Amazing Onion.

Now let us read about the Amazing Onion. A friend of mine told me a story about when he was a kid he was in the hospital & nearly dying. His grandmother came to the hospital & told a family member to go buy her a large onion & a new pair of white cotton socks. She sliced the onion open then put a slice on the bottom of each of his feet & put the white cotton socks on him. In the morning when he awoke they removed the socks. The slices of onion were black & his fever was gone. The following story that someone sent to me might have some truth in it & we are going to try it this winter.  In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.  The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.  Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work.. (And no, she is not in the onion business.)  The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.  For flu cure: Cut both ends off an onion put one end on a fork and then place the forked end into an empty jar... Placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs... Sure enough it happened just like that... The onion was a mess and I began to feel better.  Onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.  One more thing, never store cut onions and consume the next day.

Herbs and Pregnancy

Herbs and Pregnancy

Over the last 40 years, the popularity of herbal and natural remedies has been increasing. But if you're pregnant and looking to go the herbal route, how do you know what's safe for you and your baby? Does ginger help with morning sickness? Are there really that many green tea benefits? Here, we examine four popular herbal remedies that pregnant women might want to take.

St John's Wort
Originally thought to relieve the body of evil spirits, St John's Wort has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, and can be used to help premenstrual syndrome, minor wounds and burns, hemorrhoids, ear infections, viral encephalitis and seasonal affective disorder, among others. St John's Wort is also a popular home remedy for people suffering from mild depression.

Very little information about the effects of St John's Wort on a developing fetus exists. Since sufficient tests have not been done, most doctors will recommend that you not take St John's Wort while you are pregnant. There is some evidence that the herb causes uterine contractions in pregnant animals who have been given St John's Wort, which could indicate a risk of preterm labor in pregnant women who take the herb.

Echinacea
Also called purple coneflower, echinacea is commonly used to boost the immune system and ward off infection. While it has been shown to be mostly ineffective in fighting colds (the most common use), echinacea may be useful in the treatment of other infections, such as athlete's foot.

There has been one study on the effects of echinacea on pregnancy: between 1996 and 1998, a Canadian study followed 412 women, 206 of whom had taken echinacea during their pregnancy, and 206 of whom had not. Of the 206 who did take echinacea, 112 had taken it during their first trimester. Researchers found that there was no appreciable difference in the rate of minor and major birth defects, delivery method, gestational age, infant birth weight, maternal weight gain, fetal distress, or pregnancy outcome. The conclusion is that if you wish to take echinacea while pregnant, you may do so, but should probably check with your doctor just to be sure.

Ginger
Used by people the world over, ginger has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It is a popular remedy for indigestion, nausea, gas, arthritis pain, and cold and flu symptoms.

Because of its anti-nausea properties, ginger is a popular natural remedy for pregnant mothers suffering from morning sickness. The findings on the safety of taking ginger as a remedy during pregnancy have been mixed. Some studies claim that it is no more effective than a placebo, while two separate double-blind studies have found that ginger does significantly reduce nausea in pregnant women.

If you would like to take ginger during pregnancy, know that most medical experts agree that low doses of ginger should be safe for pregnant women. But, as always, when in doubt, check with your doctor before you start yourself on a ginger-regime.

Green Tea
Hailed by many as a wonder beverage, green tea has several medicinal and person applications. It's antioxidant effect helps to prevent cancers, reduce cholesterol levels, fight infections, improve the immune system and sooth arthritis pains. As a mater of course, many people enjoy a cup of green tea every day; so is it necessary to stop if you're pregnant?

In general, if you drink coffee, or any caffeinated beverage, it is recommended that you switch to decaffeinated while pregnant. Since caffeine is a diuretic, it may deplete your water, which could harm you and your baby. That said, there is no evidence that caffeine causes birth defects, though it can potentially cause other complications, therefore it is safe to consume green tea while pregnant, but in moderation. If you usually drink a pot a day, try to limit yourself to one cup and remember to balance any caffeine consumption with extra water consumption.

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/herbs.html

Phenylpropanolamine

Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)

I would like to thank those of you who expressed condolences on the
recent passing of my mother. She suffered a hemorrhagic stroke while
she was driving home from my house at 7:30 and passed away at 8:30. My
mother's stroke and passing was an enormous shock to my family because
she did not have any symptoms or risk factors for a stroke. Just the
week before she had gone to her doctor for a check up and received a
clean bill of health. She did, however, develop a cold while she was
visiting me and had taken Alka Seltzer Cold Plus for 3 days. Since her
passing, we have learned that Alka Seltzer is one of the many cold
medicines that contains Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which can cause
hemorrhagic stokes or cerebral bleeding even with the first use. I am
forwarding a list of other medications that currently use PPA. These
medicines are supposedly being recalled but my mother just purchased
this medication less than two weeks ago. Pharmaceutical companies
have known about this danger for years, we unfortunately, did not.

I urge you to review the list of medicines with PPA and avoid these
medications. All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are dangerous.
You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes
and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please
pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this
ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke
(bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after
starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA
recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.

The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or or ange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Rel! ief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head

Triaminic Syrup ! ! Cold & amp;am p; Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough

I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and
they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following
medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and
seizures in children:

Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant

They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on

the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them,
and they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with
small children,

PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!

DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are informed. They
can then pass it along to their families.

To confirm these findings please take time to check the following:

www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/
InformationbyDrugClass/ucm150738.htm