The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why

257 Pages·2011·4.18 MB·English

by  Bowden

“ In The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth, you’ll find literally hundreds of proven, natural
solutions—many of which I use in my own practice. This book is a must-have reference for
anyone interested in discovering the natural options that really work.”
—Al Sears, M.D., author of The Doctor’s Heart Cure
“ This book is a must for everyone’s library. I think of this book as natural first aid.”
—Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., C.N.S., F.A.C.N., author of The Gluten Connection, and
Founding Dean of New York Chiropractic Colleges’ Masters of
Science Program in Applied Clinical Nutrition
“ Jonny Bowden has once again dug deep into the science, finding the best available natural
treatments for the most common ailments.”
—Mark Hyman, M.D., author of UltraMetabolism and The UltraSimple Diet and Founder and
Medical Director of The UltraWellness Center
“ This is an excellent, user-friendly book that skillfully guides you through the maze of natural
health solutions. It’s thorough, well-written, and research-based.”
—Hyla Cass, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA
School of Medicine and author of Supplement Your Prescription
“ When it comes to putting together nutritional programs that people can see and feel the
difference, Bowden not only has the experience but has also the technical knowledge to
make it happen.”
—Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.N., C.N.S., Cardiologist and
coauthor, Reverse Heart Disease Now
“ An empowering experience for anyone wanting to take charge of their own health!”
—Daniel G. Amen, M.D., author of Healing ADD and Change Your Brain,
Change Your Life and a Distinguished Fellow of the
American Psychiatric Association
“ Well done! Get ready to be empowered to reclaim control of your health and well-being!”
—Jacob Teitelbaum M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! Medical Director,
the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers
“ Another must-read from Jonny Bowden. Highly recommended!”
—Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., author of Meditation As Medicine and Director of
the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International
“ This book should be the first place to look before calling your doctor. Every household in
America needs at least one of this great reference manual to a healthy life, naturally.”
—Fred Pescatore, M.D., M.P.H., C.C.N., author of the
New York Times bestseller, The Hamptons Diet
“ The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth is packed with useful information. Jonny Bowden’s
fresh insights into the healing process make a valuable contribution to the field.”
—Leo Galland, M.D., Director of the Foundation for
Integrated Medicine and author of The Fat Resistance Diet
“A must-read for everyone wishing to take control of their health!”
—Larry McCleary, M.D., pediatric neurosurgeon and author of The Brain Trust Program
“ Dr. Jonny Bowden, one of the nation’s top experts on nutrition and natural medicine, has
done it again. A must-have guide for anyone considering natural treatments.”
—Cathy Wong, N.D., C.N.S., author of The Inside-Out Diet and about.com’s Alternative
Medicine Guide
“ The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth is another great contribution to the field of
natural healing and I believe that it will be quite helpful to all the people looking for simple
guidance for improved health.”
—Elson M. Hass, M.D., author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition and The New Detox Diet
“ … a well-researched, informative, and practical guide to natural medicine … ”
—Alan R. Gaby, M.D., author of Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness and
past-president of the American Holistic Medical Association
“ A must-read for anyone interested in natural approaches to health. I strongly recommend
you read this book!”
—Richard N. Firshein, D.O., author of Your Asthma-Free Child and Medical Director of the
Firshein Center for Comprehensive Medicine
“ Not only is Jonny edgy and current, his information is impeccable, especially when it comes
to the most effective natural cures on earth. I love his humor and his writing. What a gift—
both he and this book.”
—Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., author of the New York Times bestseller, The Fat Flush
“ Jonny Bowden has distilled for all of us the science behind natural cures for many diseases in
a comprehensive review that is readable and understandable. This should be required read-
ing for anyone interested in health.”
—Mark Houston, M.D., M.S., S.C.H., A.B.A.A.M., F.A.C.P., F.A.H.A., author of
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension: The Revolutionary
Nutrition and Lifestyle Program to Help Fight High Blood Pressure
and Director of the Hypertension Institute in Nashville
The Most
Effective
Natural Cures
on Earth
The Surprising, Unbiased Truth
about What Treatments Work and Why
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
To Anja
Who, for me, makes almost anything possible
“ The natural healing force within each of
us is the greatest force in getting well.”
—Hippocrates
“ Western medicine doesn’t hold all the
answers. Healing cannot always be
described in numbers.”
—Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
COntent s
Introduction 9
Acne: Clear Up This Condition with the Paleo Diet and Saw Palmetto 16
Aging Complications: Feel Young Again with this Combo Cure 24
Allergies, seasonal and Food-Related:
Consider this Combo Cure for Relief—and Answers 45
Anxiety: Calm Your Nerves with Theanine 53
Arthritis: Ease the Pain with Glucosamine and Chondroitin 56
Asthma: Breathe Easier with Quercetin and Antioxidants 64
Bad Breath: Clear the Air with Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics 71
Benign Prostate Hyperlasia (BPH):
Skip the Midnight Trip to the Bathroom with Saw Palmetto 76
Cravings: Calm Your Appetite for Carbs with Glutamine 80
Depression: Feel Better with These Natural Antidepressants 83
Diabetes/Metabolic syndrome: Start with Chromium and Skip the Carbs 92
eczema: Clear It up with This Combo Cure 102
emotional Pain: Ease Your Symptoms with Emotional Freedom Technique 109
Gout: Snack on Cherries to Reduce the Pain and Inflammation 112
Heart Disease: Strengthen and Protect Your Heart with This Array
of Natural Aids 116
Heartburn: Calm the Fires with Enzymes and Bugs 126
Hepatitis C: Try This Powerful Combo Cure 135
Herpes: Strike Back with Lysine 142
Hot Flashes: Cool Down with Black Cohosh and Dong Quai 148
Hypertension/High Blood Pressure: Get Your Levels Down with
CoQ10, Whey Protein, and the DASH Diet 152
Impotence/Premature ejaculation/sagging Libido:
Get Your Old Self Back with Horny Goat Weed 158
Infection Prevention: Stay Healthy with Zinc 164
Infertility: Try One of the Oldest Treatments on Earth 170
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease/ Ulcerative Colitis): Ease Your
Symptoms with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and These Supplements 176
Insomnia/sleep Disorders: Rest Easy with Inositol 183
Kidney stones: Use This Combo Cure and Take a Pass on
This Painful Condition 187
Low energy/stress Fatigue: Get a Lift from Rhodiola 190
Macular Degeneration/Vision: Prevent Eyesight Problems with Antioxidants 194
Migraines: Ease Your Mind with These Herbs and Nutrients 199
Polycystic Ovary syndrome (PCOs): Attack These Symptoms with
a Low-Carb Diet 207
Post-traumatic stress Disorder (PtsD)/trauma: Use EMDR to Help 215
Premenstrual syndrome (PMs): Feel Better Each Month with
Dr. Jonny’s PMS Cocktail 220
Ulcers: Heal Your Stomach with Zinc Carnosine 226
Weight Loss: Burn Fat Faster with Interval Training 231
Yeast Infections: Prevent this Problem with This Combo Cure 236
Acknowledgments 244
About the Author 248
Index 249
• • 9
INTro DUCTIo N
Let me be perfectly honest with you—Natural Cures was not, at first, my
favorite title for this book.
“Cure” is a word I don’t like to use when talking about natural treat-
ments. Natural medicine—or nutritional medicine—works by treating the
whole body as a system. It’s not a philosophy based on taking a pill to suppress
a symptom; it’s about healing the condition that caused the symptom in the
first place. And this generally involves an entire prescription for healing that
can be as simple as a taking a few vitamins, but more typically, combines life-
style, nutritional, physical, psychological, and even spiritual components, not
your conventional “cure.”
I also don’t want to denigrate the power and usefulness of nutritional
medicine by opening myself up to charges of hucksterism, so let me be
perfectly clear from the outset: A vitamin doesn’t “cure” cancer. A mineral
doesn’t “cure” diabetes, and there’s no “natural cure” for Alzheimer’s. These
are serious conditions with many overlapping facets and problems, and they
can’t be “cured” by a pill.
However, a big “but” goes with that disclaimer.
The natural treatments in this book—vitamins, herbs, minerals, foods,
plants, or any of the many specific treatments or combinations of compounds—
can make a huge difference in your health. No kidding. They can address certain
metabolic conditions and blocked pathways that can contribute to your illness.
• • 9
They can clear up some of the obstacles that stand in the
way of your healing. They can jump-start the body’s
amazing, natural curative powers. In some cases, follow-
ing these prescriptions can actually “cure” a condition,
or at least make it so minor that it doesn’t bother you
anymore. In some cases, they may not completely eliminate
the condition, but you may find that you’re able to significantly
reduce your dependence on medication. In still other cases, they may give you
a partial improvement and relieve a good portion of your suffering.
Body, Heal THyself
Natural medicine—in fact, all traditional systems of healing from traditional
Chinese medicine to shamanism to herbalism—subscribe to a basic philoso-
phy that seems to be curiously absent in conventional Western medicine, and
it’s this: The body has an almost wondrous ability to heal itself. My friend,
naturopathic physician Sonja Petterson, N.M.D., points out that in sana-
toriums they used to put people on fasts, hose them down, and make them
walk around in the cold clean air. It sounds barbaric, and it probably was, but
the philosophy behind it—now long lost in high-tech medicine—was to get
patients to rally their bodies’ own amazing resources and capacity for healing.
“My best friend in med school was a vet,” Petterson says, “and that’s
what they always do when an animal is sick. They withdraw food and let them
sleep. That’s what an animal does in the wild, and that’s what your dog does if
he’s sick. He stops eating and sleeps a lot. He instinctively knows that’s what it
takes to heal.”
10 • The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth • 11