Q: Why do you not recommend supplements? Not even a good multivitamin/mineral supplement?
A: I don’t recommend supplements because there is a very real possibility of harm outweighing any benefit. Why waste your money on something not proven to be beneficial and possibly harmful? Recent medical studies have shown that supplements don’t supply the same benefits of the ingredient found naturally in food. It makes more sense to get the nutrients you need by eating locally grown fresh foods from reputable producers. To learn more about the locally grown food movement click here.
Further Reading:
Supplements That Have Been Shown to Lower High Blood Pressure – LiveStrong.com
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Why waste your money on something not proven to be beneficial and possibly harmful? That is exactly why people should stop paying huge dollars for medicine that only makes them sicker. It is sad a Doctor would choose a manufactured chemical over a natural substance.
Three yrs ago i was on 7 different meds for B/P and CHF. I was next to useless. Couldn’t even walk across the room without gasping for air. Decided I would rather be dead than live like that any longer.. With the help on my wife i started doctoring myself naturally. Today at age 71 i am feeling great, lots’ of energy and NO MEDS. The docs won’t recommend going natural simply because there’s no money in it.
What kind of natural treatment allowed you to drop the meds for BP?????
What kind of natural suppliments did you take to lower your pressure?
in what natural method you lowered your blood pressure to get rid of 7 different pills a day???
To Spence:
What are you taking that is natural that takes care of the Blood pressure level??
Thanks,
Please tell me what you did.Iuse to take diovan hct and it put me in the hospital.
I’m now taking Diovan HCTZ. Please share
your experience and I’m wondering whether
I’m getting palpitations from the drug.
Mary. THANKS!
It took the sodium out of my body.I was on them 3 years before it happened. But my kidney doctor admitted they did. Thanks to the medication I also needed a kidney doctor!
Please tellme what you are taking!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what would you recommand to lower hbp and what vitamans is good to talk with meds(carvedilol 25mg–amlodipine 10mg-lisinopril/hctz 20/25
I think I love you! I’ve read several of your posts and you are 100% right about all of them. Unfortunately, most people blindly do as their physicians tell them. People! Advocate for yourselves! Look information up on the internet. If you don’t have a computer, go to the library. When drug side effects are worse than the disease, there’s a problem!
All I can say is that you need to look at the Nutrilite Supplements and then make a choice. All natural, orgarnic farms from the start.
She is a doctor of MEDICINE. Trained in a school of MEDICINE. So be good and take your MEDICINE. When she’s not seeing patients, she visiting with the drug rep.
Starting to make sense now?
I agree with your comments 100%. She pushes Respirate. I am sure she is on their payroll. Meditation will do the same and much cheaper
Jim you right-on, I agree with you. I am sadden that Dr. Rowena is so very closed minded when it comes to natural supplements.
Well said Jim. She may recommend eating whole foods, but it is proven that it is extremely difficult to get all the nutrients one needs in a day by food alone, even with the most educated and diligent efforts. Man-made chemicals, via “Big Pharma”, and their brain-washed pushers (physicians) are not in the business of health and healing….they’re in the “business” of DISEASE MAINTENANCE/SYMPTON MANAGEMENT.
I live in a very rural community where fresh local food is available only during a few summer months. Even though I try to eat healthy the rest of the year, how fresh and healthy can all of those “fresh” fruits and vegetables be when picked before ripening and then sprayed with chemicals to hasten ripening? Ever notice how they go from fresh to rotten in a hurry?
Jim, You took the words right out of my mouth. Each time I go to the doctor for a check up it then leads to more tests,more dr’s more Rx’s and the meds make me feel worse and put a strain on my budget which stresses me even more.I beleive my supplements are the only thing I should take. 3 mos. ago I took a thyroid ,aspirin and water pill now it has added up to 13 tabs a day??? Bazaar!I cannot take statins as I have spasms and chest pain but doc’s do not beleive me.I give up!
This doctor obviously has zero knowledge about whole food supplements. Sad.
The doctor’s response says nothing about medicine. In fact, her recommendation is for a natural alternative: locally grown, fresh food. The truth is that “natural” doesn’t mean safer, even though many consumers seem to make that association – a fact that is not lost on corporate giants, including those manufacturing supplements. (After all, arsenic and poison ivy are natural too.) The trouble with supplements, in addition to what Dr. Rowena discusses above, is that there is little to no regulation of the industry and tons of research to support Dr. Rowena’s position. The research is extensive, spanning many years, many control groups, different interest groups, etc., many of who are not personally invested in our health in any way. And so, despite what we might personally choose to believe we simply must accept that the data does not support the use of supplements.
You are partially right. However most medications prescribed by the doctor is derived from natural souces and then combined with chemicals to make them work faster. These chemicals are what causes many side effects which come with all pharmaceuticals Its important to educate yourself about herbs and supplements before using them; which can be done through personal research. One excellent reference is the book Back to Eden or you can find a holistic doctor for guidance. Most doctors who dont recommend natural sources whould never take half of the medications they prescribe. I’m on medication for high blood pressure and it causes me to be constipated; my physician recommends chemical remedies while the specialist I went too told me to just eat naturally sources daily (like prunes, apricots, raisins etc). I took the natural way.
Good response, Valerie
Read the research on fish oil and vitamin D. It made a believer out of me.
Elizabeth, please wake up, you have been duped by the Pharmaceutical Industry. Where is all this research you are talking about? Prescription drugs kill more people daily than any and all natural supplements combined. Peace!
Joyce, exactly my son passed away 3 yrs ago from 3 meds that contraindicated each other his Humana sent letter to his doc’s and they ignored it.
It is not the lack of regulation that is the problem with supplements in the medical community. It is the inablility of Big Pharma to patent them and make huge profits on their sales. Wake up folks, pharmaceutical companies need the money to give docs trips, lunches for their staff, free samples, high paid drug reps that take up the doctor’s time when they should be seeing patients. A drug rep waltzed into my doctors office with big lunch tray just before my 11:45 appt. I had to wait an hour to see the doc. Hmmmmm wonder where the doctor was all that time. I am sure it was not with a patient. That is not the first time that has happened to me.
I agree with the premise of getting your nutrients through the food you eat, but the vast majority of us in the real world don’t have time to search around, prepare, balance, and keep up with eating all the right things on a daily basis. If I live in the world of “what should be” that would be a good suggestion, but since I live in the world of “what is”….
I believe that taking a vitamin D-3 supplement should be encouraged for the world. The reason we have flu and colds is because in the winter we are deprived of sunshine which our bodies need to maintain health.
I hope you will reconsider your thoughts on vitamin D-3
Namaste~
I would like to know about your comments.
wher can you find a holistic Dr. in the HMO world? I would prefer to go natural.
Jim I think it is all about the money.
To make blanket statements regarding the use of any medicine or supplement is irresponsible – espcially when posted on a commercial website.
Using the internet to make such statements is like trying to diagnose a heart attack over the phone – something no medical professional would do.
Medical schools do a woefully inadequate job in teaching two things – exercise physiology and nutrition. Leave nutrition to the professionals.
I would have to agree with Jim. The same can be said about conventional medicines. I also agree that some supplements can harm. I guess that my biggest issue is that I would expect more from an informed health professional than blanket statements on all supplements. If you would take time to look you would see there are some studies on the effects that supplementation has on some cases of hypertension. Dr Rownena you are correct with regards to a proper diet being the cornerstone in our fight with hypertension but a prudent observation would see that supplementation can potentially have a role in treatment.. Its seems that you have a very political stance on all supplements. Very dissapointing………
What do you mean vitamins aren’t proven to be good for you?
What rubbish!
If most medical doctors would wake up and SEE that supplements DO what they say they do there wouldn’t be so many sick people on so many meds with so many side effects! I’m living proof — for three years, docs had me on 7 different meds for blood pressure, not doing one ounce of good and killing me with side effects. Turns out it was my adrenal gland causing most of the problem, so I’m now on 1 Aldactone daily along with diet, exercise and a VERY GOOD supplement keeping my moderate essential hypertension totally under control. Also, triglycerides were brought down from 535 to 149 in 6 weeks with Red Yeast Rice. Blood sugar under control with supplements and diet. Just had a stress test and passed with flying colors – cardio targeted supplements! Don’t try to tell me supplements don’t work! Even my PCP has had to admit they are “apparently” working! Granted you can’t just buy any old thing off Walmart’s shelf. One needs guidance in taking anything, but if done correctly, they DO work!
Please share what supplements you are on for your adrenal and where you got them…also your other supplements. This is very good news to those of us out there who do not believe that chemical drugs are the answer.
All of my supplements come from Dr. Hank Sloan at The Genesis Center in Cumming, GA or from The Life Extension Foundation, of which I am a member and can order them online. We have been targeting the blood pressure, blood sugar, elevated liver enzymes, cholesterol/triglycerides, so we have not gotten to the adrenal yet. We’ve got all that under control, so the adrenal issue is next! I’m still on the “medicine” – Aldactone – for that problem, but have had no side effects from it. When I go back to Dr. Sloan he’s going to put me on something natural for that, too, so I can get rid of the last of the medications. I am 71 years old and keep my 3 year old great grandson everyday, work in my yard and house and still do bookkeeping, accounting and transcription at home. See why I say “don’t tell me supplements don’t work”!! I would suggest you find a good naturpathic doctor or someone of that sort who is well trained in the usage of supplements and let him/her guide you in what to take for any particular problems you have. Everyone is different and not all things work the same for everyone. I wish you well in your quest for good health naturally!
Talk to Dr. Sloan about Hibiscus capsules for your BP. I am 74 and the BP meds were making me sleepy and dizzy. With the addition of Hibiscus capsules, I have been able to cut the amount of RX meds in half and take them 3 times a day instead of 4. Helps with tne wallet too since I have to RX coverage. that is another topic–Medicare Part D is a ripoff and I do not participate.
I agree with the doctor here, to a degree. Some supplements interfere with prescription medications. E.g., Folic acid shouldn’t be taken during chemo, nor gingko with anti-coagulants. The same is true for some foods. Grapefruit juice doesn’t mix well with Lipitor, and foods high in vitamin K are limited when taking anticoagulants.
However, I’ve known three MDs to prescribe specific supplements (CoQ 10; Coromega, a fish oil supplement; calcium, Vitamin D in prescription strength) in specific doses. Patients self-dosing is another matter. My own primary care physician insists that all supplments taken be listed so they can be reviewed for interaction with prescribed drugs and other substances.
“supplements don’t supply the same benefits of the ingredient found naturally in food” And all human bodies/biochemistries are not the same. We don’t all process nutrients from our food at the most optimal rate. In addition, we don’t all have equal access to “locally grown food from reputable producers.” Your response comes across as rather elitist, and closed to the possibilities that may come from supplementing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbals. Now herbs don’t work so well for me, but others have much different and more positive results.
Why not take care of the problem naturally as the neck curvature has an effect on BP. It has been proven that C1-C4 has an effect on BP. Any anatomy book will show that blood flows to the brain through muscles and vertabrae. If there is resricted blood flow because muscles are tight and vertabrae are rotated as muscles act upon joints, is it not possible that this can raise blood pressure and cause a possible stroke?
There are a few flaws in your supplement information. namely, in areas of North America with glaciated soil (like Southern Ontario) they are deficient in Selenium and Zinc. Both are necessary. (local food simply does not cut it (I have an organic garden in my backyard). And, if supplementation is not necessary why do cattle now need them? One hundred years ago cows were fed grain and grass they gave milk. now, if they are not fed supplements in addition to main foods they get sick?
Stress increases the needs for certain vitamins like the B’s. Medline has a number of medical studies showing that as we age our ability to absorb nutrients/vitamins decreases.
What about food sources of cystine (double bonded cystein) in the formation of Gluthathione precursors? what are our food sources. This is one of the most widely researched areas of medical literature and supplementation with Immunocal is proving its medical merit and is listed in the PDR main edition plus the Pharmacist Red Book and now the CPS in Canada.
Kind regards,
I think this is absolutely terrible advice by Dr. Rowena!! Just terrible.
Is there a lot of snake oil out there in the nutritional arena? No question. There have and will always be hoaxsters and companies out for only the almighty buck.
But, to suggest an individual shouldn’t take any supplements is just bull malarky…there is just no way to sugarcoat it!
Facts are, Americans are deficient (and in many cases extremely so) in numerous macro and micro nutrients. For a variety of reasons too deep to delve into in this comment.
But, there are lot of clinically proven and validated nutrients and supplements that do in fact aid in blood pressure reduction and regulation. And taken as an adjunct to a healthy diet is a good, proactive way to mange your health and malady.
Is there a possibility of harm occurring, as you suggest? Sure there is. But, the probability is nothing as compared to the prescription meds doctors dole out in their sleep. And without regard to the long-term ramifications of doing so.
Bottom line is this: There is a place for BOTH nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals in controlling and managing high blood pressure.
And it is a shame that more doctors don’t prescribe to this theory. As I believe the world (and especially the US) would be a healthier place!
Preach on Jeff!!! You are right on the money!! Well said.
Jim is absolutely right. Look at the relationships between big pharma & the FDA and relationships between big pharma & the medical profession. The big pharmasuiticle companies spend more money on bribes and TV commercials than anything else. They are selling poisons and getting by with most of it.
Helpful web sites:
http://www.nih.gov National Institute of Health
http://www.drugs.com Everything to know about medicines
http://www.whfoods.org Tons of nutritional info and benefits
http://www.mercola.com Find out how to control your blood pressure naturally and discover how these drugs are crippling and killing us. Take control of your Health!
I had a heart attack at 40. I studied everything about vitamins. I didn’t go back to a doctor for 12 yrs!! I take about 40 pills a day and have for 23 years. No headaches, no sickness, never miss work. How’s that Dr. Quack!!! Vitamins enable me to have a happy productive life. Try it sometime Doc and you won’t have to prescribe your ridiculous medicines that have to have a disclaimer everytime the come on a commerical that lasts as long as the commercial.
Disclaimer. You have to have 8 degrees to comprehend all the risk factors and possible illnesses from the meds. The disclaimers are there because people have had reactions from allergic to life threatening. Why dont the doctors see how we feel and not dismiss our comments.
Johns what do you take?
Are Fish Oil, Calcium, Folic Acid, C0Q10, and Vit D3 considered supplements? My doc prescribed them but I was already taking them.
Local is not sustainable in many areas of the US. I live in a high moutain desert and it uses a lot of energy to pump the water to our alitude. The farmers use way more fuel driving their little trucks to our farmer’s market with a few pounds of tomatoes than the big store does that ships in huge amounts of canned and fresh tomatoes in big haulers. And it goes on and on. The doctor and the locavores need to read the book “Just Food”.
Joyce,
Sounds like you have a smart doctor! Be thankful for that as more doctors should be prescribing those kinds of supplements first before medications, at least some of the time. Your kind of doctor is very rare based on my experience.
I disagree, that some supplements are not beneficial. A person should have a solid concept of good nutrition and practice it as well before using vitamins and other supplements though. You can’t beat mother nature, as long as the food is locally grown, with high standards and care. Much of the food is genetically altered monstrosities, sprayed with pesticides, and shown to be deficient of nutrients and shown to be toxic to the body. Eat local! Eat Organic and take essential, quality vitamins, minerals and condition specific supplements.
In recent months I’ve begun to notice a campaign against vitamins and supplements. Readers Digest published a big article just last month. All I can say is “Caveat Lector” let the reader beware. At a time when poison is being prescribed as Lipitor, Fosamax, and others, I will stick to my vitamins and supplements, thank you, doctor!
I for one only take natural supplements vitamins & herbs & I know for a fact they do work with no side effects.I ran out a few times & would forget to buy calcium or vitamin E, or C MY BONES HURT & had more colds & viruses. NO ONE CAN TELL ME THE NATURAL WAY DOESN’T WORK . they use the natural herbs & vitamins to make the meds & add chemicals & color & things to make their Pharmaceutical meds why add dyes & chemicals just stay with the natural stuff.stick with good name brands> not rexall these have unnecessary added ingredients.came too late to tell me the natural doesn’t work..I even ask my Dr. when they want to give me a perscription,don’t want that what is the natural form of this med… I’m thankful for good Drs. THAT ARE OK WITH THE HERBS & NATURAL FORM OF HEALING.
Most doctors get zero instruction in anything natural in medical school. as a result most are woefully ignorant regarding any benefits to be derived from natural remedies, instead opting for the immediate results, albeit with other problems,of meds. Someone here said sad. Well it is sad.
I will have to disagree, and fortunately for me so does my doctor. In fact, he recommended a number of supplements. Some ‘supplements’ are available as prescription medications (e.g. niacin). There are other doctors that have written entire books that disagree with Dr. Rowena. If I could change my lifestyle to include work doing physical activity all day in a safe and hazard-free environment, growing my own organic food, and preparing my own food, then I would likely not need supplements, prescription medications, or doctors. That’s not likely to happen.
Inncreasingly, I find that doctors are now prescribing supplements; I am managing many health issues besides BP with the help of alternative care and supplements.
While I agree that there is much to be said for natural and alternative therapies, we should remember that Dr. Rowena is not giving advice in this area. Number one, she is avoiding legal liability and number two, her primary focus is the Resperate machine. Any one here want to recommend web sites with alternative methods for achieving good health?
I have HIGH BP for the past 3yrs, now i take supplements like B6,B50,fish oil,magnesium,NAC with losartan 50mg it works well for me… my BP’s down to 110/80 hope this also works for you.
I beleive in supplements because I cured my hyerthiroid condition & lowred my blood clucose w th vitemins the cripts the doctor was giving me just made the condition worse, maybe some don’t work but as with scripts some do.
I also conquered high colesterol. hypo thyroid and sugar problems with supplements
What did you take for lowering blood glucose?
I am all for natural
Large, multinational pharmaceutical corporations are perhaps concerned with a growing movement called alternative medicine. It is definitely making inroads. But do watch for mixing too many supplements, they may also cause annoying side effects. Just had some from magnesium/potassium supp my doc gave me for HBP.
Thanks Dr. Rowena for your healthful write-ups,but i totally disagreed with you that all supplements are not beneficial and generally causes more harm than good.The food most people eat lacks some basic nutrients which certain food supplements can augment(provide). Personally i have seen some people who recovers from ailments by taking certain food supplements. Therefore it is not right to condemn taking all food supplements,rather we should be selective to choose the right ones. Thanks for your effort in educating the masses!!
The supplements are divided into two categories. There are those which are synthetic and those which are made from natural fruits and vegetables. The latter group like those distributed by GNLD distributors are fantastic and their manufacture is guided by a scientific advisory board of 9 PHD holders as a minimum qualification! We cannot be serious when we dismiss all supplements per se! Do you know that you have to rat 5kg of spinach if you are to get the recommended amount of magnesium? Which human being can eat that much? Supplemantation is here to stay but we have to choose natural supplements NOT synthetic ones!
Dr. Gordon has been recognized for decades and his products are State of the Art in supplementation. Here is a link to his website and cardio/circulation product link:
http://gordonresearch.com/category_cardiovascular.html
http://www.longevityplus.com/_catalog_67826/Cardiovascular
Doctors only KNOW, what PSR’s tell them. Doctors are not into chemistry?? They have a few classes in College but very basic stuff. Its the Fat CAT Drug Companies that use college kids many with just bussiness degrees to pump the doctors full of (what they SAY their product will do. Its the blind, the sales rep, passing on information that the drug company wants in order to make hundreds of millions…. its all about money,,, to really find cures would put them all out of bussiness… Many drugs have been passed by the FDA, only to kill hundreds of innocent people…. we are vesseles used to make the fat cats very very rich. Doctors only know and use data they are supplied! They are clueless
of the real data only the many times tainted info passed on. They have and are trying to make it a doctors visit to even get vitamins, and natural supplements…. beware..Big Brother wants you off the cheap natural way….
There are No pharmacutical drugs out there that will cure you. If it were so the drug companies would go out of bussiness. Each drug you take has some bad side effect causing you to take another drug to counter act the effect eet.etc it goes on foreve, and I have a medicine cabinet full to prove it. Medical schools are funded by big drug companies. Doctors have more training in using drugs than nutrition or supplements. Go see a good. Chiropractor if you want good quality supplents and dont medicate your self from wal-mart shelf. For every hour a Medical dr spend learning about drugs a chiropractor spends the same amount of time on nutrition. I dont know about other regions but around here in the north east a large amount of doctors and nurses are grossly overweight. I was once sent to a dietician for diabetes and she was not only obese but I knew more about nutrition than she did and she even said so. Fresh food is good for you but depending where you live they are not available year round and many times the earth has been so over used that it lacks in many minerals and vitamins that your body needs. You would have to eat extra large quantity of food to get the same advantage as supplements.I heard they are suppose to license naturopaths to help aleviate the coming of doctor shortage . Then they will be hope for those needing good supplements and sometime prescribe drugs. They can work toghether. Do I take supplements? yes I also take prescribe drugs and use resperate I exercise faithfully prepare my own food without salt do my own gardening and canning and I use reperate and I still have high blood pressure. Its genetics. I have been on many high doses of medication and it has cause more trouble than good so i have cut down alot and use supplements and taking control of my own life. Whenever a new drug is on a commercial I shut off the TV. All of this advertisement bring up the cost of these drugs and we are paying for it.
My elderly father was in Florida on vacation back in February. Mid week he wasn’t feeling well & was rushed to the ER. His Blood Pressure, which he had been treating naturally through diet, exercise, garlic, apple cidar vinegar, fish oil, almond butter & Resperate, had risen to 200+/110!!! Although he is against taking prescriptive medicine, what was he to do?? They gave him 25mg of diovan right then & there and gave him a prescription for the remainder of the week he was there. They advised him to see his doctor when he returned back home. He did. They upped his dose to 50 mg. The good thing is that it quickly controlled his high BP. The bad things are the side effects. This was all back in February. 2 months later and he has been able to cut back his presciptive medication until his doctor sees his BP is under control again. He admitted that he did fall from his regime. He’s back on track now with his natural ways & Resperate, but it’ll take time before his doctor will allow him to stop taking his meds all together.
Do I feel doctors are pill pushers? Personally, yes, I do. In some cases however, it’s necessary. Not everyone is disciplined enough to control their BP on their own & you can’t change the fact that all these pills have side effects.
Well said Carol Kelly. Join Life Extension and if you pick and choose what they recommend, you can live a life free of disease. In my opinion statin drugs harm more than help, but if you take them, you must take CO-Q 10 to replenish what your body makes naturally .
I have 3 people in my family and one friend have high blood pressure and one of them cannot find a drug that will keep it where it should be. One has to take so much that it is probably going to be the reason for her death if she keeps taking all that is seemingly necessary.
At 70, I tried to get the % Daily Value of all the vitamins. But to get them all every day, I would quickly weigh 400 pounds. I have asked my doctor for a menu that provides 100% of the daily values. No reply. Can it be done without vitamins?
I just read all previous comments in this mailing & understand where everyone is coming from. I am a retired physician of more than 15 years ago because I simply got disgusted with the allopathic means of healthcare. I come from a long line of physicians but as I practiced medicine I realized that I was seeing the same type of patients or the same patients in my general practice most of the time. What I observed was that I wasn’t healing anybody but rather just managing signs & symptoms; in other words, it wasn’t healthcare but rather sickcare. About seven years ago I discovered the existence of a Japanese wellness company that was truly unique in its technologies as well as its nutritionals, being truly whole-food since they have complete control from seeding in alluvial soils rich in minerals, organic/kosher grown & certified, harvesting, and most important cold processing in a vacuum where no heat is used whatsoever which can kill phytonutrients especially the natural enzymes of the product. I can see why Dr. Rowena prefers the natural product over the natural supplements because most natural supplements are isolates & can have risks when taken improperly, e.g. taking too much vitamin A can cause a condition (A-vitaminatosis) where the lysosomal membrane can deteriorate within a cell & liberate the autodigestive enzymes it contains resulting in cell death. It’s safer to take the precursor/anti-oxidant beta-carotene (preferrably from carotenoids such as carrots, cantalope, oranges, spinach, brocolli, etc.) rather than a pill. Only whole-food nutritionals conserve all the phytonutrients of a product; and by comparison are superior to synthetic or even “natural” vitamins & other supplements wherein most are heat processed to precipitate then into a powder. Remember, in order to achieve precipitation, vapor pressure has to equal atmospheric pressure, and that is why most “natural” vitamins are processed via heat. The cold processing through a vacuum does not need heat to precipitate into a powder since the atmosphere in a vacuum is zero; precipitation is achieved even in very cold temperatures, thus conserving all the phytonutrients and not just the vitamin isolate.
As a retired physician, I have to admit that I was not trained in prevention but rather in disease management. The research I have done these past few years has been quite an awakening since now I freely share the information and guide those interested to the source. We, ProActiveHealthAdvocates.vpweb.com, are a non-profit group and hold a free and open health exchange every Wednesday & Saturday at the local library. We have been batting a thousand in dealing with stage-IV cancers, diabetes-II, cardiovascular issues, fibromyalgia, GERD, etc.; these and other conditions without medications (especially chemo & radiation), or surgery. Allopathic means do have a place in treatment but only as a last resort rather than the first, e.g. in an emergency. We take the preventative point of view. Naturopaths can also be as closed minded as allopaths since I’ve observed that many of their recommendations are treating signs & symptoms also rather than impressing lifestyle changes as key to healing since the body is made to heal itself. I recommend the following readings: “Your Body’ Many Cries for Water” by F.Batmanghelidge; “The RAVE Diet & Lifestyle” and accompanying “Eating” dvd by Mike Anderson; “The China Study” by Collin Campbell; “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins; “Reversing Heart Disease” by Dr. Dean Ornish; and books by Sang Wang: “Reverse Aging” & “I’m OK, But What Happened to My Body.”
Also look up the technologies by NIKKEN.
I am a senior citizen and have been taking vitamin supplements all my life. I read labels, watch my salt and sugar intake and work out at the local gym five days a week. I have never had a doctor recommend that I take a vitamin. I do a lot of reading and believe that we should all learn everything we can and take charge of our own lives. When I do go for my yearly physical, my doctor tells me “I wish all of my patients were like you. They all come in overweight, etc. and aren’t happy unless they walk out with several prescriptions.”
I am a Type-A personality and, because of that, my blood pressure was starting to rise but after I started using Resperate, I have it under control for the past two years. I take my blood pressure once a week and it averages 118/68. I still work and take no medication and I plan on keeping it that way.
i take texturna,130 mg,and 2 hytrin,10 mg.it seems to keep my pressure average 135/52,pulse 62 and sometimes 79,.should i take something more to get it lower?im sometimes top heavy,and pulse sometimes goes up to 80 upon rushing around>i go to docter my pressure goes up to 145/70 or higher.i take my own gauge to keep track!
very informative column!!Full of prescriptions free!!
It’s hard to believe doctors have such ignorance and/or arrogance! In an ideal world people might be able to get all the nutrients they need from food–provided they could discipline themselves to eat all and only those foods that provide them–but not with the earth’s soil and water depleted and polluted as it is.
We all know allopathic medicines and procedures can be good and sometimes necessary, but they are too often overprescribed and resorted to too quickly. Worse, the Hippocratic Oath is thereby violated (“I will not …(administer/prescribe) any harmful drug.”) If the side effects of many pharmaceutical medications, whether drugs to control blood pressure, chemotherapy, or whatever, are not “harmful,” I don’t know what is!
Herbs have been used for healing for thousands of years; and while they, along with other supplements, can be misused, they rarely have even a fraction of the potential for harmful effects as pharmaceuticals.
I have all the proof I need of herbal benefits in my own body! i.e.: (1) a bladder infection that came back within 2 days of my finishing antibiotics. An herbal formula cured it in less than 48 hours and it never returned;(and of course I take cranberry juice capsules daily)(2)when I was in my early 50’s my doctor tried to get me to take Premarin, just beause it was consider “a good idea” for women my age. Of course I refused; and I have never had hot flashes or any other of the symptoms this pregnant mares’ urine is supposed to relieve–but I have taken black cohosh for nearly 20 years, and although I will be 61 in September, my skin has not yet wrinkled, my back is still straight and my carriage erect, and I have not had any of the other problems menopause is supposed to cause; (3) antibiotics for sinus infections made me sicker than the illness, which always recurred, but only a few days on an herbal formula cured them completely. I have often been able to prevent them entirely simply by increasing my dosage of garlic oil capsules when I feel the first symptoms. All this and nutritional benefits as well! And I could share many more.
Vitamin and herbal supplements are not “approved by the FDA” at least in part because they cannot be patented and thus bring in the huge profits for pharmaceutical companies. They are claimed, as Dr. Rowena says, not to have “proven” benefits and “possibly harmful”–but how many people DIE every year from drugs, which are often still marketed to the public?? (And how many have to die before they are recalled?) These drugs do not carry even a small guarantee of their supposed benefits; yet doctors so often claim people “should” be willing to risk all their harmful side effects!
Vitamin and herbal supplements do not claim to “control” blood pressure as drugs do, but neither do they carry the risk of putting chemicals into the body, often for years or even decades. Nor is there any guarantee whatsoever that taking these drugs will prevent heart attack, stroke, etc., etc.
Whether to take prescription drugs or not must be each individual’s own choice; and each of us must take responsibility for researching medications and their side effects, supplements, and preventive measures–and decide for ourselves what risks we are or are not willing to accept.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. The HBP med is was given created dizziness. I told the dr. that I wouldn’t die from HBP but from a car accident because of dizziness. I believe in vitamin supplements and, Thank God, I’m doing well with those mentioned in your article also.Drs. mean well, but they kill you trying to cure you. See the medical ads on TV and they list all the side effects. That doesn’t sound too good to me. Be well and thanks for that opinion.
Hi, Good content throughout the site. This post is probably where I got the most useful information for my information gathering. Thanks for posting, maybe we can see more on this. Are you aware of any other websites on this subject?
Well….
I believe a whole food supplement is great for everyone, not synthetic stuff.
I do also believe your body can help and cure itself when given the proper minerals and vits but don’t look for it in a bottle. Stop the big pharma crap and these food companies pushing processed and preservatives.
Much obliged for providing some good suggestions on this topic. I have discovered a good variety of honest information about natural health and some unreliable suggestions. Do you have any more honest information or places on the Internet that I can find more detailed ideas? This would be certainly appreciated! Either way, keep up the good work!
I have heard that chocolate is good for you, but I never understood it, or really believed it, so I just ignored it. Now I understand that only raw, organic, dark chocolate is good for you…and that in moderation. I will strive to eat only this kind of chocolate from now on…we’ll see. I presume that all the candy bars out there have added fat and sugar in them? Where can you get raw, organic, dark chocolate?