Nature's Sunshine Products NSP

[CombinedNSP]

SMA

Any suggestions on my mom, 61, Diagnosed with (PSMA) Progressive Spinal Muscular Atrophy...a form of ALS. She is now in a wheelchair and can barely use her arms & legs. I see her every few months and all her strength is about gone....to the point where she can't do anything on her own. Just would like any info on how to help her with her quality of life for the time she has left. Thanks :)-Liz
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I learned in one of the Trinity class discussions how Folic Acid plays a large role in healing nerves vessels and Spinal issues. Maybe a challenge in the Pituitary Endocrine System. I would test Spirulina. (which has a good source of B vitamins as well, cleans toxins, and is nutritious) -Virginia Dassler
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I found the following article on ALS. Since you mentioned that your mom's illness is related this may be something to consider. I recommend your mother take Colloidal Silver and Pau d'Arco which may do the same thing as the minocycline without the side effects. Minocyline is in the tetracycline antibiotic family. Best wishes. I have pasted information on both the colloidal silver and the Pau d'Arco for your information.
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A report from Harvard Medical School shows that the antibiotic, minocycline, may prevent and treat Lou Gehrig's disease.

Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive fatal nerve disease in which most victims die within 3 to 5 years. Several previous studies show that minocycline protects nerves from dying in diseases such as Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. This study shows that minocycline prevents release of cytochrome c that activates an enzyme that enables cells to commit suicide and is a common feature of many disease that cause paralysis and loss of feeling. Minocycline delayed the onset of movement problems in the mouse and prolonged their lives. Minocycline is extremely safe, and since it acts differently from the established treatment drug, riluzole, it may be used in combination with it to treat Lou Gehrig's disease (1a).

For 10 years most doctors have scoffed at athletes who take creatine to help make them stronger. While there is debate about the effectiveness of this chemical in making people stronger, recent research shows that it may help people with muscle wasting diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease (Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS), shaking diseases such as Parkinson's, and cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Creatine is a chemical that supplies energy to muscles when they cannot get all the oxygen that they need during intense exercise. Although the muscles of people with Lou Gehrig's disease do not have low levels of creatine, extra creatine may help them to contract more forcibly and reduce the weakening effect of the disease. Lou Gehrig ‘s disease is named after a baseball player who had Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which usually starts in people over 40 years of age as a mild weakness in the arms or legs or minimal difficulty speaking or swallowing. It often progresses rapidly to affect every muscle in the body, causing victims to require wheelchairs and eventually not have the strength to breathe.

Messages are sent along nerves by an electric current. When the current reaches the end of a nerve, the nerve secretes a chemical called a neurotransmitter, that passes to the next nerve to continue the message. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is secreted by a stimulated nerve and travels to the next nerve to activate it to continue the message. After it sends the message, glutamate is normally removed from the nerve junction. Most researchers feel that in Lou Gehrig's disease, glutamate continues to accumulate and stimulate the nerve until the nerve becomes exhausted and dies. The standard treatment, Riluzole, helps a little bit to stop nerves from processing glutamate so they can rest and recover.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis starts in either the brain or the spinal cord. Riluzole helps only those people whose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis starts in their brains and not those whose disease started in their spinal cords. There is no evidence that it can reverse the damage that is already done and one study does not mean that the drug is an effective treatment.

1a) Minocycline is the first non-toxic drug with a proven human safety record that has been shown to inhibit cytochrome c release. It also crosses the blood-brain barrier and is effective when taken orally, which makes it a good candidate for human clinical trials. Zhu S, Stavrovskaya IG, Drozda M, Kim BYS, Ona V, Li M, Sarang S, Liu AS, Hartley DM, Wu DC, Gullans S, Ferrante RJ, Przedborski S, Kristal BS, Friedlander RM. "Minocycline inhibits cytochrome c release and delays progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in mice." Nature, May 2, 2002, Vol. 417, No. 6884, pp.74-78.

1) NEJM March 3, 1994.

2) Neurology March, 1999. 5 to 10 grams creatine improves muscle strength 15 percent.

3) Nature Medicine March, 1999. Improves endurance in mice.

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Information on Colloidal Silver:

Colloidal Silver--A Definition-- Colloidal silver is a complicated name for a simple chemistry project. A colloidal system refers to superfine particles suspended in water. We all recognize silver as a precious metal. So with colloidal silver, tiny particles of silver are electrocolloidally suspended in deionized water. The silver particles and the water are dispersed within and bound to each other by an electric current. This means that each of the silver particles is given a positive charge so they repel each other and the water around them, leaving them suspended in the water. The silver particles are not dissolved, nor should they sink. They remain suspended in the solution, held there by the electric charge. What to Look for in Your Colloidal Silver The highest-grade colloidal silver is produced by the electro-colloidal method described above. Colloidal silver can be produced using a grind method or a chemical process, but these solutions are not nearly as safe or effective. 99.999% fine silver in particle sizes ranging from .005 to .015 microns should be used in a quantity of 3 to 5 parts per million (ppm). Silver gives a golden hue when reduced to that particle size, so your colloidal silver should ideally be a pale golden yellow. Darker colors indicate the use of larger particles. The weight of these larger particles will counteract the electric charge, and they will collect at the bottom of the container. Colloidal silver which contains dregs is not a true colloid. Watch for products that contain a stabilizer silver will remain suspended on its own in a true colloid. Look out for trace elements other than silver or for any added coloring. Your colloidal silver should be nothing but fine silver and deionized water. If the product needs to be shaken or requires refrigeration, it is not a true colloid. Finally, remember that high concentrations of silver do not kill germs more effectively than the safe range of 3-5 ppm. What Colloidal Silver Does How does silver work? It disables the enzyme that one-celled bacteria, viruses, and fungi need for oxygen metabolism. In the presence of silver, these pathogenic microbes suffocate. In one powerful experiment, 50 gallons of raw sewage were pumped into a pool without any disinfectant. The E. coli count (a standard measure of contamination) was at 7,000 E. coli cells per milliliter of water. The water was exposed to silver electrodes and within three hours, all 50 gallons were free of E. coli. Colloidal silver is an effective ally in the fight against over 650 disease-causing organisms. These include: bacteria (typhoid, dyptheria, certain types of food poisoning, and pneumonia); viruses (the common cold, influenza, measles, and AIDS); protozoa (malaria, giardiasis, amebic dysentery); fungi (ringworm, thrush, candida albicans, and athlete's foot); rickettsiae (rocky mountain spotted fever and Q fever); and chlamydiae (infections of the eye, the genitals, and the respiratory system). There is no known microbe that colloidal silver does not destroy. It turns out that silver ions are very important for the immune system. They supplement and support the T-cells in fighting foreign organisms, almost forming a second immune system. In research done with AIDS, it appears that silver both protects and defends T-cells, and does their work for them. There is also a correlation between occurrence of illness and the level of silver in the body; people who are ill generally register lower levels of silver in their body. Besides suffocating unwanted invaders, colloidal silver also helps injured tissues grow back. It has been useful in cases of severe burns and broken bones. It reduces scar tissue and helps severe cuts and wounds heal faster. Silver vs. Antibiotics An antibiotic kills a half-dozen different disease organisms. But because the antibiotic attacks the bacteria directly, and because bacteria adapt very well, they mutate to over-come the anti-biotic. So every time an antibiotic is used, it becomes less effective for the next time it is needed. But silver kills over 650 disease-causing organisms, and it can do so every time. No resistant strains develop with the use of silver. Researchers speculate that this is because silver does not attack the microbe directly like an antibiotic does. It decomposes the enzyme microorganisms rely on to breathethey can't mutate to counterattack silver's approach. Another problem with antibiotics is that they kill beneficial enzymes while attacking the bad ones; pharmaceutical antibiotics can't distinguish between good and bad enzymes. This is why the immune system is especially weak after a round of antibiotics, and why yeast infections are much more likely after taking antibiotics. Silver, however, doesn't destroy beneficial enzymes because they are very different from the enzymes of single-celled life which silver targets. Silver is nontoxic. Also, colloidal silver doesn't interact or interfere with other medicine being taken. Finally, antibiotics only affect bacteria. Silver disables bacteria, viruses, fungi, and all other disease-causing organisms. Many Practical Uses for Colloidal Silver At the first signs of a cold, swab nasal cavity with a q-tip and take 1/2 tsp (2x per day). Colloidal silver is safe for children as well. Continue regiment until signs of cold have subsided. When signs of flu appear, give 1 tsp for child and 2 tsp per adult per day. Also, it is excellent for ear infections. Place drops in ears (2x per day) ingest 1 tsp for child and 2 tsp per adult per day. It is safe for eyes. For eye infections place 2 drops in each eye (2x per day). A Final Note In prolonged, very heavy doses, some colloidal silver compounds will leave deposits in the heavier skin folds, like the knuckles. This permanent gray coloring of the skin is called Argyria; it is correctable with laser treatment. Argyria is very rare and most often associated with products that use particles of silver which are too large to be flushed out of the body's system naturally. As long as the silver particle size ranges from .005 to .015 microns in diameter, there should be no problem. (Nature's Sunshine Colloidal Silver has not caused this reaction on any of its users.) -------------------------------------------
Information on Pau D' Arco:

Teams of Scientists from U.S. Universities are searching the jungles and rainforests of South America for plants whose leaves, roots or barks may hold the secrets to preventing or even curing such diseases as cancer, AIDS, leukemia and asthma.

While some scientists scoff at the idea that South American plants could cure cancer or AIDS, others are well aware that the cure for scurvy was as simple as eating citrus. Quinine, taken from the bark of the South American Cinchona tree is a medicinally accepted treatment for malaria. Many of our modern "wonder drugs" were first discovered in the leaves or inner barks of plants and trees. After the healing compounds were isolated, they were synthesized and are now produced in chemical laboratories.

Unfortunately, these man-made medicines often cause serious side effects. Many practitioners of herbal medicine find that harmful side effects are rare in herbal medicine due to the natural buffers which nature also included in the plants.

One of the renowned of the healing herbs is Lapacho. The inner lining of the bark of either the Red or the Purple Lapacho Tree has been used for centuries as an effective treatment for cancer and other dread diseases. News of the benefits of drinking a tea prepared from Red or Purple Lapacho has been widely reported.

Doctors Discover Lapacho South American medical doctors who discovered Lapacho in the pharmacopoeia of the natives were the first to experiment with it as a treatment for cancer. Dr. Walter Accorsi reported that it "eliminated the pains caused by the disease and multiplies the body's production of red corpuscles". Numerous South American physicians tried Lapacho with their patients and the claims of cures of cancer and other diseases became abundant. North Americans have been trying Lapacho tea for a few years now. Reports that have appeared in various U.S. publications are both informative and encouraging: Lets live, February 1985 said, "Over the past 20 years reports from doctors and patients have indicated that this bark, when ingested (usually in tea form), has cured terminal leukemia, arthritis, yeast and fungus infections, arrested pain, stopped athlete's foot and cured the common cold." And it "has been found to be an effective analgesic, sedative, decongestant, diuretic and hypotensive." The July 1985 issue of Vegetarian Times reported that Red and/or Purple Lapacho "is currently being hailed for its effects on cancer and candida...Traditional herbalists agree that it strengthens and balances the immune system" and is currently used as a remedy for immune system-related problems such as colds, flu, boils, infections, and that "tests have anti-malarial and anti-cancer activities". Further, the article stated that drinking Red or Purple Lapacho tea, "can combat infection, give great vitality, build up immunity to disease, strengthen cellular structure and help eliminate pain and inflammation...It can be taken either periodically as a preventive, or used consistently during an active infection."

Strengthens Immune System The October 8, 1985 issue of Globe stated that "Lapacho, a proven antibiotic, is often used in America to treat yeast infections, but is touted in South America as a cure for cancer and other diseases. The experts say it can also arm the body against viral infestations like AIDS...". "taking certain herbs is the perfect health measure to protect yourself against AIDS," says Dr Paul Lee, former director of the Platonic Academy of Herbal studies in Santa Cruz, California." AIDS researchers are keenly interested in natural substances like herbs that enhance the immune response", says Dr. Tom Baldwin, Associate Professor of immunology at the University of Texas Health Science Center. "We have already identified plants that have effect, and there is good reason to investigate further", he told Globe. The article also indicates that a combination of Lapacho and YerbaMate is especially effective.

The Spotlight, June 8, 1981, lists 35 diseases which Red and/or Purple Lapacho has purportedly cured, or relieved. Malignant germs that cause all these diseases cannot withstand the antibiotics this mighty tree secretes.

Powerful Natural Antibiotic Researchers isolated a substance in Lapacho tea that apparently contains a chemical chain, anti-tumor agent. Dr. Paulo Martin, a medical researcher for the Brazilian government stated, "We isolated a compound we called quechua from Lapacho and found it to be a powerful antibiotic, with virus-killing properties." Dr. Norman Farnsworth of the University of Illinois, both herbal medicine experts, agree with Dr. Martin and are quoted as saying: "Lapacho undoubtedly contains a substance found to be highly effective against cancer." Some feel that one of the most significant contributions of Lapacho tea is the elimination of pain. Apparently this takes about 3 days of drinking a quart of Red or purple Lapacho tea each day, properly prepared, and 2-3 cups per day thereafter.

Tests indicate that the toxicity of Lapacho tea is about 1/10 that of caffeine. The only reported side effect seems to be nausea experienced by a few people when the tea is first used. This is said to be a purging effect, and that once the poisons are purged from the body the nausea goes away. Many cancer patients who have used Lapacho were also receiving medical treatment, and it appears that Lapacho can be used successfully in conjunction with ongoing medical therapy. Some report that the tea appeared to increase effectiveness of chemotherapy with a parallel decrease in deleterious side effects when Lapacho tea is used.

Let the Buyer Beware One question that has stumped researchers is why Lapacho is so very beneficial to some people and some others have no observable results. Possible answers range from the chemical interaction of the Lapacho tea inside the body to using adulterated Lapacho bark or even bark from the wrong Lapacho tree. The old Roman phrase, caveat emptor- - let the buyer beware, is applicable when buying Lapacho, Pau d'Arco or Taheebo. As with many newly discovered helpful treatments, Lapacho is being marketed and used, often without appropriate background info. Unscrupulous suppliers have found it very profitable to grind up both the inner and worthless, bitter outer bark, and sometimes the entire tree, often without regard as to whether or not it was the correct Lapacho tree. This adulterated or even worthless material is shipped to unwary American packagers and is sold to the public as Pau d'Arco, Taheebo, Ipe Roxo or Lapacho. Fortunately, there is also very high quality Lapacho in the U.S. The challenge facing the consumer, in order to achieve maximum effectiveness, is to know which of all the brands available is truly 100% inner lining of the Red or Purple Lapacho Tree.

While there are numerous varieties of Lapacho trees in South America, only the inner lining of the tree has has known medical value. It is this inner lining (or phloem) which carries nutrients made by the leaves to other parts of the tree and is, with the cambium layer (where all the new cells are produced) the "life" of the tree. NSP uses the proper part of the tree. -Lourdes