Herbal Legacy Articles

by Mishelle Knuteson, MH, RET

Have you had the experience of treating a disease and “doing all the right things” yet not seeing the results? There may be an element that is missing. To achieve wholeness in healing, all aspects of our being (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) must be addressed. These aspects are inseparably connected and influence each other. In striving for wholeness, it is important to recognize that an imbalance in any one of these aspects directly affects the others. For instance when the physical body manifests discomfort or disease (“dis-ease”), it is often sending a message that there is a need to balance or eliminate some belief or feeling that resides in the spiritual, emotional and/or mental aspects.

At the leading edge of treatment for emotional stress and personal growth is a complementary healing process called Rapid Eye Technology. Rapid Eye Technology, often called RET, provides a natural, safe way to release stress and trauma. RET simulates REM sleep, your body’s own natural release system. This powerful quick release happens without reliving the trauma. RET accesses the whole body/mind/spirit system while in an awake state.

RET uses blinking, breathing and eye movement techniques along with rapid verbal communication and special imageries that affect a release of stressful emotions on many levels. RET provides education based upon simple universal principles for successfully managing and understanding life. These principles empower individuals to live a happy productive life by releasing negative beliefs, thoughts and emotions - all of which contribute to stress and dis-ease.
To watch a 31 minute video presentation introducing Rapid Eye Technology, click the link below. The presentation includes an interview with Ranae Johnson, founder of RET and owner of the Rapid Eye Institute in Salem, OR.
http://www.rapideyetechnology.com/videos.htm

I will be conducting a workshop on RET at the Dr. Christopher Centennial Celebration, August 1, 2009.  I hope to see you there. For further information contact me at m_knuteson@snh.cc

Mishelle Knuteson
Master Herbalist
RET Technician

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by David Christopher, MH

“The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century.  The swine flu virus is now unstoppable.”
-World Health Organization Chief Dr. Margaret Chan

So…. we are having a PANDEMIC! 

With the announcement by WHO that the swine flu (or H1N1 flu) is a pandemic many people are in a panic and looking for answers.  In fact, in Argentina the health care system was essentially shut down by hordes of people rushing to the hospitals to find out if they had swine flu.

Every article in the media indicates something different; from how many cases there are worldwide; to how soon a vaccine will be ready for the general public, to when it is predicted to get worse (after all, WHO has declared it unstoppable).  Who and what are we supposed to believe?

First – what is the flu?  Influenza (or flu) is a respiratory infection caused by any number of viruses.  More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year from the seasonal flu and about 36,000 die each year. Flu season happens during bad weather when people stay indoors and the therefore don’t get the fresh air, exercise, or sunshine with its accompanying vitamin D production.  In other words, we create a personal environment conducive for viral invasion.

Influenza becomes pandemic when many people are subjected to a weakened or polluted personal or communal environment.  A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide.

Here are a few examples of Pandemics you may have heard about:

• The Plague - middle ages-1347 AD
• The Spanish Flu – 1918
• HIV/Aids virus – 1980’s +
• Swine Flu – 1976
• Gulf War Syndrome -1990’s
• Swine/ Avian (H1N1) - present
• Avian Flu – it has been predicted that this will be a pandemic in the future

The pandemic of 1918 was devastating to the population at large.  It is estimated that it killed 50-100 million people worldwide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic).  However, there was one simple home remedy that was not only effective in curing people; it also prevented others from contracting it.  What is that simple remedy?  It is something that can be found anywhere in the world and is often overlooked by the medical profession.  We can easily purchase it in any grocery store for under $1.00!  Many of us already have it in our homes and use it in cooking but don’t realize the medicinal qualities it contains.  This easy home remedy is simply ………garlic.

How does it work? Garlic has over 28 sulphide compounds, one of which is created when garlic is crushed.  The amino acid Alliin is in a compartment and the enzyme Allinase is in a separate compartment.  The crushing combines these two ingredients and creates a new substance named Allicin.  This smelly, unstable sulphide is more powerful than any antibiotic and is potent in crushed fresh garlic.  This super herb has appeared in close to 1,000 published papers and has been shown to kill bacteria in concentrations as low as 1 part extract in 50,000 parts water.   The odor kills bacteria in Petri dishes at 20 centimeters distance and killed bacteria that were resistant to the antibiotic chloramphenicol.  Garlic is the only antibiotic that also promotes healthy digestion and protects the body from toxins produced by the infection.

The best insurance in the world against the “predicted coming plagues” and “killing diseases” is to have the body in a good healthy condition.  Disease germs are merely scavengers and can only live on toxins, mucous and residue from junk foods.  They cannot and will not damage healthy cell structure.  Therein lies the key!  Have a healthy, clean body and disease germs will by-pass you - wanting nothing to do with your body, because it would be “obnoxiously clean” (in their language) and have no filth for them to live on.

If you do get sick, however, you should not be around other people.  You should stay home and take care of yourself.

Avoid all animal products (especially dairy) and go on a liquid diet of fresh juices and plenty of distilled water and red raspberry tea.  Make sure the bowels are moving so as to eliminate toxins quickly.   

Next, lubricate the body liberally with garlic oil (fresh garlic pressed into olive oil) – especially the chest and soles of the feet.  This is an easy way to take in a lot of garlic.  You can get a recipe for onion soup on our website listed below.

One woman called because many at her work had been out with a flu that was lasting about two weeks.  She came home from work feeling sick and called to see what she could do.  She wasn’t up to going to the store so I questioned her to see what she had in the house that she could use.  I told her about this simple remedy which includes the juice from two apples, four stalks of celery, and one inch square of ginger.  The Chinese have done studies that show that effectiveness of ginger in killing viruses.  She drank this juice all day along with water.  She also stayed down and rested.  The next day she was back at work.

To complete the process of healing, we suggest you stay on fresh juices, fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of distilled water.

If the plague, or some other epidemic hits before you are in a good healthy condition, it is good to have an aid for a fast cleaning.  My father, the famed herbalist Dr. John R. Christopher, tells the following story about an aid that does just that.  Here is his story in his own words:

While lecturing in Snowflake, Arizona one night, one person in the group asked if we had an Anti-Plague formula, and I was prompted to give them a certain combination of herbs (that included garlic) to use.

The people there were very impressed to go right to work and prepare this liquid, having it ready for use. We had told them that plagues come at unexpected times and it could be tomorrow or maybe even years away, but expect the unexpected and be ready now. If the formula was still unused, from “no need” years later, we could all be happy but “TIS BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY”.

These good people made it up in gallon lots and had it on hand. Months later while speaking in Tucson, Arizona, someone asked for the “Anti-Plague remedy.” I was surprised and asked where they had heard of it, as we had only given it out once. We were informed that a plague-like condition or flu had hit the Snowflake area and when other aids failed, this combination of herbs in liquid form performed its job with amazing speed.

At our next series of lectures in Snowflake, sometime later, we heard one testimony after another about the many different types of ailments that were given quick relief by using this formula.

The formula (now called Super Garlic Immune Formula) has now spread in many areas from coast to coast and is being used with good results. A man picked us up at an airport on the west coast a short time ago, and on the floor of his car was a bottle with liquid in it. When asked what it was he said, “Oh, that’s your Anti-Plague remedy, we never travel without it as it works good on about any sickness that comes up while we are traveling. We are also never without a bottle of it at home.”

Learn more about Dr. Christopher’s Super Garlic Immune Formula, find a recipe for the soup and learn more about educational opportunities regarding the pandemic at the website below.

David Christopher, MH, is the son of famed herbalist Dr. John R. Christopher.  David Christopher is a popular lecturer – his repertoire is extensive including such subjects as weight management, diabetes, cancer, cleansing, backyard/grocery store herbology, etc.

For more information, including recipes and ready-made garlic products, visit http://www.naturalcureforswineflu.com/.

Press Release Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Swine_Flu_PR.doc 
Printable Version: www.herballegacy.com/Swine_Flu_Pandemic.pdf

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contributed by Sarah M. Greer, LMT CYI CHHC
http://www.massageyogahealth.com/

Did You Know?

• The skin is the largest most important eliminative organ in the body and is responsible for one quarter of the body’s detoxification each day?
• The skin eliminates over one pound of waste acids each day in the average adult, most of it through the sweat glands?
• That the skin is known also as our third kidney?
• That the skin receives one third of all the blood circulated in the body?
• That the skin is the last to receive nutrients in the body, yet the first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency?
 
Detoxification is performed by a number of organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the skin, gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes. The dry brushing technique deals with detoxification of the skin.
 
Dry brushing is a way to stimulate all the above organs of detoxification because it provides a gentle internal massage.

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing:
 
• Cleanses the lymphatic system and stimulates the lymph canals to drain toxic mucoid matter into the colon, thereby purifying the entire system. This enables the lymph to perform its house-cleaning duties by keeping the blood and other vital tissues detoxified. NOTE: After several days of dry brushing, you may notice the gelatinous mucoid material in your stools.
• Removes dead skin layers which can help improve skin texture and cell renewal.
• Strengthens the immune system
• Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands
• Tightens the skin by increasing the flow of blood, thereby preventing premature aging. 
• Stimulates circulation to skin, encouraging your body’s discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. When the body rids itself of toxins, it is able to run more efficiently in all areas.
• Improves the function of the nervous system
• Helps digestion - helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.
• Dry skin brushing helps with muscle tone and more even distribution of fat deposits.
• Dry skin brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin.
• Individuals who sit at a computer screen all day long will particularly take pleasure in the benefits of skin brushing. People who have inactive lifestyles or jobs usually experience stiff and sore necks and shoulders that reach even into their arms and down their spines and into their lower backs. Increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated.
• Removes cellulite - LADIES—Cellulite is toxic. Cellulite is toxic materials that are accumulated in your body’s fat cells as they are unable to be eliminated. So, rather than liposuction surgery, how about utilizing the “dry skin brushing” techniques coupled with an alkaline diet program and a great exercising routine. It will break down the unwelcome toxic body deposits and send them scurrying out of your body through the elimination channels we discussed above
• AND it’s easy, inexpensive and invigorating!

Tips and Tricks for Dry Brushing:

• Always dry brush your dry body before you shower or bathe because you will want to wash off the impurities from the skin as a result from the brushing action.
• You can do the brushing head-to-toe or toe-to-head.  It really doesn’t matter as long as the entire body is brushed. Long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction help drain the lymph back to your heart. Note: Stroking away from your heart puts extra pressure on the valves within the veins and lymph vessels and can cause ruptured vessels and varicose veins.
• Use light pressure in areas where the skin is thin and harder pressure on places like the soles of the feet.
• Skin brushing should be performed once a day, preferably first thing in the morning. A thorough skin brushing takes about 15 minutes, but any time spent brushing prior to bathing will benefit the body. If you are feeling ill, increasing the treatments to twice a day is good. You can also dry brush areas of cellulite five to 10 minutes twice a day to achieve cellulite dissolving, but the technique needs to be done consistently for a minimum of five months.
• Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken such as areas of skin rash, wounds, cuts, and infections. Also, never brush an area affected by poison oak or poison ivy.
• Finish up with your regular shower and ending with three hot and cold cycles. That means turning on the water as hot as you can take it for several seconds, then as cold as you can handle it, then hot, then cold for three cycles. End with either hot or cold. This will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bringing more blood to the outer layers of the skin.
• After getting out of the shower, dry off vigorously and massage your skin with pure plant oils such as olive, avocado, apricot, almond, sesame, coconut or cocoa butter. Add a little peanut and Castor oil to the mix if you have arthritis. Edgar Cayce says this works to take out some of the pain, and we’ve found that to be true over the years.
• Clean your skin brush using soap and water once a week. After rinsing, dry your skin brush in an open, sunny spot to prevent mildew.
• Any well designed program will take about 30 days to see and experience the changes. Please be patient and keep up the program! For a thorough lymphatic cleansing, perform skin brushing daily for a minimum of three months.

How to Dry Brush (Easy, Fast Instructions):
 
• Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.
• Continue brushing up your legs.
• Proceed to your hands and arms.
• Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders and neck.
• Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.
• Lightly brush the breasts.
• Brush upwards on the back and down from the neck. Better yet, have a friend, spouse or family member brush your back.

Dry skin brushes are available through Sarah Greer (you can contact her on her website) or at many health food stores.

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by Yvonne Salcido, MH

HISTORY: Sprouts have been used for thousands of years. The Chinese have records of using sprouts 5,000 years ago for nutrition and healing. The Roman soldiers used them in the long journeys. In the Bible Daniel used pulse, which was a mixture of grains and sprouted seeds. This is how he and his companions increased their health and wisdom.

BENEFITS: Scientific studies have shown that by sprouting grains, beans, seeds, and nuts the nutrition levels of proteins, vitamins and minerals increased 300-1000%.  By sprouting you have released the protective coating of the grain so the digestive enzymes are released. This makes them easily digestible for babies and the elderly.

FACTS: By sprouting your grains and beans you can remain healthy and strong having fresh food with high protein, vitamin and mineral content.  If you are short on storage space you can have one 45 lb. bucket of sprouting mixture and have a year supply for one person.

Sprouting is easy and you can have fresh produce in 3-4 days!!!

HOW TO SPROUT: Place seeds in glass quart jar or sprouter.  Cover with water, let sit for 24 hours.  Then drain and rinse 3 times a day for 3 days. During this time cover with towel to keep in the dark for 2-3 days, then you can remove the towel and let them green up. They are good by the handful or in salads, sandwiches, or your favorite recipes.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Sprouts.pdf

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from Original Fast Foods by James & Colleen Simmons
http://www.christopherpublications.com/OriginalFastFood.html

Let’s talk for a moment about the benefits of withholding nutritional inputs from time to time in our lives, or in other words, the practice of fasting.  Fasting is an essential component to good health.  It is a vacation from digesting food, the most energy-demanding activity of the body, and can be a beneficial part of the healing and energizing process.  One third of the body’s energy supply is used during digestion.  While fasting, energy used for digestion is redirected to restorative processes.

Unsupervised fasting once a week or once a month for 24 hours is a wonderful and safe lifetime habit for most people.  Fasting regularly enhances one’s health more than any other single activity.  Even after a person reaches ideal body weight, unwanted substances that are hard for the body to eliminate enter the body through the foods we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the hectic lives we live.  Fasting helps to release unwanted substances, toxins, and other wastes from the fat and tissues and helps to restore and maintain vitality and strength.

Great insights and accomplishments may occur while fasting regularly – as well as great advances toward developing a healthier body.

Ending a fast properly is as important as the fast itself.  For one-day fasts come off the fast by consuming whole ripe fruits or a green smoothie.  A few hours later consume a large pulse salad (see recipes below for green smoothie and pulse salad).  Be careful not to overeat in your first post-fast meal; however, do consume enough fruit to be able to easily experience a bowel movement.

Some individuals should not fast because of unusual biological conditions they have inherited from birth.  Additionally, fasting is unadvisable for anorexic or bulimic individuals, or for any person whose body is emaciated or in a state of starvation.  Neither nursing nor pregnant women who are diabetic should fast, nor should anyone with anemia (clinical or congenital) or those who have an intense fear of fasting.  Except for these few conditions, fasting is considered extremely safe.

Those who should never fast without supervision include infants and young children, pregnant women (non-diabetic), those with serious disease conditions, type 1 or type 2 diabetics who are using insulin or those with histories of recreational drug abuse.

Over time, most people include a higher intake of sugar, salt, fat, and animal-based foods in their diet.  The most practical way to reset the body’s appetite toward more healthful food choices is by fasting 24 hours.  A periodic 24 hour fast is an extremely beneficial habit that will help you enjoy more healthful foods.

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excerpt from “Original Fast Foods – A Groundbreaking New Dietary Lifestyle Guide” by James & Colleen Simmons

Through the use of concentrated sugars, fats, proteins, and artificial colors and flavorings, food scientists have perfected the art of keeping us coming back for unhealthful foods of all kinds.  We become stimulated and enamored by the very foods known to most successfully promote heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and so forth.

The many refined and processed foods of today each stimulate the pleasure center of the brain.  Nutrition is stripped during the processing and refining, and then harmful and disease promoting substances are added to foods which were once healthy in their nature and constitution. 

A full 51% of the foods eaten in America today are processed and refined.  As such, they are denatured foods lacking in real nutrition.  Choices are made for the quickest source of pleasure rather than for nourishment.  By including in foods substances such as sugar, fat, and animal-based products – that stimulate the pleasure center of the brain – food scientists can guarantee that we become addicted and that we are driven to consume more and more of what they produce.  We choose a physical response in the brain, a release of dopamine, followed by pleasure rather than choosing true health and vitality.  This cycle has led our nation to the highest rates of degenerative diseases in the world.

There are a few important steps that individuals must follow in their daily regimen in order to permanently overcome damaging food seductions.

1. Start each day with a good breakfast [Dr. Christopher recommended starting the day with fruit or soaked grains].  Stabilizing blood sugars is the first step to controlling and eliminating cravings.
2. Throughout the day include foods that steady your blood sugars.  Fruits, green vegetables, and legumes (beans) help prevent blood sugar dips that can lead to cravings.
3. Eat at least 10 calories per pound of your ideal body weight.  If you eat too little food, your body stops making leptin, a natural appetite-controlling hormone.  Under normal circumstances, don’t eat fewer than 1500 calories per day and never under 1200 calories per day, except when fasting.
4. Eliminating the intake of animal proteins and fats helps significantly to reduce hormone swings, which lead to cravings.
5. Exercise moderately six days a week to build physical resilience.  Include strength-building exercise such as lifting weights; include aerobic exercise such as bicycling, jogging, walking, and swimming; and include flexibility exercises to remain limber.
6. Go to bed early and obtain an adequate quantity of restful, undisturbed sleep each night.
7. Turn off the television and develop worthwhile hobbies and activities that take your mind away from food.  Television is known to be a powerful trigger for one’s appetite.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has specifically associated childhood obesity with television viewing.
8. Plan ahead if you will be travelling or eating out.  Most restaurants today accommodate a plant-based diet upon request.
9. Fast periodically, up to 24 hours once each week or month, if possible.  Fasting from food helps to reset the body’s natural preference for healthier foods.
10. Ask for the help and support of friends and family and find motivations to succeed (love, children, to live life fully, and to fulfill your important purposes on earth).  Make it very powerful.

These suggestions may appear to be an over-simplification of the sensitive nature of food addictions, but they are not.  They are powerful recommendations that are reliable and effective.  Food seductions and pleasure releases are real.  Recognizing the pleasure triggers in your life and intelligently working with them are required if you wish to achieve and maintain ideal health.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Food_Seductions.pdf

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Earlier this week a story broke from the University of Rochester Medical Center that people with cancer can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent by using ginger supplements before undergoing treatment.  This was an unexpected find for the researchers: “We were slightly beside ourselves to see how much it helped” said study leader Julie Ryan.

The study involved 644 cancer patients, and the ginger worked best when taken three days before chemotherapy started (to read the entire study visit http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/05/14/ginger.quells.cancer.patients.nausea.chemotherapy).

While the researchers were surprised at the finding, it is no surprise to herbalists, who have used ginger for nausea, stomach pain, cramps, indigestion and more for hundreds of years.

Dr. Christopher tells a story about when a lady called from Salt Lake to his home in Cottonwood at three o’clock in the morning.  He had just finished his night calls and had barely retired to bed; the woman insisted that he come help her daughter, who was screaming in the background with terrible stomach pain.  He said, “Take some Ginger and baking soda.  The pain will stop.  You will be able to go back to bed.”  But the lady insisted that he come.

Dr. Christopher pulled on his clothes and wearily set out for the lady’s house.  The daughter’s pain had become so acute that the mother finally decided to follow Dr. Christopher’s counsel.  When he arrived the daughter herself opened the door, all smiles.  She had no pain.

Dr. Christopher gave the following recipe for making ginger tea: Grate one ounce of the fresh root in a pint of boiling water.  Add honey and lemon if desired to make a nice drink.  This tea is also helpful if you have a cold or the flu.

If you don’t have time to make the tea he reported that two capsules every few hours will help relieve nausea.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Ginger_Study.pdf

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by Master Herbalist Jared Tropple
 
The question has been brought to us about the possible dangers of soy-based products relating to the levels of estrogen in them. I personally love this question because it puts so many holes in the way allopathic (traditional) medicine thinks.
 
In allopathic medicine doctors just look at the symptoms of the disease and treat the body as individual functions (i.e. just treat the one area where the problem is) instead of looking at the whole body.  They also ignore the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the person. Vitalists look at all of these things and help the person cleanse and nourish all parts of the being in order to help the body itself do the healing.
 
As an herbalist I see each plant as a complex set of chemical checks and balances.  I also see the possible energetic qualities. I look how the whole herb (or combination of whole herbs) affects all parts of the body and not just that specific function inside the specific organ. Generally speaking, the medical community takes the herb apart and looks for the specific chemical that is causing the improvement and then creates an unbalanced drug that can be effective on that specific function, but you end up with a list of possible severe side effects that you wouldn’t find in the whole plant source.
 
It is important to remember that soy is one of the most genetically modified foods.  You should stay away from anything that is genetically modified.  As long as you make sure your soy products are organic you will be safe because the plant will work how it should. I don’t have a problem with soy-based estrogen formulas to balance out hormone levels if they are sourced from organic soy and if they use the whole plant and not just isolated parts of it.
 
Estrogen in drug form can be dangerous because it forces the body to use such high levels of the hormone that it causes fluctuations in estrogen production.  These fluctuations can sometimes cause other side effects that can be more uncomfortable and can cause more disease in the body than the original low levels of estrogen did.  In contrast, phytosterols, like those found in plants, are at very low levels.  Because the estrogen in soy-based products is at a low level you sometimes hear about the insignificance of using them as hormone replacement therapy. However, they do help the body even out the levels of hormones over time, which is what you want.

Dr. Christopher created a formula that feeds the whole system and cleanses out any blockages that may be occurring.  Dr. Christopher’s Hormonal Changease formula takes into account many factors that may be causing low estrogen levels. It doesn’t have high amounts of any hormone in it, but if you ask the many people over the years that love the formula they will testify of its effectiveness in balancing out hormone levels over time and thus correcting the initial problem.

As a note, in some instances like breast and cervical cancer, estrogen can make it worse. The idea to stay away from estrogen is good advice for these people.

Printable Version: http://www.herballegacy.com/Estrogen_Soy.pdf

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What is soy?  A soybean is a legume – soybeans are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, tryptophan, fiber, iron and other minerals.

A big problem comes when people become “vegetarians” and start eating a lot of processed soy food – including soy hot dogs, soy hamburgers, soy bacon, soy sausage, soy yogurt, soy ice cream, and just about any other type of “health food” soy products.  If you have been in almost any health food store (except Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop) you will find the aisles, “non-dairy dairy” section and frozen food aisle packed with almost every imaginable soy-based product, all touted as health foods.  When these foods become a regular part of your diet they are not healthy – they can occasionally be used as a meat substitute as part of an otherwise healthy diet and you will be fine.  David Christopher says if you are trying to decide between a slice of bacon and a slice of soy bacon go with the soy bacon – in moderation and only once in a while.  In other words, they are a transition food. 

The problem with most of these foods is that they are highly processed and use genetically modified soybeans.  The majority of soybeans in the United States are genetically modified, which is not good for your health.  For more information on the problems associated with genetically modified foods read the article here: http://articles.herballegacy.com/nightmare-on-elm-streets-dinner-table-genetically-modified-food-morgellons-disease/. If you are going to buy these foods check the package and try to find one that says “Non-GMO” for a better alternative.

PCRM (Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine) says, “It is useful to remember that the more we mimic a meat and dairy diet by using soy products that are altered in various ways for flavor and mouth-feel, the further away we get from healthier foods.”  For the most part we encourage you to avoid these foods – you don’t need them, and if eaten often can be very detrimental to your health.

However, in their organic state soy can be a healthy addition to a healthy diet.  Organic soybeans that have been fermented are also healthy – this includes miso, tempeh and some soy sauces.

What about soymilk?  The School has always taught that soymilk is not a beverage to drink on a regular basis – distilled water and fresh juices should be the main beverages you drink.  However, using some organically made soymilk (preferably made at home) in your fruit shake or in other recipes is fine.  It is better than using cow’s milk!  You can also make delicious nut milks – see our recipe section for some nut and rice milk recipes - http://www.herballegacy.com/Beverages.html.  You will find some recipes, including soups, on our site that use soymilk.  You will continue to see these recipes on occasion – but we will always link the recipes to our recipe for organic soy milk.

What about tofu?  Many Asian people include tofu in their diets – Dr. Ben Kim, who is of Korean descent, says, “Sometimes tofu, once it’s made, is fermented to produce fermented tofu dishes in East Asian cooking – mostly Chinese.  The bottom line for me is that I know enough healthy Korean and Chinese folks in their 80’s and even their 90’s who have long enjoyed den jang (miso) and tofu to believe that including some soy in one’s diet is fine for most people.”

Please note that we aren’t encouraging you to eat soy – if you don’t like it or you have allergic or other negative reactions to it then don’t eat it.  If you like it and use it in its organic and/or organic fermented state then it is fine (as part of an overall healthy diet).

PCRM concludes a great article about soy with this:  “Soy has many attributes that make it useful for those transitioning to healthful diets, although it is quite easy to follow a healthy, low-fat, vegan diet without using soy. For those who prefer to add soy products to their diets, it is prudent to emphasize the least processed sources of soy, such as edamame, tempeh, tofu, and soymilk, as part of a diet that includes other legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Other soy products, including vegetarian meat and dairy substitutes, may be helpful for people who are making healthful changes from meat- and dairy-based diets.”

For more detailed information about soy, including a discussion of the studies done about soy and its effect on Alzheimer’s, thyroid function, breast cancer and reproductive health, please check out the links below.

Sources and Additional Information:

• A Healthier You Radio March 28, 2009 (during the caller portion of the show)
• Dr. Ben Kim: The Place of Soy in the Health Food Arena http://drbenkim.com/soy-health.htm
• Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine: Soy and Your Health http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/soy_health.html

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by David Christopher M.H.

Influenza (or flu) can be found anywhere in the world.  However, the cure can also be found anywhere in the world.  The cure is garlic.

The dose is 16 cloves of fresh garlic a day if infected or 4 cloves a day as a preventative measure.  This may sound simplistic, but it works.

If you want a readymade product, there is no better remedy than Dr. Christopher’s Anti-Plague Formula (now called Super Immune Garlic Formula).  I would suggest consuming a 4 oz bottle per day if infected until all symptoms have terminated.  The dosage on the label would suffice as a preventative (see the story below for how this formula was developed by Dr. Christopher and how it has been used to cure epidemics in the past).

The other procedure that will ensure success is Dr. Christopher’s Cold Sheet Treatment, which is in booklet form and is available from Christopher Publications. 

If you are infected additional helps would be to avoid all animal products (especially dairy) and go on a liquid diet of fresh juices and plenty of distilled water and red raspberry tea.  Eat onion soup (see recipe here).  Lubricate the body liberally with garlic oil - especially the chest and soles of the feet.  Use onion poultices on the chest.  To make an onion poultice slice an onion, put it in a dish, and heat it in the oven until the juices start to flow.  You don’t want to burn the patient, but the onions need to be warm.  Rub olive oil on the chest of the patient (add some Sen-Sei if you want), then put the onions on.  Then cover the onions with your cloth.  Next wrap saran wrap around the patient and the poultice.  This may take two people to keep the onions from falling out!  Then wrap an ace bandage around the saran wrap to secure the poultice. 

Make sure the bowels are moving by taking Dr. Christopher’s Lower Bowel Formula.

I have heard rumors that this strain of flu triggers the Immune system to damage itself.  I cannot believe this to be true – however, if it does then I would use Dr. Christopher’s Immucalm Formula with the above mentioned procedures. 

I recently did a Radio show on this flu and suggest that you listen to it for more details and information.  You can listen for free this week by clicking here.

To learn more and to gain confidence in treating influenza, I would strongly suggest that you take the Family Herbalist course online.  This course (and future courses) will give you the knowledge and skills you need to handle this flu and almost any other illness that you will deal with.  We strongly believe that the best prevention is knowledge!

How Dr. Christopher Created the Super Immune Garlic Formula

“While lecturing in Snowflake, Arizona one night, one of the students asked if we had an Super Garlic Immune formula, and after saying a quick prayer I was prompted to give them a certain combination of herbs to use.

“The people there were very impressed to go right to work and prepare this liquid, having it ready for use. We had told them that plagues come at unexpected times and it could be tomorrow or maybe even years away, but expect the unexpected and be ready now.

“These good people made it up in gallon lots and had it on hand. Months later while speaking in Tucson, Arizona, someone asked for the ‘Super Garlic Immune remedy.’ I was surprised and asked where they had heard of it as we had only given it out once. We were informed that a plague-like condition or flu had hit the Snowflake area and when other aids failed, this combination of herbs in liquid form performed its job with amazing speed.

“At our next series of lectures in Snowflake, sometime later, we heard one testimony after another about the many different types of ailments that were given quick relief by using this formula. The formula has now spread in many areas from coast to coast and is being used with good results. A man picked us up at an airport on the west coast a short time ago, and on the floor of his car was a bottle with liquid in it. When asked what it was he said, ‘oh, that’s your Super Garlic Immune remedy, we never travel without it as it works good on about any sickness that comes up while we are traveling. We are also never without a bottle of it at home.’”

To stock up on the Dr. Christopher products mentioned in this article (Super Garlic Immune Formula, Lower Bowel Formula, Sen Sei, Garlic Oil, Immucalm and Red Raspberry Leaves) visit http://www.christopherwebsites.com to find an herb shop.

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