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Throughout history, every society produces men and women who possess extraordinary therapeutic skill and insight--born of acquired knowledge, experience, intuition, or a combination of all three. In search of our era's consummate healers, we've screened the worlds of both natural and conventional medicine. Here, these modern masters share their personal strategies for maintaining good health, high energy, and mental clarity.
Chris Kilham, an ethnobotanist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, conducts research around the world to develop and introduce traditional plant-based medicines to Western users."At the very first sign of a cold, I toss a couple of andrographis supplements down my throat. I never travel without them."
An herb with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, andrographis is used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat a wide variety of infections and diseases. It may also boost production of antibodies and macrophages (cells that ingest viruses), making it effective against the common cold. The herb reduces fever, too. Swedes have long used the andrographis remedy Kan Jang for colds and flus and take it regularly throughout the winter for immune support.You can buy andrographis (called Chuan Xin Lian) from a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner or at health food stores. Take as directed at the first sign of a cold or fever.
Kilham is founder of Medicine Hunter Inc.Keith L. Black, MD, renowned neurosurgeon and scientist in Los Angeles, uses groundbreaking techniques he developed that enable chemotherapy drugs to pass the blood-brain barrier and attack brain cancer.
"I always use an earpiece with my cell phone to lower my risk of developing brain cancer."Black is not convinced that cell phones are safe. A recent Finnish study published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that using a cell phone exclusively on one side of the head over a 10-year period increased brain tumor risk by 39%. Until the issue of cell phone safety is resolved definitively, play it safe and purchase a headset; reliable ones can be found for as little as $10. Using an earpiece keeps the microwaves that your phone emits far away from your head. The explosive growth of cell phones has occurred only in the past decade--too short a time to reveal a spike in brain cancers, which are thought to develop slowly.
Black is director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.For more on cancer, read Prevention magazine’s three-part special report, “Winning The War On Cancer”
Steven K. H. Aung, MD, a family physician in Edmonton, Alberta, treats pain and illness by combining traditional Chinese and modern treatments.
About the Author:
Prevention is a leading health lifestyle magazine. Read the latest articles at www.prevention.com.
