My oncologist is pleased with my recent bloodwork. It shows that I’m in remarkable health. All my organs are clear and functioning well, even healthier in some instances than his were! No damage seemed to have been done to my body from the chemotherapy drugs, and the cancer never spread from the original site. He found that unusual, considering how advanced the cancer was, and commented again that I was amazingly well-preserved.

Sadly, wisdom often comes at a great price. I know now that what you put IN your body, as well as ON your body, affects your health. Before I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I was never one to take health supplements, let alone herbal remedies. Now, supplements, herbal remedies and safe personal and household care products have become a part of my ammo against cancer and other diseases. Blood tests don’t lie.

One mainstay in my health supplement cabinet is a concoction of echinacea root, Asian ginseng root, hawthorne berry, hyssop, Irish moss, rosemary, mullein leaf and other goodies. These herbs are known to boost the immune-system and help keep the body functioning properly. This herbal concoction is based on an ancient Chinese medicine recipe, but conveniently formulated into little brown pills, under the label VMM by Neways. So much easier to use than searching for each herb and boiling them for hours, don’t you think?

This combination of herbs is a power-packed herbal remedy because:

Echinacea stimulates the body’s immune system by activating white blood cells, protecting cells from harmful foreign. Echinacea works as a natural antibiotic, which can suppress the activity of viruses. It has an immune-stimulating effect through the activation of T-cells (natural bacteria killers of the immune system).

Ginseng, used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, is an immune system booster and natural detoxifier. It has beneficial elements called ginsenosides, which work like natural steroids and helps develop brain activity as well as creates activity similar to estrogen. Most varieties of ginseng contain eight ginesenosides, whereas the Chinese/Korean form contains 24 to as much as 28. Ginseng stimulates the immune system by promoting the production of the body’s own virus-fighting chemicals. It is an antioxidant which helps to prevent the cumulative cell damage which can cause dreaded diseases like cancer. It reduces cell damage from radiation and chemotherapy, and increases the absorption of nutrients in the intestines.

Ginseng helps keep the liver, adrenal glands, and thyroid healthy, helps prevent illnesses and slows down the aging process. Many Asian studies have discovered this medicinal plant’s ability to slow the progression of cancer. For instance, two compounds in ginseng, ginsan and polyacetylinic alcohol, show promise in killing lung cancer cells and slowing tumor growth.

Hawthorn berry is loaded with B-complex vitamins, as well as many minerals, flavanoids and biovflavanoids. It contains potent antioxidants which help fight harmful free radicals. Hawthorn is recognized as having cardiotonic properties, as it benefits the heart and cardiovascular system. It has the ability to dilate the coronary arteries, thus improving blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle. It also strengthens the heart muscle, helping the heart to beat more forcefully and efficiently. Hawthorne also seems to dilate the highways of other blood vessels around the body, allowing blood to circulate more freely with less strain on the heart.

Hyssop is a healing herb that was used even in Biblical times. David was recorded as saying, “Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean.” (Psalms 51:7) Ancient healers knew hyssop to be a cleanser of the body. This herb increases the secretion and discharge of urine and removes any obstruction to body secretion or excretion by opening the natural passages or pores of the body. It also promotes bowel movement.

Irish Moss, a kind of seaweed, contains 15 of the 18 elements that make up the human body, including Vitamins A, D, E, F and K. It is rich in iodine, calcium and sodium as well as sulphur, potassium and phosphorus. It has been used to treat bladder disorders, bronchitis, bad breath, intestinal disorders, glandular problems, goiter, swollen joints, lung difficulties, thyroid conditions, tuberculosis, tumors, ulcers and varicose veins. Irish moss also helps soften the skin and prevent wrinkles.

Rosemary has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of ailments, such as stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches. Modern research shows that rosemary can also help prevent cancer and age-related skin damage, boost the functioning of the liver and act as a mild diuretic to help reduce swelling. The herb is able to inactivate toxins and then eliminate them from your liver.

Two of the most important ingredients in rosemary, caffeic acid and rosemarinic acid, are potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Interestingly, rosemary offers a safe and natural alternative treatment to Tamoxifen. Researchers from the Department of Chemical Biology, New Jersey State University in the US, found that a 2 per cent concentration of rosemary extract administered for three weeks was able to significantly inactivate excess oestrogen. Rosemary stimulates liver enzymes, which in turn inactivates estrogen hormones like estrone and estradiol, the most dangerous form of estrogen.

Mullein, a member of the snapdragon family, was used by ancient Greeks to treat respiratory disorders. It relieves the symptoms of sore throats, coughs, bronchitis, asthma, and some allergies. Traditionally, it is also used to treat diarrhoea and gastrointestinal aliments. The plant has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used topically to soothe skin irritations such as rashes, boils and chilblains.

Thyme, another popular ancient herb, is used to treat acute and chronic bronchitis, whooping cough, and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, as it possesses expectorant and bronchial antispasmodic properties. All the members of the mint family, including thyme, contain terpenoids which have cancer preventive properties. Rosmarinic and ursolic acids are major terpenoids in thyme with anti-cancer properties.

Give your health a boost. Get your disease-fighting and immune-system boosting Neways VMM here.

Posted: February 4th, 2010 under Alternative Remedies, Antioxidants, Cancer, Healing Foods, Health Supplements, Immune System Health.
Comments: none

Billy’s much better now. There’s no longer blood in his urine. The apple cider vinegar seems to have helped dissolve the crystals blocking his urinary tract. It took at least two weeks of constantly mixing apple cider vinegar into small amounts of his cat food which we had to feed him through a syringe, but at least it worked. Numerous, expensive visits to the vet didn’t solve the problem and he hated taking antibiotics and other medicine anyway.

He’s a lot like me. I hate taking medicine. I caught the bug which was making its rounds during the recent holiday season and it got me bad. My throat was so sore and painful that sometimes it felt like I had daggers down my throat. The coughing was relentless and particularly nasty at night. My nose leaked like a tap. My poor hubby was down with the same bug too, as was my mother-in-law. She even lost her voice. She took all kinds of medicine but, one month later, she’s still feeling poorly.

This time around, I decided not to take any medicine at all, not even cough syrup. Instead, I brewed pots of Momordica Grosvenor fruit, an antioxidant and immune system booster which has been popular with the Chinese for centuries. You can find it in Chinese medicine shops and groceries, where it is usually better known as “lo han guo”. Momordica is popularly used to treat respiratory ailments like cough, cold, influenza and bronchitis.

The fruit can be purchased whole and dried in its shell, or in boxes of compressed cubes, ready to dissolve in hot water. Momordica can also be found in some health supplements, such as Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni Juice. It’s naturally sweet, so it makes a good, healthy sweetener. It’s often combined with other natural ingredients like chrysanthemum and barley to make a healthy, soothing tea.

Momordica looks like a green lime, only it has a hard shell. When dried, the shell is dark brown in color. The fruit pulp within the shell has lots of seeds. To make a pot of momordica or ‘lo han kuo’ tea, simply crack the shell like an egg, discard the shell, roughly break up the dried pulp with seeds (just peel it apart with your fingers) and put that in a teapot. Pour in boiling water and leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes. The longer you leave it, the richer the flavor. As you drink the tea, you can top up the teapot with more hot water, until the momordica tea begins to taste weak. Discard once you reach that point.

I drank a pot of momordica or ‘lo han kuo’ tea almost daily, alternating with home-made barley water every other day. That really flushed the toxins out of my body and soothed my throat and respiratory system. My husband and I recovered much faster than my mother-in-law, and without the use of medicine too, although I admit to taking my Neways health supplements daily (Revenol for antioxidants, Maximol Solutions for multivitamins and trace minerals, and VMM to boost my immune system). Try this next time the bug gets you!

Posted: January 21st, 2010 under Alternative Remedies, Antioxidants, Healing Foods, Immune System Health.
Comments: 1

Morinda citrifolia, Indian mulberry, cheese fruit, beach mulberry – these are some of the other names of the noni plant. ‘Noni’ is a Hawaiian term. Originally from Southeast Asia, the noni plant grows in many parts of the world, including much of Polynesia and other tropical and subtropical countries.

Interestingly, noni’s Sanskrit name is Ayushka, meaning longevity. Indeed, virtually every part of the noni fruit and plant has been used for its medicinal properties. Noni fruit has a pungent smell, but it can also be eaten raw with salt. It is also cooked as curry by many of the tribal populations of Southeast Asia, Polynesia and Australia. The seeds of the noni fruit can be roasted and eaten. The protein-rich young leaves of the noni plant are sometimes eaten as vegetable as well. The leaves are also used as poultices.

It is traditionally believed that noni:

- stabilizes cholesterol at normal levels
- increases energy when consumed over a period of time
- delivers abundant antioxidants to scavenge free radicals
- helps maintain the immune system
- helps maintain a healthy heart
- supports a healthy cardiovascular system
- reduces inflammation
- enhances energy and wellbeing

The noni fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, amino acids and antioxidants. Over 150 nutraceuticals have been found in the noni fruit, including all the B vitamins, 18 amino acids, antioxidants such as vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, linoleic acid, and minerals like magnesium, iron and potassium. Noni fruit contains a number of phytochemicals, including lignans, oligo- and polysaccharides, flavonoids, iridoids, fatty acids, scopoletin, catechin, beta-sitosterol, damnacanthal, and alkaloids.

What is particularly significant is that a rare compound known as proxeronine, a precursor of xeronine, essential for the regeneration and growth of healthy cells, is found in the noni fruit. Noni also contains an anthraquinone compound called damnacanthal, which has promising anti-cancer properties. The journal CANCER LETTER [73 (2-3) 1993, 161-166], reported that Keio University and The Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Japan observed that damnacanthal caused normal morphology and cystoskeletal structure in K-ras-NRK pre-cancer cells. Put simply, this compound found in noni fruit may possibly turn pre-cancer cells into normal healthy cells. The researchers reported that damnacanthal reversed the proliferation of cancer cells, showing an ability to block or inhibit the cellular function of RAS cells, which are considered pre-cancerous cells.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii has been studying noni juice health benefits with regard to cancer treatments, since a 1999 study suggested that Noni Juice helped to stop the growth of tumors. Laboratory studies have examined noni’s effect on the growth of cancerous tissue in mice. One such study in vitro found that noni reduced growth of capillary vessels sprouting from human breast tumor explants and, at increased concentrations, caused existing vessels to degenerate.

Research indicates that noni fruit stimulates the immune system, regulating cell function and cellular regeneration of damaged cells. As the Noni fruit seems to operate at the very basic and critical cellular level, noni may help to heal a wide variety of conditions.

Noni juice also contains a precursor to melanin, which enhances all body functions depending on melanin. This could explain why the prolific consumption of noni juice has been reported to reverse diabetes, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease in some people.

The strong odor of the noni fruit as well as its bitter taste may make noni difficult to consume in its raw form. Fortunately, pleasant-tasting noni juice is available from some manufacturers of health supplements. While noni juice from the Polynesian islands of Hawaii and Tahiti is well-known, noni fruit grown in Hawaii is said to be the best because of the pure air, water, and volcanic soil in which they are grown. Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni dietary supplement, for instance, uses 100 percent pure Hawaiian noni, grown far from areas where nuclear testing occurred near Tahiti in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.

For the highest quality noni health supplement and best results, always choose noni products which are never fumigated with deadly chemicals or irradiated, and grown without pesticides. The authenticity of the noni product must be guaranteed by its manufacturer and should use only the Noni fruit pulp, not other parts of the noni plant.

Besides noni fruit puree, Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni juice is enhanced with raspberry and blueberry fruit concentrate, as well as momordica fruit extract. Red raspberry delivers high levels of ellagic acid, a powerful, natural substance that supports the body’s defence mechanisms against carcinogens. Blueberry has powerful antioxidants proven to scavenge free radicals that can damage DNA molecules and lead to cancer. Mormodica fruit is an antioxidant and immune system booster which has been popular with the Chinese for centuries. You can find it in Chinese medicine shops and groceries, where it is usually better known as “lo han kuo”.

Neways Authentic Hawaiian Noni is as pure as it gets, with no added sugars, no added preservatives, colors or artificial flavors. If you can’t stomach the natural taste and smell of noni fruit, this delicious, power-packed cocktail will help you get the goodness of noni into your body. Buy it at the wholesale price here.

Posted: September 4th, 2009 under Antioxidants, Cancer, Healing Foods, Health Supplements, Immune System Health.
Comments: 1