Month: November 2012

Source: HuffPostBooks

At a recent event in Sweden, a student asked if my novel, Betweenh Shades of Gray, was primarily a search for history. I explained that it was not only a search for history, but also a search for story.
For years I recounted what I thought was my family’s story.

Then in 2005, while visiting relatives in Lithuania, I discovered I only knew part of the story, the happy part. I didn’t know that following my grandfather’s departure from Lithuania, members of his extended family were deported to Siberia.

Stalin’s deportations to Siberia had affected countless families in the countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, yet much of the world knew nothing of it.

During that visit to Lithuania I was inspired to write a book.

One girl.

Her dream of freedom.
A voice to speak for those who would never have a chance to tell their story.
As I was writing Between Shades of Gray I felt deeply connected to my grandfather’s love of Lithuania. I longed to have a conversation with him about his experience and about our relatives who had been deported to Siberia.

Between Shades of Gray was released and I embarked on book tours worldwide. I met countless people whose families had been affected by Stalin’s terror or whose loved ones had perished in Siberia. Many people inquired about my family’s personal Siberian story, but I didn’t have any concrete details to share.

Then last April I was invited to the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago to attend “Hope & Spirit,” an exhibition dedicated to the millions of victims of Soviet atrocities. A portion of the program, “Letters From Siberia,” displayed hundreds of letters and photographs that had made their way from Lithuanians exiled in Siberia.

Every letter, every photograph, contained a story. The exhibit was emotional, passionate, and gave attendees a rare glimpse into this little known piece of history. But walking through the aisles I felt the aching reminder that one story was still missing — my own family’s story.

Two months later I received a phone call from Dr. Audrius Plioplys, the creator and curator of “Hope & Spirit.” He explained that in 1977, a Lithuanian priest in Chicago placed an advertisement in a newspaper, requesting letters and photographs from Siberia. The priest was publishing a book to create an awareness of the deportations.

The curator further explained that his colleague, Kristina Lapienyte, had been sorting through some of the priest’s belongings at the Lithuanian Research and Studies Center in Chicago. She saw the name “Sepetys” on a folder along with the words NOT FOR PUBLICATION. Ms. Lapienyte recognized the name from Between Shades of Gray and pulled the folder to examine it.

Dr. Plioplys then delivered the unimaginable. He told me that inside the folder were six photographs and nine letters about my family in Siberia. The folder also contained a personal letter from my grandfather.

In his letter, my grandfather requested that the material in the folder not be published at that time. He feared that publication would result in negative consequences for his family still in Soviet Lithuania. Instead, he asked that the material be held for the future, for someone who might be interested in documenting the history of Lithuanians in Siberia.

My grandfather wrote the letter and sent the materials to the priest in 1977. At that time I was a tiny girl with yellow pigtails, skipping around his legs, haggling for an ice cream. We would never speak of his escape from the Soviets, the loss of his homeland, or his family members who were deported to Siberia. Instead, he sent the information off to Chicago where it would sit in a dark basement for over thirty years, waiting for someone who was interested in the story.

What are the chances that “someone” would be me and I would dedicate the book to him?
People often ask why I bother with historical fiction. Why not write commercial fiction? Through historical fiction we find hidden histories and hidden heroes. We find stories that help us evaluate past tragedies and create hope for a more just future.

And sometimes, like this time, we find the most important story. Our own.
HOPE & SPIRIT was an extensive program of exhibits, film screenings, book signings, lectures and displays of original historical materials that took place at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago.

This exhibit continues to be available for viewing on the HOPE & SPIRIT website. Dr. Audrius Plioplys is fielding requests for the program to travel to other cities and countries. DVDs and CDs of the program are available for purchase.

For inquiries about Hope & Spirit contact Dr. Audrius Plioplys, email: plioplysav@gmail.com

Natural Cancer Fighters – Soursop Fruit

The Soursop Fruit – Drug Co’s Don’t want you to know

Why are we not aware of this? It’s because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.

So, since you know it now you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some soursop juice yourself as prevention from time to time. The taste is not bad after all. It’s completely natural and definitely has no side effects. If you have the space, plant one in your garden.
The other parts of the tree are also useful.

The next time you have a fruit juice, ask for a sour sop.

How many people died in vain while this billion-dollar drug maker concealed the secret of the miraculous Graviola tree?
This tree is low and is called graviola in Brazil , guanabana in Spanish and has the uninspiring name “soursop” in English. The fruit is very large and the subacid sweet white pulp is eaten out of hand or, more commonly, used to make fruit drinks, sherbets and such.

The principal interest in this plant is because of its strong anti-cancer effects. Although it is effective for a number of medical conditions, it is its anti tumor effect that is of most interest. This plant is a proven cancer remedy for cancers of all types.

Besides being a cancer remedy, graviola is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent for both bacterial and fungal infections, is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders.

If there ever was a single example that makes it dramatically clear why the existence of Health Sciences Institute is so vital to Americans like you, it’s the incredible story behind the Graviola tree.

The truth is stunningly simple: Deep within the Amazon
Rainforest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.

Research shows that with extracts from this miraculous tree it now may be possible to:
* Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss
* Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections
* Feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment
* Boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America ‘s largest drug manufacturers, the fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970′s! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing… Extracts from the tree were shown to:

* Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.
* The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!
* What’s more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectivelyhunts
down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells!

The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched–so why haven’t you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is as half as promising as it appears to be–why doesn’t every single oncologist at every major hospital insist on using it on all his or her patients?

The spine-chilling answer illustrates just how easily our health–and for many, our very lives(!)–are controlled by money and power.

Graviola–the plant that worked too well

One of America’s biggest billion-dollar drug makers began a search for a cancer cure and their research centered on Graviola, a legendary healing tree from the Amazon Rainforest.

Various parts of the Graviola tree–including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit-seeds–have been used for centuries by medicine men and native Indians in South America to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems and arthritis. Going on very little documented scientific evidence, the company poured money and resources into testing the tree’s anti-cancerous properties–and were shocked by the results. Graviola proved itself to be a cancer-killing dynamo.

But that’s where the Graviola story nearly ended.

The company had one huge problem with the Graviola tree–it’s completely natural, and so, under federal law, not patentable. There’s no way to make serious profits from it.

It turns out the drug company invested nearly seven years trying to
synthesize two of the Graviola tree’s most powerful anti-cancer ingredients. If they could isolate and produce man-made clones of what makes the Graviola so potent, they’d be able to patent it and make their money back. Alas, they hit a brick wall. The original simply could not be replicated. There was no way the company could protect its profits–or even make back the millions it poured into research.

As the dream of huge profits evaporated, their testing on Graviola came to a screeching halt. Even worse, the company shelved the entire project and chose not to publish the findings of its research!

Luckily, however, there was one scientist from the Graviola research team whose conscience wouldn’t let him see such atrocity committed. Risking his career, he contacted a company that’s dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and blew the whistle.

Miracle unleashed
When researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola, they began tracking the research done on the cancer-killing tree. Evidence of the astounding effectiveness of Graviola–and its shocking cover-up–came in fast and furious….

….The National Cancer Institute performed the first scientific research in 1976. The results showed that Graviola’s “leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells.” Inexplicably, the results were published in an internal report and never released to the public…

…Since 1976, Graviola has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, yet no double-blind clinical trials–the typical benchmark mainstream doctors and journals use to judge a
treatment’s value–were ever initiated…

A study published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at “10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin…”

The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. Unlike chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells), causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

A study at Purdue University recently found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung
cancers. Seven years of silence broken–it’s finally here!

A limited supply of Graviola extract, grown and harvested by indigenous people in Brazil, is finally available in America.

The full Graviola Story–including where you can get it and how to use it–is included in Beyond Chemotherapy: New Cancer Killers, Safe as Mother’s Milk, a Health Sciences Institute FREE special bonus report on natural substances that will effectively revolutionize the fight against cancer.
This crucial report (along with five more FREE reports) is yours ABSOLUTELY FREE with a new membership to the Health Sciences Institute. It’s just one example of how absolutely vital each report from the Institute can be to your life and those of your loved ones.

From breakthrough cancer and heart research and revolutionary Amazon Rainforest herbology to world-leading anti-aging research and nutritional medicine, every monthly Health Sciences Institute Member’s Alert puts in your hands today cures the rest of America –including your own doctor (!)–is likely to find out only ten years from now.

Hoax or Fact:
Mixture of hoax and facts.

Analysis:
The message claims that Graviola, also called Soursop is a miraculous, natural cancer cell killer which is 10,000 times stronger than Chemotherapy. It is a fact that Soursop has certain health benefits, attributed to its anti-parasitic, anti-microbial and anti-depressive properties, and recent studies have shown that it MAY have chemotherapeutic potential, but the part of the message saying it is natural cancer cell killer, 10,000 times stronger than Chemotherapy, is a certain hoax.

Soursop (scientific name – Annona muricata), also called Graviola (Portuguese), is a fruit that generally grows in the rain forests of Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. It has other names like thorny custard apple, cherimoya and brazilian pawpaw. In various languages, this fruit is referred as: guanabana (Spanish), corossol (French), aluguntugui (Ghana), sorsaka (Papiamento), adunu (Acholi), guyabano, guanavana, durian benggala, nangka blanda, sirsak, toge-banreisi, nangka londa and zuurzak. In India, it is less known as shul-ram-fal and hanuman fal, and as mullaatha in Malayalam. The bark, leaves, root and fruits of this tree are used for traditional remedies in many countries. Graviola extracts are used for treating infections of viruses or parasites, rheumatism, arthritis, diarrhea, dysentery, depression and sickness.

The idea that Soursop can fight cancer effectively started after a research at Purdue University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The research concluded that the active components of the tree are a unique phytochemical substances known as annonaceous acetogenins, which MAY have chemotherapeutic potential, especially with regard to multi drug-resistant cancer cells. But these tests were only confined to test tubes, no large scale clinical trials were conducted on humans to determine the safety and efficacy of Graviola for treating cancer. Therefore, there is no significant evidence to show that Soursop works as a cure for cancer. Even Wikipedia says the same.

There is evidence indicating that the fruit’s extracts selectively inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells by downregulating expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in vitro and in a mouse model, but the effect has not been studied in humans.

Moreover, studies show that use of Soursop can have certain adverse effects in some people, especially movement disorders and nerve damage that is similar to Parkinson’s disease, which is due to the very high concentration of annonacin. Graviola also has few other side effects like lowering the blood pressure, so it should not be taken by people with low blood pressure or heart complications. The antimicrobial properties of Soursop can also kill beneficial bacteria on the skin, in the vagina and gut, which can lead to infections in long term use.
Therefore, the message saying that Graviola, i.e Soursop is 10,000 times more effective cancer killer than chemo is a hoax. However, you can find thousands of websites online selling it as a miracle fruit. We advise people not to believe them blindly, but consult a doctor or oncologist before using it.