Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Bathing: Now You’re Not So Hot!


Moms and herbalists alike use two good home remedies to break fevers:
  1. A sweat bath: The sweat bath is the typical way an herbalist would handle a fever, knowing that the fever is doing the body a favor by killing infection. A sweat bath will assist your body and speed up the process.
  2. A tepid sponge bath: It is a way to bring down a fever, but not necessarily to help the body rid itself of the cause of the fever. If you are worried about a child with a raging fever and cannot get medical care, this would be your safest home treatment.
The sweat bath will help break a fever in a similar way that the yarrow works, by opening the pores and sweat glands and pushing out wastes through the skin. For use and description of a sweat bath. The other remedy, a tepid sponge bath, involves putting yourself or a child in tepid water to eliminate a fever by conduction.
Traditionally, many moms have used rubbing alcohol in the tub to help break a fever. This is because of the quick evaporating action of alcohol. However, the alcohol’s fumes can be toxic. A better way to go for a tepid sponge bath is to add peppermint oil to the water. Peppermint oil also brings blood to the surface of the skin and has a cooling effect on the body. What’s more, the fumes are not dangerous, and the oil leaves you feeling more refreshed. Also the bath water does not need to be cold! A more pleasing temperature (approximately 70F) will still do the trick and can be tolerated for a longer time than colder water. A sponge bath would be a better choice than a sweat bath for very high fevers.
Either way you go, take your yarrow to help push out the inner heat and toxins through the skin.

Me and My Yarrow


Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, L.) is an herb traditionally used for many medicinal purposes, including lowering fevers. It is a diaphoretic herb and will clear even the most deep-seated fever. Yarrow has an affinity for the skin and will diffuse the blood to the surface of the skin and open up pores, letting out the inner heat and eliminating waste products that could be causing the fever. For treating fevers with yarrow, a tea or decoction is best. It is also useful in any combination of herbs used to treat colds, the flu, and respiratory ailments.
Children respond well to yarrow used to break a fever, especially when the herb is mixed with elderberry and peppermint. Childhood illnesses that have been treated with yarrow include chicken pox, smallpox, measles, colds, and influenza.
Other herbs, such as an extract of catnip and fennel, can be used to break a fever. This is also a good remedy for children. And, of course, you can always take garlic, which contains anti-bacterial agents that help your body kill off an infection that may be causing the fever. Beta carotene will convert to vitamin A in the body as needed and is safer for feverish children. Vitamin E also will help protect the liver during a fever.

Cure for Fever

A fever occurs when the body temperature is abnormally high. Most of the time, the body temperature rises in an attempt to burn off some type of bug or toxin. Fevers can be triggered by viral or bacterial infections of many kinds. You can think of a fever as your friend, helping you to burn off foreign invaders. Herbs will help you assist your fever and can fast-forward you to recovery.
The body temperature rises and falls an average of 1.5F during the course of a day, based on a person’s activity level, diet, anxiety, and clothing. As a guideline, you can consider the possibility of fever when your temperature reaches between 99F and 100F. If your temperature is 100F or over, you can be sure it’s a fever. If you have any of the following conditions characterizing a fever, consult your physician immediately:
  • Fever persisting more than five days could indicate a persistent or severe infection that is beyond home treatment.
  • Fever in a child less than four months old: They are more susceptible to seizures.
  • Fever accompanied by a sore, stiff neck could be a sign of meningitis, where an infection has entered the brain—a life-threatening condition.
  • Fever of more than 105F: If home treatments fail to bring down a temperature something serious may be going on that your body cannot handle without intervention.
  • Any fever above 105F can lead to brain damage.

Monday, December 15, 2008

I Can See! A Testimonial to Herbs and Eyesight


When poor eyesight is caused by a lack of nutrients, herbs can restore eyesight safely and sometimes very quickly. My husband is a good testimonial for this wonderful herbal “side effect.” When I met him he wore glasses, he had chronic sinusitis that was long standing, and he was getting shots in his nose by his allergist, which didn’t seem to alleviate his suffering much. He suffered from stress because of his high-pressure job and other circumstances at the time. He also had mild digestive and intestinal distress and symptoms of fluctuating blood sugar.
The last thing I was concerned about for him was his eyesight. But I think it’s interesting to note how these other problems may tie in with vision.
Here’s the herbal program I put him on:
A combination for stress that included: chamomile flowers, passion flowers, hops flowers, fennel seeds, marshmallow root, and feverfew herb. A combination for his allergies that included: burdock root, ephedra, golden seal, capsicum, parsley, horehound, althea, and yerba santa. Bifidophilus to improve his digestion and absorption of nutrients. A fiber supplement for his bowel that included a mixture of psyllium, oat, and apple fibers.
A soothing combo for his digestive tract that contained: slippery elm bark, marshmallow
root, plantain herb, chamomile flowers, rose hips, and bugleweed herb.
Licorice root to help his body produce natural cortisone (he was getting cortisone shots in
his nose, and so he thought he’d try this natural alternative). Licorice root also balances
the blood sugar levels, which can have an effect on eyesight.
An enzyme designed to help him break down proteins. The enzyme also included hydrochloric acid.
And a combination to support his blood sugar levels and nourish the prostate that included:
golden seal, juniper berries, uva ursi leaves, cedar berries, mullein leaves, garlic bulb,
yarrow flowers, slippery elm bark, capsicum fruit, dandelion root, marshmallow root,
nettle herb, white oak bark, and licorice root. Within two weeks on this program, he was absolutely amazed to find that his sinuses cleared up almost entirely. Within two months he was completely Kleenex-free! His digestion improved dramatically, his stress level eased, and he became even more grateful he met me! However, after about four months using the herbs he began to get headaches. We finally came to the conclusion that his prescription glasses probably needed an update.
They sure did! A trip to see his eye doctor resulted in the recycling of his glasses because his vision had returned to 20/20! It’s nice to know that herbs can fill in nutritional voids and that your body will begin to restore the undernourished areas whether you “focus” on a particular ailment or not. That was over four years ago, my husband still takes his daily herbal supplements and continues to be sinusitis- and eyeglass-free!

Bilberry: Focusing on the Problem


Bilberry fruit (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a potent herbal antioxidant source. Its ability to neutralize free radicals in the brain and the eyes makes it a powerful protector for the eyes. The part used historically is the fruit, sometimes also called huckleberry or blueberry.
British pilots during World War II used bilberry to improve their vision for night flying. Some reported improved vision within two weeks of using bilberry, and longterm use of this safe herb will prove most beneficial. Bilberry’s ability to strengthen blood capillaries also makes it an excellent tonic for people who bruise easily. Bilberry used with eyebright and beta carotene makes a powerful combination to nourish and protect the eyes and to strengthen vision. It also works well for lightsensitive individuals. Bilberry is also used for diabetes, diarrhea, and mild inflammation.
Zinc and vitamins E, A, and C all work well to protect our vision and are all contained in eyebright and bilberry. Another practice you can choose to help tone the eyes is a cold water splash every morning and each night. Simply fill your sink with some cold water, cup the water in your hands, and splash your eyes. The cold will help muscles retract, will tighten capillaries, and will tone your eyes. Many find this very refreshing and strengthening to their eyes.

Eyebright: A Sight for Sore Eyes


Appropriately named, eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) is an herb used to nourish, cleanse, tone, and strengthen the eyes. It contains a component that strengthens the blood capillaries, which improves circulation to the eyes. Eyebright has been used internally and externally for eye problems of all sorts. For better vision take internally. Eyebright usually comes in capsules and is many times found with other astringent herbs. Its antibacterial effects make it an excellent tea to be used as an eyewash for conjunctivitis (pink eye) or sore, irritated, or itchy eyes.
To use eyebright as an external eyewash, you have two options. If you have the herb in a capsule, empty one capsule per cup of water (one cup at a time should be more than sufficient). If you are using the herb in bulk form, four heaping teaspoons equals about one capsule of powder. Then follow these steps:
  1. Put herb in a cup of water, and bring to a boil.
  2. Boil 10 minutes.
  3. Let cool, and strain mixture well. (That’s better than a sharp stick in the eye!)
  4. Use a glass dropper to administer to eyes as needed. Do not touch the glass dropper to the eye, however; this will contaminate the mixture with the dropper, unless you sterilize it first.
  5. Store the mixture in a glass container in the refrigerator. Do not keep mixture longer than three to four days.

Eyes Got an Herb for You


The eyes are the windows to the soul, and sight is one of our most valued senses, however sometimes we take it for granted until we begin to lose our perfect vision. Most often it is some type of malnourishment that causes our eyes to loose focus. Sometimes it is a symptom of another progressive disease. But for the common eyesight degeneration, I have seen people reclaim their good vision several months after incorporating an herbal program into their life. I have also seen people who have worked on their core problem with herbs improve their eyesight as a side effect of taking herbs and supplements.
You can use herbs to tone the eye muscles, relieve and nourish stressed or irritated eyes, and bring circulation to the eyes. All this can help restore better vision and increase the general health of your eyes.

Pau D’Arco for Endometriosis


Pau d’arco is utilized by many women as a blood cleanser and to dissolve cysts. Use pau d’arco to help in all ailments that are related to abnormal growths, such as cysts, cancer, tumors, and endometriosis.
As always, combinations of herbs—and sometimes supplements—can speed your recovery. Use sarsaparilla and pau d’arco at the same time. Pau d’arco aids in dissolving cysts and tissue overgrowth while sarsaparilla aids your body in progesterone production—which will help balance estrogen levels sometimes related to endometriosis.
For extra benefit, and more hormonal balancing effects, add the following combination along with your pau d’arco and sarsaparilla: golden seal, capsicum, ginger, uva ursi, crampbark, squawvine, blessed thistle, red raspberry, and false unicorn. Extra vitamin C can enhance this herbal program. Soy estrogens from plant sources are known as phyto-estrogens and offer a very mild form of estrogen. They bind the estrogen receptors, making it difficult for “bad” estrogen to be effective. This makes soy valuable in helping to balance estrogen levels, especially when those levels are in excess.