It also stated that despite the normal mindset, baby boomers are more educated than the younger generation and that nearly 70% are not yet retired.

The point that we are trying to get across here is that there are many aging baby boomers who are use to a relatively good standard of living. They do not want and will not give that up easily. This brings us back full circle. The economic down turn has brought about a certain amount of hoarding and a goodly amount of speculation. Gold is part of this speculation and it rightly should be. Last time in part #4 ‘High MS Coins for Speculation – The Wrong Road for the Wrong Reasons’ was covered. Counterfeiting and other scams of numismatic coins will be covered in this section as related by Kal Gronvall’s ‘Gold, and How to Avoid the Scams in the Coin Industry’.
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High MS Numismatic Coins and Counterfeiting

The price of the high mint state numismatic coins is not the only red flag flying in front of you if you are considering buying one of these expensive coins. The other red flag is that these coins are easier to counterfeit than lower grade coins. Why? Because there are two basic ways to determine if a coin is counterfeited, by measuring its circumference and by weighing it. The scary part of buying one of these coins is, that when they are graded, either by PCGS or by NGC, or in-house by a coin company, they encapsulate them in plastic, thereby eliminating the possibility of measuring the coin’s circumference and its weight. If you find yourself the unfortunate victim of having bought one or more of these expensive MS coins, you will be faced with the stark reality of how to determine the coin’s authenticity if there is no way to check either the coin’s circumference or its weight? That’s why there is big money in counterfeiting. Imagine some shysters taking an ounce of gold, adding some copper alloy and minting an MS65 $20 Liberty that they can sell to the unsuspecting public for $3,500 to $10,000. Not a bad profit when you consider that they have about $650 per coin in materials.

Now you might ask the question, “If the two independent grading firms grade every coin from MS61 and above, how can a counterfeit coin get passed them?” That’s a good question. I’m not saying that these companies are dishonest, but I personally talked to a man many years ago whose brother works for one of these two firms. I won’t mention the name of the firm for obvious reasons. One day one of the largest coin wholesalers in the country sent several old gold coins to his firm and told them to grade the coins MS65. The company, without grading the coins, obediently encapsulated them in their official plastic cases, certified them MS65, and sent them back.

Giving gold bullion coins a grade, like the gold American Eagle or the platinum American Eagle, is another scam technique that some gold bullion dealers use. The rule is that only old United States collector coins can be graded. Gold bullion coins do not have any collector value, and are, therefore, not worth a penny more than bullion value. It is a scam to grade them because it does not increase their value or make them a numismatic coin. A few years ago a lady sent me a list of the coins she had bought from a gold bullion dealer in Texas. She had bought two 1999 gold American Eagle sets, a $5 coin, a $10 coin, a $25 coin and a $50 coin. These coin sets were graded by one of the two independent grading firms. And each of these coins was in a plastic case. There were no grades on these coins, but they were in official plastic cases. The amount of bullion gold among the four coin sets was 1.85 ounces, worth approximately $520 at that time. She paid $2,400 for the four coins, or $1,880 in premium for coins that had no numismatic value. She also bought a one ounce, 1998 Platinum American Eagle from the same company, and it was graded MS69 and certified and encapsulated by one of these two firms. She paid twice what she needed to for the bullion platinum coin. The coin company had convinced her that it was a rare coin because it had been certified by one of these two firms. One of my suppliers explained to me how this scam works. Coin companies will send 10 or 20 coins of these bullion coins to these firms and tell them to pick the best four or five coins and put them in plastic cases and grade them at MS65 to MS69. These firms get about $20 a coin to do the dirty work, so it is a good money maker for everyone involved, except, of course, for the buyer.

The Churn and Burn

Another common scamming technique is called the churn and burn. If you have purchased some American numismatic gold coins in the mid-grades, Very Fine, Extra Fine, or Almost Uncirculated, which are the kind of gold coins you should have for wealth preservation, beware of companies that try to convert those coins into expensive, high MS numismatic gold coins. The process is called churning. They will tell you that the lightly circulated numismatic gold coins that you have will not be considered collector coins in a possible confiscation – the government will look at them as bullion and confiscate them. They then tell you that only the high MS coins, which are for collectors and speculators only, will be considered collector items in a confiscation. They will then try to persuade you to convert or reposition those coins into investor coins. Don’t ever do that. One woman in Nebraska had 93 ounces of lightly circulated Extra Fine $20 Liberties. She had the right coins for wealth preservation. Then a very good “Christian company” got a hold of her on the phone and churned and burned. When these vultures were done with her, they had converted her 93 ounces of numismatic gold into 51 ounces of expensive, high MS numismatic gold coins. She lost 42 ounces of gold, which, in an economic crisis, could amount to a tremendous fortune.

A Remedy for the Churn and Burn

The unfortunate victims who were deceived into buying these high mint-state numismatic gold coins for $2,000 to $10,000 per coin, when the dollar fails, will have to break them out of their plastic cases and use them simply for their gold content. In that day, no one is going to even think about buying your expensive numismatic coins for two to three times what you paid for them. At that point you will know what that gold company or that gold broker has done to you, but it will be too late. Ninety-nine percent of the people who buy gold are not collectors. They are just common people who have converted some imaginary money or paper money into real money as a hedge against bad times. In fact, in my 10 years in the coins business I have only run into four or five actual coin collectors.

Till Next Time,

George Hollis

Now, with the increase in the price of gold and silver, aging babyboomers are trying to familiarize themselves with the different avenues presented to them. The use of coin speculation is one of those avenues and that is what we will look at today.
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High MS Coins for Speculation – The Wrong Road for the Wrong Reasons

One of the two biggest scam techniques in the coin industry is the recommendation by unscrupulous coin shops for people to buy high mint state (MS) numismatic (having collector or antique value) coins for investment purposes. They tell you that these high, MS numismatic coins are a tremendous speculative investment. And when gold goes up in an economic crisis these high mint state coins will appreciate tremendously in value, and you will be able to sell them and make a lot of money. Well, that sounds all right on the surface, but when you examine the logic of it all, it is complete foolishness. Why? First of all, the only reason to buy gold is for wealth preservation, so that in an economic crisis you would have some real money in your possession when our fiat (false or paper) money system collapses, or we get into hyperinflation, or the stock market crashes. The very last thing you would ever want to do when our electronic and paper money system is collapsing is to sell your gold and turn it back into worthless paper money. This doesn’t make sense at all, but that is what these coin companies are telling you to do.

The Two Independent Grading Firms – PCGS & NGC

Now we will take a look at some of the things you should know about grading and some of the scam tactics of coin companies. First, a little explanation about grading coins and the two independent grading firms is necessary. During the 1980 panic into gold, great numbers of people were buying gold as a hedge against inflation. As a result of that run on gold, many coin shops sprung up around the country. Every coin company graded its own coins in-house. Naturally, the temptation to over-grade the coins was hard to resist, and almost every coin shop was guilty of doing it. The coin grading system starts at the bottom of the ladder with VF for Very Fine, EF for Extra Fine, AU for Almost Uncirculated, MS60, for Mint State (MS)60, all the way through MS70.

The way it works is, the higher the number, or grade up the ladder, the better the condition of the coin, and the more premium you pay for it. Coin certification starts with MS61. Certification simply means that the coin has been professionally graded by an independent grading firm to guarantee its grade. A certified coin is graded, encapsulated in a clear plastic case to protect the quality of the coin, and stamped with the insignia of the independent grading firm which graded it. The problem in the coin industry in the early 80’s was that every coin company was certifying its own coins. For example, a person could buy an MS65 $20 gold piece from one company for roughly $2,500, and take it across the street to another coin company. They would look at it, bad-mouth it, and say that it wasn’t even an MS61, and offer you $850 for it, a $1,650 difference in price from the coin shop across the street. As you can imagine, this in-house grade inflation was bringing a lot of consternation and reproach to the coin industry, and everybody’s credibility was suffering.

In-house grading continued until the mid-1980’s, when two independent grading firms came into existence, Professional Coin Grading Service, or PCGS, and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, or NGC. In order to standardize and stabilize grading in the coin industry these two grading firms would certify every coin MS61 and above. Once either PCGS or NGC grades a coin, then the person who bought it is guaranteed that grade anywhere in the country – no fights, no hassles, no questions asked. A specific rule to remember is: if you ever buy an MS61 or above coin, either PCGS or NGC must grade it. If it is not, don’t buy it – the grade is not guaranteed.
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More Next Time,

George Hollis

Aging baby boomers have been turning a year older at the fantastic rate of 10,000 a day. They are looking for investment opportunities in these hard economic times. Consequently, there are plenty of opportunistic people ready to take advantage of those who are simply looking to survive.

I have been very slow in posting the remaining sections but will attempt to continue on with all due diligence, so, here we go.

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The Gold Rush of 1980 and Central Bank Strategy

As a little history about gold in America, we were on the gold standard from 1850 to 1933, and gold coins were legal tender in our country during that period of time. In 1933, Roosevelt confiscated gold. From 1933 to 1971, it was illegal for Americans to own gold. In 1971, it became legal again for Americans to own gold, but not much interest in gold was generated until 1980. In 1980, we were going through a period of double digit inflation and double digit interest rates. People panicked, and they fled into gold as security or a hedge against rampant inflation. Gold jumped from $325 an ounce to $850 an ounce in less than four months. Silver also rocketed to over $50 an ounce during that same period of time. Now ask yourself these questions: What were people doing in the midst of that economic crisis? Were they buying gold or selling it to make money? Ninety-nine percent of the people were buying it, not selling it. It didn’t matter how much they had to pay for it. They just wanted some real money, some economic security.

Before 1980, gold used to be a barometer of the stock market. When the market was up, gold was down, and when the market was down, gold was up. After what happened to gold in 1980, the central bankers learned the hard way that they can’t let gold be a barometer of the stock market anymore. So, now, the rule of thumb is, the more severe the economic situation right in front of us, the more they suppress the price of gold, keep it down, and bad-mouth it in the media. It is all a matter of control, and the central bankers have the power to control gold prices. But their power is limited. All we need is another economic crisis and a panic, and the common people will flee into gold again. When that happens, the central bankers will not be able to control the gold price any more, and it will go out of sight. In fact, I have been talking to gold analysts for almost 10 years, and they are all telling me the same thing. Gold has been suppressed and depressed for so long, and there is so much pressure on gold, that when it does break, it will jump $25 to $50 a time, and nobody will be able to stop it.

Cost to Get Gold Out of the Ground, and Goldman, Sachs’ Gold Purchase

We are now poised on the edge of the next run into gold. Why do I say this? Because the central bankers virtually destroyed the gold mining industry from 1997 to the year 2000 by suppressing the price of gold so far down that most of the gold mines in the world were out-of-profit and had to close down. For example, the cost to get gold out of the ground is about $320 an ounce for over half the gold mines in the world. The break-even point for about 75% of the mines in the world is $275 an ounce. In August of 1999 gold hit $252 an oz., and at that point, almost 90% of the mines around the world were out-of-profit. As a result, most of the gold mines in the world were forced to close down during that time because they couldn’t make a profit. Consequently, as a result of most of the mines closing, world production of gold in 2007 will be the lowest it has been since 1931, and when the next run on gold hits, the short supply will disappear immediately, and the price of gold will skyrocket.

How do I know this? Simply follow the big boys’ lead and you can tell what is going to happen. They establish trends and manipulate the markets everywhere, just like the Fed controls the stock market. As an interesting aside, Alan Greenspan, in a 1996 speech he made in Belgium, came right out to say, “We (the Fed) get into the market any time we feel there is going to be a correction to hurt us.” In fact, have you ever noticed that at the end of the day, if the market is down 100 or 200 points, that it usually rebounds and ends on a positive note, or with just a small loss? Well, that is the mode of operation of the Fed behind the scenes, stepping in to buy stocks, securities, treasuries, bonds, anything it wants just to shore up the market before the end of the day. They usually do it incognito through a brokerage firm like Goldman, Sachs, or Edward Jones, or Smith Barney.

Getting back to the big boys. I don’t know how many people remember, but a number of years ago Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men in the world, bought 20% of the world’s above-ground silver with 2% of his wealth. It was big news in the media. He bought the silver for speculation, of course, because of the nickel, cadmium, silver battery that was coming up. And the whole world heard about it. Why? Because silver is an industrial metal, and they don’t care who hears about an industrial metal.

At the end of 1999, Goldman, Sachs & Co. made a big move into gold, but nobody knew about it. They wanted to keep it as quiet as possible. Most people don’t know this, but the Director of Goldman, Sachs is Warren Buffet. In August, 1999, Goldman, Sachs bought $124 million worth of gold from the New York Mercantile Exchange warehouses, which was half the gold in the Exchange, and they took physical possession of it. The brief article in the Los Angeles Times went on to say that Goldman bought the gold because they anticipate a gold shortage in the future because of reduced mine output. How better to know what is going to happen than to watch the big boys’ moves and imitate them in our own small way. A week later, Prudential Insurance bought
$43 million worth of gold from the Exchange for a client, and they also took physical possession of it. Two things are significant here. First, the big boys are moving into commandeering above-ground gold. Secondly, and far more important, is the fact that they want to keep it as quiet as possible. Why? Because gold is the world’s only monetary metal, and they don’t want anyone to know that they are buying it. But this move into gold is far more significant than Buffet’s buying the silver several years ago. That small article about the Goldman, Sachs gold purchase was found in the Business Briefs section of the Los Angeles Times on page 17 under the want ads. Now we’ll take a look at some of the scams in the coin industry.
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Next time we will look at the coin scams.

Aging Baby Boomers Stay Secure,

George Hollis

Baby boomers have been looking for investment opportunities in these hard economic times. Consequently, there are plenty of opportunistic people ready to take advantage of those who are simply looking to survive.

This post is relatively short but I promise there will be more next time.

Is Gold Manipulated?

Now that we have established that the powers-that-be have other motives towards us in regard to gold, let’s consider a few of their tactics to accomplish this objective. Is the price of gold actually manipulated or is it just another one of those unfounded conspiracy theories? I have read many different things about the price of gold being manipulated by the central bankers. One of the most direct quotes comes from that book on The Secrets of the Federal Reserve by Eustace Mullins. Also in Chapter 5, it says, “All of them (the big bankers) maintain close relationships with the House of Rothschild, principally through the Rothschild control of international money markets through its manipulation of the price of gold. Each day, the world price of gold is set in the London office of N.M. Rothschild and Company.”

Almost a decade ago I heard the truth about gold manipulation right from the horse’s mouth himself. At that time I was working as a gold broker for a large coin company in Minneapolis. One day during the summer of 1998, the president of the Austrian Mint gave a speech to us brokers. The Austrian Mint mints the Austrian Philharmonic, one of the most beautiful and popular gold bullion coins in the world. In the middle of 1998, the fears about Y2K were intense, and Americans were buying a lot of gold. In fact, in 1998, Americans bought more gold than they did the previous 10 years combined, yet the price of gold kept falling. It didn’t make any sense. At the end of his speech, one of the brokers made an observation and asked the president of the Austrian Mint a question. The broker said, “The demand for gold is severe, but the price of gold keeps coming down. We have heard that gold is manipulated. Is that true?” The president of the Austrian Mint paused a few seconds and said: “Yes, gold is manipulated. That’s true. It has nothing to do with supply and demand. The price of gold is set every day by a handful of individuals among three central banks, the Federal Reserve, London, and Germany.” Now we know who they are.

Till Next Time

George Hollis

Gold, and How to Avoid the Scams in the Coin Industry

By Kal Gronvall

Introduction

One of the least understood concepts or commodities in our Western society is gold and precious metals. In almost every country in the world gold is revered, prized, and sought after. Throughout history, a king’s wealth was measured in the amount of gold in his storehouse or treasury. Look at the Asian countries, or India. A person’s wealth is measured in terms of how much gold he or she possesses. Central banks around the world hold tons of gold in their vaults as a backing for their paper currency. The Euro is currently backed by 15% in gold, and they are talking about possibly increasing it to 30%. The Federal Reserve has tons of gold in its vaults. But of course, that is not government gold, it is private gold. Gold has maintained its purchasing power throughout its 5,000-year track record, as the world’s only monetary metal. Gold is financial security. For years, portfolio managers have recommended a minimum of 10% to 20% of one’s total net worth in gold as a hedge against inflation or as a safety net in the event that our paper money system collapses.

But why don’t we hear anything positive about gold in the media? Why is it almost impossible to get any information about gold? Is there a conspiracy to withhold this information from the American public? Why is it important to own gold? Who should own gold? What kind of gold is best for me? What is the best place to store gold? How can I educate myself about gold and gold companies so I don’t get burned? Are there some general principles on how to buy gold? How can I avoid the scams or rip-off techniques of unscrupulous coin companies? Which companies are the worst scam artists? If you’ve been scammed by a coin company, is there any recourse? We will be answering all these questions and more in this paper. We will also tell a few tragic stories of people who have fallen into the hands of these gold company charlatans.

Understanding Gold, Greenspan, and Control

In order to get a handle on the gold market we need to understand a few basic principles about gold. Gold is the money of the Scriptures and, consequently, has been financial security for over 5,000 years. Consider the words of one of the most powerful men in our country, Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Most people don’t know this, but in the 1960’s and ‘70’s Greenspan was the biggest gold bug in the country. He was always espousing the gold standard and the value of holding gold over fiat money.

Here are a few selected quotes about gold from Alan Greenspan, “You always have to ask the question why is it that central banks hold so much gold which earns them no interest and which costs them money to store. The answer is obvious: they consider it of significant value, and indeed they consider it the ultimate means of payment, one which does not require any form of endorsement.” “Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the ‘hidden’ confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights.”

So why don’t we hear good things about gold like this in the media? Is it a conspiracy to hide or cover up or withhold this information from us? Could the government possibly have other motives? Is there a reason they don’t want us to own gold? A possible answer to that question came from Thomas Jefferson, who years ago said, “If you can control the currency of a nation you can control its people.” Listen to the attitude of Baron Nathan Mayer de Rothschild. In a quote from a book The Secrets of the Federal Reserve, by Eustace Mullins, Chapter 5, The House of Rothschild, he said “I care not what puppet is placed upon the throne of England to rule the Empire on which the sun never sets. The man that controls Britain’s money supply controls the British Empire, and I control the British money supply.” The big money people in this country who run the country behind the scenes know that gold is the world’s only money. And if they can keep the common people out of gold then they can control them during economic crises.

Just how do they control the common people to keep them out of gold? We will be covering who they are very shortly. First, they suppress the price of gold. By keeping the price of gold down they make it appear to be worthless. Secondly, they use a reverse psychology campaign against gold in the media, saying, “What do you want gold for? It doesn’t pay interest or dividends. It is a barbaric relic. It is a thing of the past. It will never be any good anymore.” Americans are constantly bombarded by this negative propaganda against gold, and it has been very effective. The end result: most Americans don’t own any gold, and don’t want to own any gold.

So, what is their intent? It comes back to the word control. What happens in economic crises when our paper currency fails and the stock market collapses? People whose assets are all dollar denominated will lose everything. When that happens, they can tell you which bread line or soup line to stand in. People who have a good percentage of gold in their possession will become wealthy overnight. That means that they will have to talk to you then, because you will be one of them, and that’s the last thing they want to do. So, at all costs, they want to keep you out of gold. Without gold you have no financial security for yourself or for your family.

Find out next time how gold is being manipulated.

George Hollis

Here’s the story. It was Easter and the little town of Sturgis, Kentucky always had sponsored activities of one sort or another going on. Today, if you are a motorcycle enthusiast, I’m sure you have heard of the ‘Little Sturgis’ motorcycle rally. It is held at the Sturgis Airport just outside the town of 2500 people. Back then, one of the activities was a county Easter egg hunt. Any and all of the kids from who knows where was invited to come and hunt.

We lived on an off road across a couple of big fields from the airport. My older brothers and a cousin decided that the best way of going to that Easter egg hunt was to just walk across the fields. Find out what time it started and a three quarter of a mile walk across the fields and we are there, right in the middle of one of the biggest egg hunts around.

The day finally arrives and we wait as long as we can. The excitement over takes us and we get permission from the folks and take off. We talk about all the eggs that we will gather and what about the ‘golden egg’?

Whoever finds the golden egg gets a special prize given by the sponsors. We all edged forward toward the hunt and each took his turn trying to guess what the special prize would be. The way we figured it, that prize was as good as ours.

There were about four or five of us and we were rather carefree as we walked. All of a sudden, we began to notice Easter eggs lying in the grass. There were eggs everywhere. We began to pick them up and put them into our bags. We had big bags because of big hopes. They quickly began to fill up. We had hit the ‘mother load’. The only thing that was lacking was the elusive golden egg.

We had spent several minutes and just about loaded our bags when we noticed a couple cars speeding in our direction. We patiently waited to see what the people in the cars were in such a hurry for. When they got there and to our great surprise, four or five men jumped out of the cars and with extremely angry voices exclaimed “What are you boys doing here? What do all of you think you are doing?”!

With the best of my remembrance, we simply replied “We are hunting Easter eggs”. I then heard one of the men say something to the effect of just throw’em anywhere, it is almost time to start. They grabbed the bags out of our arms and began throwing those eggs everywhere. We just stared in amazement and thought ‘There goes our mother load’ or something like that.

After the men had talked and given us a few mean looks, they finally agreed to let us ride back with them to the starting place right before the egg hunt ‘officially started’. We lined up to begin the hunt and as I remember was put in the rear of the group. The hunt started and from the rear and at my age all I could do was to watch all those eggs being picked up like a giant vacuum cleaner going across that field.

It seemed like just a matter of minutes and it was over. This baby boomer did not find that golden egg and the big surprise that came with it. As a matter of fact I had a grand total of….zero. Yep, I went from mother load to no load. That is an Easter that I will remember for a long time.

The Best Of Easter

George Hollis

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I invite you to tell one of your own ‘Young Baby Boomer Stories’. Just fill in the contact information below and send it in. I will review it and just may post it on the blog.

The subject matter may be any situation that occurred in your young baby boomer years up to whenever. I normally write of funny or good ‘things’ but you be the judge.

Till Then,

George Hollis

Amygdalin, one of the compounds of nitriloside, is the compound that is the anti-cancer fighter. It was discovered and has been around for a little over one hundred years and has been considered non-toxic for that period of time.

Amygdalin/B 17 is contained in the kernels of seeds of most fruits and most are edible. Some of the more common fruits that contain the highest concentrations are apricots, apples, peaches, plums and cherries.

The Criticisms

The first criticism against it’s cancer fighting ability is that it simply
does not work. This view is based largely on the fact that in early research, too little amounts or doses were given to be effectual. By the 70’s, it was found that B 17 could be given intravenously and at levels up to 9000 mg’s daily.

Secondly, based on the first criticism, there had to be a cover up. Dr. Sugiura, while working for Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, spent five years researching laetrile for it’s effectiveness in fighting cancer.

The following was reported:

1. it helped to prevent cancer
2. it stopped metastasis in mice
3. it inhibited the growth of small tumors
4. it improved their general health
5. it provided relief from pain

A cover up was made in the form of numerous retrials using different criteria until they could publish the results they wanted, that laetrile did not work.

How It Works

Most all of us contain some cancer cells within our bodies. Cancer is a metabolic disease and must be fought and killed from within.
Amygdalin/laetrile/vitamin B17 has the ability to do just that.

Let’s also look now at the components of the operation. The body has normal cells that release an enzyme called rhodanese. The cancer cells in the body release an enzyme called beta-glucosidase. Amygdalin is composed of two molecules of glucose, hydrocyanic acid and benzaldehyde.

Beta-glucosidase, the cancer cell enzyme, causes amygdalin to break down into its two glucose molecules. The cyanic molecule promptly begins to attack the cancer cells, bonds to them and kills them. The body then begins to eliminate the dead cancer cells as a waste product.

Conversely, the enzyme rhodanese, does not break down the cyanic molecule of amygdalin. It also has a further built in safety function as well. As the enzyme encounters free cyanide molecules, a detoxification process begins to occur where the cyanide molecule is converted to thiocyanate, a non-toxic compound. It is then flushed from the body in the urine.

Cancer is believed to be just another disease such as scurvy, pellagra, beriberi and rickets. These diseases were cured by the simple addition of thiamine (vitamin B1) for beriberi, vitamin C for scurvy, the B vitamin, niacin for pellagra and vitamin D for rickets.

Why not an every day addition of vitamin B17 from the nitrilosides in the kernels of such fruits as apricots and apples to help cure cancer? Cancer is an ever increasing plague in the lives of baby boomers. Do your research and ask yourselves, why not add some good things to this baby boomer life.

To Your Better Health

George Hollis

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER REGARDING THIS SITE: Information on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation. Please consult an appropriate health care provider about the applicability of any opinions or suggestions with respect to your own symptoms or medical conditions.

You have to realize that for a red headed, shy, freckled faced boy from a family of eight boys and no girls that anything related to a girl was cause enough to get red faced. This story begins in the 1950’s at school when the teacher sends that note home instructing your parents that on such and such date the class will be exchanging the thing that causes it all, the ‘Be My Valentine’ cards.

The cards would be purchased, brought home and of course we had to be the one that wrote the note and signed the thing. Today, my grandchildren buy cards that are Sponge Bob, Bratz, Disney, Hanna Montana, Transformers, Spiderman and on and on. Back then, they were cards with hearts and a very personal message like ‘Be My Valentine’ or ‘Your My Valentine’ on them.

So there I sat with the list of all the kids in my class and the task would begin. First name up, Kathy, then there was Cindy and Marilyn and Polly and Bob…Bob! I didn’t want any of these to be my valentine especially Bob. What was I to say. Even if I just put my name on the blasted thing, it would still say ‘Be My Valentine’. What would they think? Would they think I wanted to be their boy friend and what about the boys?? It was enough to cause your brain to explode.

This had to be very carefully thought out but the harder I tried, nothing worked. That was part of the torture, trying to put just the right thing on the card without committing yourself. Then there is the day that the cards must be handed out. The way we did it was to take our nice little stacks of cards and go around person to person. The terrible thing about that was having to look at the other person (especially girls) knowing that when they opened the card, there it would be. ‘Be My valentine’ or even worse ‘Your My Valentine’ sticking out like a sore thumb.

Well the card exchanges all takes place and as the day wears on I think that I catch a glimpse here or there or a shy smile coming my way. Then there is Bob. Was that a frown, a smirk or a ‘I’ll get you later look’? Or, or were they all ‘Be My Valentine’ looks? Blush!

Happy Valentine’s Day

George Hollis

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I invite you to tell one of your own ‘Young Baby Boomer Stories’. Just fill in the contact information below and send it in. I will review it and just may post it on the blog.

The subject matter may be any situation that occurred in your young baby boomer years up to whenever. I normally write of funny or good ‘things’ but you be the judge.

Till Then,

George Hollis

One report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicates by 2030 that 70% of all reported cancer will be accounted to those people 65 years and older. That is an increase up from 61% and can only be attributed to aging baby boomers.

As baby boomers increase in age and incidence of cancer, so does the cost. It is estimated that the increase may be as high as 27 percent by 2020. I indicated in my last post that many are beginning to look at alternative forms of treatment, many of which involve herbs.

One such form of treatment is the Essiac Formula

The Essiac Formula is actually a combination of four herbs – Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm Bark and Turkish Rhubarb Root – all carefully prepared to create a tea that has been hailed as a very efficient herbal cure and/or holistic treatment for cancer for decades.

The below recipe and preparation is copied, however, it may also be viewed at the following location:

Rene Caisse & Essiac Story

THE RECIPE

* 6 1/2 cups cut up Burdock Root
* 1 pound powdered Sheep Sorrel
* 1/4 cup powdered Slippery Elm Bark
* 1 ounce powdered Turkish Rhubarb Root

[The burdock root should be cut up into pea-sized pieces - all other ingredients are powdered. Store ingredients in a dark, cool, dry place in sealed containers.]

The preparation of Essiac is as important as the formula itself. Essiac is a decoction, not an infusion. An infusion is what people do when they put a tea bag in a cup of hot water. Generally speaking, an infusion tends to extract vitamins and volatile oils. A decoction is used to extract minerals, etc. from roots, bark or seeds by boiling for ten minutes and then allowing the herbs to steep for several hours. Entrepreneurs often sell Essiac imitations in tincture form (herbs in alcohol) or in gelatin capsules; neither form is Essiac because Essiac is a decoction.

1. Using a stainless steel pot and lid, boil 1/2 cup of herb mix in one gallon of pure, unchlorinated water for ten minutes.

2. Turn off heat and allow herbs to steep for 12 hours.

3. Heat up tea to steaming, but not boiling. Allow herbs to settle a couple minutes.

4. Strain off hot liquid into sterilized canning jars. The remaining pulp can be used for healing poultices.

5. Refrigerate tea. For long-term storage use the boiling water bath canning method and store in a cool, dark, dry place.

6. For preventive purposes, people take 1 to 2 oz. (1/8 to 1/4 cup) per day diluted with about 1/2 cup hot water. Herbalists recommend increasing daily water intake due to diuretic and detoxifying action. People who are using Essiac to treat an illness or to eliminate toxins, sometimes take Essiac two or three times a day, depending on the situation. Do not eat or drink anything (except water) one hour before to one hour after taking Essiac; bedtime is recommended.

Make sure that the sheep sorrel you use is the small, wild variety of sheep sorrel and not a substitute like yellow dock or garden sorrel. Don’t use imported turkey rhubarb root. Many Essiac merchants are unaware of the quality of their herbs. The best way to insure that you’re getting true Essiac is to grow the herbs yourself. This puts you in control of product quality and takes out the commercialism. Burdock root is harvested in the fall of the first year. Slippery elm bark is wild crafted and is easy to buy, but should also be homegrown so it doesn’t become endangered. Turkey Rhubarb is the only herb in Essiac that cannot be wild crafted in the U.S. It is an attractive ornamental that can be grown in a flower bed or garden.

Next time I will list another alternative means to fight and/or treat cancer.

Until Then

George Hollis

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER REGARDING THIS SITE: Information on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation. Please consult an appropriate health care provider about the applicability of any opinions or suggestions with respect to your own symptoms or medical conditions.

It is the second leading cause of death in the United States with somewhere between 100 and 200 different types of cancer. The disease may invade any and every part of the body but lung cancer is the leading cause of death.

What scientist do know about the disease is that it is characterized by an abnormal growth of cells. The damage occurs when the cells divide in an uncontrollable way that causes lumps and tumors. One exception to this is leukemia. The abnormality in this type of cancer exist in the blood stream.

The mutation of cells resulting in cancer may be caused by external and internal factors. These factors would include such things as lifestyle habits (bad eating practices, smoking, constant lack of sleep), chemical, immune deficiencies, genetic and ect. The process of apoptosis, organized cell death, may sometimes be interrupted because of the factors and breaks the cycle of growth, division and death. Mutation then results and allows the disease to begin to grow.

Because of our advancing age, baby boomers are most at risk in the coming years. Medscape Medical News states “The aging of America will contribute to a 45% increase in the total number of annual cancer cases – from 1.6 million to 2.3 million – over the next 2 decades (from 2010 to 2030), according to a new cancer incidence report published online April 29 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.”

Scientists have now come to the knowledge that cancer is caused primarily by genetic changes that control the growth and death of cells. There is an exception or distinction to be made here. In the United States, only approximately 5% of cancers originate from inherited genetic mutations.

This, in my humble opinion, would indicate that cancer can be preventable or at least treatable. Baby boomers are now searching for an alternative cancer treatment. We are learning that herbs and holistic practices can play a huge part in it’s prevention and treatment.

In the next post or two, I intend to continue with some herbs and treatments that may be helpful in the prevention and/or treatment of some cancers.

To Your Health

George Hollis