Q: A friend of mine mentioned MME the other day. I’d never heard of it, but she said it helped a friend with a back injury. What is it?

Dr. Wright: One of the many natural energies present on our planet (and elsewhere in the Universe) is magnetic energy. At the Tahoma Clinic, we’ve been using a relatively high (but safe) energy magnetic field system (named MME by its inventor) since 2004 for difficult to heal bone, joint, heart, lung, and neurological problems.

These include–but aren’t limited to–”slipped” discs, chronic arthritis, non-healing or slow-to-heal injuries and fractures, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetic neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, stroke recovery, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and brain damage from injury.

In our series of treatments, approximately two-thirds of patients have had significant improvement, and of the remaining third, one-half have had a small improvement, and the other half, no improvement. That’s been the case at the few other MME centers in these United States.

One of our successes was with a 57-year-old woman with severe osteoarthritis in the left knee. She was advised she should have total knee replacement surgery. She was having difficulty going down stairs, and needed to use a knee brace or a cane when walking, and she walked slowly with a slight limp. Her knee was tender and swollen nearly all the time; any movement caused a grinding, clicking noise. She also had low back pain caused by her knee problem.

Her treatment time with MME magnetic energy was relatively short but for her, very effective. After 72 hours of treatment, she was able to walk at a normal pace without a cane or brace, and with no limp. Her knee pain, tenderness, and swelling were entirely gone! She had no more back pain, and no more grinding and clicking sounds from her knee. She declared she was “tickled pink” with the result.

Of course, not every individual treated with MME magnetic energy has improvement, but (as noted above), more than a majority do. Further statistics and many, many other details about MME magnetic energy treatment (including the locations of other MME treatment facilities in Arizona, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina) can be found at www.amri-wa.com, or by calling 425-738-5650.

Usually, when you invest in a company that ends up seeing some success, you get something in return. You also usually get some say in where your money’s going. You wouldn’t invest in a company that’s not in line with your principles, for example.

Well, that’s not how it’s working this time. Because this time, the government is doing the investing for you–with your tax dollars.

And what exactly are they investing in? Failed drugs developed by Big Pharma. Sounds like a winner, doesn’t it?

You see, these are drugs that were determined to be safe, but that just didn’t work for the diseases they were intended to treat. So rather than allow Big Pharma to lose money on their failed efforts, the government is bailing them out with our tax dollars. They’re giving $20 million in grants each year to researchers who will try to find uses for the drugs.

The new program is launching with 24 drugs from the likes of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lily–you know, those little guys who need taxpayer help getting their dreams off the ground.

Usually, Big Pharma companies spend $2 billion and 14 years getting an initial idea through the various stages of development to become a drug that is ready to be sold. If a drug doesn’t work out, they could be out a good chunk of cash.

You’d think that’s just part of the cost of doing business, but it doesn’t look like the government agrees with you. And they’re making their point by giving Big Pharma some major R&D help with your money.

The researchers doing the work on behalf of the drug companies will have a chance at royalty payments, but the Big Pharma company that owns the drug will still hold the rights, of course.

And you won’t see a dime in return. To add insult to injury, taxpayers will still have to line up to pay out the nose for the drugs they paid to develop!

So it’s the same old story–Big Pharma gets richer and the publics get sicker and poorer.

Your tax dollars at work, my friend…

P.S. Keep reading for an energy miracle that could change your life if you suffer from arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, MS, congestive heart failure…the list goes on…

Sources:
“U.S. to partner with Big Pharma for drug discovery,” Reuters (reuters.com)

Dr. Wright: Sip a cup of strong spearmint tea to decrease the excess testosterone production that can lead to excess body hair.

Researchers in Turkey asked 21 women with excess facial and body hair to drink one cup of strong spearmint tea twice daily for five days in the pre-ovulatory phases of their menstrual cycles. Total testosterone wasn’t reduced, but there was a significant reduction in free testosterone and a significant increase in estradiol–this can put the brakes on the stimulation of unwanted hair growth.

Enjoy a cup on a regular basis, but don’t overdo it–higher testosterone does, after all, stimulate a healthy libido.

It sure doesn’t look like summer is on its way. All I see from my window is grey above and raised umbrellas below.

But there are plenty of other clues that the warmer months are ahead. One big one: The mainstream has started its yearly beating of the SPF drum.

The beat is a little out of rhythm, though. The industry has failed to meet an FDA labeling requirement to make levels of sunscreen protection more clear. Specifically, the FDA wanted changes clarifying which brands protect against UVB and which protect against UVA rays (the scary ones). Current SPF numbers are mostly related to UVB rays, because those are the ones that lead to sunburn.

Manufacturers are also supposed to stop claiming their products are waterproof or sweatproof–they have to say they’re “resistant” now.

The requirement was introduced last year. Sunscreen makers were given until next month to get those new labels on the shelf.

Of course, they’re having a “hard time” meeting the deadline (shocking, I know). So now they’re being given until December. This leaves SPF-seeking consumers scratching their heads for another year.

Here’s a little secret, though: None of this really matters. In fact, no matter what the labels say, you can walk right on by that sunscreen display without giving the bottles so much as a glance.

Yes, sun exposure can contribute to skin cancer. But there are major benefits of the sun that you can’t get slathering yourself in a layer of potentially dangerous chemicals. You can actually reduce your skin cancer risk with limited sun exposure, an excellent diet, and specific supplements (plenty of folate and vitamin A). The summer is prime time to soak up the rays that will help your body make vitamin D.

Sunscreens are dangerous for many reasons. They encourage people to stay outside longer under the assumption they’re protected. Which of course leads to more damage. UVA rays aren’t always blocked. These cause deeper damage while the sunscreen works against UVB damage. So you keep the redness (an important warning of too much exposure) away while the UVA rays are wreaking havoc deeper in your body.

Plus, they’re chock full of potentially toxic chemicals, including some compounds that, when coupled with sun exposure, actually do MORE damage to the skin and others that cause cancer to spread, as Dr. Wright outlines in the April 2012 issue of Nutrition & Healing. If you’re a subscriber, I highly recommend you hold on to that article. It’s an essential guide to the benefits of the sun and the reasons for avoiding sunscreens.

And of course, sunscreens keep you from the biggest benefit of the sun: vitamin D. Several studies have shown that strict use of sunscreen may induce vitamin D deficiency.

So, if we’re taking sunscreen out of the picture, how do you get the benefits of the sun without the potential damage? The old-fashioned way! Shade and protective clothing.

Dr. Wright recommends getting enough sun exposure on your bare (sunscreen-free) face and arms to turn your skin just slightly pink. At that point, head back into the shade.

Enjoy your fun in the sun this summer. Just stay sensible and you can protect yourself from sun damage and get the true benefits of the sun.

Sources:
“FDA delays rules meant to ease sunscreen confusion,” Yahoo! News (news.yahoo.com)

Q: My daughter has had recurring ear infections since she was an infant, and our pediatrician suggested we have tubes put into her ears to combat it. I would like to know what your opinion is on this procedure and if there are any alternatives.

Dr. Wright: There have been numerous studies conducted over the years showing that inserting ear tubes into children’s ears does not prevent infections from recurring or reduce the amount of lingering fluid left behind from these infections, which many health professionals believe can impair speech and language development.

For some reason, despite the continuous findings that ear tubes make no difference in the health of children who have them inserted, research on the procedure continues. (What these researchers should be trying to find out is why, despite these facts, approximately 700,000 children each year have ear tubes inserted, at an estimated cost of $2,000 apiece — which adds up to a whopping $14 billion a year).

The fact is, ear tubes make “no difference,” because recurrent infections and lingering fluid are not due to infants being born without tubes in their eardrums. I’ve seen almost 100 percent of recurrent ear infections cease, and the worst cases of lingering fluid dry up, simply with a change in diet and an individualized supplementation plan.

Both recurrent infections and lingering fluid are caused by a combination of food allergies, refined sugars, and refined carbohydrates. And supplementation with zinc and with vitamins A and C is usually very helpful.

They claim that there’s no evidence that vitamins E or C will ward off macular degeneration. After an eight-year study in older men, the risk of developing macular degeneration was nearly identical between vitamin and placebo users in the study.

Their conclusion was this: “[B]ased on the current results, vitamins E and C are ‘unlikely to have an important effect on the incidence of early age-related macular degeneration.’”

Could this be possible? Could all of the research we’ve shared with you over the years on the power of antioxidant vitamins like E and C to beat macular degeneration be wrong? Should you just toss these vitamins and hand your vision over to the mainstream?

Not just yet…because there’s a major problem with this “expert” study.

To beat a serious threat like macular degeneration, the men in this study must have been taking some heavy-duty doses, right?

Nope. And there’s the problem.

I have to admit, I was worried when I read the headlines about vitamins E and C not helping us to hold onto our vision. But as I read more, my worry turned to anger.

Let me just lay out the doses used in the study for you (the men took either both, only one, or neither):

• 400 IU of vitamin E (or a placebo) every other day
• 500 milligrams of vitamin C (or a placebo) each day

After reading those figures, you’re probably as baffled as I am that this is being considered a solid study.

If you’re a regular e-Tips reader, you know that Dr. Wright recommends 400 IU of vitamin E EACH DAY to maintain a healthy immune system. For more targeted use of vitamin E, his recommendations are more in the range of 400 IU three times a day, usually tapering to 600 IU per day.

In cases when macular degeneration is related to low stomach acid, his recommendation is 800 IU per day. That’s a far cry from 400 IU every other day.

The vitamin C dose used in the study is even worse, though. Dr. Wright has suggested that most adults need 3 to 6 grams of vitamin C each day. That’s up to TWELVE TIMES the amount used in the study. And that’s just for normal maintenance!

In short, the dosages used in the study are laughable. And yet the mainstreamers are parading this around as evidence that these vitamins won’t do anything to stop macular degeneration. How many people will stop taking vitamins E and C based on this news?

The bottom line is that you can’t always believe what you read, even studies from so-called experts. But they’re going to have to try a little harder to convince the Nutrition & Healing community that vitamins aren’t powerful healers.

If you’re taking vitamins E and C as part of a macular degeneration prevention protocol, there’s no reason to stop. Rely on a doctor skilled in natural medicine for advice on what will work for you, not on some junk study by mainstream pros who can’t be bothered to use anything close to normal doses of these vitamins.

P.S. Doctor recommending ear tubes for your child, but you’re just not sure? Keep reading.

Sources:

“Vitamins E, C no help against vision disorder,” Medline Plus (nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus)

Q: One of my friends told me that certain foods are related to arthritis. Is this true?

Dr. Wright: Believe it or not, eliminating all of the nightshade vegetables including tomatoes, potatoes, Bell peppers of all colors, eggplant, and (if you haven’t quit already), tobacco can make a big difference.

Over the years, I’ve found that sensitivity to this family of plants can play a significant role in many cases of arthritis. Unfortunately, there’s no test for nightshade sensitivity, so the only way to tell if they’re contributing to your problem is to eliminate all of these foods for several months and observe whether it helps you or not. (If you want more details, go to www.noarthritis.com.)

The mainstream will have you believe that effective prostate cancer treatment depends on dangerous radiation or going under the knife.

But that’s simply not true. And the latest advance in prostate cancer treatment could be waiting for you in your local natural food shop or at the farmers market. In fact, it could be hiding in plain sight right next to a favorite sweetener.

Propolis is the stuff honeybees use to make repairs in their hives. Beekeepers make a tidy business selling the stuff to people in the know. After all, propolis has a strong reputation as a natural healer. It’s used for sore throats, allergies, burns, and a wide range of other illnesses and ailments…including cancer.

But, like many natural remedies, propolis hasn’t been accepted by the mainstream as a serious healer. That could change, though, with studies like this one from the University of Chicago Medicine.

Researchers looked specifically at caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE. CAPE is a compound in propolis. And it shows serious potential for early-stage prostate cancer treatment.

In fact, research shows that CAPE stops tumor cells in their tracks. How? It shuts down their ability to find nutrition sources. That means the cells can’t find the food they need to keep growing. Just six weeks of treatment with CAPE cut the growth rate of tumors in half.

Now, CAPE doesn’t flat out kill the tumors. If treatment is stopped, they can start growing again. But it can indefinitely stop them from growing. Researchers have found this to be true in studies with mice as well as in studies with cultured cells from human prostate tumors.

One of the best things about this finding is that researchers weren’t testing megadoses, either. The researchers found that CAPE was a powerful prostate cancer treatment even at concentrations expected from oral administration.

And what makes this research different from many other studies claiming they’ve discovered the latest and greatest in prostate cancer treatment is that the researchers don’t just know that CAPE works. Thanks to some serious advances in research technology they also know HOW it works. This makes the treatment much more likely to gain traction even among the strongest naysayers.

The researchers are saying CAPE could be a valuable complement to traditional treatments. But what could be even more exciting is what this study means for natural medicine in general. This experiment marks a new wave in research. We’re starting to identify the actual biological mechanisms that make natural remedies work.

This means that we now have a growing body of evidence that will get harder and harder for the mainstream to ignore. So not only is this news exciting when it comes to natural prostate cancer treatment, it also marks a potential sea change in the level of respect given to natural and alternative medicine. And that’s sweet news indeed.

P.S. Keep reading to learn about the family of vegetables that could be linked to arthritis.

Sources:

“Beehive Extract Shows Potential as Prostate Cancer Treatment,” Science Daily (sciencedaily.com)

“Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Suppresses the Proliferation of Human Prostate Cancer Cells through Inhibition of p70S6K and Akt Signaling Networks,” Cancer Prevention Research (cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org)

It’s a secret we’re all desperate to uncover: how to live longer.

There are many factors, to be sure. And here’s a new one that could gain you an extra six or so years.

Danish researchers recently found that jogging can help you live longer. In their study, jogging was associated with a 44 percent reduction in relative risk of death over a study period of 35 years compared to non-joggers.

Not only could it help you live longer, it could also help you live happier. Joggers in the study reported that they have an overall sense of well-being.

Here’s the really good news: You don’t actually have to work too hard to take advantage of the benefits of jogging. All it takes is a slow-to-average pace and one to two and a half hours spread over two or three sessions during the week. And the researchers say that jogging can benefit people getting started at any age.

Okay, let’s be honest, jogging is just not everyone’s cup of tea. And if it isn’t yours, I have more good news. It turns out that ANY type of daily physical activity has a big added bonus.

Getting a little activity in every day isn’t just a key to living longer it’s a key to living better. Studies have found that it can help you ward off Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline. In fact, one study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Neurology found that people in the bottom 10 percent of daily physical activity were 2.3 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s as people in the top 10 percent.

Again, it’s never too late to start. People over the age of 80 were able to reap the benefits of starting a program of daily physical activity.

Researchers found that any kind of activity, including exercising or even cooking or washing dishes, is associated with the reduced risk of cognitive decline. So even if you’re not able to start an exercise program–and you don’t feel like strapping on some jogging shoes–building a little more activity into your day could dramatically help your mind.

P.S. Want to start a jogging routine, but afraid you just don’t have the energy? You can harness the power of pomegranate for a surge of energy-boosting, heart-healthy antioxidants. Click here to find out more from our affiliate supplement company NorthStar Nutritionals.

Sources:
“Joggers Live Longer, Possibly Happier, Lives,” Medpage Today (medpagetoday.com)

“Daily Physical Activity May Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease Risk at Any Age,” Science Daily (sciencedaily.com)

Q: I’m so embarrassed by the cold sores I get from time to time. Is there any way to stop them?

Dr. Wright: For this question, I’ve turned to my colleague Kerry Bone:

Creams containing lemon balm can be very effective for relieving the cold sores brought on by the oral form of the herpes simplex virus (Type 1). In fact, one study found an improved healing rate for 75 percent of patients using lemon balm, as well as an increased time between outbreaks in 50 percent of cases. Compared to conventional treatments the average healing time of lesions was halved to about five days and the time between outbreaks was approximately doubled.

In another multicenter study on 115 patients, 87 percent of the participants using lemon balm were completely healed within 6 days of treatment. And 69 percent of these patients had an extended time between outbreaks that was a full month longer than those using conventional drug treatment.

In a more recent clinical trial, 66 patients with recurrent herpes-related cold sore outbreaks were treated with either the lemon balm cream or a placebo. The cream was applied to the affected area four times a day for five days. Compared to the placebo, symptoms were significantly reduced by the second day, which is important because this is around the time when symptoms are typically at their worst.

Since these studies found that lemon balm cream effectively lengthened the time between outbreaks, it’s reasonable to assume that it might also be able to prevent outbreaks altogether or at least increase the time between breakouts even more if its applied regularly to cold-sore-prone areas.

Lemon balm cream can also be used to treat herpes simplex Type II infection, and probably other similar viral skin infections including shingles. (A technical note: If you decide to try this approach, the creams used in the studies contained 1 percent of a concentrated 70:1 extract of lemon balm.)