Tonic herbs have been used for centuries to help people cope with the stress and strain of living. This stress, both physical and mental, can weaken our immune system response. To determine your immune function, ask yourself the following questions; if you answer “yes” to any of them, your immune system would probably benefit from the support of a tonic herb:
· Do you catch cold easily?
· Do you get more than two colds a year?
· Are you suffering chronic infection?
· Do you get frequent cold sores or have genital herpes?
· Are your lymph glands sore and swollen at times?
· Do you have now or have you ever had cancer?
· Are you tired most of the time?
Recurrent or chronic infections - even very mild colds - occur only when the immune system is weakened. Under such circumstances, there is a repetitive cycle that makes it difficult to overcome the tendency towards infection; a weakened immune system leads to infection, infection causes damage to the immune system, which further weakens resistance. Enhancing the immune system by taking tonic herbs like Astragalus http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44624/Astragalus-Tincture-215ml/ and/or Ginseng http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/40296/Floradix-Siberian-Ginseng-Elixir-250ml/will often provide the answer to breaking the cycle.
I’ll look at Astragalus, a herb which is rapidly gaining fame in the West as an immune stimulant. To classify it as an immune herb, however, is to overlook its broader use as a tonic. It strengthens the body systems (especially the lungs), improves the digestion and builds up the blood. Also, it increases endurance and body weight in animals.
In the Chinese world-view, Astragalus acts like the protective shield around the body, not unlike the shield around the starship Enterprise on the popular TV series, Star Trek. When overall Qi is weakened, or energy becomes depleted, this protective Qi is weakened, and we become more susceptible to colds and sweat more easily. A deficiency of protective Qi (or immune system weakness) is what makes AIDS patients so susceptible to opportunistic infections; Astragalus has a demonstrated effect in strengthening AIDS patients. Astragalus is a bit like Scotty in the Enterprise engine room, working feverishly to restore overall power, and then circulating it to the shield before the Klingons can destroy the ship.
Astragalus gained fame in scientific circles in the 1980s as a possible immune-stimulating and anti-cancer herb. In one trial with 19 cancer patients, it restored the function of the T-cells in 90% of the patients (T-cells are the main immune cells that attack tumours). In another trial, Astragalus, along with other tonic herbs, increased the survival time of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Unfortunately, funding for this promising research in the US was closed because any eventual product could not be patented, and a drugs company would not be able to recoup its investment.
Astragalus can be combined with Ginseng if there is a lot of fatigue along with poor immune system functioning. Astragalus is not used if you have a strong infection; otherwise it has no known toxicity. The Chinese also use this herb along with others to combat allergies like rhinitis and asthma.
Many people use Echinacea to strengthen their immune response, whereas Astragalus would be a much better choice. Echinacea should be left for the inset of a cold, where it is very effective and able to stop a cold in its tracks.
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Anti-Nutrients
Eating well is not just about what you eat – what you do not eat is equally important. Since the 1950’s over 3,500 man made chemicals have found their way into manufactured food, along with pesticides, antibiotics and hormone residues from stable foods such as grains and meat. Many of these chemicals are ‘anti – nutrients' in that they stop nutrients being absorbed and used, or promote their excretion.
Gone are the days when healthy eating meant simply getting the right balance of nutrients from your food, now an equally important part of the equation is avoiding harmful chemicals and protecting yourself against those that cannot be avoided. Many of today’s diseases are caused just as much by an excess of anti – nutrients as by a deficiency of nutrients. Take cancer, for example. Three – quarters of all cancers are associated with an excess of anti – nutrients, be it cancer causing chemicals or excessive free radicals as a result of smoking. Many health problems, from arthritis to chronic fatigue, can follow from an overload of anti – nutrients exceeding the body’s capacity to detoxify itself.
Even refined food that is free from artificial additives is not neutral. Any food you eat that requires more nutrients for the body to make use of it than the food itself provides is effectively an anti – nutrient. Living on these foods, the diet of many of our teens, gradually robs the body of vital nutrients. In fact, two – thirds of the calories in the average person’s diet in the western world come from these foods. That leaves one – third of the diet to provide not only enough nutrients for general health, but also enough to make up the deficit resulting from nutrient – deficient food and to combat other anti – nutrients from car pollution to pesticides.
What we do to food in the kitchen can alter the balance between nutrients and anti – nutrients. Frying food in oil produces what are known as free – radicals, highly reactive chemicals that destroy essential fats in food and can damage cells. The damaging effects of frying depend on the oil type, the temperature of the oil and the length of time the food is fried. Ironically, it is the good polyunsaturated oils that oxidize most rapidly. Frying with butter or coconut (saturated fat) or olive oil (mono – unsaturated fat) is safer.
One of the worst chemicals produced by cooking at high temperatures is Acrylamide, which is a known cancer – producing chemical. While the safe limit set for Acrylamide in food is ten parts per billion, chips and crisps have been found to contain more than 100 times this amount.
Here are some helpful tips to help decrease your environmental load, found in Patrick Holfords book Optimum nutrition.
· Invest in a good – quality, plumbed in water filter and replace the cartridge every six months.
· Buy organic. When not possible, wash or peel fruit and vegetables.
· Never deep – fry foods.
· Don’t use cling film unless it states ‘ non pvc’
· Rearrange your daily schedule to minimize time spent in traffic.
· Drink alcohol very infrequently, and avoid smoky places.
· Avoid medical drugs unless they are the only viable option for treating a health problem. If you get frequent infections or aches, investigate the underlying cause rather than relying on painkillers or antibiotics.
Gone are the days when healthy eating meant simply getting the right balance of nutrients from your food, now an equally important part of the equation is avoiding harmful chemicals and protecting yourself against those that cannot be avoided. Many of today’s diseases are caused just as much by an excess of anti – nutrients as by a deficiency of nutrients. Take cancer, for example. Three – quarters of all cancers are associated with an excess of anti – nutrients, be it cancer causing chemicals or excessive free radicals as a result of smoking. Many health problems, from arthritis to chronic fatigue, can follow from an overload of anti – nutrients exceeding the body’s capacity to detoxify itself.
Even refined food that is free from artificial additives is not neutral. Any food you eat that requires more nutrients for the body to make use of it than the food itself provides is effectively an anti – nutrient. Living on these foods, the diet of many of our teens, gradually robs the body of vital nutrients. In fact, two – thirds of the calories in the average person’s diet in the western world come from these foods. That leaves one – third of the diet to provide not only enough nutrients for general health, but also enough to make up the deficit resulting from nutrient – deficient food and to combat other anti – nutrients from car pollution to pesticides.
What we do to food in the kitchen can alter the balance between nutrients and anti – nutrients. Frying food in oil produces what are known as free – radicals, highly reactive chemicals that destroy essential fats in food and can damage cells. The damaging effects of frying depend on the oil type, the temperature of the oil and the length of time the food is fried. Ironically, it is the good polyunsaturated oils that oxidize most rapidly. Frying with butter or coconut (saturated fat) or olive oil (mono – unsaturated fat) is safer.
One of the worst chemicals produced by cooking at high temperatures is Acrylamide, which is a known cancer – producing chemical. While the safe limit set for Acrylamide in food is ten parts per billion, chips and crisps have been found to contain more than 100 times this amount.
Here are some helpful tips to help decrease your environmental load, found in Patrick Holfords book Optimum nutrition.
· Invest in a good – quality, plumbed in water filter and replace the cartridge every six months.
· Buy organic. When not possible, wash or peel fruit and vegetables.
· Never deep – fry foods.
· Don’t use cling film unless it states ‘ non pvc’
· Rearrange your daily schedule to minimize time spent in traffic.
· Drink alcohol very infrequently, and avoid smoky places.
· Avoid medical drugs unless they are the only viable option for treating a health problem. If you get frequent infections or aches, investigate the underlying cause rather than relying on painkillers or antibiotics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
