Echinacea Side Effects

Below are some of the side effects of using echinacea besides the unpleasant taste (the unpleasant taste has been found to stimulate the immune cells in the mouth).-

• High doses of echinacea can sometimes cause dizziness or nausea
• There could also be allergic reactions such as mild rash and in very rare cases  life threatening anaphylaxis
• Sometimes echinacea can also cause liver toxicity (hepatitis)
• There are also a few tests that have pointed to possible suppression of immunity  when  echinacea is used over prolonged period. The advice is to use echinacea for 10 to 14 days and stop for a few days before resuming.

4ZMCWTKWN8HP

Heating Compress

The first time I heard about heating compress I thought it was all about heat. While it results in heat the first application is that of a cold compress to an affected are which results in an initial cooling which lasts about five minutes. This is immediately followed by warming up and increase in circulation. The heat results from the reaction of the body against the cold that has been applied to the concerned tissue.

The heating compress may be applied to the throat to treat sore throats, to the chest  for coughs, to the abdomen for constipation or abdominal pain, and to any body part for pain or infection. Used at night on the abdomen and back the heating compress can sedate and help in treating chronic active hepatitis, backache, ulcerative colitis, chronic indigestion, and chronic stomach problems.

Equipment Used in a Heating Compress procedure

• One to wo thicknesses of cotton or linen, or two to four thicknesses of cotton gauze cut to fit the areaa to be covered, about 2x14x20" for throat.
• A plastic covering about 3" x 14" for throat, or large enough to cover the wet cotton piece by at least one-half inch on all sides.
• Wool flannel or synthetic material cut to fit the area and large enough to cover all of the cotton and plastic. A piece 3"x4" x 34" will wrap around the neck twice. A wool or synthetic scarf or sports sock will suffice.
• Mosist abdominal bindeer. Use strip of woolen acrylic material such as wool flannel or men suiting material made from a grade of wool not as stiff or thick as felt, but relatively thin and easily workable. The length should be 55 inches and the width 12 inches. A cotton piece used under the woolen or acrylic piece should measure approximately 50" x 10". Short strips may be sewed togeher.
• Chest heating compress. Woolen or acrylic piece should measure approximately 10"x100" and the cotton underpiece approximmately 9" x 100".
• Safety pins
• cold or ice water.

After wringing the cotton or linen compress from cold water it should be mold over the part we are treating. cover it complettely with plastic . The compress should be left for half an hour or overnight.

Cold Mitten Friction

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.

There are many remedies for diseases that fit into the category of home remedies; remedies that can be administered effectively at home, and can be expected to be either curative or to greatly reduce the symptoms of disease. Generally speaking, it is better for an individual to take the responsibility for his own disease than to get a health professional to do so, if the disease is one that can be safely and conveniently managed at home. Overtreatment for minor ailments is thereby avoided. If a person feels that his illness is severe enough to seek skilled medical attention the natural human tendency is to expect that something special will be done for him. Often this special treatment results in a condition of overtreatment which does not give the patient the best care under the circumstances. Learn to apply simple remedies first, and expect that they will be curative in most instances.

The cold mitten friction is a simple home remedy which can be used for a variety of illnesses. First, the technique of its application, and then the conditions for which it is effective will be discussed. Simply stated, the cold mitten friction is the application to the surface of the body of rubbing with a friction motion by a cold wet cloth or specially made "mittens." Begin at one part, rub the part vigorously with the cold cloth until a red glow develops, then move to another part with the cold wet cloth. Take one part after another until the entire body surface has been covered.

The equipment consists of any container with a few quarts of cold water varying from just cool to ice water, as the case demands. To apply the friction use a large washcloth wrapped around the hand and secured by the fist, or sew up two mitts of rough fabric such as a rough terry cloth, denim, corduroy, or mohair. A loofa sponge may also be used, but it will not as effectively deliver the cold part of the treatment.

A cold mitten friction may be self-administered, although certain parts of the body cannot be reached by the hand with sufficient ease to exert a little pressure with the cold cloth; ideally the cold mitten friction is administered by a helper. The person is undressed and lies on a bed or couch covered by a sheet and a blanket if necessary for extra warmth. One arm is removed from under the covers, held in a position pointing toward the ceiling. The "therapist" puts on the mitts after squeezing them from the cold water. With the mitts in place, begin at the fingertips with an up and down, reciprocal friction rubbing of the skin of the extremity, the patient holding the extremity fairly rigid toward the ceiling, and the therapist working in quick short strokes all the way down the extremity to the armpits. Then flip the mitts around so that the still-cold back surfaces of the mitts are used in the same short quick friction strokes proceeding back up the arm. The mitts are removed, dropped into the cold water, a dry coarse towel taken and the same friction motion used down the arm and back up with the dry towel. While the treatment should not be rushed, no time should be lost between steps. By this time the extremity should have a red glow from the friction and cold. It should be replaced under the sheet and blanket, and the same procedure applied to the next extremity. The lower extremities can be treated by using the friction first to the leg and then to the thighs. If the thighs are large, the front part of the thigh may be done first, and the patient turned so the backs may be treated. The abdomen and chest may be treated, care being used not to injure the more delicate structures such as the intestinal tract or the breasts by too vigorous rubbing. After the entire front of the body has been frictioned, the patient is turned and the back is similarly treated.

In persons whose skin is ticklish the feet should be patted and not rubbed. The abdomen may be omitted in a person who has pain in the abdomen, a disease of the internal organs, or is ticklish. The act of rubbing the skin with a cold mechanical pressure gives a physiological response of vigorous and prompt reaction of the blood vessels sufficient to cause this treatment to be dubbed a vascular gymnastic. There is a profound stimulation to the skin. For individuals suffering from viral illness such as flu, colds, hepatitis, etc., this treatment pulls blood from the internal organs to the surface for equalization of the blood. This treatment can be referred to as a powerful tonic, that is, it tones the blood vessels, muscles, and skin.

The way to make the mitten is simple, consisting of cutting pieces of terrycloth about 12 inches square, sewing up the edges on 3 sides to make a squarish mitt, and hemming the open end. If the cold mitten friction is used only on the lower extremities, it has the effect of driving blood from such organs as the chest or head into the feet, reducing congestion in those areas, and thereby benefiting a headache or a cough. For individuals who feel week or faint, the cold mitten friction is the ideal treatment, and may be used in cases of anemia, in convalescence in a number of serious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc. In poor circulation or heart failure, this simple remedy will stimulate the peripheral circulation. Of course, its best application is in the simple treatment of such conditions as colds, influenza, bronchitis, and other upper respiratory tract infections, headaches, fatigue, etc. In fevers the cold mitten friction may give great relief from the discomfort which is associated, and often results in complete reduction of the fever.

There is scarcely any condition in which the cold mitten friction may not be employed, except that fractured limbs or malignant tumors should be omitted from the treatment. It may be employed every two or three hours, or at least two or three times a day to maintain cardiac tone and general vital resistance. The patient should always be warm before a cold mitten friction. The feet may be placed in hot water to make certain that the body is nicely warmed before the treatment begins.

For more information contact:

Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center

30 Uchee Pines Road #75

Seale, Alabama 36875

Tel. 334-855-4764

www.ucheepines.org

Preventive Medicine

Cure Yourself From Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) which is found in the blood of persons who have this disease. This form of hepatitis is much more likely than Hepatitis A to progress to chronic active hepatitis and eventually cirrhosis or possibly cancer of the liver. It is most often spread by contaminated blood products being introduced into the body, either from blood transfusions, accidental sticking with needles, or sharing needles by drug-users. Sexual contact, either heterosexual or homosexual, can also be a mode of infection. Not everybody who gets hepatitis C, not even all of those who get some scarring in the liver, have a lot of difficulty with hepatitis C. Unfortunately there is no way to predict at the outset which person may be more likely to have severe liver damage and which will receive no damage at all.

Not everybody who gets hepatitis C, not even all of those who get some scarring in the liver, have a lot of difficulty with hepatitis C. Unfortunately we have no way to predict at the outset which one may be more likely to have severe liver damage and which will receive no damage at all. There are several things that will be very helpful for you with hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is difficult to treat, but we use hydrotherapy, exercise, a totally vegetarian diet with nothing between meals, and no free fats or free sugars but adequate numbers of nuts and seeds, whole grains, and beans. Breakfast should consist of fruit and whole grains and lunch should consist of vegetables and whole grains. Either meal should have nuts, seeds, or legumes.

Nutrition Recommendations

Maintain proper nourishment using a totally vegetarian diet, principally consisting of fruits and whole grains with adequate amounts of nuts and seeds, and beans. Breakfast should consist of fruit and whole grains, and lunch should consist of vegetables and whole grains. Either meal should also have nuts, seeds, or legumes. Do not overeat or anything else that will put a burden on the liver. Use no more than three dishes at a meal.

Take flaxseed daily (two tablespoons freshly ground each morning on cereal or at lunch sprinkled on salads or rice, etc.).

Avoid free fats and oils, as in margarine and salad oils. Also avoid heavy protein foods, even though vegetable in origin, and all free sugars. Do not use spices, vinegar, baking soda, baking powder, caffeinated beverages, or alcohol.

You should also be taking high-potency lecithin (get it from Twinlabs)—50% phosphatidyl choline—1 teaspoon per day.

Herbal Remedies

We also advise that individuals with Hepatitis C take certain herbal remedies such as Silymarin and ginkgo. Take the silymarin, derived from the milk thistle, one cup of tea or two capsules three or four times a day. In chronic active cases, it should be continued indefinitely.

Japanese clinicians have used glycyrrhizin, an extract of licorice, for over 20 years in hepatitis with good results. Since the extract is not currently available in the U.S., licorice tea may be used. Caution: Long-term use may cause salt and fluid retention, and increased blood pressure. It should be used with caution in people with hypertension; and probably should be used only two weeks of the month in those with normal pressure.

Phyllanthus urinaria increased antibodies from 51% to 89% over a three-month period in one study. It is believed this herb can be of help in hepatitis.—Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 126(4):350;1995.

Astragalus root, licorice root, and turmeric are all good herbs to use in hepatitis C. —Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 3:77;1997. Goldenseal and echinacea are also recommended.

Gently boil one and a half quarts of water to which has been added half a cup of Echinacea purpurea root; three tablespoons of milk thistle seed; two heaping tablespoons of Oregon grape root; and two tablespoons of dandelion root. Remove from the heat after 25 minutes; strain. This is one day’s dose. Give it in small divided doses scattered throughout the day. If the patient tolerates it all right, the second day the dose should be doubled.

Eurocel, an herbal blend beneficial in Hepatitus C cases is available from Nutricology Allergy Research Group (800-545-9960). This product helps to cause HCV-RNA to return to normal. The liver enzymes become low again. The herbs used are Patrinia villosa, Artemisia capillaris, and Schizandra fructus. Artichoke capsules, two capsules three or four times daily, are liver protective.

The herbal program can be directed by Dr. Christopher Deatherage, tel: 417-683-1300.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy should be given in the acute phase in the form of hot baths and fomentations over the liver. The hot baths can be used to elevate the mouth temperature to around 102 degrees for 15 treatments (see instructions in Home Remedies ). The fomentations over the liver should be kept hot for 15 minutes and followed by a cold compress for one minute and repeated three times each day = 45 minutes. In chronic active hepatitis, artificial fever treatments two or three days a week with fomentations over the liver on the off days can be beneficial. The hydrotherapy is described in our book Home Remedies under fomentations to the abdomen.

Charcoal

Charcoal compresses and charcoal by mouth (one tablespoon three to four times daily) as well as wheat bran by mouth (one tablespoon with each meal) can reduce the amount of bile salts and the degree of jaundice.

Treatment for Jaundice

The European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 28(5)359-363, May 1998, states that when jaundice produces itching it can be relieved by giving guar gum.

Other Suggestions for Hepatitis C

It is quite proper even in the acute phase to be active, but avoid becoming overly tired. Prolonged bed rest can lead to increased symptoms and weakness.

Drink water generously. Avoid constipation and any other toxic condition.

Avoid any kind of toxic fumes, cleaning compounds and drugs, including birth control pills, aspirin, and corticosteroids (such as cortisone and prednisone) as they encourage later relapses.

Note: I would urge readers interested in learning more on how to treat hepatitis C and all diseases naturally to buy Dr Agatha Thrash's book, Home Remedies. The books deals with the science behind treatments such as hydrotherapy and detailed procedures and equipment that you can use to perform hydrotherapy. The book also tells the conditions under which these treatments may be taken and the necessary precautions to take. I have found this book to be the most informative since it is done by someone trained as a conventional doctor but now promotes natural remedies buy the book, Natural Remedies and you wont regret it and you will learn simple but powerful procedures that have helped me personally. For more information contact:

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.

Preventive Medicine

Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center

30 Uchee Pines Road #75

Seale, Alabama 36875

www.ucheepines.org