Optimal Health

Bill Cosby Swears by Homeopathic Remedy

“His regimen to fight his cold includes Vitamin C … A secret ingredient to his recovery is Oscillococcinum. … his wife turned him on to alternative health when they moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s… But he says he’s trying to spread the gospel of Oscillococcinum.

“‘I’ve learned to pronounce Oscillococcinum because so many people don’t know anything about it,’ …

“‘If you call people and they say, ‘Oh, man, I’m coming down with…,’ you tell them ‘Go to the drug store and get that box. It’s the only medicine with a lot of S’s and a lot of C’s in the first word. …’

‘They call back. ‘Did you get it?’ ‘No, I haven’t gone yet.’ They’re wheezing and sneezing and (have a) headache. ‘Here, hang up the phone and go.’ And they still don’t go. Why? ‘Because I don’t know how to pronounce it.’ So it becomes very, very funny and you get frustrated because you know it’s going to work.’”

—“Bill Cosby on colds: Not so funny; Comedian swears byFrench formula,” by Bruce Fessier,The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA, February 11, 2010

What is the Difference between Homeopathy vs. Herbs vs. Supplements

Let me pass on some healthy experience and advice for the holidays based on my 27 years experience as a healer ~ 

1.) Homeopathy uses little white pills that come in little blue plastic tubes.   You put them into the bottle cap and then under the tongue.  There are thousands of homeopathic remedies.  

They are made from either plants, minerals, or parts of animals (like the venum of the snake, or mother’s milk.)

Homeopathy is very similar to vaccinations, or allergy shots.  It uses a very, very, very tiny amount of the original substance to stimulate the body to heal itself.   

There are never side effects with homeoapthy, but sometimes your old symptoms will temporarily come back the during the treatment.  This is a sign you are on the right homeopathic treatment.

Many pharmacists and Medical professionals do not “believe” in homeopathy becuase it uses such a small dose.

But for anyone who has treated their dog, cat, or infant with homeopathy, you know it couldn’t be a placebo effect, because your pet or infant gets well so quick when you select the right homeopathic treatment.

2.)  Herbs are similar to drugs except we use the whole plant to make the herbal tablet or capsule.   By using the whole plant, there are no side effects.    (The only exception to this is if you are also taking Western medications.  Then we need to make sure there are no conflicts between the two.)

There are Chinese herbs and American herbs.  Since I”m a Doctor of Chinese medicine, I use mostly Chinese herbs.

Chinese herbs are quality controlled here in the United States and are completely safe.  The only side effect might be diarrhea from taking too many at the same time.

Chinese herbs are used to treat everything from hypertension, back pain, PMS, depression, panic attacks, insomnia, colds, flu, irritability, impatience, urinary infections, low sex drive, infertility, to enhance breast size and arthritis.

3.)  Supplements include vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.   Everyone should be taking the right vitamins and minerals for their body type, age, and sex.   I can help you determine the right vitamins and mineral to take based on your blood test or hair analysis.

Amino acids are capsules you take to enhance mood and improve brain function.  We use them mostly for problems like low sex drive, ADD, ADHD, fatigue, memory, concentration, insomnia and hyperactivity.

My preference is to use all three, along with acupuncture.  The people I have seen over the years who use herbs, homeopathy, supplements and acupuncture, and who also exercise and eat a healthy diet, are the happiest and most healthy.

Best of luck on your healing path.

New Years Resolution - Start Taking Your Supplements

Summary:  Everyone needs the most basic supplements, which include:

*Omega 3, 6, 9 Oils

*Probiotics

*Magnesium

*Multi Vitamin/Mineral Fromula for your age and gender

*CoQ10 for your cardio-vascular system

*Individualized program based on symptoms and blood analysis 

We all need vitamin and mineral supplements — Right?  With our higher levels of awareness for our body’s health and healing process, who could logically say:  “No—-not me, I don’t need vitamins?”  

One might say that medical doctors and many scientific investigators don’t believe in the need for supplements, but this is no longer true.  In recent classes I’ve taught to medical doctors throughout the Los Angeles area, I’ve seen an incredible interest among many physicians  and an honest desire to learn what’s best for their patients.   Many of these docs are taking vitamins, herbs and other supplements themselves and seeing firsthand that they really work!

Some of the most common reasons for taking vitamin and mineral supplements are:

1.  Large-scale commercial agra-business has depleted our soils of nutrients.  Soil has been scientifically researched and found to be deficient in many necessary minerals.  Organically grown food is much better, and richer in vitamins and nutrients, but is more costly and still hard to obtain for our everyday needs.

2.  Pesticides are used around our homes, are found in most of the foods we eat, and are hidden in the form of ant and roach “hotels”, moth balls, mildew removers, fungicides, termite eradication and others.  These pesticides inevitably get into our body.

3.  Other environmental pollutants also claim a toll on the body, creating a need for more anti-oxidants and other minerals and vitamins.

4.  Smog:  Living in Los Angeles, we are all subject to the effects of poor air quality.  Breathing smog on a daily basis depletes the body of anti-oxidants.

5.  Smoking, prescription medications, recreational drugs and alcohol deplete the body of valuable nutrients and electrolytes.  This is why most people who smoke have a lot of dental and bone density problems:  The minerals needed to build healthy teeth and bones have been leached out of the system.

6.  Electromagnetic Field Pollution is everywhere.  From airports, cell phones, X-Rays, MRI’s, radio waves, microwaves, television and computer screens, we are constantly bombarded by radiation in every direction we turn.  If you own an electro-magnetic field detector as I do, you’d be amazed by measuring the amount of daily radiation you are subjected to.   Radiation alters your electro-magnetic field, your chi/energy, and personal gravitational center, thus causing stress-induced depletion of minerals and vitamins.

7.  We all live under tremendous stress.  Unless you live in the desert  and are on retreat 100% of the time, it’s likely that your endocrine system, including your adrenal glands and thyroid, are functioning on overdrive much of the time.  Stress depletes the body of its essential nutrients, including vital antioxidants and electrolytes.

8.  The “Quickening” — Few could argue that we perceive time as speeding up.  The physical body is dealing with a constant onslaught of energy, the mental body is constantly overwhelmed by too much data and information, and the emotional body is being called upon to integrate and make sense of all this additional information.  All of this contributes to stress, which depletes the body by sending it into “overdrive” much of the time.

But which supplements are the best ones for your particular body and mind?  Although we are all mostly exposed to the same common environmental problems,  not everyone needs the same products. 

Our bodies vary tremendously, and so do our physiological needs.  

In 1996, Dr. Roger Williams, the scientist who discovered Pantothenic Acid, wrote a book called Biochemical Individuality.   In this book, he discusses various research studies demonstrating people’s unique needs. 

This is why  the best way to determine your individual needs is through individualized testing and analysis.   And the most reliable form of testing uses the blood.

Health is relative, and a person who doesn’t have a known disease is not necessarily healthy.  So the best way to analyze blood chemistry is in terms of “optimum” rather than “normal.”

Your blood is alive!   By that I mean that your blood is electrically charged.  Each mineral molecule in the blood carries either a positive or negative electrical charge.   Each negative charge is attracted to a positive charge and each positive charge is attracted to a negative charge.

Problems like insomnia, low or high blood pressure, weight gain or loss, fluid retention, arthritis, colitis, constipation, allergies or asthma all begin to make sense when we look at the blood in this way.  

 Looking at the typical blood chemistry analysis and CBC, I have an entire picture of exactly which organs are weak, or “under-active,” and strong, or “over-active,” from the point of view of Chinese medicine.   

Taken together, these two methods of blood test analysis give a very clear indication of which supplements and herbs are needed to bring the body into balance for optimal functioning.  

According to a study reported at the 11th World Congress on Pain in Sydney, Australia in August 2005, acupuncture was very successful at alleviating the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This study was conducted by the International Association for the Study of Pain. Results of the study showed that of the 50 patients who met the American College of Rheumatology’s criteria for fibromyalgia, and who had tried other Western treatments without relief, almost all felt a significant improvement in pain relief.

Patients received a total of six treatments over a two- or three-week period. Before the first treatment and immediately following the last treatment and at one and seven month intervals thereafter, patients completed a series of questionnaires to determine the severity of their symptoms. According to the study, the greatest improvement occurred at one month following the last treatment.

Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire before the first treatment, after the last treatment and at one-month intervals after the last treatment. The last questionnaire was at seven months. All the patients experienced significant improvement in pain relief. The doctors conducting the study said that they were also surprised because they expected only to see vast improvement in pain relief, and had not expected to also see improvements in relief from fatigue and anxiety. But all patients reported improvements with all three symptoms.

The doctors said that had the patients continued their treatments longer, they would have all had more far reaching cumulative effects that would have lasted even longer.

Fiibromyalgia is defined as having multiple points of pain and tenderness, not caused by other diseases. Also known as Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS), symptoms also often include sore throat, headaches, trouble sleeping, fatigue and anxiety.

Most patients with fibromyalgia do not realize there are options to treatment other then conventional painkillers. Most Western doctors treat with anti-depressant medications. But, in fact, I have found that if people are willing to change their diet and take nutritional supplements, amino acids, herbs and homeopathic remedies, almost 80% will experience complete relief of their symptoms within two to four months.

My book, Optimal Health, How to Get It, How to Keep It, has an extensive chapter on my treatment philosophy for treating fibromyalgia.

In every case, the patient can choose to receive only acupuncture, or also take homeopathy remedies, herbs and nutritional supplements. Again, I have found that healing is accelerated if the patient chooses all types of treatment simultaneously. Acupuncture alone, however, is also successful in many patients. And remember, your health insurance almost always covers at least part of your costs in getting acupuncture treatments!

If you, or someone you know has fibromyalgia, or any type of pain, feel free to pass this information on to them. You can help yourself or someone else from a lifelong dependency on drug therapy and return to living symptom-free.