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	<title>Bob McCauley&#039;s Blog &#187; FIR</title>
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		<title>Two Famous Doctors and Both are Wrong</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2011/03/07/two-famous-doctors-and-both-are-wrong/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2011/03/07/two-famous-doctors-and-both-are-wrong/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:59:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spirulina & Chlorella]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[acid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bob]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bob McCauley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cancer]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[china study]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[disease]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dr. Campbell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dr. mercola]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FIR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[veganism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegetarianism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.watershed.net/?p=1408</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Bob McCauley, CNC, MH Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the China Study - The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health, have been arguing publicly &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2011/03/07/two-famous-doctors-and-both-are-wrong/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by</p>
<p>Bob McCauley, CNC, MH</p>
<p>Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">China Study - The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health</span>, have been <a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/02/23/why-the-china-study-is-flawed.aspx">arguing publicly over whether the vegetarian diet is actually healthy for a person</a>.  A vegetarian diet is one in which a person eats no meat at all, and a vegan diet is one where a person does not eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy products.  I am currently a vegan and will remain one for the rest of my life.  I became a vegetarian in 1980 while traveling in India.  I was a vegetarian for 18 years before I became a vegan 13 years ago.</p>
<p><strong>The Wrong Way to Be a Vegan</strong><strong><br />
</strong>I believe that Dr. Mercola is completely wrong about the vegetarian diet, which he denounces, and the vegan, which he states is actually dangerous for us.   I could not disagree with those sentiments more.  Mercola sites the actress Angelia Jolie to support his case that veganism is dangerous for us because she was a vegan for a few years and became quite sick.  Another person who claims the same thing happened to him is Daniel Vitalis, the elixir master, who states he was a vegan for five years before his health started to decline and five years later after the same diet he claims nearly killed him.  I don&#8217;t doubt that it did, nor do I doubt that Angelia Jolie became ill after living on a vegan diet for a few years.  There is a right way and wrong way to go on a vegan diet and apparently neither of them did so in the right way.</p>
<p><strong>The Healthy Way to Be Vegan</strong><strong><br />
</strong>I am an example of someone who has gone about it in the right way.  After 12 years of being on a vegan diet, without any meat, fish, eggs or dairy in my diet, I still run daily, often at a six minute sustained pace.  I am a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and still spar quite often.  I am 53 (born in 1957) and can outlast anyone in the ring.  I am no one special, and I am living proof that a vegan diet is not only healthy, but is indeed the healthiest diet that we can live on, as long as we go about it the right way.</p>
<p><strong>Who Promotes What and Why</strong><strong><br />
</strong>Dr. Mercola is 100% wrong in promoting an animal based diet.  Dr. Mercola sells ostrich meat, salmon, buffalo, as well as fish oil and krill oil for the omega 3 fatty acids it contains, which is also unnecessary in my opinion because these fatty acids can easily be found in the plant world.  Dr. Mercola believes that only &#8220;high quality&#8221; meat and fish that have not been factory farmed should be consumed.  I have nothing against him selling any of these things because I think it is an extension of what he believes.  However, I have seen people such as David Wolfe interviewing him and referring to him as some sort of health guru when they should be taking him to task for his promotion of animal consumption.  David Wolfe is a vegan and it is my opinion that when it comes to such a fundamental principle, such as whether it is healthy to eat animal products, it does not suffice to simply say that we will agree to disagree.</p>
<p><strong>Why Meat Kills</strong><strong><br />
</strong>The reason that eating animal protein is one of the worst things for our health is simple.  First, we should establish that everyone always cooks their animal protein.  Rarely does anyone eat raw meat, fish, eggs or dairy, although there is a strong movement to consume raw dairy, in particular raw goat&#8217;s milk.  I am not against this, but it certainly is not necessary for us to consume if we wish to be healthy.  The problem with animal protein is that it is a pre-formed protein chain of amino acids that are then brought to high temperatures during the cooking process.  The higher the temperature and the longer the animal protein is cooked at these temperatures, the more harmful the animal protein becomes to our health.  Although it is not desirable, exposing plant proteins (unstructured amino acids) to high temperatures does not have the same deleterious effects on our health.</p>
<p><strong>The Raw Paleo-Diet</strong><strong><br />
</strong>Around 1900 &#8211; 1910, the latest health fad to sweep through Europe and the United States was the Raw Milk Cure.  People found that if they began consuming fresh raw cow&#8217;s milk, they felt better and their health improved.  Eating raw, organic meat, fish, eggs or dairy products is not harmful to our health, although I do not believe they are necessary for good health and are not required unless no other protein source is available.  Eating raw animal protein from a commercial size factory-farm could potentially be detrimental to our health.</p>
<p><strong>The Flaw in the China Study</strong><strong><br />
</strong>The China Study by Dr. Campbell is easily one of the best books I have read on the subject of health and vegetarianism.  It is one of the few books on health I have read twice.  It is a comprehensive study, the most comprehensive controlled study in history, and it demonstrates beyond any doubt that those who live on a meat-based diet have far greater incidences of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.  When I first read it, I was amazed to see in print what I had been saying for over 20 years, that removing meat from your diet leads to an overall healthier life.  However, where the China Study falls short is in suggesting protein sources other than fish, eggs and dairy products.  Nor does it attempt to determine whether there is a difference in health if we eat our vegetables cooked or uncooked.</p>
<p><strong>Why They are Both Wrong</strong><strong><br />
</strong>And this is why Dr. Mercola and Dr. Campbell are both wrong, although for different reasons.  I am amazed that anyone in the &#8220;natural health movement&#8221;, which Dr. Mercola purports himself to be, would even consider promoting animal protein as a primary food source.  I believe those that do so are sadly mistaken and are unwittingly misleading people.  Dr. Jordan Rubin, Garden of Life, told me that it was important that we have meat in our diet.  When I asked him why, he claimed it was because meat contains the amino acid L-Carnine, which does not stand up to scrutiny.  Our bodies are capable of producing L-Carnine, therefore it is not essential, meaning that it must be consumed because our bodies cannot produce it.  There are only eight essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce.  In fact, there is nothing in meat that cannot be obtained in other foods.   The only reason to eat animal protein at all is for the taste.  Meat, for instance, is only about 20% protein on average.  The other 80% of meat is essentially useless to the body since it is sinew, tendons and fat.</p>
<p><strong>The Raw Food Diet</strong><strong><br />
</strong>Dr. Campbell is wrong to promote a vegetarian diet without suggesting an alternative protein source other than soy, which is terrible for our health.  Anyone moving to a vegetarian or vegan diet without adding an alternative protein source is eventually going to become ill, such as the case with Angelina Jolie and Daniel Vitalis, who lived primarily on fruit during his 10 years of veganism.  The Hygienists movement heavily promotes the consumption of fruit and are virulently opposed to consuming algae, which is why I have benighted them the food-nazis of the raw food movement.</p>
<p><strong>Algae: The Perfect Protein Source</strong><strong><br />
</strong>Now that I have soundly denounced the consumption of any kind of cooked animal protein, the question must be asked as to where we should get our protein.  The answer is from algae, Chlorella and Spirulina, which are 60% protein with 18 different amino acids in them that are in the correct ratio to one another.  Animal protein contains high amounts of some amino acids while others barely register.  It is this uneven amino acid compliment that makes animal food a poor choice for a protein base.  The notion that poultry is a superior food to red meat is a myth in my opinion.  For instance, chicken has 15 times the amount of methionine, a sulfur-based amino acid, than beef.  This is why you begin to smell like sulfur if you eat a lot of eggs since they contain even higher amounts of sulfur.  There are thousands of different kinds of algae that have been identified.  Spirulina, a blue-green algae and Chlorella, a green algae, are the healthiest and easiest to grow.  A person of any age could live exclusively on Chlorella and/or Spirulina and be perfectly healthy.  Essentially, there are no side effects, although both are extremely detoxifying, which some mistake as side effects.</p>
<p>I have been consuming both Spirulina and Chlorella for 14 years without any animal protein in my diet.  I have high amounts of energy, I am able to perform athletically better than I have for most of my adult life.   Another claim made by opponents of the vegan diet is that Vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed from plant sources such as algae.  Once again, I have had my vitamin B12 levels measured several times and they are fine.  The body is capable of manufacturing vitamin B12.  Probiotics stimulate the production of all the B vitamins.</p>
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		<title>Spanish Translation of Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water Released &#8211; Las Propiedades Milagrosas del Agua Ionizada</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/26/spanish-translation-of-miraculous-properties-of-ionized-water-released-las-propiedades-milagrosas-del-agua-ionizada/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/26/spanish-translation-of-miraculous-properties-of-ionized-water-released-las-propiedades-milagrosas-del-agua-ionizada/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:48:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ionized Water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Las Propiedades Milagrosas del Agua Ionizada]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.watershed.net/?p=880</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Spanish Translation of Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water - The Definitive Guide to the World’s Healthiest Substance, by Bob McCauley has been released.  It is the first translation of any major work on the subject of Ionized Water, Alkaline Water, Ionic &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/26/spanish-translation-of-miraculous-properties-of-ionized-water-released-las-propiedades-milagrosas-del-agua-ionizada/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Spanish Translation of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="Bob's book on Ionized Water" href="http://www.watershed.net/products/IonizedWaterBook/The-Miraculous-Properties-of-Ionized-Water.html" target="_blank">Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water - The Definitive Guide to the World’s Healthiest Substance</a></span>, by Bob McCauley has been released.  It is the first translation of any major work on the subject of Ionized Water, Alkaline Water, Ionic Water.</p>
<p><a title="Las Propiiedades Miillagrosas dell Agua Ioniizada" href="http://watershed.net/products/IonizedWaterBookSpanish/">Las Propiedades Milagrosas del Agua Ionizada &#8211; La Guía definitiva  de la substancia más saludable del mundo</a>,</p>
<p>Here is the first chapter of the book: <a title="Capítulo Uno: Las Propiiedades Miillagrosas dell Agua Ioniizada" href="http://www.watershed.net/media/pdf/PMAI_Chap_1.pdf" target="_blank">Chapter One: Las Propiedades Milagrosas del Agua Ionizada</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://watershed.net/Bob-McCauley-Biography/">Bob McCauley, CNC, MH</a></p>
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		<title>Snake Oil On Tap. The Ionized Water Scam.</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/17/snake-oil-on-tap-the-ionized-water-scam/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/17/snake-oil-on-tap-the-ionized-water-scam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:45:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ionized Water]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.watershed.net/?p=1193</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have been hearing for years what a scam Ionized Water is.  I have heard it called "snake oil on tap", yet no one has ever called for them to be removed from the market.  Alkaline Water, Alkalized Water, Kangen Water, Miracle Water, Micro Water, Ion Water, Ionic Water, Electron Water, Electrolyzed Water: It's all the same.  Water that has been electrolyzed is most commonly called Ionized Water.  And for some reason there is a great deal of opposition to it.  Recently Dr. J. Mercola denounced Ionized Water.  Dr. Andrew Weil has also found some excuse to dismiss ionized water.  In fact, he did it twice.  I am not a "believer" in Ionized Water anymore than I am a believer that the world is round and not flat.  To have a belief Ionized Water and its positive effects on the health of those who consume it is a fact and not a "belief". <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/12/17/snake-oil-on-tap-the-ionized-water-scam/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;">by</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://watershed.net/Bob-McCauley/">Bob McCauley, CNC, MH</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Beware of false knowledge.  It is more dangerous than ignorance.”</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">~ George Bernard Shaw</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmkKxeL9boo">My Video on the Quack Watchers.</a></p>
<p>I have been hearing for years what a scam Ionized Water is.  I have heard it called &#8220;snake oil on tap&#8221;, yet no one has ever called for them to be removed from the market.  <em>Alkaline Water, Alkalized Water, Kangen Water,</em> <em>Miracle Water, Micro Water, Ion Water, Ionic Water, Electron Water, Electrolyzed Water: </em>It&#8217;s all the same.  Water that has been electrolyzed is most commonly called Ionized Water.  And for some reason there is a great deal of opposition to it.  Recently <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/09/18/my-rebuttal-to-dr-mercola%E2%80%99s-assessment-of-ionized-water/">Dr. J. Mercola</a> denounced Ionized Water.  <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/09/18/my-rebuttal-to-dr-mercola%E2%80%99s-assessment-of-ionized-water/">Dr. Andrew Weil </a>has also found some excuse to dismiss ionized water.  In fact, <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/09/28/my-second-response-to-dr-andrew-weil%E2%80%99s-assessment-of-ionized-water-kangen-water/">he did it twice</a>.  I am not a &#8220;believer&#8221; in Ionized Water anymore than I am a believer that the world is round and not flat.  To have a belief Ionized Water and its positive effects on the health of those who consume it is a fact and not a &#8220;belief&#8221;.  It is a fact what ionization does to the pH, ORP and structure of water it ionizes.  I don&#8217;t have faith that raw fruits and vegetables are healthy for us, I understand it as a fact.  The same is true for Ionized Water.  <a href="http://www.watershed.net/products/IonizedWaterBook/The-Miraculous-Properties-of-Ionized-Water.html">I wrote the book on it.</a></p>
<p>To be perfectly honest with you it boils my blood to hear <a href="http://watershed.net/Water-Ionizers/">http://watershed.net/Water-Ionizers/</a>, the healthiest substance we can possible consume, described as snake oil and a scam.  The main reason is because this kind of thinking plants doubt into the minds of so many people that it leads them to the decision never to purchase a Water Ionizer, never to drink Ionized Water, and never to make a part of their daily lives.  To me, Ionized Water is the bread of life.  I thrive on it.  As you will see below, none of the detractors of Ionized Water have ever consumed it or bothered to measure it&#8217;s pH or ORP.  If they did, they would find Ionized Water to be the healthiest substance we can consume.</p>
<p>I am considered a “crank” by some, which is aptly defined by Mark Twain as “<em>a person with a new idea until it succeeds.”</em><em> </em>Without fail, there are those who attempt to debunk great advances in every scientific field and <em>Ionized Water</em> is no exception.  Continental plate tectonics was ridiculed when it was proposed by Alfred Wegene in 1912.  Now it&#8217;s established fact.  The same will be with Ionized Water.  It too will one day become established fact taught in every school. Debunkers suggest that the ionization of water simply isn’t possible.  One debunker states that <em>Ionized Water</em> should be dismissed simply because <em>it is too good to be true</em>.  Others state that ionization is impossible to verify when in fact its properties are demonstrated using scientific measuring devices such as pH and ORP meters because the changes that ionization produce are radical, immediate and measurable.</p>
<p><em>Debunkers</em> contend that most new health technologies developed outside of the traditional medical establishment are worthless and have no value beyond their hype.  They claim that nearly every unusual invention that doesn’t easily fit into the framework of conventional thinking turns out to be yet another urban myth<em> </em>that needs to be debunked.  And if something that they have denounced turns out to have merit, not another word is ever said about it and the debunker’s web page is quietly removed.</p>
<p>What health debunkers do best is plant doubt in our minds when we are trying to search out the truth about breakthrough health devices.  It&#8217;s easy to be a skeptic.  It’s difficult to blaze trails and fly in the face of every conventional thought and precept science has established.  It&#8217;s hard to believe in something that you discover and want to be true when someone with a scientific background who claims to be an expert is soundly denouncing it.  It is even harder to believe in things that others are ridiculing.  <em>Debunkers</em><em> </em>have a chilling effect on open debate because of the way they often scoff at the technologies they are challenging.  Their attack on new health technologies that have not been conducted, sanitized and approved by the medical establishment often extends to the promoter of the new invention.  They become the focus of derision much the way Galileo was when he claimed the Sun was the center of the Solar System, not the Earth.  Debunkers ridicule those who have found a new path, uncovered a new truth and consequentially have surpassed an old belief system.  The water ionizer is a prime example of this kind of attack that stifles progress.</p>
<p>We tend to accept the denunciations of the debunkers<em> </em>because we want to believe that we can&#8217;t be so easily fooled.  We want to deem ourselves too savvy to be deceived by promises that sound too good to be true.   We enjoy hearing that ideas and inventions that may sound a little weird, or too good to be true, could not possibly be true.  Debunkers want us to believe that life is too harsh for good things to be true.  Life is too difficult for something like <em>Ionized Water</em> to be healthy for us and possess the miraculous health properties it is said to have.  And since someone with a scientific background has claimed it to be a hoax, it must be one.  Thus, we doubt and dismiss it, exactly what debunkers want us to do.</p>
<p>Debunkers tend to be heavy on opinion and light on the facts.  And they often present their opinion as fact.  They are sometimes chemists or chemistry professors who understand book chemistry, but don’t seem to comprehend the simple chemistry of <em>Ionized Water</em>, that of charging water by creating negative ions       (-OH) and positive ions (+H).  Nor do they understand how these ions are created by the simple process of electrolysis then separated through a membrane.  It is not difficult to understand <em>Ionized Water</em>, but it is difficult for some to accept that something so simple can have such a profoundly beneficial effect on everything it comes in contact with, especially our health.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t expect that debunkers will ever disappear.  Ironically, debunkers’ websites are a good resource for groundbreaking technologies since they tend to dismiss anything that might possibly work.</p>
<p>The notion of having people around to challenge the traditional conventions and new inventions is a good one because there is plenty of fraud in the world.  Debunkers, on the other hand, are often something different than those who expose charlatans.  Debunkers stand in front of progress by denouncing and ridiculing any radical new concept.  However, armchair investigations and conclusions drawn from them will never replace field testing and something debunkers almost never do is conduct their own legitimate scientific investigations.</p>
<p>Debunkers often ply their trade in order to protect the <em>status quo </em>and the safety it provides to those who are afraid of the future and the change that it inevitably brings.  Debunkers sometimes serve no other purpose than to confuse us regarding complex issues, which is especially disappointing and destructive when it comes to natural health.</p>
<p>When a radical scientific concept is first introduced, there is commonly resistance to it by the prevailing scientific community.  New ideas are generally ridiculed and derided because they make people uncomfortable.  Scientists don&#8217;t want to accept new ones because their life’s work is based on the foundation of these old ideas.  They become particularly defensive and resistant when the new ideas destroy, override or completely supersede the old ones.  Often, the members of the established scientific community must die off so the next generation can be raised with the new concept and accept it from the beginning without any unnecessary bias and hand-wringing about what they once embraced as the truth that has now been superseded by the next wave of scientific discovery.  With the coming of the next generation, the new concept will no longer be regarded as radical, but rather another stepping stone to understanding the whole truth about health, nature and the very essence of human existence.   The acceptance of <em>Ionized Water</em> is yet another stepping stone that cannot be ignored because it is a critical component of health.</p>
<p>A considerable amount of research has been conducted on the effects of <em>Ionized Water</em>, most of it by Japanese researchers, which should be no surprise since they have embraced the concept of water ionization more than anyone else  (Appendix 5: Scientific Studies).  All of the research done on <em>Ionized Water</em> has arrived at the same conclusion: <em><strong>Ionized Water </strong></em><strong>benefits everything it comes in contact with as long as it’s used correctly.</strong><a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_edn1"><strong><strong>[i]</strong></strong></a> Physical scientific measurements, not conjecture, demonstrate the properties of <em>Ionized Water. </em>With this hard evidence in front of us, there is no other conclusion to reach than to claim that the properties of <em>Ionized Water</em> are best described as simply miraculous.</p>
<p>The strong <strong>detoxification </strong>effects of <em>Ionized Water</em> alone are enough to demonstrate that it is not like any other water you will ever consume.   This is due to the small water-molecule cluster size.  How water molecules group together is another thing that debunkers claim can not happen, thus it is so much more quackery.  This conclusion is reached despite the fact that a substantial amount of scientific research has been done on water molecule clusters.<a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_edn2">[ii]</a> Water-molecule cluster size is measured by using a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance device.  We can also determine the change in the surface tension of <em>Ionized Water</em>, which is measured in dynes.<a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_edn3">[iii]</a> A lower surface tension demonstrates the existence of smaller water molecule clusters.<a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_edn4">[iv]</a></p>
<p>Debunkers do not accept the basic concept of positive and negative ions and how they affect human health.  If they did, they would understand how important it is that we put alkaline substances in our body. Those who would attack <em>Ionized Water </em>and claim it is a hoax do not understand the value of consuming substances that are negatively charged and possess negative ions.  By their own admission, those who debunk <em>Ionized Water </em>have never consumed it, claiming there is no need to because the concept of ionizing water is impossible to begin with.</p>
<p>Debunkers are part of a faux-intelligentsia that does not believe in field testing before they arrive at conclusions.  The truth is that field testing often reveals many things that formulas and theories written on paper could never have predicted.  Examine debunkers and their methods closely for they are self-appointed watchdogs.  The methods of debunkers are never based on scientific evidence, but rather their own personal interpretation of the science they are debunking.  Debunkers, more often than not, need themselves to be debunked.  This has never been truer than when it comes to the debunkers of <em>Ionized Water</em>.  They don’t understand the simple truth that ionizing water takes it to a level of health many times above that of conventional water.</p>
<p>Here are my <a href="http://www.watershed.net/media/audio/Bob-McCauley-Recording.mp3">Seven Components of Great Health</a>.</p>
<hr size="1" />
<p><a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_ednref1">[i]</a> For instance, never consume <em>Acid Ionized Water</em> because it is an oxidant that contains free radicals.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_ednref2">[ii]</a> &#8220;Theoretical Study of the 6 (H<sub>2</sub>O) Cluster,&#8221; C.J. Tsai and K.D. Jordan, <em>Chemical Physics Letters</em> 213, 181-88 (1993).</p>
<p>&#8220;Theoretical Study of Small Water Clusters: Low-Energy Fused Cubic Structures for (H<sub>2</sub>O)n, n=8, 12, 16 and 20,&#8221; C.J. Tsai and K.D. Jordan, <em>Journal of Physical Chemistry</em> 97, 5208-10 (1993).</p>
<p>This research is supported and validated by the National Science Foundation.</p>
<p><a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_ednref3">[iii]</a> A <em>dyne</em> is an extremely small measurement of force. 100,000 <em>dynes</em>= 0.224 lbs of force.</p>
<p><a href="file:///C:/Users/MainAccount/Documents/Files/Books%20-%20Finished/Book%20-%20Ionized%20Water%20%20-%20Miraculous%20Properties/3rd%20Edition/The%20Miraculous%20Properties%20of%20Ionized%20Water_FINAL_3rd_edition.doc#_ednref4">[iv]</a> “Water molecular arrangement at air/water interfaces probed by atomic force microscopy”,  by O. Teschke and E. F. de Souza. <em>Chem. Phys. Lett.</em> <strong>403</strong> (2005) 95-101. (b)</p>
<p>“Water molecule clusters measured at water/air interfaces using atomic force microscopy”, O. Teschke and E. F. de Souza, <em>Phys. Chem. </em><strong>7</strong> (2005) 3856-3865.</p>
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		<title>Real-Time Marketing and PR: How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business Now</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/10/12/real-time-marketing-and-pr-how-to-instantly-engage-your-market-connect-with-customers-and-create-products-that-grow-your-business-now/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:32:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.watershed.net/2010/10/12/real-time-marketing-and-pr-how-to-instantly-engage-your-market-connect-with-customers-and-create-products-that-grow-your-business-now/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just got done listening to a webinar with David Meerman Scott talk about his new book, Real-Time Marketing and PR.  <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/10/12/real-time-marketing-and-pr-how-to-instantly-engage-your-market-connect-with-customers-and-create-products-that-grow-your-business-now/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Just got done listening to a webinar with David Meerman Scott talk about his new book, Real-Time Marketing and PR.  I&#8217;m a big fan of his first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marketing-PR-Podcasting/dp/0470113456">The New Rules of Marketing and PR</a>.  If you have a product of any kind, this is the marketing model you want to follow.  Nothing beats marketing on the internet this way.  Recently signed up with www.hubspot.com, which Scott is involved in.  They have it down to a science.  I follow his <a href="www.twitter.com/dmscott">Twitter</a>.   David is the guru of Inbound Marketing.  Call to Action, Landing Pages, Blogging, FB, etc.  It&#8217;s a great concept for website marketing.</p>
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		<title>Dyno®-Mill or Dinosaur &#8211; New Technology for Opening Chlorella&#8217;s Cell Wall</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2010/03/29/dyno%c2%ae-mill-or-dinosaur-new-technology-for-opening-chlorellas-cell-wall/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:32:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Far more effective methods of opening Chlorella’s cell wall have been developed since the 1970’s.  The state-of-the-art Pressure-Release® method used by our manufacturer is an entirely new approach to opening Chlorella’s cell wall.  As the Chlorella cells pass through the specially designed Pressure-Release® chamber they rupture, or crack open, due to the sudden and extreme changes in pressure.  There are several advantages to the Pressure-Release® technique over that of the Dyno®-Mill process.   First, and most importantly, nothing comes in contact with the Chlorella cells, therefore the process is 100% natural and organic.  The nutrients of the Chlorella cells are now available to be digested by the body.  Second, the Chlorella cells are not exposed to heavy metals from glass or other impurities that may be present within the glass.  And since they have not been pulverized, but rather only pulverized as can be seen in Examples 1 and 2, their unique nutrients remain in tact.  Thirdly, oxidation and nutrient degradation are significantly reduced when using the Pressure-Release® method.  You can see a significant difference between a Pressure-Release® processed Chlorella cell and one that has not be processed, or cracked open, in the photo to the right.  And the digestibility of the Chlorella is just as high using the Pressure-Release® technique as it is using the Dyno®-Mill process.  

<P>Processing Chlorella using Pressure-Release® technology extends the shelf-life and nutritional integrity of Chlorella significantly.  <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2010/03/29/dyno%c2%ae-mill-or-dinosaur-new-technology-for-opening-chlorellas-cell-wall/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>By</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://watershed.net/Bob-McCauley-Biography/">Bob McCauley</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Much has been said about how the cell wall of <a href="http://watershed.net/Chlorella/">Chlorella </a>pyrenoidosa is cracked or opened.  Chlorella is a green algae whose outer cell wall is composed of thick layers of dietary fiber that is excellent for digestion and binds with heavy metals and other synthetic toxins and removes them from the body.</p>
<blockquote><p>“Chlorella’s cell wall is comprised of 3 layers.  The middle layer contains the thickest cellulose microfibrils.  The outer layer is extremely resistant to tearing or breakage.  The characteristics of this fiber are unique to Chlorella and why it is so important that we consistently have Chlorella in our diet because it is not found in any other food source.  Even dead Chlorella has the ability to soak up toxins after it has bonded with them. ”</p>
<p>From <a href="http://www.watershed.net/products/AchievingBook/Achieving-Great-Health.html">Achieving Great Health</a> by Bob McCauley</p></blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This fiber that surrounds the cells must be cracked or broken so that the nutrients inside can be completely absorbed by the body.  If the Chlorella cell is not opened, then only a small amount of nutrients would be available to the body.  All Chlorella that is imported into the United States must be cracked or open cell according to FDA regulations.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>The Antiquated Method</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-744" title="Typical Dyno-mill Food Processor" src="http://blog.watershed.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/dyno-mill5-150x150.jpg" alt="Typical Dyno-mill Food Processor" width="125" height="125" /></p>
<p>The Dyno®-Mill technique that is used to open Chlorella’s cell wall was first developed in Japan in the mid-1970’s.  This technology was originally developed for use in the meat industry and has subsequently been used in other food industries including Chlorella production. The use of Dyno®-Mill techniques in Chlorella production was indeed breakthrough technology for its time since no other technology had been developed that effectively broke open Chlorella’s thick cell wall.</p>
<p><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-735" title="Dyno Mill glass-beads" src="http://blog.watershed.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/glass-beads4-150x150.jpg" alt="glass-beads" width="100" height="100" /></p>
<p>The Dyno®-Mill process uses thousands of very small glass beads (2 mm in diameter) such as those pictured here that are placed in a drum with the Chlorella and spun together for several minutes.  It is an effective way to open the Chlorella cell wall.  However, the Chlorella cells are exposed to potential lead and other contamination from the glass beads that are used in the process, especially if some of the glass beads are cracked or broken.  This milling process, which can be compared to milling wheat into flour, pulverizes the Chlorella cell rather than just gently cracking it open.  When the Chlorella cell is pulverized it immediately becomes susceptible to oxidation, which leads to degradation of its nutrients.  The Dyno®-Mill process also destroys the cell’s membrane, chloroplast, mitochondria and nucleus.  The main problem with this archaic method of opening Chlorella’s cell wall is that the scrambling of its nutrients significantly decrease its self-life, which is critical with regard to the marketing, nutritional integrity and consumption of Chlorella.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>A Superior Method of Opening Chlorella Cell Wall</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-747" title="Example 1: Pressure Release" src="http://blog.watershed.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Example-13-150x150.jpg" alt="Example 1" width="125" height="125" /></p>
<p>Far more effective methods of opening Chlorella’s cell wall have been developed since the 1970’s.  The state-of-the-art Pressure-Release® method used by our manufacturer is an entirely new approach to opening Chlorella’s cell wall.  As the Chlorella cells pass through the specially designed Pressure-Release® chamber they rupture, or crack open, due to the sudden and extreme changes in pressure.  There are several advantages to the Pressure-Release® technique over that of the Dyno®-Mill process.   <img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-740" title="Example 2: Pressure-Release" src="http://blog.watershed.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Example-22-150x150.jpg" alt="Example 2: Pressure-Release" width="125" height="125" />First, and most importantly, nothing comes in contact with the Chlorella cells, therefore the process is 100% natural and organic.  The nutrients of the Chlorella cells are now available to be digested by the body.  Second, the Chlorella cells are not exposed to heavy metals from glass or other impurities that may be present within the glass.  And since they have not been pulverized, but rather only pulverized as can be seen in Examples 1 and 2, their unique nutrients remain in tact.  Thirdly, oxidation and nutrient degradation are significantly reduced when using the Pressure-Release® method.  You can see a significant difference between a Pressure-Release® processed Chlorella cell and one that has not be processed, or cracked open, in the photo to the right.  And the digestibility of the Chlorella is just as high using the Pressure-Release® technique as it is using the Dyno®-Mill process.</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-738" title="Dividing Chlorella Cell" src="http://blog.watershed.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/diving_C_cell2-150x150.jpg" alt="diving_C_cell" width="125" height="125" /></p>
<p>Processing Chlorella using Pressure-Release® technology extends the shelf-life and nutritional integrity of Chlorella significantly.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>More can be learned about the extraordinary health benefits of the Chlorella and its incredible dietary fiber on our <a href="http://www.watershed.net/Chlorella/">Chlorella Information Page</a> as well as <a href="http://www.watershed.net/products/AchievingBook/Achieving-Great-Health.html">Achieving Great Health</a> by Bob McCauley</p>
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		<title>Honoring the Temple of God &#8211; A Christian Health Perspective</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/10/08/honoring-the-temple-of-god-a-christian-health-perspective/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/10/08/honoring-the-temple-of-god-a-christian-health-perspective/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:26:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[I will be blogging about my book: Honoring the Temple of God &#8211; A Christian Health Perspective, (pub. date 06/06/2008) for the next several months in an effort to get feedback on the book. HTG is a seemingly radical approach &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2009/10/08/honoring-the-temple-of-god-a-christian-health-perspective/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I will be blogging about my book: Honoring the Temple of God &#8211; A Christian Health Perspective, (pub. date 06/06/2008) for the next several months in an effort to get feedback on the book. HTG is a seemingly radical approach to natural health from the viewpoint of what the average person eats. However, what is truly radical is how we eat our way to disease day in and day out and then want to blame it on &#8220;life&#8221; or other &#8220;circumstance&#8221; beyond their control. The disease they have &#8220;happened to them&#8221; and where the responsibility lies is anywhere but with themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone is the author of their own health or disease. Most of us would consider this a radical idea, but the truth is that if you are sick it is exclusively the result of your lifestyle you have led and the foods you have put into your body. What we consume accumulates either into health or disease. You, and only you, are responsible your own health. If you find yourself with any kind of disease of any kind it is because you have not honored the temple that God has given you.</p>
<p>My book, HTG, lays out exactly how we get disease in the first place, what we can do to avoid and what we should do if we do get sick. My seven component health protocol explains my entire philosophy regarding health. I&#8217;ll also introduce you to my Beginner to Master (Copper to Diamond) step by step progression toward incredible health, the kind of health most people only can dream of.</p>
<p>&#8220;Jesus speaks of the body as being the living temple of God and refers to his own body as a temple. His words are misunderstood, as was much of his message to those who lived in those times. The Bible states that health and wellness is found with God. If your body is full of disease it is because of the choices you have made. All disease comes from our diet. Our genes have nothing to do with whether we get sick or not. Disease does not run in our families due to genetics, but rather dietary habits that tend to lead to many of the same diseases.&#8221;</p>
<p>My health protocol is simple to understand, but parts of it are difficult to adhere to completely. However, I break it down into simple, understandable steps so that the average person do it if they are determined.</p>
<p>More information is available about the book at:  <a href="http://ow.ly/sPXS">http://ow.ly/sPXS</a></p>
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		<title>Hyperthermia (InfraRed) and Electrotherapy</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/hyperthermia-infrared-and-electrotherapy/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/hyperthermia-infrared-and-electrotherapy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 23:06:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Alternative Medicine Issue 37 September, 2000 By Harvey Kaltsas, D.O.M.,A.P. Janice wasn&#8217;t flattered when the German shopkeeper congratulated her on the baby she looked about to deliver. For despite her severely swollen abdomen, Janice was not pregnant. She had advanced &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/hyperthermia-infrared-and-electrotherapy/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alternative Medicine Issue 37 September, 2000</p>
<p>By Harvey Kaltsas, D.O.M.,A.P.</p>
<p>Janice  wasn&#8217;t flattered when the German shopkeeper congratulated her on the  baby she looked about to deliver. For despite her severely swollen  abdomen, Janice was not pregnant. She had advanced multi-drug resistant  peritoneal cancer with an accumulation of fluid in her abdominal  cavity. Janice had been told she was in the end stages of an eight-year  battle that had started with ovarian cancer and metastasized into  liver, colon and bladder cancer.</p>
<p>Instead of preparing to  bring new life into the world, Janice wanted to die, to put an end to  her constant pain, suffering and hopelessness. Her doctors in the  United States had given up on her. She was frankly sick of it all,  ready to let her will ebb away and surrender. But at a friend&#8217;s  pleading, Janice made one last try at a cure by going to the Klinik St.  Georg in Bad Aibling, Germany, outside of Munich. The clinic, known to  English-speaking people as St. Georg Hospital, nestled in the foothills  of the Alps, treats 2,500 German and 2,500 foreign patients a year and  has developed a widespread, word-of-mouth following.</p>
<p>Janice  told me her story three weeks after she stated treatment at the clinic.  With a joyous smile on her beautiful face- -and a stomach now flat-  -she pronounced, &#8220;This is my favorite place in the whole world. I just  love it here!&#8221; She said she was completely free of pain, and her energy  had been restored.</p>
<p>She received treatment according to a  standard Klinik St. Georg cancer protocol: a week of detoxification and  the strengthening of the immune system with diet and nutritional  supplements, followed by two weeks of localized hyperthermia treatment  and low-dose chemotherapy. Hyperthermia involves raising the  temperature of the body area surrounding a malignant tumor, or in many  cases, the whole body itself, to levels of heat and for periods of time  lethal to the cancerous tissue but not injurious to other cells.</p>
<p>Friedrich  Douwes, M.D., of Klinik St. Georg has great success using a &#8220;synergy of  treatments&#8221;- with special emphasis on the use of heat from <strong><em>far InfraRed radiation </em></strong>and direct electrical current as mainstays of his cancer-killing strategy.</p>
<p>In  Janice&#8217;s case, the abdominal area was perfused with the chemotherapy  agents cisplatain and carboplatin during hyperthermia treatment.  Because the treatment heated the abdominal cavity to 107 degrees  Fahrenheit (41.7 Celsius) for one hour (IR treatment), the chemotherapy  was able to penetrate the membranes of the cancer cells much more  easily. Thus Janice needed only half the normal dose of chemotherapy  and suffered none of the usual side effects.</p>
<p>About two  months after treatment began, Janice informed me that she was  continuing to improve and felt better than she had in years. Shortly  thereafter, she no longer showed any sign of disease whatsoever. Her CA  125 cancer markers (a blood test measurement of the level of antigens  produced by ovarian cancer cells) dropped from above 2,500 to the 100&#8242;s  and her health is now perfect. Janice says that, from talking with  long-term cancer survivors she has met at Klinik St. Georg, and from  her own experiences, she is convinced there is hope for permanent  remission.</p>
<p>Ideally, before persons with cancer seek  chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, they should consult an alternative  or complementary physician such as Professor Friedrich R. Douwes, M.D.,  Medical Director and founder of Klinik St. Georg. As an oncologist who  integrates holistic with conventional approaches, Dr. Douwes is widely  renowned for his successes. He has published numerous papers on  alternative cancer treatments and is currently Vice President of the  German Society of Oncology.</p>
<p>Clinic patients have the  opportunity to initiate detoxification, nutritional/herbal  supplementation for immune modulation, exercise, positive thinking  practices and psychotherapy, as well as hyperthermia and/or  electrotherapy treatment. Dr. Douwes is bound by the canons of German  medical ethics to also advise his German patients as to standard  conventional chemotherapy&#8217;s, and feels obligated to inform his  international patients of every option open to them. But if his  patients decline chemo, then he becomes their biological therapist. (ND  in America)</p>
<p>What a difference this approach is to that of  many conventional oncologists who scare their patients with treatment  imperatives that include threatening prognoses: &#8220;If you don&#8217;t do this  surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, you&#8217;re going to die in so many  months.</p>
<p><strong>Building Immunity </strong><br />
One of the long-term cancer survivors I met in Bad Aibling is  Friedhelm, a former schoolteacher who couldn&#8217;t wait to tell me his  story. We talked on a couch in &#8220;Professor&#8221; Dr. Douwes&#8217;s waiting room.  Friedhelm was diagnosed in May 1993 with a non-small-cell lung tumor 12  centimeters by 6 centimeters (about 4.7 inches by 2.4 inches) in size.  This type of cancer usually has a five-year survival rate of only 10%.  Doctors told Friedhelm: &#8220;Go for chemo tomorrow. If you&#8217;re very lucky,  you&#8217;ll survive six months. He knew of Dr. Douwes&#8217;s reputation and  effectiveness of his therapeutic protocols because his brother had gone  to university with the doctor.</p>
<p>In  Friedhelm&#8217;s words, his immune status at the start of treatment was  &#8220;nothing, absolutely terrible.&#8221; Dr. Douwes told him he couldn&#8217;t start  chemotherapy right away. He could not withstand the poisons. Like most  patients, he had to build his body up first. Thus, for two weeks, he  was given nutritional supplements and natural immune system modulators.</p>
<p>From May to September 1993 Friedhelm had two cycles of  low-dose chemotherapy with hyperthermia. Then in October he had  radiation in Munich, nothing more. Buy the end of treatment he was  cancer-free, and has been ever since. His other medical doctors are  astonished and consider the case unexplainable. He suffered no hair  loss from the chemotherapy, no nausea. In fact, except for a mildly  reduced white blood cell count that his doctors attribute to the  radiation in Munich, he had no side effects whatsoever.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most  people call it a wonder. I think it&#8217;s a result of this therapy.&#8221; Says  Friedhelm. He points out that he now has more hair than he did ten  years ago. He also observes that &#8220;in the past, before health insurance,  if you were poor, you died soon. Now, if you&#8217;re not informed, you die&#8221;.</p>
<p>Dr. Douwes says that killing malignant tumors is usually not  difficult, and a synergy of treatments works best for that. The biggest  challenge comes about afterwards, to keep tumors from coming back once  patients leave the clinic and resume a normal lifestyle. To prevent  their reoccurrence one must keep the immune system strong with diet,  exercise, nutritional supplementation and especially a positive mental  attitude.</p>
<p>Friedhelm has taken this advice to heart. He is  on a regular supplementation program and visits Dr. Douwes faithfully  four times a year for reassessment and cancer screening (early  detection). He says he retired from teaching and fulfilled a life-long  dream of riding his motorcycle down Route 66 in the U.S.</p>
<p>While  in Bad Aibling, I met patient after patient who would not have  considered undergoing more chemotherapy unless it was low dose chemo in  combination with hyperthermia or electrotherapy. Not only do these  treatments reduce the amount of chemotherapy needed, but also they  markedly reduce side effects from chemotherapy and radiation, and they  allow for achieving much greater results. Dr. Douwes backs this bold  statement by referring to many oncology studies, both in the laboratory  and in actual patients.</p>
<p><strong>Prostate Cancer </strong><br />
Another one of Dr. Douwes&#8217; many success stories is Les M., an engineer  from California who had prostate cancer. From his professional  education he brings a skeptical, inquiring, scientific perspective to  viewing various situations. Before Les came to Klinik St. Georg for  transurethal prostate hyperthermia treatment, he carefully reviewed the  literature on different treatments. He chose the clinic after learning  that local-region radio-wave hyperthermia has produced &#8220;fabulous  results&#8221; (whereas the U.S. study of hyperthermia using microwaves cause  patients agonizing urethral pain and made U.S. doctors thereafter shun  the procedure). Les was also impressed to learn how sophisticated the  clinic&#8217;s method of determining efficacy of treatment is. The  traditional Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test gives a high rate of  false negatives (about 30%). Les had a particular from of aggressive  form of aggressive prostate cancer that is not revealed by elevated  PSA&#8217;s. Klinik St. Georg also uses the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)  technique to determine whether cancer cells are still circulating in  the blood stream.</p>
<p>When  I met Les just before he was to go in for his first treatment. He sat  in a comfortable upholstered chair with flexible radio-receiving plates  affixed to each buttock. With local anesthesia he had a probe  containing a tiny radio transmitter introduced through a transurethral  catheter into his enlarged prostate. Unlike the American protocol,  which used high-energy microwaves that burned both cancerous and  non-cancerous tissue alike, the Klinik St. Georg treatment employs  short-wave radio transmissions. These heat the prostate area to between  113 and 158 degrees Fahrenheit and adversely affect only malignant  cells. At times Les felt some discomfort during the treatment, as if he  had to urinate, but otherwise the three-hour process was not traumatic,  and he was asleep for much of the time. I interviewed Les fifteen  minutes post-therapy, after his catheter was removed and he had  urinated without pain or any burning sensation. He was positively  joyful and downright playful.</p>
<p>I received a call from Les  Two months later, just as I was finishing writing this article. He had  to tell me that he had just visited his previous two conventional  oncologists. They performed the ultrasound imaging and digital rectal  palpation that had revealed his cancer in the first place (later  confirmed by biopsy). They found nothing: there was no evidence of  cancer left. They could not perform a follow-up biopsy because there  was no mass left to target.</p>
<p><strong>A Trailblazer in Oncology </strong><br />
Dr. Douwes is a large, muscular bear of a man. He reminds me of a  middle linebacker from the National Football League, or one of those  undeniably self-confident athletes who says to his opponent, &#8220;You think  you&#8217;re tough. So bring it on. Show me what you&#8217;ve got.&#8221; That&#8217;s the  doctor&#8217;s attitude toward cancer, and his upbeat optimism sets the tone  for the entire clinic.</p>
<p>For  the most part, clinic staff and patients alike are happy and at times  ebullient. The setting probably helps, the clinic rivals any five-star  hotel for comfort and accommodations, quality of food, service and  majestic view. The only morose patients I saw were those who had just  recently begun treatment. I assumed that they, too, would be soon  infected by the good cheer freely shared among patients in the dining  room and group therapy rooms. A patient with prostate cancer said to me  that Klinik St. Georg &#8220;is the only cancer clinic I&#8217;ve ever been to  where people laugh&#8221;.</p>
<p>Dr. Douwes was not always so upbeat.  Following his training in oncology at medical schools in both the U.S.  and Germany, he served as head physician of the oncology department at  the University of Gottengen, where he got severely discouraged. &#8220;I  decided after 10 years,&#8221; he said &#8220;to either quit medicine or to become  a landscape gardener, because I was so disappointed about the results  in clinical oncology&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;I had my first fight with the  faculty after I was supposed to publish a paper about patients with  non-small cell cancer of the lung. We had a double-blind study, one  placebo group and one that received Adriamycin, Cytoxan and Oncovin.  The results were that from the placebo group, the median survival rate  was 9.6 months and in the treated group it was 13.4 months, and this  was statistically significant. I was supposed to publish it because the  pharmaceutical companies gave us a grant.</p>
<p>&#8220;I told them that  this may be statistically significant, but is was baloney. What does it  mean? Three or four months. If you take into account that these people  in treatment survived this experience only four months longer, then I  was not going to publish it. They had a lousy life quality; they had to  be hospitalized most of the time; they had more chemotherapy, more  blood transfusions, and we actually stole several months of their lives  from them.</p>
<p>&#8220;They told me that if I wasn&#8217;t going to publish  the paper because it‘s insignificant, then they would cut our grants.  This was the minute when I quit and said, &#8221; This is it. I cannot do it  anymore because this is not the way to treat these people.&#8221; So I slowly  adopted complementary methods into my medicine besides conventional and  still stay with conventional medicine because St.Georg is a fully  licensed hospital. All major insurance&#8217;s pay and I somehow had to  balance it and, therefore, we call it integrative medicine. We have  practiced this now for 15 years.</p>
<p>&#8220;As soon as I adopted  these methods, I became more and more successful, especially when I had  the opportunity to introduce hyperthermia into our treatment and  protocol. This was in 1983 and 1984, and my mentor was an American  surgeon, the late Dr. Harry Levine. Also, there was Dr. Rudi Falk from  Toronto, also deceased. They were the first I met with experience in  hyperthermia. Later we made our own machines, and at the moment I think  we are now the leading such hospital in the world because we have all  varieties of hyperthermia.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Hyperthermia and Electrotherapy </strong><br />
&#8220;There are no other treatments I know,&#8221; Dr. Douwes says, &#8220;that have  such a high specificity to kill and inactivate cancer as hyperthermia  and electrotherapy.&#8221; These two methods form what Dr. Douwes calls &#8220;the  new strategy,&#8221; which he anticipates will become a mainstay of  conventional cancer therapy in the near future. &#8220;They have few side  effects and are absolutely cancer specific.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dr.  Douwes showed me a study by the European society for Hyperthermic  Oncology on the five-year survival rates of patients with malignant  melanoma. Only 28% of those treated with radiation alone survived five  years. Whereas in the group treated with both radiation and  hyperthermia, 46% were alive after five years.</p>
<p>Keep in mind  that these studies were performed by conventional oncologists who added  only hyperthermia to their standard treatment protocols. Nothing was  done to support their patient&#8217;s well being and immune systems. Unlike  Klinik St. Georg, they did not use detoxification regimens, biological  dentistry, special diets, nutritional supplements, exercise programs  like yoga and swimming, sessions in the hot tub and mud baths,  lymphatic drainage massage, and visits with a staff psychologist for  positive imaging. They were able to nearly double five-year survival  rates for melanoma patients by using hyperthermia once a week with  conventional radiation treatment.</p>
<p><strong>Ovarian Cancer</strong><br />
In another trial with late-stage, therapy resistant ovarian cancer  patients who had undergone multiple previous courses of chemotherapy  (in some cases up to eight), 69.2% responded positively to a  combination of chemotherapy and hyperthermia, and 15.5% went into  remission.</p>
<p><strong>Breast Cancer </strong><br />
In a Klinik St.Georg trial, 36 patients with advanced multi-drug  resistant breast cancer were treated with whole-body hyperthermia,  chemotherapy, anti-hormone treatment and local region hyperthermia. The  positive response rate was 66.4%, of whom 13 patients (36.1%) went into  remission. No change was noted in 11 patients (30.5%).</p>
<p>In <em>Vitro </em> studies performed by Doctors Douwes and Jurij Bogovic of Klinik St.  Georg have documented that cancer cells treated with a group of chemo  agents showed an exponential increase in anti-tumor efficiency when  combined synergistically with hyperthermia.</p>
<p>Dr. Douwes says  that patients who do best are those on a comprehensive biological  program, which includes proper diet, nutritional supplementation and  exercise. Chemotherapy and hyperthermia are applied if necessary. But  do not get the impression that hyperthermia is effective only when used  with chemotherapy or radiation: it is also used to potentiate the  effects of various nutritional and herbal anti-cancer remedies.</p>
<p>One  aspect of the clinic that Dr. Douwes says that he is expanding and  always improving is the use of herbals and nutritional supplements to  target cancers and boost the immune system. Recent research has  revealed that plant-based phytochemicals modify the permeability of  cellular membranes, thus allowing nutrients to enter and be metabolized  within healthy cells, while making cancer cells more pervious to attack  from outside.Klinik St. Georg has long used alkylglycerols on all  patients for this very purpose. Dr. Douwes uses Ecomer ™ Alkylglycerols  exclusively. The clinic also employs many other supplements, including  thymus protein, vitamin C, selenium, Coenzyme Q10, mistletoe, high-dose  antioxidants and enzymes to enhance immune response.</p>
<p>Dr.  Douwes has started using two new lines of products to complement his  standard therapies. One is the Natura Herbals™ line of Chinese herbal  formulas. These are derived from remedies that have been proven in  China to efficacious reportedly in 83% of 400,000 patients. The other  is Nutrizyme™ from American Nutriceuticals. This formula combines  protein-digesting enzymes with other immune stimulants and can strip  the sheaths (made of fibrin polyglucoprotein) from around cancer cells,  rendering them more vulnerable to attack. It is likely that, used in  combination with hyperthermia, several of these products may be able to  virtually supplant conventional chemotherapy agents in some cases.</p>
<p><strong>Author: </strong><em>Harvet  Kaltsas, D.O.M.,A.P., is President Emeritus of the Florida State  Oriental Medical Association and the American Association of Oriental  Medicine (AAOM). In 1996, he was selected &#8220;Acupuncturist of the Year&#8221;  by the AAOM. Dr. Kaltsas was recently re-appointed to the Florida Board  of Acupuncture.</em></p>
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		<title>Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-2/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 17:39:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Air Health]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.alkaline-living.com/?p=118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dr. Michael Terman Head Colombia University &#8211; Winter Depression Unit The benefits of exposure to relatively high concentrations of negative ions produced by high density negative ion generators have been well documented over decades. Literally dozens of studies published in &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-2/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dr. Michael Terman<br />
Head Colombia University &#8211; Winter Depression Unit</p>
<p>The benefits of exposure to relatively high concentrations of  negative ions produced by high density negative ion generators have  been well documented over decades. Literally dozens of studies  published in respected journals have concluded that negative ions can  have a profoundly beneficial effect on both the mind and body. Listed  here are some excerpts from just a few of the scientific studies on the  subject of negative ions.</p>
<p>The most recent and exciting study was published in the February  1995 issue of &#8220;Journal of Alternative and Comparative Medicine&#8221;, a  journal of the Colombia Presbyterian Medical Centre. The results of  this study were also reported on CBS News with Connie Chung.</p>
<p>Researchers Dr Michael Terman (Head of Colombia&#8217;s Winter Depression  Dept.) and Dr Jiuan Su Terman conducted a study of the impact of  negative ion therapy on people suffering from seasonal affective  disorder (winter depression) &#8211; an illness that is often symptomatically  indistinguishable from &#8220;all year&#8221; depression; researchers believe that  the biology of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is very similar to  that of &#8220;all year&#8221; depression, hence, the same antidepressant drugs  (such as Prozac) are used to treat both.</p>
<p>The study was conducted in double blind fashion and divided  clinically depressed subjects into two groups. The subjects in the  first group were treated for 30 minutes a day for 20 days with a low  density ion generator that produced only 10,000 ions/cubic centimetre (  the control group). The subjects in the second group were treated for  30 minutes a day for 20 days with a high density ion generator that  produced 2,700,000 ions/cubic centimetre (the experimental group). The  remission or &#8220;cure&#8221; criterion used was a 50% or greater reduction in  symptom frequency and severity using the SAD version of the Hamilton  Depression Rating Scale.</p>
<p>The results of this study shocked the medical community: While a low  density negative ion generator provided little benefit, a high density  negative ion generator gave relief from depression comparable to that  given by Prozac and other anti-depressants, without drug side effects.</p>
<hr />
<p>The following is a transcript from CBS News 2/14/95 6:30-7:00pm  Connie Chung. To order your own &#8220;official&#8221; copy call Burell&#8217;s  Transcripts on 1-800-777-8398.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Connie Chung:</strong> This is the age of wonder drugs and  high-tech cures, but alternative treatments, from herbs to acupuncture,  have true believers, too, even among some mainstream doctors and  researchers. Latest case in point; the wintertime blue. Is it possible  that changing the air you breathe can treat those negative vibes and  actually relieve depression? Dr Bob Arnot has the story.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Bob Arnot:</strong> If the blustery winds of winter  blowing across the nation this week are bringing you down, there&#8217;s a  good reason. Researchers now believe that the ill winds strip away  highly charged subatomic particles called Negative Ions from the air  around us, contributing to a seasonal form of depression.</p>
<p><strong>Ms Mahala Holmes</strong> (patient): As far back as I can recall, I had feelings of dreading winter and &#8230; and went through this kind of depression.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Arnot:</strong> Doctors at Colombia demonstrated the use  of this machine to pump high-density negative ions into the air  surrounding Mahala Holmes to treat her depression, known as a seasonal  affective disorder.</p>
<p><strong>Ms Mahala Holmes:</strong> While I was on treatment, I felt excited, I felt energised. I felt alive.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Arnot:</strong> Here&#8217;s why. Level of brain chemical  responsible for mood, called serotonin, are often lower in cases of  season depression. Serotonin levels can be elevated by increased  exposure to light or by antidepressants like Prozac. Researchers say  negative ions may also increase brain levels of Serotonin.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Michael Terman:</strong> (Colombia Presbyterian Medical  Centre): People noticed that daytime energy was returning to normal  levels. They lost that pressure for increased sleep, the difficulty  awakening in time to get to work.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Arnot:</strong> A study in the current &#8220;Journal of  Alternative and Complimentary Medicine&#8221; concluded that 58% of patients  treated with high-density negative ions had significant relief of their  symptoms, almost identical to the number improved with drugs, but  without drug side effects.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Norman Rosenthal</strong> (National Institute of Mental Health): From a scientific point of view, it&#8217;s very exciting. It needs to be replicated.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Arnot: </strong>The whole idea of using negative ions as  a legitimate medical treatment may seem just a little bit odd. But  while many doctors are still highly sceptical about alternative  medicines, more and more Americans are turning to them because they  haven&#8217;t found the satisfaction they want from mainstream medicine. This  is not the first study to prove the benefits of negative ion  generators. About 15 years ago, a double blind study was conducted at  the Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson  Air Force Base in Ohio. The study was published in the August 1982  issue of the prominent medical journal &#8220;Aviation, Space, and  Environmental Medicine&#8221; in an article entitled &#8220;Subjective Response to  Negative Air Ion Exposure&#8221;. The study was conducted as follows, quoting  from page 822 of the Journal:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Procedure: One group of subjects served as  controls and was confined to the test chamber for a 6 hour period under  air ion conditions typical of an energy efficient building. The second  group was similarly confined, but ion generators began operating 2  hours before occupancy and continued all 6 hours of confinement.  Generators were masked for all indications of operation, and were also  present under control conditions but not turned on. Data from both  groups were collected under double blind conditions&#8221;. </em></p></blockquote>
<p>The results of the study were encouraging, as stated on page 823 of  the journal: &#8220;Subjective perceptions of psychological state, using  individual &#8216;normalcy&#8217; as standard, reflected significant differences  between control and negative ion exposure groups. Prominent perceptions  reported were reductions in irritability, depression and tenseness and  increases in calmness and stimulation associated with ion exposure.</p>
<p>For psychological state, negative ion exposure appeared associated  with feeling better about self, less sensitive and more responsive or  innervated (energised)&#8221;. In October 1981, a journal article entitled  &#8220;The Influence of Negative Air Ions on Human Performance and Mood&#8221;,  appeared in the respected journal, Human Factors. On page 633 of the  journal, the abstract of the article reads: &#8220;44 female and 12 male  17-61 year olds were tested either in a normal ion environment (control  group) or in a predominantly negative ion environment (experimental  group). After a 15-minute acclamation period, subjects asserted their  psychological state and completed 2 performance tasks.</p>
<p>Results indicate that subjects had faster reaction times and  reported feeling significantly more energetic under negative air ion  conditions than under normal air conditions&#8221;.</p>
<p>Later that year in December of 1981, a study conducted at California  State University, Sacramento entitled, &#8220;The Influence of Air Ions,  Temperature and Humidity on Subjective Wellbeing and Comfort&#8221; , was  published in the &#8220;Journal of Environment Psychology&#8221;. The findings were  encouraging. On Page 279 of the journal, the abstract of the article  states:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;106 employees kept daily assessment records of  their office environment and health over a 12 week period. Temperatures  about 23 degrees Celsius were associated with increased sensations of  stuffiness, discomfort and unpleasantness, but appeared to produce a  decrease in the number of complaints of headaches. The office  environment was found to be depleted of small air ions. The  introduction of a negative ion generator increased the subject rating  of alertness, atmospheric freshness and environmental and personal  warmth. Ions reduced the complaint rate for headache by 50% and  significantly reduced the number of complaints of nausea and  dizziness&#8221;. </em></p></blockquote>
<p>Of course, much of the early research concerning negative ions has  been conducted on animals. One of the earliest studies of the effects  of negative ions was published in 1935 in the &#8220;Journal of Industrial  Hygiene&#8221; in an article, &#8220;The Effect of High Concentrations of Light  Negative Atmospheric Ions on the Growth and Activity of the Albino  Rat&#8221;. In it, researchers Herrington and Smith evaluate the effects of  negatively ionised air on the activity of rats as measured by means of  an activity wheel.</p>
<p>They found that activity increased significantly with rats subjected  to a reported negative ion concentration of 1.2million ions/cc. In  1956, a researcher named J .V. Brady published a study in &#8220;Annals of  New York Academic Science&#8221; which showed that the strength of the  conditioned controlled emotional responses of fear and anxiety in  animals can be dramatically reduced by the daily administration of the  psycho active drug reserpine.</p>
<p>Years later in 1967, a similar study was conducted by Allan H Frey  at the Institute for Research, Pennsylvania State University and  published in the &#8220;Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology&#8221;.  The major difference was this time, the effect of reserpine was  compared to that of negative ion treatment. The study concluded:  Results of 2 experiments, the 2nd essentially a replication of the 1st,  are in accordance with prediction. The inhibition of response in the  animal was reduced by treatment with small negative air ions as it was  with reserpine. In other words, when the animals were treated with  negative ions, the animals were less inhibited-less likely to  experience fear and anxiety. These results are similar to the results  of experiments studying the anti-anxiety effects of tranquillisers such  as Valium and Xanax.</p>
<p>It has also been shown that in addition to possibly having a  profound effect on mood and energy, negative ions may have a strong  impact on cognitive functioning. In 1965, in the journal  &#8220;Psychophysiology&#8221; a study, &#8220;Behavioural Effects of Ionised Air on  Rats&#8221; was published. In this study, the effects of negatively ionised  air on the mental functioning of rats was tested. Researchers Duffee  and Koontz reported on page 358 of the journal: &#8220;the water maze  performance improved by 350%&#8221; showing a dramatic improvement in  cognitive functioning.</p>
<p>To support that negative ions also improve the cognitive functioning  of humans as well, in April of 1978, in the Science Journal  &#8220;Ergonomics&#8221;, a study was conducted at the University of Surrey,  England and published in an article entitled, &#8221; Air Ions and Human  Performance&#8221;. Once again, the results were encouraging. On Page 273,  the article reads:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Studied the effects of artificial negative or  positive ionisation of the air on the performance of psychomotor tasks  with 45 18-26 year old healthy males&#8230;Three testing environments were  used: natural, negative and positive ionisations. Negative ionisation  was associated with significant increment in performance as compared to  controls&#8221;.</em></p></blockquote>
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		<title>Air Ions and Health</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/air-ions-and-health/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 17:34:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Air Health]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.alkaline-living.com/?p=116</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by ALBERT P KRUGER AND DAVID S SOBEL In places where mountains are situated to the south, the south winds that blow are parching and unhealthy; where the mountains are situated in the north, their northern winds occasion disorders and &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/air-ions-and-health/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>by ALBERT P KRUGER AND DAVID S SOBEL</div>
<p>In  places where mountains are situated to the south, the south winds that  blow are parching and unhealthy; where the mountains are situated in  the north, their northern winds occasion disorders and sickness&#8230;The  winds which must pass over mountains to reach cities do not only dry,  but also disturb the air which we breathe and the bodies of men, so as  to engender diseases. Hippocrates, Regimen II, Chapters 37-38</p>
<p>The reactions between water, land and air during the long slow  physical evolution of our planet have greatly affected the course of  biological evolution. To a very considerable extent, this interplay is  responsible for the emergence of man &#8211; a singular product of evolution  &#8211; and man, in an extremely brief span of time, through his genius for  blindly manipulating natural resources, has attained the unique  capacity to alter his total environment. While we have begun to express  serious concern for the grim consequences of our role as spoilers in  disturbing ecological balances in general, our interest is most avidly  focused upon those facets of man-engendered pollution which pose the  most immediate and direct danger to us.</p>
<p>We live in an ocean of air and each of us is inexorably required to  breathe in at least ten thousand litres of air every twenty four hours  just to maintain life in our bodies. Since we are utterly dependent  upon the physical and chemical properties of this air, it isn&#8217;t  surprising that we are now deeply immersed in exploring all atmospheric  parameters. Characteristically, most of our efforts are devoted to the  detection and control of those toxic particulates and gases contributed  to the ambient air by industry and by the multitude of anthropocentric  activities which require the combustion of fuel. Their threat to life  is pressing and it is obvious that measures for their abatement must be  developed in the immediate future. Other, more subtle atmospheric  changes are in progress which, because they are less conspicuous, tend  to be put aside for future consideration. Among these one would have to  list those phenomena involving small air ions.</p>
<p>Very shortly after the existence of atmospheric electricity was  demonstrated by Franklin [1] and by d&#8217;Ailbard [2] in the mid 1700&#8242;s,  several natural philosophers ascribed to it a variety of biological  effects. For example, Father Giambattista Beccaria [3] in 1775 reported  that &#8220;it appears manifest that nature makes extensive use of the  atmospheric electricity for promoting vegetation&#8221; In this he was  supported by Abbe Nollet [4] and Abbe Bertholon [5]. Abbe Bertholon [6]  in addition concluded that the course of various diseases of man was  influenced by atmospheric electricity. I 1899, Elster and Geitel [7]  and J J Thompson [8] independently proved that atmospheric electricity  depends upon the existence of gaseous ions in the air. It then became  possible to develop generators for producing air ions and equipment for  determining their numbers in the air. Using these technical aids, a  vast amount of experimentation was undertaken to define the physical  and biological properties of air ions. There are ions in the air around  us all the time, but changes in their concentration or in the ratio of  positively to negatively charged molecules can have marked biological  effects on plants and animals. Indeed, ion depletion and charge  imbalance may play a significant role in a wide range of human ailments  including respiratory infection in office workers and the malaise  caused by weather conditions such as the khamsin winds of the near  East. Further, artificially generated air ions may prove valuable as a  therapeutic modality in the treatment of burns, reparatory disorders,  stomach ulcers nd nervous disorders.</p>
<p>Air ion formation begins when enough energy acts on a gaseous  molecule to eject an electron. Most of this energy comes from  radioactive substances in Earth&#8217;s crust and some from the shearing  forces of water droplets in waterfalls (Lenard effect) or the friction  which develops when great volumes of air move rapidly over a land mass  (for example, the foehn, sharav and Santa Anna winds) or from cosmic  rays. The displaced electron attaches itself to an adjacent molecule  which becomes a negative ion, the original molecule then becoming a  positive ions. Molecular collisions transfer the charge, so that  positive charges come to reside on molecules with the lowest ionisation  potential,while electrons are attracted to the species of greatest  stability. Next, small numbers of molecules of water vapour, hydrogen  and oxygen cluster about the ions to form small air ions. In normal  pollutant free air over land, there are 1500 to 4000 ions/cm3. But  negative ions are more mobile and Earth&#8217;s surface has a negative  charge, so negative ions are repelled from the Earth&#8217;s surface. Thus  the normal ratio of positive to negative ions is 1.2 to 1.</p>
<p>Certain properties of small air ions are pertinent to this  discussion. They readily unite with condensation nuclei and with most  classes of air pollutants to form large or Langevin ions. In both cases  the biological activity of the small air ions is lost. This is true  also of the combination that occurs between small air ions of opposite  charge. Further, ions like charge (unipolar ions) repel one another and  tend to flow to enclosing surfaces where their ionic nature dissipates.  Since they are small and carry a charge, they are deflected by  electrical fields. All of these characteristics make it difficult to  maintain high concentrations of small air ions and means that air ion  densities are significantly altered by the indoor living and air  pollution characteristic of urban life.</p>
<p>While the nature of air ions was under investigation by the  physicists, vigorous attempts were being made by the life scientists to  determine their biological effects. Although the amount of work  accomplished by the biologists is a tribute to their industry, it must  be admitted that many of the results reported in the literature is not  convincing. Several factors in the area of experimental design served  to cloak the whole field in an aura of ambiguity. Often experiments  were performed with corona discharges as ion sources, neglecting the  ozone and oxides of nitrogen sometimes produced along with the ions.  Ion densities, temperature and relative humidity were not monitored.  Experimental subjects were not grounded; their external surfaces  developed high electrostatic charges and in consequence, repelled ions.  As a rule, the air was not purified and combination of ions with air  pollutants led to widely fluctuating ion densities. Clinicians  assessing the value of air ions as a therapeutic modality frequently  committed all or some of the errors listed above and in addition,  neglected to utilise the double blind cross over technique for ion  administration. In view of these omissions, it is not surprising that  convincing proof of the role played by air ions as physiological  mediators or as therapeutic agents has been slow to emerge.</p>
<p>In addition to these elements of uncertainty in experimental  procedures, the evaluation of air ions as biologically active agents  has been hampered by the widely cultivated belief that the idea is  theoretically absurd. There seems to be something about the term &#8220;ion&#8221;  that provokes incredulity &#8211; consider the state of Svante Arrhenius, who  first applied it in 1884 to describe atoms and molecules in aqueous  solution bearing a positive or negative charge which enabled them to  migrate in an electrical field. His doctoral committee thought this  idea so bizarre that they accepted his work with the greatest  reluctance and granted his degree with the lowest possible grade. The  major obstacle to acceptance of this magnificent concept was the  requirement that fundamental differences in the properties of charged  molecules (ions) and uncharged molecules be acknowledged. In the case  of air ions there is no disagreement about the disparate physical  nature of air ions and non ionised gaseous molecules, but there is  considerable reluctance to grant that this diversity is of biological  significance.</p>
<p>At any rate, the essence of the argument against biologically active  air ions is this: The maximal ion density one can attain in a closed  atmosphere is approximately 1 x 106 ions/cm3, of air. Air contains 2.7  x 1019 non ionised molecules/cm3, so that the ratio of small ions to  non ionised molecules is 1:27 trillion. For the reasons already  mentioned above, ions have a very brief life span and under the  conditions ordinarily prevailing, attainable ion densities usually are  considerable less than 1 x 106 ions/cm3, making the final dilution in  non ionised air greater by one or two orders of magnitude. From this  unquestioned fact, the dubious conclusion has been drawn that the very  sparseness of air ions places them beyond the range of biological  effectiveness. The merit of this inference is more specious than real,  since many biological systems respond to extremely minute chemical and  physical stimuli. Two examples suffice to bear out this contention:  first, the human eye can detect a flash of light when a single active  quantum reaches the retina [9]; and second, the male silkworm reacts to  as few as 2600 molecules of the female&#8217;s sex attractant pheromone in  air containing a concentration of &lt;200 molecules/cm3[10]. One  further factor, that of commercial exploitation, has retarded  development in the field of air ionisation. During the mid-1950&#8242;s air  ion generators were sold directly to the public through high-powered  advertising campaigns extolling their efficacy in treating a wide range  of diseases. The Federal Drug Administration brought these activities  to a halt and since then has prohibited the sale of ion generators for  any medical application. This unfortunate episode has led scientists  and laymen alike to conclude that the whole subject is permeated with  mis-representation or even outright fraud.</p>
<p>It is evident then that progress in the field of research devoted to  the detection of air ion effects on living forms has been retarded by  the very real difficulties attending the performance of meaningful  experiments, by an unhappy example of commercial exploitation and by  categorical rejection of the whole idea as a matter of principle on the  part of many component scientists. The technical obstacles are the  major reason that we now are faced with enormous accumulation of data  of very uneven quality. The matter of rejection is not so vital,  although it is disconcerting at times to find that some of our peers  classify the subject with the occult arts.</p>
<p><strong>THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF AIR IONS</strong></p>
<p>The experimental observations taken as a whole serve to establish  the fact that air ions are physiologically active and can produce  functional alterations varying from barely discernible to substantial.  Further, air ions, are capable of evoking a wide range of response in  bacteria, protoza, higher plants, insects, animals and man. Sometimes  both positive and negative ions induce essentially the same biological  reaction, in other cases they elicit the opposite effects. A few  selected examples will be presented to illustrate the range of  biological effects of small air ions and the reader is referred to more  detailed reviews of the experimental evidence [11, 12, 13].</p>
<p>A brief review of the effects of air ions on micro-organisms reveals  that both negative and positive ions (1) inhibit the growth of bacteria  and fungi on solid media, (2) exert a lethal effect on vegetative forms  of bacteria suspended in small droplets of water, and (3), reduce the  viable amount of bacterial aerosols [12].</p>
<p>With mammalian cells in tissue culture, Worden found that Girardi&#8217;s  human heart cells exposed for fourteen days to unipolar ionised  atmospheres and then transplanted into non-ionised atmospheres for an  additional fourteen days showed adversely affected growth  characteristics and rate of proliferation with positively ionised air;  growth was normal with negatively ionised air. Using fibro blasts he  obtained statistically significant evidence that negative ions increase  and positive ions decrease the rate of proliferation. Furthermore, when  the fibro blasts were removed to a non-ionised atmosphere, the cells  previously exposed to negative ions continued to divide at an increased  rate, while the cells treated with positive ions recovered slowly and  eventually attained the normal rate of growth [14].</p>
<p>Over the past nineteen years, the Air Ion Laboratory of the  University of California has conducted experiments to detect  ion-induced physiological changes in plants and small animals. The  subjects were maintained in a controlled micro-environment supplied  with pollutant-free air, the sole variable being concentration of air  ions in the ambient atmosphere. Soft ß (beta) emission from tritium  absorbed on zirconium served to ionise the air without evolving toxic  by-products; selection of positive or negative ions was accomplished by  applying a corresponding charge to the generator electrode.</p>
<p>Plants appear to benefit from increases in both positive and  negative ionisation, and we have shown that such ionisation markedly  increases the rate of growth of higher plants such as barley, oats and  lettuce. With seedlings grown in chemically defined media, we found  that unipolar (one charge only) ionised atmospheres containing  approximately 10,000 positive or negative charged ions/cm3 increased  the rate of growth by as much as 50%(as measured by integral elongation  or weight) without altering the protein, sugar, or chlorophyll content  of the plant. In marked contrast to growth stimulation elicited by air  ions, their removal from the atmosphere resulted in a lower rate of  growth, reduced turgor (pressure in plant cells) and the development of  soft, fleshy leaves. Chlorophyll production was not affected[15].  Several clues to the biochemical mechanism were uncovered. Positive and  negative ions expedite both the uptake of iron and its utilisation of  the production of ion-containing enzymes. The ions stimulate the  metabolism of the high-energy compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in  the chloroplast&#8217;s and augment both nucleic acid metabolism and oxygen  uptake. All of these phenomena are consistent with the observed  ion-induced increase in growth rate.</p>
<p>Similar results were obtained when silkworm eggs and emergent larvae  were exposed to ions of either charge. Hatching began earlier, larval  growth accelerated and there was increased synthesis of three enzymes  (catalase, peroxidase and cytochrome C Oxidase). Spinning began earlier  and cocoons were heavier [16].</p>
<p>Much of the work we have done with animals has been on air ion  effects in the respiratory tract and we found that air ions influence  survival in respiratory diseases. High concentrations of positive ions  substantially increased the death rate of mice infected with measured  doses of a fungus (Coccidiodes immitis), a bacterium (Klebsiells  pneumoniae) or a strain of influenza virus, all administered  intranasally. Ion depleted air (comparable to ion concentrations found  in urban environments) also increased the death rate in mouse influenza  while a high concentration of negative ions decreased the death rate  [17]. In other experiments where the influenza virus was introduced as  a fine aerosol, this by-passing the protective mechanisms of the upper  respiratory tract, changing ion concentrations had no influence on the  death rate. This and other observations suggest that the site of action  of air ions is the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract [18].</p>
<p><strong>An Ecological View of Health</strong></p>
<p><strong>MECHANISM OF AIR ION ACTION</strong></p>
<p>With regard to the mechanism underlying the response of animals to  air ions, we have worked for several years on the changes in blood  levels of serotonin (5-hydroxy tryptamine or 5-Ht), a powerful  neurohormone capable of producing profound neurovascular, endocrine and  metabolic effects throughout the body. In the hypothalamus 5-Ht  participates in various processes such as sleep, the transmission of  nerve impulses and in our evaluation, of mood. We found a readily  reproducible and significant change in blood 5-Ht levels in mice  exposed to air ion densities of 4-5&#215;105 positive or negative ions/cm3.  Positive ions raised blood levels of 5-Ht, while negative ions had the  opposite effect. Additionally, we found that the brain content of free  5-Ht was responsive to the concentration of ions in the air. Because of  the chief metabolic route for removing Serotonin (5-Ht) depends upon  the enzyme monamine oxidase, we hypothesised that small negative ions  stimulate, while small positive ions block the action of monamine  oxidase, thus producing respectively a drop or rise in the  concentration of free 5-Ht in certain tissues and eliciting a  corresponding physiological response [19].</p>
<p>This general mechanism of air ion action has been confirmed by other  investigators. Grant Gilbert at Pacific Lutheran University  demonstrated that continuous treatment with negative ions produced  statistically significant reductions in emotionality and brain  Serotonin levels in rats [20]. Jean-Michel Olivereau of the  Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Paris conducted  extensive experiments on the endocrine systems and the nervous  mechanisms of rats treated for various periods of time with air ions  [21, 22]. Employing elegant biochemical and histochemical techniques,  he surveyed air ion action on the hypothalamus, the hypophysis, the  adrenals, the thyroid, brain metabolism, behaviour, eating, spontaneous  activity, psychomotor performance and adaptation to stress. He  concluded that air ion-induced alterations in blood levels of 5-Ht  account for very significant physiological changes in the endocrine  glands and central nervous systems, these, in turn, substantially alter  basic physiological processes. A significant facet to Olivereau&#8217;s  research is his observation that negative ions exert a measurable  anxiety lessening effect on mice and rats exposed to stressful  situations, a phenomenon noted by several other workers [23]. This  response parallels that which follows administration to animals or man  of the drug reserpine. Both reserpine and negative ions reduce the  amount of Serotonin in the mid-brain and this apparently accounts for  the tranquillising action.</p>
<p>Direct and indirect evidence supporting the theory that 5-Ht is an  important mediator of air ion action on animals and humans is found in  the reports of several investigators [24-25] and is reviewed elsewhere  [26,27]. However, there is no reason to suppose that 5-Ht is the sole  agent responsible for air-ion induced alteration of physiological  function.</p>
<p>Such tentative biochemical probings are really no more than the  first step in elucidating the arcane mechanisms when air ions make  contact with the tissues of the test organism. Our ignorance extends  from the interface between the atmosphere and the cell wall to include  the cellular organelles, their component enzyme systems and almost all  the tissues and organs of living forms.</p>
<p>When we turn to the matter of air ion dosage necessary to elicit  biological responses, the situation is somewhat better. Dosage  constitutes a very practical element, for if extremely high ion  densities are demanded, there is little likelihood of air ions playing  a significant role in nature and the whole topic becomes academic, or  at best, is limited to therapeutic applications. If on the other hand,  biological effects are associated with such displacements of ion  densities or charge ratios as are known to occur in Earth&#8217;s atmosphere,  or even with relatively small shifts in ion concentration that can be  affected by ion depletion or artificial ionisation in ordinary living  and working quarters, the subject acquires great interest and  importance.</p>
<p>An outstanding example of dependence of physiological response upon  dosage has been reported by Bachman and his co-workers [24]. In  studying the influence of air ions on the spontaneous activity of rats  they noticed a curious zonal response with activity levels falling,  rising and peaking then falling again as negative ion concentrations  were increased.</p>
<p>Several studies, however, have demonstrated marked biological  effects with lower dosage approximating natural conditions (1.5&#215;103 to  4&#215;103 small ions/cm3). In the experiments of Knoll and his  collaborators on the effects of ions on simple visual reaction time in  humans, ion concentrations of only 2&#215;103 ion cm3 produced a remarkable  decrease in reaction time [28]. Delaneau and his colleagues found that  relatively small ion dosages, for example, 5&#215;103 to 15&#215;103 ions/cm3 of  air effectively influenced the development of gastric ulcers in  starving rats [29]. Silverman and Kornblueh were able to detect changes  in alpha frequencies of the EEG in humans exposed to only 1.8&#215;103  positive or negative ions/cm3 for thirty minutes [30]. Also, a sudden  increase in negative ions or a precipitate drop in positive ions within  the atmospheric range of 1&#215;103 to 2&#215;103 ions cm/3 was reported to  increase moulting in aphids [31].</p>
<p>In our studies mentioned above on the effect of air ions on the  course of mouse influenza produced by intranasal challenge, we found  that ion dosage influenced the cumulative mortality rate. Unipolar low  densities of positive or negative ions (comparable to indoor and urban  environments) increased the rate of death, mid-range concentrations of  ions of either charge had no effect, while a reduction in mortality  rates occurred when the animals were exposed to high concentrations of  negative or to low concentrations of mixed ions with mixed ions with  negative ions predominating [17].</p>
<p><strong>Natural Ion Environment</strong><br />
We have already presented evidence that air ion concentrations  comparable to those found in nature can modify physiological processes  in a variety of living forms under laboratory conditions. Now it seems  appropriate to ask, Do air ion-linked phenomena occur in humans outside  the laboratory? This question can be answered affirmatively with some  assurance in light of recent investigations of large scale  weather-related changes in air ion concentrations and charge ratios  coupled with concurrent clinical studies.</p>
<p>To begin with, a great deal of work has been done in France, Italy,  Germany and the USSR on the ionic environment of spas, particularly  those situated near waterfalls. The consensus seems to be that the air  in many such locales for whatever reason, contains a high concentration  of small air ions with a ratio of negative to positive ions being  considerably greater than normal &#8211; The Lenard effect. Bio  climatologists are inclined to attribute to this fact some of the vis  mediatrix of these resorts. This is an attractive hypothesis, but one  that is difficult to prove, since many curative modalities are brought  to bear on patients simultaneously.</p>
<p>Turning to the adverse effects associated with certain ion  environments, there have been long traditions in the folklore of nearly  every country that link certain changes in weather with changes in  health and behaviour. One such tradition has to do with the winds of  ill repute, for example, the Foehn (Southern Europe), Sirocco (Italy),  Santa Ana (United States), Khasmin (Near East), and Mistral (France).  Wherever they prevail, their victims attribute to them the ability to  induce respiratory distress of various sorts, nervousness, headache and  a multitude of other ills. So malign is their influence that when they  blow, judges deal leniently with crimes of passion, surgeons postpone  elective surgery and teachers expect more than the usual fractiousness  from their students.</p>
<p>Since the turn of the century, several scientists and physicians  have hypothesised that the immediate cause of such malaise is the upset  in electrical balance of the atmosphere that precedes or accompanies  the winds. This relationship between air ions and disease, tenuous at  first, is finding support in the meteorological observations of  investigators such as Robinson and Dirnfield who studied the Sharav, a  weather complex afflicting the Near East and characterised by  persistent wind, a rapid rise in temperature and a fall in relative  humidity. Robinson and Dirnfield measured solar radiation, temperature  and relative humidity, wind velocity and direction and the electrical  state of the atmosphere before, during and after the Sharav. They found  that 12 &#8211; 36 hours before the characteristic changes in wind,  temperature and humidity, the total number of ions increased (from 1500  ions/cm3 to 2600 ions/cm3) and the ratio of positive to negative ions  jumped from the normal 1.2 to 1.33. This early shift in ion density and  ratio coincided with the onset of nervous and physical symptoms in  weather sensitive people and was considered the only meteorological  change that could be responsible for the discomfort associated with the  Sharav [32].</p>
<p>This conclusion is supported by the extensive studies of Professor  Felix Sulman and his colleagues in Jerusalem. They designate as the  &#8220;Serotonin Hyper function Syndrome&#8221; the cluster of signs and symptoms  that afflict a considerable segment of the population a day or two  before the onset of a hot dry wind characteristic of the Sharav.  Individuals in this category suffer from insomnia, irritability,  tension, migraine, amblyopia, oedema, palpitations, precordial pain,  respiratory distress, hot flashes, tremor, chills, diarrhoea, polyuria,  vertigo etc. These patients display an increased output of Serotonin in  the urine and they experienced relief when treated with negative ions  or with Serotonin blocking drugs [33,34]. There exists then, a  scientific basis for accepting the tradition that the winds of ill  repute can produce malaise in humans, that air ion imbalance is the  direct meteorological incitant and that the proximate cause of the  irritation syndrome is the positive air-ion-induced hyper secretion of  Serotonin. Supporting laboratory evidence for the adverse effect in  humans of air ion imbalances comes from a well controlled double blind  experiment by Winsor and Beckett in which volunteer subjects developed  a dry throat, husky voice, headache, itch or obstructed nose and a  reduction in maximum breathing capacity when exposed to nasal  inhalation of positive ions in concentration of 3.2&#215;104 ions/cm3 [35].</p>
<p><strong>AIR IONS AND THE HUMAN URBAN ENVIRONMENT</strong></p>
<p>In modern urban life, man often faces ion conditions far different  from natural ion balances, with a significant depletion of small air  ions and a markedly increased ratio of positive to negative ions  commonly encountered. A fourteen day study in 1971 by B. Maczynski and  others showed that in an office containing four people the small air  ion concentration dropped as the day went on, falling on the average to  only 34 positive ions and 20 negative ions/cm3 [36]. Central heating  and air conditioning, smoking, the usual household activities of  dusting and cooking all combine to lower levels of small ions in indoor  environments. Further, the static electricity generated by the  widespread use of synthetic fibres in clothing and room furnishing as  well as stray electric fields add a different dimension to the indoor  climate which is not conducive to the preservation of small air ions  [37].</p>
<p>The effects of air pollution on air ions in the ambient atmosphere  are also marked. As stated earlier, the small physiologically active  air ions readily combine with gaseous and particulate pollutants to  form large (Langevin) ions that are considered physiologically inert. A  test in a light industrial area of San Francisco by J C Beckett in 1959  showed a small ion count of less than 80 ions/cm3 as compared to levels  of 1500-4000 small ions/cm3 found in fresh unpolluted air [38]. The  fundamental reaction is disarmingly simple: man- atmospheric  pollutants; atmospheric pollutants + small air ions &#8211; air ion  depletion.</p>
<p>That this progression has attained significant magnitude is  evidenced by the fact that small air ion levels far at sea &#8211; normally  very constant &#8211; are becoming appreciably lower with time, as air  pollutants drift out from land. Thus wile very few of our activities  add small air ions to the air, much of what we do cumulates in ion  loss. The question then amounts to this: Will the smogs, hazes and  invisible pollutants we generate with a lavish hand so reduce the small  ion content of the atmosphere that plants, animals and man must suffer  the harmful consequences?</p>
<p>Although the early results of ion depletion very likely will be  unimpressive compared to the immediate and dramatic action of known  toxic components of polluted air, this alone should furnish little  solace. We have every reason to be aware from past experience that  adverse effects may follow continued exposure to a small amount of a  minor irritant (for example, organic solvents) or the long term  deprivation of an essential metabolic requirement (for example, trace  elements or vitamins). People travelling to work in polluted air,  spending eight hours a day in offices or factories and living their  leisure hours in urban dwellings inescapably breathe ion depleted air  for substantial proportions of their lives. There is increasing  evidence that this ion depletion leads to discomfort, enervation and  lassitude and loss of physical and mental efficiency. This syndrome  appears to develop quite apart from the direct toxic effects of the  usual atmospheric pollutants.</p>
<p>Physicians and environmental engineers have long suspected that the  inimical effects of &#8220;dead air&#8221; in crowded rooms are due to ion  depletion. In 1939, three Japanese Scientists, S Kimura, M Ashiba and L  Matushima showed that if temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide  levels were all kept within ranges considered suitable for human  comfort, but the ion level was reduced, individuals suffered from such  as perspiration and depression. Further, these symptoms were promptly  relieved when normal ion densities were restored by the use of ion  generators [39]. Recently, a team of Soviet scientists tested the  effects of varying ion conditions on humans employing an impressive  battery of tests to measure cardiovascular functioning, reaction time  and blood chemistry. They concluded that any enclosed compartments with  &#8220;conditioned&#8221; air such as a space capsule, are likely to be depleted of  ions and have a considerable excess of positive ions and that prolonged  stays in such an ion environment is detrimental. The Soviet scientists  recommended that ionisation in such environments be increased to a more  normal 2000 ions/cm3 and that the addition of negative ions be  alternated with positive or bipolar ionisation [40]. The effect of  various ion concentrations and charge ratios on human performance,  reaction time, vigilance and psychomotor tasks is suggestive but  inconclusive and has been reviewed elsewhere [41].</p>
<p><strong>ARTIFICIAL ION GENERATION: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS</strong></p>
<p>So much for the potential role of an air ion-depleted environment in  man&#8217;s future. There remains the more promising consideration of the  environmental and medical applications of artificially generated air  ions. At present, there exists several means of artificially producing  air ions, including corona discharge and tritium generators. These ion  generators make it possible to re-establish natural and optimal  microclimatic conditions in living and working quarters. Eventually air  ion standards for comfort and health may be established, just as we now  have set limits for temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide  levels, etc. It may also be possible to make available, highly  beneficial ion-rich micro environments that could serve various  hygienic and therapeutic functions. However, the development and use of  this technology must go hand in hand with efforts to reduce air  pollution from industry, automobiles and tobacco smoke, which  effectively interfere with attempts to create a balanced ionised  atmosphere.</p>
<p>If the results of our experiments with respiratory disease in mice  can be extrapolated to man, we might expect that the ion depleted air  of our offices and factories would lower resistance to influenza and  perhaps other infections. Conversely, inhaling a mixture of air with,  say, 4000 ions/cm3 and with negative ions predominating, should  increase resistance. A recent study in a Swiss bank indicated that this  is so. In the test, 309 volunteers worked for thirty weeks in an area  where the air was treated to develop a high ratio of negative to  positive ions, while 362 controls, worked in untreated air. During the  test, the ratio of days lost because of respiratory illness in the two  groups was an incredible 1 to 16 [42].</p>
<p>Finally, one can look at some medical applications of high ion  concentrations. Kornbleuh and his colleagues have used negative ion  therapy successfully for burn patients. Hospitalised patients were  treated for 1 to 1.5 hours a day and out patients for twenty five to  thirty minutes, to negative ion concentrations as high as 10,000  ions/cm3. Pain, restlessness and incidence of infection were reduced  and healing promoted [43]. This application may be related to Serotonin  hypothesis of air ion action. Burn patients present increased levels of  Serotonin (5-hydroxtryptamine) in damaged tissues and in the blood and  Serotonin is known to be associated with pain under some circumstances.  We have shown in laboratory animals that inhalation of negative ions  increases the conversion of Serotonin to 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (a  physiologically inactive metabolite) and this reaction may be involved  in the relief of pain reported by burn patients treated with a high  concentration of negative ions.</p>
<p>Another instance of laboratory observations coinciding with clinical  usage is to be found in our work at the university of California and  that of Palti, De Nour, and Abrahamov at Hadassah Medical School in  Jerusalem. Smith and Krueger noted that the inhalation of positively  ionised air by small animals contracted the smooth muscle of the  tracheo-bronchial tree and decreased the operational efficiency of the  mucus escalator, effects that could be duplicated by the intravenous  injection of 5-HT; negative ions had the opposite effect[44]. Palti and  his colleagues found that exposure to positive ions increased the  respiratory rate and degree of bronchospasm in infants with asthmatic  (spastic) bronchitis while treatment with negative ions produced an  opposite and therapeutic effect. The negative ion therapy terminated  the spastic attack after a much shorter period than that required by  the conventional mode of treatment and, in addition, no adverse side  effects common to the drug therapy, were observed with the negative  ionisation. Further, since the subjects in this experiment were infants  under the age of one year, the possibility that the observed effects  were due to physiological factors was minimised [45].</p>
<p>P C Boulatov, a Soviet investigator, has summarised his experiment  work over the past thirty five years involving the treatment of over  3,000 bronchial asthma patients with high concentrations of negative  ions. He has reported that after a short period of temporary  exacerbation there followed substantial improvements in the general  state of the patients, a normalisation of the blood picture, improved  respiratory function and a reduction in the frequency and intensity of  attacks of bronchial asthma [46]. Kornbleuh, the pioneer American  investigator of air ion phenomena and his co-workers obtained temporary  relief of acute hay fever symptoms in patients treated with high  concentrations of negative air ions. They speculated that the mode of  action might be due to some physical and/or chemical effect on  microscopic airborne contaminants such as dust, spores, bacteria and  pollen or to a direct physiological action on the respiratory tract  [47].</p>
<p>More recently, Dr A P Weaner reported on a closely related  therapeutic modality: electro aerosols in which minute water droplets  act as a vehicle for electric charges. This therapy used extensively in  Germany and the USSR has reportedly been applied with success in the  treatment of respiratory disorders and various manifestations of  autonomic dysfunction such as migraine, nervous tension and depression  [48]. Wehner also reviewed the work of K H Schulz who found that  negatively charged aerosols seem to stimulate the parasympathetic  nervous system and therefore can help to restore autonomic balance in  cases of an overstimulated activation. From these observations, Schulz  postulated that the effect of the ions would depend on the state of  activation of the autonomic nervous system and further, that if the  proper charge of ions is administered to a given ion &#8220;type&#8221; individual  a normalisation of autonomic functioning would occur [49].</p>
<p>In line with this theory were the findings of Monaco and Acker, who  performed a large number of tests on a group of Psychiatric patients  and a group of non-patients. In the psychiatric patients, negative  ionisation decreased systolic blood pressure, increased skin resistance  and increased pulse finger volume, indicating increased parasympathetic  nervous system activity. For the non patients, only a significant  decrease in pulse finger volume occurred, indicating slight increase in  sympathetic nervous system activity. Thus, it appears that the negative  ions had a normalising influence, lowering activation of the  psychiatric patients and increasing the activation of the non-patients  [50].</p>
<p>Noting the relationship between air ions and neurohormones and  following the reports that negative ions produce a sedative effect, R  Ucha Udabe, R Kertesz and L Franceschetti at the Catholic University in  Buenos Aires tried treating a large number of patients suffering from  psychoneurosis and anxiety syndromes. Sessions varied from fifteen  minutes to two hours and the number of treatments from ten to twenty.  These authors were very impressed with the conspicuous disappearance of  simatic complaints and claimed favourable results in 80% of their  patients [51]. M Deleanu also claims success in the treatment of gastro  duodenal ulcers in animals and man using relatively low dosages of air  ions (5000 to 10,000 negative ions/cm3 and 1000 to 2000 positive  ions/cm3) [52].</p>
<p>This is only a brief review of some of the developing areas of  clinical research, but based on the evidence surveyed in this paper, it  appears that air ion investigations constitute a legitimate and  promising branch of biological research. As more information is  acquired about the mechanisms underlying the reactions between air ions  and living systems, we should be able to evaluate more clearly than at  present the importance of air ions in nature and assess their potential  for clinical and non clinical applications.</p>
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		<title>The Role of Ions in Body Chemistry</title>
		<link>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/the-role-of-ions-in-body-chemistry/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/the-role-of-ions-in-body-chemistry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2009 17:31:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bob McCauley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Air Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air ionizer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[body]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breathe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cells]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemistry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chronic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disease]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FIR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negative ions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive ions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Negative Ion Report: The CBS Nightly News, Feb 14, 1995 The harmful positive ion (kation) is a particle that loses an electron. The healthful negative ion (anion) gains an electron in the valency orbit; that is it increases the ability &#8230; <a href="http://blog.watershed.net/2009/05/25/the-role-of-ions-in-body-chemistry/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="&lt;?=BLOG_URL?&gt;/2009/05/25/winter-time-blues-and-the-negative-ion-relief-from-negative-ions/" target="_blank"><em>Negative Ion Report: The CBS Nightly News, Feb 14, 1995</em></a></p>
<p>The harmful positive ion (kation) is a particle that loses an electron.  The healthful negative ion (anion) gains an electron in the valency  orbit; that is it increases the ability to absorb and utilise oxygen  and reduces any excess of harmful serotonin.</p>
<p>These two small invisible electrified particles have an effect on  our physical and mental well-being and we are constantly bombarded with  negative and positive ions eg. polluted air. The negative ions make us  feel good, they destroy harmful bacteria. The positive ions make us  feel bad (TV. screen produces positive ions).</p>
<p>If the positive ions occur naturally in sufficient numbers, for  instance during the onset of the commonly known hot and dry desert  winds, the winds cause depression, nausea, insomnia, irritability,  lassitude, migraine, asthma attacks, and also affect the normal  function of the thyroid glands. Biochemically speaking, the body  becomes exhausted and this can lead to an increase in accidents,  violent crime and suicides. These can be counteracted with the  beneficial negative ions.</p>
<p>The negative ions contribute to the feeling of well being. They  reduce the number of active harmful bacteria in the air; the severity  of illness; in general they have a stimulating effect also on plant  growth like rainwater, which has an abundant source of negative ions.  For instance, a shower will re-ionise and has a tonic effect on the  body, just like rainwater which clears the air.</p>
<p>Therefore the surroundings of a water-fall, fountains, showers and  the breaking surf of sea spray have a much more stimulating effect on  the body and mind.</p>
<p>Remember that emotional stress produces serotonin. According to Dr  Irving Oyle, serotonin is &#8220;the ultimate downer&#8221; while norepinephrine is  the &#8220;ultimate upper&#8221;.</p>
<p>An excess of positive ions also affects the neurohormone adrenalin  which responds to external stress and our five senses control the  production of adrenalin hormone. This universal phenomena is a primeval  ancestral link, for ion-charged air around breaking or splashing water  which attracts us and makes us feel good.</p>
<p>The ions affect our body chemistry eg. serotonin which plays an important role in the working of the brain; is a neurohormone.</p>
<p>For instance: Negative ions cut down the serotonin level and act  like a beneficial natural tranquilliser. An excess of serotonin in  brain leads to an exaggerated sense of physical and emotional  well-being (euphoria), that follows with a state of (lassitude) then to  the electrical change from rhythms of the cerebal cortex (over arousal)  and finally irritability, anger and violence.</p>
<p>If anyone is exposed to a high level of negative atmosphere, within  half an hour serotonin appears in the urine; that is the disposal of  excess serotonin.</p>
<p>These experiments can be tested at home under a shower (supply of negative ions).</p>
<p><em>Note: Hydrotherapy is based on re-ionising of the body, that is increasing the negative ion supply. </em></p>
<p>Every individual, either consciously or unconsciously must continue  to make the effort to attract this natural energy from the cosmetic  storehouse. The YANG or positive magneton attracts the negative ions in  the body. The YIN or negative magnetron attracts the positive ions in  the body.</p>
<p>An equal strength of YIN and YANG magnetron will automatically balance these interplay of ions.</p>
<p>This interplay of ions happen in the body itself but not in the  atmosphere. Therefore to clear the air one has to use a negative  ioniser.</p>
<p>The Magneton Bio-Rhythm Inductor (healing frequency) combined with  the Magneton disc (body ion-balancer) and the negative ioniser  (air-cleaner), will balance the strain of external stress and tension.  This combined treatment uses existing Natural Healing Forces.</p>
<p>Acupuncture points are ion absorption points, therefore the body can  be re-ionised through Magneton metal radiation techniques or  acupuncture needling. It enhances the body&#8217;s ability to utilise oxygen  properly and vitamins also have a similar effect.</p>
<p>Negative ion devices prevent horses from stall-walking, a syndrome  characterised by horses endlessly oscillating their heads from side to  side. Similar phenomena such as hypertension can be observed with human  beings who wear an excess of clothing especially if made of synthetic  fabric. All movements obviously increase ionic flow by causing friction  with immobilised ionic particles in an electro-magnetically shielded  environment.</p>
<p>Under normal conditions the body balances the ionisation by means of  nasal cycle eg. taking the breath in through the left nostril  negatively ionises the air and the right nostril positively ionises it.  Note: running water also produces negative ions.</p>
<p>Dimethylsufoxide (D.S.M.O.) (CH3) acts biologically as a weak donor  of electrons when applied externally and a similar dramatic relief of  pain. It has local analgesic properties and is absorbed through intact  skin. Cortisone (C21H28O5) is also a weak electron donor in tissues.</p>
<p>Observations according to James Beal of N.A.S.A. &#8211; 1974</p>
<p>Interesting observations with regard to bio-chemical deviations  experienced by astronauts suggest that they may be related to  abnormalities in environmental electro-magnetics.</p>
<p>Frequent ventricular contractions (P.V.C.&#8217;s), loss of Calcium and a  decrease in red blood cell volume of up to 20% have been observed as  were certain intestinal gaseous disturbances.</p>
<p>Mice placed in a de-ionised environment showed a generalised  physiological deterioration &#8211; became ill and died in 24 days. Cold  electron emission from acupuncture points might, under these  circumstances, be a biological effort to replenish the atmospheric  ionic concentration which is necessary to enable the current flows  induced by external electro-static and electro-magnetic fields. Body  electrical balance then would require elimination of kations eg. Ca+  and K+. Biological systems thus understandably attempt to normalise  external environments at the expense of internal electrical reserves,  such as Calcium and Potassium.</p>
<p><em>CONCLUSION: without ions we could not aborb oxygen in the quantities needed to live. </em></p>
<p><strong>BIOLOGICAL FIELDS AND STRESS</strong></p>
<p>In summary, a general observation of the Biological Fields and  stress would lead one to believe that life&#8217;s cognising functions lie  within the parameter of a biological field. These biological fields may  be affirmed to become defective during emotional or physical stress  which, if prolonged, subsequently result in cellular disease.</p>
<p>Acupunctural augmentation (increase) of ionic flows to counteract  such defective biological fields relieves pain because it is really  within these fields that pain is experienced. Similarly, anaesthesia  can be produced. Cellular disease is remedied therefore as cells begin  to conform to overlying biological fields.</p>
<p>This correlation of psychological stress to biological fields and physical disease is most intriguing.</p>
<p>Acupuncture needles in the mid-forearm cure headaches and needles in  the big toe produce anaesthesia for dental extractions. Presumably the  mechanism is due to their effects on and within the intricate,  continually cognising, biological field. The function of the  acupuncture needles is supported by observations of physics,  geophysics, biology, biophysics and psychiatry.</p>
<p><strong>THE MINIATURISED BIO-RHYTHM INDUCTOR</strong></p>
<p>The highlight of the Bio-Rhythm Inductor is a new approach of Simple  Extra Low Frequencies with oscillating magnetic pulses. Frequency  pulses, according to Professors W Ehrmann and W Ludwig at the  University of Freiburg and Tubingen, have a resonance to specific body  tissue in harmony with the particular patient. It is also in harmony  with the numerical philosophy of acupuncture and the theory has more  connection with the electrical physiology phenomena (nerves can receive  2500Hz). With a higher wave frequency, the muscle may go slightly into  spasm and the feeling of numbness and heaviness &#8211; this is a normal  reaction.</p>
<p>One may observe the muscle, tendon and joint moving together. This  has a relationship to the nerve meridian &#8211; muscle and tendon functions.</p>
<p>The reaction at the local muscle will follow the frequency of the  wave induced by the magnetic pulse. If the dosage of stimulation is  correct, the patient after treatment will be relieved of his syndrome.  The body function will be in harmony and he will feel comfortable and  full of energy. This treatment is suitable for patients who are scared  of acupuncture needling or other treatment.</p>
<p>NOTE: IMPORTANT &#8211; One must determine the condition of the patient  when determining the degree of stimulation ie. disease condition &#8211;  acute, chronic, internal or external. Weak magnetic waves can alter  brain rhythms. The body itself is a system of electric-magnetic energy.</p>
<p><strong>THE BIO-RHYTHM INDUCTOR</strong></p>
<p>Some basic phenomena on which the Bio-Rhythm Inductor is designed and operated.</p>
<p>An appreciation of some electro-magnetic bio-physics helps to  explain acupuncture observations of the past and its relevance also to  electro-magnetic low frequency pulse units. Electric currents flow  through the acupuncture meridians in the human body; they originate  from cellular metabolism and ionic atmospheric and geomagnetic forces  and result in electrically measurable force fields about the human  body. Electro-magnetic energy can adversely affect these fields,  resulting in subjacent cellular derangement&#8217;s or disease.</p>
<p>Sub-atomic Particles: The relationship between electrons and magnetic fields.</p>
<p>Moving a wire relative to a magnetic field produces an Electro  Motive Force which tends to drive a current (ie. Flowing electrons)  within the air in a direction at right angles to the magnetic field.  This relationship is involved in all electric motors and generators.</p>
<p>The ion is an electrified particle as in H+ = Hydrogen and OH- = Hydroxyl ion.</p>
<p>H+ Kation (+) is an atom that has lost an electron. Therefore it has a positive charge.</p>
<p>OH- Anion (-) are a pair of atoms that have gained an electron, therefore they have a negative charge.</p>
<p>H+ and OH- are electrified and behave in magnetic fields in exactly  the same way that electrons circulate in wires &#8211; except that in having  more mass, they move more slowly and H+ ions move in the opposite  direction to OH- ions.</p>
<p>The way ions tend to behave in magnetic fields, one way or the  other, depends upon the ionic charge, and the North/South orientation  of the magnetic field. For example, this charged particle/magnetic  field relationship shows promise of finding commercial application in  generating electric power. Some 50% efficiency can be achieved by  driving charged particles (ie. ions) through magnetic fields. Known as  M.H.D. or Magneto Hydro Dynamics, this phenomenon also appears to have  distinct bio-logical implications. For example, red blood cells rotate  on their flat axes in-vivo; in-vitro they will rotate if a magnetic  field is applied.</p>
<p>In-vivo = (lively) natural</p>
<p>In-vitro = (sliding) external force applied.</p>
<p>The direction of red blood cell rotation in-vitro reverses if the  field is reversed, an observation precisely to be expected of a body  presenting ionic surface charges.</p>
<p>Seemingly, the electron spinning while orbiting the atomic anatomy  is somewhat similar to our Earth&#8217;s rotating while orbiting the  revolving Sun.</p>
<p>When radio energy (electro-magnetic waves) is applied to substances  at proper frequencies, it causes the electrons to resonate. The  frequency at which resonance occurs is also dependent upon the magnetic  field strength. In other words, at any fixed radio frequency, electrons  may be made to resonate (echoing) by adjusting the magnetic field  strength. This phenomenon is called E.P.R. (Electron Para-magnetic  Resonance). Electrons therefore may be spinning faster or slower,  resonating at different frequencies, switching orbits, with associated  emission and/or absorption of light energy (Photons). Medicine of  course is acutely interested in the pH (hydrogen ion concentration) of  the blood, always seeking to keep it in its balance. When the  Bio-rhythm electro-magnetic field pulse is used, and be restored to  their correct in-vivo rotation.</p>
<p>Each living cell appears to be a tiny battery generating its own  current by chemical action, ie. the Sodium/Potassium Pump. When ions  are in motion, they are invariably associated with magnetic fields;  these fields have electro-magnetic qualities, therefore underlying the  variations in these fields there are tissues of varying activity and  resistance.</p>
<p>Extra-ordinarily active tissues are associated with more intensified  fields and inactive tissues with diminished fields. There is definitely  a relationship of diseased tissue to magnetic fields, so that when an  oscillating magnetic pulse is applied at the right frequency and  penetrating strength, cellular metabolism through correction of red  blood cell rotation is re-established at the proper level. (Phagocytes  activity is stimulated at frequencies of 1 &#8211; 4 Hz).</p>
<p>It is likely that cold electron emission from acupuncture points or  reflex areas may be a biological effort to replenish external  atmospheric ionic concentrations outside the body, and as this requires  discharge of certain kations eg. Ca+ and K+, the depletion of internal  mineral reserves may result.</p>
<p>In summary, a general observation of bio-logical fields and stress,  would lead one to believe that life&#8217;s cognising functions lie within  the parameter of a bio-logical field.</p>
<p>Biological fields may be affirmed to become defective during  emotional or physical stress, which if prolonged, subsequently results  in cellular disease.</p>
<p>Electro-magnetic augmentation of ionic flows to counteract such  defective biological fields, relieves pain, because it is really within  such defective fields that pain is experienced. Similarly analgesia can  be produced.</p>
<p>According to Robert O Becker, the presence of life regulating  organisms is based upon electronic conduction mechanisms; he also  proved that such systems can be used in a clinical fashion by applying  appropriate levels of externally generated electro-magnetic energy; eg.  the oscillating Bio-rhythm inductor.</p>
<p>Cellular disease is therefore remedied as cells begin once more to conform to their overlying biological fields.</p>
<p>The frequency used for dilation and constriction depends on the  blood vessel sizes, so one should allow a random sweep through the  range required, say 5 minutes for each frequency.</p>
<p><strong>Certain frequencies have proven results in eliminating the specific problems listed.</strong></p>
<ul style="font-size: 12px;">
<li>8Hz and below causes vaso-dilation (enlarged blood vessels)</li>
<li>12Hz and above causes vaso-constrictions (narrowing of the arteriolar lumen)</li>
<li>0.87-3 Hz = for tendons and muscles, nerve system in harmony with blood and lymph.</li>
<li>2 Hz = used where there is inflammation or infection.</li>
<li>3-8  Hz = central and peripheral nervous system where distribution is to the  skin of the superficial structure of the body which is a branch of  C.N.S.</li>
<li>1-4 Hz = counteracts infections. It stimulates  phagocytes and the immune system. Phagocytes engulf and digest foreign  particles which are harmful to the body.</li>
<li>4-8 Hz = dating effect counteracting muscular spasm.</li>
<li>8 Hz = Is an analgesic tonic and is stabilising (stops pain)</li>
<li>5-13  Hz = the human brain&#8217;s electrical activity in the alpha and high theta  range. A case can be made that human beings evolved within mimie and  are dependent upon the earth&#8217;s electro-magnetic phenomenon.</li>
<li>8-16 Hz = analgesic, tonic and stabilising, relieves tension and chronic tension eg. headache or directly to organs.</li>
<li>16 Hz = specific for rheumatic complaints. It responds to a range of frequency; use 16 Hz for a chronic case.</li>
<li>16-32 Hz = generally stimulating. Also has a recuperating effect on patients who are stressed and have low vitality.</li>
<li>32 Hz = stimulating and tonifying.</li>
<li>1-32 Hz = generally for acute pain syndromes or compulsive disorders, eg. obesity, alcoholism and drug addiction.</li>
<li>64 Hz = short burst on Lo points.</li>
<li>2000 Hz = removes cravings for methylphenidate in the addict.</li>
</ul>
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