A dr. (Dr. Carolyn Dean) Recently wrote and this was posted in one of my forums, The U.S. Delegation to Codex has just issued a formal written statement to the Codex Alimentarius Commission that the United States, during the July 4-9, 2005, meeting in Rome, will support compulsory rules created by this international organization directly overruling U.S. law regarding access to vitamins. The U.S. law that is about to be vanquished is the Dietary Supplement, Health and Education Act of 1994. Codex is a joint venture between the United Nation's World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization. (WHO/FAO) The World Trade Organization (WTO) has already stated that it will enforce Codex "guidelines" as the world standard for trade in dietary supplements. This will mean that gradually, pill-by-pill, our access to the dietary supplements we depend on will disappear. For those not familiar with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, it was passed because 2.5 million ordinary citizens wanted to make sure dietary supplements such as herbs, vitamins, minerals and other food-based supplements could stay on the over-the-counter market. Movement to create this law, known as DSHEA, started when a 1992 FDA task force published a report announcing the FDA's desire to remove these products from the shelves as they represented a "disincentive for patented drug research". Immediately following this announcement, millions of Americans learned about how famed vitamin doctor, Jonathan Wright's patient-filled medical office was raided the same month by nearly two-dozen gun-toting, flak-jacketed FDA agents in the name of regulating supplements. Battering down an unlocked office door, these agents, backed by burly sheriff's department deputies, lined up staff and patients against the wall, pulled IVs from patients arms in middle of treatments, confiscated patient records, took the hard drive from the office computer all because Dr. Jonathan Wright was using nutritional supplements to heal very sick people who could not get help from standard allopathic medical care. As the story developed, it turned out that this Gestapo-style raid was standard operating procedure for the FDA and as the general public became aware of just how many doctors' offices, manufacturing companies, distributors and health food stores had been assaulted by similar raids, the horror of all this forged a mighty health freedom army that resulted in unanimous passage of DSHEA. The idea of the law was two-fold: DSHEA was to make a clear distinction between FOOD, which is considered generally safe and did not need to have permission from the FDA to be allowed on the market and DRUGS, which are generally toxic, potentially deadly and in need of lengthy evaluation before they were available to the public under prescription from a doctor. DSHEA provides the FDA with plenty of legal authority to remove herbs or dietary supplements from the market providing the agency has plenty of REAL evidence of REAL harm to the public. The FDA also has the authority to limit the amount of a supplement to low levels IF the agency has plenty of REAL evidence to prove higher levels ARE ACTUALLY dangerous. The FDA and its Big Pharma backers have never liked DSHEA because these products and the related natural healing arts services often related to them are putting the allopathic drug/surgical/chemical medical industry to shame. In my book, Death by Modern Medicine, using the allopathic medical industry's own official reports, I document how 784,000 people die every year in the American medical system while following doctors' orders in a highly-regulated allopathic system. The proof that dietary supplements and the practitioners who promote them are safe and work as expected is evidenced everywhere. Studies conducted all over the world have shown that supplements are actually safer than food and there is simply no hard evidence to show there is ANY risk factor worthy of discussion, much less needing universal "risk assessment". Yet, the U.S. Delegation, along with its Big Pharma backers are bound and determined that Codex force "risk analysis assessments" upon the American dietary supplement industry so they can bypass the expressed will of the American people. The REAL reason for promotion of "risk assessment" is based on two agendas. First, to be able to strip the over-the-counter marketplace of everything but low quality, low dose-level products that won't do much to support or improve health. Second, to set up the framework to allow Big Pharma to take over the supplement market as a new form of drugs where prices can be jacked up outrageously and doled out by doctors for a fee. More information on codex laws and US SOVEREIGNTY ( that no longer exists) can be found here.. http://www.altered-states.co.nz/cgi-local/reload.cgi?//www.google.com/search?sourceid=mozclient&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=us+delegate+to+codex^/hthreat1.htm Here is a link that might be useful: altered states/codex

Herbs containing iron (you'll have to look each one up to find out if they are RICH in iron!). And you'll have to check each one for its medicinal actions, too! Alfalfa, Almonds, Angelica, Anise, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Basil, Beans, Beetroot, Bilberry, Blackberry, Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, Broccoli, Burdock, Capsicum, Carrot, Catnip, Cayenne, Celery, Chamomile, Chervil, Chickweed, Chicory, Comfrey, Cucumber, Dandelion, Dates, Dulse, Echinacea, Eyebright, Fennel, Fenugreek, Ginger, Ginseng, Goldenseal, Horehound, Horseradish, Horsetail, Kelp, Kidney beans, Lemongrass, Lentils, Lettuce, Lima beans, Liquorice, Mango, Marshmallow, Milk Thistle, Mullein, Mustard, Nettle, Nuts, Oats, Paprika, Parsley, Passionfruit, Peach, Pear, Peas, Peppermint, Pineapple, Plantain, Pokeweed, Potato, Prunes, Pumpkin seeds, Radish, Raisins, Raspberry, Red Clover, Rhubarb, Rice, Rosehip, Rosemary, Sarsaparilla, Scullcap, Sesame seeds, Sheep Sorrel, ShepherdÂs Purse, Slippery Elm, Soya beans, Spinach, Strawberry, Thyme, Tomato, Uva Ursi, Watercress, Whole grains, Yarrow, Yellow Dock, Yerba Mate, Zucchini Other sources: Liver, beef, lamb, poultry, clams, oysters, mussels. fish. Eggs. Blackstrap molasses. BrewerÂs yeast. Cooking acidic foods such as tomatoes in cast-iron pots.

Purslane seems like a God-send for us high cholesterol folks. It's high in Omega-3 fatty acids, taste good, and can be used in a variety of meals. Also, I'm not sure about raw form, but Flaxseed oil, the herbal supplement, is also high in Omega 3, so good for lowering cholesterol too. (Niacin is also good, but the side effects can suck!) One thing you need to be careful about though -- not only are my suggestions good to lower cholesterol, they're also helpful in lowering triglycerides, which is related to cholesterol, somehow. Why is that a bad thing, well, generally speaking it's not, however, research your selections carefully, and talk to your doctor about them. I'm on a statin, and wierdly, the Flaxseed oil and Niacin can lower the statins ability to work, raising the cholesterol up again, while lowering the triglcerides. Maybe this is simply a good remind why it's not always the best approach to change our diets, even if we think we're going for healthier choices, without consulting doctors first.

I stumbled on this topic and was so glad to see that I am not the only one who has struggled with this. I have been having issues for the past 3 years. My periods stopped almost exactly 2 years ago. I had gotten so bad in the past 6 months that I could not walk when I got out of bed in the morning and could barely walk after sitting for longer than 10 minutes. I finally found a combination of things that have been working for me. I hope it may help somebody else! I admit that my diet has been terrible. I've had a bad case of the "busys" and I have relied heavily on the "bag and box" convenience approach. I read that people who eat a lot of fast/convenience food have magnesium and potassium deficiencies--which affect muscles. I began eating a banana--sometimes with peanut butter for breakfast. I eat baked potatoes (with all the good stuff; even then it 's better for me than fast food!). I concentrated on getting food with real nutrients; particularly potassium. You can google and find lots of options. I began taking a magnesium supplement. I only take about 1/2 the therapeutic dose. Do some research and find out which formulations are best absorbed to avoid diarrhea. I found out that artificial sweeteners can have an affect on nerves over time. (I recalled working with a client in my past job who turned to drinking Listerine as a source of alcohol. It permanently damaged the muscles in his legs.) I have been a HEAVY diet coke drinker for decades. I limit the diet soda to one or two small bottles per week and I began drinking water. Lots of it. I bought a compact fold-up exercise bike so that I could get in non-weight bearing exercise. The treadmill just seemed to aggravate things, especially my foot that had begun swelling. The bike allows me to work my legs--releasing lactic acid build-up that can lead to tightness--without causing new problems. A rowing machine might work too. I do at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes breaking it up into two or three sessions. I like the bike because it is totally silent and I can stop for brief breaks. I watch TV while riding. (I've read that deep tissue massage is also excellent in releasing lactic acid build-up, but I haven't tried it.) I began taking vitamin D3 for muscles and bones. I began taking Krill oil to help with inflammation--and it's just plain good for the human body. On mornings when I am still feeling pretty tight by 9:00am or so, I take 600mg ibuprofen. Previously, this did nothing to help. Now, it makes all the difference. I can feel it within an hour and one dose is all I need for all day. It took about 6 weeks, but the difference has been amazing. My stiffness is not totally gone, but it is remarkably lower!!! I can stand up and loosen up in a few seconds.