VAGINA
This is the passage leading from the neck of the uterus, or cervix, to the exterior of the female body, the vulva. It is the passage in which sexual intercourse takes place and through which the menstrual fluid passes each month. During childbirth it forms a part of what is called the ‘birth canal’.
Vaginal health and hygiene are important. Some clear, odourless discharge from the vagina is perfectly normal and is required to keep the vaginal walls moist, clean and slightly acidic. However, when the discharge becomes discoloured and is accompanied by an unpleasant odour and/or itching, it is likely that an infection is present or that the acidity of the vagina has been altered, leading to a proliferation of a yeast fungus known as Candida albicans. This latter condition is quite common and known simply as Candida or thrush. It has a number of causes, including a diet too high in refined sugars and the taking of antibiotics. It is generally treated by increasing the acidity of the vagina to discourage the proliferation of the yeast bug. For natural remedies for Candida, see the separate entries in this book. Other more serious causes of vaginal discharge, itching or pain are venereal diseases such as gonorrhoea.
Dryness of the vagina is a problem which affects most women ocassionally and some women more often. It is a common side effect of menopause, when it results from falling hormone levels in the body. Not only can sex become uncomfortable, but the chances of developing vaginal infections increase during and following menopause. Take Vitamin E internally and apply calendula cream to both soothe and lubricate the vaginal walls. KY jelly is also useful for lubrication. Fortunately, regular sexual intercourse, possibly involving prolonged and gentler foreplay, helps to keep the vagina toned and healthy through the later years of life.
Vaginal prolapse can occur after childbirth but not necessarily immediately afterwards. It occurs when the ligaments supporting the uterus or bladder weaken or lose their tone allowing the uterus to drop down into the vagina. A lump is felt inside the vagina and pressure on the bladder and bowel is often increased. Prolapse the more easily prevented than cured. Women giving birth should do some regular form of exercise to strengthen the muscles of the
pelvic floor and disciplines such as the Alexander Technique are known to improve the posture and prevent muscle conditions such as hernias and prolapse. The widely recognised herb for strengthening the pelvic muscles is raspberry leaf, safely drunk as a tea throughout pregnancy. Poor absorption of mineral salts, particularly calcium fluoride, can cause the tissues to weaken. Take calcium fluoride as a tissue salt and increase your intake of Vitamins E and C.
Women’s vaginas vary in width and length but, generally speaking, any fears a woman has about the size of her vagina adversely affecting the sexual pleasure of either her or her partner are unfounded. Small vaginas swell when properly stimulated to accommodate almost any penis without injury and large vaginas will give as much satisfaction if muscle tone is maintained. Desired sexual positions may vary depending on your anatomy.
*69\69\2*
SHIRLEY’S STORY: ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE USE OF ST JOHN’S WORT
A 50-year-old American woman writes to me as follows:
I first heard about St John’s Wort as a treatment for depression when I was reading about natural remedies for menopausal symptoms. I began taking 300 mg but did not find it all that helpful. This past summer my husband suggested I up the dosage to 600 mg and that was the magic amount for the summer Now that we have turned the clocks back again [at the onset of autumn] I am taking an additional 300 mg in the afternoon, which helps.
I have been in and out of therapy since I was 25. Therapy with the right therapist(s) is helpful, but it is also expensive and time-consuming. My employer has a cap on the number of hours of therapy a person can undergo, and I am getting closer to that cap every week. I am hoping that this next calendar year is my last year of needing therapy. I was not in therapy for several long periods of my life. Often, a tragedy such as a death in the family or major surgery would send me back in.
I prefer natural herbs to drugs wherever I can. I have refused to take Prozac or Lustral. I really don’t want to rely on a drug to control my mood.
Whether or not one agrees with Shirley’s opinions about psychotherapy, herbal remedies or anti-depressant medications, she does seem to embody the trend that Naisbitt mentions in his book. I do believe that she speaks for a very large number of people who are concerned about the cost of mental health care, interested in natural remedies and eager to take their lives into their own hands as much as possible. St John’s Wort provides a solution to all of these concerns. Relatively inexpensive, highly effective, safe and mild in terms of side-effects, it offers millions of people the opportunity to help themselves.
It is, of course, critical to know when self-care has reached its limit and when to seek the help of an expert. Shirley appears to be able to make this distinction. It is an important caveat for others to bear in mind as well.
*43\75\2*
COPING WITH THE MODERN ENVIRONMENT: CHEMICAL SUSCEPTIBILITY AND IN-OFFICE TREATMENT
Lee and Rinkel originally devised the provocative/neutralizing dose for the diagnosis and treatment of food allergies. It still remained necessary to devise such a test for the inoffice diagnosis and treatment of the chemical-susceptibility problem. This test was a by-product of the alcoholism studies which I made, described in Chapter 10. In the course of those studies, a batch of pure, 100-proof synthetic ethyl alcohol was obtained, derived from a petrochemical, ethylene gas. This type of alcohol, although not approved for drinking, is found in various food products, such as lemon and orange extracts. It is not toxic per se.
When given to chemically susceptible individuals, however, it can provoke reactions similar to those they experienced from environmental chemical exposures. The synthetic alcohol was mixed in graded dilutions. Dilution no. 1 was 1:5 mixture of ethyl alcohol and a salt solution; no. 2 was in a proportion of 1:25 (that is, one-fifth as strong as no. 1); and so forth.
If a patient answered at least two questions positively on the Chemical Questionnaire he was tested with a few drops of dilution no. 2, either by injection intradermally or under the tongue. If he answered three to five questions positively, he was tested with dilution no. 3; greater degrees of susceptibility were treated with even weaker dilutions.
In this way, it was possible to test patients for this perplexing chemical-susceptibility problem in the office and to receive fairly reliable results quickly. Before that, a patient had to move out of his house for a while to get such an answer, whereas today the best tests are performed in the hospital. I published, preliminarily, the results of this test in 1964.4
Using this same synthetic ethyl alcohol as a neutralizing dose, it was possible to relieve the symptoms of some patients for a long period of time. The technique was used especially on those who could not avoid chemical exposure, either because of their jobs, the location of their homes, or for other reasons.
One patient, for example, was a domestic maid who had to travel more than five miles by bus every day, five times a week. Each day she would get a headache on the bus, often before she had even reached her destination. She was provided with a small bottle of ethyl alcohol, at the dilution which had previously been found to suit her. By taking a drop of the solution under her tongue, she was able to relieve her headaches.
Another woman lived on the edge of a golf course. Because of continual pesticide spraying, she was chronically ill. After learning to use a neutralizing dose of the synthetic ethyl alcohol, however, she was not only able to tolerate life in her home, but was even able to play golf on the course without suffering any health problems. Because both ethyl alcohol and the pesticides are ultimately derived from the same substances—petrochemicals—a neutralizing dose made of one substance can have an effect in relieving symptoms caused by another such substance.
This is not meant to imply that such drops are a kind of cure-all for the chemical-susceptibility problem. Unfortunately, they are not. Such treatments are not fully protective, because a person’s intake of chemicals varies greatly with time and place.
In addition to synthetic ethyl alcohol, various other chemical extracts now aid in the treatment of chemically susceptible patients. One of the most ingenious is an extract of automobile fumes which Dr. Harris Hosen of Port Arthur, Texas, prepared for the use of clinical ecologists.5 This is sometimes quite effective in detecting and relieving the effects of smog and the fumes of heavy traffic on susceptible patients.
Basically, however, the most effective «treatment» devised for the chemically susceptible patient is still prevention.
It should be reemphasized that patients with advanced environmentally related illness involving food and chemicals are also often sensitive to pollens, molds, dusts, animal danders, insect emanations, and other inhaled particles. Indeed, the course of environmentally related events often starts with localized allergic manifestations on such a basis. But, as Dr. Mandell has emphasized, pollens, molds, etc., may also be related causally to advanced systemic or generalized effects.6 Since skin testing with extracts of these materials is relatively reliable, this possibility should be evaluated by measuring the degree of skin sensitivity as a basis for providing optimal injection therapy.
*94\110\2*
MOUTH DRYNESS
Aging, Sjogren’s Disease (an illness involving dry mouth, dry eyes, and painful joints), certain medications, and radiation treatment over the salivary glands — all result in excessive dryness of the mouth. The mouth-drying effect of certain medicines, understandably, is temporary, but dryness of the mouth due to all of the other causes listed above is permanent. Dryness of the mouth is medically known as xerostomia.
Ordinarily just a nuisance, dryness of the mouth can become dangerous if one has angina pectoris (pain in the chest due to heart disease) and relies upon a tablet of nitroglycerin put under the tongue, where it should quickly dissolve and be absorbed for relief. Also, according to Geriatrics (38#5:16), dryness of the mouth can result in tooth decay if left untreated.
The remedy, of course, is to moisten the mouth by drinking frequently or, better still, by using one of the salivary substitute products, such as Salivart or Xero-Lube, which provide not only water but also certain elements normally present in saliva. Salivary substitute spray products that can be carried in the pocket or in the handbag are now available in most drug stores without prescription.
Now, a correspondent to the New England Journal of Medicine (310:1122) suggests, relief from drug-induced mouth dryness can be even more easily obtained by swallowing tablets of another medication called Bethanechol, which stimulates the salivary flow. A doctor’s prescription is needed for these pills.
*172\143\2*
GUMBOILS IN CHILDREN: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE, PRECAUTIONS AND TREATMENT
Signs and symptoms
Gumboils can be recognized by their typical appearance. Inflammation or swelling that comes to a point, like a tender pimple, appears where the lip meets the gum at the base of a decayed tooth. The area is sometimes painful. Eventually, the gumboil discharges yellow pus. Usually the associated tooth is obviously injured (fractured or discolored) or has an untreated or recently filled cavity. The tooth may be tender when tapped or may be slightly loose. A gumboil is not usually accompanied by fever.
A gumboil may be confused with a canker sore. However, a canker sore is ulcerated (dug out); it does not protrude like a gumboil.
Home care
Give aspirin or paracetamol for pain. Warm soaks or warm salt water rinses will help the inflammation and promote drainage of the boil. (Use one-half teaspoon of table salt in one-half glass of warm water.) If the associated tooth is about to fall out naturally, a gumboil can be left untreated. The loss of the tooth will allow the pus to drain and the gumboil to heal.
• If a young child has a gumboil, consult the dentist.
• Some dentists feel that a gumboil on a baby tooth endangers the permanent tooth that has not yet emerged.
• Premature loss of first-year or second-year molars (or permanent six-year molars) can cause later problems in spacing and positioning of the permanent teeth.
Medical treatment
Your dentist will decide whether to leave the tooth in, pull it, replace it with a space retainer, or save the tooth by performing root-canal work. It’s seldom necessary to give the child antibiotics, or to open and drain the gumboil.
*89/84/5*
OXIDIZED FATTY ACIDS AND CHOLESTEROL
Many researchers believe that cholesterol itself does not cause heart disease, but rather oxidized cholesterol is to blame. Fats become oxidized when they are exposed to light, oxygen or heat. Because of our typical processed food diets, most people ingest a great deal of oxidized fats.
When unsaturated fatty acids (mostly found in vegetable oil) are refined and processed in their manufacture, much of these fats become oxidized. If we eat food that has been fried or deep fried in these fats, we are consuming a great deal of toxic oxidation products formed in these oils. The intense heat used for frying creates compounds including peroxides, hydroperoxides, ozonides, polymers and hydroperoxyaldehydes. These dangerous compounds inflame and irritate your artery walls, damage cell membranes and impair your immune function. They also have the ability to irritate your liver cells and start the development of fatty liver disease. Whenever you eat food that has been fried in vegetable oil, you will be taking in toxic compounds that create a lot of free radical damage in your body. Extra virgin olive oil and virgin coconut fat are exceptions to this rule.
Oxidized cholesterol is found in foods like processed deli meats, foods containing powdered eggs and powdered milk, and egg yolks if the eggs have been cooked in a way that the yolk is broken and heated to high temperatures, for example frying. Homogenized milk is more likely to contain oxidized cholesterol than un-homogenized milk, because the fat globules are smaller, and thus have a greater surface area. This leaves them more susceptible to damage by light, oxygen and heat.
Fatty acids and cholesterol can be oxidized in our own bodies too. We may eat fresh, unrefined fats, but if our body is lacking antioxidants, these fats can still become damaged. Anything that increases the amount of free radicals in our body makes us more susceptible to fat oxidation; these factors include stress, lack of sleep, exposure to pollution, ultraviolet radiation from the sun and a diet lacking raw vegetables and fruit. If we ingest, or otherwise form oxidized cholesterol in our body, this cholesterol will be incorporated into our lipoproteins; HDL, LDL and others. We know that LDL is the «bad» kind of cholesterol, but when it becomes oxidized it is so much worse. It is believed that oxidized LDL causes much more damaged to artery walls because it is able to stick to the artery walls much more readily. Lecithin helps to protect cholesterol from oxidation; it is found in high amounts in eggs and soy foods.
*35/53/5*
SOLUTIONS TO INFERTILITY: GETTING YOUR TIMING RIGHT
The bottom part of the womb, the cervix, changes quite dramatically during the menstrual cycle according to the hormones being produced. Understanding and recognizing these changes is one of the most important ways you can pinpoint the best time to have intercourse in order to conceive.
The mucus-secreting glands (crypts) which line the cervical canal produce mucus continuously but this fluid undergoes important changes during the menstrual cycle. During the first half of the cycle (the follicular phase), the mucus is thick and sticky. It forms a plug over the cervix, which stops semen entering. It also makes the vagina acid, which can kill off sperm within a few hours.
About three to four days before ovulation, as oestrogen levels increase, the mucus becomes clear and stretchy and the amount increases. Surrounded by this fertile mucus, sperm can live for up to seven days.
So it is possible to have intercourse on a Monday and actually conceive on a Friday! This fertile mucus turns the vaginal fluids alkaline, keeping sperm alive. It also provides nourishment for the sperm, in the form of increased amounts of sugar, amino acids, salt and water.
The other intriguing aspect of this fertile mucus is that it forms ‘swimming lanes’ (or canals) through which the sperm can pass quickly. It also seems to act as a filter, allowing the healthy sperm to travel forward but effectively trapping the abnormal sperm (there are always some abnormal sperm in semen) and blocking their passage. Once ovulation has taken place and progesterone increases, the mucus again becomes thick and sticky (infertile mucus), protecting the cervix from sperm and also from any foreign bodies.
*20/73/5*
DISEASE DOWN UNDER
A young man, they say, will do anything for sex. A middle-age man will do anything for money. An older man will do anything for respect. But all men will do anything for a good bowel movement.
The problem is that a lot can go wrong between digestion and elimination, irritable bowel syndrome being an all-too-common example. IBS, as it’s affectionately called, isn’t life-threatening and doesn’t lead to harder stuff like colorectal cancer. It isn’t inflammatory and doesn’t permanently damage the bowel. In fact, it’s not really a disease but, rather, a «functional disorder.»
The function it disorders is bowel movement. You can have painful constipation with difficult or infrequent bowel movements. Or you can have equally painful diarrhea with a lot of loose stools and urgent desires to reduce the real estate between your irritable bowel and a toilet. Or you can enjoy both versions. Adding to the pleasure are crampy abdominal pain, gassiness, and bloating.
As bad as IBS sounds (and feels), it’s not nearly as serious as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. This is a group of disorders that cause inflammation and ulceration in the small and large intestines. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, the two major members of the IBD family, cause symptoms similar to IBS. But they also can offer nasty bonuses – like rectal bleeding, weight loss, fever and anemia.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes IBS or IBD. They do know that unlike IBS, IBD has a genetic element to it; 20 percent of people with Crohn’s disease have a blood relative with some form of inflammatory bowel disease. There’s no cure for either one, though treatment under a doctor’s care can ease the discomfort. So can the following recommendations from the National Institutes of Health.
Assess your food. Milk products, large amounts of alcohol, avocados, and excess fat of any kind can contract your bowel in inconvenient ways. But different folks react to different foods, so the National Institutes of Health recommends that you actually keep a journal of the relationship between what goes in and how it comes out. It’s not exactly the kind of diary material that made Samuel Pepys famous, but it could help you avoid undue distress from IBS.
Don’t overeat. Those seven-course extravaganzas can cause cramping and diarrhea in people with IBS. Try smaller meals more often or just eat smaller portions. And keep the fiber high and the fat low. High-fiber diets mildly distend the colon (the largest section of the bowel, or large intestine), and that helps prevent symptom-starting spasms from developing. You may feel some bloating when you first up the fiber, but that should stop as your body adjusts to the better diet.
Lessen your stress. Another trigger for IBS symptoms is emotional stress, which can also aggravate the symptoms of IBD simply by increasing the number of bowel movements.
*98/36/5*
BULIMIA NERVOSA: A CLOSER LOOK
Eating binges may occur either spontaneously or as a result of a breakdown in control. Many patients tell me that just tasting a desired food can start an avalanche of eating. One woman said she made a point of memorizing the locations of all the bakeries in her town, so that she could arrange her routes to avoid accidentally smelling fresh-baked doughnuts and pies.
On the other hand, the bulimic may devote a lot of time to planning her binges.
The food consumed during a binge is often high in calories, sweet, and able to be eaten rapidly-even without being chewed!
However, bulimics will eat almost any food-even salad or «health foods»-during a binge. A typical menu for one patient’s binge might be two pounds of peanut M&M’s, a gallon of ice cream, half a chicken, a package of raw Pillsbury chocolate-chip cookie dough, a microwave pizza, a tub of yogurt, and a box of Pop-Tarts. Studies show that the major difference between binge meals and normal meals is often the quantity of food consumed, not the type.
Patients often look on their bulimia as their «dirty little secret.» Most go to great lengths to keep their bingeing and purging hidden. Often this means arranging circumstances so that the patient is alone when she eats.
Other patients know they must conform to their family’s schedules so as not to attract undue attention. They thus eat a normal meal, but may excuse themselves several times during the meal or immediately afterward to go to the bathroom and throw up. If questioned about their behavior, they’ll blame the problem on a «urinary tract infection» or a «stomach virus.» Although I’ve been in practice for a long time, the sheer ingenuity with which bulimics conceal their behavior never ceases to amaze me.
Interestingly, a binge does not necessarily stop when the food disappears-not as long as pizzas or Chinese food can be ordered by phone and grocery stores stay open twenty-four hours a day. Even the feeling of being full won’t do it, a sign some experts believe means that something is wrong with the way the patient’s brain perceives the feeling of fullness. No, the binge might continue to the point of physical pain, when it’s no longer possible to cram in more food. Sometimes the binge stops only when the patient falls asleep. In some cases a family member might enter the room, or a visitor might come to the door, at which point the patient stops eating.
Self-induced vomiting often marks the end of the binge, the return of control. The «punishment» has fit the «crime.» For some bulimics, however, an empty stomach and the relief of abdominal pain mean that they can then turn around and begin all over again.
Surprisingly, vomiting itself can become habitual. Patients believe (wrongly) that because they are throwing up, they aren’t absorbing any calories. Overeating becomes «okay» since it won’t result in weight gain. They also learn the degree to which they can control vomiting. Some patients learn to trigger vomiting simply by applying a little pressure to the abdomen-an act that gets easier over time. For some patients, merely the sensation of having food in their stomachs can trigger intense urges to vomit. Others, however, need a full stomach in order to vomit, and thus need to eat large amounts before they can purge.
In terms of family background, a significant percentage of parents of bulimic children are obese. Obesity in childhood or during the teen years may predispose a girl to develop bulimia. The incidence of depression is also higher among members of families with a bulimic child than in the population as a whole.
An eating binge can be seen as one kind of impulsive behavior. Many bulimics are unable to control other types of impulses as well. A considerable number have a history of stealing. One patient revealed that she sewed pockets inside her coats so she could shoplift food and other items more easily. Sometimes the stealing is motivated by the high cost of eating food in such quantities; sometimes it just reflects the way the patient interacts with her world. Some bulimics engage in promiscuous sexual behavior, having a large number of partners in short-term relationships. The incidence of alcoholism and abuse of illicit drugs is also higher than in non-bulimic populations.
*29/35/5*
GET YOUR BODY MOVING: THIS EARLY BIRD CAUGHT THE POUNDS-OFF PRIZE
At age 42, LaVonnia «Bonnie» Johnson weighed 225 pounds and wore a size-22 dress. Then she started getting up earlier in the morning—and she lost 65 pounds.
Heavy all her life, Bonnie, of Washington, D.C., put on even more weight after going through a painful divorce. But her life changed in 1993 when she read an inspiring story of a woman who had left a troubled marriage and thrived. That was just what Bonnie needed to hear. «If she could do it, I can, too,» Bonnie thought.
In the beginning, she tried simple workouts—swimming, bicycling, and treadmill walking—at different times of the day, fitting it in whenever possible. And she made some progress, losing 15 pounds within 18 months.
|Then Bonnie changed jobs. Her new work schedule was so erratic that she could exercise only in the early morning. For Bonnie, that turned out to be the turning point.
At 6:00 a.m., Bonnie would arrive at her neighborhood gym and head straight for the treadmill, stairclimber, or stationary bicycle. Before long, she was experimenting with strength training. She was hooked. She couldn’t begin her day without hitting the gym. Within 2 years, she lost 65 pounds and four dress sizes.
Today, at age 49, Bonnie still starts her day with exercise. «Morning exercise has become a way of life for me,» she says. «It’s like drinking water or breathing. I need it to survive.»
WINNING ACTION
When it comes to exercise, be an early bird. Like Bonnie, make exercise the first item on your daily agenda. Starting my day on the treadmill is the only way that I know it fit in my workout. You’ll rev up your metabolism so you burn more calories over the course of the day. As a bonus, you’ll feel more centered, energized, and better able to handle stressful situations.
*83\89\8*
COMING OFF TRANQUILLIZERS: LAURA’S STORY
Laura began to suffer from depression when she suspected that her husband was being unfaithful to her. He said she was imagining things and should see a doctor. Her GP agreed she was depressed and sent her to a psychiatrist who, after talking to (and believing) her husband, told her that her problems were due to an unhappy childhood, and that she needed psychotherapy. Laura accepted this, although her doubts about her husband persisted.
Two years later, her sister-in-law told the psychiatrist that Laura’s suspicions about her husband were correct. But by then Laura had been prescribed a range of antidepressants and tranquillizers, had had electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and had become convinced that she was a mentally sick person. Her psychiatrist’s diagnosis was to haunt her for many years. A painful divorce followed and due to the periods which Laura had spent as an inpatient, care and custody of her children was given to her ex-husband.
The next ten years Laura describes as ‘living in a void’. Although she tried to build a new life for herself, and discharged herself from the psychiatrists’ care, she was prescribed the same drugs by her GP. Because of her efforts to give them up, and not understanding her physical dependence on them, she went in and out of withdrawal as her medication was changed or suspended.
Although before her marriage she had never suffered from anxiety, she now complained of phobias, insomnia, stomach discomforts, eye problems and skin rashes. She had little contact with her children and often wondered if her psychiatrist had been right about her. Her medical record read like a disaster, describing her as ‘neurotic’, unable to cope with life, and ‘possibly schizophrenic’. Eventually her prescriptions for Valium and Mogadon were handed to her by her doctor’s receptionist with no review or consultation.
Two years ago, her sister-in-law intervened again and persuaded her that her pills could be the main cause of her present condition and took her to a tranquillizer withdrawal group. She checked with her GP and he said there was no reason why she should continue with the drugs if she did not want to.
Laura was impatient to finish her drugs, and came off them more rapidly than she was advised. Her withdrawal was ‘a nightmare’, but she was also very excited by it because she was experiencing emotions that she had not felt for years. Symptoms that she had experienced over the years worsened, and new ones appeared, but with group support she continued. She became aggressive and hostile. Her restlessness and alternating agoraphobia and claustrophobia increased until she was staying first with one friend and then another, packing her bags every few days to move on again.
Fear of riding in cars (her lack of co-ordination and judgement had relegated her to the passenger seat), nightmares, hallucinations, constant throbbing headaches, heightened perception, and all the time the nagging fear that she was either mad, or the victim of a serious physical illness, made life hell.
As the symptoms eased and the depression lifted, Laura saw that her problems started with her first misdiagnosis. She learned to ‘let go’ of the sadness of the past and have hope about the future. It is a great joy to her that she sees more of her children who now see her as a ‘real’ person, and are impressed that she has a full-time job.
Her image of herself as a sick person has gone.
During the years that Laura was dependent on the benzodiazepines she had investigations for suspected ulcer, heart disease, skin rashes, dry eye problems, and arthritis. None of the tests proved positive and since she has come through withdrawal all the symptoms have gone.
She now looks forward to being a grandmother, has found that her old interest in photography is still there, and has joined her local historical society.
*73\49\8*
COMING OFF TRANQUILLIZER: HOW TO SIT
If you lower your gaze your head will assume a better position. Sit with the spine straight but not rigid. Imagine you have heavy weights in your hands, and let them droop towards the floor. This will bring your shoulders down. Now place your hands, palms upwards, on your lap.
Shake each leg in turn then place feet (without shoes) on the floor. Imagine you are wearing heavy boots.
It is a good plan to start all group meetings in this position, even if you are in easy chairs. It may take some persuasion. People often feel vulnerable in this position and ‘protect’ themselves by tightening the shoulders, crossing the arms over the chest and crossing the legs, the moment they say anything involving feelings, e.g. ‘My wife does not understand panic attacks’, or ‘I saw my psychiatrist yesterday’.
Try to be aware of how you are holding yourself whatever you are doing. It is possible to iron without fiercely gripping the iron, to drive without grappling with the steering wheel. Dishes still get washed if you don’t press your knees back and tense your neck.
Even confrontation is possible without tightening up. You will feel much more in control facing an angry boss if you are aware of your muscles and breathing. An afternoon spent entertaining a tiresome relative will affect you much less if you make a conscious effort to relax.
*57\49\8*
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS: HALLUCINATIONS
If you are cutting down slowly, these should not trouble you. Some people prefer a more rapid withdrawal and are prepared to tolerate these symptoms when they understand why they are happening, and that they are not an indication that they are going mad. The looming faces so often seen are really an exaggeration of what normally happens just as we are about to drop off to sleep, although we are rarely aware of it, just as in alcohol withdrawal, spiders, reptiles, devils, etc. have been ‘seen’. One woman ‘saw’ her father (who was three hundred miles away) so clearly that she made him a cup of coffee. She slowed down her withdrawal and had no further hallucinations. Hearing music, telephone ringing, and voices is often reported, but these too disappear as withdrawal is slowed down.
*41\49\8*
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS: PANIC ATTACKS CAN ARISE FROM SIMPLY NOT BREATHING CORRECTLY
The following article shows that severe symptoms including panic attacks can arise from simply not breathing correctly.
‘Hyperventilation [shallow breathing] as a Cause of Panic Attacks’, Dr Hibbert, British Medical Journal, Vol. 288, 28.1.84.
The syndrome [collection of symptoms] characterized by repeated panic attacks has been known by several names, including muscular exhaustion of the heart, neurasthenia (nervous exhaustion), irritable heart, anxiety neurosis, effort syndrome, and cardiac neurosis. The manual’s definition of panic disorder states that attacks are manifested by the sudden onset of intense apprehension, fear, or terror, often associated with feelings of impending doom. The most common symptoms experienced during an attack are dyspnoea (difficult breathing), palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, choking or smothering sensations, dizziness, vertigo, or unsteady feelings, feelings of unreality, paraesthesias (disordered sensation such as tingling and pins and needles) hot and cold flushes, sweating, faintness, trembling or shaking and fear of dying, going crazy or doing something uncontrolled during the attack. Attacks usually last minutes; more rarely hours.
Remember it is essential to breathe slowly if you feel a panic attack coming on.
*20\49\8*
FALSE FOOD ALLERGY
False food allergy, as used in this book, means unusual reactions to food that are caused by the foods triggering mast cells directly. In other words, these reactions involve mast cells but they do not depend on IgE antibodies being formed to the food in question. Because the reaction is produced by mast cells releasing mediators, the symptoms are indistinguishable from true IgE-mediated food allergy.
When food bites back
Food is not necessarily the nice, passive, innocuous stuff that we have traditionally believed it to be: neither plants nor animals want to be eaten, and they have ways of fighting back. In plants, particularly, there are many chemical weapons to deter would-be diners, and some of these chemicals persist, even in modern crop plants. That we are not made ill by them more often is a tribute to our own abilities in breaking down such chemicals – abilities that have been acquired in the course of evolution.
One particularly cunning type of chemical weapon turns the body’s most potent defence force on itself: it fools the mast cells into degranulating. There are dozens of different substances found in food that can perform this trick. Some bind to IgE molecules, effectively bridging two adjacent molecules, in much the same way as an antigen might bridge them. Others bind to the receptors on the mast cell that normally attach themselves to IgE, thus bridging the receptors. Because bridging of the IgEs (and thus bridging the receptors) is the signal for the mast cell to degranulate, both types of substance cause the release of damaging mediators such as histamine. Other substances may produce the same effect simply by binding to the mast cell membrane and
changing its structure so that it becomes more permeable.
One group of compounds that can have this effect on mast cells are the lectins. They are produced in particularly high concentrations by peanuts, beans, peas and lentils, all of which are members of the legume family of plants. Lectins are also found in edible snails, and in wheat, where they may be responsible for producing coeliac disease.
*90\180\8*
POLLEN – MENTAL STRAIN
Those who do taxing mental work find bee pollen to be an extremely simple and natural energy food. With its help they are able to stand up to the intensity of their work for longer and feel less tired. In today’s hustle and bustle of everyday life pollen is a welcome food supplement, providing the help needed when great demands are made on one’s mental capacity.
Bee pollen, being very rich in vitamins and containing almost all known minerals and trace elements, has become a popular energy booster. Since nature provides us with this wonderful tonic food, we should prefer it to artificial or chemical products every time.
*897/28/1*
VARIOUS DIETS AND TREATMENTS – PAPAIN – ITS ORIGIN AND USES (PROTEIN)
In the lush woodlands of Florida there are found not only thousands of cabbage palms and many other tropical plants, but also a great number of wild papayas. The Indians living there have always enjoyed the juicy fruit because it is delicious and healthy. They also made use of the plant in cooking. Since time immemorial those primitive tribes have known that papaya leaves, stems and fruit contain a substance that breaks down protein. So, whenever the hunters happened to kill an old animal the cook would wrap the tough meat in papaya leaves and leave it overnight. On the following day it would be tender enough to be roasted over a fire. The substance which tenderises meat, called papain, causes a kind of predigestion process, one might say.
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VARIOUS DIETS AND TREATMENTS – THE ORIGIN OF WATER’S THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS (MINERALS)
You have to be even more careful with drinking water. There are some wonderful mineral waters available, but some water also contains poisonous minerals, some of which I came across in North, Central and South America. It can happen that a stream may come from a mineral spring in which is dissolved arsenic, copper or other heavy minerals that make the water poisonous and dangerous to drink. For this reason it is not possible to drink water from just any spring or source as one is able to do, for example, in Switzerland. It is often possible to recognise such dangerous springs by the discoloration of the rocks and stones, which turn yellow, greenish or other colours. Sometimes crystals can be found in the riverbed which taste sharp and burn the tongue.
The same rule applies to water for internal or external use as applies to plants: many plants are curative whereas others are harmful or can only be taken in a diluted form. It is true that nature has much to offer that is beneficial, but we must also keep our eyes open and make sure that we use only the things that are truly good for our health. There is no point in being careless and ignorant and so causing ourselves harm. Remember, always make sure to use only the things that are helpful and safe.
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TERRA SILICEA PURIFICATA (SILICA) – CONCLUSION
People who always feel cold and shivery, even when they are active, might try taking silica. After several weeks it will improve the basal metabolism, and their vitality and joy of living will gradually return.
Hard lumps in the breast, perhaps even malignant ones, will benefit from the continued use of silica. Wounds that refuse to heal will improve if it is sprinkled over their surfaces. This external method of treatment has proved its value for leg ulcers {Silicea for external use, Hypericum perforatum and Aesculaforce to be taken internally). Apart from its medicinal value, if silica is taken over a long period of time, it will improve the condition of the hair and promote a clear complexion.
Silicea is sometimes prescribed in the 6x potency, but usually it is 12x. Some physicians use 30x with good results. Take two tablets two or three times daily.
If you wish to use Silicea as a powder, simply crush the tablets.
*787/28/1*
WILD FRUITS AND BERRIES – BARBERRY (BERBERIS VULGARIS) (INTRODUCTION)
Roaming through the valleys of the Swiss cantons of Valais and Graubuenden, bright with the autumn sun and a riot of colours, the happy wanderer will find not only hedgerow after hedgerow of wild rose hips, but also many bushes replete with sprays of barberries. Of course, barberries grow in other areas too, but wherever they are, most people go past the wild fruits without realising that they have wonderful healing powers. The clusters of these red oblong berries are a delight to the eye and, together with autumn flowers and leaves, make a beautiful bouquet. Still, few people are aware that these berries can be eaten and are, in fact, one of the best nerve tonics available. No other wild berries are as rich in vitamin Ñ and many people suffering from ‘nerves’ could, on their walks in the country, benefit enormously by picking some and chewing them slowly before swallowing them. A general checkup of the population would no doubt prove that many people nowadays need such a tonic.
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THE MAN AND THE METHOD – CONCLUSION 2
Finally, what of the end of his fertile period? Old father time is an archetype of the past, present and future. Men can father children in their 70s and it is less natural to cut off a man’s fertility than a woman’s, that will in any case fail. Post-vasectomy counselling is not as widely available as it should be and regrets can linger.
As a last insight, one man spoke about withdrawal, describing it as ‘Terrible, doctor.’ Then he thought a moment, and added, ‘Actually that is not quite true because we used it while I waited for the results of the specimens after vasectomy. That was really our last excitement.’ Excitement and terror are closely linked. Excitement is easy to admit. Terror less so, but what was shared here was a tinge of sadness for his lost reproductive powers.
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THE COUPLE – INSTANCE
Mr and Mrs E., a wealthy Indian couple, had been trying to achieve a pregnancy since their arranged marriage two years previously. Mrs E. was frightened and withdrawn at her first visit to the infertility clinic at the hospital, but seemed to be somewhat relieved to find a female doctor present. Mr E. gave the history and spoke for her. They adhered to all the investigations and treatment regimes with precision. She was diagnosed as having polycystic ovarian disease, and underwent a year of gonadotrophin therapy to induce cycles of ovulation, but she still did not become pregnant. Only on one occasion did the doctor manage to examine Mrs E. on her own. She hinted at her despair about her failure to conceive, and at the lack of fun with sex, but her allegiance to her upbringing and to her husband prevented her from letting go of any of her own feelings.
Several times on visits to the hospital, tears would appear but they would be stifled by her husband’s words, ‘Don’t worry, she will be all right soon.’ They were both sad when it was agreed that treatment should stop, but the doctor was again told not to worry as they would be fine. The only treatment left to them was to consider in vitro fertilization, where the fertilizing power of the sperm could be studied as well as ovulation. This idea must have posed difficulties for Mr E. but he could not share them with any member of the clinic staff.
Several months elapsed before Mr E. telephoned to say that they would like a private referral to be admitted on to the assisted conception programme at a nearby centre: he asked for it to be done immediately because he had got his wife in the mood for it now. An offer to come and discuss it again was firmly but politely refused.
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AMBIVALENCE ABOUT PREGNANCY – WOMAN CONFLICT
Sometimes the ambivalence can be due to a conflict between what the woman wants and what she ought to do. She may be subject to the pressure of others and fear criticism. She may use the abortion clinic for permission to continue with the pregnancy.
Miss D. was 25 and lived with her boyfriend. She had become pregnant for the second time, having had an abortion at 19. The doctor asked, ‘You want an abortion?’ She said, ‘No, I don’t really.’ She went on to reel off a list of reasons, many of them financial, as to why she could not have a baby. The doctor pointed out that she had given some very reasonable reasons for requesting abortion but had not said anything about her own feelings. She continued in the same vein. Recognizing her defences, the doctor tried safer ground and asked how she felt about her previous abortion. She had felt awful afterwards, as she had wanted the baby but could not have it. She was only 19 then. And now? She felt she was the right age but she and her boyfriend were in debt and lived in one room. The doctor said it must be sad to have an abortion when you really want a baby. At this point she burst into tears. She agreed she wanted this baby but felt she could not have it in her present circumstances. She wanted more time to think. She came back a few days later. She had talked to her boyfriend who was delighted at the thought of having a baby, and her parents were going to help out with the money problems.
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STERILIZATION – THE FINAL SOLUTION – INTRODUCTION
Sterilization is only for those who are sure that they want no more children. This is the ultimate in medical interference. An operation, sometimes under general anaesthetic, involving deliberate damage to the internal or external genitalia. From this, there is no going back, and all patients are counselled that reversal operations rarely succeed. Some pain and discomfort is to be expected, and even laparoscopic techniques carry a risk of future gynaecological problems. The first decision each couple have to make is, which one for the ‘chop’? Even with the most loving, sexually compatible and stable couple, this can be a difficult decision. There is an element of self-sacrifice here, which may be denied, but is present, nevertheless. One will be damaged, deprived of the ability to make a child, and one will not. One will have to come to terms with this personal loss, which is very different to the couple accepting that there will be no more children in this unit. It is common for the after-effects of sterilization to resemble grief, muted and unconscious though this might be. Grief for the damage, for the ending of fertility, for the children who might have been, but now never will be. The aim of sterilization counselling is to help the couple understand these feelings, and to filter out those for whom the decision is pressurized, or ill understood.
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PRESSURES ON THE DOCTOR – MEDICAL METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION
It is perhaps inevitable that the doctor identifies or becomes identified with the medical methods of contraception so that when they me rejected he or she feels rejected too. This can lead to a feeling of uselessness and inadequacy with a sense that there is nothing to offer the patient. In this situation there is a risk of a retaliatory response, either dismissing the patient or attempting to impose a method against her wishes. In that case contraceptive pills are likely to be lost, intrauterine devices pulled out or the patient fails to return.
In these days of clinical audit, when successful contraceptive practice is measured against a fall in the number of terminations, the doctor may feel that all unintended pregnancies must be stopped. Acceptance that not all such pregnancies can be prevented nor every child a wanted one is something the doctor will need to come to terms with. Helping a woman to delay her next child by a few months may be a major achievement, especially if she is struggling with serious internal conflicts or a chaotic lifestyle. Taking time to create a relationship of trust and understanding, rather than one of nonproductive authoritarianism, may well pay dividends in the long run, and the doctor should not feel too much of a failure if there are some contraceptive mishaps along the way.
*11/197/1*
ALLERGY\MEDICAL HELP: VACCINATION AND ANAESTHETICS
Vaccination
Some people react to the sera on which immunising vaccines are cultivated. These have been greatly purified and refined, and adverse reactions are rare, but it is worth asking your doctor what the base of any vaccine is before it is given. Horse serum and eggs are sometimes used, for instance, and might affect you if you are sensitive to these. For advice on babies and immunization.
It is known for people to have adverse reactions to anaesthetics more commonly to general anaesthetics than to local anaesthetics. A surgeon or anaesthesist will usually check with you before any procedure whether you have any history of allergy or sensitivity, but make sure they know if you have such a history. Local anaesthetics are less hazardous – opt for a local, rather than general, anaesthetic if a choice is offered. If you have already had an adverse reaction, you can be tested in advance of any operation to see what chemical you react to, and a more appropriate mix of drugs chosen for you. Your GP can contact the National Adverse Reaction Consultancy Service (NARCOS) which is a specialist advisory service.
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WATER TREATMENTS METHODS\ACTIVATED CARBON FILTERS: TAP AC FILTERS AND JUG FILTERS
Tap AC Filters
AC filters are available which fit on the end of a tap, or which are simple to plumb in to the sink top tap inlet pipe. They provide water on tap, at normal flow-rates. They are cheap, more convenient often than jug filters, and avoid any of the need to be careful about bacterial hygiene that jug filters involve. They are portable and can be taken with you if you go out or away. They cost between £11 and £90. Filters needs replacing every one to four months and cost between £8 and £19. They can be cheaper to run than jug filters. The quality of water is comparable to jug filters, and less pure generally than plumbed-in undersink AC or KDF filters.
Jug Filters
Jug filters cost between £10 and £20. A plastic container holding an activated carbon filter cartridge sits on a glass or plastic jug. You pour water through the tap container and it collects in the jug below.
Jug filters reduce the level of chemicals and metals in tapwater. They do not remove them completely, but people using them say that they do make a real difference.
You need to change the filter cartridge frequently – every 60-110 litres (13-24 gallons), or every month or so. If you live in a hard-water area, it will last less long than if you live in a soft-water area. Some jugs have a change-filter indicator to remind you when to change. The replacement cartridges cost between £2.50 and £3.50 (at 1992 prices). This can mean an annual running cost of £30-40, which is much cheaper than buying bottled water.
You need to take care not to allow bacteria to grow in the jug. Jugs and reservoirs are best cleaned weekly; filtered water should be kept in a fridge (best decanted into a bottle to save space). If water has stood in a jug for some time, it should not be used or it should be boiled before use.
The advantages of jug filters are their low initial cost and their flexibility – you can take them with you to work or if you visit or travel. You can buy filter systems with glass jugs if you are sensitive to plastic, and some filters will reduce nitrates significantly, although, again, not completely.
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ALLERGY: VACUUM CLEANERS
For people who are allergic to inhaled particles which collect in dust -such as house dust mites, moulds, animal and pet debris, or fibres such as cotton or wool – using a filtration vacuum cleaner can make an enormous difference. For more information on detecting and avoiding allergens.
Conventional vacuum cleaners, even the most efficient, blow a share of dust and particles back into the room. Tests have shown that they actually increase the level of airborne particles in a room which explains why so many people with allergies feel worse during and after vacuuming.
Filtration vacuum cleaners, often called ‘allergy vacuum cleaners’, use a special filter which takes out virtually all particles of major allergens. Tests by Which?, by Good Housekeeping and other independent bodies, have shown that the two market leaders, Medivac and Nilfisk, both filter out over 99.9 per cent of particles down to 0.3 micron (three-hundredths of a millimetre) in diameter. So virtually no dust is blown around while using the machine, and allergens can be removed from sites where they have collected, such as beds, carpets, curtains or furniture, without dispersing them into the air.
These cleaners are expensive compared to other vacuum cleaners (see below) but people who use them say they would not be without them. Not only do they make cleaning possible in the environment of the highly sensitive with minimum dispersal of dust, but they reduce progressively the level of old or dead allergens collected in furniture, furnishings and bedding.
Most people who have such a machine report that their effect accumulates as time goes on and that they clear out the environment progressively. More than any other product designed to help people with allergies, these cleaners receive shining endorsement from their users. If you can possibly find the money, they are one item really worth buying.
There are two market leaders whose performance is measurably superior to other makes – Medivac and Nilfisk. There are some differences between them, notably price, the Medivac being more expensive (at over £300 at 1992 prices) than the Nilfisk (around £270). They are both canister models on wheels. The Nilfisk is lighter than the
Medivac, but it is made of plastic rather than metal, and if you are sensitive to plastics, the Medivac is preferable. Medivac and Nilfisk both provide efficient service and spares backup.
At the time of writing, Medivac is introducing a new lightweight model at a considerably reduced price. It has similar filters and performance characteristics to the original model, according to the manufacturer, but is not made of stainless steel. It is called the Medivac Lighterweight cleaner. We have no user reports to date, but if Medivac’s claims are correct, it should be the most competitive filter cleaner available for people who do not have to have a metal version.
*390\117\8*
SEX AND CONTRACEPTION: WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS?
Any symptom can result from reaction to things used in connection with sex and contraception, including the classic symptoms of allergy, such as asthma and rhinitis, and the symptoms of chemical sensitivity. Most commonly, however, localised symptoms result, on the genitals, anus and surrounding skin and tissues, plus urinary symptoms and, for women, inflammation or pain in the pelvic region. Dermatitis can also be connected to sexual activity, especially around the mouth, neck, lower face and upper thighs.
There are three main categories of causes. The first, and most common, is chemicals used by you or your partner as toiletries, personal hygiene, or cosmetics; as laundry agents; or on products such as sanitary towels, tampons or incontinence protection. You may be sensitive to things that you use, or that your partner has used. They may be things that you tolerate well unless you have contact in an intimate area. Sweat and friction increase the likelihood of reaction – they make the skin and tissues more permeable and more likely to absorb chemicals. So, for instance, a soap powder or deodorant that normally does not bother you, may make you react where you have intimate contact.
Drugs or ointments that you are taking to treat these symptoms, or some other condition, can also cause genitourinary symptoms. Take medical advice on whether to discontinue these.
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ALLERGY TO FURNITURE: UNTREATED COTTON FABRICS
Untreated cotton fabrics for upholstery use are available, but they need to be combined with a pure cotton interliner which meets fire safety regulations. It is possible to do this in a combination which minimises exposure to chemicals and meets the fire safety regulations.
One way to use totally untreated materials and meet the fire safety regulations is to re-upholster furniture made before 1950, to which the regulations do not apply. You can legally buy older (pre-1950) or antique furniture in totally untreated materials, or you can re-upholster yourself, or have it re-upholstered in untreated materials of your choice.
Your first problem in doing this is to obtain the materials. Sources of fabrics are given in Fabrics (page 387). John Cotton manufacture cotton wadding and will give names of stockists. Your second problem is to persuade an upholsterer to do the work if you do not do it yourself. Many are reluctant to use untreated materials on old furniture, even though it is legal, because they may be liable in case of accident. It is legal, however, and you can persist in persuading them. Contact the Association of Master Upholsterers for specialists in upholstery who may be able to help.
*359\117\8*
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