Health News and Information

This is generally best for asthmatics and for middle-aged subjects. At first it is wise to use an armchair so that your arms can rest comfortably on the sides of the chair. It is best to sit up in the chair rather straight without the body slumped, which could tend to make the position too comfortable. The head can rest on the back of the chair. The legs are bent at the knees, and women find it wise to remove their high-heeled shoes.

When a fair degree of relaxation can be attained in an armchair, try a straight-backed

dining-room chair. The head is now unsupported, and the forearms rest comfortably on the thighs.

The Squatting Posture-In this position we sit on a cushion cross-legged on the floor. Our arms can hang loosely at our sides or rest in our groins. The whole of our head, neck, and back is unsupported.

Try to keep the back and the neck fairly straight so that the muscular effort to maintain the position is reduced to a minimum. The cross-legged position usually makes enough tension on the joints to induce mild discomfort. As a result of these factors, relaxation attained in this posture is usually very effective. The position is very satisfactory for youthful subjects, and those who suffer from asthma, as it makes for easier breathing than lying down.

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The rudimentary biological measure considered fundamental by most clinics successfully applying biological principles in the treatment of arthritis is fasting.

Although fasting is one of the oldest therapeutic methods known to man and has been a dependable curative measure throughout medical history, the present drug-oriented, orthodox medical doctor has little understanding, and even less appreciation, of its remarkable benefits.

Biologically oriented doctors, however, consider fasting to be singularly the most important curative measure in treatment of arthritis. Some of them disagree as to the length of fasting, but all of them, without exception, use fasts in their program of treatments.

Dr. Otto Buchinger, Jr., M.D., of Fasten-Sanatorium am Bombey, Bad Pyrmont, Germany, is perhaps the world s foremost authority on fasting. He has experience with over 50,000 fasts which he and his father, Dr. Otto Buchinger, Sr., directed and supervised at their clinics. At present his sanatorium accepts 85 patients ranging from afflictions of arthritis to high blood pressure; cancer; liver, kidney, and bladder diseases; and practically any other kind of known disease. Of these, 90 per cent are treated by fasts, ranging from one week to 60 days.

Similarly, all Swedish clinics use fasts in their programs. Dr. Lars-Erik Essen, M.D. of the Vita Nova Clinic in Molle, Sweden, is one who takes exception to the long fasting for arthritis. He recommends repeated short fasts—three to five days at a time-followed by a special cleansing diet. The other Swedish clinics—Brandals, Bjorkagarden, Dr. Jern Hamberg’s Alfta Clinic, Kiholms, and others—use fasts of One to six weeks’ duration.

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This is often called MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The technique has nothing to do with radiation or X-rays, but records energy given out by atoms as they change their orientation after a brief magnetic pulse. The pictures or images produced have the same general appearance as CT scans, because the information processed by the computer is much the same as. Again it is necessary for the patient to lie still while the images are being taken.

The procedure is noisier than CT scanning and may, in some patients produce a claustrophobic feeling, as the patient is almost entirely enclosed in a tunnel. MRI usually takes about 25-35 minutes, but may take longer. Occasionally some contrast dye is injected into a vein, as in CT scanning, and then the scan repeated to demonstrate some additional details. Children may find the procedure more uncomfortable than having a CT scan and because of this more often need to have a brief general anaesthetic so that they lie still.

MRI gives a much clearer picture of those areas of the brain (the temporal lobes) which are most often responsible for intractable epilepsy, and so patients who are considered possibly to be suitable for surgery will certainly need an MRI. MRI is also useful for children in whom the epilepsy is thought to be due to a congenital malformation of the brain. Because of its greater costs (at present) MRI is unlikely to replace completely CT scanning, but there is no doubt that the level of detail obtained is far superior with MRI.

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This lung disorder also goes by the name of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It reduces the lung’s capacity to assimilate oxygen. The ailment is usually associated with smoking, but it can also be caused by prolonged exposure to smog, vapours, dust, or other contaminants in the air of environmental or work conditions.

The expansion and compression of gasses by persons who are professional scuba or commercial divers can also lead to this disorder. If you’re in it just for the sport, don’t worry. You’re probably not diving frequently enough to develop the problem

It’s not an ailment that receives a lot of attention publicly, but it’s a killer. It ranks fifth in the cause of death in the US, and even higher in countries where smoking is even more common.

She got off oxygen in just five days after needing it 24 hours a day for two years. Then just a week later she was out driving around shopping again. Very dramatic yes, but it’s not unique. Most emphysema victims we encounter are not so severely affected, but we’ve heard of many, many cases and virtually all of them have responded exceptionally well.

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Home care

Keep your baby as dry as possible, changing nappies frequently. For simple nappy rash, apply protective ointments (petroleum jelly; zinc oxide; vitamin A & D ointment; or an ointment combining zinc oxide, cod liver oil, petrolatum, and lanolin). Try changing the brand of soap or the method of washing the nappies.

For rash from ammonia, avoid airtight outer covering over the nappies. Wash the nappy area frequently with clear water.

For allergic rash from foods and drugs, stop giving the child any new foods, beverages, or medicines started in the past month. Then try giving the child only one of these items each week. This may help determine which food is causing the rash.

For rash from infections or contagious diseases, wash the area with soap and water and frequently apply antibiotic ointment (bacitracin, neomycin).

If the rash is spreading or severe, or if the child has a fever, irritability, or loss of appetite, see your doctor.

Precautions

• If the rash gets worse, even after only two days of home treatment, see your doctor.

• Do not use more than one type of ointment at the same time (such as an antibiotic and a fungicide) unless both were prescribed by your doctor.

• If your child has any other symptoms of illness, see your doctor.

Medical treatment

Your doctor may identify the rash by its appearance or may culture or scrape the rash to identify bacteria or funguses. The doctor may ask about methods of laundering nappies and about new foods or drugs being given to the child. The doctor may prescribe a medicated ointment.

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When glucose builds up to too high a level in the blood it may be harmful. The kidneys have the job of getting rid of substances in the blood that are not useful.

The kidneys have to make so much urine to clear out the excess glucose that his body tends to get ‘dried out’. This makes him feel thirsty, and he has to drink a lot to make up for all the extra urine he has passed. This illness is due to insufficient insulin. Fortunately we can give insulin to make up for this lack.

Children with diabetes stop being sick from diabetes by having insulin injections

We cannot give insulin by mouth as a pill or as a medicine – it would be destroyed by the stomach juices. We have to give it by injection. Insulin is injected into the fatty layer just beneath the skin and when done properly this should not hurt much. By measuring the correct dose of insulin each day, and balancing this with the food that is eaten, we can replace the insulin that should have been made by the body. This way the body tissues and cells use glucose normally again. Thus the child recovers from the initial illness and keeps healthy.

Children with diabetes keep well by having a diet

Naturally if the child has a certain regular amount of insulin by injection each day, he must also have a regular amount of sugar from food to balance it. If he ate too much sugar or starch foods there would not be enough insulin to balance it. The sugar would build up in the blood, just as it did when diabetes first developed. The diabetes would thus go out of good control. If he did not eat enough sugar or starch foods there would be too much insulin for the sugar. Glucose would be taken out of the blood without being replaced from food. This means he would run out of sugar in the blood because of the action of the insulin – we call this an ‘insulin reaction’ or ‘hypo’ (hypo means low) and the full medical term is ‘hypoglycemia’. This makes him feel and act funnily because he needs some sugar in the blood at all times. He avoids this by keeping the food he eats regular in amount each day, and this is what we mean by ‘being on a diet’.

Being on a diet is not just avoiding certain sorts of food. It also means eating adequate food for good health and having the right foods to make him grow and feel well and active.

The diet is intended to give the child plenty to eat, but not too much. The dietitian and doctor decide on the best diet when they know what foods he likes and how hungry he gets as well as knowing what he needs for good health.

Remember: Diet means the best foods in regular amounts.

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Agnus Castus (Vitex/chasteberry)

This is a popular herb which grows in Mediterranean countries and central Asia. It does not contain any hormones but it stimulates the function of the pituitary gland which controls and balances our hormones by producing luteinising hormone. This increases progesterone production and helps regulate a woman’s cycle. Agnus castus also helps keep prolactin secretion in check. (Excessive prolactin can prevent ovulation.)

This herb has been used by women who had established luteal phase defect (shortened second half of the cycle) and high prolactin levels. In one study 48 women diagnosed with infertility took agnus castus daily for three months. Seven of them became pregnant during that time and 25 of them regained normal progesterone levels.

Agnus castus works to restore hormonal balance and can be used where there are hormone deficits as well as excesses. It:

• regulates periods

• restarts periods which have stopped

• helps with heavy bleeding

• helps with too-frequent periods

• helps with painful periods

• increases the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen by balancing excess oestrogen

I have seen a number of women who needed to have IVF treatment” but could not do so because their levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) were too high. The highest FSH level for most IVF treatments is 10, and rising FSH levels can indicate a pre-menopausal condition. The use of agnus castus, sometimes with a mix of other herbs, brought down the FSH level so that the women could go for IVF treatment.

Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis)

This is an Oriental herb frequently used for menstrual complaints. It is extensively cultivated in Asia for medicinal purposes and in traditional Chinese medicine is well-known as a tonic for the female reproductive system. It:

• tones a weak uterus

• regulates irregular periods

• alleviates period pains

• reduces spotting

• helps with absent periods

False Unicorn Root (Chamaelirium Luteum)

This North American herb is a good tonic and strengthener for the reproductive system and can be used for both men and women, as it has a balancing effect on hormones. Herbalists often give it to women after a miscarriage or an infection in the pelvic area. Mixed with other herbs, it can be given for ovarian cysts or endometriosis. It is also used to try and prevent a threatened miscarriage. It:

• balances the hormones

• regularizes delayed periods

• regularizes absent periods

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Serrulate)

This is one of the best herbs for the male reproductive system. It acts like a tonic for the man and has traditionally been used for centuries to treat enlarged prostate.

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What is it?

A condition in which a person, usually elderly, becomes very cold and can die. Technically speaking it occurs when the body temperature falls below 35°C (95°F)-the normal is 37°C (98.6°F). Obviously this is a somewhat arbitrary cut-off point as many individuals will be able to live at this temperature whilst others will be severely ill.

The outward signs of the condition are drowsiness, slurred speech, unsteady movement, a pale and puffy face, mental confusion, a slow pulse and breathing, and cold-feeling skin. Treatment involves slow, gentle, re-warming. A doctor should always be called because the condition is usually much more serious than at first appears.

What causes it?

Younger people can tolerate very wide swings in ambient temperature without any danger to their bodies. Their natural thermostat keeps the body temperature steady at around 98.6°F. Their skin temperature may fall but the ‘core’ of the body remains at the correct temperature. For various reasons to do with the ageing process, and as a result of inactivity, poor food intake and poor clothing, many older people easily get extremely cold so that even the very core of their bodies cools down.

The condition often goes undiagnosed because the standard clinical thermometer does not go down as low as 35°C.This can be a very serious hazard because the condition is fatal-killing as it does nearly 1,000 old people a year in the UK alone.

Prevention

• Move the individual’s bed into the warmest room of the house-usually the living room-and keep that room at 70°F. Ensure that all heating appliances give sufficient heat, and are safe, easy to manage, and economical.

• Draught-proof the room.

• Check for rising damp and damp coming through the walls (from blocked drains and gutters). Ensure that there is adequate ventilation to combat condensation.

• Arrange for frequent, small meals throughout the day-meals on wheels if necessary. Take frequent, small, hot drinks throughout the day from a thermos flask.

• Ensure that at least one meal a day is hot.

• Use an electric blanket but ensure that it is switched off when you are in bed.

• Wear several layers of thin clothing made of closely woven fabric. Air is the best insulator so the principle is to trap as much air as possible between the layers of clothes. Down-filled clothing is the most effective insulator. Wearing long underwear does not actually make much difference to how much heat we lose but it does make us feel warmer. It is also amazing how much warmer putting on a hat can make you.

• The body acclimatizes to the cold by producing more heat and scientists can measure this. On exposure to cold the fingers of a person who has adjusted to the cold have a greater blood supply and warmer temperature than those of one who has not adjusted. One of the best ways to adjust to cold is to exercise. Riding a stationary bicycle or ‘conducting’ an imaginary orchestra perhaps to the accompaniment of the radio or record player works wonders. This activity creates heat. When sleeping or sitting in a chair the body burns about 100 calories per hour but just standing up raises it to 140 and doing gentle household chores raises it by another 40.

• Fats and carbohydrates are the best fuel for the body to use to make heat. Healthy sources are whole meal bread, nuts, grains and fruit. Eating hot meals and drinking hot drinks raises the core temperature of the body and so works wonders in warming it up where it matters most.

• Low levels of vitamin Ñ are related to a decreased resistance to cold, as is a low level of vitamin B. Supplementing both these in full doses therefore helps prevent hypothermia.

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Role of family therapy in the treatment plan

The more doctors learn about eating disorders, the more we see the need to tackle family issues. As the number of people with the disorders has risen, so has the use of the family approach. Although we’re still learning which strategies work best, the success of family therapy has led to its increasing use for a range of other problems. Family therapy offers many benefits: It identifies the problem as solvable, it provides practical solutions, it creates a relationship with a caring professional, and, perhaps best of all, it offers hope.

Of course, family therapy often needs to be integrated into a more comprehensive treatment approach. Hilde Bruch, a pioneer in the treatment of eating disorders, stated: “Regardless of what the family contribution to the illness has been in the past, the patient has integrated these abnormal concepts about herself and others into her own personality.” Bruch felt that individual therapy is needed to correct the patient’s faulty assumption that starving will resolve her emotional conflicts.

Indications for family therapy

Careful assessment reveals whether family therapy will be appropriate in a given case. If so, we then work out when and how often sessions will be held, and who will attend.

I usually suggest family therapy in virtually every case where the patient is young – under eighteen – and living at home. If the family gets help early on, it may have a shorter and easier course of therapy.

Sometimes, though, the family comes for help only after it has struggled with the problem for years on its own. In some cases, the family gets treatment only when something occurs to upset the stability of the “sick” family system, such as another sibling going off to college.

Patients who are married or live away from home can still benefit. Despite their independence, these women are often still strongly tied to their families. Even if we can’t meet with other family members, we set up at least some sessions with as many as can attend.

Though valuable, family therapy is not required in all cases. A crisis doesn’t necessarily mean the family is sick or can’t function. Sure, parents might be angry or frightened – that’s a normal, even healthy response. One study by Dr. Arnold Andersen found that 12 percent of eating disorder families were enviably healthy, providing all the love, nurturance, and autonomy a child should have. These marriages were strong and loving, and the relationships among family members stayed within proper boundaries.

Thus, while family therapy isn’t always necessary, a family-oriented approach is.

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Mint Delight

A simple yet delicious drink made with pineapple and fresh mint (with or without yogurt). First, juice 1 pineapple and 1 handful of mint leaves. Then blend with some crushed ice and if you wish, add 1/2 cup yogurt. Serve cold. This juice aids healthy digestive function and contains high levels of vitamin Ñ and bioflavonoids to boost immune system function. It also possesses anti-inflammatory actions.

Mint Tang

Add some chunks of papaya to 2 cups orange juice and then add mint leaves to taste Add some ice if desired and then combine all in a blender. This juice is great for healthy digestive function, boosts immunity and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Also good for healthy skin and eyesight

Petal Cooler or Peppermint Cooler

Make this refreshing drink with any healthy herbal tea, honey, lemon juice and ice Make herbal tea, let cool. Then blend it with fresh lemon juice to taste, 1 teaspoon î honey and some crushed ice. Cancer-fighting teas include peppermint, dandelion licorice, pau d’ arco, essiac, lemongrass, burdock, red clover and rosehip.

Pink Panther

Juice 1/2 a watermelon, 4 oranges and 2 chunks of ginger. Serve cold with ice. Increase circulation, aids detoxification and provides high levels of the immune-boosting vitamin C.

Purple Rain

This combination is a rich source of the cancer-fighting antioxidant, manganese Combine 1 handful of grapes, 3 fresh pears and 1 teaspoon of honey. Juice the grape and pears. Then add 1 teaspoon of honey and some crushed ice, and blend in blender.

Siam Sunrise

A sweet, refreshing drink made from papaya and orange juice. Add a large chunk ñ papaya to the juice of 4 oranges and mix in the blender. Excellent for the skin and healthy digestion. Boosts immune system function.

Strawberry Daiquiri

This juice is high in vitamins A and C, bioflavonoids and other cancer-fighting antioxidants. It is made from fresh strawberries, banana, lemon juice, honey and natural yogurt. Firstly, juice four lemons. Then add 1 banana, 1/2 punned fresh strawberries, 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup natural yogurt. Combine in a blender and then serve cold with ice.

Tropical Fantasy

Strawberry, apple and pineapple juice, in equal parts. This juice is rich in enzymes and phyto-nutrients used to treat and prevent cancer. Strawberries are great for cancer of the oesophagus.

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