Over The Counter Cures
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Thanks to the draconian and unconstitutional "Gag Rule" by the FDA, nutritional supplement manufacturers are prohibited from informing the public about the supplements they make. By keeping the public in the dark, and censoring information about how supplements are safer, more effective and less expensive than drugs, the FDA reveals its true mission, to protect the profits of the drug industry. The beauty of Shane Ellison's book is it fills in this censored information, discussing the top ten nutritional supplements and how they treat and prevent common illnesses. Mr. Ellison's background and training make him imminently qualified. He was trained as an organic chemist, and actually worked designing drugs in the labs of the pharmaceutical industry. A recurring problem with inexpensive supplements is quality. Many are simply not worth buying because they are adulterated with fillers and may not contain the proper amounts of the nutrients. Again, Mr. Ellison goes the extra step for his readers with an independent certificate of analysis on each recommended supplement posted on his web site. In addition, the book is carefully referenced with links to the medical literature. Here is the list of supplements discussed in the book: Alpha Lipoic Acid is presented as a key antioxidant maintaining the skin young and wrinkle free. The mixed form of Alpha lipoic acid from Spring Valley is mentioned, also useful for prevention and treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Combine this with acetlyl -L- carnitine from Nature Bounty at Walgreens for a more robust effect. Sadly, our bodies are contaminated with hundreds of toxic chemicals thanks to deregulation of environmental protection laws by the Bush administration, leading to even more chemical pollution of the environment. How can we help our liver eliminate these nasty substances? An herbal supplement call Milk Thistle from Spring Valley does the job. Preventing heart disease with statin drugs, Mr Ellison tells us, is a frustrating endeavor. The drugs cause severe adverse effects, and a review of the statin drug studies shows the data has been manipulated, articles ghostwritten, and more hype than substance. For real prevention of heart disease, Mr. Ellison discards the cholesterol hypotheses as an unproven myth, and instead recommends lowering Homocysteine with a natural folic acid in Brewer's Yeast from Lewis Labs at Whole Foods, avoiding the Franken Chemical form of folic acid commonly found in cheap vitamins. Adding vitamin C in the form of acerola from Now Foods, is also part of the heart disease prevention program. For controlling blood pressure without drugs, Mr Ellison recommends herbal Hawthorne from GNC. For people with insomnia addicted to ambien and xanax in order to sleep, Mr Ellison recommends discarding the addictive sleeping pills, and instead use Natural Valerian Root from Spring Vallery sold at Wal-mart. For Prostate trouble, use Saw Palmetto from Puritans Pride, or the GNC Men's formula. For improving vision, use Vitamin A. Mr Ellison recommends fresh chicken liver high in vitamin A, or else CarotenAll from Jarrow Formulas at Vitamin Shoppe. For cancer prevention, he suggests turmeric from Jarrow Formula - Curcumin 95. For controlling blood sugar he recommends cinnamon capsules from Spring Valley sold at Wal Mart. Mr Ellison has no financial interest in any of these companies, so there are no conflicts of interest to report. Judging from its title, the book sounds too good to be true, yet Mr. Ellison is true to his mission, and delivers the goods, providing valuable information not otherwise available in the mass media or from supplement manufacturers thanks the FDA Gag rule. Ellison's book covers only the first ten of thousands of supplements available on the market. He has much work to do covering the rest of them in a sequel. Jeffrey Dach MD |
Over the Counter Natural Cures 
by Shane Ellison MS