Free Republic

Mistletoe extract has been widely used to support cancer therapy and improve quality of life, but there has been a lack of clinical trials to support its use. Researchers completed what is believed to be the first phase I trial of intravenous Helixor M in the U.S. aimed at determining dosing for subsequent clinical trials and to evaluate safety. Channing Paller, M.D. also documented improved quality of life and some disease control. Mistletoe extract (ME), known as Helixor M, was studied in 21 patients with advanced and treatment-resistant cancers of various types. The phase I trial used dose escalation to...

A guide to "inclusive" Christmas decorations created by Cornell University warns that any decorations that remotely evoke religion, which includes stars and mistletoe, are incompatible with the school's commitment to diversity. The guidelines are buried inside a Cornell publication concerning fire safety guidelines for holiday decorations, and were first noticed by the website Campus Reform. The first half of the document concerns certain banned fire hazards, such as candles and metallic Christmas trees. The second half of the document, though, veers off into a discussion of how to make the Christmas season more "inclusive." "University members are reminded to be...

A young entrepreneur was baffled when a Portland security guard thwarted her attempt to help her father pay for her braces by selling mistletoe - but told her she could beg, instead. Madison Root, 11, arrived bright and early at Portland Saturday Market, setting up a sign and basket next to the Skidmore Fountain in the downtown area to sell her wares to the crowds. ... Madison Root knew her upcoming orthodontic work would be expensive, and wanted to contribute. She spent Friday cutting mistletoe at her uncle's farm in Newberg, then wrapped it in clear cellophane and tied it...

SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Australia (CBSDC) – Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia have found another purpose for mistletoe – apart from helping potential suitors steal kisses around the holidays. Mistletoe could also be used to help the effectiveness of chemotherapy, or could even act as an alternative to chemotherapy for treatment of colon cancer, according to Newswise. The American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. noted on its official website that colorectal cancers are preventable – as many as 45 percent of occurrences could be curbed with dietary and habit modifications. Despite that fact, the news of a...

THE CHRISTMAS SONG JINGLE BELL ROCK IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER LET IT SNOW UP ON THE HOUSETOP GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER I'M GETTIN' NOTHIN' FOR CHRISTMAS ======================================================================= MIDI - I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS I saw Hillary kiss Santa Claus...underneath the mistletoe last night It's long and really wet...did she like it...well, you bet What I saw those two doing, I don't think I can forget Oh, I saw Hillary kiss Santa Claus...what they did next really made me sick Something was wrong right from the start...'cause...

Fruitcake: treasured Christmas tradition or hefty holiday menace? That's a question you've probably answered for yourself. Here's a harder one: Why did eating fruitcake become a holiday tradition in the first place? Or drinking eggnog for that matter? Or buying poinsettias? We all know why we do these things. We do them because, well, because we've always done them ... Oh, all right, we don't have a clue why we do them. Who has the time to research that? We do. So sit back and have some eggnog as we answer these and other holiday questions you may have wondered...