April 21, 2009

There is no doubt that care of elderly women is a significant part of health care spending. But what is often neglected in these financial analyses is the enormous amounts of money these same women save the health care system by looking after sick and dying husbands or other family members at home, often for many years.

Such comments also imply that long-term HRT will necessarily result in a fitter, healthier group of older women. We don’t yet have the evidence to say this with certainty. It may be that widespread use of HRT will result in women living longer and with fewer fractures and heart attacks. However, nothing is more certain than that we must all die, and if the cause of death is not heart disease or complications from fractures, it could well be a disease that might cost the community even more, such as dementia or cancer.

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Herbs often used for hot flushes include Cimicifuga racemosa, which is said to have a direct action in reducing FSH levels (which relate to oestrogen levels, plus ginseng, motherwort and lime blossom (taken in tincture form first thing in the morning and last thing at night). Ginseng is the common name of several species of Panax herbs, and it has been prized in the East for thousands of years. Modern research has confirmed that it reduces sweating and helps the body adapt to heat stress, enhancing energy and stamina in trying conditions. Ginseng comes in a wide variety of formulations, and we recommend a cautious approach to its use as excessive amounts can lead to high blood pressure and palpitations. If no improvement is seen with any herbal substance within four weeks, it is wise not to persist.

Vitamin E and evening primrose oil tablets have strong advocates among some women with severe flushes. Natural dietary sources of vitamin E are oils made from corn, soybeans, coconut, peanuts and olives, plus alfalfa, barley, peanuts, rolled oats, chocolate, cabbage, spinach and asparagus. Vitamin E in supplement form should be used with caution and monitored regularly because it can interfere with normal blood clotting and raise blood pressure. As with all vitamins, it is preferable not to overdo the amount of vitamin E coming from supplements, and expert advice should be sought on dosage levels.

Regular physical activity is sometimes advocated for hot flush relief. The findings of the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Study supported an association between exercise levels and feelings of good health when activities took participants outside the home. There was no apparent association, however, between exercise levels and the intensity and number of hot flushes experienced.

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Premenopausal women have only one-fifth the risk of heart disease that men of the same age have. After menopause the gap closes, and a woman’s risk of heart disease increases markedly, so that in the sixty to sixty-five age group heart disease risk in women is only one-third that of men. This change in risk is usually explained in terms of the decline in oestrogen levels after menopause.

Differences in stroke rates between women and men are not so pronounced. Women have approximately two-thirds the chance of stroke of men up to the age of sixty-five. The rates are similar for the over-seventies. Above eighty-five, when women well and truly overhaul men, numerically speaking, the absolute number of strokes in women is higher.

Overall, about half of all women in Australia die of heart or blood vessel diseases including stroke, and in women aged twenty to sixty-nine years there are an estimated io ooo heart attacks a year.

One of Australia’s leading heart research centres, the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, discussed the image and reality of heart and blood vessel disease in its 1992 Annual Report. ‘When we think of cardiovascular disease, it tends to be in terms of heart attacks and cholesterol and blood pressure. When we think of how to prevent cardiovascular disease, it’s things like diet and exercise and giving up cigarettes. And historically, we’ve thought about men and heart attacks; 85 per cent of heart transplants, for example, have had male recipients.

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In some women, a procedure called a diagnostic hysteroscopy is in order when there is abnormal bleeding around the time of menopause, spontaneous bleeding after the menopause, or abnormal bleeding while on HRT. The purpose is to try to find the cause of the abnormal bleeding. The procedure involves the insertion of a small telescope through the cervix, which enables the doctor to view the endometrial tissue and assess its distribution and thickness and the presence of any abnormalities. At or after hysteroscopy the doctor can take a sample of the endometrium by means of biopsy or curettage. If you still have your uterus and are being prescribed, or choose to take, oestrogen without added progestogen (this is known as unopposed oestrogen), you should have an endometrial biopsy or a curette every six to twelve months. The same applies to women on HRT who have had previous abnormal changes to the endometrium.

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April 20, 2009

There may be many causes for an irregular heartbeat, (sometimes called palpitations) and since any condition affecting the heart can be serious, it is wise to seek medical advice without delay. If there is no serious underlying problem, then over-consumption of caffeine or hyperventilation should be considered. Some doctors have reported that sensitivity to foods or to chemicals (see Chapter Nine) may cause irregularities in the heartbeat, and these factors may be worth investigating if other possible causes have been ruled out.

Chest pain

Chest pain is reported as a symptom of food intolerance by some doctors, but this is certainly not common. There are a great many other possible causes, some of which may be serious and require immediate attention. If the doctor can find no underlying cause for the chest pain, then the possibility of hyperventilation is worth considering.

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April 9, 2009

Even sick people and those who are seriously ill can relieve their frame of mind and, in so doing, ease their suffering by adopting a positive attitude. Why should your disturbed condition of health dominate the whole spectrum of your life and emotions?

Should a sick person not be happy because at least some of his organs still function well? Could he not think up ways of how he may contribute to a quicker recovery by taking the proper measures? An illness that is properly treated and cured can, in fact, help to eliminate wastes from the body and thus improve one’s general well-being. However, if a morose attitude is taken and the pain is dulled by means of chemical drugs instead of proper treatment leading to cleansing and a cure, you should not be surprised to see your hopes of success vanish. Gratitude and contentment during an illness are the best basis for recovery. Often, when you think you have good reason to give free rein to sadness and despair, why not remind yourself of the dangerous times of war or the millions of refugees who lost, and continue to lose, their homes and possessions. These thoughts would awaken gratitude in you for what blessings you have and make all your little sorrows disappear. For is it not wonderful to have a roof over your head that protects you from the rain and cold, and to live in a reasonably orderly environment and land? Gratitude and appreciation for all the many things we take for granted, that embellish our daily life, can cheer us up and dispel any feelings of depression. Try it out and you will see that it works.

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The blood pressure and the pulse rate also react adversely to nicotine, as has been proved in extensive tests undertaken by the Americans Mathers, Patterson and Levy, who investigated the link between circulatory disturbances and smoking. It was found that the average rise in blood pressure after inhaling one cigarette was 15 mm, while the pulse rate increased by fifteen beats per minute, and in cases of special sensitivity to nicotine, by twenty-five beats. The results of the tests varied according to the nicotine content of the respective cigarette brands and the individual smoker’s sensitivity.

Tobacco smoke can also damage plants, as a simple experiment will prove. Put some cress seeds in two small dishes and when they begin to sprout, place a clear glass cover or jar over them. When the plants are about 2Vz cm (1 inch) high, under one of the glass covers blow cigarette or cigar smoke; repeat two days later. Within a week the smoked plants will be dead, completely shrivelled up, while the ones in the unpolluted dish will be perfectly healthy.

Any gardener will tell you that tobacco extract kills insect life and that he uses it to destroy aphids. This particular use of tobacco can be recommended, but you must watch that the plants are sprayed when the fruits have not yet developed or are very small, so that the rain can wash away the extract.

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How can we solve the problem of obtaining enough salt without overloading the body with too much common or table salt? We can take advantage of the vegetables that contain plenty of it, for example leeks and onions. All plants contain salt, for when we talk about salt we mean sodium chloride, which is found in plants. Nevertheless, the fact that fresh, raw vegetables are a source of salt is frequently overlooked and many believe they must use ordinary salt to avoid deficiencies. But doing this puts a strain on the kidneys. Many well-known physicians, such as Gerson, Riedlin, Hermannsdorfer and the noted surgeon Professor Sauerbruch, have discovered that in cases of tuberculosis of the bones, too much salt has a markedly bad effect, whereas a low-salt diet or abstinence from salt improves the general condition and stimulates the healing ability of the body.

Those who suffer from kidney ailments know that little or no salt is one of the important rules of their treatment if they are to recover rapidly. So, even for those in excellent health, it would be sensible to reduce our salt consumption as much as possible so as to avoid overburdening the kidneys. We should definitely give more consideration to these facts, since many other diseases and ailments also require a low-salt or salt-free diet in order to protect the kidneys or effect a cure.

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An interesting observation will illustrate this. Make some dough from freshly ground flour and knead it well with your hands. You will notice that the hands become quite red as hyperaemia is produced. It is the active enzymes that are responsible for this phenomenon and these are found especially in the bran and the germ. If you make dough from the same flour after it has been stored for 5-6 weeks, this reaction will no longer occur to the same extent, if at all, because the enzymes will have decreased in effectiveness or died off during the long period of storage. That is why it is better to use a stone mill for grinding – as our forefathers did and certain primitive peoples still do – then prepare and bake the bread immediately. Thus the full value of the enzymes is preserved and the bread will be more nourishing, for it contains the healthy substances of the wholegrain cereal.

Wholewheat or any other wholemeal bread should be prepared in the way just described, and we should make it a point to make or buy bread which is prepared and baked according to this natural method. When we consider the great demands placed on our system today, it is only sensible that we should prefer bread that retains its full nutritional value and reject the less valuable.

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In order to show someone how important it is to prevent vitamin Ñ deficiency, we would do well to refer to Captain Cook’s famous experience. Realising the disastrous effect of a lack of vitamin Ñ in the diet, and to guarantee the success of his expeditions, he carried on board whole barrels of sauerkraut. His farsightedness spared him and his crew from falling victim to scurvy. Every 100 g (about ÇÓ2 oz) of sauerkraut contains approximately 20 mg of vitamin C, about the same proportion as in raw potatoes, but the latter, of course, are less palatable when uncooked.

The symptoms and consequences of vitamin Ñ deficiency are muscular weakness, bleeding under the skin, bleeding of the gums and loosening of the teeth, which can even fall out. Resistance to infectious diseases is greatly reduced and susceptibility to catarrh, sore throats and tonsillitis, pneumonia and pleurisy is considerably increased. The capillaries are weakened and damaged, severely affecting the circulation.

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Related Posts:

• MAINTAINING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE – CONCLUSION
• THE EFFECTS OF SMOKING – BLOOD PRESSURE AND THE PULSE
• COOKING SALT – ADEQUATE SALT INTAKE
• THE CORRECT BAKING PROCESS – INTERESTING OBSERVATION
• THE PANCREAS – INTRODUCTION
• THREADWORMS AND ROUNDWORMS – TREATMENT
• A TYPICAL DAILY PROGRAMME – AFTER BREAKFAST
• THE URINARY BLADDER
• THE HEART – AN INDEFATIGABLE – ORGAN COMPLICATIONS DESERVING ATTENTION (OPPOSITE PHENOMENON)
• HERBS: ANGELICA FOR GARDEN GROWING

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