Freeconomy Blog
Sat
13 Jun
An allergic reaction to pharmaceutical companies
| 30 comments |
I live in a lovely grassy field. Which is great - I love the space, the fresh air, the lack of cars, being in amongst the wildlife and I'm really grateful for being able to watch the sunset. I have one slight problem however - I am allergic to grass pollen. It's like someone allergic to dog hair going to live in a pound.
Like many people around the world I suffer from hayfever (allergic rhinitis to the more technical of you). To all you grass lovers out there, this is not fun, I can promise you. During the first two weeks of June all I want to do is climb under a duvet and put a wet towel on my head. Which isn't the most productive way to survive without money.
(the evil, evil grass where I live - which is in amongst those trees centre right of picture)
Now I've always found hayfever a very strange concept. I am allergic to a variety of pollen that I am surrounded by. My body has made smarter moves. As per usual, this is largely a man-made problem though. There are two major contributing factors - experts say we are now seeing the results of high levels of antibiotics and drugs that were being prescribed by doctors beginning about 10 to 15 years ago; these drugs have had a very detrimental effect on our immune systems, which is the real root cause of this and many other problems.
Experts also say that increasing levels of pollution have made the problem much worse. The latter explains why a number of friends, around my age, who have never had it before, are now suffering from the symptoms.
This all makes me rather annoyed actually. I was stopped one day by a police officer, who pulled over in his car, for not having my helmet on. Fair enough. But he starts telling me how he is just protecting my health and safety. I said to him "Look my good man, if you really want to protect my health, stop driving that damn car beside me." He wasn't overly impressed. It was lucky he didn't book me, not having any money to pay the fine and all that. Not sure her majesty would accept mustard greens and some of the finest carrots as payment.
I'm not actually annoyed at drivers though. What fills me full of genuine anger, however, is the pharmaceutical companies that market their insane drugs to doctors. These organisations I regard as being on the same level of messed-up-ness as rapists and paedophiles. That may sound extreme, but the suffering they cause both people and animals is equally horrendous. The only difference is their activities are legal. The following is a basic 6-step process they go through:
1. They test a drug on some non-human animal, causing it suffering beyond the comprehension of anyone who hasn't been to an Egyptian torture cell. Because it allegedly 'works' on a rabbit or a chimp or some other animal with a very different physiological make-up than us, they decide it works on a human. Very smart, very smart indeed.
2. With their huge marketing budgets they convince governments and doctors that all humans must have this drug (i.e. vaccines). Taking doctors out to dinner with big expense accounts is very normal and very delightful for all involved.
3. The doctors and governments then create fear in the public, telling mothers and fathers that if their kids don't have this drug they are being highly irresponsible.
4. Mothers and fathers, not wanting their kid to die through their negligence, trust these highly respected people, and buy the drugs in good faith.
5. The pharmaceutical company's CEO buys herself / himself a new hummer, because she / he is worth it.
6. The child looks like he or she has made a recovery after taking this drug for a certain length.of time. However, 6months / 5 years / 15 years down the line the child (now an adult) experiences some new, never known before disease or disorder, and the above process starts again. Conveniently.
(BAYER - the same lovely corporation who marketed Heroin for coughs and tested on Jews in Nazi Germany, and who elected a chairman after he served 7 years for such testing in Auschwitz, are now worlds third biggest drug company with revenue of £32bn. If I believed in evil, they'd be even more evil than the evil grass.)
It is the height of human arrogance. We interfere with children's bodies, pumping them full of drugs from the moment they are born, because we think it will make them healthier. Anyone with a basic idea of holistic health will understand how utterly crazy this is.
The thing that really winds me up is that these same companies then sell loads of drugs - such as antihistamines - which also don't work (trust me, I tried them all). So they sell you one product which causes one problem, and then another to solve the new problem, and the another to solve whatever problems that causes. It's great business sense. Its almost as good as selling facewash that's designed to dry your skin and then moisturiser to make it nice and soft again. These guys are good. And we just keep buying it, because we're also worth it. Worth what? The suffering it caused to the animal it was tested on? I don't know about you but I am not worth that.
But you know what really makes me angry - the fact that the cure for hayfever is already out there, in two forms. One is homoeopathy, which has worked for me for everything I've ever needed it for, from bad skin when I was younger to blistered and bruised feet to hayfever. It can take days to fully kick in sometimes, but it does, and has absolutely no nasty repercussions.
The other is Chinese herbalism. Again, it has worked for everything I've ever needed it for, including hayfever.
I am sure all this raises at least two questions for you:
a.) If this works, why aren't all these respectable people - CEOs, politicians, doctors - telling us about them?
OK - when something works and a patient gets better, sales decline. Pharmaceutical companies don't like this. They like sales. It is not in their interests for us to make a long and lasting recovery. We need something that we need to take repeatedly and that will cause some other unknown malfunction that we'll need something else for. A healthy person is not a profitable patient. Low sales also mean less VAT and a declining economy. Not very nice for any politician. Traditionally, Chinese doctors only got paid when you were well - if you were sick, they had done a bad job and got no pay. Makes sense, huh. However, nowadays the doctor only gets paid if you are sick. Long-term health probably isn't in their best interests either then.
b.) If these remedies work, why am I not taking them?
I've had a homeopathic first aid kit for a few years now and I have just started to take allium cepa for it. So in 7 days I'll be fine, unlike the poor folk who waste their hard earned money on useless brands from terrible chains. Homoeopathic treatments don't claim to be instantaneous - it takes a bit of time but then you are fine for the rest of the summer.
The other treatment is Chinese herbalism. This works best for me. Even before I took homeopathic medicine this used to sort me out in about a week also. I mean, completely and utterly sorted. Not a sniffle or watery eye in sight. However, I have only a few of the herbs left from last year, and living without money I cannot buy anymore. I briefly thought about stockpiling them before my year without money started but it wasn't within the rules or spirit of the experiment. The old packet is all in Chinese so I have no idea what herb it is. So all faith is in the homoeopathic remedy this year.
Have any of you got any natural hayfever remedies for me if for some reason it doesn't work? Or any stories of rage and anger about the legitimised greed of others? Or any other experiences of alternative remedies that have helped you in the past but are little known?
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, founder member of the freeconomy community.
Comment on this Post:
Lyssa comments ...
I agree to an extent... having seen my poor sister in absolute agony whenever she eats... why? cos all the antibiotics they perscribed her as a child has eaten away at the lining of her stomach!
Plus I used to be fine as a child but adulthood have developed an allergy to alot of antibiotics... I colapsed in the street in anaphalitic(sp?) shock.. there's some I'm ok with but all the ones that are ok to take whilst pregnant or breastfeeding give me reactions so following the birth of my youngest I spent the night in hospital following a reaction and then spent the next month struggling to get rid of the infection by myself... I was finally able to walk a month later!
BUT... My bestest friend in the world has cancer... she would simply die if she didn't have that medication, so I'm very torn! For serious things I'm in favour but for things that our bodies can deal with itself it's laziness or inpatience that makes people grab the drugs.
As for alternative remedies... I suffer IBS so I take peppermint... better than any tablets ever perscribed for it, for eye infections forget drops or antibiotics find a breastfeeding mother and beg a little breastmilk... not sure if that'd bother you tho, some find it weird. I'd have to ask my mother-in-law though because she's Albanian and they tend to know what herbs and things are good for ailments.
Kieron comments ...
Good comments my man. I've not taken any kind of medicine in 8 or so years, and as you know, I've had more than enough weekend morning headaches that could have used aspirin. However, I already know the preventative cure for that.
Hayfever is one thing, but there are many other easily preventative conditions people take pills for, or some that as you say can be fixed another way. 90% of headaches are caused by dehydration, a couple of glasses of water will help.
Headaches are not caused by low levels of aspirin in the body.
As far as your Chinese herbs go, why not photograph the packet and post it, see if you have any Chinese literate folks on here who can tell you what it is.
Or, have you thought about wandering down to the place you got it from and asking what work you can do in exchange for some more?
Catherine comments ...
Great blog as usual Mark!
I suffer very mild hayfever now and then but nothing I need medication for luckily. Just a few packs of tissues! I put that dow to being exposed to plenty of good healthy dirt as a kid, surrounded by cats dogs rabbits guinea pigs hens and horses!
I have no herbal solution for you but really appreciate the info on Bayer here..... great ammo in an anti-vivisection argument so thanks!
As far as rages against the big-pharma machine go, I can just tell you that I have the BEST VET ON THE PLANET! He bloody hates them as much as I do.
Leaving humans aside, and the aggressive marketing tactics they use on doctors etc, let me tell you they are even worse with vets. My vet literally chases them out the door and hates the sight of them arriving trying to flog some new drud that will keep an old and ailing cat/dog alive for another few months, probably in huge discomfort.....
It was him who told me that most old humans die now due to interaction of various drugs used to keep them alive. He refuses to overmedicate animals - particularly cats, as their livers cannot take strong drugs, and even moreso elderly ones. He will keep them out of pain as far as possible but will not keep them alive by chemical means.
Obviously when your cat/dog is dying you are desperate and rely on the vet for advice medically, to come to the best possible decision. A few years ago I lived elsewhere and had a different vet. A team of vets in fact. And a cat suffering from overactive thyroid and kidney disease who was obviously suffering. They advised that she could live happily with treatment and I went along with it, trusting them and desperate for hope. The cat paid the price and was put to sleep in a terrible state in the end.....
Tom, the current vet, refuses all that nonsense. I have a house full of animals all under his medical care when necessary. Last year I lost 2 elderly cats to illness. Jimmy had chronic gingivitis (yes - gum disease can kill!) and when the pain took over was put to sleep. Brownie had a non painful heart condition and passed away on my pillow. Both got the very best of vet care (Tom) and nursing care (me!) and I don't regret a single second of my decisiions with them, which were guided by Tom and his utter disgust at the Pharma companies and their aggressive tactics. Both cats died (Jim was 28 and Brownie 26) but neither me nor Tom saw the point in giving drugs with awful side effects just to prolong their lives by months with no quality of life during those months. Brownie was on diuretics to clear her lungs of fluid but they had no side effects to speak of. Jim was on Flagyl now and then to clear his mouth of infection - once again no side effects, and when those drugs stopped working, as the cats immune systems broke down completely from old age, the went from this world to eternal peace/reincarnation or whatever happens when you die!
I'm not saying their deaths were all roses, but death is death and I don't think it's ever pleasant. And NO DRUG can change that. None of us want to die but its unavoidable.
Sorry for long rambling comment but this pharma thing makes me mad as hell, especially when the prey on vulnerable people who want the best for their animal companions! I asked those bloody vets a million times if I should not just put Tinkie to sleep and every time they gave me a new miracle drug that DID NOTHING only make her puke! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Catherine comments ...
Lyssa thanks for peppermint idea! I have a dog with IBS and will try that! Once again TOm put the dog first and refuses agressive drugs due to side effects. Which means I clean up a lot of pooh!!!! Just need to make sure dogs can have peppermint first and check with Tom. Can I ask what form? drops? And what dosage? And where to buy it? Warm wishes to your friend with cancer btw. I hope she pulls through. The Dr. Hawden trust does a lot of work on cancer research without the use of animals as basically it's neigh on impossible to extrapolate results between species. Hence the fact I'll be checking of peppermint will be safe for jack the dog before giving it...! Aspirin kills cats for example.... Animal research is very hit and miss when used to produce drugs for any species other than the one it is tested on. And that's leaving out the pointless nature of the vast majority of it! We know smoking is bad, for example, but they continue to test on dogs! FFS!!!!!!!! Send me the cigarettes and I'll smoke them for free!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd even volunteer and continue to buy my own if it would save one dog from torture!!!!!!!!
Ok off soap box lol. Sorry. But please do post info on peppermint!!!!! I swear the pooh situation here is chronic at times and I use 2 mop heads per week at the moment!!!!!!!! Vinegar is the only thing that gets rid of the smell!!!!
Cat
Mark comments ...
Lyssa - I completely understand, if I had someone close to me who was ill I'd just want to do whatever it took to save them too. The problem is, the huge increase in the rate of cancer (1 in 3 will die of it) is heavily linked to the cocktail effect of all the drugs, pesticides, artificial additives etc that we put into our body each day. These ingredients are tested in isolation on a completely different animal, but scientists will probably never be able to comprehend the cocktail effect of these drugs, it is so utterly complex. So while drugs saved your friend, there is also a strong chance they caused the cancer in the first place. The pharmaceutical company gets to sell lots of drugs that way. All corporations have a responsibility to shareholders first, so their main priority is to sell drugs. We need to understand that it is not in their interests to make people healthy. Thank you for sharing that, I really hope your friend makes a full recovery; seems she has got a very good friend in you anyway. Kieron - I do remember those self-inflicted headaches and your insistence to take no tablets. I do remember you taking the odd swift one though! Catherine - I couldn't agree more about the animal testing. The only reason it still happens is because it is big business - 180,000 animals a year get cruelly killed in Huntingdon Life Sciences alone, and many many more suffer severe cruelty. Testing for cosmetics is just incomprehensible.
ryan comments ...
I use Licorice root, chew on it whenever I feel sniffly and sneezy. I would usually carry some as a reliever and try to drink a couple of cups of licorice tea every day. I know it's possible to grow in the UK, but I haven't found out how. There's some info on its benefits here:
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-licorice-root.html
Kim Stevens comments ...
Three words: Emotional Freedom Techniques. Much more effective and faster than both homeopathy and Chinese herbalism. Go to www.emofree.com You can learn it for free, which fits in perfectly with your philosophy. In fact, I think you will love how much Gary Craig wants to give healing to the world. EFT is a form of acupressure. It's easy, it's free and best of all it is effective in a kind of way that is like magic. I have been allergic to nickel all my life (I'm 36), but for the last two years (I've been doing EFT for 3) I've had no annoying reactions to belt buckles and watches. I even put an old nickel on my skin overnight to test it. Nothing! I have done surrogate work to eliminate a cat allergy in a 9 month old baby. Go, read the manual... if you have difficulty curing your allergies, mention it in your blog and I will contact you and give you a hand.
You will never regret learning EFT. It's also incredible first aid. In January I poured a freshly boiled kettle over my hand. After doing an hour of EFT, there was no pain, and the hand healed in two weeks. My mother is an RN, and she tells me that is impossible.
Cheers,
Kim
P.S. I believe the reason more people are suffering is because we are all more emotionally (and energetically since emotions are powerful energy) messed up by all the awful things we do to each other and our planet on both the large and small scale.
Carol comments ...
The other thing to try is yoghurt to strengthen the bacterial fauna in your bowels! From what I've read, most of the human immune system is in our intestines. I purchase acidolpholus (sp) capsules, but yoghurt has a lot of the same bacteria, and can be made at home.
Dean comments ...
Hi All.
All i wanted to add is that there are ENERGETIC components to all diseases and illnesses.
This is really where we need to look at if we want to address the source of the imbalance/illness.
We can look at physical or practical applications or therapies, but they are all surface level things. Of course , we can use different remedies and approaches, energetical, physical, holistic together, to get the right results.
I would like to tell you about Energetic Wisdom, we deal with the energetic component of illness or discomfort.
We have been running workshops in 4 countries, and now just set up 2 months ago in Brighton,
I would highly recommend coming to one of our workshops, or having a private treatment , if needed, we did the first workshops FREE, but we now ask for £10 , recommended donation.
please feel free to look at our website
www.energetic-wisdom.co.uk
we use dowsing to scan the body, aura, and energy bodies for the illness or blockage. We can also check the chakras, meridians, and correct any imbalances. If there are any energies that are not appropriate and are within your energy field, these also will be addressed.
If you would like to know more information about our next workshops in Brighton, please contact us via our website or call me on
0774 9 63 43 66
Many Thanks..
Lyssa M comments ...
Catherine: I use the pepermint in capsules... and it works to stop my stomach and inner bits spasming.. but there's lots of different problems that come under IBS.. I get constipated but my sis gets the other extreme and discovered that grated an apple and leaving it to the air to go brown before eatting helps... not sure how but it does, lol...
Thanks for the warm wishes for my friend.. her treatment has been such a nightmare cos it's different for everyone it takes a while, and few side effects to get the right medication at the right dosage.
Mark: you're right... not just about cocktails of drugs but also the additives in food and stuff.. there was something about the additives in children's medicines a little while back and the companies defended saying they tested their drugs and the levels were in check but didn't take in account when kids get other or the same additives from other products.. guess they don't see it as their problem, do they?
oh yes.. and I came across something online about nettles but can not for the life of me remember where... but it said that dried nettle leaves are an antihistamine (sp?) and can be used for hayfever... I found it when researching how to make yarn from nettles... gee whizz is there anything that little weed can't do? lol! Cloth you, feed you AND heal you, lol
Mark comments ...
Kim - funny you say that, I organised a Freeskilling evening two weeks ago in Bristol on Emotional Freedom technique but was too busy to attend myself. Wish I did now!
Ryan - I'm a locavore so probably won't be able to try it, must learn how to grow it here, but great advice, thanks!
Carol - I am vegan so not an option for me, but again, thanks for the advice.
Dean - good points, would prefer if you didn't promote paid workshops on here, though I do understand you are helping heal people so no worries.
Lyssa M - I love that you love nettles. Yes they can do anything, yet Britain hates them - same as hemp, really! Hadn't realised it was an antihistamine though, that is great news, thanks!
Grace comments ...
Greater and lesser plaintain are fantastic antihistamines. They're not the banana plaintain that most people think of. They grow along footpaths and have seed heads we used to call 'donkeys tails' at school. They grow within 100 m of your home, I bet. Check them out in a plant identification book. You pick the leaves and put about 10-20 of them fresh into a teapot, or dry them in a pillowcase on a radiator, and use a handful in a teapot.
We make a teapot, let it cool and add squash to it, keeping it in the fridge, as it can taste a bit earthy.
My usual hayfever stopped after drinking about 200 ml on a daily basis. But interestingly, I accidentally went to sleep one night with some nickel based ear rings in, which usually set me off terribly, and there was no reaction at all.
Plaintain is free and on your doorstep. Say goodbye to tablets. This works!
Fred Trellis comments ...
These views of the OP are a extreme - I urge most strongly everyone to talk to a doctor, before self-medicating with homeopathy, if they have even the mildest of complaints.
Danae comments ...
asking a doctor about homeopathy as one of the replies suggested is like asking a mechanic to put solar panels on your car! Most doctors don't understand/ believe in 'alternative medicine' such as homeopathy and would rather drug you and treat the symptoms rather than the cause/ underlying problem. Cough medicine actually contains stuff that stops the cough and stuff that makes you cough all in the same bottle! I work in the healthcare field and the guilt trip that i see parents put through when they make an educated decision not to vaccinate their children makes me so angry! i hurt my back many years ago and my GP prescribed antiinflammatory drugs which gave me terrible stomach cramps- my Chiropractor manipulated my spine (discs) and i was able to walk pain free out of his rooms (bless him!). My now husband had the same issue before i met him and went the medical route which involved surgery and his problem still isnt fixed! Medical science needs to admit they dont have all the answers!
LyssaM comments ...
Fred... yes Mark's opinions and ways of doing things can be a bit extreme... well living without the use of money for a year is certainly extreme for even those of us who certain cut down on our spending, lol.... but when it comes to wild plants he HAS done his research and is knowledgable in plants and from what I've read most of the things mentioned were already known for other benifits like nettles and stuff.
Donn't think a GP would know much about homeopathy.. but a degree of common sense is needed... if there's a serious problem with your body of course you'd go to the doctor, but for simple things like a headache or hayfever... what's wrong with checking out alternatives for shoving pills down your throat?
steve clarke comments ...
Mark,
try opticrom eye drops for itchy eyes. I know it will cost you a couple of quid, but its worked brilliantly for me and people I know who tried it. A drop in each eye brings instant relief for the rest of the day. Saves those horrible bloodshot eyes!
chrissy comments ...
I had hayfever, seems to have passed now, we stayed in an area in NOrthumberland where they were not using any sprays or chemicals of any sort, a natural environment, there were beautiful flowers growing in the grass and it smelt wonderful. They were actually harvesting the hay while we were there, I did nto sneeze, wheeze or cough, so I was so pleased my hayfever was cured. Went home to Essex, where we lived at hte time, got the lawn mower out and half way though cutting our hankerchief sized lawn had to go indoors as was streaming with fluids from eyes and nose and wheezing so bad! I find it so obvious to see the connection, Essex town full of pollution and other sprays etc, and that area in Northumberland free of chemicals, please don't anyone tell me pollution and chemicals are good for us? The only answer can be that chemicals and pollution cause enough sensitivity in humans to create this reaction to the grass pollens. Which is very likely why Essex has such a high rate of asthma and allergies.
Mark comments ...
Lyssa M and Danae - I agree wholeheartedly with you both. Steve Clarke - I really appreciate the advice but I haven't got a couple of quid and wouldn't go down that route anyway. But thank you nonetheless.Chrissy - a great and very insightful tale methinks.
Ant comments ...
Dear Mark
I usually find your blog extremely thought provoking and inspirational, thank you!... Unfortunately, I think this latest post is overly simplistic (although you are right to accuse big pharma of being primarily profit chasing machines). some medications are good, some are bad. Some research is good, some is bad. Some herbal medicine is good, some is bad…
1. You should be clear about the definition of vaccines and drugs. They are two very different things and your reasoning gets muddled because of this.
Vaccines boost your immune system and give you long-term protection against infection. The small pox vaccine, for example, has eradicated this horrific disease from the world (incidentally, the small pox vaccine was first tested not in animals but in a little cow herd boy. More ethical than rabbits? Is this what you are suggesting-testing on humans? Or perhaps no more vaccine development? Fine for you in Europe, not so fine for those at high risk of TB, malaria, HIV, Hepatitis, polio…).
Drugs, however, do not induce long-term immunity to disease.
Another example. HIV drugs (anti-retrovirals) you have to take every day. Otherwise you’ll progress to AIDS. IF there was an HIV vaccine, you may only have to have one or two shots and be protected long term. Interestingly, this is probably why pharma companies are more interested in HIV drugs than researching HIV vaccines. Similar for TB, malaria etc etc.
2. Herbal medicine? Just because something says herbal on the label, doesn’t mean it works. Don’t be sucked in to this. Of course some herbals do work! And the pharma companies make use of these e.g. anti-malarial artemisins!
3. Your response to the issue about cancer seems to be that medications may cause cancer. This may be true in a minority of cancers (which ones??). What about some common cancers..skin cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer. Cancer causes are multi-factorial, a lot to do with life style (smoking, sun exposure, diet) and genetic predisposition. As the population ages of course we are seeing a lot more cancers.
4. There is a huge distinction between cosmetic companies, drug companies and often vaccine research. It is convenient to lump all these things together, but they are quite separate.
Brilliant blog.
Katy comments ...
hiya, brilliant essay - affirming some things i had thought about while bringing to light some things i had not. V informative and passionate :D
on the hayfever front, its all about local honey. So, if you can find a local producer, swap some things or time, and take about 2-3 tspns a day it works like a vaccine. A little of what hurts you to build uup your immune system. It must be local honey, from local bees, for the local pollen but its magic - works treat. Takes some time to build up but you should feel the affects after a week or so.
Keep it up, your a star!xx
michael comments ...
yes, my experience here too, on the city limits in hollingbury: the first two weeks of june, summer hayfever, continuous uncomfortable runny nose and congenstion, when all the long grasses in the meadow fields ripen. i had to rely on the 'hayfever and allergy relief' cetirizine hydrochloride tablets, 2-3 daily.
Fergus comments ...
As I said on the phone, I'll get together some grass pollen that you can try as tea (OK, tisane for the pedantic) that you can try. But, I must say I'm really concerned about this blog! I decided years ago - after so many people where telling me this wonderful country was going to the dogs and they were moving out to New Zealand, the North Pole etc, anywhere but here, that I to would leave if one particular thing occurred. That thing was that it became illegal not to wear a helmet whilst cycling. For me, the wind blowing through my hair as I cycle epitomizes the most basic of freedoms. I can not believe you were stopped because you were not wearing a nanny state helmet. Please tell me it's not true as I don't want to leave this glorious wonderland!?
Fergus x
Jocelyn comments ...
Have you tried elderflowers? They are flowering now and many people find they help. If you don't have the bits and bobs for cordial you can make a nice tea just with the flowers.
How's the allium cepa working?
LyssaM comments ...
Fergus - I checked up on it.... and no... it's not a legal requirement so really that police officer had absolutely no Right to tell mark he should be wearing a helmet... and Mark would have everyright to tell him, politely, to mind his own business... tho the bit about the car fumes being far more damaging was pretty good... I'd never be quick witted enough to think of that, lol
Mark comments ...
Ant - thanks for that - I appreciate it a topic with lots of strong opinions - personally I am trying to look at the world holistically and not in isolated segments such as medicine etc. Katy - have used local honey but have been unsure of it, only because I am allergic to grass pollen and I am pretty sure bees don't take it. Michael - I appreciate the advice but will obviously pass as I think you expected! Fergus and Lyssa - yes I was a tad freeconomical with the truth - I should add I was also cycling at night without lights, though the guy barely mentioned the lights and rambled on about the helmet, hence my reaction!
des troy comments ...
I read an article that suggested allergies might be connected to the eradication of parasitic worms from our bodies.
If you cut open any wild animal you will find worms. The immune system has evolved over millions of years in a symbiotic process with parasitic worms.
The theory is, the immune system is expecting and needs to protect against parasitic worms. If the worms aren't there, the immune system attacks the nearest equivalent, result; unexplained allergies.
It's an interesting theory. By the way, I am not excusing Big Pharma, they have long since made a mockery of the Hypocratic oath - "Do no harm".
Matthew comments ...
Keep bees and eat your local honey raw (has to be local honey!). This is the best "homeopathic" remedy as you are ingesting all the local pollen chemicals regularly and your body becomes used to them. In the short term, for wheeziness and congestion smoke coltsfoot and silverweed, for swelling eyes make an infusion of eyebright. All these plants grow throughout the UK so you shouldnt have any trouble finding them.
Regards Matthew
RaVen comments ...
Hi Mark,
I absolutely loved this portion of your blog. I know many friends who has severe hayfever and I try to educate them to use homeopathy.
It was utterly fascinating to learn how that patients did not pay Chinese doctors until they got healed! How appropriate!
I am in constant battle with my primary care physician as I educate her NATURAL forms of taking care of the sick body. She just wants to pump me full of drugs or tells me "You have to live with these symptoms for the rest of your life."
I'm disgusted to find some NDS are now falling for prescribing man made toxic prescription drugs.
Human bodies are not deficient in toxic drugs - we're deficient in nutrition, amino acid (75% of our body is all of that) and vitamins and minerals. Go to: http://www.painstresscenter.com/ and you'll see how Dr Billie Sahly turned her life around as she researched healthier alternative.
Another fabulous advocate of self care is: http://www.doctorsaredangerous.com/
Best of health for everyone!
RaVen
sally comments ...
Hi Mark, just reading this now - bit late for this year but you can maybe try next year! When I started doing old folks gardening a few summers ago I sometimes got stung by stinging nettles - and the wierd thing was that I lost all my hayfever symptoms for a few days. Now I go out of my way to get stung by nettles whenever my symptoms are bad! Funny enough some people drink nettle tea or soup and claim the same benefits - I discovered this on a google search. Nettle soup is good tasting but I think being stung works better - gets straight into the blood stream. And its totally free of course, S
bandage dress comments ...
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this bandage dress, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic Herve Leger Dress. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.I will bookmark your blog and have my kids check up here frequently V-Neck Bandage Dress. I’m very certain they will understand lots of new stuff here than anybody else. I do appreciate that youve added relevant and intelligent commentary here though. Thank you!
