Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog – information on herbal medicine

A properly constructed exercise programme including stretching exercises would seem to be a useful adjunct to the field of music education.

This may well lead to the prevention of some of the overusage syndromes seen in musicians. Painful musculo-ligamentous overusage appears to be the most common form of occupational malady seen in musicians.

As the unnatural hand positions of some strings players and the unnatural head/neck positions of flautists and violinists are ‘natural’ to those instruments perhaps one saving intervention may be to teach students a proper awareness of their posture and the force with which they play their instrument.

G. Alexander in Denmark (not to be confused with the originator of the Alexander Method — the Australian F. Matthias Alexander) developed a special method for improving muscle tone, called eutony, meaning good or most advantageous tonus. This approach is now used throughout Denmark both in the primary school system and in the preparation of practical artists and musicians.

It is described by Dr. Beata Jencks in her book Your Body: Biofeedback as an optimal balance of body muscle tone with least energy expenditure within the dynamic equilibrium necessary for unhampered blood circulation, respiration, and muscle tone during movement and rest Jencks goes on to give details of numerous methods of enhancing this process.

Feeling the centre of gravity

Imagine all your weight concentrated in the abdomen, just above the pelvis Fed it at first during relaxing exhalations, but then allow the abdomen to remain expanded during diaphragmatic breathing and let the centre of gravity remain at its low level during inhalations. Raft

Imagine the buttocks supported by a broad, anchored raft or plat¬form carried by the ocean waves. Feel the broadness and resilience of the base. Fee’ trie flexibility and ease of the upper body. Awake breathing

If you are not alert enough to be adequate to an occasion or the job at hand your breathing may be too shallow.

Allow the breathing to become as awake and aware as the task or situation demands, but at intervals revert to your natural breathing rhythm allowing sighing or yawning to occur naturally. Again and again enliven vour breathing with refreshing inhalations.

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Treatments available for tension headaches include the simple analgesics such as aspirin and paracetamol. These sometimes provide a degree of pain relief above that expected in other chronic pain conditions.

Probably the best forms of therapy for such headaches are the psychological methods of treatment. These include hypnosis, biofeedback and relaxation therapy.

But there are a number of headache sufferers with such a high degree of tension that the use of relaxation therapy is inappropriate. For them, it may be appropriate to use the minor tranquillisers — much maligned as they are — for short period prior to the non-drug treatments. (The minor tranquillisers, such as Valium, Serepax, Tranxene and Xanax are in fact valuable tools for doctors who are prepared to talk with their patients and also offer other therapies.)

In some cases the headaches are the only sign of chronic depressed mood and the appropriate therapy includes the use of antidepressant drugs. Initially these will be the more commonly used group of tricyclic antidepressants.

These include such drugs as Tryptanol, Surmontil, Sinequan, Prothiaden, Pertofran and Anafranil. Tolvon is another anti-depressant from another class of drugs and causes fewer side effects such as gastric irritation and cardio-vascular complications.

Those not responding to these drugs may respond better to the more potent Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors or MAOI’s such as Nardil or Parnate. While these must be taken with dietary precautions they do not cause the sedation, constipation or weight gain that the other groups are shown to cause.

Physical treatments including massage, acupuncture and TENS therapy may also have some value.

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The ‘pain cycle’ plays a vital role. When trauma strikes,that is, physical or psychological injury, a painful response is frequently felt. This pain precipitates responses by the body to protect itself by guarding — usually noted as physical spasms. This guarding promotes subsequent dysfunction, that is, abnormal functioning, of the soft tissue and the joints.

The pain cycle is accompanied by certain internal changes which tend to compound the element of pain. The guarding process in turn produces a state of muscle tension which reduces the blood supply within the area. The condition is called ischaemia — deficient blood supply. There is an increased production of metabolites as a by-product of the muscle contractions. Metabolites are the breakdown products of the chemicals necessary for proper muscle function. Metabolism is the series of changes in a living body by which life is maintained. About 20 per cent of the energy produces mechanical movement or stabilisation, while most of the energy produces heat with the by-products of increased metabolites. Thus there tends to be an increased accumulation of these metabolites. Trauma may also include the production and concentration of internally made pain-producing substances such as peptides, amines, substance P, and prostaglandin.

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Although we may be surprised by the use of such treatments of yesteryear, today’s therapeutic interventions are hardly less extraordinary. For example, the age old treatment of acupuncture, sophisticated electronics linked to mind-body relaxation in the form of biofeedback, ultrasound and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) are frequently used today in the quest to control pain.

Modern pain theories

The modern theory of pain sensation began in the first half of the nineteenth century. During the mid-nineteenth century, five specific sensory nerves were described. It was said they carried information about the five senses with specific nerves identified as carrying sensation. Several theories of pain were developed in the nineteenth century.

The Specificity Theory, also called the Sensory Theory, held that pain was a specific sensation; pain had its own sensory apparatus independent of touch and other senses. Since its introduction there has been mounting evidence against this theory.

The Pattern Theory held that stimulation of receptor nerves causes a certain pattern of reactions which reflect the quality, intensity, and length of time in which the stimulus acts. These complicated patterns are then fed into the brain and spinal cord where specialised collections of nerve cells decipher them and then initiate an appropriate response.

The Intensive Theory was formulated in the late nineteenth century; it declared that every sensory stimulus, such as touch and pressure, caused pain if severe enough.

Later in the nineteenth century, the American Psychological Association suggested pain was a combination of the original sensation and ‘the psychic reaction, or displeasure, caused by that sensation. ,

Even throughout the first six decades of the twentieth century, research was simply aimed at supporting either theory. The Gate Theory which was only announced in 1965 suggested there is a ‘gate’ within the rear horn-like portion of the spinal cord which either closes to prevent pain signals from reaching the brain or opens to allow the pain to be experienced.

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Allergies are well recognized conditions, and those suffering from true food allergy are far more likely to receive adequate medical treatment than those with food intolerance. Even so, well-informed patients can make a significant contribution to their own treatment. This is particularly true if, as so often happens, there is no allergy specialist (allergist) overseeing the treatment. There are still very few allergists, and most allergic symptoms are treated by other specialists. A patient with multiple symptoms may see an ear-nose-and-throat specialist for rhinitis, a chest specialist for asthma, a dermatologist for eczema and a gastroenterologist for bowel disorders due to food. The net result is that there is no one doctor considering the whole allergic picture in that patient.

The patient who understands something about allergies is at less of a disadvantage in such circumstances, and may be able to help the doctor in unravelling the complexities of cause and effect. But it is important to stress that self-help should only be an adjunct to proper medical treatment, never a substitute. Some allergic conditions can be life-threatening, others can deteriorate to the point where they produce irreversible damage to health. No-one should attempt to treat them without medical supervision.

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The freshly pulped leaves of lady’s mantle help wounds to heal quickly when applied externally. If you sustain a scratch or a cut while walking or hiking in the mountains, there are plenty of effective remedies all around. A few flowers of St John’s wort rubbed between the fingers and placed on the cut (or crushed arnica root), with pulped lady’s mantle bound on top, will make an inexpensive curative dressing. A word of caution is needed here: pick the plants only where they are clean and never from the wayside or near an alpine dairy.

Formerly, good ointments used to be made from the fresh leaves of lady’s mantle and also its root. These ointments and creams were used to dress wounds and treat mild ruptures. A tea made with lady’s mantle will also stop children’s diarrhoea without any side effects.

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Lactic fermentation has been used for centuries in China, Korea and Japan. In those countries it is employed to prepare medicinal herbs and to change vegetables into hearty condiments and what are known as kimchi, spicy pickled dishes similar to sauerkraut. Although the lactic fermentation of various vegetables has the great advantage of activating a plant’s beneficial properties, this method of preparing food has not yet found the popularity it deserves. The remedial effects of plants used in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism and cancer could be even more beneficial if they were prepared in this way. That is why Molkosan and vegetable juices should not be regarded merely as food, but also as remedies. It appears that the importance of preparations containing lactic acid will increase as radiation levels increase in our modern environment.

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Non-greasy creams based on something other than plant mucilage generally contain ingredients that block the pores. The skin suffers and loses its smoothness if the treatment continues for some time. Oiling the skin, especially after a bath and washing with soap, is to be recommended, since soap removes the natural oil produced by the sebaceous glands. A good oil that stimulates the skin is indispensable in winter and whenever engaging in water sports.

It is imperative that the perfumes added to skin oils and creams be only from natural essential oils. Perfumes derived from chemicals can harm the skin. Also remember that the skin derives no benefit whatsoever from being covered with thick layers of all kinds of cosmetics. Healthy skin only needs a little help when greater demands are put on it through exposure to the sun, water, cold and wind. The wisdom expressed in the saying ‘You can have too much of a good thing’ applies to the care of your skin and cosmetics too.

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There are a number of plants that I have come to know for their efficacy in combatting viral diseases: garlic, horseradish, bear’s garlic (ramsons), butterbur (Petasites), lichen-acid-containing Usnea, and Echinacea, the purple coneflower. I can vouch for the good results achieved with patients with viral infections who had taken these natural remedies, in addition to adopting a sensible and healthy life-style.

It would be worthwhile if doctors were to try these plants when treating their patients. Echinacea, in particular, contributed to keeping myself and my friends free from malaria in the tropics, and should therefore be included in any treatment given to those suffering the dreadful viral disease AIDS. Instead of sitting around waiting for the end to come, an experiment could be made involving a complete change of life-style and the indicated plant remedies. It may be that a cure is possible.

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While the world’s medical specialists argue about the causes of cancer, more and more victims die every year. Some researchers try to blame a virus for its development, considering the disease to be a localised one affecting certain groups of cells. Others are just as bold in defending their view that cancer is a disease affecting the whole organism.

It is possible that viruses do play some part in the disease, but the researchers who believe that cancer is a disease that affects the whole body may be closer to the truth than the others. The view that cancer is a disease brought about by civilisation finds strong support through the investigation of conditions in less developed parts of the world, where cancer is comparatively unknown. According to my observations, cancer has more than one cause, it is the culmination of a combination of many causes, in other words, it is a complex disease.

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