April 29, 2009

When we go to sleep, we usually lie on our side or curl up comfortably. People often tell me that they have been practising relaxation like this. These are good positions for sleep, but we are aiming for deep mental relaxation which is different from sleep. Whether we lie down, or sit, or squat, our mental relaxation is more effective if we retain a symmetrical posture with our arms and legs in similar positions on each side of our body.

The Lying Posture-This is the basic posture and the easiest position for our exercises. We simply lie on our back with our arms by our side. Young people do not need a pillow. Adults can use a low pillow, but the lower the better, as lying quite flat enhances the feeling of abandonment—the letting go—which is such an important part of mental relaxation.

At the start a couch is quite suitable; but as soon as a real feeling of relaxation is attained it is wise to transfer to the harder surface of the floor. This is not quite so comfortable, and the relaxation achieved comes more from the mind and less from the body.

Lying on the sand on the beach is good; and the absence of clothes aids the feeling of abandonment. However, when we combine our exercises with sun-bathing, we want to

distinguish between the two things. The mental exercises require controlled activity of the mind, but in sun-bathing we just let ourselves doze off, relaxed and uncontrolled.

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Because the underlying causes of arthritis are to be found in the degenerative changes brought about by faulty living habits and specifically by nutritional abuses, it stands to reason to expect that a program of biological treatments is dominated by dietetic measures.

It is a general observation that the diet of arthritic patients has been deficient in vital nutritive elements for prolonged periods and loaded with overcooked, canned, frozen, devitalized, and overrefined foods. In addition, the great amount of empty calories from white sugar and white flour and all the foodless monstrosities made from them makes such a diet even more unhealthy. This sort of nutritional abuse, combined with other health-destroying factors in the form of overeating, use of alcohol, smoking, coffee, lack of exercise, etc., has caused a general breakdown of their health and triggered the development of degenerative processes in their joints.

In order to reverse the process, rebuild the general health of the patient, initiate a betterment in his condition, and induce a subsequent cure, a radical overhaul of his dietary habits is of prime importance. The diet must be as easy as possible for the digestive system to handle and, at the same time, provide all the nutrients required for the repair and building of a healthy body.

The diet during the first two to four weeks consists mainly of raw, uncooked fruits and vegetables (Frischkost). Some of the clinics which I visited use certain amounts of cooked foods in addition to Frischkost. Most Swedish biological clinics use boiled potatoes and vegetable soups in addition to raw foods. They all use raw milk in the form of homemade soured milk. The Bircher-Benner Clinic in Switzerland, one of the most advanced and best-known biological clinics in the world, excludes all cooked foods during the first phase of the treatment— as well as all foods of animal origin: meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese. Bread and cooked cereals are eliminated as well during the first two to four weeks. Raw nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains are included in the raw food diet.

Uncooked foods will supply not only all the necessary vitamins and minerals, but also all the enzymes and easily digestible natural starches and proteins needed for healthy functioning of the body. Another advantage of such a diet is that it will cause a minimum of waste retention and sluggishness in the digestive organs and will help the body in its cleansing and detoxicating process. It is a purifying and cleansing diet.

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April 28, 2009

The EEG is a ‘functional’ investigation, recording the brain’s function through normal and abnormal electrical activity. Imaging procedures or brain scans provide information about the brain’s structure, and revealing normal and abnormal anatomy. Most, if not all patients who have epilepsy need to have at least one EEG, fewer than perhaps 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 patients need to have an imaging investigation. Research is underway to determine who should be scanned.

Two types of imaging techniques are currently available in the developed world; these are the computerized tomographic (CT) brain scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The CT scan-This is an abbreviation the computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan. The technique was developed in the 1970s and is a type of X-ray investigation. Tomography is a word dating from earlier X-ray techniques. The patient lies still on a table whilst a rotating X-ray machine takes two-dimensional pictures of the head from many different angles or positions. The information is then processed by a computer to produce pictures (or images) at different levels of the brain. The test is safe, and other than keeping the head still, there are no particular precautions to be taken. Children may have to be given a sedative drug or short anaesthetic so that they can keep still for the scan. The test takes approximately 15-20 minutes. If an area of interest is seen on the initial images, some contrast (special dye) is injected into a vein in the hand or arm and then the scan repeated. The dye may enhance contrast in areas of interest and give more detailed information. CT scanning has proved to be very useful in detecting structural abnormalities within the brain, such as strokes, infections, tumours, and congenital malformations which may cause epilepsy. However, only 20-25 per cent of patients with epilepsy referred to special centres will have an abnormal CT scan. Abnormalities on the CT scan in patients who have epilepsy are more likely to be found in the following situations:

• patients whose seizures affect only one side of the body;

• patients whose EEG shows a persistent slow wave abnormality on one side of the brain;

• when epilepsy starts in newborn babies and continues;

• when epilepsy starts in later life; and

• if the patient has abnormal findings on neurological examination, for example, mild weakness down one side of the body, or changes in the reflexes.

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Like arthritis, fibromyalgia is probably triggered long before the symptoms become obvious. Still, especially with fibromyalgia, those symptoms may become very severe in a very short time. The advanced symptoms include muscular weakness affecting many major muscles, persistent joint and muscle pain, stiffness that is hard to eliminate, joints that frequently lock up, and debilitating chronic fatigue.

Often, knobby growths appear on the fingers as well. Clumsiness sets in as motor control diminishes.

It’s another one of those “incurable” diseases that leads your doctor to say, “Sorry, there’s nothing more we can do.” And if you’re a severe case you get sent home to wait for the inevitable deterioration of your body that eventually leads to insupportable pain and a wheelchair existence. Depression and suicide are not uncommon.

Mrs R.R., at age 41, had already been told there was nothing more that could be done other than exercise and physical therapy. But with just one bottle of CMO she was able to get free of pain, regain her strength, resume her household chores, and scamper around on the floor with her baby.

Another woman in her eighties complained that her pain was so bad she hadn’t had a decent rest in over two years. She was never able to sleep more than two hours at a time and rarely got more than three or fours hours during any night.

She suffered the customary pains and weakness, complaining mostly about her hands and knees. She couldn’t even hold a pen for more than a minute. After just three days on

CMO she was sleeping comfortably again. Within a week she was free of pain. Her hands and legs regained their strength and she resumed her normal activities, including letter writing with a pen.

Though we don’t see quite as high a success rate with fibromyalgia as we do with arthritis (probably about 70% to 75%), we’re working on bettering those results.

Scleroderma responds in a manner quite similar to fibromyalgia. However, the success rate of CMO for scleroderma is even a bit lower than that for fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, we are getting a number of good CMO success stories for scleroderma too.

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Rashes in the nappy area can usually be identified by their appearance, their location, and other typical symptoms of different types of rashes.

Simple nappy rashes are red, slightly rough, and scaly. The rash may appear over the whole area touched by the nappy. The skin may by irritated by chemicals used in laundering cloth nappies-detergent, bleach, whitener, water softener, or soap. Plastic or rubber pants worn over cloth nappies sometimes affect the skin. The skin may also react to chemicals used in manufacturing disposable nappies or to the plastic outer layer on disposable nappies.

Ammonia rash is a form of nappy rash caused by the urine itself. The skin is burned by ammonia that is formed when the urine is decomposed by normal bacteria on the skin. Ammonia rash is worse after the child has been asleep for long periods of time without a nappy change. It is identified by an ammonia smell that can be noticed when changing the nappy.

Besides these basic nappy rashes, a variety of other rashes may appear in the nappy area including rashes caused by an allergy to a food or drug, by a skin infection, or by contagious diseases (chicken pox or measles).

If your child develops a rash in the nappy area, look for the signs that indicate these different types of rashes. The appearance and location of the rash, an ammonia odor, or rash elsewhere on the body are all clues. Have you recently changed to different nappies or changed your way of laundering them? Has the child recently been given a new food or drug which could be causing an allergic reaction? Noting these factors can help you and your doctor find the cause of the rash.

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April 23, 2009

No one knows what causes Type 1 diabetes. Undoubtedly genetic, environmental and immunological factors play a part. It is currently thought that certain genetic abnormalities make particular individuals more susceptible to outside agents that affect the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

•     Several experimental findings are not easily explained by this hypothesis, though, especially the fact that there are such different incidences of the disease in genetically very similar populations-for example, different generations in Scandinavian countries. If a population is genetically stable yet has very different variations in incidence over the years, it suggests that an environmental factor must be involved.

All of this led a team of doctors in Denmark to look at the link between breastfeeding and childhood diabetes. They found that when breastfeeding rates were low in a population the babies subsequently went on to have more diabetes than when breastfeeding rates were high. So, breastfeeding appears to protect against childhood insulin-dependent diabetes. The peak onset of diabetes was nine years after the low-point in the breastfeeding-popularity graph and this figure coincided with the average age of onset of diabetes in Oslo children (9.3 years).

The authors of this study propose that breast milk (already known to contain many protective factors) contains certain anti-infective agents that prevent viral infections that would otherwise affect the insulin-producing cells in certain people. Another possibility is that cows’ milk formula actually changes the pancreatic cells because of the abnormal protein or chemical load it contains. Whatever is the case, it is clear that children from susceptible families would be more vulnerable if bottle-fed.

•     It is current practice to give sugar water very early on -often in the nursery of the post-natal ward. I feel that this must be harmful and it is proven that such slugs of sugar (which are of no physiological value) produce surges of insulin production way beyond normal. Perhaps such over-stimulation of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas also damages them early in life. No one knows if this is so but it seems a reasonable hypothesis.

•     Diet has always been seen as a major factor in the control of diabetes of both types. Since the end of the eighteenth century low-carbohydrate diets have been advised on the basis that diabetics, being low in insulin, could not handle the glucose produced by high levels of ingested carbohydrate. A study carried out in 1974 found that the majority of diabetic clinics were recommending a diet providing 40 per cent of daily calories as carbohydrates. In reality such diets usually yield only about 30 per cent of calories in this way and about 50 per cent of all the calories come from fat. There is now substantial evidence that diabetics should be advised to eat a high-fibre diet rich in unrefined, complex carbohydrates. This is an intrinsically slimming diet (if such carbohydrates form 60 per cent or more of total daily energy), which helps middle-aged Type 2 diabetics, whose treatment depends mainly on losing weight. But more excitingly research has found that insulin-dependent diabetics also prosper on the diet and that some can even come off insulin entirely. It seems likely that bulk-forming fibres smooth out the absorption of sugar from the intestine. Such a diet also alters various risk factors for heart disease (namely lipoprotein levels and blood-clotting factors), which is good news because diabetics are especially liable to suffer from heart disease. In fact heart disease is a main cause of death.

•    There is no doubt that Type 2 diabetes is caused by obesity, especially in middle age.

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Alongside the lifestyle and dietary changes you may find it helpful to try one or more complementary approaches, such as herbal medicine, homeopathy or acupuncture.

Herbs are the oldest form of medicine and have been used for healing all over the world. Reproduction and the rites surrounding it have always had a central role in traditional cultures so it is not surprising that herbal medicine is particularly rich in effective remedies for fertility problems.

Herbs are in fact the foundation of numerous pharmaceutical drugs. For instance, aspirin is based on an extract from willow, originally used for pain relief by Native Americans. Up to 70 per cent of drugs in use today have their origins in plants. But modern drug companies only use the active ingredient of the plant or herb, while ancient peoples always used (and still use) the whole plant. The advantage of using the whole plant is that the side-effects are absent or minimal. That is the big difference between modern and herbal medicine.

In traditional times, for instance, the foxglove plant (digitalis purpurea) was used for heart problems. In modern times, scientists have isolated the main active ingredient of the foxglove (digoxin) and put it into tablet form but in so doing have created a real risk of side-effects. By using the whole plant, the active ingredient interacts with all the other constituents of the plant which naturally include ‘buffer’ ingredients that counteract any side-effect. Herbalists believe this is the proper way to use the healing powers of herbs and plants.

The easiest and most effective way of taking herbs is in tincture form, using approximately 5ml (1 teaspoon) three times daily in a little water. Try to get tinctures made from organically grown herbs. In the liquid form the herbs are already dissolved. They are therefore absorbed faster so their action is quicker. In the dry form, the tablets or capsules have to be digested and the benefit of the herbs is only as good as your own digestive and absorption processes. Herbs are not like drugs. If drugs are stopped, the symptoms can return and you are back where you started. The herbs stop the symptoms but they are also addressing the cause at the same time, so the symptoms are being alleviated because the body is becoming more balanced.

The particular herbs listed below have proved very effective in balancing hormones and boosting both male and female fertility and conception rates.

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What causes it?

• If the brain is starved of blood sugar, it may appear that the answer must be to eat more sugar and sweet foods. The answer is in fact exactly the opposite. Hypoglycaemia is caused by overindulgence in sugary foods. The average westerner eats or drinks more than forty teaspoons-full of sugar a day. He or she also eats large amounts of refined carbohydrate foods-all of which are converted into sugar by the body. The pancreas, faced with this overload, is forced to produce abnormally large peaks of insulin. This effectively sweeps away the excess glucose from the blood but often there is an over-supply of insulin, which causes the blood glucose to plummet. The result is low blood sugar-hypoglycaemia with all its symptoms.

• Two interesting studies bear this out. In the first a doctor researcher in the field gave a glucose-tolerance test to 220 neurotic patients with obvious symptoms of low blood sugar, such as fatigue. In fact 205 of them had low blood sugar. When these depressed, anxiety-ridden people were put on to a sensible diet, both their physical and psychological symptoms disappeared.

Next, the same researcher did a hypoglycaemia blood test on 700 people who had no physical symptoms of hypoglycaemia yet had all kinds of odd psychological signs and symptoms. The test showed that 600 had the condition! When put on to the right diet they all regained their mental health.

A study of 144 children with Teaming disability’ found that 78 per cent had hypoglycaemia, and many other studies have produced similar findings.

Many experts in this field now see hypoglycaemia as a source of marital and family problems that is almost entirely overlooked.

When the blood sugar drops, the adrenal glands pour out their hormones to release sugar from the body’s stores, but unfortunately caffeine, alcohol and nicotine also stimulate the adrenal glands in this way, so triggering the pancreas to produce more insulin. This produces hypoglycaemia. The cigarette or drink of coffee makes the person feel good for a while but once the blood sugar plummets they are forced to go back to the cigarettes and coffee to give them a lift again. And so it goes on.

Chronic stress seems to predispose people to hypoglycaemia.

There is now evidence that certain specific foods can produce an abnormally low, or indeed high, blood sugar, irrespective of their actual carbohydrate content.

Given that wheat and dairy products are two of the most commonly offending foods in adults; it is hardly surprising that a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is of provable value in managing hypoglycaemia.

• Deficiencies of certain nutrients, such as magnesium, chromium, potassium, manganese, zinc and the  vitamins can all produce the condition.

• Certain drugs, notably metronidazole (Flagyl) used to treat vaginal thrichomoniasis and parasitic infestations of the gut, can cause hypoglycaemia.

• Missed meals are a common cause, in children especially. Tea and coffee increase the release of insulin from the pancreas and can produce hypoglycaemic symptoms.

• Smoking causes both insulin and glucagon to be released with resulting hypoglycaemia. Often a smoker then needs to ‘top up’ his blood sugar with another cigarette.

• Alcohol can produce profound hypoglycaemia and alcoholics coming off alcohol should always be given an anti-hypolglycaemic diet.

Prevention

• Change your diet to remove all added sugar and unrefined carbohydrates.

• Eat six small meals a day rather than three large ones. Don’t eat more food-simply eat the same amount spread out more evenly.

• Eat more unrefined, complex carbohydrate foods and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

• Take brewers’ yeast tablets-the chromium these contain helps sugar metabolism.

• Cut right down on caffeine-containing drinks, alcohol and cigarettes.

• Be sure to keep up your level of animal-protein intake. This provides a substance known as carnitine – a deficiency of which can produce hypoglycaemia and heart disease.

• Take a vitamin and mineral supplement containing the following:

Vitamin  complex, 100 mg daily

Tryptophan, 500-1500 mg daily

Chromium GTF, 200 mcg daily

Zinc, 15-25 mg daily

Manganese, 5-10 mg daily

Magnesium, 250-300 mg daily

Potassium, 500-1000 mg daily

Vitamin C, 2-3 g daily

• Talk to your doctor about stopping metronidazole if you are on it.

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Family therapy

Family therapy – the treatment of more than one member of a family in the same session – is based on the idea that an emotional disorder in one person may be just the tip of the iceberg, hinting at problems with the way the family operates as a whole. The eating disorder will only get better if the whole family system can change.

(In family therapy, the “patient” is really the family itself; the girl with the poor eating habits is sometimes known as the “symptom-bearer.”)

The family approach looks at the disorder as a kind of nonverbal message from the patient. The symptoms are her reaction to problems in her family relationships.

In therapy we ask, “What function does the behavior serve in the family context?” That seems like an odd question, but it’s really not.

You see the trap. Sometimes, as dangerous as it is, an eating disorder can actually stabilize a family. When that happens, the disorder can become even more entrenched. The longer the illness persists, the worse it gets, and the more focus it gets from the family.

Goals of family therapy

As with any treatment, the first task is to help the patient break her abnormal eating pattern. Family members can support her better if they learn the facts. Part of therapy, then, involves educating other members about what’s going on. Once that’s done, the family can shift its focus away from the symptoms and onto the deeper issues.

We then work to change the harmful ways the family interacts. We help parents to pull back, to disentangle themselves. In doing so, they help their daughter develop her sense of autonomy. They also help themselves by shifting responsibility for the illness to where it needs to be -on the patient.

In therapy, we try to shore up the good things the family does and curb the bad things.

Often, family members find that they suppress huge chunks of their personalities when dealing with one another.

Sometimes, getting rid of these masks is hard because families have become so rigid. In this sense, the patient is a “victim of tradition.” Therapy helps families loosen their grip on the past and concentrate on the here and now.

The exact goals of therapy depend somewhat on the patient’s age. When the patient is under eighteen, we usually focus on the parents. We want them to work together to combat the illness. With an older patient, we concentrate more on her need for autonomy. Our aim is to help her separate from her family and live life on her own.

Through therapy, a patient takes control by changing her relationships with others in the family. She learns she can’t “protect” her family through her illness; she also learns how to get others to stop being so protective of her. She sees new sides of her family members’ personalities. If the patient is married, we need to work on marital issues as well as her eating problems.

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Beauty Express

Combine 2 leaves of spinach, 2 carrots and 2 cups of apple juice to make this delicious drink. It is rich in beta-carotene, chlorophyll and cancer-fighting nutrients, and is fantastic for providing a beautiful texture to the skin if drunk on a regular basis.

Fresh Complexion

Another great drink to improve the complexion. Combine 2 cups pineapple juice, 2 cups apple juice and the juice of one cucumber. This juice is rich in enzymes, great for kidney function, fluid retention, digestion and elimination.

Fruit Swirl

A combination of watermelon juice, ginger and fresh papaya. Juice 1/2 a watermelon and add a chunk of ginger. Then add some fresh pieces of papaya and blend together. Body cleansing, alkalizes the body’s tissues, aids in detoxification, aids good circulation and benefits the digestive system.

Germ Warfare

This juice helps to boost the body’s immune system, acts as a natural antibiotic and contains high amounts of vitamin Ñ and beta-carotene to fight cancer. It also prevents and alleviates symptoms of the common cold. Simply combine 6 oranges, the juice of 1 carrot, 1 lemon and a clove of garlic to make this drink.

Island Cocktail

A delicious combination of oranges, fresh pineapple, banana. First, juice 4 oranges and 1 pineapple. Then put 1 banana in the blender with orange and pineapple juice, mix and serve. Excellent for the skin, digestive system, boosts the immune system and gives a boost to energy levels.

Kiwi Crush

Kiwifruit, green apple and grape juice mixed, roughly in equal parts or according to your taste. All three fruits help to prevent and fight cancer.

Lemon Daiquiri

Combine 1 banana, the juice of 4 lemons, 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup natural acidophilus yogurt in a blender, together with some crushed ice. A very refreshing drink that is rich in vitamin C, boosts energy levels and enhances natural immunity.

Lemon or Strawberry Lassi

This juice is excellent for digestion. Blend 1/2 lemon or 6 strawberries, 1 cup natural acidophilus yogurt, 2 cups apple juice, 1/4 cup honey and add crushed ice.

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Related Posts:

• YOUR CANCER YOUR LIFE – RIGHT TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS (GENERAL INFORMATION)
• AFTER CANCER: THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION. TYPES OF STRESS
• AFTER CANCER: SLEEP (TROUBLE SLEEPING AND NIGHTMARES)
• AFTER CANCER: RECURRENCE SCARES
• AFTER CANCER: WHAT IF I FEEL DEPRESSED?
• AFTER CANCER: NUTRITION AND DIET

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