Watch out for those spoiled onions

There were times when I had used just half an onion in my cooking and kept the remaining half in the refrigerator for later. Reading this article have completely changed my mind. I'll just have to buy smaller onions from now on.....

Watch out for those spoiled onions...

Written by Zola Gorgon - author of several cookbooks...

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO.

Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist.

The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's.

Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone

asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you.

Ed said that all commercially- made Mayo is completely safe.

"It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials

look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?) Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not

homemade Mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES. He explained that onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.

You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator. It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your

hotdogs at the baseball park!)

Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble.

Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.'

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolise onions.

Essiac - Canada's Remarkable Unknown Cancer Remedy

I'm a bookworm with a capital B! I have on my bookshelves, in boxes and heaven knows where else, hundreds of books and magazines acquired in the last 20 years or more. The bulk of these books and magazines are mostly about health, aromatherapy, natural healing, international cusine, art (which is my craft), and needlework.

Recently, I decided to sort through this precious collection of mine and see if I could get rid of some really old ones, especially magazines that are somewhat tattered after all these years in storage. Whilst flipping through a really old issue (like 14 years old!) of a craft magazine called "Workbasket" ( no longer in publication now) an interesting advertisement caught my eye. The attention grabbing title Canada's Remarkable Unknown Cancer Remedy was followed by an interesting article written by Richard Forester. I have included here some excerpts from that article which provides interesting information which some might find helpful.

Canada's Remarkable Unknown Cancer Remedy (Workbasket, July 1995)

By Richard Forester

"Did you know that thousands of people in Canada suffering with terminal cancer have been successfully treated and reportedly many totally cured with a safe herbal remedy called Essiac? It costs next to nothing (compared to conventional cancer treatments), has no side effects, and can be easily obtained!

Did you know that one of the most prestigious doctors in America, President Kennedy's personal physician, Dr. Charles A. Brusch MD, helped perfect the original formula, cured himself, using only Essiac, of deadly bowel cancer, and has used Essiac in his Cambridge, Mass. clinic ever since with remarkable results?

Did you know that people from around the world have flocked to Canada to get their hands on what reportedly could be the most effective non-toxic remedy against CANCER ever discovered?

Here are just two examples:

May Henderson, stricken with tumors in both breasts, said, (after taking Essiac for just a few months) "the lumps seemed to grow harder, but then the turning point came and I discharged great masses of fleshy material." Still healthy years later, she has never had a recurrence.

Peggy Good, suffering from ovarian cancer with a tumor as big as a grapefruit, was given Essiac. After six weeks of ingesting it, an incredible event took place in the middle of the night:

"I'm wetting the bed," Peggy thought. She looked under the covers, thick, greyish matter poured from her. "It looked like scum, like pus!" When she returned to the cancer clinic for a scheduled examination, the doctor gave her a clean bill of health.

Essiac, it is believed, somehow causes all the cancerous cells to retreat to the site of the original tumor, which then shrinks and discharges... often to vanish altogether. Reportedly, numerous cases support this claim!"

Richard Forester went on to say that the reason why Essiac was not more widely known could be due, in large part, to the enormous power of the American Drug & Medical Establishment to protect the profits of their billion dollar industry.

"After all, Essiac is an extremly inexpensive alternative cancer treatment, has one heck of a track record, and has none of the dangerous side effects associated with chemo-therapy, radiation and surgery, the most widely prescribed treatments by the Medical Establishment."

Richard Forester also suggested that one should write to The Alternative Treatment Information Network (in existence at the time of his article, not anymore now) and ask for a copy of the Essiac Report, a "vitally important book which presents for the first time virtually all the facts surrounding Essiac."

After googling to find out more about this "remarkable cancer remedy", I found that Essiac is a formulation of 4 different types of herbs that make up the Essiac tea. The four herbs are:

1. Burdock root

2. Indian rhubarb root

3. Sheep sorrel

4. Slippery elm (the inner bark)

Apparently, apart from being touted for it's anti-cancer treatment, Essiac have also been used to treat diabetes, Aids and gastro-intestinal diseases.

Anyway, if you're interested to find out more about Essiac, here's a couple of links you can visit:

http://www.healthfreedom.info/Cancer%20Essiac.htm

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=zwsUxcXjYcEC&pg=RA1-PA237&lpg=RA1-PA237&dq=the+essiac+report&source=bl&ots=lDWLp4-0d5&sig=YI5P9FD_-6DwpJ2He1hCr8JD85U&hl=en&ei=Zp_ISvW4C5Pq6APJ3aWnDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q=the%20essiac%20report&f=false

http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/essiac.html

http://www.essiacinfo.org/today.html

All information posted here are not to be used in place of conventional treatments. Individuals suffering from cancer should seek immediate treatment from certified medical practitioners and not to proceed with their own course of alternative treatment without proper medical advice.

Cancer Cell Killer - Guyabano, The Soursop Fruit

I received this interesting write-up on the delicious soursop fruit in an email. The soursop has always been one of my favourite fruit, and soursop juice is deliciously refreshing and addictive - because once you've tried it, you'll be wanting more of it. And why not, since research has unveiled the many medicinal properties of this delectable fruit, especially it's role as a cancer cell terminator! I can't think of a more delicious way to stay healthy.

The Sour Sop or the fruit from the graviola tree is a miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than Chemo.
Why are we not aware of this? Its because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.

So, since you know it now you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some sour sop juice yourself as prevention from time to time. The taste is not bad after all. It's completely natural and definitely has no side effects. If you have the space, plant one in your garden.
The other parts of the tree are also useful.

The next time you have a fruit juice, ask for a sour sop.

How many people died in vain while this billion-dollar drug maker concealed the secret of the miraculous Graviola tree?
This tree is low and is called graviola in Brazil, guanabana in Spanish and has the uninspiring name "soursop" in English. The fruit is very large and the subacid sweet white pulp is eaten out of hand or, more commonly, used to make fruit drinks, sherbets and such.

The principal interest in this plant is because of its strong anti-cancer effects. Although it is effective for a number of medical conditions, it is its anti tumor effect that is of most interest. This plant is a proven cancer remedy for cancers of all types.

Besides being a cancer remedy, graviola is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent for both bacterial and fungal infections, is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders.

If there ever was a single example that makes it dramatically clear why the existence of Health Sciences Institute is so vital to Americans like you, it's the incredible story behind the Graviola tree.

The truth is stunningly simple: Deep within the Amazon
Rainforest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.

Research shows that with extracts from this miraculous tree it now may be possible to:

* Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss.
* Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections
* Feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment
* Boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America 's largest drug manufacturers, the fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970's! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing... Extracts from the tree were shown to:

* Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer..
* The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!
* What's more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectively hunts
down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells!

The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched--so why haven't you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is as half as promising as it appears to be--why doesn't every single oncologist at every major hospital insist on using it on all his or her patients?

The spine-chilling answer illustrates just how easily our health--and for many, our very lives(!)--are controlled by money and power.

Graviola--the plant that worked too well

One of America 's biggest billion-dollar drug makers began a search for a cancer cure and their research centered on Graviola, a legendary healing tree from the Amazon Rainforest.

Various parts of the Graviola tree--including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit-seeds--have been used for centuries by medicine men and native Indians in South America to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems and arthritis. Going on very little documented scientific evidence, the company poured money and resources into testing the tree's anti-cancerous properties--and were shocked by the results. Graviola proved itself to be a cancer-killing dynamo.

But that's where the Graviola story nearly ended.

The company had one huge problem with the Graviola tree--it's completely natural, and so, under federal law, not patentable. There's no way to make serious profits from it.

It turns out the drug company invested nearly seven years trying to
synthesize two of the Graviola tree's most powerful anti-cancer ingredients. If they could isolate and produce man-made clones of what makes the Graviola so potent, they'd be able to patent it and make their money back. Alas, they hit a brick wall. The original simply could not be replicated. There was no way the company could protect its profits--or even make back the millions it poured into research.

As the dream of huge profits evaporated, their testing on Graviola came to a screeching halt. Even worse, the company shelved the entire project and chose not to publish the findings of its research!

Luckily, however, there was one scientist from the Graviola research team whose conscience wouldn't let him see such atrocity committed. Risking his career, he contacted a company that's dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and blew the whistle.

Miracle unleashed
When researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola, they began tracking the research done on the cancer-killing tree. Evidence of the astounding effectiveness of Graviola--and its shocking cover-up--came in fast and furious....

.....The National Cancer Institute performed the first scientific research in 1976. The results showed that Graviola's "leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells." Inexplicably, the results were published in an internal report and never released to the public...

....Since 1976, Graviola has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, yet no double-blind clinical trials--the typical benchmark mainstream doctors and journals use to judge a
treatment's value--were ever initiated...

.....A study published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at "10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin..."

.....The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. Unlike chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells), causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

....A study at Purdue University recently found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung cancers... Seven years of silence broken!

Dr.Tateishi’s Cancer Healing Formula

What This Remedy May Do:

by Dr. Tateishi Kazu

1. Heal Cancer
2. Restore injured joints and bone structure
3. Slow down the aging process
4. Rejuvenate the skin
5. Heal Cataracts
6. Heal liver disorders
7. Lower high blood pressure
8. Improve heart conditions
9. Reduce brain tumors and other head-injury problems
10. Reduce high white blood cell counts
11. Improve T-cell function

History

When cancer strikes a family, what course of action should one take? Dr. Tateishi Kazu's father and brother both died of cancer. And then he found himself suffering from cancer of the duodenum and spreading. His stomach was removed, but the cancer cells had spread to his lungs. He resolved to fight for his life. He researched, studied and tested over 1,500 types of herbs and plants. Eventually he discovered the right combination of ingredients and formulated a unique healing vegetable soup and brown rice tea with its own molecular powers. The vegetables are rich in green chlorophyll, amino acids, iron, phosphorous, calcium, all in a natural form.

He based his soup on the principles of Five Elements theory, the harmonizing balance of the forces of yin and yang, acid and alkaline that engenders health as opposed to the imbalance, which leads to disease.

The five elements in our environment are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Because of the balance of the five elements, the earth is able to produce life. Dr. Tataishi Kazu used the essence of the five elements. Each essence possesses its own color: green, red, yellow, white and black. These relate to the corresponding internal organs: heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidneys. He used the concept of the five different colors as matched to specific vegetables.

• Green/Daikon Radish Leaves
• Red/Carrot
• Yellow/Burdock Root
• White/Daikon Radish
• Black/Shittake Mushrooms

Notes: This is a remedy for all age groups. When the soup is ingested, it produces thirty different elements for fighting disease. Within three days, it can stop the growth of cancer cells. Even for some last-stage cancer patients, it can lead to 100% remission. Patients who have subsisted on feeding tubes for nourishment, when given the soup, after two days regained their strength. Over 10,000 last-stage cancer patients have used this remedy. 99% are alive and were able to return to work.

Vegetable Soup Recipe - (2 day's quantity)

Ingredients: -

• 16 ounces white daikon
• 8-10 ounces white daikon greens
• 8-10 ounces carrot
• 8 ounces burdock root (called Gobo in Japanese, Uang in Korean, Ngao pong or Niu pang in Chinese)
• 3-5 fresh shitake mushrooms (sundried) - if not sundried, expose dried mushrooms to sun again.

Directions: -

1. Don't peel anything! Don't add any seasoning!

2. Fill a pot with three times the quantity of water as the vegetable. When it comes to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer for two hours. Strain and drink.

Brown Rice Tea Recipe

Another remedy that can be used in conjunction with the vegetable soup is brown rice tea. It is a good diuretic for ridding excess water from the body. For diabetics, it can bring the sugar level down by producing more natural insulin in the body. It cleanses the blood and blood vessel. A person with a heart condition drinking both soups in 20 days will be able to regulate their problem by drinking three cups per day. For a regular cancer patient, about two cups.

1.- 1 cup brown rice

2. 16 cups water

Note: only cook in stainless steel or glass. Do not mix with any other ingredients. Don't be "creative."

Directions: -

1. Roast the rice without oil until dark brown but don't burn. Boil 8 cups of water and pour roasted rice into water. Turn off flame, cover and let sit five minutes. Strain out rice and reserve liquid.

2. Boil 8 more cups of water. Put the remaining rice back in the water. Cover, lower flame and simmer five minutes. Strain rice out. Mix the two rice waters together.

Special Notes: -

• The amount one needs depend on the condition. The more serious the condition, the more tea.
• Do not drink tea while taking a high protein substance.
• Don't drink the vegetable soup and brown rice tea together. Give it an interval of 30 minutes to one hour between the soup and the tea.
• If you use this remedy regularly you will never be sick.

Some possible reactions: -

• itchy skin or eczema
• If you use medications and/or have eczema, use less because of stronger reaction
• People with head injury problems may develop headaches but don't worry.
• People with eye problems may get temporary blurred vision or itching around eyes. Eyesight will get better. If you wear prescription glasses, try to reduce the prescription and use glasses less frequently.
• Lowering of body temperature, but this is normal.

Notes: For high blood pressure, drink the two soups alternately but slowly. Blood pressure will come down after one month. Talk to a doctor about reducing medication, but don't stop medication right away. Use remedy for minimum of one month.

Progress of Healing

• After three days of use, cancer cells stop growing.
• After a minimum of one month normal cells begin to grow back.
• Pancreatic Cancer: minimum 1 month
• Stomach Cancer: 1 month
• Liver Cancer: 1 year
• Rheumatism: 1 year
• Cataracts: 4 months
• Eye Disease: 1-4 months
• Insomnia, Sinusitis, Fatigue: 10-20 days
• Eczema: 4-7months
• Liver Spots: 3-6 months skin will clear
• Hair growth: 6-12 months
• Epilepsy: 3-6 months
• Stroke: 6-12 months
• Irregular heart beat: 20 days

Notes: If you are on medication, consult with a doctor to adjust your dosage. This remedy works for some people. It may not work for you. It is not intended to replace the traditional treatments.

Q1: Are ingredients of the vegetable soup recipe measured in fluid ounces or real weights?

A1: Dr. Antonia Martinez Director of the Healing Spirit said that their recipe uses the real weights and not the fluid ounces as in other food recipes.

Q2: Do people using the Vegetable Soup have side effects or reactions?

A2 : Depending on individual bodies, some people using the Vegetable Soup could have side effects/reactions. Reactions are classified in 2 categories: -

Natural Reaction: Ingredients in the Vegetable soup have lots of medicinal effects and contain chemicals that are working on human cells to make them better and stronger, and in the same time purify and cleanse blood stream to push out LDL (bad cholesterol) and fat. Reactions could be itches on the skin, itches around eyes, blurring eyes but these reactions will go away in a few days. If reactions persist stop the HLEF for a few weeks and start again.

Patient or user mistakes could be ranging from: -

• (1) using the wrong kind of ingredients especially the Chinese mushrooms instead of the Japanese Shiitakes.
• (2) the proportion of vegetables making the soup is not followed closely.
• (3) using wrong type of saucepan. Must use stainless steel saucepan to cook.
• (4) vegetable soup left outside in room temperature more than 6 hours can turn out to have bad smelling or color changes to green or white. Throw it away at once. Vegetable Soup should be stored in glass container and refrigerated.
• (5) drinking the Vegetable Soup and the Brown Rice solution together or in the same time. People are reporting serious reactions when taking those two solutions in the same time. Must drink them separately with half-hour or one hour apart.

Q3: How much vegetable soup can one consume a day?

A3: For:

• Diabetes take 600 cc of Brown rice (BR) solution in the morning and 400 cc of Vegetable Soup (VS) in the afternoon.
• Heart problem: 300 cc of BR and 600 cc of VS
• Gall stones: 600 cc of BR and 600 cc of VS.
• Other diseases: About 600 cc (2.5 cups) of VS a day divided in 3 rations before meals.

IMPORTANT NOTE

DO NOT DRINK Vegetable Soup and Brown Rice Solution in the same time. The interval needed between consumption of BR and VS must be at least 30 minutes or 1 hour apart to be safe.

Burdock

This herb gets its name from bur, for its tenacious burrs, and dock old English for plant. Many scientists are skeptical about Burdock and its uses. However, as a healing herb it has a potential for treating cancer. Early Chinese physicians, as well as Ayurvedic healers, used Burdock as a remedy for colds, flu, throat infections and pneumonia. During the 14th Century, its leaves were pounded in wine and used to treat leprosy. From 1930-1950, Burdock was used as an ingredient in alternative cancer treatments.

The FDA noted that too much of this herb can cause side effects and lists Burdock as an herb of "undefined safety". However, German researchers have discovered fresh Burdock root contains polyacetylenes, a chemical that kills disease-causing bacteria and fungi. It also reduces mucus and prevents formation of gall and kidney stones. As Burdock contains vitamin A and selenium, it can eliminate free radicals.

Its chromium content helps regulate blood sugar levels. Other qualities of this herb, set forth in the magazine Chemotherapy, identified a chemical (arctigenin) in Burdock which acts as an inhibitor of tumor growth.

!!! This herb should not be used by pregnant women.!!!

History

Burdock is also known by the names Bardane, Clotburr, Beggars Buttons, Gypsy Rhubarb, Gobo, and Burr. In traditional herbal texts, Burdock Root is described as a "blood purifier" or "alterative", and was believed to clear the bloodstream of toxins.

Medicinally, Burdock Root has been used both internally and externally for eczema and psoriasis, as well as to treat painful joints and as a diuretic.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Burdock Root, in combination with other herbs, is used to treat sore throats, tonsillitis, colds, and even measles.

It is eaten as a vegetable in Japan and elsewhere. Burdock is a mild laxative. It also aids in the elimination of uric acid. The herb contains polyacetylenes that have both anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties. By improving the function of many organs of elimination (liver, kidneys, bowels), many health conditions can be improved.

Burdock Root contains high amounts of inulin and mucilage. This may explain its soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Bitter constituents in the root may also explain the traditional use of Burdock to improve digestion. The polyacetylene constituents have also been shown to have anti-microbial activity. Burdock Root (and the fruit) also has the ability to mildly lower blood sugar (hypoglycemic effect).

Medicinal Action and Uses

Alterative, diuretic and diaphoretic. One of the best blood purifiers. In all skin diseases, it is a certain remedy and has effected a cure in many cases of eczema, either taken alone or combined with other remedies, such as Yellow Dock and Sarsaparilla.

The root is principally employed, but the leaves and seeds are equally valuable. Both root and seeds may be taken as a decoction of 1 OZ. to 1 1/2 pint of water, boiled down to a pint, in doses of a wineglassful, three or four times a day.

The anti-scorbutic properties of the root make the decoction very useful for boils, scurvy and rheumatic affections, and by many it is considered superior to Sarsaparilla, on account of its mucilaginous, demulcent nature; it has in addition been recommended for external use as a wash for ulcers and scaly skin disorders.

An infusion of the leaves is useful to impart strength and tone to the stomach, for some forms of long-standing indigestion.

When applied externally as a poultice, the leaves are highly resolvent for tumours and gouty swellings, and relieve bruises and inflamed surfaces generally. The bruised leaves have been applied by the peasantry in many countries as cataplasms to the feet and as a remedy for hysterical disorders.

From the seeds, both a medicinal tincture and a fluid extract are prepared, of benefit in chronic skin diseases. Americans use the seeds only, considering them more efficacious and prompt in their action than the other parts of the plant. They are relaxant and demulcent, with a limited amount of tonic property. Their influence upon the skin is due largely to their being of such an oily nature: they affect both the sebaceous and sudoriferous glands, and probably owing to their oily nature restore that smoothness to the skin which is a sign of normal healthy action.

The infusion or decoction of the seeds is employed in dropsical complaints, more especially in cases where there is co-existing derangement of the nervous system, and is considered by many to be a specific for all affections of the kidneys, for which it may with advantage be taken several times a day, before meals.

Treats certain cancers, prevents diabetes

Burdock's name is a combination of bur, for its spiked seed covers - burrs - that grab onto anything that touches them, and dock, Old English for "plant." Many scientists dismiss burdock as useless, but like its seeds, its reputation as an herbal healing agent clings tenaciously because of its subtle tonic benefits and its intriguing potential as a treatment for cancer.

Throughout history, burdock has been recommended for an astonishing number of illnesses. Ancient Chinese physicians used it to treat colds, coughs, tonsillitis, measles, skin infections and snakebite. Traditional European and American herbalists and homeopaths prescribed it for colds, arthritis, gout, stomach problems, fever, canker sores, leprosy, boils, gonorrhea, ringworm and infertility. They also considered it an excellent diuretic, and prescribed it for urinary tract infections, kidney problems and painful urination.

True, burdock is not powerfully therapeutic. But Daniel B. Mowrey, PhD, director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, insists that it deserves its enduring place in herbal healing because of its value as a tonic - a subtle strengthener with cumulatively helpful effects.

"Burdock's action is mild, but real," Dr. Mowrey explains. "It has antibacterial and antiviral powers, and it reduces blood sugar, which helps prevent diabetes. I recommend using a little every day. And when you're ill, use it in addition to standard therapies."

With compliments from Chong Min Liong

Cancer Offers No Immunity

I had breakfast this morning with a friend whom I had not seen in 3 months. She looked drawn and tired and had lost some weight. Concerned, I asked if everything's ok with her, and that's when she told me she had been diagnosed with colon cancer in the 3rd stage! I was frightened for her, but I didn't let that show. I told her I'll be praying for her throughout her treatment which starts tomorrow. I wished her well as we left the coffee shop.

Cancer is such a scary disease. 3 years ago, I lost one of my dearest friends to pancreatic cancer which she bravely fought for 2 years before succumbing to the deadly disease. Now a friend's nephew is fighting chondrosarcoma - a type of bone cancer of the complicated kind. Just the word itself sounds complicated! Never heard that word before until recently. In the case of Brendan (my friend's nephew), the malignant bone growth occured in the brain area which resulted in his losing his right eye. For Brendan, the fight goes on. I continue to pray for him. If you're interested in following Brendan's progress, you may drop by his blog: http://ntsocialism.blogspot.com

It's apparent that cancer of any kind has no discrimination - the young, the old, the poor, the wealthy, celebrities, red, yellow, black or white, there's no immunity. The latest celebrity cancer victim being Farrah Fawcett who succumbed to anal cancer after putting up a brave fight. She died on June 25th, the same day Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest. Unlike aids, it can strike anyone anytime. I find that so scary! So how can we protect ourselves from contracting the deadly disease? There are so many books and blogs on the various types of cancer fighting foods and supplements you can take as a defensive measure. Which is good because prevention is always better than cure.