Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog – information on herbal medicine

Here’s another “incurable” disease that usually responds well to CMO. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often considered to be a condition in the arthritis family — an inflammatory connective tissue disorder. Unfortunately it can also involve the liver, kidneys, blood, skin rashes, and central nervous system. It is unquestionably an autoimmune disease, and after hearing so many glowing reports of CMO’s effectiveness early on, we expected it to make a major impact on this disease. Many lupus patients respond well with CMO, yet some do not. We still have not found out why that’s so, but we’re working on it. As I keep saying, we have so much more to learn about this marvellous substance.

Lupus was one of the very first diseases that gave us a clue that CMO is a general immunomodulator that could benefit autoimmune ailments other than arthritis. From the very beginning we kept hearing how it relieved so many of the painful symptoms and how it normalized even extremely high blood sedimentation rates.

One male patient in his fifties is a typical example. He suffered with debilitating fatigue, joint and muscle pains, muscular weakness, kidney pains, urinary bladder control, and sleeplessness.

For over ten years his disease became progressively worse. Conventional medications were of little help. Turning to a holistic doctor (Dr Douglas Hunt, MD) for help, he was put on CMO along with a few other nutritional supplements. CMO combined with type two collagen, manganese, proline, and vitamin injections turned his health around in just a few weeks. Melatonin took care of the sleeping problem.

His aches and pains disappeared and his energy levels improved rapidly. He regained muscle strength and control of his urinary bladder. Naturally, his outlook on life brightened considerably as well.

But, unlike overcoming arthritis, this wasn’t a one-shot deal. Continuing treatment seems to be necessary to keep him in remission. And we are finding that continuing treatment may be essential to conquering other “incurable” ailments as well. But that doesn’t necessarily mean taking CMO every day. Often just a few capsules once or twice a week are quite enough, sometimes along with conventional medications as well.

*75\142\2*

Symptoms

Child wakes screaming; confusion on awakening; frantic activity on awakening; sleepwalking.

Home care

Rouse the child slowly and gently.

Hold the child and speak soothingly and reassuringly.

If the child is sleepwalking, make sure he or she cannot fall or get hurt.

Precautions

-    Frequent nightmares indicate that the child is under excessive stress; try to identify and relieve the problem. If necessary, enlist the doctor and school personnel to help pinpoint the source of the child’s distress.

-    Be alert to the school, social, and family pressures that can cause a child to have nightmares.

-    Be Sure you know how much TV your child is watching, and that the program content is suitable.

-    A child who sleepwalks must be protected from falls and other injury.

Some experts distinguish bad dreams from nightmares and night terrors. For practical purposes, however, all three have the same cause and treatment; they differ only in degree.

In a nightmare, the mind relives the fears and anxieties the child has experienced during his or her waking hours. Occasionally a nightmare may be the result of the usual stresses your child encounters in daily life. Frequent nightmares, however, are abnormal and indicate unreasonable pressures on the child.

High fever and illness – measles, for instance – have been known to induce nightmares. When this happens, the condition resembles delirium, and it should not recur once the child is well again. If no illness is involved, a nightmare is easily identified.

*161/84/5*

•     If at all possible, breastfeed from birth on demand and give no other food or drink at all until at least 4-6 months.

•     Never allow a baby to be given sugar water. It is better to give him or her the breast, or water if absolutely necessary. This will correct any low blood sugar condition naturally.

•     Give a diet rich in complex, unrefined carbohydrates, low in fat and high in fibre, right from weaning off the breast.

•     If you are middle-aged and overweight, and therefore at risk regarding Type 2 diabetes, eat in the way outlined above and lose weight slowly but evenly. If you already have the disease, the diet may mean that you could come off all your drugs, and will also prevent further complications of diabetes occurring.

•     Take brewer’s yeast daily if you have a family history of diabetes or if you are diabetic.

•     Eat foods rich in the following:

1. Vitamin A-diabetics are especially susceptible to infections and this vitamin helps fight them.

2. Vitamin B1-increases insulin production and helps prevent diabetic nerve troubles developing.

3. Vitamin B2~ especially good for diabetics who have difficulty controlling their condition with drugs and diet.

4. Vitamin B3-insulin-dependent diabetics have a particular need for this vitamin. It prevents swings in blood sugar in Type 1 diabetics. Vitamin B3 is also an important part of the glucose-tolerance factor (see above).

5. Vitamin B6- can become low in diabetics because they lose so much in their large volumes of urine. Studies have found that diabetics often have a shortage of B6 in their blood.

6. Choline and inositol – are B-vitamins that affect fat metabolism. It has been proposed that the large, fatty liver of the diabetic is caused by the urinary loss of these vitamins. They are also useful in controlling high blood pressure and liver and gall-bladder activity, and are of great importance in diabetics.

7. Vitamin Ñ-usually low in diabetics. The therapeutic effect of insulin is increased when this vitamin is taken, and the side-effects of several drugs (including aspirin) can be reduced by taking it. Diabetics often suffer a heavy toll of infections, and vitamin Ñ is of proven value in combating infections. A daily dose of 1-2 g is not at all excessive, especially as this water-soluble vitamin is lost in the urine of diabetics in greater amounts than in normal people.

8. Magnesium-six out of the nine enzymes involved in sugar metabolism need magnesium, and a deficiency of magnesium is found in diabetic ketosis. There is also evidence linking diabetic eye disease to magnesium deficiency.

9. Manganese-diabetics have only half the manganese in their blood that healthy people have. This element is vital for insulin metabolism and the stabilization of many vitamins, including vitamin C.

10. Zinc-is one of the many substances that diabetics lose in their copious urine. Zinc is added to insulin to prolong its action. As long ago as 1938 it was found that the pancreatic tissue of diabetics contained less than 50 per cent of the zinc in the tissue of healthy control subjects.

•    Don’t smoke. This is exceptionally harmful for diabetics because it reduces vitamin Ñ by 25 mg per cigarette; releases adrenaline, which increases blood-sugar levels; and narrows the diabetic’s already damaged arteries.

•    Drink very little alcohol. Beware of these drinks containing large amounts of sugar     (Martini, brandies, liqueurs, champagne, beer and sweet wines).

•     Cut down on coffee and tea. They both stimulate the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline which, in turn, raises blood sugar.

•     Use sucrose alternatives such as fructose, sorbitol, manitol and xylitol.

•     Eat less salt. This is especially harmful to diabetics given their particular liability to develop kidney and eye problems and high blood pressure.

*4/72/5*

A shortage of different nutrients can reduce your fertility as a couple. And, more importantly, a few simple changes can dramatically improve your chances of having a healthy baby. But how would you actually know if you had a nutrient deficiency?

Most of us are short of time these days. We snatch a sandwich for lunch, often on the move, and maybe have not been eating so well over the last few years. With our food being depleted in nutrients because of the way it has been processed and the impoverishment of the soil it is grown on, the chances are that many of us are deficient in some nutrients.

It is very easy to pick up a newspaper or magazine and read how wonderful zinc or selenium is, and then go out and buy some. But this is a very random approach. It is much better to be tested so that you know you are taking the nutrients you really need. The vitamins and minerals you need for your body to function at its optimum and give you the best chance of conceiving are all dependent on each other in order to act efficiently. For instance, zinc works best when it is accompanied by adequate amounts of vitamin B6 so it is better to take a combined multivitamin and mineral supplement and then add the extra nutrients that you are deficient in.

The other reason for testing is that all the chemicals and other toxic substances we absorb in our daily life can collect in our systems and damage our fertility. We need to check this out too.

*58/73/5*

What is it?

Primary infertility (as opposed to secondary infertility which occurs in couples who have already had a baby but have trouble conceiving again) is present when a couple cannot conceive after a year of unprotected, unlimited intercourse. Almost one in seven of all couples in the West are infertile and the number is growing.

What causes it?

• Putting off having babies until the woman is past her peak fertility. The average couple is at peak fertility in their early twenties and most don’t start trying to have children until five to ten years after this. A woman’s eggs (ova) are all present at birth and age along with the rest of her body. By the time she is 30 some of the eggs are already of poor quality and so do not result in a fetus, or are aborted spontaneously very early. About seven or eight out of every ten conceptions in human beings end up being wasted naturally. Well over 30 per cent of women aged 40-45 are infertile and one UK study found that three-quarters of mothers having a baby when they were 30 or more had been having unprotected intercourse for two years or more before they conceived.

• VD is now a real epidemic, especially in the form of gonorrhea. Its growth is exceptionally high among teenagers. A substantial proportion of females with gonorrhea have no symptoms and by the time they know they have it their fallopian tubes have been irreparably damaged and so cannot allow an egg to pass from the ovaries to the uterus.

• Prolonged use of the Pill can delay the return of ovulation after stopping the drug in about 2 per cent of women. This is a very small proportion but the number of individuals is large because of the numbers of women on the Pill – nearly 3 million in the UK.

• The IUDs (intrauterine device currently used can delay the return of conception and older women seem to fare especially badly in this respect. Also, IUD are often associated with subclinical pelvic infections which can cause infertility in their own right.

• Abortions are followed by infections and damage to the cervix in a small number of women. These effects are very uncommon, but given the increasing numbers of women involved the numbers of individuals with such problems are building up.

• Exposure to drugs, pollutants, food additives and so on is rising and some undoubtedly play a part in the increasing toll of infertility.

• Not making love around the time of ovulation. Many infertile couples attending clinics are having intercourse only once a month and then not around ovulation time.

• Using lubricants, jellies, etc. All such creams, jellies and lubricants kill sperms, at least to some extent.

• Women who get up immediately after sex, so allowing the semen to run out. This is fine if the man has a large volume and she is very fertile but this may not be the case.

• The couple has sex problems which mean they rarely make love.

• The man’s scrotum is too hot. Sperms need to be kept at 2-3°C lower temperature than the rest of the body or they die or don’t even form properly. This is why the testes lie outside the body.

*181/72/5*

As a child develops, she passes through stages. At each stage the tasks that confront her increase in complexity. The challenges of one stage prepare her to tackle the next. The tasks of adolescence are to form an identity, to separate from the family, to develop more mature relationships outside the family, and to accept one’s growing and changing body.

Sometimes, however, family interactions combine with the fears of an eating disorder patient in a way that makes it difficult for her to face and overcome these developmental challenges. For example, when parents are overly critical of friendships outside the home, a child may limit the depth of her involvement with her friends. Later, as her friends grow and mature, she is left behind. To cope with abandonment, the girl retreats to a world focused on the things she can control -food and eating.

Family therapy identifies family problems that contribute to the child’s symptoms. Once they are identified, work begins to correct those problems and to help everyone, not just the patient, find other ways of interacting.

The key elements in any family structure, according to Minuchin, are hierarchy, subsystems, and boundaries. Hierarchy is the way tasks are assigned based on ability and maturity. In a normal hierarchy, leadership is shared jointly by the parents. Children take on roles that fit their age and development -helping around the house, caring for siblings, earning money. Subsystems are smaller units based on roles within the family: parents, spouses (not the same thing!), and siblings. Boundaries are the invisible, but very real, lines between subsystems, and between the family and the outside world. Proper boundaries allow each member the highest degree of freedom while providing safety and security. In some families, not only are boundaries between subsystems inadequate, but the boundaries between the family and the outside world are too rigid. Children can’t play with neighbors: “Not our kind, dear.” Dating is discouraged; a teenager may be told not to take a job: “We’ll give you more money, if that’s what you want.”

Minuchin’s approach to family therapy, which I have found helpful in my practice, changes these pathological interactions by firming up the boundaries between parents and child. We urge parents to take on their natural roles as family leaders and to collaborate with and support each other. We also work with all members to help the patient become more autonomous. The family members learn new ways to communicate, and pick up pointers on solving problems in more creative, effective ways. In the process, they lose the feeling of helplessness that drove them to seek help in the first place.

*102/35/5*

Healthy breakfast mix

1 cup oat bran

1 cup LSA mix (crushed linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds)

1 cup lecithin granules (unbleached)

1 cup psyllium husks

1/2 cup slippery elm

1/2 cup rice flakes (optional)

1/2 cup almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds

A handful of dried apple, thinly sliced

Mix all of the ingredients together and keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Serve in a bowl with chopped fruit, fresh juice/soy milk/nut milk or low fat milk. Use manuka honey or brown rice syrup for extra flavouring, if desired.

Curried Mushroom and Tomato Omelette (serves one)

1/4 onion, finely chopped

25 ml of vegetable stock

20 grams mushrooms, chopped

1 tomato peeled and diced

1/4 capsicum, finely chopped

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 tablespoons low fat milk

1/2 teaspoon of olive oil

Place the chopped onion and half of the vegetable stock into a fry pan. Simmer until the onions become soft, adding extra stock if necessary. Add the mushrooms and cook until stock has almost evaporated. Dice the tomato and capsicum, and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute and then set the mixture aside.

Now beat the egg whites and milk together until they are well combined, but not too frothy. Add the curry powder to this mix. Lightly oil the pan with the olive oil. Pour the mixture into the hot pan and cook until almost set. Pile the filling into the centre of the omelette and gently fold over. Turn the omelette out onto a plate and serve immediately.

*221/34/5*

This acts on the ovary and triggers the ripening of follicles that contain eggs, thus setting the stage for ovulation during the fertile years. FSH is not one substance but a group of more than twenty similar substances produced by the pituitary gland of the brain. Scientists are only just starting to study the multiple forms of FSH and to assess their roles at different stages of life. In the fertile years, high levels of oestradiol and inhibin (described later) suppress the brain’s output of FSH. When the output of oestradiol and inhibin declines after menopause, there is less suppression of FSH production and its level in the

bloodstream increases to ten or fifteen times that seen in the early part of the premenopausal menstrual cycle. The rise is gradual at first, then reaches a peak at which it stays for three to five years after menopause. It returns to the premenopausal range twenty or so years later.

*138\38\8*

Vitamin A in tablet form is considered by many naturopaths to be useful in treating vaginal dryness and bladder irritability. The usual recommendation is to take it for six to eight weeks and then to have a two-week break. Alternatively they may recommend a vaginal ointment made from English marigolds (Calendula officinalis). This is credited with oestrogen-like properties and an ability to prevent and treat vaginal infections.

The pelvic floor muscles are like a safety net supporting all the organs of the lower abdomen. When the muscles are weak, any form of stress exerted on the bladder – such as a sudden jump, cough, laugh or lifting motion — can result in an outflow of urine. Increasing numbers of women are taught pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises, which they are encouraged to do daily. These exercises are designed to strengthen themuscles that support the bladder, uterus and bowel, in order to control stress incontinence and prolapse. You can alternate the exercises and use triggers, such as stops at red traffic lights or brushing your teeth, to remind you to do themmuscles that support the bladder, uterus and bowel, in order to control stress incontinence and prolapse. You can alternate the exercises and use triggers, such as stops at red traffic lights or brushing your teeth, to remind you to do them.

*101\38\8*

A problem with much of the evidence about the benefits and risks of HRT is that the early research was into oestrogens alone, not the combination with progestogen. For women who don’t have a uterus, and who therefore do not take a progestogen, this is not important. But the concern for the much larger number of women who take a combination of hormones is that the long-term effects on heart disease, blood vessel disorders needed before we can tell women which progestogens are least disadvantageous, in what dose, and combined with what oestrogen.

Many studies show that women with a uterus who use oestrogen on its own for longer than six months experience an increased risk of cancer of the endometrium (lining of the uterus). By adding an adequate amount of progestogen for ten to fourteen days a month, we can make sure that the endometrium is protected.

Other concerns relevant to all women include the following.

The apparent benefit of oestrogen in reducing the risk of heart disease may be due, partly at least, to bias in the selection of the women studied. All the studies of the risks and benefits of HRT are overshadowed by a big question mark. Are women who use it somehow different from the remainder of the female population, and if so might this skew the results? Are they healthier and at less risk of heart disease to start with, for example? Are they more health-conscious at the outset? Are they careful about eating nutritious foods, not smoking, exercising regularly? And are they more likely to follow their doctor’s suggestions? To be sure that HRT really benefits the heart it would be necessary to give HRT to one group of women selected from the general population and a placebo (a harmless and inert substitute) to a comparable group. The results of three such trials, which are at an early stage in the US, will be of interest.

*67\38\8*