They discredit Homeopathy without making any attempt to explain the science of Homeopathy, and without using any of the learned articles by doctors which have been published in alternative health journals and books over the years.

The writers of these articles in last Sunday’s ‘Sunday Star Times’ are content to use the ill-informed judgement of ignorant people who portray  Homeopathy as a belief, no better than a quackery instead of a science, which only goes to serve the interests of the pharmaceutical companies yet again.

Cinnamon and Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon Lowers High Blood Sugar

Cinnamon bark  has been used for thousands of years for culinary and medicinal purposes in Sri Lanka, India, and the Middle East.

Recently, research has shown that Cinnamon bark can be helpful to lower blood sugar levels.  It  has been found to be effective in treating people who have type 2 diabetes.  People with this condition do not need to take injections of insulin, but are often taking oral antidiabetic medications and/or are following special diets:  this means that the test group in the research had a less severe type of diabetes than do those  people who need to take daily  insulin injections.

In the research cited by Dr Shaun Holt and Iona MacDonald, in the book entitled ‘ Natural Remedies That Really Work’, cinnamon bark was not given to people who had full blown diabetes.

Important note on Cinnamon Side Effects:   Pregnant women should avoid using cinnamon in large amounts such as is indicated in the study discussed here.  The active ingredient cinnamaldehyde, given  in large doses to pregnant animals,  has been found to cause damage to their offspring.  If you have blood sugar problems, or are on any medication, then you should not try the cinnamon experiment to lower your blood sugar levels without consulting your doctor or health professional.

In the study done on Cinnamon and Blood Sugar Levels, people with diabetes type 2 were tested:   part of the group was given a placebo, and the rest of the group were given  aqueous cinnamon extract in a dose which equalled about 3g of cinnamon powder daily. This dosage was continued for a period of four months.

The results were quite startling, with the best results seen in those diabetics who had the highest blood glucose levels.  At the end of the study, these people, who had taken the cinnamon daily and who had the highest blood sugar levels,  had the most dramatic reduction in blood glucose levels, whilst the test group who had taken the placebo had no change: It was concluded that  Cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels.

More on the  possible side effects of Cinnamon:  However, these authors warn about the side effects of cinnamon:  Cinnamon bark contains a compound called coumarin which can cause damage to the liver.  Whilst taking cinnamon as a condiment to food does not seem to cause any noticeable side effects, taking large amounts of cinnamon for long periods may be detrimental to the functioning of your liver.

There are two types of cinnamon available:  the best one to look out for is the Ceylon cinnamon, as this is the one which has the least amount of coumarin in it.  Cassia cinnamon is the type which contains large amounts of coumarin, and which is therefore best avoided in the use of home remedies of any kind.

Vitamin C and Colds

Vitamin C :  Colds

Does  Vitamin C work as a treatment for the common cold?

Research done thus far suggests that Vitamin C, as an additional supplement to the diet,  does not work on its own as a prophylactic for the common cold in most cases.

However, in groups of people who were tested as for the efficacy of vitamin C in treating the common cold, it was found that Vitamin C did actually work to reduce the expected duration of the common cold.  Dr Holt and Iona MacDonald have an essay entitled ‘Vitamin C and the common cold’ which you can find in their book entitled ‘Natural Remedies that Really Work:  A New Zealand Guide, published in 2010 by Craig Potton Publishing, P.O. Box 555, Nelson, New Zealand.

Also, people who took Vitamin C regularly were more likely to resist getting the common cold as a result of hard exercise followed by chilling, than those who did not take Vitamin C.

This would suggest that Vitamin C in fact does improve resistance and increase immune function.

In the studies which Dr Holt and Ms MacDonald mention, Vitamin C was just used as a supplement:  1000 mg daily was recommended as an average, safe supplement.

These studies do not discuss the use of other herbal treatments such as the use of garlic, or lemon juice which is taken in drinks, or other known herbal remedies which help to reduce the symptoms of the common cold.

Vitamin C, I think, works best when it is taken, not on its own as a supplement, but with those foods which complement it, such as lemon juice, and garlic,  ginger and cinnamon.

Lemon juice contains high amounts of Vitamin C on its own.  The common cold is best treated when the juice of a lemon is made into a hot drink, with added ginger, garlic, and cinnamon, and taken with honey.  If a supplement of Ester C, or Calcium ascorbate, is taken at the same time, with about 500mg-1000mg of vitamin C, then the effect of the spiced up and honeyed lemon drink are remarkably pronounced. Use only 500 mg of Vitamin C for children under twelve years, and 1000 mg for adults.  Up to three doses can be given per day, and continued for three days  if the cold is severe.

Note: Dr Holt does not recommend doses of more than 1000 mg of Vitamin C per day for adults.  Note that Vitamin C can interfere with some medications, so if you are on medication, then you should not take ANY Vitamin C without consulting your health practitioner for professional advice. Even if you are not taking medication, consult your doctor or naturopath to see about taking Vitamin C.

In my experience, this is the best way to use Vitamin C supplements, fo treating the common cold:   that is, in combination with lemon drinks, garlic, ginger and cinnamon.

Benefits of Avocado

The Avocado Plant, Persea Americana from the Lauraceae family, has been widely used in Guatemala and parts of  Africa and South America for centuries by indigenous peoples.  The benefits of avocado to the health are  now widely appreciated in the Western world, where avocado salad has become a popular health item to add nourishment to a meal.

Avocado essential fatty acids are known to benefit the hair, skin, teeth, bones and nails, and make it  a great nerve food. The benefits of avocado oils on the brain and eyes  has also been fairly well established.

Avocado is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients which are of huge benefit to maintaining a healthy immune system and a strong body. Avocado also contains vitamins A, B6, C, D, and E.  It contains protein, fats, folate, potassium and traces of zinc. It is thought by many that avocado fruit and its oil  may help to prevent cancer, although no test tube experiment has yet been conducted which proves this for a fact.

The Benefits of Avocado as a cancer preventative are espoused in:  Natural Remedies That Really WorkA New Zealand Guide, written by Dr Shaun Holt and Iona MacDonald.  This is published by Craig Potton publishing, P.O. Box 555 Nelson, N.Z.

In this book, the authors state ‘

  • ‘This paper summarises the many studies that indicate that certain chemicals found in avocado act on many pathways in the cancer process.  Although not yet proven, it follows that avocado in the diet may prevent cancer’. (p.183)

The authors go on to say that phytochemicals from the Hass avocado had a favourable result on ‘multiple signalling pathways’  of precancerous cell lines, and increased the amount of ‘reactive oxygen’ to these areas:   One would  assume that this whould  decrease or halt the growth of cancer. The phytochemicals derived from the avocado did not seem to harm normal cells.

The authors of  Natural Remedies that Really Work warn about complications which might arise if you eat avocados while you are taking medication.  Some foods react adversely with some drugs such as blood thinners, and psychiatric drugs and anticonvulsants. You need to ask your doctor or health professional about including avocados in your diet if you are taking medication.

Important:  The following list is  of Avocado Benefits is for information only and is not intended to serve medical needs.  Go to your doctor or health professional for advice if you are sick.

List of The Main Benefits of Avocado to the Health are:

  • The pulp is an excellent source of  protein to add to the diet.  Avocado contains about 25% protein.
  • Avocado pulp is rich in essential fatty acids.
  • The pulped avocado flesh can be applied to wounds or burns or sores to assist healing.  It can be applied as a poultice in these cases, and fresh applications put on three times a day.
  • Avocado Oil benefits the skin:  The mashed pulp can be applied to the skin as a natural organic facepack to improve its texture.  It can be left on for half an hour and then rinsed off. This has a cleansing and rejuvenating  action on the skin.
  • Avocado is high in Vitamins A, B1 and B2 and Vitamin E.
  • The fruit has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.
  • The fruit has been used in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac.
  • Compounds  extracted from the leaves, which are astringent,have been used to treat  the herpes simplex virus, which includes cold sores and genital herpes.
  • The astringent leaves and bark have traditionally been used to bring on menstruation.  Preparations can also be made from the leaves to help diarrhoea, and stomach complaints, coughs and liver disfunction.
  •  NOTE the leaves and bark of the avocado  should not be used for any reason by pregnant women, as this could cause a miscarriage.
  • Gout can be helped by using special preparations from the leaves:  the leaves have compounds in them which reduce uric acid from the body.
  • The rind is used as a worm expellant by native peoples in Guatemala
  • The seeds are used by native peoples to treat diarrhoea.
  • It is used externally as a stimulation for hair growth.  The pulp of the fruit can be applied, or oil extracted from the seed used to massage into the hair.
  • Some quirky information:  Avocado leaves and bark contain flavanoids, tannin and  the volatile oil methylchavicol, alpha-pinene.   The pulp, aside from those  vitamins and elements listed above, contains sesquiterpenes.
  • Read more about the Benefits of Avocado in the Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants by Andrew Chevallier, 1996 and 2001, publishers  Dorling Kimberley, Sydney, Australia.