Stress may manifest itself in a great number of different bodily symptoms. Many of these bodily symptoms have a close resemblance to the symptoms of serious organic illness. So it is natural for the individual suffering from stress symptoms to think that he may in fact have some serious, life-threatening illness, rather than the unpleasantly disagreeable, but at the same time relatively harmless, symptoms of stress. It is therefore important in our self-management of stress that we understand the physiological and psychological mechanisms which produce the symptoms. We are then better equipped to cope with the situation.

Palpitations

“The tests were all normal. That does not mean anything.

They often miss things. If you feel your heart banging away, that’s evidence enough that something is wrong. Real evidence. I feel I am going to have a heart attack. I know I am. Father died of a coronary when he was forty. Life is too precious. Don’t want to do that. But they don’t do a thing for me. Gave me some tranquillizers! I’m sick of it. I tell you I am frightened. Who wouldn’t be? It’s going now. Thump. Thump. Thump. Put your hand on my chest and you can feel it. Worse if I get fussed or upset. Even coming here makes it worse. What can I do to stop a heart attack? I keep thinking that this might be the start of it coming on now.”

Palpitation, the abnormal awareness of the action of our heart, is one of the commonest bodily symptoms of stress.

When we are in good physical and mental health, we are not aware of the action of our heart except for brief periods following strenuous physical exercise. This in itself is rather remarkable, as the action of our heart involves quite considerable movement within our chest. But in normal circumstances, information about this movement is not transmitted by our nervous system to our brain with sufficient intensity to reach the threshold of consciousness.

When we are under stress, two factors may operate to produce palpitation. The over-activity of nerve cells produces anxiety. The basic physiological purpose of anxiety is to prepare us for danger. There is more adrenalin in our blood. It increases our heart action, and puts up our blood pressure so that we are better able to cope with physical danger either by fighting or running away. This, of course, is a very primitive reaction which was evolved in times past, in the early days of our race, to help cope with the physical dangers of primitive life. However, the danger that we perceive as a result of stress is not a physical danger, but a mental one for which this old, primitive, outworn reaction is quite inappropriate and no help to us at all.

The second factor in stress, which contributes to palpitation, is our increased awareness due to the over-alertness of our brain cells. As a result of this we become aware of movements of our heart in a way that would not normally come to our consciousness.

The important matter for those who suffer palpitation is to be reassured that the cause of the palpitation is nervous, and is not due to any disease of the heart itself. Those who suffer palpitation often accept this reassurance, but still feel that the frequent experience of palpitation must, in the long term, have some deleterious effect on the heart. This is not so, as the normal heart has a great capacity to increase its activity, as in strenuous exercise, without any harm coming of it.

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Cholesterol is thought to be important in producing heart disease. Here we look at ways of lowering blood cholesterol levels, and of preventing a high level from arising in the first place.

Prevention:

•     Eat more fibre. This has an effect on cholesterol metabolism. Eating wheat bran produces bile that is less saturated with cholesterol (which is good because it tends to reduce the formation of gallstones). In a study involving men eating rolled oats (l 1/2 cupful a day), their cholesterol levels fell by 8 per cent after only three weeks. In another study cholesterol falls of 11 per cent were produced in men fed about 2 cupful of oats a day. Italian researchers took thirty-three volunteers and found that a typical meal took seven hours to pass through the small bowel, absorbing as it went 43 per cent of available cholesterol. When seven of the volunteers were given a substance that speeded up transit through the bowel (to 41/2 hours) cholesterol absorption fell to 27 per cent.

Pectin is a particularly good type of fibre for reducing transit time through the small intestine. It is found in fruit and vegetables and especially apples. Research in Maryland suggests that pectin helps lower cholesterol levels by slowing down the digestion of cholesterol-rich fatty foods. Also, there is a suggestion that pectin converts cholesterol into a form that is poorly absorbed by the body.

•     Aubergines (eggplants) also reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed from foods. An Austrian scientist fed a high-cholesterol diet to laboratory animals. If they also received aubergines they were protected from the build-up of fatty plaques in their blood vessels. The results were best when the aubergine was eaten with the fatty meal.

•     Garlic has a long history of being useful in heart disease. An Indian research team looked at blood cholesterol levels in ten people who ate garlic along with a meal of bread and butter. Those, who ate the bread and butter alone had a 20 per cent rise in cholesterol but those who ate it with garlic had no such rise. Another Indian research group found that garlic prevented coronary artery disease in rabbits fed on a high-cholesterol diet. The rabbits’ cholesterol rose, but only the ‘helpful’ HDL fraction which might even be protective against atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) and heart disease.

•     Beans lower the dangerous LDL portion of cholesterol. A study of eight men with high blood cholesterol found that half a cupful of beans a day for three weeks reduced their cholesterol by 20 per cent. The dangerous LDL fraction went down by 24 per cent yet the protective HDL fraction was not altered. Soya beans appear to be especially valuable. A study in the Netherlands found that rabbits fed soya protein were much less likely to develop atherosclerosis than were those fed animal protein. There were dramatic reductions in their blood cholesterols in only one day. Similar findings have been reported with humans, particularly in vegetarians, who experienced significant rises in total cholesterol after eating beef for four weeks. Other researchers have found that vegetarians who don’t eat eggs or dairy products have lower LDL and total cholesterol levels than do meat eaters or vegetarians who do eat eggs and dairy products.

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This can be caused by wearing synthetic footwear, socks, stocking and tights. It is best to wear natural fibre shoes to let the skin breathe, cotton or woollen socks.

Diet: increase these foods silica, zinc, barley, kelp, horsetail, garlic, onion, parsley, lettuce, celery.

Herbal foot baths are recommended as it can help to regulate foot perspiration. Soak feet in a herbal infusion at least twice a week. On a daily basis place a spoonful of dry fine oatmeal into your socks.

Herbs: sage, peppermint, thyme, penny royal, rosemary, oak leaves, white water lily, chamomile, hyssop, lovage.

Essential oils: tea tree, lemongrass, sage, bergamot, cypress, lavender, peppermint.

Food: radish juice protects against odour for several hours. Rub fresh juice on to the soles of the feet.

Foot Powder: 1 tbsp. baking powder, ltbsp cornstarch add 4 drops sage essential oil, dust feet with powder and leave 1/2 tsp. in shoes over night. Foot Deodoriser: 1 ml flaxseed, 6 drops tolu balsam, 2 drops cypress, 2 drops lavender, 3 drops bergamot, 10 ml apple cider vinegar, 20 ml distilled water. 20 ml witch hazel

Mix essential oils in apple cider vinegar, Leave over night, strain through filter, add together with remaining ingredients. Shake well before applying.

Shoe Powder: to eliminate odour. 2 tbsp. bi-carbonats soda, 4 drops sage, 4 drops tea tree essential oils Blend together and sprinkle into the shoes with powder and leave out over night.

Foot Mask: squeeze the juice from a lemon, add enough oatmeal to mix to a thick and sticky consistency. Rub the lemon halves onto the heels, to soften, lighten and tone the skin. Apply foot mask and leave on for 10 min: rinse well.

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Food: can be treated by wrapping the inside of a banana skin and covering with a Band-Aid. Repeat every night for two weeks. Treat several times a day with fresh papaya latex.

Kombucha: apply a small piece of kombucha culture to the wart and cover with a band aid, reapply twice a. day.

Clay: apply clay poultices frequently during the day and in between poultices apply lemon essential oil.

Herbs: chick weed and the white sap of the dandelion can be applied twice a day until the wart clears up. Poultices or juices of house leeks, pineapple, water cress, calendula, celendine, onion and green figs can also be used. The juice of a fig leaf, milkweed and ivy leaf are also good wart removers. Aloe-vera – apply every 3 hours, cover with a piece of cotton and tape it over the wart.

Essential oils: lemon and tagets applied directly to warts twice a day is very beneficial.

Cold pressed oils: soak the bandage portion of a Band-Aid with castor oil, to be worn continuously changing once a day until the wart has completely disappeared.

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Guava Fresh Fruit Mask: Guava fruit 1\4, pure honey 1 teaspoon, egg whole 1, guava vinegar 1/4 tsp., buttermilk 2 tbsp. Mix ingredients together and apply to well cleansed skin. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with tepid water, then splash on skin toner and apply a few drops moisturising oil.

Guava Spot Mix: Guava oil 5 ml, castor oil 5 ml, guava vinegar 10 ml, tea tree essential oil 10 drops. Shake mixture well before every use. Dab a small amount of spot mix onto troubled areas twice a day and in the evening until the spots have cleared. Use little to achieve maximum results. Pimples and boils – grind the fresh guava leaves to a pulp and apply to spots.

or further information the book Guava – Medicine For Modern Day Diseases is recommended.

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A real cure for every illness can only occur when far-reaching emotional balance is reconstructed. Emotions such as fear, stress, helplessness or loneliness can trigger certain signals in the brain. Every person will experience emotional imbalances at some stage in their life. In the long-term, these imbalances can build up to an illness. Every plant has an effect on our emotions. Flower remedies memorise the frequency of the plant and it’s environment and can therefore help us to balance our emotions.

“Flower remedies cure not only by attacking the disease, but by Higher Nature in the presence of which, disease melts away as snow in the sunshine. There is no healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind and inner happiness”. Dr. Edward Bach

For further reading, the books Guide to Holistic Healing in the New Millennium, and Living Wild Flower Remedies – The Stepanovs Method are recommended.

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One feature of candidiasis supports the idea of an immune reaction being involved: many patients are affected by yeast-containing foods, such as bread, beer and yeast extract. This suggests that there is a cross-reaction between the Candida antigens and those of other yeasts: antibodies whose primary targets are the Candida antigens also bind to similar proteins, produced by their cousins in the yeast world. A number of patients show a more general sensitivity to fungi, and are affected by inhaling spores from moulds. The usual sources of these are damp houses, compost heaps (a fungal paradise), rotting leaves, over-ripe fruit and other ‘mouldy’ items. Such people may also be made ill by eating mushrooms.

A third possibility is that the Candida provokes antibodies which happen to cross-react with some of the body’s own proteins. Such antibodies have in fact been found, and they specifically attack the ovaries. Many women with candidiasis have severe premenstrual problems, irregular periods and reduced sex drive – symptoms which clear up when their Candida infestation is treated. It is possible that these symptoms are due to hormonal upsets, caused by antibodies affecting the ovaries.

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Description and Possible Medical Problems

One of my patients recently told me a story about the time he first became aware of a rare but puzzling disorder of the ring finger and pinky called Dupuytten’s contracture.

“I was about 11, and I was at one of those tacky country fairs with my family. My sister had already won a couple of prizes at the wheel of fortune and the goldfish bowls, but so far I wasn’t having any luck.

“Until we got to the ring toss. Instead of a mete stick pointing towards the sky, there were all these fake hands with everything but the index finger pointing up. In fact, I remember looking up to see what they were all pointing at.

“I bought a few rings for a quarter and managed to hook one out of three. I wanted to try again for the second tier of prizes, but my parents were ready to go. The prize I won was this cut-off rubber hand with red paint smeared all over the wrist. I flopped it around at my sister, who grabbed the hand and tried to make it give me ‘the finger’ behind my parents’ backs.

“All she could manage was to fold in the ring finger and pinky. She was only seven, so she didn’t know which was the correct obscene gesture. But at the instant I saw the ring finger and pinky folded in, I thought that it looked just like my father’s hand.”

Indeed, this condition, called Dupuytren’s contracture, is genetic and is most prevalent in men in their 40s. This was precisely the case with my patient. Dupuytren’s contracture occurs when the tissue located in the palm of your hand becomes thick and actually starts to shrink pulling the fingers into the palm. The cause of Dupuytren’s contracture is not known, but in addition to being a genetic condition, it also frequently appears in epileptics and alcoholics. Dupuytren’s contracture is usually not painful; however, it can make any work that involves your hands difficult and even impossible.

Treatment

Surgery is often recommended in order to regain the full use of your hand. The process involves removing the shrunken tissue; in many cases, this will be enough to free up movement. Some people, however, will need skin grafts to the area in order to regain the full range of motion. In both cases, however, you will need to work with a hand therapist or physical therapist to totally regain the use of your hand.

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If the knuckles of your hands swell up and you think you have arthritis, stop a moment. Arthritis is a general term that is used in combination with other words such as “rheumatoid” and “osteo-” to describe your medical condition more fully.

If a part of your hand such as the palm or wrist or your knuckles begins to swell up and ache, and the pain and stiffness seem to be at their worst when you first wake up in the morning but are there one day and gone the next, chances are you have rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, generally results from wear and tear of the synovium by the bones on the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by a defect in the immune system that affects the synovium, the thin sheath that surrounds the joints, to break down while rheumatoid arthritis may make your fingers turn away from your thumb at about a 45-degree angle. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect other organs in the body, including the catdiovascular system and the lungs, which can become inflamed from the disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis has an unpredictable nature. It may flare up without warning and be a constant problem for several years before disappearing completely. This can be the disease’s most frustrating aspect, since just as the symptoms have subsided for a while and you think you’re over them, they can appear again without warning.

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Whenever a patient tells me he has a fever or chills, the first thing I need to know is if he is in the 40s or 50s or over the age of 80.

Because fever occurs less frequently as a person ages, a high fever in an elderly person is often an indication of a serious health problem. When an elderly person has a high fever, she may become delirious, which will increase her chance of falling and breaking a hip or even becoming unconscious.

A high fever may be caused by a simple virus, such as a bacterial infection in the sinuses, bowels, or lungs, or by a more serious infection in the bloodstream called sepsis.

My feeling is that if you have any fever that’s above 100 or 101 degrees F. for more than 24 hours, you should seek medical attention— sooner if confusion or delirium starts to set in.

If you have a fever, here are some questions to ask yourself that will help your doctor narrow down the cause:

1. Besides the fever, what other symptoms do I have, such as a cough, nasal stuffiness, muscular aches and pains, diarrhea, and/or pain when urinating?

2. How long have I had these symptoms: a day, a week, or longer?

3. Do I have night sweats or chills?

4. Is my fever getting better or worse? Is it accompanied by weakness and a general feeling of malaise?

If an elderly relative is feverish, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Has the weather been hot lately ? If so, does she have an air conditioner and does she use it?

2. Have you noticed any recent changes in his mental state? Has he become increasingly confused?

3. Have there been any changes in her appetite?

4. Has he been acting listless lately?

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