Biological Medicine Network
Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that grows on several types of trees, including apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and birch. It was used by the Druids and the ancient Greeks, and appears in legend and folklore as a panacea or "cure -all", being used for centuries to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy, hypertension, headaches, menopausal symptoms, infertility, arthritis, and rheumatism.
Modern interest in mistletoe as a possible treatment for cancer began in the 1920s and is one of the most widely studied complementary and alternative medicine therapies for it. In certain European countries, products made from European mistletoe are among the most prescribed therapies for cancer patients.
Extracts of mistletoe have been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and to boost the immune system and for this reason, it has been classified as a type of biological response modifier. It has also been shown in the laboratory to prevent the growth of new blood vessels needed for tumors to grow, kill mouse, rat, and human cancer cells, and protect the DNA in white blood cells, including cells that have been exposed to DNA-damaging chemotherapy drugs.
The chemical makeup of mistletoe products varies, depending on many factors, including:
- The type of host tree on which the mistletoe plant grows.
- The time of year the plant is harvested.
- The species of mistletoe.
- Whether the extract is fermented or unfermented.
- Whether the extract is prepared with homeopathic methods.
- The company that makes the product.
Mistletoe extracts are usually given by injection under the skin (subcutaneous). Less common ways to give mistletoe include by mouth, into a vein (intravenous or IV), into the pleural cavity, or into the tumor.
Source: www.cancer.gov
by Karen Garloch
Karen Cummings sat in the back row when her hero, Dr. Thomas Rau, told a Queens University of Charlotte audience about his unusual "biological medicine" practice in Switzerland.
Rau's ideas about curing disease by ridding the body of heavy metals and re-establishing healthy intestinal bacteria are not well-known in this country. He visited Charlotte earlier this year at the invitation of Cummings, who learned about him the hard way.
In 2005, Cummings had surgery to remove a tooth with a 30-year-old root canal. She had cadaver bone and a new tooth implanted in her jaw. Shortly after, she developed strange symptoms - rashes on her back, blisters on her head, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
Her local doctors could find nothing wrong. Several suggested she needed psychological help. For three years, she searched for help, including several weeks at the Mayo Clinic.
Through a friend, she heard about Rau and his Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland and went there for treatment.
Rau is a traditionally trained rheumatologist who became interested in homeopathy and other therapies that make up "biological medicine." He focuses on underlying causes of chronic disease, such as metal toxicity, inflammation, and digestive imbalances. His practice also includes dentists, based on the belief that dental health plays a role in chronic disease. He claims to have cured multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.
At the Swiss clinic, Cummings had four amalgam fillings and the dental implant removed from her mouth. She was also treated for fungal poisoning, discovered with a test called dark field microscopy.
While in Switzerland, Cummings' husband, Steve, also had a checkup. Despite high blood pressure and allergies, he thought himself healthy. But tests showed his body was also overloaded with toxic metals. Like his wife, he had dental amalgams and a root canal removed. He went through detoxification and began eating different foods and taking supplements. Today, he says his blood pressure is lower than it has been in 15 years, without medicine, and his allergies are better than ever, without weekly shots.
Karen Cummings, 56, feels normal again. She wanted others in Charlotte to hear Rau's philosophy. "It's my way of redemption ... I really want to give hope that there is a new fresh way."
Rau's approach may sound strange to many, but the Queens audience included doctors and hospital administrators entrenched in the Western medical world. The 220-seat auditorium sold out in 24 hours, and more than 150 copies of his book, "The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health," were sold that night.
"There's probably something to it," said Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. "I don't think we should dismiss anything out of hand without understanding it."
Dr. Bill Cody, dean of the Blair College of Health at Queens, said the goal of its Wellness Institute is to "bring forward new ideas, and even controversial ideas ...We know the dominant American 'fix-it' model of medicine does not work well for all things."
For more information, see www.paracelsus.ch
source: www.charlotteobserver.com
Watch Maestro Benjamin Zander, Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, testifying before the FDA that his health was restored by having his amalgams removed at the Paracelsus Clinic.
The Sambhavna Trust is a charitable trust run by a group of eminent doctors, scientists, writers and social workers who have been involved with various aspects of the Union Carbide disaster ever since its occurrence in December 1984. The Chairperson of Sambhavna, Dr. PM Bhargava, was awarded the "Padma Bhushan" by the President of India in 1986 and the "Legion d'Honneur" in 1998 by the French government for his scientific and social contributions. Dr. H H Trivedi, former Professor at the Gandhi Medical College and Satinath Sarangi are the two Bhopal based trustees of Sambhavna.
Many are unaware that the disaster in Bhopal continues to this day. An estimated 120,000-150,000 survivors of the disaster are still chronically ill. Over 23,000 have died of exposure-related illnesses and more are dying still. Tens of thousands of children born after the disaster suffer from growth problems and far too many teenaged women suffer from menstrual disorders. TB is several times more prevalent in the gas-affected population and cancers are on the rise.
The failure of the official system of health care contributes largely to the medical disaster in Bhopal. All research and monitoring of the long-term health effects of Union Carbide's gases have been abandoned since 1994. So far no treatment protocols for symptom complexes associated with toxic exposure have been established and symptomatic treatment remains the mainstay of medical response. The indiscriminate prescription of steroids, antibiotics and psychotropic drugs is compounding the damage caused by the gas exposure. Despite the expenditure of hundreds of crores of rupees by the government and the Bhopal Memorial Hospital Trust [BMHT] towards medical relief, the health status of the survivors and their children continues to deteriorate.
In the prevailing situation of despair, the Sambhavna Trust believes in creating possibilities by generating compassion. The work carried out by the Sambhavna Trust over the last five years has shown that it is possible to evolve simple, safe, effective, ethical and participatory ways of treatment monitoring and research for the survivors of Bhopal. However, Sambhavna is small compared to the magnitude and complexity of the disaster. While an estimated 120,000-150,000 survivors of the disaster are today chronically ill, the clinic run by this trust has provided direct treatment to approaching 30,000 people and provided support to about the same number through its health initiatives in 10 communities close to the Union Carbide factory.
At Sambhavna, survivors are offered free medical care through allopathy, ayurveda [an indigenous system of medicine based on herbs] and Yoga. The 45 staff members of the Sambhavna clinic [among whom 23 are survivors themselves] include five physicians, two yoga and two Panchakarma therapists and five community health workers who carry out health surveys, health education and community organisation for better health.
Inside the Sambhavna clinic
The Sambhavna clinic stands in about one acre of medicinal herb garden in the heart of the gas-affected area of Bhopal, half a kilometre from the disused Union Carbide factory and directly south of JP Nagar, the worst-hit neighbourhood. The modern clinic was purpose-designed and built after we outgrew our original building. The new clinic opened in 2006 is ecologically constructed throughout and designed to provide a pleasant and uplifting environment for people coming to us for care. In contrast to government hospitals there are no paan (betel leaf) stains on the walls. Such a tranquil exterior doesn't really prepare you for the diversity and dedication of the work inside - though it does reveal something of Sambhavna's integrative approach to the health care of Bhopal gas survivors.
For instance, the shrubs, trees and climbing plants surrounding Sambhavna, while contributing to a soothing environment for gas-affected visitors, are also intensely functional. Many have a specific use in Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional Indian system employed at Sambhavna. Among the flower beds you will find the heart shaped leaves of Tinospora cordifolia, a plant used in Ayurvedic medicine to dispel different kinds of fever. We grow 90 kinds of herbs in the garden. Distinctive for their foliage are small trees of Ricinus communis, good for relieving pain in the chest, abdomen, limbs and joints - all key symptoms of gas exposure.
Visitors to the garden can find ample shade beneath a trees and can also relax in the rustic hut we have made, which has a clay hearth for making tea. With herbs everywhere, people coming for panchakarma treatment, yoga or women's complaints find themselves surrounded by a variety of medicinal plants. Especially so when some of the plants are flowering, the garden produces a sweet vegetative aroma under the heat of the sun. This is mixed with the smells from the medicines being prepared by our own staff in a well-equipped manufactury within the clinic. More than 30 medicines are prepared at the clinic from our own herbs. These medicines, based on standard Ayurvedic texts, are three to five times cheaper than market preparations and of much better quality.
Download the brochure for more information and to see how you can help...
BioImmersion Inc.
Newsletter – October 8th 2010
October 8th, 2010
Dear Friends,
Last week we were in Dartmouth, Massachusetts attending a three-day medical seminar put on by the Marion Institute’s Biological Medicine Network (BMN). The seminar was entitled Biological Medicine: Advanced Approaches to Difficult Diseases. The presenters were Thomas Rau MD and Frank Pleus MD/DDS. They were from the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland.
For those of you who don’t know Dr. Rau’s work, he is a world-renowned practitioner of the medical paradigm known as biological medicine. For decades people have been coming from all over the world to his Paracelsus Clinic to detoxify and rejuvenate their bodies, and to prevent and cure diseases.
Rather than seeing health primarily as a war that pits your body against outside invaders (i.e. germs, viruses and other pathogens), we believe the healthy body is in balance with itself and with the physical world in which it exists. Illness arises from within when that equilibrium is breached.
In April 2007 Dr. Rau authored a book entitled: The Swiss Secret To Optimal Health. The book not only describes in detail a special diet and form of nutrition, but also about a very deep-healing form of biological medicine and a healthful way of living.
I got a signed copy. It is a fantastic book. Here is the link to Dr. Rau’s work, book and Swiss Paracelsus Clinic (See you there?).
At the heart of this medicine lies the most important variable over which only the patient ultimately has control: nutrition.
» Eat plenty of raw and lightly cooked leafy greens; root vegetables; other vegetables, such as green beans and peas; and fruits— fresh, organic, and in season whenever possible. These provide the bulk of the diet. They metabolize alkaline.
» Whole grains, such as spelt, oats, quinoa, and amaranth for protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
» At least two tablespoons of good fats, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, flax seed oil, sesame oil, pumpkin seed oil, and grape seed oil every day.
» 2 to 3 liters of un-carbonated, non-chlorinated spring water and herbal teas daily between meals.
How does the Therapeutic Foods interact with the biological medicine approach?
The Therapeutic Foods Platform says:
» Take care of your brain, and nervous system with one capsule of Wild Blueberry Daily each day- equivalent to ¾ of a cup of blueberries. Very alkalinizing.
» Take care of your liver, and heart with one teaspoon or four capsules of Cruciferous Sprouts Complex daily. Again very alkalinizing. Kicks Phase II liver detox into gear, where the Blueberry stimulates phase I. Both protect against cancer.
» Take care to detoxify your body with four tablets of Organic Chlorella per day. It is the greenest of all plants. Highly alkalinizing. Both the Chlorella and the Sprout provides a rich source of the total essential amino acids. Chelates heavy metals in the gut, liver and throughout the body.
» Take care of your bones; balance your hormonal state with one to four capsules of the Fructo Borate Complex, which gives you boron as it is found in food—tightly bound to carbohydrate. For protecting against osteoporosis, arthritis, and low levels of steroid hormones. Enhance SOD-antioxidant power.
» And last, but definitely not least, take care of your gut with the selection of one of our seven synbiotic formulas for daily probiotic supplementation. Along with the Chlorella, the good bugs chelate heavy metals and create a healthy protective flora, which is one of the most important factors to accomplish for a patient.
Again Swiss Biological Medicine teaches (from Dr. Rau’s book):
» The fluids that flow through the body—blood and lymphatic fluids—as well as the interstitial fluids that surround every cell must be slightly alkaline in order to counter the acidity that is a natural by-product of cell metabolism
» The intestinal flora (bacteria) must be intact and healthy.
Without such fertile soil illness arises sooner or later when the balance tips and the person loses his or her regulatory powers, usually as a result of several insults to the system. This we call the toxic load. The goal of Swiss biological medicine is to remove those toxins and get the body back in balance to allow your natural defenses and vitality to thrive.
We have been talking about the gut and the evolution of bugs and the interaction between humanity and the bacterial world. Eating good food, taking pure supplementations, detoxing in saunas, exercising, and doing something we love each and every day is the way to build Dr. Rau’s milieu.
Sincerely yours,
Seann Bardell
Clinical Note:
This is supposed to be the coldest winter that we have had in the large fifty years. Get lots of our organic garlic. It is very potent against bacteria, protozoa and viruses. Remember each capsule contains 4 to 5 cloves of garlic. The alliin count is around 26,000 ppm- that is alot of bad bug killing potential.
Also remember that the High ORAC Synbiotic Formula is excellent for the cold session. It contains good bugs and berry extracts which provide ellagic acid amongst others, a strong broad spectrum antimicrobial, and 25 billion cfu per capsule to protect the gut.
The Last Quiz Answer: This amazing creature is an Aye-aye found only on the island of Madagascar. These rare lemurs may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans. Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye an omen of ill luck. For this reason they often have been killed on sight. Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have made the aye-aye critically endangered. Today they are protected by law.
Only two of you were able to identify the Aye-Aye. What about this weeks animal above, can you name it? If you can I’ll send you our new organic chlorella as a prize.
A big part of the practice of Swiss biological medicine is the use of the German Sanum Isopathic/homeopathic remedies. On February 25th and 26th, 2011 in San Diego Terra Medica (the company which distributes these products in America) presents the Pleo-Sanum Conference bringing together four luminaries in this methodology, teaching together for the first time—Dr. Thomas Rau MD, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt MD/PhD, Dr. Byron Braid MD and Dr. Ara Elmajian DDS. I know well all of these phenomenal teachers and practitioners—it will be highly worth your time. Besides San Diego, in February—a nice place to be. Contact Nick Fransen, the medical support manager for Terra Medica—cell: 435-503-5193 and phone: 408-414-7436.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 8th, 2010 at 10:46 am and is filed under The De-Evolution Impact, The Microbiome. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
by Atul Gawande | From the New Yorker | August 2, 2010
Modern medicine is good at staving off death with aggressive interventions—and bad at knowing when to focus,instead, on improving the days that terminal patients have left.
Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die. It started with a cough and a pain in her back. Then a chest X-ray showed that her left lung had collapsed, and her chest was filled with fluid. A sample of the fluid was drawn off with a long needle and sent for testing. Instead of an infection, as everyone had expected, it was lung cancer, and it had already spread to the lining of her chest. Her pregnancy was thirtynine weeks along, and the obstetrician who had ordered the test broke the news to her as she sat with her husband and her parents. The obstetrician didn’t get into the prognosis—she would bring in an oncologist for that—but Sara was stunned. Her mother, who had lost her best friend to lung cancer, began crying.
The doctors wanted to start treatment right away, and that meant inducing labor to get the baby out. For the moment, though, Sara and her husband, Rich, sat by themselves on a quiet terrace off the labor floor. It was a warm Monday in June, 2007. She took Rich’s hands, and they tried to absorb what they had heard. Monopoli was thirty-four. She had never smoked, or lived with anyone who had. She exercised. She ate well. The diagnosis was bewildering. “This is going to be O.K.,” Rich told her. “We’re going to work through this. It’s going to be hard, yes. But we’ll figure it out. We can find the right treatment.” For the moment, though, they had a baby to think about.
“So Sara and I looked at each other,” Rich recalled, “and we said, ‘We don’t have cancer on Tuesday. It’s a cancer-free day. We’re having a baby. It’s exciting. And we’re going to enjoy our baby.’ ” On Tuesday, at 8:55 P.M., Vivian Monopoli, seven pounds nine ounces, was born. She had wavy brown hair, like her mom, and she was perfectly healthy.
The next day, Sara underwent blood tests and body scans. Dr. Paul Marcoux, an oncologist, met with her and her family to discuss the findings. He explained that she had a non-small cell lung cancer that had started in her left lung. Nothing she had done had brought this on. More than fifteen per cent of lung cancers—more than people realize—occur in non-smokers. Hers was advanced, having metastasized to multiple lymph nodes in her chest and its lining. The cancer was inoperable. But there were chemotherapy options, notably a relatively new drug called Tarceva, which targets a gene mutation commonly found in lung cancers of female non-smokers. Eighty-five per cent respond to this drug, and, Marcoux said, “some of these responses can be long-term.”
Words like “respond” and “long-term” provide a reassuring gloss on a dire reality. There is no cure for lung cancer at this stage. Even with chemotherapy, the median survival is about a year. But it seemed harsh and pointless to confront Sara and Rich with this now. Vivian was in a bassinet by the bed. They were working hard to be optimistic. As Sara and Rich later told the social worker who was sent to see them, they did not want to focus on survival statistics. They wanted to focus on “aggressively managing” this diagnosis.
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