I use a neti pot (aka 'nasal irrigation') for general sinus health. Since I started about 2 years ago, my chronic sinus issues have improved by 80%. I mix 1/4 tsp salt (with a little bicarbonate) per cup of water, heat for about 12 seconds in the microwave to make it approximately body temperature, and put it in a neti pot and pour it through one nostril, out the other. This helps moisturize the sinuses, flushes allergens, and improves the health of the cilia and mucous membranes. Some neti practices include adding a drop or two of vegetable oil (sesame or sunflower) to moisturize when humidity is low, or use of diluted herbal teas with salt to directly treat the sinuses. I bought my neti pot at a major pharmacy chain near my house - it included basic instructions and 50 or 100 premixed saline packets (nice for travel). Now I mix my own salt and the cost per day is a fraction of a cent. There is a short book on Neti by David Frawley that covers the subject in more depth. Good if you Really have sinus issues, but not necessary if you just want to do the basic saline rinse from time to time. Here is a link that might be useful: Neti page at Wikipedia

> Great followup on "Kurt" - except it doesn't address any of the relevant points I raised. The doc in question is a cardiologist, makes inaccurate statements about hormonal therapy, uses testimonials instead of hard evidence and promotes a form of home lab testing in which he apparently has a financial interest, and which sounds highly dubious as to accuracy of results ... You are welcome to look at a clinical experience backed up by lab results as mere 'testimonials' - I think that there is a demonstrated link between low T3/T4 and elevated cholesterol, and I think that in many people, correcting an iodine deficiency is enough to restore the T3 and TSH levels to normal.... which is why I posted a link to that. As to his financial interests in the products he advocates, I don't know and don't pretend to know. On the radio yesterday, there was a discussion about doctors who make hundreds of thousands of dollars referring their patients to imaging clinics they own ... that type of possible conflict of interest seems to be rather common, and the medical boards don't seem interested in taking any action to stop it. I would not be surprised if "Kurt" actually does believe that levels of hormones like T3 and vitamin D and testosterone can be important in the development of heart disease, and that the testing is an accurate, cost-effective way to identify whether or not there might be a problem with any of these. But you would have to ask him. >> It remains true that taking iodine supplements is not the way to treat Hashimoto's thyroiditis - and could even be harmful. We have already established that large amounts of iodine can have negative effects - there is no dispute there. Where we have not agreed is related to smaller doses - it is my position that iodine deficiency can make any form of hypothyroidism worse, and reasonable amounts of iodine may be useful for some with hypothyroidism. Nope, we don't know that coconut oil had any effect in this regard. Beyond the unreliability of testimonial evidence in general ... Look, Magoo, the literature review I linked to above is not 'testimonials' - it was put together from dozens of studies related to MCTs and coconut oil - it found these compounds can in fact increase metabolic rate ... the shorter chain compounds enter cells without need for transport, and they burn faster and hotter than other fats. That word 'testimonial' seems to hold magical import in your psyche - you apparently think that calling any argument you disagree with a 'testimonial' proves that it is untrue (even when it is not even a testimonial)! This has nothing to do with the unreliability of testimonies - it is about an individual patient adjusting their lifestyle to feel better - a big difference, but something you can't understand since it is all so abstract and by the book for you. You deny that the patient can be aware of their own condition, or do anything constructive about their...

We are getting far afield from Andrographis and suggesting people use it for cancer without valid evidence. More than any other bad advice that's appeared in this forum over the many years I've posted, here, inappropriate claims for herbal or other alternative cancer therapy have the capacity to harm people and steer them away from treatments that actually have been shown to work. If I have to see a physician with a serious medical complaint, I want to know that his/her suggested treatments have a sound evidentiary basis. I will not accept them if he/she says "trust me, I'm a doctor". Similarly, people who consult a herbalist with a serious complaint deserve more than to hear "trust me, I'm a herbalist". As for nutrition, physician education in nutrition could probably use improvement. They do however get far more than 24 credit hours in the course of their training (which includes practical exposure to nutrition-related issues during residency, fellowship, clinical practice and continuing medical education, as well as learning about diet-related issues through related courses in biochemistry, human physiology, pharmacology etc. It is also worth noting that even limited coursework based on sound nutritional principles is far better than a slew of courses based on inaccurate nutritional woo. To recap, Andrographis may have valid uses to prevent/treat some complaints including upper respiratory infections. But it is downright irresponsible and dangerous to suggest that it is appropriate to prescribe for cancer, without the person first having consulted a physician to get a proper diagnosis and learn about potentially curative treatment options (and whether any alternative remedies might interact negatively with those treatments).

I'd just like to add a few things. For the most part, what's toxic to dogs is toxic to humans, which is why pharm. development tests rats, then dogs, then primates before human trials. Cats don't metabolize toxins as quickly as most other mammals, so things that are only mildly harmful to other animals can cause organ failure in cats...then again felines tend to be fickle enough to not eat random plants. From what I hear sheep, goats and rabbits aren't too greatly affected by Scopolamine or the other tropanes, but cows and horses can be killed from relatively small amounts. Its pretty common in late summer to see cattle pastures in this area stripped of everything but very well fertilized stands of jimson weed. Toni, BTW, many of the members of the passionflower family (including the common ones like P. incarnata) contain different levels of harmala alkaloids. These act as mild MOAIs in the human brain, and depending on the species and dose, some of them are sedatives/hypnotics or can increase the action of neurotransmitters or triptamine drugs. The action is very slight though, and mostly passionvine just makes a delcious herbal tea before bed. Peace, Nate