AN OUTLINE OFMEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

BY: Georges M. Halpern, MD, PhD, and Andrew H. Miller

A.  The Nature of Mushrooms

1. As Funguses, act as Recyclers, breaking down dead organic matter in the process of feeding itself.
2. 100,000 species, 700 of which are eaten as food.
3. Is a cleanser, transforming dead matter into nutrients useful to plants and animals.
4. Molecular dissemblers, vs. plants which are assemblers
5. Theory – Fungi ability to breakdown organic matter linked to antidisease properties.  They encounter disease causing pathogens more frequently than other life forms.  Must have a very proactive, healthy immune system.

B.  Strengthening the Immune System with Mushrooms

1. Act as immunoregulators – stimulating immune system when underactive, moderating if overactive.
2. Immune system must distinguish between cells produced in the body, and those from outside the body.
3. Antigens – bacterium, viruses, parasites, or toxins – that provoke a response from the immune system.
4. Primary components of the Immune System
   • T-Cells – identify and destroy cells infected by viruses or cancer.
   • Cytokines – alert the immune system about invaders.
   • Natural Killer Cells – in bloodstream, kill foreign bodies.
   • B Cells – secrete antibodies which destroy antigens.
   • Phagocytes – large, white blood cells that engulf and destroy invader cells.  Found in blood and tissue. 
   • Macrophages (giant white blood cells) – A particularly effective member of the phagocyte group, that is stimulated by mushrooms.  Also secretes Cytokines to alert the immune system when invaders present.
   • Antibodies – secreted by B Cells, neutralize selected antigens, stores information about previously encountered antigens.
5. The average person gets 6 cancerous tumors a year, which are delt with by the immune system before they become a significant problem (based on study)..
6. Polysacchrides – ingredients in medicinal mushrooms that stimulate immune system to identify cancer cells and destroy them.

      7. Molecular structure:

• Carbon chain different from most plants. 
• Beta-Glucans are the type of Polysacchride found in most mushrooms.  Contain glucose molecules, which consist of rings of 6 carbon molecules, chained with the 1^st carbon atom connected to the 3^rd atom of the succeeding molecule.  In most plants, it is the 1^st to the 4^th.
• Molecular weight of 1.5 to 2 million vs. 50,000 for plants.
• Resemble molecules found in bacteria cell walls.  Tricks immune  system into thinking the body is being attacked.

       8.  Stimulates production of cytokines, which aid macrophages.

       9.  Each type of mushroom stimulates immune system in a slightly different way.

       10.  Anti-inflamatory – Controls level of inflammation as body fights infection.

       11.  Lowers cholesterol and reduces asthma symptoms.

       12.  Act as Probiotics – Help good microbes in digestive system, and kill bad ones.  Produces B vitamins and helps body absorb minerals.

       13.  Antioxident – Moderates free radicals, which have the function of killing bacteria, viruses, etc.

       14.  Liver – Has a protective and restorative affect on the Liver.

       15.  Reduces the need for using antibiotics.  Overuse of antibiotics can reduce their future effectiveness.

       16.  Mushroom supplements (pills) are made from mycelium, or root structure, of mushroom, vs. the fruit body, which is used in culinary mushrooms.  The mycelium has a greater concentration of the desirable substances.

        17.  Benefits of specific types of mushrooms (based on studies):

• Reishi – Rx: Chronic fatigue, Diabetes, detoxifies Liver, lowers Cholesterol, Antihistamine, Stress, prevents tumor growth, prevents blood clots.
• Agaricus Blazei – Rx: Cancer preventative, antioxidant.
• Cordyceps Sinensis – Rx: Anti aging properties,  Athersosclerosis, Diabetes, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Liver problems, Fatigue.
• Maitake – Rx: Diabetes (helps control blood glucose and promotes insulin production), Cholesterol, Cancer, Obesity, High Blood Pres.
• Phellinus Linteus, Shiitake & Trametes Versicolor – Rx: Cancer.
• Hericium Erinaceus – Rx: Alzheimers’s, Cancer.

        18.  Nikken’s Immunity (Mushroom) Supplement –

• Combines 14 different mushrooms, including all noted above.
• Mushrooms grown under very exacting organic standards.
• Multiple mushroom formulas have the best curative effects.
• The authors call Nikken’s Immunity formula “The most sophisticated and advanced mushroom formula of which the authors are  aware.”

Summary of a 12-month, double-blind, clinical test of magnetic mattress pads carried out by San-ikukai Hospital, Tokyo Communications Hospital and Kouseikai Suzuki Hospital, by Dr. Kazuo Shimodaira.

So How Does It Work?

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.  This is a hormone that is produced in large quantities during pregnancy.  Everyone has some form of this hormone, so it is perfect for men and women.   HCG is responsible for making the abnormal fat reserves in the body available to be burned as fuel.   Combined with a very low calorie diet, this program is used to rid the body of the abnormal, or adipose, fat deposits.  Rest assured that the HCG helps to stave off any hunger pangs that a restricted diet may cause.  With the introduction of HCG, thousands of extra calories are available to your system from the abnormal fat being metabolized.  So you are not dependent on just the food you take in to provide all of your energy. For this reason, HCG diets are easier to stick to than traditional diets that simply restrict calories.  When a program is easy to stick to, success should be the end result!

Abnormal Fat is the Issue:

Abnormal Fat can be viewed as "famine fat".  It is stored by the body for emergency nutritional needs during a time of drastically reduced food intake (i.e.: famine).  Yo-yo dieting contributes to the storage of this type of fat because the body begins to question the availability of food (fuel).  When calories are restricted, the body stores all the fat it can, to save up for the lean times!   HCG works to release these abnormal fat stores and make them available as fuel for producing energy.   By following our HCG protocol, the body will "burn" the abnormal fat that you do not want, while preserving the muscle, normal fat, and structural fat that you need.

The Cure; Resetting the Hypothalamus:

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain located just above the brain stem. It is known as the master gland and is the supervision center in the brain that links the body's two control systems, the nervous system and the endocrine system.  The hypothalamus controls many of the body’s involuntary functions, such as body temperature, hunger, thirst, immune response, and metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.  The hypothalamus is also responsible for the control of food intake.  If the hypothalamus is working properly, a person will be more inclined to desire a nutritionally well balanced diet! 

Getting Started

The cost of our program is $249.  This includes the HCG Product, 1 month of our Whole Foods based supplements (Vitamin/Mineral and Men's or Women's Hormonal support) to ensure good baseline nutrition during the program, and weekly consultations during the 23 to 40 day program.  For more information on the oral HCG Program visit www.ResultsAreTypical.com, or call us at (800) 980-1648.

A BIO-MAGNETIC THEORY EXPLAINED

DOES IT WORK?

     Magnetic fields have been used for thousands of years to aid health and healing.  But, do they really work?  At the Natural Health Solutions Center, we have found that:

1. The majority of people will feel tingling or warmth in their feet when a magnetic insole is placed under one of their feet.  This should be an indication of increased circulation.
2. Thermal Imaging (i.e.: heat sensitive photography) confirms that there is an increase in the temperature of feet or hands when in the presence of a magnetic field.
3. After 2 minutes exposure to a strong (rotating) magnetic field, arm and shoulder flexibility is increased by 10% or more for most people.  This is based on the flexibility evidenced when pulling both arms back from behind, until the shoulder muscles become tight.  This demonstration indicates the relaxation of muscles, which could be brought about through increased blood flow.  Warming up prior to strenuous exercise would create a similar result.
4. There are significant increases in perceived strength (based on an arm strength test), and balance (based on pushing up one’s rigid, outstretched arms until the toes come up). Based on the fundamental principles of Applied Kinesiology, these tests indicate that magnetics are doing something the body likes, from a physiologic standpoint.
5. Research further indicates that magnetic fields may increase blood flow.  (Effects of Magnetic Fields on Microcirculatory Blood Flow… by Shigeru Ichioka, Dept. of Medical Research, Tokyo University)

The Real Truth about Vitamins and Supplements

From the Health Alert Newsletter by Dr. Bruce West

 Phyto-nutrient complexes are completely unlike the vitamins and supplements sold in (most) stores, even those that claim to be made from whole foods.  That’s because although these products may start out as real food, by the time they make their way to market, they’re anything but.

Manufacturers use an industrial process called fractionating to split a food into its separate nutritional components.  These isolated nutrients are then re-combined in pill form and sold as “natural.”

 But by their very nature, these products are totally unnatural.  Once you fraction out an isolated nutrient, you’ve created a chemical.  More importantly, these products are inherently incomplete.  The human body utilizes nutrients in conjunction with one another.

 Phyto-nutrient complexes contain a combination of all the ingredients found in nature, rather than just the so-called “active ingredients” the manufacturers decide to put in their pills.

 For example, most people think that beta-carotene is a critical antioxidant that needs to be in their vitamin pill.  Yet beta-carotene is really only one of hundreds of carotenes found naturally in foods.  When one is fractionated away from the others, the resulting compound fails to work as intended.  In fact, new research shows that high doses of synthetic beta-carotene make certain types of cancer worse.

 Taking high dosages of the synthetic or fractionated beta-carotene and other antioxidants commonly sold in stores can result in impaired immunity, the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!

 Compounding the problem is that store-bought nutritional products lack the coenzymes and trace minerals that are necessary for the body to absorb the nutrients.  In past issues of Health Alert, I warned readers that almost all store-bought vitamins are concocted in a laboratory, like:

• Vitamin B-12 made from activated sewage sludge
• Vitamin D concocted from irradiated oil
• Vitamin E straight from the labs at Eastman Kodak

Store-bought supplements are relatively easy and inexpensive to make.  Phytonutrient complexes, on the other hand, utilize a patented time-consuming process that ensures the finished product retains the live nutritional value of the raw materials.

 Editor’s Note:  Natural Health Solutions Supplements are made to pharmaceutical standards, primarily from concentrated whole foods of the highest quality.

Acidity – The Effects of Acidity on the Human Body  

 What Exactly is Acidity and Alkalinity ?

            Feeling tired, rundown and not your best often comes from too much acid waste in the body.  Waste acids that are not eliminated from the body when they should be are reabsorbed from the colon, into the liver and put back into our body’s general circulation. They are then deposited into our tissues.  It is these tissue residues that determine sickness or health. Discover what tissue acid wastes are present in your body by applying your saliva to a pH Strip.  You want to test between 7 and 7.5 pH.  If you are below this  measure (more acidic), it is recommended that you begin the process of alkalizing yourself to rid your body of excess acid.  The result will be superior health, energy and strength.

            Hazel Parcells, N.D., who was 106 years old when she died, observed that less than optimal health occurs in highly acidic states.  The body of a person who is chronically tired and sleepy is usually acidic and will age quickly.  But when the cells in a body are more alkaline, the person ages less quickly and has more energy and drive.  An individual can alter this chemical balance to favor a more balanced pH by changing how and what they eat.  An additional benefit should be the loss of excess weight.

The Alkaline Reserve – Our Body’s Bank Account                                                                                                                                The great alkaline reserve is the body’s bank account.  The body can call upon it anytime to release alkaline elements for the neutralization of acid.  Bio-chemically, the alkaline reserve acts as a buffer to maintain proper balance in the blood.  The blood works in very narrow parameters and sickness quickly results if these are imbalanced. When we ingest more alkaline-forming minerals than are needed at one time, the remainder is stored in the body tissues for future use…like money in the bank.

After food is digested, it is carried to the tissues where it is oxidized.  Salts of the alkaline elements in your food react with the circulating acid to bind up the acid and release a weak carbonic acid.  This weak acid is readily eliminated through the lungs as carbon dioxide and water.  The mineral elements, both alkaline and acid, are then set free. If the alkaline and acid elements are freed simultaneously, the alkaline elements immediately neutralize the acids. If not, the acid elements are neutralized by the alkaline reserve.  Thus, at all times there must be an excess of alkali stored in the body as a reserve.

The alkaline reserve is only a back-up system with limited quantity to keep you from constantly poisoning yourself with too much acid-forming food.  When there is overindulgence in acid forming foods (e.g. fried processed foods, sugars, meats) the body does not perform well.  The body will make every possible effort to rebalance this transgression by expelling as quickly as possible, all the acid-forming residues.

What may Help Reduce the Body’s Acidity Level

1. Proper Hydration – Elimination of Chlorine; Reduced molecular group size

2. Proper Nutrition – From a balanced diet and effective supplementation

3. Infra-red materials – Through their ability to neutralize acids in the body

4. Magnetics – Improved circulation and cell functioning (see theory, pg. 20)

5. Improved Sleep Cycles – Greater rest and recovery from daily stresses

* Reference books: Alkalize or Die by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, Alternative Medicine-

       The Definitive Guide by Burton Goldberg,

The Water You Drink Can Make or Break Your Health

 “The more we learn about water, the more obvious it will become that a good quantity and quality of water is a cornerstone of sound health.” Rudolph Ballantine, M.D., author of Radical Healing (1999), 

Exactly How Important is Water Really?                                                                                                                   

-  Water carries away excess wastes and flushes out toxins.

-  Water metabolizes stored fat and reduces fatty deposits and controls our body temperature.

-  Water is Mother Nature’s greatest beauty tonic and is a natural diuretic.

-  Water protects our body’s cells from attacks from diseases, viruses, etc.

-  Water is necessary for the chemical reactions in our body to occur through a process of hydrolysis.

-  Water flows through our cell membranes generating hydroelectric energy (voltage) that is converted and stored in our cells.

-  Water holds our cell contents in their proper structural place, allowing for optimal functioning.

Water Deficiency Issues

By understanding the proportion of water occupying our cells, tissues and organs and the known functions of water, we can already begin to appreciate what might happen if our bodies lack water.  Here are some specifics concerning water deficiency:

-  75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

-  In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

-  Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

-  One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

-  Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.  Inadequate water intake also contributes to:    
       -  Sinus problems, Allergies and breathing difficulties

       -  Joint discomforts, Neck pain, Obesity and digestive problems

       -  Headaches, Stress, Impotence and Depression

       -  Heart problems, high blood pressure and high cholesterol

PI  -WATER

What is it?

It is energy water.  It is something alive.  Pi-water was discovered through the study of botanical physiology.  It was originally thought that a hormone was responsible for causing plants to bud.  Dr. Yamashita was conducting research, attempting to isolate this hormone, when he discovered that what was causing the flower to bud was not a hormone at all but a very minute amount of ferric ferrous salt. In 1964, Dr. Yamashita, an agricultural scholar furthered his research and found that this substance had other highly beneficial qualities.

Inducing ferric ferrous salt into a high-energy state and infusing it through a ceramic filter process creates Pi -water.  A  particle is a quantum particle smaller than an electron, neutron and proton.  The  meson causes the protons and neutrons to exchange energy states with one another, which create energy and electrical charges of it’s own.  The amount of ferric ferrous (bivalent and trivalent ferrite) is minute, a quantum particle – essentially such a trace amount that it is only the energetic signature of the substance, which remains.  (2x 10-12 mol.)  Homeopathy also utilizes the trace signature of the substance.  It is theorized that these quantum particles are conductors and are responsible for carrying information and cellular “memories” (previously encoded information) such as natural bio-energetic and healing processes.

At an International Symposium on Preventative Oncology held in France in 1998, the participants were very excited about the extraordinary benefits of -water.  The following was reported:

-  It is the closest water to human body water

-  It possesses high anti-oxidation properties because of it’s ability to eliminate free radicals

-  It increases the body’s amount of natural killer cells

-  It improves the self-healing activity of body cells – waking up cellular “memories” of health

-  It carries more oxygen through the body, creating an oxygen rich environment which destroys anaerobic organisms (i.e. cancer)

-  It creates minute water clusters which improves the functions of cells and the detoxifying effects of water

-  It improves cellular adaptation to stress and stressful environments

-  It neutralizes the pH of water, bringing it to just above 7 which is very close to the pH of the body (few filtration systems manage water pH, as well as magnetic forces , far-infrared wave and  infusion)

-  It enhances the transmission of information throughout the body

HOW DO MAGNETIC FIELDS BENEFIT THE BODY?

Magnetic fields have been used for thousands of years to aid health and healing. But, do they really work? At The Natural Health Solutions Center, we have found that:

1. The majority of people will feel tingling or warmth in their feet when a magnetic insole or other magnetic product is placed under one of their feet. This should be an indication of increased circulation. (It is best to put the magnetic product under only one foot, so you can feel the difference between your feet. For products other than insoles, be sure that the part of the magnetic product that should face your body is facing your foot.)

2.  Thermal Imaging (i.e.: heat sensitive photography) confirms that there is an increase in the temperature of feet or hands when in the presence of a strong magnetic field.

3. After 3 minutes’ exposure to a strong (rotating) magnetic field (from our Magnessage product), arm and shoulder flexibility is increased by 10% or more for most people. This is based on the flexibility evidenced when pulling both arms back from behind, until the shoulder muscles become tight. This demonstration indicates the relaxation of muscles, which could be brought about through increased blood flow. (Usually any discomfort is also reduced by at least one-half during this exercise, as well).

4. There are significant increases in perceived strength (based on an arm strength test), and balance. (These tests are outline on page 14 of our catalog, and on our website - TheNHScenter.com). Based on the principles of Applied Kinesiology, these tests indicate that magnetic products are doing something physiologically beneficial.

5. Research further indicates that magnetic fields may increase blood flow. (Effects of Magnetic Fields on Microcirculatory Blood Flow… by Shigeru Ichioka, Dept. of Medical Research, Tokyo University).

A BIO-MAGNETIC THEORY EXPLAINED

1. It has been found that Nitric-Oxide “hitches a ride” on the hemoglobin (red blood cells) in our blood, in a similar way to Oxygen (going in) and Carbon-Dioxide (going out). When Nitric-Oxide is released into the blood stream, it relaxes the smooth muscles that can constrict blood vessels. Through this mechanism, the body is able to increase blood flow when you need it, such as when you exercise. This finding was the subject of research that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998. An excellent explanation of this Nitric-Oxide cycle can be found in The Arginine Solution by Robert Fried, Ph.D., & Woodson C. Merrell, M.D. Note that Arginine, an amino acid, is used by the body as a raw material for making Nitric-Oxide. We get this Arginine from the protein that we eat.

2. Research has also found that Magnetic Fields can cause this same effect. (See Mechanisms of Vasoactive Effect of Electromagnetic Field Studies using Cultured Endothelial Cells, by Shigeto Morimoto, Dept. of Geriatric Medicine, Osaka University Medical School.)

3. Theoretically, a reasonably strong magnetic field may overcome the weak molecular bonds holding the Nitric-Oxide to the hemoglobin. Thus, Nitric-Oxide may be released into the blood stream to relax the muscles that make up the outer layer of blood vessels. Relaxed blood vessels would have a larger diameter, and thus, allow greater blood flow.