"Do You Believe in Magic?" book on alternative med
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I just raced through a new, terrifying at times tome (by a respected doctor) on mainstream and alternative medicine, comparing the two. The author of "Do You Believe in Magic?" maintains the ancient "natural" meds of India, Japan, China, et.al., don't work unless it's a "placebo effect." This includes acupuncture practices--and patients have even died from the needles being infected, or piercing vital organs. Antibiotics, penicillin, AIDS meds, chemotherapy and radiation, etc., always or usually work, he claims. And non-Western countries clamor for these, are very eager to get them. Jenny McCarthy and Oprah Winfrey are among those who have done a grave devastating disservice by insisting vaccines are to blame for autism, he says. Children have died from not getting vaccinated against certain childhood illnesses. The vaccines don't cause autism, he says many reputable long well-researched scientific studies show. Similar scientific studies also reveal the ancient natural remedies don't help (unless it results from the placebo effect). Also, much of mainstream meds are made from things in the natural plants, too, along with other substances and factors to render them effective and safe. .I went on a kick of taking gingko biloba, ginseng, garlic pills, bilberry pills, lecithin, brewer's yeast pills, black cohosh, cranberry caps, St. John's Wort, omega three fish oil caps, lots of extra Vitamin C, and other "natural" supplements some years back. I was surprised to discover I felt better after I stopped taking all those. I would still like to take cayenne red pepper pills, fish oil pills and extra vitamin C sometimes, but it's said you need to keep taking them on and on to have the proper beneficial effect, and I seem incapable of sticking to a regimen for very long at a time. I'd even stopped taking one multi-vitamin pill a day. But this book says that isn't really good for you either and can be harmful, and megadoses of vitamins can cause heart disease and strokes, etc. One alternative therapy for which I got dramatic confirmation of its usefulness for me (long before my natural pill supplements phase) was hypnosis. I was hypnotized not to like chocolate, and went without eating it a right long time, which seemed like a bona fide miracle. I'd like to be hypnotized again someday for that and other things. I'd like to be able to afford to collect crystals. (LOL)
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Steve Jobs might not have died if he'd resorted to traditional Western cancer treatment including surgery, the book claims. BTW, the author is Paul Offit, MD. He writes about Suzanne Summers running around spreading misinformation, too. She even said diet soda like diet coke, diet pepsi, etc., can drive people crazy, harms the brain. I sure hope that's not true.
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how did you take your natural cures? DId you do capsules or traditional brews? ancients brewed teas or did certain forms of extracts. Pills and their refining process are always ineffective with herbal cures. I've cured myself with nothing but herbs for 30 years now. I wouldn't recommend it for everybody, but if it's a placebo effect, then why is it illegal to smoke pot? (though it's legal in Detroit....)
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Omega 3 fish oil caps...heavily refined. Real fish oil contains Omega 3, 6, 7, and 9.
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the other thing too about scientific studies is the ones that deny natural claims are usually the American ones. The ones in Europe and Asia do the opposite. hmmmm.......
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Capsules. I brewed up Yohimbe Bark into tea once, and it tasted so awful. Didn't feel eager to try anything like that again. This book also slurs chiropractors, says they've done lots of damage. Everybody's so different though and what's good for one might harm another. Some things are toxic for everybody.
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I believe in letting people make their own choices. I don't criticize my friend's medical choices (however, I have been known to remind them when they're feeling suicidal that could be an effect of their meds) Pills though are often made with flow agents like Magnesium Sterate (which comes from pork bones) and it is now believed to be toxic by some. or at least harmful. some say it is the problem not the main ingredients. as for brewing tea...well the world isn't made to taste like candy. and one can always add a flavoring to it. (I do. some of those roots are nasty)
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I love herbal remedies. Some of my favs are: Echinchea for colds and if you were to take a very large dose the natives said it would cure snake bite. Golden seal is great for clearing the inner ear infections sinus gunk too. Cinnamon is noted for lowering blood sugar as an aid. Marshmallow root clears out the liver and intestines. Sage I think is a cure all makes great tea when I had really tightened muscles in my neck it loosened them.
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"Dr. Oz endorses Garcinia Cambogia" (seen online) I recall having a bottle of them, looked like red rubies, years ago back when I was immersed in being herb-crazy and anything "natural" but I never took them. Now I bet these will cost a lot more. There again they might only have a "placebo" effect for the susceptible, but placebos are a good thing when they work for certain people. Dr. Oz strikes me as being a bit dodgy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta seems more reliable and trustworthy. Obama asked him to be Surgeon General (Gupta), but he declined. He must have quite a set of ethics and an a lot of character to turn down a big time gig like that.
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cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
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butterpie:
cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS Discuss vegetarianism (including recipes), animal rights and environmental issues... killing ants is not in line with 'animal rights'... please don't use cinnamon (or anything else) to kill any...
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simplyrahil:
butterpie:
cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS Discuss vegetarianism (including recipes), animal rights and environmental issues... killing ants is not in line with 'animal rights'... please don't use cinnamon (or anything else) to kill any...
I kill insects. It bettre than having fire ants destroy more of my rose bushes and it is evironmenatlly friendly way of doing it. .
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butterpie:
simplyrahil:
butterpie:
cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS Discuss vegetarianism (including recipes), animal rights and environmental issues... killing ants is not in line with 'animal rights'... please don't use cinnamon (or anything else) to kill any...
I kill insects. It bettre than having fire ants destroy more of my rose bushes and it is evironmenatlly friendly way of doing it. .
r.i.p. poor insects... they have a right to live too... nothing friendly at all about killing them. they need to eat too...
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simplyrahil:
butterpie:
simplyrahil:
butterpie:
cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS Discuss vegetarianism (including recipes), animal rights and environmental issues... killing ants is not in line with 'animal rights'... please don't use cinnamon (or anything else) to kill any...
I kill insects. It bettre than having fire ants destroy more of my rose bushes and it is evironmenatlly friendly way of doing it. .
r.i.p. poor insects... they have a right to live too... nothing friendly at all about killing them. they need to eat too...
Do you let fleas eat your dog too?
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butterpie:
simplyrahil:
butterpie:
simplyrahil:
butterpie:
cinnamon also kills ants, and my neighbor says it is good on toast
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS Discuss vegetarianism (including recipes), animal rights and environmental issues... killing ants is not in line with 'animal rights'... please don't use cinnamon (or anything else) to kill any...
I kill insects. It bettre than having fire ants destroy more of my rose bushes and it is evironmenatlly friendly way of doing it. .
r.i.p. poor insects... they have a right to live too... nothing friendly at all about killing them. they need to eat too...
Do you let fleas eat your dog too?
i don't have a dog. even so, defense of one's flesh is different to protecting a flower. there are surely repellent methods than killing methods for any such situation. purposely killing ants to not allow them to eat a flower is quite different than reactive defense to beings attacking another's flesh/fur, even if it takes situational taking of the lives of the fleas. if one keeps a dog in good hygiene anyway, there'd be no fleas issue anyway. but again, i don't have a dog. please stop killing the ants.. edit: i just did some reading on the fire ants issue cinnamon sticks with garlic cloves are actually repelling to them, not necessarily to kill them, but just used as a repellent. also, these plants act as repellents: Garlic Lavender Peppermint Rosemary Thyme also, Vinegar: Wipe the place where you have spotted ants with a 50-50 mixture of vinegar and water. The smell of vinegar removes their scent trails and thus keeps them away. Chalk/baby powder: Both chalk and baby powder contains talcum powder, which is a natural repellent. It is advised to draw a line of chalk or sprinkle some baby powder across the area where ants are entering your home. Coffee grounds: Sprinkle some coffee grounds in your garden around the house. This keeps ants away because of the smell. Herbs or Spices: Using bay leaves, cayenne pepper, chilli pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, mint leaves, turmeric powder, cloves and garlic helps to repel ants from your home due to the smell. Pine Oil: A mixture of pine oil and water can be used as a repellent against fire ants. Sweet Fern: Scattering sweet fern repels the red ants. Tansy: Planting a tansy plant outside helps to keep ants away from garbage cans. so there are non-killing ways to ward them off..
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SusyLuvsPaul:
"Dr. Oz endorses Garcinia Cambogia" (seen online) I recall having a bottle of them, looked like red rubies, years ago back when I was immersed in being herb-crazy and anything "natural" but I never took them. Now I bet these will cost a lot more. There again they might only have a "placebo" effect for the susceptible, but placebos are a good thing when they work for certain people. Dr. Oz strikes me as being a bit dodgy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta seems more reliable and trustworthy. Obama asked him to be Surgeon General (Gupta), but he declined. He must have quite a set of ethics and an a lot of character to turn down a big time gig like that.
I took it 17 years ago as an appetite suprressant. It worked great. I even could stop taking it eventually. It's not that much more now then it was then
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Carpenter ants can destroy a house. I've seen it. they eat away at the wooden frames. When it's your home being destroyed, you feel differently. In an environmental forum, discussing killing an insect without harming the environment seems feasable. (Better then spraying a poison that kills every living thing). baby powder? We've been using it. It seems to work at keeping them away but the cat tracks it around. many of the other repellents work but must be sprayed periodically as they evaporate and the ants come back. (Yes, I agree the idea of a repellent versus killing an insect is a better and viable alternative. but there has been debate on what actually is a repellent and what kills them slowly). Cayanne pepper mixtures can stain. they don't seem to work. many of the oils that Rahil mentioned work well. I've seen little devices that emit a sound out of the range of humans that when placed in certain spots, can repell insects and rodents. I wonder if they work.
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Most alternative therapies don't work and it's just dangerous for people to claim they do since it might stop people seeking help that may be available elsewhere. There are lots of herbal therapies with a good evidence base though.
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cfergoid:
Most alternative therapies don't work and it's just dangerous for people to claim they do since it might stop people seeking help that may be available elsewhere. There are lots of herbal therapies with a good evidence base though.
The same goes for traditional med. For example: An anti-depressent with the side effect of suicide. IT DOESN'T WORK. an bone loss medication that caused the jaw bone to rot. IT DOESN'T WORK and many people who seek alternative medicine do so for two reasons: they already tried the traditional route and want to see what else might be availbable two: They live in America and unless they're a congress person or a prisoner, have no health care that will take care of their condition
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Sometimes Doctors might offer a remedie that isn't from a pharmacy. Like drinking cranberry juice will clear up a bladder infection.