Medicrit – Medicare

Archive for August, 2010

One of the most effective things you can do to treat insomnia is get acupuncture and take Chinese herbs.

In Chinese medicine, insomnia is related to a malfunction in the energetic system of your body. For example, excess stress affects your liver, sadness affects your lungs and fear affects your kidneys. Over time, all emotions in excess affect your heart. Your heart can become energetically weak over time. You might have symptoms such as heart palpitations, poor memory or being easily startled.

Insomnia is usually related to weak heart energy or weak kidneys. It is important to strengthen your body with ginseng and other Chinese herbs. Herbal sedatives such as valerian root are basically muscle relaxers. If you have really severe insomnia, valerian root will probably not be enough. You will need to build up your body again.

Acupuncture works by regulating your body. Your body has over 400 acupuncture points. Each point has a specific function. For example, if you have kidney problems, there are points that are known to affect the kidney energy.

An example of kidney problems is incontinence. As you get older your kidneys naturally grow weaker. Also, if you are under constant stress, that can affect your kidneys also. There are Chinese herbs that will strengthen the kidneys and cure incontinence that is caused by weak kidneys. The acupuncture points often used for kidney deficiency are: Kidney 3 and 6 and Spleen 6. There are other points that can be used for this. It depends on all of your symptoms and which organ pattern you have.

The formula “Gui pi wan” is very effective to strengthen and nourish your heart. It is one of the most popular formulas used in Chinese herbalism for energy and insomnia. It is called “spleen returning” decoction. It is used to rejuvenate people when they have become run down. Some common symptoms where it is used are: low energy, insomnia, easily startled, poor memory and palpitations. These are symptoms of “heart Qi and blood deficiency”. Your heart has become weak and needs to be strengthened to relieve your symptoms.

There are many different hair loss vitamins that when taken, assist in prevention of hair loss and having a healthy hair and scalp. One of the most important of these groups is B group vitamins, in particular B3, B5, B6, B12 and BX. Intakes of B group vitamin supplements have resulted in stimulating hair growth. It should be also noted that a deficiency in these same vitamins have led to hair loss.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Niacin or B3 is essential to metabolise carbohydrates, fat and alcohol and for energy production. It also helps maintain skin, hair and scalp and supports the nervous and digestive system. Good sources include fish, poultry, milk, eggs, wholegrain breads, nuts and mushrooms. A recommended intake is 50mg – 3 times daily.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Pantothenic Acid or B5 is needed to metabolise proteins, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol. It also particularly important for hair growth and can further assist in preventing acne. Good sources include milk, eggs, liver, peanuts and legumes. A recommended intake is 100mg – 3 times daily

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

Pyridoxine or B6 is required for protein and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as the formation of red blood cells and certain brain chemicals. It improves the immune system and influences brain processes and development, as well as steroid hormone activity. Evidence suggests that B6 may also assist in the treatment of carpal tunnel and premenstrual syndromes, as well as preventing fungal infections. A deficiency in B6 can result in hair loss in men. Good sources include cereal grains, legumes, green leafy vegetables, fish, shellfish, poultry, liver and nuts. A recommended intake is 50mg – 3 times daily.

Vitamin B12 (Cycanocobalamin)

Cycanocobalamin or B12 improves nerve cells and mental ability. It assists red blood cell formation and also the breaking down of fatty acids and amino acids that produce energy. Vitamin B12 is known to assist hair loss through regenerating damaged hair follicles, as wells as healing and nourishing the scalp. Good sources include eggs, cheese, milk, meat and liver. A recommended intake is 2.4 micrograms daily.

Vitamin BX (Para-Amino benzoic Acid)

Para-amino benzoic acid is not part of the B group vitamins, however it is known as vitamin BX. Also known as PABA it is a non protein amino acid. It is important to skin, hair and intestinal health. It assists in preventing hair loss by protecting hair follicles. It is further an antioxidant that provides protection against sun exposure, smoking and air pollutants. Good sources include eggs, liver, kidney, bran, wheat germ brewer’s yeast, yoghurt and spinach. A recommended intake is 100 mg – 3 times daily.

Some things to remember with B Group Vitamins:B-Group vitamins are a group of 8 vitamins that are essential for many metabolic processes.

Most of these vitamins cannot be stored in the body and therefore need to be consumed regularly through supplements in a balanced diet.

Over cooking, processing and alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of the vitamins.

Vitamins should only be taken in the correct doses. Some vitamins can be toxic if taken to excess. It is recommended to see a doctor or dietician for further advice.

B-Group vitamins including these hair loss vitamins as mentioned should be considered as part of a balance program for healthy hair and hair loss prevention.

There is probably not one person who suffers from candidiasis who has not at some point struggled with sugar – or still is! Many people have spoken of sugar as a ‘drug’ and they do believe it can be that strong for them. For women, it seems to be even more so as it ties in with their monthly cycle: PMS symptoms and depression. It is truly a very real problem.

One of the things you should always remind yourself is that when you remove something that you have been used to for almost all your life and you want to make lasting changes, you cannot remove and leave a void. There has to be something to ‘fill’ the void. There are many ways to fill the void.

You should ask yourself what attitude that can be fulfilling. Many people do positive activities to fill the void, like regular exercise and meditation. So when you are thinking “all or nothing” and then you fail, you feel it’s ‘all over’. Do not take this attitude, tell yourself that “small” victories are very important! One day at a time, live in the day you are in and don’t fret if you can ‘continue’ tomorrow. Secondly, is vital that you get on a good supplemental program and eat good food. If you can get on a good daily program you will find that your sugar binges will ‘drop’ as your body gets more of its nutritional needs met.

Everything takes time, like growing something in a garden. Think of that: no one changes overnight.

One of the fastest-growing diseases is something most people don’t think much about: Type II diabetes. Long known as “adult-onset diabetes,” it’s a condition in which the body’s ability to use carbohydrates is impaired by inefficient insulin function. Characterized by abnormally high blood sugar and insulin levels, Type II diabetes greatly increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, blindness, nerve disorders, kidney disease, cancer and impotence.

Type II diabetes differs from Type I diabetes. In Type II diabetes, adequate amounts of blood-sugar-lowering insulin are produced but the hormone doesn’t function efficiently. In Type I diabetes (or insulin-dependent diabetes), a malfunction of the immune system leads to destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, so little or no insulin is produced. Type II diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases of diabetes.

Not long ago this disease only affected people in their later years, but that situation has changed dramatically. Today, Type II diabetes has ballooned into an epidemic that now afflicts all age groups, including children as young as 10 years old.

The statistics certainly show that it’s no longer a disease that should be considered out of sight and out of mind. Between 1990 and 1998, the overall incidence of diabetes among Americans increased by 33 percent. Among people in their 30s, the incidence jumped by an astounding 70 percent.

What’s more, many people who don’t yet have diabetes are on the fast track to developing it. Being overweight is a major predisposing factor for Type II diabetes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 61 percent of Americans are now overweight, and 27 percent are clinically obese. Weight around the middle is an especially bad sign, as is frequent thirst and frequent urination. In addition, heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low HDL (good) cholesterol and high triglycerides (a cluster of symptoms collectively known as metabolic syndrome), are warning signs that a person is at serious risk for diabetes.

Some of the earliest signs of prediabetes are fatigue, sleepiness after meals, sugar cravings and difficulty concentrating.

The root problem in Type II diabetes and in prediabetic conditions is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance develops slowly, primarily from a diet high in carbohydrates-especially sweets, breads, and flour- and sugar-based snack foods. The more these blood-sugar-raising foods are eaten, the more the pancreas pumps out insulin, which shuttles glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. In time, though, the cells become resistant to the effects of so much insulin, and blood sugar levels eventually start to creep up into ranges that are considered diabetic.

Is there any good news? Absolutely. Type II diabetes is a nutritional disease with a nutritional cure. The type of diet that offers protection against Type II diabetes is a protein-rich, low-carbohydrate plan in which the carbohydrates come primarily from non starchy vegetables such as salad greens, green beans, asparagus, celery and broccoli. Eating this type of diet and using supportive supplements shouldn’t be considered alternative medicine but rather the treatment of choice for Type II diabetes.

The diet should also be rich in good fats, such as monounsaturated fats in olive oil and omega-3 fats in cold-water fish and fish oil. Although fat is considered taboo by many people, good fats really should be considered essential medicine for diabetics because they improve insulin sensitivity and don’t raise insulin levels.

Supplements also play an important role in natural diabetes care. I often recommend that my patients with Type II diabetes take two nutrients that help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. The first is gymnema sylvestre, an Indian herb that helps slow the transport of glucose from the intestines into the bloodstream. Preliminary human studies with type 2 diabetics the herb also lowers triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. I recommend taking 400 mg. of an extract that is standardized for 25 percent gymnemic acids each day.

The second is vanadium, ultra-trace mineral that helps support healthy blood glucose levels. It also activates the synthesis of enzymes for carbohydrate metabolism. If you have confirmed Type II diabetes, I advise taking 100 mcg. daily.

Physical activity, adequate sleep and stress reduction can also be helpful adjuncts to nutritional treatment. Physical activity directly improves diabetes by improving insulin efficiency, while stress reduction lowers cortisol levels, which in turn should lower insulin levels.