How to Use Complementary Health

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How to Use Complementary Health JoAnn Guest Jun 15, 2003 14:13 PDT

How To Use Complementary Health

 

 

When seeking natural and complementary health remedies, you are going to

be investigating three main areas -nutrition, herbalism and homeopathy.

Often, an holistic practitioner, especially a naturopath who treats

illness without resorting to conventional drugs, will prescribe a

combination of all three.

 

It helps, as you start to take some of the responsibility for your

everyday health into your own hands, to know some of the basic tools and

the reason you are likely to benefit from the types of remedies

recommended in this section.

 

Nutrition - Why take supplements?

 

In a perfect world, we would not need to take dietary supplements.

 

However, with food production and processing techniques that strip so

many natural nutrients from the raw ingredients, we need to supplement

our dietary intake to come even close to getting optimum levels of these

important vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.

 

Self-diagnosing for everyday ailments can be helpful in the short-term

but if the problem persists, and for more serious conditions, it is

always best to seek advice from a qualified nutritionist or naturopath.

 

A simple biochemical sweat test or hair analysis will reveal exactly

which minerals and vitamins your body is lacking.

 

A good practitioner will prescribe the exact amount you need to take

and recommend the right brand for you. One big problem with the

Do-It-Yourself approach is that these substances can work with and

against each other and so levels of one nutrient can affect levels of

another in the body. This is what nutritionists call synergy.

 

If you take a calcium supplement, for example, to protect against

osteoporosis in later life, you also need to take magnesium. The

recommended ratio when taking these two together is 2:1 in favour of the

calcium.

 

I cannot understand why there is still any debate over whether

supplementing a diet is helpful or not. My own preference is to try the

path of what I call ‘True Nutrition’ first, where you rely on natural

foods to try and remedy the problem - but there can be no question that

for many conditions and problems there is an important place for

supplements in holistic healthcare.

 

One of the counter-arguments is that there is no scientific research to

support the growing use of vitamin and mineral tablets. This is not

true.

 

The research is out there, but it is often fragmented - which means you

just have to look harder for it.

 

It is true there is not the same volume of research as in allopathic

medicine and one reason for this is that companies who make and sell

natural products cannot patent the active ingredient.

 

This acts as a disincentive, since a small company could practically

bankrupt itself by funding clinical trials when it has no way of

preventing other companies from jumping on the bandwagon to make the

same product and, since it has had no research costs, sell it cheaper.

 

This is an on-going problem in complementary health but with the recent

explosion of interest in the field, I am sure this will change.

 

Hopefully, companies will themselves adopt a more co-operative approach

to business in the 21st century.

 

There is also no question that solid, scientific research is effectively

‘sat on’ for years before reaching the public.

 

Take the case of folic acid (vitamin M) and its proven role in

preventing spina bifida and other neural tube defects in early

pregnancy.

 

The discovery that taking 400mcg of folic acid per day could reduce the

incidence of this distressing condition by 80% is now cited as one of

the greatest breakthroughs in 20th century medicine. Yet, according to

the authors of The Natural Pharmacy (one of my most well-thumbed health

bibles), an astonishing 30 years passed between researchers reporting

this breakthrough and doctors passing the information on to their

pregnant patients.

 

The same is true of another discovery that could and should help reduce

the risk of the Western world’s number 1 killer - heart disease.

 

Homocysteine is a normal by-product of the metabolism of protein, but

high levels in the blood have been shown to be 40 times more accurate as

an indicator of the risk of heart disease than cholesterol.

 

When levels are elevated, it rapidly damages the arteries and causes an

immediate build-up of artherosclerotic plaque - the main trigger for

both heart attacks and stoke.

 

This link was first discovered by a Havard scientist called Dr Kilmer

McCully, who was investigating the cases of several infants and young

children who had mysteriously died of advanced heart disease.

 

His research, which won him no friends at the time, was first published

30 years ago. However, for political and probably financial reasons, his

findings were ignored and McCully was forced to leave Harvard.

 

Perhaps the major sources of funding for heart disease research were

only interested in those projects investigating the link between

cholesterol and heart disease.

 

This is bizarre, though, not least because 80% of all fatal heart

attacks occur in men who do NOT have high cholesterol levels. A cynic

might suggest the reason this information was suppressed was because

commercially, there was less money to be made from a safe and natural

supplement than from pharmaceuticals or cholesterol-free foods.

 

The good news is that this injustice has recently been exposed in the US

where homocysteine research is finally getting the attention and funding

it deserves. Sadly, we have yet to see the same trend in the UK.

 

*You can ask your GP to test your homocysteine levels - and if they are

too high, you need to supplement your diet with vitamins B6, B12, and

folic acid.

 

 

Food State Supplements

 

Food State is a way of describing those supplements that have, according

to the manufacturers (and as the name suggests), been made to mimic the

natural state of the nutrient.

 

So, for example, instead of taking a vitamin C tablet that has, in

fact, been sourced from dextrose extracted from corn syrup, you take a

formulation that copies vitamin C in its natural state in citrus fruit -

 

 

where you would be eating it along with the flavanoids that scientists

have now identified as being important for its proper assimilation.

 

The aim of Food State supplements is to present the active ingredients

in a way that is as close to nature as possible.

 

So in that Food State vitamin C, the stress-busting antioxidant has

been complexed with a fruit pulp made from oranges containing

flavanoids.

 

Likewise, a betacarotene formulation will have been complexed with

carrot concentrate.

 

The argument is that this also makes it easier for the body to

recognise and then utilise these nutrients.

 

There have been long legal battles over whether this claim can be

substantiated with writs flying between companies who swear by Food

State and those who argue that it makes no difference.

 

Whatever the eventual outcome of these disagreements, it makes sense to

try and eat as natural a diet as possible.

 

In fact, some nutritionists now argue that vitamin and mineral

supplements have nothing to do with nutrition - which, in its truest

sense, should be primarily concerned with the food on your plate.

 

 

Herbalism - How to use herbs

 

The fastest way to get the standardised, active ingredient of a herb

into the bloodstream is by taking it in tincture form.

 

This is always my preferred method when I am in a rush and don’t have

the time to grind, pulp, or infuse fresh herbs. You can also buy herbs

and herbal combinations in tablet, capsule, powdered, and dried form.

 

Organic Tincture:

 

Organic tinctures are now readily available in health stores and by mail

order. Each herb will have instructions for how much to take and when on

the label, so keep a supply in the cupboard for when you need them.

Handy standbys in my cupboard include echinacea for boosting the immune

system, agnus castus (vitex) for female hormonal fluctuations, Siberian

ginseng for stress and peppermint for stomach cramps.

 

Infusion:

 

This is the method that herbalists use when they need to extract

water-soluble ingredients from the less dense parts of the plant such as

the leaves, stems, and flowers.

You can also use it with the roots and fruits if these have been

chopped finely enough.

 

What to do: Pour 500ml of boiling water on to 30g of the finely cut herb

in a container with a tight-fitting lid. This cover means that volatile

substances that might otherwise evaporate are retained. Leave the

solution for 10-15 minutes to infuse. Strain the liquid and allow to

cool to body temperature. The usual dose is one cup of infused liquid

taken three times a day, before meals.

 

Poultice:

 

This simply describes the technique where the fresh plant is bruised or

crushed to a pulp, which is then mixed with a moistening material ready

to apply directly to the area where it is needed. You can mix the dried

herbs with a little hot water or use a host paste such as flour, bran,

or corn meal.

 

What to do: To make a poultice paste, mix 60g of the dried herb or herbs

with 500ml of loose paste. Sandwich this paste between layers of

sterile, thin cloth or gauze and apply to the wound or affected area.

 

Compress:

 

If you have ever placed a warm facecloth over tired eyes then you have

already used this technique.

 

What to do: Soak a clean towel or sterile cloth in a hot or cold herbal

infusion or decoction. Wring it out and place gently over the affected

area. Repeat several times. If you are in a rush, you can use this same

technique with water in which you have dissolved a few drops of your

favourite essential oil.

 

Decoction:

 

The harder parts of plants - especially the bark, seeds, roots, and

rhizomes - only release their active ingredients after a more prolonged

hot water treatment.

 

What to do: Soak 30g of your chosen herb in 500ml of cold water for 10

minutes. Pour this mixture into a saucepan, cover and bring to the boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, keep

covered and allow the liquid to sit and cool for another 15 minutes.

Strain and drink as a tea, in the same way as an infusion.

 

 

 

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