Hydrogen Peroxide - A Cut Above
My friend Linda sent me an email that listed some of the benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide. I have been exploring it for a while as it is used as an alternative treatment for cancer. Like most alternative treatments, the medical community is in disagreement over its use and effectiveness. Some practitioners are injecting a diluted solution into patients while others are recommending drinking it. If interested, you need to be careful and follow specific protocols for success.
Hydrogen peroxide is simply a water molecule with an extra oxygen atom – but what a powerful combination. White blood cells that are responsible for fighting infection and foreign invaders make hydrogen peroxide and use it to oxidize the invaders. The bubbling you see when hydrogen peroxide is poured over a bacteria-laden cut or wound is the oxygen being released and bacteria being destroyed. When hydrogen peroxide is taken into the body (orally or intravenously) the oxygen content of the blood and body tissues increases dramatically. Since the solution is diluted, there is not enough extra oxygen to account for the increase. New research shows that when hydrogen peroxide is introduced, it stimulates enzyme systems throughout the body. This causes an increase in metabolic rate, a dilation of small arteries thus increasing blood flow.
Your local drug store will have a 3% solution in an opaque plastic bottle. Sun light and warmth causes hydrogen peroxide to break down. This product will have some stabilizers in it so it is not safe to drink. I have purchased (online or some health food stores) a bottle of 35% food grade H2O2. To use this in some of the ways listed, I will need to dilute it. It is advised to use both goggles (to protect the eyes) and rubber gloves (to protect the hands and arms) in handling even the H2O2 bottle. To preserve the original bottle’s quality, I store it in the freezer. I can make a 3.5% solution with my 35% bottle by mixing one ounce to 11 ounces of distilled water (not chlorinated).
Becky Ransey of Indiana is credited with this list of household uses for hydrogen peroxide. All are assuming you are using a 3.5% solution. With the toxic make up of some of our cleaning and hygiene products, this is a great substitute.
1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and
hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.
2. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.
3. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.
4. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.
5. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.
6. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.
7. If you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.
8. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.
9. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Careful, this is bleach.
10. Use as a vegetable wash or soak to kill bacteria and neutralize
chemicals. Research published by the Journal of Food and Science in 2003 showed effective results of using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate apples and melons that were infected with strains of E.coli.
11. Clean with hydrogen peroxide when your house becomes a biohazard
after its invaded by toxic mold, such as those with water damage.
12. Many farmers have been increasing crop yields by spraying them with diluted hydrogen peroxide (5 to 16 ounces of 35% mixed with 20 gallons of water per acre). You can achieve the same beneficial effect with your house plants by adding 1 ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide (or 16 drops of 35% solution) to every quart of water you give your plants.
13. Mixed in with your bath water, it becomes an excellent detoxifier.
Doug on 12.10.07 @ 11:07 AM PST [link]
Thursday, December 6th
Omega-3, Omega-6 and Arthritis
I’ve watched my mom suffer from arthritis for most of my life. I blogged about inflammation last month and how it is our own immune system attacking our bodies beyond what is needed. This swelling in her hands and joints has been debilitating. While reading about the benefits of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, I came across some literature supporting the use of these as supplements to reduce inflammation and assist the body in many other ways.
Medical science does not have a good solution for arthritis. They mainly give the patient anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Joel Kremer, MD of Albany Medical College feels that groups of eicosanois called leukotrienes have been identified as a possible cause of pain and inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids from fresh cold water fish oil reduces the inflammation of the chemical composition of the leukotrienes.
British researchers found that the natural herb feverfew was shown to be as effective as aspirin with fewer side effects. This is a much healthier alternative to pain management.
Unlike the typical American diet, there are many cultures in this world that have the opportunity to eat a lot of cold ocean water fish such as wild salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and eel. These populations show the benefits of increased Omega-3 and Omega-6 intake.
Other benefits of supplementing with fish oil, includes a reduction in cancer promoting substances, a drop in blood cholesterol and the prevention of atherosclerosis. A study at St. Luke’s Medical Center showed that patients taking fish oil supplements had a drop of overall cholesterol by 24 percent. Triglyceride levels went down 48 percent. As a result, these patients cut their risk of heart attacks by 50 percent.
Besides using them for my own efforts, I am gong to recommend to my mother that she try regular supplements of Salmon oil form Scandinavia and a dose of feverfew. Like most dietary supplements, it needs close to a month’s time before improvements are noticed. So if you decide to try it, hang in there for several months.
Doug on 12.06.07 @ 09:26 AM PST [link]
Monday, December 3rd
No More Getting High
Its always fun to think up a title for these posts… Today I am coming to the realization that one of my favorite past times is no longer viable. I am talking about altitude. Whether I am skiing, backpacking or just spending time in the mountains, lack of oxygen has become a problem for me.
If you have never been in the mountains above 10,000 feet, you should find a way to get there. It is surreal. Like walking on another planet. You are above tree line and granite slabs stretch out in front of you like stepping stones for the giant redwoods. The air, though thin, is sweet and clear. When you come across a small, lost alpine lake, it is sapphire blue and bone chilling cold. And at night, there is a peacefulness like no other. As you get a chance to stair at more stars than you have ever seen before, you end up realizing the insignificance of your problems. The quietness serves to amplify the thoughts in your head. And in the end, you come “back down to earth” refreshed and rejuvenated.
Snow skiing has much the same effect on me. I always thought of a visit to the slopes as a chance to recharge my batteries. It was common for me to ski off into the woods and stop to admire the beauty of the place. Skiing also holds a special place in my heart because that is one of the few things that my son Nick and I did exclusively together. He doesn’t have any friends that ski and I only know a few. Since he was 5 we have been heading to the slopes to spend a day sliding down the hills – just the two of us. We would always stop at one of the lodges around noon to treat ourselves to a big lunch and sit out on the sun deck. The drive up and back, the chairlift rides and those lunches, provided time for some of our best talks.
Even at around 4,000 feet I have seen tears brought to the eye at the smell of the pines. Altitude touches our emotions. Our most beautiful scenery is in the mountains. Up where we can escape the trappings and pollution of the city. If for no other reason, I hope my lungs heal so that I can get high again.
Doug on 12.03.07 @ 01:55 PM PST [link]
I hope everyone’s Christmas was filled with special time with family and fun gifts! Ours certainly was. Seems like we spent most of the last couple days going from one family party to the next. It is so great to be with everyone and get a chance to catch up.
Well, Nick recently turned 13 and with it came a teenage rite of passage - yep, the dreaded acne. So we started him on a ritual of cleansing his face and using some medication when necessary. About the same time, I started on a new drug called Erbitux, which has the side effect of acne. Yes, that is my nose! So I too have to heed my own advise and go through the cleansing and medication rituals. 
I read recently that I should be including kiwifruit in my juicing regiment. As mentioned in an earlier blog, I juice daily a Granny Smith Apple, three carrots, a kiwi and some red grapes. Kiwifruit in California is harvested in September and available in the grocery stores up until May. A recent trial at the Rowett Research Institute in England showed that eating kiwifruit daily could provide good protection from DNA damage responsible for cancer. It also speeds the repair on cellular DNA. For those consuming up to three kiwis a day, the speed of repair was almost double that of the control group. The study suggests that eating at least one per day can benefit you significantly.