HELIOSphan.com – The Health Blog

TISSUE SALTS

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Also known as biochemical tissue salts, the medicinal use of these simple mineral compounds was developed by Dr Wilhelm Schuessler in Germany in the 1870s. He placed particular emphasis on the balance of minerals in the body and the onset of disease and identified 12 salts which were vital for general health and self-healing. If the mineral balance in cells was just right, Schuessler reasoned, diseases do not occur. Schuessler concentrated his efforts on the healing of everyday illnesses like colds and muscular pain, skin rashes and allergies.

Today these compounds are widely used by homeopaths but may be prescribed in a slightly different way to the Schuessler remedies, in keeping with the homeopathic principle of like curing like. The salts are known by an abbreviated name, such as Calc. fluor. for Calcium Fluoride and Kali mur. for Potassium Chloride, and are usually dissolved under the tongue. People suffering from lactose intolerance should note that lactose is often used as a binder in tissue salt powders and tablets (see Homeopathy). Tissue salts are also made up in combinations to treat different aspects of various problems.

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T’AI CHI

Monday, December 7th, 2009

A very common sight in the parks of China and Hong Kong is people practising the graceful routines of T’ai chi. It is becoming increasingly popular in western countries as well, as a wholistic means of engendering body awareness and reducing stress and anxiety. The slow, continous movements of T’ai chi have their roots in the martial arts but the aggressive, tactical aspects of karate or kung fu were removed by Taoist monks and replaced by a greater contemplation of the flow of energy though the body and self expression. Many of the movements, of which there are more than 100, are derived from the behaviour of animals and birds and are identified by names such as ‘the birds beak’ and ‘the stalk cools its wings’. It is always recommended that T’ai chi be practised in the open air and that the movements be properly taught by an experienced instructor.

Its meditative, relaxing aspects are well understood, but T’ai chi is also beneficial for posture, breathing control and circulation. As a preventive therapy it works on the principle of balancing the yin and the yang forces in the body, calming the mind and promoting good health.

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SHIATSU

Monday, December 7th, 2009

This ancient Japanese therapy uses pressure and vigorous massage to stimulate the flow of energy through the body. Like its Chinese equivalent, acupressure, Shiatsu requires no needles, relying instead on the thumbs, palms and heels of the hands, elbows, knees and feet to apply and sustain pressure on vital points all over the body.

It is particularly effective for pain relief and its advocates claim that by making the flow of energy through the meridians more efficient, Shiatsu is a highly effective preventive therapy which strengthens the nervous, circulatory and immune systems and invigorates the body.

In a variation sometimes known as barefoot Shiatsu, the therapist often uses the feet to apply pressure, sometimes standing on the patient. Even so, thumbs, elbows and hands are still employed.

The great advantage of Shiatsu over similar therapies such as acupuncture is that it can be practised in the home for the relief of simple ailments such as headache, insomnia, cold symptoms, constipation and nausea. Some formal instruction is recommended and professionally qualified practitioners should be used for diagnostic purposes and in cases of chronic or prolonged illness.

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PSORIASIS

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Most people know what psoriasis is from viewing the ABC’s Singing Detective series. It is a scaly skin disease which one in 50 people experience in a mild form on the scalp, elbows, knees or lower back. It can be severely aggravated by taking anti-malarial medications or blood pressure tablets. Stress can add to the problem. It is not a contagious disease.

Psoriasis can be controlled by using a tar based shampoo or white paraffin ointment after a shower. Mild doses of sunlight will improve the condition. Do not overdo the sun as burning will make it much worse.

Externally and internally cold pressed oils such as linseed, sunflower and wheatgerm oils can be applied to the area or take 2 teaspoons daily. Supplement your diet with Vitamins A, E and the mineral zinc. Tea made from red clover or sarsaparilla will help the circulation to the affected areas.

Diet should be changed to a vegetarian one. You may find the psoriasis is caused by an allergy (although most cases are thought to be genetic). Avoid alcohol in the diet as it may be aggravating the condition.

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TRUE HEALING – PRACTICAL ADVICE/ACCELERATING THE DETOXIFICATION PROCESS – SAUNA

Monday, December 7th, 2009

The sauna is an ancient treatment developed by civilisations living in cold climates. Because of the cold climate, their bodies tend not to sweat much, so these cold climate dwellers invented the sauna to promote improved circulation of body fluids, speed up metabolism and accelerate sweating: a great natural purification and detoxification function of the body.

It is best to experience a sauna in short 10-15 minute sessions, with 5-10 minute “cooling down” intervals, repeating such a cycle 3-4 times. During the “cooling down” intervals do not use pool or showers which have chlorinated water. Ozone treated water, clean river, rain, lake or sea water is OK. Your skin has been cleansed by the flow of the sweat and in such a clean state it will absorb the chlorine from the water into your body. It is best to use a towel to dry the sweat from your body. Do not allow the sweat to evaporate, because it contains toxins your body has just excreted, and you do not want any of them to be reabsorbed back.

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PRIMAL THERAPY

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Primal therapy was developed by Dr Arthur Janov, an American psychiatrist, in the 1970s, who noted that many patients uttered intense cries when they faced deep-seated and formerly repressed pain, typically associated with unfulfilled needs for parental love. These cries he named the ‘primal scream’.

Influenced by the Swiss psychotherapist, Alice Miller, who believed that children in many societies were ill-treated by parents and educators and consequently developed a false self, Janov developed a therapy which aims at dismantling neurotic defence mechanisms which the false self uses to protect the individual from the experience of pain. He believed that the ‘false’ or ‘unreal’ self begins to develop from around the age of six, and emotional and intellectual defence patterns have become fairly fixed by the teens. It is the job of the therapist, in a series of intensive sessions, to lead the patient into the ‘primal zone’, where the painful feelings of the suffering child within the adult can be brought into consciousness and integrated.

Since this therapy is so intense and often traumatic, it is important that a properly trained therapist be consulted.

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TRUE HEALING – PRACTICAL ADVICE/DETOXIFICATION PROCESS: OXYGEN THERAPIES – BATH

Monday, December 7th, 2009

The skin is the largest organ of your body. Soaking it in diluted hydrogen peroxide is very beneficial to your body. Minute amounts of pure atomic oxygen are delivered simultaneously everywhere around your body, greatly stimulating the detoxification process. You can go to Lourdes mineral springs in France for a bath, or you can simply prepare a bath at home, by adding 20-50 millilitres of 30% hydrogen peroxide to the entire water volume (100 litres). It would be best to use filtered or rain water with no chlorine and other chemicals. If you have a pool, you can replace the chlorine water treatment by the ozone water treatment system. Ozone (or UV) water treatment is borrowing yet another example from nature. Ozone, produced naturally from oxygen by UV rays in the atmosphere, reacts with the moisture in clouds, producing pure and healthy rain. Having the ozone treated water in your pool you can swim in it, and drink the water from it too.

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PEPPERMINT (Mentha piperita)

Monday, December 7th, 2009

The volatile oil of the peppermint is listed by some as the most important of all essential oils. Containing cooling menthol, this pungently aromatic oil is an antispasmodic, used to ease painful conditions of the alimentary canal, including flatulence, colic, and abdominal cramps. Like all volatile oils, however, it should not be administered to babies without the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.

Peppermint oil, applied to the temples or inhaled, will ease the symptoms of a head cold, including a cold-related headache. It acts as a mild diaphoretic, meaning that it promotes perspiration.

Peppermint leaves steeped as a tea bring relief from indigestion and all kinds of nausea, including morning sickness. A common ingredient in toothpastes and chewing gum, peppermint conquers bad breath and the oil or leaves can be used in the preparation of a refreshing mouthwash. The essential oil of peppermint, applied to the temples, will improve concentration.

Similar therapeutic properties are found in other species of mint, including spearmint.

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OATS

Monday, December 7th, 2009

(Avena sativa)

This grain, common in the Western diet, has become fashionable in recent years for its bran’s ability to control cholestrol levels in the blood. It is the inositol in oat bran, a B-complex vitamin, which helps to increase the blood’s ratio of high density lipoproteins to the cholestrol-rich low density lipoproteins. While the miraculous properties of oat bran may have been exaggerated, a deficiency of inositol can certainly lead to a significant increase in blood cholestrol levels.

As a source of fibre, oat bran is considered superior to wheat bran as it will not scour the bowel. In cases of severe bowel irritation however, laxatives such as psyllium should be used instead.

Oats in their wholegrain and rolled forms are an excellent source of protein, Vitamin B1, calcium, iron and silicon. The aforementioned inositol also aids the body’s absorption of zinc. A tea made of oat straw is sometimes recommended for chest and skin complaints. The skin toning properties of oats are widely recognised and oatmeal is an ingredient in many natural facial scrubs and face packs.

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