Herbal Health

“The writing is on the wall. Anyone can read it. There will be a take-over. That’s not the problem. The problem for me is that I shall be found redundant. Will be paid off. Thrown to the wolves. The wolves that would tear the flesh from your bones. Don’t know where I can turn. Very few jobs about in my particular field. Very few, and my age is no help. Can’t sleep. I jitter inside. Can see my work going off. That only means the sack is more certain than ever.

‘Had planned an overseas trip. Just the two of us. The wife and I. Every night she is reading about places to visit. Haven’t told her the worst. Haven’t told her the truth. Just vaguely suggested we put it off for a year or two. There’s a chill in the air. I just don’t know what to do.”

The major problem and the associated problem are clearly marked. He needs all the help he can get in the home, or he will come under stress and probably develop psychosomatic symptoms.

The kind of help that he needs is understanding. If she rails against his employers and the injustice they are inflicting on him, it will only increase his level of tension, and make his performance at work so much the worse. On the other hand, she may try to bolster his morale with talk of his ability and experience, and that he will certainly get another job, equal or better, just as soon as he wants it. If she talks like this, he realizes what she says is out of tune with reality, and the gulf between them is so much the greater.

If, however, she can communicate her understanding in that very simple and wordless communication of man and woman, his level of anxiety is reduced and his performance at work is so much the better.

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Venereal disease is a family of infections involving the genital organs. They are, by definition, caught by having sexual contact with another person but in reality this is too narrow a way of looking at the problem, as we shall see.

VD (otherwise known as sexually transmitted diseases-STDs) is a fast-growing problem. Gonorrhea, for example, is the second most common infectious illness in the world after measles.

VD is becoming more of a problem for several reasons. First, society’s changed attitudes over the last twenty years or so have encouraged young people to have intercourse at a younger age. The babies born in the 1950s and 1960s are now teenagers and young adults and this group are exceptionally active sexually. Premarital sex is more commonplace than it used to be-a change particularly involving women. Most surveys show that over 90 per cent of women are not virgins when they go up the aisle. Half of all US women who have never been married have had more than one sex partner, compared with just over a third fifteen years ago. The divorce rate is rising steadily; more adults are choosing to remain single or are postponing marriage for various reasons; and so the list of changes goes on. All of this has led to increasing numbers of individuals having sex with larger numbers of partners than ever before.

Women and newborn babies bear the major brunt of this epidemic of venereal infections. One in every twenty babies born in the US has an infection with Chlamydia, and of the infected group half will develop conjunctivitis and one in five pneumonia. Early syphilis, until recently a rare disease, is once more appearing in women of childbearing age. If early syphilis is untreated in pregnancy 40 per cent of the infants will be still-born, born prematurely or die prematurely. Another 40 per cent will have congenital syphilis. Such a woman has only a one in five chance of having a normal, healthy baby.

As many as three in every 10,000 babies are born with herpes. Half die very early in life and a quarter of those who survive will be damaged. Three in every 200 babies are affected with cytomegalovirus and one in seven of them will be deaf, retarded or suffer eye defects. Nearly 5,000 babies a year die from beta-hemolytic streptococcus-a proportion of these infections are probably sexually transmitted.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is the most common serious complication of chlamydial and gonococcal infections. These diseases cause 25,000 ectopic pregnancies (pregnancies that occur outside the womb in the fallopian tubes), 213,000 hospital admissions, 115,000 major surgical operations, and 900 deaths, per year in the US alone.

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•     Stop smoking. Given that bronchitis is an inflammatory condition of the airways with an excessive production of mucus, the best preventive is to stop smoking if only because the smoke itself damages the air passages, so adding to the problem. Early bronchitic changes can be reversed by stopping smoking and, of course, other problems connected with smoking will go too.

There is plenty of evidence to show that children of parents who smoke have more chest infections than other children, and a London study of 10,500 schoolchildren found that even as early as 11 their lungs are being seriously affected. Those smoking up to six cigarettes a week suffered from colds and coughs and were more likely to be short of breath after exercise than the non-smokers. Obviously stopping children smoking is a major preventive measure against this vast problem.

A study of British doctors was started in 1951. By 1964 it had been found that the death rate from chronic bronchitis of those smoking up to 14 cigarettes per day was seven times that of non-smokers and of those smoking 15-24 daily, twenty times. In various studies pipe and cigar smokers come out better than cigarette smokers as regards bronchitis, and those who have only ever smoked pipes and cigars have a risk only very slightly greater than non-smokers.

•    Clean up polluted air. Most western countries are now more vigilant about smoke pollution than in the past and the Clean Air Acts in the UK (1956 and 1968) have undoubtedly played their part in reducing the toll of these diseases. The small fall in deaths from bronchitis and emphysema seen in recent years can almost certainly be put down to these measures. Local authorities were given the power to create smokeless zones. Such measures have made the old British ’smogs’ a thing of the past.

Vitamin A appears to be valuable for those who live in highly polluted air zones. Ozone and other air pollutants destroy vitamin A by oxidation, so anyone living in a polluted area should take more of the vitamin as a protective, especially in the winter months. Liver, herring, eggs, milk, margarine, butter and carrots are good sources, but the easiest way of taking this vitamin is in fish-liver-oil capsules.

•    Breathing exercises are probably worth trying at the first sign of bronchitis.

•    Take more exercise. One study of very severe bronchitis and emphysema patients who had only about 25 per cent of normal lung function left and were thus suffering from shortness of breath and limited activity, gave graded exercises in a training schedule on a stationary bicycle. When the tension on the bicycle was set to produce a feeling of ‘work’ but not ‘exhaustion’ at the end of the exercise, most of the patients felt better. At first the subjects were allowed only seven minutes on the bicycle but this was slowly worked up to twenty minutes. Exercise increases the rate of mucus production and makes it easier to cough up. People undergoing regular exercise like this report an improvement in their symptoms and are aware that the vicious circle of shortness of breath, no exercise, more shortness of breath, can be broken.

•     All bronchitics cough and this is healthy. Don’t use cough suppressants-the phlegm ought to come up, especially if it is infected (yellow or green). Any remedy that helps bring up phlegm can be used, including exercise.

•     Poor posture can make breathing less efficient, as may nervous tension. Be sure to learn to walk upright, shoulders back and with your back straight. Be careful about bad posture when seated too. Learn how to relax and how to breathe properly.

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Hands are expressive and reveal a lot about you and your health. We might be able to conceal our emotions behind a mask, but our hands give us away every time.

The woman of today does it all, no matter how hard a woman works, no matter what her age, she is expected to have soft, smooth well cared for hands at all times.

Handy Hints

To keep the hands soft and supple always use protective gloves if you have to use detergents or any harsh cleaning products. Avoid soap for it has a very drying effect on the skin, instead use a combination of different foods as a hand wash.

Hand cleanser – Wash dirty hands with oil and sugar. Apply oil and a sprinkle of sugar onto your hands rub together then wash off with warm water and towel dry.

Oatmeal hand wash – Keep a sprinkler jar filled with fine oatmeal powder at the hand basin. Wet your hands and sprinkle with the oatmeal, add more water and rub until clean, then rinse.

Coconut oil hand wash – Rub coconut oil into the hands, then rinse them well under hot water. Towel dry, leaves the skin looking and feeling soft and supple.

Olive oil hand cleanser – olive oil is a great degreaser and is useful for getting other kinds of oil off the skin. Pour oil onto the hands and rub into the greasy grime. Then wipe off with paper towels and rinse under hot

water.

Hand paste cleanser Mix together 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon glycerine with enough oatmeal to make a paste. Apply to areas of dry skin or dirty and discoloured areas. Leave on for thirty minutes then rinse off and towel dry.

Protection for hands Lemon serves as a whitener, skin softener, cuticle softener and remover, nail cleanser, smell and stain remover and also has the ability to restore the acid coating of the skin.

Hand Oil

Almond oil 40 ml, jojoba oil 30 ml, avocado oil 20 ml, wheatgerm oil 10 ml, vitamin-E 2 drops.

Honey Hand Bajm

Pure Honey 1 tbsp., olive oil 1/2 tsp., bee’s wax 1 tsp., essential oils 2 drops. Melt bee’s wax and olive oil, allow to cool slightly before adding honey and essential oils.

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Guava: combine 100 ml of a decoction of guava to which you add 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Use cotton wool to wash the sores out thoroughly. Then make up a compress using the essential oils of tagets and myrrh to a decoction of guava and apply to sores.

Vinegar: wash affected area with a mixture of a few tablespoons of cider vinegar to a small cup of water. This can act as a cleansing antiseptic.

Essential oils: clean pus out of the sore and wash with a lotion made of 100 ml of water to which 10 drops of lavender has been added. Prepare equal parts of tagets and myrrh and add 2 drops into a small bowl of water. Soak a piece of lint into the solution, remove excess water, then apply to sores and cover with a dry cloth or bandage and leave on for 1 hour. Remove lint, repeat the treatment until the sores are clear.

Kombucha: remove the crust and apply kombucha tea. Repeat frequently with clean cotton wool. Kombucha will stop the spread of infection and ease the itching to prevent scarring.

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Spirulina is one of the most beneficial living foods on our planet, full of enzymes, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Spirulina is rich in organic ingredients and ideal for skin care. For best results use Spirulina both externally and internally.

Beta carotene: Spirulina is very rich in Beta carotene, which protects the skin and gives it elasticity. Together with vitamin E, Selenium and Zinc, Beta carotene helps to deep cleanse the skin in a gentle, protective way. Chlorophyll: is “preserved” sunlight and very beneficial for a healthy skin, due to the cell building factor and oxygen storing ability. It is also beneficial against skin inflammations.

Gamma Linolenic Acid: (GLA) The body cannot produce GLA itself. This ingredient protects the skin against UV radiation, dehydration and activates the blood circulation of the skin.

Minerals: Spirulina is rich in natural minerals and trace minerals, which are easy absorbed by the skin and are beneficial for an optimal function of the skin.

Tyrosine: The high content of the natural amino acid Tyrosine in Spirulina slows down the ageing process of cells. It is involved in the coloration of hair and skin, and helps with sun burn protection. Zinc: has the ability to heal wounds quickly.

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“Advertising is the art of making someone think he has longed all his life for things he has never even heard about”.

• We all want to believe that something can make us look more youthful. Do you know a cosmetic product that removes or prevents wrinkles or reverses the “signs of ageing”?

• Is your beauty product totally 100% organic or only a small percentage of it?

• Is the value of the ingredients only a fraction of the value of the packaging?

• Are your beauty aids offering you healthy glowing skin, reducing the visible signs of ageing or are they causing premature ageing?

• Do you buy expensive cosmetics because, the more you pay it must be better? The price is governed by packaging and advertising cost.

To speed up the ageing process keep wearing make up. It is after all, a mask, a cover up, and the more often synthetic products are fed to your skin, the more toll it will take on your skin and health. When you throw your skin out of harmony day after day, you can expect premature ageing.

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The main sources of formaldehyde in the home are cavity-wall insulation and chipboard. There is little one can do about the former. The latter can be replaced or ’sealed in’ with gloss paint – get someone else to do this for you if you can, and stay out of the way until the smell of paint has dispersed. If you have cavity wall insulation as well, the only way you can test for its effects is to go away for a while, to a house without sources of formaldehyde. Simple stone cottages with solid walls are a good bet. Plush modem hotels are likely to be oozing formaldehyde vapour.

Other sources of formaldehyde include foam rubber, new textiles, paper (including newsprint), photographs, leather luggage, antiperspirants, some cosmetics and shampoos, plywood and blockboard. It is only worth eliminating these if you have strong reasons to suspect formaldehyde.

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The effects the aging process has on your hands are usually a giveaway to your age. Other parts of the body that show maturity can easily be altered with a face-lift or tummy tuck, but the telltale signs of age are always right there in your hands, not only in appearance but in their capabilities. Hands that are nimble in youth eventually become hands that may be unable to perform even simple tasks. However, arthritis is not necessarily a part of growing older, and I’ve seen many aging artisans who can still use their hands with great precision and skill.

Typically, as the hand ages, the skin becomes thinner and the muscles on the back of the hand begin to lose some of their tone. The veins and bones become more prominent, and the area between the thumb and first finger is especially prone to losing muscle. On the whole, muscular strength in the hand may decrease, but the decrease is gradual enough that, for most of us, our hands can function effectively well into our 80s and 90s.

Like the hand, the nails are a part of the body that provides a clue to the general health of the rest of your body. Many times, the first signs of an underlying medical illness, such as cancer or cardiovascular disease, show up in the nails. For instance, the nails of lung cancer patients begin to spoon, while the nails of people who have vascular disease frequently thicken or turn blue underneath. Many women use nail polish and other adornments as a cosmetic and a form of expression. Unfortunately, nail polish can mask possible medical problems that are evident in the nails and even create new ones.

Starting in your 50s, the aging nail may start to become brittle and gray. Polishes and nail treatments made with alcohol and formaldehyde can cause the nails to dry out even more. And artificial nails and many layers of polish can lead to a fungal infection in the real nails.

Even though your nails become drier and more brittle, you can preserve them by keeping them clean and well groomed. I’ve also seen many cases where nails have become stronger with intake of gelatin and vitamins, especially the B vitamins.

Feet don’t normally show the signs of aging as hands do, since they spend most of their time covered up and protected from the elements and sun. As a result, many of us tend to take our feet for granted. Indeed, the foot is often the part of the body that is least examined in the course of a regular medical exam. As a result, many people suffer from foot problems that are never diagnosed, such as warts and corns. Foot care is especially important for diabetics, because their poor circulation leaves them more prone to infections that can develop into a serious skin infection called cellulitis. It is also important for elderly people, since proper foot care can help prevent falls.

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If you are bleeding from the vagina, your gynecologist will perform a complete gynecological exam during which she will look for lesions or cancers of the gynecological tract. If your doctor suspects you have a cervical lesion, she will perform a culposcopy, a test that will allow her to view the cervix directly to check for lesions that might be cancerous. If you’re premenopausal and not currently on ERT and are experiencing vaginal bleeding, your gynecologist may recommend that you start taking estrogen and/or progesterone. This will usually stop the bleeding.

If a fibroid tumor is causing your bleeding, your gynecologist may recommend that only the tumor be removed, especially if you want to have children. However, in many cases, you may be advised to have a hysterectomy since a complicated surgical procedure is required to remove just the tumor. The hysterectomy can be total, in which both ovaries and the uterus are removed, or it can be partial in which one ovary is left in place. The latter is often done when the patient is premenopausal in order to conserve her natural hormone supply.

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