Natural Remedies / Appalachian Folklore

Hosted byGeorge Noory

Natural Remedies / Appalachian Folklore

About the show

In the first half, Dr. Joel Wallach discussed the human body and its ability to achieve healing from chronic conditions through natural remedies and supplements. Criticizing conventional medicine's approach to ailments like arthritis, he said that many conditions can be improved through nutrition and lifestyle changes. He emphasized the need to avoid fried food, processed meat, oil, gluten, and sugar to prevent diseases, as well as carbonated drinks which can interfere with the digestive process. Dr. Wallach also addressed concerns about muscular dystrophy in a caller's family, asserting that many neurological diseases could be prevented and even reversed with proper nutrition. He reiterated, "If you're not getting the nutrients in your diet, or if you're eating stuff that interferes with the absorption of nutrients, like gluten, you're in trouble."

According to Wallach, there is an alarming connection between diet and cancer, particularly prostate and liver cancers. He cited the dangers of peanuts, claiming they are often contaminated with a harmful fungus, Aspergillus flavus, which produces a toxin called aflatoxin that can lead to cancer. "You can't taste or smell it," he added. A caller, John, shared his experience with celiac disease, an auto-immune disorder, and how eliminating gluten significantly improved his health.

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In the latter half, sci-fi and horror author Mark Muncy shared his passion for Appalachian folklore, cryptids, and eerie legends surrounding the Smoky Mountains (view related illustrations). His research methodology involves collaborating with historians, Cherokee storytellers, and paranormal investigators, piecing together folklore with historical facts. "The Appalachians are probably one of the darkest places on the planet," he stated, highlighting the mountains' ancient history and the haunting stories that emerge from the region. He recounted the "Lightning Lady" tale from Cades Cove, where two brides in the same house were struck by lightning, and delved into various entities from Cherokee mythology, such as Spear Finger, a shape-shifting witch known for stealing livers and the "Moon-Eyed People," a mysterious pale-skinned race said to live in caves.

Another captivating tale he shared was about the "Boojum," a legendary wild man or Sasquatch who was said to have lived in the Smokies. The settler version tells of a creature who dug for gems to win the love of a hotel worker named Annie, while the Cherokee version adds depth, with the creature trading gems for moonshine, and wearing a hat given to him by the tribe. The discussion turned to ghost stories, including Dark Aggie, a terrifying entity with a skeletal face seen by many ghost hunters in the Old Gray Cemetery in Knoxville, the haunting of Lucy from the Roaring Fork area-- a hitchhiking ghost who tragically died in a fire, and the apparition of Zelda Fitzgerald, who reportedly wanders the grounds of a former mental health facility in Asheville.

News segment guests: John Truman Wolfe, John M. Curtis

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