Doctorweblog. About Health & Medicine

ALFALFA

MEDICAGO SATIVA

Alfalfa is rich in Vitamins A, B2, B6, C, D and K. It picks up trace elements from the soil and contains eight essential amino acids and eight essential digestive enzymes. Alfalfa affects the stomach, liver and intestines and is an alternative nutritive tonic and antipyretic.

The flowers, leaves, and seeds are used. The alfalfa leaves <an be steamed as vegetables or eaten in salads or soups. An infusion can also be made by using two teaspoons of dried alfalfa per cup of water. The seeds can be sprouted and used in a salad or on sandwiches.

Alfalfa is a hormone herb which, along with natural iodine, iffects the parathyroids. These are small superficial glands situated on the back of the thyroid gland. These glands secrete the hormones calcitonin and parathoromone. These hormones act on the stabilisation of calcium in serum blood kvels. Alfalfa also contains fat splitting enzymes and can be used in weight control. According to the ancient Chinese, excessive use will cause one to be thin. If between 10% to 20% of alfalfa is added to the formula of herbal combinations it increases the nutritive qualities of the formula

ALOE

Aloe vera

The jui;e of this succulent can give quick relief to bites, burns, cuts, bruises. Taken internally it can be used for gastro-iitestinal complaints such as colitis and ulcers.

ANISEED

Pimpintlla anisum

The seed and leaf can be made into tea or used in cooking. It can be used as a weak diuretic, a laxative, relieving flatulence, an expectorant in treatment of bronchitis and asthma, and in aiding digestion.

BARBERRY

Berberii vulgaris

Commcnly used to treat liver conditions, jaundice, and problems with the gall bladder. It can be used to treat nausea and a mouthwash is effective for sore throats and lowering blood pressure.

BAYBERRY

Myrica cerifera

Commonly used to treat diarrhoea and mucous colitis. Bayberry is also as a gargle for sore throats and colds.

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Some medications, such as anti-anxiety medications can cause memory loss. Quite often our short term memory does not seem to be as good as it used to be. We forget little things. We always remember the name of our mother and events in the past but little items seem to be forgotten, new facts and dates go astray.

To maintain a functioning memory it is very important to have a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods daily. There are vitamins and minerals in these foods that are essential for correct function of the nervous system. We need to activate our brains, reading and recalling past events. Getting memory working is very important. We should not stagnate especially as we age. We must keep our minds active.

One herb is ginkgo. Herbs can help the memory. One of the oldest tree species in the world. Ginkgo improves cerebral circulation (blood flow to the brain) at the same time increasing the brain’s intake of carbohydrate. Ginkgo has proven to be of particular value for the treatment of short-term memory loss.

There are many other nutrients of benefit in improving memory and/or slowing-down the onset of senile dementia. They include lecithin and multivitamins. A number of trials have show that supplementation may be beneficial in retarding Alzheimer’s disease. Panax ginseng can also be helpful, and also in combination with ginkgo.

SUPPLEMENTS

Ginseng 100 mg daily

multivitamin formula 1 daily

lecithin 2000 mg daily

vitamin E 500 IU daily

Gingko plus formula 3 times daily

Do not use aluminium cookware or deodorant containing aluminium as high aluminium levels in the blood have

been reported in adults with memory loss.

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This is a complaint which mainly affects the middle-aged and overweight. Women have four times the incidence of gallstones than men. Although the cause of this condition is not fully understood the disease is likely to be a metabolic disorder and probably related to diet.

Gallstones may be present without any symptoms. However, if a stone moves it may obstruct the common bile duct or neck of the gallbladder and this can result in agonising pain radiating from the upper right side of the abdomen through to the back and right shoulder.

Other symptoms which may indicate the presence of gallstones are a rapid pulse, pain or discomfort after eating fatty meals, mild jaundice and/or excessive flatulence. A complete blockage of the common bile duct is a medical emergency as it may develop gangrene.

It is important to restrict the intake of fat. Fat requires bile salts that are stored in the gallbladder for assimilation into the body and their ingestion can precipitate an attack.

Also cabbage, turnips, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli are gas-forming and can increase the risk of cholelithiasis.

The naturopathic treatment for gallstones is prevention.

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Further research has shown cancer may be prevented by supplementing the diet with fish oil. Dr Rashida Karmali, Associate Professor of Nutrition at Rutgers University, New York, has found that fish oil supplements suppress signs of developing cancer in women in high risk groups. Dr George Blackburn, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, says that based on present knowledge, he would be dumbfounded if fish oil did not help thwart the spread of malignant cells in women who undergo breast cancer surgery. He believes the fish oil may strengthen their immunity, killing wandering cancer cells before they start new tumours.

Studies have shown that people who are dying from cancer have a low level of vitamin C in their diets and those ingesting large amounts of vitamin C reduced the possibility of developing cancer by 50%. Professor Linus Pauling found that in controlled studies 10000 mg of vitamin C taken orally each day by terminally ill patients increased their lives by up to one year more than expected.

As 60% of women’s cancer and 40% of men’s cancers are related to dietary factors, prevention and treatment of some cancers with diet and dietary supplements is very important and may indeed save lives.

SUPPLEMENTS

evening primrose oil (may reverse carcinogenesis)

fish oil

antioxidant formula (vitamins A,C,E, zinc)

selenium

garlic (supplement may inhibit tumour

beta-carotene growth)

calcium phosphate

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Echinacea

10 Step anti-cancer plan

1 A diet balanced in low fat and high fibre.

2 Don’t smoke.

3 Eat only organically-grown vegetables.

4 Maintain correct weight for height.

5 Reduce alcohol intake or stop altogether.

6 Don’t sunbake and burn.

7 Supplement your diet with essential fatty acids and antioxidants

8 Avoid carcinogenic chemicals such as benzine, nicotine.

9 Reduce your stress levels.

10 Have a positive outlook on yourself and life.

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Arthritis is a debilitating disease which affects many Australians, including children. There are many types of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and osteoarthritis are the main forms.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic painful disease that can affect all joints in the body, the hands, wrists, ankles, toes, neck and hips. Rheumatoid arthritis is thought to be an auto immune disease, one in which the body produces a disordered immunological response which can cause injury to normal parts of the body.

Major psychological or physical factors in life can trigger rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the first symptoms may be weight loss, pains in the joints (especially in the morning) and hot and swollen joints.

Each attack seems to be a little worse than the last. Eventually there is deformity in the joints following loss of minerals, adhesion of the tissues to the bone and limpy nodules around the affected area.

To help alleviate the pain and reduce the discomfort, we must look at our diet first (see Diet for crystal arthritis) Avoid foods such as tomatoes and oranges which have been known to cause problems. Also increase your intake of vegetables and fruit and reduce the intake of red meats and acid foods. Some nuts and even wheat can be a problem. Look towards rice, rye and buckwheat. Plenty of fresh water is essential: 6 to 8 glasses a day. All of this can make a difference.

It is a good idea to supplement the diet with cod liver oil or fish oil as recent research has shown that fish oil can help relieve the pain of arthritis. These supplements contain essential fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory properties. Celery seed can also help. Buy this from the health food store. It is present in a celery complex. This complex should also contain the herbs Apium and Guaiacum. All these herbs have properties that can help relieve inflammation and detoxify the joints.

For the pain of arthritis the herbs white willow bark and devil’s claw taken in combination are very effective. White willow bark has similar properties to aspirin.

You should exercise daily but don’t overdo it. Swimming and walking are good.

SUPPLEMENTS

evening primrose oil 2 capsules 3 times daily

fish oil 1000 1 capsule 3 times daily

vitamin C 2000 mg daily

pantothenic acid 200 mg daily

(Vitamin B5)

multivitamin/mineral 1 daily

white willow bark 2700 mg twice daily (found in herbal analgesic formula)

celery seeds 400 mg twice daily

devils claw 200 mg twice daily

Guaiacum 400 mg twice daily

calcium fluoride 3 X 3 times daily

silica 25 mg twice daily

calcium phosphate (up to 1000 mg of elemental calcium daily)

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Making love standing up is most achievable when both partners are about the same size. If the man is considerably larger than his partner, insertion and intercourse are possible only with a certain amount of difficulty and determination. Sexual intercourse standing up can be tiring if it is kept up for any length of time (particularly if there is an uncomfortable difference between the couple’s sizes), but owing to the muscular exertion it necessitates, it can considerably increase sexual excitement.

If the man picks up his partner, the greatest amount of exertion is the initial lift. Once he has achieved this, the standing position is not particularly demanding because the weight is evenly distributed between the two partners. From here, making love can continue while standing up, walking or even dancing.

1 To facilitate insertion, the woman should lift one leg, turn it sideways so that her partner can introduce his penis, and then use both legs for support. The vagina then clasps the penis firmly; she can use her pelvis to make strong sexual movements.

2 Once the man is inside, he can lift his partner by placing his hands under her thighs while she firmly clasps her hands behind his neck and holds on to it. She should then cross her legs behind his back and press her thighs around his hips.

3 If both partners are agile, insertion can be achieved after the woman has been raised off the ground. Now t man can move his partner and forth with his hands and alter tempo and motion.

She can entwine herself around his body, gripping with her arms and thighs to distribute some o her weight. Her muscle tension can heighten sexual excitement for both of them

With his legs bent he can freely thrust into his partner

Man

The main benefit of standing positions is the novelty factor, since a degree of agility and strength is required, but they are ideal when the man wishes to dispense with preliminaries. More vigorous thrusting can be achieved if the woman is pressed against a wall or door for extra support.

Woman

Standing positions are useful when the time and place for sex is limited, and when she wants to add some variety to her sex life. She can produce a very powerful stimulation on her vaginal lips and-clitoris if she leans forward a little and bends her knees while her feet are on the floor.

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A woman who can’t reach orgasm during intercourse often wonders if there is something physically wrong with her that prevents her from reaching orgasm. A self-induced orgasm answers that question in a few minutes, and it is here that a vibrator may be truly useful. There is certainly nothing wrong with, and virtually no difference between, an orgasm reached with a vibrator and one reached during sexual intercourse. More importantly, a self-induced orgasm gives the emotional and physical foundation for having orgasms during intercourse.

A vibrator, therefore, can tear down the barriers of guilt, shame and prudery that prevent so many women from finding the sexual fulfilment that they deserve. Some women have for years subconsciously imposed the same kind of paralysis on their sex organs as on their minds. A vibrator provides intense sexual excitement, which is sufficient to overwhelm emotional obstacles, and makes the brain and the genital organs respond explosively in unison.

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Whether sexual intercourse is on the agenda or not, a man’s generalized kissing and cuddling will sooner or later lead to his touching, caressing and kissing a woman’s breasts, nipples and clitoris, and a woman will be encouraged to do the same for a man’s scrotum and penis. Petting, or love play using fingers, is more than just romantic. It is vital to the escalating spiral of sexual excitement necessary for satisfying sexual intercourse.

Masturbation Can be Fun-Masturbation is an option, a way of mutually enhancing a couple’s sexual enjoyment. Masturbation is generally helpful to sexuality in all areas of your life. That doesn’t mean to say that if you don’t masturbate you’re abnormal; you’re not inadequate or deficient.

Remember that masturbation does not reflect badly on your marital sex; in fact, there is some evidence showing that people who masturbate without guilt are freer in expressing their sexuality, more aware of the nature of their own sexual response, and therefore enjoy sex more than those who are guilt-ridden. Moreover, masturbation is a good alternative to intercourse for women in late pregnancy or just after childbirth, or following gynaecological surgery; also, when a man can’t get an erection.

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Physical attractiveness Even though physical appearance is not necessarily at the top of the list of qualities women consider important, most women will confess to being attracted to certain aspects of their partner’s body, though not normally their genitals.

Power and wealth Visible evidence of dominance, which is expressed in today’s world by being in possession of money and status, are turn-ons for the majority of women.

Romance and intimacy Expressions and manifestations of an intimate or romantic interlude such as champagne, moonlight and flowers, are also arousing to most women.

Erotic literature Though women will confess to enjoyment of erotic literature in the form of romantic novels, sexually explicit material, however, has been found also to excite many women.

In terms of the stimuli that excite them, men and women differ markedly. Men, generally, are stimulated by what they see. Women, on the other hand, are very different; as a general rule, they respond very little and very slowly to visual stimuli. Women are more interested in men in the context of their personalities.

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Right before orgasm there is a sense of ejaculatory inevitability for an instant. Many men have described the onset of this sensation as “feeling the ejaculation coming”. From the onset of this sensation there is a brief interval, two to three seconds at the most, during which a man feels the ejaculation coming but is no longer able to prevent, delay, or in any way control the process. This experience of inevitability develops as seminal fluid is collecting in the prostatic urethra, just before the actual emission of seminal fluid begins. While a woman’s orgasm can be interrupted by extraneous stimuli, once initiated, a man’s orgasm cannot be delayed until emission has been completed.

Just prior to ejaculation, the glans may change colour; its mottled, reddish purple colour may become darker. (This is reminiscent of the pre-orgasmic discoloration of the labia minora in a woman.) A drop of fluid may form at the urethral opening of the penis prior to ejaculation. This is not seminal fluid but secretions from Cowper’s glands. The size of the testes increases slightly and they also become elevated. At this point, it is increasingly difficult for the penis to return to its resting state without ejaculation.

Muscle contractions occur at a late stage of sexual excitement and may be involuntary or voluntary, depending on body position. Spasms of a man’s hands and feet can occur — rarely if the man is on top — but more commonly when he is supine.

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