Talent Mash

Pain is something that most of us dread, but pain often serves a useful purpose: it tells us that something is wrong and that we need to do something about it. So, that toothache or pain in the back should not be ignored. Unfortunately painkillers mask pain rather than treating it taking a pain killer is often like shooting a messenger bearing bad tidings. So what can you do if you have pain?

Sometimes the choice is obvious: if you have toothache, you need to visit a dentist. Sometimes it’s less clear. What do you do if you have backache? There are several different choices, including visiting an osteopath, a chiropractor, a sports therapist or an Alexander technique teacher. Sometimes specific exercises will do the trick. Have a look at the books by Pete Egoscue for simple easy exercises you can do to help alleviate chronic pain.

Sometimes chronic pain responds well to a change in diet. Some people with arthritis find that reducing their meat intake and/or sugar and white flour intake works well. Some pain is caused by allergy problems, so check this out with a kinesiologist. A recent study on irritable bowel syndrome has shown that many sufferers are allergic to foods, such as yeast (in bread, alcohol, etc.), wheat, peas, cashew nuts, almonds, barley, beef and soya. Migraine sufferers often do well if they exclude certain trigger foods, such as chocolate, cheese, red wine and citrus fruit.

Drinking lots of water can help. So can eating lots of fruit and vegetables. These are rich in antioxidants, which help keep the joints lubricated and so prevent stiffness. Many people swear by fish oil supplements, or glucosamine sulphate to keep them fit and supple into old age.

People who don’t suffer from eczema or psoriasis probably think of it as irritating, but do not realise how painful it can be as well. As the skin cracks and bleeds it can be excruciatingly painful – when I had eczema as a teenager the pain often reduced me to tears. Recently I have become very excited about a relatively new product called Fruit Force (www.fruitforce.co.uk or 0116 260 2963). It comes as capsules or cream and contains salvestrols. Salvestrols are natural chemicals produced by plants to counteract fungal infection. Unfortunately if you buy non-organic fruit it is unlikely to have a high level of salvestrols – non-organic fruit is often sprayed with fungicides and so the fruit does not need to produce its own natural fungicide. From my own experience and talking to other practitioners this product works well for many people with eczema or psoriasis. I suggest you smear a small amount of the cream on the affected skin three times a day and also take one capsule a day.

Whatever you do, don’t just put up with pain. Have a look at all the possibilities, not just painkillers.

First, The Causes:

The exact cause of eczema is unknown; however, allergy seems to play a large part in most instances. Foods that cause eczema most frequently are eggs, wheat cereals, milk, and certain fruits, especially citrus fruits. Lack of sunshine, fresh air and constipation may be contributing causes.

The Symptoms:

Eczema may occur at any age, but is most frequently seen in infants. It is most common and severe on the face, but also occurs on other parts of the body. It causes severe itching, burning, and stinging of the skin.

Sometimes it begins in the form of small pimples that develop into larger blisters filled with water. Usually the skin dries up and forms little scales that itch intensely.

There are two kinds of eczema, dry and moist (weeping) eczema. Both forms are usually worse during the winter months. The following treatment is beneficial for either type of eczema.

The Natural Treatment:

Select alkaline foods. The bowels must be made to move regularly, one to three times a day [Alkaline foods like fruit and herbal laxatives will do this]. Do not use soap and water for cleansing the skin; instead, use a weak boric acid solution. Using a salt solution of one teaspoonful to a quart of water is also helpful.

When eczema occurs in infants, gentle restraint of the hands must be used to prevent scratching of the lesions, which may result in infection. When an infant has eczema, he should not be vaccinated for smallpox, nor should he associate with other infants of children who have been recently vaccinated.

Medicinal Herbs

Dandelion:

It’s a great remedy for eczema and other skin diseases.

“Side Effects”

The natural nutritive salts in dandelion purify the blood and help neutralize acids in the blood.

Balmony:

It’s an herb that cleanses the skin whether from boils, ulcers, or wounds. It’s good for sores and eczema.

“Side Effects”

It’s very good for your whole digestive system; strengthens the stomach.

Beech:

It’s an antiseptic and will make old sores clean and heal them if bathed often.

“Side Effects”

It restores strength to the whole system and restores normal tone. It’s good to take once in a while even if you don’t need it as medicine.

Question:

My son, 42, has been under a lot of stress and has collapsed twice. Recently he picked up a virus from his wife, who had a cold sore. His gums swelled and the inside of his mouth cracked. His food had to be liquidised. Can you suggest anything?

Answer:

Last August I was trekking just west of Tibet with a group of patients. It was strenuous but thoroughly enjoyable. Just after finishing the trek, three of us broke out in had cold sores, with symptoms of blisters, pain and extreme soreness to the touch and when brushing our teeth. Eating and drinking were difficult.

I didn’t have any antiviral or other remedies to apply, as I hadn’t expected this to happen, and we were four days away from the nearest chemist. So we went through the entire ordeal and let the sores heal themselves, with just extra vitamins and minerals (Dr Ali’s Multivitamin and Mineral, plus hot compresses (cotton wool doused in hot salty water) in the evenings.

The cold sores are caused by herpes simplex viruses (HSV), which can enter the skin or oral mucosa (lining of the mouth) through an abrasion. The virus begins to multiply in the dermis and epidermis (layers of tissue just under the skin’s surface), then spreads to the nerve roots and travels along to the cluster of nerve cells, called the ganglia. The viral cells love h here and start to multiply in earnest” so the colony spreads down other roots on is way back to the skin. This is how new blisters appear in the neighbourhood of the original site of infection.

The HSV can lie dormant in the nerve tissue for years, causing no symptoms until h is activated again if the person’s immune system is weak and run down due to mental, emotional or physical stress. Cold weather can also provoke sores, as extreme cold also puts a strain on the body because it has to generate a lot of heat and energy.

Although an antiviral drug such as Zovirax can be useful, it is always advisable to help your body’s own healing power to combat a viral invasion. The following tips should help your son overcome the current problem, but if anyone is prone to cold sores, prevention must always be the best policy.

Diet

Eat plenty of fruit (non-citrus) and vegetables, preferably organic, as raw food helps to nourish the body. Drink freshly made carrot, apple, celery and ginger juice. Avoid alcohol, coffee and yeast products, which tend to run you down.

Remedies

Take one teaspoonful of Amla Sada daily for one month: this paste is made of an Asian fruit called amla containing the highest concentration of vitamin C in any fruit. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which absorbs the damaging oxygen-free radical molecules involved in oxidative stress (thus antioxidant), and helps support the immune system.

As soon as the blisters appear:

Apply a topical antiviral cream such as Zovirax. Also rub on Skin Oil, blend of natural oils with antiviral and antibacterial properties. Rub a drop of the oil gently on the blisters with your index finger twice a day, until the oil is absorbed. Continue even when the blister ruptures. If the blisters are too painful to touch, apply a drop of neat clove oil (widely available) to each, during the day and at bedtime.

Take Khamira Gawzaban Ambari, 1/2 teaspoonful daily for 15 days. This old ayurvedic formulation contains natural products that help to boost the body’s defence system and provide energy, which will help

your son in particular.

Massage

Your son should also try to have a neck and shoulder massage, once or twice a week for six weeks. The fatigue may have restricted blood flow to the brain, which could be the reason he collapsed. Improved blood flow to the brain will help to energise him.

Are Your Allergies Seriously Affecting Your Life? It’s Time to Seek out Some Sort of Allergy Treatment

Having allergies can affect your life for the worst. Having migraines, stomach aches, sneezing, and coughing, constantly, can affect not only one’s professional life, but one’s personal life as well.

People with allergies sometimes just feel plain miserable. The main reason being, they don’t know what their allergy is and therefore; they don’t know what to do for it.

How do these people find an allergy treatment?

An allergist can find what you are allergic to by way of testing. Thus, he/she can find out what your allergy is and what treatment might best combat your allergy symptoms.

An Allergist Has the Answers

Being allergic to something can be difficult as you are trying to find out exactly what you are allergic to.

If you constantly have a reaction after breakfast, and you drink orange juice every morning, then you may be allergic to citrus. Only your allergist will know for sure what your allergy is. Your allergist can do several tests on you by injecting your skin with several substances. When red or inflamed skin results, then an allergy is present.

This is the best way for you to find out exactly what you are allergic to and then begin a regime of treatments suggested by your allergist to help you.

Allergy treatments will vary depending on your allergy. Your allergist is familiar with various methods of treatments, which include both over the counter and prescription strength. Hopefully, these might alleviate your symptoms completely, or lessen them so you will lead a normal life soon.

Broke and don’t have the money for an allergist? There is always the use of the Internet. By conducting some research, you should be able to find out more about your allergies and the symptoms. This knowledge will help you to know if you can find something that you will take to better yourself. A word of Caution: Be sure to consult your doctor before beginning any new treatments. Your life is worthy of living well.

Are you suffering from congestion, sinus pressure, or watery and itchy eyes? If so, you’re not alone. Many of my clients, friends, and colleagues have been suffering from allergies recently, so I thought I would share some remedies for easing your symptoms.

Nettle

Nettle is an herb that has antihistamine and anti-inflammatory effects. Taking

Food-related conditions have increased in number nowadays. There are several syndromes that our grandparents did not know of and IBS is one of them. Though there are many theories about its causes, food seems to be the main ‘culprit’. A diet high in processed foods, fats, refined carbohydrates and containing chemical additives and preservatives is one of the primary causes of IBS. That is why half a century ago, when people used to have more healthy eating habits, this syndrome was still unknown.

The symptoms of IBS can be very annoying: abdominal pain and cramps combined with constipation or diarrhoea, as the case may be, gas, bloating and many more. Imagine the discomfort that such symptoms bring and the extent to which they can change the life of an individual. No one can live with a chronic condition like this and fortunately no one has to. Though there are no clearly definable causes of IBS and everything depends on a series of factors that may or may not trigger this condition, it is obvious that food plays an important part in all this. Thus it seems logical to cure the condition by changing our eating habits.

You must know which food is good for you and which food disagrees with you. You all learn from experience so by the time this syndrome prepares to settle in, you will have acquired enough knowledge of your own digestive system (IBS is more common with adults than it is with children and teenagers) and will be able to fight against it by removing the ‘dangerous’ foods from your daily diet.

‘Diet is the foundation of health’, they say. This is true but rather frustrating as many people find it hard to give up certain foods they enjoy eating even when they are strongly advised to do so by doctors and nutritionists. Yet, an appropriate diet is the only possible cure for IBS and a very convenient one – no antibiotics with annoying side-effects, no injections, only a careful choice of foods that are meant to re-establish the natural course of your digestion.

Wheat, dairy products, sugar and artificial sweeteners, coffee, fizzy drinks, chocolate, citrus fruits are some of the dietary elements that cause IBS problems in most people. Red meat, fat and fried food may also favor this syndrome. By studying the way you feel after eating or drinking one of the above you will find exactly which one to avoid. Any food has the potential to cause food allergies which are likely to trigger IBS and several other disease conditions. If an allergy is the cause of IBS, the first thing you should do is cure the allergy.

Besides food, there are some other possible causes of IBS such as Candida and stress. Anti-fungal medication will cure the former while relaxation techniques will help you get rid of the latter. Along with a proper diet, regular exercise such as walking will not only help the bowel function better but also relieve stress. Medication is sometimes prescribed for severe constipation and diarrhea but such drugs should be avoided as they may bring undesirable side effects.