Posted on Apr 29, 2009 under Anti Depressants-Sleeping Aid |
When we have attained relaxation of our mind, we have already started on the way to regression. In regression we allow our mind to function in a simpler, more primitive fashion. The main features of this state of mind are that we are less alert and less critical. Regression of this nature is necessary to allow us to abandon our old faulty patterns of reaction, so that we can learn again new and better ways of reacting.
Remember that this regression of which we speak is quite a normal process. We all experience it in our moments of quiet reverie. At these times we let our mind wander, and are no longer concerned with our immediate surroundings. In other words we cease to be alert and critical, and our mind is working at a simpler and more primitive level of organization.
We continue our exercises, allowing ourselves to neglect what is going on around us. We let ourselves lose awareness of the things in the room where we are. We temporarily abandon our critical faculties. If a truck passes in the street, we hear the noise, we don’t think of it as being a heavily laden truck going past in the street; it is just a noise. This is what I mean by allowing ourselves to be uncritical.
We can now proceed with our exercises.
We feel the calm of it all through us.—We feel it in our body; we feel it in our mind.—The calm pervades us.—We let ourselves go.—We let go, and we drift.—We drift in the calm of it.
—Just letting ourselves go, we drift more and more.
This exercise is easy enough. It is merely a combination of two things which we have already achieved. We learned the letting-go feeling from the letting go of our muscles in relaxation. We have also learned to experience the feeling of calm in our mind as a continuation of the feeling of calm in our body. All we do now is combine these two. We let ourselves go in the calm. We do this, and we feel ourselves drifting in the calm that is all about us.
Like most of the different parts of the exercises, the drifting sensation does not usually come all at once in its complete form. Rather, at first, there are moments of drifting. Then it stops, and we allow ourselves to let go again, and the drifting returns.
When we achieve this drifting sensation, we have in fact regressed; in this state of mind we are no longer fully alert and critical as we are in our normal waking state.
We let ourselves go with it.—We let ourselves go more and more completely.—Each breath, we let ourselves go as we breathe out.—We let go our breath; we let go ourselves, more and still more completely.
This is the general outline of the procedure. Each individual will make modifications to suit the particular needs of his own personality, his particular symptoms and the particular circumstances in which he is situated. As I have already said, it is important to get into the routine of just presenting the various ideas to the mind. Do not think about the ideas in logical fashion, as this prevents regression.
*69\57\2*
Posted on Apr 29, 2009 under Arthritis |
The third rule of vital nutrition is that all foods should be eaten as fresh as possible. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw, not cooked, canned, or frozen. If cooking is necessary they should be cooked as little as possible, preferably steamed or cooked with little or no water. All broth, of course, should be used also.
Raw foods contain enzymes which are essential for the proper digestion and assimilation of food. Cooking destroys all the enzymes, 100 per cent. In addition, cooking destroys many of the vitamins. Vitamins B and C are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat. Minerals are depleted by cooking and are usually thrown away with the cooking water.
Freezing, canning, drying, salting, preserving, and prolonged storage are all more or less destructive to the nutritive quality of the food.
Contrary to popular notion, foods in their raw state are more easily digestible than in the cooked state. This is particularly true with fruits and most vegetables.
Furthermore, raw foods act as a cleansing agent of the digestive and eliminative systems and are the best preventive measures against constipation.
Dr. Robert Bell hit the nail on the head when he said, “Man is the only creature upon this earth who spoils his food before he eats it.” Cooked food is dead food. Only living foods can build healthy bodies.
According to famous nutritionist Dr. Royal Lee, D.D.S., arthritis in animals could be experimentally caused by feeding them cooked foods exclusively.
*26\176\2*
Posted on Apr 28, 2009 under Epilepsy |
Any patient’s response to treatment with anti-epileptic drugs is based first on whether the seizures have reduced in frequency or stopped completely, and secondly whether there have been any side-effects. If a patient has good seizure control but unacceptable side-effects then the dose of the drug should be reduced slightly in the expectation that seizure control will continue, but the adverse effects become less prominent. If the patient has some, but not complete seizure control and no side-effects, then the dose is increased. Therefore, a patient is receiving the correct dose of the drug when the seizures have stopped and there are no side-effects. In the past, doctors used to emphasize the importance of blood tests to measure the amount of drug in the blood (called ‘therapeutic blood level monitoring’). This is because there is some relationship between the blood level of the drug and its therapeutic and toxic effects. That is to say, there are blood levels of anti-epileptic drugs below which therapeutic effects do not occur (the drug is unlikely to be effective), and above which no further benefit is achieved without causing toxicity. However, the ‘lowest’ and ‘highest’ levels in the blood are only approximate guidelines. For an individual patient the optimal or satisfactory blood level may lie outside these ranges. Up to 50 per cent of patients may be controlled with blood levels well below the lower limit of the range previously considered to be therapeutic, and up to 15-20 per cent of patients may be controlled with no side-effects with blood levels that are higher than the upper limit.
There are many factors which affect the blood levels of anti-epileptic drugs, including the chemical structure of the drug and how it is carried in the blood (usually attached to proteins); the age and sex of the patient; an individual’s metabolism of the drug (by either the kidney or liver, and whether there is any disease of these organs); and how regularly and reliably the drug is taken. Because of all these factors, the lack of a clear correlation between blood levels and effectiveness or toxicity, and the fact that a blood test may be distressing (particularly for children), doctors are now less inclined to monitor anti-epileptic drug blood levels. However, there are certain situations where measuring blood levels may be important, including:
* where there is the possibility of the patient not taking the drug as prescribed. This is one of the common reasons for poor seizure control. Measuring the blood level of the drug will go some way to confirm or exclude this possibility;
* if the patient presents in status epilepticus, that is, in a prolonged fit;
* if the patient has severe learning difficulties and is not able to tell the doctor of side-effects;
* if the patient is taking phenytoin, particularly with another anti-epileptic drug. This is because the metabolism of phenytoin is different from all other anti-epileptic drugs. A small change in dosage, either up or down, may respectively result in toxicity or loss of control of seizures.
* special situations, including pregnancy, or when there is a disorder of the kidney or liver. This is because these three situations may significantly affect how the drug is metabolized in the body.
*63\188\2*
Posted on Apr 28, 2009 under Arthritis |
Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disorder affecting the voluntarily controlled muscles. Weakness and rapid fatigue may range from mild to completely debilitating. It may even become life threatening. The muscles involving speech and swallowing may also be affected. It is believed to be caused by autoimmune problems that degrade or block acetylcholine receptors of muscular nerves. It is frequently associated with disturbances of thymus gland function. Removal of the gland is sometimes suggested, but may possibly be avoided by using CMO.
In order to recover her energy, the wife of one doctor needed to rest for an hour or more after just twenty to thirty minutes of very light activity. Her strength and stamina returned to just about normal after adding CMO to her conventional non-steroidal treatment. However, she did require small maintenance doses of CMO two or three times weekly to sustain her level of improvement.
The administration of CMO along with conventional medications should be carefully monitored by the primary care physician on the case. There are an ample number of
non-steroidal medications that may be used with CMO.
*79\142\2*
Posted on Apr 28, 2009 under General health |
Symptom: turning in of the toes
Home care:
Encourage your infant to sleep with the toes turned outward.
If so instructed by your doctor, massage the child’s feet to correct the toeing-in.
Precautions
- If your child sits on the floor a lot, encourage him or her to sit-cross-legged, not on his or her haunches.
- Note that most cases of pigeon toes correct themselves; however, if the child is toeing in after the age of three months, consult a doctor.
- Never allow a shoe salesperson to recommend orthopedic or corrective shoes for your child. The prescription must always be made by a qualified professional.
Toeing-in of the feet, particularly when standing and walking, is known as pigeon toes. After birth, the position and shape of the feet and legs reflect the position they held during the baby’s last weeks in the mother’s womb. By the age of three months, the child’s feet and legs should have assumed a normal shape.
Throughout infancy and early childhood, however, the position of the feet and legs can be influenced by the manner in which they are held while the child is sitting and lying down. If the child habitually sleeps face down with the toes directed inward, this position encourages the development of pigeon toes.
Pigeon toes also may result from a malformation of the foot (adductovarus deformity), of the lower leg (tibial torsion), or of the thigh bone (femoral torsion or femoral ante version). Depending on the severity of the malformation the child’s toes will point inward to a greater or lesser degree. A child who has a marked malformation will tend to trip over his or her feet until he or she learns to compensate for the condition.
*165/84/5*
Posted on Apr 23, 2009 under Diabetes |
Actrapid HM insulin (neutral insulin)
Actrapid acts quickly.
This is an unmodified human insulin. It is soluble insulin so it is a clear insulin solution. Actrapid works quickly – it may start its effect within half an hour, its strongest effect is from one to four hours but its activity fades after about six or seven hours.
Hypoglycemic reactions due to Actrapid tend to occur about one to five hours after the injection.
Velosulin insulin (neutral insulin)
Velosulin acts quickly.
Velosulin is an unmodified human insulin and is very similar to Actrapid. It is a soluble insulin so that it is a clear insulin solution.
Velosulin works quickly – it may start its effect within half an hour, its strongest effect is from one to four hours but activity fades after six to seven hours.
Hypoglycemic reactions due to Velosulin tend to occur from one to five hours after it is given.
Humulin R insulin (neutral insulin)
Humulin R acts quickly.
Humulin R is an unmodified human insulin and is very similar to Actrapid and Velosulin. It is a soluble insulin so that it is a clear insulin solution. It works quickly and may start its effect within half an hour, its strongest effect is from one to four hours, but its activity fades after about six or seven hours.
Hypoglycemic reactions due to Humulin R tend to occur about one to five hours after the injection.
*9/54/5*
Posted on Apr 23, 2009 under Women's Health |
The food we buy in the supermarket is produced by intensive methods of farming heavily dependent on the use of chemicals, and our government has little control over the levels of toxins it contains.
For instance, DDT is banned in the UK but it can enter our food chain through imported food. It is still detected in breast milk and is very hard to eliminate from the body.
In 1994, the British government found ‘unexpectedly high residues of actually toxic pesticides in some individual carrots’. And in some cases, the amount of pesticide was three times the government’s Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).
There are 3,900 brands of insecticide, herbicide and fungicide approved for use in the UK. Some fruit and vegetables are sprayed ten times with chemicals before they reach the supermarket shelves. And huge amounts of chemicals can be used after harvesting. For example, green tomatoes are exposed to ethylene gas to turn them red. And fruit is dosed with chemicals such as carbendazium and metalaxil to stop it rotting before it gets to the shop. It can also be waxed to ‘seal in’ the chemicals.
Pesticides are also used during livestock production. And meat production is heavily dependent on antibiotics to stop intensively reared animals getting diseased. This overuse of antibiotics could cause an increase in devastating human diseases like ÒÂ and meningitis which are now becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment.
Food poisoning bugs (like salmonella and Campylobacter), found in farm animals, are already becoming resistant to drug treatment. Penicillin use on UK farms has increased eight times in the last 30 years. In fact the amount of antibiotics used is higher than in human medicine.
The European Union has banned 19 antibiotics in animal feed because they are worried that the development of new drug-resistant super-bugs could kill humans. (Antibiotics pass through the animal’s digestive system, through the milk, which is sold on for us to drink or to be made into cheese, yogurt or butter.)
US beef has been banned by the European Union because growth hormones given to cows in the US to increase milk yields are thought to be linked to breast and prostate cancers.
Additives and preservatives in prepared and processed food are listed as E numbers on labels. But European wine-labelling regulations forbid the listing of ingredients on the bottle. Fish bladders, sulphur, egg white and gelatine (made from animal bones) are just some of the substances that are apparently added to wine. And grapes may have received up to 14 applications of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides before they are made into wine.
*62/73/5*
Posted on Apr 23, 2009 under General health |
What is it?
The inability to get to sleep or to get as much sleep as we think we should have. Many people troubled by insomnia believe they need more sleep than they actually do. This is especially true of the elderly, who are often immobile or take very little exercise, snooze on and off throughout the day, and then worry that they don’t sleep for eight hours at night as well.
Research has found that most people sleep too much and could manage just as well with far less. Certainly it is true that prolonged sleeplessness is harmful but it has also been found that most healthy adults could function perfectly adequately on four or five hours’ sleep.
There are many unhelpful myths about sleep that make people feel bad about perfectly ‘normal’ insomnia. Some imagine that they are being punished for some evil deed by not being able to sleep; others equate insomnia with madness; and from the perfectly reasonable notion that some ill people have difficulty sleeping many people jump to the conclusion that everyone who can’t sleep must be ill. Memories of childhood scolding also play a part with many people. They remember being told they were naughty for not being asleep, yet they probably didn’t need that much sleep then and certainly don’t now.
What causes it?
• Any illness, and especially a feverish one, or one that causes pain, will cause even the best sleeper to have difficulty sleeping.
• Drinking tea or coffee too close to retiring is a common cause. People forget just how potent a stimulant coffee is. Some people cannot sleep until 4a.m. after one cup of coffee at 7 o’clock the previous evening.
• Deficiencies of vitamins Â1 and B6 can cause insomnia, as can deficiencies of zinc, manganese, calcium and magnesium.
• Too big a meal just before retiring.
• In children sleep may be broken by night terrors, nightmares or sleepwalking-and, of course, some adults suffer from these too.
• Going to bed too soon after extreme mental or physical effort is a sure recipe for sleeplessness because the body is keyed up for action.
• Jetlag and time-zone changes.
• A bad bed.
• Depression. This is probably the most common cause of insomnia in adults. There is usually a depressed mood, a loss of weight and appetite, poor sex drive, irritability, tearfulness, poor concentration, poor memory, an inability to make decisions, and a general lack of vitality. Such people have difficulty falling asleep and then wake in the early hours (around 4 or 5 a.m.) and don’t go back to sleep.
• In some neurotic states the sufferer has difficulty getting off to sleep or wakes frequently with bad dreams and nightmares. Some people are in a perfectly normal psychological state yet are woken by bad dreams and nightmares as a result of eating certain foods. Red wine and cheese seem to be particularly potent in this respect, which is hardly surprising as they contain a vaso-active amine called tyramine.
• Sexual frustration is a not uncommon cause of insomnia. Most people say that they sleep better after intercourse or masturbation.
• Schizophrenics, especially young ones, often spend hours tramping round the house at night.
• Senile dementia can cause a reversal of the normal sleep pattern, with the old person sleeping all day and lying awake at night.
• Manic people are so active that they can’t find time to go to bed.
• Alcohol and drugs are important causes. The drinker who slumbers under the influence of drink may wake up with a full bladder, which, having been relieved, leaves him or her sleepless. Some alcoholics can’t sleep because of the direct toxic effect of the alcohol. A little alcohol helps induce sleep but large amounts can have the opposite effect. This is also true of barbiturates.
• Many people with severe heart disease don’t sleep well because they are breathless unless propped up with lots of pillows.
• Worry about day-to-day events and problems keeps many people awake but eventually they fall asleep and wake refreshed.
*185/72/5*
Posted on Apr 22, 2009 under Weight Loss |
Lack of progress frustrates everyone, including a therapist. Patients also come from many different family situations – divorced, single-parent families, married patients. Such circumstances call for modifications in the course of family therapy.
In family therapy we encounter resistance on two fronts: from the patient and from her relatives. While an anorexic might want to be rid of her illness, she nonetheless relishes the special feeling of power her starved state gives her. Parents might sense the need to “give up” their child, but if they believe their children are holding the marriage together, they will be reluctant to make any changes in their family structure. “Giving up” their child means they will have to confront – and correct – the problems in their own relationship. During therapy we show the family that sometimes the changes they see – more open discussion of feelings, and thus more emotional conflict – are actually signs of progress and should be welcomed rather than avoided.
With younger patients especially, parents may not admit the seriousness of the problem. They delude themselves into believing that their daughter’s self-control, her physical activity, or her devotion to schoolwork is all signs of superiority. They delay therapy, or see the doctor hoping to be told that everything is all right, that their daughter is truly a noble, self-disciplined individual.
Sometimes parents recognize the problem but believe they can handle it on their own. They feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness, or that therapy might expose their own defects that they’d rather not have to confront.
*106/35/5*
Posted on Apr 22, 2009 under Cancer |
Ginger Pumpkin Soup with Bok Choy
50 grams pumpkin, diced % onion, chopped
3 leaves Bok Choy
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
350 ml vegetable stock
Pepper
Rye bread
Peel and chop the pumpkin and onion. Shred the Bok Choy. Place the prepared vegetables in a saucepan with the vegetable stock, garlic and spices. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the pumpkin is cooked. Puree to a smooth consistency and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve hot with rye bread.
Hot and Sour Shitake Soup (Immune Booster)
1 litre vegetable stock Ginger, sliced
3 cm lemongrass
2 tablespoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt or herbamere
3 tsp kelp flakes
10 shitake mushrooms
150 grams cherry tomatoes
2 leeks, finely chopped
1 handful basil, chopped
In a large saucepan, bring the stock to the boil. Add lemongrass, tamari, apple juice concentrate and lemon juice. Simmer for 3 minutes. Adjust the taste by adding sea salt and kelp flakes. Bring the stock back to the boil and add shitake mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, leeks and basil. Stir well and garnish with fresh coriander.
Hearty Chicken Soup
You will need:
3 organic diced chicken breasts
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
1/4 cup parsley
1 handful buckwheat noodles
Bring chicken to the boil in a medium pot with water, bay leaf and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Leave on medium heat, add chopped vegetables, sage and thyme, and cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Then add parsley and uncooked noodles in the last 10 minutes.
*225/34/5*
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