Herbal Health

The expectant mother should not drink alcohol. Studies have shown that even mild alcohol ingestion during pregnancy may result in hyperactivity, short attention span, and emotional problems in the resulting children. Alcohol can also cause other deformities in the unborn baby. Alcohol foetal syndrome is one and is thought to be caused by the mother consuming alcohol during the first 3 months of pregnancy.

Drugs and smoking can also cause many problems to both mother and the foetus. Your medical practitioner or naturopath should be consulted before taking any medication. They will advise you as to their safety. All confinements should be under the care of a medical specialist.

Scientific clinical studies have shown that supplements of vitamin E may be effective in preventing habitual abortion (miscarriage). Foods that are high in vitamin E such as wheat germ, whole grains and cold pressed vegetable oils should be included in the diet.

Solanine is a toxin found in green potatoes. This chemical has been shown to cause miscarriages. It is important therefore not to eat new potatoes or potatoes with any green spots if pregnant.

Exercise is an important part of everybody’s lifestyle and especially for the expectant mother. Exercise tones the muscles, improves circulation, helps control weight and can make delivery easier. There are many ante-natal classes run by most hospitals. The trained nursing staff who give these classes will advise the correct exercise program for you.

Some evidence states that vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) may help relieve the symptons of morning sickness. These include nausea and vomiting. Usually the amount of vitamin B6 contained in a good multi-vitamin formula is sufficient. However, high doses of B6 should be avoided late in the pregnancy as studies have shown that high dose vitamin B6 may shut off breast milk. It must therefore be reduced before delivery in nursing mothers.

I have found that peppermint tea is helpful in relieving the symptoms of morning sickness as can taking ginger. Drink one cup of peppermint tea and eat a piece of toast before getting out of bed in the morning. This will need the help of the father-to-be and he should remember that his duties start at conception.

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1 Exercise for 28 minutes at least three times a week raising your heart rate to 80% of the maximum heart rate for age. (Maximum heart rate for age is 220- your age ie. If you are 40, 220-40 = 180, 80% of 180 is 144 beats per minute]).

2 Include fish oil in the diet. Fish oil contains omega 3 fatty acids that may be beneficial in protecting against the development of heart disease.

3 Eat a low cholesterol, well-balanced diet, high in fibre and low in animal fat. This can help prevent hardening of the arteries, one of the main causes of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease.

4 Supplement the diet with vitamin E. Dr Wilfrid Shute and his brother Dr Evan Shute of Canada have used vitamin E for the treatment and prevention of heart disease and stated that ‘the time has come when it should be pointed out that the average cardiologist can do nothing to help a damaged heart if he does not use Vitamin E except to treat symptoms and complications.’

Dr H. Esterbauer of the University of Graz, Austria, reported that vitamin E could help prevent atherosclerosis. Vitamin E also increases HDL cholesterol and reduces platelet adhesiveness.

5 Include garlic in the diet either by taking a garlic supplement or by eating it with your food. (A good garlic supplement is Garlix. It contains the freeze-dried herb with a natural enteric coating. This passes through the stomach into the intestine where it is absorbed without making the bad breath smell of garlic.) Garlic can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It may also help prevent hardening of the arteries.

6 Don’t smoke: cigarette smoke causes vaso-constriction that can increase blood pressure, cause heart disease and cardiac arrythmias.

7 Learn to relax. Don’t build up aggression. Take up a hobby and make time for yourself. Aggressive fast-living people have a higher incidence of heart disease.

8 Maintain the correct weight for height. Being overweight reduces your fitness and increases the load on your heart.

9 Eat high fibre, low animal fat foods (see cholesterol diet).

SUPPLEMENTS

multi-vitamin mineral 1 daily

vitamin E 500-1000 IU daily, start with 100 IU daily

Fish Oil 1000 1 capsule 3 times daily

evening primrose oil 1 capsule 3 times daily

Garlix 1 tablet each morning

magnesium phosphate 100 mg twice daily

lecithin 1 to 2 tablespoons pure granules daily

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There are many things we can do to help prevent the common cold and flu. Commonsense tells us to keep warm and out of sudden temperature changes from warm air conditioning to a cold day. Nutrition is also very important.

Recent studies (see Immune System) show that vitamin C can have a very helpful effect in helping prevent and/or reduce the symptoms of colds and flu.

We need to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and, as new scientific evidence suggests, a supplement to these 2000 mg of vitamin C each day is beneficial. A good form of vitamin C is one that contains ascorbic acid and the salts of vitamin C, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and bioflavonoids. These bioflavonoids occur naturally with vitamin C.

The herb, Echinacea is mentioned in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia for its anti-viral properties. It stimulates the immune system and with garlic, destroys the invading bacteria and viruses.

The fatty acids in cod liver oil help reduce inflammation and make breathing easier. The vitamin A content helps strengthen the mucous membranes.

SUPPLEMENTS

Euphorbia Echinacea can be obtained in combination

garlic

liquorice root dose: follow directions

Bio-C 1000 mg twice daily

cod liver oil 5 ml daily (adults)

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Red-back Spider

The red-back spider is common in Australia and lives in old tins, under wood heaps and in dark corners of the house. The red-back has a large red stripe on its back and is a much smaller spider than the funnel web. The bite of a red-back is like a sharp sting and there will be swelling around the bite. The bitten person usually starts to sweat and may become nauseous.

1 Rest the bitten casualty and reassure him/her.

2 Apply ice wrapped in a towel or cold packs to the bitten area. DO NOT BANDAGE. Send for medical aid or take the person to hospital.

Mosquito Bites

Mosquitoes can be very annoying and the best way to treat their bites is to prevent them.

If out in the bush, burning dry cow manure will help keep them away. The odour is not offensive. Citronella or tea-tree oil rubbed on the skin will also keep them away. Be careful not to get oil in your eyes.

If bitten by a mosquito apply bicarbonate of soda or tea-tree oil to the affected area and the itch will soon be relieved.

SUPPLEMENTS

B group vitamins 1 tablet morning and night

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All food which is digested in the body leaves a residue. This residue can be either acid, neutral, or alkaline. The body requires an excess or reserve of alkaline residue foods in the diet to maintain good health. If you eat too many foods that leave an acid residue, then a condition known as acidosis can result when there is a depletion of the reserve supply of alkali in the tissue and blood of the body.

The normal, or natural, ratio of alkaline to acid in the average healthy Australian is about 80 per cent alkaline to 20 per cent acid. This ratio is important in the maintenance of a healthy body and the resistance to disease.

The following is a list of the main foods which are either acid, neutral, or alkaline-forming foods.

Acid-forming foods

*OYSTERS RICE

*FISH WHOLE WHEAT

* VEAL ORGAN MEATS CHEESE

LIVER LENTILS

MOST GRAINS OATMEAL

CHICKEN PEANUTS & MOST NUTS

EGGS

Alkaline-producing foods

* APRICOTS CARROTS

* SOYBEANS BEANS

* FIGS POTATOES

BUCKWHEAT ORANGES

LEMONS CELERY

ASPARAGUS BANANAS

BRAZIL NUTS

CABBAGE LETTUCE

APPLES ALMONDS

* most alkaline foods in list

MILK, BUTTER AND COLD PRESSED VEGETABLE OILS ARE NEAR NEUTRAL

10 Food Rules

1 Do not eat acid-residue foods with starchy foods

2 Eat only natural foods

3 Avoid artificial colourings and additives

4 Eat most foods raw (uncooked or unprocessed)

5 Eat 80 per cent alkaline-producing food

6 Do not eat and drink at the same time

7 Take your time over meals and chew your food well

8 Plan your meals and mealtimes

9 Do not add salt or processed condiments to your meal. Use natural herbs, apple cider vinegar, and so on to add extra flavour

10 Enjoy your meal and remember, it’s good to be healthy.

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Some of the things women say about men indicate what they would like to see changed.

“I’d like him to touch me all over a lot more — more foreplay, more heavy petting, more kissing everywhere and more oral sex.”

“I love my breasts and nipples to be fondled and caressed, and I’ve always wondered if I could have a climax just by simply being played with, but my partner is too impatient.”

“My partner thinks it’s ‘soft’ to kiss.” Men should be sensual as well as sexual and many feel uneasy about engaging in purely pleasurable activities. To overcome this, when giving caresses, think of the pleasure you are providing to a loved one. Most women find foreplay hugely enjoyable, and see hugs and kisses as the true signs of affection. Try to find your partner’s most sensitive areas and the kind of stimulation she prefers.

Don’t be afraid to relax and let your partner take the initiative. Let her know, either in words or gestures, what feels especially good and, if necessary, guide her hand with yours. Try to concentrate on what you feel and the proximity of her body as she touches you. Respond to your feelings by breathing more heavily, moving, or expressing pleasure verbally. Most women find a responsive man very exciting. Don’t feel that you have to be successful at every sexual encounter. Most women are quite sympathetic to an occasional failure, and may even view it as an opportunity to show their love.

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Men commonly report masturbatory frequency ranging from once a month to two or three times a day. Nearly every man is concerned about the supposed mental effects of excessive masturbation, but every man considers excessive levels of masturbation to consist of a higher frequency than he practises himself. A man who masturbates once a month sees once or twice a week as excessive, with mental illness as a quite possible complication of such frequency. A man who masturbates two or three times a day thinks five or six times a day is excessive. No man, however, has the fear that his particular masturbatory pattern is excessive, regardless of frequency.

There is no medical evidence to suggest that masturbation, regardless of frequency, leads to any form of mental illness. In fact, it may be the case that men masturbate too little – both in time spent and in number of occasions. More pleasure, more sensuality and greater control can be positive results of masturbatory activity.

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• You talk warmly or sexually to your partner to arouse her.

• You hold or rub your body against your partner’s body.

• You kiss your partner passionately.

• You kiss with your tongues in each other’s mouths.

• You fondle your partner’s body when she is clothed.

• You undress your partner and see her naked body.

• You caress your partner’s naked body.

• You kiss your partner’s breasts and lick, suck, or gently take her nipples into your mouth.

• With your hands you explore and stroke your partner’s vaginal area.

• You lick and kiss around and inside your partner’s vagina.

• You bring your partner to orgasm by stimulating her clitoris and vaginal area with your hands

and fingers.

• You bring your partner to orgasm by stimulating her clitoris and vaginal area with your mouth.

• You reach orgasm by intercourse in any of the following positions: with you on top; lying

side-by-side; with you approaching behind; with your partner on top; both sitting; both

kneeling; both standing.

• You fondle or kiss your partner’s buttocks and anal area.

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Although many myths exist as to what men and women find attractive in each other, scientists believe that many of the associations we form in infancy help to determine whom we choose as sexual partners, or soul mates, and that patterns laying down tendencies for love relationships are etched into our brains.

The infinite range of human experience through holding, touching, feeling, stimulating, trusting, talking and listening is involved in the sexual attraction of a loving couple and their desire for each other.

Attracting a Partner-Both our ability to love, and our style of loving, begin to develop from the moment we’re born. Scientists believe that many of the associations we form in infancy help determine whom we choose as sexual partners, or soul mates, and that patterns which lay down tendencies for love relations are etched into our brains.

I can show you how this might be so by looking at how just one of the five senses — smell — predetermines a particular choice. Each of us, even in our highly deodorized society, has a unique odour that is the sum of our glandular secretions – a “smell signature”. Whether our smell signature is attractive to other people — for instance, because it reminds them happily of their mothers – or is off-putting because it reminds them of detested ex-spouses, say, depends on those people’s own associations. Associations are linked to smell because the olfactory bulb involved with smell reception feeds into the part of the brain that is intimately linked with emotion and affective memory.

In the same way, we can learn to like the smells of our loved ones. Studies have shown that lovers can pick each other out of a group solely by their unique aromatic signatures (and that is how babies first bond with their mothers). If we lose our ability to smell, we normally suffer a pronounced slump in sex drive.

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Skeleton Starting around age two, a girl grows at the average rate of 5 centimetres (2 inches) per year. At around the age of ten, she experiences a growth spurt and begins to grow at a faster fate, gaining approximately 10 centimetres (4 inches) or more in a single year, but then slows down again until she reaches her final height, approximately one to three years after the onset of menstruation. While her bones are growing longer, not all grow at the same rate. Arm, leg and feet bones grow at a faster rate than, say, spinal bones, and the pelvic bones take on a characteristically wide shape.

A woman has a wider pelvis than a man, in older to accommodate a growing baby, and her thigh bones are set wider apart. The thighs have to slant quite steeply inwards for the knees to come near the centre of gravity, so most women have a degree of knock knees.

Body hair Sexual body hair usually appears around the eleventh or twelfth year, just after the breasts have begun to grow. Pubic hair is longer, coarser, darker in colour, and curlier than one’s normal childhood hair, which has been present on the body since birth. Pubic hair first appears on the vulva and gradually spreads over the mons and vaginal lips, forming an upside-down triangle. In some women, pubic hair grows up toward the navel and out onto the thighs.

Women differ in the amount of pubic hair that grows. Some have a lot; for others it is sparse. It can be any colour and does not have to match the head hair. As a woman ages, her pubic hair may go grey. Almost two years after the appearance of pubic hair, further hair starts growing in the armpits.

Muscles and fat Fat begins to be deposited on the breasts, hips, thighs and buttocks when a girl is about nine to ten. Later on, when she is about 15 to 17, more fat appears in the same areas. While her hips become rounded and swelling, the waist becomes curved and well-defined. Some women develop stretch marks – faint purplish or white lines – on their skin at this time. This happens when the skin is stretched too much during this period of rapid growth.

The genitals A man’s genitals lie on the surface of his body where they are easily seen and handled. A woman’s genitals, however, are relatively inaccessible, more numerous and fairly complex in design. Just as in other areas of human anatomy, the genitals of women are individual; they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and textures.

Breasts The breasts are a symbol of feminine identity, forming part of the body image. Initially designed to nourish an infant, they are often far more highly regarded by society as a principal source of eroticism, a symbol of femininity, a determinant of fashion and a measure of a woman’s beauty.

The breasts, or mammary glands, are modified sweat glands. Each woman’s breasts are unique in their size, shape and appearance, and this variation not only occurs between women but in the same woman at different times of her life, that is during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation. One breast is very often larger than the other.

In the centre of the breast is a ring of skin called the areola; the nipple sits in its centre. The nipple and areola can range in colour from a light pink to a brownish-black.

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