By: Franchis Hussey

Common colds are caused by viruses, and are highly contagious. They are spread through coughing and sneezing, which, together with runny nose and sore throat, are the symptoms of the illness.Herbal medicines for cold and flu ailments do not directly attack the viruses. They exist to help boost your immune system since only your own body can help you fight off these problems. Your immune system is the key to fending off viruses, and keeping it in working order can be key to keeping yourself healthy and well. When you have a cold cold, indulge your desire for heating foods and herbs: Drink lots of hot spicy herbal teas with honey*, such as ginger tea, cinnamon tea, or any of the spicy “Yogi Tea” type blends. Nourish yourself with chicken soup, beef broth, miso soup. Enjoy baked winter squash, baked potatoes, baked yams, baked garlic. Eat lots of olive oil, ghee, butter, olives, and avocados. Eat beans and eat the warming grains: kasha, rye, oats. Stay warm; take a hot bath or a hot shower and wrap up snugly before going to sleep. Herbal medications are drugs that are derived from natural sources, and just like conventional medication, they can have similar effects on the body. One of the most common misconceptions is that herbal medications are totally safe due to them being labeled as “natural” or “herbal”. It is important to note that all of the precautions that are given to conventional medications must also apply to herbal medications. In fact, many experts have recommended the children, pregnant and nursing women to avoid herbal medications all together.

Treatment

Ensure the child rests and drinks a lot of fluids, including hot water mixed with fresh lemon juice and a teaspoonful of honey.

Diet and Nutrition Offer plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in the child’s daily diet.

Herbal Medicine Camomile, lemon balm, and rosehip teas will help reduce various symptoms.

Homeopathy Belladonna, Pulsatilla, Natrum mur., and Euphrasia are available in drop form for children.

Aromatherapy Two drops of cinnamon oil in a bowl of hot water, inhaled for a few minutes four times a day.

Croup

Croup usually affects children under five and manifests in a harsh barking cough with strained, heavy breathing. These symptoms are often accompanied by a high fever, irritability, and restlessness. It is caused by an inflammation of the main airways to the lungs.

Treatment

Avoid a hot dry atmosphere by turning off the heating in the child’s bedroom, but make sure the room is well ventilated. Use humidifiers if you have them.

Hydrotherapy Steam inhalation is a useful therapy.

Herbal Medicine Make an infusion from 1 teaspoonful each of coltsfoot and vervain. Give 1 teaspoonful to a child ,aged under three, and 1 tablespoonful to a child ages under three, and 1 tablespoonful to older children, every few hours.

Aromatherapy Add two drops each of eucalyptus and sandalwood oils to a carrier oil and apply to the chest.

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By: Franchis Hussey,

Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a disease that occurs when small pouches in the colon that bulge outward become infected or inflamed. These pouches are called diverticula, and the condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. This condition is often triggered by constipation and irregular bowel movements. Little “pouches” form in the walls of the large intestine and can get clogged with fecal material and become infected. Symptoms include pain in the lower abdomen and bloating.

Symptoms

Most people with diverticulosis never have any symptoms or discomfort. Mild cramps, bloating, constipation, tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen, fever, nausea, vomiting and chills may occur.
Treatment

Diet and Nutrition Follow a whole food diet, high in fiber, and drink plenty of water. Avoid coffee and alcohol. Eat at least three cloves of raw garlic a day.

Herbal Medicine Slippery elm can soothe the inflamed lining of the intestine.

Massage, Acupuncture, and Reflexology All these can help ease constipation.

If you eat cooked food Digestive Enzymes are definitely required to help maintain health. Digestive enzymes are present in raw food, but destroyed by cooking, in order to digest and absorb food, the body has to work hard. Typically by the time we reach our 40’s our internal glands and organs are beginning to fail to produce enough enzymes. Simply put, this results in poor health or outright disease. To help reverse these diseases and move towards optimum health we need to supplement with digestive enzymes.

Ulcers

A layer of mucus normally protects the inner walls of the digestive system from the acid used to break down food. If this protective layer becomes too thin, or breaks down, an ulcer can develop at the site. Symptoms can vary according to the type of ulcer: a gastric (stomach) ulcer involves acute pain in the top part of the abdomen soon after eating, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting and, in severe cases, by blood, either vomited or in the feces, which appear black and tarry; a duodenal ulcer causes less acute pain, slightly lower down, usually on the left side of the body, up to two hours after eating.

Treatment

Diet and Nutrition Cut down on foods known to cause ulcers - alcohol, coffee, and tea, for example. Avoid aspirin and products containing aspirin: they can irritate the stomach lining. Eat regularly and slowly and avoid hot, spicy foods. Small, frequent meals are best. Avoid smoking, or give it up entirely if you can.

Herbal Medicine

Marshmallow, coriander, camomile, lemon balm, and celery juice are recommended.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Homeopathy Arsenicum alb and Nux vomica can provide relief.

Read out for Vitamins. Check out arthritis treatment and home remedies

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By: Franchis Hussey,

Problems with menstruation are very common and are usually caused by hormone imbalance. Periods may be too heavy, too scant, too frequent, too rare, annoyingly irregular, or very painful.

Dysmenorrhea (Painful Menstrual Periods)

When menstruation starts, the muscles of the uterus contract to expel the lining. These contractions are caused by hormone like substances known as prostaglandins. If the body produces too much, the contractions are stronger and more painful, causing a dull ache or cramp like pain in the lower abdomen or back, and sometimes sickness and diarrhea.

Treatment

Yoga Classic positions such as the Bow, Cobra, and Cat Hump postures are all helpful.

Diet and Nutrition Take evening primrose oil (100g), plus vitamin E (400iu daily).

Shiatsu This can be applied to pressure points on the legs, feet, abdomen, and beside the lumbar vertebrae.

Herbal Medicine A raspberry leaf tea or ginger decoction can be beneficial.

Aromatherapy Use caraway oil in the bath.

Diuretic herbs can help take care of fluid retention and the feeling of bloat that often accompanies menstruation. Parsley, dandelion, hydrangea, angelica, and horsetail all have diuretic properties. Drink infusions or decoctions of these herbs.

Homeopathy Chamomilla is a helpful remedy.

Menorrhagia (Heavy Bleeding)

Menorrhagia is usually caused by fibroids, benign solid growths of muscle and fibrous tissue on the uterus. It is estimated that 20 percent of women over 30 have fibroids, and many are unaware of them until a physician feels them during an internal examination. Although they can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, they often cause no further problems, and it is very rare for them to turn cancerous. The growth of fibroids is stimulated by estrogen, the production of which is influenced by the amount of fat consumed in the diet. The symptom of this condition is blood loss during menstruation so heavy that normal sanitary protection cannot cope with it.

Treatment

Diet and Nutrition A low-fat diet made up largely of vegetables, fruits, and starches can lower estrogen levels significantly. Foods rich in bioflavonoids with vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, grapes, apricots, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, cherries, and rosehips, can strengthen blood vessels.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Acupuncture This can regulate the body’s natural hormone production.

Read out for Vitamins. Check out arthritis treatment and home remedies

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