Tag: discharge

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the curtain should fall today on this series. It has been a long journey from the exploration of possible cause of Sinusitis, the health waterloo of many people, and candidiasis, local as in oral (tongue) thrush or vaginal infection, or systemic, involving some organs or the entire system. The series also threw up possible remedies such as saline nasal flush, inhalation of the vapour of some essential oils, the use of garlic oil, and the deployment of anti-bacterial and immune boosting herbs.

The Mayo Clinic was to expand the scope of the exploration with the findings of a 2009 study which made a landmark discoveryabout the different possible causes of acute (sudden and short-term) sinusitis and the chronic type, which may drag for months, years or even a lifetime. The different causes require different solutions, the study concluded, whereas, hitherto, the tendency was for physicians to regard both types of candidiasis to be caused by bacteria  and treated with antibacterial drugs, among other drugs in the protocol. Now, it is believed chronic Sinusitis originates from yeast, of which there are about 250 varieties, including Candida, other fungi and mold. In the Mayo Clinic study, most of the 210 patients investigated had about four strains of fungi in their mucus. Only anti-fungal drugs, not anti-bacterial, would destroy these parasites and heal the malaise. Last Thursday, the exploration highlighted the controversy over dark field microscopy analysis of the live blood specimens of Candida, other fungi or bacteria. Increasingly, Alternative Medicine practitioners prefer this analysis to light field microscopy favoured by orthodox medicine. In conclusion last Thursday, the series attempted to explain why sinusitis may be acute or chronic, using varied degreesof blood pH as the analytical tool. Today, it would try to conclude the exploration with an offer of some herbs available in Alternative Medicine for the treatment of diseases of bacterial or fungal origins…

Lemon grass

In Nigeria, we know of this plant more for its fabled anti-snake properties, and anti-malaria effect. At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) years ago, researchers found that the water infusion kills the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, in the blood stream. But, as part of the poverty of the mind which is crippling Nigeria’s economy and people, it has not been deemed right to grow plantations of this highly medicinal plant and make of it a national anti-malarial tea which will not only save lives but also save enormous foreign exchange spent on the importation of anti-malarial pharmaceutical finished drugs or their raw materials. Yet, every year, doctors report many deaths among pregnant women and children which are linked to malaria fever. How free the country may be from malaria fever is better imagined if every-one grows lemon grass in his flower bed at home or can get a box of lemon grass sachet tea for a drink over every meal at home or in the office. Wouldn’t this be better than sugared beverages which add little or nothing to the health profile? Many studies’ have shown that Lemon grass helps digestion, curbs high cholesterol levels, cleans and detoxifies the blood and tissue, is a healing  agent in colds and flu because of its anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti- fungal properties, fights even cancer, and is good for reducing arthritic pain.

According to Joanne Marie, writing in the website www.livestrong.com, a laboratory named Sloan Kettering has done some studies on the medicinal uses of Lemon grass. She says:

emon grass has been recommended by practitioners of Traditional Medicine for many ailments. Modern research suggests that it may have significant health benefits. Lemon grass contains a number of volatile oils, including one called CITRAL that is a mixture of several similar compounds. Information from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center indicates that Citral acts as an antioxidant that can help protect your cells from damage by free radicals. These unstable molecules form during digestion or when you are exposed to toxins. Over time, they can damage your cells and raise your risks of chronic disorders, including atherosclerosis and heart disease. Research published in the 2003 issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication found their CITRAL act by activating an enzyme, Glutathione S-Transferees, that detoxifies free radicals and helps your body rid itself of them, but this laboratory result still needs confirmation in trials with human subjects.

‘Sloan Kettering also indicates that extracts of Lemon grass have anti-microbial properties, helping  to prevent or slow the growth of bacteria and fungi. A study published in the January 2012 issue of Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice found that an oil extract from Lemon grass inhibited growth of Streptococcus bacteria in the laboratory, while research in the March 2009 issue of Phytomedicine studied the effectiveness of a Lemon grass infusion in human subject with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) who has an oral fungal infection called thrush. Researchers found that an oral rinse administered three times daily was more effective than Gentian Violet, an anti-fungal medication.

Compounds in Lemon grass also have properties that might help lower your risks of developing cancer. Several laboratory studies confirm that Lemon grass components could prevent growth of cancer cells. For example, a study in the October 2009 issue of FUNDAMENTALS OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY found that CITRAL from Lemon grass slowed the growth of breast cancer cells in the laboratory and also caused them to undergo a process called apoptosis, which caused cell death. According to the Sloan Kettering, components of Lemon grass might also have a sedative effect, increasing the time you stay asleep. In addition, Lemon grass may have anti-inflammatory properties that help suppress the activity of cyclo-oxygenate-2, an enzyme involved in inflammation that can cause pain in disorders such as arthritis, although these and other potential benefits still need further study.

According to www.health guide.com, Lemon grass has many medical uses, some of which are as follows:

Lemon grass as herbal medicine for gastro-intestinal problems, stomach ache, diarrhea, gas, bowel spasis, vomiting,flu and headache. Lemon grass oil mixed with such essential oils such as coconut oil, is used as liniment for back pains, rheumatism, neuralgia, sprains and other body pains… To treat circulatory disorders,some authorities recommend rubbing a few drops of lemon grass oil on the skin of effected areas. It is believed to work by improving body flow. Lemon grass has natural antimicrobial properties, is an antiseptic, suitable for use on various types of skin infections, usually as a wash or compress, and is especially effective on ring worm, infected sores, acne and athlete’s foot.

Lemon grass is effective in killing cancer cells. It is useful with respiratory infections such as sore throat, laryngitis and fever, and helps spread of infectious” diseases. Inwww.organicfacts.com, we learn that: Lemon grass is an aromatic store house of essential nutrients providing a wide array of health benefits. It is a source of essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacen), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridozine), folate and vitamin C. It also provides essentials minerals such as potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Copper, Zinc and Iron, which are required for healthy functioning of the humanbody. It offers no harmful cholesterol or fat.”

When I lived in 39 Emine Crescent, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, I grew more than 100 heads of lemon grass from which my family obtained its tea, and from which I made cuttings for my friends. Let us return to Mother Nature by planting lemon grass today in our flower bed or flower pots. We may discover from taking lemon grass tea every day that a cup every day may keep the doctor away.

PAU d’ ARCO

Three readers of this column sort of gave me Pau d‘ Arco as a nickname after it helped to resolve their health challenges. One did not have to have surgery, earlier slated, to resolve his occult blood problem, a condition in which bleeding ulcer in the colon may lead to cancer. Another almost have his testes removed when a PSA (prostate sensitive Antigen) of more than 400 points (Norman is 0-4 points) led to a suspicion of prostate cancer.In the Websitewww.healthandwellness.com, Loretta Nanphier, N.P., Advises us that:

“A native to South American, Pau d`Arco has been used in herbal medicine with a wide range of health concerns, including pain, arthritis, inflammation of prostate gland (prostitis), fever, dysentery, boils and ulcers and various cancers. Even as early as 1873, there are reports of medicinal uses of Pau d` Arco.” it is interesting to note that scientist have identified two active chemicals in the inner bark of Pau d` Arco. These natural and active chemicals are called Laphthoquinones. Lapacnol and Beta-Lapachone.In lab studies, Lapachol has been shown to have great potential of application in fighting metastases (spread of cancer cells). According to

Dr. David Boothman, a professor at the HaroldSimmons Comprehensive Cancer center and Author of a study that appeared in the proceedings of the National Academy of Science,Beta-Lapachone distrupts the Cancer cells ability to repair its DNA, ultimately leading to the cell’s demise. (Beta-Lapachone)andLapachol have also been found effective in killing certain types of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites as well as possessing anti-inflamatory properties.

“We must note that both Lapachol and Beta-Lapachonehave been studied as individual components, however, there is only a trace of Lapachol in the bark. In its isolated form, Lapachone is quite aggressive but in Pau d`Arco tea, Nature has brought together a concert of healing substances in the inner bark that act in a synegestic manner. It should in no way be limited to any individual substance. According to Walter Lubeck, author of THE HEALING POWER OF PAU d’ARCO,

“The very low concentrations of Lapachone in tea extracted from inner bark of the tree activates various immune cells in the human body, the Lymphocyctes and the Granulocyctes. Considerably higher concentrations of Lapacholdon’t have such a good effect in this regard,

“It is very important to take the time to take and drink Paud’Arco tea in its complete and natural form. BernhardKreher, a Munich researcher wrote his doctoral work on the immunestimulating effects of  Paud’Arco and found that the body’s defence system activity increased by more than 48 percent when Paud’ Acro was regularly consumed . Paud’ Acro also contains Selenium, a powerful antioxidants that removes free radicals which can damage cells and trigger disease. Paud’ Acro has a holistic effect on the body, meaning the whole body is detoxified.

Harmful toxic substances, including heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives and even the residue from chemotherapy may be thoroughly eliminated. Blood vessels, the lymph system, cells, tissues and organs are all detoxified, allowing the body system to function properly and effectively.

Loretta Lamphier says the health benefits of this herb includes, (in her own words) anti-inflammatory, inhibits, candida albicans preventative during the cold and flu season, effective blood purifier, stimulates production of red blood cells, anti-oxidant properties, anti-microbial,  antibacterial, anti – tumour effects, analgesic effects, sight parasites, anti-neoplastic, effective against E-coli, accelerates healing of skin wounds, strengthens immune system, protects against Staph infection, toxic effects on leukemia cells, maintains regular bowel activity, helps respiratory disorders, good for allergies, useful for arthritis, useful for diabetes, dissolves phlegni.”

It is recommended at least four, eight-ounce cupfulls be taken daily for cancer and, for maintenance, three to four cups daily.

GOLDEN SEAL ROOT

This is one of my favourite antibiotic herbs, especially when it is combined withEchinacea. One of its active Ingredients, Berberine, which is present also in Oregon Grape, Coats the surfaces of tissue so that germs cannot adhere to it. This makes infections difficult and the germs, unable to draw nutrient from the body, become weak and easy preys for immune cells.

According to www.healthsystem.com: Golden seal has been used historically as a mouth wash to help heal canker sores.

olden seal contains Berberine, and alkaloid with antibiotic and antifungal activities that (have) also been used to help relieve the diarrhoea seen in some people with chronic candidiasis. Tintures of various herbs, including Golden seal, have been applied topically to herpes outbreaks in order to promote healing.

Golden seal root has antimicrobial and mild immune stimulating effects. It smoothens irritated Mucus membranes in the throat, making it potentially useful for sore throats. Golden Seal Contains Barberine, an anti-bacterial constituent that has been chemically studied for eye infections. This websites says Berberine slows the growth of Helicobacter pyloribacterium, a cause of peptic ulcer.The herbs is described as digestive stimulant, is immune supportive, anti-microbial especially when used with a wild indigo.www.healthsystem.com says “Berberine killsamoebaand can be used successfully to treat Giardiainfections.

According to www.all for naturalhealth.com: for the digestive system, Golden seal has properties that stimulates appetite, aids digestion, often increase the production of bile and cures digestive problems. It also has an astringent effect in addition to certain antibacterial properties which work effectively in treating digestive tract conditions like gastritis, E-coli and yeast infections. This particular property of the Golden seal herb also works effectively in treating ulcer in the mouth. For anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiseptic properties, the health benefits of Golden seal help to treat inflammation and infections of the eye, nose and throat.

Conjunctivitis, too, can be effectively treated by using Golden seal eye wash. In addition, Golden seal is a very popular cure for infections of the gums or gingivitis.”

Golden seal is reported to help blood circulation to the liver, pancreas, spleen and thyroid gland, to mention a few of the glands it helps.

Women should be happy to note that golden seal helps regulate the menstrual cycle that used in a douche, it helps to cure “Eucorrhea and other forms of vaginal infections.

I  would like to conclude this reference on Golden seal root with www.herbwisdom.com which says: “in particular, it is the alkaloid, Berberine that is most likely responsible for golden seal’s effectiveness against bacteria, protozoa, fungi, streptococci and it also promotes easier removal of the bacteria by inhibiting their ability to adhere to tissue surface. Berberine is also anti-fungi and strongly anti-diarrhoea.

It aids against the infection of mucus membranes such as the lining of the oral cavity, throat, sinus, bronchi, genito urinary tract and gastro-intestinal tract. Clinical studies have shown its effectiveness in the treatment of diarrhoea cause by E-coli (traveler’s diarrhea), Shigella dysentery (shigellosis), Salmonella(paratyphi), (food poisoning), GirdiaLamblia (giardiasis) and vibroCholerae (Cholera).

There is a lot more to say about Golden seal root, which time and space do not permit. Orode my Lawyerfriend and an avid reader of this column, will be giggling over that. I can read her mind. She is seeing unforeseen circumstances already at work.

Nigeria’s rain season is on its traditional august holiday, the august break, and should get to work again next month as a herald of the harmattan season in December. But in July, the rain season wasn’t as forceful and pounding as it does every July, redrawing the climate map and making the weather extremely cold. This cold season, I ran out of cayenne pepper capsules and made do with a local brand. Maybe because this is not freeze dried, it tends to oxidize and become less effective. Cayenne, a sun herb, energises the blood, thins it, removes the sluggishness of thick blood and makes it circulate faster throughout the body, breaking the barriers set up by congestions and bringing oxygen, nurture and heat to every part of the body, however far away from the heart it may be. Half a loaf of bread, as we say, is better than no crumb at all. So this cold season, I make do with whatever I have till my friends abroad send me something. In addition to the local cayenne which I add to orange juice for breakfast, I add to my lunch one 100mg of ubiquinol,   that variant of co-enzyme Q10 (coQ10) which energises the heart to pump better with no additional work stress, protects us against heart disease and puts energy in every cell of the body. Another 100grams of ubiquinol joins a light dinner with some fat in it as ubiquinol is better absorbed into the bloodstream in a fat medium. The fat medium I enjoy for this purpose is guinea fowl egg, which has been in season for about two or three months. I do not eat poultry egg because of its near lifelessness and load of antibiotic and chemical dyes which give the York a false beta carotene yellow colour. If you wonder if I am not mindful of the cholesterol in egg York, I’ll answer that we need cholesterol and the liver makes it, anyway. With no cholesterol in our bodies, we’d be goners from this earth. I catch myself sounding like Dr. Robert Atkins and Dr. Udo Erasmus, arguably the world leading authority on fat and oils, whose views you can read in his master- class book, FAT THAT HEAL AND FAT THAT KILL. He teaches the need to eat more of the good cholesterol (HDL) and less of the bad one (LDL). It is LDL which oxidizes in the arteries and in the cells, damaging and killing them. We should know how to prevent the oxidation or rusting of fats in our bodies and how to keep total cholesterol count (HDL+LDL+Lipo A etc) from going up the roof. We can do this by  improving liver function and by consuming more vitamins and multi-minerals. They help the liver convert excess LDL to HDL. Wheatgrass, Spirulina, Chlorella, Alfafa, Barleygrass etc are rich store houses of minerals, vitamins, trace elements, co-factors etc. Herbs like Chickweed detoxify the liver and make it more functional. Herbs like Eclipta alba, my new-found love, not only help to detoxify the liver, they support it to produce more bile. Not only that, eclipta alba ensures that the bile is not re-absorbed into the system when it finishes its job in the intestine. This job includes the digestion of fat and the capturing or entrapment of fat-soluble poisons for excretion through the stool. Where the bile hands over its “captives” or “prisoners” and returns to the system, the cholesterol load rises. No, eclipta alba would not permit this. The bile has to be excreted with the load of toxins. With this batch of cholesterol out of stock as it were, the body has to make a new stock for the shelves. Excess fat and incoming new fat supply the materials. as it has been suggested by some researchers, this is how  this herb support healthy total cholesterol count and helps to keep us slim.

When a reader of this column telephoned me last week to ask me about what this week’s column would feature, I thought of a group of young acquaintances I have made lately and some men and women who are being treated by their doctor for Candida – or yeast – related ailment. My young acquaintances gather at week ends and long holidays to enjoy themselves with harsh spirits without any consideration whatsoever for their livers. I often advise that people who must drink for whatever reason need to understand the bashing they are giving their livers thereby, the health hazards the liver is exposed to, including fatty liver, Cirrhosis (hardening) and even Cancer. These conditions, individually or jointly, may predispose the body to many degenerative health conditions. I suggested they add Milk thistle or Eclipta alba to their diet, for liver protection. It would now appear some of them are excusing themselves from these week-end and holiday drink orgies having been suffering for weeks either from Insomnia, indigestion, bloating, gas and Catarrhal conditions. In fact, one of them is discharging green mucus from the nose. This informs the attention given today to Mucus discharge. And, of course, the Candida question gave rise to another consideration.

 

Sinusitis and mucus discharge

When, before I became a father, I saw my grandmother suck mucus out of the nostrils of babies I little realised that, some day, I, too, as a parent, would help relieve nasal congestion in my babies in like manner. It can be irritating, though, doing it for someone you do not deeply love. We all think mucus is a bad thing. It isn’t. But too much of it may be a bad health omen. It is produced in the mucus membrane lining of the Sinuses. The sinuses are cavities around the cheekbones, the nose and the eyes. One of the functions of the mucus secretion is to warm and moisten air as it flows from the nostrils and the sinus cavities to the lungs. Dry air and cold air may damage the lungs. Secondly, the mucus secretion helps to trap dust, germs, environmental pollutants such as chemicals, fumes, smoke and prevent them from reaching the lungs. The mucus, having done its job, drains naturally into the stomach, where stomach acid, if in adequate quantum, kills the germs and the immune system, if strong and healthy enough, takes care of the other “foreigners”. Mucus from the sinuses does so in obedience to the Law of Motion, one of the Laws of Nature which compels everything to be in perpetual motion. We may also call it the Law of Movement. Anything that isn’t moving or moving not well enough will soon stagnate, depreciate and despoil or die. This applies also to our way of thinking. If our ideas are stagnant, so shall we soon become. People who do not exercise soon become obtuse. So are we when we  top reading or clarifying our thoughts and ideas. We suddenly become “old school” people and the young moving world leave our old, stagnant world behind. Spiritually, too, we may suffer from this lack inward. Of movement if we do not re-examine and re-clarify some of those religious dogmas we were fed from infancy but which may be wrong.

In the sinuses, there are hair – like projections called cilia which rustle or knock against one another to provide the mechanism which propels the mucus forward towards its destination. Any obstruction to this unidirectional flow would create traffic congestion, blockages, breeding grounds for germs, irritation of the mucus membrane and its enlargement which narrows the flow line and the possibility of germ action creating abscesses and poisons. The poisons from such abscesses may be impacted on the eyes, brain, ears or find their ways to the lungs. The swelling of the sinuses is called sinusitis.

 

Causes

We cannot understand the treatment of Sinusitis or treat it well if we do not understand its causes,. There may be a thousand and one possible causes, as in any health malaise. If we do not apply the rule of the thumb, we may have to rely on a thorough examination by an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor. He is likely to diagnose such possibilities as swollen adenoids/polyps/allergens/antibiotics to suppress vaginal discharge/damp weather/dust/environmental pollution/respiratory system infections/systemic candidiasis/pregnancy – induced hormonal changes/cluster headache/ deviated septum/food allergies or sensitivity to cow’s milk/diet high in mucus – forming foods/dental infection/immune system reaction to the presence of fungi in the sinuses e.t.c.  But many ENTs and doctors pay not enough heed, in the opinion of alternative medicine practitioners, to the possible links between sinusitis and systemic candidiasis. Yet, the respectable Mayo Clinic of Canada, drew the links as long ago as 1999 in studies which have since been found correct and possible by many research institutions worldwide. It is such a link which informs the linking of sinusitis to systemic candidiasis in this series.

 

Symptoms

One of my young acquaintances has suffered from cold and flu for weeks, bringing up phlegm now and then, unable to sleep or breathe well and inundated with headaches. I know of an elderly man about two years younger than I am who suffers from enlargement of his heart and who believes the alcohol he takes every evening takes the pressure off his heart. I advise him to no avail that the alcohol may merely be dulling or suppressing his senses, like the sedative that it is, giving large amounts of hops present in it. When he coughs or brings up phlegm you have to keep a safe distance to avert a droplet infection. One doctor suggests that you can run a self- test to determine if your sinuses are being blocked. He advises that you bend forward from the waist and observe if there is heavy pressure or pain against your cheekbone or eyes. If the pain is present, that’s a possibility of sinusitis. It may be present on one side of the face or across the face. Sinusitis may be acute or chronic, that is sudden or longstanding. The acute one is more painful and hardly subsists for longer than two weeks. Chronic sinusitis is less painful and lasts longer than two weeks. Acute sinusitis often arises from the complications of another respiratory infection, including a cold, flu or bronchitis. The common cold is caused by a virus. Mayo clinic says there are more than a 100 viruses which can cause it. In a flu infection, the virus attacks nose, throat and lungs, unlike the common cold virus(es) which restrict action to the nose. A flu attack is more devastating to children and the elderly. In these conditions, more mucus is produced to trap the germs. Before they get to the lungs and other parts of the body.

According to James F. Balch. MD, and Mike Stengner N.D., in their PRESCRIPTIONS FOR DIETARY WELLNESS some of the symptoms include (in their words)

1. “Pressure and pain around the cheekbone and the eyes
2. Clogged nasal passages
3. Thick greenish-yellow nasal discharge,
4. Diminished sense of smell or taste
5. Toothache,fatigue,fever (more often in acute cases, rarely in chronic)”.

Besides the possibility of abscesses in the sinuses feeding the eyes, ear and brain with poisons and germs, beyond the throat of pain and infections in these parts of the body, post nasal drip is a most nauseating experience. A greenish- yellow runs down the nostrils as though it were water flowering down an open tap. It brings fatique, nausea, irritability and knocks the sufferer out of work. Who wants to speak with or stay near such a person, anyway?

 

Treatment

In alternative medicine, a five-step approach is adopted as therapy objectives or goals.

These are:

1. Elimination of the culprit viruses or bacterial
2. Thinning the mucus to decongest the sinuses and promote mucus flow
3. Eliminating allergens and reducing exposure to them
4. Healing any cellular damage the infection may have caused.
5. Boosting immunity.

In respect of acute and chronic sinusitis, these objectives will be discussed in more detail in the course of the series. Meanwhile, I would like to mention a supplement often used for this condition… SHARK LIVER OIL. In 1997, four researchers published a book on shark liver oil which they thought would now have become a star agent on therapy; it received wide exposure in the medical community. The researchers were Dr. Neil Solomon M.D., Ph.D., Richard Passwater Ph.D., Ingeman Joelson M.D., Ph.D., Leonard Halmer M.D. Their book was titled SHARK LIVER OIL, NATURAL AMAZING HEALER.

The book details the many healing effects, as they found, of shark liver oil. They name as some of  healing agents the following chemical substances

1. Centrophorus squamosus
2. Alkozyglycerols (AKGs)
3. Omega -3 fatty acids (blood thinner)

AKG is plentiful in mother’s milk, to strengthen immunity of the infant. In shark liver oil, it provides an immune boosting factor which, like shark cartilage, probably accounts for shark’s not easily developing cancer. It is instructive that cow’s milk fed to human infants has no AKG, which may be the reason many human infants on cow milk feed develop colic and other ailments.AKG in shark liver oil has been found to improve the well-being of people of all ages. In cold and flu infections, it enhances immune activity ditto for allergies. Today, research has established a relationship between weak immunity and allergies of all kinds, including those of food, dust, pets, asthma etc.

Dr. Hubert prescribes shark liver oil for fibromyalgia (muscle, bone, nerve pain and tendon). His book says it strengthens connective tissue. There are reports that arthritic sufferer who couldn’t make a fist do so why on shark liver oil therapy. Recovery from stress and fatigue in good time is mentioned as well. I find interesting the report that it crashed blood sugar count in diabetes by many points. Ditto the positive effect on multiple sclerosis. Ditto high blood pressure. In respect of skin problems, shark liver oil softgels are punctured and the oil is dabbed on affected areas. In cancer treatment, AKG given to patients before and after radio therapy is said to reduce sharp drop in white blood and platelet count which this therapy often causes as a common side effect of radiation. Dr. William Lane stirred controversy with his books, SHARK DON’T HAVE CANCER, and SHARKS STILLDON’T GET CANCER both of which were reviewed and should find a place for it in my food supplements wardrobe in this column years ago. Since then, Smiththsonian Institution has found only one malignant tumor in 250,000 sharks it examined, justifying Dr Lanes assertions. Dr Brohult and Dr Joelson have gone on to publish that shark liver oil reduces cancer mortality. Can the fact that cancer hardly assails sharks be because one third of a shark’s weight is its liver? I cannot forget SQUALINE in shark liver oil. That’s the stuff which makes sharks stay deep under water where there’s little or no oxygen without feeling stressed by the insufficiency of oxygen. It is also in human skin, but produced less as we age. Suddenly, now, I am reminded of shark liver oil all over, and should find a place for it in my food supplements wardrobe.