Treating West Nile Virus with High Quality St. Johns Wort

West Nile Virus, although new to the U.S., is well-documented. The Centers for Disease Control identifies it as a flavivirus, a member of the Togavirus family. It is closely related to yellow fever and dengue fever. This is important because the Togavirus family are encapsulated viruses, i.e., they are covered with a lipid (fatty) coating.

This is exciting, because it means the virus is accessible to treatment utilizing high quality St. John's Wort (SJW). Several studies have been done on a variety of encapsulated viruses, including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, parainfluenza virus, vaccinia virus, cytomegalovirus and several retroviruses including HIV1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10.

Non-encapsulated viruses or "naked" viruses were also studied for comparison purposes10,13.

SJW was a potent anti-viral agent across a variety of encapsulated virus families, but showed no activity against naked viruses.

Unlike a vaccine that is specific to each organism, SJW is active against encapsulated viruses by a variety of mechanisms, including light activation, interference with DNA transcription, impairing the assembly of intact viral particles and the lipophilic (fat-loving) nature of the ring structures (the quinone and phenolic groups)4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. These ring structures are critical to the biologic activity of SJW.

From these results, it is reasonable to use high quality, pharmaceutical grade SJW in combating West Nile Virus, since there are no effective pharmaceutical agents.

Quality is critical since the level of hypericin and pseudohypericin are key. I can only recommend the SJW product produced by Medi-Herb, which is a pharmaceutical house in Australia, adhering to pharmaceutical manufacturing standards. The product is distributed by Standard Process through alternative health care practitioners, including doctors of chiropractic, acupuncturists and veterinarians. SJW is quite unstable and the active ingredients degrade on store shelves. An independent analysis of 3 products (all of which were certified to contain 0.3% hypericin) were shown to be widely variant, with one product 25% below label claims. It is critically important that the phytochemical integrity of the whole plant be preserved for maximum efficacy.16

References: 1Andersen DO, Weber ND, Wood SG et al. Antiviral Res 1991; 16(2): 185-196. 2Lopez-Bazzocchi I, Hudson JB, Towers GHN. Photochem.Photopbiol. 1991; 54(1): 95-98. 3Moraleda G, Wu TT, Jilbert AR et al. Antiviral Res 1993; 20: 235-247. 4Tang J, Colacino JM, Larsen SH et al. Antiviral Res 1990; 13 (6): 313-325. 5Hudson JB, Harris L, Towers GHN. Antiviral Res 1993; 20 (2):173-178. 6Lenard J, Rabson A, Vanderoef R. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993; 90 (1): 158-162. 7Degar S, Prince AM, Pascual D et al. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1992; 8 (11): 1929-1936. 8Carpenter S, Kraus GA. Photochem Photobiol 1991; 53 (2): 169-174. 9Lavie G, Valentine F, Levin B et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1989; 86 (15): 5963-5967. 10Meruelo D, Lavie G, Lavie D et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1988; 85 (14): 5230-5234. 11Kraus GA, Pratt D, Tossberg J et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1990; 172 (1): 149-153. 12Takahashi I, Nakanishi S, Kobayashi E et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1989; 165 (3): 1207-1212. 13De Witte P, Agostinis P, Van Lint J et al. Biochem Pharmacol 1993; 46 (11): 1929-1936. 14Panossian AG, Gabrielian E, Manvelian V et al. Phytomed 1996; 3 (1): 19-28. 15Lavie G, Mazur Y, Lavie D et al. Transfusion 1995; 35 (5): 392-400. 16Constantine GH, Karchesy J. Variations in Hypericin concentrations in Hypericum perforatum L. and commercial products. Pharmaceutical Biology 1998; 36 (5): 365-367.

Dr. N. Rowan Richards was recently awarded the distinction of being one of the top five chiropractors in the state of California. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists, a certified herbalist, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical Acupuncture. Dr. Richards has been in practice for over seventeen years providing caring, individualized complete alternative health care in the Los Angeles area. Her web site is www.richardsfamilyhealth.com

How to Clean-up Your Allergies with 2 Easy Home Tips

It's that time of year again when people who have allergies complain about nasal congestion, coughing, and wheezing, itching, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, hives and other skin rashes. Many people experience allergies due to pollens from outdoors combined with foods and indoor stagnant air carrying dust, mold, and other air pollutants.

So how can you stop this yearly cycle? What can you do at home to end this increased intrusion of allergy problems. Where can you go for relief if your allergies have gotten out of hand.

Would you like to:

? Enjoy parks and other outdoor public areas

? Have pets that you can live with

? Eat foods you have avoided

? Feel great without fatigue

? Sleep better than ever

? Relieve stress - often allergies increase stress to your system.

Keeping your body detoxing (self-cleaning) is one of two important steps you can do at home. A simple Yoga pose done correctly can keep your own personal cleaning crew (your immune system) in tune.

Sit on the floor as in the picture on your heels with feet 2 inches apart. Exhale as you slowly bend forward toward floor with your upper body. Try to have your forehead touch the floor in front of you. Place your arms on floor place with hands under your feet and index finger in the valley or web between the big toe and the 2nd toe. Breathe in deeply. Breathe in and out slowly for 1 minute. Your goal is to work up to 2 minutes. After each time relax on your back and allow your muscles to relax for a few minutes. This pose stimulates the body's ability to cleanse itself. It helps detox the liver, lungs, stomach, spleen and bladder.

Secondly, how clean is your environment? Clients often come to me to treat their allergies however, if your home and office need a good seasonal cleaning allergy treatments only will work for a short time - even if your problem is food centered.

Many foods contain natural molds, for example bananas, grapes, and most other fruits. Or their own dust such as anything than can made into a 'flour' like wheat, corn, potatoes, and more. So keep your home and office as clean as possible. The accumulation of dust and mold in your office or home and on foods can actually "create" allergy intolerance. Here are a few tips:

Detox your home and office. Use Organic products found at the local health food market.

Dust using a damp cloth. Safe organic dusting products keep your environment toxin free

Use machine washable curtains and clean regularly. Natural laundry soap is best

Don't store things under the bed. Dust or vacuum under beds weekly.

Do not allow stuffed animals in the bedroom - inside materials often contain sawdust.

Remove dust catchers like pennants, pictures, trophies, books, models and dried or silk flowers from bedroom

Use an air filter and clean filters regularly

Vacuum furniture and carpet regularly. Use a newer vacuum that doesn't use bags and comes equipped with a self-cleaning air filter system so dust doesn't go into the air.

Limit birds, animals or reptiles in the house.

Bath your household animals often. This means every 7 to 14 days.

If you have a pet allergy do not sleep with your pet. Provide them with their own bed right outside your bedroom door for both your comfort.

Don't groom animals in the house.

For more information on allergies and treatments please read the full article: How to Stop Your Allergies in 7 Easy Steps in our website archives.

The Wealth Connection - 2 Steps to Brighten Your Golden Years Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

Envision your life 10 or even 20 years from now. Where do you plan to be? What are you doing and with whom?

Most of us between the age of 35 and 50 years hope to be retired to some degree in 15 to 20 years or less. We see ourselves living on retirement funds enjoying life and family. I have never had a client tell me they see themselves penniless or sick. Yet, these same clients fail to have a full plan.

They may have a retirement fund at work and other investments but how are these performing? Did you plan a financial foundation? What does your Wellness Investment program look like?

Many people tell me they don't have a financial foundation program or Wellness Investment program in place. Regardless of age and health it is never too late to start planning. It is better than no plan at all. In this article I will give you 2 of the 21 most important Wealth Connection Steps I offer in my online course.

Ask yourself, how does wealth connect to your health? Does it at all? Today most people would agree that finances play a part in how we feel. Lacking funds can add stress to one's life and play a major part in your health. Ill-health can rapidly eat away at savings if you do not have a wellness plan other than health insurance.

In fact, I advise you rethink health insurance. What I mean by this is that it is what it says it is. Health insurance is for ill-health issues. Only a few "health insurance" programs are wellness insurance.

Health insurance also dictates the kind of care you can receive. Wellness insurance on the other hand is still an emerging system. A few companies do offer these types of plans and we do not endorse any insurance company as my job is to educate you a bit and you must look at what is right for your specific needs.

The wellness insurance programs I have seen work like this. The self employed or business can purchase these programs. They have major medical benefits for hospital and sometimes prescription drugs. They also have a "fund" where part of your premium goes that earns interest. That's right interest. You can use this money for any type of care you desire including alternative medicine of your choice. Any funds you don't use in a given year stays in your personal account earning interest year after year. At a certain age you can take this money out and use it. I have seen accounts that reach 30k and more. Why buy health insurance you do not use?

Step One Look into Wellness Insurance programs. Only purchase from a known insurance company. One whose name you have heard of in the past that offers regular polices as well. It is buyers beware market so do your research.

Step Two What amount do you personally put into your saving account each week? Most people say I have it drawn from my paycheck. This is not what I mean. Think about how much you spend each day on simple things like coffee or food. Can you spare $5.00 per week? I have only met one person who said they couldn't even save this much. Six months later this person who didn't become a client phoned me and said they had been doing it and it really worked. Here's the plan short and sweet - I go into more detail in my online program. Contact my office for more details of how to receive a free 7-part on line e-course.

Each week whether you have your paycheck direct deposited or not; have as much as you can afford withdrawn from your account and placed in a savings plan at an investment firm like Charles Schwab. Use who you wish and make sure they have an automatic withdrawal program and that the funds go into a savings program.

Every quarter double the amount you are putting in. If you find you really aren't missing this money from your daily life; double it every month. Don't be surprised if you start looking forward to saving and adding more to how much you 'put away' each week.

Once this account is equal to 6 months income we move this money into a different type of account I go into future foundation steps in the online program. But we keep putting funds into the savings.

What happens is we have at the base a 6 to 9 month savings account earning a bit better than a bank savings account. Next level is a certain type of money market with the same amount of funds earning a slightly higher interest rate, and so on up through Our Wealth Mastery program.

Point in fact, recently "Today on MSN" offered a glance at the habit of millionaires. Simple foundational planning won hands down.

Bonus Tip Invest in your wellness. Visit an alternative doctor like a NCCAOM licensed acupuncturist. This ensures you are seeing someone who has completed an accredited program at an Oriental Medical College. Many acupuncturists are licensed through medical doctor or chiropractic programs. These programs lack in training and number of hours to meet. Make sure your practitioner is an active member of The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Even if you love your doctor, choose a NCCAOM acupuncturist for this job - after all would you take your child to a gynecologist just because they deliver babies?

Or if you own a Porsche would you take it to a Honda dealership just because you also own a Honda. No, we take our loved ones and possessions to the experts. Do the same with your health.

Why do I suggest an acupuncturist? They are trained in wellness care and health care. Oriental Medicine practitioners know how to work with all types of illness and keep you well. Plan ahead even if you feel great get an evaluation now and follow a wellness program so that you continue to feel great into your golden years.

A wellness program may simply mean visiting your acupuncturist and massage therapist one time each month. Add up the dollars you save by not getting sick. Invest this savings in your financial foundation.

If you have health issues, think how you will be in 10 years from now if you keep ignoring and minimizing your health, using drugs or having surgery without exploring other options. Acupuncture is virtually painless and offers greater relaxation than even massage.

Dr. Debra Novotny L.Ac, D. Hom; ND www.alternativehealthmentor.com