MISTLETOE - THE HERB FOR ALL SEASONS

[Guest guest]

MISTLETOE - THE HERB FOR ALL SEASONS

Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND and

Elissa Meininger

December 22, 2005

NewsWithViews.com

http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn25.htm

When most of us conjure up images of Christmas, we see glimpses of it in stories

told by Dickens, considered the creator of modern Christmas. We see

grand manor houses festooned, that's right, festooned, with brightly lit

Christmas trees, boughs of holly, mistletoe, colorful poinsettias, and amaryllis

as well as banquet tables groaning from the weight of all manner of sumptuous

food and drink made traditionally to mark this special season.

Few of us realize, however, that Dickens drew his images of Christmas from the

literary works of American writer Washington Irving who toured Europe and wrote

of lavish banquets in his 1822 work, " Bracebridge Hall " . It was here Irving

alluded to the ancient custom of stealing a kiss under the mistletoe. Dickens

later wrote about this custom in his 1837 book, " Pickwick Papers " .

However, the mistletoe custom and appreciation of its magical powers go back

much further to the Greeks, who used it in marriage rights because they believed

it was the giver of life and fertility. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered

a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring married

couples could kiss and make up. In early England, the Druids used it in

ceremonies to promote prosperity and from the Middle Ages forward it was used to

ward off evil spirits. In fact, the name " mistletoe " in the Druid language means

" all-healing " and in those earlier times, in Europe and Asia, it was also used

for all manner of illnesses including treating rapid heart rates, high blood

pressure, and even epilepsy.

It wasn't until the 1800s, during the time Irving and Dickens were creating

wonderful images of Merry Old England and Christmas cheer (to brighten up the

drab lives of their readers), that the mistletoe kissing ball became an official

part of the festivities surrounding the celebration of Christmas.

As late as 2001, we Americans had no idea that mistletoe had any healing powers

until TV actress, Suzanne Somers reported that she used it as part of her

protocol to treat breast cancer. She had her tumor removed and used radiation

but opted to avoid chemotherapy and used Iscador, a mistletoe extract, instead,

injecting a small amount into her abdomen every day. During this time, she

appeared on the Larry King Live show to talk about her experience. Once the

story broke, the headlines that followed painted mistletoe therapy as some sort

of bizarre, whacko, unproven, irresponsible, and dangerous treatment. Even

though they knew nothing about it and had no experience with it, some of those

who went on record to bash mistletoe were prominent members of modern medicine's

cancer treatment industry. They also painted Suzanne as a loony, probably to

make sure no one followed in her footsteps. However, those of us who advocate

natural health modalities have no difficulty understanding why Suzanne made her

decision to avoid chemotherapy and choose something both safe and effective.

In reality, mistletoe therapy for cancer was developed in the 1920s. Iscador is

the leading cancer treatment in Germany and utilized by half the doctors in that

country. Meanwhile the Swiss have bragging rights to the Lukas Clinic, a

full-fledged, world-class hospital specializing in cancer treatment using

mistletoe as a mainstay for 80 years. Mistletoe therapies are available in other

parts of the world as well and some are used to treat a number of maladies other

than cancer. And, if you know where to find them, there are Iscador and Iscar

treatment experts here in the US. (Iscar is the homeopathic form of Iscador.)

There are several types of mistletoe: some have no medicinal properties and of

the medicinal varieties, Viscum album - European mistletoe, is the most well

known. What makes mistletoe particularly intriguing as a potential cancer

medicinal is the fact that some grow as semi-parasites, drawing water and

minerals from their host -much like the cancer they are destined to treat.

Mistletoe bushes grow on the branches of trees such as oak, apple, elm, pine,

birch and maple.

Back in the 1920s, developers of mistletoe cancer medicinals viewed cancer as a

parasite living on a human body, and were drawn to mistletoe. Many natural

healing arts experts have a rule of thumb philosophy that " like cures like " and

in this case, mistletoe sure fit the bill as functioning somewhat like cancer on

its host. Interestingly, over the years, mistletoe experts have learned that the

quality and concentration of the healing ingredients of the medicinal is

determined by the type of tree it is living off and what time of year the

mistletoe is harvested. Doctors then are able to match the actual healing

properties of the end product with the exact needs of each patient. This

individualized care is common in the natural healing arts and drives its product

development and use.

While the American press had a field day condemning Suzanne Somers' use of

mistletoe, they ignored a major study published by sociologist Dr.

Grossarth-Maticek. He followed 35,000 people in Germany for 27 years reaching

the conclusion that use of mistletoe, and Iscador in particular, could prolong

life by 40%.

This study is available in English and makes interesting reading. [Read]

It is important to note that mistletoe as a cancer treatment is often used in

conjunction with modern medical treatments -perhaps the best of both worlds.

Mistletoe has a quality to help the patient bolster his or her immune system in

such a way that whatever else is being used, these other, often highly toxic or

aggressive treatments, can be better tolerated.

If you or someone you know is interested in seeking mistletoe therapy, you may

want to contact the Lukas Clinic directly, or checkout the other websites below.

They are all loaded with technical information covering all aspects of the magic

of mistletoe in healing not just people with cancer, but other serious maladies

as well. Above all, Elissa and I urge you to hang mistletoe this year and enjoy

its social benefits and have a very happy holiday.

Related Sites:

1, www.lukasklinik.ch/

2, www.iscador.com/

3, http://usa.weleda.com/

ACT FOR HEALTH FREEDOM NOW:

Go to www.friendsoffreedominternational.org view and purchase the new movie on

Codex and Free Trade called " We Become Silent " by

Also purchase " Death by Modern Medicine. " Proceeds from the sale of these

products are crucial to help us fund our health freedom action. For state action

go to: www.nationalhealthfreedom.org.

© 2005 Carolyn Dean -

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Dr. Carolyn Dean is a medical doctor, naturopathic doctor, herbalist,

acupuncturist, nutritionist, as well as a powerful health activist fighting for

health freedom as president of Friends of Freedom International. Dr. Dean is the

author of over a dozen health books, the latest of which is " Death By Modern

Medicine " .

Elissa Meininger, is Vice President of Friends of Freedom International and

co-founder of the Health Freedom Action Network, a grassroots citizens'

political action group. She is also a health freedom political analyst and can

be heard on the natural health radio show SuperHealth, broadcast weekly on

station WKY (SuperTalk AM 930) in Oklahoma City.

Website: www.deathbymodernmedicine.com

Website: www.carolyndean.com

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