Herbal Health

Breathing’s pretty much what it’s all about in the death-defying game. But more than 96,000 Americans each year stop doing it thanks to an increasingly rampant form of lung disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. This isn’t pneumonia or lung cancer but a group of conditions characterized by blocked air flow.

There are two principal players in this death act-chronic bronchitis and emphysema-and they often do a duet in the same victim. You may have had a bout with acute bronchitis, with all that coughing and mucus accompanying a severe cold. Imagine those symptoms as a permanent result of inflamed and scarred bronchial tubes and you know what chronic bronchitis is all about.

Emphysema weakens and breaks the inner walls of the air sacs in the lungs, impairing the flow of air into the lungs and the distribution of oxygen into the rest of the body. The damage is irreversible, and emphysema victims find themselves short of breath and unable to do much of anything that requires physical exertion.

About 14 million Americans suffer from chronic bronchitis (a 60 percent increase since 1982), and 2 million from emphysema, 61 percent of them male. The cause of this sad state of affairs is smoking, for the most part. It accounts for 82 percent of all COPD. Don’t smoke, and you’re 82 percent of the way there. Here are some other ways to keep on breathing.

Find clean air. Hawaii might start looking pretty good to you if you’re in the early stages of COPD. The best way to control chronic bronchitis is to keep your nose, throat, sinuses, and bronchial tubes away from things that can inflame or irritate them, says Dr. Steven Mostow of the University of Colorado. Those things include smog, dusty working conditions, and cigarette smoke. Air pollution also aggravates emphysema symptoms. If Hawaii’s out of the question, the American Lung Association recommends that you plan your activities in the early morning or evening when smog levels are at their lowest.

Nip infections early. Any cold or respiratory infection is going to make COPD symptoms worse. So it’s not wimpy to consult a doctor at the first sniffle of a cold. And ask your doctor about getting vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia, two illnesses that can severely hinder breathing, says Dr. Mostow.

Keep moving. COPD or no, general health is still a good way to fight off infections. The American Lung Association recommends regular exercise that doesn’t tire you out much for chronic bronchitis sufferers. You should also exercise with emphysema, but as part of a doctor-guided pulmonary rehabilitation program, says Dr. Mostow.

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A. Refusal to maintain body weight over a minimal normal weight for age and height, e.g.,

weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight 15 percent below that expected; or failure

to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight 15 percent

below that expected.

B. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.

Ñ Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight, size, or shape is experienced, e.g., the

person claims to “feel fat” even when emaciated, believes that one area of the body is “too

fat” even when obviously underweight.

D. In females, absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles when otherwise expected

to occur (primary or secondary amenorrhea). (A woman is considered to have amenorrhea if

her periods occur only following hormone, e.g., estrogen, administration.)

The first guideline, Criterion A, gives physicians an objective means of measuring the degree to which a person is emaciated: 15 percent below minimum normal body weight. This 15 percent figure (a somewhat arbitrary number, but still useful) is considerably less than the 25 percent given in the earlier edition. The change reflects the reality: Like other clinicians, I have seen numerous patients who seem to have anorexia but who, like Paula, haven’t lost enough weight to meet the criteria.

You might be puzzled by the use of the term “refusal to maintain body weight.” Doesn’t the word “refusal” suggest that the patient has made a conscious decision to act (or not act) in a certain way?

Yes, that’s true, but it still doesn’t mean that the anorexia is the patient’s fault. You have to think of the “decision” to lose weight as one made under duress. In a sense, the brain is held hostage to the disease and can’t think clearly. Anorexia is not a well-thought-out, rational plan; it’s more like a compulsion.

Still, such refusal makes life difficult for doctors as well as patients. Many a hospitalized patient declares war on the doctors and the staff. She sees them as members of a conspiracy whose evil aim is to force her to become fat. Patients may feel that they are being hunted down and annihilated by the “fat-doctors.” The patients, who see themselves as valiant rebels fighting to preserve freedom, will do anything to thwart this scheme: hide butter under the tray, spit out bites of food into their milk glass, exercise frantically while lying in bed, even run away from the hospital. Naturally, it’s hard to build a sense of trust and mutual cooperation under such circumstances.

One more point. The first diagnostic guideline lets us think of body weight in one of two ways: either as weight actually lost or weight never gained. The difference is important. Some anorexics feel fat now, and thus want to shed pounds. Others, particularly the younger ones, fear becoming fat in the future, and thus starve themselves to keep from gaining weight in the first place. It’s not necessary for a woman to reach a certain weight and then lose it in order to be considered an anorexic.

Criterion  mentions the intense fear of becoming fat. The earlier DSM specified that this fear doesn’t diminish even as weight loss progresses. The new version lets us acknowledge the presence of anorexia even in those cases where the woman reports that the fear does lessen as her weight shrinks.

Criterion Ñ expands the concept of disturbed body image. The disturbance might now reflect the patient’s perception of her body size or shape, as well as her weight. It also identifies a common anorexic symptom: the tendency to isolate and focus on one part of the body in particular.

Not long ago I visited a patient named Caitlin in her room at the hospital. In the course of our conversation, I indicated that she was making progress and was now eligible to go for short walks outside the hospital.

“I can’t do that!” she wailed. She threw back the bedclothes to reveal her legs, each of which wasn’t much thicker than a baseball bat. She pinched the skin between her fingers-she had to try a couple of times before she could actually grab anything-and shouted, “Look at this fat thigh! I can’t go out in public looking like this!”

The final criterion, D, acknowledges a feature of anorexia that the previous guidelines ignored: the loss of menses (menstrual periods), specifically three periods in a row, at some time during the course of the illness. In about four out of five cases, the loss of menses (also called amenorrhea) occurs as a direct result of starvation. Without proper nutrition, the brain senses that there is not sufficient energy for menstruation and doesn’t supply the “on” signal to the reproductive organs. (In male anorexics the equivalent problem is a loss of interest in sex, usually due to a reduction in the amount of testosterone produced.)

In another 20 percent of female patients, however, amenorrhea occurs before significant weight loss-that is, before starvation takes its toll. Sometimes a report of skipped periods is nothing more than a figment of the patient’s faulty memory. But not always.

The fact that some anorexics stop having periods before they lose weight may be evidence of a biological problem, at least in some cases. Because the hypothalamus regulates both eating and the reproductive system, any malfunction may affect both systems.

Other problems can also cause the loss of menses before weight loss occurs. In order to menstruate, a woman’s body needs not just sufficient weight, but a certain reserve of energy as well. Female athletes, for example, may eat adequate meals and maintain proper weight. But they may expend so much energy during exercise that they deplete their reserves. Menstruation then stops. Also, through chemical changes we don’t yet fully understand, emotional stress can interrupt the monthly cycle.

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When Tawni Gomes stopped making excuses, she started losing weight—almost half of her body weight, in fact.

Tawni’s epiphany came one day in September 1996 as she watched The Oprah Winfrey Show on television. Oprah’s guest was her personal trainer, Bob Greene. As Greene explained the basics of

weight loss to the audience, Tawni began to feel inspired. At 300 pounds, she knew that she had to slim down. So the San Francisco resident headed for the nearest bookstore and picked up a copy of Make the Connection, Winfrey and Greene’s book. She read it cover to cover that very night.

Over the next month, Tawni struggled to stick with the exercise program. Excuses like “There aren’t enough hours in the day” and “I don’t have a personal trainer” conveniently prevented her from making a serious commitment to slimming down.

Then she heard that Greene was coming to town to speak and do a book signing. Book in hand, she went to hear him. “A woman in the audience asked Bob how she was supposed to find time to exercise with four kids, a house, and a full-time job,” she said. “Bob looked her straight in the eye and without hesitation said, ‘You’re not ready to lose weight.’ He turned to the rest of the audience and said, ‘Next question.’”

Tawni’s jaw dropped. “I was so shocked by his bluntness. But I had to admit that I was making the exact same excuses,” she says. “Everybody has the same number of hours in a day. If people with kids and tighter schedules than mine can find time to exercise, then, I figured, so can I.”

The very next morning, Tawni rolled out of bed at 4:00 A.M., laced on her walking shoes, and headed out—alone—for a brisk walk. It was the start of what would become a daily ritual. “With my work schedule and family commitments, that was really the only time I had to exercise,” she says. “At that early hour, it was so quiet and peaceful that it gave me a chance to think about my life and clarify my goals.”

Over time, Tawni switched from brisk walking to running. She also began lifting weights and performing stretching and toning exercises. The combination enabled her to take off 125 pounds in 3 years.

“No excuses” remains Tawni’s life motto. At age 34, she continues to work out regularly, and her weight is holding steady at 175 pounds. “That’s about right for my height and bone structure, though I’d like to lose about 20 more,” she says. She now has an online support group to help others get on the road to “no excuses.”

WINNING. ACTION

Make time, not excuses. We all have things that we need to get done, so we end up doing what’s important to us. Decide what’s most important for you. When you make yourself and your desire to live a healthier life a top priority, that’s when weight loss will happen for you.

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Ann is twenty-seven years old and was prescribed Ativan (3 mg) when she was told her baby was mentally handicapped. She coped well, but felt very down. After about four months, she felt increasingly anxious. Her doctor suggested she doubled the dose of Ativan. The anxiety lessened, but she had frequent headaches and lost her balance very easily. She thought she was run down due to increasingly heavy periods. Her husband complained that she was not the same person, and suggested a holiday.

Ann thought she might have more energy if she reduced her pills to half the dose. Two days later she felt very ill. She had diarrhoea, vomiting, nasal congestion, and a sore throat. The doctor diagnosed a virus. Ann had not slept so she resumed her full dose of Ativan. The symptoms dramatically disappeared. She recognized the same symptoms nine months later when she forgot to pack her pills when she stayed with an aunt. She thought it could have something to do with the pills, but her doctor assured her they were safe and non-addictive.

The heavy bleeding persisted and she was admitted to hospital for investigations. The ward sister kept the pills. Her skin burned, she felt sick, and the world looked strange again. She was sure it was the pills this time. Her doctor was kind, but said that this was unlikely.

A phone call to a friend, a Community Psychiatric Nurse, gave her some hope. He advised her to cut down slowly. Three months through withdrawal she noticed her periods were not so heavy and the sinus pains that had plagued her for the two years on Ativan had gone. There were times during withdrawal when she felt unwell, but she felt her old self returning. Her husband remarked how different she looked. It is now nine months since she completed withdrawal. Getting off to sleep, and palpitations, are still a problem, but apart from these, she feels well and is delighted to be drug-free. She is also delighted that the hair she lost during withdrawal has grown in again.

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Changes in Body Temperature

Some people complain they are ‘on fire’. Others say they feel icy cold, or cold one minute and hot the next. Feeling hot, with or without profuse sweating is often a feature of drug withdrawal. If you are very cold perhaps moving more or massaging the affected parts would improve circulation.

Sore Mouth

There are frequent reports of painful/cracked/glossy/ swollen tongues; mouth ulcers; gum boils; cracks at the corners of the mouth and sore lips. These symptoms may be a reflection of the nutritional state of the body, particularly in the long-term user. Even if the diet seems adequate there is often so much disturbance in the digestive system that absorption of essential minerals and vitamins could be impaired.

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Depression Following Tension

How often have you heard people say that they were depressed when the examination finished, or after an unwelcome visitor had left. The depression does not arrive whilst the strain is still there, but comes when you have a chance to relax. Perhaps this is nature’s way of forcing you to slow down. Physical exercise and a conscious effort to relax during stress could prevent this type of depression.

How Does A Depressed Person Look?

If he is very depressed, he could look round-shouldered, head bowed, slow moving with a shuffling walk, and mask-like expression, or he could be the joke-a-minute person who tries hard to cover up his inner misery by being the life and soul of the party.

What do Depressed People Say?

‘My body is so heavy; life, relationships, work, have no meaning; I feel far away and isolated, even in a room full of people; I know I love my family but I cannot feel it; I have no interest in anything; I won’t read the papers or watch the news in case there is anything that makes me sadder; the smallest physical task seems beyond me; washing and dressing is such an effort; everyone else looks so normal; I dread a visitor in case they can see how abnormal I feel; my relatives would be better off without me; I see everything through a grey mist’.

How Can I Heal Myself?

If your doctor has ruled out physical illness, he may want you to have a course of anti-depressant drugs. These help some people dramatically, but cannot erase bad memories, or the way you feel about yourself. Acknowledge that by positive thinking, you can stop the past, or the present, circumstances hurting you.

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Repetitive thoughts form an important part of an anxiety neurosis. These are often provoked by awareness of autonomic over-activity; e.g. a patient who feels his heart beating fast may worry about having a heart attack. Thoughts of this kind probably prolong the condition.

The appearance of a person with an anxiety neurosis is characteristic. His or her face looks strained, with a furrowed brow; the posture is tense; he or she is restless and often tremulous. The skin looks pale, and sweating is common especially from the hands, feet and axillae (armpits).

Readiness to tears, which may at first suggest depression, reflects a generally apprehensive state.

The physical symptoms and signs of an anxiety neurosis result from either over-activity in the sympathetic nervous system or increased tension in skeletal muscles.

The list of symptoms is long, and is conveniently grouped by systems of the body. Symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract include dry mouth, difficulty in swallowing, epigastric discomfort (under breastbone), excessive wind caused by aerophagy (air swallowing), borborygmi (rumbling of intestinal gases), and frequent or loose motions.

Common respiratory symptoms, include a feeling of constriction in the chest, difficulty in inhaling (which contrasts with the expiratory difficulty in asthma), and over-breathing and its consequences (which are described later).

Cardiovascular symptoms include palpitations, a feeling of discomfort or pain over the heart, awareness of missed beats, and throbbing in the neck.

Common genito-urinary symptoms are increased frequency and urgency of micturition (act of passing urine), failure of erection, and lack of libido.

Women may complain of increased menstrual discomfort and sometimes amenorrhoea (absence of menstruation).

Complaints related to the functions of the central nervous system include tinnitus, blurring of vision, prickling sensations, and dizziness (which is not rotational).

Other symptoms may be related to muscular tension. In the scalp this may be experienced as aching or stiffness, especially in the back and shoulders. The hands may tremble so that delicate movements are impaired.

In anxiety neuroses sleep is disturbed in a characteristic way. On going to bed, the patient lies awake worrying; when at last he falls asleep, he wakes intermittently. He often reports unpleasant dreams.

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Patients with the autoimmune disease SLE illustrate the sort of symptoms that can be produced when immune complexes are deposited in the blood vessels. Among other things, they suffer from skin rashes, painful joints, and damage to the kidneys and lungs.

All these symptoms are produced by the deposited immune complexes causing inflammation in tiny blood vessels known as capillaries. In the case of the joints, the capillaries supplying blood to the joints become inflamed and this causes pain.

In the kidneys, immune complexes can become deposited around the delicate membranes that do the important job of filtering the blood. Their task is to remove excess salts and certain toxic compounds from the blood so that they can be flushed out of the body in the urine. Proteins in the blood are not normally allowed to escape into the urine, but when there is damage to die structure of the kidney, then this can occur. Because the body’s much-needed proteins are being lost in the urine the general state of health will eventually deteriorate, especially in children, who need protein for growth. The failure of the kidneys also means that excess water is retained, so there is puffiness in various parts of the body (oedema).

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Many people have questioned the cost of royal jelly, since there is no uniformity of price. In the United States it can cost five, six or even ten times as much as it does in Europe, but the price tags on European products can also vary considerably. It is unfortunate that such products are not always honestly priced and, as a consequence, a good natural remedy can become discredited.

Our own Gelee Royale is marketed in 10 g (0.353 oz) jars and this quantity gives about a month’s treatment. It is also available in the form of ampoules, called Apiforce.

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At this point the doctors had given up all hope of curing her. The wound would not heal and constantly exuded pus. After nine weeks the patient asked to return home from the hospital and her family and relatives continued treating her with much care and devotion. Every ten minutes the dressing on the wound had to be changed and a special ointment applied. But despite all this kind attention the pain could not be relieved.

An acquaintance of hers who had read of cabbage poultices in my monthly magazine Health News (Gesundheits-Nachrichten) recommended this treatment and – lo and behold – within four days of trying it, the pus was discharging freely and the terrible pain receded. In spite of suffering from chronic constipation and headaches resulting from it, the patient felt much better and was delighted to be on the mend after a year and a half of illness. It is hard to believe that cabbage can achieve such success, but if this patient had not taken advantage of the treatment her condition would probably have greatly deteriorated instead of improving as it did.

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