Homeopathy Resource Newsletter: June 2006
Curb Chocolate Cravings; Homeopathic Remedy for Insomnia and More
THIS MONTH:
- How to eat less chocolate!
- A simple home test for Candida
- A homeopathic remedy for insomnia
- Can't take iron tablets? Here's an alternative
- Case of the Month
- Recipe for the Month
- Seasonal Problems
- Latest News
HOW CAN I EAT LESS CHOCOLATE?
Here's a tip from Jane Thurnell-Reade's website: www.healthandgoodness.com:
Unfortunately many people find it difficult to eat chocolate in moderation. If you're one of these people, try taking a good zinc supplement. Many people find a regular intake of zinc, reduces their chocolate craving - you need to look for a zinc supplement that contains 10 mg to 15 mg of elemental zinc, and take one each day.
Tea, coffee and alcohol interfere with the absorption of zinc, so make sure you leave a gap between taking your zinc supplement and drinking any of these.
If your cravings arrive pre-menstrually, try this tip from WeightWatchers:
Magnesium is a mineral that helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, and could thereby reduce cravings. Magnesium supplements can reduce symptoms of irritability, depression, anxiety/tension, bloating, tiredness and headaches. It also acts as a muscle relaxant and can reduce the painful periods associated with PMS.
My personal solution is to take one square of best quality, dark chocolate and allow it to melt very slowly in my mouth - delicious! I find that if it's a genuine chocolate craving, the dark bitter taste for a few moments is all I need.
COULD I HAVE CANDIDA?
Recent studies have shown that a staggering one in three people are suffering with Candidiasis or an overgrowth of Candida Albicans with a variety of symptoms ranging from common ailments to difficult degenerative diseases.
Candida Albicans is a parasitic yeast like fungus that inhabits everybody's gut. It gets there during the first four months of our lives when as infants we are constantly putting our hands and fingers in our mouths. It can also be contracted by an infant passing through the birth canal during labour, from a mother who has an overgrowth of Candida Albicans.
Normally this bacterium settles in our gut where it does not cause us a problem as we have billions of 'good' bacteria, which keeps all the 'bad' bacteria under control. The problem starts when the 'good' bacteria are knocked out and depleted allowing the 'bad' bacteria to start to grow and over proliferate.
Saliva Test - for Candida (Candidiasis) Yeast Disorder
Apparently, this simple test is said to see if you have candida:
First thing in the morning, before you put ANYTHING in your mouth, get a clear glass fill with water and work up a bit of saliva, then spit it into the glass of water. Check the water every 15 minutes or so for up to one hour.
If you have a problem you will see strings (like legs) travelling down into the water from the saliva floating on the top, or "cloudy" saliva will sink to the bottom of the glass, or cloudy specks will seem to be suspended in the water. If there are no strings and the saliva is still floating after at least one hour, your candida is probably under control.
Typical symptoms of out-of-control candida are: migraines, bloating, yeast rashes, athletes foot, thrush, dry throat, constant thirst, itching, blocked ears, excessive dandruff, blurred vision, brain fog.
For example, I recently saw an otherwise fit and healthy young man who complained of bloating and an incredibly dry mouth and throat, with dermatitis inside his ears. He also had thrush. An obvious case of candidiasis!
YOUR HOMEOPATH CAN HELP YOU WITH CANDIDA, by prescribing remedies that can clear up the symptoms, advice on dietary supplements and the Candida Detox Diet.
CAN'T GET TO SLEEP?
If your insomnia is the type where you feel tired, go to bed and then lie awake because you can't stop the thoughts whirling round in your head, you could find that homeopathic coffee helps!
It's called Coffea Crudum and of course it treats the symptoms that normal coffee can cause.
I recommend Coffea in the 30c potency, taking one pill half an hour before bed and another in bed if you still can't sleep.
DO IRON TABLETS UPSET YOUR STOMACH?
Iron supplements can have side-effects. These include constipation, diarrhea, an upset stomach or feeling sick. The stools may also turn black.
Prevention
The best way to prevent iron-deficiency anaemia is to eat a diet containing plenty of iron. The recommended daily amount is 7mg a day for men and 11mg a day for women.
Iron is found in meat, liver, cereals, raw green vegetables, fortified foods such as some breakfast cereals. The following is a list of the amount of iron contained in 100g of these foods:
- braising steak - 2.7mg
- lamb's liver - 10mg
- fortified corn flakes - 7.9mg
- wholemeal pitta bread - 2.7mg
- broccoli (boiled) - 1mg
- spinach (boiled) - 1.7mg
It's a good idea to eat foods containing vitamin C at the same time as eating non-meat sources of iron because this helps with iron absorption. Good sources of vitamin C include peppers, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, oranges and kiwi fruit.
The above information is borrowed from the BUPA website, where you can also find out more about the causes of anaemia.
The homeopathic alternative is to take New Era Tissue Salt No. 4 - Ferrum Phos (phosphate of iron). It's readily available in chemists and health shops. Follow the instructions on the bottle, and finish the course.
This remedy in minute doses restores the equilibrium to the iron molecules, thus strengthening the muscular fibres. Through its power of attracting oxygen iron becomes a useful remedy in such diseases of the blood corpuscles as anemia, chlorosis and leukemia.
General Biochemical Action - From the above it is readily seen that Ferr-phos becomes the first remedy in all cases depending on a relaxed condition of muscular tissue; also for an abnormal condition of the blood corpuscles themselves.
CASE OF THE MONTH:
Here's an interesting example of the way two different remedies can work for apparently the same condition.
A generally healthy young woman gave birth at the end of last month. She had a wonderful, natural birth and, by taking Arnica 30c regularly, she avoided all painkillers, which was great for her and for the baby.
But she developed a nasty cough which wouldn't clear up. Her mother had apparently the same cough, which had begun just before the baby was born. Naturally, you would think, she had "caught" the cough from her mum.
Homeopaths think differently! The cough began with the birth. Kali-Carb is a remedy which will clear up many conditions which have never been well since childbirth. It's also a well-known remedy for weak chests. This young woman had pneumonia when she was younger, so her lungs were susceptible.
Her cough cleared up very promptly, so we turned our attention to her mum's cough.
Interestingly, her mother had very recently suffered a bereavement. Quite an emotional time for her, losing a very close family friend just before her beautiful new grandchild was born!
In this instance, she was given Ignatia - the number one remedy for grief and loss. Again, there was a marked improvement in the cough.
RECIPE FOR THE MONTH
It's the asparagus season in the UK, and this is a really simple way to enjoy our delicious home-grown asparagus:
Steam or boil the asparagus just long enough to soften it. Lay your asparagus stems in a flat grill-proof or oven-proof dish. Dot with several knobs of butter and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Pop it under a hot grill until the cheese is just how you like it!
SEASONAL PROBLEMS
I've written two articles about this month's seasonal problems.
For an entertaining and informative article about Hayfever, click here.
If you're studying hard for GCSEs or A-Levels (or you know someone who is) click here.
LATEST NEWS:
Ian Watson's downloadable seminars are now available to buy from http://www.homeopathyresource.com.
Download Homeopathy, Natural Healing and Personal Development Seminars from author & lecturer Ian Watson to play on your computer, mp3 player or burn onto CDs!
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous month!
Sincerely,
Linda Lloyd
MLCHom, DipHEAR, FARH, Homeopathic Consultant,
Chesham in Bucks, England
Telephone: 01494 416376
Email: Linda@HomeopathyResource.com
Web: www.HomeopathyResource.com
Posted on June 01, 2006 08:22 PM
