You're preaching to the choir, sister! Let me tell you about the holistic rodeo

[Guest guest]

Few would ever think me in any boxes when it comes to mainstream

versus natural and alternative healing.

 

However, rejecting science as the end all is no justification to

accept all alternative methods as valid. Science does a very poor job,

in my opinion, in trying to improve and synthesize the foods,

vitamins, minerals, medicinal plants and other things nature has

provided. That does not mean that the science of anatomy is invalid.

 

The simple and obvious fact is that there are a good number of devices

and potions out there that are clearly bunk and there have always been

no lack of snake oil salesmen both inside and outside the mainstream

and alternative medical fields.

 

Another consideration is the placebo effect - and you have to admit

that the foot detox is a pretty powerful visual effect. I am not

saying it is 100% junk - and you may have had a much better device

than the one I tried and saw. Based on all the valid and valuable

input you have made to this group, it is very likely that you had

something entirely different than what I saw - and as I said, I am

willing to be convinced otherwise. But not based merely on heresay

and testimonials alone unless the concept makes better sense to me.

 

As I mentioned earlier, a couple of months ago, I attended the

" Holistic Rodeo " in Kerrville. I actually had great expectations and

attended with a couple of people well known to this forum. Here is

what I experienced:

 

In case you were wondering, no, there were bucking broncos or horses

or spurs. The only thing that seemed rodeo-like to me was all the

bull in the health spiels and so-called health devices and services.

In every aisle and direction one looked, there was an abundance of

colorful light tubes, magic crystals, psychics, healers, and health

devices of every description and disciplines.

 

To be fair, there were some very good products and others I would not

reject out of hand, and after all I have learned in my journey into

natural health I seldom say " never " -- but so much of the mix at this

rodeo was so clearly bogus that it took very little horse sense to

find it appalling. In one booth (for a mere $20) I had all the toxins

removed from my body in a magic foot bath which turned all kinds of

yucky colors (I remember wondering if maybe I should do a better job

of washing my feet) and, despite all the implanted suggestions of how

much better I was going to feel (coming from a shriveled yet flabby

woman missing several teeth), did not feel any different after the

foot detox beyond what a good Epsom salts bath would have felt like.

I think that the clearly corroded metal poles that were immersed into

the water with your feet and supposedly generated the " detoxing

current " were a clear give away. That and the salt they kept shaking

in the water every few minutes.

 

The foot detox was almost worth the money for the entertainment value

of watching the booth directly across the aisle where a psychic pet

healer gave readings on people's pets - truly an amazing ability since

the pets were left and home and all she had to go on was the owner's

description and sometimes a photo. Most people came away smiling, but

I there was a dark moment when a gal with a dazed look in her eyes

wandered over and, after a few moments of hushed talk, began wailing

at the psychic prognosis. The news for Muffy was not good I fear.

 

I also had a go at a magical mystical Bio-Mat healing pad (you too can

have one for a mere $1600), where I lay on an elevated bed on top of a

pad that was heated and which had alternating vibrating sections.

With the pad underneath and a blanket on top (not included in the low,

low price), I was blindfolded and had earphones attached which played

soothing background music while a seductive voice told me all the

wonderful things that were happening to my body. Afterwards, I had to

admit that I felt a bit more relaxed. Almost as relaxed as I felt when

I lay on the vibrating heating massage pad I bought a few years ago at

Wally World for less than a hundred bucks and listened to some smooth

Jazz or Nora Jones on the headphones.

 

I did see one fairly nice plastic elongated S-curve object on sale for

a mere $29.95 which you use to scratch your back with. It worked too.

The only thing was, I had earlier seen a wooden device with " fingers "

and rollers right down the road at the convenience store that worked

even better and it was only $5.95

 

Then there were the people. At what was billed to be a health fair,

there were assuredly some of the most unhealthy looking people I had

ever seen -- fat if not downright obese, skin blotches, emaciated,

bags under their eyes that would put Dean Martin to shame, you name

it! A great many were more like beer bellied bikers between rallies

and carnies between circuses. Though there actually were a few

" normal " looking people, the majority came in two flavors -- thin and

wasted or downright obese.

 

As I a well known supplements company rep whose knowledge of any and

every health subject was exceeded only by his waistline and looked

over at the skinny carny gal in her corner booth with her eyes

squinted shut and her tattooed arms outstretched and trembling as she

did a " psychic healing " , then looked over a couple of booths to the

foot bath lady who should have seen a dentist many years ago, and then

further down the aisle to the more than merely rotund lady at the

institutional health booth, I had to wonder how anybody could believe

in anything they saw there.

 

For those who did believe most of what was on display, I think I have

a bit of magic prayer cloth, some vials of holy land sand and, for the

right price, a splinter off the sacred cross to sell.

 

 

 

oleander soup , " Dr. Loretta Lanphier "

<drlanphier wrote:

>

> Many modalities in natural medicine do not have scientific backing,

nor will

> they ever because science is.well.just science and is not the end-all.

> Science has not given us much in the realm of " cure " and is, in many

cases,

> why conventional medicine will not explore other methods of healing.

If we

> want to experience true health and wellness then, in my opinion, we must

> change our thinking in the area of science and medicine. Our bodies are

> fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator and science seems to

have a

> difficult time accepting this.

>

>

>

> The end results that I have seen from clients who use them consistantly

> indicate that they can absolutely play a part in healing. Natural

medicine

> modalities always take more than one or even several instances to

work. If

> someone told you that you would feel a significance difference after one

> treatement then they basically were not telling the truth or had no idea

> what they were doing. And, as I said, many of the machines in use

are junk.

>

>

>

> When I, personally, do a foot bath the water never drastically

changes. So

> the water doesn't change for everyone. Even when I did my very

first foot

> bath the water did not drastically change. I was using a machine

that was

> very hi-tech and because at that time my diet and lifestyle were

pristiene,

> the water didn't show the presence of many toxins. I was kind-of

> disappointed because I wanted to see a color like everyone else was

seeing.

>

>

>

> There have been some lab tests run on the foot detox pads (again,

some of

> these pads on the market are junk) that prove they are indeed

pulling toxins

> out of the body. People report feeling better, more energy and actually

> sleeping better. For me personally, I don't necessarily sleep better

> because I don't like sleeping with something on the bottom of my

foot! LOL

>

>

>

> Again, I submit that natural medicine does not fit into the convetional

> medicine or even scientific box. Nor should it. :-) What we are

looking

> for is " does the modality help the body and mind to heal or go toward

> healing without causing harm? " Toxin removal is absolutely

necessary if the

> body is to heal. We are bombarded with toxins daily. While the placebo

> effect most probably enters in, just as it does with conventional

medicine,

> that does not make these modalities unscientific. And, if you

believe that

> something will not work (whether natural or conventional) then most

probably

> it will not work. Just as if you believe that you cannot or will

not get

> well, then you probably will not. Power of belief.

>

> When I was using natural medicine to heal from colon cancer, I had

to change

> much of my " belief system. " A year before my diagnosis, I would

have called

> a lot of what I did to get well, " quackery. " God definitely chose

to change

> my mind. I would always recommend that people educate themselves

fully and

> not take anyone's word about anything. And then I would suggest

that they

> ask God what their personal " healing path " should consist of. After

asking,

> be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for answers - be alert and

keep on

> open and quiet mind - your answers will come.

>

>

>

> " In finding solutions to challenges don't be afraid to 'step out of the

> box.' Your willingness to do so may mean the difference between life and

> death. I have found that most things are not 'as they seem'. Educate

> yourself thoroughly and meet each challenge with the determination that

> there is always a solution and that the solution may not be what is

> 'normally accepted'. The road less traveled may have the most answers. "

>

> Be Well,

> Loretta

>

 

> oleander soup

oleander soup On

> Behalf Of > Sunday, April 20, 2008 2:35 PM

> oleander soup

> Re: Natural remedies for seizures

>

>

>

> Excellent suggestion - thanks!

>

>

>

> I will take exception to one thing: the ionic foot detoxes. The idea

>

> that such a contraption can pull toxins out of the body is beyond any

>

> science I know and has in fact been thoroughly debunked more than

>

> once. I had once such detox done of me at the Holistic Rodeo in

>

> Kerrville, Texas a few months ago, and surely enough there were all

>

> the gunky colors and goop just like everyone else that had one. I

>

> felt no different what so ever afterwards 9well, I felt like my feet

>

> had soaked in warm water for awhile) and I noted the corroded

>

> electrodes and the salt they kept adding to the water and figured the

>

> odds were pretty good that anything, or nothing at all, would likely

>

> produce the same effect.

>

>

>

> Surely enough, when I did a bit of checking around I found several

>

> reports similar to this one:

>

>

>

> " foot detox machines are simply AC-DC transformers attached to ferrous

>

> electrodes that corrode to generate rust when used to electrolyse the

>

> saline water in the footbath. Whether true or not, it's a matter of

>

> simple science that such a setup duplicates the observed phenomena. At

>

> the skeptical James Randi Educational Foundation site, the Commentary,

>

> October 3, 2003 has a photo showing the result of using iron nails to

>

> electrolyse salty water in a soup bowl. This theory is backed up by

>

> some observers who have found by experiment that their feet didn't

>

> need to be in the bath for the brown to appear. At the women's network

>

> iVenus in a thread called Big fat detox HOAX!!!, WicklowLass tells of

>

> her observation that " the brown stuff doesn't come out of your feet,

>

> it comes from the metal `array' in the footbath itself! The girlie in

>

> the salon switched it on, left, and I immediately whipped the spawgs

>

> out of the water to have a good ol' gawk, and all the brown stuff

>

> started clouding out from the thing in the foot bath. When she came

>

> back, I quizzed her on it. She mumbled something about negative ions .

>

> I didn't pay for the `treatment' " . In the Letters section of the

>

> current (July 7th?) New Scientist (see here), Galen Ives of Sheffield

>

> reports a similar test, alongside another letter postulating the same

>

> explanation, as well as one for the observed frothiness of the bath:

>

> sodium hydroxide (from the electrolysis) reacting with skin oils to

>

> produce soap.

>

>

>

> (read more at -

>

> http://www.raygirvan.co.uk/apoth/2004_05_01_arc.html "

>

>

>

> In a similar vein, the so called foot de-tox pads have also been

>

> debunked as not only worthless, but even harmful:

>

>

>

> http://genesismetabolic.com/?p=20

>

>

>

> After all I have learned, I almost never say never to any treatment,

>

> but foot baths are one that someone is going to have to do some strong

>

> convincing for me to change my mind.

>

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Oh my. I hope I am not “preaching”

at all, but instead sharing a bit of information for people to think about and

research. J

 

I don’t reject all science.

But I do object when people want to “prove” natural medicine with

science or by the same standards that conventional medicine is accepted. J

 

LOL! Yes, I have been to a few of

those myself. There is a difference between holistic (what I call most

New Age) and true natural medicine. Those holistic fairs or rodeo’s

(first time I have heard of one called a rodeo) usually attract more of the

modalities that usually make me roll my eyes a bit.

 

I would love to share an experience that I once had, but fear of someone on the

list knowing who I would be talking about, stops me. Let's just suffice

it to say, even though I was told to keep my eyes closed, I just could not

because of all the " noise. " ;o) Try as I might, I just could

not force myself to “believe” what was going on.

 

In all seriousness, I do think we must

be careful and that is why I always encourage education and research. And

we should always be comfortable with what we are doing for healing. On

the other hand, I am with you in that I have learned to never say “never.”

I buy and try a lot of health modalities that being recommended because that

is the “researcher” in my and also because I want to be aware of

what clients ask me about. Now, I certainly don’t buy everything

because I can’t afford everything and I can usually smell quackery,

hype-marketing or junk-science a mile away. But there is so much about the body

and how it “really” works (not just physically) that we do not know

or will not allow ourselves to know. In our “smartness” we

have become somewhat foolish. So, I try very hard to be open, ask

questions, give it a fair shot, etc.

 

I guess there will always be those who

take something good or promising and make it look questionable or they will

take a good modality and make ridiculous claims. This is what gives

natural medicine that “snake-oil” reputation that my, “bless

his heart” (as we say in Texas), primary care doc thought I was doing

when I left conventional treatment for cancer and chose natural medicine.

I promise that when I went in because my lower back had been hurting and asked

for an MRI, I saw a twinkle in his eye because he just knew the cancer was back

and thus he would be “right.” It was not back and I think he

may have been a bit dissappointed. To this day, he just orders the yearly

blood tests that I want and saves his breath, but last year when my cholesterol

level was higher than conventional medicine mandated numbers (the numbers that

make the pharmaceutical companies rich) he looked at me, hesitated and said “I

guess I’m wasting my breath to suggest a prescription.” I

replied, “Correct.” He sighed and forced a smile. LOL!

 

And, like I said and very much agree

with you, the placebo effect is very real in natural medicine and

conventional. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

Oh --- about the BioMat.

<cough><cough> You might want to try that again sometime,

especially if you are in pain or stressed. Find a good practitioner that

has one in their office. If it was the type that emits Far Infra Red,

then yes they do work greatly with pain and stress relief since Far Infra Red

goes much deeper into the body for healing and detoxification. I don’t

think that I have seen one that vibrates, too. Many cancer patients use

FIR as part of their healing protocol. The FIR lamps really do a good job and are

much more effective. Many chiros have them in their offices. And

the FIR saunas are worth every penny or dollar, I guess I should say!

 

Be Well

Loretta

 

 

 

-----Original

Message-----

oleander soup oleander soup On

Behalf Of Sunday, April 20, 2008 5:13 PM

oleander soup

You're preaching to the choir, sister! Let me tell you

about the holistic rodeo

 

Few

would ever think me in any boxes when it comes to mainstream

versus

natural and alternative healing.

 

However,

rejecting science as the end all is no justification to

accept

all alternative methods as valid. Science does a very poor job,

in

my opinion, in trying to improve and synthesize the foods,

vitamins,

minerals, medicinal plants and other things nature has

provided.

That does not mean that the science of anatomy is invalid.

 

The

simple and obvious fact is that there are a good number of devices

and

potions out there that are clearly bunk and there have always been

no

lack of snake oil salesmen both inside and outside the mainstream

and

alternative medical fields.

 

Another

consideration is the placebo effect - and you have to admit

that

the foot detox is a pretty powerful visual effect. I am not

saying

it is 100% junk - and you may have had a much better device

than

the one I tried and saw. Based on all the valid and valuable

input

you have made to this group, it is very likely that you had

something

entirely different than what I saw - and as I said, I am

willing

to be convinced otherwise. But not based merely on heresay

and

testimonials alone unless the concept makes better sense to me.

 

As

I mentioned earlier, a couple of months ago, I attended the

" Holistic

Rodeo " in Kerrville. I actually had great expectations and

attended

with a couple of people well known to this forum. Here is

what

I experienced:

 

In

case you were wondering, no, there were bucking broncos or horses

or

spurs. The only thing that seemed rodeo-like to me was all the

bull

in the health spiels and so-called health devices and services.

In

every aisle and direction one looked, there was an abundance of

colorful

light tubes, magic crystals, psychics, healers, and health

devices

of every description and disciplines.

 

To

be fair, there were some very good products and others I would not

reject

out of hand, and after all I have learned in my journey into

natural

health I seldom say " never " -- but so much of the mix at this

rodeo

was so clearly bogus that it took very little horse sense to

find

it appalling. In one booth (for a mere $20) I had all the toxins

removed

from my body in a magic foot bath which turned all kinds of

yucky

colors (I remember wondering if maybe I should do a better job

of

washing my feet) and, despite all the implanted suggestions of how

much

better I was going to feel (coming from a shriveled yet flabby

woman

missing several teeth), did not feel any different after the

foot

detox beyond what a good Epsom salts bath would have felt like.

I

think that the clearly corroded metal poles that were immersed into

the

water with your feet and supposedly generated the " detoxing

current "

were a clear give away. That and the salt they kept shaking

in

the water every few minutes.

 

The

foot detox was almost worth the money for the entertainment value

of

watching the booth directly across the aisle where a psychic pet

healer

gave readings on people's pets - truly an amazing ability since

the

pets were left and home and all she had to go on was the owner's

description

and sometimes a photo. Most people came away smiling, but

I

there was a dark moment when a gal with a dazed look in her eyes

wandered

over and, after a few moments of hushed talk, began wailing

at

the psychic prognosis. The news for Muffy was not good I fear.

 

I

also had a go at a magical mystical Bio-Mat healing pad (you too can

have

one for a mere $1600), where I lay on an elevated bed on top of a

pad

that was heated and which had alternating vibrating sections.

With

the pad underneath and a blanket on top (not included in the low,

low

price), I was blindfolded and had earphones attached which played

soothing

background music while a seductive voice told me all the

wonderful

things that were happening to my body. Afterwards, I had to

admit

that I felt a bit more relaxed. Almost as relaxed as I felt when

I

lay on the vibrating heating massage pad I bought a few years ago at

Wally

World for less than a hundred bucks and listened to some smooth

Jazz

or Nora Jones on the headphones.

 

I

did see one fairly nice plastic elongated S-curve object on sale for

a

mere $29.95 which you use to scratch your back with. It worked too.

The

only thing was, I had earlier seen a wooden device with " fingers "

and

rollers right down the road at the convenience store that worked

even

better and it was only $5.95

 

Then

there were the people. At what was billed to be a health fair,

there

were assuredly some of the most unhealthy looking people I had

ever

seen -- fat if not downright obese, skin blotches, emaciated,

bags

under their eyes that would put Dean Martin to shame, you name

it!

A great many were more like beer bellied bikers between rallies

and

carnies between circuses. Though there actually were a few

" normal "

looking people, the majority came in two flavors -- thin and

wasted

or downright obese.

 

As

I a well known supplements company rep whose knowledge of any and

every

health subject was exceeded only by his waistline and looked

over

at the skinny carny gal in her corner booth with her eyes

squinted

shut and her tattooed arms outstretched and trembling as she

did

a " psychic healing " , then looked over a couple of booths to the

foot

bath lady who should have seen a dentist many years ago, and then

further

down the aisle to the more than merely rotund lady at the

institutional

health booth, I had to wonder how anybody could believe

in

anything they saw there.

 

For

those who did believe most of what was on display, I think I have

a

bit of magic prayer cloth, some vials of holy land sand and, for the

right

price, a splinter off the sacred cross to sell.