Endometriosis: A Growing Concern

Endometriosis is a female concern involving the presence of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus located (and usually growing) at other sites in the pelvis. Symptoms include painful menstruation, infertility, and, if left untreated, adhesions which attach themselves to other pelvic areas, such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterine muscles, colon, and bladder. These adhesions pull pelvic organs out of alignment and cause other painful problems. Many women have hysterectomies for relief of this problem. Possible causes of this overgrowing tissue may be linked to hormonal imbalance, especially excess estrogen production, that cause tissue to grow wildly.
Estrogen dominance can be caused by an improper diet, prescription medications, xenoestrogens (plastics and petroleum products), and dioxins (herbicides and pesticides).

The Beauty of Herbs: Not Just Skin-Deep

Combinations used together to cleanse the blood and feed the skin include burdock root, Oregon grape, pau d’arco, vitamins A and E, and zinc. Because you will either make or purchase Oregon grape in a liquid form, it will be easy to apply to affected areas on the skin. Apply to a test area, such as the back of your hand, for several days each day, and watch how it works for you. You may want to apply it straight, or you can add it to your natural shampoo for eczema in the scalp. Externally, you can also add the herb calendula (from marigold flowers), known for its soothing effects on the skin. Mix it with some aloe vera, and apply as a paste to affected areas. If you do not yet know the source of your eczema, eliminate any possible causes of skin irritants, such as toxic and industrialized chemicals. Make a note if you have changed any of your soaps or laundry detergents.
Some eczema can be triggered by allergies, so make a food diary and eliminate all things that show up on your food list more than every four days. Eliminate red meat, citrus fruits, and sugar from your diet, and see if your problem clears. This will help you learn what might be triggering this condition, too. Cleanse the bowel for quicker relief of all skin ailments.

Oregon Grape: A Grape Remedy for Eczema

Oregon grape (Berberis Aquifolium) is probably the most widely used and accepted herbal remedy for chronic skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis, all skin inflammation diseases. Its best use for helping eczema is in a liquid extract or tea, and it can be used internally as well as externally.
Oregon grape goes to the liver and lymphatics, helps purify blood, and serves as a mild laxative. It contains a powerful natural antibiotic similar to golden seal and has been used to clear up skin conditions of all kinds.
Oregon grape is also used for acne, dandruff, and detoxification. It gets to the source of skin problems because it helps regulate bile flow, decreases liver congestion, promotes the digestion of fats, and helps relieve constipation, all of which contribute to skin ailments.

Eczema: Getting Under Your Skin

Eczema is described as a superficial inflammation of the skin, an itchy red rash often accompanied by small blisters that weep and become encrusted. Typically, eczema will be treated medically with locally applied steroid hormones to help reduce inflammation; however, since drugs can do damage to the body, try these safe herbal remedies first.
To help yourself get the best treatment possible you will need to understand which type of eczema you are exhibiting. Knowing this will help you better understand what your cause might be and will govern the approach to your treatment. Like I say over and over, finding your cause is a big part of finding your cure. Some eczema is caused by allergy, some by lack of circulation, and some by something from the outside that your skin is contacting.
For the sake of simplicity, we will work with an herb or two that serves to cleanse the blood via the liver and the lymphatics. Remember that the skin is always as clean as the blood is.
Some of these herbs will work to help your body chemistry balance, which will eventually cause your symptom to disappear. Once you find out the root of this problem, you can add herbs or make lifestyle changes to help you with the cause. For instance, if you have eczema related to a lack of circulation in the legs, incorporating an invigorating exercise program along with taking herbs that stimulate circulation will get to the core of your problem.

Herbal Ear Drops and Other Home Remedies

Going right to the source with herbal infection fighters and pain relievers can speed up the healing process. Two to three drops directly into the earusing lobelia, garlic, mullein, or tea tree oil has been used with success for earaches for adults and children alike. However, please avoid placing any drops in ears that have had tubes surgically inserted. Warm the oil up slightly by placing the oil bottle in a hot pan of water for a minute or so first. This makes it feel better and makes the oil less viscous, helping it slide easily into the ear canal. These will all serve to soothe the canal and fight infection locally. Another home remedy helpful for ear pain involves a large onion. Here’s the remedy:

1. Bake the onion until soft.
2. Cut the onion in half.
3. Let the onion cool until you can stand to place your finger into the center.
4. Lay the flat side of each half on each ear, and wrap the onion snugly around your head (you can do one at a time if you keep the other half of the onion warm).
5. Keep on until the onion cools.

Not only does this help to relieve pain, but it can clear mucus congestion, too.
Eliminate toxins from the body with bowel cleansing to help any ailment. Enemas for both children and adults can bring relief fairly quickly. Add some garlic to the enema water to give an extra bacterial-fighting boost to the body and speed recovery time. Ear coning is used by some to get sinus and ear ache relief. Do not attempt ear coning alone, however. It is wise to have an experienced practitioner do this for you, or have someone teach you and your partner how to do it for each other.

Herbal Synergy and Supplemental Support

Other herbal combinations you can take with your echinacea to help fight infection include garlic and a mixture of parthenium, yarrow, myrrh, and capsicum. These all work synergistically to kill infection and lessen mucus; the capsicum acts as a stimulator to increase the effectiveness of all herbs.
After infection is over, an herbal calcium supplement will aid your body in rebuilding tissues that need healing. Think of calcium as the “knitter” in the body; it helps wounds heal by supplying the ingredients your body needs to rebuild. Herbs rich in calcium and silicon (silicon is also food for the structural system) include oatstraw, horsetail, dulse, and rosemary.

Cure for Earaches

Oh, your aching head! Earaches are painful ailments usually brought on by an infection and can not only be painful but also cause dizziness. Many times earaches are a common childhood complaint caused by allergies; make sure that there are no foreign objects in the ear before using herbs topically.

Some ear infections start with the growth of fungus on the ear drum. This can happen especially in warm, moist climates or when a person swims frequently. The following remedies will help you or your child fight the infection causing the earache and also help fight the fungus or infection locally.

Some infections can be aggravated by excess mucus production, and testing for food allergies is a good idea. Common food allergies involve wheat and sugar, so it will be helpful to eliminate these foods completely from your diet while fighting an infection. Mucus and ear wax can harden in the ear canal, leaving you vulnerable to earaches, infections, and dizziness. Sometimes a lack of essential fatty acids is the culprit in the excess production of ear wax. Consider supplementing with an Omega-3 oil, lecithin, or flax seed oil supplement to help emulsify some of that wax build-up. A capsule or two daily of any of these is useful.

We have already talked about echinacea being a great remedy for colds, allergies, and other ailments. This is just one of those all-around safe herbs that is helpful for all types of infections. Echinacea can dry up excess mucus and can serve to heal earaches that are due to excess mucus in the sinus cavities.

Other Herbs on the Run

For the prevention of diarrhea caused by food poisoning, bacterial infections, or parasites, food enzymes with hydrochloric acid supplements should be used before every meal, especially when dining out or traveling. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is an acid normally produced by the stomach to kill off parasites when we consume foods that are contaminated. As we age, our stomach produces less and less of this acid, which can leave us more vulnerable to infections caused by ingested foods, drinks, or anything that enters through the mouth. Supplementing with these can help protect us from getting diarrhea in the first place.
Acidophilus is the good bacteria normally present in our digestive tract. These bacteria keep other harmful bacteria and viruses in our body at bay. They also eat up other foreign substances that enter through our digestive tract and serve as another form of protection against invaders. Substances such as caffeine, carbonated beverages, and antibiotics can kill off these good bacteria temporarily, leaving us vulnerable to infections. Acidophilus or bifidophilus supplementation can help replenish our body with these helpful bacteria. Take four to six capsules on an empty stomach every day for best protection against picking up bugs and to stop diarrhea. Acidophilus will fight against any existing bacterial infection going on in your system.
Other herbs that can help slow things down include psyllium hulls or oat bran. Psyllium acts like a bulking agent in the colon and will help absorb excess water. For children suffering from diarrhea, red raspberry in a liquid extract is an excellent remedy.

Bayberry: Berry Good for Diarrhea

For diarrhea caused by any condition, an astringent herb can be used to contract tissues and slow things down. A good single herb used to combat the problem is bayberry (Myrica cerifera), not to be confused with barberry (Berberis vulgaris). For its best use against diarrhea, bayberry should be made into a decoction or tea. If bayberry cannot be found, blackberry tea also works very well. Taking either of these herbs in a capsule form is helpful as well; however, the results may take longer in a pill form because the capsules require digestion.
Bayberry has special properties that act as germicides and that can destroy harmful bacteria and help the body get rid of mucus and toxins. It contains a rich amount of vitamin C and calcium, which makes it a very nourishing herb.
Bayberry has also been used to stop profuse menstruation and bleeding gums, and it has been useful in helping fight infections, cholera, colitis, dysentery, hemorrhoids, and jaundice.

Diarrhea: Some Gripping Advice

Diarrhea can be caused by different factors, which may include:

• A parasite infestation. A parasite is any organism that lives as a guest in your body and that contributes nothing to your well-being. Parasites can include fungus, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and worms. Any of these can be contracted through contaminated food, commonly referred to as food poisoning. . Stress and anxiety. The bowel is intimately connected with your nervous system and can react negatively to nervousness.
• Intestinal infections or inflammation can be brought on by other diseases, such as Chrone’s disease. Knowing what might be causing your diarrhea will help you to treat it with the best remedy and to eliminate the source of your irritation. If you catch a bug (whether a parasite or bacteria) foreign to your body, your body reacts to eliminate the invader by stimulating peristaltic action of the bowel. This creates a forceful movement of the bowels, which can manifest itself as diarrhea. In this case, diarrhea is really a protective mechanism your body is activating to rid itself of a toxin.

Due to the loss of fluid, salts, and nutrients that accompany diarrhea, dehydration is a concern—severe dehydration can cause brain damage or death if not treated.
Therefore, it is important—especially for the elderly and children—to counteract the dehydrating effects of diarrhea through the intake of plenty of liquids. Make sure that the water supplied is filtered water and is not the source of possible contamination that could be causing the problem.
If you or someone you are responsible for has a bad bout of diarrhea, you can utilize the herbs and supplements described to stop the diarrhea. If diarrhea persists, however,
you should contact your physician to make sure that the person does not suffer the complications associated with dehydration.