ADHD, Schizophrenia, Psychosis ect.

October 21, 2005

I posted the whole thing, because it is anti-drug, backs up what

said about other choices in regards to mental health.

This will be the only time.

Sincerely,

john

To subscribe for free:

dynewsletter-subscribe@...

" We have nothing to fear but fear itself. "

(lin D. Roosevelt)

The DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWSLETTER (Vol. 5, No. 14

for November, 2005)

" Free of charge, free of advertising, and free of

the A.M.A. "

http://www.doctoryourself.com , which

welcomes over 1.5 million visitors annually.

Commercial use of the website

or the contents of this Newsletter is strictly

prohibited.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1) BIRD FLU: WHAT TO DO?

2) VITAMIN C MYTH-BUSTERS

A. VITAMIN C SAFETY

B. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DECREASED BY VITAMIN C

C. VITAMIN C DOES NOT CAUSE KIDNEY STONES

D. VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND CURES RECTAL POLYPS

E. MEGAVITAMIN NEWS FOR FREE

3) PNEUMONIA

4) DENTIST YOURSELF

5) ADHD

6) SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PSYCHOSIS

7) Happy 88th Birthday, Abram Hoffer!

8) UNSTRESS YOUR LIFE, Part 6

POLLY WANT A FLU SHOT?

by W. Saul

My daughter's parakeet is in grave danger.

Need you ask why? Because the Bird Flu is coming!

With all this terrifying talk about bird flu, I

have a lingering question:

Has anyone thought about protecting the birds?

Living near Lake Ontario, I

regularly feed entirely too many seagulls. They

come inland as well. Just

this weekend, I fed a characteristically ravenous

flock of them at an

interstate highway parking lot. The gulls

encircled me like a Hitchcock

movie. Another time, I was ungraciously harassed

by a renegade herd of emus

that I was, perhaps unwisely, attempting to feed.

I had to climb up onto

some boulders to get out of range.

Nice ol' birds; they just wanted a nosh.

Too bad they are all going to die. And soon, too.

Yes, every one of them. There will not be a gull

(or at the lake, a bouy)

left standing. Surely, now, if bird flu is truly

dangerous, the birds are at

terrible risk. All of them. No more starlings. No

more pigeons. Goodbye, Mr.

Hawk. Goodbye, Mrs. Robin. No more Woody; no more

" Beep-Beeps " ; is

doomed.

And then there's all the gorgeous song birds, all

those tiny little dickie

birds, like the ones I've held in my hand while

they were being banded: they

are all dead meat.

What's that you say? That I'm exaggerating? That

all the world's bird

species are NOT condemned to get Bird Flu? Then I

say, Ask yourself how that

can be.

After all, no shots means no chance. Or at least

that is the gist of our

pharmaphilic government's and media's clanging

presentations to the public.

Truth be told, this is nothing new. They've tried

this before with the

colossal Swine Flu panic some thirty years ago.

Remember?

The U.S. Government cannot say without

qualification that flu shots are

either safe or essential.

Here is what the government of the United States

said about the infamous

Swine Flu vaccine, in a 1976 mass-distributed FDA

Consumer Memo on the

subject:

" Some minor side effects - tenderness in the arm,

low fever, tiredness -

will occur in less than 4% of (vaccinated)

adults. Serious reactions from

flu vaccines are very rare. "

So much for blanket claims of safety, for many

persons well remember the

very numerous and very serious side effects of

Swine Flu vaccine that forced

the federal immunization program to a halt.

As far as being essential, in the same memo the

FDA said this of the same

vaccine:

" Question: What can be done to prevent an

epidemic? Answer: The only

preventive action we can take is to develop a

vaccine to immunize the public

against the virus. This will prevent the virus

from spreading. "

This was seen to be totally false; after all; the

public immunization

program was abruptly halted and still there was

no epidemic of Swine Flu. If

vaccination were the only defense, literally tens

of millions of Americans

should have been struck down with the Swine Flu,

for a large percentage of

the population of the U.S. was not vaccinated.

Surely there are other factors involved in

prevention of illness or

epidemic. But try telling that to

allopathically-oriented health

commissioners and doctors. You'd think that monks

and nuns who work with the

sick would have to get their patients'

diseases... but they seldom do. Did

the elderly and diminutive Mother Theresa die

from leprosy? From AIDS?

If germs or viruses are all around us, why aren't

we all dead, or at least

deathly ill? And how come crows and vultures

regularly eat diseased and

decaying road kill, pressing their faces into a

maggoty mess, and then fly

happily away?

And, as my friends and I used to so energetically

search railroad

underpasses for sick and injured pigeons to take

to our treehouse and nurse

back to health, well, I now wonder how we

survived at all.

But as for you, you non-bird you, the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and

the medical media say that without a shot, you

are a sitting duck for bird

flu.

It seems to me, by logical extension, that

without vaccinations for all

birds, all birds are goners. Ducks included,

sitting or otherwise. Without

flu shots for birds, there will be no birds.

Silent spring.

Birds are seemingly such frail little creatures.

Their permanently feverish

bodies are already around 104 degrees Fahrenheit

every day. A bird with a

fever must be one hot little number indeed. Yet,

every year, tiny little

chickadees spend entire frigid winters in my

backyard. Gale force subzero

winds and our typical eight to ten feet of

snowfall do not stop them. And

they do not have vaccinations. Not a one. They

don't even have heated socks.

How on earth do they do it?

So: Shall I have my daughter's little green

budgie vaccinated? All the more

reason, really, since the parakeet is also at

risk from all the human flu

strains. Yes, Virginia, all those zillions of

Human Flu viruses are out

there, just waiting to kill your 'keet. And you

with it.

Influenza is a serious disease, and historically,

has been the Reaper's

scythe. About 10 million soldiers were killed in

World War I, charging

machine guns and getting mowed down month after

month. There were nearly a

million casualties at the Somme and another

million at Verdun. A terrible

slaughter went on for four years. Yet, in just

the two years following the

war, over 20 million people died from influenza.

That is more than twice as

many deaths from the flu in one-half the time it

took the machine guns. That

is no way to make light of that.

On the other hand, there is ample reason to now,

finally, end our wishful

belief that flu shots stop the flu, because

generally they don't, not even

in the elderly, their target audience.

NBC and the Associated Press

(http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9438511/) reported on

Sept 22, 2005 that

" A new analysis of 40 years of research provides

more evidence that flu

shots are not as effective in the elderly as

commonly believed. But health

officials said older people should still be

vaccinated. . . The findings are

similar to those of a study done by U.S. National

Institutes of Health that

found flu shots for the elderly in the United

States had not saved lives. "

And then they add: " Flu shots may be required in

all nursing homes. Federal

officials urging flu shots for all this year. "

Will sure was right: with stuff like this

in the papers, who needs a

comedy writer? Congress writes farce so very

well, and the news obligingly

tosses it straight into to our living rooms.

But wait: there's more!

An interesting if not downright revealing article

at medicinenet.com (1)

says, in part:

" According to a study appearing in the Sept. 22

online issue of The Lancet,

vaccines against influenza are only " modestly

effective " in people in

long-term care facilities and even less effective

for elderly people still

living in the community. . . " The vaccine doesn't

work very well at all, "

said study author Dr. Tom Jefferson, an

epidemiologist with the Cochrane

Vaccines Field in Rome. " Vaccines are being used

as an ideological weapon.

What you see every year as the flu is caused by

200 or 300 different agents

with a vaccine against two of them. That is

simply nonsense. " Dr. Marc

Siegel, author of " False Alarm: The Truth About

the Epidemic of Fear, "

agreed. " We have set up a situation where a fear

is created, and then we try

to create the treatment for this fear. The public

gets the idea that the flu

is going to kill them and the vaccine will save

them. Neither is true, " he

said. "

For the record, both these critics are medical

doctors.

With our century's worth of accumulated

scientific hindsight, we must today

ask this: Was a lack of vaccinations really the

cause of those flu deaths,

or was it really wartime stress, and especially

war-induced malnutrition,

that set the stage in 1918? And now, once again,

we have an alarming and

rather similar scenario: between nutrient-poor

processed convenience foods,

McNothing meals and TV news scare stories, we

have the basic ingredients for

an epidemic.

But we now also have a simple, safe and effective

answer. First, the

nutrition solution: eat a good, healthy, whole

foods natural diet, and take

lots and lots of vitamin C. And second: relax!

De-stress your life, take it

easy, and cheer up. It has been very well said

that you are of much more

value than any number of birds. You are

factory-equipped with a kick-ass

mammalian immune system that is a true marvel of

nature. To maximize your

resistance to any viral disease, including any

strain of flu, I think you

would do well to stop eating processed junk food,

and load up on ascorbate.

You too can be chipper and chirping away,

ignoring swine flu hype, SARS

scares, bird flu panics, or any other viral

bogeymen being used to scare you

into a coerced relationship with a flu shot.

Reference:

1. Gardner A. Flu vaccine only mildly effective

in elderly. HealthDay

Reporter, Sept 21, 2005.

http://www.medicinenet.com

MEDICAL DOCTOR CONFIRMS: VITAMIN C CURES BIRD FLU

The best presentation I have ever seen on just

how vitamin C megadoses

prevent and cure avian influenza is posted for

free reading at the website

if F. Cathcart, M.D.:

http://orthomed.com/bird.htm

These online articles may also be of interest:

Flu vaccines are largely ineffective:

http://www.jrussellshealth.com/fluvacc.html

Bird Flu Background and Relation to Vitamin

C:http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/10/08/avian_influenza_are_

you_prepared.htm

Bird Flu Dangers Greatly

Exaggerated:http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/10/19/bird_flu_i

n_perspective_public_fears_exaggerated.htm

VITAMIN C MYTH-BUSTERS

Is some clown still trying to tell you that

vitamin C is somehow dangerous?

Or that you shouldn't take more than 200 mg/day?

There is an excellent

summary article you will want to read at

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/misc/ascorbate-lies.htm

And here's some more really good news for all you

health nuts who every day

try so valiantly to convince friend, foe and

family to take their vitamins:

NEW VITAMIN C SAFETY STUDY

" Ascorbic Acid is a generally recognized as safe

(GRAS) substance . . . Mice

given Ascorbic Acid subcutaneous and intravenous

daily doses (500 to 1000

mg/kg bw) for 7 days had no changes in appetite,

weight gain, and general

behavior; and histological examination of various

organs showed no changes.

Ascorbic Acid was a photoprotectant when applied

to mice and pig skin before

exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. . . .

Pregnant mice and rats were

given daily oral doses of Ascorbic Acid up to

1000 mg/kg bw with no

indications of adult-toxic, teratogenic, or

fetotoxic effects. Ascorbic Acid

and Sodium Ascorbate were not genotoxic in

several bacterial and mammalian

test systems, consistent with the antioxidant

properties of these chemicals.

.. . These data coupled with an absence of reports

in the clinical literature

of Ascorbic Acid sensitization strongly support

the safety of these

ingredients. " (PMID: 16154915)

(Elmore AR. Final report of the safety assessment

of L-Ascorbic Acid,

Calcium Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbate, Magnesium

Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium

Ascorbate, and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate as used

in cosmetics. Int J

Toxicol. 2005;24 Suppl 2:51-111.)

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DECREASED BY VITAMIN C

" (T)here was a 27% decreased prevalence of

coronary heart disease and a 26%

decreased prevalence of stroke among those in the

highest serum vitamin C

category. In the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up

Study, it was found that

the highest intakes of vitamin C had a 25% to 50%

reduction in

cardiovascular mortality. " (Simon, JA et al.

Serum ascorbic acid and

cardiovascular disease prevalence in U.S. adults.

Epidemiology,

1998;9:316-321.)

VITAMIN C DOES NOT CAUSE KIDNEY STONES

" The relation between the intake of vitamins B6

and C and the risk of

symptomatic kidney stones were prospectively

studied in a cohort of 85,557

women with no history of kidney stones. . . Large

doses of vitamin B6 may

reduce the risk of kidney stone formation in

women. Routine restriction of

vitamin C to prevent stone formation appears

unwarranted. "

(Curhan, G. C., Willett, W. C., Speizer, F. E.,

Stampfer, M. J. Intake of

vitamins B6 and C and the risk of kidney stones

in women. J Am Soc Nephrol

10:4:840-845, Apr 1999.)

VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND CURES RECTAL POLYPS

Jerome J. DeCosse, M.D., Ph.D., Mark B. ,

M.D., ph F. Kuzma, M.D.,

LoGerfo, M.D., and E. Condon, M.D.

Effect of ascorbic acid on

rectal polyps of patients with familial

polyposis. Surgery, November, 1975,

Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 608-612.

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/197x/decosse-jj-surgery-1975-

v78-n5-p608.htm

MEGAVITAMIN NEWS FOR FREE

The Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (OMNS)

regularly issues

vitamins-cure-disease press releases. If you

would like to receive this

wire-service style newsfeed without charge,

please go to

http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html .

VITAMIN C CURES PNEUMONIA

(Editor's note: I know this to be true. When I

got run down enough to get

viral pneumonia, I took 2,000 mg of vitamin C

every 6 minutes. It lowered my

fever 3 degrees in 3 hours, and stopped a cough

that codeine could not. Read

on an marvel at how this is possible.)

PNEUMONIA

by Margaret Whittaker, Doctor Yourself volunteer,

Diploma in Herbal Studies

Pneumonia is a serious infection of the lungs

that can be caused by any

number of different infectious agents, including

viruses, bacteria and

fungi. It is typically preceded by an upper

respiratory infection such as a

cold, influenza or measles. Factors that increase

the risk of pneumonia

include being either under one year or over sixty

years of age, a weakened

immune system, malnutrition, and exposure to

chemical irritants.

Infants can contract pneumonia due to a Clamydia

trachomatis infection

transferred to the child during birth. Childhood

pneumonia can also be

caused by the same bacteria that causes whooping

cough. Young children with

compromised immune systems are very vulnerable to

the potentially

life-threatening effects of this illness.

Most cases of pneumonia do not require

antibiotics because they are due to

viral infection. The natural approach to

pneumonia involves two primary

goals:

a) Enhancement of the immune system

Stimulation of normal processes that promote

the expectoration of mucus

Particularly helpful in enhancing the immune

system is high dosage vitamin C

therapy. In the early 1900's, many controlled

studies demonstrated the

efficacy of large doses of vitamin C, but only

when started on the first or

second day of infection. If

administered later, vitamin C tended only to

lessen the severity of the

disease. Researchers also demonstrated, long ago,

that in cases of

pneumonia, white cells took up large amounts of

vitamin C in an attempt to

have the necessary ammunition they need to fight

infection. (F Bicknell and

F Prescott, The vitamins in medicine.

Minneapolis: Lee Foundation 1953).

The value of vitamin C supplementation in

patients with pneumonia was

demonstrated clearly in a more recent

double-blind study involving 57

elderly patients who were admitted to St Luke's

Hospital in Huddersfield,

for acute pneumonia. (C Hunt et al " The Clinical

Effects of Vitamin C

Supplementation in Hospitalised Patients with

Acute Respiratory Infections, "

1994) The patients were either given 200mg of

vitamin C per day or a

placebo. Patients were assessed by clinical and

laboratory methods. Patients

who received the modest dosage of vitamin C

demonstrated substantially

increased vitamin C levels in all tissues, even

in the presence of an acute

respiratory infection. Using a clinical scoring

system, results indicated

that patients who received the vitamin C fared

significantly better than

those who took the placebo. These results

indicate that even small doses of

vitamin C in a hospital setting can produce

significant clinical

improvement.

Many herbs have also been shown to have

antibacterial, antiviral and

immunostimulatory effects. Echinacea is widely

used to boost the immune

system, treat colds and flu, fight infections,

help speed wound healing and

reduce inflammation. Its immune stimulating

properties are due to

polysaccharides and phytosterols. It helps to

activate white-blood-cell

macrophages that are directly involved in the

destruction of bacteria,

viruses and other infectious agents. Echinacea

also increases production of

interferon.

Botanical expectorants are very useful in

treating pneumonia because they

help decrease the viscosity and aid in the

expulsion of mucous from the

respiratory tract. They also have antibacterial

and antiviral activity. Some

of the most popular are horehound, elecampagne

and licorice.

(Editor's note: An internet search will bring up

more on these alternatives.

For my suggestions on how to determine if

internet health information is

reliable, please first look at

http://www.doctoryourself.com/healthquestions.html

)

FROM " DOCTOR YOURSELF " TO " DENTIST YOURSELF " :

10 ways in which nutrients and simple techniques

have been shown to improve

the health of our mouths.

by Jolliffe, Doctor Yourself volunteer

1) Vitamin C: Taken orally in gram doses or

applied topically as calcium or

magnesium ascorbate. A 2001 study published in

the Journal of Veterinary

Dentistry showed that for treatment of cats a gel

of zinc ascorbate was

" most effective in decreasing bacterial growth,

plaque formation, and

gingivitis when applied following a professional

teeth cleaning procedure "

[1]. Not only that, it also cleared up cat

halitosis. It seems that we

should visit the vet if we need reliable,

non-toxic treatment for our teeth

and gums.

2) Vitamin E: Like vitamin C, vitamin E can be

applied topically by piercing

a 400 IU capsule and applying it evenly along the

gum line to reduce

inflammation.

3) B-complex vitamins: A study recently published

in the Journal of

Periodontology found that patients supplementing

50mg of each of the

B-vitamins daily, with 400mcg of folic acid,

experienced statistically

significant oral wound healing in comparison to

those taking placebo [2].

4) Coenzyme Q10: As long ago as 1973, Drs.

Folkers and Matsumura completed a

double-blind study, published in the

International Journal for Vitamin and

Nutrition Research, using CoQ10 for periodontal

(gum) disease. They reported

that it was superior to the then treatment of

choice [3]. A Dr. EG Wilkinson

reported in the late 70s that at dosages of 50 to

75 mg per day coenzyme Q10

often " halted the deterioration of the gums with

healing sometimes occurring

within days " [4].

5) Flavonoids: Abundant in fruits, flavonoids

have been shown to work with

vitamin C in reducing gum disease [5]. Another

reason for an apple a day.

6) Magnesium: It's vital to eat sources of

calcium AND magnesium. In

December 1963 the Journal of the Southern

California Dental Association

published an study in which the consumption of a

high-calcium, low magnesium

diet lead to an average of 3.64 dental caries

compared to only 1.16 from a

diet containing high-magnesium whole-wheat flour

[6]. Don't make the mistake

of eating the one without the other. There is

lots of magnesium in almonds,

brown rice, quinoa and dark-green vegetables and

good multivitamin/minerals.

7) Throw away mouthwashes containing harmful

ingredients: for example

propylene glycol (anti-freeze), sodium lauryl

sulfate (industrial strength

detergent) and alcohol. A study published by the

National Cancer Institute

showed that women who regularly used mouthwash

with an alcohol content of 25

percent or higher were nearly twice as likely to

develop oral cancer as

those who didn't [7]. Instead use a mouthwash

containing protective

ingredients such as grapefruit seed extract,

vitamin C, tea tree oil or

green tea extracts.

8) The same can be said for toothpastes

containing saccharin, fluoride, and

synthetic colour pigments (commonly derived from

coal tar).

9) Tongue scraping: It sounds more painful than

it is, but even the Journal

of the American Dental Association has advised

that " scientific evidence has

validated the need to practice habitual and

thorough tongue brushing " [8].

Medical texts dating back hundreds of years

describe the cleaning of the

tongue as part of people's daily hygiene routine

to remove accumulated

impurities. From personal experience the first

few scrapes aren't pleasant,

and may leave a bad taste and a sore tongue, but

persevere and the feeling

of freshness is well worthwhile.

10) Keep the calcium in your teeth: A review in

the Journal of Prosthetic

Dentistry recorded that " high sodium, protein,

alcohol, and caffeine intakes

caused increased urinary losses and negative

calcium balance " [9].

[1] e DE. Clinical and microbiological

effects of oral zinc ascorbate

gel in cats. J Vet Dent. 2001 Dec;18(4):177-83.

[2] Neiva RF, Al-Shammari K, Nociti FH Jr,

Soehren S, Wang HL. Effects of

vitamin-B complex supplementation on periodontal

wound healing. J

Periodontol. 2005 Jul;76(7):1084-91.

[3] Matsumura T, Saji S, Nakamura R, Folkers K.

Evidence for enhanced

treatment of periodontal disease by therapy with

coenzyme Q. Int J Vitam

Nutr Res. 1973 Apr;43(4):537-48.

[4] Wilkinson, E.G., Arnold R.M. Folkers, K.

Bioenergetics in Clinical

Medicine. VI. Adjunctive Treatment of Periodontal

Disease with Coenzyme Q10.

Res. Commun. Chem. Pathol. Pharmacol. 1976

4:715-9.

[5] El-Ashiry GM, Ringsdorf WM, Cheraskin E.

Local and systemic influences

in periodontal disease. II. Effect of prophylaxis

and natural versus

synthetic vitamin C upon gingivitis. J

Periodontol 1964;35:250-9.

[6] http://www.mgwater.com/rod10.shtml

[7] Blot WJ, Winn DM, Fraumeni JF Jr. Oral cancer

and mouthwash. J Natl

Cancer Inst. 1983 Feb;70(2):251-3.

[8] Christen AG, Swanson BZ Jr. Oral hygiene: a

history of tongue scraping

and brushing. J Am Dent Assoc. 1978

Feb;96(2):215-9.

[9] Faine, M.P. Dietary factors related to

preservation of oral and skeletal

bone mass in women. Journal of Prosthetic

Dentistry 1995;73:65-72.

(Editor's note: Before you write, may I state

that No, I do not know how to

fill cavities naturally, nor do I know how to

avoid a necessary root canal.

" Dentist Yourself " is not about never seeing your

dentist; it is about not

needing any work done when you get there.)

ADHD

Solving the Mystery of ADHD Naturally, by

Santini

Battle Creek, MI: Acorn Publishing, 2004.

http://www.acornpublishing.com

Paperback, 228 pages plus bibliography and index.

ISBN 097289697X

" What's he done this time? " How many times have I

heard a parent say this

after I've commandeered the school phone to call

home about their child's

behavior. Author Santini, herself a

teacher, has been on both ends of

such a conversation. While it is no picnic to

teach a class populated with

ADHD kids, life is infinitely harder for Mom and

Dad, the long-suffering

people Dr. Abram Hoffer calls " battered parents. "

And with good reason.

Most if not all ADHD kids are stimulation

addicts. They are little

adrenaline junkies, craving the very rush that

poisons their cranium.

Adrenaline is the catecholamine neurotransmitter

of sturm and drang, of

storm and stress. Over stimulation can mean

overproduction of adrenaline.

Excess adrenaline is oxidized into adrenochrome,

an LSD-like bad trip

hallucinogen that, to use a 1960's phrase, flips

you out. Commonly, such

adrenochrome-whacked kids also crave dietary

overstimulation, particularly

colored and sugared junk food, which further

assaults their brain. All the

time, day after day.

If you have an ADHD child, Santini's new book,

Solving the Mystery of ADHD

Naturally, will instantly resonate with you.

" That's him! " you will say. I

know, because I did. The book perfectly describes

a boy I helped to raise

for eight years. As a preadolescent, he was

having worse than usual

behavioral problems at school and at home.

Interestingly enough, the child

had been taking physician-prescribed little bits

of niacin, though totaling

less than 150 mg/day. Not a bad beginning, since

the RDA for kids is under

20 mg/day. But it wasn't enough to be effective,

and the lad was slated for

the Ritalin-for-lunch bunch. But pharmacy was no

answer, for when tried,

drugs generally made him worse: more angry and

still more confrontational,

bordering on paranoid.

The boy did not want to take much niacin because

he so strongly objected to

the flush. Knowing that the dose had to be

increased far over 150 mg/day for

any hope of success, his Mom finally tried giving

him 500 mg niacinamide

three times daily (1,500 mg total). There was

noticeable improvement. At

3,000 mg/day, the youngster was doing even

better, but developed nausea from

the niacinamide, and the dosage was cut way, way

back. In time, the boy had

a violent psychotic episode severe enough that

his parents had to hold him

down while the now 13-year-old lad screamed death

threats at them.

After that, to increase the B-3 dose without

nausea, the now

highly-motivated mother went to plain niacin,

flushes and all. With about

500 mg every two hours, the boy was a new person.

He was the most cheerful,

cooperative, affectionate youngster imaginable.

Adding vitamin C and B-6 to

his regimen helped even more. His school

performance soared, and the

teachers loved him. When his liver function tests

read high, the niacin dose

was again reduced, but not by so much this time.

At age 15, his maintenance

dose is about 3,000 mg/day. This is exactly in

line with what Dr. Abram

Hoffer has repeatedly demonstrated effective for

over 50 years.

Behavior is at least as much biochemical as

anything else. Unresponsive,

uneducated physicians routinely overlook the

nutrition connection. That's

fine for them; they see the child as a patient

for only minutes. Parents

cannot escape: they go home at the end of the day

to a child that may be

hostile, antsy, and out of control. Behavior

modification and counseling,

while laudable ideas, all too often fail because

ADHD kids are unreceptive

to behavior counseling because the behavior

itself is biochemical. As you

cannot implant happy thoughts in a victim of

arsenic or cyanide poisoning,

so you cannot adequately counsel kids with

adrenochrome coursing through

their bodies.

Santini, an experienced counselor, knows

this well, and she

communicates it even better. Solving the Mystery

of ADHD Naturally is

especially well written. The author has a clear

and engaging writing style.

Her facts are straight and her anecdotes are well

paced, to the point, and

vivid. The book is well organized and well

indexed. The first portion of the

book spotlights the problems, as intensely

witnessed by the author and her

family, while part two accentuates the solution.

The combined result is an

excellent, easy to follow presentation of

orthomolecular (megavitamin)

medicine which should required reading for all

health professionals.

As actress Margot Kidder says, " You can fix your

brain. You can fix your

brain with nutrition. " I highly recommend Solving

the Mystery of ADHD

Naturally, a book that shows you how, and offers

a way out for you and your

ADHD child.

(end of review)

SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PSYCHOSIS

Recovery from the Hell of Schizophrenia

by Carlene Hope. Introduction by Abram Hoffer,

M.D.

ville, NC: Lulu Press

http://books.lulu.com/content/63707 , 2005.

Paperback, 187 pages plus bibliography. ISBN

1-4116-2706-7.

" When you are sick of sickness, you are no longer

sick, " says a Chinese

proverb. This is all the more true if you have

found a way out of the

illness. For the family locked in a 24-hour a day

struggle with a child's

schizophrenia, Recovery from the Hell of

Schizophrenia will be both very

familiar, and very encouraging reading.

The book is composed of four sections. Part One

is an extensive

autobiographical prologue. While granting that it

sets the stage, to me the

strength of the book begins on page 46, as the

author's son first exhibits

symptoms of mental illness. Part Two is the story

of the disease's

progression, failed pharmaceutical attempts to

contain it, and eventual

success with orthomolecular megavitamin therapy.

While the narrative is from

a mother's vantage point, Part Two concludes with

a question and answer

session with the patient, and Part Three is

entirely devoted to the father's

perspective. Part Four is a digest of quotes and

passages from seminal

orthomolecular writings, introducing the work of

Abram Hoffer, Carl C.

Pfeiffer, and others.

The author holds little back, describing her

experiences with nearly

cathartic intensity. But even better, she

thoughtfully and repeatedly points

the reader to available nutritional solutions.

Lists of specific nutrients

and doses are provided. She also includes her

son's medication reduction

diary, and is upfront about the fact that

although drugs alone were far from

curative (and the side effects debilitating),

some medication did prove

helpful when taken in concert her son's

nutritional program. I like the way

the author itemizes and dates specific behavior

improvements. Most readers

would likely agree that the book would benefit

from an index.

Any science teacher who has taught metrics will

not be surprised to see that

the book contains a repeated unit of measurement

error. On pages 97, 128 and

132, the recommended selenium dose is stated as

100 " mgs " (milligrams) twice

daily when it should be 100 mcg (micrograms).

This is not a nit-pick, since

the difference is a factor of 1,000. 200

micrograms of selenium/day is

beneficial and completely safe. 200

milligrams/day (200,000 mcg) would be

neither. All other nutrient doses are stated

accurately.

The overriding value of this book is its simple,

sometimes impassioned, but

always unmistakable testimony: vitamin therapy

works. Having lived this, the

author describes her previously hospitalized but

now recovered son: " You

would never know by looking at him today that he

has ever suffered from this

disease. Our son is driving. He cooks for

himself. He prepares his vitamin

packets and takes them on schedule. He no longer

sleeps and lives on the

couch. He handles his checkbook flawlessly. " And,

perhaps the most moving

maternal comment of all: " He never asks me why I

brought him into this world

anymore. "

So another Chinese proverb comes to mind: " The

person who says it cannot be

done should not interrupt the person doing it. "

Results say everything.

Recovery from the Hell of Schizophrenia is an

uncomplicated presentation of

simple, safe, and effective niacin-based

nutrition therapy, aptly described

by the author as " Hoffer's Key. " This is the

right book for any family that

has never known they had a nutritional option,

that never had the chance to

try it and change their lives with orthomolecular

medicine.

(end of review)

HAPPY 88TH BIRTHDAY, DR. ABRAM HOFFER!

On November 11, 2005, the dean of megavitamin

therapy celebrates his 88th

b-day. Dr. Hoffer did the very first

double-blind, placebo controlled

experiments in the history of psychiatry, way

back in the early 1950's He is

the originator and still the world leader in

megadose niacin therapy for

mental illness. He has saved countless lives, has

had an enormous influence

in the field of natural medicine, and, on a

personal note, has been a

wonderful mentor to me.

If you'd like to send an appreciative greeting to

this world-renowned

physician, you can mail your birthday card to:

Abram Hoffer, M.D., PhD.,

2727 Quadra, Suite 3

, British Columbia, Canada V8 4E5.

UNSTRESS YOUR LIFE, Part Six

by Mosher, PhD

Biology Professor Emeritus, State University of

New York

IRRITANT, OR PEARL?

There are perceptions and outlooks on life's

situations which can turn what

appears to be an uncomfortable, undesirable or

stressful situation into one

of gain. An example of this would be the pearl.

The beautiful, desirable

pearl has a beginning that, to the oyster, may

seem like an unpleasant

situation. A grain of sand getting inside the

oyster's shell is an irritant.

This ongoing irritation causes the oyster to form

a smooth protective coat

around the irritating sand. This coat eventually

becomes the pearl. If the

oyster can do it, why can't we? Why can't we take

the obvious, the irritant,

the stressful situation and reverse it to produce

a pearl of great wisdom or

at least a positive situation?

Reacting to a stress with frustration and anger

just produces more stress.

But if you take the situation, reverse the

obvious, and keep your awareness,

you may bring compassion, tolerance, forgiveness,

and understanding to the

situation. Therefore, instead of taking the

low-road response of adding more

anger or chaos to the situation, you have

reversed it by bringing calmness

and peace to the situation. A simple example of

how this idea might be

brought into an ordinary frustrating situation is

one of misplaced keys. You

may be in a great hurry and discover you cannot

find your car keys. One

obvious response would be to get upset and blame

others and storm around

shouting and raging. This behavior does not find

your keys and may actually

be so distracting that it hinders you from

systematically looking for your

keys. It may even cloud your perception and keep

you from remembering where

you may have put them. This behavior or

irritation will be repeated

endlessly until you observe that this behavior

does not solve the problem of

misplacing your keys. When the light of

realization finally goes on, your

internal observer, the Knower, might say, " This

will always happen until you

make a change. " The change to be made is simple,

just develop the habit of

always leaving your keys in the same place. This

simple change solves the

problem.

From the irritating, inconvenient situation came

the motivation to change. I

believe much of the irritation, pain and

suffering in our life situation is

really to function as a stimulus to get our

attention, to wake-up and

change! Perhaps to take the obvious and reverse

it or transform it into a

positive life supporting situation is the

ultimate challenge.

The pearls of wisdom, such as the recognition of

beauty, love and happiness,

can arise from a seemingly demanding, unpleasant

situation. With discipline,

some creative thinking, and practice we can

create " pearls " out of what may

seem to be distressing and undesirable.

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

A major part of stress reduction is learning to

be mindful. That means to be

aware and conscious of your thoughts and what you

are doing. For example,

let's say you are standing in line at the cashier

of a grocery store and

having negative and impatient thoughts. First,

realize that you are having

these thoughts. When you do, immediately make the

choice to observe the

thoughts, be aware of them and let them go.

Replace the space with positive

thoughts. You might think " I wish all the people

in line and in the store

happiness, good health and success. " Actually

send thoughts of love and

appreciation to them and especially the cashier

who is working so fast to

reduce the size of the line. Put yourself in her

or his place and send them

kind thoughts. So by practicing or cultivating

positive states of mind you

are putting uplifting intentions into the

surroundings. Practice the

technique of being present and consciously

replacing negative thoughts and

feelings with ones of compassion, selflessness,

tolerance, kindness,

forgiveness, gratitude and appreciation. This is

a good start to reducing

much stress. Remind yourself that there is no

written rule that says things

have to be the way you think they should be. Take

a life situation as it is

and bring as much love and compassion into it as

you can. Over and over

again, research results point out that a positive

attitude toward life, a

sense of humor and laughter strengthens the

immune system and even seems to

extend ones life. Be present and think

positively!

Counselor and professor of biology I.

Mosher, PhD, is the author of

several articles at the DoctorYourself.com

website, all easily searchable.)

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October 21, 2005

I posted the whole thing, because it is anti-drug, backs up what

said about other choices in regards to mental health.

This will be the only time.

Sincerely,

john

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" We have nothing to fear but fear itself. "

(lin D. Roosevelt)

The DOCTOR YOURSELF NEWSLETTER (Vol. 5, No. 14

for November, 2005)

" Free of charge, free of advertising, and free of

the A.M.A. "

http://www.doctoryourself.com , which

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Commercial use of the website

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prohibited.

IN THIS ISSUE:

1) BIRD FLU: WHAT TO DO?

2) VITAMIN C MYTH-BUSTERS

A. VITAMIN C SAFETY

B. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DECREASED BY VITAMIN C

C. VITAMIN C DOES NOT CAUSE KIDNEY STONES

D. VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND CURES RECTAL POLYPS

E. MEGAVITAMIN NEWS FOR FREE

3) PNEUMONIA

4) DENTIST YOURSELF

5) ADHD

6) SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PSYCHOSIS

7) Happy 88th Birthday, Abram Hoffer!

8) UNSTRESS YOUR LIFE, Part 6

POLLY WANT A FLU SHOT?

by W. Saul

My daughter's parakeet is in grave danger.

Need you ask why? Because the Bird Flu is coming!

With all this terrifying talk about bird flu, I

have a lingering question:

Has anyone thought about protecting the birds?

Living near Lake Ontario, I

regularly feed entirely too many seagulls. They

come inland as well. Just

this weekend, I fed a characteristically ravenous

flock of them at an

interstate highway parking lot. The gulls

encircled me like a Hitchcock

movie. Another time, I was ungraciously harassed

by a renegade herd of emus

that I was, perhaps unwisely, attempting to feed.

I had to climb up onto

some boulders to get out of range.

Nice ol' birds; they just wanted a nosh.

Too bad they are all going to die. And soon, too.

Yes, every one of them. There will not be a gull

(or at the lake, a bouy)

left standing. Surely, now, if bird flu is truly

dangerous, the birds are at

terrible risk. All of them. No more starlings. No

more pigeons. Goodbye, Mr.

Hawk. Goodbye, Mrs. Robin. No more Woody; no more

" Beep-Beeps " ; is

doomed.

And then there's all the gorgeous song birds, all

those tiny little dickie

birds, like the ones I've held in my hand while

they were being banded: they

are all dead meat.

What's that you say? That I'm exaggerating? That

all the world's bird

species are NOT condemned to get Bird Flu? Then I

say, Ask yourself how that

can be.

After all, no shots means no chance. Or at least

that is the gist of our

pharmaphilic government's and media's clanging

presentations to the public.

Truth be told, this is nothing new. They've tried

this before with the

colossal Swine Flu panic some thirty years ago.

Remember?

The U.S. Government cannot say without

qualification that flu shots are

either safe or essential.

Here is what the government of the United States

said about the infamous

Swine Flu vaccine, in a 1976 mass-distributed FDA

Consumer Memo on the

subject:

" Some minor side effects - tenderness in the arm,

low fever, tiredness -

will occur in less than 4% of (vaccinated)

adults. Serious reactions from

flu vaccines are very rare. "

So much for blanket claims of safety, for many

persons well remember the

very numerous and very serious side effects of

Swine Flu vaccine that forced

the federal immunization program to a halt.

As far as being essential, in the same memo the

FDA said this of the same

vaccine:

" Question: What can be done to prevent an

epidemic? Answer: The only

preventive action we can take is to develop a

vaccine to immunize the public

against the virus. This will prevent the virus

from spreading. "

This was seen to be totally false; after all; the

public immunization

program was abruptly halted and still there was

no epidemic of Swine Flu. If

vaccination were the only defense, literally tens

of millions of Americans

should have been struck down with the Swine Flu,

for a large percentage of

the population of the U.S. was not vaccinated.

Surely there are other factors involved in

prevention of illness or

epidemic. But try telling that to

allopathically-oriented health

commissioners and doctors. You'd think that monks

and nuns who work with the

sick would have to get their patients'

diseases... but they seldom do. Did

the elderly and diminutive Mother Theresa die

from leprosy? From AIDS?

If germs or viruses are all around us, why aren't

we all dead, or at least

deathly ill? And how come crows and vultures

regularly eat diseased and

decaying road kill, pressing their faces into a

maggoty mess, and then fly

happily away?

And, as my friends and I used to so energetically

search railroad

underpasses for sick and injured pigeons to take

to our treehouse and nurse

back to health, well, I now wonder how we

survived at all.

But as for you, you non-bird you, the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and

the medical media say that without a shot, you

are a sitting duck for bird

flu.

It seems to me, by logical extension, that

without vaccinations for all

birds, all birds are goners. Ducks included,

sitting or otherwise. Without

flu shots for birds, there will be no birds.

Silent spring.

Birds are seemingly such frail little creatures.

Their permanently feverish

bodies are already around 104 degrees Fahrenheit

every day. A bird with a

fever must be one hot little number indeed. Yet,

every year, tiny little

chickadees spend entire frigid winters in my

backyard. Gale force subzero

winds and our typical eight to ten feet of

snowfall do not stop them. And

they do not have vaccinations. Not a one. They

don't even have heated socks.

How on earth do they do it?

So: Shall I have my daughter's little green

budgie vaccinated? All the more

reason, really, since the parakeet is also at

risk from all the human flu

strains. Yes, Virginia, all those zillions of

Human Flu viruses are out

there, just waiting to kill your 'keet. And you

with it.

Influenza is a serious disease, and historically,

has been the Reaper's

scythe. About 10 million soldiers were killed in

World War I, charging

machine guns and getting mowed down month after

month. There were nearly a

million casualties at the Somme and another

million at Verdun. A terrible

slaughter went on for four years. Yet, in just

the two years following the

war, over 20 million people died from influenza.

That is more than twice as

many deaths from the flu in one-half the time it

took the machine guns. That

is no way to make light of that.

On the other hand, there is ample reason to now,

finally, end our wishful

belief that flu shots stop the flu, because

generally they don't, not even

in the elderly, their target audience.

NBC and the Associated Press

(http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9438511/) reported on

Sept 22, 2005 that

" A new analysis of 40 years of research provides

more evidence that flu

shots are not as effective in the elderly as

commonly believed. But health

officials said older people should still be

vaccinated. . . The findings are

similar to those of a study done by U.S. National

Institutes of Health that

found flu shots for the elderly in the United

States had not saved lives. "

And then they add: " Flu shots may be required in

all nursing homes. Federal

officials urging flu shots for all this year. "

Will sure was right: with stuff like this

in the papers, who needs a

comedy writer? Congress writes farce so very

well, and the news obligingly

tosses it straight into to our living rooms.

But wait: there's more!

An interesting if not downright revealing article

at medicinenet.com (1)

says, in part:

" According to a study appearing in the Sept. 22

online issue of The Lancet,

vaccines against influenza are only " modestly

effective " in people in

long-term care facilities and even less effective

for elderly people still

living in the community. . . " The vaccine doesn't

work very well at all, "

said study author Dr. Tom Jefferson, an

epidemiologist with the Cochrane

Vaccines Field in Rome. " Vaccines are being used

as an ideological weapon.

What you see every year as the flu is caused by

200 or 300 different agents

with a vaccine against two of them. That is

simply nonsense. " Dr. Marc

Siegel, author of " False Alarm: The Truth About

the Epidemic of Fear, "

agreed. " We have set up a situation where a fear

is created, and then we try

to create the treatment for this fear. The public

gets the idea that the flu

is going to kill them and the vaccine will save

them. Neither is true, " he

said. "

For the record, both these critics are medical

doctors.

With our century's worth of accumulated

scientific hindsight, we must today

ask this: Was a lack of vaccinations really the

cause of those flu deaths,

or was it really wartime stress, and especially

war-induced malnutrition,

that set the stage in 1918? And now, once again,

we have an alarming and

rather similar scenario: between nutrient-poor

processed convenience foods,

McNothing meals and TV news scare stories, we

have the basic ingredients for

an epidemic.

But we now also have a simple, safe and effective

answer. First, the

nutrition solution: eat a good, healthy, whole

foods natural diet, and take

lots and lots of vitamin C. And second: relax!

De-stress your life, take it

easy, and cheer up. It has been very well said

that you are of much more

value than any number of birds. You are

factory-equipped with a kick-ass

mammalian immune system that is a true marvel of

nature. To maximize your

resistance to any viral disease, including any

strain of flu, I think you

would do well to stop eating processed junk food,

and load up on ascorbate.

You too can be chipper and chirping away,

ignoring swine flu hype, SARS

scares, bird flu panics, or any other viral

bogeymen being used to scare you

into a coerced relationship with a flu shot.

Reference:

1. Gardner A. Flu vaccine only mildly effective

in elderly. HealthDay

Reporter, Sept 21, 2005.

http://www.medicinenet.com

MEDICAL DOCTOR CONFIRMS: VITAMIN C CURES BIRD FLU

The best presentation I have ever seen on just

how vitamin C megadoses

prevent and cure avian influenza is posted for

free reading at the website

if F. Cathcart, M.D.:

http://orthomed.com/bird.htm

These online articles may also be of interest:

Flu vaccines are largely ineffective:

http://www.jrussellshealth.com/fluvacc.html

Bird Flu Background and Relation to Vitamin

C:http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/10/08/avian_influenza_are_

you_prepared.htm

Bird Flu Dangers Greatly

Exaggerated:http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/10/19/bird_flu_i

n_perspective_public_fears_exaggerated.htm

VITAMIN C MYTH-BUSTERS

Is some clown still trying to tell you that

vitamin C is somehow dangerous?

Or that you shouldn't take more than 200 mg/day?

There is an excellent

summary article you will want to read at

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/misc/ascorbate-lies.htm

And here's some more really good news for all you

health nuts who every day

try so valiantly to convince friend, foe and

family to take their vitamins:

NEW VITAMIN C SAFETY STUDY

" Ascorbic Acid is a generally recognized as safe

(GRAS) substance . . . Mice

given Ascorbic Acid subcutaneous and intravenous

daily doses (500 to 1000

mg/kg bw) for 7 days had no changes in appetite,

weight gain, and general

behavior; and histological examination of various

organs showed no changes.

Ascorbic Acid was a photoprotectant when applied

to mice and pig skin before

exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. . . .

Pregnant mice and rats were

given daily oral doses of Ascorbic Acid up to

1000 mg/kg bw with no

indications of adult-toxic, teratogenic, or

fetotoxic effects. Ascorbic Acid

and Sodium Ascorbate were not genotoxic in

several bacterial and mammalian

test systems, consistent with the antioxidant

properties of these chemicals.

.. . These data coupled with an absence of reports

in the clinical literature

of Ascorbic Acid sensitization strongly support

the safety of these

ingredients. " (PMID: 16154915)

(Elmore AR. Final report of the safety assessment

of L-Ascorbic Acid,

Calcium Ascorbate, Magnesium Ascorbate, Magnesium

Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium

Ascorbate, and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate as used

in cosmetics. Int J

Toxicol. 2005;24 Suppl 2:51-111.)

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DECREASED BY VITAMIN C

" (T)here was a 27% decreased prevalence of

coronary heart disease and a 26%

decreased prevalence of stroke among those in the

highest serum vitamin C

category. In the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up

Study, it was found that

the highest intakes of vitamin C had a 25% to 50%

reduction in

cardiovascular mortality. " (Simon, JA et al.

Serum ascorbic acid and

cardiovascular disease prevalence in U.S. adults.

Epidemiology,

1998;9:316-321.)

VITAMIN C DOES NOT CAUSE KIDNEY STONES

" The relation between the intake of vitamins B6

and C and the risk of

symptomatic kidney stones were prospectively

studied in a cohort of 85,557

women with no history of kidney stones. . . Large

doses of vitamin B6 may

reduce the risk of kidney stone formation in

women. Routine restriction of

vitamin C to prevent stone formation appears

unwarranted. "

(Curhan, G. C., Willett, W. C., Speizer, F. E.,

Stampfer, M. J. Intake of

vitamins B6 and C and the risk of kidney stones

in women. J Am Soc Nephrol

10:4:840-845, Apr 1999.)

VITAMIN C PREVENTS AND CURES RECTAL POLYPS

Jerome J. DeCosse, M.D., Ph.D., Mark B. ,

M.D., ph F. Kuzma, M.D.,

LoGerfo, M.D., and E. Condon, M.D.

Effect of ascorbic acid on

rectal polyps of patients with familial

polyposis. Surgery, November, 1975,

Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 608-612.

http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/197x/decosse-jj-surgery-1975-

v78-n5-p608.htm

MEGAVITAMIN NEWS FOR FREE

The Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (OMNS)

regularly issues

vitamins-cure-disease press releases. If you

would like to receive this

wire-service style newsfeed without charge,

please go to

http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html .

VITAMIN C CURES PNEUMONIA

(Editor's note: I know this to be true. When I

got run down enough to get

viral pneumonia, I took 2,000 mg of vitamin C

every 6 minutes. It lowered my

fever 3 degrees in 3 hours, and stopped a cough

that codeine could not. Read

on an marvel at how this is possible.)

PNEUMONIA

by Margaret Whittaker, Doctor Yourself volunteer,

Diploma in Herbal Studies

Pneumonia is a serious infection of the lungs

that can be caused by any

number of different infectious agents, including

viruses, bacteria and

fungi. It is typically preceded by an upper

respiratory infection such as a

cold, influenza or measles. Factors that increase

the risk of pneumonia

include being either under one year or over sixty

years of age, a weakened

immune system, malnutrition, and exposure to

chemical irritants.

Infants can contract pneumonia due to a Clamydia

trachomatis infection

transferred to the child during birth. Childhood

pneumonia can also be

caused by the same bacteria that causes whooping

cough. Young children with

compromised immune systems are very vulnerable to

the potentially

life-threatening effects of this illness.

Most cases of pneumonia do not require

antibiotics because they are due to

viral infection. The natural approach to

pneumonia involves two primary

goals:

a) Enhancement of the immune system

Stimulation of normal processes that promote

the expectoration of mucus

Particularly helpful in enhancing the immune

system is high dosage vitamin C

therapy. In the early 1900's, many controlled

studies demonstrated the

efficacy of large doses of vitamin C, but only

when started on the first or

second day of infection. If

administered later, vitamin C tended only to

lessen the severity of the

disease. Researchers also demonstrated, long ago,

that in cases of

pneumonia, white cells took up large amounts of

vitamin C in an attempt to

have the necessary ammunition they need to fight

infection. (F Bicknell and

F Prescott, The vitamins in medicine.

Minneapolis: Lee Foundation 1953).

The value of vitamin C supplementation in

patients with pneumonia was

demonstrated clearly in a more recent

double-blind study involving 57

elderly patients who were admitted to St Luke's

Hospital in Huddersfield,

for acute pneumonia. (C Hunt et al " The Clinical

Effects of Vitamin C

Supplementation in Hospitalised Patients with

Acute Respiratory Infections, "

1994) The patients were either given 200mg of

vitamin C per day or a

placebo. Patients were assessed by clinical and

laboratory methods. Patients

who received the modest dosage of vitamin C

demonstrated substantially

increased vitamin C levels in all tissues, even

in the presence of an acute

respiratory infection. Using a clinical scoring

system, results indicated

that patients who received the vitamin C fared

significantly better than

those who took the placebo. These results

indicate that even small doses of

vitamin C in a hospital setting can produce

significant clinical

improvement.

Many herbs have also been shown to have

antibacterial, antiviral and

immunostimulatory effects. Echinacea is widely

used to boost the immune

system, treat colds and flu, fight infections,

help speed wound healing and

reduce inflammation. Its immune stimulating

properties are due to

polysaccharides and phytosterols. It helps to

activate white-blood-cell

macrophages that are directly involved in the

destruction of bacteria,

viruses and other infectious agents. Echinacea

also increases production of

interferon.

Botanical expectorants are very useful in

treating pneumonia because they

help decrease the viscosity and aid in the

expulsion of mucous from the

respiratory tract. They also have antibacterial

and antiviral activity. Some

of the most popular are horehound, elecampagne

and licorice.

(Editor's note: An internet search will bring up

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