I was really really disappointed today: I read advice on a fairly respected web site that was wrong and indeed harmful.
They advised using ¼ teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of water for nasal irrigation. That is hypotonic saline and is harmful. You need to have isotonic saline for irrigation: one teaspoon to 16 ounces or 500 cc.

Then they advised to use OTC prepared saline. But most of those contain benzalkonium which irritates most people. Doctors used to yell at the kids because they wouldn’t use the prepared saline sprays; then they finally realized that the kids were right- it did burn from the benzalkonium preservative.

Used to be that a woman felt a lump in her breast, she went to the doctor. Used to be that a man felt a chest pain around his heart, he went to the emergency room.

Not any more. When Mary felt a new lump in her breast she went on the internet. She found herbs that would shrink the lump. She joined a news group titiled, “Don’t Let Them Mutilate You.” Lots of readers explained why natural cures were best. Unfortunately she delayed her treatment.

When George had heart pains, he studied the internet. He found groups who could advise him about diet and natural cures. He appreciated the diet and exercise information. While waiting to receive the natural herbs from India, he died of his heart attack.

Unfortunately there are two types of harmful advice on the net:
One is the miracle cure of your condition; send in your visa information.
The other is the well meaning advice that may apply to the writer but is easily misunderstood. “I put ice on my breast lump and it went away.”

M.L. had a painful knee. Her doctor gave her a referral to a specialist. Instead, she spent a month researching web sites, articles that specialists had written about knees, and asking on news groups about orthopedists. When she finally did decide on one doctor, she had to wait a month to see her. The doctor criticized her for waiting so long for therapy.

P.T. saw the doctor for a serious infection. Doctor prescribed an antibiotic. But before filling the prescription, P.T. studied the illness and read where some patients had recovered without antibiotics; so he skipped the medication. A week later he was hospitalized into critical care and required a month of treatment.

I can understand why readers get confused. I just attended the International Academy of Otolaryngology and there were talks on comparing placebo results with drug/surgery treatment. Sometimes the patients did just as well on placebo as on the drug!

But there is a reason for this. If you engage the BRAIN in your healing, you bring more of your own body resources in for healing.

You should, for any treatment, fully understand what the pill or treatment does. For example, Allegra blocks the histamine response. Understand this. Visualize it doing this action- maybe a sketch or a cartoon. Recall with all your senses how it helped you before. Visualize it working- the nose dries up, you stop sneezing, you feel good.

This even works for using the Hydro Pulse™ nasal/sinus irrigator. When you visualize how the saline solution massages the nasal tissue to bring in healing elements, how the rhythm of the pulsation moves nasal cilia back and forth so that they move faster and recover their normal activity, and recall how good your sinuses felt when you used the Hydro Pulse, it will work better because you engage your brain.

Persons have been convinced that all the answers to any question is there for you on the internet. They forget that the doctor spent eight years learning to understand and interpret that information. How many persons delay therapy needlessly because they have put their faith in the internet?

In my book, Stressed? Anxiety? Your Cure is in the Mirror, I have a section where I encourage patients to “take charge” of their therapy. But not by seeking a cure via internet.

What I mean by taking charge, is to read the doctor’s instructions carefully, make sure you understand what the medicine does, how to take it, and how to enthusiastically engage your brain for healing.

V.R. read the instructions on his arthritis pills. He followed the instruction brochure about rest, sleep, soaks, and plenty of water, and his joint pains improved. He also read what the pills do, and visualized them working effectively. This utilized his brain for healing.

Taking charge of your healing includes getting rest and sleep, fully understanding the doctor’s instructions and following them, attention to diet, and not getting chilled. When you understand what the pills/treatments actually do, you can help the healing by visualizing the pills actually working. The more you reduce your own stress, the more effective will be the healing.

There are conditions that may require an immediate trip to the doctors, especially dealing with the eye and the heart. It is OK to read up on these conditions after the doctor has diagnosed and is treating you.

On the other hand, when I read those advertisements for the ONE DAY Miracle Cure and I see those handsome smiling happy faces with their glowing testimonials, I wonder sometimes—I wish my patients looked that happy!