FDA attempts to violate court ruling against it, thirty years ago

If you wish your health freedom to be protected so that you can access proven health care of your choice that helps clear arteriosclerosis more safely and less expensively than the current medical approach you should be speaking with your representatives and senators today!

FDA’s Stealth Attack on Chelation Therapy for Cardio-Vascular Disease
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a Public Health Advisory on Edetate Disodium (EDTA). The advisory reflects FDA’s current analysis of data available concerning this drug. The advisory is meant to alert patients and healthcare professionals about EDTA.

In this relatively innocent looking letter, the FDA is warning hospital pharmacies that there have been 11 deaths associated with di-sodium EDTA since 1971. They indicate that to improve safety and avoid potential medical errors, hospitals may want to consider not carrying di-sodium EDTA. Finally, they hint they may be revisiting di-sodium EDTA’s safety record at some point in time.

They are responding to the death of a child in 2003 year because the physician mixed up di-sodium with Calcium EDTA. Medical errors do take place and the majority of these reported cases. In fact it is known that 450 people die each year from acetaminophen poisoning. With the millions of di-sodium EDTA treatments each year, this product has a better safety record than Tylenol®.

The FDA is, of course, forbidden to regulate the practice of medicine but that doesn’t stop them from pushing the envelope. Every time they have tried, they have lost in court. One of the most important cases was the FDA v. Evers in 1978. Guess what the drug in question was? Yes, di-sodium EDTA. So they never give up even when they have had their hands slapped.

In addition to the public advisory, the FDA is suggesting that they are revisiting the safety of di-sodium EDTA, essential for the treatment of cardiovascular disease to remove calcium from blocked arteries, while encouraging the use of Calcium-EDTA, which cannot remove the calcium plaque because it is already bonded to Calcium.

This is the same agency that refuses to classify the mercury component in dental fillings, which puts between 42 and 57 tons of mercury into people’s bodies every year. The agency that has stated it may be unethical to try to find out whether mercury is “safe” in people’s bodies. Also the same agency that approved Vioxx that killed 50,000 people and approved Viagra that killed well more than 11 people in its first week of use! Yet, they are focused on the safety of di-Sodium EDTA because of potential confusion about treatment.

The American Association for Health Freedom is very concerned about where the FDA may take this. The FDA cannot approve or disapprove of how a legally marketed drug is used by a physician in his practice. The agency approves of what a manufacturer may recommend about uses in its labeling (package insert) and advertising. We are meeting with our team of attorneys to make sure our response to this new threat to this very effective and inexpensive treatment for cardio-vascular disease. We will be working with the physician groups that use di-sodium EDTA to make sure this unnecessary concern the FDA is displaying is not used as an excuse to end this effective and safe treatment.

Don't let flu hit you full force...

One of the very nice things about being a health care professional and having access to the internet is to receive information from others in natural health care who are trying to educate the public in the same manner as we have done for the past twenty years through our various venues.

This is helpful information from another fellow professional with which I agree, although I am for usually more vitamin C and A.

Enjoy!

Flu season is here in force. The next few newsletters will focus on flu prevention and treatment to keep everyone healthy through the winter season.

Preventing the Flu

Adults

Maintain a healthy immune system. Many forms of supplements will fortify immunity so that an attack by viruses will be less successful. If you tend to get acute illnesses easily, then begin a program of immune strengthening. A good herbal and antioxidant immune enhancing supplement will help build the strength of your system. These formulas are usually built around the herb Astragalus, a potent herb for augmenting the body's protective defenses and stabilizing the exterior against invasion by pathogens and physical stresses such as cold and wind. Other supplements have similar immune enhancing properties.

Several species of mushrooms have significant immune stimulating effects. Each contains high percentages of polysaccharides, long chain sugar molecules that regulate immunity. They activate white blood cells and stimulate complements and antibodies. These mushrooms include reishi (ganoderma), maitake (grifola), shiitake (lentinus), polyporus, and tremella. Many preparations of mushroom combinations in tablet, powder, or liquid extract form are available at major health food stores.

Bovine colostrum has the ability to provide antibodies directly and stimulate immune function with its potent combination of lactoferrin that prevents bacteria from reproducing, lysozyme that destroys pathogenic organisms, and cytokines that stimulate immunoglobulin production, as well as the polysaccharides. Colostrum is a superfood that should keep your immune system in peak condition. Take two capsules twice a day through the winter months.

Vitamin C at 2-4 grams per day prevents inflammation and maintains the body's vigilance against infection. Vitamin A is essential to immune function and mucous membrane integrity. Take a supplement of 10,000-25,000 IU of vitamin A derived from fish oil that also includes vitamin D (400 IU). Zinc has potent immune protective effects. Take 25 mg zinc per day, but if you continue zinc for an extended period of time you will also need to take copper to prevent a deficiency (10:1 ratio of copper to zinc). Get a supplement that contains both.

Immune supplements for adults
Mushrooms (reiki, mitake, shiitake)
Colostrum – 4 capsules
Vitamin C – 2-4 grams
Vitamin A – 10,000-25,000 IU with 400 IU vitamin D
Zinc – 25 mg with copper 2 mg
Influenzinum is a specific homeopathic preventive for the flu. You can begin taking Influenzinum (9C, 12C, or 30C) if you are exposed to the flu. Take one dose each week for four weeks at that time, or you can take it once a week for four doses during the flu season.

The flu, like other respiratory viruses is spread through droplet transmission from human to human. You can minimize your exposure by not shaking hands. Frequent hand washing will also prevent you from inadvertently inoculating viruses into your nose and eyes. Simply avoiding touching your nose, mouth, and eyes during flu season will also help reduce your exposure. Of course, as common courtesy everyone should cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze to prevent transmission of viruses.

Get plenty of sleep, eat well. Eat warm foods during the winter. Soups and stews are excellent sources of concentrated nutrients. Exercise regularly despite the cold weather. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for their vitamin and antioxidant content. Stay warm and avoid getting chilled.

Immune System Supplements for Kids

Children can take a few simple, specific supplements to maintain a strong and vital immune system during the fall and winter months when colds and flus predominate

An omega-3 fat supplement in the form of fish oil capsules, DHA from algae (Neuromins), or cod liver oil will establish healthy cell membranes that prevent inflammation and resist toxins and attack by pathogens. 200 mg of DHA or one teaspoon of cod liver oil for each 50 pounds of body weight is an appropriate dose.

Vitamin E will ensure that fatty acids are maintained at optimum efficiency once they are absorbed into cells. In addition, vitamin E has anti-inflammatory effects and increases resistance to infection. Use only natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), not the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol). A mixed tocopherol form of vitamin E is best because children need the gamma as well as the alpha forms. An appropriate dose is 100 mg for children under two and 200 mg for children aged 2-12.

Vitamin A is needed for proper mucous membrane function. It is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues, and for efficient digestion of protein. Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, strong bones and teeth, and a vital immune system. White blood cells, T-lymphocytes, and every cell in the important mucosal barriers of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tracts require vitamin A.

A diet containing significant amounts of fat will help ensure adequate vitamin A intake. Whole milk products, butter, and free range eggs will help maintain necessary levels of this important nutrient. Use organic sources. For those who may not be getting enough vitamin A, a supplement is essential.

The recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin A is 1,000-2,000 IU for children, depending on their age (1,000 at one year of age, 2,000 by age nine). Primitive diets probably maintained 10 times that amount. One egg contains 300 IU, one cup of whole milk or whole milk yogurt contains about 225-250 IU of vitamin A. One tablespoon of butter contains 350 IU of A. The amount of vitamin A may vary by the season and the feed of the animals.

Most children would benefit from a vitamin A supplement derived from fish oil. One tablespoon of cod liver oil contains at least 3,000 IU of A. Proper dosage is one teaspoon per 50 pounds of body weight. Several studies have also shown that vitamin A supplements during viral illnesses promote rapid recovery and prevent complications. Children can take 1,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin A derived from fish oil without any problem.

Zinc stimulates immune function, prevents infections, and acts as a cofactor in many enzyme reactions, including the creation of antioxidants. Normal dosage is 10-20 mg. per day. If zinc supplementation is continued over a prolonged period of time, it should be given in conjunction with copper in a ratio of ten to one to prevent copper deficiency.

Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity, and antibiotic qualities. A daily supplement of vitamin C during the winter months will round out the immune system prevention program. Use 500 mg for children under 3 years old and 1,000 mg for older children.

The easiest way to give supplements to children is through powdered sources mixed in a blender with fruit, fruit juice, yogurt or milk (rice milk for younger children and children with milk sensitivities), and honey (for children over 12 months old). Capsules can be opened and dumped into the blender. Children can chew oil-based supplements in soft gels or you can stick a pin into them and squirt out the contents onto something they will eat.

Randall Neustaedter OMD

Infection Control Nightmare Decades Old, No Sign of Remission

The issue of over use of antibiotics leading the charge toward higher infection rates in hospital and community has been heartily debated for decades. While there seems to be no end in sight, especially prescribing antibiotics for almost every ill in a time when many antibiotics fail, this study does suggest some helpful methods.

Handwashing is without a doubt one of the best methods for preventing cross contamination. Gels, however, do contain a high alcohol content which is drying to the skin. Unlubricated dry skin leads to cracks in the skin and an opportunity for bacteria to pierce this protective layer. Many commercial products used for moisturizing skin contain harmful chemicals that ultimately fail to keep the skin well lubricated. This group includes many so called natural products sold in health stores.

Trimmed nails are an issue too. One Spokane hospital established this rule several years ago. When I worked in ICU we had nail brushes provided along with the soap, mostly iodine based products were popular at that time.

Cell phones do attract bacteria because of the ionizing effect of EMF/ELF.

Cleaning methods are also a factor, as are the old standards in chemically based cleaning.

I believe the housekeeping component is an area needing to be addressed.

There are in fact excellent cleaning products available that are not chemically based. These products have shown effectiveness in reducing infection rates and preventing reinfection.

And of course there is the scientifically based utilization of pure therapeutic essential oils which do not become resistant to bacteria.

I am still waiting for the day when I receive more than one or two inquires about my protocols using these protective oils.

Hand gels alone may not curb infections
By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jan 30, 2008

Doctors and nurses on the go often skip soap and water in favor of an alcohol-based hand gel, thinking the quick-acting goo will kill bacteria on their hands and curb the spread of infection. It turns out that's not enough.

In a Nebraska hospital, medical workers nearly doubled their use of the alcohol-based gel, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients.

The doctor who studied the problem pointed to many villains: Rings and fingernails that are too long and hard to clean, poor handling of catheters and treatment areas that aren't sanitized.

"Hand hygiene is still important, but it's not a panacea," said Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He led the study at the adjoining Nebraska Medical Center.

The results of his study appear to contradict hospital guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say better hand hygiene — through frequent washing or use of hand gels — has been shown to cut the spread of hospital infections.

The spread of infection-causing germs in U.S. hospitals is a huge health problem, accounting for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths each year, according to the CDC. These include drug-resistant staph, urinary tract infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia, among others.

"There are many factors that influence the development of hospital-acquired infections. It would be naive to think that a single, simple intervention would fix this problem," Rupp said.

His study appears in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Research has shown alcohol-based hand gels are more effective, faster and easier to use than soap and water. The findings of the new study were based on 300 hours of hand hygiene observations of nurses and doctors in two comparable intensive care units over a two-year period.

More gel dispensers were put in the units, and usage rose from 37 percent to 68 percent in one unit and from 38 percent to 69 percent in the other. Compliance for hand washing of any kind in most hospitals is estimated to be about 40 percent, according to experts, although some hospitals do better.

Every two months, bacteria samples were taken from health workers' hands, which were found to be cleaner when using the alcohol gel.

The infection rates in both ICUs were "relatively low," the study said. And researchers found "no significant relationship" between rates of hand gel use and infections among patients. In fact, in one unit the infection rate rose when the hand gel was widely available and its use promoted.

Rupp found the results surprising. However, he said hospital-borne infections cannot be stopped by better hand hygiene alone because infections aren't limited to person-to-person contact.

He suggested hand gels be combined with other measures, such as better cleaning of hospital units, proper insertion and maintenance of catheters, and doctors prescribing antibiotics only when necessary so more drug-resistant bacteria don't pop up.

He also said hospital workers shouldn't wear rings and should trim their fingernails even more than the CDC recommendation of no longer than a quarter of an inch. Rupp said bacteria showed up when nails extended just beyond the fingertip.

Mike Bell, who deals with infection control at the CDC, said that while he didn't agree that hand gels do little to reduce infection, Rupp was right to say they were just one part of the solution.

"If they don't do everything else right, having clean hands is not enough," he said.

Both Bell and Dr. David Hooper of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston suggested that Rupp's study would have shown a reduction in infections if it was conducted over a longer period.

Hooper said the compliance rate for hand hygiene at Massachusetts General has been about 90 percent for the past several years. The number of drug-resistant staph cases was cut in half and continues to decline, he said.
___

On the Net:

University of Nebraska Medical Center: http://www.unmc.edu/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/

Massachusetts General Hospital: http://www.massgeneral.org/

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press.

Drug errors or other?

This is not a nursing or pharmacy only problem. The drug companies need to come up with solid accountability for causing confusion when dreaming up names for their dangerous drugs. Thousands of drugs seem to have confusing generic and trade names as the article states.

Just consider that levaquin is a fluoride based antibiotic, similar to CIPRO, with extremely serious side effects and limited effectiveness. Similar issues surround the drugs listed on the Top 10 Rx sellers; all make the name confusing list.

Drug-name mix-ups hurt patients, getting worse
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
Tue Jan 29, 2008

Dr. Julius Pham's stomach churned when he saw a critically ill heart patient getting an antibiotic instead of a drug to support his blood pressure -- the kind of mix-up that is increasingly common in the United States, according to a new report.

"If you have ever had that sinking feeling that drops to the bottom of your stomach, I had it," Pham, then a critical care physician at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, told reporters. "Unfortunately, the patient did not do well."

A nurse had confused Levophed, which can boost blood pressure, with the antibiotic Levaquin.

The rate of drug name mix-ups has more than doubled since 2004, the U.S. Pharmacopeia said in a report on Tuesday.

The group, which regulates the generic names of drugs and advises pharmaceutical companies, reviewed more than 26,000 records and identified 1,470 unique drugs involved in errors due to similar brand or generic names.

"Together, these drug names contributed to more than 3,170 pairs -- nearly double the 1,750 product pairs appearing on USP's 2004 list," the organization said in a statement.

"According to this report's findings, 1.4 percent of the errors resulted in patient harm, including seven that may have caused or contributed to patient deaths."

The top 10 drugs sold in the United States in 2006 all made the mix-up list, including cholesterol drug Lipitor, heart drugs Toprol and Norvasc, antidepressant Lexapro, stomach acid pill Nexium and asthma drug Singulair.

The USP researchers said 519 facilities reported on 176,409 errors in 2006. "The percentage of harmful errors has remained above 1 percent for more than seven years," they said.

Some errors could be easily remedied if pharmacies separated or otherwise differentiated easily confused drugs, said USP patient safety expert Diane Cousins.

Labels could be applied that use "tall-man" lettering -- for instance the glaucoma drug acetaZOLamide, with the "ZOL" in the middle uppercased, versus acetoHEXamide, a drug used to treat diabetes that has a similar name.

Prescriptions should include simple words such as "for sinus," "for heart," "for high blood pressure," Cousins added.

Some of the mistakes found in the survey:

-- A child got schizophrenia drug Zyprexa instead of allergy drug Zyrtec after a visit to the emergency room. "The patient returned to the ER after fainting, at which time the medication error was discovered," the report reads.

-- A patient incorrectly received bipolar drug Lamictal instead of blood pressure drug Labetalol. A few days later, the patient was hospitalized with elevated blood pressure, nausea and vomiting.

(Editing by Will Dunham and Alan Elsner)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.

Are you in the dark about adverse effects of Gardasil?

Perhaps it is really the Big Pharma-FDA-CDC cartel wanting to keep it that way...

Search for our other Gardasil posts for more information...

Back to basics? It's about time!

A number of years ago a group of doctors in the Seattle are decided to try and get off the insurance-con-game-merry-go-round by going to a cash only system.

These doctors would as well help the patient with needed statements to apply on their own for reimbursement.

The doctors believed they would be able to offer better care and provide more individualized care, and I am sure they were correct.

Now into the 21st Century, we stumble upon a doctor who believes in the real thing, practicing medicine as if the patient should be the focus of care.

This isn't much different than the service I have been providing to people around the world since 1995, as an on-line health detective. Having been a nurse practitioner for more than enough years in a system that promoted "the sick state" made it an easy switch.

I'd like to see more doctors do this and if so, I'd wager on lower costs and better care.

Internet helps doctor get back to basics By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
Mon Jan 28, 7:14 PM ET

Dr. Howard Stark's office is quiet. Very quiet. No patients sit in his waiting room. No receptionist answers the telephone. Stark does not have a receptionist.

Instead, he and his assistant Michele Norris-Bell check e-mail alerts on handheld devices and -- between seeing patients in person -- on a desktop computer.

Stark has moved most of his practice, based in Washington, onto the Internet and he couldn't be happier. Since he started his Web-based service two years ago, he has received 14,000 e-mails.

And yet, he feels more like an old-fashioned family doctor in a small town than a modern, harried physician.

"That's 14,000 phone calls that we did not have to answer and that patients did not have to make," Stark said.

He does not charge for answering an e-mail. "You have to come in one time a year for an annual exam," Stark said.

The rest is free -- prescription refills, quick questions about medication, even questions about unusual stings.

"What do I get? A picture of the scorpion that bit the patient in Belize," Stark laughed. "I said, 'it would have been better to send me a picture of your leg."'

He also gets updates on patients' personal lives.

"People say how impersonal e-mail is. No way. It is so personal because I can hear what is going on with the kids," Stark said in an interview at his otherwise ordinary office.

"It keeps me a lot closer to what is going on with my patients," he added. "I feel like I have taken 21st century medicine back to being more like the old-fashioned physician who knows how your family is doing."

Health experts, the U.S. government, labor unions, employers and average citizens all agree the U.S. health care system badly needs improvement.

SOARING COSTS, LONG WAITS

Costs are soaring and yet the average physician, according to many estimates, spends only about 10 minutes with each patient.

Harried desk staff often double- and even triple-book each appointment slot to make optimal use of the doctor's time and to make sure the overheads are covered.

"They are seeing patients every 10 minutes and from 7 a.m. to 7 at night. They don't even have time to learn how to save time," Stark said.

"The medical profession is being pushed to the edge."

Not in Stark's office, where each patient is allocated at least half an hour per visit.

Stark rents two offices, a waiting room and two examination rooms from his two former partners. He employs only Norris-Bell -- his rent includes the use of technicians to draw blood and do other specialized tasks.

He figures he saves at least $50,000 a year on staff costs alone.

Stark has some other advantages that other doctors lack -- he does not accept any insurance, public or private, although he will help fill out the paperwork that allows patients to claim reimbursement from their insurers. That freed him up to go solo in his practice, and a few well-placed real estate investments allowed him to go part-time.

Using the Internet lets his patients proceed as if he were in the office full-time, however, Stark said.

AIRLINE INSPIRATION

The idea came to him while booking a flight.

"I was sitting here and making a seat assignment to go to Miami. And I said, 'why is it I can make a seat assignment four months in advance and my patients can't book a half-hour appointment?"' he said.

"I started thinking of other things that could be done online."

For instance, written instructions on how to prepare for a colonoscopy, general health tips, or information on Lyme disease.

Stark contacted a couple of friends with Internet experience and they designed DoctorsOnTheWeb (http://doctorsontheweb.net/), a site that lets any doctor do what he is doing. So far, three other doctors have signed up to use the site, he said.

The system works like a bank's Web site. To avoid putting confidential information in e-mails, patients work on a secure server. If Stark wants to contact them, they get an e-mail merely directing them to pick up a message at the password-protected site.

"A lot of my patients, their secretaries see their e-mails," Stark explained.

It allows patients to ask about their health as issues arise, instead of waiting for the annual exam. "If you have any questions, it's so nice to shoot an e-mail," Stark said.

He can direct patients to the emergency room, if appropriate, to see a specialist or set up an appointment for an examination. Stark stresses that he does not make medical decisions based on an e-mail.

But no one has to wait until business hours. "I'll refill your prescription from Barcelona," he said.

How about his lone assistant? Is she overworked?

"I love it. I love it. I love it," Norris-Bell said.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Eddie Evans)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.

Himalayan Salt FAD May Be a Health Risk

Why Celtic Salt is the salt of choice -

The above graphic posted 6/22/11, from www.celticseasalt.com.  High moisture content is another important factor.

Read more here and here, as well as checking out our other articles on pink salt problems from Natural Health News.

UPDATE: 4/2010 -  As volcanic ash spews from Iceland's erupting volcano a new news report from the UK looks at fluoride poisoning and its effect on livestock.  Farmer's are indeed worried because they know that the natural minerals holding fluoride in the rocks and ash spewing from the volcano contain fluoride, and they know fluoride is a cumulative poison.
The Himalayan salt hucksters offer up the fact that the fluoride in this salt, regardless of the amount won't hurt you because it is a "natural" form.
On this very point they are incorrect, and this salt, with its fluoride and other toxic heavy metals, even though they argue this issue of ocean toxicity, is much more harmful than naturally farmed sea salt.

The fluoride in volcanic ash is the type defended as safe by the hawkers of Himalayan salt.

D. Telegraph 21.4.10 "FALLING ASH MAY BE GOOD FOR GARDENS" 
Volcano ash is full of elements & nutrients but it depends on the chemical make-up of the ash when it falls on the ground.
If it has high levels of fluorine it can be poisonous to humans & plants. Fluorine (fluoride) from volcanoes has killed livestock in the past.

UPDATE: 3/2010 -
I believe in salt therapies for health, using natural salt caves (found in Europe), the Hungarian salt pipes, salt cleansing and balneotherapy treatments, and generally, natural salt for health.

Salt is also something that is necessary for maintaining good blood pressure and adrenal health. This is NOT the kind of salt in convenience and processed food or salt in grocery store boxed containers.

A decade or so ago I was selling a traditional salt collected by many of the Plains tribes during salt and trading journeys away from their usual and accustomed areas. I am in the process of bringing this salt back for my clients and others because of the mineral content and safety.

I recently reviewed the mineral content of Pink Himalayan salt sold by several natural products companies and wholesale suppliers. I became alarmed when I saw the fluoride content at whopping 192 mg.

Relying on my long-standing relationship with PFPC as a medical advisory board member, I have information that supports my belief that that the recent push for Himalayan salt by Mercola and Swanson's and other should be avoided.

Contact us to order our traditional salt for health.

FROM PFPC, the premiere fluoride information site.

Over the last few years a new scam has emerged in Europe which is rapidly spreading across the world.

It involves ordinary rock salt from the “salt range” in Pakistan being marketed as luxurious and healing “Himalaya Salt”.

It is also sold as “Himalayan Crystal Salt”, “Hunza-Kristallsalz” or natural “Kristallsalz”, “VitaSal”, “AromaLife”, etc..

The scam is currently being introduced in India and the United States.

It will result in very high overall fluoride intake in anyone who follows the various “therapy recommendations”.

What happened?

During the late 1990s recordings started to appear in Germany, featuring a monologue by a self-proclaimed “biophysicist” named Peter Ferreira.

The monologue centered around the “marvelous healing energies” of “Himalaya Salt” (Himalaya Salz) and “living waters” (Lebendiges Wasser) -> mineral or springwaters (“Quellwasser”).

This special salt was allegedly coming from the high mountain regions of the Himalayas, “untouched by human contamination”, containing “84 elements essential to human health”. The tape was copied and passed on by thousands.

The salt was sold at a price much higher than ordinary salt, up to 200 times as much. It was common to see it being sold for 24 Euros per kilogram.

Lectures were organized and a video called “Water & Salt” (“Wasser & Salz”) was shown to packed houses (Zeit & Geist, 2002). A book with the title “Water & Salt - Essence of Life” by Peter Ferreira and Dr. med. Barbara Hendel became a runaway bestseller in 2002 - simply by word of mouth, even spawning a glossy magazine with the same title. [The book is currently being translated into English and slated for release in the US.]

Within months “Himalaya Salt” became all the rage in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, quickly spreading to Denmark, Holland and other European countries.

The European alternative health industry was quick to jump on the bandwagon and an article on “Himalaya Salt” praising its superior qualities to conventional salt became the most-read article on the German site of “Alternative Health” (“Alternative Gesundheit).

“Himalaya Salt” sales are consistently in the Top 10 of “alternative health products”.

Originally marketed on the Internet, there are now countless varieties of products containing “Himalaya Salt” available, including herbal salts, bath salts, facial masks, cosmetic lines, as well as salt lamps and tealights.

Many international websites can now be found praising and selling this “Elixir of Live”, “Fountain of Youth”, or “salt of life”.

The salt comes as fine salt to be used for cooking, or as salt crystals or blocks of salt, to be used for daily “sole” drinks and baths, oral rinses, eye baths, and inhalation therapy.

In addition, the salt is marketed extensively for other uses, and there are now tealights or “salt lamps” (used as natural “ionizers”), a complete cosmetic line including soaps, facial sprays, body lotions, “peeling” lotions, hand creams, steam bath aids, sauna aids, bath salts with rose petals, and shower gels.

Fluoride & Iodine

Ironically, “Water & Salt” proclaimed that iodine and fluoride are “highly toxic” and should never be added to cooking salt (August 4, 2002). This statement immediately seemed odd to a sceptic, as both “toxins”, fluoride and iodine, were also listed among the salt’s “84 natural elements essential for the body”. LINK

The fluoride/iodine issue nevertheless became a cornerstone in the promotional campaign. Valuable books on the un-wanted effects of fluoride (Ziegelbecker) and iodine supplementation (Braunschweig-Pauli) were found in the on-line bookstore of “Wasser & Salz”.

However, W&S failed to inform the public that this very same “Himalaya Salt” may easily possess more fluoride than conventional, artificially fluoridated salt.

Numerous analyses which had been posted on the web by AromaLife AG itself (Switzerland’s biggest distributor of “Himalaya Salt”) - to show that it complied with CODEX regulations - showed this clearly. Click here.

Fluoride in Mineral Water

In addition, the “Water & Salt” people also started to recommend mineral waters which qualified as “living waters”, and handed out “Seals of Quality”.

One such water, Artesia received this recommendation, although containing 1.02 ppm of fluoride - a fact which is aggressively marketed by the company which firmly believes in the proclaimed “fluoride benefits”.

Origin of “Himalaya Salt”

It is claimed that the “magic salt” is coming from the Karakorum (Ferreira, 2002). However, as pointed out by the group TourismWatch (No.28 and No.30) there is no salt mine to be found anywhere in this Himalayan region. Most of the salt was coming from the second largest salt mine in the world, in Pakistan.

After the boom began, it was found that even ordinary road salt was being sold as “Himalaya Salt” by ruthless opportunists.

Public Health Response

The responses by the Public Health Departments in Switzerland and Germany have been on the verge of the comical.

The Swiss “Fluor-und Jodkommission” warned the public against the scam and issued statements of concern about the influx of imported specialty salts such as “Himalaya Salt”.

In 2001, the SEV warned that under no circumstances could this salt “without fluoride and iodine” ever substitute for the Swiss salt.

At no point did it apparently occur to the health agencies to conduct their own analyses on the product!

Applications:

Cooking/Baking

Not only is “Himalaya Salt” marketed as the best alternative to conventional cooking salt - and to be used in all cooking and baking as well as table use - it is also to be sprinkled onto already prepared foods.

New varieties of herbal salts are also now available.

Every morning a teaspoon - sometimes more - of a 26% “sole” solution is added to a glass of mineral water and routinely drunk by millions.

Topical Applications

Salt - Baths

As one of the “best applications” people are advised to bath with this salt once a week, or with “moon baths” during new and full moons. 1 to 1.5 kg is added to 80 - 100 liters of water. Temperature is to be between 35 and 37 degrees celsius for a length of a minumum of 15 to 20 minutes (up to 2 - 3 hours!). At 1 kg in 100 liters, and at a fluoride content of 300 ppm, this is the same as bathing in water fluoridated at 3 ppm.

Not much different than the fluoridated baths which were used with great success by Gorlitzer von Mundy in the treatment of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (Jod Basedow) for over 30 years!

In addition, people are advised to bath their feet in a 10% salt/water solution, which results bathing the feet in water with a fluoride content of 30 ppm.

Personal Care Products

Daily topical fluoride intake is assured by use of the cosmetic line which includes soaps, facial sprays, body lotions, hand creams, shampoos, steam bath aids, sauna aids, bath salts with rose petals, and shower gels. Complete cosmetic lines are now offered by Aromalife, as well as “Wasser und Salz”.

Inhalation

People with asthma and like-conditions are advised by “health trainers” to add a little “Himalaya Salt” (10%!) to hot water and to inhale this concoction for 10 to 15 minutes with a covered head, three times a day.

Oral Health

People are advised to use this salt for toothbrushing.

One will get “white teeth” and the “dental enamel gets dissolved”, it is claimed...!

Of course it is also advised to rinse the mouth with the same sole which is drunk in the morning.

One is reminded of the incredible feat by Mr. “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie” Dr. Wallach and associated independent distributors who have managed to con people into believing that the “All Natural Tooth Gel” is a “safe natural alternative to fluoride toothpaste”, although the actual label on the toothpaste specifies sodium fluoride as ingredient!

Rainer Neuhaus
PFPC Germany