Tag: improve circulation

List of Natural Treatments For Arteriosclerosis

Herbal Remedies For Arteriosclerosis

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Photo Taken at Dunedin Botanic Gardens, NZ,  by Merrilyn on Hollt’s Camera, December 26th 2012.

All conditions of ill health are reversible.  The main requisites in reversing illness are the belief that healing is possible, a committment to avoid the things and conditions which have caused the state of ill health, and the desire to include all the foods and herbs which will make you strong again, and which will help facilitate healing.  Of course, the earlier that you can get onto a meaningful healing programme the better.  Diseases which have been tolerated for years and years can be difficult to reverse, and may take more energy and perseverance then what you are willing to devote to a new dietary programme.  Some people are more happy to simply take the doctor’s medication and put up with the diseased condition, rather than put the effort into changing the diet and thinking positively about recovering.

But it can be done.  If you do succeed in reversing a chronic condition of  ill-health, believe me, the rewards are very very bountiful.  You not only cure the disease which is hampering your health and happiness, but you will find that your physical well being will increase so  much so, that you once again will have that ability to be effective in the community, to help other people and your family.

Important:  Visit your naturopath or ayurvedic practitioner for advice on your planned change of diet and treatment before you attempt to heal yourself of arteriosclerosis.  This is especially important if you are considering stopping any medication you may be taking.

Herbs which improve the circulation are especially good for treating arteriosclerosis.   Cholesterol lowering herbs and foods, and those which help to eliminate toxins from the blood, liver and intestines are also helpful.

The following herbs listed below all help the circulation, help detoxify the liver and intestines, and they possess other therapeutic properties – all of which can help the arteriosclerosis sufferer.  For a cure to be effected, though, it is important to look at the diet and remove the acid-forming foods as much as possible.  An alkaline diet which has an abundance of fresh salad, with adequate protein, rice instead of wheat bread and other wheat products, and minimal or no dairy products and sugar, is the best in my estimation.  Get some advice from your naturopath or ayurvedic practitioner before changing your diet, to ensure that you are using the very best foods for you.  Also, do not use the following herbs or vitamins if you are already taking medication.

Doctors often tell their patients to avoid certain foods whilst they are on a medication such as warfarin, or another blood thinner.  This is because the foods they tell you to avoid are usually the ones that will naturally thin your blood anyway.  So if you double up the effect by using the prescribed blood thinning drug AND natural herbal blood thinners in your food, you could get very very sick or even have a stroke.  The sensible thing is really to use the food and herb items which work naturally to thin the blood, and do away with the artificial synthetic drugs which do the same thing.  But drug companies have conditioned doctors into accepting this practice of putting patients onto medication for the rest of the patient’s  life – they will give these patients a blood test every week or so, to test the effectiveness of the drug they prescribed, and adjust the dose accordingly.  Yet they do not do the most sensible thing – prescribe the food items and herbs which will have the desired effect in lowering cholesterol, or in thinning the blood, and then test weekly or monthly to see how the patient is doing.  They only do these blood tests if you are on their medication, which conditions the public into believing that there is no other way.  Madness.

Acupressure On Legs To Help Circulation:  My friend Bernhard in Spirit has just given us some advice for a friend who came today to ask about natural treatments for her condition of arteriosclerosis. She has been taking Lipex, prescribed by her doctor, and this Lipex  is having an adverse effect on her health. Bernhard gave us some alternatives, with acupressure points to massage nightly on the ankle and  up the side of the lower legs, a couple around the knee, one behind the leg on the calf muscle, one at the back of the knee, and one on the upper thigh.  Just three seconds on each point.

Colour Therapy To Soothe  and Nourish The Nerves:  He also recommended sitting under a green light for 20 minutes each night before going to sleep. Note:  She has already benefitted from the massage of acupressure points and the green light for 20 minutes.  Her sleep has improved already from these two simple remedial measures.

Avoid Synthetic Blankets and Clothing:  Bernhard also said that it was important for my friend to sleep with WOOL blankets, and not to use any synthetic blankets or sheets on the bed.  This makes sense, because synthetic fibres really interfere with the circulation of the blood, and so one must avoid wearing synthetics as much as possible, and one must certainly not use synthetic duvees or covers on the bed.  Since you spend most of the night in your bed, it is important that your body be given the chance for the circulation to run as smoothly as possible without interference from electrical currents or synthetic fibres.  It was particularly interesting to get this message, as my friend said after receiving this message that she had just taken off the woollen blankets for the summer, and replaced them with  a synthetic duvee.  My friend changed the bedding back to the natural wool which has also helped her sleep better.

Important To Avoid All Alcohol, Marijuana, Caffeine and Other Drugs when beginning a cure for any chronic disease.  Arteriosclerosis will not improve too much if you continue to take any of these things. I believe that many prescription drugs can give you arteriosclerosis, as well as party drugs, smoking cigarettes, and alcohol.

Specific Herbs Foods and Vitamins for Treating  Arteriosclerosis:  Of course you will take only a selected few of these possible remedies.  You can over-do these things, and so it is important that you visit a health professional such as a naturapath, homeopath, or ayurvedic practitioner for advice before beginning an alternative treatment for arteriosclerosis.

Alfalfa

Beetroot

Birch Leaf

Calcium Ascorbate Vitamin C – 1000 mg once or twice a day depending on the severity of the condition you are treating.  Reduce the dose if the bowels are working overtime.  But it is a good thing to clear out the bowels initially, before reducing the dose.  Poisons in the intestines are the root cause of any disease, so the saying goes.  Vitamin C has the power to break down calcified deposits and heal the capilliaries.  Taking calcium ascorbate or Ester C are good options when you need to take larger doses of Vitamin C, as these are non-acidic and do not affect the digestion adversely.

Vitamin C helps to prevent heart attack and stroke – It is a natural blood thinner and acutally strengthens the capilliary walls.  It helps to remove cholesterol.  It helps to negate poisons and remove them quickly from the blood stream, liver and intestines.  If it is used regularly as part of treatment, it helps to break down deposits anywhere in the body, whether it be in the veins, the liver, or other organs.

Capsicum – All members of the pepper family, which means fresh sweet peppers, bell peppers, fresh or dried chilli peppers, powdered cayenne pepper, powdered paprika pepper.  Peppers are just the best for improving the circulation.

Celery – Raw celery used daily is very good.  Try to get organically grown celery if you can.  Celery seed can be used as a condiment or made into tea with thyme, rosemary or lemon balm.

Chaparral  (Larrea divaricata):  Chaparral is a powerful antioxidant and cleansing herb.  It is used in many alternative cancer treatments to break up tumours of all kinds.  Chaparral also acts as a pain killer, and has antibiotic and antiseptic qualities.  It is a very useful herb to remove drug residues and deposits, such as LSD and marijuana, from people’s livers and brain tissues.  Louise Tenney claims that it has been used to counteract the effects of LSD.

Chickweed

Chicory – Cichorium intybus.  A good herb to help the condition of arteriosclerosis.  Like Dandelion, Chicory can be used as a substitute for coffee.  It is rich in Vitamins A, C, B, K and P.  It is a great cleanser of the blood and the kidneys.  It helps rheumatic conditions, arthritis, gout, and sore joints.  It is thought to help gall-stones to dissolve.

Comfrey Tea

Couch Grass

Fenugreek:  Fenugreek is a common component of Indian cooking.  It is a valuable cleansing herb which is capable of dissolving build-ups of calcium and other material in the blood vessels or anywhere in the body.  It is commonly used in natural treatments for cancer and other life-threatening diseases in combination with other remedies.  One report on-line states that 3/4 cup of fenugreek daily, taken for 20 days, has helped cure some people of arteriosclerosis.  This is quite a lot, and I would assume you would take it in divided doses throughout the day.  However, we are not told what else these people were doing to assist the cure, if anything at all.  And we are not told how far the disease had progressed – perhaps these people had not had the disease for too long, in which case it would have been fairly easy to reverse.

If you were taking this much fenugreek, you would not need any other herbs to compliment the fenugreek, in my opinion.  I should think that this treatment would be most effective if a diet of alkaline fruits and vegetables were eaten during the period of cleansing, with no meat or dairy foods  or wheat for the 20 day period.  I would follow a complete vegetarian diet using vegetables and  brown rice, with complete avoidance of  sugar,  bread, wheat and dairy foods.  And enemas to help quickly eliminate those poisons  always hurries up the healing process.  But ASK YOUR HEALTH PROFESSIONAL FOR ADVICE before beginning the intensive fenugreek treatment.  Fenugreek is safe to take in moderation as an addition to the normal daily diet, of course.  From two capsules to six capsules a day is considered a moderate dose.

Note:  A friend of mine is currently doing the Fenugreek cleansing treatment in combination with 1000mg to 2000mg calcium ascorbate Vitamin C per day.  She is munching through 3/4 cup soaked Fenugreek seeds per day, which have got to the sprouting stage after soaking.  She stopped taking the  prescribed  Lipex medication which was causing headaches, poor memory and other things, and is now feeling a lot better on the Fenugreek plus Vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate.  She eats salads with every meal and is vegetarian but uses yoghurt and cheese and chick peas for extra protein.  I find that, having experimented with the Fenugreek, that you need to UP your calcium intake in your food if you are taking large amounts of Fenugreek to dissolve deposits in the veins, liver or kidneys. Fenugreek dissolves calcium deposits in the blood but can leave you a bit short of dietary calcium.   But calcium supplements are best avoided – take a bit more cooked cabbage, which is very high in natural calcium, free range egg yolks, or organic milk or cheese  if it agrees with you – or SESAME SEEDS which are the highest vegetable calcium source.  The calcium in your food will counteract the tendency for the Fenugreek to whip away too much calcium from your body.  Treat it as you would rhubarb, which does the same thing – include calcium rich proteins with it so that calcium is not depleted. DO SEE YOUR DOCTOR OR NATUROPATH BEFORE BEGINNING ANY NEW TREATMENT OR STOPPING YOUR MEDICATION.  GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU CANNOT USE PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES AND NATURAL CURES TOGETHER AS THIS IS DOUBLING UP ON TREATMENT AND COULD BE DANGEROUS – I AM NOT ADVISING YOU FOLLOW THESE TREATMENTS  WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

Garlic

Ginger – Use dried ginger in cooking, and freshly grated ginger or powdered ginger to make tea.  One teaspoon of fresh grated ginger with a cup of boiling water added is a  very good digestive which also helps the circulation.

Hawthorne This is one of the most popular herbal remedies for arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and as a general heart tonic.  It is mildly sedative and has a favourable effect on all manner of heart troubles.  However, do not take it if you are already taking some medication for your illness.  Consult your doctor or naturopath first to see if Hawthorne can be added to your dietary regime.

Parsley

Psyllium Hulls

Rutin:  This has a similar beneficial effect to Vitamin C on the circulatory system.  It helps to heal and strengthen the capilliary walls and to encourage better circulation.

Taheebo (Pau d’Arco):  This is another cancer herb which acts as an antibiotic. This is one of the best remedies for treating candida and chemical poisoning.  It helps break down deposits and tumours and kills viruses, and  is excellent for building up the immune system.  Louise Tenney says in her 1980’s book that it is used in some South American hospitals to treat infections.

Yoga Exercise for Varicose Veins

Yoga exercise is beneficial for everyone, as we all know. Here are a few very simple yoga exercises which will benefit people with varicose veins.
The first category of  yoga exercise  for varicose veins  is the one which improves circulation. Improved circulation will help those sore veins.
The second category is the inverted posture: Inverted postures help drain old blood out of the legs, enabling new blood to nourish the veins. This exercise has the effect of relieving those  tired and aching legs. The inverted posture also benefits the brain and the thyroid, as it causes more blood to reach the head area.

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We will begin our exercise programme with some very  simple yoga exercises which almost anyone can do.

Day One: The first exercise which you will learn, ‘the simple leg raising exercise’,  will help your cicirculation, and give your legs a small opportunity to rest, as well.
The Simple Leg Raising Exercise:  This  exercise, believe it or not, has the combined effects of stimulating the circulation AND draining old blood from the legs. It is great for preventing constipation. It can be done at any time during the day, but it is a good one to do just before you go to bed, followed by the next listed here, the ‘simple inverted posture’. For preventing constipation, try to do the leg raising  exercise as soon as you get up. These take so little time – the benefits are so great for the little time spent in doing them.
Just lie on the floor, hands beside the body on the floor.  Breathe in a long, slow, deep breath. Hold the breath, and as you do, lift the legs up slowly until they are perpendicular to the body, upright, with the toes pointing towards the ceiling.
Hold the legs in this upright position, while you breath out slowly.  Slowly take another breath in and out while you keep the legs up with the toes pointing towards the ceiling.
Take another slow breath in, filling the lungs completely. Hold the breath as you slowly lower the legs to the floor.
Breathe  out again while your legs are lying relaxed on the floor. Take another breath in and out. Then take a deep breath in again, and hold the breath while you repeat the precedure of lifting the legs slowly up until the toes point to the sky.
Release the breath again, while you hold the legs in this position. Another breath in, and out. Then another breath in which you hold while the legs move down slowly to the floor again.
Repeat a third time. Then relax on the floor, breathing normally. Watch the breath as you lie relaxed on the floor, and feel the effect of having done this exercise.

Simple Leg Clasping Exercise:  This is another good one to prevent constipation, as it massages the stomach area. This also aids digestion. The legs benefit too, as they are drawn up with the knees getting applied pressure as you do so. Lie on the floor.  Draw the knees up towards the chest. Clasp the hands around the knees. Breathe in a deep breath. As you breathe out, pull the knees towards the chest, tugging the legs towards you. Release the pressure on the knees as you breathe in again, relaxing the pose a little, but keeping the hands clasped around the knees.  Breathing out, pull the legs inward towards the chest again. Hold for a second, then breathe in as you let the knees move outward again. Repeat for up to five rounds.

Rest.

Easy Knee Massage:  After you have done the above exercise, whilst you are still lying on the floor, or on your bed, you can give some gentle massage to the knees, using only the legs. Draw the knees upward off the floor. Just gently rub the inside of one knee against the other for half a minute. Put the legs down. Repeat. Then stop. This simple exercise will benefit your legs if you perform it at least once a day. You can do it even while you are in bed before sleeping, if you haven’t already done your exercises..

Simple Inverted Posture for Varicose Veins:
Lie close to a wall, close enough to touch the wall with your feet, with your knees bent.
Now place your legs up the wall. About two or three feet up the wall is a good height. Simply rest there, with your feet touching the wall. The wall holds the weight of your feet. Lie there for ten to twenty minutes, doing your yoga breathing. Imagine the tummy rising and falling with each breath, even if it is not moving much in this position. This exercise is also good for chest ailments, and asthma. Stop doing the exercise when it becomes uncomfortable, or if you are short of breath.

YOGA NIDRA , or the ‘Yoga of Sleep’ is beneficial for treating varicose veins.  It is also excellent for destressing the body, and ridding feelings of anxiety, so these are very good reasons to do this exercise. People with varicose veins often have high blood pressure and high levels of stress which contribute to health problems. This is the very exercise to relieve these symptoms. This exercise could follow the inverted posture above. For instructions on how to do yoga nidra, see merrilyn’s post entitled:  ‘yoga nidra’. Also see merrilyn’s post entitled ‘Yoga Breath and Sleeping Well’

Day Two: So – now you have done two simple yoga exercises, and maybe you have even done Yoga Nidra.Stimulating Circulation – Churning the Mill:  This exercise  most definitely belongs to the stimulating category. Churning the Mill is also great for massaging the intestines, which helps prevent constipation. Constipation is one of the main causes of varicose veins, and must be avoided if you are to improve those veins and prevent the condition from worsening.  Perform Churning the Mill as soon as you get up, before the above two exercises, if you are able. It can be done at any time really, but it should always be done before the gentle exercises of your routine. Always perform Churning the Mill before Yoga Nidra.

Sit on the floor with your legs spread apart. Clasp the hands together. Breathe out, as you stretch out as far as you can over your left leg, without straining. Now, holding the clasped hands together, move the hands across to the right leg, reaching towards the foot. Breathing in, bring the clasped hands up along the leg, top the top of the thigh. Lean the body back back as you do so. Keep the arms straight if you can, for the whole of the exercise. The idea is that you bend backwards slightly as you draw the clasped hands up the legs, so that you keep the arms straight. Breathe out as you take the clasped hands back down the left leg towards the left foot. Breathe in as you bring the hands along the right leg, upwards towards the right thigh.

The lean backwards is important, as this brings the stomach muscles into play. This stimulates circulation whilst it  massages the stomach area.

Continue the exercise. Begin with five rounds, or do only one or two if you find it difficult. Change the direction to perform the same amount of rounds going the opposite way. Build up your practice slowly so that you can do ten rounds  each way.