A Compendium of Natural Approach To Healing Your Body Naturally And Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
PART I
NATURAL CURE AND NATURAL METHODS
OF TREATMENT
1. Principles And Practice Of Natural Cure
2. Fasting – The Master Remedy
3. Therapeutic Baths
4. Curative Powers Of Earth
5. Exercise In Health And Disease
6. Therapeutic Value Of Massage
7. Yoga Therapy
8. Healing Power Of Colours
9. Sleep: Restorative Of Tired Body And Mind
PART II
HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION
10. Optimum Nutrition For Vigour And
Vitality
11. Miracles Of Alkalizing Diet
12. Vitamins And Their Importance In
Health And Disease
13. Minerals And Their Importance In
Nutrition.
14. Amazing Power Of Amino Acids
15. Secrets Of Food Combining
16. Health Promotion The Vegetarian Way
17. Importance Of Dietary Fibre
18. Lecithin – An Amazing Youth Element
19. Role Of Enzymes In Nutrition.
20. Raw Juice Therapy
21. Sprouts For Optimum Nutrition
PART III
DISEASES AND THEIR NATURAL TREATMENT
Acne
Alcoholism
Allergies
Anaemia
Angina
Stable Angina
Anxiety
Appendicitis
Arteriosclerosis
Arthritis
Asthma
Athlete’s Foot
Backache
Bacterial Overgrowth
Bladder Infection
Bladder Infections in Children
Blisters
Breast Pain
Breast Cysts
Breast Feeding Problems
Bronchitis
CANCER
Cancer Absolute Cure
Canker Sores
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Colds and Flu
Cold Sores
Candida
Cataract
Cirrhosis of the Liver
Colitis
The Common Cold
Conjunctivitis
Constipation
Dandruff
Defective Vision
Depression
Diabetes
Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2
Diarrhoea
Dysentery
Eczema
Epilepsy
Endometriosis
Erectile Dysfunction
Falling of Hair
Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Gall-Bladder Disorders
Gastritis
Glaucoma
Gout
Gum Disease
Headaches and Migraine
Chronic Headaches
Heartburn
Hair Loss
Heart Disease
Hemicrania Continua
Hemorrhoids
High Blood Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure
Hives
Hydrocele
Hypochlorhydria
Hypoglycemia
Indigestion
Infertility
Influenza
Insect Bites and Stings
Insomnia
Jaundice
Jet Lag
Kidney Stones
Leucoderma
Libido Problems in Females
Liver Disease
Lyme’s Disease
Menopause
Migraine Headaches
Macular Degeneration
Wet Macular Degeneration
Memory Loss
Morning Sickness
Multiple Sclerosis
Nausea
Neuritis
Nepthritis
Obesity
Osteoarthritis Pain
Osteoporosis
Palpitation
Parasites
Peeling Skin
Peptic Ulcer
Piles
Premature Greying of Hair
Premenstrual Syndrome
Prostate Disorders
Psoriasis
Pyorrhoea
Retain Teeth and Lip Color
Rheumatism
Seasonal Allergies
Sexual Impotence
Sinusitis
Sinus Headaches
Stress
Sty
Thinness
Tonsillitis
Tuberculosis
Type 2 Diabetes
Ulcerative Colitis Remedies
Underweight
Urinary Tract Infections
Vaginal Yeast Infection
Varicose Veins
Venereal Diseases
Vomiting
Warts
Whooping Cough
Wrinkles
WOMEN’S PROBLEMS
Menstrual Disorders
Premenstrual Syndrome
Menopausal Problems
Childbirth the Natural Way
Habitual Abortion
Female Sterility
Leucorrhoea
Inflammation of the Uterus
Prolapse of the Uterus
Vaginitis
Pruritus Vulvae
Hysteria
Goiter
OTHER DISEASES
Cholera
Dermatitits
Hiatus Hernia
Intestinal Worms
Malaria
Whooping Cough
Halitosis
Measles
Mumps
Pleurisy
Pneumonia
Sore Throat
Cystitis
Back Pain Natural Therapy
Pink Eye (Conjuctivitis)
Nature cures, not the physician
– Hippocrates
Did you know that Interest in herbals and natural alternatives has been growing rapidly worldwide in recent years from the reported medical research and success stories from people who use herbs and other natural resources to treat diseases and conditions?
For example, did you know…?
• St. John’s Wort is widely used in the treatment of mild depression without the need for Prozac and it does not carry the side effects of Prozac.
• Some Ayurvedic Herbs are very useful for reducing cholesterol, diabetes and other conditions and diseases.
• Juniper Berries could get rid of yellow toenails
• Peppermint Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract can treat bacteria overgrowth
Inside this book, you will discover…
• Valuable information about maintaining optimal health and overcoming disease naturally.
• Natural herbs that help treat and cure common conditions and diseases
• Natural Remedies to treat hundreds of different conditions
• Nutrition and fitness strategies to help strengthen and improve your body
• And much more…
“A-Z Herbal Cure: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body, “is an essential reference book for anyone interested in maintaining optimal health and overcoming disease. The book contains concise and comprehensive listings of over hundred conditions. This book has quick and easy references to all the information you need to maintain excellent health the natural way.
Introduction
Herbal Medicine sometimes referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medical value. An herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medical, aromatic or savory qualities. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical substances that act upon the body.
Herbal medicine has been used for centuries. In fact, there has been evidence showing that herbal remedies have been around since the Neanderthal period about 60,000 years ago. Other evidence of the use of herbs for medical purposes has appeared in cave paintings estimated to have been made between 13,000 and 25,000 BC. Most of the synthetic prescription drugs made today is based on naturally occurring substances and capabilities found in plants.
In fact, many of the familiar pharmaceutical medications we use today were originally created from natural ingredients. Drugs like opium (from poppies), aspirin (from willow bark), digitalis (from foxglove) and quinine (from the cinchona tree.)
Herbal Medicine can be broadly classified into various basic systems: Traditional Chinese Herbalism, which is part of Traditional Oriental Medicine, Ayurvedic Herbalism, which is derived from Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism, which originally came from Greece and Rome to Europe and then spread to North and South America.
Chinese and Ayurvedic Herbalism have developed into highly developed systems of diagnosis and treatment over the centuries. Western Herbalism is today for the most part a system of folk medicine.
Interest in herbals and natural alternatives has been growing worldwide in recent years from the reported success stories from the use of herbs. For example, St. John’s Wort is widely used in the treatment of mild depression without the need for Prozac. St. John’s Wort does not have the side effects such as that of Prozac. Some Ayurvedic herbs are very useful for reducing cholesterol, diabetes, etc. Similarly, the popularity of Ginseng and Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) is rising due to its beneficial effects.
The Complete Herbal Pædia: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body is an essential reference book for anyone interested in maintaining optimal health and overcoming disease. The book contains concise and comprehensive listings of over 150 herbs and conditions. This book has quick and easy references to all the information you need to maintain excellent health the natural way.
PART I
NATURAL CURE AND NATURAL METHODS OF TREATMENT
Principles and Practice of Natural Cure
Nature Cures, not the Physician.
– Hippocrates
Natural cure is a constructive method of treatment which aims at removing the basic cause of disease through the rational use of the elements freely available in nature. It is not only a system of healing, but also a way of life, in tune with the internal vital forces or natural elements comprising the human body. It is a complete revolution in the art and science of living.
Although the term ‘naturopathy’ is of relatively recent origin, the philosophical basis and several of the methods of natural cure treatments are ancient. It was practised in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Hippocrates, the father of medicine (460-357 B.C.) strongly advocated it. India, it appears, was much further advanced in older days in natural healing system than other countries of the world. There are references in India’s ancient sacred books about the extensive use of nature’s excellent healing agents such as air, earth, water and sun. The Great Baths of the Indus Valley civilisation as discovered at Mohenjodaro in old Sind testifies to the use of water for curative purposes in ancient India.
The modern methods of natural cure originated in Germany in 1822, when Vincent Priessnitz established the first hydropathic establishment there. With his great success in water cure, the idea of drugless healing spread throughout the civilised world and many medical practitioners throughout the civilised world and many medical practitioners from America and other countries became his enthusiastic students and disciples. These students subsequently enlarged and developed the various methods of natural healing in their own way. The whole mass of knowledge was later collected under one name, Naturopathy. The credit for the name Naturopathy goes to Dr. Benedict Lust (1872 – 1945), and hence he is called the Father of Naturopathy.
Natural cure is based on the realisation that man is born healthy and strong and that he can stay as such as living in accordance with the laws of nature. Even if born with some inherited affliction, the individual can eliminate it by putting to the best use the natural agents of healing.
Fresh air, sunshine, a proper diet, exercise, scientific relaxation, constructive thinking and the right mental attitude, along with prayer and meditation all play their part in keeping a sound mind in a sound body.
Natural cure believes that disease is an abnormal condition of the body resulting from the violation of the natural laws. Every such violation has repercussions on the human system in the shape of lowered vitality, irregularities of the blood and lymph and the accumulation of waste matter and toxins. Thus, through a faulty diet it is not the digestive system alone which is adversely affected. When toxins accumulate, other organs such as the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs are overworked and cannot get rid of these harmful substances as quickly as they are produced.
Besides this, mental and emotional disturbances cause imbalances of the vital electric field within which cell metabolism takes place, producing toxins. When the soil of this electric filed is undisturbed, disease-causing germs can live in it without multiplying or producing toxins. It is only when it is disturbed or when the blood is polluted with toxic waste that the germs multiply and become harmful.
Basic Principles
The whole philosophy and practice of natural cure is built on three basic principles. These principles are based on the conclusions reached from over a century of effective naturopathic treatment of diseases in Germany, America and Great Britain. They have been tested and proved over and over again by the results obtained.
The first and most basic principle of natural cure is that all forms of disease are due to the same cause, namely, the accumulations of waste materials and bodily refuse in the system. These waste materials in the healthy individual are removed from the system through the organs of elimination. But in the diseased person, they are steadily piling up in the body through years of faulty habits of living such as wrong feeding, improper care of the body and habits contributing to enervation and nervous exhaustion such as worry, overwork and excesses of all kinds. It follows from this basic principle that the only way to cure disease is to employ methods which will enable the system to throw off these toxic accumulations. All natural treatments are actually directed towards this end.
The second basic principle of natural cure is that all acute diseases such as fevers, colds, inflammations, digestive disturbances and skin eruptions are nothing more than self-initiated efforts on the part of the body to throw off the accumulated waste materials and that all chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatism, asthma, kidney disorders, are the results of continued suppression of the acute diseases through harmful methods such as drugs, vaccines, narcotics and gland extracts.
The third principle of natural cure is that the body contains an elaborate healing mechanism which has the power to bring about a return to normal condition of health, provided right methods are employed to enable it to do so. In other words, the power to cure disease lies within the body itself and not in the hands of the doctor.
Natural Cure vs Modern System
The modern medical system treats the symptoms and suppresses the disease but does little to ascertain the real cause. Toxic drugs which may suppress or relieve some ailments usually have harmful side-effects. Drugs usually hinder the self-healing efforts of the body and make recovery more difficult. According to the late Sir William Osler, an eminent physician and surgeon, when drugs are used, the patient has to recover twice – once from the illness, and once from the drug.
Drugs cannot cure diseases; disease continues. It is only its pattern that changes. Drugs also produce dietary deficiencies by destroying nutrients, using them up, and preventing their absorption. Moreover, the toxicity they produce occurs at a time when the body is least capable of coping with it. The power to restore health thus lies not in drugs, but in nature.
The approach of modern system is more on combative lines after the disease has set in, whereas natural cure system lays greater emphasis on preventive method and adopts measures to attain and maintain health and prevent disease. The modern medical system treats each disease as a separate entity, requiring specific drug for its cure, whereas the natural cure system treats the organism as a whole and seeks to restore harmony to the whole of the patient’s being.
Methods of Natural Cure
The natural cure system aims at the readjustment of the human system from abnormal to normal conditions and functions, and adopts methods of cure which are in conformity with the constructive principles of nature. Such methods remove from the system the accumulation of toxic matter and poisons without in any way injuring the vital organs of the body. They also stimulate the organs of elimination and purification to better functioning.
To cure disease, the first and foremost requirement is to regulate the diet. To get rid of accumulated toxins and restore the equilibrium of the system, it is desirable to completely exclude acid-forming foods, including proteins, starches and fats, for a week or more and to confine the diet to fresh fruits which will disinfect the stomach and alimentary canal. If the body is overloaded with morbid matter, as in acute disease, a complete fast for a few days may be necessary for the elimination of toxins. Fruit juice may, however, be taken during a fast. A simple rule is: do not eat when you are sick, stick to a light diet of fresh fruits. Wait for the return of the usual healthy appetite. Loss of appetite is Nature’s warning that no burden should be placed on the digestive organs. Alkaline foods such as raw vegetables and sprouted whole grain cereals may be added after a week of a fruits-only diet.
Another important factor in the cure of diseases by natural methods is to stimulate the vitality of the body. This can be achieved by using water in various ways and at varying temperatures in the form of packs or baths. The application of cold water, especially to the abdomen, the seat of most diseases, and to the sexual organs, through a cold sitting(hip) bath immediately lowers body heat and stimulates the nervous system. In the form of wet packs, hydrotherapy offers a simple natural method of abating fevers and reducing pain and inflammation without any harmful side-effects. Warm water applications, on the other hand, are relaxing.
Other natural methods useful in the cure of diseases are air and sunbaths, exercise and massage. Air and sunbaths revive dead skin and help maintain it in a normal condition. Exercise, especially yogic asanas,promotes inner health and harmony and helps eliminate all tension: physical, mental and emotional. Massage tones up the nervous system and quickens blood circulation and the metabolic process.
Thus a well-balanced diet, sufficient physical exercise, the observation of the other laws of well-being such as fresh air, plenty of sunlight, pure drinking water,scrupulous cleanliness, adequate rest and right mental attitude can ensure proper health and prevent disease.
Fasting – The Master Remedy
Fasting refers to complete abstinence from food for a short or long period for a specific purpose.
The word is derived from the old English, ‘feastan’ which means to fast, observe, be strict.
Fasting is nature’s oldest, most effective and yet least expensive method of treating disease. It is recognised as the cornerstone of natural healing. Dr. Arnold Eheret, the originator of the muscusless diet healing system, describes it as “nature’s only universal and omnipotent remedy of healing “and “nature’s only fundamental law of all healing and curing. “
The practice of fasting is one of the most ancient customs. It is followed in almost every religion.
The Mohammedan, the Buddhists, the Hindus and many others have their periods of strict fasting. The saints of medieval times laid great stress on this method.
Fasting indisease was advocated by the school of natural philosopher, Asclepiades, more than two thousand years ago. Throughout medical history, it has been regarded as one of the most dependable curative methods. Hippocrates, Galen, Paracelsus and many other great authorities on medicine prescribed it. Many noted modern physicians have successfully employed this system of healing in the treatment of numerous diseases.
The common cause of all diseases is the accumulation of waste and poisonous matter in the body which results from overeating. The majority of persons eat too much and follow sedentary occupations which do not permit sufficient and proper exercise for utilisation of this large quantity of food. This surplus overburdens the digestive and assimulative organs and clogs up the system with impurities or poisons. Digestion and elimination become slow and the functional activity of the whole system gets deranged.
The onset of disease is merely the process of ridding the system of these impurities. Every disease can be healed by only one remedy – by doing just the opposite of what causes it, that is, by reducing the food intake or fasting.
By depriving the body of food for a time,the organs of elimination such as the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs are given opportunity to expel, unhampered, the overload of accumulated waste from the system. Thus, fasting is merely the process of purification and an effective and quick method of cure. It assists nature in her continuous effort to expel foreign matter and disease producing waste from the body, thereby correcting the faults of improper diet and wrong living. It also leads to regeneration of the blood as well as the repair and regeneration of the various tissues of the body.
Duration
The duration of the fast depends upon the age of the patient, the nature of the disease and the amount and type of drugs previously used. The duration is important, because long periods of fasting can be dangerous if undertaken without competent professional guidance. It is, therefore, advisable to undertake a series of short fasts of two to three days and gradually increase the duration of each succeeding fast by a day or so. The period, however, should not exceed a week of total fasting at a time. This will enable the chronically sick body to gradually and slowly eliminate toxic waste matter without seriously affecting the natural functioning of the body. A correct mode of living and a balanced diet after the fast will restore vigour and vitality to the individual.
Fasting is highly beneficial in practically all kinds of stomach and intestinal disorders and in serious conditions of the kidneys and liver. It is a miracle cure for eczema and other skin diseases and offers the only hope of permanent cure in many cases. The various nervous disorders also respond favourably to this mode of treatment.
Fasting should, however, not be restored to in every illness. In cases of diabetes, advanced stages of tuberculosis, and extreme cases of neurasthenia, long fasts will be harmful. IN most cases, however, no harm will accrue to fasting patients, provided they take rest, and are under proper professional care.
Methods
The best, safest and most effective method of fasting is juice fasting. Although the old classic form of fasting was a pure water fast, most ofthe leading authorities on fasting today agree that juice fasting is far superior to a water fast. According to Dr. Rangar Berg, the world -famous authority on nutrition, “During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. We can help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juice instead of water while fasting… Elimina tion of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated. And sugars in juices will strengthen the heart… juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting. “
Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and trace elements in fresh, raw vegetable and fruit juices are extremely beneficial in normalising all the body processes. They supply essential elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell renegeration and thus speeding the recovery. All juices should be prepared from fresh fruit immediately before drinking. Canned or frozen juices should not be used.
A precautionary measure which must be observed in all cases of fasting is the complete emptying of the bowels at the beginning of the fast by enema so that the patient is not bothered by gas or decomposing matter formed from the excrements remaining in the body. Enemas should be administered at least every alternate day during the fasting period. The patient should get as much fresh air as possible and should drink plain lukewarm water when thirsty. Fresh juices may be diluted with pure water. The total liquid intake should be approximately six to eight glasses.
A lot of energy is spent during the fast in the process of eliminating accumulated poisons and toxic waste materials. It is, therfore, of utmost importance that the patients gets as much physical rest and mental relaxation as possible during the fast. IN cases of fasts in which fruit juices are taken, especially when fresh grapes, oranges or grapefruit are used exclusively, the toxic wastes enter the blood -stream rapidly, resulting in an overload of toxic matter, which affects normal bodily functions. This often results in dizzy spells, followed by diarrhoea and vomiting. If this physical reaction persists, it is advisable to discontinue the fast and take cooked vegetables containing adequate roughage such as spinach and beets until the body functioning returns to normal.
The overweight person finds it much easier to go without food. Loss of weight causes no fear and the patient’s attitude makes fasting almost a pleasure. The first day’s hunger pangs are perhaps the most difficult to bear. The craving for food will, however, gradually decrease as the fast progresses. Seriously sick persons have no desire for food and fasting comes naturally to them. The simples rule is to stop eating until the appetite returns or until one feels completely well.
Only very simple exercises like short walks may be undertaken during the fast. A warm water or neutral bath may be taken during the period. Cold baths are not advisable. Sun and air baths should be taken daily. Fasting sometimes produces a state of sleeplessness which can be overcome by a warm tub bath, hot water bottles at the feet and by drinking one or two glasses of hot water.
Benefits
There are several benefit of fasting. During a long fast, the body feeds upon its reserves. Being deprived of needed nutrients, particularly of protein and fats, it will burn and digest its own tissues by the process of autolysis or self-digestion. But it will not do so indistriminately. The body will first decompose and burn those cells and tissues which are diseased, damaged, aged or dead. The essential tissues and vital organs, the glands, the nervous system and the brain are not damaged or digested in fasting. Here lies the secret of the effectiveness of fasting as a curative and rejuvenative method. During fasting, the building of new and healthy cells are speeded up by the amino acids released from the diseased cells. The capacity of the eliminative organs, that is, lungs, liver, kidneys and the skin is greatly increased as they are relieved of the usual burden of digesting food and eliminating the resultant wastes. They are, therefore, able to quickly expel old accumulated wastes and toxins.
Fasting affords a physiological rest to the digestive, assimilative and protective organs. As a result, the digestion of food and the utilisation of nutrients is greatly improved after fasting. The fast also exerts a normalising, stablising and rejuvenating effect on all the vital physiological, nervous and mental functions.
Breaking of Fast
The success of the fast depends largely on hos it is broken. This is the most significant phase.
The main rules for breaking the fast are: do not overeat, eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly; and take several days for the gradual change to the normal diet. If the transition to eating solid foods is carefully planned, there will be no discomfort or damage. The patient should also continue to take rest during the transition period. The right food after a fast is as important and decisive for proper results as the fast itself.
Water has been used as a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial. In all major ancient civilizations, bathing was considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. It was also valued for its remedial properties. The ancient Vedic literature in India contains numerous references to the efficacy of water in the treatment of disease.
In modern times, the therapeutic value of water was popularised by Vincent Priessnitz, Father Sebastian Kneipp, Louis Kuhne and other European water-cure pioneers. They raised water cure to an institutional level and employed it successfully for the treatment of almost every known disease. There are numerous spas and “Bads “in most European countries where therapeutic baths are used as a major healing agent.
Water exerts beneficial effects on the human system. It equalises circulation, boosts muscular tone and aids digestion and nutrition. It also tones up the activity of perspiratory gland and in the process eliminates the damaged cells and toxic matter from the system.
The common water temperature chart is: cold 100C to 180C, neutral 320C to 360C and hot 400C
to 450C. Above 450C, water loses its therapeutic value and is destructive.
The main methods of water treatment which can be employed in the healing of various diseases in a do-it-yourself manner are described below.
ENEMA
Also known as rectal irrigation, an enema involves the injection of fluid into the rectum. In natural cure treatment, only lukewarm water is used for cleaning the bowels. The patient is made to lie on his left side extending his left leg and bending the right leg slightly. The enema nozzle, lubricated with oil or vaseline, is inserted in the rectum. The enema can containing the lukewarm water is then slowly raised and water is allowed to enter into the rectum. Generally, one to two litres of water is injected. The patient may either lie down on his back or walk a little while retaining the water. After five to 10 minutes, the water can be ejected along with the accumulated morbid matter.
A warm water enema helps to clean the rectum of accumulated faecal matter. This is not only the safest system for cleaning the bowels, but also improves the peristaltic movement of the bowels and thereby relieves constipation. A cold water enema is helpful in inflammatory conditions of the colon, especially in cases of dysentery, diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, haemorrhoids and fever. A hot water enema is beneficial in relieving irritation due to inflammation of the rectum and painfull haemorrhoids. It also benefits women in leucorrhoea.
COLD COMPRESS
This is a local application using a cloth which has been wrung out in cold water. The cloth should be folded into a broad strip and dipped in cold water or ice water. The compress is generally applied to the head,neck, chest, abdomen and back. The cold compress is an effective means of controlling inflammatory conditions of the liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, intestines, lungs, brain, pelvic organs and so on. It is also advantageous in cases of fever and heart disease. The cold compress soothes dermities and inflammations of external portions of the eye. When the eyeball is affected, the cold compress should follow a short fomentation.
HEATING COMPRESS
This is a cold compress covered in such a manner as to bring warmth. A heating compress consists of three or four folds of linen cloth wrung out in cold water which is then covered completely with dry flannel or blanket to prevent the circulation of air and help accumulation of body heat. It is sometimes applied for several hours. The duration of the application is determined by the extent and location of the surface involved, the nature and thickness of the coverings and the water temperature. After removing the compress, the area should be rubbed with a wet cloth and then dried with a towel. A heating compress can be applied to the throat, chest, abdomen, and joints. A throat compress relieves sore throat, hoarseness, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis. An abdominal compress helps those suffering from gastritis, hyperacidity, indigestion, jaundice, constipation, diarrhoea, dysentery and other ailments relating to the abdominal organs. The chest compress also known as chest pack, relieves cold, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, fever, cough and so on, while the joints compress is helpful for inflamed joints, rheumatism, rheumatic fever and sprains.
HIP BATHS
The hip bath is one of the most useful forms of hydrotherapy. As the name suggests, this mode of treatment involves only the hips and the abdominal region below the navel. A special type of tub is used for the purpose. The tub is filled with water in such a way that it covers the hips and reaches up to the navel when the patient sits in it. Generally, four to six gallons of water are required. If the special tub is not available, a common tub may be used. A support may be placed under one edge to elevate it by two or three inches. Hip bath is given in cold, hot, neutral or alternate temperatures.
COLD HIP BATH
The water temperature should be 100C to 180C. The duration of the bath is usually 10 minutes, but in specific conditions it may vary from one minute to 30 minutes. If the patient feels cold or is very weak, a hot foot immersion should be given with the cold hip bath.
The patient should rub the abdomen briskly from the navel downwards and across the body with a moderately coarse wet cloth. The legs, feet and upper part of the body should remain completely dry during and after the bath. The patient should undertake moderate exercise like yogasanas, after the cold hip bath, to warm the body.
A cold hip bath is a routine treatment in most diseases. It relieves constipation, indigestion, obesity and helps the eliminative organs to function properly. It is also helpful in uterine problems like irregular menstruation, chronic uterine infections, pelvic inflammation, piles, hepatic congestion, chronic congestion of the prostate gland, seminal weakness, impotency, sterility, uterine and ovarian displacements, dilation of the stomach and colon, diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhage of the bladder and so on. The cold hip bath should not be employed in acute inflammations of the pelvic and abdominal organs, ovaries and in painful contractions of the bladder, rectum or vagina.
HOT HIP BATH
This bath is generally taken for eight to 10 minutes at a water temperature of 400C to 450C. The bath should start at 400C. The temperature should be gradually increased to 450C. NO friction should be applied to the abdomen. Before entering the tub,the patient should drink one glass of cold water. A cold compress should be placed on the head. A hot hip bath helps to relieve painful menstruation, pain in the pelvic organs, painful urination, inflamed rectum or bladder and painful piles. It also benefits enlarged prostatic gland, painful contractions or spasm of the bladder, sciatica, neuralgia of the ovaries and bladder. A cold shower bath should be taken immediately after the hot hip bath.
Care should be taken to prevent the patient from catching a chill after the bath. The bath should be terminated if the patient feels giddy or complains of excessive pain.
NEUTRAL HIP BATH
The temperature of the water should be 320C to 360C. Here too, friction to the abdomen should be avoided. This bath is generally taken for 20 minutes to an hour. The neutral hip bath helps to relieve all acute and sub-acute inflammatory conditions such as acute catarrh of the bladder and urethra and subacute inflammations in the uterus, ovaries and tubes. It also relieves neuralgia of the fallopian tubes or testicles, painful spasms of the vagina and prorates of the anus and vulva.
Besides, it is a sedative treatment for erotomanis in both sexes.
ALTERNATE HIP BATH
This is also known as revulsive hip bath. The temperature in the hot tub should be 400C to 450C and in the cold tub 100C to 180C. The patient should alternately sit in the hot tub for five minutes and then in the cold tub for three minutes. The duration of the bath is generally 10 to 20 minutes.
The head and neck should be kept cold with a cold compress. The treatment should end with a dash of cold water to the hips.
This bath relieves chronic inflammatory conditions of the pelvic viscera such as salpingitis, ovaritis, cellulitis and various neuralgias of the genito-urinary organs, sciatica and lumbago.
SPINAL BATH
The spinal bath is another important form of hydrotherapic treatment. This bath provides a soothing effect to the spinal column and thereby influences the central nervous system. It is given in a specially designed tub with its back raised so as to provide proper support to the head. The bath can be administered at cold, neutral and hot temperatures. The water level in the tub should be an inch and a half to two inches and the patient should lie in it for three to 10minutes.
The cold spinal bath relieves irritation, fatigue, hypertension and excitement. It is beneficial in almost all nervous disorders such as hysteria, fits, mental disorders, loss of memory and tension. The neutral spinal bath is a soothing and sedative treatment, especially for the highly strung and irritable patient. It is the ideal treatment for insomnia and also relieves tension of the vertebral column. The duration of this bath is 20 to 30 minutes. The hot spinal bath, on the other hand, helps to stimulate the nervous, especially when they are in a depressed state. It also relieves vertebral pain in spondylitis and muscular backache. It relieves sciatic pain and gastrointestinal disturbances of gastric origin.
FULL WET SHEET PACK
This is a procedure in which the whole body is wrapped in a wet sheet, which in turn is wrapped in a dry blanket for regulating evaporation. The blanket should be spread on the bed with its edges hanging over the edge of the bed. The upper end should be about eight inches from the head of the bed. Then spread a linen sheet wrung out in cold water over the blanket so that its end is slightly below the upper end of the blanket. The patient should lie on the bedsheet with his shoulders about three inches below the upper age. The wet sheet should be weekly wrapped round the body of the patient, drawn in, tightly tucked between the legs and also between the body and the arms. The sheet should be folded over the shoulders and across the neck. Now the blanket should be drawn tightly around the body and tucked in along the side in a similar manner, pulling it tightly. The ends should be doubled up at the feet. A turkish towel should be placed below the chin to protect the face and neck from coming into contact with the blanket and to exclude outside air more effectively. The head should be covered with a wet cloth so that the sculp remains cold. The feet should be kept warm during the entire treatment. If the patient’s feet are cold, place hot water bottles near them to hasten reaction. The pack is administered for half an hour to one hour till the patient begins to perspire profusely. He may be given cold or hot water to drink.
This pack is useful in cases of fever especially in typhoid and continued fevers, and benefits those suffering from insomnia, epilepsy and infantile convulsions. It is useful in relieving chronic cold and bronchitis and helps in the treatment of rheumatism and obesity.
HOT FOOT BATHS
In this method, the patient should keep his or her legs in a tub or bucket filled with hot water at a temperature of 400C to 450C. Before taking this bath, a glass of water should be taken and the body should be covered with a blanket so that no heat or vapour escapes from the foot bath.
The head should be protected with a cold compress. The duration of the bath is generally from 5 to 20 minutes. The patient should take a cold shower immediately after the bath.
The hot foot bath stimulates the involuntary muscles of the uterus, intestines, bladder and other pelvic and abdominal organs. It also relieves sprains and ankle joint pains, headaches caused by cerebral congestion and colds. In women, it helps restore menstruation, if suspended, by increasing supply of blood especially to the uterus and ovaries.
COLD FOOT BATH
Three to four inches of cold water at a temperature of 7.20C to 12.70C should be placed in a small tub or bucket. The feet should be completely immersed in the water for one to five minutes. Friction should be continuously applied to the feet during the bath, either by an attendant or by the patient by rubbing one foot against the other.
A cold foot bath, taken for one or two minutes,relieves cerebral congestion and uterine hemorrhage. It also helps in the treatment of sprains, strains and inflamed bunions when taken for longer periods. It should not be taken in cases of inflammatory conditions of the genito-urinary organs, liver and kidneys.
STEAM BATH
Steam bath is one of the most important time-tested water treatments which induces perspiration in a most natural way. The patient, clad in minimum loin cloth or underwear, is made to sit on a stool inside a specially designed cabinet. Before entering the cabinet, the patient should drink one or two glasses of cold water and protect the head with a cold towel. The duration of the steam bath is generally 10 to 20 minutes or until perspiration takes place. A cold shower should be taken immediately after the bath.
Very weak patients, pregnant women, cardiac patients and those suffering from high blood pressure should avoid this bath. If the patient feels giddy or uneasy during the steam bath, he or she should be immediately taken out and given a glasss of cold water and the face washed with cold water.
The steam bath helps to eliminate morbid matter from the surface of the skin. It also improves circulation of the blood and tissue activity. It relieves rheumatism, gout, uric acid problems, and obesity. The steam bath is helpful in all forms of chronic toxemias. It also relieves neuralgias, chronic nephritis, infections, tetanus and migraine.
IMMERSION BATHS
This is also known as full bath. It is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connections. The bath can be taken at cold, neutral, hot, graduated and alternate temperatures.
COLD IMMERSION BATH
This may be taken for four seconds to 20 minutes at a temperature ranging from 100C to 23.80C.
Before entering the bath, cold water should be poured on the patient’s head, chest and neck and the head should be protected with a cold moist towel. During the bath, the patient should vigorously rub his or her body. After the bath the body should be quickly dried and wrapped up in a blanket. If the climate is favourable, moderate exercise should be undertaken.
This bath helps to bring down fever. It also improves the skin when taken for five to 15 seconds after a prolonged hot bath, by exhilarating circulation and stimulating the nervous system.
This bath should not be given to young children or very elderly persons, nor be taken in cases of acute inflammation of some internal organs such as acute peritonitis, gastritis, enteritis and inflammatory conditions of uterus and ovaries.
GRADUATED BATH
The patient should enter the bath at a temperature of 310C. The water temperature should be lowered gradually at the rate of 10C per minute until it reaches 250C. The bath should continue until the patient starts shivering. The graduated bath is intended to avoid nervous shock by sudden plunge into the cold water. This bath is often administered every three hours in cases of fever.
It effectively brings down the temperature except in malarial fever. Besides, it also produces a general tonic effect, increases vital resistances and energises the heart.
NEUTRAL IMMERSION BATH
This bath can be given from 15 to 60 minutes at a temperature ranging from 260C to 280C. It can be given for long duration, without any ill-effects, as the water temperature is akin to the body temperature. The neutral bath diminishes the pulse rate without modifying respiration.
This treatment is the best sedative. Since the neutral bath excites activity of both the skin and the kidneys, it is recommended in cases relating to these organs. It is also beneficial for cases of organic diseases of the brain and spinal cord, including chronic inflammatory conditions such as meningitis, rheumatism and arthritis.
A neutral immersion bath taken for 30 to 60 minutes is highly beneficial in general dropsy, due to cardiac or renal diseases. It also helps those suffering from multiple neuritis, alcoholism and other narcotic habits, chronic diarrhoea, peritonitis and chronic affections of the abdomen. In such cases the bath may be given daily for 15 to 30 minutes. This bath is also useful in the toxemic conditions caused by dyspepsia and pruritus. The neutral bath should not be prescribed in certain cases of eczema and other forms of skin diseases where water aggravates the symptoms, nor in cases of extreme cardiac weakness.
HOT IMMERSION BATH
This bath can be taken from two to 15 minutes at a temperature from 36.60C to 400C. Generally this bath is started at 370C and the temperature is then gradually raised to the required level by adding hot water. Before entering the bath, the patient should drink cold water and also wet the head, neck and shoulders with cold water. A cold compress should be applied throughout the treatment. This bath can be advantageously employed in dropsy when there is excessive loss of tone of the heart and blood. This bath also relieves capillary bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia in children. It relieves congestation of the lungs and activates the blood vessels of the skin muscles. The bath should be terminated as soon as the skin becomes red.
In pneumonia and suppressed menstruation, the bath should be administered at 37.70C to 400C for about 30 to 45 minutes. This bath should be given when the menstruation is due and may be repeated for two to three days in succession. In dysmenorrhoea, this bath should be given at 380C to 44.40C for 15 minutes.
In chronic bronchitis a very hot bath taken for 5 to 7 minutes should be accompanied with rubbing and friction. This relieves congestion of the mucous membrane and provides immediate relief After the bath, oil should be applied to the skin if necessary.
The hot bath is a valuable treatment in chronic rheumatism and obesity. It gives immediate relief when there is pain due to stones in the gall bladder and the kidneys. The hot bath should not be taken in cases of organic diseases of the brain or spinal cord, nor in cases of cardiac weakness and cardiac hypertrophy.
EPSOM SALT BATH
The immersion bath tub should be filled with about 135 litres of hot water at 400C. One to 1 ½ kg. of Epsom salt should be dissolved in this water. The patient should drink a glass of cold water, cover the head with a cold towel and then lie down in the tub, completely immersing the trunk, thighs and legs for 15 to 20 minutes. The best time to take this bath is just before retiring to bed. This is useful in cases of sciatica, lumbago, rheumatism, diabetes, neuritis, cold and catarrh, kidney disorders and other uric acid and skin affections.
Precaution
Certain precautions are necessary while taking these therapeutic baths. Full baths should be avoided within three hours after a meal and one hour before it. Local baths like the hip bath and foot bath may, however, be taken two hours after a meal. Clean and pure water must be used for baths and water once used should not be used again. While taking baths, temperature and duration should be strictly observed to obtain the desired effects. A thermometer should always be used to measure the temperature of the body. Women should not take any of the baths during menstruation. They can take only hip baths during pregnancy till the completion of the third month.
Curative Powers of Earth
Earth was used extensively for remedial purposes in ancient times as well as the middle ages.
IN modern times, it again came into prominence as a valuable therapeutic agent in the last century through the indefatigable efforts of Emanuel Felke, a German-born Lutheran minister who was nicknamed the “Clay Pastor. “
Felke found that the forces of earth have remarkable effects upon the human body, especially during the night. These effects are described as refreshing, invigorating and vitalising. Felke believed that for wounds and skin diseases, application of clay or moistened earth was the only true natural bondage. The body is thus repaired with the element from which it is assumed to be made.
Adolf Just (1838 – 1936), one of the pioneers of natural cure in modern times, believed that all diseases, but especially the serious nervous troubles of our age, would lose their terrors, if only sleeping or lying on the earth at night became customary in the curing of diseases. According to him, by sleeping on the ground, “the entire body is aroused from its lethargy to a new manifestation of vital energy, so that it can now effectively remove old morbid matter and masses of old faces from the intestines, and receive a sensation of new health, new life and new unthought -of vigour and strength. “
Going barefooted all day long, except when it is very cold, is also regarded as a valuable step towards achieving good health and true happiness. Men can draw vital energy and strength out of the earth through their feet. Jesus Christ also attached a great deal of importance to the practice of going barefooted. He himself was barefooted and commanded his disciples likewise.
It is advisable to go entirely barefooted as often as possible, especially on the bare ground but in rooms with painted floors it is better to wear chappals, since the painted floor affects the body adversely if one walks on it with bare soles.
The American Indians lay great stress on earth treatment.
They believe that healing power is strong in leaves and herbs, powerful in the air, but very powerful indeed in the earth. They have a custom to bury sufferers from all kinds of disease in the earth up to their necks, leave them there for some hours, and then remove them. They believe that many of them are cured. Presumably the body draws unto itself the healing minerals and some of the earth’s magnetism.
MUD PACKS
The natural cure practitioners at present are making increasing use of moistened earth in the treatment of diseases. The use of mud packs has been found highly beneficial and effective in the treatment of chronic inflammation caused by internal diseases, bruises, sprains, boils and wounds. This mode of treatment is normally adopted in conjunction with a proper scheme of dietary and other natural therapies.
The advantage of mud treatment is that it is able to retain moisture and coolness for longer periods than cold water packs or compresses. The cold moisture in the mud packs relaxes the pores of the skin, draws the blood into the surface, relieves inner congestion and pain, promotes heat radiation and elimination of morbid matter.
A mud pack isprepared with clay obtained from about ten cms. below the surface of the earth, after ensuring that it does not contain any impurities such as compost or pebbles. The clay is then made into a smooth paste with warm water. This is allowed to cool and then spread on a strip of cloth, the size of which may vary according to requirements. The dimensions of the pack meant for application on the abdomen are generally 20 cms. X 10 cm.X 2.5 cm. for adults.
Mud packs have been found to be a valuable treatment of diseases relating to general weakness or nervous disorders. It can also bring down fever and is beneficial in the treatment of scarlet fever, measles and influenza. The mud pack is prescribed for swellings, eye and ear troubles, gout, rheumatism, stomach troubles, kidney and liver malfunctions, diptheria, neuralgia, sexual disorders, headache, toothache and general aches and pains. The mud bandage, after being placed on the body, should be covered with flannel or other protective material. The pack is applied for 10 to 30 minutes.
As the abdomen is the seat of most diseases, mud pack applied to this part of the body can cure many disorders including all forms of indigestion affecting the stomach and bowels. It is most effective in decreasing the external heat and breaking up the morbid matter. It also aids the inactivity of labour pains and for this purpose, the pack may be renewed every hour or two.
The mud pack is also helpful as an alternate treatment. The area under treatment is first given fomentation for five to 10 minutes until it is well heated. Mud is then applied directly to the skin for five to 15 minutes, depending upon the reaction required.
Hot and cold applications are useful in relieving chronic pains, intestinal cramps and lumbago.
Alternate application helps to relieve discomfort caused by flatulence and intestinal obstructions.
It is also helpful in amoebiasis, colitis, enteritis and other inflammatory conditions of bacterial origin.
MUD BATH
Mud or clay bath is another mode of treatment. It is applied in the same way as packs, but only on a larger scale on the entire body. In this, mud or clay is first ground and sifted to remove all impurities, and then made into a smooth paste mixed with hot water. The paste is then spread on a sheet which in turn is wrapped round the body. One or two blankets are then wrapped over this, depending on the temperature of the room and that of the pack. A mud bath is followed with a cleansing warm water bath and a short cold shower.
The mud bath is found to tone up the skin by increasing the circulation and energising the skin tissues. Frequent mud baths help to improve the complexion, clear spots and patches on the skin following skin disorders or due to smallpox. It is very beneficial in the treatment of skin diseases like psoriasis, leucoderma and every leprosy.
This bath is also valuable in getting relief from rheumatic pain or pain in the joints caused by injuries. The duration of the bath should be from 30 minutes to one hour. Care should also be taken to avoid the patient catching a chill during the bath. Mud applications also form a vital part of natural beauty treatment.
Exercise in Health and Disease
A world famous physical educationist, Eugene Sandow, has very aptly said, “Life is movement, stagnation is death. “Physical exercise is essential for the maintenance of normal condition of life. Lack of natural exercise is one of the chief causes of weakness and ill-health.
In recent years, the need for exercise has been recognised even in sickness. Physio and occupational therapy are now standard procedures in medicine to restore the use of muscles and nerves that have been injured by disease or by accident. Patients with organic ailments are now advised to stay in bed for the minimum period considered necessary.
Exercise and Activity
For corrective living, it is essential to differentiate between exercise and activity. While both are important as they are involved in vital physical movement, they vary in degree and benefits.
Both employ the body in voluntary movement. Activity uses the body to a limited degree and generally to achieve a specific purpose. Exercise employs the body over the widest possible range of movement for the particular purpose of maintaining or acquiring muscle tone and control with maximum joint flexibility.
Activity requires less physical effort and often less conscious effort once the routine has been established. Exercise demands considerable physical effort and is more beneficial as mental concentration is simultaneously employed.
Benefits
i. Systematic physical exercise has many benefits. The more important benefits are mentioned below:
Regular exercise taken properly can achieve the increased use of food by the body, which contributes to health and fitness. The basal metabolic rate and habitual body temperature will slowly rise during several weeks of physical exercise, if the programme is not too hard. The healthy person usually has abundant body heat and a warm radiant glow.
ii. Regular progressive physical exercise can bring about the balance of automatic, or involuntary, nervous system. The tone of the vagus nerve, one of the nerves that control sensation and motion, is strengthened. This accounts for stronger pulse waves, higher metabolism and better circulation.
iii. Exercise can prevent or reduce gravitational ptosis or sag, as it is commonly called.
Ptosis results from uneven flow of blood in the feet, legs and lower abdomen.
iv. Improved capillary action in the working of muscular and brain tissue results from exercise carried to the point of real endurance. This permits greater blood flow and gives the muscles, including the heart, more resistance to fatigue.
Massage, heat and moderate exercise are relatively ineffective in producing additional capillary action as compared with vigorous exercise.
v. The full use of the lungs in vigorous exercise can reduce or prevent lung congestion due to lymph accumulation.
vi. Gas and intra-intestinal accumulations can be reduced by exercise that acts to knead and squeeze or vibrate the intraintestinal mass.
vii. Better respiratory reserve is developed by persistent exercise. This ensures better breath holding, especially after a standard exercise. With greater respiratory reserves, exercise become easier.
viii. Improvement in tone and function of veins can be accomplished by repetitiously queezing and draining the blood out of them and then allowing them to fill.
ix. Sweating in exercise aids kidneys by helping to eliminate the waste matter from the body.
x. Consistent exercise leads to improvement in quality of blood. Studies have shown improved haemoglobin levels, relatively greater alkalinity, improved total protein content and a grater red cell count.
Systemic exercise promotes physical strength and mental vigour and strengthens will power and self control leading to harmonious development of the whole system.
Exercise promotes longevity
Medical researchers at Harvard and Standford Universities who studied the habits and health of 17,000 middle-aged and older men, reported the first scientific evidence that even modest exercise helps prolong life. Dr. Ralph S. Paffenberger, the visiting professor of epidemology at the Harvard School of Pubic Health, who is the principal author of the report said, “We have found a direct relationship between the level of physical activity and the length of life in the college men we have studied. “He added, “This is the first good evidence that people who are active and fit have a longer life span than those who are not. “
A strong connection between a hard and a healthy hard has also been convincingly demonstrated in the same study. The study showed that the less active persons ran a three times higher risk of suffering a fatal heart attack than did those who worked the hardest. Review of fatal heart attacks revealed that the less active men were also three times more likely to die unexpectedly and rapidly within an hour after the attack.
A parallel research report from doctors in Dulles also concluded, after a study of the lives and habits of 6,000 men and women, that the physically fit were less likely to develop hypertension.
Dr. Steven N. Blair who headed the research group said, “We followed the physical health and habits of these people for an average of four-and-a-half years and the data showed that the lackof physical fitness leads to hypertension. “
Exercise increases calorie output. The body fat can be reduced by regular exercise. It is therefore, useful for weight reduction in conjunction with restricted food intake. According to a study by Dr. Peter Wood of Stanford University Medical School, author of ‘California Diet and Exercise Programme ‘, very active people eat about 600 more calories daily than their sedentary counterparts but weight about 20 per cent less. Up to 15 hours after vigorous exercise, the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate than it would have without exercise. Moderate physical exercise has been found to be accompanied by less obesity and lower cholesterol levels.
Regular exercise plays an important role in the fight against stress. It provides recreation and mental relaxation besides keeping the body physically and mentally fit. It is nature’s best tranquilliser.
Chronic fatigue caused by poor circulation can be remedied by undertaking some exercise on a daily basis. It helps relieve tension and induces sleep. Moderate physical exercise at the end of a try day can bring a degree of freshness and renewed energy.
Exercise also plays an important role in the treatment of depression. According to Dr. Robert Brown, a clinical associate professor at the University of Virgina School of Medicine, “Exercise produces chemical and psychological changes that improves your mental health. It changes the levels of hormones in blood and may elevate your beta-endorphins (mood-affecting brain chemicals). Exercise also gives a feeling of accomplishment and thereby reduces the sense of helplessness. “
Methods of Exercise
Several systems of exercise have been developed over the years, the most popular among them being the Swedish system and yoga asanas, the later having been practised from ancient times in India. Whichever system you choose to adopt, the exercises should be performed systematically, regularly and under proper guidance.
To be really useful, exercise should be taken in such a manner as to bring into action all the muscles of the body in a natural way. Walking is one such exercise. It is, however, so gentle in character that one must walk several kilometers in a brisk manner to constitute a fair exercise. Other forms of good exercise are swimming, cycling, horse-riding, tennis, etc.
Precautions
Vigirous exercise of any kind should not be taken for an hour and a half after eating, nor immediately before meals. Weak patients and those suffering from serious diseases like cancer, heart trouble, tuberculosis and asthama should not undertake vigious exercise except under the supervision of a competent physician. If exercising makes you tired, stop immediately. The purpose of exercise should be to make you feel refreshed and relaxed and not tired.
The most important rule about the fitness plan is to start with very light exercise and to increase the effort in gradual and easy stages. The sense of well-being will begin almost immediately.
One can start off with a brisk walk for 15 to 20 minutes. A comfortable sense of tiredness should be the aim. It is valueless and possibly harmful to become exhausted or seriously short of breath. Perhaps, one should aim at activities which need about two-thirds of one’s maximum ability. One way to assess is to count your own pulse rate.
Counting of pulse is quite easy. Feel the pulse on your left wrist with the middle three fingers of your right hand. Press just firmly enough to feel the beat easily. Now count the number of beats in 15 seconds, with the help of a watch with clear second hand and calculate your rate by multiplying by four. At rest heart beats 70 to 80 times a minute. This rate increases during exercise. Really vigorous can produce rates as high as 200 beats per minute or more.
Reasonable aim is to exercise at about two-thirds of maximum capacity. It follows that heart rate should be about 130 per minute during and just after exercise. Always avoid over-exertion and never allow your pulse go above 190 per minute minus your age.
Therapeutic Value of Massage
Massage is an excellent form of passive exercise. The word is derived from the Greek word ‘massier’ which means to knead. It involves the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. If correctly done on a bare body, it can be highly stimulating and invigorating.
As far back as 400 B.C., the great Hippocrates, the father of medicine, employed massage and manipulation in healing his patients. Since then it has been used as a mode of treatment for many ailments and it has restored many a sufferer to health and vigour.
Benefits
The general massage, dealing with all parts of the body, is highly beneficial in many ways. It tones up the nervous system, influences respiration and quickens the elimination of poisons and waste material from the body through the various eliminative organs such as the lungs, skin, kidneys and bowels. It also boosts blood circulation and metabolic processes. A massage removes facial wrinkles, helps to fill out hollow cheeks and neck and eases stiffness, sore muscles and numbness.
Various movements
There are five fundamental modes of manipulation in massage and these are: effleurage (stroking), friction(rubbing), petrissage(kneading), tapotment (percussion) and vibration (shaking or trembling).
1. Effleurage:
This involves sliding with the hands, using long even strokes over the surface of the body.
Effleurage is performed in five ways, namely stroking with (I) palms of two hands; (ii) the palm of one hand; (iii) the knuckles; (iv) the ball of the thumb and (v) the finger tips. Effleurage increases blood circulation and soothes the nervous system. It also warms and relaxes. It is very helpful in atrophied condition of the skin.
2. Friction:
The movements, which are circular in nature are performed with the help of the thumb and tips of fingers or the palm of the hand towards the joints or around the joints. Fric- tion limbers up joints, tendons, and muscles and facilitates the removal of deposits by breaking them. It also helps in reducing swelling after nerve inflammation.
3. Petrissage:
This is the process of kneading, pressing and rolling of the tissues and is performed with one or both hands, with two thumbs or with thumbs and fingers. One should apply heavy pressure for deep kneading and light pressure for superficial kneading. Petrissage is a treatment of the muscles. It increases nutrition, strengthens muscles, relieves intestinal congestion and helps elimination of the poisons. It boosts long activity and cellular respiration, eliminates fatigue poisons and tones up nerve endings.
4. Tapotement:
This involves hacking, tapping, clapping and beating and is achieved by striking the body rapidly.
Short and quick blows are generally given from the wrist. Tapotement helps in atrophied condition of the muscles. It increases blood supply, soothes nerves and strengthens muscles.
5. Vibrations:
This is achieved by rapidly shaking the pressing movements by use of the hand or fingers onthe body. Vibrating hand should move constantly. This is beneficial in neuritis and neuralgia after the inflammatory stage is over. It stimulates circulation, glandular activity and nervous plexuses. It also helps in bowel movement.
Another form of massage helpful in most elements is the vibratory massage. This can be done by trained persons only. The vibratory muscles is more efficiently administered by a special, electrically operated machine.
Material for Massage
Cotton seed oil is most commonly used for massaging, but butter is used for filling out cheeks and the neck and also for breast enlargement. If the patient is averse to oil, talcum powder may be used. Oil should not be used by persons with excessive body hair. General body massage may be done for 40 to 45 minutes and local body massage for 10 to 15 minutes.
The oil should be washed off completely after massage.
Therapeutic Uses
Massage can be used with advantage as a method of treatment for many common ailments. The various forms of massage and their usefulness in various diseases are described here in brief.
Massage of the Joints:
Stiff and swollen joints can be cured by massage combined with mechanical movements.
Massage is, however, not recommended in serious inflammatory cases of the joints and in tubercular joints. It should also be avoided in infectious diseases like diphtheria and gonorrhoea which cause formation of pus as massage may spread the pus to the entire system. Sprains and bruises can be cured by massage. In these cases, affected parts should first be bathed with hot water for 15 to 30 minutes. Next the massage should be done for a few minutes. Gentle stroking and kneading is recommended on and around the injured tissues. Fractures can also be treated through massage.
This form of massage is of great help in atrophy of the muscles which usually follows if the muscles are not used for any length of time. This condition may also be brought about by injuries, diseases of the joints, inflammation of the muscles and nerves, and by too long use of cats, bandages and splints.
A human being carries one -half of the weight of his body in the form of muscular tissues.
One-fourth of the blood supply circulates in the muscles. When one gets a good massage treatment, the muscles get regenerated and are then capable of holding half of the blood supply.
Massage thus provides additional nourishment to feed the muscular tissues, helping them to grow strong. Tapping, striking, and vibrating help the muscle to develop its contractile power.
Muscle massage is brought by first effleurage, kneading, followed by tapotement. Later, active and passive movements are given.
Massage is employed for eliminatng muscle contraction and for breaking of adhesions. A little moderate kneading, and percussion cause muscles to contract and become stronger. Deep circular kneading and vibration loosens the muscles. Kneading under and round the muscles breaks up adhesions.
Massaging the nerves:
Massage benefits many nerve problems. In case of acute inflammation of the nerves, massage should be done carefully. Light and gentle stroking are recommended. Deep pressure should not be used on swollen nerves for it will increase the inflammation. All that is needed is just a gentle tapotement or beating of the nerve.
Nerve compression is recommended for soothing nerves. Grasp the limb with both hands, and create firm pressure around and down the arm. Start with the shoulder and proceed down to the wrist. As you leave the grip, bring the hands down a little and make another pressure. As a result, blood circulation will increase. Spinal nerve compression is extremely beneficial. It is done by the palm of the hand. Vibration of the fingers stimulate it. Sleeplessness can be cured by long slow and gentle stroking down the spine and entire back.
Abdominal Massage:
This form of massage is beneficial in constipation. It stimulates the peristalsis of the small intestines, tones up the muscles of the abdomen walls and mechanically eliminates the contents of both large and small intestines. Abdominal massage should not be done in general, femoral, inguinal and umbilical hernia, inflammation of the uterus, bladder, ovaries and fallopian tubes, kidney stones, bladder or gall bladder, ulcers of the stomach and intestines, and pregnancy.
Abdominal massage should not be done after a heavy meal, but after two hours or so. The bladder should be emptied before the massage. The patient is made to lie on his back with his knees drawn up. This enable the abdomen wall to relax. The masseur should stand at the right side of the patient and use his finger tips for friction round the umbilical region from right to left.
He should likewise alternatively knead the walls and roll with both hands, making deep and firm pressure. He should knead with the hand and finger tips and keep clear of any wound or tender places. He should later take up massaging of the larger intestines.
The manipulation of the large intestine should begin on the right side. Keep it going upwards and across the transverse colon and move right down on the left side to the signoid flexure and rectum. Circular kneading should be done with the help of the three middle fingers. At the same time press into the contents of the abdomen, following the course of the larger colon with a crawling motion. Keep kneading by means of a few circular movements in one spot with the help of finger tips. Keep moving the fingers a little further along. Knead repeatedly. Use knuckles of the hand to make deep pressure along the large colon, moving the hands along after each pressure.
Once the kneading of the abdomen isover, follow up by tapotement with both hands cupped or use the knuckles of the hand. Vibration may also be employed. The patient could also be asked to do some gymnastic exercises for strengthening the walls of the abdomen. Since blood pressure increases during abdominal manipulation, patients with hypertension should avoid abdominal massage. Massage should also be avoided in cases where there has been recent bleeding in the lungs, the stomach or the brain.
Chest Massage:
Chest massage is helpful in many ways. It strengthens the chest muscles, increases circulation and tones up the nervous system of chest, heart and lungs. It is especially recommended in weakness of the lungs,palpitation and organic heart disorders. Bust and mammary glands can be developed by proper massage.
The patient is made to lie on the back with the arms at the sides. The masseur starts manipulating the chest by means of strokes with both hands on each side of the breast bone. A circular motion is formed by the movement made up and down, moving down the chest. Next the muscle kneading is done by picking up the skin and muscles with both hands. Treatment is given to both sides of the chest likewise. Circular kneading is next done by placing one hand on each side of the breast bone and making the circular motion outward towards the side.
Tapotement follows by hacking and slapping.
Massage of Back:
The purpose of the massage of the back is to stimulate the nerves and circulation for treating backache, rheumatic afflictions of the back muscles, and for soothing the nervous system.
The patient is made to lie down with the arms at the sides. The masseur effleurages the back from the shoulders downwards using both hands on each side of the spine. Stroking is done from the sacrum upward. Friction follows with each hand at the sides of the spine going down slowly. Next, kneading by muscle picking is done with squeezing. Alternate rapid pushing and pulling movement of the hands sliding down the spine. Circular kneading should also be done.
The treatment should end by slapping, hacking and cupping on each side of the spine. Gentle stroking and light kneading of the back is relieving and soothing. Percussion and vibration result into stimulating experience. Vibration of the end of spine benefits the sacral nerves and pelvic organs. It is recommended in constipation, hemorrhoids, weakness and congestion of the bladder and sexual organs.
Massage of the Throat:
This helps to overcome headache, sore throat and catarrh of the throat. The patient is made to throw his head back. The masseur places palms of both hands on sides of neck with thumbs under the chin, and fingers under the ears. A downward stroke is next made towards the chest over the jugular veins. Do not exert heavily on the jugular veins.
Repeat several times.
Yoga Therapy
The Yoga Therapy or ‘yoga-chikitsa’ refers to the treatment of diseases by means of yogic exercises which may be physical or mental or both. It is a specialised form of yogic culture. This mode of treatment has been practised in India from very ancient times. Many references to yoga have been made in the Upanishads. It was, however, Maharishi Patanjali who in about the first century B.C. gave a systematic account of the traditional yogic teaching.
The term ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yug’ which means “to join “. It signifies union between the individual soul(jivatma) and the universal soul(parmatma). It aims at obtaining relief from pain and suffering. Basically, human evolution takes place on three different planes, namely physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga is a means of attaining perfect health by maintaining harmony and achieving optimum functioning on all three levels through complete self-control.
Yogic kriyas, asanas and pranayama constitute the physical basis ofyoga. The practice of kriyas and asanas leads to excellent circulation. It also energises and stimulates major endocrine glands of the body. Yogic exercises promote inner health and harmony, and their regular practice helps prevent and cure many common ailments. They also help eliminate tensions, be they physical, mental or emotional.
Pranayama slows down the ageing process. In ordinary respiration, one breathes roughly 15 times a minute, taking in approximately 20 cubic inches of air. In pranayama the breathing rate is slowed down to once or twice a minute and the breath inhaled is deep and full, taking nearly 100cubic inches of air.
All yogic exercises should be performed on a clean mat, a carpet or a blanket covered with a cotton sheet. Clothing should be light and loose-fitting to allow free movement of the limbs. The mind should be kept off all disturbances and tensions. Regularity and punctuality in practicising yogic exercises is essential. Generally, 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. is the ideal time for yoga practices.
Yoga asanas and pranayama should be practised only after mastering the techniques with the help of a competent teacher. Asanas should always be practiced on an empty stomach.
Shavasana should be practiced for a brief period before starting the rest of the exercises as this will create the right mental condition. Asanas should be performed at a leisurely slow-motion pace, maintaining poise and balance.
Herein are described certain yogic kriyas, asanas and pranayama which have specific therapeutic values and are highly beneficial in the maintenance of health and the healing of diseases.
Kriyas
A disease-free system should be the starting ground for yogasanas and pranayama. There are six specific cleansing techniques, known as Shat Kriyas, which eliminate impurities and help cure many ailments. Of these, the following four can be practised safely.
Jalaneti
1. : Most diseases of the nose and thraot are caused by the accumulation of impurities in the nasal passage. Jalaneti is a process of cleansing the air passage of the nostrils and the throat by washing them with tepid saline water. Take a clean jalaneti pot. Put half a teaspoonful of salt in the pot and fill it with lukewarm drinking water. Stand up and tilt your head slightly to the right. Insert the nozzle of the pot in the left nostril and let the water flow into it. Inhale and exhale through the mouth, allowing the water to flow out through the right nostril. Reverse this process by tilting your head to the left and letting the water flow from the right to the left nostril.
Jalaneti should be practised only in the morning. It will relieve sore throat, cold, cough, sinusitis, migraine, headache and cases of inflammation of the nasal membranes. It keeps the head cool and improves vision.
Vamana Dhouti or Kunjal
2. : This is a process of cleansing the interior of the stomach. Drink four to six glasses of tepid water, with a little salt added to it, early in the morning on an empty stomach. Then stand up, bend forward, insert the middle and index fingers of the right hand into the mouth until they touch the uvulva. Tickle it until you feel a vomiting sensation. The saline water thus ejected will bring up bile and other toxic matter with it. Repeat the process till all the water is vomitted out. This should be done once a week or as and when necessary.
It is beneficial for cleansing the stomach in cases of excessive bile, constipation, and gastric troubles. Persons suffering from hyperacidity should perform kunjal with unsalted water. It gives relief from headaches, nervous weakness, chronic cold, cough and asthma. It should not be practised by those suffering from high blood pressure, ulcers and heart trouble.
Kapalbhati
3. : Kapala means ‘skull’ and bhati means ‘shine’. This is a respiratory exercise for the abdomen and diaphragm. The channels inside the nose and other parts of the respiratory system are purified by this exercise. In the process, the brain is also cleared.
Sit in a comfortable position, preferably in padmasana. Exercise the diaphragm by exhaling suddenly and quickly through both nostrils, producing a hissing sound. Inhaling will be automotive and passive. The air should be exhaled from the lungs with a sudden, vigorous inward stroke of the front abdominal muscles. The abdominal stroke should be complete and the breath should be expelled fully. While inhaling, no willful expansion is necessary and the abdominal muscles should be relaxed. This exercise should be done in three phases, each consisting of 20 to 30 strokes a minute. A little rest can be taken in between. Throughout, the throacic muscles should be kept contracted.
Kapalbhati enables the inhalation of a good amount of oxygen which purifies the blood and strengthens the nerve and brain centres. This kriya provides relief in many lung, throat and chest diseases like chronic bronchitis, asthma, pleurisy and tuberculosis.
Trataka
4. : In yoga, four exercises have been prescribed for strengthening weak eye muscles, relieving eye strain and curing of eye disease. They are known as ‘Trataka ‘,which in sanskrit means ‘Winkles gaze at a particular point. “or looking at an object with awareness. The four tratakas are: Dakshinay jatru trataka in which, with face forwards, the eyes are fixed on the tip of the right shoulder; Vamajatru trataka, in which the eyes are fixed on the tip of the left shoulder; Namikagra trataka, in which the eyes are focussed on the tip of the nose, and Bhrumadhya trataka, in which the eyes are focussed on the space between the eyebrows. These exercises should be practiced from a meditative position like padmasana or vajrasana. The gaze should be maintained for as long as you are comfortable, gradually increasing the period from 10 to 20 and then to 30 seconds. The eyes should be closed and rested after each exercise. Persons with acute myopia should perform the tratakas wit h their eyes closed.
Asanas
Shavasana (Dead body pose):
1.
Lie flat on your back, feet comfortably part, arms and hands extended about six inches from the body, palms upwards and fingers half-folded. Close your eyes. Begin by consciously and gradually relaxing every part and each muscle of the body; feet, legs, calves, knees, thighs, abdomen, hips, back, hands, arms, chest,shoulders, neck, head and face. Relax yourself completely feeling as if your whole body is lifeless. Now concentrate your mind on breathing rhythmically as slowly and effortlessly as possible.
This creates a state of complete relaxation. Remain motionless in this position, relinquishing all responsibilities and worries for 10 to 15 minutes. Discontinue the exercise when your legs grow numb.
This asana helps bring down high blood pressure, and relieves the mind, particularly for those who are engaged in excessive mental activity. This exercise should be done both at the beginning and at the end of the daily round of yogic asanas. During a fast, shavasana soothes the nervous system.
Padmasana (Lotus pose):
2. Sit erect and stretch your legs out in front of you. Bend one leg to place the foot on the thigh of the other, the sole facing upwards. Similarly, bend the other leg too, so that the heels are opposite each other and placed in such a way that they press down on the other side of the groin. Keep your neck, head and spine straight. Place your palms one upon the other, both turned upward and cupped, and rest them on the upturned heels a little below the navel.
Padmasana is a good pose for doing pranayama and meditation. It helps in the treatment of many heart and lung diseases and digestive disorders. It also calms and refreshes the mind.
Yogamudra
3. : Sit erect in padmasana. Fold your hands behind your back, holding your left wrist with the right hand. Take a deep breath. While exhaling, bend forward slowly keeping your hands on your back. Bring your face downwards until your nose and forehead touch the floor.
While inhaling, slowly rise back to the upright position. The practice of this asana tones up the nervous system, builds up powerful abdominal muscles and strengthens the pelvic organs. It helps pep up digestion, boosts the appetite and removes constipation. It tones up and relaxes the nerves of the head and face. It also strengthens the sex glands.
Vajrasana
4.
(Pelvic pose):
Sit erect and stretch out your legs. Fold your legs back, placing the feet on the sides of the buttocks with the soles facing back and upwards. Rest your buttocks on the floor between your heels. The toes of both feet should touch. Now, place your hands on your knees and keep the spine, neck and head straight. Vajrasana can be performed even after meals. It improves the digestion and is beneficial in cases of dyspepsia, constipation, colitis, seminal weakness and stiffness of the legs. It strengthens the hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and toes.
Shirshasana
5.
(Topsyturvy pose):
Shirsha means ‘head ‘. In this asana, one stands on one’s head. Kneel on the ground, interlocking the fingers of both hands. Place the ‘fingerlock ‘on the ground in front of you, keeping the elbows apart. Support your head on the fingerlock. Start raising your knees one at a time, to chest level. Then raise your feet slowly so that the calf muscles touch the thighs. Breathe normally. This is the first stage which should be done perfectly as the balance of the final posture depends mainly on this stage. Next, raise your knees first and then slowly raise the feet so that the whole body is straight, like a pillar. This is the final pose. Return to the original position by reversing the order, step by step. This asana should not be done jerkily. The important factor in shirshasana is mastering the balance, which comes through gradual practice. For proper balance, elbows should be placed firmly on the ground, alongside the fingerlock. Initially the asana should be done for 60 seconds only. The duration may be gradually increased by a further 10 seconds each week.
Regular practice of shirshasana will benefit the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory and endocrine systems. This asana helps cases of dyspepsia, seminal weakness, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis, jaundice, renal colic and congested liver.
Those suffering from oozing from the ears, iritis, high blood pressure or a weak heart should not practice this asana.
Viparitakarani
6.
(Inverted action pose):
Lie flat on your back, with your feet together and arms by your side. Press your palms down, raising your legs to a perpendicular position without bending the knees. Your palms should touch the waist. Then straighten your legs. The trunk should not make a right angle with the ground but simply an upward slanting position. The chest should not press against the chin but be kept a little away. To return to the ground, bring your legs down slowly, evenly balancing your weight.
Through this asana, the muscles of the neck become stronger and blood circulation is improved. The functioning of the cervical nerves, ganglia and the thyroid also gets improved.
Sarvagasana
7.
(Shoulder stand pose):
In Sanskrit ‘sarva’ means whole and ‘anga’ means limb. Almost all parts of the body are involved in and benefit from this asana. Lie flat on your back with your arms by the side, palms turned down. Bring your legs up slowly to a 90 o angle and then raise the rest of the body by pushing the legs up and resting their raise the rest of the body by pushing the legs up and resting their weight on the arms. Fix your chin in jugular notch, and use your arms and hands to support the body at the hip region. The weight of the body should rest on your head, back and shoulders, your arms being used merely for balance. The trunk and legs should be in a straight line. The body, legs, hips and trunk should be kept as vertical as possible. Focus your eyes on your big toes. Press your chin against your chest. Hold the pose for one to three minutes. Return to the starting position slowly reversing the procedure.
Sarvangasana helps relieve bronchitis, dyspepsia, varicose veins and peps up the digestion. It stimulates the thyroid and para-thyroid glands, influences the bran, heart and lungs. It helps lymphatic juices to circulate in the brain and strengthens the mind. This asana should not be done by those suffering Viparitkarani from high blood pressure, heart disease and eye trouble.
Matsyasana
8.
(Fish pose):
Sit in padmasana. Bend backwards and lie flat on your back without raising your knees.
Press your palms beneath the shoulder. Push the hip backwards thus making a bridge
-like arch with the spine. Then making hooks of your forefingers, grasp your toes without crossing your arms. Maintain this pose and breathe rhythmically and comfortably.
Reverse the order and return gradually to the starting position of Padamasana.
Matsyasana is beneficial in the treatment of acidity, constipation, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis and other lung disorders.
Uttanapadasana
9.
(Left-lifting pose):
Lie on your back with leg and arms straight, feet together, palms facing downwards, on the floor close to the body. Raise your legs above two feet from the floor without bending your knees. Maintain this pose for some time. Then, lower your legs slowly without bending the knees. This asana is helpful for those suffering from constipation. It strengthens the abdominal muscles and intestinal organs.
Halasana
10.
(Plough pose):
Lie flat on your back with legs and feet together, arms by your side with fists closed near your thigh keeping your legs straight, slowly raise them to angles of 300, 600 and 900, pausing slightly at each point. Gradually, raise your legs above your head without bending your knees and then move them behind until they touch the floor. Stretch your legs as far as possible so that your chin presses tightly against the chest while your arms remain on the floor as in the original position. Hold the pose from between 10 seconds to three minutes, breathing normally. To return to the starting position slowly reverse the procedure.
This asana relieves tension in the back, neck, and legs and is beneficial in the treatment of lumbago, spinal rigidity and rheumatism, myalgia, arthritis, sciatics and asthma.
Bhujangasana
11.
(Cobra pose):
Lie on your stomach with your legs straight and feet together, toes pointing backwards.
Rest your forehead and nose on the ground. Place your palms below the shoulders and your arms by the side of the chest. Inhale and slowly raise your head, neck, chest and upper abdomen from the navel up. Bend your spine back and arch your back as far as you can looking upwards. Maintain this position and hold your breathe for a few seconds.
Exhale, and slowly return to the original position.
This asana has great therapeutic value in the treatment of diseases like cervical spondylitis, bronchitis, asthma and eosinophillia. It removes weakness of the abdomen and tones up the reproductive system in women. It exercises the vertebrae, back muscles and the spine.
Shalabhasana
12.
(Locust pose):
Lie flat on your stomach, with your legs stretched out straight, feet together, chin and nose resting on the ground, looking straight ahead. Move your arms under the body, keeping them straight, fold your hands into fists and place them close to the thighs. Now, raise your legs up keeping them straight together and stretching them as far back as possible without bending your knees and toes. Hold this position for a few seconds and repeat four or five times.
This asana helps in the treatment of arthirits, rheumatism and low backache. The whole body is strengthened by this asana especially the waist, chest, back and neck. Persons suffering from high blood pressure or heart disease should not practice this asana.
Dhanurasana
13.
(Bow pose):
Lie on your stomach with your chin resting on the ground, arms extended alongside the body with the legs straight. Bend your legs back towards the hips, bring them forward and grasp your ankles. Inhale and raise your thighs, chest and head at the same time. Keep your hands straight. The weight of the body should rest mainly on the navel region.
Therefore, arch your spine as much as possible. Exhale and return slowly to the starting position, by reversing the procedure.
Dhanurasana provides good exercise for the arms, shoulders, legs, ankles, back and neck. It also strengthens the spine. It relieves flatulence and constipation and improves the functioning of the pancreas and the intestines. It should not be done by those with a weak heart, high blood pressure and ulcers of the stomach and bowels.
Makarasana
14.
(Crocodile pose):
Lie flat on your abdomen. Spread your legs, with heels pointing towards each other. Bring your left hand under the right shoulder and grasp it. Grasp the left shoulder with your right hand, keeping the elbows together, one upon the other on the ground. Your face should be between your crossed hands. Relax and breathe normally for two or three minutes.
Then gradually go back to the sitting position.
This asana completely relaxes both the body and the mind and also rests the muscles. It is beneficial in the treatment of hypertension, heart disease and mental disorders.
Vakrasana
15. : Sit erect and stretch legs out. Raise your right knee until your foot rests by the side of the left knee. Place your right hand behind your back without twisting the trunk too much.
Then bring your left arm from in front of you over the right knee. Place your left palm on the ground near the heel of your right foot. Push your knee as far as to the left arm. Twist your trunk to the right as much as possible. Turn your face to the right over the right shoulder. Release and repeat on the left side.
This asana tones up the spinal and abdominal muscles and nerves and activates the kidneys, intestines, stomach, adrenaline and gonad glands. It relieves cases of constipation and dyspepsia.
Ardhamatsyendrasana
16. : This is the half position of Matsyendrasana, which is named after the great sage Matsyendra. Sit erect on the ground, stretching your legs in front of you. Insert your left heel in the perineum, keeping the left thigh straight. Place your right foot flat on the floor, crossing the left knee. Pass your left arm over the right knee and grasp the big toe of your right foot. Grasp your left thigh from the rear with your right hand. Turn your head, neck, shoulders and trunk to the right bringing your chin in line with the right shoulder. Maintain this position for a few seconds, gradually increasing the duration to 2 minutes. Repeat the same process on the other side for the same duration.
This asana exercises the vertebrae and keeps them in good shape. It helps the liver, spleen, bladder, pancreas, intestines and other abdominal organs, and also stretches and strengthens the spinal nerves. This asana is beneficial in the treatment of obesity, dyspepsia, asthma and diabetes.
Paschimottanasana
17.
(Posterior stretching pose):
Sit erect.
Stretch your legs out in front of you, keeping them close to each other. Bend your trunk and head forward from the waist without bending your knees and grasp the big toes with your rest your forehead on your knees. With practice, the tense muscles become supple enough for this exercise. Old persons and persons whose spine is still should do this asana slowly in the initial stages. The final pose need be maintained only for a few seconds. Return to the starting position gradually.
Paschimottanasana is a good stretching exercise in which the posterior muscles get stretched and relaxed. It relieves sciatica, muscular rheumatism of the back, backache, lumbago and asthmatic attacks. It is also valuable in constipation, dyspepdis and other abdominal disorders.
Gomukhasana
18.
(Cow-face pose):
Sit erect on the floor, with your legs outstretched. Fold your leg back. Place your left foot under the right hip. Similarly, fold back the right leg and cross your right foot over your left thigh. Place your right heel against the left hip. Both soles should face backwards, one over the other. Now interlock your hands behind your back. See to it that if your right leg is over the left, then your right elbow should face upward and the left elbow downward.
This position is reversed when the leg position is changed. Hold the pose for 30 seconds and then repeat the procedure reversing the process. The practice of gomukhasana will strengthen the muscles of the upper arm, shoulder, chest, back, waist and thigh. It is beneficial in the treatment of seminal weakness, piles, urethral disorders and kidney troubles. It also relieves varicose veins and sciatica.
Pavanmuktasana
19.
(Gas-releasing pose):
Lie flat on your back, hands by your side. Fold your legs back, placing your feet flat on the floor; make a fingerlock with your hands and place them a little below the knees. Bring your thighs up near your chest. Exhale and raise your head and shoulders and bring your nose between your knees. This is the final position. Maintain this pose for a few seconds and repeat three to five times. Reverse the procedure to get back to the original position.
This asana strengthens the abdomineal muscles and internal abdominal organs like the liver, spleen, pancreas and stomach.
It helps release excessive gas from the abdomen and relieves flatulence. Persons suffering from constipation should do this exercise in the morning after drinking lukewarm water to help proper evacuation of the bowels.
Chakrasana
20.
(Lateral bending pose):
Stand straight with your feet and toes together and arms by your sides, palms facing and touching the thighs. Raise one arm laterally above the head with the palm inwards up to shoulder level and palm upwards when the arm rises above the level of your head. Then, bend your trunk and head sideways with the raised arm touching the ear, and sliding the palm of the other hand downwards towards the knee. Keep your knees and elbows straight throughout. Maintain the final pose for a few seconds. Then gradually bring your hand back to the normal position. Repeat the exercise on the other side.
This asana induces maximum stretching of the lateral muscles of the body, especially the abdomen. It strengthens the knees, arms and shoulders and increases lung capacity.
Trikonasana
21.
(Triangle pose):
Stand erect, with your legs apart. Stretch your arms up to shoulder level. Bend your trunk forwards and twist to the left, looking upwards and keeping your left arm raised at an angle of 900. Place your right palm on your left foot without bending the knees. Maintain this pose for a few seconds. Then straighten up and return to the normal position. Repeat the procedure on the other side.
Trikosana is an all-round stretching exercise. It keeps the spinal column flexible and reduces the fat on the lateral sides of the body. Besides, it stimulates the adrenal glands and tones up the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Pranayama
22.
Prana means ‘vital force ‘and Ayama means ‘control ‘in Sanskrit. Thus Pranayama means the control of the vital force through concentration and regulated breathing. By means of controlled breathing that is, inhaling and exhaling by holding the breath for a fixed time and changing the rhythm of inspiration and expiration, it is possible to influence the life-force in the body. Pranayama is the process by which such conscious control is achieved through controlled and rhythmical breathing. Pranayama purifies the channels along which the life stream of ‘prana’ flows in the body and prevents various disorders. It increases one’s resistance to respiratory diseases.
The best position in which to practice pranayama is the padmasana or lotus pose. If for some reason that position is difficult to adopt, it can be done while sitting in any comfortable pose. The important thing is to keep the back, neck and head in a straight line. The body should be in its natural relaxed condition and this can be achieved by resting a few minutes in shavasan. If necessary, use your right finger and thumb on either side of the nose to control the right and left nostrils during inhalation and exhalation. In practicising pranayama, a ratio of two to one should be maintained throughout, that is, the exhalation time should be double that required for inhalation. For instance, if inhalation takes 5 seconds, exhalation should take 10 seconds. Both inhalation and exhalation should be smooth and quiet. Some varieties of pranayama beneficial in the treatment of common ailments are as follows:
Anuloma -viloma
1. : This is also known as Nadishuddhi pranayama. Sit in any comfortable meditative pose, keeping your head,neck and spine erect. Rest your left hand on your left knee. Close your right nostril by pressing the tip of your right thumb against it. Breathe out slowly through the left nostril. Inhale slowly and deeply through the left nostril, keeping the right nostril closed. Close your left nostril with the little finger and ring finger of your right hand and exhale through the right nostril. Then inhale through the right nostril, keeping the left nostril closed and, lastly, exhale through the left nostril, keeping the right nostril closed.
This completes one round ofanuloma-viloma. Repeat the entire process. Inhaling and exhaling should be done very slowly, without making any sound.
This pranayama is a process of purification. It strengthens the lungs and calms the nerves. It helps cure cough and cold, insomnia, chronic headache and asthama.
Ujjayi
2. : Sit in any comfortable meditative pose. Inhale slowly, deeply and steadily through both nostrils with a low uniform sound through the glottis. Hold your breathe for a second or two after inhaling and then exhale noisily only through the left nostril, keeping the right nostril closed. Do this as often as required. This pranayama clears the nasal passage and helps the functioning of the thyroid gland and benefits respiratory disorders, especially bronchitis and asthama. Persons suffering from high blood pressure should not practice ujjayi.
Bhastrika
3. : ‘Bhastrika’ means ‘bellows.’ It is performed by instant and quick expirations of breath.
There are many varieties of bhastrika. The simplest technique is as follows: Sit in padmasana. Do 20 strokes of kapalbhati. Inhale and exhale rapidly, making a puffing sound. This is a good exercise for abdominal viscera and lungs.
Sheetali
4. : Sit in padamasana or any other comfortable posture. Stick your tongue out about an inche from the lips, rolled up at the sides to form a channel like a bird’s beak. Suck in air through the channel. After a full inhalation, slowly close your mouth, hold your breath and exhale slowly through both nostrils. This completes the exercise. Repeat as required. This pranayama cools the body and mind, activates the liver and bile and has beneficial effects on the circulation and body temperature.
Sitkari
5. : IN sitkari a sound is produced while inhaling by opening the mouth a little, placing the tip of the tongue against the lower front teeth and then sucking the air in slowly. After holding your breath, exhale through both nostrils. This exercise helps to control thirst, hunger and laziness.
Suryabhedan
6. : ‘Surya-nadi ‘is the right nostril and ‘ChandraNadi’ is the left nostril. In this pranayama, one always uses the right nostril for inhalation. Sit in padmasan or any other suitable posture. Keep your head, neck and back straight. Inhale through the right nostril. Hold your breath and then exhale through the left nostril. Hold your breath and then exhale through the left nostril. Repeat as often as required. This pranayama increases gastric juices and helps digestion. It also fortifies the nervous system and clears the sinuses.
Bhramari
7. : In this pranayama, the buzzing sound of a bee is produced and hence it is called bhramari. Keep your mouth closed while inhaling. Exhale through both nostrils, producing the humming sound of a bee. This pranayama affects the ears, nose, eyes and mouth and makes the complexion glow. It also helps those suffering from insomnia.
Healing Power of Colours
Chromotherapy is a method of treatment of diseases by colour. It is best used as a supportive therapy along with other natural methods of preserving health such as correct diet, adequate rest and relaxation, exercise, yogic asanas and so on.
According to practitioners of chromotherapy, the cause of any disease can be traced to the lack of a particular colour in the human system. Colour therapy is a technique of restoring imbalance by means of applying coloured light to the body. It was a popular method of cure even in ancient times. Some 2,500 years ago, Pythagoras applied colour light therapeutically and ‘colour halls’
were used for healing in ancient Egypt, China and India.
The pioneer of modern colour therapy was Niels Finsen of Denmark. Following the discovery, in 1877, of the bactericidal action of solar ultra-violet energy, Finsen studied the possibility of assisting the healing of wounds with visible light. He subse- quently used red light to inhibit the formation of smallpox scars and, in 1896, founded a Light Institute (now the Finsen Institute of Copenhagen) for the phototreatment of tuberculosis. In 1932, Gerrard and Hessay, two Californian psychologists, scientifically established that blue light had a calming effect and red a stimulating power on human beings.
Blue and red colours are considered at the two extremes with yellow representing the midpoint.
These are also the three principal colours in a rainbow. A patient is first subjected to an examination to ascertain which colour he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the colour of the eyeballs, nails, urine and excrement. In cases of the lack of red the eyes and nails will be bluish, and the urine and excrement white or bluish. If there is a deficiency of the blue colour, the eyes and nails will be reddish and urine and excrement yellowish or red.
Every substance on earth contains colour. Even the rays cast on earth by celestial bodies contain colour in the form of white light. The rays of the sun contain seven different colours –
violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colours which are highly beneficial to the maintenance of health and for healing diseases.
According to Dr. Babbit, a well-known authority on chromotherapy, “sunlight is the principal curative agent in nature’s laboratory and where light cannot enter, disease does. Chlorosis, anaemia, leukaemia, emaciation, muscular debility, degeneration of heart and liver, dropsical effusion, softening of bones, nervous excitability, physical deformity, stunted growth and consumption are the result of excluding oneself from the beneficial effects of sunlight. “
Sunlight plays an important role in the recovery from chronic diseases. Judicious use of sunlight can be part of the curing process in almost every affliction. The rays of the sun improve digestion and nutrition, quicken blood and lymph circulation and increase the elimination of impurities through the skin.
The action and effect of various colours on the body and their healing qualities are as follows:
Red:
Symbolic of heat, fire and anger. It is a stimulating and energising colour. It stimulates arterial blood and brings warmth to cool extremities. Used as a general tonic, it is very valuable in the treatment of diseases like low blood pressure, rheumatism, paralysis, anaemia and advanced cases of tuber- culosis.
Orange:
Symbolic of prosperity and pride, orange is useful for stimulating blood supply and energising the nerves. It is beneficial in the treatment of kidney and gall stones, hernia and appendicitis. It is also used to stimulate the milk producing action of breasts after childbirth.
Violet:
Violet is beneficial in the treatment of nervous and emotional disturbances, arthritis, acute cases of consumption and insomnia.
Yellow:
Associated with joy and happiness, yellow is laxative and diuretic. It is a stimulant to the brain, the liver and the spleen. It is also effective in the treatment of diabetes, indigestion, kidney and liver disorders, constipation, eye and throat infections, syphillis and impotence.
Purple:
Purple or indigo combines the blood-warming red and the cooling antiseptic blue. It is an excellent stimulant without being an irritant. It is beneficial in the treatment of advanced stages of constipation, hydrocle, leucorrhoea, many disorders of the stomach and womb, cataract, migraine and skin disorders. It exerts a soothing effect on the eyes, ears and the nervous system.
Green:
Made up of the blue and yellow, green is regarded as a colour of harmony. It is a mild sedative.
It is useful in the treatment of nervous conditions, hay fever, ulcers, influenza, malaria, colds, sexual disorders and cancer. It preserves and strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, it is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.
Blue:
Cool, soothing and sedative, blue alleviates pain, reducing bleeding and heals burns. It is beneficial in the treatment of dysentery, colic, asthma, respiratory disorders, high blood pressure and skin aberrations. IN a study at the New England State Hospital in the United States, 25 members of staff with normal blood pressure were bathed in blue light for half an hour. It resulted in universal fall in blood pressure. The blood pressure rose when red light was applied.
Methods of Treatment
There are two methods of treating diseases by colour:
i. By the application of light through different coloured glasses; and
ii. By external or internal use of colour-charged water. In the first method, sheets of glass, 30 cms. X 36 cms. of the required colours are needed. These are placed at the window frames or any other convenient place in such a way that the sun’s rays can pass through them and fall directly on the patient’s body. The usual duration of the colour treatment is 30 minutes. In case of local application, a pane of glass can be placed in front of the diseased part so that the light passing through the glass falls on the afflicted area. At night lanterns can be used for the purpose. A single lantern can have glass panes of four different colours and the required colour can be focussed on the patient or the affected parts.
In the second method, coloured bottles are needed. These bottles should be cleaned and filled up to three-fourths level with fresh well water, distilled water or rain water. The bottles should be corked and then placed in bright sunlight for three to four hours. After this exposure, the water is said to acquire medicinal properties and this colour-charged water can be used both internally and for external applications. Wounds and ulcers can be washed with this water and it can also be used to massage the affected parts or applied as compress on them. For internal use, an adult can take 30 ml. of colour-charged water as a single dose. The dose can be repeated as required.
Diet
A correct and balanced diet is essential during the treatment of diseases through chromotherapy. The patients should take food items with analogous colouring. The various colours contained in different food items are:
Red: Beets, radish, red cabbage, tomatoes, watercress, most red-skinned fruits,red berries and water melon.
Orange: Orange-skinned vegetables and fruits such as carrot, orange, apricot, mango, peach and pappaya.
Violet: Egg plant, berries, black carrot and purple grapes.
Yellow: Lime and lemon, sweet lime, grapes, pumpkin, melon, banana, mango, yellow apple and guava.
Purple: Foods having both blue and violet colouring.
Green: Most of the green vegetables and fruits such as gourds, spinach, plantain, lettuce, pea, green mango, gooseberry, pears, beans, etc.
Blue: Blue plum, blue beans, blue grapes, etc.
Contraindications
There are some important contraindications to colour treatment which should be borne in mind while adopting this mode of cure. For instance, the red colour would be injurious in a naturally inflammatory condition of the system, and in case of persons with feverish and excitable temperament. If the red light is employed for too long and frequently, it may produce dangerous fevers. The danger can be obviated by using the red light for a few minutes at a time or by placing a wet bandage over the head.
Similarly, yellow should not be used when the nerves are very active or irritable. Yellow or orange reddish tones may prove injurious in fevers, acute inflammations, delirium, diarrhoea, neuralgia, palpitation of the heart and any condition of over- excitement.
In cases of paralysis, chronic rheumatism, gout, consumption and in all cold, pale and dormant conditions of the system, blue, indigo and violet may prove too cooling and constricting and should be avoided.
Sleep
Restorative of Tired Body and Mind
Sleep is one of nature’s greatest inventions and blessings of life. It is a periodic rest of the body which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning. It has been called “most cheering restorative of tired bodies. “
Sleep is the indispensable condition to the recuperation of energy. We go to bed fatigued and get up refreshed. Sleep repairs the wear and tear of the body and mind incurred during waking hours. Nothing is so restorative to the nerves as sound and uninterrupted sleep. Sleep is thus a vital element in a total way of life. It is a basic need in man’s mental as well as physical life.
During sleep most of the functions of the body are carried on at the lowest level possible in health. Heat production is from 10 to 15 per cent below the basal level. The mechanism regulating the body temperature are less sensitive than in the waking state and are depressed by 0.5 to 1.0 degree F. The rate of the heart is reduced by 10 to 30 beats per minute and a decline in blood pressure of about 20 mm occurs in quiet restful sleep. The urine volume is considerably reduced, but its concentration in solids is increased. The tone of all the skeletal muscles is lessened. The eyes are usually rolled upward and the pupils constricted.
Loss of sleep exerts seriously detrimental effects upon the nervous system. Long periods of wakefulness may cause profound psychological changes such as loss of memory, irritability, hallucination and even schizophrenic manifestations. During the last World War, prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who kept awake for days by strong lights and blaring wireless sets, collapsed.
Sleep versus rest
For correct living, it is essential to differential between sleep and rest. At rest the body is disturbed by all exterior noises; but in sleep it is screened from them by partial loss of consciousness and also by what is called “dream protection. “One useful purpose of the dream is to convert outside noises that might awake the sleeping person, into fantasies that do not disturb him.
During rest the limbs are normal, but in sleep they swell. Blood flows from the brain, distends the arteries, and makes the limbs bigger. IN sleep more muscles are relaxed than in rest, though the sleeping person changes his position about 35 times in one night, without knowing it. Many organs which work during rest suspend their activities in sleep. Thus the recouping value of sleep is much more than that of rest or simple lying down.
Theories of sleep
Many theories of sleep have been advanced to explain the temporary loss of consciousness which we know as sleep. The oldest theory is that sleep is induced by a reduction in the blood supply to the brain or at least to conscious centres. This is known as ischemic theory. Even the ancient Greek physicians were aware that the carotid artery was in a way concerned with the onset of sleep. The name itself expresses this belief. The Greek word ‘Karotides’ for carotid arteries is derived from karoo which means ‘put to sleep.’ In modern times, the drowsiness after a meal, presumably due to the diversion of blood from the brain to the digestive organs, is cited in support of the ischemic theory.
Another important theory about sleep is the chemical theory. As a result of experiments in the metabolism of sleeping subjects, it is considered that the fatigue inducing sleep may be a mild form of blood poisoning or toxaemia. This “poisoning “is believed to be brought on by the expenditure of energy during the waking hours.
According to this theory, every contraction of a muscle and every impulse passing through the brain or the nerves breaks down a certain amount of tissue. The debris from broken down tissue is then thrown into the bloodstream. In the waking state, much of the waste from broken down tissue is got rid of through the natural eliminating processes of lungs, kidneys, bowels and skin.
But there comes a saturation point when there is such an accumulation of waste that it cannot be disposed of by these processes and it then invades the grey matter of the brain. In such an eventuality, mental and physical altertness are impaired. It is nature’s warning that the waste product must be reduced to replenish the lost energy. So we get tired and the urge to get sleep becomes irresistible.
During sleep, the cells and tissues that break down to produce toxic waste become less active and the production of toxic waste is vastly reduced. Simultaneously, constructive activities take place within the body during sleep, which rebuild the broken down tissue.
Another theory places a sleeping centre in the hypothalamus. Many of the bodily changes in sleep such as constriction of pupils, reduced frequency of heart beat, increased gastric tone and secretion are manifestations of the activity of hypothalamus nuclei, especially parasympathetic centres. Perhaps some of the sleeping pills affect this centre in the brain.
Although the various theories have certain amount of experimental evidence to support them, none has really solved what is the most mysterious process in our lives. All we know is that sleep substitutes constructive measures for the destructive processes of our waking hours. We cannot live without sleep.
Duration
Another mystery about sleep is that no two persons need the same amount of sleep. Dr.
Nathaniel Kleitman, Associate Professor of Physiology at the University of Chicago, who conducted years of extensive experiments at the University’s “Sleeping Laboratory “says that there is no more a normal duration of sleep than there is normal height and weight. A study of 25
subjects spread over thousands of nights showed that the average amount of sleep needed to feel well rested is seven-and-a-half hours, though individuals varied from six to nine hours.
According to Dr. Demmis Williams, a noted authority on sleep, the amount of sleep needed for an individual’s well-being, is determined by what he feels he needs, not by what other people, including the doctor, think is reasonable.
On the whole, women sleep from 45 minutes to one hour more than men. The amount of sleep required varies at different ages as follows:
New Born: 18 to 20 hours
Growing children:10 to 12 hours
Adults: 6 to 9 hours
Aged persons: 5 to 7 hours
The depth of ordinary restful sleep fluctuates throughout the sleep. In most adults, sleep deepens through the first hour, after which it lightens rather sharply and then more gradually until morning or until the usual time of wakening. IN growing children, however, sleep deepens a second time for a little while. According to Dr. Lindlahr, a famous naturopath, two hours before and two hours after midnight are the most valuable for sleep of all the twenty-four hours of the day. In these four hours, mental and physical vigour are at their lowest ebb and sleep is soundest and most natural.
It is believed that three-quarters of our sleep consists of whatis called ‘slow wave sleep.’ The restorative processes occur during this time. The remaining quarter is taken by what is called
‘rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.’ It is also called paradosical or dreaming sleep and it comes in episodes of about 20 minutes duration about five times in a night. It involves dreaming, irregular heart rates, raised blood pressure and erection of the penis. It is in this phase of sleep that normal healthy young men may have wet dreams. Both forms of sleep are considered equally important, being normal sleeping rhythms.
Sleeping positions
There are many theories about good and bad sleeping positions. Practically everyone changes positions several times during sleep. Hence how one starts out is of no consequence. It is a good thing we do turn about in our beds. If we did not, we would awake in the morning stiff, having maintained the same position all night. For proper sleep, however, one should not sleep on one’s back but on the side with one or both legs brought well up and the head and the shoulder slightly forward.
Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit-forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q. dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side-effect of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.
Sleeping well is an art. It needs a perfect blend of healthy habits and control of mind. A clean body and mind, relaxed mood, physical exercises, and perfect dietary control are some of the basic sleep-inducing methods.
Unpleasant situatins at bed time such as arguments, quarrels, watching a horror movie, listening to loud music which would create anxiety, fear, excitement and worries should be avoided. Such situations stimulate the cerebral cortex and tend to keep one awake.
The sleeping place should be well ventilated, with balanced temperature and free from noises.
The bed should be neither too hard nor too soft, but comfortable. The pillow should not be too hard or too high. The bed clothes should be loose-fitting and light coloured. Another important rule is not to have heavy food shortly before bed time.
PART II
HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION
Optimum Nutrition for Vigour and Vitality
Your food shall be your medicine.
– Hippocrates
Diet plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and in the prevention and cure of disease. In the words of Sir Robert McCarrison, one of the best known nutritionists, ‘The right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health; and the wrong kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of disease. “
The human body builds up and maintains healthy cells, tissues, glands and organs only with the help of various nutrients. The body cannot perform any of its functions, be they metabolic, hormonal, mental, physical or chemical, without specific nutrients. The food which provides these nutrients is thus one of the most essential factors in building and maintaining health.
Nutrition, which depends on food, is also of utmost importance in the cure of disease. The primary cause of disease is a weakened organism or lowered resistance in the body, arising from the adoption of a faulty nutritional pattern. There is an elaborate healing mechanism within the body but it can perform its function only if it is abundantly supplied with all the essential nutritional factors.
It is believed that at least 45 chemical components and elements are needed by human cells.
Each of these 45 substances, called essential nutrients, must be present in adequate diets. The list of these nutrients, include oxygen and water. The other 43 essential nutrients are classified into five main groups, namely carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. All 45 of these nutrients are vitally important and they work together. Therefore, the absence of any of them will result in disease and eventually in death.
Research has shown that almost all varieties of disease can be produced by an under-supply of various nutrients. These nutritional deficiencies occur on account of various factors, including the intense processsing and refining of foods, the time lag between the harvesting and consumption of vegetables and fruits, the chemicals used in bleaching, flavouring, colouring and preserving foods and the chemical fertilisers, fungicides insecticides and sprays used for treating the soil.
Therefore, as a first principle of nutrition, one should insist upn whole meal flour and whole meal bread and avoid the white stuff.
Research has also shown that diseases produced by combinatins of deficiencies can be corrected when all the nutrients are supplied, provided irreparable damage has not been done. A well-balanced and correct diet is thus of utmost importance for the maintenance of good health and the healing of diseases. Such a diet, obviously should be made up of foods, which in combination would supply all the essential nutrients.
(I) It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of seeds, nuts, and grains,
(ii) vegetables and
(iii) fruits, would provide adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients. These foods have, therefore, been aptly called basic food groups and the diet contains these food groups as optimum diet for vigour and vitality. It is described, in brief, below:
(I) Seeds, nuts and grains:
These are the most important and the most potent of all foods and contain all the important nutrients needed for human growth. They contain the germ, the reproductive power which is of vital importance for the lives of human beings and their health. Millet, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, beans and peas are all highly valuable in building health. Wheat, mung beans, alfalfa seeds and soya beans make excellent sprouts. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts and soya beans contain complete proteins of high biological value.
Seeds, nuts and grains are also excellent natural sources of essential unsaturated fatty acids necessary for health. They are also good sources of lecithin and most of the B vitamins. They are the best natural sources of vitamin C, which is perhaps the most important vitamin for the preservation of health and prevention of premature ageing. Besides, they are rich sources of minerals and supply necessary bulk in the diet. They also contain auxones, the natural substance that play an important role in the rejuvenation of cells and prevention of premature ageing.
(ii) Vegetables:
They are extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes and vitamins. Faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage, however, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are, therefore, best consumed in their natural raw state in the form of salads.
There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have energy value and good sources of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrates and proteins and yellow ones are rich in vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage.
To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it would be advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable. In most root vegetables, the largest amount of mineral is directly under the skin and these are lost if vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive value are tobe preserved.
(iii) Fruits:
Like vegetables, fruits are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleansing effect on the blood and digestive tract. They contain high alkaline properties, a high percentage of water and a low percentage of proteins and fats.
Their organic acid and high sugar content have immediate refreshing effects. Apart from seasonable fresh fruits, dry fruits, such as raisins, prunesand figs are also beneficial.
Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe states. In cooking, the loose portions of the nutrient salts and carbohydrates. They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast in the morning. If it becomes necessary to take fruits with regular food, they should form a larger proportion of the meals. Fruits, however, make better combination with milk than with meals. It is also desirable to take one kind of fruit at a time. For the maintenance of good health, atleast one pound of uncooked fruits should form part of the daily diet. In case of sickness, it will be advisable to take fruits in the form of juices.
The three basic health-building foods mentioned above should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils and honey. Milk is an excellent food. It is considered as “Nature’s most nearly perfect food. “The best way to take milk is in its soured form – that is, yogurt and cottage cheese. Soured milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a predigested form and more easily assimilated. Milk helps maintain a healthy intestinal flora and prevents intestinal putrefaction and constipation.
High quality unrefined oils should be added to the diet. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C and F and lecithin. The average daily amount should not exceed two tablespoons.
Honey too is an ideal food. It helps increase calcium retention in the system, prevents nutritional anaemia besides being beneficial in kidney and liver disorders, colds, poor circulation and complexion problems. It is one of the nature’s finest energy-giving food.
A diet of the three basic food groups, supplemented with the special foods, mentioned above, will ensure a complete and adequate supply of all the vital nutrients needed for health, vitality and prevention of diseases. It is not necessary to include animal protein like egg, fish or meat in this basic diet, as animal protein, especially meat, always has a detrimental effect on the healing process. A high animal protein is harmful to health and may cause many of our common ailments.
Daily Menu
Based on what has been stated above, the daily menu of a health-building and vitalising diet should be on the following lines:
Upon arising:- A glass of lukewarm water mixed with the juice of a half a lemon and a teaspoon of honey, or a glass of freshly squeezed juice of any available seasonable fruit such as apple, pineapple, orange, sweet lime and grapes.
Breakfast:- Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, banana, grapes, or any available seasonal fruits, a cup of butter-milk or unpasteurised milk and a handful of raw nuts or a couple of tablespoons of sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Mid-morning snack: One apple or a banana or any other fruit.
Lunch: A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetables using salt, vegetable oil and butter for seasoning, one or two slices of whole grain bread or chappatis and a glass of butter-milk.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice or any available fruit.
Dinner: A large bowl of fresh salad made up of green vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrot, cabbage, cucumber, red beet and onion with lime juice dressing, any available sprouts such as alfalfa seeds, and mung beans, a warm vegetable course, if desired, one tablespoon of fresh butter, cottage cheese or a glass of butter-milk.
The above menu is a general outline around which an individual diet can be built. It can be modified and changed to adopt to specific requirements and conditions. The menu for lunch and dinner is interchangeable.
Do not drink liquids with meals. The water should be taken half an hour before meals or an hour after meals. Milk, buttermilk, and vegetable soups are foods and can be taken with meals.
Miracles of Alkalizing Diet
The human body is composed of various organs and parts, which are made up of tissues and cells. These tissues and cells are composed of 16 chemical elements.
The balance or equilibrium of these chemical elements in the body is an essential factor in the maintenance of health and healing of disease. The acid-alkaline balance plays a vital role in this balanced body chemistry. All foods, after digestion and absorption leave either an acid or alkaline ash in the body depending on their mineral composition. The normal body chemistry is approximately 20 per cent acid and 80 per cent alkaline. This is the acid-alkaline balance.
In normal health, the reaction of the blood is alkaline and that is essential for our physical and mental well-being. The preponderence of alkalis in the blood is due to the fact that the products of the vital combustions taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. Carbohydrates and fats form about nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. IN normal health, this great mass of material is converted into carbon dioxide gas and water. Half of the remaining one-tenth fuel is also con- verted into the same gas and water. This huge amount of acid is transported by the blood to the various points of discharge, mainly the lungs. By virtue of alkalinity, the blood is able to transport the acid from the tissues to the discharge points.
Acidosis
Whenever the alkalinity of the blood is reduced, even slightly, its ability to transport the carbon dioxide gets reduced. This results in the accumulation of acid in the tissues. This condition is known as acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood. Its symptoms are hunger, indigestion, burning sensation and pain in the pharynx, nausea, vomiting, headache, various nervous disorders and drowsiness. Acidosis is the breeding ground for most diseases. Nepthritis or Bright’s disease, rheumatism, premature old age, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, skin disorders and various degenerative diseases are traceable to this condition. It seriously interferes with the functions of the glands and organs of the body. It also lowers the vitality of the system, thereby increasing the danger of infectious diseases.
The main cause of acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood is faulty diet, in which too many acid forming foods have been consumed. In the normal process of metabolism or converting the food into energy by the body,. various acids are formed in the system and in addition, other acids are introduced in food. Whenever there is substantial increase in the formation of acids in the system and these acids are not properly eliminated through the lungs, the kidneys and the bowels, the alkalinity of the blood is reduced, resulting in acidosis.
Other causes of acidosis are depletion of alkali reserve due to diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera etc., accumulation of carbon dioxide in asphyxia and anoxia as in circulatory and pulmonary diseases and accumulation of acetone bodies resulting from starvation, vomiting and diabetes millitus.
Acidosis can be prevented by maintaining a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the diet. Certain foods leave alkaline ash and help in maintaining the alkalinity of the food, while others leave highly acid ash and lower the alkali reserve of the blood and tissue fluids to a very large extent. Eggs do the same but less strongly than meats. Cereals of all kinds, including all sorts of breads are also acid-forming foods, though much less than meats. All fruits, with exceptions like plums and prunes and all green and root vegetables are highly alkaline foods and help to alkalinize the blood and other tissue fluids.
Thus, our daily diet should consist of four-fifth of alkaline-forming foods such as juicy fruits, tubers, legumes, ripe fruits, leafy and root vegetables and one fifty of acid-forming foods containing concentrated proteins and starches such as meat, fish, bread and cereals. Eating sensibly in this manner will ensure the necessary alkalinity of the food which will keep the body in perfect health.
Whenever a person has acidosis, the higher the ratio of alkaline forming foods in his diet, the quicker will be the recovery. Acids are neutralised by alkalies. It is, therefore, imperative that persons suffering from various ailments are given adequate alkaline ash foods to offset the effects of acid-forming foods and leave a safe margin of alkalinity.
The most agreeable and convenient means of alkalizing the blood are citrus fruits and fruit juices. The alkalizing value of citrus fruits are due to large percentage of alkaline salts, mainly potash, which they contain. Each pint of orange juice contains 12 grains of potassium, one of the most potent of alkalis. Lemon juice contains nine grains of the alkali to the pint and grape seven grains.
Diet in Disease
In the diet during disease, breakfast may consist of fresh fruits, lunch may comprise raw vegetables with acid and sub-acid fruits, and for dinner raw and cooked vegetables, or light starchy vegetables like beet, carrot, cauliflower, egg-plant and squashes may be taken. Sweet fruits may be added to this diet after seven days.
Foods are classified as acid-producing or alkaline-producing depending on their reaction on the urine. Calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium present in foods contribute to the alkaline effect, while sulphur, phosphorous and chlorine contribute to the acidic effect. Depending on the pre-dominating constituents in a particular food, it is classified as acid-forming or alkaline-forming.
The effect of food stuffs upon the alkalinity of the blood depends upon their residue which they leave behind after undergoing oxidation in the body. It is an error to presume that because a food tastes acid, it has an acidic reaction in the blood. For instance, fruits and vegetables have organic acids in combination with soda and potash in the form of acid salts. When the acids are burnt or utilised in the body, the alkaline soda or potash is left behind. Hence the effect of the natural fruit acids is to increase the alkalinity of the blood rather than reduce it.
Based on the above observations, the following charts show the common foods with acid and alkaline ash:
A – Foods Leaving An Acid Ash
(One-Fifth Class)
Barley
Eggs
Bananas (unripe)
Grain Foods
Beans
Lentils
Bread
Meats
Cereals
Nuts except almonds
Cakes
Oatmeal
Chicken
Peas
Confections
Rice
Corn
Sugar
Chorolate
Sea Foods
Coffee
Tea
B – Foods Leaving An Alkaline Ash
(Four-fifths class)
Almonds
Melons
Apples
Milk
Apricots
Onions
Banana (ripe)
Oranges
Beets
Parsley
Cabbage
Peaches
Carrots
Pears
Cauliflower
Pineapple
Celery
Potatoes
Coconuts
Pumpkins
Cottage Cheese
Radishes
Cucumbers
Raisins
Dates
Spinach
Figs(Fresh and Dry)
Soyabeans
Grapes
Tomatoes
Lemons
Turnips
Lettuce
Vitamins and their Importance in Health and Disease
The word ‘Vitamine’ meaning a vital amine was proposed by a Polish Researcher, Dr. Cacimir Funk, in 1911 to designate a new food substance which cured beri-beri. Other terms were proposed as new factors were discovered. But the word vitamin, with the final ‘e’ dropped, met with popular favour.
Vitamins are potent organic compounds which are found in small concentrations in foods. They perform specific and vital functions in the body chemistry. They are like electric sparks which help to run human motors. Except for a few exceptions, they cannot be manufactured or synthesized by the organism and their absence or improper absorption results in specific deficiency disease. It is not possible to sustain life without all the essential vitamins. In their natural state they are found in minute quantities in organic foods. WE must obtain them from these foods or in dietary supplements.
Vitamins, which are of several kinds, differ from each other in physiological function, in chemical structure and in their distribution in food. They are broadly divided into two categories, namely, fat-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are all soluble in fat and fat solvents and are therefore, known as fat-soluble. They are not easily lost by ordinary cooking methods and they can be stored in the body to some extent, mostly in the liver. They are measured in international units. Vitamin B Complex and C are water soluble. They are dissolved easily in cooking water. A portion of these vitamins may actually be destroyed by heating.
They cannot be stored in body and hence they have to be taken daily in foods. Any extra quantity taken in any one day is eliminated as waste. Their values are given in milligrams and micrograms, whichever is appropriate.
Vitamins, used therapeutically, can be of immense help in fighting disease and speeding recovery. They can be used in two ways, namely, correcting deficiencies and treating disease in place of drugs. Latest researches indicate that many vitamins taken in large doses far above the actual nutritional needs, can have a miraculous healing effect in a wide range of common complaints and illnesses. Vitamin therapy has a distinct advantage over drug therapy. While drugs are always toxic and have many undesirable side effects, vitamins, as a rule are non-toxic and safe.
The various functions of common vitamins, their deficiency symptoms, natural sources, daily requirements and their therapeutic uses are discussed in brief as follows:
Vitamin A
Known as anti-opathalmic, vitamin A is essential for growth and vitality. It builds up resistance to respiratory and other infections and works mainly on the eyes, lungs, stomach and intestines. It prevents eye diseases and plays a vital role in nourishing the skin and hair. It helps to prevent premature ageing and senillity, increases life expectancy and extends youthfulness. The main sources of this vitamin are fish liver oil, liver, whole milk, curds, pure ghee, butter, cheese, cream and egg yolk, green leafy and certain yellow root vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip, beets, carrot, cabbage and tomato and ripe fruits such as prunes, mangoes, pappaya, apricots, peaches, almonds and other dry fruits. A prolonged deficiency of vitamin A may result in inflammation of the eyes, poor vision frequent colds, night blindness and increased susceptibility to infections, lack of appetite and vigour, defective teeth and gums and skin disorders.
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin A is 5,000 international units for adults and 2,600
to 4,000 international units for children. When taken in large therapeutic doses, which are usually 25,000 to 50,000 units a day, it is highly beneficial in the treatment of head and chest colds, sinus trouble, influenza and other infectious diseases. It is also valuable in curing night blindness and other eye diseases as well as many stubborn skin disorders. This vitamin can be given up to 1,00,000 units a day for a limited period of four weeks under doctor’s supervision.
In a recent year-long study, huge doses of vitamin A given twice a year reduced death by about 30 per cent among Indonesian children. This has raised the hope in the fight against a significant cause of childhood mortality in developing countries.
B COMPLEX VITAMINS
There are a large variety of vitamins in the B group, the more important being B1 or thiamine, B2 or riboflavin, B3 or niacin or nicotinic acid, B6 or pyridoxine, B9 or folic acid, B12 and B5 or pantothenic acid. B vitamins are synergistic. They are more potent together than when used seperately.
THIAMINE
Known as anti-beberi, anti-neuritic and anti-ageing vitamin, thiamine plays an important role in the normal functioning of the nervous system, the regulation of carbohydrates and good digestion. It protects heart muscle, stimulates brain action and helps prevent constipation. It has a mild diuretic effect. Valuable sources of this vitamin are wheat germ, yeast, the outer layer of whole grains, cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, milk, egg, banana and apple. The deficiency of thiamine can cause serious impairment of the digestive system and chronic constipation, loss of weight, diabetes, mental depression, nervous exhaustion and weakness of the heart.
The recommended daily allowance for this vitamin is about two milligrams for adults and 1.2 mg. for children. The need for this vitamin increases during illness, stress and surgery as well as during pregnancy and lactation. When taken in a large quantity, say up to 50 mg., it is beneficial in the treatment of digestive disorders, neuritis and other nervous troubles as well as mental depression. For best results, all other vitamins of B group should be administered simultaneously. Prolonged ingestion of large doses of any one of the isolated B complex vitamins may result in high urinary losses of other B-vitamins and lead to deficiencies of these vitamins.
RIBOFLAVIN
Vitamin B2 or riboflavin, also known as vitamin G, is essential for growth and general health as also for healthy eyes, skin, nails and hair. It helps eliminate sore mouth, lips and tongue. It also functions with other substances to metabolis carbohydrates, fats, and protein. The main sources of this vitamin are green leafy vegetables, milk, cheese, wheat germ, egg, almonds, sunflower, seeds, citrus fruits and tomatoes. Its deficiency can cause a burning sensation in the legs, lips and tongue, oily skin, premature wrinkles on face and arm and eczema.
The recommended daily allowance for this vitamin is 1.6 to 2.6 mg. for adults and 0.6 to one mg for children. Its use in larger quantities, say from 25 to 50 mg. is beneficial in the treatment of nutritional cataracts and other eye ailments, digestive disturbances, nervous depression, general debility, and certain types of high blood pressure.
NIACIN
Vitamin B3 or niacin or nicotinic acid is essential for proper circulation, healthy functioning of the nervous system and proper protein and carbohydrate metabolism. It is essential for synthesis of sex hormones, cartisone, thyroxin and insulin. It is contained in liver, fish, poultry, peanut, whole wheat, green leafy vegetables, dates, figs, prunes and tomato. A deficiency can lead to skin eruptions, frequent stools, mental depression, insomnia, chronic headaches, digestives disorders and anaemia.
The recommended daily allowance is 12 to 20 mg. for adults and 4.8 to 12 mg. for children.
Large doses of this vitamin say up to 100 mg. with each meal, preferably together with other B group vitamins, affords relief in case of migraine and high blood pressure caused by nervousness, high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis.
PYRIDOXINE
Vitamin B 6 or pyridoxine is actually a group of substance – pyridoxine, pyridoxinal and pyridoxamine – that are closely related and function together. It helps in the absorption of fats and proteins, prevents nervous and skin disorders and protects against degenerative diseases.
The main sources of this vitamin are yeast, wheat, bran, wheat germ, pulses, cereals, banana, walnuts, soya beans, milk, egg, liver, meat and fresh vegetables. Deficiency can lead to dermatitis, conjuctivitis, anaemia, depression, skin disorders, nervousness, insomnia, migraine headaches and heart diseases.
The recommended daily requirement is 2.0 mg. for adults and 0.2 mg. for children. This vitamin used therapeutically from 100 to 150 mg. daily can relieve painful joints and the discomforts of pregnancy and pre-menstrual symptoms. Vitamin B6 is now the most intensively studied of all vitamins. Researches are on the threshold of a number of promising developments involving treatments of various ailments with this vitamin. They include hyperactivity in children, asthma, arthritis, kidney stones, blood clots in heart attack victims and nervous disorders.
FOLIC ACID
Vitamin B9 or folic acid, along with vitamin B12 is necessary for the formation of red blood cells.
It is essential for the growth and division of all body cells for healing processes. It aids protein metabolism and helps prevent premature greying. Valuable sources of this vitamin are deep green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, brewers yeast, mushrooms, nuts,peanuts and liver. A deficiency can result in certain types of anaemia, serious skin disorders, loss of hair, impaired circulation, fatigue and mental depression.
The minimum daily requirement of this vitamin is 0.4 mg. To correct anaemia and deficiencies 5mg or more are needed daily. Some authorities believe that folic acid is contraindicated in leukaemia and cancer.
PANTOTHENIC ACID
Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid helps in cell building, maintaining normal growth and development of the central nervous system. It stimulates the adrenal glands and increases the production of cortisone and other adrenal hormones. It is essential for conversion of fatty and sugar to energy. It also helps guard against most physical and mental stresses and toxins and increases vitality. The main sources of this vitamin are whole grain bread and cereals, green vegetables, peas, beans, peanuts and egg yolk. It can be synthesised in the body by intestinal bacteria. A deficiency can cause chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, greying and loss of hair, mental depression, stomach disorders, blood and skin disorders.
The minimum daily requirement of this vitamin has not been established, but is estimated to be between 30 and 50 mg a day. The usual therapeutic doses are 50 to 200 mg. In some studies, 1,000 mg or more were given daily for six moths without side effects. It is useful in the treatment of insomnia, low blood pressure and hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
VITAMIN B12
Vitamin B12 or cobolamin, commonly known as “red vitamin “, is the only vitamin that contains essential mineral elements. It is essential for proper functioning of the central nervous system, production and regeneration of red blood cells and proper utilisation of fat, carbohydrates and protein for body building. It also improves concentration, memory and balance. Valuable sources of this vitamin are kidney, liver, meat, milk, eggs, bananas and peanuts. Its deficiency can lead to certain types of anaemia, poor appetite and loss of energy and mental disorders.
The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin is 3 mcg. Taken in large therapeutic doses from 50 to 100 mcg., it is beneficial in the treatment of lack of concentration, fatigue, depression, insomnia and poor memory.
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is essential for normal growth and the maintenance of practically all the body tissues, especially those of the joints, bones, teeth, and gums. It protects one against infections and acts as a harmless antibiotic. It promotes healing and serves as protection against all forms of stress and harmful effects of toxic chemicals. It helps prevent and cure the common cold. It also helps in decreasing blood cholesterol. This vitamin is found in citrus fruits, berries, green and leafy vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, sprouted bengal and green grams, A deficiency can cause scurvy marked by weakness, anaemia, bleeding gums and painful and swollen parts, slow healing of sores and wounds, premature ageing and lowered resistance to all infections.
The recommended daily allowance is 50 to 75 mg. for adults and 30 to 50 mg. for children.
Smokers and older persons have greater need for vitamin C. It is used therapeutically in huge doses from 100 to 10,000mg. a day. It prevents and cures colds and infections effectively, neutralises various toxins in the system, speeds healing processes in virtually all cases of ill Vitamins and their Importance in Health and Disease health, increases sexual vitality and prevents premature ageing. According to Dr. Linus Pauling, a world famous chemist and nutrition expert, “because vitamin C is one of the least toxic vitamins, it is very safe to use in high doses. “Your body will take exactly what it needs and excrete any excess naturally. “
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone and teeth formation and for the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland. It assists in the assimilation of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals from the digestive tract. This vitamin is found in the rays of the sun, fish, milk, eggs, butter and sprouted seeds. A deficiency can cause gross deformation of bones and severe tooth decay.
The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin for both adults and children is 400 to 500
international units. Therepeutically, up to 4,000 to 5,000 units a day for adult or half of this for children, is a safe dose, if taken for not longer than one month. It is beneficial in the treatment of muscular fatigue, constipation and nervousness. It can be toxic if taken in excessive doses, especially for children. Signs of toxicity are unusual thirst, sore eyes, itching skin, vomiting, diarrhoea, urinary urgency, abnormal calcium deposits in blood vessel walls, liver, lungs, kidneys and stomach.
VITAMIN E
Vitamin E is essential for normal reproductory functions, fertility and physical vigour. It prevents unsaturated fatty acids, sex hormones and fat soluble vitamins from being destroyed in the body by oxygen. It dilutes blood vessels and improves circulation. It is essential for the prevention of heart diseases, asthma, arthritis, and many other conditions. It is available in wheat or cereals germ, whole grain products, green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, all whole, raw or sprouted seeds and nuts. Its deficiency can lead to sterility in men and repeated abortions in women, degenerative developments in the coronary system, strokes and heart disease.
The official estimated requirement of this vitamin is 15 international units. Expert nutritionist estimate the actual requirement at 100 to 200 I.U. a day. The therapeutic doses are from 200 to 2400 I.U. daily. It is beneficial in the treatment of various forms of paralysis, diseases of the muscles, artheriosclerosic heart disease by diluting blood vessels. It prevents formation of scars in burns and post-operation healing. It protects against many environmental poisons in air, water and food. It also has a dramatic effect on the reproductive organs and prevents miscarriage, increases male and female fertility and helps to restore male potency.
VITAMIN K
Vitamin K is necessary for the proper clotting of blood, prevention of bleeding and normal liver functions. It aids in reducing excessive menstrual flow. This vitamin is contained in egg yolk, cow’s milk, yogurt, alfalfa, green and leafy vegetables, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage and tomato. Its deficiency can lead to sufficient bile salts in the intestines, colitis, lowered vitality and premature ageing.
Minerals and Their Importance in Nutrition
The term ‘mineals ‘refers to elements in their simple inorganic form. In nutrition they are commonly referred to as mineral elements or inorganic nutrients.
Minerals are vital to health. Like vitamins and amino acids, minerals are essential for regulating and building the trillions of living cells which make up the body. Body cells receive the essential food elements through the blood stream. They must, therefore, be properly nourished with an adequate supply of all the essential minerals for the efficient functioning of the body.
Minerals help maintain the volume of water necessary to life processes in the body. They help draw chemical substances into and out of the cells and they keep the blood and tissue fluid from becoming either too acidic or too alkaline. The importance of minerals, like vitamins, is illustrated by the fact that there are over 50,000 enzymes in the body which direct growth and energy and each enzyme has minerals and vitamins associated with it. Each of the essential food minerals does a specific job in the body and some of them do extra work, in teams, to keep body cells healthy. The mineral elements which are needed by the body in substantial amounts are calcium, phosphorous, iron, sulphur, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine. In addition the body needs minute (trace) amounts of iodine, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, seleminum, silicon, flourine and some others.
CALCIUM
The human body needs calcium more than any other mineral. A man weighing 70 kg. contains one kg. of calcium. About 99 per cent of the quantity in the body is used for building strong bonesand teeth and the remaining one per cent is used by the blood, muscles and nerves.
Calcium performs many important functions. Without this mineral, the contractions of the heart would be faulty, the muscles would not contract properly to make the limbs move and blood would not clot. Calcium stimulates enzymes in the digestive process and coordinates the functions of all other minerals in the body. Calcium is found in milk and milk products, whole wheat, leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and cabbage, carrots, watercress, oranges, lemons, almonds, figs and walnuts. A daily intake of about 0.4 to 0.6 grams of calcium is considered desirable for an adult. The requirement is larger for growing children and pregnant and lactating women. Deficiency may cause porous and fragile bones, tooth decay, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, insomnia and irritability.
A large increase in the dietary supply of calcium is needed in tetany and when the bones are decalcified due to poor calcium absorption, as in rickets, oesteomalacia and the malabsorption syndrome. Liberal quantity of calcium is also necessary when excessive calcium has been lost from the body as in hyperparathyroidism or chronic renal disease.
PHOSPHORUS
It combines with calcium to create the calcium-phorphorus balance necessary for the growth of bones and teeth and in the formation of nerve cells. This mineral is also essential for the assimilation of carbohydrates and fats. It is a stimulant to the nerves and brain.
Phosphorous is found in abundance in cereals, pulses, nuts, egg yolk, fruit juices, milk and legumes. Usually about one gram of phosphorous is considered necessary in the daily diet.
A phosphorous deficiency may bring about loss of weight, retarded growth, reduced sexual powers and general weakness. It may result in poor mineralisation of bones, deficient nerve and brain function.
While taking calcium in therapeutic doses for calcium deficiency conditions or for treating ailments, it is advisable to take the calcium supplement in which phosphorous has been added in the correct proportions. This is necessary as calcium cannot achieve its objectives unless phosphorous is present in a proper balance.
IRON
Iron is an important mineral which enters into the vital activity of the blood and glands. Iron exists chiefly as haemoglobin in the blood. It distributes the oxygen inhaled into the lungs to all the cells. It is the master mineral which creates warms, vitality and stamina. It is required for the healthy complexion and for building up resistance in the body.
The chief sources of iron are grapes, raisins, spinach, all green vegetables, whole grain, cereals, dried beans, dark coloured fruits, beets, dates, liver and egg yolk. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recommended an allowance of 20 to 30 mg. of iron in a balanced diet for an adult.
Iron deficiency is generally caused by severe blood loss,malnutrition, infecttions and by excessive use of drugs and chemicals. Deficiency of dietary iron may cause nutritional-anaemia, lowered resistance to disease, a general run down condition, pale complexion, shortness of breath on manual exertion and loss of interest in sex.
Iron is the classic remedy for anaemia. However, there are several forms of anaemia, and iron deficiency anaemia is only one. If one is taking iron pills due to insufficient intake of iron in the normal diet, one should also take atleast 40 mg. of folic acid or folate every day, alongwith 10 to 25 mg. of vitamin B12. Both these vitamins are essential in building healthy blood cells.
SULPHUR
All living matter contains some sulphur; this element is therefore essential for life. The greater part of the sulphur in the human body is present in the two sulphur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine, or in the double form of the latter cystine. The main purpose of sulphur is to dissolve waste materials. It helps to eject some of the waste and poisons from the system.
It helps keep the skin clear of blemishes and makes hair glossy. It is also valuable in rheumatic conditions.
The main sulphur-containing foods are radishes, carrots, cabbage,cheese, dried beans, fish and eggs. There is no recommended dietary allowance. But a diet sufficient in protein will generally be adequate in sulphur. Deficiency of sulphur may cause eczema and imperfect development of hair and nails.
Sulphur creams and ointments have been remarkably successful in treating a variety of skin problems.
MAGNESIUM
All human tissues contain small amounts of magnesium. The Adult human body contains about 25 gms. of this mineral. The greater part of this amount is present in bones in combination with phosphate and carbonate. Bone ashes contain less than one per cent magnesium. About one-fifty of the total magnesium in the body is present in the soft tissues, where it is mainly bound to protein. Next to potassium, magnesium is the predominant metallic action in living cells. The bones seem to provide a reserve supply of this mineral in case of shortage elsewhere in the body.
Biochemists call magnesium the “cool, alkaline, refreshing, sleep-promoting mineral “.
Magnesium helps one keep calm and cool during the sweltering summer months. It aids in keeping nerves relaxed and normally balanced. It is necessary for all muscular activity. This mineral is in activator for most of the enzyme system involving carbohydrate, fat and protein in energy-producing reactions. It is involved in the production of lecithin which prevents building up of cholesterol and consequent atheros-clerosis. Magnesium promotes a healthier cardiovascular system and aids in fighting depression. It helps prevent calcium deposits in kidneys and gallstones and also brings relief from indigestion.
Magnesium is widely distributed in foods. It is a part of the chlorophyll in green vegetables. Other good sources of this mineral are nuts, soyabeans, alfalfa, apples, figs, lemons, peaches, almonds, whole grains, brown rice, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recommended dietary allowances for magnesium are 350 mg. per day for adult man, 300 mg. for women and 450 me. during pregnancy and lactation. Deficiency can lead to kidney damage and kidney stones, muscle cramps, arteriosclerosis, heart attack, epileptic seizures, nervous irritability, marked depression and confusion, impaired protein metabolism and premature wrinkles.
Chronic alcoholics often show a low plasma magnesium concentration and a high urinary output.
They may, therefore, require magnesium therapy especially in an acute attack of delirium tremens. Magnesium has also proved useful in bladder and urinary problems and in epileptic seizure. This mineral together with vitamin B6 or pyridoxine has also been found effective in the prevention and treatment of kidney stones. Magnesium can be taken in therapeutic doses up to 700 mg. a day.
SODIUM
Sodium Chloride, the chemical name for common salt, contains 39 per cent of sodium, an element which never occurs in free form in nature. It is found in an associated form with many minerals especially in plentiful amounts with chlorine. The body of a healthy person weighing about 65 kg. contains 256 g. of sodium chloride. Of this the major part, just over half, is in the extra-cellular fluid. About 96 g. is in bone and less than 32 g. in the cells.
Sodium is the most abundant: chemical in the extra-cellular fluid of the body. It acts with other electrolytes, especially potassium, in the intracellular fluid, to regulate the osmotic pressure and maintain a proper water balance within the body. It is a major factor in maintaining acid-base equilibrium, in transmitting nerve impulses, and in relaxing muscles. It is also required for glucose absorption and for the transport of other nutrients across cell membranes. Sodium can help prevent catarrh. It promotes a clear brain, resulting in a better disposi tion and less mental fatigue. Because of its influence on calcium, sodium can also help dissolve any stones forming within the body. It is also essential for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and plays a part in many other glandular secretions.
There is some natural salt in every food we eat. Vegetable foods rich in sodium are celery, cucumbers, watermelon, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, beet-tops, cabbage, lettuce, corn, lady’s fingers, apple, berries, pears, squash, pumpkin, peaches, lentils, almonds and walnuts. Animal food sources include shell fish, lean beef, kidney, bacon and cheese. The sodium chloride requirements for persons living in the tropics have been estimated at 10 to 15 g. per day for adults who are engaged in light work and 15 to 20 g. for those engaged in hard work. The requirements of children are from five to 10 g. and those for adolescent boys and girls from 10 to 25 g.
Both deficiency and excess of salt may produce adverse effects o the human body. Deficiencies of sodium are, however, rare and may be caused by excessive sweating, prolonged use of diuretics, or chronic diarrhoea. Deficiency may lead to nausea, muscular weakness, heat exhaustion, mental apathy and respiratory failure. Over-supply of sodium is a more common problem because of overuse of dietary sodium chloride or common salt. Too much sodium may lead to water retention, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, stomach cancer, harden- ing of arteries and heart disease.
In case of mild deficiency of sodium chloride, taking a teaspoon of common salt in one half litre of water or any fruit juice quickly restores the health. In severe conditions, however, administration of sodium chloride in the form of normal saline by intravenous drip may be restored to. The adverse effects of excessive use of sodium chloride can be rectified by avoiding the use of common salt.
POTASSIUM
Potassium is essential to the life of every cell of a living being and is among the most generously and widely distributed of all the tissue minerals. It is found principally in the intracellular fluid where it plays an important role as a catalyst in energy metabolsim and in the synthesis of glycogen and protein. The average adult human body contains 120 g. as potassium and 245 g.
as potassium chloride. Out of this body potassium, 117 g. is found in the cells and 3 g. in the extracellular compartment.
Potassium is important as an alkalizing agent in keeping a proper acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues. It is essential for muscle contraction and therefore, important for proper heart function. It promotes the secretion of hormones and helps the kidneys in detoxification of blood.
Potassium prevents female disorders by stimulating the endocrine hormone production. It is involved in the proper functioning of the nervous system and helps overcome fatigue. It also aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain and assists in reducing blood pressure.
Potassium is widely distributed in foods. All vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables, grapes, oranges, lemons, raisins, whole grains, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, milk, cottage cheese and butter milk are rich sources. Potatoes, especial potato peelings, and bananas are especially good sources. Potassium requirements have not been established but on intake of 0.8 to 1.3 g. per day is estimated as approximately the minimum need. Potassium deficiency may occur during gastrotestinal disturbances with severe vomiting and diarrhoea, diabetic acidosis and potassium-losing nephritis. It causes undue nervous and body tiredness, palpitation of the heart, cloudiness of the mind, nervous shaking of the hands and feet, great sensitivity of the nerves to cold, and excessive perspiration of the feet and hands.
In simple cases of potassium deficiency, drinking plenty of tender coconut water daily, can make up for it. It is advisable to consume plenty of figs, apricots, prunes, almonds and tomatoes during the use of oral diuretics. Potassium-rich foods should be restricted during acute renal failure and Addison’s disease.
CHLORINE
In the human body, chlorine is liberated by the interaction of common salt, taken along with food, and hydrochloric acid liberated in the stomach during the process of digestion. It is essential for the proper distribution of carbon dixoxide and the maintenance of osmotic pressure in the tissues.
This food element is necessary for the manufacture of glandular hormone secretions. It prevents the building of excessive fat and auto-intoxication. Chlorine regulates the blood’s alkaline -acid balance and works with Potassium in a compound form. It aids in the cleaning out of body waste by helping the liver to function.
Chlorine is found in cheese and other milk products, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, all berries, rice, radishes, lentils, coconuts and egg yolk. No dietary allowance has been established, but an average intake of daily salt will ensure adequate quantity of chlorine.
Deficiency of this mineral can cause loss of hair and teeth.
IODINE
The chief store-house of iodine in the body is the thyroid gland. The essential thyroxine, which is secreted by this gland, is made by the circulating iodine. Thyroxine is a wonder chemical which controls the basic metabolism and oxygen consumption of tissues. It increases the heart rate as well as urinary calcium excretion. Iodine regulates the rate of energy production and body weight and promotes proper growth. It improves mental alacrity and promotes healthy hair, nails, skin and teeth.
The best dietary sources of iodine are kelp and other seaweeds. Other good sources are turnip greens, garlic, watercress, pineapples, pears, artichokes, citrus fruits, egg yolk and seafoods and fish liver oils. The recommended dietary allowances are 130 mcg. per day for adult males and 100 mcg. per day for adult females. An increase to 125 mcg. per day during pregnancy and to 150 mcg. per day during lactation has been recommended. Deficiency can cause goitre and enlargement of the thyroid glands.
Small doses of iodine are of great value in the prevention of goitre in areas where it is endemic and are of value in treatments, at least in the early stages. Larger doses have a temporary value in the preparation of patients with hyperthyroidism for surgical operation.
COPPER
There are approximately 75 to 150 mg. of copper in the adult human body. Newborn infants have higher concentrations than adults. Liver, brain, kidney, heart, and hair contain relatively high concentration. Average serum copper levels are higher in adult females than in males.
Serum copper levels also increase significantly in women both during pregnancy and when taking oral contraceptives.
This mineral helps in the conversion of iron into haemoglobin. It stimulates the growth of red blood cells. It is also an integral part of certain digestive enzymes. It makes the amino acid tyrosine usable, enabling it to work as the pigmenting factor for hair and skin. It is also essential for the utilisation of vitamin C. Copper is found in most foods containing iron, especially in almonds, dried beans, peas, lentils, whole wheat, prunes and egg yolk. The recommended dietary allowance has not been established but 2 mg. is considered adequate for adults. A copper deficiency may result in bodily weakness, digestive disturbances and impaired respiration.
COBALT
Cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, a nutritional factor necessary for the formation of red blood cells. Recent research in vitamin B12 has shown that its pink colour is attributed to the presence of cobalt in it. The presence of this mineral in foods helps the synthesis of haemoglobin and the absorption of food- iron. The best dietary sources of cobalt are meat, kidney and liver. All green leafy vegetables contain some amount of this mineral. No daily allowance has been set. Only a very small amount up to 8 mcg. is considered necessary.
MANGANESE
The human body contains 30 to 35 mg. of manganese, widely distributed throughout the tissues.
It is found in the liver, pancreas, kidney, pituitary glands.
This mineral helps nourish the nerves and brain and aids in the coordination of nerve impulses and muscular actions. It helps eliminate fatigue and reduces nervous irritability. Manganese is found in citrus fruits, the outer covering of nuts, grains, in the green leaves of edible plants, fish and raw egg yolk. No official daily allowance of manganese has been established, but 2.5 to 7
mg. is generally accepted to be the average adult requirement. A deficiency of this mineral can lead to dizziness, poor elasticity in the muscles, confused thinking and poor memory.
ZINC
There are about two grams of zinc in the body where it is highly concentrated in the hair, skin, eyes, nails and testes. It is a constituent of many enzymes involved in mertabolism.
Zinc is a precious mineral. Our need for this mineral is small but its role in growth and well-being is enormous, starting before birth. It is needed for healthy skin and hair, proper healing of wounds, successful pregnancies and male virility. It plays a vital role in guarding against diseases and infection. It is needed to transport vitamin A to the retina. There are 156 enzymes that require zinc for their functioning. It has long been known that growth and sexual maturity depend on zinc.
The main dietary sources of zinc are milk, liver, beans, meat, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. The recommended dietary allowance of zinc is 15 mg. daily. Deficiency can result in weight loss, skin diseases, loss of hair, poor appetite, diarrhoea and frequent infection. Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis may have a zinc deficinecy. Heavy drinks lose a lot of zinc in their urine.
SELENIUM
Selenium and vitamin E are synergistic and the two together are stronger than the sum of the equal parts. Selenium slows down ageing and hardening of tissues through oxidation. Males seem to have a greater need for this mineral. Nearly half of the total supply in the body is concentrated in the testicles and in the seminal ducts adjacent to the prostate gland.
Salemium is useful in keeping youthful elasticity in tissues. It alleviates hot flushes and menopausal distress. It also helps in the prevention and treatment of dandruff. This mineral is found in Brewer’s yeast, garlic,onions, tomatoes, eggs, milk and sea food. There is no official dietary allowance for salemium but, 50 to 100 mcg. is considered adequate. Deficiency of this mineral can cause premature loss of stamina.
SILICON
This is known as the “beauty mineral “as it is essential for the growth of skin, hair shafts, nails and other outer coverings of the body. It also makes the eyes bright and assists in hardening the enamel of the teeth. It is beneficial in all healing process and protects body against many diseases such as tuberculosis, irritations in mucous membranes and skin disorders.
Silicon is found in apples, cherries, grapes, asparagus, beets, onions, almonds, honey, peanuts and the juices of the green leaves of most other vegetables. No official dietary allowance has been established for this mineral. Deficiency can lead to soft brittle nails, ageing symptoms of skin such as wrinkles, thinning or loss of hair, poor bone development, insomnia, osteoporosis.
FLUORINE
Fluorine is the element that prevents diseases from decaying the body. It is a germicide, and acts as an antidote to poison, sickness and disease. There is a strong affinity between calcium and fluorine. These two elements, when combined, work particularly in the outer parts of bones.
They are found in the enamel of the teeth and the shiny, highly polished bone surface. Fluorine is found in goat’s milk, cauliflower, watercress, garlic, beets, cabbage, spinach and pistachio nuts.
Minerals thus play an important role in every bodily function and are present in every human cell.
Although the amount needed may be small, without even the trace of the mineral, dysfunction is bound to occur at some level in the body. A zinc deficiency may show up in ridged fingernails with white spots. Lack of sulphur can cause lack-lustre hair and dull-looking skin. Less obvious deficiencies may surface as fatigue, irritability, loss of memory,nervousness, depression and weakness. Minerals also interact with vitamins. Magnesium, for instance, must be present in the body for utilisation of B-complex, C and E vitamins. Sulphur also works with the B-complex vitamins. The body needs all the trace minerals in proper balance. Coffee, tea, alcohol, excess salt and many drugs can rope the body of minerals or make them ineffective. Industrial pollutants cause toxic minerals to enter the body. Minerals at toxic levels also have the effect of destroying the usefulness of other vitamins and minerals. Exercise improves the activity of certain vitamins and minerals while stress and fatigue work against them.
A well-balanced diet provides as abundance of minerals and vitamins. In refining cereals, grains and sugar, we have robbed them of their natural vitamins and minerals. The dietary sources of these nutrients are whole grains, cereals, bran and germ. It is the bran and germ which are removed in processing. To obtain a balance of nutrients, it is, therefore, necessary to avoid refined and processed foods but an intake of adequate green leafy vegetables which are an excellent source of many nutrients should be ensured.
Amazing Power of Amino Acids
In 1838, a Dutch chemist, G.J. Mulder, described a certain organic material as “unqestionably the most important of all known substances in the organic kingdom. Without it, no life appears possible on our planet. Through its means the chief phenomena of life are produced. “This complex nitrogen-bearing substance was called protein from the Greek word meaning “take the first place. “Protein in now a group name signifying the principal nitrogenous constituents of the protoplasm of all plant and animal tissues.
Proteins are extremely complex organic compounds of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and,with some exceptions, sulphur. Most proteins also contain phosphorous, and some specialised proteins contain iron, iodine, copper and other inorganic elements. The presence of nitrogen distinguishes proteins from carbohydrates and fats.
Proteins are thus vital substances, which form important constituent of muscles, tissues, and the blood. Proteins supply the building material for the body and make good the wear and tear of tissues. Several substances concerned with vital life processes such as enzymes, which help in digestion of food, are chiefly protein in nature.
There are several varieties of protein. Each type contains a specific number of “building blocks “known as amino-acids. Before they can be absorbed by the body, all proteins must first be broken down into amino-acids. When food stuffs are ingested, the nutrients and amino-acids do not immediately diffuse into all the different tissues. There are a series of biochemical reactions in the digestive tract which collect these proteins, break them down and then utilise them as needed. Any interference with the normal digestive process causes in-complete protein digestion resulting in gas, bloating etc.
There are about 22 amino acids needed for the normal functioning of the body. The body can manufacture many amino acids if it has no adequate nitrogen source, but it cannot produce certain others in sufficient amounts to meet its needs. The amino acids that the body cannot synthesis is in adequate amounts are called essential or indispensable because they must be supplied by the diet in proper proportions and amounts to meet the requirements for maintenance of growth of tNon-essential or dispensable amino acids are those thatissue. the body can synthesize in sufficient amounts to meet its needs if the total amount of nitrogen supplied by protein is adequate. The essential and non-essential amino acids are listed in table A.
TABLE A
Classification of Amino Acids with respect to their essentiality Essential
*Histidine is required for infants but its essentiality for adults has not been clearly established.
It will be seen from this statement that nine amino acids are essential for maintenance of nitrogen equilibrium in human bodies. The estimated requirements of essential amino acids for infants, children and adults are given in Table B. Men in the older age group appear to differ in their requirements. Studies seem to suggest an increase need for methionine and lysine for them. Infants and children have proportionally greater demands for essential amino acids than adults. In addition, infants require histidine as an essential amino acid.
TABLE B
Estimated Amino Acid requirements of man *
* From Food and Nutrition Board, National Research Council: Improvement of Protein Nutrient.
** 2 g. per kg. of body weight per day of protein of the quality listed in column 4 would meet the amino acids needs of the infant.
Factors in addition to the age, sex and physiological condition of an individual influence the requirements for specific amino acids. If total protein intake is low, small surpluses of certain amino acids can increase the need for others. The non-essential amino acids in protein also affect the quality of protein. For example, the amount of sulphur – containing essential amino acid methionine required may be somewhat reduced if cystine, a sulphur-containing non-essential amino acid,is supplied in the diet. Likewise, the presence in the diet of tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid similar in structure to phenylalanine, may reduce the requirement for phenylalanine.
Much research has been done on amino acids in recent times and this has paved the way for dramatic treatment and cure of different problems by their judicious use. They are now dubbed as “the nutrients of the 80’s “and “medical foods “.
The various functions of the essential and frequently investigated non-essential amino acids, their deficiency symptoms and their therapeutic uses are discussed below:
TRYPTOPHAN
Of all the essential amino acids, tryptophan is the one that is most investigated by nutrition researchers. It is essential to blood clotting, digestive juices and the optic system. It induces sleep and quietens the nervous system. It wards off signs of premature old age – cataracts of the eyes, baldness, deterioration of sex glands and malformation of teeth enamel. It is also necessary to the female reproductive organs and for proper utilisation of vitamin A by the body.
Major sources of this amino acids are nuts, and most vegetables. Lack of tryptophan causes symptoms similar to those of vitamin A deficiency.
A number of scientists feel that it can be used as a safe and effective food remedy for insomnia and pain. Under experimental conditions, tryptophan in doses of one gram or more has been shown to be most effective for persons who suffer from mild insomnia and for those who take a long time to fall asleep. Tryptophan may also be a natural painkiller. Researches at Temple University in Philadelphia have indicated that it worked without causing the side effects associated with other anesthesia or analgesics.
Tryptophan as a food medicine should be taken between meals with a low protein food such as fruit juice or bread. One to three grams a day seems to be the range favoured by most researchers.
METHIONINE
This is a vital sulphur -bearing compound which helps dissolve cholesterol and assimilates fat. It is required by haemoglobin, the pancreas, the lymph and the spleen. It is necessary to maintain normal body weight and also helps maintain the proper nitrogen balance in the body. Rich sources of methionine are Brazil nut, Hazal nut, and other nuts. It is also found in Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, pineapples and apples. Its deficiency can lead to chronic rheumatic fever in children, hardening of the liver (cirrhosis) and nephritis of the kidneys. Studies show that methionine and chorine prevent tumours and proliferation.
LYSINE
Lysine inhibits viruses. Its use along with vitamin C, zinc and vitamin A helps eliminate virus infections. Vitamin C protects this amino acid while in the body so that lysine plus vitamin C has a much stronger anti-virus effect than if either is used seperately. Lysine also influences the female reproductive cycle. Lack of adequate lysine in the diet may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and incipient anaemia. The main sources of this amino acid are most kinds of nuts, seeds, vegetables and sub-acid fruits. Lysine upsets in the body have also been associated with pneumonia, nephrosis and acidosis as well as malnutrition and rickets in children.
It is considered a natural remedy for cold, sores, shingles and genital herpes. In a study published in 1983, a group of researchers polled over 1,500 people whose daily intake of lysine was over 900 mg. 88 per cent said that lysine seemed to reduce the severity of their attacks of herpes virus and accelerated the healing time. These results have, however, been disputes by some scientists.
VALINE
Valine is an essential body growth factor, particularly for mammary glands and ovaries. Valine is directly linked with the nervous system. It is essential for the prevention of nervous and digestive disorders. Major sources are almonds, apples and most vegetables. Lack of this amino acid makes a person sensitive to touch and sound.
ISOLEUCINE
This amino acid is essential for maintaining the nitrogen balance vital to all body functions. It also regulates metabolism of the thymus, spleen and pituitary glands. Rich sources are sunflower seeds, all nuts, except cashew nuts, avacados and olives.
LEUCINE
It is the compliment of isoleucine, with a similar chemical composition although in different arrangement. Its functions and sources are also similar.
PHENYLALANINE
This is essential to the production of hormone adrenalie; to the production of the thyroid secretion and the hair and skin pigment, melanin. It is effective in weight control because of its effect on the thyroid. Its use before meals suppresses the appetite substantially. Patients taking half a teaspoon of the powder 30 minutes before each meal, lose from a quarter to half a pound a day. It is alsoessential for the efficient functioning of kidneys and bladder. Major source are nuts, seeds, carrots, parsley and tomatoes. An important recently discovered therapeutic use of phenylalanine is its ability to overcome most conditions of lethargy through stimulation of adrenaline.
THREONINE
This amino acid is found in various types of milk and is a major constituent in cow’s milk. Other sources are nuts, seeds, carrots and green vegetables. Without threonine, a child’s development will be incomplete and there will be malfunctioning of the brain. This amino acid has a powerful anti-convulsive effect.
HISTIDINE
This helps tissue growth and repair. It is active in producing normal blood supply. It is also vital to the formation of glycogen in the liver. It is found in the root vegetables and all green vegetables. Studies indicate that the free form of histidine in the blood is low in cases of rheumatoid arthritis and if taken orally, may possibly depress the symptoms of this ailment. Oral histidine has, however, a tendency to stimulate hydrochloric acid secretion in the stomach and persons who are susceptible to an overabundance of acid and also those who have ulcers should avoid taking pure histidine. Orthopaedic and joint pains are caused by lack of histidine.
ARGININE
This is called the “fatherhood “amino acid as it comprises 80 per cent of all male reproductive cells. It is essential for normal growth. Serious lack of this amino acid reduces the sex instinct causing impotence. It is found in most vegetables, especially, green and root vegetables.
CYSTINE
It provides resistance by building up white-cell activity. It is an indispensable amino acid. It is one of the mainstays of health as it is essential for the proper formation of skin and helps one recover from surgery. It promotes the formation of carolene which helps hair growth. It is used in the treatment of skin diseases, for low white blood-cells counts and for some cases of anaemia.
TYROSINE
This can be called an anti-stress amino acid. Dr. Richard Wurtman who recently conducted experiments on the use of this amino acid says: “Supplemented tyrosine may be useful therapeutically in persons exposed chronically to stress. “
Tyrosine is also beneficial for depression, nervousness, irritability and despondency. Research has established this amino acid to be effective in the management and control of depression in conjunction with glutamine, tryptophan, niacin and vitamin B6. It is also helpful in the treatment of allergies and high blood pressure.
Although individual nee may vary, Dr. Wurtman considers 100 mg. per kilogram of body weight per day an optional dose. This works out to about 5.4 grams of tyrosine a day for a person weighing 120 pounds. The supplement may be divided into three separate doses each day.
When tyrosine is taken, a supplement of valine, another essential amino acid should not be taken as valine may block tyrosine’s entry to the brain.
GLUTAMINE
This little known non-essential amino acid known as “sobriety nutrient “. It is considered beneficial in the treatment of alcoholism. According to Roger J. Williams, a world-known nutritionist, glutamine reduces the usually irresistible craving for alcohol that recovering drinkers almost inevitably encounter.
CYSTEINE
There is some evidence that cysteine(not to be confused with cystine) has certain therapeutic value as a nutritional supplement. Dr. H. Ghadimi, chairman of the nutrition committee at Nassau country,(New York) medical centre uses cysteine supplements to treat his patients suffering from obesity. He considers that there is link between obesity and over-production of insulin and that cysteine supplements taken along with vitamin C at the end of the meals somehow neutralises some of the excess insulin, which is responsible for fat production. He regards this amino acid as ‘anti-cancer and anti-ageing’ and claims that like vitamin C, cysteine protects the body from damage by oxidants.
When one or more of the essential amino acids are left out of the diet, symptoms similar to those of vitamin deficiencies may be experienced such as low blood pressure, anaemia, poor muscle tone, slow heaing of wounds, loss of weight, poor resistance to infections and bloodshot eyes.
Children who do not get the required amounts of amino acids in their daily diet suffer from stunted growth and permanent damage to the glands. On the other hand, those getting the full quota of amino acids in their diet will be rewarded with vigor, vitality and long life. The best food proteins with all the essential amino acids are found in almonds, cheese and eggs.
Amino acids are being increasingly and successfully used in the treatment of several diseases, such as stomach ulcers, burns, kidney diseases and liver diseases. It has also been observed that the diseases of old age can be largely prevented if elderly persons obtain the proper food supplements of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Amino acids are needed at every stage from infancy to old age – to repair worn out tissues and to create new ones.
Secrets of Food Combining
The observance of rules of food combining is neither faddish nor eccentric. It is a simple, scientifically -based system of selecting foods, from among different types, which are compatible. This facilitates easy and efficient digestion and ensures after-meal comfort.
Digestion is not merely chemical or physical process, but also a physiological one. When food enters the body, it undergoes several changes before it is broken down into its constituent parts and assimilated. But no food can be assimilated by the system and used by various organs unless it has first been digested and then absorbed in the digestive system known as alimentary canal, while the residue, unfit for absorption is eliminated from the system.
The chemical part of digestion is accomplished by a series of juices and their enzymes. The juices alternate between alkalies and acids, and their character is determined by the requirement of the enzymes they contain. These enzymes remain active in suitable media of well defined acid-alkaline ranges and are destroyed in unsuitable media.
For instance, the salivary amylase(ptyalin) or starch-splitting enzyme of the mouth is active only in an alkaline media and is destroyed by a mild acid. The gastric enzyme, pepsin, which initiates protein digestion, is active only in the acid medium and is destroyed by alkalies.
A noteworthy feature of the digestive secretions is that the body suits its fluid and enzymes to the character of the food eaten. There are, however, severe limitations in this process. It is possible to suit the juices to a particular food, however, complex it may be, but not to a variety of foods taken together. It is the combining of many varieties and incompatible foods at a meal that causes 90 per cent of digestive disorders.
There is a marked tendency to gastro-intestinal fermentation with certain combinations of foods.
There is no fermentation and digestion will be much more satisfactory when the foods comprising a meal are of the same type. This generally means eating similar foods at one time in order to accomplish the most complete digestion.
The most important rule for combining foods is to avoid mixing protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods. Although every food contains some protein, those regarded as protein concentrated foods demand the longest digestive time. They are held in the stomach for some hours until the gastric juices has performed its task. This may vary from two-and-a-half to six hours, depending upon the complexity of the protein in the food. If a protein food is mixed with starch-concentrated or sugar-concentrated foods, it will usually result in fermentation. This may lead to indigestion and gas in the stomach.
Animal-food proteins, such as meats, fish and cheese, require very high concentration of hydrochloric acid. Their gastric digestin will be greatly inhibited by carbohydrate fermentation in the stomach. This will produce more gas and increased discomfort. Eating meat, potatoes, bread and sweets should, therefore, be especially avoided.
Protein foods are best digested when eaten with fresh vegetable salad. Primary protein foods such as nuts, seeds and soyabeans also combine very well with acid fruits like oranges, pineapples, grapefruit and lemons, and fairly well with sub-acid fruits, like grapes, pears, apples, berries, apricots and peaches. These vegetables and fruits are rich natural sources of vitamin C which aids protein digestion.
The second important rule for food combining is to avoid mixing proteins and fats at the same meal. Fat in foods inhibits the secretion of gastric juice through the small wall. Thus when fat-concentrated foods are taken with protein foods, gastric catabolism will decrease by the degree of liquid concentration in the stomach. Fat will remain undigested in the stomach until gastric juices complete their work on the complex protein molecule.
Although all primary protein foods contain high concentration of fat, such lipids will be held in suspension, awaiting catabolism in the intestine, without impeding gastric action. Free fats like oil, butter, and milk tend to coat the gastric mucoa, thereby inhibiting its effort to secrete gastric juice. Fat surrounding fried foods is also regarded as free fat and it interferes with gastric catabolism.
Another important rule for food combining is to avoid mixing carbohydrates and acid fruits in the same meal. The starch-splitting enzyme ptyalin in the saliva plays an important role as the food is chewed. It converts the complex starch molecules into simpler sugars. Ptyalin requires a neutral or slightly alkaline medium for proper functioning and this is the normal condition of the saliva in the mouth. However, when acid foods are taken, the action of ptyalin is halted. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid acid fruits in the same meal as sweet fruits or starches. Thus tomatoes should not be eaten with starches especially potatoes or bread.
Refined sugar products are also acidic, both in the mouth and in the bloodstream. The acidifying of the saliva by sucrose is one of the main causes of tooth decay. It can also cause severe damage to the digestion.
Food combining is designed to facilitate easier digestion. The chart in Table I, represents diagramatically food combining rules in an easy-to-follow method. Accompanying this chart are the lists of food in their correct classification.
In a nutshell, starches, fats, green vegetables and sugars may be eaten together as they require either an alkaline or neutral medium for their digestion. Similarly, proteins, green vegetables and acid fruits may be eaten together as they require an acid or neutral medium for their digestion.
But starches and proteins, fats and proteins and starches and acid fruits should not be eaten together as a general rule, if the best results are required from the ingestion of the food eaten.
This in brief is the whole basis for successful food combination.
An important point to remember about meals is that the smaller the number of courses they consist of, the better it will be. They should approximate to a one-course meal as much as possible. Simple meals in every way are more conducive to health, than more elaborate ones, no matter how well they may be combined.
A meal consisting of proteins,carbohydrates and fats may remain in the stomach for six to seven hours before the stomach is emptied. If carbohydrates are eaten without proteins, they remain in the stomach for a relatively short period. A fruit meal remains in the stomach for even shorter time. It is advisable to eat these different foods at different meals – a fruit meal, a starch meal and a protein meal. The ideal practice is a fruit meal for breakfast, a starch meal with salad and non- starchy vegetables for lunch, and a protein meal with a salad and non-starchy vegetables for dinner.
Table I
Food Combining Chart
Food Groups Proteins Fats StarchesVegetablesSweet FruitsSub-acid
Proteins: Nuts, seeds, soyabeans, cheese, eggs, poultry* meat*, fish*, yogurt.
Fats: Oils, olive, butter, margarine.
Starches: Whole cereals, peas, beans, lentils.
Vegetables: Leafy green vegetables, sprouted seeds, cabbage cauliflower,brocoli, green peas, celery, tomatoes, onions.
Sweet Fruits: Bananas, fits, custard apples, all-dried fruits, dates.
Sub-acid-fruits: Grapes, pears, apples, peaches, apricots, plums, fruits guavas, raspberries.
Acid fruits: Grapefruit, lemons, oranges, limes, pineapple, strawberries.
* Not recommended for good nutrition.
Health Promotion the Vegetarian Way
The word “Vegetarian “was coined by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom in about 1847. The word does not come from vegetable as is generally assumed: It is a derivation of the Latin word ‘vegetari ‘which means to enliven.
The practice of vegetarianism, however, goes far back in history. Many noted philosophers and religious teachers urged their followers to avoid a flesh diet. Brahminism, Jainism, Zoraostrianism and Buddhism acknowledged the sacredness of life and the need to live without causing suffering; so did many of the early Christians.
There are various types of vegetarians. “Vagans “are the strictest vegetarians who eat only plant foods and exclude all animal by-products such as eggs, milk, cheese, curd, butter, ghee and even honey. There are “lacto vegetarians “who eat plant foods as well as dairy products and “lacto-avo vegetarians “who eat eggs besides plant foods and dairy products. There are even fish-eating vegetarians. The common factor among them is that they do not eat the flesh of warm- blooded animals.
Meat seems to have assumed an exaggerated importance nutritionally. It is generally mistakenly believed that nutritional deficiences, especially of proteins and vitamin B12 and poor health may result if animal foods are eliminated. Studies however, have indicated to health problems or deficiency diseases for those on a vegetarian diet.
Of the 22 amino acids -the essential components of proteins – needed by the body for its normal functioning, only nine need be supplied by the diet as the body synthesies the remaining 13. The body can use 100 per cent of this protein if all ten amino acids are in ideal proportions. If, however, one or more of the essential amino acids are present in less than the ideal amount, the value of the entire protein is reduced in the same proportions. On a quality rating scale of 1 to 100, egg protein is 95, milk is 82, meat and poultry are 67, fish 80, grains are between 50 to 70 and legumes, nuts and seeds are between 40 and 60.
The so-called protein deficiency in a vegetarian diet is in fact more imaginary than real as the contribution of the protein value of the green vegetables has been ignored and the true protein requirement is less than that assumed. Green vegetable protein is as high in quality as milk protein and thus makes a very valuable contribution to the vegetarian’s protein nutrition. The high quality of protein balances the lower quality of other vegetarian proteins such as nuts and beans. The recommended daily allowance of 70 value proteins is 44 grams per day for women and 56 for men. Researchers have now discovered that the actual protein requirement is much less, being 15 grams per day of 100 value protein or 21.5 grams of 70 value protein or 30 grams of 50 value protein. A wholesome vegetarian diet can, therefore, easily meet the body’s protein needs.
Moreover, it is possible to combine two low-value plant proteins to get a protein of higher quality.
Thus, wheat which has a deficiency in the amino-acid lysine but an abundance of sulphur containing amino-acids can be combined with beans which have the opposite enrichment combination. Taken together, they complement each other to form a complete protein.
As regards the adequacy of B12 nutrition, laco-avo vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians should not feel concerned on this score, as the B12 needs can be easily supplied by dairy products and eggs. A quarter litre of milk or 100 grams of cheese or 1 egg per day will supply the recommended daily allowance. This vitamin once eaten is stored in the liver. Vagans, however, do not get this vitamin in their food, yet reliable scientific studies have found no evidence of B12 deficiency diseases. It is therefore, presumed that this vitamin can be synthesised in the body.
Auto-Intoxication
Most diseases of the human body are caused by auto-intoxication or self-poisoning. The flesh of animals increases the burden of the organs of elimination and overloads the system with animal waste matter and poisons. Chemical analysis has proved that uric acid and other uremic poisons contained in the animal body are almost identical to caffeine, there and nicotine, the poisonous stimulating principles of coffee, tea and tobacco. This explains why meat stimulates the animal passions and creates a craving for liquor, tobacco and other stronger stimulants. Excessive uric acid resulting from meat-eating also causes diseases such as rheumatism, Bright’s disease, kidney stones, gout and gall stones. Meat proteins cause putrefaction twice as rapidly as do vegetable proteins. The morbid matter of the dead animal body is foreign and uncongenial to the excretory organs of man. It is much harder for them to eliminate the waste matter of an animal carcass than that of the human body. Moreover, the formation of ptomains or corpse poisons begins immediately after the death of the animal and meat and poultry are usually kept in cold storage for many days and even months before they reach the kitchen.
Another powerful influence tends to poison the flesh of slaughtered animals. As is well known, emotions of worry, fear and anger actually poison blood and tissues. Imagine the excitable condition of animals after many days of travel, closely packed in shaking vehicles – hungry, thirsty, scared enroute to the slaughter -houses. Many die even before the end of their journey.
Others are driven half dead with fear and exhaustion to the slaughter pans, their instinctive fear of death augmented by the sight and odour of the blood shambles.
Flesh is often a carrier of disease germs. Diseases of many kinds are on the increase in the animals, making flesh foods more and more unsafe. People are continually eating flesh that may contain tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Often animals are taken to the market and sold for food when they are so diseased that their owners do not wish to keep them any longer. And some of the processes of fattening them to increase their weight and consequently their market value, produce disease. Shut away from light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of filthy stables, perhaps fattening on decaying foods, the entire body now becomes contaminated with foul matter.
Benefits of Vegetarianism
A vegetarian diet can have many nutritional benefits, if it is rich in fruits and vegetables, and contains moderate amounts of seeds, nuts, whole grains and legumes. One of the main benefits of a proper vegetarian diet is its low caloric content in relation to the bulk supplied, which helps maintain ideal weight.
Another benefit of the vegetarian diet is the much lower intake of fat, if dairy products, seeds and nuts are eaten sparingly. This accounts for lower serium cholesterol levels found in vegetarians, which considerably reduces the risk of developing heart diseases and breast and colon cancer.
A third nutritional advantage of the vegetarian diet is its high fibre content. Fibre, being indigestible, increases the bulk of the faces, keeps them soft and makes them easy to expel.
One study has indicated that lacto-avo vegetarians consume twice as much and vagans four times as much fibre as non-vegetarians. High fibre intake has been associated with decreased risks of diseases of the colon, appendicits, cancer of the colon and rectum, hiatus hernia, piles and varicose veins.
McCarrison, one of the greatest aurhoties on food, has outlined a perfect diet. According to him, “a perfectly constituted diet is one in which the principal ingredients are milk, milk products, any whole cereal grain or mixture of cereal grains, green leafy vegetables and fruits. These are the protective foods. They make good the defects of other constituents of the diet, protect the body against infection and disease of various kinds, and their use in sufficient quantity ensures physical efficiency. “
Vegetarianism is thus a system based on scientific principles and has proved adequate for the best nutrition free from the poisons and bacteria of diseased animals. It is the best diet for man’s optimum, physical, mental and spiritual development.
Importance of Dietary Fibre
Fibre forms the skeletal system of plants. Without it no plant or tree would be able to stand upright. Dietary fibre, the roughage of yesteryears, consists of those parts of the plant foods that cannot be digested by enzymes or other digestive secretions in the ailmentary canal.
Dietary fibre plays an important role in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases.
There is sufficient evidence to suggest that an artificial depletion of fibre as in case of refined cereals and sugar has over the last 100 years contributed to several degenerative diseases.
Recent studies in this area indicate that sufficient intake of fibre-rich diet may help prevent obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis and diabetic conditions.
Studies have also established that dietary fibre is a collection of elements with a variety of functions rather than a single substance with single function as was assumed earlier. This new insight into the true nature of fibre has given the lie to old beliefs that bran is synonymous with fibre, that all fibre is fibrous or stringy and that all fibre tastes the same.
Physiological effects
Fibre in the diet promotes more frequent bowel movements and softer stools having increased weight. The softness of stools is largely due to the presence of emulsified gas which is produced by the bacterial action on the fibre. A high fibre intake results in greater efficiency in the peristaltic movement of the colon. This helps in relieving the constipation which is the main cause of several acute and chronic diseases.
Recent studies suggest that increasing the dietary fibre intake may be beneficial for patients with irritated bowel syndrome who have diarrhoea and rapid colonic transit, as well as to those who have constipation and slow transit. The high fibre diet, like bran, thus regulates the condition inside the colon so as to avoid both extremes – constipation and diarrhoea.
Investigations have shown that several potential carcinogens are produced in the faeces. Their production is related to the acidity of the gut content. The greater the acidity in the bowel content, the less is the production of these carcinogens. The breaking down of the fibre by bacteria renders the faeces more acidic. This reduces the amount of possible carcinogenic substances. Fibre also reduces the possibility of formation of harmful toxins in the large intestine by reducing the intestinal transit time of the food contents.
Dietary fibre increases the bacteria in the large intestines which require nitrogen for their growth.
This in turn reduces the chances of cancerous changes in cells by reducing the amount of ammonia in the large bowel. Fibre reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the diet. It also slows down the rate of absorption of sugars from the food in the digestive system. Certain types of fibre increase the viscosity of the food content. This increased viscosity indirectly reduces the need for insulin secreted by the pancreas. Thus a fibre-rich diet can help in diabetes mollitus
Sources of Fibre
The most significant food sources of fibre are unprocessed wheat bran, whole cereals such as wheat, rice, barley, rye, millets; legumes such as potato, carrots, beet, turnip and sweet potato; fruits like mango and guava and leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce and celery. The percentage of fibre content per 100 gms. of some foods are: bran 10.5-13.5, whole grain cereals 1.0-2.0, nuts 2.0-5.0, legumes 1.5-1.7, vegetables 0.5-1.5, fresh fruits 0.5-1.5, and dried fruits 1.0-3.0. The foods which are completely devoid of fibre are meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, fats and sugars.
Bran, the outer coverings of grains, is one of the richest sources of dietary fibre. And it contains several types of fibre including cellulose, hermicellulose and pectin. Wheat and corn bran are highly beneficial in relieving constipation. Experiments show that oat bran can reduce cholesterol levels substantially. Corn bran is considered more versatile. It relieves constipation and also lowers LDL cholesterol, which is one of the more harmful kinds. Besides being rich in fibre, bran has a real food value being rich in time, iron and vitamins and containing a considerable amount of protein.
Dr.Dennis P. Burkitt, a noted British physician remarks, “Grain roughages, such as rich bran and wheat bran, are an essential part of a healthy diet, and a preventive against diseases like piles, constipation, bowel cancer, varicose veins and even coronary thrombosis. “Dr. Burkitt worked for many years in Africa and found after a series of observations that rural Africans who eat bulk of fibrous foods rarely suffer from any of these diseases.
Legumes have high fibre content. Much of this fibre is water- soluble, which makes legumes likely agents for lowering cholesterol. Soyabeans, besides this, can also help control glucose levels.
The types of fibre contained in vegetables and fruits contribute greatly towards good health. The vegetables with the biggest fibre ratings include sweet corn, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and peas. And among the high ranking fruits are raspberries, pears, strawberries and guavas.
Types of Fibres
There are six classes of fibre. They are cellulose, hemicellouse, pectin, gums, mucilages and legnin. They differ in physical properties and chemical interactions in the gut, though all except legnin are poly-saceharides. The facts known so far about these forms of fibre as a result of various studies are discussed below.
Cellulose: It is the most prevalent fibre. It is fibrous and softens the stool. It abounds in fruits, vegetables, bran, whole-meal bread and beans. It is also present in nuts and seeds. It increases the bulk of intestinal waste and eases it quickly through the colon. Investigations indicate that these actions may dilute and flush cancer-causing toxins out of the intestinal tract. They also suggest that cellulose may help level out glucose in the blood and curb weight gain.
Hermicellulose: It is usually present wherever cellulose is and shares some of its traits. Like cellulose, it helps relieve con- stipation, waters down carcinogens in the bowel and aids in weight reduction. Both cellulose and hemicellulose undergo some bacterial breakdown in the large intestine and this produces gas.
Pectin: This form of fibre is highly beneficial in reducing serum cholesterol levels. It, however, does not have influence on the stool and does nothing to prevent constipation. Researchs are being conducted to ascertain if pectin can help eliminate bile acids through the intestinal tract thereby preventing gallstones and colon cancer. It is found in apples, grapes, berries, citrus fruits, guava, raw papaya and bran.
Gums and Mucilages: They are the sticky fibres found in dried beans, oat bran and oatmeal.
Investigations have shown that they are useful in the dietary control of diabetes and cholesterol.
Legnin: The main function of legnin is to escort bile acid and cholesterol out of the intestines.
There is some evidence that it may prevent the formation of gallstones. It is contained in cereals, bran, whole meal flour, raspberries, strawberries, cab- bage, spinach, parsley and tomatoes.
The best way to increase fibre content in the diet is to increase the constipation of wholemeal bread, brown rice, peas beans, lentils, root vegetables and sugar -containing fruits, such as dates, apples, pears and bananas. The intake of sugar, refined cereals, meat, eggs and dairy products should be reduced. Candies, pastries, cakes which are rich in both sugar and fat, should be taken sparingly. White processed bread should be completely eliminated from the diet.
Requirement:
There are divergent views as to the requirement of dietary fibre for good health. There is no recommended daily dietary allowance for it and hardly any data about optimum amounts. Some Africans known for lower incidence of degenerative diseases take about 150 grams of fibre a day. In Europe and North America, where there is a high incidence of such diseases, people take 25 grams or less a day. Dr. John H. Cummings, a noted fibre expert in England, considers that a fibre intake of 30 grams(about one ounce) per day is sufficient for good health.
Excessive consumption of fibre, especially bran, should however, be avoided. Due to its content of crude fibre, bran is relatively harsh and it may irritate the delicate functioning of the digestive system, especially in the sick and the weak. Excessive use of fibre may also result in loss of valuable minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium from the body through excretion due to quick passage of food from the intestine.
– An Amazing Youth Element
Lecithin is the most abundant of the phospholipids. It is a fatty food substance, which serves as a structural material for every cell in the body. It is an essential constituent of the human brain and nervous system. It forms 30 per cent of the dry weight of the brain and 17 per cent of the nervous system.
Lecithin is also an important component of the endocrine glands and the muscles of the heart and kidneys. It makes up 73 per cent of the total liver fat. Nervous, mental or glandular overactivity can consume lecithin faster than its replacement. This may render a person irritable and exhausted. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to add lecithin to the diet, if the body’s own supply decreases as in old age or working under stress.
Rich Sources
Lecithin is derived from the Greek Word, likithos, meaning egg yolk. Egg yolk is a rich source of lecithin, and also a rich source of cholesterol. This combination makes it possible for the lecithin to emulsify the cholesterol. Vegetable oils, whole grain cereals, soyabeans, liver and milk are other rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present. Since these B vitamins are generally removed when grains are refined, people who eat exclusively white flour products are lacking them.
Benefits
The action of lecithin on the heart is the most important of all its proved benefits. It achieved its popularity initially in this area. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that tends to collect in the walls of the arteries and veins, thus narrowing them. This may eventually lead to a fatal blood clot.
Scientific studies have shown that lecithin has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins.
Like cholesterol, lecithin is continuously produced in the liver, passes into the intestine with bile and is absorbed in the blood. It helps in the transportation of fats. It also helps the cells to remove fats and cholesterol from the blood and to utilise them. It increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing the amount in the blood. It will thus be seen that cholesterol can cause trouble only if lecithin is lacking in the system.
All atheroscleroses or changs in the arterial walls are characterised by an increased of the blood cholesterol and a decrease in lecithin. It has been shown that experimental heart disease, produced by feeding cholesterol, could be prevented merely by giving a small quantity of lecithin.
Atherosclerosis has been produced in various species of animals by increasing the blood cholesterol or decreasing the lecithin.
In normal health, when a diet high in fat is taken, there is tremendous increase in the production of lecithin. This helps in changing the fat in the blood from large particles to smaller and smaller ones. In case of atherosclerosis, however, the lecithin in the blood remains very low regardless of the quantity of fat entering the blood. The result is that, the fat particles remain too large to be able to pass through the arterial walls. A more serious situation can develop if there is lack of lecithin in cells also.
Besides reducing the cholesterol level in the blood, there is mounting scientific evidence to suggest several other benefits from lecithin. It has been suggested that its intake in sufficient amounts can help rebuild those cells and organs which need it. Lecithin helps to maintain their health once they are repaired. It may mean that a deficiency of lecithin in the diet may be one of the causes of ageing and that its use may be beneficial in retar- ding the ageing process.
Edward R. Hewith in his book, The Years Between 75 and 90 says, “with older people the fats remain high in the blood for from five to seven hours and in some cases as long as 20 hours, thus giving the fats more time to become located in the tissues. If lecithin is given to older people before a fatty meal, it has been found that the fats in the blood return to normal in a short time, in the same way they do in younger people. “
In some cases, the cosmetic effect of lecithin does as much for the mental outlook of persons as it does for their physical well-being. It has been found to eliminate the yellow or yellow- brown plaques on the skin or around the eyes caused by fatty deposits. It is a natural tranquilliser which is beneficial in ner- vous exhaustion. It can produce great alertness in elderly people.
Some studies have indicated that lecithin increases the gamma globulin in the blood. This helps fight infection. It provides an increased immunity against pneumonia. It has also been found to lower blood pressure in some people. IN combination with vitamin E, it has proved helpful in lowering the requirements of insulin in diabetics. It has also proved valuable in the treatment of certain skin ailments, including acne, eczema and psoriasis.
Lecithin has been suggested as a sexual aid. It was used in Germany 30 years ago as a restorative of sexual powers, for glandular exhaustion and nervous and mental disorders.
Seminal fluid is rich in lecithin. Because of its loss from the body, its need for men is regarded as specially great. Its use is also considered valuable in minimising pre-menstrual and menopausal tension.
Dr. N.A. Ferri, an eminent physician remarks – “Lecithin has a versatile function in life. It is an extremely important factor in the digestion and oxidation of fats, thus creating more muscle and glandular activity, resulting in greater body exertion and less fat accumulations. Lecithin is essential not only for tissue integrity of the nervous and glandular system in all living cells, but has been regarded as also the most effective generator and regenerator of great physical, mental and glandular activity. Shattered nerves, depleted brain power, waning activity of vital glands, find in lecithin, especially in the cellular structure of the nervous system and endocrine glands a source of dynamic energy. “
The best way to increase lecithin is to eat the same amount of fat as usual, but reduce animal fat except that from fish. Oil may be used for cooking, seasoning and salad dressing. All hydrogenated fats such as margarines, cooking fats, hydrogenated peanut butter and processed cheese should be avoided as also foods prepared with them.
Role of Enzymes in Nutrition
Enzymes are chemical substances produced in the living organism. They are marvellous organic catalysts which are essential to life as they control all the chemical reactions that take place in a living system. Enzymes are part of all living cells, including those of plants and animals.
The term enzyme, which literally means in yeast’, was coined following the demonstration of catalytic properties of yeast and yeast juices. Although enzymes are produced in the living cell, they are not dependent upon the vital processes of the cell and work outside the cell. Certain enzymes of yeast, for instance, when expressed from the yeast cells are capable of exerting their usual effect, that is, the conversion of sugar to alcohol.
A striking feature of enzymes is that while they enter into chemical reaction, they remain intact in the process. They however, act with maximum efficiency at a certain temperature. Lowering the temperature below or raising it above this level slows the reaction. A high degree of heat, that is above 60 o C, permanently destroys their action.
It has been estimated that there are over 20,000 enzymes in the human body. This estimate is based on the number of bodily processes that seem to require action. However, so far only about 1,000 enzymes have been identified. But their great role in nutrition and other living processes has been firmly established. They are protein molecules made up of chains of amino acids. They play a vital role and work more efficiently than any reagent concocted by chemists.
Thus for instance, a chemist can separate proteins into their component amino acids by boiling them at 166 o C for over 18 hours in a strong solution of hydrochloric acid, but the enzymes of the small intestines can do so in less than three hours at body temperature in a neutral medium.
A feature which distinguishes enzymes from inorganic catalysts is that they are absolutely specific in their actions. This means that a particular enzyme can cause reactions involving only a particular type of substance or a group of closely related substances. The substance on which the enzyme acts is known as “substrate “. The specificity of an enzyme is, however, related to the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex which requires that the appropriate groupings of both substrate and enzyme should be in correct relative position. The substrate must fit the enzyme like a key fits its lock.
Enzymes which are used in the cells which make them are called intracellular enzymes.
Enzymes which are produced in cells which secrete them to other parts of the body are known as extracellular enzymes. Digestive juices are an example of the latter type.
Nomenclature
There are few enzymes whose names have been established by long usage such as ptyalin, pepsin, trypsin and erepsin. Apart from these, enzymes are usually named by adding the suffixes to the main part of the name of the substrate upon which they act. Thus amylases act upon starch (amylum), lac- tase acts upon lactose, lipases act upon lipids, maltase acts upon maltose and protesses act upon lipids, maltase acts upon maltose and protesses act upon proteins. There are, however, several enzymes which act upon many substances in different ways. These enzymes are named by their functions rather than substrates. Thus, an enzyme which causes deaminations is called a deaminase and oxidising enzyme an oxidase.
Some enzymes work efficiently only if some other specific substance is present in addition to substrate. This other substance is known as an “activator “or a “conenzyme “. “Acti- vators “are usually inorganic ions. They increase the activity of a complete enzyme and may take part in the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex. Many of the conenzymes are related to vitamins.
This explains why vitamin deficiencies profoundly alter metabolism. Thus, for instance, thiamine, as thiamine pyrophosphate, functions as a conenzyme in at least 14 enzymes systems.
Conenzymes, like enzymes, are being continuously regenerated in the cells.
Enzymes play a decisive role in the digestion of food as they are responsible for the chemical changes which the food undergoes during digestion. The chemical changes comprise the breaking up of the large molecules of carbohydrates, fats and proteins into smaller ones or conversion of complex substances into simple ones which can be absorbed by the intestines.
They also control the numerous reactions by which these simple substances are utilized in the body for building up new tissues and producing energy. The enzymes themselves are not broken down or changed in the process. They remain as powerful at the end of a reaction as they were at the beginning. Moreover, very small amounts can convert large amounts of material. They are thus true catalysts.
The process of digestion begins in the mouth. The saliva in the moth, besides helping to masticate the food, carries an enzyme called ptyalin which begins the chemical action of digestion. It initiates the catabolism (breakdown) of carbohydrates by converting starches into simple sugars. This explains the need for thorough mastication of starchy food in the mouth. If this is not done the ptyalin cannot carry out its functions as it is active in an alkaline, neutral or slightly acid medium and is inactivated by the highly acid gastric juices in the stomach.
Although enzymatic action starts while food is being chewed, digestion moves into high gear only when the chewed food has passed the esophagus and reached the stomach. While the physical action of peristalsis churns and kneads solid food into a semi-solid amorphous mixture called chyme, this mixture undergoes chemical changes initiated by gastric juices secreted by the walls of the stomach. These juices include mucus for lubricating the stomach, hydrochloric acid and gastric juice. The enzyme or active principle of the gastric juice is pepsin. This enzyme in combination with hydrochloric acid starts the breakdown of proteins into absorbable amino acids called polypeptides. An additional enzyme, rennin, plays an important role in the stomach of the infant. It curdles milk and allows the pepsin to work upon it. The gastric juice has no effect upon starches or fats.
When the chyme leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine through the pylorus – the lower escape valve, it still contains much food which is in the form of raw material not yet ready for absorption in the body. Digestion is completed inside the small intestine by several juices.
From liver comes a liquid called bile which converts fat globules into a smooth emulsion.
The pancreas contributes various enzymes which continue the breakdown of proteins, help to divide starch into sugars and work with bile in digesting fats. The small intestine itself secretes enzymes from its inner wall to complete the reactions. When all the enzymes have done their work, the food is digested and rendered fit for absorption by the system.The following table briefly summarises the chemical digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins by various enzymes:
Source of Enzyme
Lactase Lactose Glucose & galactose
Enzymes form part of the food we eat. Raw foods contain enzymes in abundance; cooking, pasteurising, pickling, smoking and other processings denature enzymes. It is, therefore, essential to include in our diet, substantial amount of raw foods in the form of fruits, raw salads and sprouts. Studies have revealed that the body without sufficient raw materials from raw foods, may tire and produce fewer enzymes year after year. This may lead to wearing out of body processes and consequent worn-out looks.
Raw Juice Therapy
Raw juice therapy is a method of treatment of disease through an exclusive diet of juices of fruits and vegetables. It is also known as juice fasting. It is the most effective way to restore health and rejuvenate the body.
During raw juice therapy, the eliminative and cleansing capacity of the organs of elimination, namely lungs, liver, kidneys and the skin, is greatly increased and masses of accumulated metabolic waste and toxins are quickly eliminated. It affords a physiological rest to the digestive and assimilative organs. After the juice fasting or raw juice therapy, the digestion of food and the utilisation of nutrients is vastly improved.
An exclusive diet of raw juices of fruits and vegetables results in much faster recovery from diseases and more effective cleansing and regeneration of the tissues than the fasting on pure water. Dr. Ragnar Berg, a world-renowned authority on nutriton and biochemistry observes:
“During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. We can help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juices instead of water while fasting. I have supervised many fasts and made extensive examinations and tests of fasting patients, and I am convinced that drinking alkali-forming fruit and vegetable juices, instead of water, during fasting will increase the healing effect of fasting. Elimination of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated. And sugars in juices will strengthen the heart. Juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting. “
As juices are extracted from plants and fruits, they process definite medicinal properties. Specific juices are beneficial in specific conditions. Besides specific medicinal virtues, raw fruit and vegetable juices have an extraordinary revitalising and rejuvenative effect on all the organs, glands and functions of the body.
Favourable Effects
1. The favourable effect of raw juices in the treatment of disease is attributed to the following facts: Raw juices of fruits and vegetables are extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars. They exercise beneficial effect in normalising all the body functions. They supply needed elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell regeneration, thereby speeding the recovery.
2. The juices extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion and almost all their vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the bloodstream.
3. Raw juices are extremely rich in alkaline elements. This is highly beneficial in normalising acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues as there is over-acidity in most conditions of ill-health.
4. Generous amounts of easily assimilable organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium, potassium and silicon help in restoring biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells, thereby preventing premature ageing of cells and disease.
5. Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. For instance, string beans are said to contain insulin-like substance. Certain hormones needed by the pancreas to produce insulin are present in cucumber and onion juices.
Fresh juices of garlic, onions, radish and tomatoes contain antibiotic substances.
Precautions
Certain precautions are, however, necessary in adopting an exclusive diet of raw juices. Firstly, all juices should be made fresh immediately before drinking. Canned and frozen juices should not be used. It will be advisable that one should have one’s own juicer for extracting fresh juices.
Secondly, only fresh ripe fruits and vegetables, preferably organically grown, should be used for extraction of juices. Thirdly, only as much juice as needed for immediate consumption should be extracted. Raw juices oxidise rapidly and lose their medicinal value in storage, even under refrigeration. Fourthly, the quality of the juices has a distinct bearing on the results obtained. In case of incomplete extraction of juices, their effective power is proportionately reduced due to the absence of the vitamins and enzymes which are left behind in fibre and the pulp. Finally, if juices are too sweat they should be diluted in water on 50: 50 basis or mixed with other less sweet juices. This is especially important in some specific conditions such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, arthritis and high blood pressure.
Fruit and vegetable juices may be divided into six main types. These are:
(i) Juices from sweet fruits such as prunes and grapes.
(ii) Juices from sub-acid fruits like apple, plum, pear, peach, apricot and cherry,
(iii) Juices from acid fruits like orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple.
(iv) Juices from vegetable fruits, namely, tomato and cucumber.
(v) Juices from green leafy vegetables like cabbage, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley and watercress.
(vi) Juices from root vegetables like beetroot, carrot, onion, potato and radish.
Generally speaking, fruit juices stir up toxins and acids in the body, thereby stimulating the eliminative processes. Vegetable juices, on the other hand, soothe the jaded nerves and work in a much milder manner. They carry away toxic matter in a gentle way. Owing to their differing actions fruit and vegetable juices should not be used at the same time or mixed together.
1. It is desirable to use juices individually. In any case not more than three juices should be used in any one mixture. The following broad rules apply when using mixtures of juices: Juices from sweet fruits may be combined with juices of sub-acid fruits, but not with those of acid fruits, vegetable fruits or vegetables.
2. Juices from sub-acid fruits may be combined with juices of sweet fruits, or acid fruits, but not with other juices.
3. Juices from acid fruits may be combined with those of sub-acid fruits or vegetable fruits, but not with other juices.
4. Juices from vegetable fruits may be combined with those of acid fruits or of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.
5. Juices from green leafy vegetables may be combined with those of vegetable fruits or of the root vegetable, but not with other juices.
6. Juices from root vegetables may be combined with those of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.
A proper selection of juices in treating a particular ailment is very essential. Thus, for instance, juices of carrot, cucumber, cabbage and other vegetables are very valuable in asthma, arthritis and skin disease, but juices of orange and mosambi aggravate their symptoms by increasing the amount of mucus.
Treatment of Diseases
Some common ailments and fruit and vegetable juices found beneficial in their treatment are mentioned below:
Acidity: Grapes, orange, mosambi, carrot and spinach.
Acne: Grapes, pear, plum, tomato, cucumber, carrot, potato and spinach.
Allergies: Apricot, grapes, carrot, beet and spinach.
Arteriosclerosis: Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, celery, carrot, lettuce, and spinach.
Anaemia: Apricot, prune, strawberry, red grape, beet, celery, carrot and spinach.
Arthritis: Sour cherry, pineapple, sour apple, lemon, grapefruit, cucumber, beet, carrot, lettuce and spinach.
Asthma: Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, carrot, radish and celery.
Bronchitis: Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, tomato, carrot, onion and spinach.
Bladder Ailments: Apple, apricot, lemon, cucumber, carrot, celery, parsley and watercress.
Colds: Lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion, celery and spinach.
Constipation: Apple, pear, grapes, lemon, carrot, beet, spinach and watercress.
Colitis: Apple, apricot, pear, peach, pineapple, papaya, carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach.
Diabetes: Citrus fruits, carrot, celery, lettuce and spinach.
Diarrhoea: Papaya, lemon, pineapple, carrot and celery.
Eczema: Red grapes,carrot, spinach, cucumber and beet.
Epilepsy: Red grapes, figs, carrot, celery and spinach.
Eye Disorders: Apricot,tomato, carrot, celery, parsley and spinach.
Gout: Red sour cherries, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot, celery and spinach.
Halitosis: Apple, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, tomato, carrot, celery and spinach.
Headache: Grapes, lemon, carrot, lettuce and spinach.
Heart Disease: Red grapes, lemon, cucumber, carrot, beet and spinach.
High blood pressure: Grapes, orange, cucumber, carrot and beet.
Influenza: Apricot, orange, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion and spinach.
Insomnia: Apple, grapes, lemon, lettuce, carrot and celery.
Jaundice: Lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, celery, spinach, beet and cucumber.
Kidney Disorders: Apple, orange, lemon, cucumber, cucumber,carrot, celery, parsley and beet.
Liver ailments: Lemon, papaya, grapes, carrot, tomato, beet and cucumber.
Menstrual Disorders:Grapes, prunes, cherry, spinach, lettuce turnips and beet.
Menopausal Symptoms: Fruits and Vegetables in season.
Neuritis: Orange, pineapple, apple, carrot and beet.
Obesity: Lemon, grapefruit, orange, cherry, pineapple, papaya, tomato, beet, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and carrot.
Piles: Lemon, orange, papaya, pineapple, carrot, spinach, turnip and watercress.
Prostate Troubles: All fruit juices in season, carrot, asparagus, lettuce and spinach.
Psoriasis: Grapes, carrot, beet, and cucumber.
Rheumatism: Grapes, orange, lemon, grapefruit, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot and spinach.
Stomach Ulcers: Apricot, grapes, cabbage and carrot.
Sinus Trouble: Apricot, lemon, tomato, carrot, onion and radish.
Sore Throat: Apricot, grapes, lemon, pineapple, prune, tomato, carrot and parsley.
Tonsilitis: Apricot, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, spinach and radish.
Varicose Veins: Grapes, orange, plum, tomato, beetroot carrot and watercress.
When on a raw juice therapy, the prescribed juice should be drunk every three hours. One can thus take juices five to six times a day. A glass of water mixed with lemon juice and 20 to 30 grams of honey may be taken first thing in the morning on arising. Thereafter, the prescribed juice may be taken at three-hourly intervals. The quantity of juice on each occasion may be 250
ml on the first day. This quantity may be increased by 50 ml each succeeding day till one takes 600 ml on each occasion. The juice diet can be continued for 30 to 40 days without any ill-effects. The patient should take adequate rest during the raw juice therapy.
Raw juices act as a cleansing agent and start eliminating toxins and morbid matter from the system immediately. This often results in symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, diarrhoea, loss of weight, headache, fever, weakness, sleeplessness and bad breath. These reactions, which are part of the cleansing process, should not be suppressed by the use of drugs. They will cease when the body is able to expel all toxins.
After the raw juice therapy, the return to normal balanced diet should be gradual, and in stages.
In the beginning, two juice meals may be replaced by milk and fruits. Then gradually juice meals may be substituted by a balanced-diet.
Sprouts for Optimum Nutrition
Sprouts are considered as wonder foods. They rank as the freshest and most nutritious of all vegetables available to the human diet. By a process of natural transmutation, sprouted food acquires vastly improved digestibility and nutritional qualities when compared to non-sprouted embryo from which it derives.
Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years. Even to this day, the Chinese retain their fame for delicious mung beansprouts`. Sprouts provide all the essential vitamins and minerals. They should form a vital component of our diet. Sprouting requires no constant care but only an occasional sprinkling of water.
All edible grains, seeds and legumes can be sprouted. Generally the following are used for sprouting:
i. Grains: Wheat, maize, ragi, bajra and barley.
ii. Seeds: Alfalfa seeds, radish seeds, fenugreek seeds, carrot seeds, coriander seeds, pumpkin seeds and muskmelon seeds.
iii. Legumes: Mung, Bengal gram, groundnut and peas.
Alfalfa, as the name in Arabic signifies, is the king of all sprouts. Grown as a plant, its roots are known to burrow as much as 12 meters into the subsoil to bring up valuable trace minerals of which manganese is especially important to health and digestion; it is a vital component of human insulin. Apart from minerals, alfalfa is also a rich source of vitamins A,B,C,E and K and amino acids. Sesame seeds are another good source of nourishment. They contain all the essential amino acids in their 20 per cent protein content and higher concentration of calcium than does milk. They are high in letichin, unsaturated fats, vitamin E and vitamin B complex, besides other live nutrients.
How to Sprout
As a first step, a good variety of seeds should be used for sprouting. It should be ensured that the seeds, legumes or grains are of the sproutable type. Soyabeans do not sprout well as they often become sour. Wheat has to be grown in soil. It is advisable to use seeds which are not chemically treated as this slows down the germination rate. The seeds should be washed thoroughly and then soaked overnight in a jar of pure water. The jar should be covered with cheesecloth or wire screening. The duration of soaking will depend upon the size of the seed.
Small seeds are soaked for five hours, medium size for eight hours and beans and grains for 10 to 12 hours.
On the following morning, the seeds should be rinsed and the water drained off. Not more than one-fourth of the jar should be filled with the seeds for sprouting. Soaking makes the seeds, grains or legumes fatty, pulpy and full of water. It should, therefore, be ensured that the jar has enough room for the seeds to expand during sprouting. They will expand about eight times their original size. The jar should be kept at a place which is exposed neither to chill nor hot winds. It should also be ensured that the mouth of the jar is not completely covered so as to allow air in.
The seeds should be rinsed and water drained off three times every day till they are ready to eat.
The seeds will germinate and become sprouts in two or three days from commencement of soaking, depending on temperature and humidity. Care should always be taken to ensure that sprouts do not lie in water. They should be kept well drained to prevent souring. Sprouts are at their optimum level of flavour and tenderness when tiny green leaves appear at the tips. Their nutritional value is also optimum. To retain their freshness and nutritional value, they should be placed in a refrigerator, if they cannot be consumed immediately after reaching suitable maturity.
Sprouts can be kept for several days in this way.
Some caution is necessary in sprouting. Soaking for a longer period than required makes the seeds rot or ferment. The main factors for germination are water, air, heat and darkness. There may be poor germination or no germination at all if any of these factors are not present such as insufficient water, or too much water, lack of sufficient heat, lack of fresh air, either too cold or too hot surroundings and too much light.
Benefits
There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted foods when compared to their dried embryo. In the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially with corresponding decrease in calories and carbohydrate content. These comparisons are based on an equivalent water content in the foods measured. Analysis of dried seeds, grains and legumes shows a very low water content. But this increases up to tenfold when the same food is converted into sprouts. For accurate comparison each must be brought to a common denomination of equal water content to assess the exact change brought in nutritional value.
Sprouted mung beans, for instance, have a 8.3 increase of water content over dried beans.
Hence the nutritional value of sprouted and dried mung beans can be compared by multiplying the analysed nutrients of sprouted mung beans by the factor of 8.3. Based on this criterion, the changes found in sprouted mung beans when compared with the figures for the beans in the dried state are as follows:
The increase in protein availability is of great significance. It is a valuable indicator of the enhanced nutritional value of a food when sprouted. The simultaneous reduction in carbohydrate content indicates that many carbohydrate molecules are broken down during sprouting to allow an absorption of atmospheric nitrogen and reforming into amino-acids. The resultant protein is the most easily digestible of all proteins available in foods.
The remarkable increase in sodium content supports the view that sprouted foods offer nutritional qualities. Sodium is essential to the digestive process within the gastro-intestinal tract and also to the elimination of carbon dioxide. Together with the remarkable increase in vitamins, sodium materially contributes to the easy digestibility of sprouts.
Dried seeds, grains and legumes do not contain discernible traces of ascorbic acid, yet when sprouted, they reveal quite significant quantities which are important in the body’s ability to metabolise proteins. The infinite increase in ascorbic acid derives from their absorption of atmospheric elements during growth.
Sprouts have several other benefits. They supply food in predigested form, that is, the food which has already been acted upon by the enzymes and made to digest easily. During sprouting, much of the starch is broken down into simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose by the action of the enzyme ‘amylase’. Proteins are converted into amino acids and amides. Fats and oils are converted into more simple fatty acids by the action of the enzyme lipase.
During sprouting, the beans lose their objectionable gas producing quality. Research has shown that oligosaccharides are responsible for gas formation. For maintenance of health, some amount of gas production is necessary but it should be within safe limits. As the process of germination ends and sprouting begins, the percentage of oligosaccharides is reduced by 90.
Sprouts contain a lot of fibre and water and, therefore, are helpful in overcoming constipation.
Sprouts are an extremely inexpensive method of obtaining a concentration of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. They have in them all the constituent nutrients of fruits and vegetables and are ‘live’ foods. Eating sprouts is the safest and best way of getting the advantage of both fruits and vegetables without contamination and harmful insecticides.
It should, however, be ensured that seeds and dried beans are purchased from a store where they are fresh, unsprayed and packaged as food. Seeds that are packaged for planting purposes may contain mercury compounds or other toxic chemicals.
PART III
DISEASES AND THEIR NATURAL TREATMENT
Acne
Acne is perhaps the most common chronic skin disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the sebaceous(that is fat or grease) glands and hair follicles usually found on the face, the neck, chest and shoulders. Nearly eight out of ten young people between the ages of 12 and 24 suffer from some degree of acne. It is closely related to the disturbance in the hormones experienced at puberty.
The majority of patients recover between the ages 20 and 30 years. But it is still common in men over 30 years. In women, it rarely lasts beyond the early thirties and is normally worse before each menstrual period. The disease causes a great deal of embarrassment at an age when people tend to be sensitive about personal appearance.
The skin, covering the entire body, is a marvellous and intricate mechanism. It serves three main purposes; namely, protection of the inner organism, regulation of body temperature and elimination of cell waste and systemic refuse. The skin is directly connected with and intimately bound up with the working of the whole system. All skin diseases, including acne, are the outcome of malfunctioning of the body as a whole.
Symptoms
Acne is characterized by the presence of comedones or blackheads, pimples, small superficial sebaceous cysts and scars. There are over half a dozen forms of acne. All of them are concerned with sebaceous glands or the glands connected with hair follicles. The most common form of acne is blackheads. The areas chiefly affected are the forehead, temples, cheeks, and chin, the chest and back. In rare cases, almost the entire body may be covered with black heads with extensive scarring.
Causes
All forms of acne have their origin in wrong feeding habits, such as irregular hours of eating, improper food, excess of starches and sugar, excess of fatty foods. Chronic constipation is another major cause of acne. If the bowels do not move properly, waste matter is not eliminated as quickly as it should be and the bloodstream becomes surcharged with toxic matter. The extra efforts of the skin to eliminate excess waste result in acne and other forms of skin disease. Yet another important cause of acne is a devitalised condition of the skin resulting from unhygienic living habits. Other causes of the disorder are excessive use of tea, coffee, alcohol or tobacco, strenuous studies, masturbation and sedentary habits which lead to indigestion and general debility.
Treatment
The treatment of acne by the administration of salve or ointment does not serve any purpose.
They only suppress the action of the sebaceous glands temporarily. In natural cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications. To begin with the patient should resort to all-fruit diet for about a week. IN this regimen, there should be three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, pineapple and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else. During this period, warm-water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.
After a week of all fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, especially millet and brown rice. Further shorter periods on the all-fruits for three days, or so may be necessary at a monthly interval till the condition of the skin improves.
Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein and fatty foods should be restricted. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.
Two vitamins, namely, niacin and vitamin A have been used successfully to treat acne. The vitamin therapy which may comprise a niacin, 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses up to 1,50,000 units per day should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important to prevent scarring from acne and in removing old scars.
Another effective remedy in the realm of nutrition that seems to offer new promise of help for acne is zinc. It has shown dramatic results in some cases. Zinc should be taken in therapeutic doses of 50 mg. three times a day. After noticeable improvement it can be gradually reduced.
Local Treatment
As regards local treatment, hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze the waste matter. Then rinse with cold water. Sun and air baths by exposing the whole body to sun and air are highly beneficial. The healing packs made of grated cucumber, oatmeal cooked in milk, and cooked, creamed carrots used externally, have been found to be effective.
The orange peel is valuable in the treatment of acne. The peel, pounded well with water on a piece of stone, should be applied to the affected areas. The lemon has also proved beneficial in removing pimples and acne. It should be applied regularly.
A teaspoonful of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is another effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads. The mixture should be applied to the face after thoroughly washing it, every night before retiring.
The juice of raw potatoes has also proved very valuable in clearing skin blemishes. This cleansing results from high content of potassium sulphur, phosphorous and chlorine in the potato. These elements are, however, of value only when the potato is raw as in this state they are composed of live organic atoms.
A hot Epsom-salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding one and a half kg. of Epsom -salt to 50 litres of water having a temperature of about 100 o F. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35minutes till he perspires freely. After the bath the patient should cool off gradually.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism refers to addiction to alcohol. It is a chronic disorder, in which a person is unable to refrain from frequent and excess consumption of alcohol for physical or psychological reasons.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed alcoholism as one of the three most deadly killer diseases of the 20th century.
Alcoholism is also one of the serious social problems. It often brings poverty and certain amount of crime and results in material unhappiness and broken homes. It also leads to numerous traffic accidents.
Alcohol is not a product found in nature. It results from decomposition and as such belongs to a family of poisons. Ethyl alcohol, the main intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer and distilled liquor is a toxic drug which depresses the brain and nervous system. Alcohol cannot be called a food for it enters the alimentary canal and is not changed or digested in any way. It is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream and then travels to every part of the body, adversely affecting vital organs like brain and liver.
Symptoms
According to the WHO, “Alcoholics are those excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a degree that it shows a noticeable mental disturbance or interference with their bodily or mental health, their interpersonal relations and their smooth social and economic functions, or who show the prodormal signs of such development. “
Alcoholics have a puffy face with bloodshot eyes, a hoarse voice and a rapid pulse. They are suspicious, irritable and over- emotional. Vomiting, delirium, impaired judgement and disturbed sleep are some of the other symptoms.
The chronic alcoholic, who would rather drink than eat, fails to get enough vitamins. The few vitamins acquired by him are drained out of his system in the process of burning the alcohol in his body. Vitamin deficiency can lead to delirium tremors, convulsions, nutritious, disorders of the eyes and impaired memory. Excessive drinking often causes premature greying of hair due to vitamin deficiency. Chronic alcoholism results in a depletion of minerals in the body, particularly magnesium. Its lack produces symptoms like tremor of the hands, feet and tongue, convulsions,mental clouding and perspiration.
Excessive drinking imposes a strain on the liver. It gradually destroys its functions and often causes cirrhosis of the liver. It leads to disorders of the stomach and bowels. It can cause brain damage as brain cells are often affected by it. Alcohol also affects the heart which becomes weak and flabby.
Causes
Alcoholism results from intemperate drinking. Sometimes it sneaks upon a person comparatively rapidly; other times, years may pass before a person becomes a full-fledged alcoholic. A weak-minded person consoles himself by taking to drugs or alcohol. In doing so he simply tries to escape the situation rather than face it boldly.
A person generally takes to drinking as a means to enliven social life, to overcome anxiety or to induce sleep. He becomes an alcoholic if he gets dependent on alcohol physically and psychologically. He resorts to heavy drinking because of his maladaptive way of dealing with life’s stresses.
Treatment
The chronic alcoholic first of all must make a firm resolve to stop drinking. He should abstain from alcohol all at once for the habit cannot be got rid of in gradual stages.
The most effective way to treat alcoholism is to build the body’s nutritional integrity soaps to prevent craving for stimulants like drinks. The patients should be put on a cleansing juice fast for at least ten days in the beginning. During this period, he should have juice of an orange every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The juice may be diluted with warm water, if desired. If orange juice does not agree, vegetable juices may be taken. Each day while fasting, bowels should be cleansed of effete and poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process set up by the body. This can be achieved by warm water enema.
During the juice fast, the patient will usually feel no craving for alcohol. This will give a good 10
day start towards breaking the drinking habit and would help remove not only the physical dependence but also the psychological factors. After the initial fast on juices, the optimum diet of vital nutrients is essential. Such a diet should consist of whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds and sprouts, fresh fruits and vegetables.
It is advisable that in the beginning of the treatment, the patient is given a suitable substitute to relieve the craving if and when such a craving occurs. The best substitute drink for alcohol is a glass of fresh fruit juice, sweetened with honey, if desired. In the alternative, wholesome candy may be taken. The patient should always have easily available juices, candy, or other snacks to be taken between meals if he feels a craving for a stimulant.
All refined foods such as sugar, white rice, macaroni products and white flour and meat should be avoided. The patient should eat several small meals a day in preference to two or three large ones and avoid strong condiments such as pepper, mustard, and chilli. He should not smoke as this will only increase his desire for alcohol.
Apples are considered valuable in the treatment of alcoholism as their use removes intoxication and reduces the craving for wine and other intoxicating liquors. The raw celery juice is also considered helpful. It has a sobering effect and is an antidote to alcohol.
In addition to proper nutrition, plenty of rest and outdoor exercises are necessary. The healthy condition of the appetite centre, which controls the craving for alcohol is improved by exercise.
Yogic asans for general health such as padmasan, vajrasan, vakrasan, paschimotanasan, yogamudra, bhuajangasan, halasan and shalabhasana and yogic kriyas like jalneti, kunjal and simple Pranayamas like kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma, shitali and sitkari will be beneficial.
Copious drinking of water, hot fomentations on the stomach and abdomen with a wet girdle pack between applications are also effective water treatment for alcoholism.
And finally, it will be advisable to follow the ten commandments to prevent alcoholism, offered by psychiatrist Dr. William B. Terhune. These are:
never drink when you ‘need one’;
sip slowly;
space your drinks, taking a second drink 30 minutes after the first and a third an hour after the second;
dilute your alcohol;
keep an accurate and truthful record of the amount and
number of drinks you take;
never conceal the amount of alcohol you drink;
do not drink on an empty stomach;
stop drinking on ‘signal ‘(signals are lunch, dinner, fatigue, sex stimulation, boredom, frustration and bedtime);
make it a rule never to take a drink to escape discomfort – either physical or mental; and never, never take a drink in the morning thinking it will cure a hangover.
Allergies
An ‘allergy’ can be described as sensitiveness of the body to a substance which does not normally affect other persons. There are innumerable substances in the environment which can cause mild to violent reactions in many people. These reactions range from true allergies due to intolerance of certain foods and substances, to those resulting from pollution.
Allergic reactions may occur within a few minutes of the patient coming in contact with the allergen, or they may be delayed for several hours or even several days. Almost any part of the body can be affected by allergies. The portion of the body which is affected is called a shock organ. Common sites are the nose and eyes, the skin, chest, intestines and ears.
Allergic reactions are caused by a wide range of substances and conditions. These include pollen, dust, cosmetics and animal hair; poisonous plants, serums, vaccines and drugs; physical agents such as heat, cold and sunlight; as well as a variety of foods. Among the numerous allergens in the food department, the more common ones are oranges, milk, eggs, wheat, fish, chocolates, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries.
Symptoms
The symptoms of allergy are as varied as the substances causing the reaction. These include recurring headache, migraine, dizziness, irritability, nervousness, depression, neuralgia, sneezing, conjunctivitis, diabetes, eczema, heart-burn, hay fever, indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea, gastric ulcer, asthma, overweight, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart attacks, a stuffy or runny nose, shortness of breath, swelling of the face and eyes, etc. The same food can cause different symptoms in different people. Many allergies are multiple and may be caused by multiple allergens.
Causes
Allergy is an indication of lowered resistance and internal disharmony caused by dietetic errors and faulty style of living. It is believed that the major cause of allergy is feeding babies such foods as cereals, meat, corns, whole milk, etc. before they reach the age of 10 to 12 months.
These foods cause allergic reactions as babies lack the proper enzymes needed for their digestion before that age. Babies should be breast-fed for at least eight months as this is nature’s way of providing all the required nutrients during this period.
Another important cause of allergy is today’s processed foods loaded with numerous chemical additives, many of which cause powerful reactions. An allergic condition can result from diet imbalances. There can be a breakdown in the body’s ability to handle sugar due to excessive intake of refined sugar and consequent blood sugar irregularities, or mineral and vitamin imbalances due to defective dietary patterns.
Emotional and psychological stress can also lead to allergies. According to Dr. Hans Salye, the world’s premier researcher on stress, allergic symptoms are often nothing more than body’s reaction to stress. A person can through chronic stress, become sensitive to common foods or commonplace substances like petrol fumes.
Treatment
There are various ways to tackle many of the allergic disturbances. First, the sources must be identified. This is a difficult but not impossible task. Second, once the sources are discovered, they should be avoided. Third, and most important, general health and resistance should be built up to establish immunity to them.
There are two methods to detect disturbing foods. The first method is the trial -and- error elimination diet. This automatically eliminates many hazards and foods. Keep to organic, untreated, unprocessed foods as far as possible and you will eliminate another set of hazards such as pesticides, various sprays and other poisons.
After having eliminated as many disturbing factors as possible, a self-search should be carried out to ascertain any suspicious symptoms from foods. It is advisable to try an eliminary diet, excluding suspected foods for two weeks until the cause is detected. Occasionally, by changing the brand or the type, you can find a food substitute that does not upset you.
Another way to detect the cause of allergy is by Dr. Coca’s “pulse test. “The method is as follows
: Check your pulse before a meal. Then limiting that meal to one food only, wit for half an hour after eating and take your pulse again. A slight increase is considered normal, even up to extra beats. If your pulse does not rise above 84, you may be allergy-free. But if your pulse rises beyond that point, and remains high an hour after the meal, you have found your food allergy.
The best way, however, to prevent or overcome allergies is to strengthen the overall physical resistance so as not to fall an easy prey to every allergen that comes along. To start with, the patient should fast on fresh fruit juices for four or five days. Repeated short juice fasts are likely to result in better tolerance to previous allergies. After the fruit juice fast, the patient can take a mono diet of vegetables or fruits such as carrots, grapes or apples, for one week. After that one more food is added to the mono diet. A week later the third food is added and so on. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time. In case an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food is noticed, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. In this way all real allergens can be eventually eliminated from the diet.
The body requires a large alkaline reserve for its daily activity. The many emergencies of acid formation through the day from wrong foods, fatigue, mental stress and lack of sleep can be met by the competency of the alkaline reserves. Boosting the normal body reserve of alkalines by liberal use of alkaline- forming foods is essential for those suffering from allergies.
The foods which should be excluded from the diet are tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, sugar, sweets and foods containing sugar, refined cereals, meats, fish, chicken, tobacco, milk, cheese, butter, smoked, salted, pickled foods and foods containing any chemical additives, preservatives and flavouring. These foods cause either toxic accumulations or over-stimulation of adrenal glands or strain on pancreatic enzymes production or disturb the blood sugar balance.
For preventive purposes, the entire C complex vitamins – known as the bioflavonoids, are recommended. They gradually strengthen cell permeability to help immunise the body from various allergies, especially hay fever. Often the addition B5, or pantothenic acid brings great relief to allergy sufferers. Multiple allergies may result from poor adrenal gland functioning. In such cases liberal amounts of pantothenic acids help cure them, although the recovery will take several weeks. An adequate intake of vitamin E is also beneficial as this vitamin possesses effective anti-allergic properties, as some studies have shown.
An exciting remedy for allergy has been discovered by an Indian physician, Dr. Hement Pathak.
He found that the use of five drops of castor oil in a little juice or water taken on an empty stomach in the morning, is highly beneficial for allergies in the intestinal tract, skin and nasal passages. Dr. Pathak, who is an expert in Chinese medicine, has reported numerous cases of allergic protection by this method. For allergic conditions in which an element of stress is present, it is essential to employ such methods as relaxation, exercise, meditation and mind control. These methods will reduce or remove stress and thereby contribute towards the treatment of allergies. Yogic asanas like yogamudra ardhmatsyendrasana, sarvangasana, shavasana and anuloma-viloma, pranayama are also beneficial.
Anaemia
Anaemia, which means “lacking in blood “, is among the most common diseases affecting human beings. It denotes a shortage of rich red blood cells and colouring matter and usually results from consumption of refined foods.
The blood flowing in our veins and arteries is really living tissue. Nearly half of it consists of red blood cells which carry oxygen to the tissues. Approximately one trillion(10,000 million) new blood cells are formed in the bone marrow daily. The raw materials required in the production of these cells are iron, proteins, and vitamins, especially folic acid and B12.
The red colouring matter, called haemoglobin is a protein which is composed of an organic iron-compound called “heme “. The globin is a sulphur -bearing protein which makes up 96 per cent of the molecule. The formation of haemoglobin thus depends on adequate dietary supplies of iron and protein. Red cells have a lifespan of approximately 120 days and are destroyed and replaced daily. Each person should have 100 per cent haemoglobin or about 15 grams to 100 cc of blood, and a blood count of five million red cells per millimeter. A drop in the hemoglobin content results in anaemia and a consequent decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the tissues.
Symptoms
A haggard look, with lines of strain, premature wrinkles, grayish skin, and dull and tired looking eyes are the main symptoms of anaemia. Other symptoms include poor memory, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, lack of energy, shortness of breath on exertion, slow healing of wounds, headaches, mental depression, pale fingers, lips and ear lobes. The patient usually complaints of weakness, easy fatigue, lack of energy and dizziness.
Causes
There are two principal causes of anaemia. It can result from reduced or low formation of red blood cells either due to defects in the bone marrow or an inadequate intake of iron vitamins, and protein. Heavy loss of blood due to injury, bleeding piles and heavy menstruation may also cause anaemia. A lack of digestive acid of hydrochloric acid needed for digestion of iron and proteins may also result in anaemia. Emotional strain, anxiety and worry usually interfere with the manufacture of hydrochloric acid in the body. Anaemia can also be caused by a variety of drugs which destroy vitamin E or by others which inactivate the nutrients needed in building blood cells. Chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, when accompanied by hemorrhage, may also result in anaemia.
Other little-known causes of anaemia are intestinal parasites or worms. Hookworm, pinworms, round worms and tapeworms feed on the blood supply as well as on the vitamins. Twenty-five hookworms can consume fifteen grams of blood every 24 hours; a tapeworm can cause acute shortage of vitamin B12. Symptoms of intestinal worms are itching at the rectum, restlessness at night with bad dreams, diarrhoea, foul breath, dark circles under the eyes and a constant desire for food. Garlic can help get rid of some types of intestinal parasites. Fresh papaya and grated raw carrot are also effective. After successful treatment for intestinal worms, perfect cleanliness should be observed to prevent recurrence.
The Cure
Anaemia is much more easily prevented than corrected. A liberal intake of iron in the formative years can go a long way in preventing iron-deficiency anaemia.
Diet is of the utmost importance in the treatment of anaemia. Almost every nutrient is needed for the production of red blood cells, haemoglobin and the enzymes, required for their synthesis.
Refined food like white bread, polished rice, sugar, and desserts rope the body of the much
-needed iron. Iron should always be taken in its natural organic form as the use of inorganic can prove hazardous, destroying the protective vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, causing serious liver damage and even miscarriage and delayed or premature births. The common foods rich in natural organic iron are wheat and wheat grain cereals, brown rice and rice polishings, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, carrot, celery, beets, tomatoes, spinach; fruits like apples, berries,cherries, grapes, raisins, figs, dates, peaches and eggs. It has been proved that a generous intake of iron alone will not help in the regeneration of haemoglobin. The supplies of protein, too, should be adequate. The diet should, therefore, be adequate in proteins of high biological value such as those found in milk, cheese and egg. Copper is also essential for the utilisation of iron in the building of haemoglobin.
Vitamin B12 is a must for preventing or curing anaemia. This vitamin is usually found in animal protein and especially in organic meats like kidney and liver. A heavy meat diet is often associated with a high haemoglobin and high red cell count, but it has its disadvantages. One cause of anaemia is intestinal putrefaction, which is primarily brought on by a high meat diet.
Moreover, all meats are becoming increasingly dangerous due to widespread diseases in the animal kingdom. There are, however, other equally good alternative sources of vitamin B12 such as dairy products, like milk, eggs and cheese, peanuts. Wheat germ and soyabeans also contain some B12. Vegetarians should include sizeable amounts of milk, milk products and eggs in their diet.
For prevention of anaemia, it is essential to take the entire B-complex range which includes B12, as well as the natural foods mentioned above. Eating lacto-avo products, which are complete proteins, and which also contain vitamin B12 is good insurance against the disease. Brewer’s yeast is a good source of complete protein.
A liberal intake of ascorbic acid is necessary to facilitate absorption of iron. At least two helpings of citrus fruits and other ascorbic acid rich foods should be taken daily.
Mention must be made of beets which are extremely important in curing anaemia. Beet juice contains potassium, phosphorous, calcium, sulphur, iodine, iron, copper, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, B1, B2, niacin B6, C and vitamin P. With its high iron content, beet juice regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells, supplies the body with fresh oxygen and helps the normal function of vesicular breathing.
Water Treatment
A cold water bath is among the most valuable curative measures in anaemia. The patient should be given carefully graduated cold baths twice daily. Cold friction, hot epsom salt bath for five to 10 minutes once a week and an occassional cabinet steam bath are also recommended. Full sun baths are especially beneficial as sunlight stimulates the production of red cells.
There are other important factors which are helpful in curing anaemia. Deep breathing and light exercise like walking and simple yoga asanas should be undertaken to tone up the system.
Sarvangasana paschomittanasana, uttanpadasana and shavasana are recommended. Massage also helps to keep the blood level high.
Angina
Angina is a chest pain or irritation that occurs when there is a lack of blood flow to the heart.
Angina can be hazardous to your health, so it is important to take notice to chest pain you are experiencing, know what is normal for you, teach yourself how to check, manage it, and understand when you need to get medical care.
Types: of Angina:
Stable angina: The pain is predictable and present only during hard work or extreme stress, fading away slowly.
Unstable angina: This may signal an impending heart attack. Unstable angina is angina pain that is different from your regular angina pain or pain that occurs while at rest. The angina may occur more frequently, more easily at rest, feel more severe, or last longer. Although this type of angina can often be relieved with oral medications (medicine taken by mouth), it is unstable and may progress to a heart attack. Usually more intense medical treatment or a procedure is required.
Prinzmetal’s angina: This is when angina occurs when you are resting, when sleeping, or when exposed to cold temperatures. In these cases, the symptoms are caused by decreased blood flow to the heart’s muscle or from spasm of the coronary artery. The majority of people with this type of angina also have coronary artery disease. These spasms occur close to the blockage.
Causes
When blood flow to an area of the heart is decreased, it impairs the delivery of oxygen and vital nutrients to the heart muscle cells. When this happens, the heart muscle must use alternative, less efficient forms of fuel so that it can perform its function of pumping blood to the body. The byproduct of using this less efficient fuel is a compound called lactic acid that builds up in the muscle and causes pain.
Symptoms
Common Symptoms:
Pressure
Squeezing
Burning
Tightness in the chest
Symptoms usually start in the chest behind the breastbone. It may also occur in the arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, throat, or back. It may feel like indigestion.
Stable Angina
The pain or discomfort:
1.
Occurs when the heart must work harder, usually during physical exertion
2.
Is expected, and episodes of pain tend to be alike
3.
Usually lasts a short time (5 minutes or less)
4.
Is relieved by rest or angina medicine
5.
May feel like gas or indigestion
6.
May feel like chest pain that spreads to the arms, back, or other areas
Unstable Angina
The pain or discomfort:
Often occurs at rest, while sleeping at night, or with little physical exertion
Is unexpected
Is more severe and lasts longer (as long as 30 minutes) than episodes of stable angina
Is usually not relieved with rest or angina medicine
May get continuously worse
May signal that a heart attack will happen soon
Variant Angina
The pain or discomfort:
Usually occurs at rest and during the night or early morning hours
Tends to be severe
Is relieved by angina medicine
Diagnosis
To find out if you have angina, your doctor will:
Do a physical exam
Ask about your symptoms
Ask about your risk factors and your family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) or other heart disease Sometimes, your doctor can diagnose angina by noting your symptoms and how they occur.
Your doctor may order one or more tests to help make a diagnosis of angina. The tests your doctor may order include:
EKG (electrocardiogram). This test measures the rate and regularity of your heartbeat.
Some people with angina have a normal EKG.
Stress Test. Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working harder and beating faster than when it is at rest. During stress testing, you exercise (or are given medicine if you are unable to exercise) to make your heart work harder and beat faster while heart tests are performed. During exercise stress testing, your blood pressure and EKG readings are monitored while you walk or run on a treadmill or pedal a bicycle.
Other heart tests, such as nuclear heart scanning or echocardiography, also can be done at the same time. These would be ordered if your doctor needs more information than the exercise stress test can provide about how well your heart is working.
If you are unable to exercise, a medicine can be injected through an IV into your bloodstream to make your heart work harder and beat faster, as if you are exercising on a treadmill or bicycle. Nuclear heart scanning or echocardiography is then usually done.
During nuclear heart scanning, radioactive tracer is injected into your bloodstream, and a special camera shows the flow of blood through your heart and arteries. Echocardiography uses sound waves to show blood flow through the chambers and valves of your heart and to show the strength of your heart muscle.
Your doctor also may order two newer tests along with stress testing if more information is needed about how well your heart works. These new tests are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning of the heart. MRI shows detailed images of the structures and beating of your heart, which may help your doctor better assess if parts of your heart are weak or damaged. PET scanning shows the level of chemical activity in different areas of your heart. This can help your doctor determine if enough blood is flowing to the areas of your heart. A PET scan can show decreased blood flow caused by disease or damaged muscles that may not be detected by other scanning methods.
Chest x ray: A chest x ray takes a picture of the organs and structures inside your chest.
These include your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
Nuclear heart scans: This test provides your doctor with moving pictures of the blood passing through your heart’s chambers and arteries and shows the level of blood flood to the heart muscle. A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected into your bloodstream through a vein, usually in your arm. A special camera is placed in front of your chest to show where the tracer lights up in healthy heart muscle and where it does not light up (in heart muscle that has been damaged or has a blocked artery).
There are different Types: of nuclear heart scans. Most scans have two phases—taking pictures of the heart at rest and while it is beating faster (called a stress test), although sometimes only a rest scan is done. Many heart problems show up more clearly when your heart is stressed than when it is at rest. By comparing the nuclear heart scan of your heart at rest to your heart at “stress,” your doctor can determine if your heart is functioning normally or not.
Echocardiogram: This test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart.
Echocardiogram provides information about the size and shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are functioning. The test also can identify areas of poor blood flow to the heart, areas of heart muscle that are not contracting normally, and previous injury to the heart muscle caused by poor blood flow.
There are several different Types: of echocardiograms, including a stress echocardiogram. During this test, an echocardiogram is done both before and after your heart is stressed either by having you exercise or by injecting a medicine into your bloodstream that makes your heart beat faster and work harder. A stress echocardiogram is usually done to find out if you have decreased blood flow to your heart (coronary artery disease).
Cardiac catheterization: A thin flexible tube (catheter) is passed through an artery in the groin (upper leg) or arm to reach the coronary arteries. Your doctor can determine pressure and blood flow in the heart’s chambers, collect blood samples from the heart, and examine the arteries of the heart by X ray.
Coronary angiography: This test is done during cardiac catheterization. A dye that can be seen by x ray is injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries. Your doctor can see the flow of blood through your heart and the location of blockages.
Treatment
Medicine
Cardiac rehabilitation
Lifestyle changes (Ways to Improve Your Condition):
Take rest breaks, if angina comes on with exertion.
Keep away from large meals and rich foods that leave you feeling stuffed, if angina comes on after a heavy meal.
Keep away from situations that make you upset or stressed, if angina comes on with stress. Learn techniques to handle stress that cannot be avoided.
Eat a healthy diet to prevent or reduce high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and obesity
Stop smoking
Be physically active, as directed by your doctor
Lose weight, if you are overweight or obese.
Reasons for Treatment:
Reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms
Prevent or lower the risk of heart attack and death
Anxiety
Many of us lead fast-paced lives and live out of sync with natural rhythms by going to sleep late, waking early, working long hours, not taking enough rest and leisure time, and eating when we are not hungry. However, for the over 14 million Americans who suffer from anxiety, there is a pervading sense of unease and even fear that diminishes their quality of life.
Typically, people feel tension, worry, irritability, frustration, or hopelessness. The sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) is activated, causing symptoms such as poor concentration, fatigue, poor sleep, and restless, irritable, feeling tense or on edge, and muscle tension. People may also notice changes in physical health such as headaches, jaw pain, dry mouth, chest tightness, poor digestion, irritable bowel, acne, sexual dysfunction, and heart palpitations.
Other areas may be impaired
The combination of chronic stress, poor sleep, poor diet, use of stimulants such as coffee, and long work hours can deplete the body and lead to condition holistic doctors call “adrenal fatigue”. Decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, fatigue, dark under eye circles, weakness, frequent colds and flu, thin skin, and accelerated aging, and the feeling burned out characterize it. In traditional Chinese medicine, this condition is called kidney deficiency.
Treatments
Conventional treatment center on anti-anxiety drugs such as Xansa or BuSpar. Anti-depressants may also help. These are best used as short-term strategies. Counseling can help address underlying issues.
Diet
Eliminating coffee should be the first step. There is significant clinical evidence showing that it can be all that is needed in some cases. Other foods that may worsen anxiety in excess are refined sugar honey, maple syrup and cow’s milk products.
Nutritional Supplements & Vitamins
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) – GABA is an amino acid that is known to play a role in the physiology of anxiety. Prescription drugs for anxiety such as Valium and Xanax work by affecting GABA receptors in the brain. However, the degree to which orally ingested GABA supplements can reach the brain is unknown.
Other nutritional supplements used for anxiety include pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B complex.
Herbs
Kava
Kava (Piper methysticum) is an herb that is used widely in Europe for nervous anxiety, tension, agitation, and insomnia. Native to Polynesia, kava appears to work in a similar way to prescription benzodiazepine drugs such as Xanax and Valium, with similar effectiveness.
Kava does not appear to cause mental drowsiness unless taken in large doses. Nevertheless, it is best to use caution until you know the extent of its effects on you. The benefits are often noticeable within weeks, but some people notice improvement after as little as a week. People who have had dystonic reactions from antipsychotic drugs or who have Parkinson’s disease, as case reports in People taking benzodiazepine such as Valium should only take kava under the strict guidance of a qualified professional.
Valerian
Valerian is an herbal tranquilizer that is best known as a remedy for insomnia. It calms the nervous system, balances mood swings, and is not habit forming. One study found that it might have calming effects during stressful situations. It can be blended with other herbs such as hops or passionflower. Children, pregnant or nursing women, should not use Valerian.
People with serious health conditions, or who are taking prescription drugs for mood or neurological disorders should consult a qualified professional before taking Valerian.
Other herbs
• Chamomile
• Hops
• Lemon balm
• Passion flower
• Skullcap
• Suma
These calming herbs are frequently recommended for anxiety.
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is the most common of all serious intestinal disorders. It refers to an inflammation of the vermiform appendix. It presents itself in acute and chronic forms and affects both the sexes equally. This disease now accounts for about half the acute abdominal emergencies occurring between the ages of 10 to 30. It is more frequent in developed countries than underdeveloped countries.
The appendix is a small tube located at the end of the caecum, the first part of the large intestine. It is called vermiform appendix as it resembles a worm. It is usually eight to ten cm.
long. Its structure is made of the same tough fibrous outer covering as protects the entire alimentary canal. There is a layer of muscular tissue under the outer covering and further a layer of lymphoid tissue. The function of the appendix, which is performed by this lymphoid tissue, is to neutralise the irritating waste material generated in the body or the organic poisons introduced through the skin or membranes.
Symptoms
Appendicitis usually begins with a sudden pain in the centre of the abdomen, which gradually shifts to the lower right side. The pain may be preceded by general discomfort in the abdomen, indigestion, diarrhoea or constipation. The patient usually has a mild fever varying from 100 o to 102 o F. Nausea is common, and the patient may vomit once or twice. The muscles of the right side of the abdomen become tense and rigid. The patient draws some comfort by drawing up the right leg. The pain increases on the right side on pressing the left side of the abdomen.
Coughing and sneezing makes the pain worse.
If the inflammation continues to increase, the appendix may rupture and discharge its pus into the abdominal cavity. This may result in a serious state known as peritonitis. The temperature rises and the patient becomes pale and cold. This condition may call for urgent operation.
In the chronic state of appendicitis, the patient may suffer from recurrent pain in the right lower abdomen with constipation, loss of appetite and mild nausea.
Causes
Appendicitis is caused by a toxic bowel condition. An excessive amount of poisonous waste material is accumulated in the calcium. As a result, the appendix is irritated and over-worked and becomes inflammed. It is an attempt on the part of nature to localise and “burn up “the toxins.
This condition is brought about by wrong feeding habits and enervation of the system.
Inflammation of the bowel lining, due to the habitual use of apparent drugs, is a potent predisposing factor in the development of appendicitis. Further inflammation and infection comes from certain germs which are usually present in the intestinal tract.
Treatment
The patient should be put to bed immediately at the first symptoms of severe pain, vomiting and fever. Rest is of utmost importance in the treatment of this disease. The patient should resort to fasting which is the only real cure for appendicitis. Absolutely no food should be given. Nothing except water should enter the system. Low enemias, containing about one pint (1/2 litre) of warm water should be administered everyday for the first three days to cleanse the lower bowel.
Hot compresses may be placed over the painful area several times daily. Abdominal packs, made of a strip of wet sheet covered by a dry flannel cloth bound tightly around the abdomen, should be applied continuously until all acute symptoms subside.
When the acute symptoms subside by about the third day, the patient should be given a full enema containing about 1 1/2 litre of warm water and this should be repeated daily until the inflammation and pain have subsided. The patient can be given fruit juices from the third day onwards. This simple treatment sensibly applied will overcome an appendicitis attack.
After spending three days on fruit juices, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for a further four or five days. During this period, he should have three meals a day each meal of fresh juicy fruits.
Thereafter, he should adopt a well-balanced diet based on three food groups namely, (i) seed, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits.
In case of chronic appendicitis, a short fast should be followed by a full milk diet for two or three weeks. In this regimen, a glass of milk should be taken every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the first day, a glass every hour and a half the next day and a glass every hour the third day.
Then the quantity of milk should be gradually increased so as to take a glass every half an hour, if such a quantity can be tolerated comfortably. After the full milk diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well- balanced diet, with emphasis on fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables.
Certain vegetable juices, especially carrot juice, in combination with the juices of beets and cucumbers, have been found valuable in the treatment of appendicitis. Regular use of tea made from fenugreek seeds has also proved helpful in preventing the appendix from becoming a dumping ground for excess mucous and intestinal waste.
The patient of appendicitis should adopt all measures to eradicate constipation., if it is habitual.
Much relief can be obtained by the application of hot fomentation and abdominal packs every morning and night. An abdominal massage is also beneficial. Once the waste matter in the calcium has moved into the colon and thence eliminated, the irritation and inflammation in the appendix will subside and surgical removal of the appendix will not be necessary. The surgical operation should be resorted to only in rare cases, when the appendix has become abscessed.
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the blood vessels. It refers to a thickening of the walls of the arteries due to the presence of calcium or lime. It has become a common ailment in modern times, accounting for much of the disability and high death rate among older people.
Arteriosclerosis is usually preceded by artherosclerosis, a kind of degeneration or softening of the inner lining of the blood vessels walls. The most risky places for such degeneration are the coronary vessels of the heart and the arteries leading to the brain. Arteriosclerosis results in the loss of elasticity of the blood vessels, with a narrowing of the smaller arteries, which interferes with the free circulation of the blood. These changes may gradually extend to capillaries and veins.
Arteriosclerosis is more frequent in men than women, especially in the younger age-group. It has been estimated that 40 per cent of all men over 40 years have a significant degree of obstruction of their coronary arteries and this can lead to heart attack at any time.
Symptoms
The symptoms of arteriosclerosis vary with arteries involved. Signs of inadequate blood supply generally appear first in the legs. There may be numbness and coldness in the feet and cramps and pains in the legs even after light exercise. If the coronary arteries are involved, the patient may have sharp pains, characteristic of angina pectoris. When arteries leading to the brain are involved, the vessel may burst,causing haemorrhage in the brain tissues. A cerebral vascular stroke, with partial or complete paralysis of one side of the body may result, if there is blockage with a blood clot. It may also lead to loss of memory and a confused state of mind in elderly people. If arteries leading to the kidneys are involved, the patient may suffer from high blood pressure and kidney disorders.
Causes
The most important cause of arteriosclerosis is excessive intake of white sugar, refined foods and high fat diet, rich in cholesterol. A sedentary life and excesses of all kinds are the major contributing causes. Hardening of the arteries may also be caused by other diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, rheumatism, Bright’s disease, malaria, syphillis.
Emotional stress also plays an important part, and heart attacks are more common during the periods of mental and emotional disturbances, particularly in those engaged in sedentary occupations. Heredity also plays its role and this disease runs in families.
Treatment
If the causes of arteriosclerosis are known, remedial action should be taken promptly to remove them. To begin with the patient should resort to a short juice fast for five to seven days. All available fresh, raw vegetables and fruit juices in season may be taken. Grape-fruit juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice and juices of green vegetables are especially beneficial. A warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the period of fasting.
After the juice fast, the patient should take optimum diet made up from three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and, (iii) fruits, with emphasis on raw foods.
Plenty of raw and sprouted seeds and nuts should be used. Cold pressed vegetable oils, particularly safflower oil, flax seed oil and olive oil should be used regularly.
Further, shorter fasts on juices may be undertaken at intervals of three months or so, depending on the progress being made.
The patient should take several small meals instead of a few large ones. He should avoid all hydrogenated fats and an excess of saturated fats, such as butter, cream, ghee and animal fat.
He should also avoid meat, salt and all refined and processed foods, condiments, sauces, pickles, strong tea, coffee, white sugar, white flour and all products made from them. Foods cooked in aluminum and copper utensils should not be taken as toxic metals entering the body are known to be deposited on the walls of the aorta and the arteries. Smoking, if habitual, should be given up as smoking constricts the arteries and aggravates the condition.
Recent investigations have shown that garlic and onions have a preventive effect on the development of arteriosclerosis. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial as it helps in the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids.
One of the most effective home remedies for arteriosclerosis is the lemon peel. It is believed to be one of the richest known sources of vitamin P. It strengthens the entire arterial system.
Shredded lemon peel may be added to soups and stews, or sprinkled over salads. To make a medicine, the peel of one or two lemons may be cut up finely, covered with warm water and allowed to stand for about 12 hours. A teaspoonful may be taken every three hours, or immediately before or after a meal.
Parsley is another effective home remedy for arteriosclerosis. It contains elements which help to maintain the blood vessels, particularly the capillaries and arterial system in a healthy condition.
It may be taken as a beverage by stimmering it gently in the water for a few minutes and partaking several times daily.
The beet juice has also proved valuable in arteriosclerosis. It is an excellent solvent for inorganic calcium deposit. Juices of carrot and spinach are also beneficial. These juices can be taken individually or in combination. Formula proportions found helpful when used in combination are carrot 300 m.l. and spinach 200 m.l. to prepare 500 m.l. of juice.
The patient should undertake plenty of outdoor exercise and eliminate all mental stress and worries. Prolonged neutral immersion baths at bed time on alternate days is beneficial. This bath is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connection.
The bath-tub should be fitted with water at a temperature ranging from 92 o to 98 o F and the patient should lie in it for an hour or so. The head should be kept cold with a cold compress.
Arthritis
The word ‘arthritis’ means ‘inflammation of joints’. It comes from two Greek words, athron meaning joints and its meaning inflammation. It is a chronic disease process. In the early stages, the whole body is usually involved and one or two joints may become completely deformed, leaving the patient handicapped and somewhat weakened.
Arthritis assumes various forms, the most frequent being osteroarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Inflammation is the main feature of arthritis, which is a reaction of the joint tissues to some form of damage or injury.
Oesteroarthritis
Osteroarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which usually occurs in the older age-group. It results from structural changes in the articular cartilage in the joints, usually those which are weight-bearing such as the spine and knees.
The chief symptoms of oesteroarthritis are pain and stiffness in the joints. The pain usually increases after exercise. Other symptoms include watery eyes, dry neck, leg cramps, allergies, arterisclerosis, impairment in the functioning of the gall-bladder and liver disturbances. The possible causes include malnutrition, continuous physical stress, obesity, glandular insufficiency, calcium deficiency and shortage of hydrochloric acid.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious disease which affects not only the joints of the fingers, writs, hips, knees and feet but also the muscles, tendons and other tissues of the body. The disease is due to an inflammatory process of the synovium or lining of the joints accompanied by swelling and eventual deformity.
Rheumatoid arthritis is often called the “cooked food disease “. It usually develops gradually over several months with persistent pain and stiffness in one or more joints. Ulti- mately the whole body is affected. Symptoms include anaemia, colitis, constipation, gall-bladder disturbances, low blood pressure, deformed hands and feet. The condition may be caused by hormonal imbalance, physical and emotional stress, infection, severe fright, shock and injury.
Hereditary factors may also be responsible for the onset of this disease.
Treatment
The diet of the arthritis patient should be planned along alkaline lines and should include fruits and vegetables for protection and proteins and carbohydrates for energy. It may consist of a couple of fresh raw vegetables in the form of a salad and atleast two cooked vegetables.
Cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, endive, lettuce, onion, radishes, tomatoes and watercress may be used for a raw salad. The cooked vegetables may include asparagus, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, brinjal, mushroom, onions, peas, beans, spinach, tomatoes, squash and turnips.
In severe cases, it will be advisable to put the patient on raw vegetables juice therapy for about a week. Green juice, extracted from any green leafy vegetable, mixed with carrot, celery and red beet juice, is specific for arthritis. The alkaline action of raw juices dissolves the accumulation of deposits around the joints and in other tissues. Fresh pineapple is also valuable as the enzyme in fresh pineapple juice, bromelain reduces swelling and inflammation inosteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Repeated juice fasts are recommended at intervals of every two months.
The raw potato juice therapy is considered one of the most successful biological treatment for rheumatic and arthritic conditions. It has been used in folk medicine for centuries. The old method of preparing potato juice was to cut the potato into thin slices, without peeling the skin, and place them overnight in a large glass filled with cold water. The water should be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach. Fresh juice can also be extracted from potatoes and drunk diluted with water on 50: 50 basis, first thing in the morning.
Black gingerly seeds, soaked overnight in water, have been found to be effective in preventing frequent joint pains. The water in which the seeds are soaked should also be taken along with the seeds the first thing in the morning. Drinking water kept overnight in a copper container also serves the same purpose. This water has traces of copper which helps strengthen the muscular system. For the same reason wearing a copper ring or bracelet will also help.
Warm coconut oil or mustard oil, mixed with camphor, should be massaged in case of stiff and aching joints. It will increase blood supply and reduce inflammation and stiffness on account of gentle warmth produced while massaging. Camphorrated oil is an ancient rebefacient used for the purpose.
The time has also been used as a home remedy for arthritis since long. The citric acid found in lime is solvent of the uric acid which is the primary cause of arthritis. Other remedies found useful in relieving pains in the joints include green-gram soup mixed with crushed garlic cloves and a teaspoonful of powdered fenugreek seeds in warm water taken everyday.
Sea bathing is considered beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. The natural iodine in the sea water is said to relieve arthritis pain. As is well-known, iodine regulates the acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues, helps to repair and regenerate worn out tissues and nourishes the skeletal structure. It enters into the thyroid gland’s secretion. The hormone uses this iodine to nullify germs in the bloodstream and to create a self- cleansing of internal toxemia.
If sea bathing is not possible, the patient should relax for 30 minutes every night in a tub of warm water in which a cupful of sea salt has been mixed. The minerals in the sea salt, especially iodine, can be absorbed through the skin pores. This will help correct an internal imbalance.
The body should be kept warm at all times. Joints should not be bandaged tightly as this limits movement and interferes with the free circulation of blood. There should be plenty of indirect ventilation in the bedroom. Rest is of greatest importance to arthritis, who should not overdo their work, exercise or recreation activities.
Constipation should be avoided as it poisons the system and adds to the irritation and inflammation of the joints. Light exercises such as walking, hiking and swimming are beneficial.
Maintaining a normal body weight is also an important factor in preventing arthritis. Obesity places excess stress on weight-bearing joints and interferes with the smooth functioning of tendons, ligaments and muscles.
The yogic asanas helpful in curing arthritis are trikonasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, naukasana, vakrasana and shavasana. Arthritis patients should practice these asanas regularly.
Yogic kriyas like jalneti and kapalbhati and pranayamas such as anulomaviloma, ujjai and bhrameri are also beneficial.
The patient should be given a lukewarm enema for a few days to cleanse the bowels. Neutral immersion baths, hot foot baths, ultrasonic diathermy and exposure of the affected parts to infra-red rays, a knee pack applied for an hour every night, stream baths and a massage once a week are beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. All general cold water treatments, such as cold baths and cold sprays, should be avoided.
Asthma
Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning “panting or short- drawn breath. “It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. The asthma patient gets frequent attacks of breathlessness in between which he is completely normal.
Symptoms
Patients suffering from asthma appear to be gasping for breath. Actually, they have more trouble exhaling than inhaling because the air passages of the small bronchi become clogged and constricted with mucus, thus making it difficult for the patient to breathe out. All asthmatics have more difficulty at night, especially during sleep.
The onset of asthma is either gradual or abrupt. Sudden onsets are often preceded by a spell of coughing which may be associated with itching of the chin, the back of the neck or chest. When the onset is gradual, the attack is usually brought on by respiratory infection. A severe attack causes an increase in heartbeat and respiratory rates and the patient feels restless and fatigued.
There may be coughing, tightness inthe chest, profuse sweating and vomiting. There may also be abdominal pain, especially if coughing is severe. Foggy weather aggravates the symptoms.
An asthmatic attack begins when the bronchial tubes in the lungs become constricted. The tubes having become narrow, the inhaled air becomes trapped in the tiny air sacs at the end of the tubes, making the release of breath difficult. The wheezing sound identified with asthma is produced by the air being pushed through the narrowed bronchi.
Causes
Mainly bronchial in its symptoms, asthma is caused by a variety of factors. For many it is an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the system to the weather, food, drugs, perfumes and other irritants which vary with different individuals. Allergies to dust are the most common.
Some persons are sensitive to the various forms of dust like cotton dust, wheat dust and paper dust, some pollens, animal hair, fungi and insects, especially cockroaches. Foods which generally cause allergic reactions are wheat, eggs, milk, chocolates, beans, potato, pork and beef.
For others, asthma may result from the abnormal body chemistry involving the system’s enzymes or a defect in muscular action within the lungs. Quite often, however, asthma is precipitated by a combination of allergic and non- allergic factors including emotional tension, air pollution, infections and hereditary factors. It has been estimated that when both parents have asthma or hay fever, in 75 to 100 per cent cases, the offspring also has allergic reactions.
Treatment
Modern medical system has not been able to find a cure for this crippling disease. Drugs and vaccines have only limited value in alleviating symptoms. Most of these are habit forming and the dose has to be increased from time to time to give the same amount of relief. The frequent introduction of drugs in the system, while giving only temporary relief, tends to make asthma chronic and incurable. Allergy – which is the immediate cause of asthma – itself is an indication of lowered resistance and internal disharmony caused by faulty eating and bad habits. This is the root cause and the real cure lies in a return to nature.
The natural way to treat asthma consists of stimulating the functioning of slack excretory organs, adopting appropriate diet patterns to eliminate morbid matter and reconstruct the body, and practicing yogasanas, yogic kriyas and pranayamas to permit proper assimilation of food and to strengthen the lungs, digestive system and circulatory organs.
The patient should be given an enema to clean the colon and prevent auto-intoxication.
Mud-packs applied to the abdomen will relieve the fermentation caused by undigested food and will promote intestinal peristalsis. Wet packs should be applied to the chest to relieve the congestion of the lungs and strengthen them. The patient should be made to perspire through steam bath, hot foot bath, hot hip bath and sun bath.
This will stimulate the skin and relieve congested lungs.
The patient should fast for a few days on lemon juice with honey and thereafter resort to a fruit juice diet to nourish the system and eliminate the toxins. Gradually, solid foods can be included.
The patient should, however, avoid the common dietic errors. Ideally, his diet should contain a limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which are acid-forming foods, and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of fresh fruits, green vegetables and germinated gram.
Foods which tend to produce phelgm such as rice, sugar, lentils and curds as also fried and other difficult- to- digest foods should be avoided. Breakfast may consist of prunes, orange or berries or a few black raisins with honey. Lunch and dinner should consist of a salad of raw vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce, tomato, carrot and beets, one or two lightly cooked green vegetables and wheat bread. The last meal should preferably be taken before sunset or at least two hours before going to bed.
Asthamtics should always eat less than their capacity. They should eat slowly, chewing their food properly. They should drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day, but should avoid taking water or any liquid with meals. Spices, chillies and pickles, too much tea and coffee should also be avoided.
Asthma, particularly when the attack is severe, tends to destroy the appetite. IN such cases, do not force the patient to eat. He should be kept on fast till the attack is over. He should, however, take a cup of warm water every two hours. An enema taken at that time will be very beneficial.
Honey is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with the honey, he starts breathing easier and deeper. The effect lasts for about an hour or so. This is because honey contains a mixture of ‘higher’ alcohols and ethereal oils and the vapors given off by them are soothing and beneficial to the asthma patient. Honey usually brings relief whether the air flowing over it is inhaled or whether it is eaten or taken either in milk or water. It thins out accumulated mucous and helps its elimination from the respiratory passages. It also tones up the pulmonary parenchyma and thereby prevents the production of mucous in future. Some authorities recommend one year old honey for respiratory disease.
Another effective remedy for asthma is garlic. The patient should be given daily garlic cloves boiled in thirty gms of milk as a cure for early stage of asthma. Steaming ginger tea with minced garlic cloves in it, can also help to keep the problem under control and should be taken both in the morning and evening. Turmeric is also regarded as an effective remedy for bronchial asthma. The patient should be given a teaspoonful of turmeric powder with a glass of milk two or three times daily. It acts best when taken on an empty stomach.
During the attack, mustard oil mixed with little camphor should be massaged over the back of the chest. This will loosen up phelgm and ease breathing. The patient should also inhale steam from the boiling water with caraway seeds, known as ajwain in the vernacular. It will dilate the bronchial passage.
The patient should also follow the other laws of nature. Air sun and water are great healing agents. Regular fasting once a week, an occasional enema, breathing exercises, fresh air, dry climate, light exercises and a correct posture go a long way in treating the disease.
The patient should perform yogic kriyas such as jalneti, vamandhouti and yogic asanas such as ekpaduttanasana, yogamudra, sarvangasana, padmasana, bhujangasana, dhanurasana, vakrasana, ardh-matsyendrasan, shalabhasan, paschimottanasana and shavasana.
Pranayamas like kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma, ujjayi, surbyabhedana and bhramari are also highly beneficial.
The patient should avoid dusty places, exposure to cold, foods to which he is sensitive, mental worries and tensions. Asthmatic should be made to feel that they are not sick, and with slight adjustments, can live a full life.
What is Athlete’s Foot?
Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection of the skin also known as Tinea pedis. In an acute flare-up, the skin of the foot is red or white with scales, cracks, inflammation, cuts, and blisters.
There is itching, burning, and stinging. Most often, it occurs in between the toes. During an acute flare-up, secondary bacterial infection is common.
In chronic athlete’s foot, the skin of the sides and sole of the foot is pink and scaly and there is no itchiness.
The fungus lives off dead skin cells and thrives in warm, damp environments, such as the floors around gym locker rooms and indoor swimming pools.
Athlete’s foot can sometimes be confused with these conditions
• Dyshydrotic dermatitis (a type of eczema)
• Allergic contact eczema (a type of eczema)
• Atopic eczema (a type of eczema)
• Psoriasis
• Erythrasma
When to see your medical doctor
• There is swelling in your foot or leg and you develop a fever.
• You notice an accumulation of pus in the blisters or cracks in your skin.
• Your symptoms interfere with normal activity.
Treatments:
The tinea fungus is contagious and once it takes hold, it can be quite tenacious, so it is important to take the following steps to prevent re-infection:
• Keep your feet thoroughly dry, especially between your toes.
• Wear cotton socks, and change your socks daily.
• Do not wear tight, closed-toe shoes. Moisture and heat cause athlete’s foot fungus to thrive.
• Do not go barefoot in public places. Wear flip-flops.
• Use a foot powder to keep feet dry. Simple cornstarch makes a good foot dusting powder.
• Wash socks in the hot water setting of a washing machine.
Herbs and Essential Oils
Tea tree oil
The most common natural treatment for athlete’s foot is the essential oil tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). A home remedy works as well as over-the-counter foot medications. It has anti-fungal properties. Tea tree oil can be applied directly to the skin three times a day, covering the affected area. About 4 to 10 drops is sufficient. Continue for two weeks after the fungal infection seems to have disappeared to ensure that it is eradicated. Tea tree oil also helps with fungal infections of the nails.
Tea tree oil can also be mixed with aloe vera gel. About 4 ounces of aloe vera gel to 1/2 teaspoon of tea tree oil can be combined in a spray bottle and applied twice daily. Allow the feet to dry before putting on footwear.
Tea tree oil can be found at the health food store. Be sure to buy 100 percent tea tree oil.
Grapefruit seed extract
Grapefruit seed extract, which is available at health food stores, is reported to have significant anti-fungal effects. Add drops of grapefruit seed extract to a wet palm and apply it to the feet two to three times per day, or follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can also add it to the washing machine while you are washing socks.
Garlic
Put crushed garlic into dry socks before bed. Raw garlic can help to kill the athlete’s foot fungus.
Ayurvedic Remedy
Athlete’s foot is often related to the pitta and kapha constitutional doshas, which have a tendency to sweat. Begin by cleaning the foot area with tea tree oil, about 4 to 10 drops. Combine 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel with 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric. Apply this mixture to the feet every morning and night and cover them with old socks (tumeric will stain sheets and socks). After two weeks, if there are signs of improvement, continue with a once a day application of this mixture for another week. If there has been any discoloration of the skin due to the tumeric, it will fade within two weeks.
Diet
People with chronic or recurring athlete’s foot should avoid excessive consumption of yeast products such as breads and other baked goods, as well as vinegar, and alcohol. People with higher intake of yeast may be more prone to athlete’s foot.
Backache
Backache, one of the most common ailments, is widely prevalent these days due to sedentary living habits and hazardous work patterns. The psychological conditions associated with emotional stress, which bring about spasm of the muscles, may also cause backache. As the back bears the weight of the entire body it gives way when it has to carry an extra load in the case of persons who are overweight.
The back, a complex structure of muscles, bone and elastic tissue, is known as the life-bone of the body. The spine is made of 24 blocks of bone piled one on top of the other. Sandwiched between these bony blocks are cushions of cartilage and elastic tissues called intervertebral discs. The vertebral discs act as shock absorbers for the back. Mobility would be impossible without discs.
Sometimes these cushions rupture and the pulp protrudes a little. The process is erroneously called a ‘slipped’ disc. If the cushion disappears entirely, the result is known as a degenerated disc. In slipped-disc trouble, the nerve is affected in such a way that the pain radiates down the thigh and leg. If the disc ‘slips’ in the neck area, it causes numbness and pain radiates to the arms.
Disc trouble does not occur suddenly but builds up over a long time. The backbone forms a protective arch over the vertebrae and spinal cord and protects the spinal nerves that are interwoven through the spinal column. There is a close relationship between the bones, discs, joint muscles and nerves in the back and the slightest problem or injury to the back or neck area can have disastrous effects.
Symptoms
In most cases of backache, the pain is usually felt either in the middle of the back or lower down.
It may spread to both sides of the waist and the hips. With acute pain, the patient is unable to move and is bedridden.
About 90 per cent of backache patients suffer from what is called cervical or lumber spondylosis.
It is a degenerative disorder in which the vertebralbone or the intervertebral disc becomes soft and loses shape. As a result of this, the spine loses its flexibility.
Causes
The main causes of backache and spondylosis are muscular tension, joint strain, poor posture and incorrect nutrition resulting from dietetic errors and lack of exercise. Acute or chronic illnesses like kidney or prostate problems, female disorders, influenza and arthritis, may also lead to backache. Other causes include stress and strain resulting from sitting for a long time, improper lifting of weight, high heels and emotional problems which may cause painful muscle cramping.
Poor posture results from soft chairs and coaches, which facilitates slouching and sitting incorrectly. Shoes with high heels place a tremendous strain on the back and other muscles of the body. Sleeping on too soft a mattress which results in an improper back and neck posture, can cause tension, headaches and pain in the upper and lower back.
Another major cause of back problems and tense muscles is lack of exercise. Modern conveniences have made officework easier. The easy life can lead to obesity which puts a great strain on the back. When muscles are not exercised and remain weak, the chances of injury to them is increased manifold.
Treatment
Drugs prescribed to relieve pain or relax muscles in backache disorders do not cure common back problems. These can become habit forming and may actually perpetuate the disease in case of excessive intake.
Certain safety measures, especially, for people in sedentary occupation, are necessary to relieve and prevent backache. The most important of these is exercise which improves the supply of nutrients to spinal discs, thereby delaying the process of deterioration that comes with age and eventually affects everybody. Safe exercises include walking, swimming and bicycling.
The latter should be done keeping the back upright. Controlling one’s weight is another important step towards relieving backache as excess weight greatly increases the stress on soft back tissues.
Those with sedentary occupations should take a break to stand up every hour. Soft cushioned seats should be avoided and position should be changed as often as possible. Persons with back problems should sleep on a firm mattress on their sides with knees bent at right angles to the torso. They should take care never to bend from the waist down to lift any object but instead should swat close to the object, bending the knees but keeping the back straight, and then stand up slowly.
Neck tension arising from long hours at the desk or behind the wheel of the car can be relieved by certain neck exercises. These include rotating the head clockwise and anticlockwise, allowing the head to drop forward and backward as far as possible and turning the head to the right and left as far as possible several times. These exercises help to loosen up contracted neck muscles which may restrict the blood supply to the head.
The diet of those suffering from backache should consist of a salad of raw vegetables such as tomato, carrot, cabbage, cucumber, radish, lettuce and at least two steamed or lightly cooked vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, spinach and plenty of fruits, all except bananas.
The patients should have four meals daily. They may take fruits and milk during breakfast, steamed vegetables and whole wheat chapatis during lunch, fresh fruits or fruit juice in the evening and a bowl of raw salad and sprouts during dinner.
The patients should avoid fatty, spicy, and fried foods, curd, sweetmeats, sugar, condiments as well as tea and coffee. Those who smoke and take tobacco in any form should give them up completely.
Proteins and vitamin C are necessary for the development of a healthy bone metrix. Vitamin D, calcium, phosphorous and the essential trace minerals are essential for healthy bones. Foods that have been processed for storage to avoid spoiling have few nutrients and should be eliminated from the diet. Vitamin C has proved helpful in relieving low-back pain and averting spinal disc operations.
Hot fomentations, alternate sponging or application of radiant heat to the back will also give immediate relief. Yogic asanas which are beneficial in the treatment of backache are bhujangasana, shalabhasana, halasana, uttanpadasana and shavasana.
The back can be strengthened through proper nutrition, exercise and relaxation and in the process general health will also improve.
Bacterial Overgrowth
Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine is a relatively common condition that can be present for years before it is detected. That is because despite overuse of antibiotics, antacids, and other medications that wipe out friendly intestinal bacteria, many physicians do not test their patients for it.
Instead, people with chronic digestive problems such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, and/or constipation are often told they have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) when the underlying problem is actually small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Given that IBS is the number one gastrointestinal Diagnosis, bacterial overgrowth could be significantly under diagnosed.
Research:
A study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California examined 202 people who met the diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome and gave them a test for bacterial overgrowth called the lactulose hydrogen test.
Researchers found that 157 of the 202 people (78%) had bacterial overgrowth When the unwanted intestinal bacteria were eradicated, symptoms of IBS improved in 48% of the subjects, particularly diarrhea and abdominal pain.
It is not just people who have similar symptoms to IBS that have bacterial overgrowth. Bacterial overgrowth can also present with non-digestive symptoms such as fatigue. It is believed to be involved in chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, allergies, arthritis, lupus, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions.
What is Bacterial Overgrowth?
It is not an overstatement to say that the small intestine is the most important segment of the entire digestive tract, which starts at the mouth and ends at the rectum. Nutrients we eat — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals — are absorbed in the small intestine. If anything interferes with the absorption here, nutrient deficiencies can result.
The small intestine normally contains relatively small numbers of bacteria. However, certain factors can cause the growth of excess bacteria.
Through a process called bile acid deconjugation, the unwanted bacteria causes’ fat malabsorption. It also blocks carbohydrates from being absorbed. Instead, they are left to ferment in the intestines, resulting in gas, bloating, pain, mucus in stools, foul-smelling gas and stools, and diarrhea. Sweets and starchy foods cause the worst symptoms.
A toxic metabolic substance produced by the bacteria injures intestinal cells and impairs absorption, resulting in nutrient deficiencies, food allergies and intolerances, and poorly functioning digestive enzymes.
What are the causes of bacterial overgrowth?
· Decreased motility in the small intestine – This is caused by excess Dietary sugar, chronic stress, and conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and scleroderma. In the United States, up to 40% of chronic diarrhea in people with diabetes is associated with bacterial overgrowth.
· Hypochlorhydria – as people get older, the amount of stomach acid they secrete decline.
Because stomach acid is acidic and helps to kill bacteria in the small intestine, if there is less stomach acid, bacteria are more likely to proliferate. Another very common cause of hypochlorhydria is due to excessive use of antacids.
· Structural abnormalities in the small intestine – gastric bypass surgery, small intestinal diverticula, blind loop, intestinal obstruction, and Crohn’s disease fistula are some of the structural causes of bacterial overgrowth.
· Other causes include immune deficiency, stress, and certain medications such as steroids, antibiotics, and birth control pills, inadequate dietary fiber, and pancreatic enzyme deficiency.
Symptoms
· Abdominal bloating and gas after meals
· Pain
· Constipation
· Chronic loose stools or diarrhea – studies have found 48% to 67% of people with chronic diarrhea had bacterial overgrowth.
· Soft, foul-smelling stools that stick to the bowl
· Fatigue – megaloblastic anemia due to vitamin B12 malabsorption
· Depression
· Nutritional deficiency despite taking supplements
· Weight loss
· Abdominal pain
· Mucus in stools
· Bloating worse with carbs, fiber, and sugar
Herbal Remedies
It can be difficult to get proper testing and treatment for bacterial overgrowth, because some doctors do not understand this condition. The conventional treatment for bacterial overgrowth is antimicrobial drugs.
Herbs – the most studied natural treatment for bacterial overgrowth is enteric-coated peppermint oil, which is peppermint oil that has an edible, hard shell around it so that the capsule does not open until it is in the small intestine. It kills bacteria in the small intestine.
Dosages:
The course of treatment is usually 1 to 6 months. A typical dose of enteric-coated peppermint oil is one to two capsules three times a day, taken in between meals with a glass of water. Side effects can include heartburn, rectal burning, and minty burping.
Other herbals used to treat bacterial overgrowth are:
• Grapefruit seed extract – for people who do not like taking capsules, grapefruit seed extract can be found in liquid form. Add a few drops to a glass of water and drink in between meals.
• Oregano oil capsules
• Garlic
• Berberine – goldenseal, Oregon grape
• Olive leaf extract
• Pau d’arco
Diet
During treatment, it is necessary to limit intake of sweet and starchy foods. People usually experience a noticeable decline in bloating, gas, indigestion, diarrhea, and other digestive symptoms.
Medium Chain Triglycerides
Unlike regular oils, which a person with bacterial overgrowth may not be able to assimilate, medium chain triglycerides are absorbed directly without the need for digestive enzymes.
Medium chain triglycerides are often recommended for people with bacterial overgrowth or any type of malabsorption. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride.
Digestive enzymes
Digestive enzyme supplements can support the body’s digestive enzymes until function is restored. They should be taken before meals. A typical dose is one capsule before each meal.
Vitamins and minerals that may be deficient in people with bacterial overgrowth include vitamin B12, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, vitamin A, D, E, and K.
Probiotics – needed to replace healthy bacteria in the intestines. Lactobacillus plantarum and lactobactillus GG are some Types: that have been used for bacterial overgrowth.
Getting a Diagnosis
The “gold standard” test is to take bacterial cultures of small intestine fluid. Lactulose hydrogen breath test – The most common test is the lactulose hydrogen breath test because it is less invasive. Lactulose is a non-absorbable sugar that is fermented if there are intestinal bacteria, resulting in hydrogen production. If there is bacterial overgrowth, fasting hydrogen levels will be high. In addition, after ingesting glucose, there will be a significant rise in hydrogen.
Other tests are the schilling test (for b12 deficiency). A small bowel follow through may be done to look for structural problems.
One of the underlying causes of bacterial overgrowth is insufficient stomach acid, called hypochlorhydria. Stomach acid naturally declines with age.
What conditions can bacterial overgrowth lead cause?
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Vitamin and mineral deficiency
• Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
Bladder Infection
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that begins in your urinary system (UTI). UTIs can be painful and annoying. However, you can become extremely ill if the infection spreads to your kidneys.
Women are most at risk of developing a UTI. Half of all women will develop a UTI during their lifetimes, and many will experience more than one UTI.
Your urinary system is your kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. They all play a role in getting rid of waste from your body. The kidneys are shaped like a pair of bean-shaped organs in your upper posterior abdomen, filter waste from your blood. Your tubes are called ureters they carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder, where it is stored until it exits the body through the urethra. These organs can become infected, but most infections involve the lower tract — the urethra and the bladder.
Types:
· The most common type of UTI is a bladder infection, which is also often called cystitis.
Cystitis literally means an inflammation of the bladder.
· The other type is called a kidney infection. It is also known as pyelonephritis. This kind of infection can be serious, but if treated quickly the kidney is most often not damaged permanently.
Causes
If bacteria get into the bladder it begins to multiply in the urine, it will cause a urinary tract infection.
UTI cause discomfort, but urinary tract infections are usually treated quickly and easily, but it is important that they be treated right away. You cannot get a urinary tract infection from someone else, although females who are just becoming sexually active often get UTIs. This is because sometimes Chlamydia can also cause a UTI. The bacteria called Escherichia coli, or E. coli cause almost 85% of UTIs.
There are several ways bacteria can get into the urethra. During sexual intercourse, the bacteria in the vaginal area can be pushed into the urethra, which causes irritation in the bladder.
Any time the vaginal area is rubbed, bacteria can be pushed into the urethra. You can get a bladder infection from oral sex too. Infections are also common in women who wear tight jeans.
Symptoms
• Symptoms include frequent urination
• Burning or pain during urination (dysuria)
• Bladder spasms
• Feeling of having to urinate even though little or no urine actually comes out
• Cloudy urine
• Bloody urine
• Foul-smelling urine
• Possible mild fever
Symptoms for a kidney infection
• Fever
• Chills
• Nausea
• Cloudy urine
• Bloody urine
• Abdominal pain
• Burning feeling when urinating
• Frequent urination
• Most people with kidney infections also experience back pain just above the waist.
Diagnosis
A doctor can treat urinary tract infections. The first thing your doctor will do is confirm that you have a UTI by taking a clean-catch urine specimen. You will be asked to wash your genital area with disposable wipes and then urinate into a sterile (bacteria-free) cup. If an infection is found when the specimen is examined, you will be given antibiotics.
Since there are many different antibiotics available, the doctor may then use your urine specimen for a urine culture, which is a test to identify the exact type of bacteria causing your infection. It takes about 48 hours to get results from a urine culture, so you may have to switch antibiotics depending on the results.
Although antibiotics begin fighting the infection right away, they cannot stop all the symptoms right away. If you have a lot of pain, your health care provider may recommend a medication to relieve the pain in your bladder; this medicine will clear up the painful symptoms in about 3 days, although it will usually make you much more comfortable within hours.
It is important to take the antibiotics until the prescription is finished. Many people stop taking the medication when they begin to feel better, but that does not allow the antibiotics to completely kill the bacteria, which increases the risk that the infection will reappear. If you ever develop a rash from an antibiotic or have difficulty breathing, STOP taking it immediately and call the health care provider who prescribed the medication! For some bladder infections, you may only have to take antibiotics for 3 days, but usually you will be on medication for 7 to 14 days.
Bladder Infections in Children
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection of the bladder, kidneys, ureters, or urethra, the organs and tubes. UTIs in children usually clear up quickly if they receive treatment as soon as they are beginning to experience any of the bladder infection symptoms. The biggest concern about untreated UTIs in children is that they can cause permanent kidney damage and scarring.
Symptoms
• Unknown cause for fever
• Fool smelling urine
• A lack of appetite
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Pain while urinating
• Burning during urination
• A need to urinate even if you do not need to urinate
• Loss of bladder control
• Red, pink, cloudy, or foul-smelling urine
• Pain in the back on one side or pain in the lower abdominal pain
Diagnosis
Your child’s doctor may order additional tests after the infection improves to determine whether your child has a structural or functional problem with the urinary tract that may make the child more likely to get UTIs. The most common of these problems is the backward flow of urine from the bladder into the kidney.
Treatment
Treatment for most children with UTIs is oral antibiotics and home care. Antibiotic treatment typically lasts 7 to 14 days but may vary depending on how severe and the location of the infection. They need to make sure, if it is in the bladder or kidneys. Doctors need to take in the consideration of the child’s age and medical history, and other important medical information.
Blisters
A blister is a protective device of the human body. When the outer layer of the skin called the epidermis separates from the fibre layer called the dermis, a group of lymph and other bodily fluids collects between these layers while the skin will re-grow from underneath.
Causes of blisters
• Heat
• Frostbite
• Chemical injury
• Capsaicin
• Friction
Common causes of blisters include friction and burns. Usually, blisters are caused by rubbing from shoes or clothing, which rubs repeatedly on the skin causing friction burns. If the blister is not too painful, do everything possible to keep it intact. Unbroken skin over a blister provides a natural barrier to bacteria and decreases the risk of infection. Cover a small blister with an adhesive bandage, and cover a large one with a porous, plastic-coated gauze pad that absorbs moisture and allows the wound to breathe. Unless infection occurs, blisters usually heal quickly.
Treatment
Do not puncture a blister unless it is painful or prevents you from walking or using one of your hands. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, call your doctor for advice.
Home Treatment:
To relieve blister-related pain, drain the fluid while leaving the overlying skin intact.
Here is how:
1. Wash your hands and the blister with soap and warm water. This will help prevent any infection from occurring.
2. Swab the blister with iodine or rubbing alcohol.
3. Sterilize a clean, sharp needle by wiping it with rubbing alcohol.
4. Use the needle to puncture the blister. Aim for several spots near the blister’s edge. Let the fluid drain, but leave the overlying skin in place.
5. Afterwards, apply an antibiotic ointment to the blister and cover with a bandage or gauze pad.
6. After several days, use tweezers and scissors sterilized with rubbing alcohol to cut away all the dead skin. Apply more ointment and a bandage.
7. Call your doctor if you see signs of infection around a blister
Symptoms of an infection:
• Pus
• Redness
• Increasing pain
• Warm skin
Breast Pain
Another name for breast pain is called mastalgia. Breast pain that comes and goes with monthly periods is called cyclic. If the breast pain does not follow any pattern, this condition is called noncyclic.
• Cyclic pain is the most common of breast pain. It may be caused by the normal monthly changes in hormones. This pain usually occurs in both breasts. It is usually described as a heaviness or discomfort that travels to the armpit and arm. The pain is generally the most severe before a menstrual period and is often relieved when a period ends.
Cyclic breast pain occurs more often in younger women. Most cyclic pain goes away without treatment.
• Noncyclic pain is mostly seen in women between the ages of 40 to 50 years of age. It may occur in only one breast. It is often described as a sharp, burning pain that occurs in one area of a breast. If the cause of noncyclic pain can be recognized, treating the cause may help the pain go away.
Breast pain can become worse when changes in your hormone levels or in medicines occur.
Stress can also affect breast pain. You are more likely to have breast pain before menopause than after menopause.
Treatments
• Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol: Be sure to follow all labels and instructions.
If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any medicine. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20.
• Taking magnesium: Magnesium supplements taken in the second half of the menstrual cycle (usually the 2 weeks before the next period) relieve cyclic breast pain as well as other premenstrual symptoms.
• Sports bra: You may be able to prevent breast pain, tenderness, or discomfort by wearing a sports bra during exercise. It is important that the sports bra fit properly. It should keep the breasts almost motionless and allow them to move together with the chest, not separately. It is important to replace your sports bra as the material stretches and become less supportive. A young woman with developing breasts may need to buy a new bra every 6 months.
Diet
Reducing dietary fat to 15% or less of your dietary intake is likely to reduce breast pain over time. A small study has shown that making this long-term dietary change significantly reduces breast pain.
Diagnosis
A woman with a persistent breast pain (pain not associated with menstrual cycles) or pain associated with a breast lump should see a medical professional for an evaluation. Medical evaluation for breast pain is reliant upon the cause but may include a mammogram. A mammogram an X-ray used to detect abnormalities in the breast that may be too small to see or feel. A needle biopsy may have to be performed. This is a procedure done by inserting a small needle into the lump to recover a cell sample to be reviewed by a pathologist for an accurate diagnosis.
Medical Examinations and other procedures
Clinical Breast Exam – A manual breast exam preformed in clinic by your doctor or nurse practitioner.
Diagnostic Mammogram – A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. A diagnostic mammogram is used to evaluate a woman with a breast problem or symptom or an abnormal finding on a screening mammogram. It usually includes additional views of one or both breasts.
Ultrasound – is also used to diagnose suspected breast cancer and other breast abnormalities.
This test uses high-frequency sound waves to form an image of breast tissues that is displayed on a video screen and photographed for analysis. Because of the different ways various tissue components interact with sound waves, ultrasound can often reveal whether a lump is solid or a fluid-filled, which is not a cancerous cyst.
Fine Needle Biopsy – If breast cancer is suspected, a biopsy is usually done. A fine-needle biopsy involves the extraction of fluid or cells from a lump that can be felt or seen with ultrasound or on a mammogram. A local anesthetic numbs the area before the needle is inserted.
If you have a cyst, fluid will come out and the lump will disappear. If the needle extracts cells, the sample is inspected by a pathologist to determine if it is benign or malignant.
Core Biopsy – A core biopsy is virtually the same test as the fine needle biopsy, but a larger needle is used to removes a small cylinder of breast tissue.
Stereotactic Needle Biopsy – This type of biopsy is done when the lump is so small that the doctor cannot insert the biopsy needle accurately. An imaging technique and a computer are used to guide the needle. In this procedure, you lie face down on a special table with an opening that lets the breast hang down. A mammogram shows the location of the lump and a computer guides the needle.
Surgical Biopsy – In this type of biopsy, all or part of a breast lump is removed surgically for microscopic examination to determine whether cancer is present.
Home Treatment
Breast Self-Exam
It is normal to have some lumpiness or thickening in your breasts. By examining your breasts once each month, you will learn what is normal for you and notice when any changes do occur.
Some women find that doing a daily or weekly self-exam works better for them. They become familiar with their breasts at all phases of their menstrual cycle. The more you examine your breasts, the better you will know what is normal for you. Your “job” is not just to find lumps, but to notice if there are any changes.
1. In the shower – With your fingers flat, gently move the pads of your fingertips over every part of each breast. Use your right hand to examine the left breast and your left hand to examine the right breast. Check for any thickening, hard lump or knot.
2. In front of a mirror – Holding your arms at your sides, look at your breasts. Raise your arms overhead and look for any changes in the shape of breast, or any swelling, dimpling, or changes in the nipples.
3. Lying down – To examine your right breast, put a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right hand behind your head. Then, using the fingers of your left hand held flat, press your right breast gently in small circular motions around an imaginary clock face. Begin at the outermost top of your right breast for 12 o’clock, then move to 10 o’clock, and so on, until you get back to 12o’clock. Each breast will have a normal ridge of firm tissue.
Then move in 1 inch toward the nipple. Keep circling to examine every part of your breast, including the nipple. Repeat the procedure on the left breast with a pillow under the left shoulder and your left hand behind your head. Finally, squeeze the nipple of each breast gently between the thumb and index finger. Any clear or bloody discharge should be reported to your physician immediately.
Breast Cysts
Breast cysts are benign fluid-filled sacs that grow inside the breast tissue, normally affecting women over the age of 35 who have not reached the menopause.
They are also detected in women who are using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after they have gone through menopause.
Cysts in both your breasts, is quite common, and they can become larger, tender and become painful just before your menstrual period.
Cysts can occur without noticing anything symptoms and they are sometimes found by chance when examinations by your GYN are done for some other reason.
Usually, all breast cysts identified as “simple cysts” It is estimated that perhaps 1 in 1,000 cysts may harbor a tumor (not necessarily malignant). These can usually be identified by using an ultrasound. Women with cysts are not at greater risk for the development of cancer although this risk may be high if there is a family history for breast cancer.
Diagnosis
Breast cysts can be detected by being examined by your doctor using the current tests listed below:
• Breast examination
• Mammogram
• Ultrasound scan
• Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC): The FNAC involves drawing off fluid from the cyst with a fine needle. If the lump is difficult to find within the breast you may have an ultrasound scan.
Treatment
If the cyst is large or does not go away on its own, your specialist will probably draw off the fluid with a fine needle and syringe.
Once the fluid has been removed, the cyst usually disappears. The drawn off fluid will only be sent to the laboratory for testing if it is bloodstained, as there is a small risk that this may be a sign of breast cancer.
Cysts can come back. This usually happens in about 30% of breast cyst cases. The treatment will be the same each time the breast cyst occurs. If a breast cyst continues to refill with fluid, a doctor may suggest a surgical biopsy to remove it.
Breast Feeding Problems
Many women have problems during breast-feeding, especially in the first few weeks after your pregnancy. Many women face some problems. Breast-feeding can be a complex process and in many cases. Breast feeding problems are when there are problems with the infant’s sucking technique, the mother’s milk supply, or other issues.
Diagnosis
Breast-feeding problems are first determined by an infant’s inability to gain weight. Most babies lose some weight in the first week of life. However, they should regain the weight quickly and be back at their birth weight at two weeks of age. An average weight gain of 6–8 oz per week should be maintained through the second or third month. After that, growth charts can demonstrate whether the child is gaining adequate weight. Once a problem has been established, a healthcare practitioner will ask questions about the baby’s feeding schedule and may observe the mother’s breast-feeding technique so he or she can determine if an improper latching technique or inadequate suckling is causing the difficulty. Lactation counselors can be helpful in diagnosing these problems. Further physical examination and tests may be necessary to determine if structural breast problems or placental fragments are causing the difficulties.
Symptoms
• White spots in baby’s mouth that does not look like milk or cannot be wiped off
• Itchiness
• Bleeding nipples
• Fissures in the areola or nipples
• Breasts don’t leak at all
• Breasts never seem full
• Milk squirts out when baby starts to feed
• Baby gets upset at feedings
• Bras and shirts are often wet from milk from your breasts
• Red bumps on breast
• Flu-like symptoms
• Overfull nipples
• Sore nipples
• Baby only wants to nurse on one breast
• Baby has a hard time nursing after using the bottle
• Baby refuses to nurse
• Feeling pain when your milk comes in
Treatment
Gently massage your breasts and express or pump some milk to soften your nipple and areola before breast-feeding. This will help your baby latch deeper onto your breast, past your nipple and onto your areola. Wearing a supportive, well-fitting bra also may help, and applying cold compresses to your breasts occasionally after breast-feeding may reduce swelling and pain.
Treatment
Try using a hair dryer on a low, cool setting to help your nipples dry more quickly. It may also help to apply pure lanolin cream on your nipples.
Treatment
Massage the affected area before breast-feeding and during feeding. This simple measure can help release the milk plug. You should always feed your baby on the affected side first. Your baby is usually more eager at the start of a feeding. The stronger sucking force helps empty the breast and unblock the duct.
Treatment
Practice relaxation techniques; breast-feed in comfortable, quiet, and familiar spots; eat properly; and drink plenty of fluids. Your doctor may prescribe oxytocin if your letdown does not improve within a few days of starting breast-feeding.
Treatment
Your letdown reflex may be stimulated unintentionally. Be prepared by using absorbent pads that you change frequently. You can use washable or disposable pads, but do not use pads that have a plastic backing.
Treatment
More frequent breast-feeding usually helps increase your milk supply within 48 hours. You can also try pumping both breasts for 10 to 15 minutes each after you have just fed your baby. You should notice an increase in your milk supply after 2 to 4 days of the extra pumping. Other factors sometimes affect milk production; however, it is rare to have a true milk deficiency.
Contact doctor if you think your milk supply is too low.
Psychological Issues
Treatment
Support from family and friends are necessary for any new mother, especially one that chooses to nurse her child. If no familiar support network exists, women may seek help from groups for nursing mothers.
Many hospitals offer mothers and their spouse’s classes on breast-feeding techniques and nursing issues. Women who have negative feelings about breast-feeding may find classes helpful in overcoming these issues.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the bronchi and bronchial tube within the chest. It is a breathing disorder affecting the expiratory function. In most cases, some infection also occurs in the nose and throat. It is a disease endemic to cold, damp climates, but may occur anywhere.
Bronchitis may be acute or chronic. In chronic cases, the disease is of long duration. It is more serious than the acute type as permanent changes may have occurred in the lungs, thereby interfering with their normal movements. Chronic bronchitis is more frequent in males than in females and mortality rate is also higher in males.
Symptoms
In most cases of bronchitis, the larynx, trachea and bronchial tubes are acutely inflamed. The tissues are swollen due to irritation. Large quantities of mucus are secreted and poured into the windpipe to protect the inflamed mucous membrane. The phelgm, when expelled is found to be viscid and purulent. There is usually a higher fever, some difficulty in breathing and a deep chest cough. Other symptoms are hoarseness and pain in the chest and loss of appetite. Breathing trouble continues till the inflammation subsides and mucous is removed.
Causes
The chief cause of bronchitis is wrong feeding habits. The habitual use of refined foods such as white sugar, refined cereals and white-flour products results in the accumulation of morbid matter in the system and collection of toxic waste in the bronchial tube. Another important cause of this disease is smoking. Excessive smoking irritates the bronchial tubes and lowers their resistance so that they become vulnerable to germs breathed in from the atmosphere. Other causes of bronchitis are living or working in stuffy atmosphere, use of drugs to suppress earlier diseases and hereditary factors. Changes in weather and environment are common factors for the onset of the disease.
Treatment
In acute cases of bronchitis, the patient should fast on orange juice and water till the acute symptoms subside. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange in a glass of warm water every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thereafter, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for two or three days. In case of chronic bronchitis, the patient can begin with an all- fruit diet for five to seven days, taking each day three meals of fresh juicy fruits. After the all-fruit diet, the patient should follow a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or cold or hot plain water may betaken. The patient should avoid meats, sugar, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods, soft-drinks, candies, ice-cream and products made from sugar and white flour.
One of the most effective remedy for bronchitis is the use of turmeric powder. A teaspoonful of this powder should be administered with a glass of milk two or three times daily. It acts best when taken on an empty stomach.
Another effective remedy for bronchitis is a mixture of dried ginger powder, pepper and long pepper taken in equal quantities three times a day. It may be licked with honey or infused with one’s daily tea. The powder of these three ingredients have antipyretic qualities and are effective in dealing with fever accompanied by bronchitis. They also tone up the metabolism of the patient.
The onion has been used as a food remedy for centuries in bronchitis. It is said to possess expectorant properties. It liquefies phelgm and prevents its further formation. One teaspoon of raw onion juice, the first thing in the morning will be highly beneficial in such cases.
A simple hot poultice of linseed should be applied over the front and back of the chest. It will greatly relieve pain. Poultices act by diluting the vessels of the surface and thereby reducing the blood pressure. The heat of the poultics acts as a cardiac stimulant. A poultics should be applied neatly and carefully and should be often renewed, so that it does not hamper respiration.
Turpentine may be rubbed over the chest with fomentation for the same object.
A hot Epsom-salts bath every night or every other night will be highly beneficial during the acute stages of the attack. This bath is prepared by dissolving three lbs. of Epsom-salts to 60 litres of water having a temperature of 100 o F. The patient should remain immersed in the bath for about 20 minutes. In case of chronic bronchitis, this bath may be taken twice a week. Hot towels wrung out and applied over the upper chest are also helpful. After applying three hot towels in turn for two or three minutes each, one should always finish off with a cold towel. A cold pack should also be applied to the upper chest several times daily in acute conditions. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap two or three times round the affected part and cover it with some flannel. The pack can remain for about an hour at a time.
Fresh air and outdoor exercises are also essential to the treatment of bronchitis and the patient should take a good walk everyday. He should also perform yogic kriyas such as jalneti and vamandhouti and yogic asanas such as ekpaduttansana, yogamudra, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, padmasana and shavasana. Simple pranayamas like kapalbhatti, anuloma-viloma, ujjai and bhramari are also highly beneficial.
CANCER
The word ‘cancer ‘comes from the latin “carcinoma “meaning crab. It is the most dreaded disease and refers to all malignant tumours caused by the abnormal growth of a body cell or a group of cells. It is today the second largest killer in the world, next only to heart ailments. The term covers more than 200 diseases.
The majority of cancers occur in the age group 50-60. Sex does not affect the incidence of the disease. It, however, affects the site of growth. In men, cancer is usually found in the intestines, the prostate and the lungs. In women, it occurs mostly in the breast tissues, uterus, gall-bladder and thyroid.
Symptoms
The symptoms of cancer vary according to the site of the growth. The American Cancer Society has prescribed seven signs or danger signals in general which may indicate the presence of cancer. These are: a sore that does not heal; change in bowel or bladder habits; unusual bleeding or discharge; thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere; indigestion or difficulty in swallowing; obvious change in a wart or a mole, and a persistent and nagging cough or hoarseness. Other symptoms may include unexplained loss of weight, particularly in older people, a change in skin colour and changes in the menstrual periods, especially bleeding between periods.
Causes
The prime cause of cancer is not known. Certain cancer- causing substances, known as carcinogens, however, increase the chances of getting the disease. About 80 per cent of cancers are caused by environmental factors. Forty per cent of male cancers in India are linked with tobacco, a known cancer- causing agent. The consumption of pan, bettlenut, tobacco and slaked lime has been linked with lung and throat cancers. Heavy consumption of alcoholic drinks can cause oesophagal, stomach and liver cancers. Occupational exposure to industrial pollutants such as asbestos, nickel, tar, soot and high doses of X-rays can lead to skin and lung cancers and leukemia. Other factors contributing to cancer are vital infections, trauma, hormone imbalance and malnutrition. Many well-known biologists and naturopaths, however, believe that a faulty diet is the root cause of cancer. Investigations indicate that the cancer incidence is in direct proportion to the amount of animal protein, particularly meat, in the diet. Dr. Willard J.
Visek, a renowned research scientist explained recently a link between excessive meat-eating and cancer. According to him, the villain is ammonia, the carcinogenic by-product of meat digestion.
Treatment
The effective treatment of cancer consists of a complete change in diet, besides total elimination of all environmental sources of carcinogens, such as smoking and carcinogenic chemicals in air, water and food. There has recently been a surge of popular interest in the concept that diet is not just a minor, but rather a major factor in both the development and the prevention of cancer.
The disease can be prevented and even treated by dietary programmes that include ‘natural foods ‘and the use of megavitamin supplements.
As a first step, the patient should cleanse the system by thoroughly relieving constipation and making all the organs of elimination – the skin, lungs, liver, kidneys and bowels – active. Enemas should be used to cleanse the colon. For the first four or five days, the patient should take only juicy fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, apples, peaches, pears, pineapples and tomatoes.
Vegetable juices are also useful, especia lly carrot juice.
After a few days of an exclusive fruit diet, the patient may be given a nourishing alkaline-based diet. It should consist of 100 per cent natural foods, with emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables, particularly carrots, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, onion, garlic, cucumber, asparagus, beets and tomatoes. A minimum requirement of high quality protein, mostly from vegetable sources such as almonds, millet, sesame seeds, sprouted seeds and grains, may be added to the diet.
Dr. Ann Wigmore of Boston, U.S.A., the well-known naturopath and a pioneer in the field of living food nutrition, has been testing the effect of a drink made of fresh wheatgrass in the treatment of leukemia. She claims to have cured several cases of this disease by this method. Dr. Wigmore points out that by furnishing the body with live minerals, vitamins, trace elements and chlorophyll through wheatgrass juice, it may be able to repair itself.
Johanna Brandt, the author of the book ‘The Grape Cure ‘has advocated an exclusive grape diet for the treatment of cancer. She discovered this mode of cure in 1925, while experimenting on herself by fasting and dieting alternately in the course of her nine-year battle with cancer. She claimed to have cured herself by this mode of treatment. She recommends a fast for two or three days so as to prepare the system for the change of diet.
After the short fast, the patient should have a grape meat every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This should be followed for a week or two even a month or two, in chronic cases of long standing. The patient should begin the grape cure with a small quantity of 30, 60, to 90 grams per meal, gradually increasing this to double the quantity. In course of time, about 250 grams may safely be taken as a meal.
Recent researches have shown that certain vitamins can be successfully employed in the fight against cancer and that they can increase the life expectancy of some terminal cancer patients.
According to recent Swedish studies vitamin C in large doses can be an effective prophylactic agent against cancer. Noted Japanese scientist, Dr. Fukunir Morishige, and his colleagues who have been examining the healing potential of vitamin C for the last 30 years, have recently found that a mixture of vitamin C and copper compound has lethal effects on cancer.
According to several studies, vitamin A exerts an inhibiting effect on carcinogenesis. It is one of the most important aids to the body’s defence system to fight and prevent cancer. Dr. Leonida Santamaria and his colleagues at the University of Pavia in Italy have uncovered preliminary evidence suggesting that beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A may actually inhibit skin cancer by helping the body thwart the cancer-causing process known as oxidation.
Recent studies from all over the world suggest that a liberal use of green and yellow vegetables and fruits can prevent cancer. The 20-years old, ongoing Japanese study found that people who ate green and yellow vegetables every day had a decreased risk of developing lung, stomach and other cancers. A Harvard University study of more than 1,200 elderly Massachusetts residents found that those who reported the highest consumption of carrots, squash, tomatoes, salads or leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, fresh strawberries or melon had a decreased risk of cancer.
The other useful measures are plenty of rest, complete freedom from worries and mental stress and plenty of fresh, pure air.
Cancer Absolute Cure
Cancer Cured Easily With Sour Sop: 10000 times stronger killer of CANCER than Chemo!
How to Use the Leaves of Soursop to Kill Cancer Cells
(10, 000 Times Stronger Than Chemotherapy)
Cancer Prevention
Soursop leaves are said to to be nature’s chemotherapy, even more effective as soursop leaves only kill cells that grow abnormally and let the cells grow normally. While the killing effects of chemotherapy there was also some normal cells.
The leaves of the graviola tree have powerful anti-cancer properties coming from phytochemicals in the plant. The journal “Cancer Letters” published a study looking at the impact of graviola on pancreatic cancer. Supplementing with graviola stopped cancerous pancreatic tumor cells from replicating and caused them to die. Researchers suggest this natural medicine may prevent and treat cancer. The leaves may also be useful for treating skin cancer when applied topically.
Miracle unleashed when researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola! they are 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!
How does it work?
Graviola contains many chemicals that may be active against cancer, as well as disease-causing agents such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
These ingredient from the Graviola tree leaves
contain anti-cancer substances called Annonaceous Acetogenin distinguished, which can kill cancer cells without disturbing the healthy cells in the human body.
Graviola (Soursop) tea
Sour sop known to many as graviola or (spanish guanabana) has been know for ages for its medicinal uses and properties including treatment for sleep disorders, bedbugs, fevers, cough etc.
However recently there has been an increase in the demand for this graviola fruit due to its recently discovered medicinal value which some studies suggest that graviola may be used in the treatment/cure for cancer.
One of the question ask by many is, “how to make sour sop tea” using the sour sop leaves.
Here I will explain how it has been done traditional.
Serving
How to Prepare Soursop Tea and Drink for Medicinal uses
Soursop has very large benefits in the prevention and fight against cancer.
For prevention, it is advisable to eat soursop fruit or drink its juice.
For effective healing and to fight cancer always take Soursop Tea.
1. Pick 2- 3 sour sop leaves from the sour sop tree for a cup or boil 15 soursop dry leaves for 1 liter of water, then take (if you have access to one), fresh or dried ones both have same value, ensure that the leaves are not too mature. Cut into small pieces and put into the boiling water. The mature leaves are normally deeper green in color. The idea is to get sour sop leaves that are in great shape.
2. Cut the sour sop leaves into smaller pieces by tearing it apart; each leaf in three pieces.
3. Add 1 cup of water in a small pot and bring it to a boil.
4. Don’t close the vessel and continue to boil the water on small flame for 30 mins, until the water evaporates to 500ml.
5. Place the gravoila (sour sop) leaves in your tea cup (glass, cup) and pour the boiling water on it then cover for 30mins – 1 hour (this process is commonly called drawing the tea).
6. Drink warm or cold – you may add sugar and milk for taste.
Now the soursop tea is ready to drink. Drink 1 cup (165ml) filtered soursop tea hot or warm or cool, 3 times every day, in the morning, afternoon and in the night.
For better taste you can add 1/2 spoon of lime juice , 2 pudina leafs and add some honey (not sugar).
After drinking, the body may feel the effects of heat, but no side effects.To cool the body drink 3 glasses of fruit juice like sweet lime or pinapple or eat water milon, and drink 3 glasses of buttermilk every day. In 2 weeks time you can feel the benefits of soursop yourself, and in 4 weeks time the improvements can be felt clearly. After 2 months you can go for a medical ckeck up.
Note: Take Soursop tea 30 mins. before food always to be more effective.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of graviola depends on several factors such as the user’s age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for graviola.
Regular soursop uses
The following are a couple of pointers that stand out:
1. Drink up to three cups per day along with your regular diet.
2. You can either start off with three cups per day and then adjust down should you have trouble digesting them, or you can start off with one cup per day and work your way up according to how you feel.
3. Adjust the amount of soursop you take according to your body weight and tolerance. If you are small, try drinking less. If you are of normal weight, feel free to go up.
In general, regular soursop users may stick to one to three cups per day.
Is there a maximum amount of soursop that I should know about?
What most manufacturers of graviola teas, supplements and people who have written about this topic suggest is not to use soursop (or any herbal tea) for extended periods of time. Take an occasional break of several days or weeks after undergoing a soursop regime.
According to Cancer Research UK, graviola is most likely safe to use so long as it is in combination with a regular, healthy diet.
Conclusion
To sum it all up and answer the question “How much and how often should I drink soursop/graviola tea?” (if you are doing so for specific health reasons), the simple answer is: 1 to 3 cups per day. But feel free to moderate this amount according to how you feel, your size and just as importantly, your convenience.
If you need help preparing graviola tea, including how much tea to use per cup, check out this detailed article and video.
Anything else I should know?
It is generally considered unsafe for pregnant woman to use soursop. This is because soursop can inhibit the growth of fast growing cells (i.e. the fetus), and may even stimulate contractions in the uterus. Also, people with Parkinson’s disease should probably not use soursop until there is more definitive research. If you would like to know more about potential side effects of soursop, check out this article.
Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Health Benifits of Soursop
The nutrients present in soursop are amino acids, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), calcium, carbohydrates, fibers, iron, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamine, etc. Mentioned below are some of the health benefits of soursop.
- It is noticed that during chemotherapy cycles the immune system of the cancer patients who consumed Soursop tea was not affected or weakened much, as compared to other cancer patients.
- Soursop benefits for cancer involve killing of cancer cells without damaging the healthy cells. So it can be a good alternative for chemotherapy, consumption of soursop tea or fruits can definitely prove to be helpful for cancer patients.
- Along with soursop fruit, the bark, leaves and roots of the soursop trees are popularly used as ingredients in various traditional herbal medicines. Soursop leaves health benefits include calming the nerves. Tea prepared with soursop leaves works as a pain reliever. The sap of its leaves, or the flesh, can be applied topically to get rid of eczema, skin rash and swelling. Topical application promotes fast healing of wounds and prevents infections.
- Cancer and cancer treatment like chemotherapy results in weak immune system. Patients are more likely to catch infections. Vitamin C in soursop is an antioxidant vitamin that helps strengthen the immune system and helps prevent infections like urinary tract infection, cough and cold.
- Chemotherapy results in low blood count. Soursop provides iron and thus, can improve the RBC count. It also contains riboflavin which helps relieve headache. Thiamine from soursop helps boost energy levels. Cooper present in soursop helps maintain the bone health by promoting absorption of calcium from ingested food.
- Soursop juice works great for liver disorders. It also reduces the inflammation of the urethra and thus, can lower symptoms like painful urination.
- Soursop tea is used to treat gallbladder diseases. The extract obtained from the leaves and stems is used to effectively destroy cancer cells. Besides, soursop consumption can be beneficial as it does not exhibit side effects.
- Some study reports show that the chemical present in Soursop is almost 10,000 times more powerful than Adriamycin, the drug used during chemotherapy (without causing damage to healthy cells).
- The fibrous flesh of soursop helps improve digestive health. Cancer patients suffer from several digestive system problems like constipation, indigestion, due to strong medicines, chemotherapy drugs, etc. Such problems can be naturally relieved by consumption of Sour sop tea or fibrous fruits. Raw soursop can be used as a vegetable.
- Sour sop is used to ease the pain associated with ailments like arthritis and rheumatism.
While research confirms that these anti-tumorous acetogenins also occur in high amounts in the fruit seeds and roots of graviola, different alkaloid chemicals in the seeds and roots have shown some preliminary in vitro neurotoxic effects. Researchers have suggested that these alkaloids might be linked to atypical Parkinson’s disease in countries where the seeds are employed as a common herbal parasite remedy. Therefore, using the seeds and root of graviola is not recommended at this time.
Contraindications:
• Graviola has demonstrated uterine stimulant activity in an animal study (rats) and should therefore not be used during pregnancy.
• Graviola has demonstrated hypotensive, vasodilator, and cardiodepressant activities in animal studies and is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure. People taking antihypertensive drugs should check with their doctors before taking graviola and monitor their blood pressure accordingly (as medications may need adjusting).
• Graviola has demonstrated significant in vitro antimicrobial properties. Chronic, long-term use of this plant may lead to die-off of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract due to its antimicrobial properties. Supplementing the diet with probiotics and digestive enzymes is advisable
• Graviola has demonstrated emetic properties in one animal study with pigs. Large single dosages may cause nausea or vomiting. Reduce the usage accordingly if this occurs.
• One study with rats given a stem-bark extract intragastrically (at 100 mg/kg) reported an increase in dopamine, norepinephrine, and monomine oxidase activity, as well as a inhibition of serotonin release in stress-induced rats.
• Alcohol extracts of graviola leaf showed no toxicity or side effects in mice at 100 mg/kg; however, at a dosage of 300 mg/kg, a reduction in explorative behavior and mild abdominal constrictions was observed. If sedation or sleepiness occurs, reduce the amount used.
While research confirms that these antitumorous acetogenins also occur in high amounts in the fruit seeds and roots of graviola, different alkaloid chemicals in the seeds and roots have shown some preliminary in vitro neurotoxic effects. Researchers have suggested that these alkaloids might be linked to atypical Parkinson’s disease in countries where the seeds are employed as a common herbal parasite remedy. Therefore, using the seeds and root of graviola is not recommended at this time
IMPORTANT NOTE :
Suggested supplements/use with soursop tea :
Take supplement with a pro biotic, such as yogurt or probiotic supplements. Do not combine with Co-enzyme q10(used in USA). Reduce the dossage in consultation with the Doctor if you have low blood pressure. Pregnent women should not take Soursop.
If you want teabags made of the leaves I will send them to you wherever you may live, Please email me at epublishersmedia@gmail.com or message me on face book.
Canker Sores
Canker sores, also known as mouth ulcers, apthous stomatitis and ulcerative stomatitis, are small painful ulcerations that have yellow-gray centers and a red border.
Usually 1-2mm wide, they occur on non-keratinized mucosa inside the mouth: the inner side of the lips, the tongue, the back and floor of the mouth and the wall of the cheeks. They do not occur on the lips, the gums or the hard roof of the mouth. Ulcers can be single or can occur in clusters.
The cause of canker sores is uncertain, however, associations with human herpesvirus 6, food sensitivities, stress, and nutrient deficiencies have been suggested. They generally take 1-2 weeks to heal and may recur monthly or several times per year.
Canker sores must be differentiated from drug allergies, herpes simplex infection, Behcet’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and squamous cell carcinoma.
In some cases, biopsy of the ulcer may be necessary.
Conventional treatments include topical steroids, mouthwash, or an oral paste for symptomatic relief. In severe cases, systemic glucocorticoids may be prescribed.
Therapeutic
1.
Avoid toothpastes containing sodium lauryl sulfate
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is an irritant detergent commonly found in toothpaste. People with recurrent canker sores may benefit by switching to a brand of toothpaste that does not contain SLS, which is believed to abrade the protective mucus layer in the mouth and increase the likelihood of developing canker sores. Research studies have found a decreased incidence of recurrent canker sores after two months of avoiding SLS; however, one double-blind study did not support this finding.
2.
Dycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL)
DGL is the herb licorice that has had the glycyrrhizic acid removed the portion that can increase blood pressure. In one research study, DGL was found to promote the healing of canker sores, with a 50-75% improvement in one day. This study used a mouthwash made of powdered DGL mixed with water. DGL tablets can be chewed with water, swished in the mouth and swallowed.
3.
Identify and eliminate food sensitivities with elimination and a challenging diet
Food sensitivities, especially to gluten-containing foods (wheat, rye, barley, oats), have been found clinically to be associated with recurrent canker sores. The microscopic appearance of the sores and the increased antibodies to certain food antigens in some people with recurrent canker sores support this theory. Double-blind studies, however, have yet to confirm this.
4.
Decrease dietary intake of nitrites
Cured and processed meats, such as bacon, sausage and ham, are high in nitrites. One study found that the risk of esophageal cancer was seven times greater in individuals with a history of canker sores. The authors report that canker sores may be an indicator of a high conversion of nitrites to carcinogenic nitrosamines.
5.
Vitamin C works directly against viruses and has been found to inhibit the herpes virus in vitro. In addition, it inhibits the formation of nitrosamines from dietary nitrites, found in bacon, ham, sausages and other processed meats, and from dietary nitrates, found in vegetables and other foods.
6.
Nutrient Deficiency – Thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of canker sores. Other nutrients that have been found to be low in people with recurrent canker sores include riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and iron. A health practitioner can assess nutrient status.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is defined by overwhelming fatigue, not relieved by rest, and at least four of the following symptoms for at least six months:
• Impaired short-term memory of concentration, which significantly affects normal activities
• Sore throat
• Tender lymph nodes in the neck or underarms
• Muscle pain or pain in multiple joints with no joint swelling or redness
• New onset of headache
• A good night sleep
• General malaise following physical exertion that lasts more than 24 hours
The Centers for Disease Control officially recognized this condition in 1988. Chronic fatigue syndrome is more common in women than men, and the majority of patients are in their thirties.
What Is The Cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown and there are no specific lab tests to diagnose this condition. Some holistic practitioners believe that the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is infectious. Others believe that multiple factors promote the development of chronic fatigue, including:
1. Nutritional deficiency
2. Toxicity from environment, food, and drugs
3. Stress
4. Hormone imbalance, especially thyroid and adrenal
5. Lowered immune function
6. Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections
Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome have had a history of exhausted adrenal glands and produce low amounts of cortisol and other adrenal hormones. Some holistic experts also find a high incidence of Candida yeast infection, leaky gut syndrome, food and environmental sensitivities and liver toxicity.
Chronic fatigue is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that it is only considered after other medical conditions have been ruled out.
Chronic fatigue syndrome can sometimes be confused with the following conditions that also result in fatigue. These include:
• Anemia
• Allergies
• Candidiasis
• Adrenal Insufficiency
• Hypothyroidism
• Hypoglycemia
• Infections
• Sleep Apnea
• Hepatitis B And C
• Orthostatic Hypotension
• Sle
• Narcolepsy
• Cancer
• Severe Obesity
• Cushing Syndrome
• Adrenal Fatigue
• Substance Abuse
• Generalized Anxiety
• Dementia
• Schizophrenia
• Depression
Treatments
There is no known conventional treatment for the fatigue. Successful holistic treatment of chronic fatigue draws upon a range of therapies.
Holistic Testing
In order to help determine the underlying factors contributing to CFS, a number of tests are often conducted, including darkfield blood microscopy, electrodermal screening, stool analysis, unrinalysis, blood test, hair analysis, liver detoxification profile, adrenal stress test, nutritional analysis, antioxidant profile.
Lifestyle and Environmental
Develop health sleep habits. Try to get to establish a regular bedtime. Gentle restorative exercise such as tai chi, swimming, yoga, and walking is important, even though many people may not feel like it. Research has shown that two-thirds of people with chronic fatigue syndrome benefit from exercise, although it is critical not to overdo it.
Diet
Detox and cleansing diet for one to three weeks. Avoid all foods and chemicals that may be worsening symptoms. Wheat, dairy, corn, gluten-containing products (rye, oats, etc), sugar, and fermented foods are some of the most common food sensitivities. After the cleansing diet, the excluded foods are often re-introduced into the diet systematically to identify any aggravating foods. For CFS patients with Candidiasis, all Types: of sugar, including milk products and fruit, should be avoided. Caffeine, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour and white rice should be avoided.
Chinese Medicine
Chronic fatigue syndrome may be related to the following syndromes in Chinese medicine:
· Spleen Deficiency
· Kidney Deficiency
· Essence Deficiency
· Qi Deficiency
· Kidney Yang Deficiency
Ayurvedic Medicine
A typical Ayurvedic approach may be to improve digestion, eliminate toxins. Use a detox and cleansing program to purge toxins. Ayurvedic herbs include ashwagandha, amla, bala, triphala, and lomatium, which are combined according to the patient’s dosha, or constitutional type. The vata dosha is susceptible to chronic fatigue.
Nutritional Supplements & Vitamins
Probiotics
Beneficial bacteria can greatly improve digestion and reestablish a healthy microbial balance in the intestines. A typical dose is one to two capsules two to three times per day, taken on an empty stomach.
Digestive enzymes
Pancreatic or vegetable-derived enzymes can supply your body with additional enzymes to digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Products differ greatly – some contain lactase to digest milk, others contain hydrochloric acid to assist the stomach, and still others contain ox bile to help with the emulsification and digestion of fats. A typical dosage is one to two capsules with meals.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps with the immune system, is required for healthy adrenal gland function, and helps liver detoxification pathways.
Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in more than three hundred enzyme reactions in the body. It is found in green leafy vegetables and whole grains. Magnesium is essential for energy production, muscle function, nerve conduction, and bone health. People with chronic fatigue syndrome often have a deficiency in magnesium. Some people find that is improves energy, emotional states, and decreases pain.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is necessary for energy production and cell function. It also helps with the repair and maintenance of tissues. A typical dose is 60 to 100 milligrams daily.
NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)
NADH is a naturally occurring chemical that plays a significant role in cellular energy production. In supplement form, NADH has been used to improve energy in athletes and in individuals with chronic fatigue. In one preliminary study, 26 people were given 10 mg of NADH for a four-week period. Some showed some improvement in symptoms during NADH treatment compared to placebo.
Carnitine
Carnitine is used by the body to convert fatty acids into energy. Some studies have found decreased carnitine levels in people with CFS. However, more research is needed in this area.
Adrenal Support
People with chronic fatigue syndrome often have adrenal fatigue or weakness. Supplements that tonify the adrenal glands are:
• Licorice herbal supplement: DGL is a form of licorice that will not affect aldosterone levels in the body, used for people with high blood pressure
• Siberian ginseng
• Adrenal glandular supplements
• Vitamin C
• Pantothenic acid (B5)
Colds and Flu
There is a variety of herbs, supplements, and food remedies that have been used for centuries to prevent colds and flu, reduce symptoms, or shorten the duration of colds and flu. Some of these time-honored remedies are showing promising results in research studies. Here is a rundown of some of the most popular natural remedies for colds and flu.
Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir, and Yogurt
Kimchi (pronounced kim’-chee) is a Korean spicy fermented side dish that has been getting a lot of press since the BBC published a report by scientists in Seoul, Korea who found that 11 of 13 chickens infected with the avian flu started to recover after they were fed an extract of kimchi.
The key ingredient is likely a natural organic acid called lactic acid that is also found in sauerkraut, milk, yogurt, kefir (a yogurt-like effervescent beverage), meat, and beer.
Popular probiotic “friendly bacteria” supplements such as lactobacillus acidophilus produce lactic acid.
Although research has not yet shown that fermented cabbage is active against the avian flu, there is research suggesting that lactic acid in other forms activates the immune system against influenza and cold viruses. For example, a German double blind, placebo-controlled study involving 477 people found that those who took a daily probiotic supplement had significantly less respiratory tract infections. People who caught the flu had fewer symptoms and shorter fever duration.
Elderberry
The berry extract from elderberry (Sambucus nigra) contains more than one compound that is active against flu viruses. One of the many ways it works is by preventing the virus from attacking cells. A study found a 50% reduction in the severity and duration of symptoms in adults and children after taking an elderberry extract.
Only commercially prepared elderberry products made from the berry extract should be used, because the fresh leaves, flowers, bark, young buds, unripe berries, and roots contain cyanide and can result in cyanide poisoning. Health food stores carry elderberry juice, syrup, and capsules suitable for adults and kids.
Ginseng
the herb ginseng, used in Asia for over 2000 years, made headlines recently after a double-blind placebo-controlled study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that a ginseng extract reduced the number of upper respiratory infections by 25% during a four-month period. The study involved 323 adults. The treatment group took two 200 mg capsules of a ginseng extract every day for four months and reported reduced symptoms, duration of infections, and infection recurrence.
Although there are several Types: of ginseng, this study used North American ginseng (Panax quinquifolium). Although, North American ginseng is not as stimulating as Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), it can cause insomnia and worsen anxiety in some people, especially when it’s combined with coffee or tea.
Whom it is not for: Ginseng can have hormonal effects that certain people should be cautious.
Some studies suggest that ginseng can boost estrogen levels, so it is on my list of unsafe herbs for women with breast cancer. Ginseng should also be avoided by people taking blood sugar medication or antidepressants known as MAO inhibitors, by children, people with high blood pressure, or by pregnant or nursing women.
Astragalus
Unlike ginseng, astragalus does not come with nearly as many caveats. The dried root of astragalus is a popular ingredient in traditional Chinese herbal formulas. It is now used in the United States to strengthen the immune system and prevent colds and flu. Herbalists recommend it as an immune tonic for people who tend to catch colds frequently.
Preliminary research has shown astragalus can stimulate immune function in humans. Astragalus can be found in capsule form at health food stores or as a dried root in Chinese herbal shops and some health food stores. Because of its mild taste, the dried root can be added to soups. The dried root is light yellow and the size and shape of a tongue depressor. A typical daily dose is 9 to 15 g of the dried root, which equals about 3 to 4 slices. Traditionally in Asia, people took astragalus soup once a week throughout the winter. The dose is individual, and people with increased exposure or compromised immune systems may require more.
Ginger
A cup of hot ginger tea is invigorating and is a great cold fighter. Ginger contains compounds called sesquiterpenes that have been found to be active against rhinoviruses, the most common group of cold viruses. Ginger is also a diaphoretic, meaning it fights colds by gently raising body temperature and promoting perspiration.
Garlic
Garlic is a natural cold remedy that has stood the test of time. Garlic contains a bacteria-fighting compound called allicin, making it helpful for preventing secondary bacterial complications of colds and flu such as pneumonia, sinus infections, and middle ear infections (called otitis media).
It has also been used as a natural anti-viral against influenza viruses.
Common way herbalists recommend taking garlic for colds and flu is as a tea, by crushing a clove of garlic and adding honey, lemon, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, and adding hot water.
Garlic oil eardrops are also a popular natural remedy for middle ear infections in children.
Whom it is not for: High doses of garlic can prolong bleeding time, so prolonged intake is not recommended for people taking prescription blood-thinners, moderate to high doses of vitamin E, garlic, gingko, or natural blood-thinners, or 14 days before or after surgery.
Eucalyptus Steam Inhalation
Steam inhalation with eucalyptus oil can help to clear crackly coughs, nasal congestion, throat infections, and cold and flu symptoms. It works by thinning the mucus in the respiratory tract, relieving congestion, and increasing local circulation. Eucalyptus oil also has a toxic effect on a variety of respiratory tract bacteria.
Zinc Lozenges
Zinc lozenges have been found to reduce the duration and severity of colds, decrease the number of colds over the year, reduce the use of medication such as antibiotics, and diminish coughing, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, and other symptoms. It is still not certain whether it corrects a zinc deficiency, kills viruses, or both.
Studies have typically used a dose of at least 13 mg of elemental zinc per lozenge, starting immediately after the onset of cold symptoms. They have also found that lozenges made with zinc gluconate seem to be most effective, and that the lozenges should not contain citric or tartaric acid, sorbitol, or mannitol, because they can decrease the effectiveness. The lozenges were generally taken once every two hours for the duration of cold symptoms. Possible side effects include unpleasant taste, nausea and copper deficiency.
Echinacea
Echinacea is a popular herb used to reduce the symptoms and duration of the common cold. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $155 million on Echinacea, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. Although some recent studies have cast doubt on echincea’s effectiveness, herbalists say that those studies were flawed and they did not use the right doses or Types: of Echinacea.
Herbal Dosages:
Herbalists often recommend a total daily dose of three or more grams of Echinacea per day at the first sign of cold symptoms. It is usually taken in divided doses, with a dose every 2-3 hours.
After one to two days, the dose is usually reduced and continued for the following week.
Vitamin C
Back in 1968, Linus Pauling, Ph.D., winner of two Nobel prizes, postulated that everyone has differing needs for vitamins and some need amounts higher than the recommended dietary Allowances (RDAs). He also asserted that 1,000 mg of vitamin C could reduce the incidence of colds by 45% for most people. Since then, research studies have shown that vitamin C can prevent colds, reduce cold symptoms, and enhance immune function.
Vitamin C in high doses can cause loose stools and gas in some people. Although most will not notice these side effects at 1 g a day when taken in divided doses, it can occur. Some supplements also contain beta-carotene and vitamin E, vitamins that have also been found to fight colds and flu.
Candida
What is Candida?
The yeast Candida albicans is yeast that normally lives harmlessly in small numbers in the body, controlled by beneficial bacteria in the body and the immune system.
If antibiotics kill the beneficial bacterium, or if a person’s immune system becomes weakened, Candida can grow unchecked and cause symptoms.
Localized infections, such as oral thrush, skin infections, and vaginal yeast infections in women can result. Widespread infection can occur in immunocompromised people.
Candida overgrowth in the intestines is thought to, in some cases; penetrate the intestinal wall, causing the yeast and other unwanted particles from being absorbed into the body. This is thought to activate the immune system, resulting in fatigue, headache, mood swings, poor memory and concentration, cravings for sweets, and has been linked to conditions such as fibromyalgia.
This condition, popularized by William Crook, MD in his 1983 book, The Yeast Connection, is considered very controversial. Most conventional doctors think this systemic condition is over diagnosed and many disagree with the diagnosis.
Contributing Factors
• Use of oral contraceptives
• Use of steroids
• Use of antacids
• Use of anti-ulcer medications
• Frequent or long-term use of antibiotics
• High-sugar diets
• Pregnancy
• Diabetes
Symptoms
• Tired or lethargic
• Poor memory
• Feel drained, depleted or exhausted
• Numbness, burning, tingling
• Stomach pain
• Joint pain or swelling
• Muscle aching or weakness
• Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, or belching
• Bothersome or persistent vaginal itching, burning, or discharge
• Prostatitis
• Erectile dysfunction
• Loss of sexual desire
• Endometriosis or infertility
• Menstrual irregularity or cramping
• Anxiety attacks or crying
• Cold hands and feet, feel chilly
• Irritable or shaking when hungry
Natural Remedies
Alternative practitioners recommend individualized programs that usually combine diet and supplements. Supplements are introduced gradually to avoid a temporary worsening of symptoms called a “die-off” or Herxheimer reaction. This is because when Candida is killed, they release protein fragments and toxins that can trigger an antibody response from the immune system.
Improvement in symptoms is usually noticed after two to four weeks.
Acidophilus: The beneficial bacteria acidophilus are thought to control Candida by making the intestinal tract more acidic, discouraging the growth of Candida, and by producing hydrogen peroxide, which directly kills Candida.
Research has shown that supplementing with a hydrogen peroxide-producing strain of acidophilus; DDS-1 greatly reduced the incidence of antibiotic-induced yeast infections. These beneficial bacteria also help to restore the microbial balance within the digestive tract.
Fiber
One teaspoon to one tablespoon of soluble fiber containing guar gum, psyllium husks, flaxseeds or pectin can be mixed in an 8 oz glass of water two times per day on an empty stomach.
Enteric-coated essential oils
Enteric-coated capsules containing oregano oil, peppermint oil, and other volatile oils are thought to prevent the overgrowth of Candida. It is usually recommended for at least several months. A standard dosage is two capsules two times a day with water, in between meals. Pure volatile oils can be quite toxic in this amount so the liquid form of these oils should never be ingested, and the capsules should not be broken open before ingesting.
Enteric-coated garlic
Garlic capsules that have been enteric-coated to open when they reach the intestines are often is used in combination with the volatile oils. One capsule two times per day taken with the enteric-coated volatile oil is a typical recommendation.
Other valuable supplements are caprylic acid from coconuts, oleic acid from olive oil, oregano oil, and pau d’arco. There are many combination products formulated for Candida that contain these herbs and supplements.
Diet
Diet is an important part of the Candida cleanse. The length of time on the Candida cleanse depends on the length of time one has had symptoms, symptom severity, and overall health.
People may notice improvement after strict adherence to the diet for two to four weeks. For others it takes months. Once symptoms are gone and lab tests show significant improvement, foods from the restricted list can be slowly incorporated back into the diet.
List of Foods to Avoid Entirely
Sugar
Refined sugar is thought to encourage the growth of Candida yeast.
Foods containing refined sugar include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, turbinado, raw sugar, demerrara, amasake, rice syrup, sorghum.
Read labels carefully because there may be hidden forms of sugar. When reading the label, words to watch out for include sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, glycogen, glucose, mannitol, sorbitol, galactose, monosaccharides, and polysaccharides.
Fruit
Fruit contain natural sugars that are thought to support the growth of yeast. Fruit that are typically eliminated include fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruit and juice.
Yeast
Foods that contain yeast are typically eliminated. Yeast-containing foods include Baker’s yeast, Brewer’s yeast, Engevita, Torula, and any other Types: of nutritional yeast.
Baked goods raised with yeast such as breads, rolls, crackers, bagels, pastries, and muffins are not permitted.
Foods Containing Gluten
Gluten-containing foods include wheat, barley, and rye. This includes products made with these ingredients such as bread and pasta.
Vinegar
• White Vinegar
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Rice Vinegar
• Balsamic Vinegar
•
Any Food Made With Vinegage, such as Mayonnaise, Commercial Salad Dressing, Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Steak Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Shrimp Sauce, Soy Sauce, Mustard, Pickles, Pickled Vegetables, Green Olives, Relishes, Horseradish, Mincemeat, and Chili Sauce.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are typically not allowed on Candida diets.
List of Foods to Limit
Dairy Products and Eggs
Avoid eggs and all dairy products including:
• Milk
• Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Yogurt and Kefir
• Butter
• Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
Wheat
• Pasta
• Bread
Sweeteners
• Refined Sugar
• Any White Sugar
• Any Brown Sugar
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup
• Evaporated Cane Juice
• Artificial Sweeteners
Gluten
All gluten-containing grains, including wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, kamut, couscous, bran, and farina
Soy
• Tofu
• Soy Milk
• Soy Yogurt
• Soy Sauce
• Soy Protein Powder
• Tempeh
Coffee and Caffeinated Beverages
• Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks
Animal Products
• Beef
• Pork
• Veal
• Sausages
• Hot Dogs
• Deli Meats and Cold Cuts
• Shellfish
Condiments
• Ketchup
• Relish
• Soy Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Non-Dairy Creamers
• Barbeque or Steak Sauce
• Salad Dressings Not Made With Allowed Ingredients
• Mayonnaise
• Spreads Not Made With the Allowed Ingredients
• Similar Condiments
Other Foods to Avoid
• Yeast
• Alcohol
• Food Additives and Preservatives
Limit daily carbohydrate intake – Sugar feeds Candida, so it is important to minimize the total carbohydrate content of one’s diet. During the first 2 to 3 weeks of the program, it is often recommended that carbohydrate intake be restricted to 20 to 60 grams per day, depending on age, health, activity level, and extent of grain sensitivities. As symptoms disappear, the carbohydrate total can gradually increase. Foods that are low carb include protein foods such as meat, chicken, turkey, shellfish, some nuts, and non-starchy vegetables.
Environmental/Lifestyle
Consider talking with your physician about substitute methods of birth control if you are using oral contraceptives.
Practitioners usually suggest avoiding alcohol and smoking. Both can impair the immune function.
Cold Sores
Cold sores, also known as oral herpes, are fluid-filled blisters that usually occur on the lips, gums, or roof of the mouth. Cold sores generally clear in 7 to 10 days.
The herpes simplex virus causes cold sores. They are contagious and spread through contact with infected saliva (e.g. sharing eating utensils and towels).
Canker sores also produce small ulcers, but they are usually found on soft tissues, such as the tongue and walls of the mouth.
Lysine
Lysine is an “essential” amino acid, meaning that we must get it through food or supplements because the body cannot make it on its own. It is used to make protein, which we need to produce infection-fighting antibodies, enzymes, hormones, and body tissues.
Lysine has been found to inhibit the spread of the herpes simplex virus.
Although we get lysine through food sources such as red meat, milk, eggs, cheese, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, and fish, what appears to be most important is the ratio of lysine to another amino acid, arginine. They compete with each other for absorption in the intestines, so the less arginine there is in the diet, the more lysine is absorbed. Foods that are rich in arginine include chocolate, peanuts, and almonds.
In addition to these temporary dietary changes:
Lysine supplements – (e.g. 1,000 mg taken three times a day) may help to shorten the duration of cold sores.
Lysine ointment – a pilot study by the southern California University looked at the effectiveness of a lysine-containing ointment in 30 people. Researchers found that the ointment produced full resolution in 40% of participants by the third day and in 87 percent by the end of the sixth day. No adverse effects were reported.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has antiviral properties. In a research study conducted in hospitals and dermatology clinics in Germany, lemon balm cream promoted the healing of blisters in 5 days compared to 10 days in the control group. Used on regularly, lemon balm cream may decrease the frequency of recurrences.
Reishi and Astragalus
Reishi, also called Ganoderma lucidum is a type of mushroom that has a long history of use in traditional Asian medicine to strengthen the immune system.
Reishi has been found to inhibit the spread of the herpes virus.
Dosages:
A typical dose is 600 mg once or twice a day.
Reishi is available in powder or supplement form. Reishi can delay blood clotting, so consult your doctor before taking reishi if you are taking aspirin, warfarin (coumadin), or any other medications or supplements that interfere with clotting.
In Asian medicine, reishi is often used in conjunction with an herb called astragalus. Astragalus has been found to improve immune function in people with herpes simplex keratitis.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol, a compound found naturally in red grapes, has been shown to be active against the herpes simplex virus in laboratory studies.
A study by the Northeastern Ohio University demonstrated that resveratrol cream applied topically two, three, or five times a day effectively suppressed cold sore development if it was applied 1 or 6 hours after infection with the herpes virus.
Resveratrol cream was also found to be as effective as 5% acyclovir ointment (Zovirax).
Resveratrol cream also effectively suppressed cold sore formation in animals with herpes simplex infection that was resistant to acyclovir.
Precautions:
No side effects were reported.
Peppermint Oil
A study by the University of Heidelberg found that peppermint essential oil was found to penetrate the skin and have a direct virucidal effect against the herpes simplex virus. Peppermint oil was also found to be active against an acyclovir-resistant strain of the herpes simplex virus.
Although it is promising, peppermint oil should not be used until studies have established its safety (it is absorbed through skin). And peppermint oil should never be ingested.
Propolis
Propolis, also called bee propolis, is a brownish, resinous substance. Bees collect it from poplar and conifer buds and use it “cement” their hives and keep them germ-free. It is sold in health food stores.
A study found that propolis was active against herpes simplex 1 virus. It is believed to work by preventing the virus from entering body cells and by blocking the replication and spread of the virus.
Self-Heal
The herb self-heal, also known as Prunella vulgaris is a perennial plant commonly found in China and Europe.
Extracts of this herb have been found to be effective against both herpes simplex 1 and 2 viruses.
It is also believed to work against acyclovir-resistant strains of the herpes virus. )
Other supplements and herbal medicines
Echinacea – A study by the University of Ottawa found that Echinacea is active against herpes simplex type 1.
Black currant – An extract of black currant, also known as Ribes nigrum or Kurokarin in Japan, was found to fight the herpes virus in laboratory studies.
Rhubarb and sage cream – A German study examined rhubarb-sage cream compared to sage cream and Zovirax in 149 people with oral herpes cold sores. The combined topical sage-rhubarb preparation proved to be as effective as topical aciclovir cream and tended to be more active than the sage cream.
Undaria pinnatifida – known as wakame in Japan, undaria is a type of seaweed that has been found to improve the healing time and reactivation of herpes infections.
Precautions
People with tuberculosis, leukemia, diabetes, connective tissue disorders, multiple sclerosis, HIV or AIDS, any autoimmune diseases, organ transplant, or possibly, liver disorders should not take herbs or supplements that improve immune function (such as reishi and astragalus) without consulting their doctor first-they may reduce the effectiveness of medications that suppress the immune system.
Cataract
Cataract is among the most common eye diseases. The term actually means a waterfall, and refers to the opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye on the assumption that the condition is caused by the humour of the brain falling over the pupil.
The crystalline lens, through which light travels into the interior of the eye, is situated just behind the iris, or coloured portion of the eye. In cataract, this lens becomes opaque, hence seriously hampering the entrance of light into the eye. Blindness ensues when no light rays can premeate the opacity of the lens. According to the modern medical system, a surgical operation to remove the lens or a major portion of it is the only way to get rid of the disease. The patient is provided with suitable glasses after the operation to enable him to see well enough to carry on his normal duties.
Symptoms
The first sign of cataract is blurred vision. The patient finds it difficult to see things in focus. As the cataract progresses, the patient may get double vision or spots or both. There is a gradual increase in blindness. At first, vision in twilight may be better than in full daylight since light is admitted round the more widely-dilated pupil in the dark. In the advance stage, objects and persons may appear merely blobs of light. In the final stage, there is a grayish -white discolouration in the pupil.
Causes
Cataract is often found in association with other defects of the eye. There are four factors which contribute to the loss of transparency of the lens. These are stagnation of the fluid current in the lens resulting from blood condition; deterioration in the nutrition of the lens which diminishes the vitality and resistence of the delicate lens fibres; deposits between the lens fibres of acids and salts which have an irritating effect on the lens tissues and exert an increasing pressure on its delicate fibres, clouding whole lens in the absence of appropriate measures.
As in the case of most diseases, poisons in the blood stream due to dietetic errors and a faulty style of living is the real cause of cataract. The toxic matter in the blood stream spreads throughout the body to find shelter in any available weak spot. It strikes the lens if that part has become weak through strain, excessive use of the eyes and local irritation. The condition becomes worse with the passage of time and then a cataract starts developing. Other causes of cataract are stress and strain, excessive intake of alcoholic drinks, sugar, salt, smoking, certain physical ailments such as gastro-intestinal or gall- bladder disturbance, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, especially of vitamin C, fatty acid intolerance, ageing, radiation and side- effects of drugs prescribed for other diseases.
Some specialists believe that the most important cause of many cataract is poor nutrition. This may be true even in case of the type of cataract commonly called senile or ageing cataract. The cause may be a lifetime of malnutrition. Dr. Morgan Raiford, an opthalmologist who has studied cataracts for many years, considers faulty nutrition to be a basic factor in cataract. He has found from experience that prevention of cataract is initiated by improving nutrition.
Treatment
Cataract is one of the most stubborn conditions to deal with, if it has become deep-seated, nothing short of a surgical operation will help in overcoming the trouble. If, however, the cataract is in the early stages, there are good chances of getting over the ailment by natural means. Even advanced cases can be prevented from becoming worse.
A thorough course of cleansing the system of the toxic matter is essential. To start with, it will be beneficial to undergo a fast for three to four days on orange juice and water. A warm water enema may be taken during this period. After this initial fast, a diet of very restricted nature should be followed for two weeks. In this regimen, breakfast may consist of oranges or grapes or any other juicy fruit in season. Raw vegetable salads in season, with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, and soaked raisins, figs or dates should be taken during lunch. Evening meals may consist of vegetable such as spinach, fenugreek, drum sticks, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, turnips, steamed in their own juices, and a few nuts or some fruits, such as apples, pears and grapes. Potatoes should not be taken. No bread or any other food should be added to this diet.
After two weeks on this diet, the cataract patient may start on a fuller diet on the following lines: Breakfast: Any fresh fruits in season, except bananas.
Lunch: A large mixed raw vegetable salad with wholemeal bread or chapatis and butter.
Dinner: Two or three steamed vegetables, other than potatoes, with nuts and fresh fruit.
The short fast followed by a restricted diet should be repeated after three months of the commencement of the treatment and again three months later, if necessary. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during the fast, and afterwards as necessary.
The patient should avoid white bread, sugar, cream, refined cereals, rice, boiled potatoes, puddings and pies, strong tea or coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, sauces or other so-called aids to digestion.
There is increasing evidence to show that in several cases cataracts have actually been reversed by proper nutritional treatment. However, the time needed for such treatment may extend from six months to three years. Adelle Davis, one of America’s best-known nutritionists, has pointed out that animals develop cataracts if deprived of pantotehnic acid and amino acid, tryptophane and vitamin B6 needed for tryptophane assimilation. She states that the diet of the cataract patient should be high in B2, B6, as well as whole B-complex, panto thenic acid, vitamin C, D, E and other nutrients.
The aniseed is considered a useful remedy for cataract. The patient should take about six grams of aniseed daily in the morning and evening. Equal weights of aniseed and coriander powder and mixed with brown sugar is also beneficial in the treatment of this disease and the mixture should be taken in doses of 12 grams in the morning and evening. Another valuable remedy for cataract is to grind seven kernels of almonds and half a gram of pepper together in water, and then drink the mixture after sifting and sweetening the mixture with sugar candy. It helps the eyes to regain their vigour.
Simultaneous with the dietary treatment, the patient should adopt various methods of relaxing and strengthening the eyes. These include moving the eyes gently up and down, from side to side and in a circle, clock-wise and anti-clockwise; rotating the neck in circles and semi-circles and briskly moving the shoulders clock-wise and anti-clockwise. The patient should also resort to palming which is highly beneficial in removing strain and relaxing the eyes and its surrounding tissues. The procedure has been outlined in chapter 40 on defective vision.
The epsom salt bath is highly beneficial and should be taken twice a week. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35 minutes till he perspires freely. After the bath the patient should cool off gradually. Closed eyes should also be bathed at least twice daily with hot water containing epsom salt – a tablespoonful of salt to a large cupful of hot water.
In cases where the cataract has been caused by stress, an antistress diet rich in protein, vitamin B,C, E, pantothenic acid and nutrients is essential to overcome the trouble. If a cataract has already developed, the diet will help prevent its occurrence in the other type.
Fresh air and gentle outdoor exercises, such as walking, are other essentials to the treatment.
Exposure to heat and bright light should be avoided as far as possible.
Cirrhosis of the Liver
Cirrhosis of the liver refers to all forms of liver disease characterised by a significant loss of cells.
It is one of the most serious hepatic diseases. The liver gradually contracts in size and becomes hard and leathery.
The liver is one of the most important glandular organs in the body. It is located high up on the right side of the abdomen just under the diaphragm. It is a vast chemical laboratory which performs many important functions. It produces bile, cholesterol, lecithin, blood albumin vital to the removal of tissue wastes prothrombin essential to the clotting of blood and numerous enzymes. It inactivates hormones no longer needed, synthesises many amino acids used in building tissues and breaks proteins into sugar and fat when required for energy. It stores vitamins and minerals. It also destroys harmful substances and detoxifies drugs, poisons, chemicals and toxins from bacterial infections. Liver damage interferes with all of these functions.
In cirrhosis of the liver, although regenerative activity continues, the progressive loss of liver cells exceeds cell replace- ment. There is also progressive distortion of the vascular system which interferes with the portal blood flow through the liver. The progressive degeneration of liver structure and function may ultimately lead to hepatic failure and death.
Symptoms
In the early stages of the diseases, there may be nothing more than frequent attacks of gas and indigestion, with occasional nausea and vomiting. There may be some abdominal pain and loss of weight. In the advanced stage, the patient develops a low grade fever. He has a foul breath, jaundiced skin and distended veins in the abdomen. Reddish hair like markings, resembling small spiders, may appear on the face, neck, arms and trunk. The abdomen becomes bloated and swollen, the mind gets clouded and there may be considerable bleeding from the stomach.
Causes
Excessive use of alcohol over a long period is the most potent cause of cirrhosis of the liver. It has been estimated that one out of 12 chronic alcoholics in the United States develops cirrhosis.
The disease can progress to end-stage of hepatic failure if the person does not abstain from alcohol. Cirrhosis appears to be related to the duration of alcohol intake and the quantity consumed daily. Recent researches indicate that the average duration of alcohol intake to produce cirrhosis is 10 years and the dose is estimated to be in excess of 500 ml of alcohol daily.
Poor nutrition can be another causative factor in the development of cirrhosis and a chronic alcoholic usually suffers from severe malnutrition as he seldom eats. Other causes of cirrhosis are excessive intake of highly seasoned food, habitual taking of quinine for a prolonged period in tropical climate, and drug treatments for syphillis, fever and other diseases. It may also result from a highly toxic condition of the system in general. In fact, anything which continually overburdens the liver cells and leads to their final breakdown can be a contributing cause of cirrhosis.
Treatment
The patient should be kept in bed. He must abstain completely from alcohol in any form. He should undergo an initial liver cleaning programme with a juice fast for seven days. Freshly extracted juices from red beets, lemon, papaya and grapes may be taken during this period. This may be followed by the fruit and milk diet for two to three weeks.
In this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day, each of fresh juicy fruits and milk.
The fruits may include apples, pears, grapes, grape fruit, oranges, pineapples and peaches. One litre of milk may be taken on the first day. It should be increased by 250 ml. daily up to two to two and a half litres a day. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed if desired. It should be sipped very slowly.
After the fruit and milk diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits, with emphasis on raw organically grown foods. An adequate high quality protein diet is necessary in cirrhosis. The best complete proteins for liver patients are obtained from raw goat ‘s milk, home-made raw cottage cheese, sprouted seeds and grains and raw nuts, especially almonds.
Vegetables such as beets, squashes, bitter gourd, egg-plant, tomato, carrot, radishes and papaya are useful in this condition. All fats and oils should be excluded from the diet for several weeks.
The patient should avoid all refined, processed and canned foods,sugar in any form, spices and condiments, strong tea and coffee, fried foods,all preparations cooked in ghee, oil or butter and all meats rich in fat. The use of salt should be restricted. The patient should also avoid all chemical additives in food and poisons in air, water and environment.
Warm water enema should be used during the treatment to cleanse the bowels. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication. Application of alternate compress to liver area followed by general wet sheet rub will be beneficial. The morning dry friction and breathing and other exercises should form a regular daily feature of the treatment.
Colitis
Colitis is an inflammation of the colon or large intestine. There are two types of colitis: mucus and ulceratie. Mucus colitis is a common disorder of the large bowel, producing discomfort and irregular bowel habits. Chronic ulcerative colitis is a severe prolonged inflammation of the colon or large bowel in which ulcers form on the walls of the colon, resulting in the passing of blood stools with pus and mucus. Both forms of colitis are the results of prolonged irritation of the delicate membrane which lines the walls of the colon.
Normally, it is the function of the colon to store waste material until most of the fluids have been removed to enable well-formed soft stools, consisting of non-absorbable food materials to be passed. Persons who suffer from an irritable colon have irregular and erratic contractions which are especially noticeable on the left side.
Symptoms
Chronic ulcerative colitis usually begins in the lower part of the bowels and spreads upwards.
The first symptom of the trouble is an increased urgency to move the bowel, followed by cramping pains in the abdomen and bloody mucus in the stools. As the disease spreads upwards, the stools become watery and more frequent and are characterised by rectal straining.
All this loss of blood and fluid from the bowels results in weakness, fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and anaemia.
The patient may develop a bloated feeling because the gas is not absorbed or expelled normally. Some patients suffer from constipation alternating with period of loose bowel movements. Still others may suffer from a persistent diarrhoea for years together. The patient is usually malnourished and may be severely underweight. He may suffer from frequent insomnia.
Ulcerative colitis in its severe form may also lead to nutritional problems. The improper assimilation of the ingested foods due to inflammatory conditions may cause deficiency diseases. This may gradually result in nervous irritability, exhaustion and depression. In very severe cases, the patient may even develop suicidal tendencies.
Causes
The main cause of colitis is chronic constipation and the use of purgatives. Constipation causes an accumulation of the hard faecal matter which is never properly evacuated. Purgatives used as a ‘cure’ only increase irritation. Often, colitis is caused by a poorly digested roughage, especially of cereals and carbohydrates, which causes bowel irritation. The disease may also result from an allergic sensitivity to certain foods especially milk, wheat and eggs. Often, the intake of antibiotics may upset the bacterial flora in the intestines and interfere with proper digestion.
Severe stress may also produce ulcerative colitis. During any form of severe stress, outpouring of adrenal hormones causes such destruction of body protein that at times parts of the walls lining the intestines are literally eaten away. Such stress also depletes the body of pantothenic acid. Experiments on animals have shown that they can develop ulcerative colitis when they are kept on diets deficient in pantothenic acid.
Treatment
The usual treatment of colitis with suppressive drugs is based on the assumption that colitis is due to germ infection, which it is not. The suppressive drugs drive back into the system the toxic matter in the colon which nature is endeavouring to eliminate in the form of mucus. They suppress the symptoms temporarily, without removing the cause. In such cases, the symptoms recur and colitis becomes chronic. Plain warm water or warm water with a little olive oil used as a wash-out is the only method of softening and removing the accumulations of hardened matter sticking to the walls of the colon.
Diet plays an important part in the treatment of colitis. It is advisable to observe a juice fast for five days or so in most cases of ulcerative colitis. The juices may be diluted with a little boiled water. Papaya juice, raw cabbage and carrot juices will be especially beneficial. Citrus juices should be avoided. The bowel should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema.
After the juice fast, the patient should gradually adopt a diet of small, frequent meals of soft cooked or steamed vegetables, rice, dalia (coarsely broken wheat), well ripened fruits like banana and papaya, yogurt and home-made cottage cheese. Sprouted seeds and grains, whole meal bread and raw vegetables may be added gradually to this diet after about 10 days. All food must be eaten slowly and chewed thoroughly.
Foods which should be excluded from the diet are white sugar, white bread and white flour products, highly seasoned foods, highly salted foods,strong tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages and foods cooked in aluminium pans.
Ripe bananas are highly beneficial in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, being bland, smooth, easily digested and slightly laxative. They relieve acute symptoms and promote the healing process.
An effective remedy for ulcerative colitis is the use of butter- milk. It is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from yogurt by churning. Buttermilk enema twice a week is also soothing and helps in re-installing a healthy flora in the colon.
Another valuable remedy for colitis is tender coconut water, it is soothing to the soft mucosa of the colon. Cooked apple also aids the healing of ulcerative conditions because of its ample concentration of iron and phosphorous.
The patient should have a bowel movement at the same time each day and spend 10 to 15
minutes in the endeavour. Straining at stools should be avoided. Drinking two glasses of water the first thing in the morning will stimulate a normal bowel movement. An enema may be used if no bowel movement occurs.
Complete bed rest and plenty of liquids are very important. The patient should eliminate all causes of tension, adjust to his disability and face his discomfort with patience.
The Common Cold
The common cold, also known as “acute coryza, “is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and is caused by infection with virus. It occurs more often than all other diseases. A person suffers from this disease three times in a year on an average. A cold usually lasts from three to ten days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.
Symptoms
The first signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passage. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body. Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.
Causes
The common cold results from exposure to a virus. Its inten- sity however, depends upon the state of health of the person and by environmental factors. Lowered vitality, allergic disorders of the nose and throat, chilling of the body, lack of sleep, depression, fatigue and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes for the development of a cold.
The real cause of a cold, however, is the toxic condition of the body brought about by wrong feeding habits such as an excessive intake of starch, carbohydrates, proteins and other acid-forming foods. A cold is, therefore, nature’s simplest way of expelling toxic waste from the human system. The duration of the cold will depend on the amount of poisons accumulated in the body and the rapidity with which they are expelled.
Treatment
To treat a cold by means of customary suppressive drugs like aspirin and codeline only paves the way for future trouble of a more serious nature. For such a treatment puts a sudden stop to the eliminative process then taking place and forces the toxic matter back into the tissues again.
Moreover, drugs have no effect on the duration of the cold. It has been aptly said that a cold can be cured in a week by taking medicines,otherwise it will subside in seven days.
The only real treatment for colds is a proper diet. The best way to begin the treatment is to put the patient on a fast for two days. Nothing should be taken during this period except warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey or fruit juice and hot water. A liquid diet of fruit juice inlarge amounts is necessary to neutralise the acid condition of the blood and hot drinks are needed to help clear the kidneys. Pineapple juice in particular is highly beneficial. A warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during this period.
The short juice fast may be followed by an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three days. IN this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples,pears, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple, peaches, melon or any other juicy fruit in season.
Bananas, dried or stewed or tinned fruits, should not be taken. No other foodstuff should be added to the diet as otherwise the whole value of the treatment is lost.
After the exclusive fruit diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits. It is advisable to avoid meat, fish, eggs, cheese and starchy foods for a few days.
The patient should strengthen the system as a whole by taking a diet which supplies all the vitamins and minerals the body needs. Vitamin C, however, heads the list of these nutrients. It protects one against infection and acts as a harmless antibiotics. It is found in citrus fruits,green leafy vegetables, sprouted Bengal and green grams.
According to Dr. Linus Pauling, a noble prize-winning scientist, the regular use of this vitamin in the optimum daily amount will prevent the common cold and if a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that one to two grams or 100 mg. to 200 mg. per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin. His advice is to swallow one or two 500 mg. tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking an additional tablet every hour.
Lime is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is highly beneficial in all types of cold and fevers. It should be taken well diluted. Vitamin C-rich lime juice increases resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. Lime juice should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoonful of honey should be added to it. It forms an ideal remedy for a cold and dry cough.
Garlic soup is an ancient remedy to reduce the severity of cold. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties besides several other medicinal virtues. The volatile oil in garlic flushes out the system of all toxins and thus helps bring down fever. Garlic oil combined with onion juice, diluted with water and drunk several times a day, has also been found in several studies to be extremely effective in the treatment of the common cold.
Ginger is also an excellent food remedy for colds and coughs. Ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water; it should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. It should be drunk while it is still hot, in case of colds. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold.
Turmeric, with its antiseptic properties, is an effective remedy for cold and throat irritations. Half a teaspoonful of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 grams of warm milk is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and will bring quicker relief.
Water Treatment
A hot water bath, if it can be taken without undue exposure, is recommended as it helps relieve much of the congestion in the chest and nasal membranes. Hot packs or fomentations are excellent for treating chest and head colds. Steam bath, hot foot bath and hot hip bath are also beneficial as they stimulate perspiration. Steam inhalation will help relieve the congestion of the nasal tissues. Gargling with hot water mixed with salt is beneficial for a sore throat. Cold chest packs should be applied two or three times a day as they will relieve congestion of lungs and help in eliminating the accumulated mucus.
Other useful measures in the treatment of common cold are mild sunbath, fresh air and deep breathing, brisk walks, sound sleep, adjustment of one’s clothes and habits to the requirements of the season, so as to nullify the effect of weather fluctuations.
Yogasanas like bhujangasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, and yogamudra in vajrasana, yogic kriyas such as jalneti and vamandhouti and pranayamas such as kapalbhati, anuloma- viloma and suryabhedana are beneficial in the treatment of the common cold.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis refers to the inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin transparent membrane covering the front of the eye. It is also known as “sore eyes “and is a very common form of eye trouble. It spreads from person to person through direct contract. Overcrowding, dirty surroundings and unhealthy living conditions can cause epidemics of this ailment.
Symptoms
The eyeball and under side of the eyelids become inflamed. At first, the eyes are red, dry and burning. Later, there may be a watery secretion. IN more serious cases, there is pus formation.
During sleep, this material dries, making the eye-lashes stick together.
Causes
Medical science believes that conjunctivitis results from bacterial infection, viruses or eye-strain.
Prolonged work under artificial light and excessive use of the eyes in one way or the other no doubt contributes towards the disease. But its real cause can be traced to a catarrh a condition of the system resulting from general toxaemia due to dietetic errors and faulty style of living.
The patient generally suffers from colds or other ailments indicative of a general catarrhal condition.
The Cure
The treatment of conjunctivitis through salves and ointments does not cure the disease. To be effective, treatment must be constitutional. A thorough cleansing of the system and adoption of natural laws in diet and general living alone can help eliminate conjunctivitis.
The best way to commence the treatment is to adopt an exclusive fresh fruit diet for about seven days. The diet may consist of fresh juicy fruits in season such as apple, orange, pears, grapes, pineapple and grapefruit. Banana should, however, not be taken. No other foodstuff should be added to this diet.
Those who have a serious trouble should undertake a juice fast for three or four days. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange, in a glass of warm water, if desired, every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nothing else should be taken as otherwise the value of the fast will be lost.
If orange juice disagrees, carrot juice may be taken. A warm water enema should be taken daily during the period of fasting.
The short juice fast may be followed by an all-fruit diet for further seven days. Thereafter, the patient may adopt a general diet scheme on the following lines:-
Breakfast: Any fresh fruits in season, except bananas.
Lunch: Large mixed raw vegetable salad with whole meat bread or chapatis and butter.
Dinner: Two or three steamed vegetables, other than potatoes, with nuts and fresh fruit.
The patient should avoid an excessive intake of starchy and sugary foods in the form of white bread, refined cereals, potatoes, puddings, pies, pastry, sugar, jams and confectionery, which cause the general catarrhal condition as well as conjunctivitis. He should also avoid the intake of excessive quantities of meat and other protein and fatty foods, strong tea and coffee, too much salt, condiments and sauces. Raw juices of certain vegetables, especially carrots, and spinach, have been found valuable in the treatment of conjunctivitis. The combined juices of these two vegetables have proved very effective. 200 ml. of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml. of carrot juice in this combination.
Vitamin A and B2 have also been found valuable in the treatment of conjunctivitis. The patient should take liberal quantities of natural foods rich in these two vitamins. Valuable sources of vitamin A are: whole milk, curds, butter, carrots, pumpkin, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes and papaya. Foods rich in vitamin B2 are green leafy vegetables, milk, almonds, citrus fruits, bananas and tomatoes.
As regards local treatment to the eyes themselves, a cold foment renders almost immediate relief by chasing away an overactive local blood supply. The procedure is as follows: Fold a small hand towel. Saturate it with cold water. Squeeze out excess water and mould toweling gently over both eyes. Cover it with a piece of warm cloth to retain the temperature.
Repeat the process as soon as the foment gets warmed. Carry out the procedure for one hour.
After terminating the wet pack, treatment cover the eyes with a dry towel. Lie back and relax.
The damaged eye tissues will quickly return to normal. The treatment should be repeated every night for a week, even though the problem may clear up with the first treatment itself.
Eye exercises
The eye muscle exercises outlined in chapter 33 on cataract and palming outlined in on defective vision are also beneficial in the treatment of conjunctivitis.
Constipation
Constipation is a common disturbance of the digestive tract, in this condition, the bowels do not move regularly, or are not completely emptied when they move.
Constipation is the chief cause of many diseases as such a condition produces toxins which find their way into the blood stream and are carried to all parts of the body. This results in weakening of the vital organs and lowering of the resistance of the entire system. Appendicitis, rheumatism, arthritis, high blood pressure, cataract and cancer are only a few of the diseases in which chronic constipation is an important predisposing factor.
The number of motions required for normal health varies from person to person. Most people have one motion a day, some have two a day, while others have one every other day. However, for comfort and health, at least one clear bowel movement a day is essential and considered normal.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of constipation are infrequency, irregularity or difficulty of elimination due to hard faecal matter. Among the other symptoms are a coated tongue, foul breath, loss of appetite, headache, dizziness, dark circles under the eyes, depression, nausea, pimples on the face, ulcer in the mouth, constant fullness in the abdomen, diarrhoea alternating with constipation, varicose veins, pain in the lumber region, acidity, heart burn, and insomnia.
Causes
The most important causes for chronic constipation are wrong diet and a faulty style of living. All foods in their natural state contain a good percentage of ‘ropughage’ which is most essential in preserving natural balance of foods and also in helping peristalsis – the natural rhythmic action by means of which the food is passed down the alimentary canal. Much of the food we eat today is very deficient in natural bulk or roughage and this results in chronic constipation.
Intake of refined and rich food lacking in vitamins and minerals, insufficient intake of water, consumption of meat in large quantities, excessive use of strong tea and coffee, insufficient chewing, overeating and wrong combination of foods, irregular habits of eating and drinking may all contribute to poor bowel function. Other causes include faulty and irregular habit of defeacation, frequent use of purgatives, weakness of abdominal muscles due to sedentary habits, lack of physical activity and emotional stress and strain.
Diseases such as tumours or growths, a sluggish liver, colitis, spastic condition of the intestine, hyperacidity, diseases of the rectum and colon, bad teeth, uterine diseases, diabetes, use of certain drugs for treating other ailments, abnormal condition of the lower spine and enlargement of the prostate glands can also cause chronic constipation.
Treatment
The most important factor in curing constipation is a natural and simple diet. This should consist of unrefined food such as whole grain celerals, bran, honey, molasses, and lentills; green and leafy vegetables, especially spinach, french beans, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels, sprouts, celery, turnip, pumpkin, peas, beets, asparagus, carrot; fresh fruits, especially pears, grapes, figs, papayas, mangoes, grapefruit, gooseberries, guava and oranges; dry fruits such as figs, raisins, apricots and dates; milk products in the form of butter, ghee and cream.
The diet alone is not enough. Food should be properly chewed-each morsel for at least 15 times.
Hurried meals and meals at odd times should be avoided. Sugar and sugary foods should be strictly avoided because sugar steals B vitamins from the body, without which the intestines cannot function normally. Foods which constipate are all products made of white flour, rice, bread, pulses, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, fleshy foods, preserves, white sugar and hard-boiled eggs.
Regular drinking of water is beneficial not only for constipation but also for cleaning the system, diluting the blood and washing out poisons. Normally six to eight glasses of water should be taken daily as it is essential for digesting and dissolving food nutrients so that they can be absorbed and utilised by the body. Water should, however, not be taken with meals as it dilutes the gastric juices essential for proper digestion. Water should be taken either half an hour before or an hour after meals.
Generally all fruits, except banana and jack fruit, are beneficial in the treatment of constipation.
Certain fruits are however, more effective. Bael fruit is regarded as best of all laxatives. It cleans and tones up the intestines. Its regular use for two or three months throws out even the old accumulated faecal matter. Though generally used to check diarrhoea, bael contains both laxative and constipative properties. It hardens the stools when they are loose and serves as a laxative when the bowels are constipated. It should be preferably used in its original form and before dinner. About 60 grams of the fruit will suffice for an adult.
Pears are regarded the next best fruit beneficial in the treatment of constipation. Patients suffering from chronic constipation should better adopt an exclusive diet of this fruit or its juice for few days, but in ordinary cases a medium-sized pear taken after dinner or with breakfast will have the desired effect. The same is true of guava which, when eaten with seeds, gives roughage to the diet and helps in the normal evacuation of the bowels.
Grapes have also proved highly beneficial in overcoming constipation. The combination of the properties of the cellulose, sugar and organic acid in grapes make them a laxative food. Their field of action is not limited to clearing the bowels only. They also tone up the stomach and intestines and relieve the most chronic constipation. One should take atleast 350 grams of grapes daily to achieve the desired results. When fresh grapes are not available, raisins soaked in water can be used. Raisins should be soaked in a tumblerful of drinking water for 24 to 48 hours. This would swell them to the original size of the grapes. The raisins should be eaten early in the morning. The water in which raisins are soaked should be drunk along with the soaked raisins.
Drinking hot water with sour lime juice and half a teaspoon of salt is also an effective remedy for constipation. Drinking water which has been kept overnight in a copper vessel, the first thing in the morning will bring good results. Linseed is extremely useful in difficult cases of constipation.
A teaspoon of linseed swallowed with water before each meal provides both bulk and lubrication.
In all ordinary cases of constipation, an exclusive fruit diet for about seven days would be the best way to begin the treatment. For long-standing and stubborn cases, it should be advisable to have a short fast for four or five days. This will drive out the packed contents of the bowels, eliminate toxins and purify the blood stream. Weak patients may take orange juice during the period of fasting. After the all-fruit diet or the short fast, as the case may be, the patient should gradually embark upon a balanced diet comprising adequate raw foods, ripe fruits and whole grain cereals. It some cases, further short periods on fruits or short fasts may be necessary at intervals of two months or so, depending on the progress being made. The bowels should be cleansed daily through a warm water enema for a few days at the commencement of the treatment.
A cold friction bath taken daily in the morning can help cure constipation. An alternate hot and cold hit bath taken before retiring to bed is also beneficial. Abdominal exercise and manual or mechanical vibratory massage have a refreshing and stimulating effect in many cases.
Toning up the muscles also helps in the treatment of constipation. Fresh air, outdoor games, walking, swimming, gardening and exercise play an important role in strengthening and activating the muscles, thereby preventing constipation.
Certain yogic asanas also help to bring relief from constipation as they strengthen the abdominal and pelvic muscles and stimulate the peristalic action of the bowels.
These asanas are:
bhujansana, shalabhasana, yogamudra, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimotanasana.
Pranayamas such as anuloma-viloma and bhastrika and jalaneti kriys are also helpful.
Dandruff
Dandruff refers to the flaking scalp which falls like a snow flakes and settles on one’s brows, shoulders and clothes, but assumes an unpleasant, irritating condition associated with bacteria, in the case of excessive formation of scales on the scalp. These scales are formed from the horny layer of the skin.
Symptoms
The scaliness increases whenever the hair is brushed or rubbed. It may also appear as lumps or crusts on the scalp. Often there is itching as well, and the scalp may become red from scratching.
Causes
The main causes of dandruff are: impairment of general health, toxic condition of the system brought on mainly by wrong feeding, constipation and lowered vitality due to infectious diseases.
Other factors contributing to dandruff are emotional tension, harsh shampoos, exposure to cold and general exhaustion.
Treatment
Numerous medicated shampoos are available in the market for the treatment of dandruff. Most of these, however, in the process of curing the disorder, cause irreparable damage to the hair roots because of the synthetic ingredients contained in them. The treatment of dandruff has to be constitutional, if a permanent cure is desired.
The foremost consideration in the treatment of this disorder is to keep the hair and scalp clean so as to minimise the accumulation of dead cells. The hair should be brushed daily to improve the circulation and remove any flakiness. The most effective way to brush the hair is to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the ground, and brush from the nape of the neck towards the top of the head. Short or shoulder-length hair can be brushed right from the roots to the ends in one stroke. In the case of long hair, two strokes would be best to avoid stretching the hair.
The scalp should also be thoroughly massaged every day, using one’s finger tips and working systematically over the head. This should be done just before or after brushing the hair. Like brushing, this stimulators the circulation, dislodges dirt and dandruff and encourages hair growth. For a proper massage, spread your fingers fanwise and slip them through the hair. With your thumb pressed behind your ears, press down on your scalp with your fingertips. Now rotate your fingers so that they move the scalp over the bony structure of the head. You will feel your skin move and the scalp tingle. Move up an inch at a time until you have covered the whole head. It is a very simple procedure, and takes only a few minutes to perform.
Several home remedies have been found useful in the treatment of dandruff. The use of fenugreek (methi) seeds is one such remedy. Two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be soaked overnight in water. The softer seeds should be ground into a fine paste in the morning.
This paste should be applied all over the scalp and left for half-an hour. The hair should then be washed thoroughly with soap nut (ritha) solution or shikakai.
The use of a teaspoon of fresh lime juice for the last rinse, while washing hair, is equally beneficial. This not only leaves the hair glowing but also removes stickiness and prevents dandruff. Washing the hair twice a week with green gram powder in curd is another useful prescription.
Dandruff can be removed by massaging one’s hair or half-an- hour with curd which has been kept in the open for three days, or with a few drops of lime juice mixed with amla juice every night, before going to bed. Another measure which helps to counteract dandruff is to dilute cider vinegar with an equal quantity of water and dab this on to the hair with cotton wool in between shampooing. Cider vinegar added to the final rinsing water after shampooing also helps to disperse dandruff.
Diet plays an important role in the treatment of dandruff. To begin with, the patient should resort to all-fruit diet for about five days. In this regimen, there should be three meals a day, consisting of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, pineapple and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, strewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Only unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk. During this period, a warm water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.
After the all-fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well- balanced diet. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables; sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, particularly millet and brown rice. Further short periods on the all-fruits diet for three days or so may be necesssary at a monthly interval, till the skin’s condition improves.
Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein, and fatty foods should be restricted. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods -all these should be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.
Exposure of the head to the rays of the sun is also a useful measure in the treatment of dandruff.
Simultaneously, an attempt should be made to keep the body in good health. This also helps clear dandruff.
Dandruff 2
Dandruff is a common scalp condition characterized by white flakes on the scalp.
Dandruff is also known as seborrheic dermatitis. With dandruff, there is inflammation of the superficial layers of the skin, causing scales on the scalp and other parts of the body.
The mild scalp inflammation is caused by the body’s reaction to the Pityrosporum yeast and to products that break down oils.
Some holistic practitioners believe that dandruff is dependent on the health of the entire body, particularly the digestive system.
Diet
Fried foods should be avoided. Reduce intake of fats, dairy products, sugars, chocolate, seafood, and peanuts. Increase green leafy vegetables and raw foods. Eat a whole foods diet.
Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins
Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps to break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is sold in supplement form and is found naturally in foods too. Food sources of biotin include brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast, whole grains, nuts, egg yolks, sardines, liver, cauliflower, bananas, and mushrooms.
Other nutritional supplements used for dandruff are:
• Vitamin B complex, especially vitamin B1 and B2
• Vitamin A
• Omega fatty acids, especially omega-6
• Zinc
Topical Remedies
Grapefruit seed extract – A few drops of grapefruit seed extract can be added to shampoo.
Tea tree oil – Look for a tea tree oil shampoo or add a few drops of tea tree oil to shampoo.
Apple cider vinegar – Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water. Pour into spray bottle and spritz it onto your hair and scalp. Make sure to avoid the eyes and wrap your head in a towel. Remove after 15 minutes to one hour and wash hair. Use once to twice a week. This is a popular home remedy for dandruff.
Selenium-based shampoo – Selenium acts as an anti-fungal agent.
Flaxseed oil or vitamin E oil – Apply these oils to the scalp nightly and wash off in the morning.
They can soothe and nourish the scalp. Use an old sheet or towel to protect your pillow.
Symptoms
Dandruff develops gradually. White or yellow (greasy) flakes appear on the hair and scalp, which may be accompanied by itching and redness. There is no hair loss.
People with the severe form of this condition may have yellow or red scaling pimples on the hairline, behind the ears, in the ear, or in the creases beside the nose. Factors that worsen dandruff are:
• Genetics: Dandruff tends to run in families
• Stress, emotional and physical
• Climate (worse in the winter)
Dandruff may proceed or be associated with development of psoriasis. People with neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, or HIV may have severe dandruff or other forms of seborrheic dermatitis.
Defective Vision
Defective vision is a common problem nowadays. The main reasons for eye defects are reading in bad light (either too dim or excessively bright), excessive reading, reading in moving trains,buses or cars, watching too much television, seeing too many films, and eating artificial food. The popular belief that the use of spectacles can rectify all cases of defective vision is based on the assumption that such defects are caused by permanent changes in the eyes. This assumption is not correct as defective vision results from functional derangements which can be rectified by simple natural methods of treatment.
Persons who are prescribed glasses are told that they should avoid taking them off because of the danger of eye strain and that they should always look straight through the centre of the lens.
So, when looking in other directions they do not move their eye balls and eye muscles as is natural, but instead move head up and down or sideways. Thus, constant use of glasses throws the whole natural process of vision out of gear and causes ‘parking’ of the eyes. Gradually, the muscles of the eyes degenerate through non-use. Moreover, the use of glasses results in a reduction of blinking which is a movement intended to assist and preserve eye sight. Wearing glasses for many years results in stiff, dull-looking eyes without any sparkle.
Causes
The three chief causes of defective vision are mental strain, wrong diet and improper blood and nerve supply.
Mental strain:
i.
Dr. W.H. Bates, the founder of revolutionary methods of eye treatment, considers mental strain to be the cause of all defects of vision, which puts corresponding physical strain on the eyes, their muscles and nerves. In his opinion the lesser defects are mainly due to mental strain owing to over work, fear, anxiety, etc. In pursuance of this theory, Dr. Bates has concentrated his efforts on methods of treatment which will remove the condition of mental strain.
Wrong Feeding:
ii.
The eye is a part of the body and as such must share in any condition affecting the system. Most of the diseases affecting the eyes are symptoms of a general toxemic condition of the body due mainly to excessive starch, sugar and protein ingestion.
The muscles and blood vessels surrounding the eyes share in the clogging process taking place over the body due to improper metabolism caused by an imbalanced and too-concentrated diet.
Improper blood and nerve supply:
iii.
The eyes need to be properly supplied with blood
and nerve force for proper vision. Any factor capable of interfering either with the blood vessels or with the nerves of the eyes could cause defective vision. The muscles covering the upper portion of the spine at the back of the neck are the main seat of the mechanical interference with the blood and nerve supply to the eyes.
The Cure
Eye exercise: The following exercises will loosen the strained and contracted muscles surrounding the eyes:
Keep your head still and relaxed. Gently move the eyes up and down six times. Repeat i.
the same movement twice or thrice at two-second intervals The eyes should move slowly and regularly as far down as possible and then as far up as possible.
Move the eyes from side to side as far as possible, without any force or effort six times.
ii.
Repeat two or three times.
Hold the index finger of your right hand about eight inches in front of the eyes, then look iii.
from the finger to any other large object ten or more feet away – the door or window will do. Look from one to the other ten times. Do this exercise fairly rapidly.
Move the eyes up gently and slowly in a circle, then move them low in the reverse iv.
direction. Do this four times in all. Rest for a second and repeat the movements two or three times, using minimum efforts. All eye muscle exercises should be performed while seated in a comfortable position.
Neck Exercises: Rotate the neck.
in circles and semi circles.
.
move the shoulders clockwise and anti-clockwise brisky, drawing them up as far as b.
possible several times, allow the head to draw forward and backward as far as possible, c.
Turn the head to the right and left as far as possible several times. These exercises help d.
to loosen up contracted neck muscles which may restrict blood supply to the head.
Sun gazing: Sit on a bench facing the sun with your eyes closed and gently sway sideways several times for 18 minutes. Open the eyes and blink about ten times at the sun and look at some greenery. This helps shortsight and is good for inflamed eyes.
Splashing: Splash plain, cold water several times on closed eyes. Rub the closed lids briskly for a minute with a clean towel. This cools the eyes and boosts blood supply.
Palming: Sit comfortably in an armchair or on a settee and relax with your eyes closed. Cover your eyes with your palsm, right palm over the right eye and left over the left eye. Do not, however, press down on the eyes. With your eyes completely covered in this manner, allow your elbows to drop to your knees, which should be fairly close together. With your eyes closed thus, try to imagine blackness, which grows blacker and blacker. Palming reduces strain and relaxes the eyes and its surrounding tissues.
Swinging: Stand with your feet 12 inches apart, hands held loosely at the sides, the whole body and mind relaxed. Gently sway your body from side to side, slowly, steadily, with the heels rising alternatively but not the rest of the foot. Imagine you are the pendulum of the clock, and move just as slowly. Swinging should be done in front of a window or a picture. You will see the object moving in the opposite direction of your swing. This must be noted and encouraged.
When you face one endof the window or object, blink once. This exercise has a very beneficial effect upon the eyes and nervous system.
Diet
Natural, uncooked foods are the best diet. These include fresh fruits, such as oranges, apples, grapes,peaches, plums, cherries; green vegetable like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, turnip tops; root vegetables like potatoes, turnips, carrot, onions and beetroots; nuts, dried fruits and dairy products.
Cereals are also necessary, but they should only be consumed sparingly. Genuine wholemeal bread is the best and most suitable. Nans, cakes, pastries, white sugar, white bread, confectionary, tea, coffee, etc., together with meat, fish, or eggs, soon play havoc with the digestion and the body.
The value of vitamin A for improving vision must be stressed. The intake of sufficient quantities of this vitamin is essential as a safeguard against or treatment of defective vision or eye disease of any kind. The best sources of this vitamin are cod liver oil, raw spinach, turnip tops, cream, cheese, butter, egg yolk, tomatoes, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, soya beans, green peas, wheat germ,fresh milk, oranges and dates.
Yogic exercises:
The four yogic exercises prescribed for strengthening the optic nerve known as ‘trataka’ as explained in chapter 7 on yoga therapy should be practised daily. Certain yogasanas such as bhujangasana, shalabhasana, yogamudra, paschimottan asana and kriyas like jalneti are also beneficial for the eyes.
Depression
Depression is the most prevalent of all the emotional disorders. This may vary from feelings of slight sadness to utter misery and dejection. It brings together a variety of physical and psychological symptoms which together constitute a syndrome.
Depression is the most unpleasant experience a person can endure. It is far more difficult to cope with than a physical ailment. The growing complexities of modern life and the resultant crisis, as well as mental stress and strain in day to day living, usually leads to this disorder. It also arises out of the monotony and drudgery of a daily routine, without any meaningful variation in urban life. Suicide is the major risk in extreme cases of depression.
Symptoms
It is not always easy to diagnose depression clinically. The most striking symptoms of depression are feelings of acute sense of loss and inexplicable sadness, loss of energy and loss of interest. The patient usually feels tired and lacks interest in the world around him. Sleep disturbance is frequent. Usually the patient wakes up depressed at 4 or 5 in the morning and is unable to return to sleep. Other disturbed sleep patterns are difficulty in getting off to sleep on going to bed at night, nightmares and repeated waking from midnight onwards.
The patient often suffers from guilt, oppressive feelings and self-absorption. Other symptoms of depression are: loss of appetite, gidiness, itching, nausea, agitation, irritability, impotence or frigidity, constipation, aches and pains all over the body, lack of concentration and lack of power of decision. Some persons may lose interest in eating and suffer from rapid loss of weight while others may resort to frequent eating and as a result gain in weight.
Cases of severe depression may be characterized by low body temperature, low blood pressure, hot flushes and shivering.
The external manifestations represent a cry for help from the tormented mind of the depressed persons. The severely depressed patient feels worthless and is finally convinced that he himself is responsible for his undoing and his present state of hopeless despair.
Causes
Depleted functioning of the adrenal glands is one of the main causes of mental depression.
Irregular diet habits cause digestive problems and lead to the assimilation of fats. An excess of carbohydrates like cereals, white sugar, coffee, tea, chocolates and comparatively less quantities of vegetables and fruits in the diet may result in indigestion. Due to indigestion, gases are produced in the digestive tract, causing compression over the diaphragm in the region of the heart and lungs. This in turn, reduces the supply of oxygen to the tissues, which raises the carbon dioxide level, causing general depression.
The excessive and indiscriminate use of drugs also leads to faulty assimilation of vitamins and minerals by the body and ultimately causes depression. The use of aspirin leads to deficiencies of vitamin C and antacids can cause deficiencies of calcium and vitamin B. Diabetes, low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and weakness of the liver resulting from the use of refined or processed foods, fried foods and an excessive intake of fats may also lead to depression.
The Cure
The modern medical system treats depression with anti- depression drugs which provide temporary relief but have harmful side-effects and do not remove the causes or prevent its recurrence. The harmful side-effects include gross liver damage, hypersensitivity, insomnia, hallucinations, a confused state, convulsions, a fall in blood pressure which brings on headaches and dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty in inhaling and urine retention. The plan of action for self-treatment of depression consists of regulating the diet, exercise, scientific relaxation and meditation.
Diet has a profound effect on the mental health of a person. Even a single nutritional deficiency can cause depression in susceptible people. Dr. Pricilla, associate clinical professor at the University of California, prescribes nutritional therapy to build up brain chemicals, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, that affect mood and are often lacking in depressed people. She recommends eating foods rich in B vitamins, such as whole grains, green vegetables, eggs and fish.
The diet of persons suffering from depression should completely exclude tea, coffee, alcohol, chocolate and cola, all white flour products,sugar, food colourings, chemical additives, white rice and strong condiments. The diet should be restricted to three meals. Fruits can be taken in the morning for breakfast with milk and a handful of nuts and seeds. Lunch may consist of steamed vegetables, whole wheat chappatis and a glass of butter-milk. For dinner, green vegetable salad and all available sprouts such as alfalfa seeds, mung, cottage cheese or a glass of butter-milk would be ideal.
Activity and Exercise
The depressive mood can be overcome by activity. Those who are depressive will forget their misery by doing something. They should turn away from themselves and consider others. At home they can take to decorating, repairing or constructing something new. The pleasure of achievement overcomes the distress of misery.
Exercise also plays an important role in the treatment of depression. It not only keep the body physically and mentally fit but also provides recreation and mental relaxation. It is nature’ best tranquiliser. According to Dr. Robert Brown, a clinical associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, “Exercise produces chemical and psychological changes that improves your mental health. It changes the levels of hormones in blood and may elevate your beta-endorphins( mood-affecting brain chemicals). Exercise may also improve the function of the autonomic nervous system. “
Exercise also gives a feeling of accomplishment and thus reduces the sense of helplessness.
Some form of active exercise, must be undertaken each day at a regular hour. To be really useful, exercise should be taken in such a manner as to bring into action all the muscles of the body in a natural way. Walking is one such exercise. It is, however, so gentle in character that one must walk several kilometers in a brisk manner to constitute a fair amount of exercise. Yogic asanas such as vakrasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, halasana, paschimottanasana, sarvangasana and shavasana and pranayamas like kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma and bhastrika are highly beneficial in the treatment of depression.
Relaxation and Meditation
The patient must gain control over his nervous system and channelise his mental and emotional activities into restful harmonius vibrations. This can be achieved by ensuring sufficient rest and sleep under right conditions. He must also learn the art of scientific relaxation and meditation which will go a long way in curing depression.
Relaxation enables the muscles to work more efficiently and eliminates fatigue by promoting venous blood circulation throughout the body. The best method of relaxation is to practice shavasana or the ‘ded pose.’ The procedure for this asana has been outlined in chapter 7 on yoga therapy.
Meditation involves training the mind to remain fixed on a certain external or internal location. All the mental faculties should be directed, without cessation, towards the object of meditation. It can be achieved by constant practice. It will be advisable to meditate on God or Atman as one becomes imbued with the quality of the object on which one meditates.
Meditation will help create an amount of balance in the nervous system. This would enable the glands to return to a correct state of hormonal balance and thereby overcome the feeling of depression. Regularity of time, place and practice are very important in meditation. Regularity conditions the mind to slowing down its activities with a minimum delay. The most effective times are early dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is serene and peaceful.
A neutral immersion bath for one hour daily is also helpful in the treatment of depression. This bath is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connections. The patient should lie in the tub after filling it with water at a temperature ranging from 92 o to 98 o F. The head should be kept cold with a cold compress.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a nutritional disorders, characterized by an abnormally elevated level of blood glucose and by the excretion of the excess glucose in the urine. It results from an absolute or relative lack of insulin which leads to abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism as well as in the metabolism of protein and fat.
Diabetes is a disease known to the medical world since time immemorial. Its incidence is, however, much higher at present than ever in the past. This is especially true in case of more advanced countries of the world due to widespread affluence and more generous food supply.
The most commonly-used screening tests are the determination of the fasting blood glucose level and the two-hour postprandial, that is after a meal. The normal fasting blood sugar content is 80 to 120 mg. per 100 ml. of blood and this can go up to a level of 180 mg. per 100 ml. of blood two hours after meals. Anything above these norms can be termed diabetic levels.
Diabetes occurs in all age groups, from young infants to the elderly. The greatest incidence occurs in middle or older aged persons. It is estimated that 80 to 85 per cent of all individuals with diabetes mellitus are 45 years of age or older.
Symptoms
The word diabetes is derived from the Greek word meaning “to siphon to pass through “, and mellitus comes from the Latin word “honey “. Thus two characteristic symptoms, namely, copious urination and glucose in the urine give the name to the disease. The normal volume of urine passed daily is about one and a half litres. The urine is of a pale colour, has an acidic reaction and sweetish odour. The quantity of sugar present in it varies from one-and-quarter decigram to two and-a-half grams the total per day in many cases reaching as much as one kg in 15 litres of urine.
A diabetic feels hungry and thirsty most of the time, does not put on weight, though he eats every now and then, and gets tired easily, both physically and mentally. He looks pale, may suffer from anaemia, constipation, intense itching around the genital organs, palpitations and general weakness. He feels drowsy and has a lower sex urge than a normal person.
Causes
Diabetes has been described by most biological doctors as a “prosperity “disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating and consequent obesity. Not only the overeating of sugar and refined carbohydrate but also of proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar if taken in excess, is harmful and may result in diabetes. Too much food taxes the pancreas and eventually paralyses its normal activity. It has been estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times higher in persons of moderate obesity and 30 times higher in persons of severe obesity.
Grief, worry and anxiety also have a deep influence on the metabolism and may cause sugar to appear in the urine. The disease may be associated with some other grave organic disorders like cancer, tuberculosis and cerebral disease. Heredity is also a major factor in the development of the disease. It has been rightly said, “Heredity is like a cannon and obesity pulls the trigger. “
Treatment
Any successful method of diabetes treatment should aim at removal of the actual cause of the disease and building up of the whole health-level of the patient. Diet plays a vital role in such a treatment. The primary dietary consideration for a diabetic patient is that he should be a strict lacto-vegetarian and take a low-calorie, low-fat, alkaline diet of high quality natural foods. Fruits, nuts and vegetables, whole meal bread and dairy products form a good diet for the diabetic.
These foods are best eaten in as dry a condition as possible to ensure thorough salivation during the first part of the process of digestion.
Cooked starchy foods should be avoided as in the process of cooking the cellulose envelops of the starch granules burst and consequently, the starch is far too easily absorbed in the system.
The excess absorbed has to be got rid of by the kidneys and appears as sugar in the urine. With raw starchy foods, however, the saliva and digestive juices in the small intestine regulate the quantities required to be changed into sugar for the body’s needs. The unused and undigested portion of raw starchy foods does not become injurious to the system, as it does not readily ferment.
The diabetic should not be afraid to eat fresh fruits and vegetables which contain sugar and starch. Fresh fruits contain sugar fructose, which does not need insulin for its metabolism and is well tolerated by diabetics. Fats and oils should be taken sparingly, for they are apt to lower the tolerance for proteins and starches. Emphasis should be on raw foods as they stimulate and increase insulin production. For protein, home- made cottage cheese, various forms of soured milks and nuts are best. The patient should avoid overeating and take four or five small meals a day rather than three large ones.
The following diet should serve as a guideline.
Upon arising: A glass of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Breakfast: Any fresh fruit with the exception of bananas, soaked prunes, a small quantity of whole meal bread with butter and fresh milk.
Lunch: Steamed or lightly cooked green vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, turnip, asparagus and mushrooms, two or three whole wheat chapatis according to appetite and a glass of butter-milk or curd.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
Dinner: A large bowl of salad made up of all the raw vegetables in season. The salad may be followed by a hot course, if desired, and fresh home-made cottage cheese.
Bedtime Snack: A glass of fresh milk.
Flesh foods find no place in this regimen, for they increase the toxaemic condition underlying the diabetic state and reduce the sugar tolerance. On the other hand, a non-stimulating vegetarian diet, especially one made up of raw foods, promotes and increases sugar tolerance.
Celery, cucumbers, string beans, onion and garlic are especiallybeneficial. String bean pod tea is an excellent natural substitute for insulin and highly beneficial in diabetes. The skin of the pods of green beans are extremely rich in silica and certain hormone substances which are closely related to insulin. One cup of string bean tea is equal to one unit of insulin. Cucumbers contain a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin. Onion and garlic have proved beneficial in reducing blood sugar in diabetes.
Recent scientific investigations have established that bitter gourd (karela) is highly beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It contains an insulin-like principle, known as plant-insulin which has been found effective in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be included liberally in the diet of the diabetic. For better results, the diabetic should take the juice of about 4 or 5 fruits every morning on an empty stomach. The seeds of bitter gourd can be added to food in a powdered form. Diabetics can also use bitter gourd in the form of decoction by boiling the pieces in water or in the form of dry powder.
Another effective home remedy is jambul fruit known as jamun in the vernacular. It is regarded in traditional medicine as a specific against diabetes because of its effect on the pancreas. The fruits as such, the seeds and fruit juice are all useful in the treatment of this disease. The seeds contain a glucoside ‘jamboline’ which is believed to have power to check the pathological conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. They should be dried and powdered. This powder should be taken mixed in milk, curd or water.
The patient should avoid tea, coffee and cocoa because of their adverse influence on the digestive tract. Other foods which should be avoided are white bread, white flour products, sugar tinned fruits, sweets, chocolates, pastries, pies, puddings, refined cereals and alcoholic drinks.
The most important nutrient in the treatment of diabetes is manganese which is vital in the production of natural insulin. It is found in citrus fruits, in the outer covering of nuts, grains and in the green leaves of edible plants. Other nutrients of special value are zinc, B complex vitamins and poly-unsaturated fatty acids.
Exercise is also an important factor in the treatment of diabetes. Light games, jogging and swimming are recommended. Yogic asanas such as bhujangasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, paschimottanasana, sarvangasna, halasana, ardha-matsyendrasana and shavasana, yogic krisyas like jalneti and kunajl and pranayamas such as kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma and ujjai are highly beneficial.
Hydrotherapy and colonic irrigations form a very important part of treatment. The colon should be thoroughly cleansed every second day or so, until the bowel discharge assumes normal characteristics. Bathing in cold water greatly increases the circulation and enhances the capacity of the muscles to utilise sugar.
The diabetic patient should eliminate minor worries from his daily life. He must endeavor to be more easy-going and should not get unduly worked up by the stress and strain of life.
Diabetes:
Type 1 and Type 2
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s own immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells).
Normally, the body’s immune system fights off foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. But for unknown reasons, in people with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks various cells in the body. This results in a complete deficiency of the insulin hormone.
Some people develop a type of diabetes – called secondary diabetes –, which is similar to type 1 diabetes, but the beta cells are not destroyed by the immune system but by some other factor, such as cystic fibrosis or pancreatic surgery.
The Causes for Type 1 Diabetes
Doctors do not know all the factors that lead to type 1 diabetes. Clearly, the susceptibility to the condition can be inherited.
Doctors have identified that an environmental trigger plays a role in causing the disease. Type 1 diabetes appears to occur when something in the environment — a toxin or a virus (but doctors aren’t sure) — triggers the immune system to mistakenly attack the pancreas and destroy the beta cells of the pancreas to the point where they can no longer produce sufficient insulin. Markers of this destruction — called autoantibodies — can be seen in most people with type 1 diabetes. In fact, they are present in 85% to 90% of people with the condition when the blood sugars are high.
Because it is an autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes can occur along with other autoimmune diseases such as hyperthyroidism from Grave’s disease or the patchy decrease in skin pigmentation that occurs with vitiligo.
Symptoms
Increased thirst
Increased hunger (especially after eating)
Dry mouth
Nausea and occasionally vomiting
Abdominal pain
Frequent urination
Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry)
Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
Blurred vision
Heavy, labored breathing (Kussmaul respiration)
Frequent infections of the skin, urinary tract or vagina
Signs of an emergency with type 1 diabetes include:
Shaking and confusion
Rapid breathing
Fruity smell to the breath
Abdominal pain
Loss of consciousness (rare)
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, often called non-insulin dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90% – 95% of the 18.2 million people with diabetes.
Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin; however, the insulin their pancreas secretes is either not enough or the body is unable to recognize the insulin and use it properly. This is called insulin-resistance. When there is not enough insulin or the insulin is not used, as it should be, glucose (sugar) cannot get into the body’s cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body’s cells are not able to function properly. Other problems associated with the buildup of glucose in the blood include:
Dehydration: The buildup of sugar in the blood can cause an increase in urination (to try to clear the sugar from the body). When the kidneys lose the glucose through the urine, a large amount of water is also lost, causing dehydration.
Hyperosmolar nonketotic diabetic coma: When a person with type 2 diabetes becomes severely dehydrated and is not able to drink enough fluids to make up for the fluid losses, they may develop this life-threatening complication.
Damage to the body: Over time, the high glucose levels in the blood may damage the nerves and small blood vessels of the eyes, kidneys, and heart and predispose a person to atherosclerosis (hardening) of the large arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke.
Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes?
Anyone can get type 2 diabetes. However, those at highest risk for the disease are those who are obese or overweight, women who have had gestational diabetes, people with family members who have type 2 diabetes and people who have metabolic syndrome (a cluster of problems that include high cholesterol, high triglycerides, low good ‘HDL’ cholesterol and a high bad ‘LDL’ cholesterol and high blood pressure). In addition, older people are more susceptible to developing the disease since aging makes the body less tolerant of sugars.
Causes
Although it is more common than type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is less well understood. It is likely caused by multiple factors and not a single problem. Type 2 diabetes can run in families, but the exact nature of how it is inherited or the identity of a single genetic factor is not known.
Symptoms
The Symptoms of type 2 diabetes vary from person to person but may include:
Increased thirst
Increased hunger (especially after eating)
Dry mouth
Nausea and occasionally vomiting
Frequent urination
Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)
Blurred vision
Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet
Frequent infections of the skin, urinary tract or vagina
Rarely, a person may be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after presenting to the hospital in a diabetic coma.
Treatment
Bitter Gourd
Among the several home remedies that have proved beneficial in controlling diabetes, perhaps the most important is the use of bitter gourd. It has lately been established that bitter gourd contains a hypoglycemic or insulin-like principle, designated as ‘plant insulin’, which has been found valuable in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be included liberally in the diet of the diabetic. For better results, the diabetic should take the juice of about four or five karelas every morning on an empty stomach. The seeds can be added to food in a powdered form. Diabetics can also use bitter gourd in the form of a decoction by boiling the pieces in water or in the form of dry powder.
Indian Gooseberry
Indian gooseberry, with its high vitamin C content, is considered valuable in diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice, mixed with a cup of bitter gourd juice, taken daily for two months, will stimulate the islets of Langerhans, that is, the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin in the pancreas. This mixture reduces the blood sugar in diabetes.
Jambul Fruit
Jambul fruit is another effective home remedy. It is regarded in traditional medicine as a specific against diabetes because of its effect on the pancreas. The fruit as such, the seeds, and fruit juice are all useful in the treatment for this disease. The seeds contain a glucoside ‘jamboline’, which is believed to have the power to check the pathological conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. The seeds should be dried and powdered. One teaspoon of this powder should be mixed in one cup of milk or water or half a cup of curd, and taken twice daily.
The inner bark of the jambul tree is also used in the treatment of diabetes. The bark is dried and burnt. It will produce an ash of white color. This ash should be pest led in mortar, strained and bottled. The diabetic patient should be given ten grams of this ash on an empty stomach with water in the morning, and twenty grams in the afternoon, and in the evening an hour after taking meals. An equal quantity of amla powder, jamun powder, and bitter gourd powder also makes a very useful remedy for diabetes. A teaspoon of this mixture once or twice a day would be effective in checking the progress of the disease.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is a splendid food in the diet of a diabetic patient. If grapefruits were eaten more liberally, there would be much less diabetes. If you have sugar, use three grapefruits three times a day. If you do not have sugar, but a tendency towards it and want to prevent it, use three a day.
Fenugreek
The seeds of fenugreek have been found effective in the treatment of diabetes. Fenugreek seeds, when given in varying doses of 25 gm to 100 gm daily, diminish reactive hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. Levels of glucose, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly reduced in the diabetes patients when the seeds were consumed.
Bengal Gram
Experiments have shown that the intake of water extract of Bengal gram enhances the utilization of glucose in both diabetic and normal persons. When kept on a diet, which included liberal supplements of Bengal gram extract, the condition of tile patient improved considerably and his insulin requirement was reduced to about twenty units per day. Diabetes patients who are on a prescribed diet which does not severely restrict the intake of carbohydrates, but includes liberal amounts of Bengal gram extract, have shown considerable improvement in their fasting blood sugar levels, glucose tolerance, urinary excretion of sugar, and general condition.
Black Gram
For a milder type of diabetes, two tablespoons of germinated black gram, taken with half a cup of fresh bitter gourd juice and a teaspoon of honey, is said to be useful. It should be taken once daily for three to four months. A restriction should be placed on the intake of carbohydrates.
Even in severe cases, regular use of this combination, with other Precautions, is useful as a health-giving food for the Prevention of various complications that may arise due to malnutrition in diabetics.
Mango Leaves
The tender leaves of the mango tree are considered useful in diabetes. An infusion is prepared by soaking 15 gm of fresh leaves in 250 ml of water overnight, and squeezing them well in the water in the morning. This filtrate should be taken every morning to control early diabetes. As an alternative, the leaves should be dried in the shade, powdered and preserved for use when necessary. Half a teaspoon of this powder should be taken twice a day.
Parslane
The seeds of parslane are useful in diabetes. A teaspoon of the seeds should be taken every day with half a cup of water for three to four months. It will increase the body’s own insulin and help in curing diabetes.
Other Foods
Besides bitter gourd, certain other vegetables have been found useful in diabetes.
These include:
String beans
Cucumber
Onion
Garlic
Tea made of the pods of string beans is valuable in diabetes.
Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose or watery unformed stools. As a rough guide it can be said that three or four loose or watery stools a day can be considered as diarrhoea. The disease may be acute or chronic. Commonly known as “loose motion “, it is perhaps the most common disease in India.
The intestine normally gets more than 10 litres of liquid per day which comes from the diet and from secretion of the stomach, liver, pancreas and intestines. In the case of diarrhoea, water is either not absorbed or is secreted in excess by the organs of the body. It is then sent to the colon where water- holding capacity is limited. Thus the urge to defecate comes quite often.
Causes
There are many and varied causes of diarrhoea. The chief causes are overeating or eating of wrong foods, putrefaction in intestinal tract, fermentation caused by incomplete carbohydrate digestion, nervous irritability, use of antibiotic drugs and excessive intake of laxatives. Other causes include parasites, germs, virus, bacteria or a poison which has entered into the body through food, water or air; allergies to certain substances or even common foods such as milk, wheat, eggs and sea foods and emotional strain or stress in adults and fright in children.
Diarrhoea may be a prominent feature of organic disease affecting the small or large intestine such as the sprue syndrome, malignant disease and ulcerative colitis. It may also result from operations on the gastro-intestinal tract. Diarrhoea may alternate with constipation. This may result from the irritation of the mucous membrane by impacted hard faeces.
i. Diarrhoea for prolonged periods can lead to certain complications. These may include weakening, due to loss of vitamins like A, D, E and K and other nutrients as food isrushed through the body without giving the nutrients a chance of being absorbed.
ii. dehydration, due to loss of body fluids and washing out of minerals from the body and nervous conditions.
Treatment
In severe cases of diarrhoea, it is advisable to observe a complete fast for two days to provide rest for the gastro-intestinal tract. Hot water only may be taken during the period to compensate for the loss of fluids. Juices of fruits may be taken after the acute symptoms are over. After the condition improves, meals can be enlarged gradually to include cooked vegetables, whole rice, spoured milks. Raw foods should be taken only after the patient completely recovers.
An effective remedy for diarrhoea is the use of buttermilk. It is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from yogurt by churning. It helps overcome harmful intestinal flora and re-establish the benign or friendly flora. The acid in the buttermilk also fights germs and bacteria.
It may be taken and mixed with a pinch of salt three or four times a day controlling diarrhoea.
Carrot soup is another effective home remedy for diarrhoea. It supplies water to combat dehydration, replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur and magnesium, supplies pectin and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It checks the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents vomiting. One pound of carrot may be cooked in five ounces of water until it is soft. The pulp should be strained and boiled water added to make a quart.
Three-quarter tablespoon of salt may be mixed. This soup should be given in small amounts to the patient every half an hour.
The pomegranate has proved beneficial in the treatment of diarrhoea on account of its astringent properties. If the patient develops weakness due to profuse and continuous purging, he should be given repeatedly about 50 ml. of pomegranate juice to drink. This will control the diarrhoea.
Mango seeds are also valuable in diarrhoea. The seeds should be collected during the mango season, dried in the shade and powdered and kept stored for use as medicine when required. It should be given in doses of about one and a half gram to two grams with or without honey.
Turmeric has proved another effective home remedy for diarrhoea. It is a very useful intestinal antiseptic. It is also a gastric stimulant and a tonic. Turmeric rhizome, its juice or dry powder are all very helpful in curing chronic diarrhea. In the form of dry powder, it may be taken in buttermilk or plain water.
In case of diarrhoea caused by indigestion, dry or fresh ginger is very useful. A piece of dry ginger is powdered along with a crystal or rock salt. A quarter teaspoonful of this powder should be taken with a small piece of jugglery. It will bring quick relief as ginger, being carminative, aids digestion by stimulating the gastrointestinal tract.
Starchy liquids such as arrowroot water, barley water, rice gruel and coconut water are highly beneficial in the treatment of diarrhoea. They not only replace the fluid lost but also bind the stools. Other home remedies include bananas and garlic. Bananas contain pectin and encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria. Garlic is a powerful, effective and harmless antibiotic. It aids digestion and routs parasites.
The best water treatment for diarrhoea are the abdominal compress(at 60 o F) renewed every 15 to 20 minutes and cold hip bath(40 o – 50 o F). If the patient is in pain, abdominal fomentations for 15 minutes should be administered every two hours.
Dysentery
Dysentery is a serious condition affecting the large intestine. It is characterised by inflammation and ulceration of the bowel, a colic pain in the region of the abdomen and passing of liquid or semi-formed stones with mucus and blood.
The pathological condition of dysentery is caused by two organisms, protozoa and bacilli. The former is generally known as amoebic dysentery and later as bacillary dysentery. An attack of amoebic dysentery is milder in comparison with bacillary dysentery. But while bacillary dysentery can respond quickly to treatment, amoebic dysentery does not leave the patient easily, unless he is careful.
Dysentery is prevalent allover the world except in very cold countries. Places where insanity conditions prevail are particularly affected. The disease strikes both sexes equally. Similarly, no age is immune, though children are more prone.
Symptoms
Desentery may be acute and chronic. The acute form is characterised by pain in the abdomen, diarrhoea and dysenteric motions. Yellowish white mucus and sometimes only blood from the intestinal ulcers passes with stools. The evacuations are preceded by pain and tenesmus. The patient feels a constant desire to evacuate, although there may be nothing to throw off except a little mucus and blood There is a feeling of pain in the rectum and along the large intestine. With the advance of the disease the quantity of mucus and blood increases. Occassionally casts or shreds of skinline mucous membrane, from small fragments to 12 inches or so long and an inch wide, are seen to pass out with motions. Sometimes pus is also thrown out with motions and often the smell of the stools becomes very foetid. All the digestive processes are upset and secretions are changed or stopped. The saliva becomes acid instead of being alkaline and the gastric juice itself may become alkaline. The stomach loses power to digest and absorb food.
The bacilli create toxins and the foetid matters formed also augment further manufacture of toxins and consequent absorption in blood.
Chronic cases are after-effects of acute attacks. The patient does not recover completely. Stool remains putrid and may contain blood, while diarrhoea and constipation may alternate, and general health is disturbed. In severe cases, the temperature may rise to 104 – 105 o F. It may occasionally become subnormal also.
Causes
The cause of dysentery, according to modern medical system, is germ infection. The germs, which are supposed to cause dysentery only develop in colon as a result of putrefaction there of excessive quantities of animal protein food, fried substance, over-spices foods and hard to digest fatty substances. The real cause of dysentery is thus dietary indiscretion and eating of excessive amounts of flesh food in hot weather or tropical climate unsuited to the digestion of such foods. Other causes include debility, fatigue, chill, lowered vitality, intestinal disorders and overcrowding under insanitary conditions.
Treatment
The treatment of dysentery should aim at removing the offending and toxic matter from the intestines and for alleviating painful symptoms, stopping the virulence of the bacteria and promoting healing of the ulcer.
Fasting is the only correct remedy for dysentery to bring with. The patient should fast as long as acute symptoms are present. During the period of fasting, only orange juice and water should be taken. In the alternative, the patient should subsist on buttermilk till the acute symptoms are over. Butter- milk combats offending bacteria and helps establishment of helpful micro-organisms in the intestines.
The patient may be given small doses of castor oil in the form of emulsion. This acts as a mild aperient and facilitates quicker removal of offensive matter, minimises the strain during motion and also acts as a lubricant to the ulcerated surfaces. IN addition to administration of castor oil, the mechanical removal of accumulated poisonous matter should be attempted by giving very low pressure enema, admitting as much water as the patient can tolerate. This can be done twice or thrice daily. The patient should take complete bed rest as movement induces pain and aggravates distressing symptoms. A hot water bag may be applied over the abdomen.
After the acute symptoms are over, the patient may be allowed rice, curd, fresh ripe fruits, especially bael, banana and pomegranate and skimmed milk. Solid foods should be introduced very carefully and gradually according to the pace of recovery. Flesh foods of all kinds should be avoided in future as far as possible. Other foods which should be avoided are tea, coffee, white sugar and white flour and products made from them as well as alcohol in all forms. Foods which have a detoxifying and cleansing effect upon the intestines on their passage, through, such as fruits and vegetables, are most essential to a future dietary.
Among specific food remedies, bael fruit is, perhaps, the most efficacious in the treatment of dysentery of both the varieties. Pulp of the fruit mixed with jaggery should be given thrice daily.
To deal with a chronic case of dysentery, unripe bael fruit is roasted over the fire and the pulp is mixed with water. Large quantities of the infusion so made should be administered with jaggery.
The pulp of the unripe fruit mixed with an equal quantity of dried ginger can also be given with butter milk.
The use of pomegranate rind is another effective remedy for dysentery. About 60 grams of therin should be boiled in 250 grams of milk. It should be removed from the fire when one third of the milk has evaporated. It should be administered to the patient in three equal doses at suitable intervals. It will relieve the disease very soon.
Lemon juice is very effective in dealing with ordinary cases of dysentery. A few lemons, peels and sliced, should be added to 250 ml. of water and boiled for a few minutes. The strained infusion should be administered thrice daily.
Other remedies considered useful in the treatment of dysentery are the use of small pieces of onions mixed with curd and equal parts of the tender leaves of the peepal tree, coriander leaves and sugar chewed slowly.
Eczema
The term ‘eczema’ is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘to boil.’ It refers to an inflammation of the skin which results in the formation of vesicls or pulstules. It is the most common and most troublesome of all skin diseases.
Eczema is essentially a constitutional disease, resulting from a toxic condition of the system.
The disease covers a wide variety of forms, the majority of them being of a chronic variety.
Symptoms
Eczema in its acute form is indicated by redness and swelling of the skin, the formation of minute vesicles and severe heat. If the vesicles rupture, a raw, moist surface is formed. From this, a colourless discharge oozes, which forms skin crusts when it accumulates. The disease is usually worst at night when the heat of the body is retained by the bed-clothes.
The skin itches at all stages. IN the wet stage, it may become infected with bacteria. The healing of the condition is affected by scratching in response tothe irritation. Scratching not only spreads infection but also lengthens the stage of dryness and scaling.
Causes
Allergies play an important part in causing eczema. Some women get eczema on their hands due to an allergy to soap or detergents used to wash clothes or dishes. Some persons develop it around the fingers when they wear rings because of allergy to metals. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio, in a recent study of children with atropic eczema, found that 75 per cent were allergic to a number of foods. The most common triggers for sensitive persons are eggs, peanuts, chocolate, wheat, cow’s milk, chicken and potato.
The real cause of eczema however is the failure of the human system to excrete the poisons from the various orifices of the body. Waste matter is excreted from the rectum through stools, from the bladder through urine, from the lungs through breath and from the pores of the skin through sweat. Sometime the pores of the skin are overworked as waste matter is not properly eliminated from the other orifices. If the pores are not given the chance to perform their normal function, the sweat will be full of morbid matter and this gives rise to skin diseases like eczema, acne, boils and other eruptions.
Other causes include faulty metabolism, constipation, nutritional deficiencies and stress brought about by nagging spouses, jealousy, frustration and a host of other emotions. Suppressive drug treatment of the formal disease is also a most potent subsidiary causative factor in many cases.
The Cure
Skin applications to cure eczema may give temporary relief. If the exudation is suppressed, some other more serious disease may develop. The best way to deal with eczema is to cleanse the blood stream and the body.
The treatment should start with a fast on orange juice and water from five to days, depending on the severity and duration of the trouble. Juice fasting will help eliminate toxic waste from the body and lead to substantial improvement. In some cases, the condition may worsen in the beginning of the fast due to the increased elimination of waste matter through the skin. But as fasting continues, improvement will manifest itself.
Fruits, salt free, raw or steamed vegetables with whole meal bread or chappatis may be taken after the juice fast. Carrot and musk melon are particularly beneficial. Coconut oil may be used instead of ghee. After a few days, curd and milk may be added to the diet. The patients may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely
(i) seeds, nutsand grains
(ii) vegetables and
(iii) fruits. The large proportion of the diet should consist of raw foods.
Seeds and beans such as alfalfa, mung and soyabeans can be sprouted.
This diet may be supplemented with cold-pressed vegetable oils, honey and yeast. Juice fasting may be repeated at intervals of two months or so, depending on the progress being made, in chronic and more difficult cases of eczema, patient should fast atleast once a week till he is cured.
The patient should avoid tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages and all condiments and highly flavoured dishes. He should also avoid sugar, white flour products, denatured cereals like polished rice, and pearled barley and tinned or bottled foods. He should eat only pure and wholesome foods.
Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice in combination with spinach juice, have proved highly beneficial in the treatment of eczema. The formula proportions considered helpful in this combination are carrot 300 ml. and spinach 200 ml. to make 500 ml. or half a litre of juice.
The patient should get as much fresh air as possible. Restrictive clothing should not be worn.
Two or three litres of water should be taken daily and the patient must bath twice or thrice a day.
The skin, with the exception of the parts affected with eczema, should be vigorously rubbed with the palms of the hands before taking the bath.
Coconut oil may be applied to the portions with eczema. It will help the skin to stay soft. Walking or jogging should be resorted to in order to inactivate the bowels. Sun bathing is also beneficial as it kills the harmful bacteria and should be resorted to early in the morning, in the first light of dawn. A light mudpack should be applied over the sites of the eczema is also helpful. The pack should be applied for an hour at a time and should be repeated twice or thrice a day.
Water Treatment
In cases of acute eczema, cold compress or cold wet fomentations are beneficial. The affected part should be wrapped with a thick soft cloth. The cloth should be moistened with cold water (55 o – 60 o F) every 15 to 30 minutes for two hours at a time. The bandage should be left intact, keeping the cloth cold. There may be intensification of itching or pain initially but this will soon subside. A cold compress may be applied twice daily for a week or so.
Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, and Vitamins
GLA (gamma linolenic acid) is an omega-6 essential fatty acid found in high quantities in evening primrose oil. It has been shown to improve the symptoms of eczema, and is widely used in Europe for eczema. A typical dose is 2 to 4 g per day, taken with food. Results can take up to six months to develop.
Zinc – Zinc supplements are said to be effective for eczema. Doses should not exceed 30 mg per day, because too much zinc can cause a copper deficiency.
Skin and lymph cleansing herbs – yellow dock, burdock, cleavers, nettle, and red clover are all herbs that can help “drain” the skin and clear skin rashes. Yellow dock in particular is an excellent herb for chronic skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis.
Topical Applications
Zinc oxide – Applying zinc oxide to unbroken skin can help relieve the itchiness of eczema.
Evening primrose oil – The oil applied to cracked and sore skin can help to promote healing.
Vitamin B12 – Some clinicians believe that eczema tends to occur in people with vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Chickweed
• Chamomile
• Calendula
• St. John’s Wort
• Goldenseal
These can be applied topically to the skin to promore healing of cracked, painful, or dry skin.
Many companies make topical ointments using these hers, particularly formulated with eczema in mind. Weight Loss
Fat cells synthesize the aromatase enzyme, which changes androgen into estrogen. That’s why losing excess weight can decrease estrogen levels and may improve symptoms of endometriosis.
Hydrotherapy
A contrast sitz bath is often recommended for endometriosis. It involves sitting in a small basin or tub filled with hot water for three minutes, then getting up and sitting in another basin filled with cool water for one minute. The hot water-cold water cycle is repeated another three times. It is not usually done during menstruation.
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea may relieve the nausea that can occur with endometriosis.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy refers to a chronic condition in which repeated fits or attacks of unconsciousness occur with or without confusions. It is a serious disorder of a central nervous system. It occurs in both children and adults. Most attacks, however, occur in childhood and in early adult life. Attack rates show a progressive decline in frequency with age.
Epilepsy is a very ancient disease which afflicted some of the world’s greatest personalities, including Napoleon, Alexander and Julius Ceasar. Theactual word “epilepsy “comes from the Greek word which means “to seize upon “. The ancient people believed that evilspirits entered the body of the person afflicted, seized upon his soul and threw his body into convulsions. The Greeks believed that the gods induced this disease. The early Christians blamed the devil for convulsions.
One of the main problems that a person with epilepsy has to face is continual uncertainty about whether or not he or she will have an attack on any particular occasion. Patients may find themselves increasingly inhibited from engaging in social events because of the understandable fear that they might embarrass themselves by having another attack. Such people also encounter difficulties in employments and other relationships.
Symptoms
Epilepsy is recognised by recurrent sudden attacks at irregular intervals. The patients twitch convulsively and fall unconscious to the ground during these attacks which cause tremendous nervous unheavel. There are two main types of epilepsy known as petit mal and grand mal.
Each follows its own specific pattern.
In petit mal, which is a less serious form of epilepsy,an attack comes and goes within a few seconds. The patient has a momentary loss of consciousness, with no convulsions except sometimes a slight rifidity, or there may be slight attack of convulsions such as a jerk, or movement of the eyes, head trunk or extremities, with no perceptible loss of consciousness. The patient may not fall. He may suddenly stop what he is doing and then resume it when the attack is over, without even being aware of what has happened. Petit mal attacks may occur at any time in life but are most frequent in children.
The attack in case of grand mal comes with a dramatic effect. There are violent contractions of the arms, legs and body, accompanied by a sudden loss of consciousness. Before the onset of an attack, some patients have a warning or aura in the form of strange sensations such as a current of air or a stream of water flowing over a body, noises, odours and flashes of light. IN a typical attack,. the patient cries out, falls to the ground loses consciousness and develops convulsions. With the convulsions may come foaming at the mouth, twitching of the muscles, biting of the tongue, distorted fixation of limbs, rotation of the head and deviation of the eyes.
The patient may lose control of his urine and faeces. The attack may last several minutes and is usually followed by a deep sleep. On waking up, he may remember nothing of what happened to him.
People who suffer from epilepsy are not abnormal in any other way. They usually know that fits can be triggered off by particular stimuli. Between epileptic attacks, their brain functions normally.
Causes
Epilepsy denotes electrical malfunctioning within the brain due to damage of brain cells or some inherited abnormality. There are many causes of epilepsy. Digestive disturbances, intestinal toxaemia and a strained nervous condition are very often the main cause of petit mal. Grand mal usually results from hereditary influences, serious shock or injury to the brain or nervous system.
Meningitis, typhoid, and other diseases attendant with prolonged high temperature can also lead to grand mal.
Epilepsy may be caused by several other factors. It may result from allergic reactions to certain food substances, especially some particular form of protein which is the main constituent of meat. Circulatory disorders such as hardening of arteries leading to the brain may also cause epileptic seizures. This type is rare and occurs only in very aged people. Chronic alcoholism, lead poisoning, cocaine and other such habits can also lead to this disease. Other causes of epileptic seizure include mental conflict, deficient mineral assimilation, particularly of magnesium and calcium and wrong vitamin metabolism. According to some researchers, hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is also involved in most cases of epilepsy.
Treatment
In the natural form of treatment, the sufferer from epilepsy has to follow a rigorous regimen consisting of a strict dietary, complete relaxation and optimum exercise in the open air. He must adhere to a simple and correct natural life. He must assume a cheerful, optimistic attitude, refrain from mental and physical overwork and worry.
The most important aspect of the treatment is the diet. To begin with, the patient should be placed on an exclusive fruit diet for first few days. During this period he should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, apples, grapes, grapefruit, peaches, pears, pineapple and melon. Thereafter, he may gradually adopt a well balanced diet of three basic food groups viz. (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits with emphasis on sprouted seeds such as alfalfa seeds and mung beans, raw vegetables and fruits. The diet should include a moderate amount of raw milk preferably goat’s milk and milk products such as raw butter and homemade cottage cheese.
The diet should eliminate completely all animal proteins, except milk, as they not only lack in magnesium,but also rob the body of its own magnesium storage as well as of vitamin B6. Both these substances are needed in large amounts by epileptics. The best food sources of magnesium are raw nuts, seeds, soyabeans, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, beet-tops etc. The patient should avoid all refined foods, fried and greasy food, sugar and products made with it, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments and pickles.
The patient should avoid over eating and take frequent small meals rather than a few large ones.
He should not eat large meals before going to bed.
Mud packs on the abdomen twice daily help remove toxaemic conditions of the intestines and thereby hasten removal of epileptic conditions. The application of alternate hot and cold compresses to the base of the brain, that is at the back of the head will be beneficial. The procedure is to dip the feet in a bucket of hot water and apply first a hot towel and then a cold one to the base of the brain. The alternate hot and cold towels should be kept for two or three minutes about four times. The process shall be repeated twice every day. Full Epsom-salt bath, twice a week are also beneficial.
If the sufferer from epilepsy has taken strong drugs for many years, he should not leave off entirely all at once. The dosage may be cut to half to begin with and then gradually reduced further until it can be left off completely.
An epileptic should strictly observe all the natural laws of good health and build and maintain the highest level of general health. He should remain active mentally but avoid all severe mental and physical stress. And above all, he should avoid excitements of all kinds.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus (called the endometrium) starts growing outside the uterus. Most commonly, the growth is in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or the pelvic lining, but in some cases, it can also spread outside the pelvic area.
According to the Endometriosis Association, endometriosis affects 5 1/2 million women in the USA and Canada, and millions worldwide.
Symptoms
Painful periods, pelvic pain and cramping during menstruation. It may begin before and continue for several days after the onset of the monthly period. The pain can also occur in the lower abdomen or low back. It has even been known to cause shooting nerve pain in the legs, called sciatica.
• Sharp, deep pain during ovulation, sexual intercourse, bowel movements, and/or urination
• Heavy menstrual periods or bleeding in between periods
• Fatigue
• Indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea
• Infertility
• Endometriosis can cause adhesions that trap the egg.
Normal endometrial tissue sheds each month and leaves the body as menstrual blood.
Endometrial tissue outside the uterus also grows, sloughs off, and bleeds each month, but it has nowhere to go so it becomes trapped in the body. It can lead to the formation of cysts, scar tissue, and adhesions.
Progesterone Cream
Progesterone is believed to slow the growth of abnormal endometrial tissue. Although it is not considered a cure, it may improve symptoms such as pain during menstrual periods and pelvic pain.
Natural progesterone cream is derived from either soy or Mexican wild yam. A molecule called diosgenin is extracted in a lab and converted to a molecule that is exactly like human progesterone and added to back to the cream. Some companies sell wild yam cream, but unless it has been converted in a lab it is useless, because the body cannot convert wild yam to progesterone on its own.
Natural progesterone cream is applied to the wrists, inner arms, inner thighs, or upper chest at a dose and schedule that should be recommended by a professional. It is important to be supervised and to have progesterone levels monitored on lab tests, because too much progesterone can cause such side effects as mood changes, depression, water retention, weight gain, and absent or abnormal menstrual bleeding.
Diet
• Flavones – Celery, parsley, and chili peppers are good sources of a class of plant chemicals called flavones. Flavones have been found to inhibit aromatase, an enzyme that can produce excess estrogen in the endometrial tissue of women with endometriosis.
• Cruciferous vegetables – Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy, contain hormone-balancing compound that activates liver enzymes and may help the body to break down and eliminate excess estrogen.
• Fresh fruit and green vegetables – An Italian study that looked at data from 504 women with endometriosis found that fresh fruit and green vegetables were associated with a reduction in risk. There was an increased risk with high intake of red meat and ham.
• Flaxseeds – Flaxseeds are high in lignans, a form of fiber found to be beneficial for estrogen-related conditions.
• Detox diet – Pesticides and other environmental chemicals have been found to increase aromatase activity and increase estrogen levels. That is why many of them are called endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
A detox diet limits intake of these chemicals and emphasizes organic foods. Foods that can increase inflammation, such as excess sugar, are also limited. A detox diet emphasizes organic vegetables and fruit, foods that are high in fiber, and plenty of water.
Supplements
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies. They are also available in fish oil capsules.
Several studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial for people with endometriosis. For example, an animal study by the University of Western Ontario found that fish oil containing two specific compounds, EPA and DHA, could relieve pain by decreasing levels of an inflammatory chemical called prostaglandin E2. Researchers also found that fish oil could slow the growth of endometrial tissue.
Adaptogen herbs and supplements
The adrenal glands are glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They secrete cortisol, a hormone involved in the stress response but also converted to other hormones such as progesterone.
Prolonged stress can increase the release of cortisol. As a result, less of the raw material is available to make progesterone, which can lead to a deficiency of progesterone relative to estrogen.
Herbs that are believed to improve adrenal function
• Ashwagandha
• Suma
Nutrients important to adrenal health
• B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6
• Zinc
• Magnesium
Erectile Dysfunction
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, is the inability to sustain a satisfactory erection to perform intercourse and ejaculation.
It is estimated that 10 to 30 million men in the United States experience some form of erectile dysfunction. Over 50% of men, aged 40 to 70 have experienced erectile dysfunction and this number increases with age. However, erectile dysfunction is not inevitable with aging, even into the 70s and 80s. Men can enjoy sexual activity throughout life, although the amount and force of ejaculation and muscular tension decrease.
L-Arginine
L-arginine is an amino acid found in foods such as meat, dairy products, poultry and fish.
Arginine appears to be safe at moderate doses of 2 to 3 g per day, although minor digestive distress can occur. High doses of arginine may stimulate the body’s production of gastrin, a hormone that increases stomach acid. For this reason, arginine may be harmful for individuals with ulcers and people taking drugs that are hard on the stomach.
L-arginine may also alter potassium levels in the body, especially in people with severe liver disease. It is particularly a concern for people who take drugs that alter potassium levels such as potassium sparing diuretics and ACE inhibitors.
In a double-blind clinical trial, 50 men with problems achieving an erection received either 5 g of L-arginine per day or placebo for 6 weeks. More men in the treated group experienced improvement in sexual performance than the placebo.
Gingko
Some research suggests that ginkgo may be useful in erectile dysfunction, due to their ability to stimulate blood flow to the penis. In one study of 60 men with impotence due to poor blood, circulation demonstrated a 50% success rate after 6 months. In addition, some research suggests that ginkgo may be useful for impotence caused by drugs in the Prozac family as well as other
Types: of antidepressant medications.
Gingko appears to be relatively safe. It should not be combined with blood-thinning drugs such as Coumadin (warfarin), heparin, aspirin, and Trental (pentoxifylline). Ginkgo may cause bleeding problems if combined with natural blood thinners such as garlic, phosphatidylserine, and high dose vitamin E. There have been some case reports of subdural hematoma (bleeding in the skull) and hyphema (bleeding into the iris chamber) with ginkgo use.
Zinc
Deficiency of zinc is known to have a negative effect on sexual function. Zinc is one of the most commonly deficient minerals. A typical dosage for impotence is 15 to 30 mg daily, taken with 1 to 2 mg of copper, since supplemental zinc interferes with copper absorption. Too much zinc can be toxic, so do not exceed this dose.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is sometimes called “Indian Ginseng”. It is not related botanically to ginseng, but has similar uses as a tonic herb believed capable of generally strengthening the body. It is used traditionally to increase sexual capacity as an aphrodisiac.
Some constituents of ashwagandha can make you drowsy, so it should not be combined with sedative drugs. However, this may make ashwagandha useful for people with impotence related to anxiety. This herb also helps with cholesterol and prevention of colds and flu.
Damiana
The herb damiana is used traditionally in Mexico as a male aphrodisiac. It is a popular male aphrodisiac with a mild effect. Damiana is also used for inability to achieve orgasm in women.
Damiana appears to be safe at the recommended dosages. However, it contains low-levels of compounds similar to cyanide, so excessive dosages may be dangerous. Safety of damiana in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver and kidney disease is not established. The only common side effect is mild digestive distress.
Pygeum
Pygeum is a tall evergreen native to central and southern Africa. Pygeum bark has been used since ancient times to treat urinary problems. It does not appear to work by affecting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. Pygeum is known as an herbal treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Pygeum appears to be non-toxic. Side effects include mild digestive distress.
Siberian ginseng
Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is believed to be an aphrodisiac. It is believed to be an adaptogen, which means that it affects whichever system of the body in need of support.
Siberian ginseng is considered by many traditional Chinese doctors to be a superior treatment.
Traditional Chinese practitioners also use lycium berries and lotus seeds for sexual dysfunction to enhance kidney and liver energy. The body uses arginine to make nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes the blood vessels.
Suma
Suma (Pfaffia paniculata) is a large ground vine native to central and South America. It has been called “Brazilian ginseng”. It is traditionally used to promote robust health and longevity. There is increasing interest in suma. It helps adapt to stress and fight infection. A typical dose of suma for stress is 500 mg twice daily. More comprehensive safety studies are needed.
Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is used for impotence, especially if it is mixed with other herbs. It reduces the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Hormone Replacement
Testosterone replacement is used by some holistic doctors to increase the patient’s sex drive and improve their mood. The first step is blood or saliva test to assess levels of the hormone.
If testosterone levels are low, testosterone injections or transdermal creams are used. Oral testosterone is avoided because it can cause liver dysfunction.
Men who supplement with testosterone should only do so under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner. They should monitor their PSA levels, as excess testosterone has been linked to prostate cancer. Other possible side effects include testicular atrophy, male pattern baldness, elevated red blood cell counts, elevated blood pressure, and polycythemia and increased risk of stroke, gynecomastia, prostatic enlargement, and sodium and water retention. Transdermal DHEA and androstenedione are also used.
Yohimbe
The bark of the West African yohimbe tree is a traditional aphrodisiac and the source of yohimbine, a prescription drug for impotence. Yohimbe stimulates blood flow to the penis.
Yohimbe has been shown to increase libido and decrease the period between ejaculations.
Yohimbe may also have a positive effect on impotence problems caused by depression.
Yohimbe is not recommended because it has a very narrow therapeutic index. There is a relatively small dosing range, below it, the herb does not work and above it, the herb is toxic.
Side effects of normal dosages include dizziness, anxiety, hyper stimulation, and nausea. As little as 40 mg a day can cause a severe drop in blood pressure, abdominal pain, fatigue, hallucinations, and paralysis.
Falling of Hair
Loss of hair at a very tender age has become a common disorder these days. It causes a great deal of concern to persons affected by loss of hair, especially Indian women who regard good hair growth with thick long hair as a sign of beauty.
Hair is formed in minute pockets in the skin, called follicles. An upgrowth at the base of the folic, called the papilla, actually produces hair; when a special group of cells turn amino acids into keratin, a type of protein of which hair is made. The rate of production of these protein “building blocks. “determines hair growth. The average growth rate is about 1.2 cm per month, growing faster on women between the ages 15 and 30.
Causes
The most important cause of loss of hair is inadequate nutrition. Even a partial lack of almost any nutrient may cause hair to fall. Persons lacking vitamin B6 lose their hair and those deficient in folic acid often become completely bald. But the hair grows normally after the liberal intake of these vitamins.
Another important cause of falling of hair is stress such as worry, anxiety and sudden shock.
Stress leads to a severe tension in the skin of the scalp. This adversely affects the supply of essential nutrition required for the healthy growth of the hair. General debility, syphilis, chronic cold, influenza and anaemia, also gives rise to this disorder. It makes the roots of the hair weak, resulting in the falling of hair. Unclean condition of the scalp can also cause loss of hair. It weakens the hair roots by blocking the pores with the collected dirt. Heredity is another predisposing factor which may cause hair to fall.
Treatment
The healthy condition of the hair depends, to a very large extent, on the intake of sufficient amounts of essential nutrients in the daily diet. Hair is made of protein and adequate protein is necessary for luxuriant hair. Women require 60 grams, men 80 to 90, adolescent boys and girls 80 to 100 grams of protein. It is supplied by milk, buttermilk, yogurt,soyabean, eggs, cheese, meat and fish. A lack of vitamin A may cause the hair to be caurse and ugly. A deficiency of some of the B vitamins, of iron, copper and iodine may cause hair disorders like falling of hair and premature greying.
Lack of inositol causes loss of hair. Any person having trouble with his or her hair should eat foods rich in inositol such as yeast, liver and molasses. Research has, however, shown that women have a low requirement of inositol. Although this vitamin may help to stimulate the growth of a woman’s hair, its lack is probably not a major cause of slow growth. Women are generally deficient in iodine and vitamin B1, either of which can slow down circulation to the scalp to such an extent that hair may fall out and new hair grow in very slowly. Women who keep their diets adequate in iodine, the B vitamins and iron have a better growth of hair.
According to Adelle Davis, a world famous nutritionist, “increasing the intake of protein, particularly of liver, wheat germ and yeast, and supplementing the diet with a teaspoon of inositol daily usually stops a man’s hair from falling, and I have seen three or four persons whose hair became thick after these improvements were made. “
Persons with a tendency to lose hair should thus take a well balanced and correct diet, made up of foods which in combination should supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of(i) seeds, nuts and grains,(ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits would provide adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients. Each food group should roughly form the bulk of one of the three principal meals. These foods should, however, be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils, honey, wheat germ, yeast and liver.
Home Remedies
Several home remedies have been found useful in the prevention and treatment of the loss of the hair. The most effective among these remedies is a vigorous rubbing of the scalp with fingers after washing the hair with cold water. The scalp should be rubbed vigorously till it starts to tingle with the heat. It will activate the sebaceous glands and energise the circulation of blood in the affected area, making the hair grow healthy.
Amla oil, prepared by boiling dry pieces of amla in coconut oil, is considered a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth. A mixture of equal quantity of fresh amla juice and lime juice used as a shampoo stimulates hair growth and prevents hair loss.
Lettuce(salad-ka-patta) is useful in preventing hair loss through deficiencies. A mixture of lettuce and spinach juice is said to help the growth of hair if it is drunk to the extent of half a litre a day. The juice of alfalfa(lecerne) in combination with carrot and lettuce juice, taken daily also helps the growth of hair to a remarkable extent. The combination of these juices is rich in elements which are particularly useful for the growth of hair. While preparing alfalfa juice, the leaves of the plant only may be used when it can be obtained fresh.
Daily application of refined coconut oil mixed with limewater and lime juice on the hair, prevents loss of hair and lengthens them. Application of the juice of green coriander leaves on the head is also considered beneficial. Amaranth, known as chaulai-ka-saag in the vernacular, is another valuable remedy. Application of its fresh leaf-juice helps the growth of the hair and keeps them soft.
Mustard oil, boiled with henna leaves, is useful in healthy growth of hair. About 250 grams of mustard oil should be boiled in tinned basin. A little quantity of henna leaves should be gradually put in this oil till about 60 grams of these leaves are thus burnt in the oil. The oil should then be filtered through a cloth and stored well in a bottle. A regular massage of the head with this oil will produce abundant hair.
Another effective home remedy for loss of hair is the application of coconut milk all over the scalp and massaging it into the hair loss. It will nourish the hair and promote hair growth. The coconut milk is prepared by grinding the coconut shavings and squeezing it well.
Washing the hair with a paste of cooked black gram dal, (urad dal) and fenugreek(methi) lengthens the hair. A fine paste made from pigeon pea or red gram(arhar dal) can also be applied regularly with beneficial results on bald patches. Regular use of castor oil as hair oil helps the luxuriant growth of the hair.
Certain home remedies have also been found useful in case of patchy loss of hair. The seeds of lime and black pepper seeds, ground to get a fine paste, is one of the valuable remedies. This paste applied on the patches, has mildly irritant action. This increases blood circulation in the affected area and stimulates hair growth. The paste should be applied twice a day for a few weeks.
Another useful remedy for patchy loss of hair is the paste of liquorice (mulethi) made by grinding the pieces in milk with a pinch of saffron. This paste should be applied over the bald patches in the night before going to bed.
Fatigue
Fatigue refers to a feeling of tiredness or weariness. It can be temporary or chronic. Almost every person has to work overtime on certain occasions, sacrificing rest and sleep, which may cause temporary fatigue. This condition can be remedied by adequate rest. Chronic or continuous fatigue is, however, a serious problem which requires a comprehensive plan of treatment.
Chronic fatigue can result from a variety of factors. A specific character trait, compulsiveness, can lead to continuous fatigue. Many persons constantly feel that they cannot take rest until they finish everything that needs to be done at one time. These persons are usually perfectionists, tense and cannot relax unless they complete the whole job, no matter how tired they may be.
Causes
The chief cause of fatigue is lowered vitality or lack of energy due to wrong feeding habits.
Fatigue is an indication that the cells of the body are not getting sufficient live atoms in the food to furnish them with a constant flow of needed energy. The habitual use of refined foods such as white sugar, refined cereals and white four products as well as processed, tinned and preserved foods have a very bad effect on the system in general. Foods ‘denatured’ in this way are deprived, to a very great extent, of their invaluable vitamins and minerals. Such foods lead to nervousness, tiredness, obesity and a host of other complaints prevalent today.
Certain physical conditions can cause fatigue. Anaemia is a very common ailment leading to tiredness. It is known as ‘tired blood’ disturbance. In anaemia, very little oxygen reaches the tissues with the result energy cannot be produced normally. This causes constant tiredness and mental depression. Anaemia usually results from deficiencies of iron and vitamin B12.
Sometime deficiencies of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also involved.
Insomnia or lack of sleep can be a cause of torturing fatigue. Sleep induced by sleeping pills and other drugs does not banish fatigue. Intestinal parasites can also lead to fatigue as they rob the body of good nourishment and gorge themselves on rich red blood. Other ailments which can cause fatigue are low blood pressure, low blood sugar, any kind of infection in the body, liver damage, a sluggish thyroid and allergy in foods and drugs caused by additives including artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.
Mental tension is one of the major causes of fatigue. A person who is tense and cannot relax has all the muscles of his body more or less contracted. This leads to needless waste of unusually large amounts of energy. Food is continuously burnt, lactic acid accumulates more rapidly than it can be carried to liver for conversion to body starch. Persons who are high-strung, nervous and irritable usually suffer from this type of fatigue.
Treatment
Nutritional measures are most vital in the treatment of fatigue. Studies reveal that people who eat small mid-meals suffer less from fatigue and nervousness, think more clearly and are more efficient than those who eat only three meals daily. These mid-meals should consist of fresh or dried fruits, fresh fruit or vegetable juices, raw vegetables or small sandwich of whole grain bread. The mid-meal should be small and less food should be consumed at regular meals. They should be taken at specified time such as 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and before retiring to bed.
The patient should eat health foods which supply energy to the body. Charles De Coti Marsh of London in his book ‘Prescription for Energy’ prescribes foods to relieve fatigue and gain energy.
He says, “Regenerating must begin with foods….. They must be taken in their natural state.
These cereals are corn seeds, wheat seeds, rye seeds, maize seeds, barley seeds and oat seeds. They must be freshly milled. In uncooked cereals, we do have one perfect food for perfect health which contains essential vitamins and energy creators. “In addition to cereal seeds, Marsh recommends fresh raw nuts taken directly from the shell and root vegetables. He says, “Any seed or root vegetable that will grow again will renew human vitality. “
The patient should take an optimum diet made up of (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits. Roughly, each food group should supply the bulk of one of the three meals.
Sprouting is an excellent way to eat seeds, beans and grains in raw form. Sprouting increases the nutritional value of foods and many new vitamins are created or multiplied in seeds during sprouting. The patient should supplement the three health-building food groups with special protective foods such as milk, high quality cold-pressed unrefined vegetable oil and honey.
The patient should also take natural vitamin and mineral supplements as an effective assurance against nutritional deficiencies, as such deficiencies have been found to be a factor in fatigue.
Lack of pantothenic acid, B vitamin in particular, leads to extreme fatigue as deficiency of this vitamin is associated with exhaustion of the adrenal glands.
In fact the entire B-complex protect nerves and increases energy by helping to nourish and regulate glands. The vegetarian foods rich in vitamin B are wheat and other whole grain cereals, green leafy vegetables, rice polishing, milk, nuts, banana, yeast, pulses and peas.
Minerals are also important. Potassium is especially needed for protection against fatigue. Raw green vegetables are rich in this mineral. Calcium is essential for relaxation and is beneficial in cases of insomnia and tension both of which can lead to fatigue. Sodium and zinc are also beneficial in the treatment of fatigue.
Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice, taken seperately or in combination with juices of beets and cucumbers, is highly valuable in overcoming fatigue. The formula proportions considered helpful in the combination juice of 500 ml. are carrot 300 ml. and beet and cucumber 100 ml. each.
The patient should avoid depending for an energy lift, on crutches such as taking aspirin, tranquilizers and other drugs, drinking coffee or alcohol, smoking, eating some sugar or sweets.
They give only a temporary boost and this is soon followed by a downward plunge of energy, leaving a person worse than before.
Fibromyalgia
What is Fibromyalgia?
Also known as: fibrosis’s, myofascial pain syndrome, fibromyositis
The name fibromyalgia indicates pain in fibrous tissues, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other sites on the body. The neck, shoulders, thorax, low back, and thighs are the most common areas affected.
Fibromyalgia occurs mainly in women aged 30 to 50. Some clinicians believe that fibromyalgia may be induced or intensified by physical or mental stress, poor sleep, trauma, exposure to damp or cold, and occasionally by a systemic and usually rheumatic disorder.
People often report a traumatic event that triggered the initial symptoms, such as severe infectious illness such as Lyme disease, emotional or physical stress, an accident, or a history of childhood physical abuse.
Symptoms
• Pain and tenderness throughout the body
• People often describe neck, shoulder, low back and hip pain that seem to move from place to place.
• Sleep is often disturbed, and people often wake up at night with a feeling of stiffness, fatigue, and achiness.
People with fibromyalgia appear to have abnormal brain waves in stage 4 sleep, which is the deepest stage of sleep. Stages 4 sleep in important for tissue repair, antibody production, the formation of growth hormone, and muscle and bone health. People with fibromyalgia wake during this stage, and consequently do not feel they have had a restful sleep.
People with fibromyalgia have been found by researchers to have increased amounts of neurotransmitters that cause pain responses, such as substance P, and depressed levels of natural painkillers, such as serotonin and growth hormone. Lower levels of serotonin are also involved in depression.
The American College of Rheumatologists defines fibromyalgia as the presence of widespread chronic pain and the existence of pain in at least 11 of 18 specific points on the body when pressure is applied.
Other symptoms include:
• Intolerance to cold or heat
• Urinary frequency
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Anxiety
• Headache
• Numbness and tingling
Conventional lab tests and physical exam is often normal, which can be frustrating for the patient.
Treatments:
Use of a single supplement may bring some relief, but a total program is usually necessary to bring true healing to people with fibromyalgia. A naturopathic doctor or other qualified health practitioner can assess the symptoms and develop a customized health plan.
Diet
Research has found that switching to a vegetarian diet can improve symptoms of pain, joint stiffness, and sleep disturbances in people with fibromyalgia. Sugar should be avoided. An elimination and challenge diet can help to identify the foods that may be worsening the symptoms.
Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins, and Herbs
SAMe
Short for S-adenosylmethionine, SAMe is a chemical derived from a combination of the amino acid methionine and the main molecule for energy in the body, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In one preliminary study, people took 800 mg of SAMe or placebo for 6 weeks. Compared to the group-taking placebo, those taking SAMe improved in disease activity, pain at rest, fatigue, and morning stiffness. The amount of tender points was the same as placebo. People with bipolar disease (manic depression), who are taking anti-depressants, or who are using the drug levidopa (commonly prescribed for Parkinson’s disease) should not use SAMe.
5-HTP
Short for 5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-HTP is commonly used for depression because it is believed to increase serotonin in the brain. People with fibromyalgia have been found to have lower levels of tryptophan. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps with sleep and prevents depression. A typical dosage of 5-HTP is 100 to 200 mg three times a day. Once 5-HTP begins to work, the dosage can be reduced significantly while still maintaining the results. People taking prescription antidepressants, the Parkinson’s medication carbidopa, or medications that raise serotonin levels, such as tramadol (Ultram), sumatriptan, and zolipidem (Ambien) should not take 5-HTP unless under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.
Magnesium
People with fibromyalgia have been found to be deficient in magnesium. Although the conventional test for serum magnesium may be normal, magnesium levels are often low when the red blood cell magnesium is checked.
Increase magnesium rich foods such as legumes, tofu, seeds, nuts, whole foods, and green leafy vegetables. Magnesium supplements can be used to improve energy levels and emotional states, while decreasing pain. A typical dose of magnesium is 150 to 250 mg three times per day of magnesium citrate or magnesium malate.
Malic acid
Malic acid is an important substance for producing energy at the cellular level. Apples are one source of malic acid. Clinically, malic acid has been found to reduce the fatigue and pain of fibromyalgia. A typical dosage for fibromyalgia is 1200 to 2000 mg per day, taken in divided doses.
Herbs and nutrients for adrenal support – People with fibromyalgia have low levels of cortisol, a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. When there is chronic stress, high amounts of cortisol are released. Prolonged stress can “exhaust” the adrenal glands, a functional condition commonly referred to as adrenal fatigue.
Low cortisol secretion is linked to low energy, muscle weakness and pain, thyroid dysfunction, immune system depression, sleep disorders, poor skin regeneration, and decreased growth hormone uptake. Adrenal glandulars, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin C, licorice, rhodiola rosea, and oatstraw are just some of the supplements that can tonify the adrenals.
Antioxidants
Vitamin C and E, selenium, CoQ10, cysteine, and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) are antioxidant nutrients that may benefit people with fibromyalgia.
Herbs
Herbal formulas should be customized for a person’s unique symptoms and condition. A typical formula to treat the symptoms, ease pain, and strengthen the immune system uses equal parts of the following herbs:
• Echinacea – an immune tonic
• Devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) – an anti-inflammatory
• Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) – an anti-inflammatory
• Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) – an adrenal tonic and anti-inflammatory
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) – a liver cleanser
• Burdock (Arctium lappa) – blood cleanser
Dosage:
A typical dose is 1 teaspoon taken three times per day.
Gall-Bladder Disorders
The gall-bladder is a pear-shaped organ, 10 cm. long and three to five cm. wide, attached to the under-surface of the liver on the right side. The main function of the gall-bladder is to store the bile secreted by the liver. Bile is an excretion composed mainly of bile salts and acids, colour pigments and cholesterol. Bile assists in the digestion and absorption of fats and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, minerals and calcium.
The gall-bladder is usually full and relaxed between meals. During the process of digestion, when food reaches the duodenum, the hormone cholecystokinin begins to be produced in the internal mucosa. When this hormone reaches the gall- bladder through the bloodstream, it causes the gall-bladder to contract, thereby releasing the bile concentrate into the duodenum via a common duct.
The main problems which afflict the gall-bladder are an inflammatory condition known as cholecystitis and gall-stones. Gall-stones are usually caused by disturbances in the composition of the bile. A change in the ratio of cholesterol and bile salts may result in the formation of deposits. At the start, these may be in the form of fine gravel. But these fine particle constitute the nucleus for further deposits, ultimately leading to the formation of larger stones. An irritation of the lining of the gall- bladder due to inflammation may also led to the formation of particles.
The incidence of gall-stones is higher in females than males, particularly in those who are obese.
Symptoms
Indigestion, gas, a feeling of fullness after meals, constipation, nausea and disturbed vision are the usual symptoms of gall-bladder disorders. Other symptoms are intolerance to fats, dizzines, jaundice,anaemia, acne and other lesions. Varicose veins, haemorrhoids and breakdown of capillaries are also disorders associated with gall-bladder troubles.
Causes
The main causes of gall-bladder disorders are digestive disturbances due to a regular excessive intake of fats and carbo-hydrates in the diet. They can also be brought on by disturbances of the liver and gall-bladder. Meals rich in fats may cause an attack of gall-bladder pain or gall-stone colic. Often the disorder is caused by a diet rich in refined carbohydrates such as white flour and white sugar. Poor health, hereditary factors, stress, spinal displacements, bad posture and muscular tension may also cause gall-bladder disorders.
Types of gall stones
There are three types of gall-stones, depending on the cause of their formation. These are: cholesterol stones caused by a change in the ratio of cholesterol to bile salts; pigment stones (composed of bile pigment) caused by the destruction of red blood cells due to certain blood diseases, and mixed stones consisting of layers of cholesterol, calcium and bile pigment (bilirubin) resulting from stagnation of the bile flow.
The Cure
Surgery becomes necessary if the gall-stones are very large or in cases in which they have been present for long. Smaller gall-stones can, however, cleared through natural cure methods. Diet is the basic factor in the treatment of gall bladder disorders. In cases of acute gall-bladder inflammation, the patient should fast for two or three days, until the acute condition clears.
Nothing but water should be taken during the fast. After the fast, the patient should take carrot, beet, grapefruit, lemon and grape juice for a few days. Ensure that the diet contains an adequate amount of lacto-vegetarian, consisting of raw and cooked vegetables, vegetable juices, and a moderate amount of fruit and seeds. Yogurt, cottage cheese and a tablespoon of olive oil twice a day should also be taken. Oil serves as a stimulant for the production of bile and lipase, the fat digesting enzymes. All meats, eggs, animal fats and processed and denatured fats as well as fried foods should be avoided. The diet should also exclude refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, sugar products, alcohol, soft drinks, cakes, puddings, ice-cream, coffee and citrus fruits.
The patient should eat small meals at frequent intervals, rather than three large meals. The following is the suggested menu for those suffering from gall-bladder disorders: On rising: A glass of warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey or fresh fruit juice, Breakfast: Fresh fruit, one or two slices of whole meal toast and a cup of skimmed powder milk.
Mid morning: Fresh fruit juice.
Lunch: Vegetable soup, a large salad consisting of vegetables in season with dressing of lemon or vegetable oil. Fresh fruit for dessert, if desired.
Dinner: Vegetable oil, one or two lightly cooked vegetables, baked potato, brown rice or whole wheat chappati and a glass of buttermilk.
Water Treatment:
Regular applications of hot and cold fomentations to the abdomen improve the circulation of the liver and gall-bladder. They also induce concentrations of the gall-bladder, thereby improving the flow of bile. A cold hip bath improves the general abdominal tone. The pain of gall-stone colic can be relieved by the application of hot packs or fomentation to the upper abdominal area. A warm water enema at body temperature will help eliminate faecal accumulations if the patient is constipated.
Exercise is essential as physical inactivity can lead to lazy gall-bladder type indigestion which may ultimately result in the formation of stones. Yogic asanas which are beneficial in toning up the liver and gall-bladder are: sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana and bhujangasana.
Gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It is a troublesome condition which may lead to many complications including ulcers if not treated in time. Constipation aggravates the condition more than any other disorder.
The inflammatory lesions may be either acute erosive gastritis or chronic atrophic gastritis. The latter type has been found to be present in half the patients suffering from severe iron deficiency anaemia.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of gastritis are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness.
There is also pain and a feeling of discomfort in the region of the stomach. In more chronic cases, there is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, especially after meals. The patient complains of heartburn. Prolonged illness often results in the loss of weight, anaemia and occassional haemorrhage from the stomach. There may be an outpouring of mucus and a reduction in the secretion of hydrochloric acid during acute attacks and also in most cases of chronic gastritis.
Causes
The most frequent cause of gastritis is a dietetic indiscretion such as habitual overeating, eating of badly combined or improperly cooked foods, excessive intake of strong tea, coffee or alcoholic drinks, habitual use of large quantities of condiments, sauces, etc. It may sometimes follow certain diseases such as measles, diptheria, influenza, virus pneumonia, etc. Most often it also results from worry, anxiety, grief and prolonged tension. Use of certain drugs, strong acids and caustic substances may also give rise to gastritis.
Treatment
The patient should undertake a fast in both acute and chronic cases of gastritis. In acute cases, the patient will usually recover after a short fast of two or three days. In chronic condition, the fast may have to be continued for a longer period of seven days or so. In the alternative, short fasts may be repeated at an interval of one or two months, depending on the progress being made.
The fast may be conducted on fruit juices. By fasting, the intake of irritants is at once effectively stopped, the stomach is rested and the toxic condition, causing the inflammation, is allowed to subside. Elimination is increased by fasting and the excess of toxic matter accumulated in the system is thrown out.
After the acute symptoms subside, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for further three days.
Juicy fruits such as apple, pear, grapes, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, peach and melon may be taken during this period at five-hourly intervals. The patient can thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely: (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits on the following lines:
Upon arising: A glass of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon and spoonful of honey.
Breakfast: Fresh fruits, such as apples, orange, banana, grapes, grapefruit or any available berries, a handful of raw nuts and a glass of milk.
Mid-morning snack: One apple, banana, or any other fruit.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, two or three slices of whole meal bread or whole wheat chappatis, according to the appetite and a glass of butter milk.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice or sugarcane juice.
Dinner: A large bowl of fresh salad of green vegetables such as tomatoes,carrots, red beets, cabbage, cucumber with dressing of lemon juice and cold-pressed vegetable oil, all available sprouts such as alfalfa seeds mung beans, fresh butter and fresh home-made cottage cheese.
Bed time snacks: A glass of fresh milk or one apple.
The patient should avoid the use of alcohol, nicotine, spices, and condiments, flesh foods, chillies, sour things, pickles, strong tea and coffee. He should also avoid sweets, pastries, rich cakes and aerated waters. Curds and cottage cheese should be used freely.
Carrot juice in combination with the juice of spinach is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of gastritis. 200 ml. of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml. of carrot juice in this combination. Too many different foods should not be mixed at the same meal. Meals should be taken at least two hours before going to bed at night. Eight to 10 glasses of water should be taken daily but water should not be taken with meals as it dilutes the digestive juices and delays digestion. And above all, haste should be avoided while eating and meals should be served in a pleasing and relaxed atmosphere.
Coconut water is an excellent food remedy for gastritis. It gives the stomach necessary rest and provides vitamins and minerals. The stomach will be greatly helped in returning to its normal condition if nothing except coconut water is given during the first 24 hours.
Rice gruel is another effective remedy in acute cases of gastritis. In chronic cases where the flow of gastric juice is meagre, such foods as require prolonged vigorous mastication will be beneficial as this induces a greater flow of gastric juices.
From the commencement of the treatment, a warm water enema should be used daily, for about a week, to cleanse the bowels. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication. The patient should be given daily a dry friction and sponge bath. Application of heat, through hot compressor or hot water bottle twice in the day either on an empty stomach or two hours after meals, should also prove beneficial.
The patient should not undertake any hard physical and mental work. He should, however, undertake breathing and other light exercises like walking, swimming, and golf. He should avoid worries and mental tension.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a serious eye condition characterised by an increase of pressure within the eye ball, called intraocular pressure. It is similar to high blood pressure in the body. The condition is therefore, also known as hypertension of the eye.
A certain amount of intraocular pressure is considered necessary, but too much can cause damage to the eye and may result in vision loss. Glaucoma is the major cause of blindness among adults today. One out of every eight blind persons is a victim of glaucoma. Far sighted persons are more prone to develop this disease than near sighted ones.
Symptoms
The first symptom of glaucoma is the appearance of halos or coloured rings round distant objects, when seen at night. In this condition, the iris is usually pushed forward, and the patient often complains of constant pain in the region of the brow, near the temples and the cheeks.
Headaches are not uncommon. There is gradual impairment of vision as glaucoma develops, and this may ultimately result in blindness if proper steps are not taken to deal with the disease in the early stages.
Causes
Medical science regards severe eye-strain or prolonged working under bad lighting conditions as the chief causes of glaucoma. But, in reality, the root cause of glaucoma is a highly toxic condition of the system due to dietetic errors, a faulty life style and the prolonged use of suppressive drugs for the treatment of other diseases. Eye-strain is only a contributory factor.
Glaucoma is also caused by prolonged stress and is usually a reaction of adrenal exhaustion.
The inability of the adrenal glands to produce aldosterone results in excessive loss of salt from the body and a consequent accumulation of fluid in the tissues. In the region of the eyes, the excess fluid causes the eye ball to harden losing its softness and resilience. Glaucoma has also been associated with giddiness, sinus conditions, allergies, diabetes, hypoglycemia, arteriosclerosis and an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system.
Treatment
The modern medical treatment for glaucoma is through surgery which relieves the internal pressure in the eye due to excess fluid. This, however, does not remove the cause of the presence of the excess fluid. Consequently, even after the operation, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the trouble will not recur, or that it will not affect the other eye. The natural treatment for glaucoma is same as that for any other condition associated with high toxicity and is directed towards preserving whatever sight remains. If treated in the early stages, the results are encouraging. Though cases of advanced glaucoma may be beyond a cure, even so certain nutritional and other biological approaches can prove effective in controlling the condition and preserving the remaining sight.
Certain foodstuff should be scrupulously avoided by patients suffering from glaucoma. Coffee in particular, should be completely avoided because of its high caffeine content. Caffeine causes stimulation of vasoconstrictors, elevating blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the eye.
Bear and tobacco, which can cause constriction of blood vessels, should also be avoided. Tea should be taken only in moderation. The patient should not take excessive fluids, whether it is juice, milk or water at any time. He may drink small amounts several times with at least one hour intervals.
The diet of the patient suffering from glaucoma should be based on three basic food groups,namely, seeds, nuts and grains; vegetables and fruit, with emphasis on raw vitamin C-rich foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. The breakfast may consist of oranges or grapes or any other juicy fruits in season and a handful of raw nuts or seeds. A raw vegetable salad with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, two or three whole wheat chappatis and a glass of buttermilk may be taken for lunch. The dinner may comprise of steamed vegetables, butter and cottage cheese.
Certain nutrients have been found helpful in the treatment of glaucoma. It has been found that the glaucoma patients are usually deficient in vitamins A, B,C, protein,calcium and other minerals. Nutrients such as calcium and B complex have proved beneficial in relieving the intraocular condition. Many practitioners believe that intraocular pressure in glaucoma can be lowered by vitamin C therapy. Dr. Michele Virno and his colleagues reported recently at a meeting of the Roman Opthalmological Society in Rome, Italy, that the average person weighing 150 pounds be given 7000 mg. of ascorbic acid, five daily, acquired acceptable intraocular pressure within 45 days. Symptoms such as mild stomach discomfort and diarrhoea from the large doses of vitamin C were temporary and soon disappeared. It has also been suggested that some calcium should always be taken with each dose of ascorbic acid to minimise any side effects of the large dose.
The patient should undertake various methods of relaxing and strengthening the eyes. He should avoid emotional stress and cultivate a tranquil, restful life style. He should also avoid prolonged straining of the eyes such as occurs during excessive T.V. or movie watching and excessive reading. The use of sun glasses should be avoided.
Gout
Gout refers to a certain form of inflammation of the joints and swellings of a recurrent type.
Although chronic in character, it breaks in acute attacks. It is a disease of the wealthy and chiefly affects middle-aged men. Women, after menopause, are also sometimes affected by this disease.
Gout was known to the physicians of ancient Greece and Rome. The classical description was written in 1663 by Sydenham, himself a life-long sufferer, who clearly differentiated it from other joint disorders. It was recognised in the 18th century that large enjoyable meals and the consumption of alcoholic drinks were often the prelude to an attack of gout. This disease affected many famous men in history, including Alexander the Great, Luther, Newton, Milton, Dr. Johnson, Franklin and Louis XIV.
Symptoms
An attack of gout is usually accompanied by acute pain in the big toe, which becomes tender, hot and swollen in a few hours. Usually, it is almost impossible to put any weight on the affected foot during the acute stage of the disease. It may also similarly affect other joints such as the knees, and the wrists, and sometimes more than one joint may be affected at a time. The attack usually occurs at midnight or in the early hours of the morning, when the patient is suddenly awakened. The acute attack generally lasts for a week or so. During this period the patient may run a slight fever, and feel disinclined to eat. His general health generally remains unaffected.
The attack may occur again after several weeks or months. The interval becomes shorter if the disease is not treated properly. The joint generally becomes damaged by arthritis. This is chronic gout, in which chalky lumps of uric acid crystals remain in the joint and also form under the skin.
Another serious complication of gout is kidney stones containing uric acid, causing severe colic pains in the stomach.
In some cases the kidneys become damaged and do not function properly. This is a serious condition as the poisonous waste products which are normally removed by the kidneys accumulate in the blood.
Causes
The chief cause of gout is the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, skin and kidneys. Uric acid is an end product of the body’s chemical processes. Those affected by gout have a higher level of uric acid than the normal, due either to the formation of increased or reduced amounts of acid being passed out by the kidneys in the urine. This uric acid usually remains dissolved in the blood. But when the blood becomes too full of it, the uric acid forms needle-shaped crystals in the joints which bring about attacks of gout.
Heredity is an important factor in causing this disease and certain races are prone to gout. Other causes include excessive intake of alcoholic drinks, regular eating of foods rich in protein and carbohydrates and lack of proper exercise. Stress is also regarded as an important cause of gout. During the alarm reaction, millions of body cells are destroyed and large quantities of uric acid freed from these cells enter the tissues after being neutralised by sodium.
Treatment
For an acute attack, there is no better remedy than a fast. The patient should undertake a fast for five to seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes the condition may worsen in the early stages of fasting when uric acid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the bloodstream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued. In severe cases, it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three days or so rather than one long fast. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels.
After the acute symptoms of gout have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for a furter three or four days. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of juicy fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapple. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon the following diet:
Breakfast: Fruits such as oranges, apples, figs, apricot, mangoes, whole wheat bread or dalia and milk or butter-milk.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables such as lettuce, beets, celery, water-cress, turnips, squash, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, chappatis of whole wheat flour, cottage cheese and butter-milk.
Dinner: Sprouts such as alfalfa and mung beans, a good-sized salad of raw vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, whole wheat bread and butter.
The patient should avoid all purine and uric acid producing foods such as all meats, eggs, and fish. Glandular meats are especially harmful. He should also avoid all intoxicating liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and its products and all canned and processed foods. Spices and salts should be used as little as possible.
The cherry, sweet or sour, is considered an effective remedy for gout. This was discovered by Ludwig W. Blan Ph.D. some 35 years ago. Himself a gout sufferer, Blan Ph.D. some cherries to be miraculously effective in his own case and published his own experience in a medical journal.
Subsequently, many people with gout used this simple therapy with great success. To start with, the patient should consume about 15 to 25 cherries a day. Thereafter, about 10 cherries a day will keep the ailment under control. While fresh cherries are best, canned cherries can also be used with success.
Foods high in potassium such as potatoes, bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices are protective against gout. Carrot juice in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, is especially valuable. 100 ml. each of beet and cucumber juices should be mixed in 300 ml. of carrot juice to make 500 ml. of combined juice.
The juice of French or string beans has also proved effective in the treatment of gout. About 150
ml. of this juice should be taken by the patient suffering from this disease. Raw potato juice and fresh pineapple juices are also beneficial.
The feet should be bathed in Epsom salt foot bath twice daily. Half a pound to one pound of salt may be added to a foot bath of hot water. Full Empsom salt baths should also be taken three times a week. The baths may be reduced to two per week later. Cold packs at night, applied to the affected joints, will be beneficial. Fresh air and outdoor exercise are also essential. The patient should eliminate as much stress from his life as possible.
Gum Disease
Did you know…?
Gum Disease affects 1 in 3 people over 30 years old.
Gum disease, known medically as periodontal disease, is a condition in which the gums, deeper supporting tissue, and potentially the bone surrounding teeth become infected and inflamed.
Gum disease starts with plaque on the teeth, a sticky white substance that coats teeth. It is formed when bacteria in the mouth mixes with saliva and residues from starchy foods and sugar in your diet.
If plaque is not properly removed from teeth by brushing and flossing, it accumulates and hardens underneath the gum line into tartar. Once tartar builds up, it is much more difficult to remove than plaque and usually requires a cleaning at the dentist.
Overtime, it can lead to inflamed gums, or gingivitis. This is a mild form of gum disease. One of the most common symptoms is darker red gums that bleed with brushing or flossing.
Professional cleaning can reverse gingivitis.
If there is bleeding with pain, it is a symptom that the infection and inflammation has spread to the deeper tissues and bone, called periodontitis. After the age of 30, periodontitis is responsible for tooth loss, more so than cavities.
Symptoms
• Red, swollen gums
• Bleeding while brushing or flossing
• Receding gums
• Chronic bad breath
• Loose teeth or widening space between gums and teeth
Vitamin C
The link between vitamin C deficiency and gum disease is well known. Back in the 18th century, sailors ate limes during long trips at sea to keep their gums from bleeding.
A study in the Journal of Periodontology found that people with low intakes of vitamin C had higher rates of periodontal disease. Researchers looked at 12,419 adults in the United States.
People who consumed less than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 60 mg per day were 1.5 the risk of developing severe gingivitis as people who consumed more than 180 mg.
Vitamin C is believed to help gum disease because vitamin C is an antioxidant and is needed to repair connective tissue and accelerate bone regeneration.
To boost your intake of vitamin C, eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as grapefruit, oranges, kiwi fruit, mango, papaya, strawberry, red pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe. Vitamin C can also be taken in supplement form. Avoid chewable vitamin C, because the acidity may promote the erosion of tooth enamel over time.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects and may reduce susceptibility to gum disease. A study by the Boston University evaluated the association between vitamin D status and gingivitis. They analyzed data from 77,503 teeth in 6700 people in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that people with higher blood levels of vitamin D were less likely to experience bleeding gums during gingival probing.
Sun exposure is one of the most important sources of vitamin D, because UV rays from the sun trigger the synthesis of vitamin D in skin. The National Institutes of Health Office of dietary Supplements suggests 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure twice a week, however the further away from the equator you live, the more polluted your city, and the more cloud cover there is, the less likely that this sun exposure will be sufficient. Look for at least 200 IU in a multivitamin.
Stress reduction
Stress contributes to gum disease by increasing plaque accumulation. A University of Dusseldorf study examined how exam stress would affect plaque and gum bleeding. All students had a professional tooth cleaning 4 weeks prior to exams and then 4 weeks after exams. They found that students had significantly higher rates of plaque and gingivitis after exams compared to a control group of students that did not write exams.
Coenzyme Q10
There is some evidence has linking gum disease to lower levels of coenzyme q10, an antioxidant made naturally in the body, found widely in foods, and available in supplement form. Some researchers say that coenzyme q10 is needed to properly repair gum tissue. A study by Osaka University in Japan found improvement in infection and inflammation after 3 weeks of taking topical coenzyme q10 toothpaste. You can look find toothpaste containing coenzyme q10 at natural grocers, health food stores, and online.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil has proven antibiotic properties. A topically applied tea tree oil gel was evaluated in a double-blind placebo-controlled study involving 49 people with severe chronic gingivitis. They were told to brush twice a day and were assessed after 4 and 8 weeks. The group that brushed with tea tree oil had a significant reduction in the degree of gingivitis and bleeding. However, tea tree oil gel did not reduce the amount of plaque. Use only commercial tea tree toothpaste, not tea tree oil.
Cranberries
Cranberries may help gum disease by preventing bacteria from sticking to teeth. Look for cranberry juice with no added sugar at the health food store. A typical amount is 4 ounces a day.
Consult your doctor if you are taking the blood thinner warfarin or have kidney stones. Consider an oscillating rotating electric toothbrush A Dutch study reviewed randomized controlled trials and found that the use of electric toothbrushes with oscillating, rotating heads for 3 months reduced gingivitis compared to manual brushing with a regular toothbrush. There was also some reduction in plaque, although it was not statistically significant. Another study found that the Oral-B Professional Care 7000, which has an oscillating, rotating head, was more effective at reducing plaque and bleeding of gingivitis compared with another electric toothbrush.
Headaches and Migraine
Headaches afflict almost everyone at some time or the other. Most headaches are functional, caused by temporary upsets and are not related to any organic changes in the brain. A headache is often nature’s warning that something is wrong somewhere in the body. The actual pain, however, arises from irritation to nerve endings in the shoulder, neck and scalp muscles and also in the smooth muscles encircling the blood vessels which serve these areas.
There are several types of headaches, with as many ways of treating them. Taking an aspirin or tranquiliser may provide temporary relief but it does not remove the cause. Moreover, the frequent use of pain-relievers causes nervous debility, weakens the heart and brings on other complications.
The common causes of headaches are allergy, emotional reasons, eyestrain, high blood pressure, hangover, infection, low blood sugar, nutritional deficiency, tension, the presence of poisons and toxins in the body, and migraine. Allergies, an often unsuspected cause of headache, vary in different individuals. The foods to which some people are allergic and which can trigger headaches are milk and milk products, chocolates, chicken liver, alcohol and strong cheese. Sneezing and diarrhoea are further indications of an allergy.
Intense emotions often cause headaches. Many people who outwardly appear to have a pleasant disposition may actually be simmering about a job, or may bear resentment towards a person or something. This hidden hostility may manifest itself as headache. It is important, therefore, that negative feelings should not be bottled up, but should find some safe means of expressions.
Eye-strain is a common cause of headache. IN such cases, an eye specialist should be consulted and proper treatment taken. Simple eye exercises such as moving the eyes up and down and from side to side, palming, rotating the head, with neck outstretched, forward and backward three times, then thrice clockwise and thrice anti-clockwise, can relieve eye-strain.
High blood pressure can cause pounding headaches. The headache usually starts at the back of the head on getting up in the morning. A safe method of treatment for this is to immerse your legs to calf-level in a tub of hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. This draws the blood away from the head and down to the feet, giving relief from the headache.
Many people get a severe headache after consuming alcohol in excess. Alcohol causes the blood vessels to swell, resulting in a painful headache. The best treatment for this is to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. A hangover headache can be avoided by taking a vitamin B-1 ( thiamine) tablet with the drink.
Headaches may occur if there is an infection, such as a cold, virus and fever. Here, it is the infection that should be tackled. Vitamin C therapy is the best all round method. For a cold, high doses of vitamin C should be taken at hourly intervals with the appearance of the first symptoms like a sore throat, runny nose, etc. Vitamin C has worked miracles, and is considered a natural antibiotic.
Low blood sugar is one of the causes of irritability and headache. Sugar is not a cure for low blood sugar, though it may raise the blood sugar temporarily and make one feel better for a while. Low blood sugar is the result of an abused pancreas which over stimulates the production of insulin in the body. It can be controlled by eating smaller meals at short intervals rather than the standard three large meals daily. The intake of carbohydrates should be cut down to the minimum and coffee should be eliminated as it over stimulates the pancreas.
A lack of iron, resulting in anaemia, is a common cause of headache. The headache sometimes appears before the onset of anaemia, due to a chronic iron deficiency. Brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of iron and anaemia can easily be prevented by taking a few teaspoons daily.
Headache can also be brought on due to the deficiency of B vitamins, namely pantothenic acid, B-1 (thiamine), B-12 and B-6(pyridoxine) and can be cured by taking these vitamins.
When taking any of the B-vitamin factors seperately, it is absolutely essential to add the entire B-complex range to one’s diet in some form such as Brewer’s yeats, liver,wheat germ, etc., otherwise too much of one factor can throw the other factors into imbalance, resulting in other problems. Actually, the entire B complex group itself serves as protection against headaches, including migraine.
Tension headaches are probably the most common of all, and are caused by emotional conflicts which result in stress. Stress causes the muscles of the shoulder, neck and scalp to tense unconsciously. Persons who are irritable, tense and lose their temper quickly usually get this type of headache. It increases gradually and passes off with the release of tension. One should try to relieve the stress which produces the headache.
Poisons and toxins admitted into the body through food, beverages and water, as well as through breathing, polluted air, can cause any number of disturbances. A headache may be the first warning that a poison has entered the body. Additives in foods and in many cases, cosmetics, skin and hair products are also serious offenders in bringing on headaches. IN addition, there are toxic air contaminants which are too numerous to mention.
Migraine Headache
Migraine is an ancient and formidable malady. It bothered such distinguished persons as Caesar and Freud. It has assumed alarming proportions under modern conditions of living and is now believed to afflict about 10 per cent of the world’s population.
Migraine can be defined as a paroxysmal affection, accompanied by severe headache, generally on one side of the head and associated with disorders of the digestion, the liver and the vision. It usually occurs when a person is under great mental tension or has suddenly got over that state.
Migraine is also known as “sick headache “because nausea and vomiting occasionally accompany the excruciating pain which lasts for as long as three days. Migraine usually gives warning before it strikes: black spots or a brilliant zig-zag line appears before the eyes or the patient has blurring of vision or has part of his vision blanked out. When the headache occurs, the patient may feel tingling, numbness, or weakness in an arm or leg.
Migraine sufferers have what is known as a “migrainous personality “. They are compulsive workers and perfectionists, who feel that they have to do everything right away. When they complete a task, they are suddenly laid down from a state of temporary tension to a feeling of utmost relief. Then comes the migraine. It is a purely physiological process. The head and neck muscles, reacting to continuous stress, become overworked. The tightened muscles squeeze the arteries and reduce blood flow. When a person relaxes suddenly, the constricted muscles expand, stretching the walls of the blood-vessel. With every heart beat, the blood being pushed through this vessels expands them further and causes incredible pain.
When a headache strikes, one should stay on one’s feet in the daytime and do simple chores which do not require too much concentration or walk, move around and get some fresh air.
The best remedy to prevent headaches is to build up physical resistance through proper nutrition, exercise and constructive thinking. As a first step, the patient should undertake a short fast. During the fast, citrus fruit juices, diluted with water may be taken six times daily. By taking the load of digestion, the patient will at once save nervous energy which can be utilised for more important purposes. The blood and lymph will also be relieved of a great burden. After a short fast, the diet should be fixed in such a way as to put the least possible strain on the digestion.
Breakfast should consist of fruits, both fresh and dried. Lunch should consist largely of protein foods. Starchy foods such as whole wheat bread, cereals, rice or potatoes should be taken at dinner along with raw salads. Spices, tomatoes, sour buttermilk and oily foodstuffs should be avoided. Drinking a glass of water(warm water in winter and cool water in summer) mixed with a teaspoonful of honey the first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy.
Water Treatment
There are certain water applications which help relieve headaches. Copious drinking of water can help, as do the cleansing enema with water temperature at 98.6 o F, the hot foot bath, a cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels wrung out from very hot water to the back of the neck, a cold compress at 40 o to 60o F applied to the head and face or an alternate spinal compress. Hot fomentations over the abdominal region just before retiring relieve headaches due to stomach and liver upsets.
Yogic kriyas like jalneti and kunjal, pranayamas like anuloma-viloma, shitali and sitkari and asanas such as uttanapadasana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, halasana and shavasana are useful in the treatment of headaches.
Chronic daily headaches occur more than 15 days out of the month. Most people who suffer from this condition experience chronic headaches daily. Most people experience headaches occasionally.
Types:
Chronic daily headaches are classified as either primary or secondary.
• Primary chronic daily headaches – These are often in people who have had migraine or tension-type headaches for many years. Over time, these headaches slowly increase for headaches they are experiencing on a daily basis.
• Secondary chronic daily headaches – These are caused by a disease or condition.
Symptoms
Chronic daily headache in migraines
Sometimes migraines gradually become more frequent, until you experience pain nearly every day. This is known as transformed migraine. You may feel steady pain on one or both sides of your head, as well as pain in your neck and face. The common migraine symptoms of nausea and sensitivity to light and sound often fade, but you may continue to experience occasional acute migraine attacks. Depression, sleep disturbances, anxiety and panic are common as well.
Chronic tension-type headache
Occasional tension-type headaches sometimes progress to daily attacks. The pain involves both sides of the head and the back of the head and neck. It is often described as a dull ache or a tight band of pressure around the head. The pain may fluctuate throughout the day or be steady for days, weeks or even years at a time.
New daily persistent headache
New daily persistent headaches begin abruptly in people without a history of headaches.
Sometimes the headaches are triggered by an infection, surgery or stressful life event, but often there is no recognized cause. The pain is often described as throbbing, dull, achy, stabbing or burning, or as pressure or tightness. The pain continues unabated throughout the day. Some new daily persistent headaches go away within several months. Others persist for years or even decades.
Heartburn
What is Heartburn?
When we eat, food normally enters the stomach. A band of muscle at the end of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal spincter, then closes off the esophagus.
Heartburn can occur when the sphincter does not properly close. The acidic content of the stomach backs up into the esophagus causing irritation and pain.
Digestive Enzymes
A full stomach can put extra pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter and increase the chances that food will reflux and cause heartburn.
Digestive enzyme supplements contain enzymes that help break down food and aid digestion.
Digestive enzyme supplements are usually a combination of enzymes that break down protein (protease), break down carbohydrates (amylase), and break down fats (lipase).
Here are some suggestions on what to look for in an enzyme supplement:
• Ratios of the different enzymes vary. For holiday heartburn, a supplement with the highest ratio of lipase might be most effective.
• Avoid supplements that only contain proteases. Too much protease can break down lipase, impairing fat digestion.
• Avoid formulas that contain hydrochloric acid, betaine hydrochloride, or ox bile. The extra acidity can worsen symptoms.
• The enzyme bromelain is derived from pineapple and the enzyme papain is derived from papaya. People with allergies to these substances should check the label carefully and avoid products containing them.
• Look for capsule form.
• Digestive enzymes must be taken approximately 15 minutes before meals with a glass of water.
Precautions:
People taking blood thinners such as warfarin should avoid digestive enzymes. Pregnant or nursing women or people with ulcers, cystic fibrosis, liver or kidney disease should only take digestive enzymes under the supervision of a health care professional.
Chewable DGL
DGL, short for deglycyrrhizinated licorice, is licorice with the glycyrrhizin portion removed, because glycyrrhyzin can raise blood pressure and promote water retention.
DGL is considered an antacid alternative. Instead of blocking acid production, DGL stimulates the production of mucin.
Mucin coats and protects the esophagus, stomach and intestinal lining. DGL also improves blood flow to the lining of the digestive tract and helps form new protective cells.
Some studies have also shown that it can help inhibit the growth of potentially harmful stomach bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori (although it should not be used alone to treat H. pylori infections.)
Aloe Vera Juice
The juice from the aloe vera plant is another natural home remedy that is used to soothe an irritated esophagus. It has a long history of use in Europe as a natural home remedy to relive heartburn.
A typical dose is 1/4 cup of aloe vera juice approximately 20 minutes before a meal.
It should NOT contain any aloe latex, aloin, or aloe-emoin compounds, substances in the aloe plant that are very powerful laxatives. Aloe gel should not be taken directly from the plant as a home remedy, as the gel can be contaminated with the latex. Only gel/juice preparations specifically for internal use should be used.
Things to watch for:
If heartburn persists or if you experience it frequently, call your doctor. Heartburn may be a symptom of a more serious digestive condition called gastro esophageal reflux disease.
A burning sensation in the chest can also be a sign of a heart attack. If you are not sure, go to the emergency room immediately, especially if you experience shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, cold sweat, nausea, or pain in your shoulders or neck.
Hair Loss
What is Hair Loss?
Also known as: Alopecia
The average human scalp contains 100,000 hair follicles. Red-haired scalps average about 25 percent fewer hairs and blond-haired heads tend to average about 25 percent more hairs than brown-haired scalps. At puberty, the hairline moves back a little in 96 percent of boys due to the androgen hormone spurt.
The medical term alopecia means partial or complete loss of hair. Hair loss may result from genetic factors, aging, or local or systemic disease.
The causes of hair loss can be grouped into the following categories:
Male or female pattern baldness
This type of hair loss requires the presence of androgens but the cause is unknown. The extent of hair loss in any man depends greatly on the genes he inherits from the father, mother or both.
Hair loss begins in the temples or at the top of the head. If male pattern hair loss begins in the mid-teens, subsequent hair loss is usually is extensive. Male balding goes in waves. The hair loss may begin in the early 20’s, and then stop, only to start again in a few years.
By the age of 20 to 30 years, 30 percent of men have bald spots. This continues to rise until age 50-60, when 50 percent of men are completely bald.
The rate of hair loss is affected by advancing age, the tendency to bald early due to inherited genes, and an overabundance of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone within the hair follicle.
Although balding men have above average amounts of dihydrotestosterone in their hair follicles, they usually do not have above average circulating testosterone levels.
Female pattern baldness is not as common as male pattern, but is on the rise. It is confined to thinning of the hair predominantly at the top of the head. Complete baldness is rare.
Toxic alopecia
This type of hair loss is temporary and can a severe and often infectious disease by a period of as long as three to four months. It can occur in hypothyroidism, diabetes, hormonal problems and imbalance, nutrient and vitamin deficiencies, such as iron and biotin, hypopituitarism, parasites, poor digestion, early stage of syphilis, after pregnancy, and with thallium compounds, vitamin A or retinoid overdoses, or other cytotoxic drugs.
Alopecia areata
This is a sudden hair loss in demarcated areas. It can affect any hairy area, but most frequently affects the scalp and beard. Hair loss confined to a few areas is often reversed in a few months even without treatment. Recurrences may occur. Alopecia areata usually occurs in people with no obvious skin disease or systemic disease, but in rare cases, lab tests may show anti-microsomial antibodies to thyroglobulin, gastric parietal cells and adrenal cells.
Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
Trichotillomania is a habit that usually appears in childhood. This condition is often hard to differentiate from alopecia areata, and may remain undiagnosed for a long time. Hairs may be broken, hairs may be different lengths, and there may be re-growth seen.
Scarring alopecia
Scarring alopecia results from inflammation and tissue destruction. It may be due to injuries such as burns, physical trauma, or destruction after x-rays. In these cases, little re-growth is expected.
Other causes are cutaneous lupus erythematosus, lichen planus, chronic deep bacterial or fungal infections, deep ulcers, sarcoidosis, syphilis, or tuberculosis. Slow growing tumors of the scalp are a rare cause of hair loss.
Diagnosis
A dermatologist can conduct microscopic exam of plucked hair to differentiate between causes of hair loss and balding. This method compares the different phases of hair growth. Normally, 80-90 % of hairs are in the growing phase, also called anagen phase, the rest are in resting phase, also called telogen phase. Experienced and trained clinicians can distinguish anagen hairs, which have sheaths attached to their roots, from telogen hairs, which have no sheaths and have tiny bulbs at their roots. Other methods are biopsy of the scalp, physical examination and blood tests to detect any underlying metabolic, infectious, or inflammatory condition that could be causing secondary hair loss.
Herbal Treatments
One of the most effective conventional approaches to male pattern hair loss is the drug minoxidil.
Interest in minoxidil began with the observation that the oral form of this drug, which dilates blood vessels and is taken for high blood pressure, caused hair regrowth and partially reversed baldness in some men. For baldness, a topical form of minoxidil (Regaine or Rogaine) is applied to areas of hair loss. However, less than 10% of men taking it achieve satisfactory results.
Another conventional drug for baldness is the anti-androgenic drug finasteride. It inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that transforms testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. This seems to stimulate the growth of thicker, stronger, and darker hair.
Both minoxidil and finasteride have side effects.
Diet
A diet that contains whole foods, particularly the outer skin of plants such as potatoes, cucumbers, green and red peppers, and sprouts can give strength to hair because they are rich in the mineral silica. Foods that are high in iron, such as lean meats, are important for people with a known iron deficiency.
Nutritional Supplements, Vitamins & Herbs
Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto oil is an accepted treatment for benign prostate hyperplasia in men. It appears to interact with various sex hormones, including dihydrotestoseteron (DHT). DHT is produced from testosterone by enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.
Like most enzymes, it can be inhibited. There has been great medical interest in substances that have the potential for inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase, and thereby preventing or treating benign prostate hyperplasia. Theoretically, saw palmetto could have also been used to block DHT and prevent hair loss. Saw palmetto is believed to have a similar mechanism of action to the anti-androgenic drug finasteride (Propecia), which has been used in low doses for hair loss.
Folic acid, biotin, vitamin B5, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and silica are supplements that may help maintain the color and thickness of hair.
Precautions
Be sure to check your daily intake of zinc through supplements. Intake of 30 mg or higher for more than three months can induce a deficiency of copper, and low copper levels can result in hair loss. Speak to a health practitioner before supplementing copper to avoid copper overdose.
Aromatherapy
The results of one research study suggest that the essential oils of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedar wood mixed with oil and applied on the areas of hair loss may stimulate hair growth. This double blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 84 people who massaged either these essential oils or non-treatment oil into their scalps each night for seven months. Results showed that 44% of people in the treatment group had new hair growth compared to only 15% in the control group.
Hair Oil Recipe
• 3 drops of essential oil of thyme
• 3 drops of essential oil of lavender
• 3 drops of essential oil of rosemary
• 3 drops of essential oil of cedar wood
• 1/8 cup of grapeseed oil
• 1/8 cup of jojoba oil
Mix the ingredients together. Cover your pillow with an old towel. Apply several drops of the mixture to areas of hair loss each night, massaging gently into scalp for 3-5 minutes. Store the oil tightly covered. Do not take internally or near the eye area.
Ayurveda
Bhringaraj oil or brahmi oil are applied to the scalp regularly to stimulate hair growth. The Ayurvedic herbs ashwagandha and amla are also reported to stimulate hair growth.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine, hair loss is linked to kidney deficiency syndrome. Other symptoms of kidney deficiency are weakness, fatigue, and low back weakness. Kidney energy is believed to naturally decline with age, but people with early or accelerated hair loss may have particularly weak kidney energy. Kidney tonics are usually recommended.
Heart Disease
The term coronary heart disease covers a group of clinical syndromes arising particularly from failure of the coronary arteries to supply sufficient blood to the heart. They include angina peactoris, coronary thrombosis or heart attack and sudden death without infarction.
There has been a marked increase in the incidence of heart disease in recent years. Heart attacks have become the number one killer in Western countries. They rank third in India, after tuberculosis and infections. The disease affects people of all ages and both sexes, although it is more common in men than in women, especially among those aged 40-60 years.
The heart, the most vital organ in the body, is a muscle about the size of a clenched fist. It starts working even before birth inside the womb. Weighing less than 350 grms, it pumps about 4,300 gallons of blood per day through the body and supplies oxygen and nourishment to all the organs. It beats 1,00,000 times a day, continuously pumping the blood through more than 60,000 miles of tiny blood vessels. The heart, in turn, needs blood for its nourishment which is supplied by coronary arteries Coronary arteries are so called because they are arranged rather like a crown or carona. In case of strain, etc., the heart needs more blood and the arteries, under normal conditions, adjust themselves to the increased flow.
In the event of narrowing or hardening of the arteries on account of their getting plugged with fatty substances, the flow of blood is restricted. The heart then does not get sufficient oxygen.
This condition is known as ischaemia of the heart or angina pectoris. In this condition, exercise or excitement provokes severe chest pain and so it limits the patient’s physical activity. It serves as a warning to slow down and prompt preventive measures will prevent a heart attack.
If the narrowed arteries get blocked due to a clot or thrombus inside them, causing death of that portion of the heart which depends upon the choked arteries, it is called a heart attack or coronary thrombosis. It may lead to death or heal, leaving a scar. Patients with healed lesions may be severely disabled or may be able to resume normal life with restrictions in their physical activities.
Symptoms
A common symptom of heart disease is shortness of breath which is caused by the blood being deprived of the proper amount of oxygen. Another common symptom is chest pain or pain down either arm. Other symptoms are palpitation, fainting, emotional instability, cold hands and feet, frequent perspiration and fatigue. All these symptoms may be caused by many other disorders.
Appropriate tests and studies are, therefore, essential to establish the true nature of these symptoms.
Causes
The basic causes of heart diseases are wrong dietary habits, faulty style of living and various stresses. The famous Framingham Heart Study of the National Heart and Lung Institute identified seven major risk factors in coronary heart disease. These are: (i) elevated blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and other fatty substances(ii) elevated blood pressure (iii) elevated blood uric acid levels (mainly caused by high protein diet), (iv) certain metabolic disorders, notably diabetes, (v) obesity, (vi) smoking, and (vii) lack of physical exercise. Each or a combination of these risk factors can contribute to heart disease. Most of them are of dietary origin. These risk factors can be controlled by changing one’s life style and readjusting the diet.
Constant worry and tension stimulates the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline and cartisons. This also contributes to constricted arteries, high blood pressure and increased work for the heart.
Treatment
The fundamental conditioning factor in all heart diseases is the diet. A corrective diet designed to alter body chemistry and improve the quality of general nutritional intake can, in many cases, reverse the degenerative changes which have occurred in the heart and blood vessels.
The diet should be lacto-vegetarian, low in sodium and calories. It should consist of high quality, natural organic foods, with emphasis on whole grains, seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods which should be eliminated are all white flour products, sweets, chocolates, canned foods in syrup, soft drinks, squashes, all hard fats of animal origin such as butter, cream and fatty meats.
Salt and sugar should be reduced substantially. The patient should also avoid tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco.
The essential fatty acids which reduce serum cholesterol levels and minimise the risk of arteriosclerosis can be obtained from sunflower seed oil, corn oil or safflower oil. Several studies have indicated that garlic can reduce the cholesterol level in persons whose body normally cannot regulate the cholesterol fractions. Other important cholesterol lowering foods are alfalfa and yogurt. Lecithin helps prevent fatty deposits in arteries. Best food sources are unrefined, raw, crude vegetable oils, seeds and grains.
Fruits and vegetables in general are highly beneficial in the treatment of heart disease. Seasonal fruits are quite effective heart tonics. Apples especially contain heart stimulating properties and the patients suffering from the weakness of heart should make liberal use of apples and apple jams. Fresh grapes, pineapples, oranges,custard apples, pomegranaes and coconut water also tone up the heart. Grapes are effective in heart pain and palpitation of the heart and the disease can be rapidly controlled if the patient adopts an exclusive grapes diet for few days. Grape juice, especially will be valuable when one is actually suffering from a heart attack.
Indian gooseberry or amla is considered an effective home remedy for heart disease. It tones up the functions of all the organs of the body and builds up health by destroying the heterogeneous elements and renewing lost energy.
Another excellent home remedy for heart disease is onions. They are useful in normalising the percentage of blood cholesterol by oxidising excess cholesterol. One teaspoon of raw onion juice first thing in the morning will be highly beneficial in such cases.
Honey has marvellous properties to prevent all sorts of heart disease. It tones up the heart and improves the circulation. It is also effective in cardiac pain and palpitation of the heart. One tablespoonful daily after food is sufficient to prevent all sorts of heart troubles.
Patients with heart disease should increase their intake of foods rich in vitamin E, as this vitamin promotes the functioning of the heart by improving oxygeneration of the cells. It also improves the circulation and muscle strength. Many whole meal products and green vegetables, particularly outer leaves of cabbage are good sources of vitamin E. The vitamin B group is important for heart and circulatory disorders. The best sources of vitamin B are whole grains.
Vitamin C is also essential as it protects against spontaneous breaches in capillary walls which can lead to heart attacks. It also guards against high blood cholesterol. The stress of anger, fear, disappointment and similar emotions can raise blood fat and cholesterol levels immediately but this reaction to stress can do little harm if the diet is adequate in vitamin C and pantothenic acid.
The richest sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits.
The following is the suggested diet for persons suffering from hypertension or some disorder of the heart:
On rising: Warm water with lemon juice and honey or fresh fruit juice of apple, grapes, orange, pineapple.
Breakfast: Fresh fruit such as apples, grapes, pears, peaches, pineapple, orange, melons, one or two slices whole meal toast, yogurt, skimmed milk or soya milk.
Mid-morning: Fresh fruitjuice or coconut water.
Lunch: Combination salad of vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, endive, carrots, cucumber, beetroot, tomato, onion and garlic. One or two slices of whole meal bread or chappatis, curd, fresh grapes and other fruits in season.
Mid-afternoon: One or two wholemeal biscuits and fruit juice.
Dinner: Fresh fruit or vegetable juice or soup, two lightly cooked vegetables, one or two wheat tappets.
The patient should also pay attention to other laws of nature for health building such as taking moderate exercise, getting proper rest and sleep, adopting the right mental attitude and getting fresh air and drinking pure water.
Water Treatment
The use of an ice bag on the spinal area between the second and tenth thoracic vertebrae for 30 minutes three times a week, a hot compress applied to the left side of the neck for 30 minutes every alternate day and massage of the abdomen and upper back muscles are water treatments which are beneficial in cases of heart disease.
Hot foot and hand baths are excellent for relieving the pain of angina pectoris. To this may be added hot packs on the chest over the heart for one minute and a cold pack applied alternately for five minutes.
Asanas such as shavasana, vajrasana, and gomukhasna, yogic kriyas like jalneti and pranayamas such as shitali, sitkari and bhramari are also helpful in providing relief to heart patients.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are normally present blood vessels in and around the anus that become swollen and inflamed. Over three-quarters of people in the United States have hemorrhoids at some time in their lives. The peak age is between 45 to 65 years.
What is the Cause of Hemorrhoids?
• Constipation – One of the top causes of hemorrhoids is constipation. Straining puts greater pressure on these veins.
• Pregnancy – Hemorrhoids are a common, usually temporary problem among pregnant women caused by hormonal changes and increased pressure by the growing fetus, which forces the veins to work harder to pump blood.
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency – Hemorrhoids can be a sign of general weakness in the veins. Contributing factors are standing or sitting for long periods, being overweight, not exercising enough, and smoking.
• Inflammatory bowel disease – Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease may be the underlying cause of hemorrhoids.
• Portal hypertension – Increased pressure within the portal vein blood from the intestines to the liver. Liver cirrhosis (scarring) is the most common cause.
• Aging – Starting in the thirties, there is a progressive weakening of the support structures in the area.
Symptoms
• Internal hemorrhoids (ones that are inside the anal cavity) usually cause painless bleeding at the end of a bowel movement. Blood can be a sign of a serious problem so it is important to be evaluated by a health professional.
• A sensation of fullness, usually described as feeling the urge to have a bowel movement even when there is no stool. Straining worsens the discomfort.
• Acute pain, itching, and irritation around the anus. This often occurs when the hemorrhoid has prolapsed and can be seen outside the anus or it can be caused when a blood clot develops or the hemorrhoid becomes twisted. There may be a painful lump or swelling around the anus. These can be serious and need evaluation.
• External hemorrhoids (outside the anus) can often be felt as a bulge in the anus. Although they can be itchy and painful, they sometimes do not cause typical symptoms.
Hemorrhoids Are Often Confused With Anal Fissures. When people see spots of blood on the toilet paper and have pain with bowel movements, they often immediately think its hemorrhoids when the problem may really be a small but painful tear called an anal fissure.
Anal fissures are often caused by constipation. If stools are dry and hard, the anal sphincter is forced open wider than normal, resulting in a tear, or anal fissure. There are often some spots of bright red blood on the toilet paper. Anal fissures also cause a sharp, stinging, often severe pain with the passage of each bowel movement (whereas hemorrhoids often cause bleeding but no pain).
Herbal Remedies
Fiber
One of the most common causes of hemorrhoids is inadequate fiber intake. Fiber shows a consistent beneficial effect for relieving hemorrhoid symptoms and bleeding. Seven randomized trials with a total of 378 participants have found fiber improved symptoms including itching, discomfort, and pain.
Start by eating foods high in fiber, such as whole grains and vegetables. Psyllium is another option, one that is inexpensive and readily available. A typical dose of psyllium is 1 teaspoon of the husks in water followed by another glass of water.
My favorite is ground flaxseeds, which I mix with brown rice or sprinkle on salads. To me this tastes much better than psyllium. Whatever the source of fiber, it is important to drink sufficient water or constipation may worsen.
Bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids are a type of plant compound that stabilizes and strengthens blood vessel walls and decreases inflammation. They have been found to reduce anal discomfort, pain, and anal discharge during an acute hemorrhoid attack. Side effects of bioflavonoids appear to be mild and rare, making them a promising treatment for hemorrhoids in pregnancy (the flavonoid tangeretin however, should not be used by people taking tamoxifen for breast cancer).
The major flavonoids found in citrus fruits, diosmin, herperidin, and oxerutins, appear to be beneficial. Daflon, a product made with citrus bioflavonoids was found to improve symptoms in pregnant women by day four of taking it and to reduce symptoms of pain, heaviness, bleeding, itching and discharge.
Witch hazel compress or cream
This drug store staple is made from the leaves and bark of a plant called Hamamelis virginiana. It should not be taken internally but instead is applied topically to the anal area in the form of witch hazel distilled liquid, ointment, or medicated pads.
Witch hazel decreases the bleeding of hemorrhoids by acting as an astringent. It also relieves pain, itching and swelling associated with hemorrhoids.
Butchers Broom
This plant Ruscus aculeatus, which is also known as knee holly, box holly, and sweet broom, gets its name because it was once used by butchers in Europe to clean their chopping blocks.
Butchers broom has a long history of traditional use for hemorrhoids and varicose veins. It is often used when there is underlying poor circulation in the veins.
How does a butcher broom work?
Butchers broom extract has anti-inflammatory and vein-constricting properties believed to improve the tone and integrity of veins and shrink the swollen tissue. The active compound is called ruscogen.
Dosages:
Butchers broom is usually recommended in capsule or tea form. The tea has a slightly bitter taste, so a bit of stevia or honey can be used to sweeten it. The tea can be made by steeping 1 teaspoon of the herb in a cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Butchers broom has also been shown to be effective when applied topically as an ointment or compress.
Precautions:
Butchers broom should not be used by people with high blood pressure, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), by pregnant or nursing women, or by people taking alpha blocker or MAO inhibitor drugs unless otherwise recommended by their doctor.
Horse chestnut
Description
Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), like Butchers broom, is often recommended when there is poor circulation in the veins, or chronic venous insufficiency. It relieves symptoms such as swelling and inflammation and strengthens blood vessel walls. The active compound is believed to be aescin.
Dosages
Horse chestnut can be taken as a tea or in capsule form. It can also be applied externally as a compress.
Precautions
People with an allergy to the horse chestnut family, bleeding disorders, or people taking blood thinners should not take horse chestnut. Only products made from the seeds or bark of the young branches should be used. Other parts of the plant are poisonous. Although uncommon, side effects have included kidney damage, severe bleeding, bruising, and liver damage.
Other Herbs
Triphala
Description
It is an Ayurvedic compound composed of three fruits. It is well known as a bowel tonic that gently relieves constipation without being a harsh stimulant.
Topical application of chamomile or calendula. Can be applied as a compress or an ointment.
The three basics that can greatly reduce hemorrhoids symptoms are:
• Adequate Water Intake (A Minimum Of 6 Glasses A Day)
• Adequate Fiber in the diet
• Exercise
Getting Diagnosed
A thorough evaluation and proper diagnosis by the doctor is important any time bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool occurs. Bleeding may also be a symptom of other digestive diseases, including colorectal cancer.
Conventional treatment options include cutting off circulation to the hemorrhoid (ligation), shrinking the hemorrhoid chemically (sclerotherapy), burning hemorrhoid tissue with a special device (infrared coagulation), and surgery (hemorrhoidectomy).
Hemicrania Continua
Hemicrania continua is a rare type of chronic daily headache. The pain occurs on one side of the head and varies in intensity without ever disappearing completely. The pain is usually moderate but may include jolts of severe pain that last less than a minute. The flare-ups of severe pain may be accompanied by tearing or redness of the eye on the affected side, swelling or drooping of the eyelid, and a stuffy or runny nose. You may experience nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to noise and light. Sometimes auras — such as blind spots or flashing lights in your visual field or sensations of numbness or tingling — are present as well.
In the episodic form of hemicrania continua, periods — usually months — with daily headaches alternate with periods with no headaches. In the chronic form, headaches occur daily with little or no break, sometimes for years.
Causes
• Medication overuse
• Abnormal response of the brain to stimulation, such as muscle tension or tissue inflammation
• Abnormal function of brain structures that suppress pain
• Changes in the nervous system due to frequent headaches
• Stimulation of the central nervous system due to stress, infection or trauma
• Genetic predisposition to increased pain sensitivity
• Injury to or painful stimulation of the upper spine
Different diseases or conditions may cause secondary chronic daily headaches, such as:
• Inflammation of the arteries (giant cell arteritis)
• Inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis)
• A new, abnormal formation of tissue (neoplasm)
• Infection
• Sleep disorders (such as obstructive sleep apnea)
Diagnosis
The doctor will ask a series of questions about your headaches, including when they started and what they feel like. Be sure to list all the medications you are taking, including the doses.
Your doctor will probably do a physical exam to check for signs of illness, infection or neurological problems. If the cause of your headaches remains uncertain, you may need blood or urine tests to identify any underlying medical conditions. Sometimes imaging studies — such as an X-ray, computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging — are recommended.
Treatment
Treatment for any underlying diseases or conditions often stops chronic daily headaches. When no underlying diseases or conditions are present, treatment focuses on stopping the pain before it starts. Specific Prevention strategies vary, depending on which type of headache you have and on whether medication overuse is contributing to these headaches.
If you are taking pain relievers more than two days a week, the first step in treatment may be to stop using these drugs. When you are ready to begin preventive therapy, your doctor may recommend:
• Antidepressants
• Beta-blockers: These drugs, commonly used to treat high blood pressure, are also a mainstay for preventing episodic migraines.
• Anti-seizure medications: Some anti-seizure drugs seem to prevent migraines. Now these medications may be used to prevent chronic daily headaches as well. Options may include divalproex (Depakote), gabapentin (Neurontin) and topiramate (Topamax).
• Muscle relaxants
• NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Unfortunately, some chronic daily headaches remain resistant to medications.
Prevention
Taking good care of yourself both mentally and physically. This can help prevent chronic daily headaches.
1. Avoid potential causes: If you are not sure what causes your headaches, keep a headache journal. Include details about every headache. When did it start? What were you doing at the time? What did you eat that day? How did you sleep the night before?
What is your stress level? How long did the headache last? What, if anything, provided relief? You may see a relationship and then you may be able to prevent future headaches.
2. Get enough sleep: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and even on weekends. If you are not tired at bedtime, read or watch television until you become sleepy.
3. Do not skip meals: Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Eat lunch and dinner at about the same time every day. Avoid any foods that seem to trigger headaches.
4. Exercise: Exercise causes your body to release chemicals that block pain signals to your brain. Choose exercises you will get pleasure from such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. Remember to start slow.
5. Decrease the stress in your life: Become more organization. Organization in your life will reduce stress. Do not try to do too much at once. Take it one day at a time and be positive. Positive thinking is effective.
6. Relax: Take some me time.
7. Stop smoking: Smoking can cause headaches or make them worse even chronic.
Other Treatment
Acupuncture: This ancient technique uses hair-thin needles to promote the release of natural painkillers and other chemicals in the central nervous system. There is some evidence that it can help control headaches and other conditions that cause chronic pain.
Biofeedback: With this relaxation technique, you can learn to control headaches by producing changes in bodily responses such as muscle tension, heart rate and skin temperature.
Hypnosis: During a hypnosis session, a trained hypnotist might suggest ways to decrease your perception of pain and increase your ability to cope with it — such as visualizing a calm, safe place when a headache strikes.
Meditation: During meditation, you focus on a simple activity, such as breathing or repeating a single word or phrase. The practice creates a deeply restful state in which your breathing slows and your muscles relax — which can help you manage pain and reduce the stress that can cause or worsen a headache.
Massage: Massage can reduce stress, relieve tension and promote relaxation. Although its value as a headache treatment has not been determined, massage may be particularly helpful if you have tight, tender muscles in the back of your head, neck and shoulders.
Herbs, vitamins and minerals: Some dietary supplements — including magnesium, feverfew and butterbur — seem to help prevent or relieve some Types: of headaches, but there is little scientific support for these claims. If you are considering using supplements to treat headaches, check with your doctor. Some supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or have other harmful effects.
Chiropractic care: Spinal manipulation can effectively treat some Types: of pain, but studies do not support claims that chiropractic care relieves headaches. Chiropractic manipulation of the neck has been associated with injury to the blood vessels supplying the brain. Rarely, this may cause a stroke.
If you would like to try a complementary or alternative therapy, discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
High Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol, a yellowish fatty substance, is one of the essential ingredients of the body. Although it is essential to life, it has a bad reputation, being a major villain in heart disease. Every person with a high blood cholesterol is regarded as a potential candidate for heart attack, a stroke or high blood pressure.
Cholesterol is a building block of the outer membrane of cells. It is the principal ingredient in the digestive juice bile, in the fatty sheaths that insulate nerves and in sex hormones, namely, estrogen and androgen. It performs several functions such as transportation of fat, providing defense mechanism, protecting red blood cells and muscular membrane of the body.
Most of the cholesterol found in the body is produced in the liver. However, about 20 to 30 percent generally comes from the foods we eat. Some cholesterol is also secreted into the intestinal tract in bile and becomes mixed with the dietary cholesterol. The percentage of ingested cholesterol absorbed seemed to average 40 to 50 percent of the intake. The body excretes extra cholesterol from the system through bowels and kidneys.
The amount of cholesterol is measured in milligrams per 100 millimeters of blood. Normal level of cholesterol varies between 150- 250 mg. per 100 ml. Persons with atherosclerosis have uniformly high blood cholesterol usually above 250 mg. per 100 ml.
In blood, cholesterol is bound to certain proteins – lipoproteins which have an affinity for blood fats, known as lipids. There are two main types of lipoproteins: a low density one (LDL) and a high density one (HDL). The low density lipoprotein is the one which is considered harmful and is associated with cholesterol deposits in blood vessels. The higher the ratio of LDL to the total cholesterol, the greater the risk of arterial damage and heart disease. The HDL on the other hand plays a salutary role by helping remove cholesterol from circulation and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol has been the subject of extensive study by researchers since 1769, when French chemist, Polutier de La Salle purified the soapy-looking yellowish substance. The results of the most comprehensive research study, commissioned by the National Heart and Lung Institute of the U.S.A. were announced about four years ago. The 10-year study, considered most elaborate and most expensive research project in medical history, indicates that heart disease is directly linked to the level of cholesterol in the blood and that lowering cholesterol significantly reduces the incidence of heart attacks. It has been estimated that for every one per cent reduction in cholesterol, there is a decrease in the risk of heart attack by two per cent.
Causes
Hyperchjolsterolaemia or increase in cholestrol is mainly a digestive problem caused by rich foods such as fried foods, excessive consumption of milk and its products like ghee,butter and cream,white flour, sugar, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, ice cream as well as non-vegetarian foods like meat, fish and eggs. Other causes of increase in cholesterol are irregularity in habits, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Stress has been found to be a major cause of increased level of cholesterol. Adrenaline and cortison are both released in the body under stress. This, in turn, produces a fat metabolising reaction. Adrenal glands of executive type aggressive persons produce more adrenaline than the easy going men. Consequently they suffer six to eight times more heart attacks than the relaxed men.
The Cure
To reduce the risk of heart disease, it is essential to lower the level of LDL and increase the level of HDL. This can be achieved by improving the diet and changing the life style. Diet is the most important factor. As a first step, foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats, which lead to increase in LDL level, should be reduced to the minimum. Cholesterol -rich foods are eggs, organ meats and most cheese, butter, bacon, beef, whole milk, virtually all foods of animal origin as well as two vegetable oils, namely coconut and palm, are high in saturated fats and these should be replaced by polyunsaturated fats such as corn, safflower, sobayeans and sesame oils which tend to lower the level of LDL. There are monosaturated fats such as olive and peanut oils which have more or less neutral effect on the LDL level.
The American Heart Association recommends that men should restrict themselves to 300 mg. of cholesterol a day and women to 275 mg. It also prescribes that fat should not make up more than 30 per cent of the diet and not more than one third of this should be saturated. The Association, however, urges a somewhat strict regimen for those who already have elevated levels of cholesterol.
The amount of fibre in the diet also influences the cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol can be lowered by taking diets rich in fibres. The most significant sources of dietary fibre are unprocessed wheat bran, whole cereals such as wheat, rice, barley, rye; legumes such as potato, carrot, beet and turnips; fruits like mango and guava and green vegetables such as cabbage, lady’s finger, lettuce and celery. Oat bran is especially beneficial in lowering LDL cholesterol.
Lecithin, also a fatty food substance and the most abundant of the phospholipids, is highly beneficial in case of increase in cholesterol level. It has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins. It also increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing its amount in the blood. Egg yolk, vegetable oils, whole grain cereals, soyabeans and unpasteurised milk are rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present.
Diets high in vitamin B6, cholin and inositol supplied by wheat germ, yeast, or B vitamins extracted from bran have been particularly effective in reducing blood cholesterol. Sometimes vitamin E elevates blood lecithin and reduces cholesterol presumably by preventing the essential fatty acids from being destroyed by oxygen.
Persons with high blood cholesterol level should drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water every day as regular drinking of water stimulates the excretory activity of the skin and kidneys. This in turn facilitates elimination of excessive cholesterol from the system. Regularly drinking of coriander (dhania) water also helps lower blood cholesterol as it is a good diuretic and stimulates the kidneys. It is prepared by boiling dry seeds of coriander and straining the decoction after cooling.
Regular exercise also plays an important role in lowering LDL cholesterol and in raising the level of protective HDL. It also promotes circulation and helps maintain the blood flow to every part of the body. Jogging or brisk walking, swimming, bicycling and playing badminton are excellent forms of exercise.
Yogasnas are highly beneficial as they help increase perspiratory activity and stimulate sebaceous glands to effectively secrete accumulated or excess cholesterol from the muscular tissue. Asanas like ardhamatsyaendrasana, shalabhasana, padmasanaand vajrasana are useful in lowering blood cholesterol by increasing systemic activity.
Hydrotherapy can be successfully employed in reducing excess cholesterol. Cold hip baths for 10 minutes taken twice every day have proved beneficial. Steam baths are also helpful except in patients suffering from hypertension and other circulatory disorders. Mud packs, applied over the abdomen improve digestion and assimilation. They improve the functioning of the liver and other digestive organs and activate kidneys and the intestines to promote better excretion.
High Cholesterol
What is High Cholesterol?
In some people, cholesterol levels in blood become too high. This is called high cholesterol or hyperlipidemia.
High levels of LDL cholesterol (so-called “bad” cholesterol) are considered a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
LDL cholesterol is thought to irritate the lining of blood vessels, stimulating arteriosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries.
Although lowering LDL cholesterol and raising levels of HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) has traditionally been the focus, factors related to free radical damage are drawing increased attention:
• Lipoprotein A is a relative of LDL cholesterol.
• It has thought to be formed when there is free radical damage. Lipoprotein A may adhere to damaged blood vessels, eventually forming atherosclerotic plaques.
• Oxidized cholesterol is found in large amounts in fried and processed foods. Studies have found that oxidized cholesterol may increase the amount of atherosclerotic deposits on blood vessel walls.
Who Needs to Lower Cholesterol?
High cholesterol is usually treated based on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol levels, plus the presence of additional risk factors for heart disease:
• Previous heart attack
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Family history of early heart disease
• Age over 45 in men and greater than 55 in women
• 10 year risk of heart attack greater than 20%
Herbs and Supplements for High Cholesterol
Precautions:
A few tips on using natural products to lower cholesterol:
Talk with your doctor before starting any natural method to lower cholesterol.
Make your doctor knows what supplements you are taking. Fill out the supplement diary to bring to your next appointment.
Do not discontinue any medication to lower cholesterol. Speak with your doctor if you have questions about your medication.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B3, also called niacin, is used to lower cholesterol. Specifically it appears to lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.
Well-designed studies have found that niacin lowers LDL cholesterol by 10% to 20%, lowers triglycerides by 20% to 50%, and raises “good” HDL cholesterol by 15% to 35%. Niacin also appears to significantly lower levels for another risk factor for arteriosclerosis, lipoprotein A.
Niacin is available in prescription form and as a dietary supplement. The American Heart Association cautions patients to only use the prescription form of niacin.
Because of side effects, niacin should not be used to lower cholesterol unless under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.
Niacin can increase the effect of high blood pressure medication or cause nausea, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, gout, and worsen peptic ulcers, or trigger gout, liver inflammation, and high blood sugar.
Side effect of high-dose niacin:
Skin flushing or hot a flash, which is caused by widening of blood vessels. Most people only notice this when they initially start taking niacin. The flushing may be lessened by taking niacin with meals.
Although high doses of niacin showed promise in combination with common drugs to lower cholesterol (called “statins”), there are concerns that combining the two could result in a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis. They should not be combined unless under the close supervision of a physician.
Artichoke Leaf
There is some research suggesting that artichoke leaf extract (Cynara scolymnus) may help to lower cholesterol.
Artichoke leaf extract may work by limiting the synthesis of cholesterol in the body.
Artichokes also contain a compound called cynarin, believed to increase bile production in the liver and speed the flow of bile from the gallbladder, both of which may increase cholesterol excretion.
Research:
A double-blind, placebo-controlled German study found that 1,800 mg of artichoke extract per day for six weeks significantly lowered total cholesterol by 18.5% compared to 8.6% in the placebo group and lowered LDL cholesterol by 22.9% compared with 6% in the placebo group.
The ratio of LDL to HDL decreased by 20% in the artichoke group compared with 7% in the placebo group. There were no adverse effects associated with artichoke use.
A meta-analysis looked at randomized controlled trials for artichoke extract for high cholesterol.
Two trials involving 167 people met the quality criteria. One trial found artichoke significantly reduced total cholesterol after 42 days of treatment. The other study found artichoke significantly reduced total cholesterol in a subgroup of patients with total cholesterol levels of more than 230 mg/dl.
Adverse events were mild, transient and infrequent. Larger clinical trials over longer periods are needed.
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber appears to reduce LDL cholesterol by reducing cholesterol absorption in the intestines. Soluble fiber binds with cholesterol so that it is excreted.
Soluble fiber can be found as a dietary supplement, such as psyllium powder, or in foods such as:
• Oats, barley, rye
• Legumes (peas, beans)
• Some fruits such as apples, prunes, and berries
• Some vegetables, such as carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, yams
Dosages:
Five to 10 grams a day of soluble fiber has been found to decrease LDL cholesterol by approximately 5%.
The FDA allows soluble fiber products to indicate on the label that they are “heart-healthy”.
Plant Sterols and Stanols
Plant stanols and sterols (such as beta-sitosterol and sitostanol) are naturally occurring substances found in certain plants. Stanols are also found as dietary supplements or are added to margarine, orange juice, and dressings.
Research:
Research suggests that plant stanols and sterols may help to lower cholesterol. They are similar in structure to cholesterol and may help block the absorption of cholesterol absorption from the intestines.
Studies have found that stanols significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, but had no significant effect on HDL cholesterol or triglycerides.
Stanols and sterols appear to enhance the effects of other methods to lower cholesterol. In studies, people taking the statin drugs to lower cholesterol had an additional improvement in their cholesterol levels with stanols/sterols.
Other Supplements
• Policosanol
• Red Yeast Rice
• Coenzyme Q10
• Garlic
• Pantothine
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension – to give it the correct medical term – is regarded as the silent killer. It is a disease of the modern age. The fast pace of life and the mental and physical pressures caused by the industrial and metropolitan environments give rise to psychological tensions. Worry and mental tension increases the adrenaline in the blood stream and this, in turn, causes the pressure of the blood to rise.
The blood which circulates through the arteries within the body supplies every cell with nourishment and oxygen. The force exert by the heart as it pumps the blood into the large arteries creates a pressure within them and this is called blood pressure. A certain level of blood pressure is thus essential to keep the blood circulating in the body. But when the pressure becomes too high, it results in hypertension which is caused by spasm or narrowing of the small blood vessels, known as capillaries, throughout the body. This narrowing puts more stress on the heart to pump blood through the blood vessels. Hence, the pressure of the blood to get through rises in proportion to the pressure on the heart.
The blood pressure is measured with the instrument called sphygmomanometer in millimeters of mercury. The highest pressure reached during each heart beat is called systolic pressure and the lowest between the two beats is known as diastolic pressure. The first gives the pressure of the contraction of the heart as it pushes the blood on its journey through the body and indicates the activity of the heart. The second represents the pressure present in the artery when the heart is relaxed and shows the condition of the blood vessels. The blood pressure level considered normal is 120/70, but may go up to 140 /90 and still be normal. Within this range, the lower the reading, the better. Blood pressure between 140/90 and 160/95 is considered border line area.
From 160/96 to 180/114, it is classed as moderate hypertension, while 180/115 and upward is considered severe. A raised diastolic pressure is considered more serious than the raised systolic pressure as it has a serious long-term effect. The higher the pressure the greater the danger it causes to the wall.
Symptoms
Mild and moderate hypertension may not produce any symptoms for years. The first symptoms may appear in the form of pain toward the back of the head and neck on waking in the morning, which soon disappears. Some of the other usual symptoms of hypertension are dizziness, aches and pains in the arms, shoulder region, leg, back, etc., palpitations, pain in the heart region, frequent urination, nervous tension and fatigue, crossness, emotional upset, tiredness and wakefulness.
A person suffering from high blood pressure cannot do any serious work, feels tired and out of sorts all the time. He may experience difficulty in breathing and suffer from dyspepsia.
Hypertension, if not eliminated, may cause heart attacks or strokes or other disability conditions such as detachment of the terina.
Causes
The most important causes of hypertension are stress and a faulty style of living. People who are usually tense suffer from high blood pressure, especially when under stress. If the stress continues for a longperiod, the pressure may become permanently raised and may not become even after removal of the stress. An irregular life style, smoking and an excessive intake of intoxicants, tea, coffee, cola drinks, refined foods, destroy the natural pace of life. The expulsion of waste and poisonous matter from the body is prevented and the arteries and the veins become slack. hardening of the arteries, obesity, diabetes and severe constipation also lead to hypertension. Other causes of high blood pressure are excessive intake of pain killers, common table salt, food allergies and eating a high fat, low fibre diet, processed foods deficient in essential nutrients.
The kidneys play an important role in controlling blood pressure through secretion of rennin, a natural chemical. If increased rennin is secreted by the kidneys, more salts are retained in the body, which leads to an increase in the volume of circulating blood and consequently to an increase in the blood pressure. Repeated infections and inflammation in the kidneys can also give rise to hypertension.
The Cure
The modern medical treatment of high blood pressure is highly unscientific as it brings down the pressure by drugs without making any effort to remove the underlying causes. Drugs may temporarily reduce blood pressure,but they do not cure the condition and are harmful in the ultimate analysis. All drugs against hypertension without exception, are toxic and have distressing side effects. The safest way to cure hypertension is to remove the real cause. The natural way of dealing with it is to eliminate the poisons from the system which cause it. Persons with high blood pressure should always follow a well-balanced routine of proper diet, exercise and rest. Diet is of primary importance. Meat and eggs cause the blood pressure to rise more than any other food. The pressure is lowered and blood clotting diminished by partaking of a higher fruit content, lower protein and non-flesh diet. A natural diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of a traditional diet, is helpful in getting rid of the poisons from the body. A hypertension patient should start the process of healing by living on an exclusive fruit-diet for atleast a week, and take fruits at five-hourly intervals thrice in the day. Oranges, apples, pears, mangoes, guava, pineapples, raspberry, water-melon are the best diet in such cases. Bananas and jack fruit should not be taken. Milk may be taken after a week of ‘fruits only’ diet. The milk should be fresh and should be boiled only once. The patient can be permitted cereals in his food after two weeks.
Vegetables are also good for the patient of hypertension. They should preferably be taken raw. If they are cooked, it should be ensured that their natural juices are not burnt in the process of cooking. Vegetables like cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, onion, radish, cabbage and spinach are best taken in their raw form. They may be cut into small pieces and sprinkled with a little salt and the juice of a lemon added to them so as to make them more palatable.
Garlic is regarded as one of the most effective remedies to lower blood pressure. The pressure and tension are reduced because it has the power to ease the spasms of the small arteries.
Garlic also slows the pulse and modifies the heart rhythm besides relieving the symptoms of dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive tract. The average dosage should be two to three capsules a day to make a dent in the blood pressure.
Indian gooseberry (amla) is another effective food remedy for high blood pressure. A tablespoonful each of fresh amla juice and honey mixed together should be taken every morning in this condition. Lemon is also regarded as a valuable food to control high blood pressure. It is a rich source of vitamin P which is found both in the juice and peel of the fruit. This vitamin is essential for preventing capillary fragility.
Watermelon is another valuable safeguard against high blood pressure. It was proved in recent experiments that a substance extracted from watermelon seeds has a definite action in dilating the blood vessels, which results in lowering the blood pressure.
Recent studies have revealed an important link between dietary calcium and potassium and hypertension. Researchers have found that people who take potassium-rich diets have a low incidence of hypertension even if they do not control their salt-intake. They have also found that people with hypertension do not seem to get much calcium in the form of dairy products. The two essential nutrients seem to help the body throw off excess sodium and are involved in important functions which control the working of the vascular system. Potassium is found in abundance in fruits and vegetables and calcium in dairy products.
Exercise plays an important role in curing hypertension. Walking is an excellent form of exercise.
It helps to relieve tension, builds up the muscles and aids in the circulation of blood. As the blood pressure shows signs of abating, more exercise like bicycling, swimming, jogging should be taken. Yogic asanas such as surya namaskar, makrasana,matsyasana, vajrasana, ardhapadmasana, pavan-muktasana, shavasana and simple pranayama like anuloma-viloma and abdominal breathing are beneficial. All asanas should, however, be discontinued except shavasana if the blood pressure is above 200 milimeters.
Water Treatment
Prolonged neutral bath daily for an hour or so at 90 o to 95 o will be beneficial. Cold compress should be kept on the head during this bath. Other water treatments include hot foot or leg bath for 10 minutes, hot compress over the heart replacing it as bath cools down.
Persons suffering from hypertension must ensure at least eight hours of restful sleep, because proper rest is an important aspect of the treatment. Most important of all, the patient must avoid over-straining, worries, tension, anger and haste. He must try to be cheerful and develop a contented mind. The natural treatment may take sometime but it is the safest and best way to get rid of this disease.
High Blood Pressure
What is High Blood Pressure?
Also known as: Hypertension
According to the American Heart Association, nearly one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure.
However, nearly 1/3 of those people do not know they have high blood pressure, because it is a silent disease. People can have high blood pressure for years without experiencing symptoms or knowing that they have it.
The upper or first number in a blood pressure reading is the systolic pressure and the lower or second number is called the diastolic pressure. According to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines:
• Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg.
• Prehypertension is systolic pressure that is between 120 to 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89.
• Stage 1 hypertension is systolic pressure between 140 to 159 or diastolic pressure between 90 and 99.
• Stage 2 hypertension is systolic pressure higher than 160 or diastolic pressure of 100 or higher.
Symptoms
High blood pressure usually does not cause any symptoms in the early stages. Symptoms associated with high blood pressure can include:
• Dizziness or dizzy spells
• Headache
• Nosebleeds
Causes
In most cases of high blood pressure, the American Heart Association says there is no one identifiable cause. This kind of high blood pressure is called primary hypertension or essential hypertension. It is usually a combination of factors, such as:
• Weight: The greater your body mass, the more pressure there is on your artery walls.
That is because more blood is produced to supply oxygen and nutrients to tissues in your body.
• Activity level: Lack of physical activity tends to increase heart rate, which forces your heart to work harder with each contraction.
• Tobacco use: Chemicals in cigarettes and tobacco can damage artery walls.
• Sodium intake: Excessive sodium in the diet can result in fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially in people sensitive to sodium.
• Potassium intake: Low potassium can result in elevated sodium in cells, because the two balance one another.
• Stress: Stress can raise blood pressure.
• Alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol intake can over time, increase the risk of heart disease.
• Age: The risk of high blood pressure increases, as you get older.
• Family History: High blood pressure often runs in families.
High blood pressure can also be caused by an underlying condition, such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease, adrenal gland disease, and the use of certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, or herbs such as licorice. This type of high blood pressure is called secondary hypertension.
Treatments:
Lifestyle changes and natural remedies may help to control high blood pressure, but your doctor may also recommend medication to lower high blood pressure. It is important to work with your doctor, because untreated high blood pressure may damage organs in the body and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney disease, and vision loss.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
There is some evidence that the supplement CoQ10 may help to reduce high blood pressure.
Research History:
1.
A bind, placebo-controlled trial of 83 people with systolic hypertension examined the effect of CoQ10 supplements (60 mg twice daily). After the 12 weeks, there was a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 17.8 mm Hg in the Coq10-treated group.
2.
Another study conducted at the University of Western Australia looked at the effect of CoQ10 on blood pressure and glycemic control in 74 people with type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 100mg CoQ10 twice daily, 200mg of the drug fenfibrate, both, or neither for 12 weeks.
CoQ10 significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mean reduction 6.1 mm Hg and 2.9 mm Hg respectively). There was also a reduction in HbA1C, a marker for long-term glycemic control.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Facts
Garlic
In a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials of garlic supplements, three trials showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and four in diastolic blood pressure.
Researchers concluded that garlic powder supplement might be of clinical use in patients with mild hypertension.
A garlic supplement should only be used under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.
Garlic can thin the blood (reduce the ability of blood to clot) similar to aspirin. Garlic may interact with many drugs and supplements such as the prescription “blood-thinners” drugs such as Coumadin (warfarin) or Trental (pentoxifylline), aspirin, vitamin E, gingko. It is recommended people taking garlic should stop in the weeks before and after any type of surgery.
Hawthorn
Traditional herbal practitioners use the herb Hawthorn for high blood pressure.
Research History:
In a randomized controlled trial conducted by researchers in Reading, UK, 79 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive either 1200 mg of hawthorn extract a day or placebo for 16 weeks. Medication for high blood pressure was used by 71% of the patients.
At the end of the 16 weeks, patients taking the hawthorn supplement had a significant reduction in mean diastolic blood pressure (2.6 mm Hg). No herb-drug interactions were reported.
Fish oil
Preliminary studies suggest that fish oil may have a modest effect on high blood pressure.
Although fish oil supplements often contain both DHA (docohexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoice acid), there is some evidence that DHA is the ingredient that lowers high blood pressure.
Folic acid
Folate is a B vitamin necessary for formation of red blood cells. It may help to lower high blood pressure in some people, possibly by reducing elevated homocysteine levels.
Study:
One small study of 24 cigarette smokers found that four weeks of folic acid supplementation significantly lowered blood pressure.
Diet
Changing your diet is an important part of lowering high blood pressure. The DASH (dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The DASH diet includes fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, beans and nuts. Sodium is limited to 2,400 mg per day.
Studies have found that the DASH diet can reduce high blood pressure within two weeks. These are the daily guidelines of the DASH diet:
• 7 to 8 servings of grains
• 4 to 5 servings of vegetables
• 4 to 5 servings of fruit
• 2 to 3 servings of low-fat or non-fat dairy
• 2 or less servings of meat, fish, or poultry
• 2 to 3 servings of fats and oils
• 4 to 5 servings per week of nuts, seeds, and dry beans
• Less than five servings a week of sweets
Serving Sizes
• 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
• 1-slice bread
• 1-cup raw vegetables or fruit
• 1/2 cup cooked vegetables or fruit
• 8 oz. of milk
• 1-teaspoon olive oil
• 3 ounces cooked meat
• 3 ounces tofu
A related diet called the DASH-Sodium reduces sodium to 1,500 mg a day, which is approximately equal to 2/3 teaspoon from all sources (processed and canned foods contain hidden salt).
Patients following the DASH-Sodium diet had a significant reduction in high blood pressure.
Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium
Calcium
Calcium supplementation appears to have a modest but statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (mean difference of 2.5 mm Hg), however better quality studies are needed.
Potassium
A meta-analysis of five trials indicated that potassium supplementation compared to a control resulted in a large but statistically non-significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (mean difference 11.2 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (5.0 mm hg).
Magnesium
In 12 randomized controlled trials, participants receiving magnesium supplements did not have a significantly reduction in systolic blood pressure, but they did have a statistically significantly reduction in diastolic blood pressure (mean difference 2.2 mm Hg).
Mind-Body Interventions
Mind-body interventions, particularly autogenic training, biofeedback, and yoga, have been found to modestly reduce high blood pressure compared with placebo.
Autogenic Training
Autogenic training is a technique used for stress reduction and relaxation. It involves a series of sessions in which people learn how to control breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature.
People learn six exercises that each involves a certain posture (e.g. reclining in a chair), concentration without a goal, imagination, and verbal cues. Each exercise is learned by watching a teacher demonstrate it or by reading a description. It requires regular practice.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a technique in which people learn how to gain control over internal body processes that normally occur involuntarily, such as blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and skin temperature.
Biofeedback is primarily used for high blood pressure, migraine, tension headache, chronic pain, and urinary incontinence.
Of the different Types: of biofeedback, thermal feedback (which measures skin temperature) and electrodermal activity feedback (which uses a probe that responds to sweat) may be more effective than direct blood pressure feedback or electromyography (EMG), which measures muscle tension.
Yoga
Preliminary studies have found that yoga may lower blood pressure.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is an important part of the natural approach to lower high blood pressure. A meta-analysis of 105 trials involving 6805 participants found that aerobic exercise was associated with a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 4.6 mm Hg, with corresponding reductions in diastolic blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure should speak with their doctor first before embarking on a new exercise program.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine, high blood pressure is often attributed to a problem with the circulation of vital energy (qi) in the body. Chinese medicine practitioners believe that depression, anger, obesity, and high intake of fatty foods are some of the causative factors.
A combination of acupuncture and herbs is often recommended. Foods thought to have medicinal properties that may help high blood pressure include water chestnut, turnip, honey, Chinese celery, hawthorn berries, and mung beans.
Herbs and Supplements to Avoid
Herbs that have been found or suspected to cause high blood pressure are the following:
• Licorice
• Ephedra
• Asian Ginseng
• Rosemary essential oil
Hives
Another name for hives is called urticaria. Hives are raised, red, itchy welts of a variety of sizes that appear and disappear on your skin. As many as one in five people experience acute hives at one time or another.
In most cases, hives are harmless and do not leave any lasting scars, even without treatment. The most common treatment for hives is antihistamine medications.
Symptoms
Hives can be either acute or chronic.
• Acute Hives: acute hives can last from less than a day to up to six weeks
• Chronic Hives: chronic hives last more than six weeks. They sometimes can occur for months to years at a time.
Hives are raised, red bumps of various sizes that appear and disappear on your skin. They are often itchy and may look similar to mosquito bites. Hives tend to occur in batches.
Causes
The lesions of hives are caused by inflammation in the skin. Hives are triggered when certain cells release histamine and other chemicals into your bloodstream and skin.
Allergic reactions to medications or foods can cause acute hives. Some allergens include:
• Foods: Many foods can cause problems in sensitive people, but shellfish, fish, nuts, eggs and milk are frequent offenders.
• Medications: Almost any medication may cause hives are common culprits include antibiotics, aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and blood pressure medications.
• Other allergens: Other substances that can cause hives include direct contact with pollen, animal dander, latex and insect stings.
• Physical factors: Environmental factors also can result in the release of histamine with subsequent hives in some people. Examples of these factors include heat, cold, sunlight, and water, pressure on the skin, emotional stress and exercise.
• Dermatographism: The name of this condition literally means, “write on the skin.
In addition to these triggers, hives may occur in response to your body’s production of antibodies. Some examples include blood transfusions; immune system disorders, such as lupus or cancer; certain thyroid disorders; and infections, such as hepatitis, or even a cold.
Risk factors
You may be at greater risk of hives if you:
• Have had hives before
• Have had other allergic reactions
• Have a disorder associated with hives such as lupus, lymphoma or thyroid disease
• Have a family history of hives
Diagnosis
It is sometimes impossible to determine the cause of hives. Your doctor will begin by asking you about your medical history. This may include asking you to create a detailed diary of exposure to possible irritants. It is important to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and herbal remedies, even if you do not take them every day.
Your doctor may also want to conduct allergy tests, such as skin tests.
If your doctor suspects hives, he or she may ask for blood tests to check for levels and function of specific blood proteins. If your doctor suspects allergy to food, latex, animal dander, pollen or medication, he or she may recommend allergy skin or blood tests.
Treatment
If your symptoms are mild, you may not need treatment. The standard treatment for hives is antihistamines, which block the symptom-producing release of histamine. These include nonprescription medications, such as:
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, others)
• Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton, others)
• Clemastine (Tavist, others)
• Loratadine (Alavert, Claritin)
Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine and clemastine may cause drowsiness. Loratadine usually does not cause drowsiness.
Prescription medications
• Desloratadine (Clarinex)
• Fexofenadine (Allegra)
• Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
• Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
Occasionally for severe hives, doctors may prescribe an oral corticosteroid drug such as prednisone, which can help lessen swelling, redness and itching.
Emergency situations
For a severe attack of hives, you may need an emergency injection of adrenaline (epinephrine) and a trip to the emergency room. If you have repeated, attacks, despite treatment, your doctor may prescribe and teach you how to use adrenaline to carry with you for use in emergency situations.
Prevention
To lower your likelihood of experiencing hives take the following safety measures:
• Avoid situations you know will cause hives: These may include certain foods or medications, or situations, such as temperature extremes, that have triggered past allergic attacks.
• Keep a journal: If you suspect foods of causing the problem, keep a food journal. Be aware that some foods may contain ingredients that are listed by less common names on the label.
Hydrocele
Hydrocele is a common condition of men in which there is accumulation of fluid in the tunica vaginalis, the sac which surrounds the testicle. It may occur at any age, but old men are usually more prone to the condition.
The testicles are the major sex glands in the male. Each gland is composed of myriads of coiled tubes in which the sperm cells are produced. It is the function of these cells to fertilize the ovum during sexual intercourse.
Symptoms
The main symptom of hydrocele is painless, smooth and elastic enlargement of the scrotum. In some cases swelling is so much as to cause a great deal of inconvenience interfering greatly with walking. Consequently it may produce a great deal of pressure upon the testicles and the spermatic vessels causing a detrimental effect upon the generative system. The hydrocele is translucent. If a bright light is placed upon it in the dark the whole swelling lights up If the swelling become painful, it usually denotes that it has become infected.
Causes
The apparent cause of hydrocele may be a knock or a strain but toxic condition of the system is usually at the root of the matter. This systemic toxicity results from wrong dietary habits, general wrong living and suppressive medical treatment of former diseases. Sexual excess and abuse is also an important factor in some cases, through the degeneration of the sex organism which follows. Sometimes gonorrhoel infection, obstruction of the abdominal vein, tuberculosis and dropsy may be the cause of this condition.
Hydrocele sometimes exists at birth. In this case swelling is seen when the infant is an upright position and disappears when the infant is laid upon its back. Hydrocele usually disappears by itself in infants.
Treatment
Tapping is the method usually resorted to for removal of the fluid in hydrocele. This, however, does not remove the cause of the trouble but only its effects. The correct way in which the condition can be really dealt with successfully is through constitutional treatment. Such a treatment should aim at removing the underlying toxicity of the system which is at the root of the trouble.
The sufferer from hydrocele should begin with an exclusive fresh fruit diet for seven to ten days.
In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, oranges, pineapple, peaches, melon or any other juicy fruit in season but no bananas or dried, stewed or tinned fruit, and no other foodstuff whatever. For drinks, lemon water unsweetened or water either hot or cold may be taken.
During this period the bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication.. After all all-fruit diet the patient may adopt the following regimen:
Breakfast: Fresh fruit as obtainable, or grated raw carrot or other raw salad-stuff, prunes or other dried fruits, if desired, and a cup of milk.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, as obtainable, with either a poached or scrambled egg or a vegetarian savory. Stewed fruit or a baked apple may be taken for dessert.
Dinner: A good-sized raw salad, of any suitable vegetable as obtainable, with whole wheat bread and butter, and prunes or other dried fruits as dessert.
Further short periods on the all-fruit diet should be undertaken at monthly intervals as required, for two or three consecutive days each time. The diet factor is of the utmost importance and fruits and salads must form the main basis of the future dietary. Alcohol, strong tea, coffee condiments, pickles and sauces should be avoided. Smoking, where habitual, should be given up.
Water Treatment
Treatment through water is extremely beneficial in curing hydrocele. Cold hip baths twice daily in the morning and the evening, for 10 minutes each time, are specially valuable. For a cold hip bath, an ordinary tub may be used. It should be filled with cold water. The patient should sit in the tub, keeping the legs outside.
A hot Epsom-salts bath is also very useful in the treatment of hydrocele and should be taken once or twice weekly, where possible. This bath is prepared as outlined in chapter 3 on Therapeutic Baths.
Every effort should be made to build up the general health level to the highest degree. Fresh air and outdoor exercise are essential to the success of this treatment. Sun and air bathing, where possible, should be undertaken. All habits, and practices tending to lower the tone of the body should be studiously avoided; strain should be avoided as far as possible. The wearing of a suspensory bandage is often useful.
Unless the condition persists for a long time, the foregoing treatment should soon begin to show its beneficial effects, and the whole general health-level of the sufferer will be greatly enhanced at the same time.
Hypochlorhydria
Did you know…?
Americans now spend approximately $3 billion a year on over-the-counter heartburn drugs, according to the American Pharmacists Association.
But there is a lesser known, frequently overlooked condition called hypochlorhydria, when the stomach does not produce enough acid.
What are the symptoms of hypochlorhydria?
• Gas, bloating, burping after meals
• Sluggish digestion – food seems to sit in the stomach after meals.
• Heartburn not due to excess acidity
• Bad breath – undigested meat protein putrefies in the intestines, producing foul-smelling odor.
• Upset stomach, diarrhea
• Iron deficiency
• Low energy
• Weak, brittle, or peeling nails
• Dilated capillaries in the cheeks and nose
• Dry and thin hair and skin
• Acne
People with hypochlorhydria often say that they feel hungry all the time. The food in their body is not being properly digested, and absorption of nutrients is impaired, triggering hunger.
How common is hypochlorhydria?
More common than you might think. It is estimated that 10 to 15% of the population have hypochlorhydria.
Stomach acid production naturally declines with age beginning in the mid thirties. By the time people reach their fifties, some doctors who treat this condition say that the percentage of people with this condition is closer to 50%.
While it is undisputed that production of stomach acid slows with age, most conventional doctors do not test for or know how to treat this condition.
Why is stomach acid important?
Stomach acid plays a vital role in maintaining good health. Let us look at some of the functions these gastric juices have:
• Stomach acid is needed to digest protein. The acid activates an enzyme, pepsin, which breaks down the protein we eat. If there is insufficient, stomach, acid, hair, skin, and nails become weak and deficiencies of vital hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters can result.
• Stomach acid stimulates the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes. Stomach acid mixes with the food we eat and it is this acidity that triggers the pancreases to release digestive enzymes lipase (to digest fat), amylase (to digest carbohydrates), and protease (to further digest protein). If there is hypochlorhydria, digestion of fat and carbohydrates are also impaired, resulting in bloating, indigestion, and deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Stomach acid helps keep the digestive tract free of unwanted bacteria and yeast.
Hypochlorhydria can lead to bacterial overgrowth and candida yeast infection, resulting in poor digestion, bloating, IBS-like symptoms, fatigue, and chronic yeast infections.
• Stomach acid is needed to absorb minerals. One clue to doctors is low iron, even though the person gets enough in their diet. Other minerals that rely on stomach acid to be absorbed are calcium and zinc. Chronic malabsorption of these minerals can manifest as low bone density and increased susceptibility to colds and flu.
The stomach glands that produce acid also produce intrinsic factor, a substance needed to absorb vitamin B12. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are depression, fatigue.
What causes hypochlorhydria?
• Bacterial infection (H Pylori)
• Aging
• Adrenal fatigue
• Chronic stress
• Alcohol consumption
Similar conditions
Because food in their body is not being properly digested and nutrients are not absorbed, hypochlorhydria is believed to contribute to the onset of many diseases, including:
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Rosacea
• Vitiligo
• Gallbladder Disease
• Hypoglycemia
• Asthma
• Adrenal Fatigue
• Chronic Hepatitis
• Celiac Disease
• Chronic Thyroiditis
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Food Allergies
• Gastritis
• Graves Disease
• Hepatitis
• Hives
• Lupus
• Osteoporosis
• Pernicious Anemia
• Psoriasis
• Thyrotoxicosis
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
How is hypochlorhydria diagnosed?
If you think you may have hypochlorhydria, it is important to receive a proper diagnosis, because hypochlorhydria can be confused with hyperacidity and gastric ulcers, conditions at the opposite end of the spectrum.
The Heidelberg Gastric Analysis test is considered one of the most accurate. It is one of the most expensive tests. The Heidelberg test involves swallowing a vitamin-sized capsule containing a pH meter and radio transmitter. The patient then drinks a solution of water and bicarbonate of soda, which normally stimulates the release of stomach acid. The pH is transmitted to a receiver that is placed on the outside of a person’s body near the stomach, and the fluctuations in pH are plotted on a graph, called a gastrogram. After the test, the capsule passes through the digestive tract and is excreted.
The gastro test is a simple, less expensive version of the Heidelberg. It is also less accurate. The gastro test involves swallowing a vitamin-sized capsule containing pH string. Holding the end of the string, the patient swallows the capsule, which dissolves as it makes its way down the esophagus until it the opposite end is in the stomach. After 10 to 15 minutes, the end of the string
that the patient is holding is gently pulled until the entire length of the string is removed. The end that was in the stomach is compared to a color key to measure the pH. It should be in the acid range. Neutral pH is a sign of hypochlorhydria. This may be combined with a baking soda challenge.
Natural treatments for hypochlorhydria
• Chew thoroughly – One of the simplest things you can do to lessen the job of your digestive juices is to chew your food thoroughly.
• Multivitamin – Because hypochlorhydria can cause malabsorption of many vitamins and minerals, it is important to take a good multivitamin/mineral supplement.
• B complex – An extra B complex supplement may be necessary for some. Vitamins B1 and B5 help to repair the stomach glands, vitamin B3 helps increase acid release, and folic acid and vitamin B12 are often deficient in someone with hypochlorhydria.
• Bitter herbs – Bitter herbs stimulate the secretion of stomach acid and digestive enzymes.
Examples of bitter herbs are gentian and dandelion. To have the full effect, they must be taken in liquid form (vs. capsule), because it is the bitterness that triggers the release of the digestive juices. Add up to 3 ml of the herb tincture to room temperature or warm water and sip. Drink 15 to 30 minutes before eating. Another option is to buy an herbal tea containing bitter herbs and drink one cup before eating.
• Digestive Enzymes – Look for a blend that includes lipase to digest fat, protease to digest protein, and amylase to digest carbohydrates.
• Betaine Hydrochloride – Look for a capsule (not tablet) that contains both betaine hydrochloride and pepsin. It should be taken at the start of a meal, and the dose depends on the size of the meal. I only recommend taking this under the supervision of a health care practitioner, because too much can lead to stomach bleeding or ulcers even in the absence of symptoms. Betaine hydrochloride also should not be taken by people taking cortisone, NSAIDS, or aspirin. People who have peptic ulcer disease or abdominal pain also should not take betaine hydrochloride. If abdominal pain, burning, discomfort, dark stools occur, it should be discontinued immediately.
• Herbal antimicrobial – If there is bacterial or yeast overgrowth (a typical symptom is bloating after eating carbohydrates) grapefruit seed extract, clove, peppermint may help eradicate unwanted bacteria and yeast.
• Ginger Tea – Ginger aids digestion and elimination, and reduces bloating. In Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is a digestive tonic. Learn how to make ginger tea.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or blood sugar is a disorder of blood sugar metabolism which may result in diabetes in later life. It is a condition in which the pancreas produces too much insulin, causing the blood sugar to drop.
Hypoglycemia sometimes occurs in healthy people some hours after a meal rich in carbohydrates, especially following muscular exertion. It is frequently found in the first few days of life, especially among premature infants.
Hypoglycemia is a serious disorder as the brain cannot function properly when the blood sugar level is too low. Like all other organs of the body, the brain receive its fuel from the diet. But it can use only the sugar produced by the body from carbohydrates. Unlike many of the body tissues, it cannot store its fuel. Therefore, it must get a constant supply of sugar through the bloodstream. Mental disturbances caused by subnormal blood sugar levels can seriously affect a person’s life.
Symptoms
A craving for sweets and starches in excessive amount between meals is the first sign of low blood sugar level. When the blood sugar level falls much below normal, symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, fatigue, depression, disturbed vision and headache appear. Other symptoms are sweating, trembling, numbness, absent-mindedness, dizziness, palpitation of the heart and some sexual disturbances. Most hypoglycemia patients feel hungry and eat frequently to get over the feeling of weakness and emotional irritability. They feel tense if they have to go without food for several hours.
Causes
Hypoglycemia is usually caused by an excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar foods. These substances cause the pancreas, the adrenal gland and the liver to lose their ability to handle the sugar properly. Other causes of low blood sugar are a tumour, disturbed functioning of the liver, pituitary gland or adrenal glands. Stress intensifies this condition as it weakens the adrenal glands and starts a faulty pattern of glucose intolerance.
The Cure
The high animal protein diet generally prescribed for hypoglycemia is not suitable for this disorder. It may help control the condition temporarily, but it is harmful in many other respects and may result in other diseases like heart trouble, arteries, kidney problems and cancer.
The ideal diet for hypoglycemia should be based on three basic food groups, namely grains, seeds and nuts, vegetable oils. Seeds, nuts and grains should be the main constituents of the diet. Seeds and nuts should be taken in their raw form. Grains, in the form of cereals,should be cooked. Cooked grains are digested slowly and release sugar into the blood gradually six to eight hours after meals. This will keep the blood sugar level normal and constant for a long period.
Persons suffering from low blood sugar should take six to eight small meals a day instead of two or three large ones. Eating raw nuts and seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds or drinking milk, butter milk or fruit juices between meals will be highly beneficial. All refined and processed foods, white sugar, white flour and their by-products should be completely eliminated from the diet. Coffee, alcohol and soft drinks should also be avoided. The consumption of salt should be reduced as an excessive intake of salt causes loss of blood potassium, which causes blood sugar to drop. The following is the menu suggested for hypoglycemia.
On rising: Fresh fruits such as apples, peaches, melons, berries, avocado or a glass of fresh fruit juice.
Breakfast: Nuts, seeds, fruit, cottage cheese and buttermilk.
Mid-morning: Fruit, fruit juice or tomato juice.
Lunch: Cooked cereals and milk.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of fruit or vegetable juice or a snack consisting of nuts.
Dinner: Vegetable salad with a cooked vegetable from among those allowed, one or two slices of whole wheat bread, cottage cheese and butter milk.
On retiring: A glass of milk or buttermilk.
Vegetables which can be taken in hypoglycemia are asparagus, beets, carrots, cucumbers, egg-plants, peas, radishes, tomatoes, spinach, kale, lettuce, beans, baked potatoes. Fruits which can be taken are apples, apricots, berries, peaches, and pineapples. Consumption of citrus fruits should be limited.
Foods rich in vitamin C, E and B-complex are highly beneficial in the treatment of low blood sugar. Vitamins C and B increase tolerance to sugar and carbohydrates and help normalise sugar metabolism. Pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6 help to build up adrenals which are generally exhausted in persons with hypoglycemia. Vitamin E improves glycogen storage in the muscles and tissues. The patient should take vitamin C in large doses from 2,000 to 5,000 mg.; B6 50 mg. and vitamin E up to 1,600 lu daily.
Proper rest is essential for those suffering from low blood sugar. A tranquil mind is of utmost importance in this condition. Nervous strain and anxiety should be relieved by simple methods of meditation and relaxation. Yogasanas like vakrasana, bhujasana, halasana, sarbagasana and shavasana and pranayama like kapalbhati and anuloma-viloma will be beneficial. A prolonged neutral immersion bath is also helpful in relieving mental tension.
Indigestion
Indigestion or dyspepsia is one of the most common ailments today and is caused by dietetic errors. It is a condition of the stomach in which digestive juices are incorrectly secreted, resulting in discomfort.
The alimentary canal and the process of digestion begin at the mouth. The stomach, which is the most abused organ of the body, looks like a pear-shaped pouch. It forms part of the digestive tract which is a tube coiled in loops nearly 28 feet in length. It varies in size and position depending on how much food it contains. An overloaded stomach tends to prevent the diaphragm from functioning properly. It may also press on the heart.
Symptoms
Abdominal pain, a feeling of undue fullness after eating, heartburn, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting and excessive wind or gas are the usual symptoms of indigestion. Other symptoms include a bad taste in the mouth, coated tongue, foul breath and pain in the upper abdomen.
Causes
The feelings of discomfort and distress in the abdomen are often caused by overeating, eating too rapidly or not chewing properly. Overeating or eating frequently produces a feverish state in the system and overtaxes the digestive organs. It produces excessive acid and causes the gastric mucus membrane to become congested. Hyperacidity is usually the result. Overeating makes the work of stomach, liver, kidneys and bowels harder. When this food putrifies, its poisons are absorbed back into the blood and consequently, the whole system is poisoned.
Many people gulp their food due to stress or hurry. When food is swallowed in large chunks, the stomach has to work harder and more hydrocholoride is secreted. Eating too fast also causes one to swallow air. These bad habits force some of the digestive fluids into the esophagus, causing burning, a stinging sensation or a sour taste, giving an illusion of stomach acid.
Certain foods, especially if they are not properly cooked, cause indigestion. Some people react unfavourable to certain foods like beans, cabbage, onions, cucumber, radishes and seafood.
Fried foods as well as rich and spicy foods often cause abdominal discomfort and gas, and aggravate the existing condition. Excessive smoking and intake of alcohol can also cause stomach upsets. Constipation may interfere with the normal flow of ingested matter through the gastro-intestinal tract, resulting in gas and abdominal pain. Drinking too much water with meals, insomnia, emotions such as jealousy, fear and anger and lack of exercise are among the other causes of indigestion.
The Cure
The only effective treatment for indigestion is a thorough cleansing of the digestive tract; adoption of a sensible diet and a change in the style of living. The best way to commence the treatment is to adopt an all-fruit diet for about five days. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may take to a restricted diet of easily digestible foods, consisting of lightly cooked vegetables, juicy fruits and buttermilk for about 10 days. He may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet.
The use of fruits in general is beneficial in the treatment of indigestion. They flush out the undigested food reside and accumulated faeces and re-establish health to perfect order. Being rich in water, they clean body mechanisms thoroughly. The best among the fruits in dyspepsia is lemon. Its juice reaches the stomach and attacks the bacteria, inhabiting the formation of acids.
Lemon juice removes indigestion by dislodging this acid and other harmful substances from the stomach, thereby strengthening and prompting a healthy appetite.
The orange is another effective food remedy in chronic indigestion. It gives rest to the digestive organs and supplies nutrition in a most easily assimilable form. It also stimulates the flow of digestive juices thereby improving digestion and increasing appetite. It creates suitable conditions for the development of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
Another fruit useful in indigestion is grapes. They are a light food which removes indigestion and irritation of the stomach in a short time and relieves heat. Pineapple is also valuable. It acts as a tonic in dyspepsia and relieves much of the digestives disorders of dyspeptics. Half a glass of pineapple juice should be taken after a meal in this condition.
i. The sufferer from indigestion must always follow the under-mentioned rules regarding eating: Never eat and drink together. Water or other liquids should be taken half an hour before and one hour after a meal. Milk, buttermilk and vegetables soups are, however, foods and can be taken with meals.
ii. Never hurry through a meal. Eat very slowly and chew your food as thoroughly as possible.
iii. Never eat to a full stomach. Always leave the table with a feeling that you could eat more.
iv. Never sit down to a meal, feeling worried, tired, excited or in a bad temper as such feelings temporarily paralyze the manufacture of digestive juices including hydrochloride.
v. Do not eat if appetite is lacking. Miss a meal or two, if necessary, until real appetite returns.
vi. Never boil vegetables, always steam them.
vii. Do not mix too many foods at the same meal. Never eat raw vegetables and raw fruits together as they require a different set of enzymes. Take protein and starchy foods separate as far as possible.
Yogic asanas such as ardh-matsyasana, srvangasana, uttanpadasana, pavnmuktasana, vajrasana, yogamudra, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, and shavasana, kriyas like jalneti and kunjal, and pranayamas like kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma, and ujjai are highly beneficial in the treatment of indigestion. Light exercises such as walking, golf and swimming also help digestion.
Water Treatment
A daily enema should be administered to cleanse toxic bowel waste. Other beneficial water treatments include wet girdle pack applied at night, application of ice bags over the stomach half an hour after meals, a daily cold friction bath and alternate hot and cold hip baths at night.
Massaging of the abdomen also helps.
Infertility
Infertility is when you and your partner have tried for repeatedly to have a child, but despite sexual intercourse without birth control, you have been unable to conceive a child.
If you have been trying to conceive for more than a year, there is a good chance that something may be causing you to not conceive. Infertility, also known as sub fertility, is the inability to conceive a child within one year. Infertility may be due to a single cause in either you or your partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or staying full-term.
Infertility differs from sterility. The definition of being sterile means the inability to conceive a child. With sterility, you or your partner has a physical problem that precludes the ability to conceive. A diagnosis of infertility simply means that becoming pregnant may be a challenge rather than a feeling of hopelessness.
Symptoms
Most men with fertility problems have no signs or symptoms. Some men with hormonal problems may note a change in their voice or pattern of hair growth, enlargement of their breasts, or difficulty with sexual function. Infertility in women may be signaled by irregular menstrual periods or associated with conditions that cause pain during menstruation or intercourse.
Causes
The human reproductive process is complex. To accomplish a pregnancy, the intricate processes of ovulation and fertilization need to work just right. For many couples attempting pregnancy, something goes wrong in one or both of these complex processes and causes infertility. Because of the intricate series of events required to begin a pregnancy, many factors may cause a delay in starting your family.
The cause or causes of infertility can involve one or both partners. For many couples having problems with fertility, the male partner is either the sole or a contributing cause. Problems with female fertility are common as well, but present less often than those in the male partner. In both men and women, multiple factors can account for difficulty with fertility. Sometimes the problem is not really one of infertility, but a more general sexual problem such as erectile dysfunction. Other times, the problem may involve an abnormality in the structure of the reproductive hormones or organs. Certain infections and diseases also can affect fertility.
Causes of male infertility
• Impaired shape and movement of sperm: Sperm must be properly shaped and able to move rapidly and accurately toward the egg for fertilization to occur. If the shape and structure (morphology) of the sperm are abnormal or the movement (motility) is impaired, sperm may not be able to reach the egg.
• Absent sperm production in testicles: Complete failure of the testicles to produce sperm is rare, affecting very few infertile men.
• Low sperm concentration: A normal sperm concentration is greater than or equal to 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen. A count of 10 million or fewer sperm per milliliter of semen indicates low sperm concentration (sub fertility). A count of 40 million sperm or higher per milliliter of semen indicates increased fertility.
• Varicocele: A varicocele is a varicose vein in the scrotum that may prevent normal cooling of the testicle and raise testicular temperature, preventing sperm from surviving.
• Undescended testicle (cryptorchidism): This occurs when one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum during fetal development. Undescended testicles can cause mild to severely impaired sperm production. Because the testicles are exposed to the higher internal body temperature compared to the temperature in the scrotum, sperm production may be affected.
• Testosterone deficiency (male hypogonadism): Infertility can result from disorders of the testicles themselves, or an abnormality affecting the hypothalamus or pituitary glands in the brain that produce the hormones that control the testicles.
• Klinefelter’s syndrome: In this disorder of the sex chromosomes, a man has two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome instead of one X and one Y. This causes abnormal development of the testicles, resulting in low or absent sperm production.
Testosterone production also may be lower.
• Infections: Infection may temporarily affect sperm motility. Repeated bouts of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, are most often associated with male infertility. These infections can cause scarring and block sperm passage. Mycoplasma is an organism that may fasten itself to sperm cells, making them less motile. If mumps, a viral infection usually affecting young children, occurs after puberty, inflammation of the testicles can impair sperm production.
Inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis), urethra or epididymis also may alter sperm motility.
• Sexual issues: Often treatable, problems with sexual intercourse or technique may affect fertility. Difficulties with erection of the penis (erectile dysfunction), premature ejaculation, painful intercourse (dyspareunia), or psychological or relationship problems can contribute to infertility. Use of lubricants such as oils or petroleum jelly can be toxic to sperm and impair fertility.
• Retrograde ejaculation: This occurs when semen enters the bladder during orgasm rather than emerging out through the penis. Various conditions can cause retrograde ejaculation including diabetes, bladder, prostate or urethral surgery, and the use of psychiatric or antihypertensive drugs.
• Blockage of epididymis or ejaculatory ducts: Some men are born with blockage of the part of the testicle that contains sperm (epididymis) or ejaculatory ducts. And some men who seek treatment for infertility lack the tubes that carry sperm (vasa deferentia).
• No semen (ejaculate): The absence of ejaculate may occur in men with spinal cord injuries or diseases. This fluid transports sperm through the penis into the vagina.
• Misplaced urinary opening (hypospadias): A birth defect can cause the urinary (urethral) opening to be abnormally located on the underside of the penis. If not surgically corrected, this condition can prevent sperm from reaching the cervix.
• Anti-sperm antibodies: Antibodies that target sperm and weaken or disable them usually occur after surgical blockage of part of the vas deferens for male sterilization (vasectomy). Presence of these antibodies may complicate the reversal of a vasectomy.
• Cystic fibrosis: Men with cystic fibrosis often have missing or obstructed vasa deferentia.
Male’s health and the way he lives can affect infertility such as:
• Emotional stress
• Malnutrition: Deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin C, selenium, zinc and folate may contribute to infertility.
• Obesity
• Cancer and its treatment
• Alcohol and drugs: The use of certain drugs also can contribute to infertility.
Other medical conditions that cause infertility include:
• Severe injury
• Surgery
• Diabetes
• Thyroid disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Anemia
• Heart attack
• Liver
• Kidney failure
• Age
Environmental causes include:
• Environmental elements: Overexposure to certain environmental elements such as heat, toxins and chemicals can reduce sperm count either directly by affecting testicular function or indirectly by altering the male hormonal system. Specific causes include:
• Pesticides and other chemicals: Herbicides and insecticides may cause female hormone- like effects in the male body and may be associated with reduced sperm production.
Exposure to such chemicals also may contribute to testicular cancer. Men exposed to hydrocarbons, such as ethylbenzene, benzene, toluene, xylen and aromatic solvents used in paint, varnishes, glues, metal degreasers and other products, may be at risk of infertility. Men with high exposure to lead also may be more at risk.
• Testicular exposure to overheating: Frequent use of saunas or hot tubs can elevate your core body temperature. This may impair your sperm production and lower your sperm count.
• Substance abuse: Cocaine or heavy marijuana use may temporarily reduce the number and quality of your sperm.
• Smoking: Men who smoke may have a lower sperm count than do those who do not smoke.
Causes of female infertility
• Fallopian tube damage or blockage: This condition usually results from inflammation of the fallopian tube (salpingitis). Chlamydia is the most frequent cause. Tubal inflammation may go unnoticed or cause pain and fever.
• Tubal damage with scarring is the major risk factor of a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg is unable to make its way through the fallopian tube to implant in the uterus (ectopic pregnancy). One episode of tubal infection may cause fertility difficulties.
The risk of ectopic pregnancy increases with each occurrence of tubal infection.
• Endometriosis: Endometriosis occurs when the tissue that makes up the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. This tissue most commonly is implanted on the ovaries or the lining of the abdomen near the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
These implants respond to the hormonal cycle and grow, shed and bleed in sync with the lining of the uterus each month, which can lead to scarring and inflammation.
Pelvic pain and infertility are common in women with endometriosis.
Infertility in endometriosis also may be caused by:
• Ovarian cysts (endometriomas): Ovarian cysts may indicate advanced endometriosis and often are associated with reduced fertility. Endometriomas can be treated with surgery.
• Scar tissue: Endometriosis may cause rigid webs of scar tissue between the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. This may prevent the transfer of the egg to the fallopian tube.
• Ovulation disorders: Some cases of female infertility are caused by ovulation disorders.
Disruption in the part of the brain that regulates ovulation (hypothalamic-pituitary axis) can cause deficiencies in luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Even slight irregularities in the hormone system can affect ovulation.
• Elevated prolactin (hyperprolactinemia): The hormone prolactin stimulates breast milk production. High levels in women who are not pregnant or nursing may affect ovulation. An elevation in prolactin levels may also indicate the presence of a pituitary tumor. In addition, some drugs can elevate levels of prolactin. Milk flow not related to pregnancy or nursing (galactorrhea) can be a sign of high prolactin.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): In PCOS, increased androgen production prevents the follicles of the ovaries from producing a mature egg. Small follicles that start to grow but cannot mature to ovulation remain within the ovary. A persistent lack of ovulation may lead to mild enlargement of the ovaries. Without ovulation, the hormone progesterone is not produced and estrogen levels remain constant. Elevated levels of androgen may cause increased dark or thick hair on the chin, upper lip or lower abdomen as well as acne and oily skin.
• Early menopause (premature ovarian failure): Early menopause is the absence of menstruation and the early depletion of ovarian follicles before age 35.
• Benign uterine fibroids: Fibroids are benign tumors in the wall of the uterus and are common in women in their 30s. Occasionally they may cause infertility by interfering with the contour of the uterine cavity, blocking the fallopian tubes.
• Pelvic adhesions: Pelvic adhesions are bands of scar tissue that bind organs after pelvic infection, appendicitis, or abdominal or pelvic surgery. They may limit the functioning of the ovaries and fallopian tubes and impair fertility. Scar tissue formation inside the uterine cavity after a surgical procedure may result in a closed uterus and ceased menstruation (Asherman’s syndrome). This is most common following surgery to control uterine bleeding after giving birth.
• Medications: Temporary infertility may occur with the use of certain medications. In most cases, fertility is restored when the medication is stopped.
• Thyroid problems: Disorders of the thyroid gland, either too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism) can interrupt the menstrual cycle and cause infertility.
• Cancer and its treatment: Certain cancers — particularly female reproductive cancers — often severely impair female fertility. Both radiation and chemotherapy may affect a woman’s ability to reproduce. Chemotherapy may impair reproductive function and fertility more severely in men than in women.
• Cushing’s Disease
• Sickle Cell Disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Kidney Disease
• Diabetes
Diagnosis
If you and your partner are unable to achieve conception within a reasonable time then you should seek help. The woman’s gynecologist, the man’s urologist or your family doctor can determine whether there is a problem that requires a specialist or clinic that treats infertility problems.
Some infertile couples have more than one cause of their infertility. Thus, your doctor will usually begin a comprehensive infertility examination of both you and your partner.
Before undergoing infertility testing, be aware that a certain amount of commitment is required.
Your doctor or clinic will need to determine what your sexual habits are and may make recommendations about how you may need to change those habits. The tests and periods of trial and error may extend over several months.
Evaluation is expensive and in some cases involves operations and uncomfortable procedures, and the expenses may not be reimbursed by many medical plans. Finally, there is no guarantee, even after all testing and counseling that conception will occur. However, for couples who are eager to have their own child, such an evaluation is best. It may result in a successful pregnancy.
Tests for men
• General physical examination: This includes examination of your genitals and questions concerning your medical history, illnesses and disabilities, medications and sexual habits.
• Semen analysis: Your doctor may ask for a specimen of ejaculated semen. This is generally obtained by masturbating or by interrupting intercourse and ejaculating your semen into a clean container. Your doctor will provide instructions. Such a specimen may be required more than once. A laboratory analyzes your semen specimen for quantity, color and presence of infections or blood. Detailed analysis of the sperm also is done. The laboratory will determine the number of sperm present and any abnormalities in the shape and movement (motility) of the sperm. Often sperm counts fluctuate from one specimen to the next.
• Hormone testing: A blood test to determine the level of testosterone and other male hormones is common.
• Tests for women
• Confirmation of ovulation: A blood test is sometimes performed to determine the levels of hormones involved in successful ovulation.
• Hysterosalpingography: This test evaluates the condition of your uterus and fallopian tubes.
• Laparoscopy: Performed under general anesthesia, this surgical procedure involves inserting a thin viewing device into your abdomen and pelvis to examine your fallopian tubes. Laparoscopy generally is done on an outpatient basis.
• Basal body temperature: Although this test was once a standard, basal body temperature charting is used less often today. Charting a woman’s body temperature does not give as precise time of ovulation as earlier believed.
• Urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) detector kits: A number of at-home kits are available to test your LH level.
• Ovarian reserve testing: Testing may be done to determine the potential effectiveness of the eggs after ovulation. This approach often begins with hormone testing early in a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Unexplained infertility
In some infertile couples, no specific cause is found. Even though infertility is unexplained, the pregnancy rate for these couples is among the highest.
Treatment
Treatment of infertility depends on the cause, how long this has been going on, the age of the people and other factors. Some causes of infertility cannot be corrected. However, various means of insemination or embryo transfer may be possible so that a woman can still become pregnant.
Fertility drugs (ovulation induction) include:
• Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene) – This drug is taken orally and stimulates ovulation in women who have PCOS or other ovulatory disorders. It causes the pituitary gland to release more FSH and LH, which stimulate the growth of an ovarian follicle containing an egg.
• Human menopausal gonadotropin or hMG (Repronex, Pergonal) – This injected prescription medication is for women who do not menstruate on their own due to the failure of the pituitary gland to stimulate ovulation. Unlike clomiphene, which stimulates the pituitary gland, hMG and other gonadotropins directly stimulate the ovaries. This drug contains both FSH and LH.
• Follicle – stimulating hormone or FSH (Gonal-F, Follistim, Bravelle). FSH is essentially hMG without the LH. Like hMG, it works by stimulating the ovaries to mature egg follicles.
• Human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG (Ovidrel, Pregnyl) – Used in combination with clomiphene, hMG and FSH, this drug stimulates the follicle to release its egg (ovulate).
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) analogs – This treatment is for women with irregular ovulatory cycles or who ovulate prematurely — before the lead follicle is mature enough — during hMG treatment . Gn-RH analogs deliver constant Gn-RH to the pituitary gland, which alters hormone production, so that a physician can induce follicle growth with FSH.
• Letrozole (Femara) – This drug is in a class of medications called aromatase inhibitors, which are approved for treatment of advanced breast cancer. Doctors sometimes prescribe letrozole for women who don’t ovulate on their own and who haven’t responded to treatment with clomiphene citrate. Letrozole is not approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration for inducing ovulation. The drug’s manufacturer has warned doctors not to use the drug for fertility purposes because of possible adverse health effects. These adverse effects may include birth defects and miscarriage.
• Metformin (Glucophage) – This oral drug is taken to boost ovulation. It is used when insulin resistance is known or suspected.
• Bromocriptine – This medication is for women whose ovulation cycles are irregular due to elevated levels of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production in new mothers. Bromocriptine inhibits prolactin production.
Surgery
Surgery may be a treatment option for infertility. Blockages or other problems in the fallopian tubes usually can be surgically repaired. Laparoscopy allows delicate operations on the fallopian tubes.
Infertility due to endometriosis often is more difficult to treat. Although hormones such as those found in birth control pills are effective for treating endometriosis and relieving pain, they have not been useful in treating infertility. If you have endometriosis, your doctor may treat you with ovulation therapy, in which medication is used to stimulate or regulate ovulation, or in vitro fertilization, in which the egg and sperm are joined in the laboratory and transferred to the uterus.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART): ART has revolutionized the treatment of infertility.
Each year thousands of babies are born in the United States because of ART. Medical advances have enabled many couples to have their own biological child. An ART health team includes physicians, psychologists, embryologists, laboratory technicians, nurses and allied health professionals who work together to help infertile couples achieve pregnancy.
The most common forms of ART include:
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) – This is the most effective ART technique. IVF involves retrieving mature eggs from a woman, fertilizing them with a man’s sperm in a dish in a laboratory and implanting the embryos in the uterus three to five days after fertilization. IVF often is recommended as a first-line therapy and is the treatment of choice if both fallopian tubes are blocked. It has also widely used for a number of other conditions, such as endometriosis, unexplained infertility, cervical factor infertility, and male factor infertility and ovulation disorders.
• Electro ejaculation – Electric stimulus brings about ejaculation to obtain semen.
• This procedure can be used in men with a spinal cord injury who cannot otherwise achieve ejaculation.
• Surgical sperm aspiration – This technique involves removing sperm from part of the male reproductive tract such as the epididymis, vas deferens or testicle. This allows retrieval of sperm if blockage is present.
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – This technique consists of a microscopic technique (micromanipulation) in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg to achieve fertilization in conjunction with the standard IVF procedure. ICSI has been especially helpful in couples who have previously failed to achieve conception with standard techniques. For men with low sperm concentrations, ICSI dramatically improves the likelihood of fertilization.
• Assisted hatching – This technique attempts to assist the implantation of the embryo into the lining of the uterus.
• ART works best when the woman has a healthy uterus, responds well to fertility drugs, and ovulates naturally or uses donor eggs. The man should have healthy sperm, or donor sperm should be available. The success rate of ART gradually diminishes after age 32.
Certain complications exist with the treatment of infertility. These include:
• Multiple pregnancies – Although the most common complication of ART is multiple pregnancies, ART is not the direct cause of a number of the extreme cases of septuplets or octuplets reported in the media. The number of quality embryos kept and matured to fetuses and birth ultimately is a decision made by the couple. If too many babies are conceived, the removal of one or more fetuses (multifetal pregnancy reduction) is possible to improve survival odds for the other fetuses.
• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) – If over stimulated, a woman’s ovaries may enlarge and cause pain and bloating. Mild to moderate symptoms often resolve without treatment, although pregnancy may delay recovery. Rarely, fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity and chest, causing abdominal swelling and shortness of breath. This accumulation of fluid can deplete blood volume and lower blood pressure. Severe cases require emergency treatment. Younger women and those who have polycystic ovary syndrome have a higher risk of developing OHSS than do other women.
• Bleeding or infection – As with any invasive procedure, there is a risk of bleeding or infection.
• Low birth weight – The greatest risk for low birth weight is a multiple pregnancy. In single live births, there may be a greater chance of low birth weight associated with ART.
• Birth defects – Significant concern exists regarding the possible relationship between ART and birth defects. More research is necessary to confirm these findings. Weigh this factor if you are considering whether to take advantage of this treatment. ART is the most successful fertility-enhancing therapy to date.
Influenza
Influenza, also known as flu, is the clinical condition that results from infection with influenza viruses. The main effects of the influenza viruses are on the upper respiratory tract, the nose and throat, with possible spread and involvement of the lungs and bronchi.
The disease is highly contagious and it has potential to cause wide spread epidemics affecting sizeable portion of a population at any time. Although it is more common during winter it may strike at any time. It affects people of all ages.
Symptoms
Influenza strikes suddenly. It usually begins with a chill, fever, headache and severe muscular pains. The patient feels miserable and weak. There is an inflammation in the nose and throat, which may spread down the windpipe to the lungs, resulting in a sore throat, cough, running of the nose and eyes. In milder case of influenza the temperature rises to 102 o F and lasts for two or three days. In severe cases, it may go up to 104 o F and last for four or five days. The consequent weakness and fatigue may continue for several weeks. This may be followed by a deep chest cough due to irritation in the windpipe.
Causes
Influenza is what is known as germ disease. It is, however, not caused primarily by the action of the germs as is generally believed, but develops due to a toxic and run-down condition of the system of the affected person. This condition is brought about by dietetic errors and a faulty style of living such as worry, over work, lack of proper exercise, living in stuffy rooms and keeping late hours. No disease germs can find lodgment and become active in the system of a person who is perfectly healthy in the true sense of the term. Influenza is passed on with ease from one affected person to an other especially to those who are also in an equally low vital stage. That is how an epidemic starts.
Treatment
Influenza, like all other acute diseases, is a natural attempt at self-cleansing and if rightly treated in a natural way, immense good can ensue so far as the future health of the patient is concerned. In the acute stage of influenza, a patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fruit and vegetable juices diluted with water, 50 – 50 for first three to five days, depending on the severity of the disease. The juice fast should be continued till the temperature comes down to normal. The warm water enema should be taken daily during this period to cleanse the bowels.
After fever subsides the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for two or three days. In this regimen, the patient should take three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, oranges, pineapple, peaches and melons at five-hourly intervals. Bananas or dried, stewed or tinned fruits however, should not be taken. No other food stuff should be added to the fruit meals, otherwise the value of the treatment will be lost. This may be followed by a further two or three days on fruits and milk diet. Thereafter, the patient may adopt a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups namely, (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits.
Spices and condiments, and pickles, which make food more palatal and lead to overeating, must be avoided. Lemon juice may be used in salad dressing. Alcohol, tobacco, strong tea and coffee, highly seasoned meats, over-boiled milk, pulses, potato, rice, cheese, refined, processed, stale and tinned foods should all be avoided.
Certain remedies have been found highly beneficial in the treatment of influenza. The most important of these is the use of long pepper. Half a teaspoonful of the powder of the long pepper with two teaspoonfuls of honey and half a teaspoonful of juice of ginger should be taken thrice a day. This will help greatly if taken in initial stages of the disease. It is especially useful in avoiding complications which follow the onset of the disease, namely, the involvement of the larynx and bronchial tube.
Another excellent remedy for influenza is the green leaves of basil or tulsi plant. About one gram of these leaves should be boiled along with some ginger n half a litre ofwater till about half the water is left. This decoction should be taken as tea. It gives immediate relief.
Garlic and turmeric are other effective food medicines for influenza. Garlic is useful as a general antiseptic and should be given as much as the patient can bear. Garlic juice may also be sucked up the nose. A teaspoonful of turmeric powder should be mixed in a cup of warm milk and taken three times in the day. It will prevent complications arising from influenza and also activate the liver which becomes sluggish during the attack.
Insect Bites and Stings
Symptoms of an insect bite result from the injection of venom or other substances into your skin. The venom triggers an allergic reaction. The severity of your reaction depends on your sensitivity to the insect venom or substance.
Most reactions to insect bites are minor, causing little more than an annoying itching or stinging sensation and minor swelling that go away within a day or so. A prolong reaction may cause fever, hives, painful joints and swollen glands. You might experience both the instant and the late reactions from the same insect bite or sting. Only small amounts of people develop harsh reactions (anaphylaxis) to insect venom. Symptoms of a severe reaction include facial swelling, difficulty breathing and shock.
Bites from bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and fire ants are typically the most troublesome.
Bites from mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies and some spiders also can cause reactions, but these are generally milder.
For mild reactions:
• Go to a safe area to avoid more stings.
• Scrape or brush off the stinger with a straight-edged object, such as a card or the back of a knife. Wash the affected area with soap and water. Do not try to pull out the stinger; doing so may release more venom.
• To decrease pain and swelling, apply a cold pack or cloth filled with ice.
• Apply hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion or a baking soda paste with a ratio of 3 teaspoons baking soda to 1-teaspoon water to the bite or sting several times a day until your symptoms go away.
• Take an antihistamine containing diphenhydramine such as Benadryl, Tylenol Severe
Allergy or chlorpheniramine maleate (Chlor-Trimeton, Teldrin).
Allergic reactions may include mild nausea and intestinal cramps, diarrhea or swelling larger than 2 inches in diameter at the site. See your doctor promptly if you experience any of these signs and symptoms.
For severe reactions:
Severe reactions may progress rapidly. Dial 911 or call for emergency medical assistance if the following signs or symptoms occur:
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of your lips
• Swelling of the throat
• Faintness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Rapid heartbeat
• Hives
• Nausea
• Cramps
• Vomiting
Emergency Care:
Take these actions immediately while waiting with an affected person for medical help:
1. Check for special medications that the person might be carrying to treat an allergic attack, such as an auto-injector of epinephrine. Use the drug as directed, usually by pressing the auto-injector against the person’s thigh and holding it in place for several seconds.
Massage the injection site for 10 seconds to enhance absorption.
2. After administering epinephrine, have the person take an antihistamine pill if he or she is able to do so without choking.
3. Have the person lie still on his or her back with feet higher than the head.
4. Undo tight clothing and cover the person with a blanket. Do not give the person anything to drink.
5. If there is vomiting or bleeding from the mouth, turn the person on his or her side to prevent choking.
6. If there are no signs of circulation (breathing, coughing or movement), begin CPR.
If your doctor has prescribed an auto-injector of epinephrine, read the instructions before a problems develops.
Insomnia
Insomnia or sleeplessness has assumed alarming proportions in present times, especially among the upper classes in urban areas. This is evident from the wide range of medication for this condition prescribed by physicians and sold by chemists. Instances of persons taking an overdose of sleeping pills with fatal results are quite frequent. Insomnia deprives a person of mental rest and thereby interferes with his activities in the daytime. It constitutes a severe health hazard when it becomes a habit.
Sleep is a periodic state of rest for the body which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning. Sleep gives relief from tension, rests the brain and body and a person wakes up in the morning fresh and relaxed after sleep. The amount of sleep, however, varies within very wide limits from individual to individual. Normally, seven to eight hours of sleep every night is adequate for most people. Some, however, do well with four to five hours because their sleep is deeper and more refreshing.
Insomnia is common among the elderly for a variety of reasons. The sleep of the elderly is often punctuated by brief periods of wakefulness during the night. IN such cases it is the quality rather than the quantity which is most affected. With age, there is gradual reduction of periods of deep sleep. The older person, therefore, gets roused easier. Sleep requirements also diminish with ageing. From nine hours of sleep per night at the age of 12 the average sleep needs decrease to eight hours at the age of 20, seven hours at 40, six and half hours at 60 and six hours at 80.
Symptoms
The signs of pathological insomnia are dramatic changes in the duration and quality of sleep, persistent changes in sleep patterns, lapses of memory and lack of concentration during the day.
Other symptoms are emotional instability, loss of coordination, confusion and a lingering feeling of indifference.
Causes
The most common cause of sleeplessness is mental tension brought about by anxiety, worries, overwork and overexcitement. Suppressed feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness may also cause insominia. Constipation, dyspepsia, over-eating at night, excessive intake of tea or coffee and going to bed hungry are among the other causes. Smoking is another unsuspected cause of insomnia as it irritates the nervous system, especially the nerves of the digestive system. Often, worrying about falling asleep is enough to keep one awake.
The Cure
Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q., dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side-effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.
To overcome the problem, one should adhere to a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed at a fixed time each night and getting up at a fixed time each morning. Early to bed and early to rise is a good rule. Two hours of sleep before midnight are more beneficial than four after. It is sheer folly for students, at examination times, to keep awake till long after midnight, drinking one cup of tea after another, as that is only apt to cause blackness and inability to concentrate in the examination hall.
Research has shown that people with chronic insomnia almost invariably marked deficiencies of such key nutrients as B-complex vitamins, and vitamin C and D as also calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium and zinc. The sleep mechanism is unable to function efficiently unless each of these nutrients is present in adequate amounts in the diet.
A balanced diet with simple modifications in the eating pattern will go a long way in the treatment and cure of insominia. Such a diet should exclude white flour products, sugar and its products, tea,coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, fatty foods, fried foods, foods containing additives, that is chemicals for preserving, colouring and flavouring, excessive use of salt and strong condiments.
In the modified eating pattern, breakfast should consist of fresh and dried fruits, whole cereals, seeds and yogurt. Of the two main meals, one should consist of a large mixed salad and the other should be protein-based. A cup of milk sweetened with honey at bedtime is helpful as the amino-acid tryptophan contained in milk induces sleep.
Sleep is often elusive. Any attempt to force it only drives it further away. It is better to divert the mind with soft music or light reading. While going to bed, visualise a blank black wall occupying the entire field of vision. Turn your thoughts to light and cheerful matters. Use light bed clothes and relax. Do not lie on your back, put on your side with one or both knees brought well up and the head and shoulders slightly forward. During the night, the position of the arms and legs should be changed frequently and a healthy sleeper usually shifts from one side to the other several times in the course of the night.
Controlled breathing is also a great help in inducing sleep. The method is to lie on your side in bed, and then take three deep breaths expanding the abdomen completely. Then hold your brath as long as you can. Next, take three more breaths and repeat the breath-holding. While you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body and induces natural sleep.
Regular, active exercising during the day and mild exercise at bedtime enhances the quantity and the quality of sleep. Exercise stimulates the elimination of lactic acid from the body which correlates with stress and muscular tension. Regular exercise also produces hormonal changes which are beneficial to the body and to the sleep pattern. Walking, jogging, skipping, swimming are all ideal exercises. Vigorous exercise should, however, be avoided at night as this can be over-stimulating.
Yogasanas
Yoga helps a majority of cases of insomnia in two ways. Firstly, yoga treatment helps tone up the glandular, respiratory and nervous system. Secondly, yoga also gives physical and mental relaxation as a safety value for one’s disturbing problems. The traditional yogasanas which are effective for insomnia patients are shirsana, sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, uttanasan,viparitakarni and shavasana.
Hydrotherapy is also effective in treatment of insomnia. Application of hot packs to the spine before retiring, hot fomentation to the spine, hot foot bath or an alternate hot and cold foot bath at bedtime are all time-tested methods. The cold hip bath with the feet in hot water and the prolonged neutral immersion bath (92 o to 96 o F) at bed time, when one’s nerves are usually irritable, are also effective measures.
Along with the various measures for the treatment of insomnia, all efforts should be made to eliminate as many stress factors as possible. The steps in this direction should include regular practice of any relaxation method or meditation technique, cultivating the art of doing things slowly (particularly activities like eating, walking and talking) limiting the working day to nine to ten hours and five and a half days weekly, cultivating a creative hobby and spending some time daily on this, avoiding working against unrealistic targets and completing one task before starting another.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is an inability to sleep well. It is a common problem, affecting almost everyone at one time or another. A person with insomnia may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, wake up frequently during the night, or wake up earlier than desired the next morning, resulting in symptoms such as daytime fatigue, irritability, poor memory, loss of productivity, and decreased enjoyment of family and social life.
Most people have an occasional restless night, often related to short-term stress. For some people, however, poor-quality sleep is a recurring or even a lifelong problem. Temporary insomnia, lasting days to weeks, affects about 50% of adults. Insomnia that lasts more than 6 weeks may affect up to 10% to 15% of adults.
What causes insomnia?
Temporary insomnia, which can last anywhere from a night or two up to several weeks, may be caused by:
• A single stressful event
• A period of emotional stress
• Illness
• Temporary pain or discomfort
• Disturbances in the sleeping environment, such as noise, light, or sleeping in a different bed
• A change in the normal sleep pattern, such as might be caused by jet lag or working a late shift
Temporary insomnia usually resolves in less than a month. Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention to it since excessive daytime sleepiness can have serious consequences, such as accidents while driving or at work. Temporary insomnia can develop into chronic poor-quality sleep, particularly if you begin to worry about your inability to sleep.
Chronic insomnia can last months or even years, and may be caused by:
• Mental or emotional conditions, such as depression or anxiety, or stress are the leading causes of insomnia in adults.
• Poor sleep habits, such as watching television in bed or keeping an irregular bedtime schedule, or apprehension or excessive worry about falling asleep, which often plagues people with insomnia.
• Breathing problems
• A heart condition
• Hormonal or digestive disorder
• Chronic pain
• Use of stimulants such as tobacco and caffeine
• Alcohol use
• Lack of regular physical activity
• Prescription, nonprescription, or illegal drugs
• A different sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea
Symptoms
The symptoms of insomnia vary. You may have difficulty falling asleep, so you may toss and turn for what seems like a long time. You may wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep, perhaps several times during the night. You may wake up too early and feel unrefreshed in the morning, tired, or irritable during the day.
How is insomnia diagnosed?
Insomnia is not a disease, and no specific test can diagnose it. However, since an inability to sleep well is often related to an underlying cause, your doctor will probably assess your current health, medical history, and any medications you may be taking.
A physical exam, blood tests (which may include thyroid testing or hormonal testing for menopause), and, in some cases, sleep studies may be done to help identify or rule out medical problems that may be causing the insomnia. Your insomnia may improve or disappear when the underlying cause is treated.
Your doctor may also ask you about your sleep history: how well you sleep, how long you sleep, bedtime habits, and any unusual behaviors. You may be asked to keep a sleep diary, which is a record of your sleep patterns for a week or two. If your symptoms point to mental health concerns, you may be assessed by a mental health professional.
Who is affected by insomnia?
Insomnia can affect people at any stage in life. One recent study reported that about 1 out of 5 children have insomnia. It is more common in women and older people. About 45% of seniors are affected by sleeping difficulties, and up to 14% use sleeping pills.
Sleep patterns also change as you get older, and many older adults sleep less than younger adults do. It may be harder to get to sleep, and your sleep may not be as deep. Health problems and medicines can also affect how much or how well you sleep. But having trouble getting to sleep or not sleeping well is not normal, no matter what your age. If you are having trouble sleeping, discuss it with your doctor at your next checkup.
Herbs and Supplements
Valerian
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is an herb that has been long used as a remedy for insomnia.
Today, it is an accepted over-the-counter insomnia remedy in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy.
Exactly how valerian works in the body is still not well understood. Some studies suggest that like conventional sleeping pills, valerian may affect levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA.
Facts
Unlike many other sleep medications, valerian is not believed to be addictive or cause grogginess in the morning. However, valerian does not work for everyone. Although studies in labs have been encouraging, clinical trials are still inconclusive.
Dosage:
Valerian is usually taken an hour before bedtime. It takes about two to three weeks to work. It should not be used for more than three months at a time. Side effects of valerian may include mild indigestion, headache, palpitations, and dizziness. Although valerian tea and liquid extracts are available, most people do not like the smell of valerian and prefer taking the capsule form.
Precaution:
Valerian should not be taken with many medications, especially those that depress the central nervous system, such as sedatives and antihistamines. Valerian should not be taken with alcohol, before or after surgery, or by people with liver disease. It should not be taken before driving or operating machinery. Consultation with a qualified health practitioner is recommended.
Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques are one of the most effective ways to increase sleep time, fall asleep faster, and feel more rested in the morning. They require a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes before going to bed.
There are many different techniques:
Visualization involves imagining a relaxing scene. You can try it in bed before falling asleep.
Involve all your senses. If you are imagining yourself on a tropical island, think of the way the warm breeze feels against your skin. Imagine the sweet scent of the flowers, look at the water and listen the waves…you get the picture. The more vivid the visualization and the more senses you involve, the more effective it will be.
Yoga is ideal because it combines deep breathing, meditation, and stretching. A Harvard study found that daily yoga for eight weeks improved total sleep time, the time to fall asleep. If you have never tried yoga before do not to worry because there are many gentle yoga styles you can do.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is one of the most promising natural remedies for sleep. If you have never tried a relaxation technique before, this technique is easy to learn and simple to master.
Diet
Cut out caffeine
Caffeine can have a pronounced effect on sleep, causing insomnia and restlessness. In addition to coffee, teas, and soft drinks, look for hidden sources of caffeine such as chocolate, cough and cold medicine, and other over-the-counter medicine.
Avoid sweets
Although sugar can give a burst of energy, it is short-lived and can cause uneven blood sugar levels. This can disrupt sleep in the middle of the night as blood sugar levels fall.
Eat foods that help you sleep
Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin. Carbohydrate snacks such whole grain crackers before bedtime may help to promote sleep. Just be sure to stay away from sweets.
Eat magnesium-rich foods
Magnesium is a natural sedative. Deficiency of magnesium can result in difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle tremors or cramps, anxiety, irritability, and pain. It has also been use for people with restless leg syndrome.
Foods that are rich in magnesium are legumes and seeds, dark leafy green vegetables, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, and whole grains. If you take magnesium as a supplement, take it 1 hour before bed.
Aromatherapy
The scent of English lavender has long been used as a folk remedy to help people fall asleep.
Research is starting to confirm lavender’s sedative qualities. It has been found to lengthen total sleep time, increase deep sleep, and make people feel refreshed. It appears to work better for women, possibly because women tend to have a more acute sense of smell.
The good thing about lavender is that it begins to work quickly. Try putting a lavender sachet under your pillow or place one to two drops of lavender essential oil in a handkerchief. Or add several drops of lavender oil to a bath — the drop in body temperature after a warm bath also helps with sleep.
Other aromatherapy oils believed to help with sleep are chamomile and ylang ylang.
Light
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, you may need more light in the morning. Light exposure plays a key role in telling the body when to go to sleep and when to wake up. Try taking a walk first thing in the morning. Just be sure to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays.
On the other hand, if you find you are waking up too early in the morning, you may need more light in the afternoon. Try taking a walk in the late afternoon.
Music
Gentle, slow music is another remedy that can help to improve sleep without medication.
Music has been found to improve sleep quality, decrease nightly wakening, lengthen sleep time, and increase satisfaction with sleep.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture may help with insomnia. A University of Pittsburgh analysis concluded that acupuncture might be an effective treatment for insomnia. A preliminary study found that five weeks of acupuncture increase melatonin secretion in the evening and improved total sleep time.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In traditional Chinese medicine, insomnia often stems from kidney energy weakness. This syndrome is not necessarily related to kidney disease in Western medicine. A few signs of kidney energy weakness are low backache, tiredness and fatigue, and a burst of energy at about 11 pm in the evening. Women in menopause often experience this type of insomnia. People who are taking anti-estrogenic drugs such as tamoxifen also experience this type of insomnia, however, they should not take herbal combinations such as the herbal formula liu wei di huang that may increase estrogen levels.
Ayurvedic Medicine
In Ayurvedic medicine, insomnia is often associated with a vata imbalance. Vata regulates breathing and circulation. People with a vata imbalance often notice irritability, anxiety, and fear with insomnia. One Ayurvedic treatment is the application of oil on the head and feet. For the pitta type, room temperature coconut oil is used, for the vata type, warm sesame oil is applied, and for the kapha type, warm mustard oil is often applied.
Exercise
Lack of exercise can contribute to poor sleep. Muscle tension and stress build in the body.
Exercise can promote deep sleep that night. However, intense exercise too close to bed can increase adrenaline levels, leading to insomnia.
Other remedies
• For hot flashes, a thin, flat foam pillow insert, called a Chillow, can help to cool the head throughout the night.
• Chamomile, hops, passionflower, lemon balm, and ashwagandha are other herbs that are often used for insomnia. Some people may find benefit from simply having a cup of chamomile tea one to two hours before going to bed. Chamomile can reduce anxiety, calm the digestive system, and relieve muscle tension.
Feng Shui
Feng shui, which originates in the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, instructs on how to arrange rooms, furniture, offices, houses, and other arrangements to maximize favorable energy flow throughout living spaces. Here are some recommendations that may help promote relaxing sleep:
• Try not to have the bed in a corner of the room. The corners are where energy tends to be stagnant.
• Avoid putting your bed next to a window. Energy can be drained this way.
• The foot of the bed should not face the doorway.
• When lying in bed, you should have full view of anyone coming in the door. If you cannot do this directly, hang a mirror to reflect the entranceway.
• Try to avoid facing sharp corners from desks, bookcases, and other pieces of furniture.
Jaundice
Jaundice is the most common of all liver disorders resulting from an obstruction in the bile duct, or the loss of function of the bile-producing liver cells. There are several forms of jaundice but all of them are marked by yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
The liver, located under the diaphragm just above the stomach, is a vast chemical laboratory which performs many important functions. It inactivates hormones no longer needed, synthesizes many amino acids used in building tissues, and breaks proteins into sugar and far when required for energy. It produces lecithin, cholesterol, bile and blood albumin, vital to the removal of tissue wastes. It also stores vitamins and minerals.
Bile is a vital digestive fluid which is essential for proper nutrition. It exercises a most favourable influence on the general processes of digestion. It also prevents decaying changes in food. If the bile is prevented from entering the intestines there is an increase in gases and other products.
Normally the production of bile and its flow is constant.
Symptoms
The symptoms of jaundice are extreme weakness, headache, fever, loss of appetite, undue fatigue, severe constipation, nausea and yellow coloration of the eyes, tongue, skin and urine.
The patient may also feel a dull pain in liver region.
Causes
Jaundice is indicative of the malfunctioning of the liver. It may be caused by an obstruction of the bile ducts which discharge bile salts and pigment into the intestine. The bile then gets mixed with blood and this gives a yellow pigmentation to the skin. The obstruction of the bile ducts could be due to gall stones or inflammation of the liver, known as hepatitis, caused by a virus. In the later case, the virus spreads and may lead to epidemics owing to over-crowding, dirty surroundings, insanitary conditions and contamination of food and water. Other causes of jaundice are pernicious anaemia and certain disease affecting the liver such as typhoid, malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis.
The Cure
The simple form of jaundice can be cured rapidly by diet therapy and exercises. Recovery will, however, be slow in serious cases which have been caused by obstruction or pressure in the bile ducts. The patient should rest until the acute symptoms of the disease subside.
The patient should be put on a fruit juice fast for a week. The juice of lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, beet, and sugarcane can be taken. A hot enema should be taken daily during the fast to ensure regular bowel elimination, thereby preventing the absorption of decomposed, poisonous material into the blood stream. The fruit juice fast may be discontinued after the severity of the disease is over and a simple diet may be resumed on the following lines: On rising: A glass of warm water mixed with two teaspoons of lime juice.
Breakfast: One fresh juicy fruit such as apple, papaya,grapes, berries and mangoes. One cup wheat dalia or one slice of whole wheat bread with a little butter.
Mid-morning: Orange juice.
Lunch: Two small chappatis of whole wheat flour, a cup of strained vegetable soup, a steamed leafy vegetable such as spinach, fenugreek or carrot and a glass of buttermilk.
Mid-afternoon: Orange juice or coconut water.
Dinner: Two whole wheat chappatis with a little ghee or butter, baked. Baked potato and one other leafy vegetable like spinach and fenugreek, a glass of hot milk with honey if desired.
All fats like ghee,butter, cream and oils must be avoided for at least two weeks,and after that their consumption should be kept down to the minimum. Digestive disturbances must be avoided. No food with a tendency to ferment or putrefy in the lower intestines like pulses, legumes,etc. should be included in diet.
The juice of bitter luffa (karvi torai) is regarded as an effective (home) remedy for jaundice. It is obtained by pounding and squeezing through cloth. The juice should be placed on the palm of the hand and drawn upthrough the nostrils. This will cause a profuse overflow of the yellow coloured fluid through the nostrils. The toxic matter having been evacuated in a considerable quantity, the patient will feel relieved. It is, however, a strong medicine and may cause in the patients will delicate nature, side effects like giddiness, migraine and at times high fever for a short duration. Its use should, therefore, be avoided by such patients.
If the green juice of bitter luffa is not available, it can best be substituted by two or three drops of the fluid obtained by soaking its dry crusts overnight in water. This produces an identical effect.
Seeds of bitter luffa which are easily available can also be used for the same purpose after rubbing in water.
Another valuable food remedy for jaundice is the green leaves of radish. The leaves should be pounded and their juices extracted through cloth. One pound of this juice daily is sufficient for an adult patient. It should be strained through a clean piece of muslin cloth before use. It provides immediate relief. It induces a healthy appetite and proper evacuation of bowels, and this results in gradual decrease of the trouble. In most casse a complete cure can be ensured within eight or ten days.
Water Treatment
Drinking a lot of water with lemon juice will protect the damaged liver cells. Alternate hot and cold compresses should be applied to the abdomen. Maintain the hot compress for one minute at 120 o F. Alternate with a cold compress at 60 o F for few minutes. The treatment may be continued for an hour or 10 repetitions. The procedure should be repeated at five-hourly intervals. A hot immersion bath at 104 o F for 10 minutes daily will be helpful in relieving the itching which sometimes accompanies jaundice and in the elimination of the bile pigment from the system through the skin and kidneys. Cold friction twice a day will be beneficial for general tone-up. Certain asanas such as uthanpadasana, bhujangasana, viparitkarani and shavasana, and anuloma-viloma, pranayama will be helpful in the treatment of jaundice.
The jaundice patient can overcome the condition quite easily and build up his sickliver until it again functions normally with the above regime. With reasonable care in the diet and life style, and regular, moderate exercise and frequent exposure to sunshine and fresh air, a recurrence of liver trouble can be prevented.
Jet Lag
No matter where you are going, whether it is business or pleasure. Who wants to waste their trip adjusting to a new time zone?
What is jet Lag?
Jet lag occurs after air travel across several time zones. It is caused by the body’s circadian rhythms being out of sync with the local destination time.
Symptoms of jet lag are temporary and include insomnia, irritability, indigestion, and disorientation in the days following air travel.
How long does jet lag normally last?
Count on about one day to adjust to each time zone crossed. For example, a flight from New York to London crosses five time zones, so it would take roughly 5 days to recover.
Traveling eastward, for example, from the United States to Europe or from Europe to Asia, generally causes more severe jet lag than traveling westward.
What are the jet lag remedies that can help avoid or minimize jet lag?
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. One of melatonin key jobs is controlling the body’s circadian rhythm–our internal clock that plays an important role in when we fall asleep and when we wake up.
Melatonin release is tied to the amount of light there is. When it gets dark at night and we turn out the lights, melatonin release is stimulated. Light suppresses melatonin release. When we cross time zones and are suddenly exposed to excessive light when it is normally our bedtime (even a three-hour time difference can do it), our melatonin cycles are disrupted and we experience jet lag until our circadian rhythms adjust to the new environment.
Melatonin supplements are thought to help the body quickly adjust to the new surroundings.
Although it is found in 30 mg pills, most practitioners agree that the lowest dose possible should be used and it should only be taken for a short time. There have no long-term studies on the safety of melatonin. Higher doses may cause side effects such as vivid dreams and nightmares.
Besides, a Rush University study found no difference between 0.5 mg and 3 mg melatonin.
For jet lag, practitioners generally suggest taking a 0.5 mg tablet of melatonin a night for 3 nights, one hour before a normal bedtime. Research suggests that taking it once a person has reached the travel destination is sufficient, and that starting melatonin supplements prior to or during air travel may actually slow the recovery of jet lag, energy, and alertness.
Adjusting Sleep and Wake Time
Another strategy to avoid jet lag involves adjusting a person’s bedtime and wake time to the destination time prior to traveling. It is generally started prior to travel and involves waking up and going to bed one hour progressively earlier/later (depending on which way you’re traveling) each day for three days.
If traveling eastward, this means going to sleep one hour earlier than normal on day one and waking up one hour earlier. On day two, bedtime would be two hours earlier and wake time would be two hours later. On the third day, bedtime would be three hours earlier and wake time would be three hours earlier.
If traveling westward, bedtime would be one hour later than normal, wake time would be one hour later than normal, and it would increase progressively each day.
Tips
If it is not possible to follow this gradual schedule, some readers suggest pre-adjusting to the new time zone a day in advance by setting your watch to your destination time the day before you travel and preconditioning yourself to the new time. If it is six hours later at your travel destination, this means waking up six hours earlier the day you travel and then going to sleep when it is nighttime at your destination.
If you simply must nap, seasoned travelers suggest limiting naps to no more than an hour.
Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies are small vials of tiny pellets. They are made from minute dosages of naturally occurring substances, which, in much larger doses, would produce the same symptoms in healthy people similar to those of the condition or disease.
Homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point that they are no longer detectable, so they are not believed to be toxic or affect the way other medications are metabolized.
The most popular homeopathic remedy for Jet Lag is a product called No Jet Lag. It is available in health foods stores and some grocery stores, drug stores, and airport convenience stores. Some readers swear by it.
No Jet Lag contains the homeopathic remedies arnica montana (Leopard’s bane), bellis perennis (Daisy), Chamomilla (Wild chamomile), Ipecacuanha (Ipecac), and Lycopodium (Clubmoss).
Remember that homeopathic remedies are specially prepared and that regular, non-homeopathic doses of these substances can be toxic if taken internally.
Homeopaths say that No Jet Lag will only work if jet lag symptoms match the profiles of these remedies. Other jet lag remedies, which can be purchased individually in health food stores and some drug stores, may be a closer match. For example, Cocculus indicus is used for people who say they are “too tired to sleep”. They may feel weak, dizzy, irritable, and have trouble concentrating.
Symptoms:
• Sleeplessness
• Restlessness when over-tired
• Waking mid-sleep
• Sleep interruptions
• Emotional and mental stress
• Impatience
• Intolerance
• Disorientation
• Intense
• Constant nausea
• Anxiety
• Anticipatory fears
• Apprehension
• Inability to adapt to new surroundings
• Digestive problems
• Bloating and gas
For all homeopathic remedies, follow the instructions on the vial or consult a homeopath for specific instructions.
Valerian
Valerian is an herb used as a natural sleep aid. For jet lag, it is used to help adjust to new time zones by helping people fall asleep at their desired time. Unlike other sleep aids, valerian is not believed to be addictive or cause grogginess the next morning.
Studies done for natural remedies for jet lag In the never-ending search for a cure for jet lag, researchers may have finally found something to ease the sleep problems that accompany international travel. Or have they?
A new study shows two of most popular substances used to combat jet lag, caffeine and melatonin, a hormone, may provide mixed blessings for people who suffer from the common condition.
For example, a new slow-release version of caffeine may help you stay awake during the day, but it may also keep you up at night. Melatonin may help you sleep at night, but it will not keep you from dozing off in daytime hours.
In the study, researchers tested the effects of slow-release caffeine and melatonin on three groups of nine U.S. Air Force Reservists. Each of the men and women typically went to bed between 11 p.m. and midnight and slept about 6.5-7.5 hours.
For five days, the reservists had identical routines at their Texas base. Then they boarded a plane for France and were not allowed to sleep during the flight, which crossed seven time zones.
Each group received either slow-release caffeine (300 mg at 8 a.m.), 5 mg of melatonin starting the evening before the flight and for the next four evenings, or a placebo.
Researchers found both drugs had positive effects in relieving some common symptoms of jet lag after an eastbound flight.
The slow-release caffeine helped alleviate daytime sleepiness, but it also had some unwanted side effects by reducing the quality of nighttime sleep.
In contrast, melatonin users experienced better quality sleep but still felt sleepy during the day.
Researchers say some of the beneficial effects of the drugs may have been reduced because the participants were deprived of sleep during the flight. They say more studies are needed to fully understand the effects of these drugs in relieving jet lag.
Kidney Stones
The formation of stones in the kidneys or urinary tract is a fairly common disorder. The stones are formed from the chemicals usually found in the urine such as uric acid, phosphorous, calcium and oxalic acid. They may vary in consistency from grit, sand and gravel-like obstructions to the size of the bird’s eggs.
Stones may form and grow because the concentration of a particular substance in a urine exceeds its solubility. This disorder occurs more frequently in middle age, with men being afflicted more often than women.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, lying below the waist on either side of the spinal column on the back wall of the abdomen. They are soft, reddish brown in colour, and, on an average, measure 10 cm. in length, 6 cm. in width and is 2.5 cm. thick at its centre. They are filtering plants for purifying the blood, removing water and salts from it which are passed into the bladder as urine.
Symptoms
Kidney stones usually cause severe pain in their attempt to pass down the ureter on their way to the bladder. The pain is first felt in the side and thereafter in the groin and thighs. Other symptoms of kidney stones are a desire to urinate frequently, painful urination, scanty urination, nausea, vomiting, sweating, chills and shocks. The patient may also pass blood with the urine.
Sometimes, large stones may remain in the kidneys without causing any trouble and these are known as silent stones.
Causes
The formation of stones in the kidneys is the result of defects in the general metabolism. They usually occur when the urine becomes highly concentrated due to heavy perspiration or insufficient intake of fluids. They are aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle. The other causes are wrong diet, excess intake of acid-forming foods, white flour and sugar products, meat, tea, coffee, condiments and spices, rich foods and overeating. Lack of vitamin A and an excessive intake of vitamin B may also lead to formation of stones.
Types of Stones
Chemically, urinary stones are of two categories, namely, primary stones and secondary stones.
Primary stones are ordinarily not due to infection and are formed in acidic urine. They usually result from alcoholism, sedentary life, constipation and excessive intake of nitrogeneous or purine-rich foods. Secondary stones are due to local infection and are formed in alkaline urine.
Most kidney stones are composed either of calcium oxalate or phosphate, the latter being most common in the presence of infection. About 90 per cent of all stones contain calcium as the chief constituent. More than half of these are mixtures of calcium, ammonia, and magnesium, phosphates and carbonates, while the remainder contain oxalate. Uric acid and cystine stones represent about four percent and one per cent respectively of the total incidence of stones.
Treatment
A majority of patients suffering from kidney stones can be treated successfully by proper dietary regulations. These regulations will also prevent a recurrence of the symptoms. Only a few cases require surgery.
The patient should avoid foods which irritate the kidneys, to control acidity or alkalinity of the urine and to ensure adequate intake of fluids to prevent the urine from becoming concentrated.
The foods considered irritants to the kidneys are alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, certain vegetables like cucumbers, raddishes, tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, water-cress and those with strong aroma such as asparagus, onions, beans,cabbage and cauliflower, meat, gravies and carbonated waters.
In calcium phosphate stones, over -secretion of parathyroid hormone causes loss of calcium from the bones resulting in a high blood level of calcium with increased excretion of calcium in the urine. An abnormally high intake of milk, alkalies or vitamin D may also result in the formation of calcium phosphate stones.
For controlling the formation of calcium phosphate stones, a moderately low calcium and phosphorous diet should be taken The intake of calcium and phosphates should be restricted to minimal levels consistent with maintaining nutritional adequacy.
The maintenance level of calcium is 680 mg. and of phosphorous 1000 mg. In this diet, milk should constitute the main source of calcium and curd or cottage cheese, lentils and groundnuts should form the main sources of phosphorous. Foods which should be avoided are whole wheat flour, Bengal gram, peas, soyabeans, beets, spinach, cauliflower, turnips, carrots, almonds and coconuts.
When stones are composed of calcium and magnesium phosphates and carbonates, the diet should be so regulated as to maintain acidic urine. Insuch a diet, only half a litre of milk, two servings of fruits and two servings of vegetables(200 grams) should be taken. The vegetables may consist of asparagus, fresh green peas, squash,pumpkins, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage and tomatoes. For fruits, watermelon, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapple, papayas and guavas may be taken.
On the other hand the urine should be kept alkaline if oxalate and uric acid stones are being formed. In this diet, fruits and vegetables should be liberally used and acid-forming foods should be kept to the minimum necessary for satisfactory nutrition. When the stones contain oxalate, foods with high oxalic acid content should be avoided. These foods include almonds, beetroots, brinjal, brown bread, cabbage, cherry, chocolate, French Beans, potatoes, radish, spinach and soyabeans.
Uric stones occur in patients who have an increased uric acid in the blood and increased uric acid exertion in the urine. Since uric acid is an end product of purine metabolism, foods with a high purine content such as sweet bread, liver and kidney should be avoided.
Kidney beans, also known as French beans or common beans, are regarded as a very effective remedy for kidney problems, including kidney stones. It was Dr. Ramm of Germany, who first discovered the value of kidney beans as a medicine for kidney and bladder troubles. He employed it for over 25 years with beneficial results. The method prescribed by him to prepare the medicine is to remove the beans inside the pods, then slice the pods and put about 60 mg. in four litres of hot water, boiling slowly for four hours. This liquid should be strained through fine muslin and then allowed to cool for about eight hours. Thereafter, the fluid should be poured through another piece of muslin without stirring.
According to Dr. Ramm, a glassful of this decoction should be given to the patient every two hours through the day for one day, and thereafter it may be taken several times a week. Dr.
Ramm also says that this decoction will not work if it is more than 24 hours old. The pods can be kept for longer periods but once they are boiled, the therapeutic factor disappears after one day.
The basil, known as tulsi inthe vernacular, has a strengthening effect on the kidneys. In case of kidney stones, basil juice and honey should betaken for six months. It has been found that the stones can be expelled from the urinary tract with this treatment. The celery is also a valuable food for those who are prone to stone formation in the kidneys or the gall bladder. Its regular use prevents future tone formation.
Research has shown the remarkable therapeutic success of vitamin B6 or pyridoxine in the treatment of kidney stones. This treatment has to be continued for several months for obtaining a permanent cure.
The patient should take a low protein diet, restricting protein to one gram per kg. of food. A liberal intake of fluid up to 3,000 ml. or more daily is essential to prevent the production of urine at the concentration level where the salts precipitate out.
The patient should be given a large hot enema, followed by a hot bath with a temperature of 100
o F, gradually increased to 112 o F. The head should be kept cold with cold application. Hot fomentation applied across the back in the region of the kidneys will relieve the pain. Certain yogasanas such as pavan-muktasana, uttanpadasana, bhujangasana, dhanursana and halasana are also highly beneficial as they stimulate the kidneys.
Leucoderma
Lecucoderma, also known as vitiligo, is a distressing skin condition. The word literally means ‘
white skin’. There isa gradual loss of pigment melanin from the skin layers which results in white patches. These patches look ugly, especially in persons with dark complexions.
The condition does not cause any organic harm. It, however, brings about great psychological tension to the patient who is more embarassed than the victim of any pain or discomfort. The condition thus, besides being a medical problem, also becomes a social stigma.
Leucoderma is a fairly common disorder and it affects one per cent or more of the world’s population. The incidence is a little higher in India. The disorder can occur at any age in either sex in normal skin. It is, however, more common in women than men. The most affected areas are the hands, the neck, the back and the wrist in that order.
Symptoms
The problem usually starts with a small white spot and later on it develops into patches. These patches are pale in the beginning but become whiter and whiter as time passes due to loss of pigment. As spots enlarge, they merge into each other and, in course of time, form a very broad patch. In some cases, most of the skin of the body may be covered with white patches.
Causes
Many wrong beliefs are prevalent about the causes of leucoderma. It is not caused by eating fish and drinking milk at the same time, as is generally believed because even vegetarians suffer from this disorder. Other food combinations such as pumpkin and milk, onion and milk as possible causes of leucoderma also have no basis.
Leucoderma is not caused by any germs; nor is it due bad blood. It is neither infectious nor contagious. It cannot be transmitted from one person to another by physical contact.
The main causes of leucoderma are excessive mental worry, chronic or acute gastric disorder, impaired hepatic function such as jaundice, worms or other parasites in the alimentary canal, ailments like typhoid which affect the gastrointestinalm tract, defective perspirative mechanism and burn injuries. Often the hormone secreting glands are involved in this disorder. Heredity is also a causative factor and about 30 per cent of patients have a family history of the disorder.
Treatment
In natural cure, the treatment of leudoderma consists of adoption of constitutional measures to cleanse the system of accumulated toxins. This enables the healing power within the body to assert itself, and produce normalcy. To begin with, the patient should undertake a fast on juices for about a week. IN this regimen, he or she should take fruit or vegetable juices, diluted with water on 50: 50 basis every two or three hours from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. The bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water during this period.
After the juice fast, the patient may adopt a restricted diet consisting of fresh fruits, raw or steamed vegetables and whole meal bread or chappaties. Curd and milk may be added to this diet after a few days. The patient may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The large proportion of the diet should consist of raw foods. Seeds and beans such as alfalfa, mung and soyabeans canbe sprouted. This diet may be supplemented with cold-pressed vegetable oils, honey and yeast. Juice fasting may be repeated at intervals of two months. The patient should avoid tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages and all condiments and highly flavoured dishes. He or she should also avoid sugar, white flour products, denatured cereals like polished rice and pearled barley and tinned or bottled foods.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found useful in the treatment of leucoderma. The best known of such remedies is the use of seeds of psoralea, known as babchi in Hindi. Seeds should be steeped in the juice of ginger or cow’s urine for three days. The fluids should be renewed every day. The seeds should then be rubbed with hands to remove their husks, dried in the shade andpowdered. One gram of this powder should be taken every day with fresh milk for 40 days continuously. The ground seeds should also be applied to the white spots.
Babchi seeds, combined with tamarind seeds, are also useful. Equal quantity of both the seeds should be steeped in water for three to four days. They should then be shelled and dried inthe shade. They should be ground into paste and applied to the white patches for a week. If the application of this paste causes itching or the white spots become red and a fluid being to ooze out, it should be discontinued. If there is no itching or reddening, babchi seeds should be taken also for 40 days.
Another useful remedy for leucoderma is red clay found by the river side or on hill slopes. The clay should be mixed in ginger juice and applied over the white spots once a day. The copper containedin the clay seems to bring back skin pigmentation and ginger juice serves as a milk stimulant, facilitating increased blood flow to the spots. Drinking water kept overnight in a copper vessel also helps.
A paste made from the seeds of the radish is valuable in treating leucoderma. About 35 grams of these seeds should be powdered in vinegar and applied on the white patches. For better results, seeds should be finely pounded, mixed with a little white arsenic and soaked in vinegar at night.
After two hours, when leaves appear, it should be rubbed on the leucoderma patches.
The use of turmeric and mustard oil is also considered beneficial in the treatment of leucoderma.
About 500 grams of turmeric should be pounded and soaked in eight kgs. of water at night. It should be heated in the morning till only one kg. of water is left. It should then be strained and mixed with 500 grams of mustard oil. This mixture should be heated till only the oil is left. It should be applied on white patches every morning and evening for a few months.
Libido Problems in Females
Many women experience libido problems. They have enjoyed a healthy, satisfying sex life and then suddenly, intimate moments with your partner are not as satisfying as they once were. You might feel as though your sexual desire has decreased. Or you may be realizing that things that once brought you pleasure now seem painful.
You are not alone. Many women experience sexual difficulties at some point in their lives. By some estimates, as many as four in 10 women experience at least one sexual worry. This is called female sexual dysfunction.
Female sexual dysfunction is when persistent or reoccurring problems come up in one or more of the stages of sexual response. What you are experiencing is not considered female sexual dysfunction unless you are distressed about it or it depressingly affects your relationship with your partner.
Although sexual problems associated with female sexual dysfunction are multifaceted, they are treatable. Communicating your concerns and understanding your anatomy and your body’s normal physiological response to sexual intimacy are important steps toward recapturing your sexual pleasure.
Symptoms
Sexual concerns occur in women of all ages but may become more prevalent during hormonally vulnerable times, such as postpartum or with the menopausal transition. Sexual concerns may also occur with major illness, such as cancer.
Your problems might be classified as female sexual dysfunction if you experience one or more of the following and you experience personal distress because of it:
• Your desire to have sex is low
• Your desire to have sex is absent
• You cannot maintain arousal during sexual activity
• You do not become aroused even though you have a desire to have sex
• You do not experience an orgasm
• You have pain during sexual contact
Causes
Several reasons may be part of the cause to sexual dissatisfaction or dysfunction you are experiencing. These factors tend to be interrelated. Women with sexual concerns gain help from a combined treatment approach that addresses medical as well as emotional issues.
• Physical: Arthritis, urinary or bowel difficulties, pelvic surgery, fatigue, headaches, other pain problems and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis can cause sexual dysfunction. Certain medications, including some antidepressants, blood pressure medications, antihistamines and chemotherapy drugs, can decrease sex drive and your ability to achieve orgasm.
• Hormonal: Lower estrogen levels during the menopausal transition may lead to changes in your genital tissues and your sexual responsiveness. The folds of skin that cover your genital region (labia) shrink and become thinner, exposing more of the clitoris. This increased exposure sometimes reduces the sensitivity of the clitoris, or may cause an unpleasant tingling or prickling sensation.
• Thinning and decreased elasticity of its lining: The vagina becomes narrower, particularly if you are not sexually active. The natural swelling and lubrication of the vagina occur more slowly during arousal. These factors can lead to uncomfortable or painful intercourse (dyspareunia), and achieving orgasm may take longer. Changes associated with the declining estrogen levels of menopause may affect sexual function. However, most women continue to have satisfying sexual intimacy during and after the menopausal transition.
• Psychological and social: Psychological factors such as untreated anxiety, depression or stress, and a history of sexual abuse can cause this condition. During pregnancy, after childbirth or while breast-feeding, you may experience a decrease in sexual desire. You may find it difficult to fill multiple needs and roles, such as job demands, homemaking, being a mother and sometimes caring for aging parents. Your partner’s age and health, your feelings toward your partner, and your view of your own body or that of your partner are additional factors that may combine to cause sexual problems. Cultural and religious issues also may be contributing factors.
Psychological factors may contribute to or result from sexual dysfunction. Regardless of the cause of sexual dysfunction, you usually need to address emotional and relationship issues for treatment to be effective.
Diagnosis
1.
Your doctor may engage a discussion about your sexual concerns during the course of a routine medical visit, or you can initiate the discussion if you have concerns that you would like to address with your doctor. You and your doctor will talk about your sexual history, whether you are currently sexually active and what your sexual concerns are.
2.
Your doctor will likely review medications you are taking along with your medical history and perform a complete physical exam. During the pelvic exam, your doctor may check for signs of physical changes contributing to sexual concerns, such as thinning of your genital tissues, decreased skin elasticity, scarring, pain or pelvic organ prolapsed.
Your doctor may refer you to a specialized counselor or sex therapist to evaluate emotional and relationship factors as well as review your sexual identity, beliefs and attitudes. Female sexual dysfunction is generally divided into four categories:
1.
Low sexual desire: You have poor libido, or lack of sex drive. This is the most common type of sexual disorder among women.
2.
Sexual arousal disorder: Your desire for sex might be intact, but you are unable to become aroused or maintain arousal during sexual activity.
3.
Orgasmic disorder: You have persistent or recurrent difficulty in achieving orgasm after sufficient sexual arousal and ongoing stimulation.
4.
Sexual pain disorder: You have pain associated with sexual stimulation or vaginal contact.
Treatment
Treatment may involve treating the underlying medical or hormonal condition contributing to sexual dysfunction, as well as addressing emotional and relationship issues that result or contribute to the dysfunction. In some cases, female sexual dysfunction can be treated by taking specially prescribed medications. Usually, successful treatment requires no medications.
Other Treatments
• Communicate with your partner: Open and honest communication with your partner can enhance your emotional and sexual intimacy. Some couples never talk about sex, while others are less inhibited. Even if you are not used to communicating about your likes and dislikes, learning to do so and providing feedback in an unthreatened manner can set the stage for greater sexual intimacy. There are good books to help you with this. Ask your doctor for recommendations. It can be difficult to resolve differences in sexual desire with your partner over a lifetime. Communicating your feelings can help.
• Make healthy lifestyle changes: Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol stop smoking, exercise regularly and make time for leisure and relaxation. All are as important for your sexual health as for your overall health.
• Strengthen pelvic muscles: Pelvic floor exercises can help with some arousal and orgasm problems. Doing Kegel exercises strengthens the muscles involved in pleasurable sexual sensations. To perform these exercises, tighten your pelvic muscles as if you are stopping your stream of urine. Hold for a count of five, relax and repeat. Do these exercises several times a day.
• Exercising with vaginal weights: By using a series of five weights, each increasingly heavier, that you hold in place in your vagina, you can strengthen pelvic floor muscles. You gradually work up to heavier weights as your muscle tone improves.
• Counseling: Talking with a sex therapist or counselor skilled in addressing sexual concerns can benefit you whether your condition is due to emotional factors or not, since even sexual problems that are hormonal in origin can affect your emotional health and intimacy with your partner. Evaluation with a sex therapist typically includes a review of your sexual identity, beliefs and attitudes; relationship factors including intimacy and attachment; communication and coping styles; and your overall emotional health. Therapy often includes education about sexual response and techniques, ways to enhance intimacy with your partner, and recommendations for reading materials or couples exercises.
Medical Treatment
• Adjusting or changing medications that have sexual side effects
• Treating thyroid problems or other hormonal conditions
• Treatment for depression or anxiety
• Strengthening pelvic floor muscles
• Trying strategies recommended by your doctor to help with pelvic pain or other pain problems
Hormonal Treatment
• Estrogen therapy: Estrogens are important in maintaining the health of vaginal and external genital tissues. Replacing estrogen can improve sexual function in a number of ways, including increasing the tone and elasticity of vaginal tissues, increasing vaginal blood flow, enhancing lubrication, and having a positive effect on brain function and mood factors that affect sexual response. Localized estrogen therapy in the form of a vaginal cream, gel or tablet can help with sexual changes due to menopause.
• Progestin therapy: In some research studies, women taking progestin’s experienced a decrease in sexual desire and vaginal blood flow. However, in other studies, women experienced improvements in desire and arousal when they took a progestin in addition to estrogen. More studies are under way to see if different progestin regimens, alone or in combination with estrogen and other hormonal agents, may benefit sexual function. Progestins generally are prescribed to balance estrogen’s effect on the uterus and not to treat sexual dysfunction.
• Androgen therapy: Androgens include male hormones, such as testosterone. Testosterone is important for sexual function in women as well as men, although testosterone occurs in much lower amounts in a woman. Androgen therapy for sexual dysfunction is controversial. Some studies show a benefit for women who have low testosterone levels and develop sexual dysfunction, for instance after surgical menopause due to removal of the ovaries. In these women, testosterone therapy reportedly improved libido, arousal and sexual thoughts. Other studies show little or no benefit of testosterone therapy for women.
Other Treatments
Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and other drugs approved for the treatment for erectile dysfunction in men in treating certain
Types: of female sexual dysfunction.
Early results from the studies are mixed. Most studies have shown little benefit for women, but some have reported a benefit for women with sexual dysfunction due to antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication side effects.
Tibolone is a drug currently used in Europe and Australia for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In a small study, women taking the drug experienced an increase in vaginal lubrication, arousal and sexual desire. However, Tibolone has not yet received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in the U.S.
Liver Disease
The term “liver disease” applies to many diseases and disorders that cause the liver to function improperly or stop the liver from functioning. Liver disease is a collection of conditions, diseases, and infections that affect the cells, tissues, structures, or functions of the liver.
The liver is an important organ located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. The liver:
• Filters the blood
• Makes bile, a substance that helps digest fat and excrete certain fatty substances
• Processes and hooks fats to carriers (including cholesterol), and storing sugars, helping the body transport and save energy.
• Makes important proteins, such as most of those involved in blood clotting
• Metabolizing many medications, such as barbiturates, sedatives, and amphetamines
• Stores iron
• Stores copper
• Stores vitamins A and D, and several of the B vitamins
• Makes important proteins like albumin that regulate fluid transported in the blood and kidneys.
• Helps break down and recycle red blood cells
If the liver becomes inflamed or infected, its ability to perform these functions may be impaired.
Liver disease and infections are caused by a variety of conditions including viral infections, bacterial invasion, and chemical or physical changes within the body. The most common cause of liver damage is malnutrition, especially that which occurs with alcoholism.
Symptoms of liver disease may be acute, occurring suddenly, or chronic, developing slowly over a long period. Chronic liver disease is much more common than acute. The rates of chronic liver disease for men are two times higher than for women. Liver disease may range from mild to severe depending on the type of disease present.
Symptoms
Symptoms partly depend on the type and the extent of liver disease. In many cases, there may be no symptoms.
Symptoms that are common to a number of different
Types: Of liver disease, include:
• Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin
• Darkened urine
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Unusual weight loss or weight gain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Light-colored stools
• Abdominal pain in the upper right part of the stomach
• Malaise, or a vague feeling of illness
• Generalized itching
• Varicose veins (enlarged blood vessels)
• Fatigue
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Low-grade fever
• Muscle aches and pains
• Loss of sex drive
• Depression
Causes
• Congenital birth defects, or abnormalities of the liver present at birth
• Metabolic disorders or defects in basic body processes
• Viral or bacterial infections
• Alcohol or poisoning by toxins
• Certain medications that are toxic to the liver
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Trauma, or injury
Liver diseases most likely to be seen in children include:
• Galactosemia – is an inherited disease in which the body cannot tolerate certain sugars in milk. These sugars can build up, causing serious damage to the liver and other organs of the body.
• Alagille’s syndrome – is a condition in which the bile ducts narrow and deteriorate, especially during the first year of life
• Alpha 1- antitrypsin deficiency – a genetic liver disease in children that can lead to hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver
• Neonatal hepatitis – it is hepatitis that occurs in a newborn during the first few months of life
• Tyrosinemia – a disorder that causes serious problems with liver metabolism
• Hemorrhagic telangiectasia – a condition in which thin blood vessels allow frequent and easy bleeding of the skin and digestive tract
• Reye’s syndrome – a condition that causes a buildup of fat in the liver. This condition has been linked in some cases to use of aspirin, especially in conjunction with chickenpox, influenza, or other illnesses with fever.
• Wilson’s disease – an inherited condition that causes a buildup of the mineral copper in the liver
• Thalassemia – a group of hereditary anemia’s, or low red blood cell counts
• Biliary atresia – a condition in which the bile ducts extending from the liver to the intestine are too small in diameter or are missing
• Chronic active hepatitis – an inflammation of the liver that causes severe scarring and interference with liver function
• Cancer of the liver – it may result from cancer in other parts of the body that have spread to the liver
Liver diseases most likely to be seen in adults include:
• Cirrhosis – a serious condition that causes tissues and cells in the liver to be replaced by scar tissue.
• Type I glycogen storage disease – it causes problems in controlling blood sugars when a person fasts
• Porphyria – a condition that causes a malfunction in how the body uses porphyrins.
• Hemochromatosis – a condition, which causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. The iron buildup causes damage to the liver and other organs.
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis – a condition that causes the bile ducts of the liver to narrow due to inflammation and scarring
• Sarcoidosis – a disease that causes a buildup of lesions within the liver and other organs of the body
• Gallstones – may block the bile duct
• Hepatitis – an inflammation and infection of the liver caused by any of several viruses
• Cystic disease of the liver – causes lesions and fluid-filled masses in the liver
Alcohol-related liver diseases include:
• Fatty liver disease – this causes an enlarged liver.
• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Alcoholic cirrhosis
Prevention
Some, but not all, liver diseases can be prevented. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B can be prevented with vaccines.
Other ways to decrease the risk of infectious liver disease include:
• Practicing good hygiene, such as washing hands well after using the restroom or changing diapers
• Avoiding drinking or using tap water when traveling internationally
• Avoiding illegal drug use, especially sharing injection equipment
• Practicing safe sex: Practicing safer sex provides less protection.
• Avoiding the sharing of personal hygiene items, such as razors or nail clippers
• Avoiding toxic substances and excess alcohol consumption
• Using medications only as directed
• Using caution around industrial chemicals
• Eating a well balanced diet following the food guide pyramid
• Getting an injection of immune globulin after exposure to hepatitis a
• Using recommended safety Precautions in healthcare and day care work
Diagnosis
A doctor can determine whether a person’s symptoms, medical history, and physical exams are consistent with liver disease. Hepatomegaly, an enlarged, firm liver, and other signs of liver disease may be found on examination.
Other tests can be used to diagnosis liver disease. These include blood tests, such as:
• Liver function tests – they are blood tests that check a wide variety of liver enzymes and byproducts
• A complete blood count (cbc) – they look at the type and number of blood cells in the body
• Abdominal x-rays
• Ultrasounds – they to show size of abdominal organs and the presence of masses
• An upper gi study – they can detect abnormalities in the esophagus caused by liver disease
• Liver scans with radio tagged substances – this test shows changes in the liver structure
• Ercp or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. A thin tube called an endoscope is used to view various structures in and around the liver.
• Abdominal ct scan or abdominal mri – provides more information about the liver structure and function In some cases, the only way to diagnose certain liver diseases is by a liver biopsy. This procedure involves the removal of a tiny piece of liver tissue for examination under a microscope. Liver biopsies may have to be done frequently to see how the disease is making headway or reacting to treatment.
Treatments
• Bed rest
• Drinking extra fluids to prevent dehydration
• Avoiding unnecessary medications
• Avoiding alcohol
• Eating a well-balanced diet for liver disease
• Taking medications that stop nausea
Additional treatment will depend on the type and the extent of disease. Treating hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis D may involve the use of medications such as the antiviral medication alpha interferon. Other medications used to treat liver disease may include ribavirin, lamivudine, steroids, and antibiotics.
To treat Wilson’s disease, the doctors may prescribe trientine or penicillamine. If these medications cannot be tolerated, the person may be asked to take zinc acetate.
Hemochromatosis is treated by removing a pint of blood once or twice a week for several months to a year, depending on the severity of the condition. This will effectively deplete the excess iron.
Vitamin and mineral supplements are given to prevent complications from primary biliary cirrhosis. These include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, and calcium.
Cholestyramine may be given to help relieve itching.
Biliary atresia may be treated with a procedure called the Kasai surgery, a procedure in which the surgeon replaces the bile ducts with part of the baby’s intestine.
Acute fulminant hepatitis can cause life-threatening liver failure. This requires a hospital stay and treatment for the bleeding disorder, encephalopathy, and nutritional problems. Sometimes, the only effective treatment for certain liver diseases is a liver transplant.
Lyme’s Disease
Lyme disease started in large numbers of children in Lyme, Connecticut. Many kids were diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Although children do get arthritis, children in Lyme were developing joint disease at a rate 100 times greater than normal. Finally, researchers traced the children’s symptoms not to arthritis, but to a bacterial infection caused by deer ticks. The infection was named Lyme disease.
Since then, Lyme disease has spread across the United States. Although cases have been reported in almost every state, a significant number of cases remain high in three main areas: the Northeast, upper Midwest and northern California. Lyme disease is also found throughout much of Asia and Europe. Even in common areas, not all deer ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and only a small percentage of people or pets bitten by a deer tick actually become sick.
Most people treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the disease recover completely, a few may have returning or a persistent symptom long after the infection has cleared. If remained untreated Lyme disease can spread throughout your body. This can lead to arthritis and other serious health problems.
Symptoms
Lyme disease can affect various parts of the body, producing a wide range of signs and symptoms. Not everyone with the disease will have all of the signs and symptoms, and the signs and symptoms of infection in the United States may be different from those in other countries. In general, Lyme disease can cause:
• Rash: A small, red bump may appear within a few days to a month at the site of the tick bite. Many times the rash was reported to start in the groin, belt area or behind the knee. It may be warm to the touch and mildly tender. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash that may be as small as a dime or as large as 12 inches across. It often resembles a bull’s-eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center. The rash is called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, affecting about 80 percent of infected people. If you are allergic to tick saliva, redness may develop at the site of a tick bite. The redness usually fades within a week. This is not the same as erythema migrans, which tends to expand and get redder over time.
• Flu-like symptoms: A fever, chills, tiredness, aches, and a headache may go along with the rash.
• Migratory joint pain: If the infection remains untreated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you are infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
• Neurological problems: Inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and poor muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits also can be symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease.
• Less common symptoms: Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.
• Skin problems: In Europe, people with advanced Lyme disease may develop skin nodules and patches of thinning skin on their hands, elbows or knees.
Causes
In the United States, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried primarily by deer ticks. The ticks are brown and often no bigger than the head of the pin, which can make them nearly impossible to spot.
Like vampires, ticks thrive on blood, latching onto a host and feeding for four or five days until they are swollen to many times their normal size. During feeding, ticks that carry disease-producing bacteria can transmit the bacteria to a healthy host. Or they may pick up bacteria themselves if the host is infected. In areas where Lyme disease is common, as many as 50 percent of deer ticks may carry Borrelia burgdorferi.
Deer ticks prefer the blood of mice, small birds and deer, but are not averse to dining on humans, cats, dogs and horses. They live in low bushes and tall grasses of wooded areas, waiting for warm-blooded animals to pass by and are most active in the spring, summer and fall.
To contract Lyme disease, an infected deer tick must bite you. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. However, because the bacteria are not transmitted for about 48 hours after the bite, removing the tick as soon as possible can help prevent infection.
Risk factors
Where you live or vacation can affect your chances of getting Lyme disease. So can your profession and the type of outdoor activities you enjoy. The most common risk factors for
Lyme disease includes:
• Spending time in wooded or grassy areas – In the United States, deer ticks are most prevalent in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. All have heavily wooded areas where deer ticks thrive. In these regions, children who spend a lot of time outdoors are especially at risk. So are people with outdoor occupations and those who live where mice are common. Deer ticks feed on mice, which are a prime reservoir for Lyme disease bacteria.
• Having exposed skin – Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you are in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Do not allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.
• Not removing ticks promptly or properly – Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream only if the tick stays attached to your skin for 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of acquiring Lyme disease is low. It is about 1 percent.
Diagnosis
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. Its variable signs and symptoms mimic other conditions, including viral infections, various joint disorders, muscle pain (fibromyalgia) and chronic fatigue syndrome. What’s more, the ticks that transmit Lyme disease can spread other, similar diseases at the same time.
If you do not have the characteristic Lyme disease rash, your doctor will ask detailed questions about your medical history and do a physical exam. Lab tests to identify antibodies to the bacteria may be used to help confirm the diagnosis. These tests are most reliable a few weeks after an infection because it takes your body some time to develop antibodies. Even then, however, the tests are not foolproof. They include:
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test – The test used most often to check for Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. burgdorferi. However, because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it is not used as the sole basis for diagnosis.
• Western blot test – If the ELISA test is positive, another test — the Western blot — is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. The Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi.
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. It is used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms.
Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause:
• Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee
• Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
• Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
• Sometimes, heart rhythm irregularities
Late-stage symptoms may include:
• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in mood or sleep habits
Treatment
Oral antibiotics usually doxycycline for adults and children older than eight, or amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for adults and younger children — are the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. These drugs often clear the infection and prevent complications. A 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics is usually recommended, but some studies suggest that courses lasting 10 to
14 days are equally effective. In some cases, longer Treatment has been linked to serious complications.
If the disease has progressed, your doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous antibiotic for 14 to 28 days. This is usually effective, although it may take some time to recover.
Intravenous antibiotics can cause various side effects, including a lower white blood cell count, gallstones and mild to severe diarrhea.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers and health care providers to avoid bismacine, an injectable compound prescribed by some alternative medicine practitioners to treat Lyme disease. Bismacine, also known as chromacine, contains high levels of the metal bismuth.
Although bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for stomach ulcers, it is not approved for use in injectable form or as a treatment for Lyme disease. Bismacine can cause bismuth poisoning, which may lead to heart and kidney failure.
In March 2005, one person was hospitalized after receiving a bismacine treatment, according to the FDA. In April 2006, another person died because of treatment with bismacine.
Prevention
You can decrease your risk of contracting Lyme disease with some simple precautions:
• Wear long pants and sleeves: When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. Try to stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and long grass. Keep your dog on a leash.
• Use insect repellents: Apply an insect repellent with a 10 percent to 30 percent concentration of DEET to your skin and clothing. Choose the concentration based on the hours of protection you need. About 10 percent concentration is effective for about two hours, while higher concentrations last longer. Keep in mind that chemical repellents can be toxic, and use only the amount needed for the time you will be outdoors. Do not use DEET on the hands of young children or on infants younger than age 2 months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oil of lemon eucalyptus, a more natural product, offers the same protection as DEET when used in similar concentrations. Other natural repellents, such as citronella and oil of geranium, also offer some protection.
• Do your best to tick-proof your yard: Clear the brush (rake) and leaves where ticks live.
Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks: Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully. It is helpful to shower as soon as you come indoors. Ticks often remain on your skin for hours before attaching themselves.
• Do not guess you are immune: Even if you have had Lyme disease before, you can get it again.
• Remove a tick with tweezers: Gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Do not squeeze or crush the tick, but pull carefully and steadily. Once you have removed the entire tick, apply antiseptic to the bite area.
Menopause
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is a normal condition that all women experience as they age. The term menopause is commonly used to describe any of the changes a woman experiences either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the end of her reproductive period.
What Is The Cause of Menopause?
A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which are stored in the ovaries. The ovaries also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which regulate menstruation and ovulation.
Menopause occurs when the ovaries no longer produce an egg every month and menstruation stops.
Menopause, when it occurs after the age of 40, is considered “natural” and is a normal part of aging. However, some women can experience menopause early, either because of a surgical intervention, such as hysterectomy, or damage to the ovaries from chemotherapy. Menopause that occurs before the age of 40, regardless of the cause, is called premature menopause.
What Are the Symptoms of Menopause?
Most women going through menopause will experience hot flashes, a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the upper body that is often accompanied by blushing and some sweating. The severity of hot flashes varies from mild in most women to severe in others.
Other common symptoms include:
• Irregular or skipped periods
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Irritability
• Racing heart
• Headaches
• Joint and muscle aches and pains
• Changes in libido (sex drive)
• Vaginal dryness
• Bladder control problems
Not all women get all of these symptoms.
Survey that was recently conducted for, “Women in Menopause”
Two surveys of herbal and alternative medicine use during menopause were recently published.
Here are the interesting findings of the surveys:
In a telephone survey of 886 women, 22.1% used an alternative therapy to manage menopausal symptoms.
In this survey, 9.1% used stress management techniques, 13.1% used over-the-counter herbs or supplements, 0.9% used chiropractic, 2.6% used massage therapy, 7.4% took dietary soy, 0.6% used acupuncture, and 2.0% saw a naturopathic doctor or homeopath, and 1.2% saw an herbalist.
Women were generally satisfied with alternative therapies.
Among the women who used alternative therapies, 89-100% found them to be somewhat or very helpful. Although women reported that certain herbs and supplements were helpful, it has been shown that in research studies on menopause, even a placebo cause’s great improvement.
Women with sleep disturbances used relaxation techniques and soy.
Sleep disturbances were associated with a four-fold increase in the use of bodywork, a three-fold increase in the use of stress management, and more than double the use of dietary soy products.
In a survey of women attending a San Francisco health conference, only 29% use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) alone.
In this survey, 29% used HRT alone, 16% used a combination of HRT with dietary supplements, 32% used dietary supplements alone, and 13% used no product or a different product.
Women attending a health conference in San Francisco may be more likely to used dietary supplements than the rest of the population.
Soy was the most common dietary supplement used for menopausal symptoms.
The most common dietary supplements were:
• Soy (29%)
• Ginkgo Biloba (16%)
• Black Cohosh (10%)
Supplements, however, were not as effective at reducing hot flashes: 63% of women using HRT alone reported relief of hot flashes compared to 30% of women using dietary supplements alone.
The group using a combination of HRT and dietary supplements noticed an enhanced improvement in vaginal dryness, libido, and mood compared to the women using HRT alone.
Women using dietary supplements alone had the highest perceived quality of life. Women using a combination of HRT and dietary supplements had highest overall feeling of control over menopausal symptoms.
Women using dietary supplements alone tended to be dissatisfied with the menopause counseling they received from their primary care provider.
From this finding, we cannot conclude that women used dietary supplements alone because they were dissatisfied with the counseling they received (this question was not asked). Satisfaction with menopausal counseling was significantly greater in women receiving HRT alone and combination therapy compared to women using supplements alone.
Herbs that help menopause:
• Alfalfa Leaf
• American Ginseng
• Black Cohosh
• Chaste Berry
• Damiana
• Evening Primrose
• False Unicorn Root
• Hops
• Horny Goat Weed
• Korean Ginseng
• Maca Root
• Red Raspberry
• Sarsaparilla
Migraine Headaches
While there is no cure for migraines, you can often reduce and possibly prevent some migraines.
Migraines run in families, and a genetic link has been identified. However, it is not entirely clear why some people get migraines and others do not.
Symptoms
While the cause of migraines is not well understood, it seems to involve widening and narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain, which triggers changes in brain chemicals, inflammation, and pain.
In the day or two before a migraine starts, you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, excessive yawning, food cravings (such as for chocolate), irritability, or restlessness.
These symptoms usually develop 24 to 48 hours before the headache starts
• Hunger
• Thirst
• Food cravings
• Loss of appetite
• Mood changes (depression, euphoria or feeling of well-being, or irritability)
• Changes in energy level (restlessness, sleepiness, excessive energy, nervousness, or calmness)
• Change in consciousness (drowsiness or hyperalertness)
Treatments:
There are many steps you can take at home to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks and to treat the symptoms you are experiencing. For example, reducing stress, taking prescription drugs, and identifying and avoiding migraine triggers.
1.
Find healthy ways to deal with stress. Migraine headaches seem to be more common during stressful times or right after you have “let down” after a stressful time.
2.
Practice relaxation techniques to reduce muscle tension and stress.
3.
Take preventive drugs as prescribed by your doctor.
4.
To help identify triggers of your headaches and determine if your headaches are becoming more severe or more frequent, keep a headache diary.
5.
Seek help if you think that your migraines may be linked to depression or anxiety. Proper treatment of these conditions may reduce the frequency of your migraines.
Other Treatment
1. Acupuncture, which involves putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to produce energy flow along the body’s meridians. This may help relax muscles and reduce headache pain.
2. Biofeedback to reduce stress
3. Feverfew, which is an herb that may help prevent migraines. More research is still needed to prove its benefits.
4. Butterbur, which is an herb that has been shown to help prevent migraines in some people.
5. Relaxation techniques, which may help reduce stress in your life.
Herbs that Help Migraine:
• Alfalfa Leaf
• Barberry Root
• Bay Leaf
• Brazilian Guarana
• Butterbur, Catnip
• Cayenne, Chamomile
• Dong Quai
• Evening Primrose
• Feverfew
• Ginger Root
• Green Tea
• Griffonia Seed
• Hawthorne Leaf
• Honeysuckle
• Kola Nut
• Lemon Balm
• Passion Flower
• Peppermint Leaf
• Valerian Root
• White Willow Bark
• Wintergreen
• Wood Betony
Macular Degeneration
What is macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease. It occurs when tissue in the macula, the part of your retina that is in charge of your central vision, deteriorates. Degeneration of the macula causes blurred central vision or a blind spot in the center of your visual field.
Macular degeneration affects your central vision, but not your peripheral vision. It does not cause total blindness. In spite of everything, the loss of clear central vision will affect your reading, driving, recognizing people’s faces and doing detail work. As you, get older the condition tends develops and worsen as age progresses. Macular degeneration is the main cause of severe vision loss in people age 60 and older.
The damage caused by macular degeneration cannot be reversed, but early detection and treatment may help reduce the degree of vision loss.
Macular degeneration occurs in two Types:
Dry macular degeneration – Most people with macular degeneration have the dry form. In fact, macular degeneration usually starts out as the dry form. The dry form may initially affect only one eye but, in most cases, both eyes eventually become involved. Dry macular degeneration occurs when the RPE cells begin to atrophy and lose their pigment. The normally uniform reddish color of the macula takes on a mottled appearance because of the patchy loss of pigment. Drusen, which look like yellow dots, are fatty-like deposits that appear under the light- sensing cells in the retina.
Dry macular degeneration is the result of a deterioration of the RPE brought on by aging. You may notice little or no change in your vision. Many people who have received a diagnosis of early-stage dry macular degeneration may not be bothered with symptoms, such as blurred eyesight, unless they live to a very old age. However, as the drusen and mottled pigmentation continue to develop, your vision may deteriorate. Thinning of the RPE may progress to a point where this protective layer of the retina disappears. This affects the overlying cones and rods and may result in complete loss of your central vision.
Wet macular degeneration – The wet form accounts for about 15 percent of all cases, but it is responsible for most of the severe vision loss that people with macular degeneration experience.
If you develop wet macular degeneration in one eye, your odds of getting it in the other eye increase greatly. Almost everyone with the wet form of the disease started out with the dry form.
Wet macular degeneration develops when new blood vessels grow from the choroid underneath the macular portion of the retina. These new vessels are called choroidal neovascularizations (CNVs). These vessels leak fluid or blood, which is why it is called wet macular degeneration.
This causes your central vision to blur. Eyes with the wet form of macular degeneration usually show signs of the dry form, that is, drusen and mottled pigmentation of the retina. In addition, what should be straight lines in your sight become wavy or crooked, and blank spots appear in your field of vision.
Much like the dry form of macular degeneration, a breakdown in the waste removal system may be what is causing the abnormal growth of blood vessels. When the waste from the cones and rods is not disposed of and begins to accumulate, sufficient flow of nutrients to the macula is interrupted. The abnormal growth of blood vessels may be a response to this interruption in the flow of nutrients. The mechanism that triggers the development of new blood vessels is unclear, and it remains the subject of scientific study. Whatever the cause of the abnormal growth, the result is a disruption in the nutrition of the macula, and without enough nutrients, healthy tissue in the macula begins to deteriorate.
With the wet form of macular degeneration, sight loss is usually rapid and severe, often deteriorating to 20/200 vision or worse, which is considered legally blind. This means that what someone with normal vision can see from 200 feet away, a person with 20/200 vision can see only from 20 feet away.
Another form of wet macular degeneration, is called retinal pigment epithelial detachment. This occurs when fluid leaks from the choroid under the RPE even though it appears that no abnormal blood vessels have started to grow. The fluid collects under the retinal pigment epithelium, causing what looks like a blister or a bump under the macula.
This kind of macular degeneration causes similar symptoms to typical wet macular degeneration, but your vision can remain relatively stable for many months or even years before it deteriorates.
Eventually, however, this form of macular degeneration usually progresses to the more common wet form of macular degeneration that includes newly growing abnormal blood vessels.
Symptoms
Macular degeneration usually develops gradually and painlessly. The symptoms of the disease may differ, depending on which of the two Types: of macular degeneration you have: dry or wet.
Dry macular degeneration
The symptoms include:
• The need for bright light when reading or doing close work
• Difficulty adapting to low levels of light
• Blurriness of printed words
• A decrease in the intensity or brightness of colors
• Encountering problem recognizing faces
• Slow increase in the lack of clarity of your overall vision
• Blurred or blind spot in the center of your visual area combined with an intense drop in your central vision acuity
Wet Macular Degeneration
Symptoms
• Visual distortions, such as straight lines appearing wavy or crooked
• Objects appearing smaller or farther away than they should
• A decline in or loss of central vision
• Central blurry spot
In either form of macular degeneration, your vision may falter in one eye while the other has no problem for years. You may not notice any or much change because your good eye compensates for the weak one. Your vision and lifestyle begin to be dramatically affected when this condition develops in both eyes.
Hallucinations
Some people with macular degeneration may experience visual hallucinations, as their vision loss gets worse. These hallucinations may include:
• Unusual patterns
• Geometric figures
• Animals
• Grotesque-appearing faces
While these hallucinations may be frightening, they are not a sign of mental illness. These hallucinations are so common that there is a name for this occurrence called, “The Charles Bonnet syndrome.”
Causes
Researchers do not know the exact causes of macular degeneration, but they have identified some contributing factors, including:
• Age
• Family history of macular degeneration
• Race: Macular degeneration is more common in whites than it is in other groups, especially after age 75.
• Sex: Women are more likely than men are to develop macular degeneration.
• Cigarette smoking: Exposure to cigarette smoke doubles your risk of macular degeneration. Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of macular degeneration.
• Obesity
• Light-colored eyes: People with light-colored eyes appear to be at greater risk than do those with darker eyes.
• Exposure to sunlight: It is possible that long-term exposure to ultraviolet light may increase your risk of developing macular degeneration, but this risk has not been proved and remains controversial.
• Low levels of nutrients: This includes low blood levels of minerals, such as zinc, and of antioxidant vitamins, such as A, C and E. Antioxidants may protect your cells from oxygen damage (oxidation), which may partially be responsible for the effects of aging and for the development of certain diseases such as macular degeneration.
• Cardiovascular diseases: These include high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina).
Diagnosis
To determine whether you have macular degeneration, you will undergo a thorough eye examination. One of the things your eye doctor looks for while examining the inside of your eye is the presence of drusen and mottled pigmentation in the macula.
The eye examination includes a simple test of your central vision and may include testing with an Amsler grid. If you have macular degeneration, when you look at the grid some of the straight lines may seem faded, broken or distorted. By noting where the break or distortion occurs — usually on or near the center of the grid — your eye doctor can better determine the location and extent of your macular damage.
Other diagnostic tests may include:
• Angiography: To evaluate the extent of the damage from macular degeneration, your eye doctor may use fluorescein angiography. In this procedure, fluorescein dye is injected into a vein in your arm and photographs are taken of the back of the eye as the dye passes through blood vessels in your retina and choroid. Your doctor then uses these photographs to detect changes in macular pigmentation or the existence of abnormal blood vessels in your macula that may not be visible or recognizable during a standard examination.
• Indocyanine green angiography: Instead of fluorescein, a dye called indocyanine green (ICG) is used. This test provides information that complements the findings obtained through fluorescein angiography.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT): This noninvasive imaging test helps identify and display areas of retinal thickening or thinning. Such changes are associated with macular degeneration. This test can also reveal the presence of abnormal fluid in and under the retina or the RPE. It is often used to help monitor the response of the retina to macular degeneration treatments.
Genetic screening
Even though genetic abnormalities have been identified in some people with macular degeneration, genetic screening tests are not currently being used to diagnose the disorder, though they may be used to assess early risk in the future.
Treatment
Some treatment options are available for wet macular degeneration. But the success of the treatment — stopping further progress of the disease — depends on the location and the extent of the abnormal blood vessels, or choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The damage already caused by macular degeneration cannot be reversed. The sooner CNV is detected, the better your chances of treatment preserving what’s left of your central vision.
Wet macular degeneration treatments are procedures for wet macular degeneration, all of which can be done on an outpatient basis, include:
• Photocoagulation: In hotocoagulation, your doctor uses a high-energy laser beam to create small burns in areas with abnormal blood vessels. The process can seal off and destroy the CNV that has developed under your macula. It can prevent further damage to the macula and halt continued vision loss.
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT): This therapy is primarily used for treating CNV that is located directly under the fovea. The fovea lies at the center of your macula and in healthy eyes provides your sharpest vision. If conventional hot-laser surgery were used at this location, it would destroy all central vision. PDT increases your chances of preserving some of that vision. It will not bring back any of the vision you have lost, but it may halt the loss of your vision or at least slow down the rate of vision loss.
• Macular translocation surgery: Macular translocation surgery is a treatment that can be used if the abnormal blood vessels are located directly under the fovea. To start the procedure, your surgeon detaches the retina, shifts the fovea away from the CNV and relocates it over healthy tissue. When the CNV is exposed, the surgeon can remove the CNV with tiny forceps or use a hot laser to destroy blood vessels without damaging the fovea. This surgery can be successful for preserving vision, and in some instances improving vision, if your vision loss is recent, the extent of CNV is limited and the tissue around the fovea is healthy. This surgery is not widely used.
• The newest treatment being used for macular degeneration involves use of drugs called anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications. These drugs help stop new CNV from growing by blocking the effects of a growth factor these blood vessels need to thrive.
Anti-VEGF medications are injected directly into your eye. Some anti-VEGF agents that have been approved for use or are currently being investigated for treating macular degeneration include:
• Macugen: Pegaptanib (Macugen) is approved for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. This drug is given as a series of injections into the vitreous fluid in the eye. It helps to prevent further vision loss by stopping the formation of new blood vessels and decreasing leakage from existing blood vessels.
• Lucentis: Like Macugen, ranibizumab (Lucentis) is an anti-VEGF drug used to treat wet macular degeneration. It also impedes new growth of abnormal blood vessels and helps dry up leaking vessels. However, ranibizumab may be able to reverse some of the effects of macular degeneration, not just prevent further vision loss.
• Bevacizumab (Avastin): Some doctors are prescribing this drug, which is closely related to ranibizumab, hoping that it will have effects. Bevacizumab has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for macular degeneration, but it has been approved as a treatment for colon and rectal cancer. That means that the use of this medication to treat macular degeneration is currently considered an off-label use of the drug. Still, some physicians are using bevacizumab injections to treat wet macular degeneration.
Other emerging treatments, ongoing studies
Therapies under study include:
Kenalog: Triamcinolone (Kenalog) is a steroid drug used to treat eye inflammation and swelling (edema). Clinical trials are under way to determine whether Kenalog injections, alone or in combination with other therapies, might improve vision in people with macular degeneration.
Some ophthalmologists are using Kenalog injections in combination with photodynamic therapy, hoping to maximize the therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy.
Rheophoresis: In this procedure, blood is removed from your body, filtered and then returned to your body. The idea behind this therapy is that rheopheresis may remove substances from your blood that contribute to poor blood flow in the blood vessels nourishing your retina.
There are other ongoing studies investigating the use of implantable optical devices. Because research into new treatments for macular degeneration is ongoing, it is a good idea to visit your doctor periodically to see if a new treatment might be available.
Diet
Nothing you do can change your race or genetic makeup or keep you from getting older — major risk factors for macular degeneration. However, the following measures may help prevent or delay the progression of macular degeneration:
• Eat foods containing antioxidants – A nutritionally balanced diet with plenty of leafy greens, fruits and other vegetables may be among the most important factors in promoting good retinal health. People at high risk of the advanced stages of macular degeneration may be able to lower that risk with a dietary supplement of antioxidants, zinc and copper. Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidative damage to tissue, such as the retina.
• Foods with antioxidants are those rich in vitamins A, C and E – It helps to eat a nutritionally balanced, low-fat diet containing five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day. People who eat diets rich in vegetables, particularly leafy green vegetables may have a lower risk of macular degeneration.
• High levels of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin in your blood may help protect your retina, although there are no conclusive studies demonstrating that supplements of these nutrients can slow vision loss. Lutein and zeaxanthin are nutrients found in high concentrations in egg yolks, corn and spinach. The National Eye Institute is currently sponsoring a clinical trial to assess the efficacy of lutein and zeaxanthin in lowering the risk of macular degeneration.
• Take supplements – Research called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that a daily supplement of 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta carotene (often as vitamin A — up to 25,000 IU), 80 mg of zinc (as zinc oxide) and 2 mg of copper (as cupric oxide) reduced the risk of progressing to moderate or severe vision loss by up to 25 percent. For people with moderate to advanced macular degeneration, the findings from AREDS indicate that taking high doses of zinc, beta carotene, and vitamins C and E is effective in reducing the risk of further vision loss.
• Eat fish – Regular consumption of fish and the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can result in a reduced risk of macular degeneration, according to the findings of a study published in July 2006. Use discretion if you are considering more frequent consumption of fish; certain
Types: of fish may contain high levels of toxins and other contaminants.
• Wear sunglasses that block out harmful ultraviolet light – Orange-, yellow- or amber-tinted lenses can filter out both ultraviolet light and blue light. The main purpose of these glasses is to protect the surface of your eye and the skin of your eyelids. Because ultraviolet light has also been associated with the development of cataracts, the use of sunglasses may help reduce the risk of cataracts as well. Look for glasses that filter 99 percent to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. UVA penetrates deeper, while UVB has a more superficial effect.
• Manage your other diseases – If you have cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, take your medication and follow your doctor’s instructions for controlling the condition.
• Get regular eye exams – Early detection of macular degeneration increases your chances of preventing serious vision loss. If you are older than 40, get an exam every two to four years and if you are older than 65 get an exam every year or two. If you have a family history of macular degeneration, have your eyes examined more frequently, perhaps annually.
• Screen your vision regularly – If you have received a diagnosis of early-stage macular degeneration, your doctor may suggest that you regularly monitor your vision at home with an Amsler grid. Doing so may help you to detect subtle changes in your vision at the earliest possible time and seek help promptly.
If you have some vision loss because of macular degeneration, your eye doctor can prescribe optical devices called low-vision aids that will help you see better for close-up work. Or your doctor may refer you to a low-vision specialist. In addition, a wide variety of support services and rehabilitation programs are available that may help you adjust your lifestyle.
Lifestyle:
• Use caution when driving.
• Seek help traveling – Use public transportation or ask family members to help, especially with night driving.
• Travel with others – Contact your local area agency on aging for a list of vans and shuttles, volunteer driving networks or ride shares.
• Get good glasses
• Use magnifiers
• View with large type on the Internet
• Obtain specialized appliances – Some clocks, radios, telephones and other appliances have extra-large numbers.
• Have proper light in your home – This will help with reading and other activities.
• Remove hazardous things in the home – Eliminate throw rugs and other possible tripping hazards in your home.
• Ask friends and family members for help
• Socialize with friends – Do not stay in the house all day.
• Use the Internet – The Internet is a good source for support groups and resources for people with macular degeneration.
• Talk to your doctor – Ask your doctor about receiving professional help to make your home safer and more convenient for you to use.
Memory Loss
With so many things going on in our daily lives, it is normal to forget things. Everyone forgets things. How many times have you misplaced something? How many times have you put something in a safe place and forgot where the safe place was at? Forgetfulness tends to increase with age, but there is a big difference between normal memory-loss and the type of memory loss associated with a medical condition.
Normal that is age-related does not prevent you from living a happy, healthy, and productive life.
You just need more time to remember a name or the task you had set out to do. You are aware that you are forgetful and may even crack a joke about it and laugh with your friends about being forgetful.
Causes
• Taking too much of a medication (overmedication). Overuse of medications may be the single biggest cause of memory loss or confusion in older adults.
• Alcohol and medication interactions: This is a problem, especially for older adults, who may take many medications at the same time.
• Misusing or abusing a medication or alcohol.
• Drug intoxication or the effects of withdrawal
• A head injury
• Decreased or blocked blood flow to the brain.
• A seizure disorder
• Brain tumors
Medical Conditions
Memory loss that begins suddenly or that significantly interferes with your ability to function in daily life may indicate a more serious problem.
• Dementia is a slow decline in memory, problem-solving ability, learning ability, and judgment that may occur over several weeks to several months. Many health conditions can cause dementia or symptoms similar to dementia. In some cases, dementia may be reversible. This is the most common cause of dementia in people older than age 65.
• Dirium is a sudden change in how well a person’s brain is working (mental status).
Delirium can cause confusion, disruption of the sleep-wake cycles, and unusual behavior.
Delirium can have many causes, such as withdrawal from alcohol or drugs or medications, or the development or worsening of an infection or other health problem.
• Amnesia is memory loss that may be caused by a head injury, a stroke, substance abuse, or a severe emotional event, such as combat or a motor vehicle accident. Depending upon the cause, amnesia may be either temporary or permanent.
Treatment
As you get older, it is normal to experience some memory loss. Usually, an occasional memory loss does not mean you have a serious problem or medical condition. Some treatments include:
• Focus your attention. Often forgetfulness may indicate that you have too much on your mind. Slow down and pay full attention to what you are doing.
• Establish a routine
• Use clocks
• Use calendars
• Use lists
• Use notes
• Use helpful technologies as reminders, such as a cell phone’s components.
• Write your daily activities on a daily planner, and keep it in a place where you can see it easily.
• Store easy-to-lose items in the same place each time after you use them.
Memory techniques:
• To remember a person’s name, repeat it several times after being introduced to it.
• To recall numbers, group them and then relate them to a date or story. For example, if your personal identification number (PIN) is 2040, remember it with the phrase “20 plus 20 equals 40.” Use the same PIN number for all of your accounts.
• Retrace your steps if you cannot remember why you went into a room.
• Reduce your stress. Being anxious can impair your memory.
Lifestyle
• Eat a well-balanced diet
• Exercise
• Don’t smoke
• Play stimulating mind games
• Seek treatment for depression
• Check with your doctor to see if any medications you are taking is causing the memory loss
Morning Sickness
It has estimated that between 50 to 80% of women experience morning sickness, or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Despite its name, nausea lasts throughout the whole day for many women. It usually peaks by week 9 and diminishes by week 20.
A Canadian study surveyed pregnant women and found:
• Almost two thirds (61.2%) of women used natural remedies to alleviate morning sickness.
• The three most common Types: of natural remedies used were ginger tea, acupressure wristbands (called “sea bands”), and vitamin B6
• Among the women who used natural remedies, 20.7 % reported mild adverse reactions.
Most common were intolerability of the strong flavor of ginger and wrist irritation among respondents who used acupressure wristbands.
Diet-the following dietary suggestions may help relieve morning sickness
• Eat frequent smaller meals, so that you are never too hungry or too full at one time
• Avoid fatty or fried foods
• Keep crackers, bread or toast, cereal, or other bland foods handy.
• Try eating something before getting out of bed in the morning.
• Identify any triggers and avoid them
• Make sure you are drinking enough fluids. Try drinking in between meals rather than with meals, which some women find helpful.
Acupuncture
A randomized trial looked at 88 pregnant women with hyperemesis, a severe form of morning sickness. Women received either an anti-nausea drug called metoclopramide or twice weekly acupuncture sessions for two weeks, plus acupressure. Both treatments were found to reduce nausea and vomiting intensity. Acupuncture was more effective than the drug in improving psychosocial functioning.
Acupressure Wrist Bands
Acupressure wristbands, often marketed as “sea bands”, stimulate the pericardium 6 (p6) acupuncture point, which is known in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve nausea. It usually begins to work immediately. It is a wristband with a plastic button that puts pressure on the p6 point inside of the wrist. They usually cost less than $10 for a pair and can be found online or in some health food stores.
Ginger
Ginger (zingiber officinale) is a common remedy for morning sickness. It has been used for centuries in cooking and medicinally. The Food and Drug Administration classifies ginger as “Generally Recognized as Safe”.
Many medical doctors, midwives, naturopaths, and other health practitioners recommend ginger for morning sickness. Four double blind, randomized clinical trials support this recommendation.
The dose used in the studies was a total of 1 g of ginger per day, taken in divided doses, for 4 days to 3 weeks. This is equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon of ginger taken four times a day. It can be steeped with hot water for at five minutes to make a hot ginger tea.
Some sources say there is not enough information about the safety of ginger in pregnant women to recommend it for morning sickness, suggesting that ginger inhibits an enzyme called thromboxane synthetase and may possibly influence sex steroid differentiation in the fetal brain.
Studies have not confirmed this. Another concern is that ginger interferes with platelet aggregation and may prolong bleeding time. A study that followed 187 women who had taken ginger during the first trimester found no statistically significant difference in the number of malformation, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirths.
Peppermint Essential Oil
The aroma of peppermint can help a queasy stomach. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Place 2 drops of peppermint essential oil in the bowl and places it on a table near your bed. Make sure it is in a safe area so there is no risk of it being knocked over. Or use an aromatherapy diffuser, which can be purchased at some health food stores.
Other helpful herbs to cure nausea:
• Asparagus Root
• Caraway Seed
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Fennel Seed
• Ginger Root
• Lemon Balm
• Magnolia Bark
• Milk Thistle
• Oregon Grape Root
• Peppermint Leaf
• Quassia
• Slippery Elm Bark
• Turmeric Root
• Wild Yam
Motion Sickness
Motion sickness occurs when the body is sensitive to changes of movement in different directions or under conditions where visual contact with the actual outside perspective is lost.
The balance center of the inner ear then sends information to the brain that conflicts with the visual clues of actually standing still in the inside cabin of a ship or airplane.
Symptoms
Dizziness
Fatigue
Nausea, which may progress to vomiting From one third to one-half of airline passengers will experience some degree of motion sickness when encountering heavy turbulence.
Causes
It has been found that fear or anxiety can cause these symptoms. Some individuals seem to be naturally prone to motion sickness since childhood. Any type of transportation can cause motion sickness. It can strike suddenly, progressing from a feeling of restlessness to a cold sweat, dizziness and then vomiting. Motion sickness may quiet down as soon as the motion stops. The more you travel, the more easily you will adjust to being in motion.
Prevention
You may escape motion sickness by planning ahead. If you are traveling, reserve seats where motion is felt least:
• By ship, request a cabin in the forward or middle of the ship, or on the upper deck.
• By plane, ask for a seat over the front edge of a wing. Once aboard, direct the air vent to your face.
• By train, take a seat near the front and next to a window. Face forward.
• By automobile, drive or sit in the front passenger’s seat.
If you are vulnerable to motion sickness:
• Focus on the horizon or on a distant, stationary object. Do not read.
• Keep your head still, resting against a seat back
• Don’t smoke
• Don’t sit near smokers
• Avoid spicy foods
• Avoid alcohol
• Don’t overeat
• Take an over-the-counter antihistamine such as meclizine (Antivert, Bonine) or one containing dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) before you feel sick. Expect drowsiness as a side effect.
• Consider scopolamine (Transderm Scop), available in a prescription adhesive patch.
Several hours before you plan to travel, apply the patch behind your ear for 72-hour protection.
Talk to your doctor before using the medication if you have health problems, such as asthma, glaucoma or urine retention.
• Eat dry crackers
• Drink a carbonated beverage to help settle your stomach if you become ill
Treatment
The over-the-counter medications, such as Dramamine or Bonine can work well for short trips or when symptoms occur from time to time. For longer trips, a prescription medication called Transderm-Scop comes in the form of a patch can be worn behind the ear for up to three days at a time. Side effects of these medications usually consist of sedation and dry mouth and they should not be taken by people who have glaucoma or urinary obstruction. Recent studies have shown that ginger root may be as effective as the other drug treatments but is associated with fewer side effects.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disease that affects your central nervous system, which is made up of your brain and spinal cord. Multiple sclerosis is a condition affects the immune system and attacks components of your body as if they did not belong there.
In multiple sclerosis, the body mistakenly directs antibodies and white blood cells against proteins in the myelin sheath, a fatty substance that insulates nerve fibers in your brain and spinal cord. This results in inflammation and injury to the sheath and ultimately to the nerves that it surrounds. The result may be multiple areas of scarring (sclerosis). Eventually, this damage can slow or block the nerve signals that control muscle coordination, strength, sensation and vision.
Multiple sclerosis affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and probably more than 1 million people around the world. Twice as many women are affected with the disease.
Most people experience their first signs or symptoms between ages 20 and 40.
Multiple sclerosis is unpredictable and varies in severity. In some people, multiple sclerosis is a mild illness, but it can lead to permanent disability in others. treatments can modify the course of the disease and relieve symptoms.
Symptoms
Numbness
Weakness in one or more limbs, which typically occurs on one side of your body at a time or the bottom half of your body.
Partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement
Double vision
Blurring of vision
Tingling or pain in parts of your body
Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain head movements
Tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait
Fatigue
Dizziness
Muscle stiffness
Spasticity
Slurred speech
Paralysis
Problems with bladder
Bowel dysfunction
Sexual performance
Forgetfulness
Difficulties with concentration
Causes
Your central nervous system contains millions of nerve cells, which send electrical signals to and from your brain along wire-like extensions of the cells called axons, or nerve fibers. Myelin is the fatty substance that coats and protects these fibers, similar to the way insulation shields electrical wires.
In people with multiple sclerosis, the immune system mistakenly destroys the cells that produce the myelin sheath. As a result, myelin becomes inflamed and swollen and detaches from the nerve fibers. The detached myelin may eventually be destroyed. Firm or hardened patches of scar tissue form over the fibers. When nerve impulses reach a damaged area, some impulses are blocked or delayed from traveling to or from your brain. Ultimately, this process leads to degeneration of the nerves themselves, which likely accounts for the permanent disabilities that may develop in MS.
Doctors and researchers do not understand what causes this autoimmune reaction. Something seems to trigger the condition in susceptible people.
Genetic factors may make certain people more susceptible to multiple sclerosis. However, genetic susceptibility is only part of the explanation. A number of researchers believe the disorder is related to a protein that mimics the myelin protein, which may be introduced into the
body by a virus. Other researchers believe that the immune system overreacts toward myelin proteins in people with MS, which leads to an abnormal tendency to develop autoimmune disease.
Heredity: Multiple sclerosis is more common in people of Northern European descent.
There also appears to be a genetic component to the condition, although the risk to children of people affected by MS is less than 5 percent over their lifetime. Researchers suspect that the tendency to develop multiple sclerosis is inherited, but the disease manifests only when environmental triggers are present.
Environmental: Environmental factors have some influence on multiple sclerosis. Many viruses and bacteria have been suspected of causing MS, most recently the Epstein-Barr virus, known also for causing infectious mononucleosis. Some studies have suggested that developing infection at a critical period of exposure may lead to conditions conducive to the development of MS a decade or later.
Geographical: Multiple sclerosis is more common in countries with temperate climates, including Europe, southern Canada, northern United States, and southeastern Australia. The reason is unknown.
A period of disease activity (exacerbation) may be triggered by a viral infection, such as a cold or flu, or by changes in the immune system during the first six months following a pregnancy.
Patterns of MS
Relapsing remitting: This type of multiple sclerosis is characterized by clearly defined flare-ups, followed by periods of remission. The flare-ups typically appear suddenly, last a few weeks or months, and then gradually disappear. Most people with MS have this form at the time of diagnosis.
Primary progressive: People with this less common form of multiple sclerosis experience a gradual decline, without periods of remission. People with this form of MS are usually older than 40 when signs or symptoms begin.
Secondary progressive: More than half the people with relapsing remitting MS eventually enter a stage of continuous deterioration referred to as secondary progressive MS. Sudden relapses may occur, superimposed upon the continuous deterioration that characterizes this type of multiple sclerosis.
Progressive relapsing: This is primary progressive MS with the addition of sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsened existing ones. This form is relatively uncommon.
Diagnosis
Medical History: Your doctor reviews your signs and symptoms and their pattern.
Neurological examination: This examination systematically tests various parts of your nervous system, including your reflexes, muscle strength, muscle tone, and sensations of pain, heat, touch and vibration. Your doctor may also observe your gait, posture, coordination and balance, and ask questions to help determine the clarity of your thinking, judgment and memory.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan: This imaging technique may reveal MS lesions, which are caused by myelin loss. An intravenous dye, gadolinium, will highlight “active” lesions that have developed within the past two months and this may help doctors know whether the MS is in an active phase, even if no symptoms are present indicating an attack of MS. Newer MRI techniques can provide even greater detail about the degree of nerve fiber injury or permanent myelin loss and recovery.
Spinal tap (lumbar puncture): In this procedure, a doctor or nurse removes a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid from within your spinal canal for laboratory analysis. This sample can show abnormalities associated with multiple sclerosis, such as abnormal levels of white blood cells or proteins. This procedure can also help rule out viral infections and other conditions that can cause neurological symptoms similar to those of MS.
Evoked potential test: This test measures the electrical signals sent by your brain in response to stimuli. An evoked potential test may use visual stimuli or electrical stimuli, in which short electrical impulses are applied to your legs or arms.
Treatment
If your attacks are mild or infrequent, your doctor may advise a wait-and-see approach, with counseling and observation.
Medications for multiple sclerosis treatment include:
Beta interferons: Interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) and interferon beta-1a (Avonex, Rebif) are genetically engineered copies of proteins that occur naturally in your body. They help fight viral infection and regulate your immune system.
Glatiramer (Copaxone): This medication is an alternative to beta interferon’s if you have relapsing remitting. You must inject glatiramer subcutaneously once daily. Side effects may include flushing and shortness of breath after injection.
Natalizumab (Tysabri): This drug is administered intravenously once a month. It works by blocking the attachment of immune cells to brain blood vessels — a necessary step for immune cells to cross into the brain. It reduces the immune cells’ inflammatory action on brain nerve cells.
Other medications: Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is a chemotherapy drug used for many cancers. This drug is also FDA-approved for treatment of aggressive forms of relapsing remitting MS, as well as certain forms of progressive MS. It is given intravenously, typically every three months.
Some doctors are also prescribing other chemotherapy drugs, such as cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), for people with severe, rapidly progressing MS. However, these medications are not FDA-approved for treatment of MS.
Some medications may relieve symptoms of progressive MS. They include:
Corticosteroids – Doctors most often prescribe short courses of oral or intravenous corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in nerve tissue and to shorten the duration of flare-ups.
Prolonged use of these medications may cause side effects, such as osteoporosis and high blood pressure (hypertension), and the benefit of long-term therapy in multiple sclerosis is not established.
Muscle relaxants
Medications to reduce fatigue – To help combat fatigue, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant medication.
Other medications – Many medications are used for the muscle stiffness, depression, pain and bladder control problems associated with multiple sclerosis. Drugs for arthritis and medications that suppress the immune system may slow MS in some cases.
Non-medicine Treatments
Physical and occupational therapy: A physical or occupational therapist can teach you strengthening exercises and show you how to use devices that can ease the performance of daily tasks. Therapists are usually supervised by doctors (physiatrists) who advise and coordinate the therapy that you might receive. Therapists can assist you in finding optimal mobility assistance devices such as canes, wheelchairs and motorized scooters. These devices and exercises can help preserve your independence.
Counseling: Individual or group therapy may help you cope with multiple sclerosis and relieve emotional stress. Your family members or caregivers also may benefit from seeing a counselor.
Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis): Plasma exchange may help restore neurological function in people with sudden severe attacks of MS-related disability who do not respond to high doses of steroid treatment. This procedure involves removing some of your blood and mechanically separating the blood cells from the fluid (plasma). Your blood cells then are mixed with a replacement solution, typically albumin, or a synthetic fluid with properties like plasma.
The solution with your blood is then returned to your body. Replacing your plasma may dilute the activity of the destructive factors in your immune system, including antibodies that attack myelin, and help you to recover. Plasma exchange has no proven benefit beyond three months from the onset of the neurological symptoms.
Lifestyle
Get rest: Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, and getting your rest may make you feel less tired.
Exercise
Be careful with heat: Extreme heat may cause extreme muscle weakness.
Cool down: Many people with multiple sclerosis experience heat-related worsening of
MS symptoms. If you live in a hot and humid area, consider having air conditioning in your home. Tepid or cool baths also may provide some relief.
Eat a well-balanced diet.
Nausea
What is nausea?
Nausea is an unpleasant wavelike feeling in the back of the throat and/or stomach that may or may not result in vomiting. Vomiting is the forceful elimination of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Retching is the movement of the stomach and esophagus without vomiting and is called dry heaves. Nausea is usually distressing for people than vomiting.
Causes
Nausea is controlled by a part of the central nervous system that controls involuntary bodily functions.
Vomiting a common after effect after nausea is a reflex controlled by a vomiting center in the brain. Vomiting can be stimulated by various triggers, such as smell, taste, anxiety, pain, motion, poor blood flow, irritation, or changes in the body caused by inflammation.
Treatment
• Guided imagery
• Hypnosis
• Relaxation
• Behavioral modification techniques
• Distraction (such as playing video games)
• Nutrition
• Hypnosis
• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Guided imagery
Helpful herbs to cure nausea:
• Asparagus Root
• Caraway Seed
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Fennel Seed
• Ginger Root
• Lemon Balm
• Magnolia Bark
• Milk Thistle
• Oregon Grape Root
• Peppermint Leaf
• Quassia
• Slippery Elm Bark
• Turmeric Root
• Wild Yam
Neuritis
Neuritis is one of the serious nervous disorders. It refers to an inflammation of the nerves, involving a single nerve or a series of nerves. At times, several different groups of nerves in various parts of the body may be involved. This condition is known as polyneuritis. It is also known as polyneuropathy, for strictly speaking, the condition is not an inflammation, but a change in the state of the nerves resulting in weakness, loss of the reflexes and changes of sensation.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of neuritis are tingling, burning, and stabbing pains in the affected nerves.
IN severe cases, there may be numbness and loss of sensation and paralysis of the nearby muscles. Thus a temporary paralysis of the face may result from changes in the facial nerves on the affected side. During the acute stage of this condition, the patient may not be able to close the eyes due to loss of normal tone and strength by the muscles on the affected side of the face.
Neuritis may also be caused by pernicious anaemia, involving the nerves of the spine. The patient with this condition may find it very difficult to walk in the dark.
Causes
The chief cause of neuritis is chronic acidosis, that is, excessive acid condition of the blood and other body fluids. All the body fluids should be alkaline in their reaction,but when the acid waste matter is continuously formed in the tissues over a long period due to a faulty diet, it results in acidosis. Wrong habits of living, over work, etc., lower the tone of nervous system and contribute towards neuritis. This disease can also result from a variety of nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disturbances such as faulty calcium metabolism, deficiencies of several B
vitamins like B12, B6, B1, pantothenic acid and B2 and general toxaemia.
Other causes of neuritis include a blow, a penetrating injury a bad bruise or heavy pressure over a nerve trunk and dislocation and fractures of the bones. Any violent muscular activity or over-extension of the joint as in sprains may injure the nerves and cause neuritis. The condition may also result from certain infections such as tuberculosis, diptheria, tetanus, leprosy and diabetes mellitius, poisoning with insecticides, mercury, lead, arsenic and alcohol.
Treatment
Treatment of neuritis by painkilling drugs may give temporary relief but it does not remove the trouble effectively. The pain is relieved for the time being at the cost of the health of other parts of the body, especially the heart and the kidneys, and the neuritis remains.
The best treatment for neuritis is to ensure that the patient gets optimum nutrition, well assimilated with all the vitamins and other nutrients. The emphasis should be on whole grains, particularly whole wheat,brown rice, raw and sprouted seeds, raw milk, especially in soured form, and home-made cottage cheese.
In this regimen, the breakfast may consist of fresh fruits, a handful of raw nuts or a couple of tablespoons of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Steamed vegetables, whole wheat, chappatis and a glass of butter-milk may be taken for lunch. The dinner may comprise a large bowl of fresh, green, vegetable salad, fresh home made cottage cheese, fresh butter and a glass of butter milk.
In severe cases, the patient should be put on a short juice fast for four or five days before being given the optimum diet. Carrot, beet, citrus fruits, apple and pineapple may be used for juices.
All vitamins of the B group have proved highly beneficial in the prevention and treatment of neuritis. The disorder has been helped when vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, and pantothenic acid have been given together, and extreme pain, weakness and numbness in some cases have been relieved within an hour.
The patient should avoid white bread, white sugar,refined cereals, meat, fish, tinned foods, tea, coffee, and condiments which are at the root of the trouble, by continuously flooding the tissues with acid impurities.
Certain remedies have been found highly beneficial in the treatment of neuritis. One such remedy is soyabean milk. A cupful of soyabean milk mixed with a teaspoonful of honey should be taken every night in this condition. It tones up the nervous system due to its rich concentration of lecithin, vitamin B1 and glutanic acid. Soyabean milk is prepared by soaking the beans in water for about 12 hours. The skin of the beans is then removed and after a thorough wash, they are turned into a fine paste in a grinding machine. The paste is mixed with water, three times its quantity. The milk should then be boiled on a slow fire, stirring it frequently. After it becomes little cooler, it should be strained through a cheese cloth and sugar added.
barley brew is another effective remedy for neuritis. It is prepared by boiling one-quarter cup of all natural pearled barley in two quarters of water. When the water has boiled down to about one quarter, it should be strained carefully. For better results, it should be mixed with butter-milk and lime juice.
Raw carrot and spinach have proved valuable in neuritis as both these vegetables are rich in elements, the deficiency of which has led to this disease. The quickest and most effective way in which the body can obtain and assimilate these elements is by drinking daily at least half a litre of the combined raw juices of carrot and spinach.
The patient should be given two or three hot Epsom-salt baths weekly. He should remain in the bath for 25 to 30 minutes. The affected parts should also be bathed several times daily in the hot water containing Epsom salt – a table- spoon of salt to a cupful of hot water. The patient should undertake walking and other moderate exercises.
Nepthritis
Nepthritis refers to an inflammation of the kidneys. It is a serious condition and may be either acute or chronic. A synonym for nephthritis is “Bright’s disease, “for Bright (1789-1858) described examples of many different diseases which can be included under the term.
This disease most often strikes during childhood or adolescence. It can become progressively worse and result in death, if not treated properly in the initial stages. In the alternative, it may subside into a chronic stage where the patient gets better but not too well.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of acute nepthritis are pain in the kidneys extending down to the uterus, fever, dull pain in the back and scanty and highly coloured urine. Often the urine may contain blood, albumin and casts consisting of clumps of red and white cells, which come from damaged kidneys. The patient suffers from puffiness in the face and swelling of the feet and ankles.
In the chronic stage of nepthritis, which may drag on for many years, the patient passes large amounts of albumin in the urine. Later there may be rise in blood pressure and the patient may develop uraemia. There may be frequent urination, especially during night.
Causes
Nepthritis usually follows some streptococcus infection of the throat or an attack of scarlet fever or rheumatic fever. The underlying causes of nepthritis are however, the same as for diseases of the kidneys in general, namely wrong dietary habits, excessive drinking, the suppressive medical treatment of former diseases, the habitual use of chemical agents of all kinds for the treatment of indigestion and other stomach disorders and frequent use of aspirin and other painkillers.
Nutritional deficiencies can also lead to nepthritis. The disease has been produced in many species of animals by diets deficient in the B vitamin, choline. Animals lacking essential fatty acids and magnesium also develop nephritis. When vitamin B6 and magnesium are under supplied, the kidneys are further damaged by sharp crystals of oxalic acid combined with calcium. Nepthritis also occurs if vitamin E is deficient.
Treatment
The safest treatment for acute nepthritis is fasting. By means of the fast, the toxins and systemic impurities responsible for setting up of the inflammatory kidney conditions are removed rapidly.
The patient should resort to juice fasting for seven to ten days till the acute symptoms subside.
Mostly vegetable juices such as carrot, celery and cucumber should be used during this period.
A warm water enema should be taken each day while fasting, to cleanse the bowels of the toxic matter being thrown off by the self-cleansing process resulting from the fast.
After the juice fast, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for four to five days. Juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges, pears, peaches and pineapples should be taken during this period at five-hourly intervals. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may adopt fruits and milk diet. In this regimen, milk, preferably raw goat’s milk, may be added to the fruit diet for further seven days.
The patient may thereafter gradually embark upon a well- balanced low protein vegetarian diet, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw and cooked vegetables.
In case of chronic nepthritis a short juice fast for three days may be undertaken. Thereafter, a week or 10 days may be spent on a restricted diet. In this regimen, oranges or orange juice may be taken for breakfast. Lunch may consist of a salad of raw vegetables which are in season, and dinner may consist of one or two vegetables, steamed in their own juices and a few nuts.
Thereafter, the patient may gradually adopt a well- balanced low protein vegetarian diet.
Further short juice fasts followed by a week on the restricted diet should be undertaken at intervals of two or three months until such time as the kidney condition has shown signs of normalisation.
The patient should avoid vegetables containing large quantities of oxalic acid such as spinach and rhubarb. Chocolate and cocoa also contain oxalic acid and must not be used. Garlic, asparagus, parsley, watercress, cucumber and celery are excellent vegetables. The best fruits are papaya and bananas. Both have a healing effect on kidneys. A small amount of soured milk and home- made cottage cheese can be included in the diet. All salt should be eliminated from the diet. Five or six small meals should be taken in preference to a few large ones.
A glassful of carrot juice mixed with tablespoonful of honey and a teaspoonful of fresh lime juice is a very effective home remedy for nepthritis. It should be taken every day early in the morning before breakfast.
Bananas are also valuable in nepthritis because of their low protein and salt content and high carbohydrates content. In this condition, a diet of bananas only should be taken for three or four days, consuming eight to nine bananas a day.
Smoking and drinking, where habitual, must be completely given up. Studies have shown that smoking impairs kidney function. The patient should avoid white bread, sugar, cakes, pastries, puddings, refined cereals, greasy, heavy or fried foods. He should also avoid tea, coffee, all flesh foods, condiments, pickles, and sauces.
All measures should be adopted to relieve the kidneys of work by increasing elimination through other channels. Hot Epsom salt bath should be taken every alternate day to induce elimination through the skin as much as possible.
Fresh air and outdoor exercises will be of great benefit in all cases of nepthritis and where possible, the patient should have a walk for atleast three kilometers once or twice daily. The sufferer from chronic nepthritis should never exert himself when doing anything. He should avoid all hurry and excitement. He should also avoid late hours.
If the above treatment is faithfully carried out, the patient of acute nepthritis should soon be on the way to recovery. Even in advanced cases of chronic nepthritis, the sufferer’s condition should improve with this treatment.
Obesity
Obesity may be described as a bodily condition characterised by excessive deposition or storage of fat in adipose tissue. It usually results from consumption of food in excess of physiological needs. Obesity is common among people in Western countries and among the higher income groups in India and other developing countries.
Obesity can occur at any age in either sex. Its incidence is higher inpersons who consume more food and lead sedentary leaves. Among women, obesity is liable to occur after pregnancy and at menopause. A woman usually gains about 12 kgs. weight during pregnancy. Part of this is an increase in the adipose tissue which serves as a store against the demands of lactation. Many women gain more and retain part of this weight. They become progressively obese with each succeeding child.
Obesity is a serious health hazard as the extra fats puts a strain on the heart, kidneys and liver as well as the large weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees and ankles, which ultimately shortens the life span. It has been truly said, ‘the longer the belt, the short the life. ‘Overweight persons are susceptible to several diseases like coronary thrombosis, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, gout and liver and gall-bladder disorders.
Causes
The chief cause of obesity, most often, is overeating – that is, the intake of calories beyond the body’s energy requirement. Some people are habituated to eating too much while others may be in the habit of consuming high-calorie foods. These people gain weight continuously as they fail to adjust their appetite to reduce energy requirements. There has, in recent times, been an increase in awareness of psychological aspects of obesity. Persons who are generally bored, unhappy, lonely or unloved, those who are discontented with their families, or social or financial standing usually tend to overeat as eating is a pleasure and solace to them.
Obesity is sometimes also the result of disturbances of the thyroid or pituitary glands. But glandular disorders account for only about two per cent of the total incidence of obesity. In such persons, the basal metabolism rate is low and they keep gaining weight unless they take a low-calorie diet.
Treatment
A suitably planned course of dietetic treatment, in conjunction with suitable exercise and other measures for promoting elimination is the only scientific way of dealing with obesity. The chief consideration in this treatment should be the balanced selection of foods which provide the maximum essential nutrients with the least number of calories.
To begin with, the patient should undertake a juice fast for seven to ten days. Juices of lemon, grape fruit, orange, pineapple, cabbage, celery, may be taken during this period. Long juice fast up to 40 days can also be undertaken, but only under expert guidance and supervision. In the alternative, short juice fasts should be repeated at regular intervals of two months or so till the desired reduction in weight is achieved.
After the juice fast, the patient should spend a further four or five days on an all-fruit diet, taking three meals of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and papaya. Thereafter, he may gradually embark upon a low-calorie well- balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii)fruits, with emphasis on raw fruits, vegetables, and fresh juices.
The foods which should be drastically curtailed or altogether avoided are high-fat foods such as butter, cheese, chocolates, cream, ice-cream, fat meats, fried foods, and gravies; high carbohydrated foods like bread, candy, cake, cookies, cereal products, legumes, potatoes, honey, sugar, syrup and rich puddings beverages such as all-fountain drinks and alcoholic drinks.
One sure method of reducing weight is by practicising what is known as “Fletcherism “. It was discovered in 1898 by Horace Fletcher of the U.S.A.. Fletlcher, at 40, considered himself an old man. He was 50 pounds overweight, contracted flu every six months and constantly complained of indigestion and a tired feeling. After a deep study, he made some important discoveries and prescribed the rules for “Fletcherism “which are as follows: Chew your food to a pulp or milky liquid until it practically swallows itself.
1. Never eat until hungry.
2. Enjoy every bite or morsel, savouring the flavour until it is swallowed.
3. Do not eat when tired, angry, worried, and at meal-time refuse to think or talk about 4. unpleasant subjects.
Horace Fletcher followed these rules for five months. As a result he lost more than 60 pounds and felt better than he had for 20 years. A weight reducing programme built on Fletcherism works wonders and is worth a trial.
Ingestion of honey is an excellent home remedy for obesity. It mobilises the extra deposited fat in the body and puts it into circulation which is utilised as energy for normal functions. One should start with small quantity of about 10 grams to be taken with hot water. The dose can be gradually increased.
Fasting on honey -lime juice water is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. In this mode of treatment, one spoon of fresh honey should be mixed with a juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and taken at regularly intervals.
Another effective remedy for obesity is an exclusive lemon juice diet. On the first day the patient should be given nothing but plenty of water. On the second day juice of three lemons mixed with equal amount of water should be given. One lemon should be subsequently increased each day until the juice of 12 lemons is consumed per day. Then the number of lemons should be decreased in the same order until three lemons are taken in a day. The patient may feel weak and hungry on the first two days, but afterwards the condition will be stabilised by itself.
Cabbage is considered to be an effective home remedy for obesity. Recent research has discovered in this vegetable a valuable content called tartroric acid which inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction. A helping of cabbage salad would be the simplest way to stay slim, a painless way of dieting.
A hundred grams of cabbage yields only 27 kilo calories of energy while the same quantity of wheat bread will yield about 240 calories. Cabbage is found to possess the maximum biological value with minimum calorific value. Moreover, it gives a lasting feeling of fullness in the stomach and is easily digestible.
Along with dietetic treatment, the patient should adopt all other natural methods of reducing weight. Exercise is an important part of weight reduction plan. It helps to use up calories stored in body fat and relieves tension, besides toning up the muscles of the body. Walking is the best exercise to begin with and may be followed by running, swimming, rowing and other outdoor sports.
Certain yogi asanas are highly beneficial. Not only do they break up or re-distribute fatty deposits and help slimming, but they also strengthen the flabby areas. Sarvangasana, halasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana, chakrasana, naukasana, ardh-matsyendrasana, paschimottanasana, vajrasana, yogamudra and trikonasana are recommended. These asanas work on the glands, improve circulation, strengthen many weak areas and induce deep breathing which helps to melt off excess fat gradually. Yogic kriyas like kunjal and jalneti and pranayamas such as kapalbhati and bhastrika are also helpful in normalising body weight.
The patient should also adopt measures which bring on excessive perspiration such as sauna baths, steam bath and heavy massage. They help to reduce weight. Above all, obese persons should make every effort to avoid negative motions such as anxiety, fear, hostility and insecurity and develop a positive outlook on life.
Peptic Ulcer
Peptic Ulcer refers to an eroded lesion in the gastric intestinal mucosa. An ulcer may form in any part of the digestive tract which is exposed to acid gastric juice, but is usually found in the stomach and the duodenum. The ulcer located in the stomach is known as gastric ulcer and that located in the duodenum is called a deudenal ulcer. Usually both are grouped together and termed peptic ulcer.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of peptic ulcer are sharp and severe pain and discomfort in the upper central abdomen. The pain is commonly described as burning or gnawing in character.
Gastric ulcer pain usually occurs an hour after meals, but rarely at night. Duodenal ulcer pan usually occurs between meals when the stomach is empty and is relieved by food, especially milk. It is often described as hunger pain and gets the sufferer out of bed between 2 and 4 a.m.
As the disease progresses there is distension of the stomach due to excessive flatulence, besides mental tension, insomnia and a gradual weakening of the body. It may also cause constipation with occasional blood in the stools. If an ulcer bleeds slowly, there is anaemia.
Causes
Peptic ulcers result from hyperacidity which is a condition caused by an increase in hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This strong acid, secreted by the cells lining the stomach, affects much of the breakdown of food. It can be potentially dangerous and, under certain circumstances, it may eat its way through the lining of the stomach or duodenum producing, first, irritation of the stomach wall and eventually an ulcer.
Dietetic indiscretion, like overeating, taking of heavy meals or highly spiced foods, coffee, alcohol and smoking are the main factors contributing to this condition. The ingestion of certain drugs, particularly aspirin, food poisoning, infections like influenza and septicaemia and gout may also cause ulcers. Emotional stress or nervous tension also plays a major role in the formation of ulcers.
Treatment
Diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of ulcer. The diet should be so arranged as to provide adequate nutrition to afford rest to the disturbed organs, to maintain continuous neutralisation of the gastric acid, to inhibit production of acid and to reduce mechanical and chemical irritation. Milk, cream, butter, fruits, and fresh, raw and boiled vegetables, natural foods and natural vitamin supplements are the best diet for an ulcer patient.
The most effective remedy for peptic ulcers is bananas. They are said to contain an unidentified compound called, perhaps jokingly, vitamin U (against ulcers). Bananas neutralises the over acidity of the gastric juices and reduces the irritation of the ulcer by quoting the lining of the stomach. Banana and milk are considered an ideal diet for the patients who are in an advanced state of the disease.
Almond milk made from blanched almonds in a blender is very beneficial as it binds the excess of acid in the stomach and supplies high quality proteins. Raw goat’s milk is also highly beneficial. It actually helps to heal peptic ulcer.
Cabbage is regarded as another useful home remedy for peptic ulcers. Cabbage is boiled in water. This water is allowed to cool and taken twice daily. The leaves of kalyana murangal tree, which is a variety of drumstick found in South India, have also proved helpful in the healing of the ulcers. The leaves of this tree are ground into a paste and taken mixed with yogurt daily.
Raw vegetables juices, particularly carrot and cabbage juices are beneficial in the treatment of the peptic ulcers. Carrot juice may be taken either alone or in combination with spinach or beat and cucumber. The formula proportions in the case of the first combination are 300 ml. of carrots and 200 ml. of spinach and in case of the second combination, 300 ml. of carrots and three ounces each of beets and cucumber to make half a litre of juice.
The observance of certain rules by an ulcer patient with regard to eating habits are essential. He should never eat when tired or emotionally upset, nor when he is not hungry even if it is meal time, nor when his mouth is dry. He should chew every morsel thoroughly. He should eat only natural foods and take food in as dry a form as possible. Meals must be small and frequent. All foods and drinks which are either too hot or too cold should be avoided.
The ulcer patient should drink eight to 10 glasses of water every day. However, he should not drink water during or with meals, but only half an hour before or one hour after he has eaten. He should bathe, preferably in cold water, twice daily. Alternate hot and cold hip baths for 10 to 15
minutes and a mud pack applied over the lower abdominal for half an hour daily will help the ulcers to heal. The hip bath or the mud pack should be taken on an empty stomach and should be followed by a walk. In case of haemorrhage in the stomach, a rectal enema should be administered four times daily with water temperature at 110 to 115 o F. In case of abdominal or stomach pain, hot pack should be placed on the abdomen with water temperature at 120 o F. A hot pack should also be placed between the shoulder blades.
Daily massages and deep breathing exercises also help. Above all, the patient must try to rid himself of worries and stay cheerful. He should also cultivate regularity in his habit – be it work, exercise or rest. Asanas which are beneficial in the treatment of hyperacidity and ulcers are vajrasana, uttanpadasana, pawanmuktasana, bhujasana, paschimottanasana. Yogic kriyas like jalneti and pranayamas like anuloma-viloma, shitali and sitkari are also beneficial.
Hyperacidity does not appear suddenly; it develops gradually and its cure is also a gradual process. The patient should not lose patience but must continue the regimen suggested; this will help him get relief from his ailment.
Osteoarthritis Pain
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects the knees, hips, back, and small joints in the fingers. Osteoarthritis affects over 20 million people in the United States, a figure that is expected to double in the next 20 years.
Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables
Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables are one of the most promising arthritis remedies. Four high-quality clinical trials suggest that avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, an extract made from avocado and soybean oils, can improve the pain and stiffness of knee and hip osteoarthritis and reduce the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It appears to have decrease inflammation and stimulate cartilage repair.
Precautions:
In France, avocado/soybean unsaponifiables have been approved as a prescription drug.
In other countries, it is available as a supplement in some health food stores or online. A typical dose is 300mg per day. It usually takes between two weeks and two months to take effect.
Studies have found no additional benefit with higher doses.
Eating avocado and soy, even in large amounts, will not provide enough of the unsaponifiables to have a therapeutic effect. Only 1/100th of the oil is the unsaponifiable portion.
The safety of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables has not been established in children, pregnant or nursing women.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate
At least 5 million people in the United States take glucosamine or chondroitin alone or in combination. Glucosamine is used to make a molecule involved in the formation and repair of cartilage, the rubbery substance that cushions joints. Although it is still not clear exactly how glucosamine in pill-form works, it is believed to allow more of cartilage building blocks to be made. Chondroitin sulfate appears to block cartilage-destroying enzymes and help joint cartilage remain elastic and supple.
Research:
Studies with glucosamine have found a reduction in the pain, stiffness, and swelling of arthritis.
It is also thought to prevent structural damage to joints. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, participants took glucosamine or placebo for three years and were x-rayed each year to assess structural changes. Participants who took the placebo had progressive joint space narrowing, a sign of cartilage degeneration, but those who took glucosamine had no significant narrowing of joint spaces.
The dose used in studies is 1500 mg glucosamine sulfate and 800 to 1200 mg chondroitin sulfate.
It is important to choose glucosamine sulfate, rather than hydrochloride, because many of the clinical studies have used the sulfate form. It usually takes 1 to 3 months to take effect. Side effects may include mild stomach discomfort, which can be alleviated by taking glucosamine with meals. Some glucosamine supplements are derived from the shells of crabs and other shellfish, so people with shellfish allergies should ensure they use synthetic glucosamine.
Acupuncture
The World Health Organization has identified more than 40 conditions that acupuncture can treat, including osteoarthritis. Acupuncture involves the insertion of hair-thin needles into acupoints in the body. It is believed to rebalance the flow of energy, or qi, in the body. Studies have found that acupuncture releases natural pain-relieving substances such as endorphins and serotonin.
Research:
A study involving 294 people with osteoarthritis knee pain found that after eight weeks of treatment, participants who had acupuncture experienced a significant improvement in pain and joint function compared to those who had sham acupuncture or placebo.
Yoga
Although many people think yoga involves twisting your body into pretzel-like poses, yoga can be safe and effective for people with osteoarthritis. Yoga’s gentle movements can keep build strength, flexibility, and balance and reduce arthritis pain and stiffness.
Research:
A pilot study conducted by the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine examined one type of yoga, Iyengar yoga, for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. After an 8-week course of weekly 90-minute beginner classes, there was a statistically significant reduction in pain, physical function, and mood.
Precautions to take before trying yoga:
• Talk with your doctor and ask about any restrictions.
• Look for a teacher who has worked with people with arthritis and can suggest modifications for you. Some hospitals and community centers offer yoga classes geared to people with arthritis.
Massage Therapy
Massage can help to relieve muscle tension associated with osteoarthritis. Joint pain can cause surrounding muscles to become tense. Massage boosts circulation to the affected joint, which decreases joint stiffness and promotes cartilage repair. Massage therapists do this not by directly massaging an inflamed joint, but the muscles surrounding the joint.
Osteoporosis
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition of decreased bone density. It affects one in six women and one in eight men over the age of fifty and is most common among post-menopausal women.
Osteoporosis is often the cause of many health complications, as it progresses silently and unnoticed for years. Only after years of bone loss do signs and symptoms appear, such as pain, spinal deformity, and fractures.
An individual’s peak bone mass occurs between the ages of twenty and thirty. Bones reach their maximum density and strength during this time. After peak bone mass is reached, bone rebuilding gradually wanes.
For women, the greatest bone loss occurs in the years immediately after menopause when estrogen levels decline.
Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
• Women (although osteoporosis also occurs in men)
• Age 50 or older
• Past menopause
• Prolonged hormonal imbalances
• Excess use of certain medications, such as steroids
• Not enough calcium or vitamin D in the diet
• Lack of exercise
• Thin, “small-boned” body frame
• Caucasian
• History of fracture
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Smoking, caffeine, or alcohol consumption prevention of Osteoporosis
Bone continually renews itself by remodeling – building up and breaking down.
To prevent osteoporosis:
Calcium– Calcium has been shown to be effective in helping to build bone mass. For optimum nutrition, the range of calcium intake is between 1000-1500mg per day depending on your age, dietary intake, and other health conditions. Calcium is found in yogurt, green vegetables such as kale, soy products and tofu, seafood such as salmon and oysters, and sesame seeds.
Vitamin D – Vitamin D has also been shown to be effective in building bone mass. It is synthesized in our bodies from sun exposure and is found in foods such as egg yolks, liver, salt-water fish, and fortified beverages. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium. Daily intake should be approximately 400-800 IU per day depending on the season.
Vitamin K – The research on vitamin K to reduce bone loss has been very promising. Until recently, vitamin K has been best known as a treatment for aiding blood coagulation. However, researchers have also found that vitamin K is important for the maintenance of healthy bones3, 6.
Vitamin K is found in green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens, lettuce, and spinach. Vitamin K supplements are available in the United States, but are currently unavailable in Canada unless by prescription for treatment of blood coagulation. Because of vitamin K’s role in blood coagulation, individuals on blood thinners should check with their doctor before attempting to increase their vitamin K intake.
Exercise
Weight-bearing exercise is vital for bone health. Running, jogging, walking1, dancing, and weight training are all exercises that put more weight on bones than activities such as swimming.
The added weight on the legs encourages bone formation, creating a stronger frame that has less chance of being fractured. Exercise also decreases the risk of falls by improving balance. You should begin with a simple exercise protocol from a qualified health care professional.
Palpitation
An arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia) is an irregular heartbeat. Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates do not necessarily occur together. Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or with heart rates that are slow (called bradyarrhythmias — less than 60 beats per minute). Arrhythmias
can also occur with rapid heart rates (called tachyarrhythmias — faster than 100 beats per minute). In the United States, more than 850,000 people are hospitalized for an arrhythmia each year.
Symptoms
An arrhythmia can be silent and not cause any symptoms. A doctor can detect an irregular heartbeat during a physical exam by taking your pulse or through an electrocardiogram (ECG).
When symptoms occur, they may include:
• Palpitations (a feeling of skipped heartbeats, fluttering or “flip-flops,” or feeling that your heart is “running away”)
• Pounding in your chest
• Dizziness or feeling light-headedness
• Fainting
• Shortness of breath
• Chest discomfort
• Weakness or fatigue (feeling very tired)
Causes
• Coronary artery disease
• Electrolyte imbalances in your blood (such as sodium or potassium)
• Changes in your heart muscle
• Injury from a heart attack
• Healing process after heart surgery
Irregular heart rhythms can also occur in “normal, healthy” hearts.
Treatment
Grapes
Grapes are one of the most effective home remedies for heart palpitation. The patient should take the juice of this fruit at frequent intervals. This will relieve the condition.
Guava
The use of guava is another effective home remedy for palpitation of the heart. The patient should eat a ripe guava daily on an empty stomach. It is especially beneficial if this disorder caused by nervousness and anemia.
Snake Gourd Leaves
The leaves of snake gourd have been found beneficial in the treatment of palpitation of the heart.
The juice of these leaves should be extracted and given in doses of one to two tablespoons thrice daily.
Honey
Honey has proved valuable in overcoming this condition. Honey is considered an excellent food for the heart being easily digested and assimilated. The patient should take a glass of water, mixed with a tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon, before going to bed.
Indian Spikenard
The herb Indian spikenard is also beneficial in the treatment of palpitation of the heart. It stimulates the action of the heart. It should be taken in doses of two to three grams with the addition of a pinch of camphor and cinnamon. It can also be taken as an infusion in doses of 30 to 60 ml, three times a day.
Aniseed and Dry Coriander
A mixture of powdered aniseed, dry coriander, and jaggery can also be used beneficially in the Treatment of this condition. Equal quantities of each of these three substances should be powdered. About six grams of this mixed powder should be taken after each meal by the patient suffering from palpitation of the heart.
Parasites
Did you know…?
It is estimated that three out of five Americans will be affected by parasites
What Are Parasites?
Parasites sometimes appear like a digestive problem. Chronic diarrhea is a common sign of parasites. Parasites can cause a wide variety of symptoms, such as abdominal pain, allergy, anemia, bloating, bloody stools, chronic fatigue, constipation, cough, diarrhea, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, itching, joint and muscle aches, nervousness, hives, allergic reactions to foods, mucus in the stools, poor immune response, rashes, sleep disturbances, teeth grinding, fever, unexplained weight loss.
Parasites can deplete the body of nutrients such as vitamins A, B6, and B12, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, overwhelm the immune system, which can lead to severe illness.
Symptoms
Parasites are a hidden disease, because most people who have parasites do not know it.
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Crohn’s Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Diarrhea
• AIDS
• Arthritis
Sources of Parasites
Many people think parasites are something we only get from traveling in other countries, but this is not true. Contaminated water supplies, international travel, day care centers, pets, consumption of raw fish are just some of the reasons why parasites have become more prevalent.
Food – Raw or undercooked beef may contain tapeworms or the roundworm Trichinella.
Raw fish such as sushi, sashimi, ceviche, and smoked salmon may contain tapeworms and anisakid worms. Poor digestion can be a contributing factor. Someone with a low acid level in the stomach may not be killing germs in the foods they eat.
Water – Two of the most common parasites are Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which can survive even in chlorinated water for up to 18 months.
Travel – Parasites that were once associated with tropical diseases are now appearing in North America, due to the rise in international travel and migration.
Pets – Some of the parasites that may be transmitted from pets to human include roundworm, hookworm, and toxoplasmosis. They are transmitted through contact with fur containing parasite eggs, infected fleas, or contact with animal feces.
Testing for Parasites
Random stool tests are the most common form of testing for parasites. This test detects about 85 to 90 percent of parasites. Some parasites, such as Giardia, live further up in the digestive tract so some labs now give an oral laxative prior to testing for parasites. This is called a stool purge.
Another form of testing is a rectal swab. This is used because some parasites live in the mucous membranes that line the intestines rather than in the stools. A rectal swab allows a sample of mucous to be taken.
Treatments
There are varieties of mainstream drugs to treat parasites. They are effective and many work within one to two weeks. Some may cause severe side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and vertigo and be hard on the liver.
If you suspect that you have parasites, it is a good idea to get a diagnosis from a physician and follow his or her treatment recommendations. You can discuss these natural treatments and herbs with your doctor if you would like to try a natural approach and avoid some of the side effects caused by prescription drugs for parasites.
Natural treatments are highly effective but work more slowly, taking about a month. They generally contain herbs such as garlic, wormwood, goldenseal, grapefruit seed extract, and/or black walnut. Friendly bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidus should be replaced after therapy is finished.
Herbs
Garlic – Garlic (allium sativa) contains the active constituent allicin, which has been shown to be effective against Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lambia. It has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is used for pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and giardia.
Garlic is available in capsule and tablet form. Another way is to juice three cloves of garlic with four ounces of vegetable juice and drink it, repeating every two hours.
Goldenseal – The herb goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) has been used historically for infections involving the mucous membranes throughout the body. The active constituent of goldenseal is the alkaloid berberine, which has been shown to be effective against bacteria, fungi and parasites, particularly giardia parasites.
Black walnut – Black walnut is a traditional herbal remedy for ringworm, athlete’s foot, and healing cracks in the hands and the feet. It is the juice of unripe hulls of black walnut that are used for parasites and fungal infections.
Wormwood (Artemesia annua) – The herb wormwood has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy for parasites. Wormwood tea is often used for pinworms and roundworms and is especially effective against giardia. Wormwood can be found in tea, liquid extract, or capsule form, however, the pure oil is poisonous. It can initially cause a worsening of symptoms and some irritation of the intestines. Wormwood contains sesquiterpene lactones, which work similar to peroxide by weakening the parasite membranes. Wormwood also contains an ingredient that is effective against malaria.
American wormseed – Wormseed (different from wormwood) is a traditional herbal remedy in the tropics for expelling roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. It is considered especially useful for children.
The concentrated wormseed oil is too potent to use, wormseed tea is often preferable. More studies that are scientific are needed to confirm the historical usage of this herb and its safety.
Pumpkin seeds – Traditionally, pumpkin seeds (Curcubita pepo) have been used as an herbal remedy for tapeworms and roundworms. They have been shown to immobilize and help expel intestinal worms and other parasites. In order to be effective, great amounts would have to be eaten, up to 25 ounces for adults. The seeds are usually mashed and mixed with juice. Two or three hours after consuming the pumpkin seeds, a laxative is often recommended to help clear the bowels.
Grapefruit seed extract – Grapefruit seed extract is active against viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and yeasts, and has been used extensively for the treatment of parasites. Grapefruit seed extract is generally considered nontoxic and is not absorbed into the tissues, which means that is can be used for up to several months. This is especially beneficial for giardia and candida yeast, which can take a longer time to kill.
Diet
Cook all meats until well done. Eliminate coffee, refined sugar, white flour, processed foods.
Cooked foods are usually recommended. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash are some foods that are high in beta-carotene; a precursor for vitamin A. Vitamin A seems to increase resistance to penetration by larvae.
Eat anti-parasitic foods. Pineapple contains the digestive enzyme bromelain. A diet rich in pineapple can help to clear certain parasites such as tapeworms. Papaya seeds contain enzymes that help to digest protein. They can be chewed, but watch out; they are as hot as mustard seeds.
If stomach acid is low, supplementation to improve digestion may be beneficial, such as betaine hydrochloride.
Probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria, and L. bulgaricus can help to rebuild beneficial intestinal flora.
Tumeric and cloves are other spices that can help fight parasites. Do not eat raw beef, raw fish or sushi.
Detox
Detox and cleansing is believed to be one natural approach to ridding the body of parasites in the stools or embedded in the intestinal walls. Natural supplements include psyllium husks, citrus pectin, papaya extract, bentonite clay, activated charcoal, pumpkin seeds, beet root, and flaxseeds are some of the substances that can be used. Look for combination products.
Peeling Skin
Peeling skin is an issue for all of us. Many older people suffer from peeling skin particularly on their lower legs, elbows, and forearms. The skin feels rough and scaly and often is accompanied by a distressing, intense itchiness.
To understand the reasons behind peeling skin one needs to understand the structure of the skin.
The skin consists of three basic layers:
• Outer layer or epidermis
• Middle layer/dermis
• Inner layer referred to as hypodermis
Each of these layers provides a particular function and is in a continuous state of change. Every 28 days the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, is completely replaced once. The 28-day change, in the outer cover of the skin, is influenced by various factors such as hydration, friction, sun exposure and various other environmental issues.
Peeling skin is therefore a temporary problem and is known to heal in a few days as the new skin surfaces.
However, there are few exceptions such as, in case of infections or medications that cause the skin to peel or a hereditary disorder known as Peeling Skin Syndrome.
Peeling skin syndrome is an extremely rare inherited disorder characterized by continual, spontaneous skin peeling (exfoliation). Other findings may include reddening of the skin (erythema) and itching (pruritus). At least one group working on this disorder distinguishes between a non-inflammatory form called type A and an inflammatory form known as type B.
Type B is associated with congenital erythroderma, a condition in which the skin has an intense red color. There is mounting evidence that the inflammatory type B is a variant of Netherton syndrome.
Symptoms
• Erythroderma may cause thickening and flaking of the skin
• Exfoliate dermatitis causes the skin to flake.
• Hand eczema, lead to rashes and itches on the hands due to increasing use of harsh soaps and detergents.
• Eczema causes chronic skin rash which progresses to skin inflammation and may lead to skin peeling
• Psoriasis surfaces on the skin by scaling and inflammation of the skin causing it to peel
• Ichthyosis is a rare disease caused mainly due to dryness, the resulting roughness leads to scaly fish-like skin
• Kawasaki disease, a disorder usually found among in infants and young children causes rash and swelling of the hands.
• Scarlet fever sometimes causes rashes over the upper body, which spreads through the entire body.
• Vitamin A overdose shows symptoms of skin peeling.
Causes
• Heavy perspiration due to tight gloves or boots
• Certain blisters contain fluid between the two layers of skin. When the blister breaks, it leaves the skin open to be peeled.
• Rashes may cause skin peeling
• Dry skin and extreme cold weather can make the skin peel.
• Sunburn is a commonly known reason for skin peeling -Allergy to specific chemicals or irritation from chemicals can cause skin peeling.
• TEN (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis) or blisters which cover the whole body, is a rare disease that causes the skin to peel.
• The Peeling Skin Syndrome or Skin Peeling Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes continuous skin peeling may also be a probable cause.
Treatment
• Grated cucumber applied over the affected areas for 15-20 minutes has been found to be effective especially for the skin on the face. Regular application prevents dryness of the skin.
• Applying the juice of fresh mint every night on affected areas of the skin can help prevent dryness. It is also a suggested remedy for eczema and dermatitis.
• Honey, olive oil and a mixture of turmeric and sandalwood paste are very effective in rejuvenating dry, parched skin
Piles
Piles or haemorrhoids are among the most common ailments today, especially in the Western world. They are a varicose and often inflammed condition of the veins inside or just outside the rectum. In external piles there is a lot of pain, but not much bleeding. In case of internal piles there is discharge of dark blood. In some cases the veins burst and this results in what is known as bleeding piles.
Symptoms
Pain at passing stools, slight bleeding in the case of internal trouble and a feeling of soreness and irritation after passing a stool are the usual symptoms of piles. The patient cannot sit comfortably due to itching, discomfort and pain in the rectal region.
Causes
The primary cause of piles is chronic constipation and other bowel disorders. The pressure applied to pass a stool to evacuate constipated bowls and the congestion caused by constipation ultimately lead to piles. The use of purgatives to relieve constipation, by their irritating and weakening effect on the lining of the rectum, also result in enlargement and inflammation of veins and bleeding of the mucus lining. Piles are more common during pregnancy and in conditions affecting the liver and upper bowel. Prolonged periods of standing or sitting, strenuous work, obesity and general weakness of the tissues of the body are the other contributory causes of piles.
Mental tension is also one of the main causes of harmorrioids. Persons who are always in a hurry often strain while passing stools. They rush through defecation instead of making it a relaxed affair. The pressure thus exerted by the anal muscles affect the surrounding tissues. The extra rectal pressure and the resultant congestion of veins ultimately leads to haemorrhoids.
There is probably a hereditary factor also involved in the development of piles.
Treatment
The treatment of the basic cause, namely, chronic constipation, is the only way to get rid of the trouble. To begin with, the whole digestive tract must be given a complete rest for a few days and the intestines thoroughly cleansed. For this purpose the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for at least seven days. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may adopt a diet of natural foods aimed at securing soft stools.
The most important food remedy for piles is dry figs. Three or four figs should be soaked overnight in water after cleansing them thoroughly in hot water. They should be taken the first thing in the morning along with water in which they were soaked. They should also be taken in the evening in a similar manner. This treatment should be continued for three or four weeks. The tiny seeds of the fruit possess an excellent quality of stimulating peristalic movements of intestines. This facilitates easy evacuation of faeces and keeps the alimentary canal clean.
The pressure on the anus having thus been relieved, the haemorrhoids also get contracted.
Mango seeds are regarded as an effective remedy for bleeding piles. The seeds should be collected during the mango season, dried in the shade and powdered and kept stored for use as medicine. It should be given in doses of about one and a half gram to two grams with or without honey.
The jambul fruit is another effective food remedy for bleeding piles. The fruit should be taken with salt every morning for two or three months in its season. The use of the fruit in this manner in every season will effect a radical cure and save the user from bleeding piles during his / her entire life.
White radish is considered highly valuable in the treatment of piles. Grated radish mixed with honey may be taken in this condition. This vegetable can also be taken in the form of juice mixed with a pinch of salt. It should be given in doses of 60 to 90 ml. in the morning and evening. White radish well ground into a paste in milk can also be beneficial applied over inflammed pile masses to relieve pain and swelling.
The patient should drink atleast six to eight glasses of water a day. He should avoid straining to pass a stool. Cold water treatment helps the veins to shrink and tones up their walls. The treatment is done by sitting in a tub filled with cold water for two minutes with knees drawn up to your chin. The water level should cover the hips. This should be done twice a day. Other water treatments beneficial in curing piles include cold perennial douche and cold compress applied to the rectal area for an hour before bed time.
A patient with piles must make an all out effort to tone up the entire system. Exercise plays an important corrective role in this condition. Movements which exercise the abdominal muscles will improve circulation in the rectal region and relieve congestion. Outdoor exercises such as walking and swimming are excellent methods of building up general health. Yogic kriyas like jalneti and vamandhouti and asanas such as sarvangasana,viparit karani, halasana, gomukhasana are also useful. Sarvangasana is especially beneficial as it drains stagnant blood from the anus.
Premature Greying of Hair
The hair has a tendency to lose its natural colour with advancing age. It is therefore natural for the hair to turn grey with age. But premature greying is a morbid condition and it makes even the young look older. This causes a great deal of concern to affected persons, especially women.
The hair is an appendage of the skin. It is composed of the same kind of cells as are found in the outer layer of the skin, known as epidermis. It grows from a hair follicle which is a deep recess in the epidermis. The sebaceous glands of the scalp secrete an oily substance called sebum, which is the source of nutrition, lustre and blackness of the hair. The hair cannot be fed externally, for such nourishment as the scalp requires must come to it from the bloodstream.
Causes of Greying
A faulty diet and mental worries are the two primary causes of premature greying of hair. It is mainly due to the lack of some of the B vitamins, of iron, copper and iodine in the daily diet that this hair disorder is caused at a young age these days. Mental worries produce an extraordinary tension in the skin of the scalp which interferes with the supply of vital nutrition necessary for the health of the hair. Similarly, anxieties, fear, jealousy and failures have adverse effects on the hair. They dry out the scalpular marrow, the vital sap at the root of the hair.
Other causes of premature greying of hair are unclean condition of the scalp which weakens the roots of the hair as the pores are blocked by the collected dirt; washing the hair with hot water and drying them with electric dryers which emit a blast of hot air; the use of hair dyes in the earlier stages when the hair have just started greying; diseases like chronic cold, sinusitis, anaemia, chronic constipation; and the use of factory- made hair oils, which are generally cleaned with acids and some of the acids have a tendency to remain in the oil. Heredity is another predisposing factor which gives rise to this ailment.
Treatment
Diet is of utmost importance in the prevention and treatment of premature greying of hair and persons suffering from this disorder should take a diet rich in all essential nutrients. The vitamins considered useful in premature greying of hair are pantothenic acid, para-aminobenzoic acid or PABA and inositol. The minimum daily requirement of these vitamins appears to be 10 mg. of pantothenic acid, 100 gm. of para-aminobenzoic acid and 2000 mg. of inositol. To obtain satisfactory results, all three of these vitamins, belonging to B group, should be supplied at one time preferably in a form which gives all B vitamins, such as yeast, wheat germ and liver. The three anti-grey hair vitamins can be produced in the intestinal tract by bacteria. Thus drinking a litre of yogurt daily with a tablespoon of yeast before each meal will be an excellent remedy for the prevention and treatment of premature greying of hair. If one wishes to take tablets of calcium pantothenate and paba, they should be taken in addition to the yeast and yogurt and not as a substitute for them.
Gayelord Hauser, one of the best known world nutritionists, in his book ‘The New Diet Does it’, claims that this treatment will restore the grey hair back to its natural colour. He also advises addition of iron and iodine in the form of sea food, to an otherwise adequate diet for obtaining better results. Besides fish, which is the main source of iodine, the requirement of this mineral can be met by adequate intake of carrots, bananas and similar other vegetables and fruits.
Carrots are especially useful in furnishing fresh blood and maintaining the health of the hair.
Home remedies
Certain home remedies have been found useful in the prevention and treatment of premature greying of hair. The foremost among these is the use of Indian gooseberry or amla which is a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth and hair pigmentation. The fruit, cut into pieces, should be dried, preferably in the shade. These pieces should be boiled in coconut oil till the solid matter become little charred dust. This darkish oil is very useful in preventing greying.
The water in which dried amla pieces are soaked overnight is Indian gooseberry (amla) is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of premature greying of hair. also nourishing to the hair. This water should be used for the last rinse while washing the hair. Massaging the scalp with a teaspoonful of amla juice mixed with a teaspoonful of almond oil or few drops of lime juice, every night has proved beneficial in the prevention and treatment of premature greying of hair.
Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature greying of hair.
These have the property to give vitality and strength to hair roots. New hair roots that grow are healthier with normal pigment. The leaves can be used in the form of chutney or these may be squeezed in butter- milk or lassi. When the leaves are boiled in coconut oil, the oil forms an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and bring back hair pigmentation.
The butter made from cow’s milk has the property to prevent premature greying of hair. A small roll may be taken internally and a little quantity may be massaged into the hair root twice a week.
Ribbed gourd, known as torai in the vernacular, boiled in coconut oil is another effective remedy for premature greying of hair. Pieces of this vegetable should be dried in the shade. These dried pieces should be soaked in coconut oil and kept aside for three or four days. The oil should then be boiled till the solid is reduced to a blackened residue. Thisoil should be massaged into the scalp. It will help enrich the hair roots and restore pigment to the hair.
Hair Dye
The paste of henna leaves, boiled in coconut oil to get a darkish oil, can be used as a hair dye to blacken grey hair. The paste itself can be applied to the hair and washed away after a few hours to dye the grey hair. Washing the hair with concentrated tea extract twice a week is also considered useful in colouring grey hair to brown or black.
Premenstrual Syndrome
What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
Up to 85% of women normally have one or more troubling physical and emotional symptoms between the time they ovulate and the first days of their menstrual period. These are called premenstrual symptoms. When premenstrual symptoms interfere with your relationships or responsibilities, they are called premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
While some women first have PMS in their teens or 20s, others do not until their 30s. PMS can come and go during your reproductive years; you may find that your symptoms worsen as you approach perimenopause, in your late 30s or 40s.
PMS occurs only in women who ovulate during their monthly menstrual cycle. Women who do not ovulate—because of pregnancy, menopause, or taking birth control pills—do not have PMS symptoms. However, many do have similar hormone-related symptoms.
Symptoms
• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight gain
• Food cravings
• Abdominal bloating
• Stomach upset
• Swelling of the face, hands, ankles
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Sleep disturbance
• Appetite change
• Fatigue
Causes
The exact cause of premenstrual syndrome is not known. Some practitioners believe that an excess of the hormone estrogen and a deficiency of the hormone progesterone may be the cause of many cases of PMS. However, the absolute levels of estrogen and progesterone are often within a normal range, even though hormonal treatment with natural supplements or conventional drugs may be effective.
Other popular theories are decreased levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine causing elevated levels of the hormone prolactin, abnormal metabolism of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, adrenal gland dysfunction, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Medical conditions that can be confused with PMS include major depressive or mood disorders, effects of hormonal contraceptives, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, and symptoms of early menopause. Asthma, migraine, and epilepsy may also follow a cyclic pattern and should be distinguished from PMS.
Thyroid disease should always be ruled out because hypothyroidism may cause the symptoms of PMS. Some practitioners believe that an excess of the hormone estrogen and a deficiency of the hormone progesterone may be the cause of many cases of PMS. However, the absolute levels of estrogen and progesterone are often within a normal range, even though hormonal treatment with natural supplements or conventional drugs may be effective.
Other popular theories are decreased levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine causing elevated levels of the hormone prolactin, abnormal metabolism of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, adrenal gland dysfunction, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Medical conditions that can be confused with PMS include major depressive or mood disorders, effects of hormonal contraceptives, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, and symptoms of early menopause. Asthma, migraine, and epilepsy may also follow a cyclic pattern and should be distinguished from PMS.
Thyroid disease should always be ruled out because hypothyroidism may cause the symptoms of PMS. Intake should not exceed 200 mg/day and should be divided into 50 mg doses spread throughout the day. Signs of toxicity include tingling, numbness, and decreased sensation in the hands or feet.
Treatment
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose oil (EPO) is often recommended for headache, cramping, bloating, breast pain, depression, and irritability. EPO contains gamma-linolenic acid, which is involved in the metabolism of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins that regulate pain and inflammation in the body.
EPO is available in capsule or oil form and should always be refrigerated. Borage oil or black currant oil have similar effects and may be substituted. If used long-term, twice as much flax seed oil should be used to maintain the optimal balance of oils. Stomach discomfort and loose stools may occur if the initial dose is too high. EPO can interact with certain drugs for schizophrenia.
Magnesium
The mineral magnesium appears to benefit women with cramps, mood swings, depression, fatigue, breast tenderness, and water retention. Magnesium may work by promoting dopamine production and indirectly inhibiting activity of the hormone prolactin. It is involved in prostaglandin metabolism and vitamin B6 activity.
Research studies show that although women with PMS do not differ in their serum levels of magnesium, levels of magnesium inside red blood cells are significantly lower in women with PMS.
Vitamin B6 is required for Mg to enter cells. Magnesium deficiency may be associated with cravings for chocolate. People with heart or kidney disease must consult a health practitioner before taking magnesium supplements. Too much magnesium can cause diarrhea and serious health problems.
Calcium
The mineral calcium may be beneficial for women with premenstrual cramps and moodiness. In one 3-month research study comparing calcium supplements to a placebo, women taking calcium supplements experienced fewer premenstrual symptoms in the second and third months of usage.
Ratings of mood, water retention, food cravings, and pain were significantly decreased.
Calcium citrate is the most easily absorbed form of supplement. If calcium citrate is not available, calcium carbonate can be used.
Chaste Tree (Vitex Agnus-Castus)
Chaste tree, one of the most popular herbs for premenstrual syndrome, is recommended for breast pain and tenderness, infrequent menstrual periods and ovarian cysts. This herb affects the pituitary gland by increased the production of lutenizing hormone (LH) and shifting the ratio of estrogen to progesterone in favor of progesterone. Chaste tree also lowers the secretion of the hormone prolactin possibly by binding with dopamine receptors and decreasing the output of prolactin-releasing hormone.
Acupuncture
In traditional Asian medicine, the liver is the organ that is most affected by stress, anger, and frustration. Stagnation of liver energy and blood by emotions, alcohol, and spicy and fatty foods can lead to breast tenderness and abdominal bloating and cramping. Acupuncture, exercise, expressing emotions, and breathing exercises can help to relieve stagnation.
Diet
1. Reduce sugar and salt intake. This is especially useful for bloating and swelling of the hands and feet, breast tenderness, and dizziness. Increase foods rich in potassium, such as fish, beans, and broccoli.
2. Eat small, frequent meals to help stabilize blood sugar.
3. Eliminate caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety, depression, and breast tenderness.
4. Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fish.
5. Avoid alcohol
6. Decrease intake of fatty foods and red meat.
Exercise
Regular aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling reduces anxiety, pain and water retention and improves concentration and mood. In one study, the frequency but not the intensity of exercise was associated with a decreased rating of premenstrual symptoms.
Relaxation
Breathing exercises, meditation, aromatherapy, and yoga are some natural ways to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Many women feel more assertive and attuned to their needs in the weeks before menses. This can be used constructively by allowing personal time to relax, expressing emotions, and giving priority to your needs and what nourishes you.
Other Treatments
• Uva Ursi
• St. Johns Wort
• Kava Kava
• Wild Yam
• Black Cohosh
• Dandelion
Prostate Disorders
Nearly one-third of all men over 50 years suffer from prostate troubles of one form or another.
The percentage rises with age and reaches 75 after the age of 80 years. Prostate and bladder disorders can lead to numerous other ailments such as arthritis, kidney disorders and uremia.
The prostate gland is a male gland, comparable in shape and size to a large chestnut. It is reddish brown in appearance. It measures approximately 3.8 cm. in width and about 2.5 cm. in length and weighs approximately 25 grams. It is situated at the base of the urinary bladder and around the commencement of the urethra, the membranous tube for the passage of the urine. It is thus vital in relation to the emptying of the bladder and bears a close relationship to the rectum. The gland plays an important role in normal sexual life and its function is to secrete a fluid which is added to semen during sexual intercourse.
Various Disorders
There are various types of prostate disorders. Of these the most important are prostatitis or inflammation in the prostate gland and hypertrophy or enlargement of the prostate gland.
Prostatitis may be acute or chronic. It is a painful and distressing disorder, but can be cured with proper treatment without any adverse effects.
Enlargement of the prostate gland or hypertrophy is the most common complaint affecting the gland. This occurs mostly in men of middle or advanced age. The enlargement develops so gradually over a long period that it often assumes serious proportions before it is detected.
Symptoms
There are two warning signals to indicate the possibility of prostate disorders. The first is the interface with the passage of urine and the second is the need to void the urine frequently during the night’s sleep. Other symptoms are a dull aching pain in the lower back and pain in the hips, legs and feet. Prostate enlargement affects the glandular system as a whole. The patient experiences all the symptoms of disturbed health such as lack of energy and physical, mental and nervous disturbances.
Others Symptoms:
• Difficulty or pain while urinating
• Burning sensation while urinating
• Pelvic pain
• Frequent urination
• Abdominal pain
• “Dribbling” or incontinence
• Impotence
• A feeling that your bladder never fully empties
• A sudden inability to urinate
• Urinary tract infection
• Hematuria and/or anemia
• Nocturia
Causes
The position of the prostate gland makes it liable to congestion and other disorders. In an erect position, pressure falls on the pelvic region just where the prostate gland is situated. With ageing, the body gets heavier and loses its flexibility which makes the pressure on the pelvis even greater and increases the vulnerability of the prostate gland. Prolonged periods of sitting down, as in certain occupations, also increases the pressure on the pelvic region resulting in congestion of the tissues in and around the prostate gland. With the passage of time, changes such as inflammation or enlargement occur in the gland. Acute prostatis may also result from exposure to cold and chill and from an infectious disease. Chronic prostatis is an after-effect of the acute condition. It may also result from continual irritation of the gland due to excessive sexual excitement.
Another important cause of prostate disorders is constipation. In constipation, the faeces becomes hardened and the rectum or lower bowel overloaded. This causes undue pressure on the prostate gland. It also entails a great deal of straining at stools and this adversely affects the prostate gland due to its proximity to the rectum.
Other Causes
• Prolonged periods of sitting – prolonged periods of sitting, as in certain occupations, also increase the pressure on the pelvic region, resulting in congestion of the tissues in and around the prostate gland.
• Exposure to cold, chill and infectious diseases – Acute prostatitis may also result from exposure to cold and chill, and from infectious diseases. Chronic prostatis is an after-effect of the acute condition.
• Excessive sexual excitement and constipation – Also, It may be caused by continual irritation of the gland due to excessive sexual excitement. Another important cause of prostate disorders is constipation, when the faces become hardened and the rectum or lower bowel is overloaded, causing undue pressure on the prostate gland.
Treatment
To begin with, the patient should forgo all solid foods and subsist on water only for two or three days. The intake of water should be as plentiful as possible. Nothing should be added to the water except a little lemon juice, if desired. The water may be taken cold or hot and it should be taken every hour or so when awake. This will greatly increase the flow of urine.
An enema may be taken once a day during fasting to clear the lower bowel of accumulations.
After a thorough cleansing of the bowels, hot and cold applications may be used directly on the prostate gland and its surrounding parts. The heat relieves the tissues and a brief cold immersion tones them up. The patient should take alternate hot and cold hip baths. These are of great value in relieving pain and reducing congestion. The hot bath should be taken first for 10 minutes, followed by a cold bath for one minute daily.
After the short fast, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for three days. The fruits should include apples, pears, oranges, grape-fruit, grapes, sweet limes, mangoes, melons and all other juicy fruits. This will help to clear toxins from the body and will also enable excess fat to be reduced to some extent.
The exclusive fruit diet should be followed by a diet, consisting of two meals of fruits and one of cooked vegetables for further seven days. The vegetable meal should be taken in the evening and should consist of all kinds of cooked vegetables, preferably steam cooked. Thereafter, the patient may adopt a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely
(i) seeds, nuts and grains,
(ii) vegetables and
(iii) fruits.
The short lemon juice fast followed by an all-fruit diet and a further period on fruits and vegetables may be repeated after two or three months if necessary depending on the progress being made.
Pumpkin seeds have been found to be an effective home remedy for prostate problems and many patients have been helped by their use. These seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids which are essential to the health of the prostate.
Heavy starches, sweet stimulants and highly seasoned foods are entirely forbidden, as they cause direct irritation on the prostate gland and bladder. The diet should also exclude spices, condiments, salt in excess, sauces, red meats, cheese, asparagus, watercress, greasy or fried foods, alcohol, tobacco and too much tea or coffee. The patient should avoid hurried meals and must chew his food thoroughly and slowly. Water should be taken between meals and not at mealtime.
The patient should avoid sexual irregularities in eating and drinking, long periods of sitting and vigorous exercise. He should guard against constipation by taking plenty of fruits, bran and nuts.
All efforts should be made to tone up the general condition of the body. With a general improvement in health, the condition will be greatly relieved. Surgery should be resorted to only if the condition does not improve even after the dietary treatment and other measures outlined here.
Vegetable Juices
The use of vegetable juices has been found beneficial in the treatment of prostate problems, including prostate enlargement. The juice of carrots, taken separately in a 500 ml quantity, or in combination with spinach juice, is especially valuable. In the case of combined juices, 200 ml of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml of carrot juice to prepare 500 ml or half a litre of combined juices.
Zinc
The use of zinc has been found valuable in cases of prostate disorders. About thirty milligrams of this mineral should be taken daily in the treatment of these diseases.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has proved to be an important factor for prostate health. The patient should therefore use vitamin E-rich foods liberally or take 600 IU of this vitamin daily. Vitamin E-rich foods are wholegrain products, green leafy vegetables, eggs, milk, and all raw or sprouted seeds.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is one of the most stubborn skin diseases. It is a chronic disease characterised by thick, red, silvery, scaled patches of skin. This disease affects both sexes equally and usually first appears at the age ranging from 15 to 30 years, although it may appear at any age. It is, however, rare in infancy and old age. Psoriasis is not contagious.
Symptoms
Generally, the skin of the person suffering from psoriasis appears red and irritated and may be covered with bright silvery scales. Sometimes there is also a little itching. Areas usually involved are elbows, knees, the skin behind the ears, trunk and scalp. The disease may also affect the underarm and genital areas. The lesions vary in size from minute papules only just visible, to sheets covering large parts of the body. Quite often, they are discs from 1.5 cm. to several centimeters in size. The lesions of psoriasis are always dry and rarely become infected.
Causes
The modern medical system has not been able to establish the exact cause of psoriasis. Recent studies have shown that psoriasis involves an abnormality in the mechanism in which the skin grows and replaces itself. This abnormality is related to the metabolism of amino-acids, the protein chemicals which are nature’s basic building blocks for the reproduction of cell tissues.
Heredity also plays a role in the development of psoriasis as it tends to occur in families. About 30 per cent of the patients have a family history of the disease.
The factors that aggravate and precipitate the outbreak of psoriasis are injury to the skin in the form of cuts, burns, minor abrasions, changes in the seasons, physical and emotional stress, infections and use of certain medicines for the treatment of other diseases.
Treatment
Since psoriasis is a metabolic disease, a cleansing juice fast for about seven days is always desirable in the beginning of the treatment. Carrots, beats, cucumbers and grapes may be used for juices. Juices of citrus fruits should be avoided. The warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the fast. After the juice fast, the patient should adopt the diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits, with emphasis on raw seeds and nuts, especially seasame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and plenty of organically grown raw vegetables and fruits.
All animal fats, including milk, butter and eggs should be avoided. Refined or processed foods and foods containing hydrogenated fats or white sugar, all condiments, tea and coffee, should also be avoided. After noticeable improvement, goat’s milk, yogurt and home made cottage cheese may be added to the diet. Juice fasts may be repeated after four weeks on diet.
Vitamin E therapy has been found effective in the treatment of psoriasis. The patient should use this vitamin in therapeutic doses from 200 to 800 I.U. a day. It will help reduce itching and scabs.
Lecithin is considered a remarkable remedy for psoriasis. The patient may take six to nine lecithin capsules a day – two or three capsules before or after each meal. In the form of granules, it may be taken four tablespoonfuls daily for two months. It may thereafter be reduced to two tablespoonfuls.
Too frequent baths should be avoided. Soap should not be used. Regular sea water baths and application of sea water externally over the affected parts once a day are beneficial. The hot Epsom salts bath has proved valuable in psoriasis. Three full baths should be taken weekly until the trouble begins to subside. The number of baths thereafter may be reduced to two weekly and finally to one. The affected areas should also be bathed twice in hot water containing Epsom salt. After the bath a little olive oil may be applied. The skin should be kept absolutely clean by daily dry friction or sponge.
In many cases, psoriasis responds well to sunlight. The affected parts should be frequently exposed to the sun. The daily use of a sunlamp or ultra-violet light are also beneficial.
Cabbage leaves have been successfully used in the form of compresses in the treatment of psoriasis. The thickest and greenest outer leaves are most effective for use as compresses.
They should be thoroughly washed in warm water and dried with a towel. The leaves should be made flat, soft and smooth by rolling them with a rolling pin after removing the thick veins. They should be warmed and then applied smoothly to the affected part in an overlapping manner. A pad of soft wooden cloth should be put over it. The whole compress should then be secured with an elastic bandage.
The use of mud packs in the treatment of psoriasis has also been found highly beneficial. The packs are made by mixing the clay with a little water and applying to the affected areas. After the clay has dried, it is removed and fresh pack applied. Mud packs are eliminative in their action.
They absorb and remove the toxins from the deceased areas.
The patient should undertake plenty of regular exercise in fresh air, especially exposing the affected parts, and deep breathing exercises. He should avoid all nervous tension and should have adequate rest.
Pyorrhoea
Pyorrhoea or periodontal disease to give it a proper medical term is a disease of the teeth socket. It is one of the most widely prevalent diseases these days. It affects the membrane surrounding the teeth-root, with loosening of the teeth, pus formation and shrinkage of the gum.
This disease is the primary cause for tooth loss among adults.
Pyorrhoea affects persons of all ages. About half the adult population over the age of 18 suffer from early stages of this disease. Even children of 5 years or so may have signs of the disease.
It progresses with increasing age. Unless treated properly, it may lead to loss of supporting bone of teeth and ultimately to tooth loss.
Symptoms
The gums become tender and on pressing pus oozes out along the margin of teeth. Pus from the cavities continually finds its way into the stomach. When the disease is far advanced the gum become swollen and the stomach, being dosed with increasing quantities of pus, does not function properly. Sepsis may appear in various forms, digestion is disturbed, liver trouble sets in and the whole system is adversely affected.
Causes
Pyorrhoea is trigged by bacterial activity. A thin layer of harmful bacteria is continuously building up in our teeth. If it is not removed by tooth- cleansing, especially after meals, it forms an organised mass on the tooth surface in a short time. This is referred to as a “bacterial plaque “
when accumulated, bacteria in plaque produce many toxins which irritate the gums, cause them to become inflamed, tender and bleed easily. The bacterial activity is, however, facilitated by the lowered vitality of the system caused by acidosis as a result of wrong feeding habits. The habitual use of white bread, white sugar, refined cereals and much meat, leads to swamping of the blood and tissues with acid waste matter and to the development of the disease in one form or another. Pyorrhoea is one of the many forms this swamping of the system with acid impurities takes.
Other factors contributing to the development of pyorrhoea include injury to the gums and supporting structures by physical and chemical irritants in the mouth, wrong brushing, stagnation of food particles and improper use of tooth picks. In many cases, prolong tension and even allergy can lead to this disease. In some cases, the use of the pill and pregnancy can give rise to or aggravates the condition.
Treatment
Any treatment for pyorrhoea, to be effective, should be constitutional. It should aim at cleansing the blood and tissues of the acid impurities which are at the root ofthe trouble. The extraction of the teeth affected with the disease will not help clear the systemic toxaemia.
The patient should begin the treatment with a short juice fast for three to five days. The juice of a fresh orange diluted with water on 50: 50 basis, should be taken at two-hourly intervals from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this period. If the orange juice does not agree, carrot juice may be taken.
The bowels should be cleansed daily during this period with a warm water enema. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication.
After the juice fast, the patient should spend a further three to five days on an exclusive fresh fruit diet. IN this regimen, he should have three meals a day, at five-hourly intervals of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, oranges, pineapple and melon. If losing much weight on the all-fruit diet, those already under weight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.
Thereafter the patient may gradually embark upon a balanced diet, with emphasis on fresh fruits, green salads, whole meal bread, properly cooked vegetables, cheese, nuts, and milk.
White bread, white sugar and all refined and tinned foods must be completely given up.
Condiments, sauces, alcohol, coffee and strong tea as well as meat and other flesh foods should also be avoided. The patient should also keep away from starchy and sticky foods.
The teeth and gum, like other parts of the body require exercise. This can be achieved by eating hard and fibrous foods. Wheat is especially valuable in the prevention and treatment of pyorrhoea. It takes time to eat wheat chappaties and as it is generally taken with other foods, it compels the chewing of other foods also. This not only provides the needed exercise for the teeth and gum but also a great aid to digestion.
Chewing unripe guava is an excellent tonic for teeth and gums. It stops the bleeding from gums due its styptic effect and richness in vitamin C. Chewing its tender leaves also helps in curing bleeding from gums and keeps the teeth healthy. A decoction of root-bark can also be beneficial used as mouth- wash for swollen gums.
Lemon and lime are also useful in pyorrhoea due to their high vitamin C-content. They strengthen the gums and teeth and are very effective for preventing and curing acute inflammations of the gum margins.
Raw spinach juice is another valuable food remedy for the prevention and treatment of pyorrhoea because of its beneficial effect on the teeth and gums. This effect is generally enhanced if the spinach juice is taken in combination with carrot juice. A permanent aid for this affliction has been found in the use of natural raw foods and in drinking an ample quantity of carrot and spinach juice.
The daily dry friction and hip bath and the breathing and other exercises should form a part of the morning routine. A hot Epsom-salt bath taken twice weekly will also be beneficial.
As regards local treatment, the teeth should be cleansed every morning and night with a little lemon juice squeezed on the toothbrush, after it has been dipped into warm water. Afterwards mouth should be well rinsed with warm water containing lemon juice. The forefinger of the right hand should be rubbed gently over the gums for a minute or two after each brushing.
Retain Teeth and Lip Color
The side effects such as discoloration of the teeth and lip color caused by smoking or heavy coffee drinkers can be fixed by changing a few things in your daily lives. Few things you are going to learn about will make possible the prevention of teeth and lip discoloration.
Symptoms
Smoking cigarettes or cigars are not the only ways that can cause discoloration of the teeth and lip color.
There are number of other oral symptoms and side effects, which include:
• Sticky tar deposits
• Brown tooth stains
• Red inflammation on the roof of the mouth
• Delayed healing of the gums
• Chronic bad breath
• More tooth decay than non smokers
Causes
The symptoms are gross manifestations of the biological changes occurring in the body due to continuous addiction to smoking. Here are some key reasons that could lead to teeth discoloration.
Saliva is important for cleaning the lining of the mouth and teeth and protects teeth from decay.
Smoking reduces the flow of saliva and thus handicaps its key function.
Smoking reduces blood flow to the gums and cuts the supply of vital nutrients.
Vitamin C helps gums to stay healthy. Smoking reduces the level of vitamin C drastically.
Together, a reduced blood flow and diminishing vitamin C level, make treatment of gum disease in smokers a difficult proposition. Smoking also raises the mouth’s temperature, damaging and killing important oral tissue cells.
Several diseases that affect enamel (the hard surface of the teeth) and dentin (the underlying material under enamel) can lead to tooth discoloration.
Treatments for certain conditions can also affect tooth color.
Such as:
• Head and neck radiation and chemotherapy can cause teeth discoloration.
• Mouth rinses and washes containing chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride can stain teeth.
• Antihistamines (like Benadryl), antipsychotic drugs, and antihypertensive medications also cause teeth discoloration.
• Excessive fluoride either from environmental sources (naturally high fluoride levels in water)
• Excessive use (fluoride applications, rinses, toothpaste, and fluoride supplements taken by mouth) can cause teeth discoloration.
Treatment
Strawberries
Take three to six ripe strawberries, two teaspoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of cream of tartar and a cup of water. Puree the strawberries and make a paste. Apply to your teeth overnight for a week and dazzle everybody with your bright new smile.
Sugarless Gum
Munch on a piece of sugarless gum after you have had your coffee and cigarette. Doing so will produce more saliva to swish away the darkening liquids before they have a chance to stain your teeth.
Water
Sip on water or rinse you mouth every time you eat or drink a stain-producing food or beverage and after you light up. This will help cleanse your teeth and prevent stains from accumulating.
Bicarbonate of Soda
Brush your teeth with bicarbonate of soda and then brush with your normal toothpaste. Repeat this routine every 15 days.
Do Not Rush When You Brush
Concentrate on brushing your teeth slowly with circular movements using a soft bristled toothbrush. Take your time and ensure that you get to those hard to reach areas.
Lighter Lips
Smokers have darker lips than normal due to nicotine stains. Here are some methods, which you can use to lighten your lips a shade.
This keeps lips moisturized and helps prevent staining of your lips.
Lemon and Glycerin
Scrubbing your lips gently with lemon daily should help remove the discoloration, but this may be harsh on your lips, so make sure you apply glycerin to your lips first. Leave the lemon and glycerin on for at least ten minutes before washing off. You could also do the same at night, and sleep with lemon on your lips.
Lemon juice adds bleaching properties to the lips daily. This helps lighten the color of the lips over time.
Almond Oil
Apply almond oil with a dab of cream on your lips. This will ensure that your lips are moisturized and the layer of oil will help prevent build up of nicotine stains on your lips. You can also apply almond oil or cream of milk daily on the lips.
The most important remedy to reduce staining on your lips and teeth is to quit smoking. The efficiency of these home remedies is dramatically increased if you do not add to the nicotine staining every day.
Reduce drinks with caffeine in them.
Drink at least 10 glasses of water to flush toxins away.
Clarified butter
Apply a little every night to soothe lips. This helps keep lips moisturized.
Another effective treatment for women is to wear lipstick with sunscreen, as Ultra Violet radiation may cause pigmentation.
• If the discoloration of lips is caused by smoking, there is a need to control this habit.
• Drink plenty of water, at least 10 glasses on a daily basis. It helps in flushing out the toxins from the body.
• Apply some limejuice on your lips every day. It helps in retaining the color of your lips.
• Apply some sunscreen lotion on your lips, to protect them from harmful UV rays.
Rheumatism
The word rheumatism is derived from the Greek word “rheuma “which means a swelling. This disease is recognised as one of the most serious threats to health. It is a crippling disease which causes widespread invalidism, but seldom kills.
Rheumatism refers to an acute or chronic illness which is characterised by pain and swelling of the muscles, ligaments and tendons or of the joints. It affects men and women, both young and old. Quite often, this disorder extends to the heart and the values and the lining of this vital order becomes inflamed. It is the most common cause in 80 per cent of the cases of valvular organic diseases of the heart.
Rheumatism, perhaps, more than any other disease, although readily diagnosed, is never the same in any two individuals. There are too many variations in the development of this disease.
Broadly speaking, however, rheumatism, which may be acute or chronic, can be roughly grouped into two classes. These are muscular rheumatism which affects the muscles and articular rheumatism which affects the joints. The muscular variety is, however, far less common than that affecting the joints. In the acute form, it is often found among children and young people, but in the chronic form, it is generally confined to adults.
Symptoms
The onset of the acute type of rheumatism is characterised by fever and rapid pulse with intense soreness and pain. In the acute muscular type, the tissues become so sensitive that even the weight of bed clothing aggravates the pain. The liver is found to be swollen. Acute rheumatism is extremely painful but it leaves no permanent defects, if treated properly. It may settle into a chronic state under a wrong mode of treatment.
The symptoms of chronic muscular rheumatism are pain and stiffness of the affected muscles.
The pain increases when an effort is made to move these muscles. IN cases of chronic articular rheumatism, pain and stiffness are felt in one or more joints of the body, with swelling in most cases. It is not usually fatal but there is a danger of permanent deformity.
Causes
The chief cause of rheumatism is the poisoning of the blood with acid wastes, which results from imperfect elimination and lowered vitality. Meat, white bread, sugar, and refined cereals, to which modern man is most addicted, leave a large residue of acid toxic wastes in the system.
These acid wastes are not neutralised due to absence of sufficient quantities of alkaline mineral salts in the foods eaten. This upsets the acid-alkaline balance in the body and produces the condition described as acidosis.
When there is abundant vitality, excess acids are ejected almost before they reach any appreciable concentration in one or the other of the acute cleansing efforts such as colds and fevers. When the vitality is low, the acid wastes are concentrated around the joints and bony structure, where they form the basis of rheumatism. The reason why large quantities of acid wastes piling up in the system are attracted towards body structure for storage is that lime, which is the most prominent constituent of the bony structure, is an alkaline substance. In certain cases, infection from the teeth, tonsils and gall bladder may produce rheuamtism. The disease is aggravated by exposure to cold water.
Treatment
In the case of acute rheumatism, the patient should be put on a short fast of orange juice and water for three or four days. While fasting, the bowels should be cleansed through a warm water enema. After the juice fast, the patient should be placed on a restricted diet for 14 days. In this regimen, orange or grapefruit may be taken for breakfast, lunch may consist of a raw salad of any vegetables in season, with raisins, prunes, figs or dates; and for dinner, one or two steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, etc., and a few nuts or some sweet fruit may be taken. NO bread or potatoes or other starchy food should be taken; otherwise the effect of the diet will be lost. Thereafter, the patient may gradually commence a well balanaced diet of three basic food groups, namely
(i) seeds, nuts and grains
(ii)vegetables and
(iii) fruits.
In case of chronic rheumatism, the patient may be placed on an all-fruit diet for four or five days.
In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, peaches, pears, oranges, pineapples and grapefruit. He may thereafter gradually adopt a well-balanced diet.
The patient should take ripe fruits and fresh vegetables in abundance. Lots of buttermilk should be taken. The foods which should be avoided are meat, fish, white bread, sugar, refined cereals, rich, indigestible and highly seasoned foods tea, coffee, alcohol, sauces, pickles and condiments.
Raw potato juice is regarded as an excellent food remedy for rheumatism. One or two teaspoonful of the juice pressed out of mashed raw potato should be taken before meals. This will help eliminate an acid condition and relieve rheumatism. In some rural areas in Great Britain, it is a custom for rheumatic suffers to carry a potato in their pockets, in the belief that the potato will absorb in itself some of the acid from the sufferer’s body. The old potato is thrown away and replaced by a new one after a few days.
The skin of the potato is also an excellent food remedy for rheumatism. The skin is exceptionally rich in vital mineral salts and the water in which the peelings have been boiled is one of the best medicines for the ailments caused by excess of acid in the system. The potato peelings should be thoroughly washed and boiled for a few minutes. The decoction should then be strained and a glassful of the same should be taken three or four times daily.
Celery is another effective food remedy for rheumatism. A fluid extract of the seeds is more powerful than the raw vegetable. This also has a tonic action on the stomach and kidneys. Five to ten drops of this fluid should be taken in hot water before meals. Powdered seeds can be used as a condiment. Lemons are also valuable and the juice of two or three lemons may be taken each day.
Other helpful methods in the treatment of rheumatism are application of radiant heat and hot packs to the affected parts, a hot tub bath, cabinet steam bath, dry friction and a sponge bath.
Hot Epsom-salt baths are also beneficial and should be taken twice a week for three months in case of chronic rheumatism and once weekly thereafter. The affected parts should also be bathed twice daily in hot water containing Epsom-salt after which some olive oil should be applied. Fresh air,deep breathing and light outdoor exercises are also beneficial. Dampness and cold should be avoided.
Sexual Impotence
Sex is now regarded as a basic instinct like hunger. Sexual activity, however, demands complete concentration and relaxation. It cannot be performed in haste and tension. Persons who are usually tense and over-occupied are unable to follow these norms. Many persons, therefore, suffer from sexual dysfunctions. The most common male sexual dysfunction is impotence or loss of sexual power.
Symptoms
Impotence takes three forms. There is primary impotence When the man’s erectile dysfunction is there from the very beginning of sexual activity and he simply cannot have an erection. This is a rare manifestation of the problem. Secondary impotence is the commonest and this implies that the man can normally attain an erection but fails on one or more occasions in between normal activity. The third form is associated with age and is a continuous and serious form with poor prognosis.
Causes
Since erection is the result of erotic excitement, intact nervous pathways and adequate hormonal functioning, the pathological causes of impotence are numerous. It may occur as a result of psychological illness such as depression, which lowers both sexual drive and erectile function, tiredness, alcohol abuse, the therapeutic use of oestrogens, paralysis of parasympathetic nerves by drugs or permanent damage to them and diabetes. Other causes of impotence are abuse or misuse of the sexual organism over a long period and a devitalised condition of the system in general.
However, the main problem of secondary impotence is the apprehension created by failure which generates a good deal of anxiety for the next time round regarding the likelihood of failure.
If, in fact, intercourse is attempted again and the same failure results, then a vicious circle is established. Anxiety of failure is established as an anticipatory reflex which in turn impairs the capacity of the penis.
Treatment
Taking of drugs or so called “remedies “in case of impotence is not only useless but dangerous.
Diet is an important factor in these conditions. To begin with, the patient should adopt an exclusive fresh fruit diet from five to seven days. In this regimen, he can have three meals a day, at five hourly intervals, of fresh juicy fruits such as grapes, oranges, apples, pears, peaches, pineapple and melon. The bowels should be cleansed daily during this period with a warm-water enema.
After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with generous use of special rejuvenative foods such as whey, soured milks, particularly made from goat’s milk, millet, garlic, honey, cold-pressed vegetable oils and brewer’s yeast. The patient should avoid smoking,alcohol, tea, coffee and all processed, canned, refined and denatured foods, especially white sugar and white flour and products made from them.
Certain foods are considered highly beneficial in the treatment of impotence. The most important of these is garlic. It is a natural and harmless aphrodisiac. According to Dr. Robinson, an eminent sexologist of America,garlic has a pronounced aphrodisiac effect. It is a tonic for loss of sexual power from any cause and for sexual debility and impotence resulting from sexual over-indulgence and nervous exhaustion.
Onion is another important aphrodisiac food. It stands second only to garlic. It increases libido and strengthens the reproductory organs. The white variety of onion, is however, more useful for this purpose.
Carrot is also considered useful in impotence. For better results, carrot should be taken with a half-boiled egg dipped in a tablespoonful of honey once daily for a month or two. This recipe increases sex stamina by releasing sex hormones and strengthens the sexual plexus. It is for this reason that carrot halwa, prepared according to Unani specifications is considered a very effective tonic to improve sexual strength.
The lady’s finger is another great tonic for improving sexual vigour. It has been mentioned in ancient Indian literature that the persons who take five to 10 grms of root powder of this vegetable with milk and ‘misri’ daily will never lose sexual vigour.
Dried dates, known as chhuhara in the vernacular, is a highly strengthening food. Pounded and mixed with almonds, pistachio nuts and quince seeds, it forms an effective remedy for increasing sexual power.
Black raisins are also useful for restoration of sexual vigour. They should be boiled with milk after washing them thoroughly in tepid water. This will make them swollen and sweet. Eating of such raisins should be followed by the use of milk. Starting with 30 grams of raising with 200 ml.
of milk, three times daily, the quantity of raising should be gradually increased to 50 grams each time.
A vigorous massage all over the body is highly beneficial in the treatment of impotence as it will revive the muscular vigour which is essential for nervous energy. The nerves of the genital organs are controlled by the pelvic region. Hence a cold hip bath for 10 minutes in the morning or evening will be very effective.
Every effort should be made to build up the general health level to the highest degree and fresh air and outdoor exercise are essential to the success of the treatment. Yogasanas such as dhanurasana, sarvangasana and halasana are also highly beneficial.
The scheme of treatment outlined above will go a long way in restoring sexual vigour, but of course the results achieved will depend upon the age and condition of the sufferer.
Longstanding cases will obviously not get such good results from the treatment as comparatively early cases; and younger men will naturally tend to do better than older men.
Where the trouble is of psychological origin, treatment should be just the same, but in these cases advice from a qualified psychotherapist would be desirable. The patient also requires gentle handling by a willing partner.
Allergy Relief
What are allergies?
Allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a normally harmless substance, such as pollen. Although there are many different Types: of allergies, including food and skin allergies, here we are talking specifically about allergies to airborne particles, known medically as allergic rhinitis. Pollen allergies are called hay fever. Approximately 20 percent of North Americans are affected.
Key Symptoms of Allergies
• Runny nose
• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Itchy, watery eyes, nose or throat
• Coughing
• Skin itching or rash
• Fatigue
Allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe. The above symptoms are generally considered mild. See a doctor immediately if you begin wheezing or have difficulty breathing, which could be signs of an asthma attack.
Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
Although it often begins with itching of the eyes or face, within minutes it can progress to such severe swelling that makes it difficult to breathe and swallow. Abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. This is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment.
How Diet Can Help
The foods you eat can boost your immune system and prevent symptoms. A Japanese study assessed the possible protective effect of the traditional Japanese diet on allergies. They looked at 1002 Japanese pregnant women, and found that calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus were associated with a decreased prevalence of allergies. The typical North American diet tends to be lower in magnesium and calcium:
• Food sources of magnesium
• Getting enough calcium in your diet
People with allergies may also have sensitivity to certain foods. For example, several studies have found that people allergic to grass pollens also react to tomatoes, peanuts, wheat, apple, carrot, celery, peach, melon, eggs and pork.
To find out which foods aggravate symptoms of allergies in a particular individual, an elimination-and-challenge diet is recommended. This diet involves the removal of suspected foods from the diet for at least a week followed by systematic re-introduction of those foods in order to isolate the foods that may aggravate certain symptoms. It should be done under the guidance of a health professional.
How Herbs and Supplements Can Help
Bromelain
Bromelain is an enzyme found naturally in the stem of the pineapple plant. When taken with food, bromelain aids digestion.
Precautions:
If it is taken with water between meals on an empty stomach (one hour prior to or two hours after a meal), bromelain is believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect, which can help to decrease mucus and other allergy symptoms.
Dosages:
A typical dose is 400 to 500 mg of bromelain (look for 1800 to 2000 m.c.u. on the label) one to three times a day. People who are sensitive to pineapples should not take bromelain. Side effects, while rare, may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abnormal menstrual bleeding.
Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)
Nettle leaf, also called stinging nettles, are a popular remedy for allergies. This herb is believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect. In a double blind, randomized study of 69 people, 58 percent rated a nettle extract effective in relieving symptoms after one week. In addition, 48 percent found it equally or more effective than previous medicine.
Dosages:
A typical dosage for allergies is 300mg one to three times a day of a freeze-dried nettle extract.
Quercetin
Quercetin is a compound found naturally in vegetables, such as onions and berries. People with allergies may benefit from quercetin because it has been found to inhibit the release of histamine and reduce inflammation. Quercetin is believed to work by stabilizing cell membranes so they are less reactive to allergens.
Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)
A randomized, double-blind study, 330 hay fever patients at 11 clinics in Switzerland and Germany received either a tablet of butterbur herbal extract three times a day (providing a total of 8 mg of the active petasine a day), the antihistamine Allegra once a day, or a placebo. The researchers found that the butterbur was as effective as the antihistamine at relieving sneezing, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, and other hay fever symptoms.
How Acupuncture Can Help
A German study published in the journal Allergy found that acupuncture may an effective and safe option for people with seasonal allergies. Patients in the study were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received a semi-standardized treatment of acupuncture once a week and a Chinese herbal tea three times a day and the other, control, group received acupuncture needles that weren’t really in acupuncture points and a non-specific Chinese herbal formula. Patients who received the acupuncture and herbal treatment noticed an 85 percent improvement on a global assessment of change scale compared to 40 percent in the control group. They also noticed a significant improvement in the quality of life questionnaire.
Seasonal Allergies
What is a seasonal allergy?
The definition of a seasonal allergy is an immune system reaction to a natural substance in the environment that occurs during a particular time of the year. The allergen, which triggers the allergy, “is released at a time point that’s associated with the growth of a plant.
Symptoms:
• Itchy eyes
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Scratchy throat
The difference between a seasonal allergy and other allergies
The difference between a seasonal allergy and other allergies is that a seasonal allergy will stop at some point, depending on where you live and the substance to you are allergic too. It may be harder to tell when a seasonal allergy begins and ends in the South because the seasons blend into one another, whereas in the North, the changing of the seasons is more distinct.
About the Condition:
This condition occurs during the spring, summer and early autumn and usually lasts for several weeks, is caused by pollens that enter the nasal passages and cause a hypersensitivity reaction.
Conventional treatments include oral decongestants, antihistamines, topical steroid sprays and desensitization.
Herbal Treatment:
Butterbur is a perennial shrub that grows in Europe, Asia and North America. It is used primarily for migraine prevention and for chronic cough or asthma.
The main active constituents are petasin and isopetasin, which are believed to reduce smooth muscle spasm and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Butterbur also contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with liver toxicity and carcinogenesis and considered unsafe.
Extracts are available, in which the pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been removed.
Butterbur is often not the first complementary and alternative (CAM) treatment used for seasonal allergies such as hay fever. In fact, butterbur is in the same botanical family as ragweed and could theoretically trigger an allergic reaction.
Other CAM treatments for seasonal allergies include:
• Nettle leaf
Sinusitis
Sinusitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the paranasal sinuses. If often follows the common cold, influenza and other general infections. Germs which are usually eliminated from body sometimes find their way into these sinuses or chambers on either side of the nasal passage, leading to sinus trouble.
The sinuses consist of cavities or chambers contained in the bones situated in the head and face region. The frontal,maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses are the paranasal sinuses which communicate with the nose. The frontal sinuses lie on the frontal bone directly above the eyes. The maxillary sinuses are located one on each side of the nose under the cheekbone. The ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses are situated behind the nose or either sideof it. These air sinuses lighten the weight of the skull and give resonance to the voice.
Symptoms
Th symptoms of sinusitis are excessive or constant sneezing, a running nose, blockage of one or both nostrils, headaches and pressure around the head, eyes and face. Sinus headaches are usually felt in the forehead and in the face just below the eyes. The patient may suffer from a low grade fever, lack of appetite, loss of sense of appetite, and toothache. He feels miserable because of difficulty in breathing. The voice is also affected because of the blocked nose.
Causes
Sinusitis results from the congestion of the sinus passages due to catarrh. It is caused by over-secretion of mucus in the membranes lining the nose, throat and head. This over-secretion is due to irritation caused by toxins in the blood.
A faulty diet is thus the real cause of sinus trouble. When a person consumes certain types of foods or drinks regularly, these, in due course, have a conditioning effect on the entire system.
As a result, some persons become more sensitive to certain allergens, whose reaction ultimately turns into sinusitis.
The Cure
Correcting the faulty diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of sinusitis. Patients should take a balanced diet. Most persons with sinus trouble also suffer from acidity. Their diet should, therefore, veer to the alkaline side. The intake of salt should be reduced to the minimum as salt leads to accumulation of water in the tissues and expels calcium from the body.
In the acute stage of the disease, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices diluted with water on a 50: 50 basis. After fever subsides, he may adopt a low-calorie raw fruit and vegetable diet with plenty of raw juices.
After the acute symptoms are over, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains; vegetables and fruits. IN persistent chronic conditions, repeated short juice fasts may be undertaken for a week or so at intervals of two months.
Those suffering from sinusitis should completely avoid fried and starchy foods, white sugar, white flour, rice, macaroni products, pies, cakes and candies. They should also avoid strong spices, meat and products. Butter and ghee should be used sparingly. Honey should be used for sweetening. All cooked foods should be freshly prepared for each meal. Vegetables should be taken in liberal quantities. All kinds of fruits can be taken with the exception of those belonging to citrus group such as lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. Milk should be taken in liberal quantities as it contains calcium which has a marked effect in overcoming inflammation of the tissues.
A diet rich in vitamin A is the best insurance against cold and sinus trouble. Vitamin A is the “membrane conditioner “as it helps build healthy mucus membranes in the head and throat.
Some of the valuable sources of this vitamin are whole milk, curds, egg yolk, pumpkin, carrot, leafy vegetables, tomato, oranges, mango and papaya.
When the sinus trouble has already developed, relief can be obtained by taking vitamin A in large therapeutic doses of 25,000 I.U. per day. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial in the treatment of sinusitis and the patient should take one gram of this vitamin per day in two therapeutic doses of 500 mg. each.
One of the most effective remedies for sinus problems is to eat pungent herbs like garlic and onion which tend to break up mucous congestion all through the respiratory tract. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals.
Carrot juice used seperately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber or with spinach juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. 100 ml. each of beet and cucumber juice or 200 ml. of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml. of carrot juice in these combinations.
Water Treatment
Cold application over the sinus will give great relief; alternate hot and cold applications will also prove beneficial. Take pans of hot and cold water, bathe the whole face with hot water – as hot as you can bear – and then apply cold water for short duration. Nasal inhalation of steam for five minutes every hour will also give relief.
Yogasanas such as viparitkarani, bhujangasana, yogamudra and shavasana, yogic kriyas, such as jalneti and sutraneti and pranayamas like anuloma-viloa and suryabhedan will be beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble.
Plenty of sleep, adequate rest and fresh air are essential in the treatment of sinus trouble.
Patients should avoid the use of perfumes and strongly scented hair oil.
Sinus Headaches
When you feel congested, you usually experience pressure around your eyes, cheeks and forehead. Your head is usually hurting. It feels like a sinus headache, but you do not know that for sure.
Headaches usually go together with sinusitis, a condition in which the membranes lining the sinuses become swollen and inflamed. Many people who think they have sinus headaches in fact have migraines or tension headaches.
When sinus headaches caused by sinusitis do occur, correct diagnosis and treatment are the keys to getting better quickly so you can go back to your daily routine.
Symptoms
• Occur in the morning
• Pain in the head
• Feeling of pressure and fullness in your cheeks
• Feeling of pressure and fullness in your brow
• Feeling of pressure and fullness in your forehead
• Pain may get worse when you bend forward or lie down.
• If sinusitis becomes chronic, the headaches may become a constant dull ache.
• Yellow-green nasal discharge
• Sore throat
• Fever
• Cough
•Fatigue
What is the difference between a sinus headache and a migraine?
The signs and symptoms of the two Types: Of headaches often, have common characteristics.
Migraine pain often gets worse when you bend forward, and migraines can be accompanied by various nasal signs and symptoms such as:
• Congestion
• Facial pressure
• Watery nasal discharge
• Pounding or throbbing, aggravated by noise or bright light
• Accompanied by nausea
Causes
Sinusitis can be caused by colds, allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, problems with the immune system, or structural problems in the nasal cavity. The caused by pressure changes in the sinuses can trigger headaches.
Risk factors
Sinusitis can affect anyone. You may be more likely to develop chronic sinusitis if you have:
• Asthma
• Nasal growths (polyps)
• Allergies to dust
• Allergies to mold
• Allergies to pollen
• A weak immune system
• A condition that affects the way mucus moves within your respiratory system, such as cystic fibrosis
Treatment
If you are diagnosed with sinusitis, your doctor may recommend antibiotics. You should always finish the entire prescribed medication, even if your signs and symptoms go away before all the pills or capsules are gone. This is the only way to get rid of the bacteria causing the infection. If the sinusitis is related to inflammation or allergies, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid nasal sprays or pills.
As the sinus infection clears up, the sinus headaches should disappear. Over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants and saline nasal spray might help you feel better too. If a structural problem in your nasal cavity is contributing to sinusitis or sinus headaches, surgical correction may be recommended.
If you continue to experience headaches, your doctor may look for other possible causes.
Prevention
• Wash your hands often. Soap and water can help you avoid the upper respiratory infections that can lead to sinusitis. You may want to ask your doctor about a yearly flu vaccine as well.
• Avoid cigarettes, cigars and pipe smoke. These and other air pollutants can cause your sinus membranes to swell.
• Use a humidifier. Adding moisture to dry indoor air can help prevent sinusitis. However, watch out do not overdo. High indoor humidity can create mold and dust mite growth.
Be sure the humidifier is clean and free of mold.
• If you develop a cold or other upper respiratory infection, take good care of yourself.
Drink plenty of fluids. Keep your nasal passages clear by gently blowing your nose, one nostril at a time.
Stress
The term stress has been borrowed by biologists from engineering, where it implies an ability to withstand a defined amount of strain. Dr. Hans Selye, a great medical genius and noted world authority on stress, has described stress as “a state manifested by a specific syndrome which consists of all the non-specifically induced changes within a biological system. “
The term implies any condition that harms the body or damages or causes the death of a few or many cells. The body immediately tries to repair the damaged cells but it can do so only if the diet is adequate, providing a generous supply of all the essential nutrients. If, however, rebuilding of cells is not able to keep pace with their destruction, the condition will result in disease. The most common disease associated with stress are heart disease, diabetes, headache and peptic ulcer. Other diseases resulting from stress are ulcerative colitis, chronic dyspepsia, asthma, psoriasis and sexual disorders.
Reactions to stress are manifold. No one situation is stressful to all the people all the time. Some of the factors that can produce stress are children or the lack of them, the boss or the subordinate, the traffic,the telephone or the lackof it, overwork or not enough to do, too much money or too little of it, making decision, a dull routine job, lack of authority and apprehensions about the future.
Symptoms
The body and the mind react to any stress factor. A large number of physical changes take place at the time of stress induced arousal. The brain and nervous system become intensely active, the pupils of the eye dilate, digestion slows down,muscles become tense, the heart starts pumping blood harder and faster, blood pressure increases, breathing become faster, hormones such as adrenalie are released into the system alongwith glucose from the liver and sweating starts.
All these changes take place in a split second under the direction of the nervous system. If the stress factors are immediately removed, no harm accrues and all the changes are reversed.
Stress in its earlier and reversible stage leads to poor sleep, bad temper, continual grumbling, longer hours of work with less achievement, domestic conflict with spouse and children, repeated minor sickness, absenteeism and prolonged absence for each spell of sickness, accident proneness, feeling of frustration and persecution by colleagues and complaints of lack of cooperation and increase in alcoholic intake.
It is essential that these symptoms are recognised early by the patients or their well-wishers and remedies measures taken to overcome them. If, however, stress is continuous or repeated frequently, a variety of symptoms appear such as dizziness, stiff muscles, headache, vision problems, breathing difficulties, asthma, allergies, palpitation, digestive disorders, blood sugar rregularities, backache, skin disorders, bowel disorders and sexual difficulties
Causes
Stress may be caused by a variety of factors both outside the body and within. External factors include loud noises, blinding lights, extreme heat or cold, x-rays and other forms of radiation, drugs, chemicals, bacterial and various toxic substances, pain and inadequate nutrition. The factors from within the body include feelings of hate, envy, fear or jealousy.
Treatment
In dealing with stress, the patient should completely change his life style. He should adopt an optimum diet which should be able to meet the nutritional demands of stress. Such diet should obviously be made of foods which, in combination, would supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits would provide an adequate amount of allthe essential nutrients. Each of these food groups should roughly form the bulk of one of the three meals. These three basic health -building foods should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils and honey.
There are many foods which are helpful in meeting the demands of stress and should be taken regularly by the patient. These are yogurt, blackstrap molasses, seeds, and sprouts. Yogurt is rich in vitamin A, B complex and D. It relieves insomnia, migraine and cramps associated with menstruation. Blackstrap molasses, a by-product of sugar refining process, is rich in iron and B vitamins. It guards against anaemia and is good for heart diseases. Seeds such as alfalfa, sunflower, and pumpkin and sprouts are rich in calcium and quite effective as deterrents of listlessness and anxiety. Steam cooked vegetables are best as boiling causes many vitamins and minerals to be dispelled into the water.
The leaves of holy basil, known as tulsi in the vernacular, are highly beneficially the treatment of stress. They are regarded as adaptogen or antistress agents. Recent studies have shown that the leaves protect against stress significantly. It has been suggested that even healthy persons should chew 12 leaves of basil twice a day, morning and evening for preventing stress.
Certain nutrients are beneficial in relieving stress. These are vitamins A and B, minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium which reduce the feeling of irritability and anxiety. Vitamin A is found in green and yellow vegetables. Some of the valuable sources of vitamin B are cashews, green leafy vegetables, yeast, sprouts and bananas. An element of vitamin B complex, pantothenic acid is especially important in preventing stress. It has a deep effect on the adrenal glands and the immune system and adequate amount of this vitamin along with vitamin A can help prevent many of the changes caused by stress.
Potassium deficiencies are associated with breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and low blood sugar. Potassium is essential for healthy heart muscles. Nuts and unrefined grains are good sources of potassium. Calcium is a natural sedative. Deficiencies can cause fatigue, nervousness and tension. Dairy products, eggs, almonds, and soyabeans are rich sources of calcium. Magnesium is known as nature’s tranquiliser and is associated with the prevention of heart attack. Deficiencices may lead to excitability, irritability, apprehension and emotional disorders. Magnesium is also necessary for absorption of calcium and potassium and is found in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, dates and prunes.
There are certain foods which are associated with stress and anxiety and should be scrupulously avoided by patients. These foods are caffeine and many soft drinks, which causes nervousness, irritability and palpitation; salt which has been associated with heart diseases; cigarettes which cause tension, irritability and sleeplessness and which have been linked with cancer, and alcohol which depletes vitamins of B group consider essential for reducing stress.
Regular physical exercise plays an important role in the fight against stress. Exercise not only keeps the body physically and mentally fit, it also provides recreation and mental relaxation. It is nature’s best tranquiliser. One can jog, run, walk or play games, depending upon one’s liking.
Walking is the simplest and safest exercise. One should take a brisk walk for 45 minutes or so daily. Yogic asanas, kriyas and simple pranayams, beneficial for maintenance of general health and mental relaxation, can serve as the best shock-absorbers against stress. These include asanas like pavanmuktasana, sarvagasana, halasana, ardhamatsyendrasana, bhujangasana, dhanurasana, yogamudra,padmasana, trikonasana, kriyas like kunjal and jalneti andpranayamas such as kapal bhati, anuloma- viloam, sitali, sitkari and bhramari.
Recreation and rest are equally important and patient should set a definite time for recreational activities. They should also take a holiday at regular intervals. And above all, they should simplify their lifestyles to eliminate unnecessary stress.
Thinness
Underweight, like over, is a relative terms, being based on the ideal weight for a given height, built and sex. A person can be regarded as moderately underweight if he or she weighs 10 per cent below the ideal body weight and markedly so if 20 per cent below the ideal.
Appropriate body weight is among the most important physical attributes and has a deep influence upon the health and personality of an individual. For a healthy body, weight slightly above the average is favorable up to the age of 30 years, as it serves as a good defense measure against certain diseases, especially tuberculosis. Between 30 and 40 years of age, the endeavor should be to maintain the weight at the average level as during this period, many future diseases have their beginning. After the age of 40, it will be advisable to keep the weight slightly below the average, so as to lighten the burden on the heart, kidney and other vital organs.
There are two types of thin people. One type is wiry and energetic, who eat heartily but never put on weight. Presumably, they burn up energy due to constant activity. Such persons need not worry as chances are that they do not have any disease as such. The other type of thin persons lack energy and drie, are unable to take normal meals and find that rich food usually makes them sick. Their body lacks fat cells thus providing no storage place for added fat and the calories they consume are probably wasted.
Symptoms
Underweight due to an inadequate caloric intake is a serious condition, especially in the young.
They often feel easily fatigued, have poor physical stamina and lowered resistance to infection.
Diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory disorders, pneumonia, circulatory diseases like heart disorders, cerebral haemorrhage, nepthritis, typhoid fever and cancer are quite common among them. The occurrence of the complications of pregnancy in your women may result from malnutrition due to an inadequate energy intake.
Causes
Thinness may be due to inadequate nutrition or excessive bodily activity or both. Emotional factors or bad habits such as skipped meals, small meals, habitual fasting and inadequate exercise are some of the other causes of thinness. Other factors include inadequate digestion and absorption of food due to a wrong dietary pattern for a particular metabolism; metabolic disturbances such as an overactive thyroid and hereditary tendencies. Disorders such as chronic dyspepsia, chronic diarrhoea presence of parasites like tapeworm in the alimentary canal, liver disorders, diabetes mellitus, insomnia,constipation, and sexual disorders can also lead to thinness.
Treatment
Diet play an important role in building up health for gaining weight. Nutrients which help keep the nerves relaxes are of utmost importance as nervousness causes all the muscles to become tense and the energy which goes into the tenseness wastefully uses up a great deal of food.
Although all vitamins and minerals are required for a sound health the most important ones are vitamin D and B6, calcium and magnesium. The richest sources of vitamin D are milk, cod liver oil and the rays of the sun. Calcium is also supplied by milk and yogurt. Magnesium can be obtained from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, parsley, turnip, radish and beet tops.
These vegetables should preferably be taken in salad former should be lightly cooked.
Lack of appetite can result from an inadequate supply of vitamin B, which leads to low production of hydrochloric acid by the stomach. Hydrochloric acid is essential for the digestion of food and absorption of vitamins and minerals into the blood. It is, therefore, necessary that the daily diet should be rich in vitamin B for normal appetite. Proper digestion and absorption of foods and regular elimination. Foods rich in vitamin B are all whole grain cereals, blackstrap molasses, nuts, soyabean, eggs and butter. Vegetable oil is of special value to those wishing to gain weight as it isrich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids.
Underweight persons should eat frequent small meals as they tend to feel full quickly. Meals may be divided into six small ones instead of three big ones. These may consist of three smaller meals and three substantial snacks between them. The weight-building quality of a food is measured by the number of calories it contains. To gain weight, the diet should include more calories than are used in daily activities so as to allow the excess to be stored as body fat. The allowance of 500 calories in excess of the daily average needs is estimated to provide for a weight gain of one pound weekly.
All refined foods such as products containing white flour and sugar should be avoided,as they destroy health. Excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and fats may help the individual to put on weight but this will be detrimental to general health. The diet should be tilted towards alkaline-forming foods such as fruits and vegetables. Alkaline foods should comprise 80 per cent of the diet. The other 20 per cent should consist of acid forming foods such as cereals, and lentils. Beverages containing caffeine like soft drinks, coffee and tea should be curtailed.
Smoking should be given up. Water should not be taken with meals but half an hour before or one hour after meals.
Milk Cure
An exclusive milk diet for rapid gain of weight has been advocated by some natural cure practitioners. IN the begining of this mode of treatment, the patient should fast for three days on warm water and like juice so as to cleanse the system. Thereafter, he should have a glass of milk every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the first day, a glass every hour and half the next day, and a glass every hour the third day. Then the quantity of milk should be gradually increased so as to take a glass every half an hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If such a quantity can be tolerated fairly comfortably. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed, if desired. It should be sipped very slowly through a straw. The milk should be unpasteurised, if possible.
Figs are an excellent food remedy for increasing weight in case of thinness. The high percentage of rapidly assimilable sugar make them a strengthening and fattening food.
Regular exercises like walking and dancing, yoga, meditation and massage are also important as they serve as relaxants, reduce stress and induce good sleep. Yogasanas which will be especially helpful are sarvangasana, halasana and matsyasana.
A balanced diet together with adequate exercise, rest,emotional balance and the absence of acute diseases will enable an underweight person to build a healthy body and to put on weight.
Sty
A sty (hordeolum) is a painful red lump on the edge or inside of your eyelid that may look like a boil or a pimple. Typically, a sty is filled with pus. As it swells in size, the sty may make it hard for you to see well because you cannot open your eye completely.
More than one sty can occur at a time, causing the whole eye to swell. This condition is called blepharitis. Most sties disappear in a few days.
Symptoms
Eventually most sties fill with pus and then break. The release of pus helps the pain of the sty or sties go away. Usually after the pus comes out then you will notice that the sty then will begin to disappear. But before this happens, a sty typically exhibits the following
• A red lump similar to a boil or a pimple
• Swelling on your eyelid
• Light sensitivity
• Your eye will feel scratchy
• Tearing
Causes
The cause of a sty is a bacterial infection, usually staphylococcus. The bacterial infection develops near the root (follicle) of an eyelash. You may have more than one sty at a time or several in sequence.
Diagnosis
If the symptoms of a sty continue or if you have had several infections, your doctor may want to rule out other possible causes. Some conditions exist that are similar to a sty, but require different treatment.
For instance, a chalazion is a blockage in one of the small glands in the eyelid. This can produce a swelling similar to that of a sty.
If your doctor confirms you have a sty, he or she can prescribe treatment or recommend ways to relieve your pain or discomfort. If a sty is ruled out, your doctor may refer you to an ophthalmologist for further tests and treatment. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who can provide complete eye and vision care.
Treatment
If your doctor confirms that you have a sty, he or she may prescribe a topical antibiotic cream to apply to your eyelid. To treat a pus-filled sty that will not burst on its own, your doctor or ophthalmologist may choose to cut and drain the sty to relieve pain and pressure. Usually you will not need oral antibiotics unless you have an infection of your eyelid.
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis refer to acute inflammation of the tonsils. It is also known as acute sore throat. Chronic tonsillitis is a term applied to cases inwhich there is enlargement of the tonsils accompanied by repeated attacks of infection.
The tonsils are two small lymphoid organs that lie one on each side of the throat. They can be seen just behind the back of the tongue between two folds of membrane running up to the soft palate. Normally, they are about the size of a lima bean but they can become very much larger if severely infected. They are valuable organs of selective elimination and perform a two-fold function. Firstly, they protect the throat against disease germs. Secondly, they serve as barometers for indicating infection elsewhere in the body, when they become sore and swollen.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of tonsillitis are sore throat, fever, headache, pain in various parts of the body, difficulty in swallowing and general weakness. The tonsils are seen to be inflamed and red when the mouth is opened wide. In many cases, spots of pus exude from them. Externally, the tonsillar lymph glands which lie just behind the angle of the jaw are tender and enlarged. IN several cases there may be pain in the ear.
Causes
The chief cause of tonsilities is a toxic condition of the system generally and is brought to a head by sudden lowering of vitality resulting from exposure and sudden chill. Tonsils enlarge and get inflamed when the toxins cannot be got rid of through the normal channels of elimination such as the bowels, kidneys and skin. Throat afflictions of this kind is also associated with the result of chronic constipation, when toxin, which should should have been ejected from the system in the normal way, are reabsorbed into the blood-stream.
Treatment
The treatment of the tonsillitis on the lines of modern medical system by means of painting and spraying is both harmful and suppressive. It does not help to rid the system of the toxins, which are the root of the trouble. In fact it forces these toxins back into the system, which may cause more serious trouble later on. The correct way to treat the disease is to cleanse the system of toxic waste through proper dietary and other natural methods.
To begin with, the patient should fast for three to five days by which time serious symptoms would subside. Nothing but water and orange juice should be taken during this time. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during the period of fasting. A cold pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly interval during the day. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap it two or three times around the throat and cover it with some flannelling.
The throat may be gargled several times daily with neat lemon juice. Gargle made from the fenugreek seeds is very effective in severe cases. To make such a gargle, two table spoonful of fenugreek seeds should be allowed to simmer for half an hour in a litre of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used as a soothing gargle in a day with beneficial results. A hot Epsom -salt bath taken every day or every other day will also be beneficial.
After the acute symptoms of tonsillities are over, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for further three or four days. In this regimen, three meals of fresh, juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pears, pineapple, peaches and melon may be taken. The juice of fresh pineapple is most valuable in all throat afflictions of this kind. After the all-fruit diet the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet on the following lines: Breakfast: Fresh fruits, or grated raw carrot or any other raw salad, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may be added, if desired.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, as obtainable, and whole wheat chappatis. Vegetables likes bitter gourd and fenugreek are specially beneficial.
Dinner: A good-sized raw salad of vegetables as obtainable, sprouts seeds as mung beans and alfalfa seeds, wholemeal bread and butter or cottage cheese.
Raw vegetable juices are also valuable in the treatment of tonsillitis. Juice of carrot, beet and cucumber taken individually or in combination are especially beneficial. Formula proportion found to be helpful when used in combination are carrot 300 ml., beet 100ml., and cucumber 100 ml.
The daily dry friction and hip bath as well as breathing and other exercises should all form part of the daily health regimen. A hot Epsom-salts bath once or twice a week can also be taken regularly with beneficial results.
Tonsillits canbe successfully treated by the natural methods outlined above. Surgery for the removal of the tonsils is necessary only in very rare cases, when tonsils are seriously diseased, rugged and contain hopelessly incurable pus pockets.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis or consumption is one of the most dreaded diseases. It is a major health problem in India and often rated the number one killer. Over five lakh people die of this disease every year.
Tuberculosis is caused by a tiny germ called tubercle bacillus which is so small that it can be detected only by a microscope. The germ enters into the body through the nose, mouth and windpipe and settles down in the lungs. It multiplies by millions and produces small raised spots called tubercles.
Tuberculosis is not hereditary but an infectious or communicable disease. Those suffering from the disease for a considerable time eject living germs while coughing or spitting and when these enter the nose or mouth of healthy persons, they contract the disease. Mouth breathing and kissing as well as contaminated food and water are also responsible for spreading tuberculosis.
Symptoms
Tuberculosis is of four types, namely of lungs, intestines, bones and glands. Pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculosis of the lung is by far the most common type of tuberculosis. It tends to consume the body and the patient loses strength, colour and weight. Other symptoms are a raise in temperature especially inthe evening, a persistent cough and hoarseness, difficulty in breathing, pain in the shoulders, indigestion,chest pain, and blood in the sputum.
Causes
Lowered resistance or devitalisation of the system is the chief cause of this disease. This condition is brought about mainly by mineral starvation of the tissues of the body due to an inadequate diet; and the chief mineral concerned is calcium. In many ways, therefore tuberculosis is the disease of calcium deficiency. There can be no breakdown of the tissue and no tuberculosis growth where there is adequate supply of organic calcium in the said tissue.
Thus an adequate supply of organic calcium in the system together with organic mineral matter is a sure preventive of the development of tuberculosis.
Lowered resistance also results from a variety of other factors such as suppression of the disease by drugs and medication, use of stale, devitaminised and acid forming foods, eating wrong combination of food, such as taking fruits with starchy foods at one meal, causing fermentation the stomach; wasting of energy through excessive loss of semen and living in ill-ventilated houses. Other causes include exposure to cold, loss of sleep, impure air, a sedentary life, overwork, conta- minated milk, use of tobacco in any form, liquor of all kinds, tea, coffee and all harmful drinks. The factors prepare the ground for the growth of germs of various kind, including tubercle baccilus. These germs may be present in the body but are quite harmless for those who are full of vitality and natural resistance.
Treatement
Tuberculosis is no longer considered incurable if it is tackled in the early stages. An all round scheme of dietetic and vitality building programme along naturallines is the only method to overcome the disease. As a first step, the patient should be put on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three or four days. He should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, pineapple, melonor any other juicy fruit in season. Bananas, dried or tinned fruits should not be taken. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or plain water either hot or cold may be taken. If losing such weight on the all-fruit diet, those already under weight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.
After the all-fruit diet, the patient should adopt a fruit and milk diet. For this diet, the meals are exactly the same as the all-fruit diet, but with milk added to each fruit meal. The patient may begin with a litre of milk the first day and increase by quarter litre daily up to two to two and a half litres according to how the milk agrees. The milk should befresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed if desired. It should be sipped very slowly. The fruit and milk diet should be continued for four to six weeks. Thereafter, the following dietary may be adopted: Breakfast: Fresh fruits, as obtainable, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may also be taken, if desired.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables as available, one or two whole wheat chappatis and a glass of buttermilk.
Dinner: A bowl of raw salad of suitable vegetables with wholewheat bread and butter. Stewed fruit or cooked apple may be taken for dessert.
At bed time: A glass of milk.
The chief therapeutic agent needed for the treatment of tuberculosis is calcium. Milk, being the richest food source for the supply of organic calcium to the body, should be taken liberally. IN
the dietary outlined above at least one litre of milk should be taken daily. Further periods on the exclusive fruit diet followed by fruit and milk diet should be adopted at intervals of two or three months depending on the progress. During the first few days of the treatment, the bowels should be cleansed daily with the warm-water enema and afterwards as necessary.
The patient shooed avoid all devitalised foods such as white bread, white sugar, refined cereals, puddings and pies, tinned, canned and preserved foods. He should also avoid strong tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, sauces, etc.
The custard apple is regarded as an effective food remedy for tuberculosis. It is said to contain the qualities of rejuvenating drugs. The Ayurvedic practitioner prepares a fermented liquor called sitaphalasava from the custard apple in its season for use as medicine in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is prepared by boiling custard apple pulp and seedless raisins in water on slow fire. It is filtered when about one third of water is left. It is then mixed with powdered sugar and candy and also the powder of car- damom, cinnamon and certain other condiments.
Indian goosebeary has proved to be an effective remedy for tuberculosis. A tablespoonful each of fresh amla juice and honey mixed together should be taken every morning in this condition. Its regular use will promote vigour and vitality in the body within a few days. Regular use of radish is also beneficial.
The patient should take complete rest of both mind and body. Any typeof stress will prevent healing. Fresh air is always important in curing the disease and the patient should spend most of the time in the open air and should sleep in a well-ventilated room. Sunshine is also essential as tuber bacilli are rapidly killed by exposure to sun rays. Other beneficial steps towards curing the disease are avoidance of strain, slow massage, deep breathing and light occupation to ensure mental diversion.
Water Treatment
Certain water treatments are helpful in cases of tuberculosis. The patient’s vital resistance can be built up by a carefully planned graduated cold bath routine twice a day. The intensity of the cold applications should be gradually increased to achieve satisfactory results. However, care must be taken to keep the patient from catching a chill. A short hot fomentation with alternate short cold application to the chest and back, and in the stomach region or a neutral immersion bath(water temperature 98 O to 100 o F) for an hour just before retiring at night is also beneficial.
Certain yogic practices are beneficial in the treatment of tuberculosis in its early stages. These include asanas like viparitakarani, sarvangasana and shavasana and jalneti kriya and anuloma-viloma pranayama.
Type 2 Diabetes
What is Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a syndrome characterized by high blood sugar resulting from an impaired response to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in patients over the age of thirty, but it also occurs in children and teens. It is commonly associated with being overweight, especially around the abdomen area. Many times, it is diagnosed after a period of significant weight gain.
Symptoms
Type 2 diabetes is frequently diagnosed in aymptomatic patients during a routine medical examination.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
• Frequent urination
• Thirst
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Fungal and bacterial infection
• Itching due to vaginal yeast infection
Late complications of diabetes include heart disease, infections, skin ulcers, kidney disease, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, impotence, constipation, pain and poor circulation in the legs, vision loss.
Diagnosis
Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when the criteria for fasting high blood sugar are met. Blood sugar level is greater than or equal to 140 mg/dL (7.77 mmol/L) after an overnight fast on two occasions, or the American Diabetes Association criteria of fasting blood sugar greater than 126 mg/L (6.99 mmol/L) can considered to be diagnostic.
A test called the oral glucose tolerance test is often conducted if fasting blood sugar is between 115 and 140 mg/dL (6.38 and 7.77 mmol/L) and in those with a clinical condition that might be related to undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
For monitoring diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is tested to estimate blood sugar control over the prior three months.
Treatments
Most people with this type of diabetes are treated with diet, exercise and oral prescription drugs.
Some people require the use of insulin to control blood sugar. Several alternative methods may help when used under medical supervision in conjunction with standard treatments. Once herbs and other measures for controlling blood sugar work, medication needs to be adjusted by your doctor.
Diet
A balanced diet is recommended. Foods that emphasize vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fiber can influence the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Foods that should be avoided are refined sugar, processed food, junk food, pastries, and cookies. When checking labels, watch out for hidden forms of sugar, such as dextrose, glucose, sucrose, corn sweeteners, fructose, dextrin, high-fructose corn syrup, lactose, modified cornstarch, maltose, malt, fruit juice concentrates, mannitol, sorghum, xylitol, and sorbitol. Protein snacks should be eaten in between meals.
Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine should be avoided.
All foods cause a varying insulin response in our bodies. Foods that have a higher rating on the “glycemic index”, a scale developed by nutrition researchers at the University of Toronto, cause a higher insulin spike than those with a lower rating.
Higher glycemic index foods are white bread, bagels, English muffins, packaged flaked cereal, instant hot cereals, frozen desserts, dried fruit, whole milk, hot dogs, and luncheon meat.
Lower glycemic index foods are most fresh vegetables, leafy greens, 100% whole grain bread, sweet potato, skim milk, buttermilk, chicken, lean cuts of beef, pork, and veal, white-fleshed fish, and many nuts. There are many factors that can influence glycemic index, such as cooking and preparation method.
Herbs, Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins
Chromium
Chromium is an essential trace mineral. It plays a major role in sugar metabolism. There is a growing body of evidence that shows that chromium may help bring blood sugar levels under control in type 2 diabetes. A typical dose of chromium for diabetes is 200 to 400 mcg per day.
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a spice commonly used in India and the Middle East in cooking. Numerous studies suggest that fenugreek can reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels in people with diabetes.
Fenugreek seeds can have a bitter taste, so people sometimes prefer to take it in capsule form. A typical dose range is 5 to 30 g three times per day with meals. Known side effects of high doses include mild digestive distress. Pregnant or nursing women should not use fenugreek.
Gymnema
Gymnema is an Ayurvedic herb that is believed to have a marked effect on blood sugar control.
Doctors often prescribe gymnema for mild cases of type 2 diabetes, in conjunction with standard treatments. A typical dose range is 400 to 600 mg per day of an extract standardized to contain 24% gymnemic acids.
Vanadium
Vanadium is an essential trace mineral that may mimic insulin to help regulate blood sugar. It is found in black pepper, dill seed, and unsaturated vegetable oil, as well as in vitamin supplements.
Zinc
Zinc is necessary for the normal production of insulin. Food sources of zinc include fresh oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecans, split peas, egg yolk, rye, beef liver, lima beans, almonds, walnuts, sardines, chicken, and buckwheat.
Other herbs and supplements
The function if the digestive organs should be optimized, particularly the liver and pancreas.
Dandelion and other bitter herbs, tumeric, and bupleurum are just a few of the herbs that can help with this. Another goal should be to tonify the endocrine system and promote hormonal balance.
Ginseng, licorice, oatstraw, and hawthorn are some of the herbs that can tonify the endocrine system.
Other herbs that can affect blood sugar are bitter melon, neem, and goat’s rue. Helpful supplements for diabetes are vanadium, B vitamins (especially vitamin B6), vitamins C and E, and coenzyme Q10.
Treating Complications of Diabetes
Lipoic acid
In Germany, the antioxidant lipoic acid is used widely for the prevention and treatment of peripheral neuropathy in diabetes. This complication usually develops after many years, and is a painful condition affecting the nerves. Lipoic acid occurs naturally in the body, and it is often reduced in people with diabetes. It is involved in the energy metabolism in the body. There is some evidence that lipoic acid may be more effective if it is combined with GLA (gamma-linolenic acid). A typical dose for diabetes is 300 to 600 mg per day, divided into two or three doses.
GLA (Gamma-Linolenic Acid)
An excellent source of the essential fatty acid is evening primrose oil. It is also found in black currant and borage oil. There is some research suggesting that evening primrose oil can protect nerves, and help with symptoms such as pain and numbness. A typical dosage is 4 to 6 g daily, taken with food. Evening primrose oil requires about six months having noticeable effect. One caution, it is possible that GLA will worsen temporal lobe epilepsy.
Omega-6 oils should be taken in balance with omega-3 oils, found in flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and fish oil. Omega-3 fats can help protect blood vessels and decrease insulin resistance.
Ulcerative Colitis Remedies
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause abdominal pain (often in the lower left side of the abdomen), bloody diarrhea, mucus in stools, fever, weight loss, loss of appetite. It is the result of chronic inflammation, usually in the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.
Symptoms:
• Joint Pain
• Eye Inflammation
• Skin Rashes
• Lesions
• Mouth Ulcers
There is no known cure for ulcerative colitis. Alternative therapies are popular among people with ulcerative colitis. They should complement, not replace, conventional care and may help reduce symptoms and lengthen the time in remission.
Probiotics
Probiotics, “friendly” bacteria that reside in the gut, have been found to be effective in managing ulcerative colitis. They help control the number of potentially harmful bacteria, reduce inflammation, and improve the protective mucus lining of the gut.
Probiotics are among the more popular remedies for inflammatory bowel disease because they are without significant side effects and appear to be safe.
• A University of Alberta study examined 34 people with mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis who were unresponsive to conventional treatment. The researchers gave them a probiotic supplement called VSL#3, which provided 3,600 billion bacteria a day for 6 weeks. At the end of the study, 18 people (53%) demonstrated remission on sigmoidoscopy and a further eight people (24%) had a favorable response.
• Researchers at the University of Dundee analyzed bacteria from rectal biopsies of patients with active ulcerative colitis and healthy control subjects. There were significantly less bifidobacterium numbers in the ulcerative colitis biopsies, which suggested that these probiotic bacteria might have a protective role in the disease. In a further study, 18 people with active ulcerative colitis were given a bifidobacterium supplement or a placebo for one month. Sigmoidoscopy, biopsy, and blood tests showed significant improvement in the probiotic group compared with the placebo group.
• An Italian study examined the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, which was previously found to be beneficial in the maintenance of the other inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease. Researchers gave 25 patients with a mild-to-moderate flare-up of ulcerative colitis a supplement containing 250 mg Saccharomyces boulardii three times a day for 4 weeks during maintenance treatment with the drug mesalazine (these patients were unsuitable for steroid therapy). Of the 24 patients who completed the study, 17 had clinical remission, which was confirmed by endoscopic exam.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Some studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil capsules, may reduce inflammation in people with ulcerative colitis.
• A meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at controlled trials published from 1966 to 2003. Although the researchers concluded that more evidence is needed about the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids, three studies found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced corticosteroid requirements (statistical significance was shown in one of these studies.
• Another study looked at the influence of fish oil and an elemental diet on the intestinal tissues of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, and control patients and found the most marked anti-inflammatory effect in ulcerative colitis tissues.
• Research conducted at the Cleveland Clinic looked at an oral supplement containing fish oil, soluble fiber, and antioxidants (vitamin E, C and selenium) on disease activity and medication use in adults with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. In the study, 86 patients with ulcerative colitis consumed 18 ounces of the supplement or a placebo each day for 6 months. Patients taking the oral supplement had a significantly greater rate of decreasing their dose of prednisone over 6 months compared with the placebo group. Both groups showed significant and similar improvement in clinical and histological responses.
Precautions:
More research on omega-3 fatty acids is needed, especially at differing doses, because not all studies have found a positive effect.
Oral Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe vera gel has been found in studies to have an anti-inflammatory effect.
A double blind, randomized trial examined the effectiveness and safety of aloe vera gel for the treatment of mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis. Researchers gave 30 patients 100 mL of oral aloe vera gel and 14 patient’s 100 mL placebo twice daily for 4 weeks.
Clinical remission, improvement and response occurred in nine (30%), 11 (37%) and 14 (47%) respectively, of aloe vera patients compared with one (7%), one (7%) and two (14%), respectively of patients taking the placebo. It appeared to be safe. 4) Diet A Japanese study evaluated the role of dietary factors on inflammatory bowel disease. Included in the study were 111 people with ulcerative colitis who were given food questionnaires to complete.
The survey found a higher consumption of sweets was positively associated with ulcerative colitis risk. Vitamin C was found to have a protective effect-intake of vitamin C was negatively related to ulcerative colitis risk. Examples of foods rich in vitamin C are red bell peppers, parsley, strawberries, and spinach.
A study in the journal Gut monitored ulcerative colitis patients in remission for one-year using food questionnaires. Consumption of meat, particularly red and processed meat, protein, and alcohol increased the likelihood of relapse. Researchers speculate that the high sulphur or sulphates compound in many of these foods is the culprit, since high sulfur or sulphates intakes were also associated with relapse.
Carbohydrates may be a culprit for some people. Elaine Gottschall popularized the Specific Carbohydrate diet after she used it to help her daughter recover from ulcerative colitis. Gottschall later wrote a book called Breaking the Vicious Cycle describing the “vicious cycle” of injury to the intestinal mucus lining, which then promotes malabsorption and bacterial overgrowth, which is then believed, to bacterial by-products and mucus production, which leads back to injury to the intestinal mucus lining.
Folic Acid
People with chronic ulcerative colitis are at greater risk of colon cancer. A University of Toronto study found that dietary folate supplementation at four times the basic dietary requirement significantly suppressed ulcerative colitis-associated colon cancer. The incidence of high-grade lesions in the folate-supplemented group was 46% lower than that in the control group.
Boswellia
Boswellia is an herb that comes from a tree native to India. The active ingredient is the resin from the tree bark, which has been found to block chemical reactions involved in inflammation.
People with ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions use it.
Unlike anti-inflammatory medication, boswellia does not seem to cause gut irritation that can occur with many conventional pain relievers.
Acupuncture
According to traditional Chinese medicine, pain results from blocked energy along energy pathways of the body, which are unblocked when acupuncture needles are inserted along these invisible pathways.
A scientific explanation is that acupuncture releases natural pain-relieving opioids, sends signals that calm the sympathetic nervous system, and releases neurochemicals and hormones.
An acupuncture treatment generally costs between $60 and $120. Acupuncture is tax-deductible (it is considered a medical expense) and some insurance plans pay for acupuncture.
If you want to try acupuncture, plan to go one to three times a week for several weeks initially.
Bromelain
Bromelain, a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes derived from pineapple stem, is believed to reduce inflammation. A Duke University animal study found that daily treatment with oral bromelain decreased the incidence and severity of colitis.
Mind-Body Therapies
Although stress is no longer believed to be the main cause of ulcerative colitis, chronic stress can worsen symptoms, decrease coping, and increasing the chance of remission of the disease.
A small study at the University Clinic of Essen in Germany investigated the effects of mind-body therapy on thirty patients with ulcerative colitis in remission. Patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group consisting of a structured 6 hour a week training program for
10 weeks that included stress management training, moderate exercise, Mediterranean diet, behavioral techniques and self-care strategies or a usual care waiting control group. The study showed improvement in quality of life assessed by standardized questionnaires. However, there were no differences on clinical or physiological parameters.
Other Remedies
• Exercise
• Anti-Fungal Therapy
• Calendula
• Flaxseed
• Marshmallow
• Slippery Elm
• Fenugreek
• Devil’s Claw
• Ginkgo Biloba
These are just some of the natural remedies that are showing promise for ulcerative colitis. All remedies should be used with caution and under the guidance of a qualified practitioner.
There are serious consequences to untreated ulcerative colitis, so it is important not to shun complementary therapies but instead to take a complementary approach.
Underweight
Being underweight means, you fall under the normal weight. A number of underweight people are fit and well; they simply have a slender constitution. However, for many people being underweight may mean their bones are not as strong as they could be and a woman’s periods may be irregular, which can affect fertility. It also means they have fewer ‘reserves’ if they fall ill.
Symptoms
• Fatigued
• Poor physical stamina
• Low resistance to infection
Causes
Insufficient caloric intake
Thinness due to an inadequate caloric intake is a serious condition, especially in young people.
Diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory disorders, pneumonia, and circulatory diseases like heart disorders, cerebral hemorrhage, nephritis, typhoid fever, and cancer are quite common among them.
Not enough nutrition or bad eating habits
Thinness may be due to inadequate nutrition or excessive bodily activity, or both. Emotional factors or bad eating habits such as skipping meals, small meals, habitual fasting, and inadequate exercise can also cause it
Poor digestion, metabolic disturbances and disorders
Other factors include inadequate digestion and absorption of food due to a wrong dietary pattern for a particular metabolism, metabolic disturbances such as an overactive thyroid, and hereditary tendencies. Disorders such as chronic dyspepsia, chronic diarrhea, and presence of intestinal worms, liver disorders, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, constipation, and sexual disorders can also lead to thinness.
Treatment
Muskmelon
Muskmelon is one of the most effective home remedies for thinness. If the melon cure is properly carried out, a rapid gain in weight can usually be achieved. In this mode of treatment, only muskmelons are taken three times during the day for forty days or more. In the beginning, only three kilograms of melons are taken daily for three days. Then the quantity is increased by one kilogram daily until it is sufficient to appease the hunger. Only the sweet and fresh fruits of the best variety are used in the treatment.
Mango-Milk Cure
The mango-milk cure is also an ideal treatment for thinness. For this mode of treatment, ripe and sweet mangoes should always be selected. They should be taken thrice a day-morning, afternoon, and evening. Two medium sized mangoes should be taken first and then followed by a glass of milk. Mango is rich in sugar but deficient in protein. On the other hand, milk is rich in protein but deficient in sugar. The deficiency of one is made up by the other. Mango thus combines very well with milk and an exclusive mango-milk diet taken for at least one month, will lead to improvement in health and vigor and gain in weight
Milk Cure
Some natural cure practitioners have advocated an exclusive milk diet for rapid gain of weight. At the beginning of this mode of treatment, the patient should fast for three days on warm water and limejuice to cleanse the system. Thereafter, he should have a glass of milk every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the first day, a glass every hour and half the next day, and a glass every hour the third day. Then the quantity of milk should be gradually increased to a glass every half an hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., if such a quantity can be tolerated comfortably
Figs
Figs are an excellent remedy for increasing weight in case of thinness. The high percentages of the rapidly assailable sugar in this fruit make it a strengthening and fattening food. Three dried figs soaked in water should be taken twice daily
Raisins
Raisins are a good food for those who wish to gain weight. Thirty grams a day may be taken for this purpose
Nutrients
Nutrients which help to keep the nerves relaxed are of utmost importance as nervousness causes all the muscles to become tense, and the energy which goes into the tensing wastefully uses up a great deal of food. Although all vitamins and minerals are required for relaxation, the most important once are vitamin D and B6, calcium, and magnesium. The richest sources of vitamin D are milk, cod-liver oil, and rays of the sun. Calcium is supplied by milk and yogurt. Magnesium can be obtained from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, parsley, turnip, radish, and beet tops. These vegetables should, preferably, be taken in salad form or should be lightly cooked.
Urinary Tract Infections
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infection that can involve bladder, kidneys, the ureters, and the tubes that connect the bladder and the kidneys, and the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body from the bladder.
In most cases, bacteria first begin growing in the urethra. An infection limited to the urethra is called urethritis. From there bacteria often move on to the bladder, causing a bladder infection (cystitis). If the infection is not treated promptly, bacteria may then go up the ureters to infect the kidneys (pyelonephritis).
UTIs are the second most common infection after respiratory infections. It is estimated that each year, eight to 10 million people in the United States have a UTI.
Causes and Risks
The most common bacterial culprit is Escherichia coli (E. coli). Although they are normal inhabitants of the colon, they can gain entry into the bladder and multiply. These bacteria are responsible for over 80 % of UTIs in adults
UTIs are more common in women who may be because the urethra is shorter and closer to the anus, giving E. coli bacteria easier access.
Besides E. coli, the bacteria staphylococcus saphrophyticus is responsible for up to 20 % of urinary tract infections in sexually active women. Other microorganisms called chlamydia trachoma is and mycoplasma hominis can be sexually transmitted, and infections require treatment of both partners.
Risk factors
• Poor hygiene
• Sexual intercourse
• Menopause – lower estrogen levels cause thinning of the urinary tract
• Urinary catheterization
• Suppressed immune system – e.g. diabetes
• Kidney stones – obstructs flow of urine
• Any condition that prevents complete bladder emptying
• Use of diaphragm as birth control
Symptoms
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Burning, painful feeling during urination
• Pass a small amount of urine
• Fatigue
• Urine may look cloudy, milky or even reddish
If these symptoms are present, the infection may have reached the kidneys:
• Constant pain or pressure in the abdomen, side, or low back
• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Chills
Immediate treatment with antibiotics is necessary to prevent kidney damage.
How are UTIs diagnosed?
Assessment usually begins by collecting a mid-stream urine sample. It involves cleaning the area around the urethral opening, beginning urination, and then collecting urine only from the middle of the stream. This urine sample is then analyzed for the level of bacteria-killing white blood cells (leukocytes). An abnormally high number of leukocytes in the urine may mean there is a UTI. A culture and sensitivity may be performed to determine the type of bacteria that is causing the problem. This helps the doctor select the drug that specifically targets the problem bacteria.
Conventional Treatment
Most UTIs are treated with antibacterial drugs, the most common being trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (e.g., Bactrim®, Cotrim®, Septra®), trimethoprim (Trimpex), amoxicillin (e.g., Amoxil®, Trimox®), or fluoroquinolones (e.g., Levaquin®, Cipro®). Although symptoms may begin to subside within 1 to 2 days, it is important to finish the entire course of medication to ensure that the infection has been completely eradicated. Even though symptoms are better, it does not necessarily mean that the infection is gone.
UTIs that are caused by bacteria such as chlamydia trachoma is and mycoplasma hominis require a longer course of treatment with tetracycline (e.g., Achromycin®), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or doxycycline (e.g., Periostat®).
Herbal Treatments for a UTI
Although natural treatments do exist, it is important to be supervised by a naturopathic doctor or other qualified health practitioner. The risk is that if the infection is not properly treated, it may spread to the kidneys and cause a kidney infection, even though a person no longer has symptoms. It must be eliminated.
Cranberry (vaccinium macrocarpon or vacinnium oxycoccus)
Cranberry juice has been used for more than a century for the prevention and treatment for urinary tract infections. Evidence suggests that it is the antioxidant flavonoids called proanthocyanins that prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. A study published in the Canadian Journal of Urology (2002) compared pure cranberry juice, cranberry extract tablets, and placebo in 150 women at high risk for infections. The juice and tablets both significantly reduced UTIs. Of the two, the tablets were the most effective. The National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health recently launched a $2.6 million dollar initiative for research into cranberries.
Cranberry juice should ideally be unsweetened, especially if it is used by people with suppressed immune systems. The unsweetened juice can often be found in health food stores.
Uva Ursi – (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Also called bearberry, uva ursi is an antimicrobial against e coli, arbutin. Pit one tab in cup of boiling water. 1 cup 3 times day. Use tea, tincture, or capsule. Compounds arbutin, methylarbutin. Uva ursi may turn urine green.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) – Goldenseal is an antimicrobial. It is found in capsule, tincture or tea form.
Other herbs to consider:
• Marshmallow root (Althea officinalis)
• Buchu (Barosma betulina) – an antiseptic and diuretic
• Corn silk
• Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Homeopathic
Cantharis — sharp burning pain, intense urge to urinate
Staphysagria — continual burning, result of sexual intercourse
Prevention
The best thing you can do is to prevent UTIs from occurring. Urinate as you feel the need. Avoid holding in urine.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water each day
• Avoid excess coffee, alcohol, smoking, and spicy foods
• Women should wipe from the front to the back after going to the bathroom. This helps to prevent e.coli from the colon from entering the bladder.
• Cleanse the genital area before sexual intercourse. Urinating after sexual intercourse can also help.
• Avoid bubble baths, feminine hygiene sprays, and scented douches, products, which can irritate the urethra.
Vaginal Yeast Infection
What is a vaginal yeast infection?
A vaginal yeast infection is an excess growth of yeast cells in the vagina. Yeast infections are very common in women of childbearing age but can occur at any age. Although they can be uncomfortable, vaginal yeast infections rarely lead to serious health problems.
Causes of a Yeast Infection
A healthy vagina normally contains many bacteria and small numbers of yeast cells. The most common bacteria found in the vagina, Lactobacillus acidophilus, help prevent other organisms, such as yeast, from growing in excess and causing an infection. About 70% to 90% of yeast infections are caused by a strain of yeast called Candida albicans.
When there is a change in the normal balance of organisms in the vagina, yeast can overgrow, causing symptoms. This imbalance can be caused by many factors, including use of broad-spectrum antibiotics for other conditions, high estrogen levels (as during pregnancy or hormone replacement therapy), or certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or HIV infection.
Symptoms of Yeast Infections
• Vaginal itching
• Irritated genital skin
• Pain or burning in the genital area with urination or sexual intercourse
• In some cases, white vaginal discharge that is usually curd like and odorless. Some women have no noticeable discharge.
How do you diagnose a vaginal yeast infection?
Vaginal itching and a white vaginal discharge that is odorless and looks like cottage cheese are classic signs of a vaginal yeast infection. However, it is easy to misdiagnose a vaginal infection.
If your symptoms are not typical of a yeast infection, you are not certain of your diagnosis, or you are pregnant and have symptoms, see your health professional. A vaginal exam and possibly a culture of vaginal discharge can help diagnose whether another type of organism is present.
Treatment
Take a tampon and dip it in yogurt. Insert in the vagina, twice a day. Continue this remedy for an extra day after your symptoms go away.
Tea Tree Oil
A few drops of tea tree oil poured on a tampon and inserted in the vagina can provide some relief.
Garlic: For non-vaginal yeast infections, you can apply garlic paste directly on the affected parts.
This remedy is for other affected parts of the body and not for the vaginal yeast infection.
Varicose Veins
Veins are thin-walled vessels through which the impure blood is carried back to the heart. They usually have valves which regular the flow of blood towards the heart. Varicose veins are a condition in which veins become enlarged, dilated or thickened.
Varicose veins can occur in any part of the body but generally appear on the legs. The veins of the legs are the largest in the body and they carry the blood from the lower extremities upwards towards the heart. The direction of circulation in these vessels is largely determined by gravity.
Though there are no mechanical obstacles to blood-flow, it is usually the incompetence of the valve which leads to an increase in intravenous pressure.
Varicose veins have an unsightly appearance and can be dangerous. A blood clot within a large, greatly dilated vein may breakaway and move toward the heart and lungs, causing serious complications. Varicose veins are about thrice as common as occurrence in women as in men.
This disease is rare in rural undeveloped societies.
Symptoms
The first sign of varicose veins is a swelling along the course of the veins. This may be followed by muscular cramps and a feeling of tiredness in the legs behind he knees. In some cases, the normal flow of blood towards the heart may be reversed when the patient is in an upright position. This results in venous blood collecting in the lower part of the legs and the skin becomes purplish and pigmented, leading to what is known as varicose eczema or varicose ulcers. Both conditions cause severe pain.
You may not have symptoms with varicose veins. Most people identify varicose veins by the appearance of twisted, swollen, bluish veins just beneath the skin.
If you have symptoms of varicose veins, they tend to be mild and may include:
• A dull ache, burning, or heaviness in the legs. These symptoms may be more noticeable late in the day or after you have been sitting or standing for a long time.
• Mild swelling, usually involving the feet and ankles only
• Itching skin over the varicose vein
More severe symptoms or complications include:
• A buildup of fluid and swelling in the leg
• Significant swelling and calf pain after sitting or standing for a long time
• Skin color changes (stasis pigmentation) around the ankles and lower legs
• Dry, stretched, swollen, itching, or scaling skin
• Superficial thrombophlebitis (when a blood clot and inflammation develop in a small vein near the surface of the skin)
• Open sores (ulcerations)
• Bleeding and/or bruising after a minor injury
Symptoms of varicose veins may become more severe a few days before and during a woman’s menstrual period.
Causes
A varicose condition of the veins results from sluggish circulation due to various factors such as constipation, dietetic errors, lack of exercise and smoking. Standing for long periods and wearing tight clothings can also lead to sluggish circulation. Pregnancy may cause varicose veins due to increased pressure in the pelvis and abdomen, which slows down the flow of blood from the lower extremities to the heart. Women usually suffer from this condition in the early years of child-bearing. Obesity can also cause varicose veins.
Treatment
For a proper treatment of varicose veins, the patients should, in the beginning, be put on a juice fast for four or five days or on all-fruit diet for 7 to 10 days. A warm water enema should be administered daily during this period to cleanse the bowels and measures should be taken to avoid constipation.
After the juice fast or all the fruits- diet, the patient should adopt restricted diet plan. In this regimen, oranges or orange and lemon juice may be taken for breakfast. The midday meal may consist of a raw salad or any of the vegetables in the season with olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower and raisins, figs or dates may be taken in the evening. No bread or potatoes or other starchy food should be included in this diet, or otherwise the whole effect of the diet will be lost.
After the restricted diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet with emphasis on grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits. About 75 per cent of the diet should consist of raw vegetables and fruits. All condiments, alcoholic drinks, coffee, strong tea, white flour products, white sugar, andwhite sugar products should be strictly avoided. A short fast or the all-fruit diet for two or three days may be undertaken every month, depending on the progress.
Raw vegetables juices, especially carrot juice in combination with spinach juice, have proved highly beneficial in the treatment of varicose veins. The formula proportion considered helpful in this combination are carrot 300 ml.and spinach 200 ml to prepare 500 ml of juice.
Certain nutrients, especially vitamin E and C have also been found effective in the treatment of this disease. The patient should take vitamin C in a therapeutic dose up to 3,000 mg. and Vitamin E in therapeutic doses from 600 to 1200 I.U. daily. This will relieve him of pain and leg cramps associated with varicose veins.
The alternate hot and cold hip bath is very valuable and should be taken daily. The affected parts should be sprayed with cold water or cold packs should be applied to them. A mud pack may be applied at night and allowed to remain until morning. A hot Epsom-salt bath is also very valuable and should be taken twice a week.
Marigold
The herb marigold is valuable in varicose veins. A compress of this herb should be applied externally in the treatment of this disease. The flowers of this plant can be applied externally over varicose ulcers with beneficial results, as they are an excellent remedy for inflamed or ulcerated conditions of the skin.
Vegetable Juices
Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice in combination with spinach juice, have proved beneficial in the treatment of this disease. The formula proportions considered helpful in this combination are 300 ml of carrot juice and 200 ml of spinach juice.
Nutrients
Certain nutrients, especially vitamins E and C have been found effective in the treatment of this disease. The patient should take vitamin C in therapeutic doses up to 3,000 mg and vitamin E in therapeutic doses from 600 to 1,200 mg daily. This will relieve him of pain and leg cramps associated with varicose veins.
Precautionary Measures:
The following precautionary measures will help prevent varicose veins and ease symptoms if the disease has already developed:
1. When on a long plane or train trip get up and walk around every half an hour. If on a long trip by car, stop once in a while and get out to stretch your legs.
2. When you are reading or watching television, elevate your feet and rest your legs on a chair or stool.
3. Mobility helps general circulation. Walking is beneficial as the movements of leg muscles help push the blood upwards. Swimming or walking in deep water does much the same thing. The great pressure of the water against legs helps move the blood up the veins and protects against stagnation.
4. Sleeping with feet raised slightly above the level of the heart helps the blood flow away from ankles. In case of serious troubles with varicose veins, the bed should be raised by placing blocks of six inches height under the posts at the foot. This is, however, not advisable for person with heart trouble.
5. If confined to bed, movement of feet and legs should be encouraged to help keep circulation moving youthfully.
6. Round garters should never be worn. They cut off the venous circulation, thus raising pressure in the veins and increasing the risk of varicositis.
7. Elastic girdles should not be worn continuously, especially when seated for a long time, such as at a desk, or during a plane, train or auto trip. The girdles bunch up and hamper the return flow of blood.
8. Pregnant woman should wear elastic stockings and lie down occasionally during the day.
Getting up soon after delivery is also helpful in blood circulation.
These easy-to-follow flex-exercises are beneficial as they ease the cause of varicose veins and thereby relieve the resultant symptoms. Sun bathing and deep breathing exercises are also helpful.
Certain inverted yoga postures such as viparitakarni, sarvagasana, and shirshashana are beneficial in the treatment of varicose veins as they drain the blood from the legs and reduce pressure on the veins. They help to relax the muscles and allow the blood freely in and out of the lower extremities. Padmasana, gomukhasana, vajrasana and shalabhasana are also beneficial.
Venereal Diseases
There has been an alarming increase in venereal or sexually transmitted diseases (V.D. or S.T.D.) due to promiscuity and free sex. These diseases are caused by bacteria and germs and canbecome very serious if not treated properly and early. The most common disease in this category are syphilis and gonorrhoea.
Syphillis is probably one of the oldest disease of the human race. Sexual contact is the commonest way in which this disease is spread through a community. But many of those who contract the disease are innocent. Little children are sometimes born with this disease. It may also be transmitted from one person to another by kissing or handling infected clothing or other articles.
Symptoms and Causes
Syphillis usually begins as a small ulcerating type of lesion which may occur anywhere in the body, the most common sites being the penis and vulva or in the vagina. Violent or rough sex behaviour often results in abrasions and thus the virus comes in direct contact with the blood.
Gonorrhoea is usually transmitted by sexual contact. An acute inflammation of the male urethra or the vagina of the female due to infection through pus by the gonorrhoea germs is known as gonorrhoea. A person having a high degree of toxaemia and a low vitality may develop this condition with the slightest secretion. A clean blood stream and a high vitality on the other hand may protect one from this disease.
The wise plan, however, is to avoid all chances of infection. The common is the sexual act in which one of the partners has this disease. Sometimes it may be contracted through other sources or it may be hereditary.
Gonorrhoea is most difficult disease to identify than syphillis. About two-thirds of women with this disease have no symptoms at all or at most very trivial ones which may be passed off as an apparently harmless vaginal discharge. The usual symptom in the male is a discharge from the tip of the penis.
If the disease is neglected or improperly treated, it may spoil the entire blood stream which may produce gonorrheal rheumatism and cause affection of the eyes. Proper treatment is therfore, highly important soon after the occurrence of the infection.
Treatement
Syphillis and gonorrhoea are quite amenable to successful treatment by proper dietary and other natural methods, leaving no ill-effects to mar the future life and happiness of their victims.
Suppressive drugs employed by the modern medical system in the treatment simply halts the active manifestations of the disease in the victim’s system for the time being. The disease-poisons and the metallic drugs are still left in the patient’s system and these have a most destructive effect upon the tissues and structures of the body, especially upon the nervous tissues.
The only safe way of treating venereal disease is fasting. All cases of syphilis and gonorrhoea can be cured through the agency of the fast. This will not only prevent dreaded after- effects, but will also greatly enhance the wholegeneral health level of the patient by a thorough cleansing of his system. The juice of an orange, in a glass of warm water, may be taken during thisperiod. If orange juice disagrees, vegetable juice may be taken. Each day while fasting, it should be ensured that the bowels are cleansed of the poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process now set up by the body. This can be achieved through a warm water enema. The fast may be continued from seven to 14 days.
After the fast, the patient, may adopt an exclusive fruit diet for further five days. He should thereafter gradually embark upon a balanced diet for three basic food groups as outlined in the treatment for impotence (chapter 75), avoiding all the foods mentioned therein.
Major R. Austin, a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Great Britain in his book, ‘Direct Paths to Health’ mentions a case of a syphilis patient aged 27 years who was cured only by dietetic treatment. Dr. Austin narrates the case as under:
“Mr. A., aged twenty-seven, came to me suffering from tertiary syphilis. The classic drugs has been used, but it had not stopped the ravages of the disease. His face and body were covered with rupial eruptions – ulcers covered with a scab-and the odour from his body was most unpleasant.
“I prescribed a fourteen-day fast with a saline purge daily, plenty of water and as much strained orange juice diluted with water as he liked to drink during the day. At the end of fourteen days he was allowed two meals a day, one of them consisting of nothing but purely cooked vegetables and some butter, and the other of milk and fresh fruit.
“In six weeks from the date of commencing the treatment, all the eruptions had disappeared, as well as the foul odour of the body, and he was feeling remarkably well and has remained so ever since. “
Vegetable juices are highly beneficial in the treatment of venereal diseases. Juices which are particularly helpful include those of carrot, cucumber, beet and spinach. The patient may make liberal use of carrot juice either in combination with spinach juice or cucumber or beet.
Amaranth (chaulai ka saag) is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of gonorrhoea. About 25 gms. of the leaves of this vegetable should be given twice or thrice a day to the patient in this condition.
Fresh juice of the flowers of the drumstick is very useful in the treatment of gonorrhoea. For better results, this juice should be given twice daily with tender coconut water. It acts as a diuretic tonic medicine in this disease.
A decoction of fresh lady’s fingers has also been found useful in treating gonorrhoea. A cupful of mucilage of lady’s finger is mixed with ripe banana and a glassful of buttermilk. The mixture is a very effective remedy for gonorrhoea. Four capsules of lady’s finger are cut into 2.5 c.m. pieces and are boiled in quarter litre of water for about 15 minutes. After cooling the pieces are squeezed andthe mucilage is extracted and strained through a muslin cloth.
In case of syphilis, a ‘T’ pack should be employed for an hour for the local treatment of the initial sore and it should be repeated twice daily. All clothes, sheets and towels, used by the patient should behandled carefully to avoid new sores and to prevent infection to others. It is better to boil all such articles. In case of eruptions on the different parts of the body, a wet sheet pack for an hour is beneficial. It will help bring out all the poisonous substances of the skin by producing more eruptions which will gradually dry up.
Application of pelvic packs occasionally for an hour is one of the most effective methods of treatment in case of gonorrhoea. As irritation in the prostate gland and urethra is present in this disease, a hot hip bath for eight minutes has a beneficial effect as it tends to relieve irritation.
An occasional steam bath for eight minutes is of outstanding value in both syphilis and gonorrhoea. It will help remove the poisonous substances from the body and enable the kidney to perform its work effectively. An overall massage has also beneficial effects on the entire body.
Vomiting
Before vomiting, usually one will feel nauseous. Nausea is an unpleasant wavelike feeling in the back of the throat and/or stomach that may or may not result in vomiting. Vomiting is the forceful elimination of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Retching is the movement of the stomach and esophagus without vomiting and is called “dry heaves.” Even though treatments have improved, nausea and vomiting continue to be worrisome side effects. Nausea is sometimes far more distressing for people than vomiting.
Symptoms
• Increased saliva
• Dizziness
• Light-headedness
• Difficulty in swallowing food or liquid
• Changes in skin temperature
• Increase in heart beat rate
Causes
Some of the common causes of vomiting are:
• Overeating
• Drinking excessive alcohol
• Pregnancy
• Migraine
• Infections
• Flu
• Stomach upset
• Stomach virus
• Food poisoning
• Poisoning
• Accidental poisoning
• Acute gastritis
• Reflux
• Intestinal obstructions
• Chronic digestive conditions
• Peptic ulcers
• Stomach cancer
• Intestinal obstruction
• Kidney failure
• Cholera
Treatment
• Have a cup of ginger tea
• Eat a mixture of honey and powder of two roasted cardamoms
• Have a glass of chilled limejuice
• Have a mixture of 1 tsp mint juice
• 1 tsp limejuice
• 1/2 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp honey
• Slowly sip a glass of honey water,
• Have one tsp onion juice in regular interval
• Slowly sip a glass of chilled cola
Relax for some time.
Warts
A wart is a harmless, noncancerous skin growth caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV).
There are more than 100 known Types: of HPV. HPV infects the top layer of skin, usually entering the body in an area of broken skin. The virus causes the top layer of skin to grow rapidly, resulting in a wart. Warts generally go away on their own within months or years.
Warts can occur anywhere on the body. They are most common among children and young adults.
There are six main kinds of warts. They can differ in location and in appearance.
• Common warts appear most often on the hands, but they may appear anywhere on the body. They are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths.
• Plantar warts occur on the soles of the feet. They look like hard, thick patches of skin with dark specks. Plantar warts may cause pain when you walk, and you may feel like you are stepping on a pebble.
• Flat warts are usually found on your face, arms, or legs. They are small (usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil), have flat tops, and can be pink, light brown, or light yellow.
• Filiform warts are usually found around the mouth, nose, or beard area. They are flesh-colored with fingerlike projections.
• Periungual warts are found under and around the toenails and fingernails. They appear as rough, irregular bumps. They can affect nail growth.
• Genital warts are found on the genitals, around the anus, within the rectum or vagina, or on the cervix. They range in color from flesh to gray and often grow together to form cauliflower-like masses and in some cases are too small to see. Genital warts may increase a woman’s risk of cervical cancer.
Symptoms
• Common warts usually appear singly or in groups on the hands, although they may grow on any part of the body. They usually are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths.
• Plantar warts can develop on any part of the foot. Sometimes dark specks are visible beneath the surface of the wart. When pressure from standing or walking pushes a plantar wart beneath the skin’s surface, a layer of thick, tough skin similar to a callus develops over it. As the callus and wart get larger, walking can become painful, much like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Multiple plantar warts can form in a large, flat cluster known as a “mosaic wart.”
• Flat warts are usually found on the face, arms, or legs. They are small (usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil), and there are usually several in one area. They have flat tops and can be pink, light brown or light yellow. Flat warts are often spread by shaving.
• Filiform warts, a kind of flat wart, can grow around the mouth, nose, and beard area. The surface of this type of wart has many flesh-colored, fingerlike projections.
• Periungual warts are found under and around the toenails and fingernails. They appear as rough, irregular bumps. They can affect nail growth.
• Genital warts can be extremely small and difficult to detect. For more information, see the topic Genital Warts.
Causes
A wart develops when a human papillomavirus infects the outermost layer of skin and causes the skin cells to grow rapidly. The virus can then spread from an existing wart to other areas of the body, causing more warts. Various Types: Of this virus, thrive in warm, moist environments such as showers, locker room floors, and swimming pool areas.
You are most likely to develop a wart where you have broken skin, such as a cut, hangnail, closely bitten nail, or scrape. Plantar warts are common to swimmers whose feet are not only moist and softened but are also scratched and broken by rough pool surfaces. Common warts are often seen among those who handle meat, chicken, and fish.
Treatments
Castor Oil
The use of castor oil is one of the most important home remedies for warts. This oil should be applied generously over the affected parts every night. The treatment should be continued for several months.
Figs
The milky juice of fresh figs is another valuable remedy. This juice should be extracted from the fresh, barely-ripe fruits and applied on the warts several times a day. The treatment should be continued for two weeks.
Potato
Raw potatoes are beneficial in the treatment of warts. They should be cut and rubbed on the affected area several times daily, for at least two weeks. This wi1l bring about good results.
Onion
Onions are also valuable in warts. They are irritating to the skin and stimulate the circulation of the blood. Warts sometimes disappear when rubbed with cut onions.
Indian Squill
The herb Indian squill is useful in removing warts. A powder of the bulb of this herb should be applied locally over the affected area for beneficial results.
Dandelion
The herb dandelion is another valuable remedy for warts. The milk from the cut end of dandelion should be applied over the affected area two or three times daily.
Marigold
Marigold is another herb found beneficial in the treatment of warts. The juice of the leaves of this plant can be applied beneficially over warts. The sap from the stem has also been found beneficial in the removal of warts.
Cashew Nut Oil
The oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut is useful in warts as it is a strong irritant to the skin. It should be applied externally over the affected area in treating this condition.
Certain external applications over the affected parts have also proved beneficial in the treatment of warts. These include juices of papaya and pineapple, and chalk powder mixed with water.
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system—specifically, the area where the nasal passages meet the back of the throat (nasopharynx). The infection causes irritation in breathing passages, resulting in severe coughing spells. The illness has three distinct stages and can last months.
Complications like pneumonia can result from whooping cough. These kinds of problems can be very serious in young children, especially babies who are born early or who have not been immunized. Older adults are also more likely than other people to develop complications from whooping cough.
Symptoms
Symptoms of whooping cough typically last 6 to 10 weeks (but may last longer), and they occur in three stages.
First stage
Cold like symptoms begin and last for several days to 2 weeks. Symptoms usually include sneezing, a runny nose, mild coughing, watery eyes, and sometimes a mild fever. An infected person is most contagious during this stage.
Second stage
The most serious symptoms develop during this phase and last about 2 to 4 weeks or longer. As cold like symptoms fade, the cough gets worse. A dry, hacking cough intensifies into bursts of uncontrollable, often violent coughing that may make it temporarily impossible to breathe. The person may quickly inhale when trying to take a breath through airways narrowed by inflammation, which sometimes creates a whooping noise.
Symptoms and results of coughing spells in babies:
• This may be triggered by very slight stimulation, such as taking in food or milk, sucking, exposure to a sudden sound or light, or stretching.
• The symptoms that could occur are the following: flushed cheeks, pale or bluish complexion caused from a lack of oxygen, and bulging or watery eyes. A baby may also stick out his or her tongue, push the chest forward, or flail arms and legs in distress.
• This may be frightening to watch, although most babies recover and regain control of their breathing on their own. Babies generally feel well between coughing spells but may become exhausted from the physical effort of coughing.
• This may lead to hospitalization, especially if the baby is younger than 4 months of age.
Hospitalization allows health professionals to monitor the baby’s condition and evaluate how well he or she tolerates and recovers from coughing episodes.
Third stage
The final stage, lasting for a few weeks or months, is a gradual recovery period. Although the person gains strength and begins to feel better, the cough may become louder and sound worse.
Coughing spells become less frequent but may flare up again if a cold or other upper respiratory illness develops. This final stage may last longer in people who were not given the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.
Complications, such as pneumonia or exertion-related injuries from coughing, such as a hernia, can develop from whooping cough. These Types: Of health, problems pose the most serious risk to children younger than 4 months and adults age 60 and older.
Treatment
Garlic
Garlic is one of the most effective remedies for whooping cough. The syrup of garlic should be given in doses of five drops to a teaspoon, two or three times a day, for treating this condition. It should be given more often if the coughing spells are frequent and violent.
Ginger
Ginger is another effective remedy for whooping cough. A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, is an excellent diaphoretic. The fenugreek decoction can be made by boiling one teaspoon of seeds in 250 ml of water until it is reduced to half.
Radish
Syrup prepared by mixing a teaspoon of fresh radish juice with an equal quantity of honey and a little rock salt, is beneficial in the treatment of this disease. It should be given thrice daily.
Almond Oil
Almond oil is valuable in whooping cough. Five drops of almond oil should be mixed with ten drops each of fresh white onion juice and ginger juice, and taken thrice daily for a fortnight. It will provide relief.
Calamus
The herb calamus is another valuable remedy for whooping cough. A pinch of the powder of the roasted herb should be given with a teaspoon of honey. Being antispasmodic, it prevents severe bouts of coughing. For smaller children, the dose must be proportionately smaller.
Wrinkles
Wrinkles are a by-product of the aging process. With age, skin cells divide more slowly, and the inner layer, called the dermis, begins to thin. The network of elastin (the protein which causes skin to stretch) and collagen fibers (the major structural proteins in the skin), which support the outer layer, loosen and unravel, causing depressions on the surface. With aging, skin also loses its elasticity, is less able to retain moisture, oil-secreting glands are less efficient and the skin is slower to heal.
Symptoms
• Lined and creased skin
• Sagging skin
• Areas that are more affected include sensitive skin near the eyes, lips and neck.
Though some creases are temporary, they may become deeper and more permanent due to ageing.
Causes
Facial Muscle Contractions
Lines between the eyebrows (frown lines) and lines jutting from the corner of the eyes (crow’s feet) are believed to develop because of small muscle contractions. Smiling, frowning, squinting and other habitual facial expressions cause these wrinkles to become more prominent. Over time, the expressions coupled with gravity contribute to the formation of jowls and drooping eyelids.
Sun Damage
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (too much sun) can result in premature aging of skin. Premature aging of the skin is called photo aging. The ultraviolet sunrays cause photo aging damage collagen fibers and cause the excessive production of abnormal elastin. When ultraviolet light damages skin tissue, an enzyme called metalloproteinase is produced. This enzyme creates and reforms collagen. During the process, however, some healthy collagen fibers are damaged, resulting in a disorganized formation of fibers called solar scars. Wrinkles develop when the rebuilding process occurs repeatedly.
Smoking
Healthy skin perpetually regenerates. While old collagen is broken down and removed, new collagen is produced. Researchers have found that smoke causes a marked reduction in the production of new collagen. A lack of new collagen results in the development of wrinkles.
Rapid weight loss can produce wrinkles
Treatments
• Apply egg whites to the skin under your eyes.
• Odor-free castor oil can be applied to the skin under the eyes or on that of the throat.
• Empty the contents of three Vitamin E capsules into a small bowl. Add to this 2-tablespoon plain yogurt, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Apply this mixture on the face using a cotton ball. Leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse.
• A mixture of 1/4 cup comfrey infusion, 1/4 cup witch hazel and 10 drops of patchouli essential oil is effective in treating wrinkles. This can be stored in a clean bottle and applied on affected areas with a cotton ball.
• Gently massage coconut oil on portions of skin prone to wrinkles every night a bedtime.
• A paste of turmeric made with sugarcane juice is great to get rid of wrinkles and slow down skin ageing.
• Cut a green Thompson seedless grape in half and gently crush it on your face on the wrinkles. Leave it for 20 minutes, rinse with warm water, and let it dry in natural air.
• Rub the core of pineapple on the face and leave it for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off.
This works well on fine wrinkles.
• Applying juice of green pineapples and apples on the face daily for 10-15 minutes is good for fine wrinkles and cracked skin.
• Application of pure castor oil regularly prevents wrinkles.
PART IV
WOMEN’S PROBLEMS
Menstrual Disorders
The maternal instincts of a woman arise almost entirely from the female hormones within her body. These hormes are produced in a pair of almond-shaped organs, known as the ovaries.
They are situated deep within the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus or womb.
The two major female hormones are estrogen and pro-gestrone. These hormones give the woman strength and stamina and are largely responsible for the peculiarly feminine shape of her body. The ovaries start producing large quantities of estrogen, the dominant female hormone when a girl reaches about 12 years of age. This enables her to grow rapidly and develop into a normal young woman. The commencement of menstruation at this time heralds the reproductive phase of her life, when she can have children. This phase may last for about 35 years.
The menstrual flow is connected with the female function of ovaluation or the passing of the egg cell or ovum from the ovary to the womb ready for fertilisation. It is a provision of nature to cleanse the inner surface of the womb and enable reproduction to take place normally. The flow normally lasts for about four days and has a rhythm of 28 days.
The main problem relating to menstrual flow are painful menstruation, stoppage of menstruation and excessive menstruation, besides pre-menstrual tension which is discussed in the next chapter (84). These disorders are quite common, but they are not normal. Healthy women, living according to natural laws and eating diets of natural foods do not suffer from the monthly ordeal.
Most menstrual disorders are caused by nutritional deficiencies which lead to deficiency and improper metabolism of the female sex hormones. These disorders are now discussed briefly.
Dysmenorrhoea: Painful menstruation or dysmenorrhoea, as it is called in medical parlance, is a very common occurrence these days. This disorder is traceable to a debilitated and toxic condition of the system in general and of the sex organs in particular due to a wrong diet, wrong style of living and nervous exhaustion. The pain may be felt either two or three days before or immediately before or during the flow.
Pain starting two or three days before the flow usually shows that the ovaries are not functioning properly. This is a glandular misfunction and a carefully planned natural diet will usually put matters right. For local treatment, hot sip baths on alternate nights for a week before the period is due will be highly beneficial. Between periods, cold hip baths will increase the tone of the ovaries.
Pain immediately before the flow commences is indicative of uterine flexion, which means that the position of the womb is abnormal. A professional examination should be arranged to ascertain the position of the womb and corrective exercises undertaken under professional advice. Uterine flexion often occurs in women who are so thin that they have lost internal fat and the ligament, on which the womb is suspended. General treatment along dietetic lines is essential along with corrective exercises.
When the pain occurs during menstruation, it usually means that the womb itself is inflammed.
This condition can be relieved by proper attention to diet and hot hip baths just before the period is due and cold hip baths between the periods. The hot hip bath is generally taken for eight to ten minutes at a water temperature of 100 o F which can be gradually increased to 120 o F. The cold hip bath should be taken for 10 to 15 minutes at a water temperature of 50 o F to 65 o F.
Amenorrhoea or stoppage of menstrual flow: Stoppage of menstruation is natural during pregnancy and at the menopause, but abnormal at any other time. It is true that some women have very infrequent periods but this seems to be peculiar to their particular type and cannot be termed as stoppage. If, however, the periods have been quite regular for a number of years and then suddenly stop or the cycle becomes frequently interrupted, it denotes a debilitated and devitalised condition of the system, especially of the sex organ. Causes contributing towards this condition are anaemia, worry, grief, fright or other serious emotional disturbances, malformation of the womb, tuberculosis, displacement of womb and debility, especially after a serious illness.
The treatment for amenorrhoea should be directed towards the rectification of the disease-condition responsible for causing the trouble in the first place. Along with this, a course of general health-building treatment should also be carried out. If serious emotional disturbance has caused the trouble, an initial period of quietness and rest is essential to the treatment. All excitement, excessive mental strain and study should be avoided for a considerable period.
Menorrhoea or excessive menstruation: Profuse menstrual flow is common in certain women and usually denotes a blood deficiency, especially blood calcium. A variety of causes may be responsible for this trouble, but toxic condition of the system is at the root of the matter. It is essential to keep the patient absolutely quiet and confined to bed. The bottom of the bed should be raised 10 cm to 13 cm. IN case of excessive bleeding, a gauze may be inserted in the vagina as a temporary measure.
For the first few days the diet should consist only of milk and raw vegetables. No stimulants should be taken as they tend to increase the flow. When the bleeding has stopped, great care should be taken to avoid over exertion or straining the body in any manner. A full natural cure diet should then be adopted using fresh vegetables raw salads twice daily. As a long term measure, what is needed is a scheme of treatment which will thoroughly cleanse the system of toxic material.
Treatment
The various disorders relating to menstrual flow are indicative of the low level of a woman’s health and a toxic condition of her sex organism, which has been brought about by wrong habits of living, especially wrong dietary habits. These disorders are made more deep-seated and chronic by modern medical efforts to deal with them through the suppressive agency of surgery and drugs. The disorders being systemic in origin, can be tackled only by treating the system as a whole so as to remove the toxicity from the body and build up the general health-level of the sufferer.
To undertake such a scheme of all round health-building treatment, the sufferer from menstrual disorders should begin with an all-fruit diet for about five days. In this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, papaya, oranges, pineapple, peaches and melon. No other foodstuff should be taken; otherwise the value of the whole treatment will be lost. However, if there is much weight loss on the all-fruit diet, those already underweight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal. During this period the bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema.
After the all-fruit diet, the sufferer should adopt a well- balanced diet on the following lines: Upon rising: A glass of lukewarm water mixed with the freshly squeezed juice of half a lime and a spoon of honey.
Breakfast: Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, grapes, papaya, banana and milk.
Lunch: A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetable such as carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, swuash, and beans, two or three whole wheat chappatis.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of carrot juice or sugarcane juice.
Dinner: A large bowl of fresh green vegetable salad using all available vegetable such as carrot, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, red beets and onion and mung bean sprouts.
Bed-time snack: A glass of fresh milk or an apple.
The diet factor is of the utmost importance. Fruits and salads,nature’s body-cleansing and health-restoring foods, must form the bulk of the future diet alongwith whole grains, nuts and seeds, especially in sprouted forms. Frequent small meals should be taken instead of few large ones to prevent low blood sugar which is common during menstruation. The foods which should be avoided in future are white-flour products, sugar, confectionery, rich cakes, pastries, sweets, refined cereals, flesh foods, rich, heavy, or greasy foods, tinned or preserved foods, strong tea, coffee, pickles, condiments and sauces. Smoking, if habitual, should be given up completely as it aggravates menstrual disorders.
A further short period on all -fruit, say two or three consecutive days can be undertaken at monthly intervals, according to the need of the case. The morning dry friction and cold hip baths should form a regular feature of the treatment. All cold baths should however, be suspended during the menstrual period.
Certain remedies have been found useful in menstrual disorders. Cooked banana flower eaten with curd is one of the more important of such remedies. The banana flower appears to increase progesterone hormone and reduce the bleeding.
Beet juice has been found very effective for menstrual disorders. It should be used in small quantities of 60 to 90 grams, at a time two or three times a day in these conditions.
Coriander seeds are highly beneficial in the treatment of excessive menstruation. Six gramsof these seeds should be boiled in half a litre of water. It should be taken off the fire when only half the water remains. Sugar candy should be added to it and the patient should drink it when it is still warm.
Ginger has been useful in menstrual disorders. A piece of fresh ginger should be pounded and boiled in a cupful of water for few minutes. The infection sweetened with sugar should be used thrice daily after meals as a medicine for dysmenorrhoea, and amenorrhoea due to exposure to cold winds and taking cold baths.
Sesame seeds are also useful in menstrual disorders. Half a teaspoonful of powder of these seeds taken with hot water twice daily acts excellently in reducing spasmodic pain during menstruation in young unmarried anaemic girls. Its regular use, two days prior to the expected periods, cures scanty menstruation. Warm hip bath containing a handful of bruised sesame seeds should be simultaneously taken alongwith this receipt.
Safflower seeds have also been found to be beneficial in the treatment of painful menstruation.
A decoction prepared by boiling two teaspoonfulsof powdered seeds in 120 ml. of water should be given as a remedy for this condition. Dried flowers mixed with confection of rose can also be given as a medicine for this purpose.
Premenstrual Syndrome
The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a variety of symptoms which recur in the same phase of the menstrual cycle. These generally make their appearance two to seven days before the onset of menstruation and are relieved once the menses start.
Approximately, 40 per cent of menstruating women suffer from premenstrual tension and it occurs mostly in women over 30 years of age. IN some women, the onset of symptoms seems to coincide with ovulation and may then persist until menstruation commences. IN some rare cases, relief from the premenstrual syndrome may be obtained only with the cessation of the menstrual flow.
Symptoms
The onset of this syndrome is abrupt, generally with a headache which is often accompanied by vomiting. A general feeling of depression and irritability permeate the entire experience. What is worse, these symptoms intensify progressively, making the last day of the PMS the worst.
Tension headaches are common during this period, but in some cases, migraines attacks occur with severe pain and vomiting. The patient suffers from breast tenderness, which is sometimes so severe that it is almost unbearable. There may also be abdominal bloating, accompanied in some cases, by odema of the ankles and hands. Some women resort to dieting to get rid of the abodminal bloating but this only leads to fatigue and depression. Others may experience a craving for sweet foods.
Some of the less common symptoms are exacerbation of epilepsy dizziness, back ache, hoarse voice, greasy hair, acne and allergic reactions.
Patients suffering from premenstrual tension may show a gain of weight of one kg or more in the latter part of the menstrual cycle due to salt and water retention. The retention of fluid is partly due to ovarian steroids, but there is also an increased output of anti diuretic hormone from the posterior pituitary gland.
Diagnosis
There is no specific laboratory diagnosis of the premenstrual syndrome. The problem can be diagnosed on the basis of past history showing a clear, recurrent relationship between a stage of the menstrual cycle and the onset of symptoms as well as the coincidence of relief with the start or cessation of menstruation. The patient may maintain a personal diary about her symptoms and feelings during those days. The record should be kept for atleast three cycles.
Causes
The causes behind the premenstrual syndrome still remain unexplained. Some authorities believe that deficiency of hormone progesterone may result in PMS but this has not yet been satisfactorily proved. Emotional stress can often contribute to the symptoms, and the social relationship of the patient needs to be reviewed.
A team of researchers at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and John Hopkins University School of Medicine, London, through carefully controlled studies concluded that dietary deficiencies particularly that of vitamin E and vitamin B6 or pyridoxine are the most common causes of PMS.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. Where only mild symptoms are experienced, the problem can be elevated by a change of routine. Extra work and stressful situation should be avoided. Fluids should be moderately restricted and care should be taken not to add extra salt to the food. The patient’s partner and family members should be educated about all the facets of the PMS. The patient should not take any oral contraceptives as these may cause fluid retention and lowering the plasma levels. Hormonal imbalance and infections of the uterus can be helped by a natural diet regimen.
As most women feel tension arising from chronic constipation it is essential to treat this condition first. In constipation, the putrefying faecal matter may be reabsorbed into the bloodstead, and the same blood, if supplied to the brain, will cause gradual enervation. Constipation can be relieved by a lukewarm water enema and liberal intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables and simple fibrous meals.
Other treatment for the PMS include regular cold hip baths for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day. This will congestion and inflammation of the uterus and connected organs. Tension will also be dissipated with this treatment. Hot foot baths followed by a cold compress to the lower abdomen and the inner surfaces of the thighs also help to relieve uterine congestion and tension.
If the cold hip bath is not practicable, a wet girdle pack applied twice a day on empty stomach is very beneficial for clearing up uterine congestion and improving bowel function.
All these statements should be suspended during the menstrual flow.
Diet pays a significant role in preventing premenstrual syndrome. The patient should avoid refined carbohydrates, sugars, coffee, tea, tobacco, other stimulants, oily, fried or spicy food and all meats.
A regular practice of yogasanas, especially those recommended for strengthening the genito-urinary system will be very useful in overcoming premenstrual syndrome. These asanas are bhujangasana, shalabhasana, vajrasana, paschimotanasana, ardhamatsyendrasana and trikonasana. Other helpful measures are brisk walks and abdominal exercises which are good for strengthening the abdominal muscles and pelvic organs.
Great relief can also be obtained by manipulating the tender points gently, on the big as well as other toes of the feet. Manipulation on the middle portion of the leg foot which relates the uterus and vagina will help to correct the disorder of the uterus.
Mental poise is an important factor. Negative mental attitudes like fear, worry, anger, jealousy, tension and inferiority complex should be eliminated by positive thinking, meditation and good company.
Menopausal Problems
The menopause or a woman’s change of life is a perfectly normal event which occurs in the mid or late forties. It signifies the end of the female reproductive period of life which commenced at adolescence in the early teens.
There are several misconceptions about menopause. Many women at this time feel that they are growing old and that they are well past their full physical vigour. Other women feel that the menopause brings a cessation of sexual pleasure. These apprehensions are far from true.
Menopause may be considered an end to women’s fertility but certainly not to her virility. It does not decrease a woman’s physical capacity or sexual vigour or enjoyment.
Symptoms
During the menopause, the entire chain of endocrine glands is disturbed, particularly the gonads, thyroid and pituitary. In a really healthy woman, the menopausal change takes place without any unpleasant symptoms. The only sign that the “change “taking place is the cessation of menstrual flow. There are, however, many women who do not enjoy good health due to dietetic errors and a faulty style of living. In these cases, the menopausal change often leads to all kinds of distressing physical, emotional and nervous symptoms and manifestations.
Hot flashes, night sweats, nervous tension, menstrual disturbances, insomnia, diminished interest in sex, irritability and depression are the typical symptoms of menopause. Other symptoms are chilly feelings, fatigue, palpitation, dizziness, headaches and numbness. Not every women will get these severe reactions. The severity or otherwise of the symptoms depend on a variety of factors such as general health, previous surgery and radiation. Menopause and its problems are usually over when menstruation stops.
Causes
The annoying symptoms associated with menopause arise from the fact that the ovaries are no longer producing their normal amount of estrogen, the dominant female hormone. Anything which interferes with the normal functioning of the ovaries may also bring about these symptoms. The same strange feelings may occur if the ovaries are removed by surgery because of disease. This can also result from heavy X-ray therapy or the use of radiation.
A lack of normal hormone balance may also result in a severe backache. This is caused by thinning of the bones arising from the low level of estrogen in the bloodstream. Unless properly treated, this may eventually lead to a collapse of one or more of the vertebrae.
Treatment
Although menopause cannot be avoided, it can be postponed for as long as 10 to 15 years and it can be made a smooth affair when it comes, with a proper nutritional programme, special supplements and the right mental attitude.
When a woman is affected by the menopausal change to any marked extent, it is a sure sign that her body is in a toxic condition and in need of a thorough cleansing. For this purpose, she should undergo a course of natural health building treatment.
Diet is of utmost importance in such a scheme of treatment. In fact the problems at menopause are often much more severe than that at puberty largely because the diet has been deficient for many years prior to its onset, in many nutrients such as protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamins D, E and pantothenic acid.
The diet should be made up from three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits. The emphasis should be on vitamin E-rich raw and sprouted seeds and nuts, unpasteurised high quality milk and home-made cottage cheese and an abundance of raw, organically grown fruits and vegetables. Plenty of freshly made juices of fruits and vegetables in season should also be included in this diet.
All processed, refined and denatured foods, such as white sugar, white flour and all articles made with them, should be completely eliminated. Take special supplements such as vitamins C, B6 and pantothenic acid, which have a specific property of stimulating the body’s own production of estrogen or enhancing the effect of the existing estrogen.
During menopause, the lack of ovarian hormones can result in a severe calcium deficiency. For this reason, a larger than usual intake of calcium may help greatly. Vitamins D and F are also essential for assimilation of calcium. Any woman having difficulty at this time should supplement her daily diet with 1,000 units of natural vitamin D, 5000 milligrams of magnesium and two grams of calcium daily, which can be supplied by one quart of milk.
During the manopause, the need for vitamin E soars 10 to 50 times over that previously required. Hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of menopause often disappear when 50
to 100 units of vitamin E are taken daily. The symptoms recur quickly if the vitamin is discontinued.
Of late, it has become popular to take estrogen to prevent or postpone menopausal symptoms.
Although hormone therapy is apparently successful and will, in many cases, help the patient to feel and act younger, it cannot be recommended in all cases because of its carcinogenic effect.
If, however, estrogen therapy is undertaken, it should never be administered at the same time as vitamin E therapy. Ingestion of estrogen and vitamin E should be seperated by several hours.
Beet juice has been found very useful in menopausal disorders. It should be taken in small quantities of 60 to 90 ml at a time thrice a day. It has proved much more permanently helpful than the degenerative effects of drugs or synthetic hormones.
Carrot seeds have also been found valuable in menopausal tension. A teaspoonful of the seeds should be boiled in a glassful of cow’s milk for about 10 minutes and taken daily as a medicine in this condition.
Plenty of outdoor exercise, such as walking, joggng, swimming, horse-riding or cycling, is imperative to postpone menopause. Other helpful measures in this direction are avoiding mental and emotional stress and worries, especially worry about growing old, sufficient sleep and relaxation and following all general rules of maintaining a high level of health. The healthier a woman is, the fewer menopausal symptoms she will experience.
The menopause can be made a pleasant affair by building bodily health and a sane mental outlook. From puberty to menoapuse, a woman has been somewhat of a slave to her female glands. At specified intervals she was inconvenienced by her menstural periods. She bore children, enduring the pain and discomfort of pregnancy. Menopause relieves her of this bondage to her femininity. She can now experience some of the happiest days of a woman’s life.
A whole new life is given to her, if she is wise enough to prepare for it and accept it as such.
Childbirth the Natural Way
Childbirth, in the normal way, should be a purely natural function with very little pain or discomfort to the women concerned. It is so even today that with primitive races. But many civilised women appear to find the bearing of children a task fraught with grave risk and suffering and attended by numerous minor or serious after-effects. This is solely due to wrong dietary habits and a faulty style of living. Really healthy mothers will always have an easy time when pregnant.
Pregnancy makes many demands on the prospective mother, the most important being her nutritional needs and those of the unborn child. Studies of nutrition of women during pregnancy shows a definite relationship between the diet of the mother and the condition of the baby at birth. These studies have also shown that some of the complications of the pregnancy such as anaemia, toxemia and premature delivery may result from a diet inadequate in the nutritional needs of the mother and the baby.
The process of childbirth becomes painful mainly due to a large foetus in the womb. This results from an excessive intake of denatured foods such as white flour products, white sugar, refined cereals, meat and other flesh foods during pregnancy. Other factors contributing to the suffering of the women include lack of exercise, unhygienic habits of living and restrictive garments.
It is quite wrong to assume that the larger the baby at birth, the healthier it will be. The weight ofthe baby should be about three to three and a half kg. at birth. If the weight is more than that, delivery will be painful for the mother. Such a child will also be covered with unnecessary fat and watery tissue, which is really waste matter and an impediment to health.
A proper diet during pregnancy is the most important factor for not only having a painless childbirth but also for giving birth to a healthy baby. The idea of “eating for two “, which is so prevalent today, is absurd and it leads to overeating, resulting in an unusually, heavy baby. The diet during pregnancy should consist of natural, vital foods and minimum intake of today’s denatured food products. The unborn child will require an adequate amount of orgnic minerals from its mother for building of bones and tissues and this can be supplied by natural food such as fruits, raw vegetables, whole meal bread, and milk, unnatural foods like white bread, sugar, meat, pudding and pies are very deficient in organic mineral matter and their intake during pregnancy leads to loss and decay of teeth, general debility and other ailments after childbirth.
Pregnancy is rendered more difficult in case of habitual constipation. IN the advanced stage, this is aggravated by the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the bowels. This can be avoided by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables of high fibre content. The expectant mother should drink eight to ten glasses of water. She should not delay going to the lavatory when there is the urge. In severe constipation, a lukewarm water enema may be taken once every week.
The diet for expectant mothers should be planned along the following lines by securing a safe and easy child birth and a healthy child:
Breakfast: Fresh fruit in season or grated raw carrot, or any other raw salad and milk. Prunes or other dried fruit may also be taken, if desired.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, as obtainable, whole wheat chappatis and a glass of buttermilk.
Dinner: A good-sized raw salad of any suitable vegetables, sprouted mung beans, whole wheat bread, butter or cottage cheese and prunes or other dried fruit as dessert.
Besides proper diet, the expectant mother should be given daily a dry friction and cold sponge during the first five or six months of pregnancy. A dry friction bath can be taken with a rough dry towel or with a moderately soft bristle brush. If a brush is used, the procedure should be as follows: take the brush in one hand and begin with the face, neck and chest. Then brush one arm, beginning at the wrist and brushing towards the shoulders. Now stoop down and brush one foot, then the ankle and leg. Then do the other foot and leg and next the hips and certain portion of the body. Continue brushing each part until the skin is pink. Use the brush quickly backward and forward on every part of the body. If a towel is used, it should be fairly rough, and the same process should be followed. This bath excites to increased activity all the functional processes lying at or near the surface of the body.
The cold sponge is taken as follows: wring out a towel in cold water, and rub the whole body in the manner described for the friction bath. If, during the process of rubbing the towel becomes too dry, it should be wrung out again.
The expectant mother should also take breathing and other mild exercises. After the sixth month, tepid water may be used for the sponge. Exercises should either be modified or suspended altogether. A good walk should be taken daily right up to the end of the eighth month and all household duties should be performed in a normal way. This will keep the muscles of the womb and pelvis in good condition and will ensure safe and easy childbirth. The exercise should, however, always be well within the capacity of the prospective mother and all undue strain, worry or excitement should be avoided.
Recoupment
For the really healthy woman, recoupment after childbirth poses no problem. Women among primitive races are able to rise and go about their duties immediately after delivery. The woman of civilised nations are however, seldom able to do so. In fact it is customary to keep them in bed for a considerable time after child birth. It is usually due to abnormal slowness with which the generative organs assume the former position.
As in the case case of pregnancy, diet plays an important role in the recoupment after childbirth.
The diet of the mother for the first two days after confinement should consist of only fresh juicy fruits with some warm milk. A salad with thin whole meal bread and butter may be added to the diet the next day. The diet may thereafter be extended gradually until it approaches the pre-natal diet outlined above.
The diet should exclude white bread or white flour products, sugar, jam, pastries, puddings, pies, heavy, greasy and fried foods. Strong tea, coffee, alcohol, condiments, pickles, and vinegar should be strictly avoided.
It is most essential that the baby nurses at the mother’s breast to stimulate production of milk, especially during the critical period following birth. This is important for a number of reasons. The infant, nursing at the breast, causes the uterus to contract. The contraction of uterus will help expel any portion of the placenta which may still remain following delivery. It will also stop the mother from haemorrhaging. If those mothers who are afraid of losing their figures would try nursing their babies, they would discover their figures actually improve after child birth.
Feeding of children
During the first forty eight hours immediately after birth, the mother’s breasts generally do not produce milk. This is in accordance with nature’s plan that the infant should fast during this period. He will have no need for food and none should be given. All children after this period should be breast-fed where possible. Breast feeding is the natural and ideal way of feeding the infant. Mother’s milk is pure, fresh and easily digestible. It helps the child to grow. The child should be given four feeds a day at four-hourly intervals but no feeds should be given during the night. If the child wakes up at night only water should be given. Babies should be breast-fed for atleast 8 months as this is nature’s way of providing all the required nutrients during this period.
Recent research has shown that the mother’s body is able to react to infections in the child and the bacteria in the baby’s mouth leads to the production of appropriate anti- bodies in the mother’s milk. Breast-fed babies are, therefore, less prone to gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. If for any reason, it is impossible to breast feed the child, it should be fed on goat’s milk or cow’s milk, diluted with water, with milk sugar added. The child should not be given artificially prepared, patent or tinned milk foods. When a mother can partly feed a child, she should give it two feeds of her own and two bottle feeds or one of her own and three bottle feeds. Those mothers who suffer from diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart trouble, should not breast feed their babies.
Where children are entirely breast-fed, they need nothing more than the milk they receive from their mothers. Children on bottle feed, should be given some orange juice daily,in addition to the bottle feeds. NO baby, whether breast- fed or bottle -fed should be given anything except milk and orange juice for the first 10 to 12 months of existence. NO starchy food or anything else should be given during this period. If they are given starchy foods such as bread, or oatmeal before weaning, it will lead to the early development of such child ailments as cough, colds, measles, whooping cough and so on as babies lack the proper enzymes needed for their digestion before that age.
At the age of one year, a baby should be given about a litre of milk with fruit juices daily. Never force a baby to take food if it does not want to, and never overfeed. If a baby shows no inclination for food or a certain day, it should be given as much as it wishes for and no more. The assumption that the baby should have a certain amount of food every day have no basis. On the other hand, if the baby does not appear to be satisfied with the quantity of its food and wants more at a feed, it should be given as much as it wants.
Habitual Abortion
The term abortion refers to the expulsion of the foetus from the uterus before the complete formation of the placenta. It is also commonly known as miscarriage. This may occur any time before 28 weeks of gestation but is most common during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Once in five to ten pregnancies terminates in this way.
When miscarriage occurs repeatedly at a certain period of pregnancy, it is termed “habitual abortion “. It is one of the most perplexing problems of gyanaecology and a major cause of maternal mortality. A woman who has suffered two or more terminations of this sort consecutively is said to be a case of habitual abortion.
Symptoms
Pains of the same character as labour pains and bleedings are the two main symptoms of possible abortion. Bleeding may lead to the detachment of the ovum from the uterus. It now acts as a foreign body in the uterus which stimulates uterine contraction. This generates a lot of pain and the foetus is thrown out of the body. In later weeks when the foetus is well developed, if it dies in the uterus, it leads to maceration of the body. The abdomen is filled with blood and the skin colour appears red. Sometime after a few more days, the foetus gets dehydrated and the fluid surrounding the foetus gets dried away.
Causes
One of the most important cause of habitual abortion is a congenital malformation of the uterus.
A hysterogram, before the woman becomes pregnant, will be useful in detecting any abormality, so that she is made aware of her case. Deficient functioning of the thyroid is another important cause of habitual abortion.
Most cases of habitual abortion, however, result from an inadequate secretion of the female hormone progesterone. This hormone is responsible for the development of the placenta. In the early stage of pregnancy, the gonadotrophin secreted by the cytotrophoblast of the chorion, one of the foetal membranes, stimulates the corpus lotemum to produce more oestrogen and progesterone, both essential female hormones. At a later stage, by about the 12th week of pregnancy, the placenta takes over the production and secretion of the hormones. Any deficiency of these hormones at this stage is detrimental to the growth of the foetus. It is, therefore, during this critical period,when habitual abortion mostly occurs. Lack of progesterone is especially instrumental in expelling the fertilised ovum and it results in an abortion.
Another important cause of habitual abortion may be chronic constipation which leads to putrefaction of morbid matter and wastes in the large intestines. This in turn causes auto-intoxication and inflammation of the reproductive organs, which can lead to a miscarriage.
Abortion may result from the excessive use of certain drugs. Drugs enter the foetus through the placenta. They may act quite differently on the foetus from the mother. Drugs which have adverse effects on the foetus are called “tera-togenestic drugs “and may include painkillers, antibiotics, tranquillisers and hormones. A high dosage of such drugs may produce contraction in the uterus and induce abortion.
Other cause of habitual abortion are excessive physical exercise, mental excitement, sexual intercourse, syphilis infections fibroid tumours, blood incompatibly of husband and wife, systemic disorders in the mother like hypertension, chronic nephritis, diabetes and even her mental condition.
Thorough examination of the pregnant woman’s blood, urine, blood pressure and their related parameters help in detecting maternal disorders. Serological tests, for example, prove the presence or absence of syphilis infection. Pelvic examinations help to diagnose uterine displacements, fibroids or ovarian tumours. A hysterogram also helps to detect uterine malfunctions. The exact cause must be ascertained for prescribing correct treatment.
Treatment
Conditions such as hormonal imbalance, infections of the uterus and chronic constipation can be remedied by natural methods of treatment. For congenital uterine malformation, however, recourse may have to be taken to surgery.
On appearance of the first symptoms of possible abortion, the patient should be put to bed immediately and the bottom end of the bed raised. Cold compresses at 60 o F temperature should be applied continuously to the inner portion of the thighs, the perinium, the vagina and the lumbar region. Compresses should be changed every 15 to 20 minutes. When the compress is removed for renewing, the surface should be rubbed with a warm dry flannel for half a minute or until reddened, before applying the compress again. Simultaneously, a hot application should be made to the feet.
A neutral or warm water enema is an effective remedy for a constipated colon which is a major cause for the toxaemic condition of the uterus. This will relieve the bowels and thus reduce any excessive pressure on the uterus and other pelvic organs. A regular cold hip bath for a duration of 10 minutes twice every day is very helpful in relieving congestion and inflammation of the uterus. Wet girdle packs, twice every day, on an empty stomach, also relieve congestion’s and infections in the uterus and other pelvic organs. It is advisable that women with a history of repeated abortions should adopt these techniques before conception and continue them during the first two months of pregnancy.
Hormonal imbalances can be set right by practicing yogic exercise. Yogic asanas such as sarvangasana, vajrasana, bhujan-gasana, shalabhsana, dhanurasana, paschimottashana, and trikonasana are especially useful in improving thyroid, pituitary, adrenal and gonaidal endocrine functions and should be practised regularly by women who suffer from imbalances of this sort, up to the first two months of pregnancy.
Dietary control is of utmost importance in the prevention of habitual abortion. Pregnant women should avoid refined carbo- hydrates, sugars, non-vegetarian food, coffee and tea. They should also avoid oily and fried foods as such foods lead to constipation, which is very detrimental to pregnancy. Smoking or chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol must be strictly avoided.
The pregnant woman’s diet chart should be on the following lines: Breakfast: Fresh fruits and a glass of milk mixed with a teaspoonful of honey.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, boiled rice or whole wheat chappatis and soup or buttermilk.
Midafternoon: A glass of fruit juice or a whole fruit.
Dinner: Cooked diet similar to the afternoon meal may be taken till the seventh month. After that, fruits, nuts, germinated seeds and sprouts, milk, buttermilk and soups must form her diet because they reduce the workload on the digestive system and thus help avoid indigestion, constipation and related disorders.
Indian gooseberry, known as amla in the vernancular, is considered useful in preventing abortion. A teaspoonful of fresh amla juice and honey mixed together should be taken every morning during the period of pregnancy. It will also prevent infections and help in the absorption of iron. A brew made from safflower foliage is also said to prevent abortion.
Pregnant women with a history of repeated abortions should take all other precautions necessary to prevent miscarriage. They should avoid sexual intercourse, during early pregnancy. They should go to bed early and rise early and take regular exercise, but avoid fatigue. They should sleep on a hard mattress with their heads low, and remain calm and cool.
All these measures will greatly help in correcting the phenomenon of habitual abortion.
Female Sterility
Sterility in case of the female refers to the incapacity to conceive and give birth to a living baby.
Sterility or failure to reproduce must be distinguished from frigidity which denotes failure to perform the sex act or performing it imperfectly.
It may be relevant to first examine the mechanism of conception. The sperms of the male are injected into the vagina during sexual intercourse. At the very same time an alkaline fluid is secreted from the vaginal walls. The sperms are able to move up the womb and through the fallopian tubes to fertilise the ova or the female egg only when this fluid is present.
Two factors are important in ensuring a normal secretion of this fluid. Firstly, there should be an adequate nerve supply to the vagina ducts. This is the reason why very nervous women fail to conceive. The nervous system in such cases must be strengthened by adequate rest, relaxation and a proper diet The second important factor is to ensure that the fluid flowing from the vaginal walls is alkaline. If this is not so, the sperms are destroyed by the acidic fluid, usually present in the vaginal canal and womb. To ensure the necessary alkalinity of the fluid, it is essential to take a predominantly alkaline diet, with a liberal intake of raw vegetables and fruits, and also to eliminate acid-forming foods.
Causes
Sterility in a female may be due to physical defects, physical debility and functional faults.
Physical defects or structural abnormalities of the genitals and reproductive organs may be congenital or accidental and can result from malformation or sagging of the womb, collapse of the fallopian tubes and the rigidity of the hymen.
Sterility due to physical debility can result from poor health as a consequence of certain acute or chronic diseases. These diseases may affect not only the physical body but also the genital organs. Complaints like gonorrhea, syphilis and inflammation of the fallopian tubes also come under this category. Chronic anaemia, constipation and leucorrhoea aggravate these conditions.
Sterility may also be caused by loss of essential glands or organs of reproduction or a decrease in their functions, brought about by a variety of fators such as surgical injuries, tumour, excessive radiation and lack of normal menstrual cycle. Obesity or emaciation due either to dietetic errors or faulty metabolism are yet other factors which can contribute to female sterility.
Psychological factors like emotional stress, tension, mental depression, anxiety and fear may also result in psychosomatic sterility. This conditions generally temporary and can be corrected by psychotherapy.
Treatment
Structural defects can be ascertained by a thorough physical examination and radiology and can be set right by surgery. Physical debility and the functional faults of organic nature can be cured by simple and effective methods of natural treatment. These methods include hygienic living, optimum nutrition and following all the laws of nature.
Fasting is the best remedy for the treatment of disorders resulting from toxins in the system. A short fast of two or three days should be undertaken at regular intervals by women who are unable to bear children. The bowels should be cleansed by a warm water enema during the period of fasting and afterwards when necessary. This will have a beneficial effect not only on the digestive system but also on the surrounding organs of the urinary and genital system.
Diet is the most important factor in the treatment of sterility. It should consist of three basic health building food groups namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits.
These foods should be supplemented with milk, vegetable oils and honey. The best way to take milk is in its soured form, that is curd and cottage cheese. Each food group should roughly form the bulk of one of three meals. About 70 to 80 per cent of the diet should consist of foods in their natural uncooked states, because cooking destroys much of the nutritional values of the most foods. Sprouting is an excellent way of consuming seeds, beans and grains in their raw form in the process of sprouting the nutritional value is multiplied, new vitamins are created and the protein quality is improved.
The daily menu of a health-building and vitalising diet may be on the following lines: Upon rising: A glass of lukewarm water with a juice of half a lemon and a spoonful of honey.
Breakfast: Fresh fruits like apple, orange, banana, grapes and grapefruit and a glass of milk.
Lunch: A bowl of steamed vegetables seasoned with vegetable oil or butter and salt, two or three whole wheat chappatis and a glass of buttermilk.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.
Dinner: A large bowl of salad made up of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, beetroots and onion, and sprouted moong or bengal gram.
Bed-time: A glass of milk or an apple.
Excessive fat, spicy foods, strong tea, coffee, white sugar, white flour, refined cereals, flesh foods, greasy or fried foods should all be avoided. Smoking or drinking, where habitual must be completely given up.
Certain nutrients, especially vitamin C and E and zinc have been found helpful in some cases of sterility. The woman who is unable to conceive should take daily 1000 mg. of vitamin C, 100 I.U. of vitamin E and 30 mg. of zinc.
Certain remedies have also been found useful in the treatment of female sterility where there are no organic defects or congenital deformities. One such remedy is a tender roots of the banyan tree. These roots should be dried in the shade and finally powdered. This powder should be mixed five times their weight with milk and taken at night for three consecutive nights after the monthly periods are over. No other food should be taken with this. It shoud be repeated after the completion of menstrual cycle every month till conception takes place.
An infusion of the fresh tender leaves of jambul fruit (jamun) taken with honey or buttermilk, is an excellent remedy for stenility and miscarriage due to ovarian or endometrium functional disorders. The leaves presumably stimulate the secretion of progesterone hormone and help the absorption of vitamin E.
The eggplant is also useful in overcoming functional sterility. Cooked tender eggplants, should be eaten with butter-milk everyday for a month or two for this purpose. It increases the capacity to absorb vitamin E and stimulate the secretion of progesterone.
Other helpful measures in overcoming female sterility are mud packs and cold water treatment like a hip bath and a wet girdle-pack. These treatments will greatly improve internal circulation in the genital organs and will relieve them of all kinds of inflammation and other abnormalities. Mud packs may be applied to the abdomen and sexual organs.
For a hip bath, a common tub may be used. The tub may be filled with sufficient water to cover the hips, when a person sits inside it. The cold hip bath should be taken for 10 minutes at a water temperature of 50 O to 65 o F. For wet girdle pack, a thin underwear wrung in cold water should be worn. Over this, a thick dry cotton or woolen underwear should be worn. All cold treatments should be suspended during menstruation.
Certain yogasanas which help tone up the gonads should be practised regularly for overcoming female sterility. These asanas are sarvagasana, matyasana, ardhamatsyendrasana, paschimottanasana, and shalabhasana.
All these practices together with clean habits, proper rest and relaxation will go a long way in overcoming female sterility.
Leucorrhoea
Leucorrhoea, commonly known as whites, refers to a whitish discharge from the female genitals.
It is an abnormal condition of the reproductive organs of women. If not treated properly in the initial stages, it may become chronic.
Recent investigations have shown that secretions from the uterus and upper part of the vagina flow down and are reabsorbed in the lower parts of the vagina. This is the normal constant flow within the female organs. The whitish discharge is, however, caused by the presence of infection in any of these tissues and a variety of other factors. The condition may continue for weeks or months at a time.
Symptoms
In addition to the whitish discharge from the vagina, the patient feels weak and tired. She also suffers from pain in the lumbar region and the calves and a dragging sensation in the abdomen.
Other symptoms are constipation, frequent headaches and intense itching. In the chronic form, the patient feels irritable and develops black patches under the eyes.
Causes
Leucorrhoea does not develop suddenly in an acute form. It denotes a devitalised and toxic condition of the system generally. The condition also involves one or many parts of the reproductive organs. Whenever the body is loaded with toxins due to wrong dietary habits and the eliminative organs such as skin, bowels, lungs, and kidneys are unable to eliminate the toxins, the body produces a profuse discharge or elimination through the mucous membrane of the uterus and vagina in the form of leucorrhoea. In the case of advanced, chronic inflammatory conditions of these organs, it leads to discharge with pus, offensive in odour and colour varying from cream to yellow or light green.
In young girls, leucorrhoea may occur during the few years before and after the start of the menstrual flow. It may be due to an irritation of the genital organs caused by various factors such as dirt, soiled under garments, intestinal worms and excessive mental stimulation of sex or masturbation. Some excess secretion is normal when the girl reaches puberty, due to overactivity in her sex glands and organs. This usually disappears within a short time.
In your women, leucorrhoea may occur during intermenstrual periods, due to thickening of the mucous membrane in the reproductive organs. Such a discharge is associated with painful menstruation and other menstrual disorders.
In mature women, a profuse yellowish discharge, associated with burning on urination, may be caused by gonorrhoea. This is a serious infection which should be treated promptly. During the child-bearing years, from adolescence to the mid-forties, the infection may sometimes follow the birth of a child due to damage of the cervix during delivery. This is increased by prolonged ill-health, anxiety, neurosis, sedentary occupation and standing for long periods. If not treated properly, this infection may continue for months or even years and may spread to other areas of the genital tract.
Leucorrhoea may also result from a chill. A chill causes inflammation of the womb and vaginal membranes. Other common causes are the displacement of the womb and unhygienic conditions which attract bacteria to the geniral organs.
The Cure
A total health-building scheme is essential for the removal of the systemic toxicity which is primarily responsible for the disease. Such a scheme should consist of correct dietary habits, proper sleep, exercise, fresh air and sunshine.
To begin with, the patient should fast for three or four days on lemon water or fruit juices for the elimination of the morbid matte from the body. During this period the bowel should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema. In case of habitual constipation, steps should be taken for its eradication.
After a short fast, the patient may adopt an all fruit-diet for about a week. In this regimen, she should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple and peaches. If the patient is suffering from anaemia, or is very much underweight, the diet may consist of fruits and milk. The patient may then gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet consisting of three basic food groups namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) fruits and (iii) vegetables.
Fresh fruits or fruit juices only should be taken between meals. All forms of white four, white sugar, fried and greasy foods, condiments, preserves, tea and coffee should be avoided.
An effective home remedy for leucorrhoea is lady’s finger. A decoction of this vegetable is prepared by boiling of 100 grams of the fresh capsules, cut transversely, in half a litre of water for 20 minutes and then strained sweetened. This decoction, given in doses of two or three ounces frequently, is highly beneficial in all irritable conditions of genito-urinary organs including leucorrhoea.
Fenugreek seeds are another excellent home remedy for leucorrhoea. They should be taken internally in the form of tea and also used as a douche. For a douche, the solution should be much stronger than tea. Two tablespoonful of fenugreek seeds should be put in a litre of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over a low flame. It should then be strained and used as a douche.
Treatment through water is extremely beneficial in curing leucorrhoea. A cold hip bath twice a day for 10 minutes will help relieve congestion in the pelvic region and facilitate quick elimination of morbid matter. A warm vaginal douche at 30 o to 40 o C is beneficial to general cleansing and elimination of the purulent discharge. The procedure is to fill the douche can with 1 1/2 litre of warm water and hang it at a level of three feet above the body. The patient should lie with the hips slightly raised above the body and a special nozzle applied for this purpose should be oiled and inserted slowly into the vagina. The flow can be regulated by the small value at the nozzle.
In severe cases of leucorrhoea, the douche should be done daily.
The passive inflammation of the affected organs can be cured by regular hot hip baths at 40 o C for 10 minutes and regular use of wet girdle pack for 90 minutes every night. For a hot hip bath an ordinary bath tub may be used. It should be filled with water at 40 o C. The patient should sit in the tub, keeping the legs outside, after taking a glass of cold water. The head should be covered with a wet cloth. A cold water bath should be taken after this treatment. For the wet girdle pack, a thin cotton underwear and another thick or woolen underwear are required. The thin underwear should be wrung in cold water and worn by the patient. The thick dry underwear should be worn above the wet underwear. If the patient feels chill, she should be covered with a blanket.
Yogasanas, especially those which improve muscles of the abdomen and uterus are highly beneficial and should be practised regularly. These asanas are paschimottanasana, sarvagasana, halasana, padmasana, bhujansana, and shalabhasana.
The patient should completely relax and should avoid mental tension and worry. Abdominal exercises and walking are also helpful.
Inflammation of the Uterus
The uterus, often called the womb, is the most delicate organ of woman. It is liable to disorders of various kinds. Inflammation of this organ is common occurrence in women. It may be acute or chronic.
The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped muscular organ, situated in a bonny frame called the pelvis.
It is seven centimeter long, five cm. in breadth and about 2.5 cm. thick. Its capacity is roughly three cubic centimeters. The lower narrow end of the uterus which opens into the vagina is called the cervix. The upper broad part is called the body of the uterus or the corpus.
The inflammation which may affect the lining membrane of the uterus is called endometritis.
When it affects the muscular coat and substance of the uterus, it is termed metritis. Endometritis may be confined to the lining membrane of the cervix or neck of the uterus or it may attack the lining membrane of the entire organ. Commonly it is called catarrh of uterus.
Symptoms
The symptoms of acute endometriosis are slight fever, headache, general debility, loss of appetite, pain in the back and lower part of the abdomen and pelvis, and itching tendency in the vagina. IN chronic endometriosis, symptoms are the same, but not so severe as in the acute form. The only troublesome symptom is the discharge which may be either clear or opaque and yellow. This disease may produce sterility.
Chill, fever, rapid pulse and breathing, nausea, local pain and discharge are the symptoms of acute metritis. This is a very rare case, but it may occur after confinement on account of infection. Chronic metritis may occur for many reasons and is probably the most common diseases among women. The symptoms are disorders of menstruation, more or less profuse leucorrhoea, constipation, lack of vitality, weakness in the back and the limbs, pain in the lower portion of the back and a tendency to abortion.
Causes
Inflammation of the uterus may be caused by sudden chill, or by exposure to cold during menstruation. The disease sometimes occurs because of the medicines applied for the purpose of stimulating the menstrual flow. Other causes are the use of irritants to produce abortion, the use of strong purgatives, the insertion of instruments and preventives, and excessive sexual indulgence. Sometimes bicycle riding, hose back riding and dancing may also cause inflammation of the uterus among weak and underweight women. The displacement of the uterus in any form may also lead to this condition.
Treatment
If the inflammation is caused by a chill or exposure to cold during menstruation, the patient should start the treatment with a hot leg bath. This may be replaced by hot hip bath after two or three days. In case of pain, hot and cold hip baths will be beneficial. The water should be changed from hot to cold, every two minutes and this should be repeated thrice.
As this disease produces the tendency towards constipation, the patient should take an enema once daily with warm water as can be comfortably borne by the patient. It is also advisable to apply alternate compress on the abdomen just before employing enema.
In the chronic form the treatment should aim at increasing the general vitality. To begin with, the patient should resort to fasting on orange juice and water for two or three days. The procedure is to take every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the juice of an orange diluted with warm water on 50: 50 basis. If the orange juice does not agree, juices of vegetable such as carrots and cucumber may be taken. A warm water enema may be taken each day while fasting to cleanse the bowels.
After the short juice fast, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for about two days, taking three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, orange, pineapple peaches and melon.
After the juice fast the patient should follow a well- balanced diet of seeds, nuts, and grains, vegetables and fruits. This diet should be supplemented with milk, yogurt, butter-milk, vegetable oil and honey. A further short juice fast or periods on the all-fruit diet may be necessary at intervals of a month or two, according to the needs of the case. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication.
The foods which should be avoided are: white flour products, sugar, confectionery, rich cakes, pastries, sweets, refined cereals, flesh foods, rich, heavy and greasy foods, tinned or preserved foods, pickles, condiments, and sauces.
The patient should also undertake moderate exercise and walking in fresh air as it will help increase general health and vitality. Yogic asanas such as sarvangasana, bhujangasana, uttanasana, and shavasana are also beneficial in the treatment of inflammation of the uterus.
No real cure is possible unless the system as a whole is treated. The blood has to be purified, the nerves strengthened and the waste deposits accumulated in the system eliminated before the trouble can be completely overcome.
Prolapse of the Uterus
Prolapse of the uterus refers to the downward displacement of the vagina and uterus. The word prolapse is derived from the latin procidere which means with effect to fall. This disorder is more common in our country than in the western world.
The uterus is held in position by adequate ligaments Besides, it has the support of the muscular structures of vagina and all other local tissues and muscles. Due to the laxity of support by muscles, tissue and ligaments, the uterus sags downwards.
Symptoms
A woman suffering from prolapse of a uterus feels that something is coming down through the vagina. She feels a sense of fullness in the region of the bladder and rectum. Other symptoms include dragging discomfort in the lower abdomen, low backache, heavy menses and milk vaginal discharge. There is also an increase in the frequency of urination and the patient feels difficulty in total emptying of the bladder. There may also be a burning sensation due to infection.
The woman may experience difficulty in passing stools and complete evacuation of bowels.
These symptoms become more pronounced before and during menstruation. The condition may also result in difficulty in normal sexual intercourse and sometimes sterility.
Causes
There are several factors which contribute to the displacement of the uterus. These include continuous distension of the intestines with gas or excess food materials, leading to constant downward pressure on the womb, chronic constipation leading to pressure from behind from an over-filled colon, tight clothing especially tight corsets, constant stooping, and a weakened condition of the internal muscles of the abdomen, through lack of exercise and bodily weakness.
Some of the other important factors responsible for prolapse of the uterus are prolonged labour, an interference in the delivery by inexpert people, lack of proper rest and diet in post-natal periods, repeated deliveries and manual work. An increased weight of the womb, tumours of the uterus, traction of the uterus and surgical injuries can also lead to this disorder. Menopausal atrophy may also precipitate it.
Prevention
It is easier to prevent prolapse of uterus than cure it after its occurrence. The measures to prevent it should include good antenatal care in pregnancy, proper management and timely intervention during delivery, good postnatal care with proper rest, correct diet and appropriate exercise so as to strengthen the pelvic musculature.
Treatment
Treatment of displaced womb must consist mainly of a suitable diet and exercise. The diet should be so planned as should aim at building up the internal musculature of the body. Of course, any tendency towards tight lacing, constant stooping, and heavy lifting must be carefully guarded against, once a natural regime is undertaken, as these will automatically tend to hold up the success of the treatment.
To begin with the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for about five days. During this period she should take three meals consisting of juicy fruits such as orange, apple, pineapple, grapes at five hourly intervals. The bowel should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema.
After the all-fruit diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, based on three basic food groups, namely, (i) seeds, nuts and grains (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits. The all-fruit diet should be repeated for three days at monthly intervals till the condition improves.
Carrots have proved useful in the treatment of prolapse of the uterus. For prolpase of the uterus, pulped carrots should be placed in a muslin bag and inserted in a vagina. This should be kept for some time using fresh carrots every 12 hours. This will heal and strengthen the parts and help greatly in preventing any further disorders in the female reproductive system.
A hot Epsom salts bath is also beneficial in the treatment of prolapse of the uterus and should be undertaken twice a week. This bath is prepared by dissolving one or one and half kg. of Epsom-salt in an ordinary bath of hot water. The patient should remain immersed in the bath from ten to twenty minutes. This bath should be taken just before retiring to bed and care should be exercised not to get chilled afterwards. No soaps should be used with the bath as it will interfere with its beneficial effects. The alternate hot and cold hip bath are also useful and should be undertaken at night on alternate days.
Exercise
Exercises to strengthen the pelvic musculature are extremely useful in the treatment of prolapse of the uterus. Lying on a couch with the legs raised higher than the rest of the body is very helpful in relieving pain and discomfort from a displaced womb. This should be done from half an hour to an hour two or three times daily. The feet should be raised about eighteen inches by placing cushions under them. When this is not possible the patient can sit on a chair with a feet on another chair. The more this can be done during the day, the better will it be in every way.
The patient should also perform other exercises aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles.
These exercises will help greatly in correcting the displacement of the uterus.
Women should always take precautions to space out their children so as to prevent repeated successive deliveries. This will allow the genital issues to regain their strength and vitality and thereby prevent prolapse of the uterus.
Vaginitis
Vaginitis can be described as an inflammation of the vagina and vulva. It is a fairly common problem with women. This can be avoided by taking proper treatment in the initial stages itself.
But women usually tend to hide this problem.
Changes in the activity of the vaginal epithelium and in the vaginal secretion at different ages have a profound influence on the defense against vaginal infection. In the adult, the normal vaginal moisture or secretion consists of mucous and discarded vaginal cells. This discharge generally causes no irritation though the amount secreted and consistency vary. The variance is also due to the periodicity of the menstrual cycle and psychological conditions. Normal healthy women do not suffer from the sensations of the itching, burning, pain or irritation.
In unhealthy women and in abnormal conditions, the resident organisms (bacteria) multiply rapidly and produce excessive waste products. It causes tissue irritation in this region leading to itching, swelling, and burning. There is increase in the frequency or discharge of urine which is accompanied with an unpleasant order.
Symptoms
The symptoms of vaginitis are feeling of heat and fullness in the vagina, a dragging feeling in the groin, increased urinary frequency and vaginal discharge, that is, leucorrhoea. The clear or white secretion becomes purulent and yellow. The severity of leucorrhoea depends upon the degree of bacterial infection.
Causes
The main causes of vaginitis are irritation of vagina by external factors like cuts, abrasions in this region, constant wearing of tight-fitting clothes and wearing unclean clothes, using dirty or infected water and lack of hygiene.
Certain medications and treatments can increase susceptibility to infection. These include the use of antibiotics, hormones and excessive douching. Susceptibility is greater in cases of pregnancy, diabetes and certain psychological conditions as well as during the later half of the menstrual cycle. Irritation from contraceptive devices can also lead to this condition.
Unhygienic conditions combined with wrong dietary habits increase toxemia thereby lowering body resistance. According to the natutural cure philosophy, whenever the body is loaded with toxins or morbid matter, it tried to eliminate it through the eliminative organs. In women, this elimination is established in the form of profused discharge, that is leucorrhoea, initially, in later stages, the discharge can become offensive in cases of chronic inflammation.
Treatment
Maintenance of hygienic conditions is the most important factor in the treatment of vaginitis. It is only after disease achieved that morbidity and consequent inflammation and discharge can be prevented.
Another important factor is diet. The patient should be made to fast for three or five days.
Depending Ponte condition, the fasting period may be extended. During this period, she may take juices of lemon and other sub-acidic fruits. This will give the system an opportunity to divert its vital energies to check inflammation and infection.
After the juice fasting, the patient may adopt restricted diet, consisting of raw vegetable salads, fruits and sprouts. This will ensure minimal mucous secretions. This restricted diet should be continued for 10 to 15 days. It will help reduce inflammatory conditions. Boiled vegetables which are easily digestible and wheat chappatis may be added gradually to this diet. Later, rice,dal, vegetable soup or butter milk may be taken for lunch and an uncooked diet for dinner.
The patient should avoid coffee, tea and other stimulants as well as sugar, fried and refined foods.
Hydrotherapy
Treatment through water plays an important role in overcoming vaginitis. The patient should be given an enema with lukewarm neem water to cleanse the bowels and prevent the constipation which increases the toxemic condition, inflammation and infection in the genital organs. For general cleansing and elimination of purulent vaginal discharge, neem water vaginal douche at 35 o C – 40 o C followed by cold douche will be highly beneficial.
In persistent cases, cold vaginal irritation provides relief. This treatment is best administered with a fountain syringe, containing water. The syringe should be placed two or three feet above the patient and water injected into the vagina. The patient should lie upon her back, with hips elevated and water should flow out of the vaginal canal.
A decoction of the herb chebulic myrobalan has proved very useful for vaginal irritation and inflammation. It should be used as an external douche to wash the vulvar parts. When there is a thick white discharge, washing the part with decoction made with neem leaves and chebulic myrobalan fruits will greatly help.
A moderately prolonged cold hip bath accompanied with a hot foot bath is also helpful. The level of cold water must be 34 inches in height. The patient should sit in the tub in such a manner that legs remain out of the tub. This bath can be given for 20 to 30 minutes.
Another mode of treatment considered beneficial is the wet girdle pack for about an hour. For this treatment, a thin cotton underwear and another thick or woolen underwear are required. The thin underwear should be wrung in cold water and worn by the patient. The thick dry underwear should be worn above the wet underwear. If the patient feels chill, she should be covered with a blanket. This treatment helps reduce inflammation.
A cold douche on the perennial region for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day helps reduce vaginitis. A mud pack on the abdomen for 10 minutes twice daily also helps reduce inflammation.
Chromotherapy can also be used to treat this complaint. Blue light treatment given to the afflicted region for an hour accompanied with vaginal irrigation using green coloured charged water helps reduce the infection.
After recovery, it is essential to adopt correct eating habits and hygienic living conditions. Proper rest and exercise are also important.
Pruritus Vulvae
Pruritus literally means a sensation of itching and vulva is the name given to the entrance to the vagina. It is a symptoms, not a disease in itself. Atleast 10 per cent of women all over the world suffer from this complaint.
Pruritus vulvae is generally relieved through scratching in the initial stages. At a later stage, the patient develops a burning sensation in this region. This can intensify to such an extent that women suffering from this complaint prefer to remain indoors and refuse to go out. This problem occurs more during the night. The patient may scratch the area during sleep and wake to find that she has made herself bleed.
Causes
One of the main causes of pruritus vulvae is purulent and mucopurulent vaginal discharge. Due to this discharge, the vulva region chafes. The resulting tenderness causes pain. Over 80 per cent of these cases occur due to this cause. Prorates without vaginal discharge occurs in 15 to 20 per cent of the cases.
In some cases prorates vulvae may develop due to the presence of skin diseases not specific to the vulva such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and scabies. Other causes include animal and vegetable parasite infections which tend to cause pruritus public rather than prutitus vulvae, conditions of the urinary track like continence of urine and pyuria. Highly acidic urine sometime causes soreness which subsequently leads to pruritus. Glycosuria and diabetes also contribute to this condition.
Pruritus vulvae can result from skin sensitivity to various kinds of soaps, bath salts, deodorants and antiseptics which contain particular phenols and cresols and from certain drugs. These allergies may also be caused by nylons and tight-fitting clothes. In rare cases the disorders may develop as an offshoot of certain major problems like jaundice, uraemia, and other toxic conditions.
Many mental disturbances can affect the sexual bias and psychoneurosis results. The skin of the vulva region can also be a site of psychoneurosis, nervous fatigue and rough clotting Sexual frustration and guilt feelings can also lead to pruritus vulvae.
Treatments
There is always some underlying cause for the onset of purirtus, but scratching soon damages the skin and causes secondary changes which may obscure the primary cause. In addition, the skin may become sensitized to some local application. IN long standing cases, the diagnosis of both the initial cause and the reason for the maintenance of the irritation may become extremely difficult, particularly when more than one factor is involved. Successfully treatment depends on two cardinal principles, namely, to remove any underlying cause and to stop further damage to the skin by scratching or by unsuitable application.
The most important factor in the treatment of pruritus vulvae caused by infections through fungus or parasites, is cleanliness. Bowels should be kept clean either through enemas or a natural diet. The patient must wear clean clothes to avoid this problem. After urination, the vagina should be thoroughly washed with plain cold water. IN case of severe pruritus, it is advisable to wash the vulva with neem leaves decoction and apply green light charged coconut oil.
Treatments like neem water vaginal douches help kill bacteria and fungus. The affect reaction should be exposed to green coloured light or rays of the sun through green coloured glass for 25
to 30 minutes. This will help reduce infections.
Purritus vulvae resulting from discharges from the uterus, cervix or vagina causes inflammations. This can be reduced by regular application of mud packs on the lower abdomen, twice or thrice a day. A cold hip bath may also be taken for 10 minutes. An alternate hot and cold hip bath is especially useful in reducing inflammation.
In cases of pruritus resulting from diabetes mellitus, glycosuria, uraemia, jaundice and other toxic states, specific diets and treatments for these complaints should be followed before pruritus could be cured.
Skin diseases like psoriasis, scabies, fungal infections should be treated through natural cure methods. These include steam baths, mud baths, immersion baths, sun baths, spine baths and chromotherapy.
Diet plays an important role in the treatment of pruritus vulvae. Initially the patient should be put on a juice fast for a few days. She should drink fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with water on 50: 50 basis. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels.
Fasting helps relieve the toxic conditions not in just the affected region but also the entire body.
Thus inflammation is reduced. The diet after the juice fast could include seasonal fruits, salads, sprouts, vegetables, soups or buttermilk. Cooked food should be included in the diet only much later.
The patient should avoid all processed, refined and denatured foods such as white sugar, white flour and all products made from them as well a s coffee, tea, eggs, meat, spicy and oily foods.
Alcohol and smoking are to be completely eliminated.
A natural mode of life will go a long way in overcoming pruritus vulvae. It will also lead to improvement in health in general.
Hysteria
Hysteria is a mental and nervous disorder arising from intense anxiety. It is characterised by a lack of control over acts and emotions and by sudden conclusive seizures and emotional outbursts. It often results from repressed mental conflict.
This disorder appears in both sexes, but is far more common in young women of the age group between 14 and 25 years because of their natural sensitivity. In many cases it tends to occur around the period of adolescence and becomes less frequent after the age of 25. It is uncommon after the age of forty-five years.
Hysteria is an ancient disorder. The term is derived from the Greek word hystron,meaning uterus. The diagnosis dates back to ancient Greek medicine, according to which a variety of symptoms was attributed to a wandering of the womb through the body. The recorded history of the diagnosis begin in ancient Egypt with the Kahnus Papyrus dating from about 1900 BC, which enumerates a series of morbid states attributable to displacement of the uterus. In the Middle Ages hysteria was associated with ideas of demoniacal possession, witchcraft and religious fanaticism. Later it came to be solely related to the female sex.
Osler, an eminent psychiatrist defines hystria as “a disorder chiefly of young women, in which emotional states control the body, leading to perversion of mental, sensory, motor and secretory functions. “
Symptoms
A wide range of symptoms are regarded as hysterical The onset of hysterical attacks may be sudden, provoked especially by strong feelings or may be heralded over a period of several hours by prodromal features. The main symptoms include inappropriate elation or sadness, crying without cause, almost conclusive laughter, deep sighing, cramps in the limbs, mild rumblings in the belly and sense of constriction in the throat.
The symptoms of hysteria are of two degrees. In the first degree, the patient may feel heaviness in the limbs, more severe cramps, strong feeling of ascending abdominal constriction, continual sightings, difficulty in breathing, construction in the chest, palpitations, feeling of a foreign body lodged in the throat, swelling of the neck and of the jugular veins, suffocation, headache, clenched teeth, generalized and voluntary tensing of muscles of locomotion. The patient remains conscious during paroxysms. The convulsions are usually milder and occur more often during the bending and extending of limbs.
In the second degree, additional symptoms, besides the preceding ones, are noticeable and these may include wild and painful cries, incomplete loss of consciousness, enormously swollen neck, violent and tumultuous heart-beats, involuntary locomotor muscle contraction, frightening generalised convulsions, violent movement and frequent spitting. Sometimes the patient jumps about on his / her bed and at other times adopt almost tetanic postures. The attack may last several hours. There may be prompt return of consciousness immediately after the convulsions.
The psychical symptoms include a weakness of the will, a craving for love and sympathy and a tendency to emotional instability. Hysterical people tend to react too readily to suggestion and through this suggestibility they are swayed greatly by their surroundings. The morbid exaggerated moods led to impulsive conduct which may often seem irrational. Such people are liable to be much misunderstood and misjudged. At times there may be much absent-mindedness, and loss of memory about events or for definite periods. If this mental dissociation is severe, one may develop hysterical wandering attacks, a state of double consciousness or dual personality.
Hysterical trances may last for days or weeks. Here the patient seems to be in a deep sleep, but the muscles are not usually relaxed. In the most severe instance of this, the heart action and breathing may be scarcely apparent that death may be suspected and the person buried alive.
Somnambulism or sleep-walking and catalepsy, where limbs remain in any position in which they are placed, are other hysterical states.
Causes
The most common causes of hysteria are sexual excess, or sexual repression, perverted habits of thought and idleness. Heredity plays an important part in its causation. A nervous family, taint and faulty emotional training, when young, are predisposing causes. The emotional shocks may have been caused by mental or physical factors such as mental strain, stress, fear, worry, depression, traumatism, masturbation and prolonged sickness.
Hysteria is an extremely mental phenomenon which may take varying forms. In certain types the disorder may result from some situation to which one is unable to adapt oneself such as marriage, engagement, position of responsibility, the death of relations or loss of love. Factors involving the sexual life in some way are frequently present.
A number of studies have indicated a possible connection between hysterical symptoms and organic brain disease. A patient with epilepsy has often been found to get hysterical attacks.
Drug intoxication is another organic brain disease closely associated with hysteria.
Treatment
Hysteria is curable in nearly all cases. Since the causes of hysteria are both physical and mental, treatment should be directed toward both the body and the mind. Regard for one’s physical welfare is of primary importance. A healthy, well-functioning body is best able to keep the reasoning mind in control of the total organism.
The measures on the physical side should include a well- ordered hygienic mode of living, a nutritious and bland diet, adequate mental and physical rest, daily exercise, agreeable, occupation, fresh air, regular hours of eating and sleeping, regulation of the bowels and wholesome companionship with others.
On the mental plane, the patient should be taught self-control and educated in positive thinking.
Her mind must be, by some means drawn away from herself. Proper sex education should be given immediately, especially as regards sublimation of sexual desire or normal sexual indulgence for the married patient.
In most cases of hysteria, it is desirable for the patient to start treatment by adopting an all-fruit diet for several days. She should have fresh juicy fruits such as orange, apple, grapes, grapefruit, papaya and pineapple during this period. The all-fruit diet should be followed by an exclusive milk diet for about a month.
Most hysteria patients are considerably run down and the milk diet will help build better blood and nourish the nerves. If the full milk diet is not convenient, a diet of milk and fruits may be adopted. The patient, may, therefore, gradually embark upon a well balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains. Vegetables and fruits. The patient should avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, white sugar and white flour and products made from them.
Jambul fruit, known as jamun in the vernacular, is considered an effective home remedy for hysteria. Three kgs. of this fruits and a handful of salt should be put in a jug filled with water. The jug should be kept in the sun for a week. Women suffering from hysteria should take 300 grams of this fruit on an empty stomach and also drink a cup of water from the jug. The day she starts this treatment, three kgs. more of these fruits together with a handful of salt should be put in another jug filled with water, so that when the contents of the first jug are finished, contents of the other may be ready for use. This treatment should be continued for two weeks.
Honey is regarded as another effective remedy for hysteria. Two of the main causes of hysteria are irregularity of the menstrual cycle and insanity. Honey is invaluable for both these conditions.
It causes good bleeding during the cycle, cleans the uterus, tones up the brain and the uterine musculature and keeps the body temperature at a normal level. It is advisable to use honey regularly and increase the quantity after the first start. It will bring down body temperature thus preventing further fits.
Exercise and outdoor games are important in the prevention and cure of hysteria. They take the mind away from one’s self and induce cheerfulness. Yogasanas which are useful in hysteria are bhujangasana, shalbhasana, matsyasana, sarvangasana, dhanurasana, halasana, paschimotanasana, yogamudra and shavasana. Weak patients, who are not able to take much active exercise, may be given massage three or four times a week.
Other measures useful in the treatment of hysteria are air and sun baths. They are calming and at the same time invigorating to the nerves. Daily cool baths are also an excellent tonic. Suitable physical activity must be balanced with adequate rest and sleep.
In case of hysterical fit, the clothing of the patient should be loosened and her head lowered by laying her out flat at once.
She should not be allowed to assume an erect position for sometimes after the fit. She should be slapped gently in the face and mustard plasers applied to the soles of the feet and the wrists. In ordinary cases no further treatment is necessary and the symptoms will soon pass off or cease if the patient is left alone.
In a genuine hysterical attack, the most effective means of interrupting the paroxym is the applicatin of cold water in some form to the head and spine. Either the cold water may be poured or cold pack or ice pack may be applied to the hand and back of the neck. If this cannot be done, cold water may be splashed on the face. The patient should be provided with plenty of fresh air and some of her clothing should be removed to facilitate easy breathing and to expose the skin to fresh air.
In a violent seizure of hysteria, pressure on the ovaries often checks the attack. The patient should be made to lie on the back and the first forcibly pressed into the iliac region. As soon as possible, a neutral immersion bath at 98 o to 100 o F. may be given and continued until the excited condition subsides. If this is not convenient, a hot foot bath, with cold applications to the head, may be used instead. Following an attack the patient should have rest, quietness, darkness and if possible, sleep until the lost energy has been gradually recovered.
Goiter
Goitre is a disease of the thyroid gland. It generally refers to a swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck. The disease can, however, also occur without any swelling of the neck. The thyroid gland is best known for its ductless glands. Through its secretions, it regulates the day to day activities, maintains homeostatis through periods of stress and strain and provides a fine balance to the regulatory systems of the body. No part of the body seems to escape its influence.
Women are more prone to this serious disease. It is more common in women who are over worked and who do not get sufficient rest and relaxation. The periods in a woman’s life when she is more likely to be affected by goitre are at puberty, during pregnancy, at menopause or when there is extra physical strain on the body.
Symptoms
It is difficult to recognise the first symptoms of goitre because they are of a very short duration.
They usually appear as emotional upsets and can pass almost unnoticed. These spells of emotional upsets gradually increase in duration, when other symptoms also appear. These include loss of power of concentration, depression and weeping. The patient appears to be very easily irritated. The approach of a nervous breakdown is often suspended.
The thyroid gland may swell but this has no relation to the severity of the ailment because many serious cases have practically no visible swelling. There is always a rapid though regular heart beat and any undue excitement increases this to a quick pulsation which may even be conveyed to the thyroid gland. There is, in most cases, a tremor of the hands and a feeling of extreme tiredness, together with a lack of power to make any real muscular effort. The eyes may incline to protrude although this does not appear in all patients.
A most alarming symptoms of goitre is the loss of weight which no treatment seems to check, and this can persist till the patient feels extremely weak. All the symptoms appear very gradually and that is why so many women do not complain until the trouble has reached serious proportions.
Whenever goitre occurs, it must not be assumed that it is sudden flaring up because disease is not an abrupt derangement of a healthy system nor a sign that there has been a gradual loss of health. In practically every instance a bowel is clogged and there has been a slow poisoning of the entire system over a period of years.
Causes
Deficiency of iodine in the diet is the most common cause of goitre. The thyroid gland makes use of organic iodine in its secretion and a diet deficient in organic iodine is a predisposing factor towards the appearance of this disease incertain cases, especially if other physical and emotional disturbances are present.
People living near the sea rarely contract goitre, because all sea foods are rich in organic iodine.
It should, however, be concluded from this that fish and other sea foods are essential to the diet to avoid goitre, or that people who eat plenty of fish are necessarily immune from this disease.
IN fact, organic iodine is present in practically all foods which come from the earth as well as from the sea. Goitre gradually affects those who habitually live on denatured, that is cooked and refined foods, and not those who eat much of their food in the raw or uncooked state.
Treatment
The only real treatment for goitre is cleaning of the system and adopting of a rational dietary thereafter, combined with adequate rest and relaxation. To begin with, juices of fruits such as orange, apple, pineapple and grapes may be taken every two or three hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for five days. The bowels should be cleansed daily with lukewarm water.
After the juice fast, the patient may spend a further three days on fruits and milk, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits, such as apple, pineapple, grapes, papaya, with a glass of milk, at five hourly intervals. Thereafter, a balanced diet on the following line may be adopted.
Breakfast: Fresh acid foods such as apples, grapefruit, oranges, pears, grapes, a glass of whole milk and a handful of raw nuts.
Mid-morning: A glass of fruit or vegetable juice to which a table- spoon of yeast has been added.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables, whole wheat chappatis and a glass of buttermilk.
Mid-afternoon: A glass of milk or fruit juice.
Dinner: Vegetable soup, a large bowl of salad of raw vegetables in season such as lettuce, tomato, cabbage, carrot, turnips and celery, sprouts such as alfalfa seeds and mung beans and home made cottage cheese or nuts.
Before retiring: Milk or fruit juice.
The patient should take plenty of rest and spend a day in bed every week for the first two months of the treatment. More and more exercise should be taken after the symptoms subside.
The appetite of the thyroid patient is usually very large and the weight reduction cannot be prevented for some time. This is because until the heart beat slows down and the tremors stop, there will be incomplete assimilation of the food. But as soon as the balance is restored, weight will slowly increase. To held the absorption of food, a narrow waist compress and, later, a neck compress should be worn for five nights a week.
As weight increases, the almost constant hunger will gradually disappear; on no account should any stimulants be administered to create an appetite.
Certain foods and fluids are extremely injurious to the goitre patients and this should be avoided by them. These include white flour products, white sugar, flesh foods, fried or greasy foods, preserves, condiments, tea, coffee and alcohol. No drugs should be taken as they cause irritation in the tissues. Iodine is undoubtedly most helpful in many cases. But it should be introduced in organic form. All foods containing iodine should be taken liberally. These are asparagus, cabbage, carrots, garlic, onion, oats, pineapple, whole rice, tomatoes, watercress, and strawberries.
Great care must be taken never to allow the body to become exhausted and any irritation likely to cause emotional upset should be avoided. The cure of goitre is not a speed one and there is often a recurrence of symptoms but these should gradually become less pronounced. Strict adherence to a suitable diet is essential for complete cure.
Half the daily intake of food should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables and the starch elements should be confined to whole wheat products and potatoes. Potatoes are the most valuable form of starch. They should preferably be taken in their jackets. The protein foods should be confined to eggs, cheese, peas, beans, lentils and nuts. Milk and all flesh proteins must be avoided. The diet outlines here should be strictly adhered to for a year, and the compresses on the neck and the waist applied for five consecutive nights in a week for two months and discontinued for one month.
Water treatments should be taken to increase skin elimination. Application of a sponge to the entire body before retiring and a cold sponge on rising will be very helpful. It is most important that the bowels are kept working efficiently to avoid danger of a toxic condition of the blood arising from that source.
All efforts should be made to prevent emotional stress. There may be a light recurrence of this extremely nervous complaint for some time, but the attacks will become less severe and of shorter duration as the treatment progresses. And above all, there must be no lessening of the woman’s efforts to help herself because success can only be attained by assiduous effort.
PART V
OTHER DISEASES
Cholera
Cholera is one of the most severe diseases of the intestines. It is a serious affliction, involving the lower part of the small bowel. It is a waterborne disease and is common during the monsoons. The mortality rate for this disease has been quite high.
The disease strikes suddenly and fills the intestinal canal with bacilli which die rapidly and leave the person quickly, alive or dead. It comes as a fell epidemic and creates havoc but subsides quickly in the locality. Those who are susceptible to it are carried away and those who are left alive are immuned to it. Thus after an epidemic in a non-epidemic area, there is no re-visitation in the locality for two or three years.
The original home of cholera is Bengal in India. It spread from this country during the 19th century in a series of epidemics along the trade routes. It reached Japan and also Astrakhan, in Russian, in 1817. The disease spread to Moscow in 1826, Berlin in 1831 and London and Paris in 1832. Subsequently, it spread to Canada and several countries in Europe. However, by 1895, cholera had disappeared from Europe.
Symptoms
Cholera appears in three stages. In the first stage, the patient suffers from mild diarrhoea and vomiting, which worsens rapidly. The motions become watery, containing no feacal matter. The patient feels severe cramps in the muscles of the abdomen and limbs, resulting from lack of salts. The temperature rises but the skin is generally cold and blue and the pulse is weak.
Taking water to quench thirst dilutes the body salt still further, and makes the cramps worse.
In the second stage of collapse, the body becomes colder, the skin dry, wrinkled and purple.
Voice becomes weak and husky while the urine looks dark and formation is less, or altogether absent. It is in this ‘algid’ stage that the patient may die, as early as 24 hours after the onset of the symptoms.
In the third stage,recovery follows in favourable cases. All the changes seem to reverse themselves, the fluid loss decreases and there is improvment in the general condition. Even at this stage, a relapse may occur or the patient may sink into a condition resembling typhoid fever.
The condition may deteriorate over a period of two or three weeks. During this stage of reaction, the temperature may rise and the patient may be in danger from penumonia.
Causes
Cholera is caused by a short, curved, rod-shaped germ known as vibrio cholera. This germ produces a powerful poison or endotoxin. It is spread by flies and water contaminated by the germs. The real cause of disease, however, is the toxic and devitalized condition of the system brought about by incorrect feeding habits and faulty style of living. This condition facilitates invasion of cholera germs.
Treatment
The treatment should in the beginning aim at combating the loss of fluids and salts from the body. To allay thirst, water, soda water or green coconut water should be given for sipping although this may be thrown out by vomiting. Therefore, only small quantities of water should be given repeatedly, as these may remain for sometime within the stomach and stay of every one minutes means some absorption. Ice may be given for sucking. This will reduce internal temperature and restrict the tendency to vomit. Intravenous infusions ofsaline solution should be given to compensate for the loss of fluids and salts from the body. The patient may require five litres or more a day. Care should, however, be taken to avoid waterlogging the patient.
Potassium may be added to the infused fluid. Rectal saline may sometimes prove useful for adults. Normally, half a litre of saline, with 30 grams of glucose, should be given per rectum every four hours until urine is passed freely.
After the acute stage of cholera is over, the patient may be given green coconut water and barley water in very thin form. When the stools begin to form, he should be given butter-milk. As he progresses towards recovery, rice softened to semi-solid form mixed with curd, may be given.
The patient should not be given solid food till he has fully recovered. Liquid and bland foods, which the patient can ingest without endangering a reoccurrence of the malady, are best.
Lemon, onion, green chillies, vinegar and mint should be included in the daily diet during an epidemic of cholera.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment ofcholera. The foremost among these is the use of lemon(bara nimbu). The juice ofthis fruit can kill cholera bacilli within a short time. It is also a very effective and reliable preventive food item against cholera during the epidemic. It can be taken in the form of sweetened or salted beverages for this purpose.
Taking of lemon with food as daily routine can also prevent cholera.
The root bark of guava (amrud) is another valuable remedy. It is rich in tannis and can be successfully employed in the form of concentrated decoction in cholera. It will arrest vomiting and symptoms of diarrhoea.
According to Culpepper, an eminent nutritionist for children and young people, nothing is better to purge cholera than the leaves and flowers of peach (arhu). They should be taken in the form of syrup or conserve. The leaves of drumstick (sanjana) tree are also useful in treatment of this disease. A teaspoon of fresh leaf-juice, mixed with honey and a glass of tender coconut water, can be given two or three times as a herbal medicine in the treatment of cholera.
Onion is very useful in cholera. About 30 grams of this vegetable and seven black peppers should be finely pounded in a pestle and given to the patient. It allays thirst and restlessness and the patient feels better. The fresh juice of bitter gourd (karela) is another effective medicine in the early stages of cholera.
Two teaspoons of this juice, mixed with an equal quantity of white onion juice and a teaspoon of lime juice, should be given Cholera can be controlled only by rigid purification of water supplies and proper disposal of human wastes. In case of the slightest doubt about the contamination of the water, it must be boiled before use, for drinking and cooking purposes. All foodstuffs must be kept covered and vegetables and fruits washed with a solution of potassium permanganate before consumption. Other precautions against this disease include avoiding all uncooked vegetables, thorough washing of hands by all those who handle food, and elimination of all contacts with the disease.
Dermatitits
Dermatitis refers to an inflammation of the skin, both external and internal. It is characterised by redness, swelling, heat and pain or itching. Any part of the body may be affected by this disease.
The genital areas and the exposed areas such as the eyelids, forearms, face and neck are more prone to it.
The cells of the epidermis (the surface layer of the skin) are normally protected from damage by the tightly packed squamae of keratin of the horny layer. The elasticity of keratin varies with its water content. This water content can be reduced by evaporation or by removal of the lipid with which it retains moisture. Substances which produce inflammation of the epidermis or dermatitis by mechanical or chemical disruption of the horny layer are called irritants.
Degreasing agents like soaps, if used too frequently over a short time, will cause dryness, redness, fissuring and irritation of the skin in almost everyone.
Symptoms
The appearance of dermatitis varies according to its severity and the stage of its evolution. The first symptom is erythema or redness. This is usually followed by swelling of the skin due to oedema( excessive fluid retention). Vesicle may appear thereafter.In case of their rupture, their bases exude serum. This condition is known as weeping dermatitis. Later, the serum dries up to form crusts. IN some people the disease seems to come and go without any great change in the skin itself.
Causes
Chemical substances usually give rise to dermatitis. They may reach the skin from outside or from inside through the blood-stream. About 100 different plants are known to be capable of causing dermatitis in susuceptible persons. The onset is usually acute and begins an hour or two after contact. Dermatitis may be caused by external contact with mineral irritants. This includes most cases of industrial dermatitis which arise on the hands or forearms which actually come in contact with the irritant.
Certain drugs applied externally such as atropine, belladona, carbolic acid, iodine, mercury, penicillin, sulphonamides, sulphurs, tars and turpentine sometimes cause dermatitis. Other substances causing this disease include hair dyes, bleaches, skin tonics, nail polish, perfume, wool, silk, nylon, floor-wax and various detergents. Other causes of this disease are indiscretion in diet, deficiency of vitamin A and pantothenic acid, and nervous and emotional stress.
Treatment
As dermatitis may appear due to varied causes, treatment also varies accordingly. If, however, the trouble is constitutional arising from internal causes, the patient should commence the treatment by adopting an all-fruit diet for at least a week. In this regimen, he should take three meals a day of juicy fruits such as orange, grapes, apple, pineapple and papaya at five hourly intervals.
After an exclusive fruit diet, patient may adopt a restricted diet for ten days. In this regimen, breakfast may consist of orange juice or grapefruit. Raw salad, consisting of vegetables available in season, with raisins, figs or dates may be taken for lunch and dinner may consist of steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, along with a few nuts or fresh fruit. Mild puddings and desserts such as jellies, jams and pastries, all condiments, spices, white sugar, and white flour and products made from them, tea, coffee and other stimulating drinks should all be avoided.
After the restricted diet, the patient should gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The emphasis should be on fresh fruits and raw vegetables. IN case of a severe condition, the patient should undertake a fast on fruit or vegetable juices for three to five days. This may be followed by a restricted diet for ten to fifteen days. Further fasts and a period on restricted diet at intervals may be adopted after the resumption of a normal diet.
The warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the first week of treatment and thereafter as necessary. Epsom-salts baths may be taken two or three times a week. The affected areas may also be bathed twice daily in hot water with Epsom salts. About 100 grams of Epsom salts should be added to a bowlful of hot water for this purpose. A little olive oil should be applied after Epsom-salt bathing.
The patient should avoid white sugar, refined carbohydrates, tea, coffee, and other denatured foods. He should make liberal use of fruits and vegetable juices. The combined juice from apple, carrot and celery is especially beneficial in the treatment of dermatitis. About 175 ml. each of these juices should be mixed to prepare 525 ml. of combined juice.
No medicines of any kind should be used. In case of trouble due to external causes, the most effective treatment consists of applying a mixture of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and olive oil. The alkaline sodium neutralises the poisonous acids formed in the sores and oil keeps the flesh in a softened condition.
The patient should undertake moderate physical exercise, preferably simple yoga asanas after the fast is completed and the start of the restricted diet. Exercise is one of the most valuable means for purifying the blood and for preventing toxaemia. The patient should also have adequate physical and mental rest and fresh air. He should avoid exposure to cold, and adopt regular hours of eating sleeping.
Hiatus Hernia
Hitaus Hernia can be defined as displacement of a portion of the stomach through the opening in the diaphragm through which the oesophagus passes from the chest to the abdominal cavity. IN this disease, a part of the upper wall of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm at the point where the gullet passes from the chest area to the abdominal area.
The diaphragm is a large dome-shaped muscle dividing the chest from the abdominal cavity. It is the muscle concerned with breathing, and it is assisted by the muscles between the ribs during exertion. It has special openings in it to allow for the passage of important blood vessels and for the food channel, the oesophagus. Hiatus hernia occurs at the oesophageal opening.
The disease is common after middle age. It is estimated that about half the people above 60years of age suffer from it, although most of them may not have any symptoms. The correct diagnosis of haitus hernia can be arrived at by means of berium meal x-ray test.
Symptoms
Hiatus hernia is characterised by pain in certain areas. The most common areas are behind the breast bone at the nipple level and lower, at the end of the breast one. Pain may also occur on the left chest and this is often mistaken for angina.
Other areas of pain are the base of the throat, right lower ribs and behind the right shoulder blade. The pain increases when the patients stoops with efforts and lies down. Other symptoms of this disease are heart-burn, especially after a meal, a feeling of fullness and bloatedness, flatulence and discomfort on swallowing.
Causes
The chief cause of the mechanical defect associated with hiatus hernia is faulty diet. The consumption of white flour, refined sugar and products made from them, such as cakes, pastries, biscuits and white bread as well as preservatives, and flavourings devitalise the system and weaken the muscle tone. As a consequence, the muscles become less resilent, and connective and fibrous tissue suffers through poor nourishment, and thus become more prone to decomposition and damage. This ultimately leads to disease like hiatus hernia.
Drinks like tea, coffee, alcohol, also affect the mucous lining of the stomach and irritate the digestive tract. These drinks, when taken with meals, encourage fermentation and produce gas.
This increases the distension of the stomach, causing pressure against the diaphragm and the oesophageal opening and greatly increasing the risk of hemiation. Other causes of hiatus hernia include sedentary occupations, without sensible exercise, overweight resulting from overeating, smoking, shallow breathing and mental and emotional tensions.
Treatment
IN the beginning of the treatment, it would be advisable to raise the head end of the bed by placing bricks below the legs of the bed. This will prevent the regurgitation of food during the night. More pillow can also be used for the same purpose.
The next important step towards treating hiatus hernia is relaxation. An important measure in this direction is diaphragmatic breathing. The procedure is as follows: lie down with both knees bent and feet close to buttocks. Feel relaxed. Put both the hands lightly on the abdomen and concentrate the attention of this area. Now breathe in, gently pushing the abdominal up under the hands at the same time, until no more air can be inhaled. Then relax, breathing out through the mouth with an audible sighing sound and allow the abdominal wall to sink back. The shoulders and chest should, remain at rest throughout.
It is important to be able to relax at any time and thereby prevent building up of physical and mental tensions which may cause actual physical symptoms. The best method for this is practice shavasana, or ‘dead body ‘pose. The procedure for this Asian has been explained in chapter 7on yoga therapy.
The patient of hiatus hernia should observe certain precautions in their eating habits. The foremost amongst these is not to take water with meals, but half an hour before or one hour after a meal. This helps the digestive process considerably and reduces the incidence of heart burn.
Drinking water with meals increases the overall weight in the stomach, slows down the digestive process by diluting the digestive process and this increases the risk of fermentation and gas formation, which distends the stomach and causes discomfort and pain. Another important factor in the treatment of this disease is to take frequent small meals instead of three large ones.
Thorough mastication of foods is also essential, both to break up the food into small particles and to slow down the rate of intake.
The diet of the patient should consist of seeds, nuts and whole cereal grains, vegetables and fruits, with emphasis on fresh fruits, raw or lightly cooked vegetables and sprouted seeds. The foods which should be avoided are over-processed foods like white bread and sugar, cakes and biscuits, rice puddings and over cooked vegetables. At least 50 per cent of the diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, and the remaining 50 per cent of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Raw juices extracted from fresh fruits and vegetables are valuable in haitus hernia, and the patient should take these juices half an hour before each meal. Carrot juice is specially beneficial as it has a very restorative effect, and is rich in vitamin A and calcium. It is an alkaline food which soothes the stomach. All juices should be diluted with water on a 50: 50 basis as they are concentrated.
The hot drinks should always be allowed to cool a little before taking. Extremes in temperature, in both food and drink should be avoided, drinks should not be taken hurriedly, but sipped slowly. The patient should avoid condiments, pickles, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages and smoking.
Intestinal Worms
Worms and other intestinal parasites which infest human beings are found in all countries of the world. However, they are more common in tropical and subtropical areas and are widely prevalent during the rainy seasons.
Children are more infested with these worms than adults. There are several types of intestinal worms. The most common of these are roundworms, pinworms, threadworms, hookworms, tapeworms and giardia.
Symptoms
The usual symptoms of intestinal worms are diarrhoea, foul breath, dark circles under the eyes, constant desire for food, restlessness at night with bad dreams, anaemia and headache.
Roundworms may give rise to inflammation of the intestine and lungs, nausea, vomiting, loss of weight, fever, nervousness and irritability. Pinworms and thread worms may bring on intense itching in the area around the rectum.
Threadworms may cause periodic bouts of diarrhoea alternating with constipation, loss of weight, cough and fever. Hookworms may give rise to anaemia and nutritional disorders. The presence of giardia may result in pain in the calves and weakness in the legs.
Causes
The eggs of these parasites are introduced into the human system through the medium of food or water, especially undercooked meat. Roundworms may result from dirty fingers and food.
Hookworms enter the human body through the skin from infected water. The tapeworms are transmitted into the body through undercooked flesh foods or foods contaminated by dogs.
The real cause of intestinal worms, however, is wrong feeding. The eggs of these worms, taken into the human body through food and water can breed in the intestines only if they find there a suitable medium for their propagation. This medium is an intestinal tract clogged with morbid matter and systemic refuse due to wrong feeding habits.
Treatment
The treatment for intestinal worms should begin with diet. The patient should be kept on an exclusive diet of fresh fruits for five to seven days. Thereafter he may adopt a well-balanced light diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, milk and wholemeal bread. The diet should exclude fatty foods such as butter, cream, and oil, refined foods and all flesh foods. This dietary should be continued till the parasites are completely eliminated.
In some cases, depending on the progress being made, the all-fruit diet may have to be repeated at regular intervals. In obstinate cases the patient should resort to short fasts on raw fruit and vegetable juices. This fast has to be of a fairly long duration in case of tapeworms. It would be advisable to carry on this fast treatment under the supervision of a naturopath, or better still, in a natural cure hospital. During the all-fruit diet or fasting period, the bowels should be cleansed daily with the warm water enema.
Home Remedies
Among the numerous home remedies found beneficial in the treatment of intestinal worms, the use of coconut is most effective. It is an ancient remedy for expelling all kinds of intestinal worms. A tablespoon of the freshly ground coconut should be taken at breakfast followed by a dose of castor oil after three hours. The process may be repeated till the cure is complete.
Garlic has been used for expelling intestinal worms from ancient times by the Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Hindus and Babylonians. It is also used by modern biological practitioners for this purpose. Both fresh garlic and its oil are effective. An ancient method of its medication was to place a couple of cloves of fresh garlic in its shoe. As the person walks, it is crushed and the worm-killing garlic oil is absorbed by the skin and carried by blood into the intestines as it possesses the powerful penetrative force. This method is worth a trial by those who do not like the taste of garlic and cannot eat it.
The carrot(gajar) is valuable in the elimination of threadworms from children as it is offensive to all parasites. A small cup of grated carrot taken every morning, with no other food added to the meal, can clear these worms quickly.
The digestive enzyme papain in the milk juice of the unripe papaya (papita) is a powerful anthelmintic for destroying roundworms. A tablespoon of fresh juice and equal quantity of honey should be mixed with three to four tablespoons of hot water and taken as a dose by an adult.
This should be followed two hours later by a dose of 30 to 60 ml. of castor oil mixed in 250 – 375ml. of lukewarm milk. This treatment should be repeated for two days, if necessary. For children of 7 to 10 years, half the above doses should be given. For children under three years, a tablespoon is sufficient.
Papaya seeds are also useful for this purpose. They are rich in a substance called caricin which is a very effective medicine for expelling roundworms. The alkaloid Carpaine found in the leaves has also the power to destroy or expel intestinal worms. They are given with honey.
The bark, both of the root and the stems of pomegranate (anar) tree, is well known for its anthelmintic properties of destroying parasitic worms. The root-bark is, however, preferred as it contains greater quantity of the alkaloid punicine than the stem-bark. This alkaloid is highly toxic to tapeworms. Ninety to 180 ml. of the cold decoction of bark, preferably fresh bark, should be given three times at intervals of one hour to an adult. A purgative should be given after the last dose. The dose for children is 30 to 60 ml. The decoction is used for expelling tapeworms.
The seeds of the ripe pumpkin(kumra) are useful in intestinal worms, especially tapeworms. An infusion, prepared from the seeds after they are peeled and crushed, will kill parasites and help in expelling the tapeworm. It will be necessary to fast for a day and empty the intestines by taking the juice of boiled dry prunes. The next day, three or four tumblers of this pumpkin seed infusion should be taken.
Malaria
Malaria is a serious infectious disease. It is one of the intermittent fevers which have a tendency to return again and again to haunt the sufferer. The word malaria comes from the Italian malaria, meaning bad air as it was once supposed to be caused by bad air. It is one of the most wide spread diseases in the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.
Symptoms
There are three main types of malaria, depending upon the parasite which causes it. These are vivax, falciparum and malaria, commonly called tertian fever, quarter fever and the malignant tertian malaria. The most common symptom of all types of malaria is high fever, which may come every day, on alternate days or every fourth day. The fever is accompanied by chill, headache, shivering and pain in the limbs. The temperature comes down after some time with profuse sweating. One of the main effects of malaria is anemia. Other complications of the disease are kidney failure and dysentery.
Causes
Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite called plasmodium. The parasites grow in the liver of a person for a few days and then enter the bloodstream where they invade the red blood cells.
The disease is spread from a sick person to a healthy one by the female anopheles mosquito.
She draws a small quantity of blood containing the parasites, when she bites a person who has malaria. These parasites then pass through several stages of development within the mosquito’s body and finally find their way to its salivary glands. There they lie in wait for an opportunity to enter the bloodstream of the next person. The real cause of malaria, however, as in case of other infectious diseases, is wrong feeding habits and faulty style of living, resulting in the system being clogged with accumulated systemic refuse and morbid matter. It is on this soil that the malaria germs breed. The liberal use of denatured foods of today such as white sugar, white flour and products made from them, as well as tinned foods, strong tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages, lower the vitality of the system and paves the way for the development of malaria.
Treatment
Diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of malaria. To begin with, the patient should fast on orange juice and water for seven to fifteen days depending on the severity of the fever. The warm water enema should be administered daily during this period to cleanse the bowels. After the fever has subsided, the patient should be placed on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for further three days. In this regimen, he should take three meals a day, at five-hourly intervals, of fresh, juicy fruits, like oranges, grapes, grapefruit, apple, pineapple, mango and papaya. Milk may be added to the fruit-diet after this period and this diet may be continued for a further few days.
Thereafter, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of natural foods consisting of seeds, nuts and grains. Vegetables and fruits, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables.
The patient should avoid strong tea, coffee, refined and processed foods, fried foods, condiments, sauces, pickles, white sugar, white flour, and all products made from them. He should also avoid all meats, alcoholic drinks and smoking.
The best way to reduce temperature naturally, during the course of fever, is by means of the cold pack, which can be applied to the whole body. This pack is made by wringing out a sheet or other large square piece of linen material in cold water, wrapping it right round the body and legs of the patient(twice round would be best) and then covering completely with a small blanket or similar warm material. This pack should be applied every three hours during the day while temperature is high and kept on for an hour or so. Hot-water bottles may be applied to the feet and also against the sides of the body.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of malaria. One such remedy is the use of grapefruit (chakotra). This substance can be extracted from the fruits by boiling a quarter of the grapefruit and straining its pulp.
Lime and lemon are beneficial in the treatment of quarter type of malaria fever. About three grams of lime should be dissolved in about 60 ml. of water and juice of one lemon added to it.
This water should be taken before the onset of the fever.
Cinnamon (dalchini) is regarded as an effective cure for all types of colds, including malaria. It should be coarsely powdered and boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder and honey. This can be used beneficially as a medicine in malaria.
Alum (phitkari) is also useful in malaria. It should be roasted over a hot plate and powdered. It should be taken about four hours before the expected attack and every two hours after it. This will give relief.
Preventive Measures
The preventive aspect in malaria is as important as the curative one. The best way to protect against malaria is to adopt all measures necessary for preventing mosquito bites. For this purpose, it is essential to maintain cleanliness of surroundings, environmental hygiene and to eradicate stretches of stagnant water. As the mosquito generally perches itself on the walls of the house, after biting a person, it would be advisable to spray the walls with insecticides.
The leaves of the holy basil (tulsi) are considered beneficial in the prevention of malaria. An infusion of some leaves can be taken daily for this purpose. The juice of about 11 grams of tulsi leaves mixed with three grams of black pepper, powder, can be taken beneficially in the cold stage of the malarial fever. This will check the severity of the disease.
Whooping Cough
Whooping cough or pertussis, as it is called in medical parlance, is a contagious disease. Unlike some other diseases, a new born baby has no immunity to this disease, and can get it any time after birth. It commonly affects infants during the first year of their life, when it is very severe and most of the deaths due to it occur during this period. Many cases occur in children up to 5 years of age. In some cases children up to 12 years may also be affected. The disease may cause serious trouble in the lungs.
This highly infectious disease is caused by bacteria. It spreads rapidly from one child to another by droplet-infection. This is especially so during the early catarrhal stage,but once the typical spasmodic bout starts, the infectivity becomes negligible. This disease has a prolonged course of 8 to 10 weeks.
Symptoms
The disease has a catarrhal and a spasmodic stage. For the first week, the cough is like an ordinary upper respiratory catarrh. At the end of a week, it becomes spasmodic and comes in bouts, initially more often during the night, but later during the day as well. The child goes on coughing. His face becomes red and suffused, the tongue protrudes and the eyes begin to water. At the end of the bout, the child takes a deep breath, and there is a prolonged croaking sound which is called a whoop. This sound is produced by the air entering through a partially closed glottis(entrance to the larynx). This gives the disease its name. The child brings out a sticky secretion from his nose and mouth and very often vomits. At the end of the bout, the child lies back exhausted. Gradually, over the next three or four weeks, the bouts of cough and their duration become less and disappear in about 8 to 10 weeks from the beginning of the disease.
In immunized children, the disease is mild and atypical.
Due to the severity of bouts of cough, bleeding can occur into the eyes, from the nose, the lung, and, in rare cases, into the brain, resulting in convulsions. In many young children, lung complications such as collapse of a part of the lung are common because of the thick sticky nature of the secretions blocking the passage of air to a part of the lung. Secondary infection may result in pneumonia. They may be convulsions, and, in rare cases, inflammation of the brain.
Causes
Whooping cough is caused by the micro-organisms Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis. Of these, the first one gives the rise to more severe infections. Whooping cough is also associated with various adinoviruses,para-influenza and respiratory viruses. The actual cause of the disease, however, is wrong feeding of children with refined and deminralised foods and absence of a sufficient quantity of fresh fruits and salad vegetables in their dietary. This results in accumulation of excessive quantities of catarrh and mucus in the child’s system. The disease is an attempt on the part of the nature to throw out this catarrh and mucus. The use of drugs to treat other diseases can also lead to whooping cough.
Treatment
In the beginning of the treatment, the child should be placed on a fast, on orange juice and water for few days. He should be given the juice of an orange diluted with warm water on 50: 50 basis.
He should not be given milk or anything else. He should be given warm water enema daily during this period to cleanse the bowels. In case of constipation, a mild laxative, preferably castor oil, should be administered. This will also relieve the pain in the abdominal muscles which are usually strained during the paroxysms of coughing. Cold packs should be applied to the throat and upper chest as required. Epsom-salt baths will be beneficial during this period.
After the more sever symptoms have cleared, the patient should be placed on an exclusive diet of fresh fruits for a few days. IN this regimen, we should take fresh juicy fruits such as apple, orange, pineapple and papaya. After further recovery, he can adopt a regular well-balanced diet, according to his age. The emphasis should be on fresh fruit, fruit and vegetable juices and milk.
When the convalescent stage has been reached, the child should be encouraged to spend as much time as possible out of doors.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of whooping cough. The most effective of these remedies is the use of garlic. The syrup of garlic should be given in the dosage of five drops to a tablespoon two or three times a day for treating this condition. It should be given more often if the coughing spells are frequent and violent.
Ginger(adrak) is another effective remedy for whooping cough. A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek(methi) decoction and honey to taste, is an excellent diaphoretic. It acts as an expectorant in this disease.
A syrup prepared by mixing a teaspoon of fresh radish (muli) with equal quantity of honey and a little rock salt, is beneficial in the treatment of this disease. It should be given thrice daily.
Almond (badam) oil is valuable in whooping cough. It should be given missed with 10 drops each of fresh white onion juice and ginger juice, daily thrice for a fortnight. It will give relief.
Halitosis
Halitosis refers to bad breath which is not only a sing of ill- health but it is also a social stigma. It is common in many people at all times and in all people some of the time. Unfortunately, most people who offend in this respect are completely unaware of their problem and the discomfort they cause to others.
Causes
The most common cause of halitosis is bad teeth and gum conditions. Dental decay at the roots of the teeth may result in abscesses in the gums with foul-smelling, pus giving an objectionable odour to the breath. Even small holes in the teeth may provide a place where germs can multiply and release foul orders.
Other causes of halitosis are any conditions of the nerves, throat, respiratory tract, or stomach which are associated with chronic infection or local upsets of one sort or another, such as chronic tonsillitis, lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis, chronic gastritis and sinuses which cause a discharge at the back of the throat. Most cases of bad breath., however, are caused by gastro-intestinal disorders, intestinal sluggishness and particularly by chronic constipation. The unpleasant odour results from an exceptionally large amount of waste matter expelled through the lungs. Chewing pan and tobacco and smoking are other causes of bad breath. The diseases like anaemia may also lead to unpleasant breath.
Treatment
If halitosis is caused by tooth and gum conditions, tonsillitis, sinusitis, smoking or anaemia, these conditions must be treated. Once they are eliminated the bad breath will disappear.
Similarly, bad breath resulting from gastro-intestinal disorders can be successfully treated by correcting these disorders and cleansing the system of morbid matter.
The patients suffering from halitosis should take a well-balanced diet consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with emphasis on raw and cooked vegetables and fruits.
In case of constipation, all measures should be adopted for its eradication. The patient should avoid reined carbohydrate foods, such as white sugar,white bread and prdoucts made from them as well as flesh foods and egg. Even whole grain bread should be eaten sparingly.
The patient should also avoid over eating of any kind of foods. He should eat six to eight soaked prunes and a few dried and soaked figs with breakfast. He must also drink the water in which these fruits were soaked. He should also take plenty of liquids and drink six to eight glasses of water daily. This will help eliminate bad breath.
The teeth should be cleaned regularly twice a day especially before going to bed at night. Metal particles should be removed carefully with toothpicks. In case of decaying teeth and swollen and bleeding gums, a dentist should be consulted. Munching a raw apple or guava after lunch removes most of the trapped particles. The use of twigs of the margosa (neem) tree as toothbrush is the best method of cleaning the teeth.
Home Remedies
Among the several home remedies for halitosis, the use of fenugreek (methi) has proved most effective. A tea made from the seeds of the vegetables should be taken regularly for correcting the condition. This tea is prepared by putting a teaspoon of seeds in half a litre of cold water and allowing to simmer for 15 minutes over a low flame. It should then be strained and used as tea.
Another effective remedy for bad breath is the use of avocodo (kulu naspati) which is far superior to any mouth lotion or remedies for this condition. It effectively removes intestinal putrefaction or decomposition which is one of the most important causes of bad breath.
The unripe guava (amrud) is useful in halitosis. It is rich in tannic, malic, oxalic and phospheric acids as well as calcium, oxalate and manganese. Chewing it is an excellent tonic for the teeth and gums. It helps cure bleeding from gums due to stypic effect and stops bad breath. Chewing tender leaves of guava tree also stops bleeding from gums and bad breath.
Parsley(prajmoda) is valuable in the treatment of bad breath. Two cups of water should be boiled and several springs of parsley, coarsely chopped, should be stepped in this water alongwith two or three whole cloves or a quarter spoon of ground cloves. This mixture should stirred occasionally while cooling. It should then be strained and used as a mouth wash and gargled several times a day.
All fruit and vegetable juices are beneficial in the treatment of halitosis and should be taken liberally by those suffering from this disorder. Juices from fruits like apple, grape-fruit, (chakatora), lemon and pineapple, and vegetables like tomato, carrot and celery are especially beneficial.
The person suffering from bad breath should take plenty of exercise as lack of sufficient exercise is one of the main causes of constipation leading to halitosis.
Measles
Measles, a highly infectious disease, is very common in childhood. It is so common at this stage of life that nearly all children everywhere in the world go through this brief period of red spots.
The disease appears in epidemic form, often in the winter season.
Symptoms
The first symptoms which appear during 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus are feverishness, cold, watering of the eyes and dry cough. Rashes appear on the skin in three to five days after the onset of these symptoms. These rashes, which consist of small rounded spots with reddened skin in between, initially appear on the sides of the face and the neck and then gradually spread all over the body, appearing last on the extremities. Initially pink in colour, these rashes grow darker as time passes.
Measles is usually accompanied with slight fever and diarrhoea. In rare cases of great severity, high fever and delirium may occur. Complication which can arise from this disease include pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear abscess. One serious but rare complication is the inflammation of the brain.
Causes
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, caused by a virus. The measles virus is so infectious that in cities, children catch this disease before they reach the age of five years.
Mothers generally pass their antibodies to their children which immunize them passively. This protection, however, does not last beyond the six months. Measles is easily transmitted in the early stages through the invisible droplets of moisture which are discharged from a patient’s nose or mouth when he coughs or sneezes.
The real cause of this disease, like other diseases of childhood, is, however, wrong feed and unhygienic living conditions. Measles is thus a natural healing crisis aimed at cleansing the infant organism of the toxins and deleterious and products resulting from the assimilation of the vast excess of starchy and sugary foods consumed by young children today.
The Cure
In the beginning of the treatment, the patient should be given juices of fresh fruits like orange and lemon frequently. This is sufficient as the child suffers from lack of appetite during this period. He should be kept in a well ventilated room. As light has a detrimental effect upon the eyes during measles, because of the weakened condition of the external eye tissues, the child should have his eyes shaded or the room should have subdued light.
The treatment should aim at bringing down the temperature and eliminating the toxins from the system. This can be achieved by administration of warm water enema every morning, application of mud packs on the abdomen twice a day in the morning and evening and repeated application of chest packs. Lukewarm water baths can be given every day to ease itching.
Addition of extracts of neem leaves to this water will prove beneficial.
As the condition improves, the child can be placed on an all fruit diet for a further few days.
Thereafter he may be allowed to gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of measles. The most valuable amongst these is the use of orange. When the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered, the patient suffers from intense toxaemia and the lack of saliva coats his tongue and often destroys his thrust for water as well as his desire for food. The agreeable flavour of orange juice helps greatly in overcoming these drawbacks. Orange juice is the most ideal liquid food in this disease.
The juice of lemon is another remedy. It also makes an effective thirst-quenching drink in measles. About 15 to 25 ml. of lemon juice, should be taken diluted with water for this purpose.
Turmeric (haldi) is beneficial in the treatment of measles. Raw roots of turmeric should be dried in the sun and ground to a fine powder. This powder, mixed with a few drops of honey and the juice of a few bitter gourd leaves, should be given to the patient suffering from measles.
Powdered liquorice (mulethi) has been found valuable in relieving the cough, typical of measles.
The child patient should be given this powdered liquorice mixed with honey.
The use of barley (Jau) water has proved beneficial in case of troublesome cough in measles.
This water should be taken frequently sweetened with the newly drawn oil of sweet almonds.
The seeds of eggplant (baingan) are stimulant. According to Dr. Sanyal of Calcutta, intake of half a gram to one gram of these seeds daily for three days will help develop immunity against measles for one year.
Children having measles should not be allowed to mixed with others. They should be given complete rest. Hygienic condition along with the above mentioned treatment will lead to speed recovery. Medications should be strictly avoided.
Mumps
Mumps are the epidemic Parotitis refer to a virus infection of the salivary glands, gonads,and occasionally other parts of the body. It is a contagious disease that occurs most frequently in children and young persons between the ages of five and fifteen years. The disease spreads from children to children in schools. Babies are immune from this disease. Most persons have mumps only once in their lives, but one person in ten may have a second attack.
Symptoms
The first sign of mumps is swelling and pain. The pain is first felt under one ear with stiffness of the neck and jaw. There is a slight fever which subsides in three or four days. The swelling appears first under one jaw and then extends under the other jaw. The gland becomes tender on pressure. On account of the pressure of the swelling, mastication and swallowing becomes difficult.
If the disease occurs after puberty, the testicles may be affected. The ovary may be infected in females. IN males, the gonads are usually swollen. If the disease spreads to the testicles, the swelling and pain are very considerable, there is a high fever, and the patient may become depressed and even a little confused. Mumps can also lead to meningitis(inflammation of the soft membranes of the brain) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) with delirium, severe headache and other signs of irritation of the meninges, or it may spread to the pancreas, when the symptoms include pain in the abdomen and loss of appetite. The patient may vomit.
Causes
Mumps are caused by a virus which attacks the salivary glands of the mouth, particularly the parotid glands located on each side of the face just below and in front of the ear. The infecting organism is a paramyxovirus. After a person is exposed to a case of the mumps, it takes about two weeks for the disease to appear. Dietetic errors are at the root of the trouble.
Treatment
The patient should be put in bed for several days until the temperature returns to normal. He should be kept on a diet of orange juice diluted with warm water on a 50: 50 basis for a few days. If the orange juice does not suit, the juices of other fruits such as mosambi, apple, pineapple, grapes, or vegetables like carrot should be given. The warm water enema should be used daily during this period. Hot and cold fomentations should be applied every two hours during the day for about 10 minutes, and should consist of two or three hot applications, followed by a cold one. The mouth should be cleaned with an antiseptic wash.
When the child can swallow food comfortably and the swelling has subsided, an all-fruit diet should be adopted for a day or two. Thereafter, he may be allowed to gradually embark upon a well- balanced diet of natural foods, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables.
Home Remedies
Chebulic myroblen(harad or haritaki) is one of the most effective remedies for mumps. A thick paste should be made from this herb by rubbing in water and applied over the swelling. It will give relief.
The leaves of the peepal tree are another effective home remedy for this disease. The leaves should be smeared with ghee and warmed over a fire. They should then be bandaged over the inflammed part, with beneficial results.
The use of the herb Indian aloe (ghee kunwar or musabhar) is a well known remedy for inflammed and painful part of the body in the indigeneous system of medicine. A piece of a leaf of this herb should be peeled on one side and sprinkled with a little turmeric (haldi) and extract of Indian barberry(rasaut) and bandaged over the swelling after warming.
The seeds of asparagus (halon) are valuable in mumps. These seeds combined with the seeds of fenugreek (methi)should be ground together to a consistency of a paste. This paste can be applied beneficially over the swelling.
The dry ginger (adrak) is considered beneficial in the treatment of mumps. It should be made into a paste and applied over the swollenparts. As the paste dries, the swelling will be reduced and the pain will also subside.
The leaves of margosa (neem) are also useful in the treatment of mumps. The leaves of this tree and turmeric (haldi) should be made into a paste and applied externally over the affected parts. It will bring good results.
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, a serous membrane which envelopes the lungs and also lines the inside of the chest. It may be acute or chronic, and mild or severe, the disease may be limited to one side of the chest or it may include both the sides.
This disease can attack people of all ages, from children right through to the very elderly. Like any other viral infection, pleurisy can occur in small epidemics.
The membranes that cover the lung are called pleura. The outer membrane, known as partial pleura, is applied to the inner wall of the thorax, and the inner membrane, known as the visceral pleura, covers the substance of the lungs. There is a capillary space between the two membranes which is filled with fluid. This fluid enables the lung s to move freely in the chest.
The parietal membrane is reflected from the chest wall to cover the upper surface of the diaphragm, and in the midline, it covers the mediastinum, the partition which seperates the two sides of the chest and contains the heart, great vessels and other structures which run through the thorax.
Symptoms
The onset of pleurisy is generally marked by a sharp and stabbing pain, which may be felt in any part of the chest wall or over the diaphragm. Deep breathing or coughing increases the pain. IN many cases, the diseases begins with a chill, followed by congestion of the pleura and later by fever. The degree of the fever determines the severity of the disease. The inflammation destroys the tissues and chokes the circulation within the tissues. Breathing becomes difficult due to the clogging of the circulation, and by pain and swelling within the chest. Later a liquid effusion escapes from the pleura, filling the open spaces in the chest cavity till the effect of the distension becomes oppressive. After absorption takes place or after the drainage of the effusion, the pressure is lowered, the pain is reduced and the patient feels relieved. It is sometimes dry pleurisy, a form where there is little or no effusion or the effusion may be circumscribed. The effusion may become gangrenous, or become mixed with blood, or be of a dirty brown colour with an offensive odour, leading to much suffering.
Causes
The most common among the immediate causes of pleurisy is that of ‘catching cold ‘followed by congestion and swelling of the pleural membrane. It is a disease that is not caused by germs.
There will be germs of putrefaction later in the ooze of serum from the tissue. The disease may be a complication of pneumonia, or pneumonia may be a complication of pleurisy. In a few cases, the diseases may also occur in rheumatic fever, uraemia and other conditions.
Treatment
At the first sign of pleurisy, the patient should observe a complete fast, abstaining from all liquid and solid foods. Nothing should be taken except plain water, hot or cold, as desired. Water may have bad taste, but at least three or four glasses should be taken daily for the first few days. The quantity of water should be gradually increased to five or six or more glasses each day. It would be helpful if during this period of fasting, a full hot enema is also taken once daily.
A hot chest pack should be applied two or three times a day allowing it to remain for an hour or so each time. If the fever becomes high, the packs may be changed to cold ones. If, however, the reaction is not prompt and complete, it would be advisable to use the hot packs.
Heat is always helpful for relieving the sharp pain associated with pleurisy. This should be applied for half an hour twice daily. The patient should practice deep breathing during this period. Adequate rest and abundance of fresh air are essential.
In cases of dry pleurisy, further relief from pain can be obtained by strapping the chest. Heat is not used when the tapping is employed. A neutral immersion bath at 100 F for one hour daily has also been found beneficial in the treatment of pleurisy.
After the acute symptoms have subsided, the patient may adopt a milk diet. IN this regimen, he should take 250 ml.of milk every two hours on the first day, every 1 1/2 hour on the second day, every hour on the third day and every three-quarters of an hour on the fourth day and onwards.
The quantity of milk should not exceed four litres daily. The patient may also take one orange daily along with the milk diet.
As soon as the patient has gained slightly in strength, he should undertake moderate exercise as a routine, avoiding fatigue. Air bath, sun bath and dry friction bath are of particular importance. If there is any particular disease, present along with the pleurisy whether as a causative or as a complicating condition, the same should also be given appropriate attention.
Chronic pleurisy should be treated in the same manner as to the diet and the application of heat.
All efforts should be made to increase the vitality, reduce toaxemia, and restore normal freedom of chest movements. Several short fasts, at regular intervals, followed by milk diet may be necessary depending on the progress for complete recovery.
Almost everyone has back pain at some point in his or her lives. According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain is the second most common neurological disorder in the United States—only headache is more common.
If you have back pain, the first step is to be properly assessed by your primary care provider.
Back pain has many causes, from muscle strain to more serious conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, spondylosisthesis, osteoporosis, or a tumor, so it is important to find out what is causing the back pain.
Acupuncture
Research:
A study conducted at Sheffield University in the United Kingdom looked at the long-term symptom reduction and economic benefits of acupuncture for persistent low back pain. Averages of eight acupuncture treatments were given to 159 people, while 80 people received usual care instead. After one year, people receiving acupuncture had reduced pain and reported a significant reduction in worry about their pain compared to the usual care group. After two years, the acupuncture group was significantly more likely to report that the past year had been pain-free. They were less likely to use medication for pain relief.
How does acupuncture work?
According to traditional Chinese medicine, pain results from blocked energy along energy pathways of the body, which are unblocked when acupuncture needles are inserted along these invisible pathways.
A scientific explanation is that acupuncture releases natural pain-relieving opioids, sends signals that calm the sympathetic nervous system, and releases neurochemicals and hormones.
An acupuncture treatment generally costs between $60 and $120. Acupuncture is tax-deductible (it is considered a medical expense) and some insurance plans pay for acupuncture.
If you want to try acupuncture, plan to go one to three times a week for several weeks initially.
Capsaicin Cream
Although you may not have heard of capsaicin (pronounced cap-SAY-sin) before, if you have ever eaten a chili pepper and felt your mouth burn, you know exactly what capsaicin does.
Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers.
When it is applied to the skin, capsaicin has been found to deplete substance P–a neurochemical that transmits pain–causing an analgesic effect.
Research:
In one double-blind study, 160 people were treated with capsaicin for 3 weeks, while another 160 people used a placebo. After 3 weeks, pain was reduced by 42% in the capsaicin group compared to 31% in the placebo group. Investigators rated capsaicin significantly more effective than placebo.
Dosages:
Capsaicin cream, also called capsicum cream, is available in drug stores, health food stores, and online. A typical dosage is 0.025% capsaicin cream applied four times a day. The most common side effect is a stinging or burning sensation in the area.
If possible, wear disposable gloves (available at drugstores) before applying the cream. Be careful not to touch the eye area or open skin. A tube or jar of capsaicin cream typically costs between $8 and $25.
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Capsaicin cream
Vitamin D
Chronic muscle pain can be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is found in fish with small bones, fortified milk and cereal, and exposure to sunlight.
Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency are:
• Darker pigmented skin (e.g. Hispanic, African American, Asian) does not convert UV rays efficiently to vitamin D
• Digestive disorders, such as celiac disease
• Use of glucocorticoid medications for conditions such as lung diseases and allergies
• Minimal sun exposure (elderly, institutionalized, homebound, veiled or heavily clothed individuals)
• Latitude and season – for example, people in Boston do not produce vitamin D from sun exposure between November and February
Research:
A study by the University of Minnesota looked at the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in 150 people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Researchers found that 93% of patients had vitamin D deficiency. All people with darker pigmented skin (African American, East African, Hispanic, and Native American origin) had vitamin D deficiency.
Another interesting finding was that the majority of people with severe vitamin D deficiency were under 30 years of age. Season was not a significant factor.
The researchers concluded that all people with persistent, non-specific musculoskeletal pain should be screened for vitamin D deficiency.
Music Therapy
Music therapy is a low-cost natural therapy that has been found to reduce the disability, anxiety, and depression associated with chronic pain.
A study evaluated the influence of music therapy in hospitalized patients with chronic back pain.
Researchers randomized 65 patients to receive, on alternate months, physical therapy plus four music therapy sessions or physical therapy alone.
Music therapy significantly reduced disability, anxiety, and depression. Music had an immediate effect on reducing pain, although the results were not statistically significant.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 has been found to relieve low back pain. A double-blind Italian study examined the safety and effectiveness of vitamin B12 for low back pain. People who received vitamin B12 showed a statistically significant reduction in pain and disability. They also used less pain medication than the placebo group.
Besides pain, other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are numbness and tingling, irritability, mild memory impairment, and depression.
Risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency are:
· Pernicious anemia
· Medications (stomach acid¬-blocking medications)
· Inadequate intake of meat or dairy products
· Infection (small intestine bacterial overgrowth, parasites)
· Digestive diseases (stomach removal surgery, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease
Vitamin B12 muscle injections are the standard treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency.
Studies have found vitamin B12 sublingual tablets (placed under the tongue for absorption) and nasal gels are effective too.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body. It is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
Magnesium helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:
· Muscle spasms
· Pain
· Premenstrual syndrome
· Irritability
· Depression
· Insulin resistance
· High blood pressure
· Irregular heart rhythms
· Heart disease
Research:
A German study found that mineral supplements increased intracellular magnesium levels by 11% and was associated with a reduction in pain symptoms in 76 out of 82 people with chronic low back pain.
Willow Bark
The bark of the white willow tree (Salix alba) has pain-relieving properties similar to aspirin. An ingredient in white willow bark, called salicin, is converted in the body to salicylic acid (aspirin is also converted to salicylic acid once in the body). Salicylic acid is believed to be the active compound that relieves pain and inflammation.
A number of studies have compared white willow to medication or placebo:
· A University of Sydney study compared the effects of willow bark extract to refecoxib, a Cox-2 inhibitor pain medication. In the study, 114 patients received an herbal extract containing 240 mg of salicin and 114 received 12.5 mg of refecoxib every day. After four weeks, both groups had a comparable reduction in pain.
· A study in the American Journal of Medicine examined 191 patients with an exacerbation of chronic low back pain. They were randomly assigned to receive a willow bark extract with either 120 mg (low-dose) or 240 mg (high-dose) of salicin, or placebo. In the fourth week of treatment, 39% of people receiving the high-dose extract were pain-free, 21% receiving the low-dose were pain-free, and 6% of people receiving the placebo were pain-free. People in the high-dose group improved after the first week. Significantly, more people in the placebo group required pain medication.
Yoga for Back Pain
Yoga creates balance in the body through various poses that develop flexibility and strength. A study of people with chronic mild low back pain compared Iyengar yoga to back education. After 16 weeks, there was a significant reduction in pain intensity, disability, and reliance on pain medication in the yoga group. Benefits were also seen at three-month follow up assessments.
Another study compared yoga, conventional exercise, and a self-care book for people with chronic low back pain. Back function in the yoga group was superior to the book and exercise groups at 12 weeks. Although there was no difference in symptoms at 12 weeks, at 26 weeks, the yoga group was superior to the book group.
• Find a yoga class near you
• More about Iyengar yoga
• Other yoga styles
• How to start doing yoga
Bowen Therapy
Bowen therapy is a type of gentle bodywork that was developed in Australia by osteopath Tom Bowen (1916-1982). Bowen therapy is more widely used in Australia and Europe, but it has been growing in popularity in North America.
Bowen therapists use a series of specialized “moves” using their fingers and thumbs. The moves typically involve the therapist pulling the skin slack away from the muscle, applying pressure, and then quickly releasing the tension.
These moves are performed on precise areas of muscles where special receptors are located.
Nerve impulses are sent to the brain, resulting in muscle relaxation and reduction of pain.
The moves are not continuous – the therapist allows the client to rest for a few minutes between each move. A typical treatment is between 30 to 40 minutes.
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques that make use of the mind-body connection have been found to reduce pain. These techniques integrate body awareness, breathing, movement, and meditation. What is great about breathing techniques is that you can do them yourself at home at no cost.
Research:
One study compared 6-8 weeks (12 sessions) of breath therapy to physical therapy. Patients improved significantly with breath therapy. Changes in standard low back pain measures of pain and disability were comparable to those resulting from high quality, extended physical therapy.
Breath therapy was found to be safe. Other benefits of breath therapy were improved coping skills and new insight into the effect of stress on the body.
Massage Therapy
When many people have backaches and pain, the first thing they think of is massage. Studies have found that massage may be effective for subacute and chronic pain. It has been found to reduce anxiety and depression associated with chronic pain. Massage therapy is the most popular therapy for low back pain during pregnancy.
Chiropractic
Back pain is one of most common reasons people see a chiropractor. Doctors of chiropractic use chiropractic spinal manipulation to restore joint mobility. They manually apply a controlled force to joints that have become restricted by muscle injury, strain, inflammation, and pain.
Manipulation is believed to relieve pain, muscle tightness, and encourage healing.
A study published in the Spine Journal examined manipulations compared to simulated manipulations in 102 people with back pain and/or radiating pain. The researchers found that active manipulations were more effective at reducing acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion.
Alexander Technique
Alexander technique teaches people to improve their posture and eliminate bad habits such as slouching, which can lead to pain, muscle tension, and decreased mobility. This technique was created by Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), an Australian actor who learned how to correct hoarseness in his voice by improving his posture.
You can learn Alexander technique in private sessions or group classes. A typical session lasts about 45 minutes. During that time, the instructor notes the way you carry yourself and coaches you with verbal instruction and gentle touch.
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy addresses damaged ligaments (bands of connective tissue that help keep bones attached to each other) to relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain.
How does it work?
Tendons and ligaments in the back often do not heal completely after injury. Bones of the spine become less stable, which can lead to chronic pain.
Prolotherapy involves the injection of a liquid solution into soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons. This triggers local inflammation and triggers the body’s natural healing response, which repairs the weakened soft tissues and relieves pain. Unlike drugs, prolotherapy is thought to address the underlying problem.
After locating the areas that require treatment, the doctor inserts a thin needle with the solution into the area. There is often mild pain, but it can be reduced by using a local anesthetic. A typical course of treatment is 10 to 25 sessions for back pain. Since it is believed to repair the joint, no other treatment is necessary.
Research:
Preliminary studies have found that back pain, which often involves ligament injury, responds particularly well to prolotherapy. It is the position of the American Association of Orthopedic Medicine that prolotherapy is a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of selected cases of low back pain and other chronic myofascial pain syndromes. Prolotherapy injections must be administered by a medical doctor (M.D.), osteopath (D.O.) or by a state-licensed naturopathic doctor (N.D.) in certain states.
Balneotherapy
Balneotherapy is one of the oldest therapies for pain relief. The term “balneo” comes from the Latin word, balneum, meaning bath. Balneotherapy is a form of hydrotherapy that involves bathing in mineral water or warm water.
· A study compared bathing in mineral water to plain tap water using 60 people with low back pain. They found that mineral water containing sulphur was superior in reducing pain and improving mobility compared with tap water.
· A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Rheumatology assessed spa therapy and balneotherapy for low back pain. The researchers found that the data suggest beneficial effects compared to control groups. They concluded that the results were encouraging and that large-scale trials were warranted.
Dead Sea salts and other sulphur-containing bath salts can be found in spas, health food stores, and online.
People with heart conditions should not use balneotherapy unless under the supervision of their primary care provider.
Other natural therapies for back pain are:
• White willow bark
• Exercise
• Pilate’s
• Feldenkrais Method
• Hellerwork
• Trager Approach
• Rolfing
• Aston-patterning
• Reflexology
• Proteolytic enzymes
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Back Pain and Dehydration
• Anti-inflammatory diet
Pneumonia
Pneumonia refers to the acute inflammation of the lungs. It is one of the most serious infectious disease. There are basically two types of penumonia, called lobar pneumonia and broncho-pneumonia They, however, run into each other and are treated in the same way. The disease becomes more seroious if both the lungs are affected. It is called double pneumonia in common parlance.
Symptoms
Most cases of pneumonia begin with a cold in the head or throat. The patient generally feels chill, shivering, difficulty in breathing and sharp pain in the chest. This may be followed by a cough with pinkish sputum which may later become brownish. The patient usually suffers from fever and headache. In more serious cases of pneumonia, the sputum may be of rusty colour. In your children, the disease may cause delirum and convulsions. Most patients feel very miserable and sweat profusely. The temperature may rise to 105 o F and pulse may go up to 150 beats per minutes. A common complication of all kinds of pneumonia is pleurisy.
Causes
Pneumonia is caused by various types of germs such as streptococus, staphyloccus and pneunococcus variety. At times, certain viruses are also responsible for the disease. Other causes of diseases are fungal infection, irritation by worms, inhaling foreign matter, irritant dust or noxious gases and vapours such as ammonia, nitrogen dioxide or cadmium.
The real cause of pneumonia, however, is the toxic condition of the body, especially of the lungs and air passages, resulting from wrong feeding and faulty life style. Persons with healthy tissues and strong vital force are unlikely to catch pneumonia. It is only when the system is clogged with the toxic matter and the vitality is low that the germs of pneumonia invade a person.
Treatment
To begin with, the patient should be kept on a diet of raw juices for five to ten days, depending on the severity of the disease. In this regimen he should take a glass of fruit or vegetable juice diluted with warm water every two or three hours. Fruits such as orange, mosambi, apple, pineapple and grapes and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes may be used for juices.
After a diet of raw juices, when the fever subsides, the patient should three or four further days on an exclusive fresh fruit diet, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as apple, grapes, pineapple, mangoes, orange, lemon and papaya. Thereafter, he may gradually adopt a well-balanced diet of natural foods consisting of foods, seeds, and grains, vegetables and fruits with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables. The patients should be given warm warm enema daily to cleanse the bowel during the period of raw juice therapy and all fruit diet and thereafter, when necessary.
The patient should avoid strong tea, coffee, refined foods, fried foods, white sugar, white flour and all products made from them, condiments and pickles. He should also avoid all meats as well as alcoholic beverages and smoking.
To reduce temperature naturally, during the course of the fever, the procedure outlined in the chapter on malaria may be followed. Sipping of cold water has also been found beneficial in the treatment of pneumonia. The patient should sip cold water at short intervals so long as the fever continues. The cold water is cooling to the feverish blood.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of pneumonia. During the early acute stage of this disease, a herbal tea made from fenugreek seeds will help the body to produce perspiration, dispel toxicity and shorten the period of fever. In can be taken up to four cups daily. The quantity should be reduced as condition improves. To improve flavour, a few drops of lemon juice can be used. During this treatment, no other food or nourishment should be taken as fasting and fenugreek will allow the body to correct these respiratory problems in a few days.
According to Dr. F.W. Crosman, an eminent physician, garlic is a marvellous remedy for pneumonia, if given in sufficient quantities. This physician used garlic for many years in pneumonia, and said that in no instance did it fail to bring down the temperature as well as the pulse and respiration within 48 hours. Garlic juice can also be applied externally to the chest with beneficial results as it is an irritant and rubefacient.
Sesame seeds(til) are valuable in pneumonia. An infusion of the seeds, mixed with a tablespoon of linseed,a pinch of common salt and a desert spoon of honey, should be given in the treatment of this disease. This will help remove catarrhal matter and phelgm from the bronchial-tubes.
The pain of pneumonia can be relieved by rubbing oil of turpentine over the rib cage and wrapping warmed cotton wool over it.
Sore Throat
Sore throat refers to the inflammation of the pharynx, or back of the throat. It occurs frequently when a person has a cold or an attack of influenza. This inflammation may also involve the tonsils and adenoids if these have not already been removed. An irritating condition of the throat may range from the harmless to the potentially serious.
Symptoms
In case of acute sore throat, the patient complains burning and dryness in the throat followed by chills, fever and some hoarseness or laryngitis. The lymph glands along the sides of the neck may become swollen and tender. The back of the throat may become very red and even covered with a greyish-white membrane. The patient may find difficulty in swallowing, especially during the acute stage. There may also be postnasal discharge if the irritation has spread to the nasal passages. The patient with sore throat, caused by ‘Streptoccal’ germs suffers from high fever and sharp pain with swelling.
Causes
Sore throat is mainly caused by bacteria or a viral infection. Many different kind of ailments can give rise to this condition. The most common of these ailments are common cold and influenza.
Other diseases which can cause sore throat are tonsillitis, mumps, sinusitis, measles, and diphtheria. Even leukemia on rare occasions may lead to sore throat. Other causes of this disease are excessive smoking and talking, frequent use of voice as in certain professions like singing, acting and teaching.
Treatment
The patient suffering from sore throat should fast on orange juice and water for three to five days, depending on the severity of the condition. He should take orange juice diluted with warm water every two or three hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this period. The bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water enema. This should be done twice daily in more serious cases.
A wet pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly intervals during the day, and also one at night. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap two or three times round the effected part, and cover with some flanner. The throat may be gargled several times with warm water mixed with a little salt. A hot Epsom-salt bath, taken daily during this period, will be highly beneficial.
When the more severe symptoms subside,the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for three or four further days, taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as orange, apple, pineapple and papaya at five-hourly intervals. Thereafter he may gradually adopt a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts and grains, raw vegetables and fresh fruits. The daily dry friction and deep breathing and other exercises should form part of the daily health regimen.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. One such remedy is use of mango(aam) bark which is very efficacious in sore throat and other throat disorders. Its fluid can be applied locally with beneficial results. It can also be used as a throat gargle. This gargle is treated by mixing 10 ml. of the fluid extract with 125 ml. of water.
The herb belleric myrobian(bahera) is another valuable remedy for sore throat. A mixture of the pulp of the fruit, salt, long pepper (pipli) and honey should be administered in the treatment of this condition. The fried fruit, roasted after covering it with a wheat flour, is also a popular remedy for sore throat.
Betel leaves (pan – ka -patta) have proved beneficial in the treatment ofthis disease. The leaves should be applied locally for obtaining relief. The fruit of the betel tree, mixed with honey, can also be taken beneficially to relieve irritating throat cough.
The bishop’s weed (ajowan) is valuable in treating sore throat. An infusion of the seeds mixed with common salt can be used beneficially as a gargle in acute condition caused by colds. The spice cinnamon (dalchini) is also regarded as an effective remedy for sore throat, resulting from cold. Coarsely powdered and boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder and honey, it can be taken as a medicine in the treatment of this condition. The oil of cinnamon, mixed with honey, also gives immense relief. A gargle prepared from fenugreek (methi) seeds has been found very effective remedy for treating sore throat. To prepare this gargle, two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be put in a litre of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over a low flame. It should be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature. It should then be strained and entire quantity used as a gargle.
The leaves of the holy basil(tulsi) have also been found beneficial in the treatment of this condition. The water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink and also used as a gargle in sore throat.
The patient should avoid rapid changes in temperature like hot sun-shine to air conditioned rooms. He should avoid cold and sore foods which may irritate his throat. To prevent the disease, a person should avoid touching tissues, handkerchief, towels or utensils used by the patients suffering from sore throat.
Cystitis
The term ‘Cystitis’ refers to ‘inflammation of the bladder’. It is a most common complaint in women. Escherichia coli infections are considered the primary culprit in cystitis. The female anatomy makes it more convenient for e.coli bacteria, which normally inhabit the colon., to travel from the rectum to the vagina, up the urethra and into the bladder. This condition is rarely dangerous but it is generally a forerunner to more serious troubles. The reoccurrence of cystitis may in some cases be associated with kidney troubles.
The kidney and bladder are the principal strikers in the urinary system. The kidneys are situated on the back of the abdomen, one on each side of the spine at about the level of the lowest rib.
The bladder is situated in the lower abdomen, in the pelvis. The body is relieved of the greater part of the waste matter, resulting from the complex working of the whole body’s vital processes by means of these two organs.
Symptoms
Cystitis is characterised by symptoms which may cause great discomfort. The patient complains of frequency and burning on urination as well as an almost continual urge to void. There may be a feeling of pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen. The urine may become thick, dark and stingy.
It may have an unpleasant smell and may contain blood or pus. The ‘scalding’ sensation on passing urine indicates that the inflammation has spread to the urethra. Some pain in the lower back may also be felt in certain cases. In an acute stage there may be a rise in body temperature. In the chronic form of cystitis, the symptoms are similar but generally less several and without the rise in temperature. The persistence of the chronic form of the disease indicates a process of deterioration, almost invariably due to wrong treatment of the acute form by suppressive drugs.
Causes
Cystitis may result from infections in other parts adjacent to the bladder such as the kidneys, the urethra, and the vagina. Local irritation and inflammation of the bladder may be caused if urine is retained there for an unduly long time. It may also result from severe constipation.
Continual draining of pus and germs from an infected kidney may injure the epithelial lining of the bladder. Trouble may also arise from the presence of a stone in either bladder or kidney.
Childbirth injuries and major surgical procedures within the pelvis may also lower the resistance of the bladder-wall and predispose to the development of the cystitis. There is also the problem of new brides who sometimes suffer from so-called honeymoon cystitis. The bladder wall may become swollen and ulcerated so that the bladder cannot hold the normal amount of urine.
Germs may then find their way into the bladder and bring about chemical changes in the urine.
Calcium or lime may thus be deposited in the walls of the bladder, increasing the patient’s discomfort.
Treatment
At the onset of acute cystitis, it is essential to withhold all solid food immediately. If there is fever, the patient should fast either on water or tender coconut water for three or four days. If there is no fever, raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice diluted with water, should be taken every two or three hours. By so doing the biochemical energy needed for digestion and metabolism of food is diverted to the process of eliminating toxins and promoting healing and repair. It is advisable to rest and keep warm at this time.
Pain can be relieved by immersing the pelvis in hot water or alternatively by applying heat to the abdomen, using a towel wrung out in hot water, covering it with dry towel to retain warmth. Care should be taken to avoid scalding. A little vegetable oil gently rubbed into the skin, will avoid too much reddening. This treatment may be continued for three or four days, by which time the inflammation should have subsided and the temperature returned to normal.
For the next two or three days, only ripe sub-acid fruits may be taken three or four times daily.
These fruits may include grapes, pears, peaches, apples, and melon, as available.
While the hot compresses are intended to relieve pain, the use of cold water compresses to the abdomen is most valuable, if correctly applied, in relieving pelvic congestion and increasing the activity of the skin. Care should, however, be taken to ensure that compresses do not cause chilling.
After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The patient should avoid refined carbohydrates and salt, both at table and in cooking. Salt disturbs the balance of electrolytes and tends to raise blood pressure, which is frequently already raised in kidney troubles.
The prescribed dietary should exclude meat, fish and poultry. They produce uric acid. Most cases of food poisoning and infections, which may lead to gastritis and colitis, are also caused by the flesh foods.
In case of chronic cystitis, the patient should commence the treatment of strict adherence to the dietary programme, designed to cleanse the blood and other tissues and at the same time provide a rich source of natural vitamins and minerals in balanced proportions. The patient may adopt the following restricted diet for seven to ten days.
Upon arising: A glass of unsweetened apple juice or carrot juice Breakfast: Fresh fruits, selected mainly from apple, pear, grapes, melon, peach and pineapple and a glass of buttermilk, sweetened with a little honey.
Mid-morning: Tender coconut water.
Lunch: A salad of raw vegetables such as carrot, beetroot and cabbage, mixed with curd and a tablespoon of honey. This may be followed by a ripe apple.
Mid-afternoon: One cup of unsweetened grape juice.
Dinner: A salad of green leafy vegetables and a fresh fruit, preferably a portion of melon sweetened with a teaspoon of honey.
Before retiring: One glass of mixed raw carrot and beetroot juice.
After the restricted diet, the patient should gradually embark on a well-balanced diet, consisting of seed, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. Even after the recovery from the chronic condition, it will be advisable for the individual to live exclusively on vegetables or on tender coconut water or raw vegetable juices for a day or two, every month. The water treatment and other health building methods should, however, be continued to the greatest extent possible, so that the patient may stay cured.
Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation or infection that lines your eyelid and part of your eyeball. Pink eye usually makes you feel like you have something in one or both of your eyes that you cannot remove. Your eyes may seem to be pasted shut from the discharge coming from your eyes. The whites of your eyes may begin to have a pink discoloration, and you may not see as well as you did before.
Swelling causes small blood vessels in the conjunctiva to become more prominent, resulting in a pink or red spread to the whites of your eyes. Pink eye and red eye are conditions commonly used to refer to all Types: of conjunctivitis.
Pink eye is an irritating infection to have to experience; it hardly ever affects your sight. Pink eye can be contagious. It should be diagnosed and treated early. This is especially important for preschool-age children, who commonly develop both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis.
Symptoms
Redness in one or both eyes
Itchiness in one or both eyes
Blurred vision
Sensitivity to light
A rough feeling in one or both eyes
A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night
Tearing
Causes
Viruses
Bacteria
Allergies
A chemical splash in the eye
A foreign object in the eye
Viruses cause most cases of pink eye. In newborns, pink eye may result from a partly opened tear duct.
Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis may affect one or both eyes. Viral conjunctivitis usually creates a watery or mucous discharge. Bacterial conjunctivitis often produces a thicker, yellow-green discharge and may be associated with a respiratory infection or with a sore throat. Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are related with colds. Both viral and bacterial
Types: are very contagious. Adults and children alike can get both of these
Types: of pink eye. Bacterial conjunctivitis is more common in children than it is in adults.
Diagnosis
Your doctor may take a sample of eye secretions from the conjunctiva for laboratory analysis to find out which form of infection you have and to decide on the best way to treat it.
If you have a young infant with recurrent pink eye or persistent eye tearing, your child may have a blocked tear duct. Your child’s pediatrician may closely monitor the situation to see if the tear duct opens on its own, or you may be referred to a specialist.
Treatment
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic eye drops if the infection is bacterial, and the infection should clear within several days of starting treatment. Antibiotic eye ointment, in place of eye drops, is sometimes prescribed for treating bacterial pink eye in children. An ointment is often easier to administer to an infant or young child than are eye drops. With either form of medicine, you should notice an improvement within one to two days. Make sure that you use the medication for the entire time your doctor prescribes it, to prevent repetition of the infection.
Viral conjunctivitis cannot be treated with antibiotic eye drops or ointment. Like a common cold, you can use an over-the-counter remedy to relieve some symptoms, but the virus just has to run its course. You may notice the condition getting worse in the first three to five days. After that, you should see the pink eye clear up slowly. It may take up to two to three weeks from the time; you were infected for the virus to go away.
If the irritation is allergic conjunctivitis, your doctor may prescribe one of many different
Types: of eye drops. These may include:
Antihistamines
Decongestants
Mast cell stabilizers
Steroids
Anti-inflammatory drops
Prevention
Practicing good hygiene is the best way to control the spread of pink eye. Once the infection has been diagnosed, follow these steps:
• Do not touch your eyes with your hands
• Wash your hands well
• Wash your hands regularly
• Change your towel and washcloth daily
• Do not share your towels with others
• Change your pillowcase regularly
• Get rid of eye cosmetics, especially mascara
• Do not use anyone else’s eye make-up or personal eye-care items
• Follow your eye doctor’s advice on proper contact lens care
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