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Federal Law requires that we warn you of the following:

1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire (as can “conventional” methods).

2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy.

Any opinions put forth by our doctors are simply their opinions, and any person following their advice does so at his/her own risk. It is up to you to educate yourself and to discuss treatment modalities with your health care practitioner. By accepting Organic Lifestyle Magazine’s advice, you are agreeing to be fully responsible for your own health and to hold Organic Lifestyle Magazine, Inc. and its contributors free from liability.

Cold Sores

I have been getting cold sores on my lips since I was a teenager. I asked my doctor and she indicated that I had the herpes virus. I could not believe it because I thought herpes was an STD. I bought the audio book Natural Cures and the author kept saying that there is a natural remedy for herpes, but he did not say what it is. Do you know what he is referring to?
I really appreciate any suggestion.

I really appreciate any suggestion.

Thanks,
Anonymous

DR. TIM O’SHEA: Cold sores are usually viral and indicate local micro-trauma to oral mucosa. They also indicate microbial imbalance in the whole body; equilibrium is centered in the colon. Cold sores indicate insufficient probiotic

intestinal flora, an epidemic in the U.S. Three remedies are:

Take an aspirin tablet (the old fashioned kind, not a capsule) and apply it directly to sore. The aspirin will burn off the sore in 15 minutes.
Take lysine, an amino acid, as a supplement.
If the condition is chronic, you must re-establish floral balance in the colon.

Dr. T

Note: To reestablish floral balance, Dr. O’Shea recommends his 60 Day Program, as described on his site www.thedoctorwithin.com. He recommends a double dose of flora for the first 30 days.

EFT

I enjoyed Ryan Harrison's article on EFT, but I am a bit skeptical. I am willing to give it a try though. I wonder if you know of people who have had success with it in regard to allergies such as pollen, pets, etc. I have a ton of allergies and I want to get off the drugs and start living a more natural life.

Peter

RYAN HARRISON ANSWERS: Skepticism

toward EFT is both understandable and, to some extent, wise. I like to tell people that I am an “optimistic skeptic.” What that means is that I genuinely want things to be/do what people claim they will, but that I’m not ready to simply take it all on faith and start seeing great results that aren’t really there. So, I appreciate your skepticism. The best way to determine whether EFT will work for you is to give it a fair shake. That means finding a skilled, trained EFT Practitioner and going through at least a few sessions together.
Will EFT help with allergies? It may, and it may not. EFT Practitioners typically suggest that all physical complaints will respond to EFT sooner or later, because all aspects of life are at some point energetic, and EFT directly affects your system on an energetic level. My experience is that if an allergy has an emotional component (such as an allergy coupled with a traumatic memory), then EFT may certainly help erase the allergy and with amazing efficiency and speed. If the allergy is an issue of competing or clashing subtle energies, then it may take a while longer for the body’s energy system to reconcile itself with the offending allergen’s energetic “thumbprint.” Let me offer an example:
I had a client who had an intense allergic reaction to fresh chilies and bell peppers of any shape, size, color, or “heat.” His reaction

was so strong that he would have to avoid the produce section of the grocery store, because if he so much as smelled a pepper he’d end up with a migraine. Touching a pepper elicited the same severe response, as did eating one, even if it was “hidden” in a prepared food item – proof enough that this wasn’t psychosomatic.
   My suspicion was that there was a clash of subtle energies at play. Something about his body’s energy system rebelled when he was in the presence of bell peppers. Their unique energy signature was enough – even at a distance – to cause his body to respond with a migraine.
   Using EFT and a related technique that stimulates certain acupoints while using guided imagery, we were able to radically shift this clash of subtle energies within one session. He left my office and reported the next day that he had enjoyed Mexican food loaded with bell peppers, with no negative response. The shift didn’t hold, however. Within a few days, his “allergy” returned. We worked on this issue for a few more sessions with similar results: great and immediate improvement followed by a return to the original state within a few days. Time and circumstance did not allow us to continue working on this case.
   My take on this situation is that there was

still work to do. Most likely, we needed to keep “massaging” his energetic response to peppers, making the meeting of their subtle energies copacetic as the norm, rather than the exception.
All this to say that I think EFT could very well help you find relief from your allergies, but you may need to give it time and you should certainly find a qualified EFT Practitioner to work with.

Ryan Harrison, MA

Gluten

Raymond Francis, I’ve read your book, Never Be Sick Again, and was astonished by how similar our stories are. I, too, had my immune system collapse and suffered from many environmental sensitivities (though not as severely as you have suffered). Through diet and naturopathic medicine, I have recovered much of my health. One thing I discovered was a sensitivity to gluten. Do you believe that when I completely restore my health I can reverse my inability to digest gluten?

Carol

RAYMOND FRANCIS ANSWERS: It is impossible to predict if gluten sensitivity can be reversed in a particular person. Whether

Ask OLM

Issue 8 | October 2009

pg 12

this can happen depends on too many individual factors, including genetic makeup. That being said, I have observed numerous people overcome gluten sensitivity by rebuilding their immunity, and very importantly, rebuilding the integrity of their gut tissue. Damaged gut tissue and leaky gut are a sure-fire prescription for food allergies. Repairing gut tissue with diet, stress reduction and supplements will often make food allergies and gluten sensitivity go away. At the very least, as you improve your health, your sensitivity will be reduced and it will take exposure to higher amounts of the allergen to get a reaction.

Raymond Francis

Email your questions to questions [at] organicmail.net. Questions may be edited for clarity or length.

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