July 2010 | Page 5 of 6 | Natural Health with Merrilyn Hope

Herbal Remedies For Depression

Uplifting Herbal Remedies:

There are many herbal remedies for depression which are easily obtainable, and which have been proven to be effective in treating depression.

It is a good idea to get professional help if you are depressed. Go to your doctor, your acupuncturist, naturopath or health professional for advice. You should discuss the information below with your health professional before beginning any treatment.

First of all – check that you do not have SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. If SAD is the reason you are depressed, then increasing exposure of the body to natural sunlight on a regular basis, and supplementing the diet with Vitamin D rich foods, or a supplement, should help the condition. Deficiencies of sunlight and Vitamin D accompany this type of depression.

Diet For Depression: The best foods are alkaline greens, fruits and vegetables. Avoid sugar, preservatives in food, and avoid wheat products and dairy foods except for butter. Prepare your meals at home fresh. Eat plenty of salads, brown rice instead of wheat bread and pasta, cooked green vegetables. Make sure you have enough protein – organic free range eggs and meats and chicken. If you are vegetarian, then you need to eat plenty of sprouted seeds and grains to get adequate protein and vitamin B. Vitamin B deficiency, lack of Vitamin D and iron deficiency can lead to depression.

Protein In The Diet: Choose any of this list to complement your diet: Egg yolk, Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, avocado, almonds and nuts. These are importan additions to the diet if you do not eat any meat or fish.

Gotu Kola (Hydrocotyle asiatica) is a natural stimulant. It is considered to be a helpful herbal remedy for depression. This herb benefits the central nervous system, and brain and hormone function. Gotu kola has been used to treat schizophrenia, epilepsy and memory loss, which are related to brain function. It also helps the body to rid itself of toxins via the kidneys. Gotu kola contains Vitamins A, K, and the mineral magnesium, which is another nervine. Gotu kola is not recommended for expectant mothers, or nursing mothers, though, because of its diuretic effect. People with intestinal disfunction, such as irritable bowel syndrome, or colitis, are best to avoid this herb.

Ginseng (Panex spp), that wonder of Oriental medicine, is another stimulating and reviving health herb which is useful in treating depression. Ginseng helps brain function, increases vitality, and nourishes the nerves. It is a good restorative medicine. Ginseng root has been used in Chinese medicine for over 5000 years. It is mineral-rich, and contains Vitamins A, B12 and Vitamin E.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is another popular stimulating Chinese herb which is used to counteract depression, in combination with other treatments. It is reputed to be a great memory herb. However, this herb lowers the blood pressure dramatically, and so ginkgo should definitely be avoided by people with low blood pressure and avoided also by people who have disturbances with their sugar metabolism. I would recommend that you take this herb only under the guidance of a qualified health practitioner. My experience of this herb is that it certainly improved memory function, and increased alertness, but it had an unpleasant and disturbing side effect in that it made me feel terrible because of lowered blood pressure.

Ayurvedic Medicine: However, the reason this herb is not suitable for everyone might have something to do with the different mental and physiological types, known as doshas in Ayurvedic medicine. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the three dosha types:

Vasant Lad, is the author of The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, A Comprehensive Guide to the Ancient Healing of India. In this book, Vasant Lad recommends Ginkgo tea for Pitta depression. You obviously need to know your body type if this herb is going to be effective. Vasant Lad’s book is published in the UK by Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Limited, 5 Windmill Street, London W1T 2JA, 1999. Reprinted 2002.

Hawthorn Berries have a tonic and stimulating effect on the digestion, the heart, and the nervous system. Hawthorn is useful, in combination with other herbs and modalities in treating depression, as it helps improve kidney function and aids in the elimination of waste products.

Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens) is a safe herb to take to help drive those blues away. Cayenne pepper helps melancholia, mainly because it has a marked beneficial effect on the blood circulation, and also the digestion. You can use it in your food, or use it in foot baths to gain benefit from this stimulating herb. Cayenne contains the Vitamins A, C, and also has traces of iron and calcium.

The following are some other stimulating herbs which are safe to use in treating depression:

The mint family; marjoram, lemon verbena, thyme and basil. These can be used in your food, as herbal teas, as herbal treatments for the bath, or for use in a foot bath.

Herbs which Calm and Help With Natural Hormone Production:

Borage (Borago officinalis) Borage is the herb of courage, according to John Gerard, who quoted: ‘ego borago gaudia semper ago’, “I Borage, always bring courage’. Borage is a safe herb to use, and you can grow it easily in your garden. Just collect a few borage seeds after the purple flowers have died down, and sprinkle them around your garden, or your flower pots. They grow easily, as long as they are watered. Bees love this plant, especially bumble bees. Borage stimulates the adrenal glands, and healthy adrenal glands help promote that feeling of ‘joie de vivre’. Borage is rich in silica, which helps to soothe and heal the nerves. Make herbal tea with borage, or use a few leaves every day in your salad.

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is an herb which has been used in traditional medicine by the North American Indian people. It is often used for treating depression, as it is helpful in regulating hormones, and benefits the central nervous system, the brain, and emotions. Black Cohosh has nervine minerals calcium and magnesium. Black Cohosh is one of those herbs which should really only be used under the guidance of a health professional.

Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis) This is another herb which, like ginkgo and ginseng, has been used in Chinese and Tibetan medicine for thousands of years. It is a valuable women’s herb, as it helps to restore estrogen levels. It is regarded as a general tonic for the female glandular/endocrine system. It also has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system. Dong Quai contains Vitamin E, B12, cobalt and iron, which contribute to its tonic effects.

Chaste Tree (Vitex agnuscastus) This herb helps the pituitary gland, which in turn, regulates hormone function. Vitamin B is recommended to supplement Chaste Tree berries.

Other Nervine herbs to Help Calm and Soothe: (Use under guidance from your health professional)

Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) (Note – chamomile tea is safe to use at any time); Pasque Flower (Anemone pulsatilla); Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora); Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis); Vervain (Verbena officinalis); Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis); Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata); Lavender (Lavandula spp.)

Herbal Bath With Uplifting Herbs:

Lavender Bath: Put a handful of fresh lavender flowers into your bath as it is filling.

Rosemary Bath: Alternatively, you can use a sprig or two of rosemary. Leave the herbs in the bath to infuse as you soak in the water.

Homeopathic Arsen alb. 30x is very useful homeopathic for alleviating depression. Other ones which might be considered are Lachesis, or Ignation, Nat. mur, Lycopodium, Aconite, Belladona or Pulsatilla, depending on what the other symptoms are. Generally, you would choose just one, or maybe two, to treat the individual. Best to see a professional homeopath for advice, of course.

Electromagnetic Fields Affect Health

How Electromagnetic Fields Affect You

Today, I am going to write about electromagnetic fields in the city of Auckland which are currently affecting my health.

Dear Reader: It is interesting to me to note that this is my 100th post. I began writing about the effects of electromagnetic radiation on health when my sons first began this site for me. And here I am, ‘celebrating’ the 100th birthday of the site with a post on electromagnetic fields again. Very appropriate. Still relevant. Note: It is not I who is 100. Just this post. Regards, Merrilyn.

This is a good time to put up another article on elctromagnetic vibration and radiation. Why?……. Because after spending six months at Red Beach, Orewa, where I had remarkable good health, I have recently returned to the city, for the winter, where I now have poor health. Electromagnetic fields and radiation, I believe, are the cause of this sudden decline in health.

One admission – having a television going much of the night for about a month whilst the Fifa World Cup was being played contributed to the magnetic build-up. My room is quite small – too small, even for a small TV, really, as you cannot get enough distance from the television not to be affected by the thing when it is going. Television aerials affect you when they are above you on the roof, whether or not your television is going. Even the smaller, built-in aerial on a small TV will affect you, whether or not the television is actually going.

The other thing which I realized was affecting my electromagnetic field profoundly was a very large piano keyboard speaker which I had recently brought into my room. This has very large magnets in it, and draws energy from you if you spend long periods beside it at the keyboard. It is a good idea, if you own amplifiers, electronic keyboards, and such-like, to keep them in another room away from your bed. Even when they are not going, they interfere with your own electromagnetic field if they are within about two meters from where you are sleeping. These things are easy to manipulate so that your energy field does not become contaminated: just remove them to another place, at least three meters from where you are working or sleeping.

But now to talk about the environment. This is not so easy to fix, if you are sensitive to electromagnetic energy. Prevention is better than cure, as they say: It is important to select your residence very carefully, to ensure that you are not going to be undermining your health through electromagnetic interference.

There is a big difference between these two places – the beach, and the city. The most remarkable thing about Red Beach on the peninsula, is that there is virtually no effect from electromagnetic vibrations. There are absolutely NO high rise buildings there. People still own their own house on their own plot of land where they grow things like lemon trees, and silver beet, and onions, carrots, and apples. If you travel a kilometer down the road to Orewa Beach, you will find just one apartment building about eight stories high. But in Red Beach, so far, high rise buildings have not’ come to pass’, as the local council, shortly to be swallowed up, alas, by that big fearsome China of councils, Auckland City, has not allowed them.

So – A relatively small population – No high rises – No industry – No pollution – Minimal cell phone towers and cell phone usage – The sea is so close – only half a kilometer or so away at any point – This is paradise. A Health Haven.

There are, of course, huge health benefits in living close to the sea. Ozone, and the smell of sea salt permeate your whole being. But the lack of electromagnetic fields in Red Beach certainly make it a great place to live, especially if you are sensitive to radiation.

Now I am experiencing the contrast. I have come back to my favorite hotel in the city for a period, mainly to get some solid internet writing done. We didn’t have internet at the house where I was staying at the beach. There are not too many distractions right now, as the piano playing work has pretty much dried up, with the recession still affecting many businesses, so it is a good time to be writing. The other reason is that the rooms here are centrally heated day and night at no extra cost. Great for the winter.

However. After two months of being back here in these beautiful park-like surroundings, my health is suffering. There is no doubt now as to the cause. It is most definitely a range of electromagnetic fields which are affecting my health and my emotional state so badly.

Within a couple of weeks of being back here in the city, I noticed my bones began to soften. The cartilage around the joints seemed weak. The joints had twinges of arthritic-like pain in them. These symptoms were the first warnings that something was amiss. I had been so healthy and strong up at the beach.

My diet had not changed too much, although, I must say, I was eating more of a variety of vegetables when I was sharing my friend’s house at the Beach. I bought some vitamin and mineral supplements which have helped a little.

But meanwhile, the pressure in my eyes is building up. My eyes are often bloodshot, and I have been experiencing sudden darting pain in the eyes which I never had during my six months at the beach.

I am experiencing feelings of vertigo. Dizziness. A feeling of distension to the tissues in my limbs. My veins all seem slightly swollen. A feeling of slight nausea is with me most of the day.

I have a swollen throat, and a feeling in the sinuses that they, too, are swollen and are about to bleed. The tissues about the eyes have also been swollen, even before the crying bout began. Vision is slightly blurred. My nose is running.

My scalp is sore, as if it is burning. Little darting pains are experienced from time to time on the scalp. My skin is deteriorating. I can sense vibrations about my body which are affecting my nervous system.

I have been using cell phone more often here, since there is no land line to use. I always use my right ear to listen to calls. A very sore patch which bleeds has developed just inside the ear, about where the center of the cell phone sits when you hold the phone up to the ear. This sore patch is extremely painful whenever I use the phone on that ear now. So I have made a rule – no talking on the cell phone. I do not usually carry the phone about with me, and keep it well away from me at night, but still – even with minimal use, this cell phone is having a marked effect on my health.

There are two cell phone towers on the nearby hill of Mount Eden. These are possibly the main root of the electromagnetic troubles I am experiencing. Because there are quite a few people living here, this means that cell phone usage is quite intense. If you are sitting at a computer, chances are that the people next to you will have cell phones with them, so that you are being zapped by cell phone radiation, even if you have not got a cell phone on you.

The other major source of radiation is our computer room, as this backs onto a very large electricity transformer which feeds the whole establishment. The electricity from this transformer alone would be enough to disturb your own electromagnetic fields, if you are spending several hours a day working near this electricity source. To compound the damage, when you sit at a computer, with your back to the transformer area, you are subjected to more radiation from the numerous thick electricity leads at your feet. Many of these are wound about each other, too, which intensifies the electricity which they are conducting.

Well, now I am certain of the cause: I have been feeling increasingly sad and depressed, especially in the last two weeks, but in the past two days, I have been unable to stop the tears. Of course, all the sad things in your life get played on that little TV in your head when you get depressed. You begin to wonder if you might simply be suffering the classical depression which apparently more than half of the population in New Zealand and America is now experiencing at some time in their lives.

But wait – There IS an explanation.

As I took off a thick woolen jersey yesterday, having just gone for a walk, the jersey crackled and sparked, and latched itself onto my body. I guessed the ‘wool’ jersey must have some synthetic fiber in it, to behave like that. Sure enough – made in China 50% wool 50% synthetic, the label says. I took out some other items of clothing which I knew would have some synthetic in them. Same thing happened, even though I had not worn these items recently. They all clasped themselves onto my body, where they would have stayed had I not pulled them away.

I noticed a few days ago when I got into a friend’s car, that I got an electric shock from touching the car. This made me wonder about the build-up of electromagnetic radiation in my body.

Even though I had already taken a shower in the morning, I decided to restore my own elctromagnetic field to its normal state by taking an excessively long shower of 10-20 minutes. Note- Normally, I am conservative with water usage, but this really was an emergency, as I felt I would pass out from the pressure of the exces electricity in my body. Since the first shower in the morning, I had spent several hours over in the computer room, which had built up the electricity in my body to an unusually high and dangerous level. Sure enough – The hydrotherapy treatment was effective in reducing the build up of electromagnetic energy, although the radiation damage to cells and nerves will take a few days to repair.

There is a time limit on my stay here. After a few weeks, or months, I experience these same symptoms whenever I come back here to live. Although I have warmth and all the home comforts and can write on line to my heart’s content, I might have to move out of this range of electromagnetic fields fairly soon, or at least reduce the time spent near the electricity transformer in the computer room, if I want to keep my health, my sanity, and continue to lead a productive life. I think I am headed back to the beach.

See merrilyn’s post entitled ‘Ridding the Body of Electromagnetic Energies’.

Varicose Veins Treatments

Techniques which improve the circulation are the most important of Varicose Veins Treatments.

You can look at merrilyn’s posts entitled ‘Causes of Varicose Veins’ and ‘Yoga for Varicose Veins’ for more information on how to improve the condition of varicose veins.

Here are some more ideas for varicose veins treatments which have not been covered fully in the other posts.

Hydrotherapy: The Foot Bath: The simple foot bath can be done at home at any time to help relieve aching varicose veins. The foot bath on its own will improve the circulation, and help to reduce swelling and pain, but we can enhance the therapeutic action by adding certain herbs and spices.

Try and do this hydrotherapy treatment once a day, or twice if your condition is very bad.

Get two large bowls or buckets, big enough for your feet to sit in comfortably, and more. Half fill one of the containers with cold water. Half fill the other with hot water which is at a comfortable bathing temperature.

Add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and half a teaspoon of ginger to the bowl of hot water. Cayenne pepper is very good for improving varicose veins, as it helps to shrink them and reduce pain. Both ginger and cayenne pepper boost the circulation.

Begin with the feet in the cold water. Leave for half a minute, then transfer the feet into the warm-to-hot water. Leave in the hot water for a minute. Put the feet back into the cold water bucket for another minute, then return to the spiced-up hot water. You may need to add a touch of boiling water to the hot water bucket after a few minutes. Be careful to add just enough boiling water to heat up the water to a comfortable heat again. Do not have the water too hot, as this will harm your legs and possibly burn you.

Finish the hydrotherapy off with the feet soaking in the warm-to-hot water.

You can experiment using other herbs and spices in this footbath treatment. Herbs and spices which increase circulation are the ones to use here. I would use cayenne pepper in combination with either cinnamon, or ginger, turmeric, or cloves.

Note on Varicose Veins Water Temperature: VERY HOT water should never be applied to the varicose veins. Hot baths are best avoided. If you are taking a bath, then the bath water should be only warm to medium hot. Showers are considered best for people who have prominent or painful varicose veins, as showers do not prolong heat to the legs.

Massage to Soothe Veins: After the foot bath treatment, massage the legs gently with almond oil which has a few drops of rosemary oil added to it. This will soothe the veins, but also help circulation.

Cold Herbal Compress for Painful/Swollen Varicose Veins: Make up an infusion using healing herbs. You can use either comfrey, or borage, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, witch hazel flowers, or use a combination if you like. Take up to half a cup of the fresh herbs. Put into a pot and add two cups of boiling water. Put on the lid. Leave on the stove to gently simmer for just one minute. Take off the heat, and leave to cool.

Soak a piece of white linen or cotton in the cold liquid. Wring out the cloth and apply it to the sore or swollen varicose vein. Put on a piece of plastic, and wrap lightly with a bandage. Leave the leg up for 20 minutes while you let the compress do its work. Take off. Repeat throughout the day as necessary. You can keep the mixture to dampen the cloth again before each application. Make up a fresh herbal mixture each day for use as compresses.

Drink Silica-rich Teas to help strengthen the veins and heal them from the inside. Silica-rich teas are those made with oat-straw, comfrey, borage, nettles, horsetail, chamomile and rosemary. Drinking plenty of herbal teas such as these will not only provide you with silica and other nutrients, but also cleanse the kidneys, improve your hair growth, and help the intestinal functions.

Homeopathic Hamamelis is considered to be one of the best remedies for healing the veins. Witch Hazel is made from the same plant. You can use Witch Hazel externally on the legs, and take the Homeopathic equivalentof Hamamelis internally. Just three or four drops of Hamamelis 30x, three times a day until relief is felt.

Vitamin C and Vitamin E are also great supplements for helping to relieve varicose veins.

Vitamin C Dosage: Between 1000mg to 3000mg of Vitamin C, preferable a non-acidic type, could be taken until better. Calcium Ascorbate or Ester C are good ones to go for.

Vitamin E Dosage :Take the standard dose as stated on the bottle for Vitamin E – best not to give large doses of Vitamin E.

Castor Oil: To clear the liver, gall bladder and bowels, use castor oil once a week as a remedial measure for the veins. Congestion in the digestive system, over time, will lead to the veins becoming distended. So to prevent varicose veins from forming, take 2 tbsps of castor oil in the morning, once a week.

For serious conditions, you could follow the Gerson programme, which uses castor oil every second day. Gerson used this method to cure cancers, mainly, but he insists it will cure any disease if his recommendations are followed to the letter.

History Of Acupuncture

On The History of Acupuncture.

I have just been reading about the history of acupuncture in a very recent book by Henry McGrath, entitled ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine – Approaches to Cancer’. This is published by ‘Singing Dragon’, London, 2009.

Did you know that acupuncture needles have been found which date back to the Neolithic period?

References to the art of acupuncture are made in the Tsu Chuan commentary on the Chhun Chhiu period, which is dated around the 6th Century B.C. The needles were, at this time, made from stone, bamboo and bone.

It is thought, according to Hugh McGrath, that the early method was not the sophisticated science which we know as acupuncture today, as the needles used would not have been capable of the same degree of accuracy, though this is just an educated guess.

By the 3rd Century B.C., bronze acupuncture needles were being used for acupuncture treatments.

By the 2nd Century B.C., technology had developed in China: Steel needles began to replace the bronze needles. The science of acupuncture became more sophisticated, to parallel technological advances.

The meridian lines were recorded almost 2000 years ago. Detailed anatomical charts of the 12 main meridians and the 8 sub-meridians appear around the 2nd Century A.D.

Mr McGrath tells the famous fascinating story about how students were tested in their knowledge of acupuncture in the 11th C A.D: Life sized models of the human form were made in bronze. These had small holes punched at all the 350 acupuncture sites. The bronze figure was then covered totally in wax, and then filled with water.

The idea, then, was that the student had to locate specific ascupuncture points with accuracy. They had to use their acupuncture needles to locate the points specified by their examiners. If the points were located accurately, then a small spurt of water would spring forth after the wax had been pierced with the needle.

No spouting water meant that the student had failed the examination.

This book by Henry McGrath gives an insight into how acupuncture works, and how it can be used in the treatment of cancer.

more tomorrow

The Benefits of Probiotics

What are Probiotics?

No doubt – acidophilus and other probiotic bacteria do help digestion and strengthen the immunity.

However, an important note to bear in mind: No amount of probiotic supplements or yoghurt will help you if you have an allergy to milk, or wheat and you are still using these products.

This is because the bowels become clogged with mucous if you do not digest these foods, which are often problematic, properly.

The mucous lining the bowel will prevent the probiotics from doing their good job, and the mucous will also harbour intestinal parasites, which will further weaken your digestion and your immune system.

So – I have one major reservation about the value of taking probiotics. I think that they are generally over-rated. People often want that quick-fix without making any radical changes to the diet, and so everybody goes overboard about taking probiotic supplements, or probiotic yoghurt.

If you really want to get the full effect from taking probiotics, then give up wheat, sugar and milk.

The word probiotic is derived from Greek roots. Pro means ‘supporting’ or ‘pro’, ‘for’; and ‘biotic’ means life. The word Probiotcs means anything, really, which is supportive of life.

When we talk about food supplements and ‘probiotics’, we usually think about the special brands of yogurt which contain those specific cultures of beneficial bacteria which are probiotic. Or we might bring to mind the various supplements containing probiotics which we see in our favorite health food shop.

Although the term probiotics is one which has only recently been applied to the beneficial cultures used in yogurt making today, and which are found in some other fermented foods, and nutritional supplements, the therapeutic value of the lactobacillus probiotic has actually been known for centuries.

Yogurt is still, and always has been, an important part of the diet in many places of the world. Today, yogurt with added probiotics is also becoming a very popular addition to the Western diet because of the nutritional boosts this gives us.

Note: If you have a sensitivity to dairy products, or you are suffering a candida infection, then you should go to see your health practitioner for advice. Probiotics can be helpful in many conditions, but a professional opinion should be sought.

There are a variety of culures of bacteria which can be added to milk to make yogurt: Of the many and various cultures known by scientists, we will outline some of the most commonly used strains, those which have been proven to enhance health, in this article.

Yogurt making is a skill which will preserve fresh milk in the hot places of the world where the milk would otherwise ‘go off’ very quickly. This is one beneficial aspect of yogurt making, and the lactobacillic organism.

However, the other important factor, which is why yogurt, and other fermented foods like sauerkraut have remained so popular in many parts of the world, is because these foods which have been fermented with special cultures of bacteria- probiotics – have definite health giving effects.

What are the Main Benefits of Probiotics?

Two of the main benefits of probiotics are that your digestion will improve, and your immune system will become stronger. A stronger immune system means that you will have improved resistance to disease. It has been scientifically illustrated, also, that lactobacilli work a little like a natural antibiotic because they possess the ability to kill some unfriendly bacteria which cause certain diseases.
There are other health-giving attributes to be had if you use probiotics, or specific fermented foods on a daily basis. One important benefit from using probiotics is that your digestion of fats and proteins is improved.
Another is that you have better absorption of the minerals and vitamins in your food: Probiotics help to keep your intestinal flora healthy, and this is why the absorption of minerals and vitamins is improved. Healthy intestinal flora also assists in the manufacture of certain vitamins and enzymes in the bowel.
Another health bonus from including lactobacillus probiotics in your daily diet, is that your cholesterol levels will most likely be lowered. This cholesterol-lowering effect gained from using lactobacillus in the diet will be enhanced, of course, by the eating of plenty of high fiber foods.
Certain probiotics enhance the body’s ability to manufacture Vitamin B and Vitamin K in the body, as well as Biotin.
Some people who are otherwise intolerant to the lactose in milk find that their sensitivities are reduced when acidophilus/or bifidus or other probiotics are added to the diet. Some people are able to digest yogurt which has been treated with special cultures, whereas they still cannot digest unfermented milk properly.

Now, the benefits of probiotics have been proven scientifically by many researchers. Dr Khem Shahani, Ph.D is one emminent doctor who has devoted his life’s work and his research almost specifically to the topic of organisms and their effect on health, such as the Lactobacillus acidophilus strain, and the Lactobacillus bifidus, otherwise known as bifidobacterium bifidum. Dr Shahani emphasises that our good health is really dependent upon these two organisms. This is no quackery – Dr Khem Shahani has worked as an advisor to the World Health Organisation.

Khem Shahani’s latest book is entitled ‘Cultivate Health From Within’ – Dr Shahani’s Guide to Probiotics. This book gives much detailed information on the benefits of probiotics to your health and how probiotics help promote longevity. This book is a fairly recent one, published in 2005 by Vital Health Publishing, Danbury, CT 06811.

The Bifidobacterium bifidum organism lives primarily in the large intestine and colon. The Lacto acidophilus lives mainly in the small intestine, although it is also found in the large intestine and colon, though in smaller numbers. These two work together synergistically in maintaining good digestion and elimination of waste products.

You can help proliferate the Lacto acidophilus bacteria in the small intestines by eating fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, umeboshi plums, tempeh and miso. If you are to get the benefit of either the Lacto acidophilus, or the Bifidobacterium organism from eating yogurt, though, you have to buy a product which advertises the probiotics on the packaging. Otherwise, you might be eating a yogurt which has been pasteurised, and this means that the beneficial organisms such as the Lacto acidiophilus, or L. bifidus, will have been killed off. These organisms need to be live in the food you eat, or in the supplement which you take, to enable them to proliferate in the intestines.

Why Do We Need To Consider Supplementing Our Diets With Probiotics?

Many things in our environment interfere with our digestion and our body’s ability to keep the intestinal flora in a proper, healthy balance.

Here are some of the main things which upset the intestinal flora, which in turn affects our immunity and our ability to process food and manufacture vitamins:

Antibiotics. (Note – sometimes antibiotics are necessary and will save a life. See your health practitioner or your doctor if you have a health complaint) These are one of the worst things for interfering with digestion. Antibiotics readily kill off the beneficial bacteria in the bowel. The trouble is, that even if you do not take allopathic medications, antibiotics find their way into our bodies because the animals we eat have been fed antibiotics.
Milk is contaminated with antibiotics too, as the cows which produce our milk for us are treated regularly with antibiotics.
Eggs, unless they are certified organic, will have quantities of antibiotics and hormones in them. It is important, for the sake of our health and that of our children, therefore, to find organic sources for our milk and our meats and eggs.
If you take a probiotic after a course of necessary antibiotics, then your intestinal flora will quickly be restored. A Probiotic will help alleviate the negative side- effects of the antibiotic.

Drinking too much coffee, alcohol, and smoking, will deplete the supply of healthy bacteria in the bowel.
Radiation, such as living too close to intense power sources and cell phone towers, or sleeping next to the meter box at your house, or the television, will affect the delicate balance of your intestinal flora.
Insectides and herbicides also harm your intestinal flora.
Medications such as the pill, and blood thinners, will affect your intestinal flora.
Read merrilyn’s other post on probiotics entitled Probiotic Advantage.