World's Best Natural Cures

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.

"At the very first sign of a cold, I toss a couple of andrographis supplements down my throat. I never travel without them."

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.

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.

"I always use an earpiece with my cell phone to lower my risk of developing brain cancer."
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.

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.

Learn about 6 more of the best natural cures here.

Comments

[marymansour]

I recommend an aloe vera gel capsule taken each morning. It has done away with my acid reflux and seems to have knocked my cholesterol down many points. You can bit the end and use the gel on topical wounds and burns. The stuff is downright miraculous.

[mergina]

Phytoestrogens rule.

[Trilby]

The only thing more disturbing than being forced to listen to someone gabbing on a cell phone is being forced to listen to someone gabbing on a cell phone using an ear piece. I have a novel idea. Wait till you get to your office to make those "important" calls. SIt quietly on the bus or train and read a book or newspaper. Or listen to music. Or watch the scenery and think about things.

[NoSillyName]

Trilby, don't you know that everybody is so important now that they must be able to converse with everybody they know 24 hours a day? Gosh, someone might have a stray thought they must relay to someone immediately or there's an item left off of the grocery list. Oh, the horror of being out of touch for even an instant.

Annoying isn't it? I'm afraid you and I are becoming the silent minority. What really bugs me is when I'm trying to visit with someone in person and they keep taking calls instead of politely telling the caller that they're busy at the moment and will call them back very soon. So RUDE!!

[incontempt]

I don't like the phone calls i get at home, i'm certainly not interested in buying/owning/using a cell phone... besides they haven't proven it is not affecting the bee hive collapse problem.

[Indepatriot]

We truly are a nation of "Big Shots".

[iamjoneskeepupwithme]

i agree with both of you on all points! and i'll raise you one....i also despise "call waiting" which means people say, "oh i've got another call coming in...hold on a minute". it is rude and really pointless. these people interrupt one conversation to tell the other person "i'm on the other line with ____, can i call you back?" so, they have just wasted three people's time and still back to square one! just let caller leave a message and call back when you can. it ain't rocket surgery, folks.

OH! and i hate it when people on their cells say, okay, so i'll call you when ____ and we'll decide then....". no one seems want to just make a plan and then do it! the cell should be a convenience if one should need to change plans, not to call to tell the other you are 30min away.....o­oo, now i'm 20min away....oo­o, only 5 min away....oo­o, i'm almost there!!! this is particularly painful when you're trapped on a train or plane; cannot get away from these ridiculous people.