Herbal Health

Since kelp is a seaweed some may wonder what this plant from the cool ocean has to do with the feeling of laziness or listlessness experienced by many people at the onset of spring. Well, many things in life are astonishing, not least the fact that this ocean plant can help to replenish the body’s deficiency of minerals and vitamins that causes this unwelcome and bothersome feeling.

Kelp, a species of seaweed from the Pacific Ocean, is rich in minerals and for this reason has been successfully used to reduce obesity and treat thyroid problems, as well as to combat ‘spring fever’. Its successful application for both purposes has been confirmed by an increasing number of people. Kelp is always at our service with its rich content of important trace elements and it is therefore the simplest, and possibly the best and least expensive, remedy to combat ‘spring fever’. The easiest way to go about it is to take one Kelpasan tablet after each meal. If you suffer from Graves’ disease (exophthalmic goitre) or hyperthyroidism, it is important to take kelp only in homoeopathic potency (lx-6x) because the effect of the remedy depends on the appropriate dilution being used.

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The type of person most likely to benefit from Natrum muriaticum can be described as follows: puffy face, with watery-looking skin; thin, in spite of having a good appetite; feels the cold acutely especially along the spine and back, as well as in the hands and feet; easily exhausted by mental and physical work; cannot stand the heat of the sun; inclined to headaches and migraines; easily agitated and upset. If one tries to comfort such people they become bad tempered or angry. Their bowels function badly and the stool is dry, hard and crumbly. In the case of women these symptoms are accentuated during and after their periods, which are always irregular. A typical aversion to bread can often be noted. There either seems to be a great yearning for salt or a definite aversion to it. Those who have a number of these characteristics will find Natrum muriaticum an excellent and quite harmless remedy.

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Researchers have been taking a keen interest in Echinacea, with the aim of isolating its medicinal properties. First they tried, without success, to find the substances that prevent the growth and development of pathogenic organisms, since it was thought that this is what happens.

It was much later, however, when they discovered that the effect of Echinacea is not attributable to some antibiotic property, but to its ability to reinforce the body’s own defence mechanism. Medical science began to realise then that here was a very remarkable plant indeed. After all, the immune system is one of the most important things in our body. Without its proper functioning, without a good defence mechanism, we could not survive. We are constantly subjected to the attacks of millions of germs. However, these agents can multiply and cause damage in the human body only if they find the breeding ground necessary for their survival and if the defence system is weak.

The immune system is weakened by our modern, unnatural way of life. It is therefore understandable that a herbal remedy such as Echinacea is gaining in stature.

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Mr H. came requesting vasectomy. He was a small businessman whose wife helped in the playgroup. Their children were older and starting secondary school. The doctor pictured his wife as an intensely earthbound mother putting continued efforts into child rearing and understanding the needs of parents and their desire to procreate. Mr H. spent most of his time at the shop.

The doctor asked him how he would feel about never being able to father a child again. He paused, quietened and said how he loathed the shop. He had hoped that his wife would put more hours in serving to let him do other things. No, he really did not want a vasectomy either, he was wondering about becoming a mature student and doing primary teaching. Neither member of this couple really wanted sterilization despite peer pressure.

One cannot assume that the marriage will benefit from vasectomy (Howard, 1979).

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To those who decide the time is right for the wanted baby, a pregnancy is achieved by the majority of couples within the first two years of trying to conceive. Modern contraception has encouraged people to feel in control of their lives so that when its use is discontinued, expectations of an ensuing pregnancy occurring immediately are very high. When one does not occur, the emotional anxieties begin to feature very largely in the daily agenda of the woman, and sometimes of the couple.

The most common single problem, accounting for a quarter of all infertility problems, is that of sperm defect or dysfunction. Nearly a half are caused by a mixture of female problems, another quarter by unexplained reasons, and finally 6% due to coital problems. These are useful figures to remember when trying to put infertility problems into perspective and form a balanced view of the cause, if any. However, they do not give any indication of the amount of emotional disturbance felt by the individuals involved. The feelings of failure, utter disbelief and sometimes denial that they are in this situation can be seen in such statements as, ‘We’re not ready for children yet’ or ‘We’re quite busy enough with our dogs at the moment’.

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Miss A. came to the family planning clinic accompanied by her fiance. She requested a pregnancy test which was positive. The couple came into the office beaming with pleasure. Miss A. had missed a few Pills but they really ‘couldn’t understand’ how she had fallen pregnant. However, they felt sure of parental support and would just hasten their wedding plans. This apparently unplanned pregnancy was obviously not unwanted. The doctor wondered how unplanned this pregnancy was but further discussion at this point seemed irrelevant. The couple wanted the doctor to share in their good news and point them in the direction of antenatal care.

Some very definitely planned pregnancies may turn out to be unwanted. This may be due to a change in circumstances such as deterioration in the relationship, bereavement or redundancy, making the woman feel unable to care for a child or change her objectives. Sometimes a woman may like the idea of becoming pregnant, but once faced with the prospect of having a baby in a few months, she makes a more realistic appraisal of her circumstances.

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Certainly, once inserted, the woman has nothing more to do. Few women even check for the threads of the coil, although all are taught to do so. Most women, after the first few months of anxiety – how can such a tiny thing be effective? Has it got lost? Will the bleeding ever stop? – seem to forget that the coil is there, between periods, anyway. Menstruation is frequendy heavy, sometimes painful, sometimes preceded and followed by spotting or a brown discharge. Surprisingly, most women are content to put up with this, it seems to be natural, acceptable. It is a price they are prepared to pay. Indeed, sometimes the heavy bleed is seen as a letting out of bad blood, and therefore a good thing. There are women who are grateful that the long menstruation provides an excellent excuse for avoiding intercourse. Other women may return for a check because of a particularly heavy bleed, but if all is well clinically, they go away cheerfully. It is as though the regular, heavy, monthly bleed is actually reassuring – proof that the coil is there, proof that it, and the women themselves, are working.

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Mrs A. did not believe in contraception, and although she said it was not because of her religion she said, ‘It’s just that you should have what God sends along and not interfere.’ She was in her late 20s and had nine children from 12 pregnancies. After each pregnancy the use of contraception was suggested by the midwife, health visitor or doctor. Each time the answer was the same, and given in such a way that the professionals felt almost like child killers for even mentioning contraception. Eventually Mrs A. reached breaking point with her tenth child and a difficult delivery. Tired and worn out, she attended the doctor’s surgery frequently for various ailments, both her own and those of her children. Finally, she managed to bring herself to ask for a sterilization. Fortunately, the doctor refrained form saying ‘I told you so’ and managed to expedite the operation in an understanding and friendly way.

This patient illustrates a well-known situation where the actual experience of childbirth and child rearing can change attitudes towards contraception. For Mrs A. there were further factors in her urge to have all the children she could have. She was the unwanted illegitimate child of a holiday romance and in her childhood she had been pushed around from pillar to post with no one to call her own. Her children were her bastion against the world, her own tribe as it were. Her sense that it was morally right to have what God sent fitted her unconscious inner need for a large family.

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Bronchodilators are used in the control of asthma by making the bronchial muscles relax. There are two types of drugs used as bronchodilators – beta-adrenoceptor agonists, and xanthine drugs.

Beta-adrenoceptor agonists can be given in aerosol, powder or tablets. They relax the muscles around the lung airways and are primarily used to relieve, not prevent, bronchospasm; they are sometimes taken before steroid inhalers to free the airways so that the steroids penetrate throughout the lungs. The effectiveness of an inhaled dose lasts for up to six hours. Slow-release tablets or syrup can be useful overnight. They may cause side effects, but usually only briefly if used in excessive doses; these include tremors, palpitations, and headaches. The beneficial effects of the drugs cease once use is stopped.

At present, it appears wiser to prevent asthma using avoidance, desensitisation and, if necessary, inhaled steroids so that relief medication of this kind is not required too frequently, as there is some evidence that prolonged regular use may increase the twitchiness of the airways. Some doctors prefer prevention of asthma to prescribing these drugs indefinitely.

The most commonly used types are as follows:

• Salbutamol: Ventolin, Ventodisks, Volmax, Cobutolin, Salbulin,

Salbuvent, Asmaven, Aerolin-Auto

• Terbutaline: Bricanyl, Monovent

• Fenoterol: Berotec

• Pirbuterol: Exirel

• Reproterol: Bronchodil

• Rimiterol:- Pulmadil

For people sensitive to excipients – other ingredients used in preparing the drug – the powder form of an inhaler is usually well tolerated.

One of the most important elements in the effectiveness of these drugs lies in operating the inhaler properly so that the right amount of drug reaches the affected parts. Many inhalers now have metered doses – in forms of turbohaler, diskhaler, or rotohaler.

It is particularly important for children to learn to operate an inhaler properly on their own. Many GPs now run asthma clinics and can advise. The National Asthma Campaign (address in CHARITIES) also offers advice and local support groups.

If a child has problems using an inhaler, bronchodilator drugs can be given as slow-release tablets or in syrups. If the child is highly sensitive to many things, however, a powder inhaler is probably the best alternative.

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There is a bewildering array of competing systems for water treatment, purification and filtration on the market. They vary greatly in price, running costs, performance and capability. It is very difficult to compare like with like. The main things you need to consider are:

• Purity

How pure do you need the resulting water to be?

• Initial Cost

How much do you want to pay to instal the system?

• Running Costs

How much will it cost to run it over its life?

• Coverage

What parts of your water system do you want to treat?

Do you need just drinking water and cooking water, or do you want

more coverage?

• Convenience

Do you want a plumbed-in system?

Do you want a system that requires frequent cartridge or membrane replacement?

Do you object to a low flow-rate of water?

• Taste

Do you mind a de-mineralised taste to your water? The main types of purification and filtration methods are:

• Reverse Osmosis

• Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF)

• Activated Carbon

• Distillation

• Softening

The way that these work and their principal benefits and drawbacks are explained below. The three methods which are useful for most chemically sensitive people’s needs are reverse osmosis, KDF and activated carbon. All of these provide cheaper water than using bottled water.

Systems can be plumbed in variously, either undersink to supply one tap, or end of tap or showerhead to supply that outlet. Free-standing, or jug versions are available for some methods. Some methods are only suitable in certain variants – if you want a whole system version, or nitrate-reducing method, you only have limited choices.

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