Letters to the Editor

Natural Health, 70 Lincoln Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111; email: naturalhealth@weiderpub.com

The Right Call

I'm writing in regards to "The Call That Cured Me" (January/February 1999). I got chills reading this My Story because my 6-year-old went through a very similar experience. Until I made the right phone call, I didn't know my son actually had hypoglycemia. The other doctors never considered that his diet could cause his seizures. But as soon as I took him off white-flour food products and anything with sugar and chocolate in it, his seizures nearly stopped. Along with his diet change, the doctor we found also recommended a B-complex supplement with vitamin C. And like Antoinette Oliveira, my son has been going to a chiropractor for monthly treatments.

I'm very thankful that we finally found the right person who wanted to find my child's real problem and not just stifle it with prescription drugs. I talked to so many people I am unsure how many set me on the right path. The important thing is that my son is finally on it.

Lora Davenport

Baldwin, N.D.

Energy Standards

I totally agree with your Editor's Note (January/February 1999) discussing the standardization of herbs and science. Scientific research will never be able to evaluate the effectiveness of those spiritual energy substances obtained from plants, flowers, animals, and minerals.

The energy forces that run through homeopathic remedies are so strong and vibrant that an injury from 20 years ago can be repaired by one small pellet of Arnica. How can science explain how this highly diluted pellet (1 drop of Arnica tincture to 50,000 drops of water) can do this so effectively?

We are nothing but energy. To heal imbalances within our bodies and minds we must use energy. When people begin to do their own research, read books, and change eating habits and lifestyle, they take a giant step towards pushing their energy field in the right direction.

Gina Tyler

Woodland Hills, Calif.

Missing Pain Relief

The Consumer Guide for pain relief ("13 Ways to Wipe Out Pain," January/February 1999) was an excellent overview of many healing modalities, all of which have the potential to bring relief from acute or chronic pain. However, I was sorry to see that you did not mention Reiki, an ancient form of hands-on energy healing that is undergoing a tremendous growth surge. This growth is due, in part, to Reiki's ability to deeply relax body and spirit, speed healing, and relieve pain. Reiki is now being used at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, Tucson Medical Center in Arizona, and Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire (to name just a few). Actual experience has shown that post-op patients have less pain and faster recovery when they have had Reiki sessions prior to surgery. I have talked to people whose doctors have been amazed by the lessened blood loss during surgery and the rapid recovery rate afterwards. In my own practice as Reiki Practitioner/Reiki Master, I have seen many people experience either a complete or partial cessation of chronic or acute pain after a Reiki session.

Perhaps the most important characteristic of Reiki is that anyone can learn to do it for themselves or others, and it doesn't require extensive study. For information about Reiki, contact the International Center for Reiki Training at 800-332-8112; email: center@reiki.org.

Tamalyn Kelly

Wappingers Falls, N.Y.

Water Block

The "Consumer Guide: 5-Week Plan to Eat and Feel Better" by Karin Horgan Sullivan in your November/December 1998 issue had some helpful tips, but I must strongly disagree with one point. Ms. Sullivan stated that it is advisable to drink water with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think you'll find many Eastern and Western herbalists would disagree.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is water-soluble, and therefore would be diluted with water taken at meals. The HCl in the stomach would no longer be strong enough to break down your food to obtain the necessary nutrients and proteins you need to maintain health. Water during meals can be the cause of indigestion, belching, gas, bloating, and a sour stomach. Herbal teas that stimulate digestion are much healthier choices for the stomach. The best way to discover what is right is to try not drinking water with meals. I think you'll be surprised.

Deborah Thornton

Littleton, Colo.

Breathe Easy

I'm a dentist who has lectured nationally on various topics including halitosis. I would like to note that your one-page outline "Which Breath Fresheners Work Best?" (Natural Bodycare, November/December 1998) didn't include many products marketed to consumers by dentists.

I'd also like to note that recent research has found that more than ,90 percent of bad-breath problems are caused by the trapping of VSCs (volatile sulfur compounds) and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The tongue is the primary place where VSCs and VOCs reside. To reduce them you need to use a rinse, paste, or gel that has an active ingredient that neutralizes VSCs and also cleans your tongue (better than just a toothbrush). That means that capsules to freshen breath don't usually work with chronic cases because they do nothing much to attack VSCs in the oral cavity. They are only fine for breath problems that are temporary or due to recent dietary intake.