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Hepatitis C made simple

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

Introduction

The Hepatitis C virus was identified in 1989. It is a viral agent. It is associated with both acute and chronic liver disease. In many cases people infected with Hepatitis C may not become ill. However, some people develop jaundice. When liver inflammation persists for longer than 6 months the illness is called chronic Hepatitis C. Symptoms tend to occur in cycles, you may have periods when you feel fine and then go through weeks when you feel absolutely exhausted.

Common Symptoms

1. Fatigue
This is the most common symptom reported by persons living with Hepatitis C. It ranges from mild to debilitating fatigue. it is important to state that the severity of fatigue is not related to the severity of the illness. The temptation on days when you don’t feel tired is to make up for lost time. Overdoing things and forcing yourself is not a good idea.

2. Pains and Aches
Many persons with Hepatitis C feel a variety of aches and pains. Chronic pain is itself a great stress.

3. Depression
Stressful life events like a diagnosis of Hepatitis C make life very difficult. Some people cope and find ways to get through the shock but others find it difficult to cope with and this can lead to depression.  this should not be ignored as it can take a terrible toll on a person and everyone else in the family. It is important to talk to your children and explain how you feel and reassure them that you are not angry with them.

Living with Hepatitis C changes your life and persons needs vary greatly. Information and education are vital to help you understand the illness and improve your quality of life. Counselling services can provide both practical and emotional support.

Steps to coping with Hepatitis C

1. Understand your history
It is helpful to get your own medical history straight. Understanding medical terms and test results can be confusing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more you understand your condition the more you will feel in control.

2. Respect your emotions
It is not easy living with Hepatitis C. Anger, sadness and fear drain our energy. We need to find appropriate outlets for these feelings.

3. Learn to listen to your body
Pay attention when you feel tired.  Don’t push yourself through the tiredness. Rest as often as you need without feeling guilty.

4. Get help
The psychological dimensions of coping with Hepatitis C is now well recognised. Set aside time to talk to a skilled counsellor. These sessions will help you take stock and focus on your needs. You will learn how to talk openly and honestly, instead of storing up your worries.

5. Gather information
Significant progress in the understanding and treatments of Hepatitis C has been made over the years.  Keep yourself informed of developments. It will help you feel hopeful and in control.

6. Stay involved in your life
Don’t let Hepatitis C define who you are. Don’t let it engulf your life. Learn to relax. There are many good books, tapes and courses available. Pace yourself. Don’t overdo things. Avail of the support services, involve your family and friends, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

For more Information click here

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The power of juicing

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

The Power of Juicing by Tatia Nelson M.H., Iridologist – Utah

Celery juice or pain killers?  If asked this question today, Al Godsey would say, “I’ll take the celery juice any day!”  For a man who was once crippled with severe and painful arthritis, his story is one we can all learn from. The year was 1959 aboard the USS Ticonderoga, Al was a Navy Structural Mechanic who could hardly walk after 13 months on the ship, due to pain and deformities in his feet.  He was moved to the Oakland Navel Hospital in California for medical care where he was diagnosed with a debilitating case of arthritis.  In just over a year of service,  his athletic running feet had developed heel spurs, an extreme high instep and “hammer toes”.  The bone spurs felt like knives cutting into the flesh of his heels causing bad enough pain that he was confined to bed rest for three weeks.

One day, while gazing out the hospital window, he felt a strong impression that changing his diet would heal him.  When he asked his doctor about nutrition, the young lieutenant, fresh out of medical school, quickly rejected the idea that a diet change could help.  Surgery was advised, but other patients who opted for surgeries said their condition never improved and their doctors “just kept cutting” with no results.  Opting out of surgery, he took a prescription for pain of 5 aspirin, 4 times daily.  With pain numbed, he moved to a wheel chair, then crutches, and finally used only a cane, but his condition never got better, just manageable with pain killers.  After a couple of months in the hospital, his time of service was up, so he went home, still walking with a cane.

At home, Al took a 180 degree turn with his diet and his healing process finally began.  He ditched the aspirin and turned to whole foods.  He switched to whole grains and cut out white sugar, white flour, and other processed foods.  He ate at least three pounds of green and yellow fruits and vegetables daily.  For protein he enjoyed nuts and seeds and if he ate meat, it was very sparing.  No pork was consumed and meat choices were very lean, fish being a favorite.  For probiotics, he consumed fresh, homemade yoghurt or bought it with live cultures at the health food store. He read books by alternative doctors to find ways to improve his health.  Many wrote about juicing live foods for health.  So, he got a juicer and began juicing daily.  His favorite juice combinations included: Carrot, celery & apple, apple & parsley, apple & beet, and other mixtures including lots of alfalfa sprouts, watercress, wheat grass, spinach, etc.  Al first experienced a dramatic change in his health after a juice fast consisting of a quart or more of juice a day for 6 weeks.  Celery juice offered the most pain relief, so most of his recipes consisted of 1/3 to 1/2 celery.

Within a couple more months, he stopped using a cane, and his bone spurs were gone.  He was once again running the full track of 2.7 miles around Green Lake near his home in Seattle, pain free! Al is my father, and now at the age of 73… he is still juicing!  He bottle fed me fresh juices and taught our large family to juice daily.  My dad is most grateful for celery juice, because after 52 years, the pain in his feet has never come back!

Tatia Nelson is a certified Iridologist and a Master Herbalist – graduate of The School of Natural Healing. Tatia currently consults in Utah, teaches in the community, and writes for local health food stores.


Visit www.herballegacy.com for more information

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Meadowsweet herb made in Cabra & Finglas!

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Its 3 years now since I started to study herbal medicine and each year I find a new herb growing locally in the Finglas Cabra area to focus on.  This year my interest is in meadowsweet.  Once you recognize it, you will notice it every where, but particularly along the canal or along the banks of the Tolko valley.  Its leaves look like nettle, but with out the sting.  It has a beautiful white flower, that looks like sheep’s wool floating on grass after the sheep have had to make a quick escape!

I have already made a meadowsweet tincture and soon I will have a meadowsweet medicated oil, ideal for anyone with pain associated with rheumatism.  I will probably add some bees wax and make an ointment as well.  Not bad for what most of us think are just weeds justifiably sprayed by the Dublin City Council’s highly paid contractors who were recently spotted in the Tolko valley spraying toxic poisons into our environment.  Killing the very plants we need to heal our grannies who god forbid will otherwise end up in hospitals where they will be exposed to more toxins, that is if they don’t end up dying in the hallways filled with trollies.  Its no joke, just ask Emer Ward our project worker who ended up there recently, and witnessed this horror first hand. So get to know this local herb, learn how to use it as a preventative medicine.

Tom O Brien PhD manager of Sankalpa and student of herbal medicine!

The following article was taken from Mountain Rose Herbs

Introduction

Sometimes referred to nature’s aspirin, meadowsweet is one of the most common herbs, growing wild throughout Europe and Asia, and naturalized to grow throughout North America’s Eastern coast. It was one of the three sacred herbs renowned by Druids, along with vervain and water-mint. Its historical medicinal uses are confirmed enough that it is licensed as a standard medicinal tea in Germany by the German E Commission, which wrote that it is used as a supportive ingredient for fever and common colds, and appears as an ingredient in herbal preparations for treating influenza, rheumatism and kidney and bladder complaints. Nicholas Culpepper wrote in 1652 that meadowsweet “helps in the speedy recovery from cholic disorders and removes the instability and constant change in the stomach.”

Constituents
salicin, polyphenolic tannins, especially rugosin-D; 0.5-1.0% flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol derivatives; phenolic glycosides, mostly spiraein and monotropitin, the primeverosides of salicylaldehyde and methyl salicylate, also isosalicin, a glucoside of salicyl alcohol; volatile oil, mainly; mucilage; and ascorbic acid

Parts Used
Leaves and aerial parts for medicine, and usually the flowers for flavoring

Typical Preparations
In tea infusions, as a capsule or extract and sometimes included in food. The flowers are used as a natural sweetener for teas, foods and other beverages.

Summary
Meadowsweet has a long tradition of use in folk medicine as a treatment for coughs and colds. Its astringent and demulcent properties have been borne out by research, and the German government recognizes meadowsweet tea as a treatment for colds and coughs. Meadowsweet contains salicylic acid, the main constituent in aspirin, and has its analgesic and fever-reducing properties. Meadowsweet is also traditionally used to relieve pain associated with rheumatism, menstrual cramps, headache, arthritis and low grad fever. It also seems to be effective against bacteria that causes diarrhea and may inhibit blood clotting.

Precautions
Since meadowsweet contains small amounts of salicilate, it should not be used by people with a sensitivity to aspirin or similar products. For the same reason, it should not be used by children under the age of sixteen with high fevers, particularly if the cause may be viral, because of the rare but very real risk of Reyes syndrome. It is not recommended for use by those taking blood thinning medications.

Posted in Herbal Medicine, Nutrition | No Comments »

Stop the Spread!

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

A new campaign against obesity was launched this week by Safefood called Stop The Spread.

6000 people in Ireland die each year as a result of obesity.

Because the average size and weight of people has increased in Ireland, when we look around us and compare ourselves to ‘normal’ people, we are actually comparing ourselves to people who are overweight. That means it is easier for us to be fooled into thinking our weights are healthy, because they are ‘normal’. If 2 out of 3 people are overweight, chances are we look ok compared to most other people. If we compared ourselves only to people who are a healthy weight we might feel differently.

Body Mass Index and Body Fat Ratios can be tricky to measure, and might not always tell the full story. This new campaign is making things very simple for us. A woman whose waist measures more than 32 inches is overweight. A man whose waist measures more than 37 inches is overweight. Simple! (and no, it’s not the size written on your favourite jeans, you have to get out the measuring tape to check)

Reducing your weight to a healthy level can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, back, hip and knee problems, and can even protect your kids against future obesity. Check out www.safefood.eu and check out your own waistline – stop the spread!

www.safefood.eu

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Processed Food Likely To Cause Depression

Monday, March 28th, 2011

According to a recent study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009), people with a high consumption of processed foods could be more likely to experience depression in middle age.

The team led by Archana Singh-Manoux, identified two dietary patterns. Those with the highest intake of whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and fish, were less likely to report depression symptoms later on. Those eating a lot of processed meat, chocolate, sweetened desserts, fried foods, refined cereals and high fat dairy, on the other hand, were seen to be more vulnerable to depression.

Read the study.


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Study shows Fish Oil may prevent psychosis and schizophrenia

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Fish oil pills may be able to spare some young people with signs of mental illness from a progression into fully developed schizophrenia, according to a preliminary study of 81 patients in Austria.

The study adds to evidence suggesting that severe mental illness may be prevented with intervention. The researchers are starting a larger study in eight cities, hoping to replicate the findings, which appear in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, released Monday.

A severe mental illness, schizophrenia affects adolescents and young adults. Some 2.4 million Americans have the disorder, which is treated with antipsychotic medication.

“Schizophrenia is among the most mysterious and costliest diseases in terms of human suffering, so anything that gives some hope to avoid this is great,” said lead author Dr. G. Paul Amminger, formerly in Vienna and now at the Orygen Youth Health Research Center at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Researchers have wondered if the disease could be stopped before it overpowers a person’s grip on reality. Studies have tried antipsychotics in select young people, but side effects pose ethical questions, and results have been mixed.

Researchers in the new study identified 81 people, ages 13 to 25, with warning signs of psychosis, including sleeping much more or less than usual, growing suspicious of others, believing someone is putting thoughts in their head or believing they have magical powers. Forty-one were randomly assigned to take four fish oil pills a day for three months. The other patients took dummy pills.

After a year of monitoring, 2 of the 41 patients in the fish oil group, or about 5%, had become psychotic, or completely out of touch with reality. In the placebo group, 11 of 40 became psychotic, about 28%.

No one knows what causes schizophrenia but one hypothesis is that people with the disease don’t process fatty acids correctly, leading to damaged brain cells. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil could help brain cells repair and stabilize, the researchers speculate.

Dr. Janet Wozniak of Harvard Medical School said the findings might reasonably cause psychiatrists to recommend fish oil to some patients because there are known benefits and little risk.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press

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Apple Cider Vinegar

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Apple Cider Vinegar is an amazing food. It has been used historically through the centuries. In early Assyrian medical texts it was referred to for treatments. In 400 B.C. the “Father of Medicine” Hippocrates used vinegar to treat his patients because of its wonderful antiseptic and antibiotic properties which scientists have rediscovered today. In the Bible it is mentioned to heal infectious wounds and sores. During the bubonic plague of Europe some enterprising thieves used a tincture of apple cider vinegar and garlic to protect themselves from infection of the ravaging disease as they robbed the bodies of the dead. It saved thousands of lives during the U. S. Civil War being used as a disinfectant on the injuries of the wounded. Apple cider vinegar is a powerhouse of vitamins, mineral, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. It has little fat and sodium. It is high in potassium helping to re-establish a healthy digestive tract.  It is a wonderful super food promoting growth of healthy micro flora in the body which is essential to heart health and proper immune function. Apple cider vinegar is high in pectin which lowers blood pressure. It lowers the bad cholesterol and increases the good cholesterol helping the body to function correctly.  Today there are many new studies showing the wonderful nutritional benefits and healing that can occur through making apple cider vinegar part of your diet.

Apple cider vinegar maintains the acid alkaline balance of the body. I have a family member that had be dealing with indigestion problems, and by adding just one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to her diet each morning she has eliminated this problem. Many suffers of acid reflux have been relieved. Digestion and assimilation of healthy foods is critical for proper functioning of the body, especially with gout and other digestive issues. Apple cider vinegar helps the body do what is was designed to do. In addition to all these benefits apple cider vinegar has been shown to aid in the following: weight loss (gradual but tends to be permanent), arthritis, warts and plantar warts (even long standing) and many more. When shopping for apple cider vinegar look for the following:

  • Raw
  • Unfiltered
  • Unpasteurized
  • Organic

for more information see:

http://www.herballegacy.com/

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Beetroot seed cake

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Beetroot cake is the hero of vegetable-based cakes – moist, tasty and full of goodness. Nigel Slater shows you how.

Ingredients

  • butter or oil, for greasing
  • 225g/8oz self-raising flour
  • half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • a level teaspoon baking powder
  • half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 180ml/6¼fl oz sunflower oil
  • 225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs, separated
  • 150g/5oz raw beetroot, peeled
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 75g/3oz sultanas or raisins
  • 75g/3oz mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin and linseed)

For the icing

  • 8 tablespoons icing sugar
  • a little lemon juice or orange blossom water
  • poppy seeds, to garnish

Preparation method

  1. Preheat the oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease a rectangular loaf tin (20cm x 9cm x 7cm/8in x 4in x 3in), then line the base with baking parchment.
  2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
  3. Beat the oil and sugar in a food mixer until well combined, then introduce the egg yolks one by one, mixing after you add each egg yolk. Grate the beetroot coarsely and fold it into the egg mixture, then add the lemon juice, sultanas (or raisins) and the assorted seeds. Pulse until combined.
  4. Fold the flour and raising agents into the egg mixture whilst the machine is on a slow setting.
  5. Beat the egg whites until light and almost stiff. Fold gently but thoroughly into the cake mixture, using a large metal spoon (a wooden one will knock the air out). Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, covering the top with a piece of foil after thirty minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness. The cake should be moist inside but not sticky. Leave the cake to settle for a good twenty minutes before turning out of its tin onto a wire cooling rack.
  6. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough lemon juice or orange blossom water to achieve a consistency where the icing will run over the top of the cake and drizzle slowly down the sides (about three teaspoonfuls), stirring to remove any lumps. Drizzle it over the cake and scatter with the poppy seeds. Leave to set before eating.

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Foods that support good liver functioning!

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Foods that are healthy for the liver fall into two main categories.First are those that promote the detoxification process of the liver. And second, are those that are high in antioxidants and therefore protect the liver while it’s carrying out its detoxification processes. Below are a list of the top eight foods that are considered to be good for your liver.Garlic and onions.Garlic contains allicin which is a sulphur-based compound needed by the liver for effective detoxification. Garlic helps the liver rid the body of mercury, certain food additives and the hormone oestrogen.Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage).These vegetables are very powerful detoxifiers of the liver. They contain chemicals that neutralise certain toxins such as nitrosamines found in cigarette smoke and aflotoxin found in peanuts. They also contain glucosinolates that help the liver to produce enzymes it needs for its detoxification processes.Freshly squeezed lemon in hot water.Drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice in a cup of boiled water first thing in the morning helps to cleanse the liver and promote detoxification. It also stimulates bile production, cleanses the stomach and bowel and stimulates a bowel motion.Beetroot (Beets).It’s a blood-purifying tonic that is also capable of absorbing heavy metals.High-antioxidant fruits.In a study done by the US Department of Agriculture at Tuffs University, it was found that the following list of fruits had the highest levels of antioxidants (in descending order): Prunes, raisons, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, pink grapefruit, cantaloupe, apples and pears. Antioxidants help to protect the liver from the high levels of free radicals that are naturally produced during the process of detoxification.Apples.Apples contain pectin that bind to heavy metals in the body (in particular in the colon) and help their excretion. This reduces the load on the liver and its detoxification capacities.Artichoke.Increases bile production. One of the jobs of bile is to remove toxins through the bowel, as well as ‘unfriendly’ micro-organisms. It has been suggested that 30 minutes after eating globe artichoke, bile flow is increased by over 100%.Bitter leafy salad greens (dandelion, chicory, endive, rocket).The bitterness of these foods helps to stimulate bile flow within the liver.

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Natural Therapies for your Liver!

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Milk Thistle

This herb has been known as a traditional liver tonic for centuries and several hundred scientific research papers have been produced on its liver-healing properties (Flora, K et al. 1998, Milk thistle for the therapy of liver disease. Amer J Gastroenterol).

Milk Thistle is also known as Silybum marianum or St. Mary’s thistle.  Milk Thistle has liver-protective, liver regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidants properties. 

Milk Thistle can be used with benefit of the following conditions:

  • Chronic hepatitis
  • Cirrhosis
  • Liver damage from many causes
  • Bile stagnation (cholestasis)
  • Alcohol and chemically induced fatty liver

Clincial and laboratory studies and tissue examinations, both in humans and animals,  have found Milk Thistle to have beneficial effects in treating all of the above.

In 1969 the renowned phalloidine experimetn was carried out by the researchers Vogel and Temme.  During this test, Milk Thistle was proven to be liver-protective.  Phalloidine is extremely toxic to the liver.  Milk Thistle can block its toxic effects, which indicates that it has powerful liver-protective capability.

Not only is this remarkable herb liver-protective, it has also been found to help liver cells (hepatocytes) repair and regenerate themselves, after they have been damaged.  Milk Thistle contains, a flavone, which protects some of the intracellular components of liver cells (mitochondria and microsomes) from lipid peroxidation; this protective effect upon the liver is much more powerful thatn that of vitamin E.

The powerful detoxifcation enzymes in the liver that break down drugs and toxic chemicals are called the cytochrome P450 enzymes.  These enzymes are improved by one of the components of Milk Thistle called silibinin or silymarin.

A three month study following 67 patients with chronic hepatitis, toxic liver damage and biliary inflammation found that Milk Thistel greatly helped their liver disease.

The same study found that patients wiht alcohoic cirrhosis had a significantly higher survival rate if treated with Milk Thistle.

Milk Thistle can be taken as the dried whole herb, or as an extract of silymarin, or as a componet of a liver tonic. 

For more information see Cabot (1996) The Liver Cleansing Diet.

Always contact a qualified Herbalist or talk to your local GP before taking any herbal or medical product.

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