Herbal Health

Reduce your exposure to chemicals and fumes as much as you can during the test period. Stay out of places where chemicals are heavily used, such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, hairdressers’ or barbers’, and swimming baths. Some shops are full of chemical fumes -chemists’, perfumeries, newsagents’, shoe shops, DIY shops, television shops, clothes shops – so do not spend too long in any of these. Keep out of dry-cleaners’ and away from agricultural spraying. Drive or travel as little as you can. If you walk through traffic, try to stay away from busy roads and junctions.

Ban smoking in your home and elsewhere around you if you can. Avoid pubs, or public places where people smoke. If you go out to a cinema, concert or evening event, other people’s toiletries may bother you – perfumes, cologne and hairsprays, in particular – so limit how much you go out during the elimination programme.

Do what you can at work. If you work with chemicals, say in a shop, at a hairdressers’, at a garage, in a dry-cleaners’ or in a factory, there may be little you can do, but try. In offices, computers, photocopiers, paper stores, and new furniture are potent sources of fumes. You may have no choice but to stay close to them, but keep away as much as you can. Make sure the office is well ventilated and take frequent breaks in the fresh air.

At home, it helps if you can avoid using gas and paraffin cookers and fires that give off strong fumes. Use alternative heaters; perhaps borrow a microwave for cooking if you can. If you have to use a gas cooker, keep its use to a minimum, and ventilate well. (Gas central heating, and gas Agas, offer little problem unless you are extremely sensitive, so continue using these unless you notice they are causing you to react.)

Keep television watching to a minimum; only have your set on if you are actually watching something. Fumes from televisions do not bother some people at all, but they can give others real trouble. Take care with computers in the same way.

Put newspapers, brochures, magazines and any other paper away, in a drawer or cupboard for preference, unless they are actually being read or used. These can be potent sources of fumes. Stop using paper handkerchieves and kitchen paper towels.

Avoid buying anything new during the test period. If you do, leave it in a spare room or outside the home to air.

Once you have done these things, you should have eliminated most of the major hazards in your immediate environment. If you find anything around you that particularly bothers you (such as a piece of furniture, or plastic equipment), then put it in a spare room, outside the home, or cover it up with a sheet or cloth for the period of testing.

Follow this programme for at least a week, and up to three weeks, if you can sustain it.

After this time, you can reintroduce things you want to use, or increase your exposure to everyday chemicals and see what you are able to tolerate. Do this one thing at a time, preferably only once every few days, and no more than one a day. Monitor your symptoms as you proceed. See how things go, and gradually find out exactly what you can and cannot tolerate.

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Particle boards, of which the most common is called chipboard, are made of chips of wood bonded together by adhesive resins, usually formaldehyde resins. They are used in many applications in building and fumiture-making, often as a base for wood veneer, and as a base for plastic or melamine decorative finishes. They provide the structure for most fitted kitchen and bedroom cupboards, the core for work surfaces and can be used for partitions, wall and ceiling linings, and for flooring.

These boards have a high resin content relative to other building boards, and can give out significant amounts of free formaldehyde, especially when new, or when being cut or installed. If you have relatively small amounts of chipboard in your home, say only in the kitchen, and if it is not new, then it will probably not bother you too much. But chipboard can be a problem if you are exceptionally sensitive to formaldehyde, if you have large amounts in your home, or if you have newly installed chipboard – say in a new floor or fitted kitchen, for instance.

Unless chipboard bothers you a great deal, it may be better to leave it in place, and allow it to gas out over time, rather than to go to the expense and risk of replacement. If chipboard is exposed anywhere, or if it is used as flooring, sealing it with varnish will reduce the level of fumes escaping. Fit an impervious floor covering such as linoleum, rather than carpets, to reduce vapours.

If you decide to replace chipboard, or have to have work done, then wherever possible use alternatives without formaldehyde resins, or with lower resin contents.

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The most powerful versions of filters, probably better suited to office or workroom use, are the Filtaire 600S, the Enviracaire and the NSA 7100A.

The Filtaire 600S is identical in technical design to the Anatomia Filtaire 300, with fabric and carbon filters. It is larger in capacity and size, more effective and made with a metal casing. It is available at about £400 from Ascot Heath. Filters are of similar cost to the Anatomia and need replacing at similar intervals.

The Enviracaire is round and quite bulky to move. It has a HEPA filter, thick fabric and activated carbon filters. It produces very pure air, but also a draught at ground level, and can be noisy even on low operation. It is priced at £215 (at 1992). Carbon filters need replacing every three to six months at £11 each, and the HEPA filter needs renewing every four to five years at £70.

The NSA 7100A is tall and looks like a piece of office equipment. It has a HEPA filter, plus carbon filters that are thinner than the Enviracaire. It can be manoeuvred easily, being light and on castors. The air it produces is very clean, but the unit itself is made up of a slightly aromatic plastic and can be troublesome to some people with chemical sensitivity. It costs £360 (at 1992). The carbon filters need replacing every six months at £20 each, and the HEPA filter every two years at £60. It is available from Beta-Plus or NSA distributors (addresses below).

All suppliers of devices should offer you a trial period in case a machine does not suit you, or you do not find it effective. Check that you can return a machine before you make a purchase.

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All the companies listed below provide a mail order service.

Bakery products and flours

The following firms supply bakery products and flours by post, including special mixes and food substitutes. Custom Bake will supply baked cakes and other products, using any ingredients you specify.

Cantassium Foodwatch International

Custom Bake Nutricia

Diet Care Suma

General Designs

Organic foods

Church Farm Natural Foods (London area)

Countryside Wholefoods Naturally Yours

Green Farm Foodwatch Organic Farmers and Growers

Infinity Foods Suma

Organic fruit and vegetables Organic Farmers and

Growers Red House Farm

Church Farm

Countryside Wholefoods

Natural Foods (London area)

Organic meat, conservation-grade and additive-free meat, poultry, sausages, ham, bacon

Church Farm      Organic Farmers and Growers

Greenway Organic Farms Pure Meat Company

Heal Farm Real Meat Company

Longwood Farm Red House Farm

Murray Meats

Natural Foods (London area)

For sausages made to your recipe:

Church Farm

Heal Farm

Red House Farm

For goat’s meat:

Murray Meats

Goat’s cheese, goat’s milk powder

Countryside Wholefoods Paxton & Whitfield Suma

Green Farm Foodwatch

Market Pantry Natural Foods (London area)

Sheep’s cheese, sheep’s milk powder

Foodwatch International Suma

Market Pantry Natural Foods (London area) Sussex High Weald Wells Stores

Paxton & Whitfield

Yogurt culture, cheese culture, rennet

Smallholding Supplies

Suma

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The pattern of disease varies widely. Some people develop allergies very early in life, develop new allergies readily and have wide-ranging problems for most of their lives. Other people can show no sign of trouble, and then develop one or more allergies much later in life, often for no apparent reason. The severity of reaction also varies greatly from individual to individual.

The first time an allergen is encountered, it sets off the primary response from the immune system, to manufacture antibodies to it. No reaction will occur at this first meeting; it is not until the next encounter, or often some time later if you have a particularly heavy exposure to something, that you will react.

Babies in the womb can become sensitised to substances, especially foods, passed from the mother, so they can appear to be born with allergies. Preconceptual and antenatal care can help avoid or minimise this and it is worth taking precautions if you have any history of allergy in the family, not just in the mother (> CHARITIES).

Sensitivity to allergens can vary a great deal. Some people find, for instance, that if they eliminate allergens from their own home or work environment, they can tolerate them reasonably well when they meet them elsewhere. Some people, who live abroad for a while and then return to the UK, find that their level of tolerance to native pollens can change. Other people find, however, that their sensitivity remains very high and lifelong after initial sensitisation, and they have to take extreme care to avoid allergens completely.

The immune system appears to be able to recognise molecules or substances that are related to each other. This means that you are more prone to develop an allergy to something chemically or biologically related to a substance you are already allergic to. In some people, this never happens, but in others, ‘cross-reaction’ or ‘cross-reactivity’ is quite a strong phenomenon. You may need to take care to prevent cross-reaction.

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There are different ways the surgeon can get access to the corpora cavernosa, where the implants are placed. The skin incision can be made around the head of the penis, at the base or along the length. (Uncircumcised men may need to have their foreskin removed during surgery.) The surgeon can also cut in or under the scrotum. Once the doctor is in the area, an additional cut into the corpora cavernosa is made so that the two parts of the implant can be positioned.

The implants come in several different lengths and widths, and the correct size will be determined when you’re opened up.

Once the implants are in place, they fit snugly inside the corpora cavernosa and don’t have to be sewn in place. The incisions are sewn shut, and the procedure is over. From start to finish, this type of operation routinely takes about an hour.

Recovery from this type of surgery is usually very uneventful. When you first check out the results, you’ll find yourself with a swollen penis. You may have a catheter in your bladder, and as anyone knows who’s had one, the sensation isn’t terribly pleasant. Once the catheter comes out (usually in about a day), you may feel a burning sensation when you urinate. The penis may temporarily turn purple from bruising about one day after the surgery.

Most men require some pain medication for several days, sometimes longer. You’ll want to take a week or more off from work, and in general, the whole genital area will be sore and tender. There’s a lot of variation in how much pain men feel during the recovery period; some men find themselves feeling pretty good in just a few days, others are in pain that requires medication for six weeks or so.

Often it will be difficult to bend the prosthesis in the first few weeks because of soreness and pain, even if it was designed to bend easily. (After surgery, it may take some types of implants

12 weeks or longer to bend easily and be easily concealed.) As time goes on, it becomes easier. Usually men are told to wait about 6 weeks before having intercourse. To be truthful, most men are not in the mood for love during the first few weeks of recovery, anyway.

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Soy reduces LDL cholesterol levels while at the same time raising HDL cholesterol readings. A 1995 analysis of thirty-eight human studies that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine found that eating 1.6 ounces a day of soy lowered LDL cholesterol by 13 percent, with almost a 10 percent reduction in triglycerides. Simultaneously, HDL cholesterol rose 2 percent. Dr. James W. Anderson of the University of Kentucky, who authored the report, believes that soy can help cut heart disease risk in this country by 25 percent or more. And that, of course, means that the incidence of ED can be lowered as well.

Researchers have speculated that the high soy intake among the Chinese and Japanese is related to their corresponding low levels of heart disease. Other studies also suggest that soy removes LDL from the bloodstream, delivering it to the liver where it is broken down for excretion. The mechanism for this may be through the actions of substances known as phytoestrogens, a type of plant hormone akin to human estrogen. The result is artery protection from plaque build-up and protection from cancer.

A legume no bigger than a pea, soy is available in many varieties, including tofu (soy bean curd), and soy burgers, flour, milk, and tamari, a sauce. A high-protein, low-fat nutrient that can be substituted for meat, soy should be added to your diet. Just a few ounces a day can improve your health.

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When hypertension is present, blood pressure stays elevated all the time at 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) over 90 mm Hg or higher, putting extra pressure on the heart and arteries. In turn, the pressure can damage the surface of blood vessels and may lead to cholesterol deposition, thereby further narrowing pathways and blocking blood flow to the spongy tissue of the penis. And if a man has a high cholesterol count, the risk of penile blockage is increased because plaque will form where an artery has been damaged by high blood pressure.

Almost every antihypertensive medication is linked to some form of sexual disorder, but some are more likely than others to cause specine problems. I often use diuretics, such as chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide, as a first line of attack to lower blood pressure. In my practice, three quarters of the men taking these medications do not experience ED. However, for the quarter who do, I may prescribe an ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor, such as Accupril or Vasotec, or possibly a calcium channel blocker, such as Norvasc or Procardia XL. I would tend to shy away from medications such as clonidine (Catapres), methyldopa (Aldomet), or reserpine (Hydropres). These drugs are known to have more significant ED effects.

Beta-blocker medications, which include atenolol (Tenormin), bi-soprolol (Ziac), metoprolol (Lopressor), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), and timolol (Blocadren) reduce the workload on the heart and, therefore, the arteries. I commonly prescribe these drugs for the treatment of a variety of cardiac problems, from coronary artery disease to hypertension. However, I’ve found that patients often complain of ED after using these drugs. If that’s the case, I’ll switch them to either a calcium channel blocker or an ACE inhibitor.

If a man has already developed ED due to an underlying medical condition, such as diabetes, or had instances of ED because of a diuretic medication he may have taken, then I will not recommend a beta-blocking drug as a first-line treatment or even as an alternative. Again, it’s the ACE medication or calcium channel blocker that I would prescribe. ACE inhibitors are one of the most commonly used classes of antihypertensives although, to date, no one is quite sure exactly how they work. It is suspected that they block an enzyme that is required for blood vessels to constrict. As a result, the vessels relax, which is favorable to erectile function. Of the heart medications, the ACE inhibitors—benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Zestril), quinapril (Accupril), and ramipril (Altace)—are least likely to create ED problems.

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Needless to say, married men, or those in committed relationships, aren’t the only ones affected by ED. Single men suffer, too, and their feelings delve into another emotional arena. In Jason’s case, being single complicated his ED immeasurably. A forty-three-year-old man who had never married, this landscape architect had put his dating life on hold ever since ED had become a problem. Before that, he had enjoyed the company of women. While he hadn’t been searching for a commitment, he nonetheless tried to make each relationship as fulfilling as possible, both sexually and, to the extent that he was able, emotionally

“I have to tell you,” he said, “the thought of beginning a new relationship is very scary to me. I could be wrong, but I strongly feel that a woman might think less of me if I just wanted sex all the time. I like sex as much as the next guy, but I want to be more than a walking erection.”

The pill worked beautifully for Jason—as soon as he found a woman he really liked and trusted.

The emotional issues in his case were:

• concern that his partner would want him just for sex

• a worry that he would, therefore, have to be in a constant state of arousal

Think about your own feelings concerning:

• erectile problems, and whether they were present at the beginning of a relationship

• the fear of losing control during sex

• whether the pill could bring you closer to your partner

• the potential sexual reaction of your partner

• the possibility that a restoration of sexual function could enhance—or threaten—your situation

• your concern about a partner’s response to your sexual overtures and techniques

• how sexually demanding your partner is

• sexual desire and what it means to you

• sensory pleasure, and your capacity for it

• the difference, if any, between your anticipated relationship and how it has turned out in reality

Seriously evaluate whether you and your partner are in agreement about using the oral medications. They can affect your life in many ways and you owe it to yourselves to address issues that concern you both.

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As a man ages, more stimulation and time may be required before he attains a firm erection. Caressing the penis may become a necessary (and pleasurable] prelude in order for an older man to achieve an erection.

For example, George, a 65-year-old, came to a urologist saying, “Nothing happens down there. I used to be able to get an erection just by looking at a pretty woman. My wife is a very beautiful woman, and in the past I’ve always been able to just look at her and get an erection. Now I’m still very attracted to my wife, but I look at her, and nothing happens. I can watch her getting undressed, I feel excited, but my penis just lies there.” However, George did report that he was able to get a satisfactory erection with oral sex.

George needed to know whether this change was normal. The urologist told him that some foreplay would be necessary for him to get an erection. At this age, visual stimulation wasn’t enough. He needed some “hands-on” encouragement. George was surprised to learn that his changes were normal. He wasn’t entirely pleased by the information, but he was willing to make the necessary adjustments. And his sex life improved considerably.

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