Herbal Health

YOUTH NUTRIENTS: FRUIT AND VEGGIE DEFICIENCY & RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCESFRUIT AND VEGGIE DEFICIENCY

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:51:17 +0000

You’ve heard of deficiencies before? That’s when you don’t get enough of a certain nutrient. Well, here’s a Fountain of Youth deficiency and one thj, way too many of us suffer from.Fifty per cent of Americans don’t eat a single veggie or piece of fruit-ever. Ninety per cent of Americans don’t get their five-a-day servings of fruits and veggies.RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCESWell, here’s the beginning of the controversy. What’s an RDA? Recommended Dietary Allowances are “levels of intake of essential nutrients considered … to be adequate to meet the known nutritional need of practically all healthy persons”. The RDA for antioxidants is set in such way as to prevent disease from a serious deficiency. However, the RDAs are not set to take into account special needs such as the fighting of infections, strenuous exercise, chronic illness or injury. The RDA is also not set for longevity doses. So most experts agree that it is safe to get more than the RDA for the major antioxidants. In fact, most experts now recommend a longevity dose of antioxidant protection.*63\323\8*

TUMOR RECURRENCE AND TAMOXIFEN RESISTANCE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THE DOCTOR SAYS MY BREAST CANCER IS NOW DRUG RESISTANT?

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:46:26 +0000

Drug resistance is a term used to describe a condition in which cells are able to survive despite drug therapy. There are at least two forms of resistance. In the first variety, called innate resistance, tumor cells are resistant even before any drugs have been given. This kind of resistance is usually not typical of breast cancer but is apt to be found in cancers of the kidney or lung. The second type is called acquired resistance, a condition whereby the cells actually “acquire” resistance following exposure to drugs. The cancer cells are very sensitive to the drugs at first, then become progressively less so. This sort of resistance is most often found in breast cancer. Although patients may at first respond very well to agents such as methotrexate or adriamycin, eventually the drugs stop working because of drug resistance.*39\320\2*

UNDERSTANDING TESTS FOR HIV: WHO SHOULD GET TESTED

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:41:05 +0000

The blood test for HIV infection can now be justified for virtually any person concerned about HIV infection. Most clinics that treat sexually transmitted diseases will routinely test for HIV. Some hospitals are also contemplating using the HIV antibody test as one of the routine tests for admission. Many advocate testing pregnant women, especially those whose behavior puts them at risk for HIV infection and those in cities where the rates of HIV infection are high. In addition, it is often recommended that the following people should get tested: those who have engaged in behaviors that run the risk of exposure to HIV; those who have medical conditions that suggest HIV infection; those who pose a risk of spreading HIV infection to others; those who want to participate in a research study or a clinical trial and those who simply are concerned and want to take the test. People with these behaviors should get the blood test for HIV infection.*255\191\2*

THE CAUSE OF CANCER: ANALYTICAL STUDIES

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:18:35 +0000

In the performance of analytical studies epidemiologists move from the demanding chores of collecting accurate information into the realms of designing studies that seek to answer important individual questions about the causes of cancer. In this area they will usually have an idea to test – a hypothesis about some possible causative factor. The focus shifts from whole nations or whole regions to a much more closely defined group of individuals. By collecting a great deal more information about a rather smaller number of people (but not so small that our conclusions might be based on pure chance), it is possible not only to demonstrate links between particular factors and particular cancers but also to look carefully to see if there are any possible alternative links which have to be considered or excluded by careful work. A number of methods of performing analytical epidemiology are recognized and are worth mentioning to give the general flavour of this sort of work: cohort studies, case-control studies and intervention or experimental studies.
Cohort Studies. A group of people (usually hundreds or even thousands) are identified who have either been exposed 10 a particular risk factor or who may become exposed to some risk during the study. They arc then followed up carefully and the development of the particular cancer or cancers under study is recorded and compared to that in a similar group of people who have not suffered any exposure to the relevant risk. Although this sounds like a simple operation, collecting together the information on an adequate number of people and following them up for a long enough period is difficult, laborious and expensive. These studies may look at groups of people who are known to have been exposed to a risk already – workers exposed to a chemical for instance. On the other hand, they may take a group of people in a job and then look at their exposure to a risk as it develops. Further follow-up then checks for cancer incidence. This second kind of study – called a prospective cohort study – can be particularly accurate.
*16\194\4*

WHAT TO DO FOR STRESS BREAKDOWN: FIVE QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT ANXIETY

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:07:42 +0000

If you have established from your answers to the above questions that you are suffering anxiety symptoms, you should stop and ask yourself two questions in relation to the work you are doing or the problems you are facing, and three questions relating to the function of your brain at that time. You should therefore stop what you’re doing, and ask yourself:
1.     Am I trying to do too much?
2.     Is what I am asking my brain to do, too difficult for it to do? Then the three questions to do with brain function:
3.       Have I had enough sleep?
4.     What is the state of my nutrition – when and what did I eat last?
5.     Am I suffering from some abnormal physiological state?
These questions relate to the anxiety equation. From these answers you will have a good idea whether your feelings of anxiety are coming from overload of the nervous system or from a dysfunctioning nervous system trying to get through a normal workload.

*72/129/5*

IBS AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS: PROLONGED GRIEF

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:10:34 +0000

Grief is a process to be worked through. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. That is not to say that you will ever forget the person you have lost or stop loving them, but if you hang on to grief for years and use it as an excuse to give up on life or to become
overdependent on others then it becomes unhealthy. It might indicate that in focusing on loss and sadness you are denying that you are also fearful, angry or feeling guilt. Ask yourself if the person who has gone would be unhappy to see you with constant digestive upsets and only half-living. The national organization Cruise (directory enquiries or the Yellow Pages will give you the number for your area) specializes in bereavement counselling.
Grief often turns into clinical depression. See your doctor. In the short term, antidepressant medication can be of great help to get you back to a more normal life.
*93\326\8*

BACH FLOWER REMEDIES: HOLLY REMEDY – MR. J. SINGH’S CASE

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 13:18:20 +0000

Mr. J. Singh had no child. He had a tiny pet dog which was the centre of affection of the childless couple. Later on they brought an adopted child in the home and showered their love on the child
Not that they ignored their pet dog. He received their attention in the matter of food or morning walk with the master and also received their caresses off and on. But the mood of the pet dog changed. He was no longer playing pranks as before, would not jump and bark on the return of the master from office in the evening. He did not eat well.
The couple were worried. The dog did not appear to be well, and was taken to a veterinary hospital.
After checking up, the doctor declared there was nothing wrong on the physical side of the dog, only he was jealous of the new child who had usurped a part of the parent’s love which was previously bestowed on him alone.
A few doses of HOLLY REMEDY removed the viril of jealousy from the dog, and he became normal as before.
*119\308\8*

EPILEPSY AND ITS SPECIAL FORMS/SPECIAL PATTERNS AND CAUSES:DEGENERATIVE DISEASES

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:10:39 +0000

A number of progressive, degenerative diseases of the brain affect children. Epilepsy is commonly seen in most of them. One group is called storage diseases because the proteins and fats that are normally broken down to waste products (metabolized) and eliminated from the body cannot be broken down in these rare inherited metabolic conditions. These products accumulate within nerve cells and affect their function, leading to epilepsy and mental retardation. These progressive conditions are usually fatal, but the duration of the illness may be quite variable. The names attached to these storage diseases reflect the individuals who described the conditions and the material stored. Different conditions begin at different ages. Among these conditions are Tay-Sachs disease (GM2 gangliosidosis), Batten’s disease (ceroid lipofuscinosis), and the various leukodystrophies. In the leukodystrophies, epilepsy is likely to appear later in the course of the progressive disease.
Although many of the epilepsy syndromes and some of these infections sound very frightening and can be devastating to both the child and the family, fortunately these conditions are uncommon. Most children with epilepsy do not have these conditions and their seizures are controlled. Most children with epilepsy do very well.
*104\208\8*

BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING DURING DIABETES: CHECK POINTS, THE FUTURE

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:44:12 +0000

Check points
Are your strips in date? Are they the right ones for your meter? Have you calibrated your meter/biosensor for this particular batch of strips? Is your meter working properly? Have you followed up any error messages? Does it need a new battery?
Have you kept your strips dry and not too cold or too hot? (If you have left the top off the bottle, throw the strips away and start a new pot.) And make sure you put the top on firmly as soon as you have taken a strip out.
Is your equipment clean? Clean meters according to instructions, especially the window through which the strip is read. Biosensors need little cleaning and nothing but the test strip should be placed in the entry port. Is your finger-pricker clean? Change the lancet and platform every time if you wish, although most people reuse platforms if they are the only user. If you are caring for someone else, Glucolet II is a lancet designed to avoid needle-stick injury. Always change lancets and platforms every time if several people are using the same finger-pricker. This avoids transmission of blood-bourne diseases.

The future
Glucose sensors which can be implanted have been available for some time but are still in the experimental stage and tend to be too fragile for everyday use.
There are several meters on the market which have a memory and will hold a variable number of previous blood glucose results. It is likely that this type of meter will be used increasingly. Some meters download this information into a computer held at home or at the diabetes centre. This allows calculation of average blood glucose levels for different times of day, for example.

*7/102/5*

WORK OF YOUR HEART: JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE HEART

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:26:39 +0000

One of the most important dates in the early history of heart surgery is 9 September 1896, for it was on that day that a 22-year-old man, Wilhelm Justus, was operated on by Ludwig Rehn. Rehn, a German surgeon, successfully stitched up a wound in Justus’ heart which went on to heal perfectly, thus demonstrating beyond all doubt that the human heart could actually be handled while a person was alive – and the patient could live to tell the tale to his or her grandchildren. The touch of the scalpel, the intrusion of the suturing needle, the probing of the doctor’s finger – none of these could any longer be dismissed as rash or foolhardy attempts to tamper with nature to the detriment of the patient. At last surgeons were beginning to take their rightful place in the struggle to fight diseases of the heart.
Rehn’s success produced a fresh note of optimism among surgeons. Up to that time the vast majority of surgical interventions had been purely experimental. Animals such as dogs had been used in the study of, for example, the action of the heart’s very special valves, or rabbits in the testing out of the effects of suturing wounds.

Audacious surgeons
And so it was in the wake of Rehn’s operation on Herr Justus. Papers were written in medical journals suggesting that surgery could be the answer for diseases that had previously been virtually untreatable. In 1897 one Dr. Tuffier successfully treated a case of cardiac arrest (when the heart-pump just stops) by applying massage, while elsewhere there was talk of surgically correcting defects in the heart’s valve mechanisms. Sir Lauder Brunton, a leading surgeon of his day, wrote to the medical journal, The Lancet, suggesting that it might be possible to widen a narrowed valve-opening by surgical means, and pointing out that he had come to this opinion after experimenting with cats in the laboratory. A week later he was verbally chastised for being the champion of such a dangerous procedure – cats or no cats – while others wondered if the valve-opening would stay open after surgery, or revert to its unhealthy constriction. But for all the initial opposition the tide was undoubtedly on the turn.
Over the next ten years or so enthusiasm for heart surgery, especially in connection with the relief of valve blockages, built up steadily. In those pioneering days, from the turn of the century to around the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, this enthusiasm was primarily directed towards animal experiments. In Europe and the USA medical researchers used laboratory animals to try out various techniques for correcting valve deformities; these, though far from perfect, helped to spread the notion that soon such operations might safely be performed on humans.

War wounds
In the event, however, things did not speed ahead quite so rapidly as one might have anticipated. There was a bit of a hiatus with the coming of the First World War, when surgeons were preoccupied not so much with furthering the experimental measures initiated in peacetime as with coping with the wounds to the heart incurred on the battlefield. However, the very fact that doctors were forced to operate on so many heart wounds was both highly instructive and encouraging for the future. It became obvious that the heart was indeed a rugged organ which would tolerate far more manipulation and ‘interference’ than most people had realized. Although many of the medical records of those war years have been lost, the documents that survive show that the success rate among heart-wound operations was very high. After the war, this fact gave even greater impetus to experimental work on the development of cardiac surgery for the disorders of peacetime.
The first great landmark in the post-war phase was in May 1923 when Cutler, Levine and Beck operated on an 11-year-old girl whose life was threatened by a defective heart valve. Having delicately worked their way in through the heart chamber known as the left ventricle, they managed, using a special surgical knife, to enlarge the valve-opening by separating the flaps or cusps which had become fused as a result of inflammation. As it happens, the patient, although surviving the operation and indeed going on to live for a further four-and-a-half years, did not show a marked improvement in her condition after the operation. Cutler and his team tried to improve matters during four more operations over the next two years, but with little success. However, we should not undervalue their efforts. After centuries of mystery, the heart, that terra incognita of the human body, had at last been penetrated by the scalpel, had continued to function, and had even been revisited by the surgeon for later attempts to improve its performance.
*2/353/5*