Tag: sunstroke

Danger Of NZ Sun On Health In Time Of Global Warming

Sunstroke From Sun

Lack of Ozone and Global Warming is causing health problems.

Summers are now hotter than ever, and the sun’s rays more damaging.

For the past three years, at some time during the period from Christmas time to late February, I have suffered serious sun-stroke, several times each season, with debilitating effects.

Gone are the days of lying about near-naked in the sun, or playing tennis in our latest bikini-top, as we were want to do in the days of our youth.

For many of us, swimming attire for the public eye lost its appeal many moons ago.

However, we are not safe from the sun’s radiation just because we do not sunbathe anymore.

Seriously, the New Zealand sun in summer is now very much to be avoided.

Dehydration Fever And Headaches From Sun

I personally have become so sensitive to the summer sun that I cannot garden during the day-time, or undertake any other activity where I am exposed to the sun for longer than about 15 minutes at a time.

Perhaps I am more vulnerable to the negative effects of the sun because I do not have a car and consequently walk everywhere to do my shopping and business.

If I do spend longer time outside, then a pounding headache and fever will plague me for about three days, during which time I am completely incapacitated.

The temperature is very difficult to stabilize after sun exposure of even an hour or two in the early morning, well before the sun has heated everything up.

Homeopathic Arsen alb and Arnica have proven to be the best remedies for the heat stroke and sunstroke I have suffered.  I used these every 15 minutes or so whilst necessary. Keeping a wet towel over the head and forehead was very helpful in producing comfort by reducing the temperature a little.  Sipping cold water at regular internals is essential.  In the worst case scenario, cold water enemas stopped the temperature from soaring to dangerous levels and remedied dehydration.

Because of severely depleted ozone in the atmosphere, which should protect us against harmful energies emitted by the sun and cosmic forces, we are now being zapped by these extremely destructive forces.  These unknown forces are seriously putting our health at risk.

I am not alone in this dilemma.  I know many other people my age who say they are experiencing the same thing.  Even one of the local posties, who is a lot younger than myself, had to take time off recently because of sun-stroke.

Weather Forecast Temperatures Are Not Accurate

Interesting that the temperatures in our town are sometimes up to 10 degrees hotter than what our weather forecasts predict.

Our town is south of Auckland by about an hour and a half’s drive.  Yet our temperatures during summer are far hotter than those forecast for Auckland, and far hotter than what is predicted for our Waikato area.

We are hotter than Auckland because we are inland and do not enjoy those eternal sea breezes which most parts of Auckland experience.  We are also a farming region where many agricultural chemicals are used.  Many of these poisons have ozone-destroying potential.

And we are hotter than predictions for Waikato, because temperatures are taken miles away from our town, at Hamilton airport, which is a windy part of the region.

A few days ago we were told we would have temperatures of around 26 degrees.  We got 37 degrees.  Two days ago it was meant to be 30 degrees.  We were 41 degrees at noon. A ten minute walk to the shops with broad-brimmed hat and umbrella almost suffocated me with heat.. I put my thermometer out on the deck concrete and the needle soared beyond the last reading at 50 degrees within minutes.  Inside, it settled down at 41 degrees.  That evening it was 27

Years ago, when talk of climate change and global warming first hit the headlines, we used to joke about moving from Auckland in the North Island to Dunedin in South Island New Zealand, to escape the effects of climate change. Dunedin gets about two thirds of Auckland’s sunshine hours and has more moderate summer temperatures.

I am considering moving down there.  Winters are a bit bleak, with few sunshine hours and much drizzly weather. But the possibility of enjoying summer outside under a kindly, hopefully more  pallid sun seems very appealing right now.

My new book is available on Amazon:

Homeopathic and Herbal Remedies For Sunstroke

Natural Remedies For Sunstroke and Pleurisy:

New Zealand Heatwave Before Christmas 2012 Caused Sunstroke.  This post gives an account of the homeopathic treatments I used.

Note:  If you have sunstroke, you should certainly go to a doctor or alternative  health practitioner.  But this is how it all happened, and what I did to remedy the problem of sunstroke with subsequent pleurisy of the lungs:

I have had sunstroke twice before in my life, many years ago now.  I never expected to experience it ever again, since I have taken to wearing a hat most days when I am in the sun, and I am cautious about getting too much exposure.  My health certainly benefits from getting into the sun for short periods.

But just a few days before Christmas, we had a heat-wave in the little town which I have just moved to.  This town is around 130 ks inland, and around the same distance south of Auckland.  I moved here only two months ago.

Being new to the place, I guess I was caught unawares as to the dangers of the sun, which is much more intense here than the heat you get at a seaside resort such as Orewa,  from whence I came.

The day I left to go on my journey to Dunedin to see my family for Christmas, I mucked around in the garden for an hour or so, watering my plants well so that they would survive the week ahead without me.  I had on a cap, but the sun got the back of my neck, which is the most vulnerable spot for getting sunstroke.  Then I walked down to the town around 2PM to get a $2.40 Lotto ticket.  By this time the heat was incredibly intense, reminding me of the days we had heat waves at Kilkivan, an inland town in the middle of Queensland, when the temperatures would soar well beyond 40 degrees.

I hurried home when I realized how hot it was, and how it was making me feel ill already.

The next day, when I arrived in Dunedin, the effects of the sun the previous day were hitting very hard.  My children thought I had jet-lag.  But it was only around 3% jet-lag. I felt dizzy.  I was losing my balance and seeing stars when I looked up.  My temperature was extremely hot, especially around the head, I had an intense headache and I felt nauseous. My head was throbbing madly and I was experiencing some pain at the nape of the neck, stretching upwards on the right side of the scalp.

I hoped I would not have to go to the doctor or to the hospital.  I had left my community services card at home, so a trip to the doctor would be expensive.  Plus I preferred to avoid their pharmaceuticals if I could help it.

The only thing to do was to rest and get stuck into the homeopathic remedy which I chose out of my daughter’s collection, and to drink plenty of water.

Cooling the head by covering it with wet cotton cloths was the next thing.  Putting a wet band around so that the temples are covered, and another at the nape of the neck, is very helpful.

Homeopathic Remedy For High Temperature In First Stage Of Sunstroke: Aconite and Belladonna

The first day, when my hot head, chronic headache, and the accompanying dizziness and pain were the most worrying symptoms, I used a homeopathic combination called ‘Fevamed Relief’, which had Aconite 24x and Belladonna  30c in it.  These two are great for complaints which appear suddenly:  Aconite is always good when the symptoms suddenly appear, usually due to a chill or getting damp in a shower;  Belladonna is another one for when symptoms come on suddenly, but with the patient having a bright red face because of fever or high temperature. This ‘Fevamed Relief’ mixture also had Arsenicum alb 60x and Echinacea 24x in it.

This preparation was one specially designed for the feverish symptoms of babies and small children, but I found it to be equally effective in allaying the sunstroke symptoms which I was experiencing.

If I had been at home, I would have used either Aconite or Belladonna on its own, or alternated the remedies,  as I do not usually buy these combination remedies.  This was a ‘Naturopharm’ remedy, whereas I always buy Weleda homeopathics.

I took two or three squirts of this Aconite/Belladonna combination every 20 minutes or so for the first couple of hours.  Then I panned out the dose to one every hour.

I could feel an instant effect as soon as I took the remedy, although it took all that first day for the temperature to drop to near normal.

Pleurisy of the Lung Followed the Sunstroke:  Homeopathic Bryonia came to the fore.

The next day I found that the pulsating head, with accompanying headache, had gone.  But now there was intense pain in the right side of the chest and in the back on the right side,  which was probably pleurisy of the lungs. Bronchial problems can often come after over-exposure to the sun.  The peculiar thing was that it was a right-sided chest complaint, whereas in the past I have always had left-sided chest complaints.

Breathing was painful, and my chest hurt when I moved the torso around to get up off a chair or out of bed. I could hardly move.  It was possible that the Aconite/Belladonna preparation might have helped the bronchial problem too, but I felt as if this remedy had run its course and that no more help would be gained from continuing it.

I decided to switch the treatment to a homeopathic specific for bronchial troubles.  My daughter had a combination which had Bryonia 24x in it, so I beamed in on this one.  Bryonia is excellent for lung problems.  This remedy also had Colocynthis 30c, Carbo veg 24x, and Mag phos 60x in it.  This combination was called ‘Colimed Relief’, another Naturopharm baby remedy.  But again, it worked well for an adult too.

I took this remedy for two days, using around 10 doses of several squirts each the first day, and reducing to around 6 doses of several squirts the second day. On the second day of taking this Bryonia remedy, I coughed for around an hour, which brought up most of the fluid from the lungs.  By the end of that 2nd day, the chest and back pain was completely gone, and breathing had returned to normal.

This all saved an expensive visit to the doctor or to the hospital.  However, sunstroke can be dangerous, so I would urge you to see your doctor if you have these symptoms.  Try the homeopathic remedies only after you have visited the doctor, just to be safe.

Herbal Remedies for Sunburn:

A stong tea allowed to cool, of either Chamomilla recutita flowers, or Elderflower (Sambucus nigra), or Lavender officinalis, can be used to bathe the sunburn.  These herbs can be mixed together to make the infusion if you wish.

St John’s Wort is supposed to be a wonderful healer for radiation burns of all kinds.  Use just a few drops of the blood-red oil on the affected parts.

Aloe vera, something which many people have in their gardens or flower-pots,  is also very soothing and cooling.  Just slice open a leaf and squeeze out the gell to apply directly to the burnt area.

Homeopathic Hypericum or Calendula creams are useful to soothe and help the healing of the skin.  Homeopathic Cantharis is another which can be applied topically to reduce the sting of sunburn.  Homeopathic Cantharis in liquid form is possibly another alternative to Aconite, Belladonna, Bryonia, etc, for taking internally to treat sunstroke symptoms.  Personally, I have not ever tried this remedy.

Dr John H. Clarke, M.D., in treating sunstroke, lists most of the remedies which I found on those two baby homeopathic preparations of my daughter’s:  Aconite, Belladonna and Arsen alb.  These ones, which I found to be very effective, are some of the first remedies for sunstroke which he gives in his book ‘The Prescriber’.

I found ordinary ceylon tea good to drink during this period:  Tea actually helps bring down the temperature, which is why it is so frequently drunk in India.

Over the first couple of days after getting the sunstroke, I also found that putting a cold wet facecloth over the forehead and on the nape of the neck helped.

 

 

What Happens When Your Vitamin D Levels are Low

from Canon 266(1)Dramatic Photo By Lachlan

So – What happens when your vitamin D levels are low?

Vitamin D Deficiency can result in diarrhoea, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness and muscle twitches.

If Vitamin D levels are low over a long period of time, then you could risk becoming alcoholic, or drug-dependent, or suffer hypothyroidism or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Your Vitamin D can come from the sun’s rays, or from the food you eat. Supplements may be necessary in some cases.

Too Much Vitamin D Is Harmful. Be aware that too much Vitamin D can result in the same problems as those related to Vitamin D deficiency. You won’t get too much Vitamin D from the sun, as the body will only process what is needed from the sun.  But be cautious if you are taking supplements,  and follow the recommended dosage.  Vitamin D is stored in the body.  Too much can result in liver and kidney damage.

Vitamin D is necessary for healthy thyroid functioning. When the thyroid is iodine-deficient, or Vitamin D deficient, then mood swings can result.  So to keep balanced mentally and emotionally, we need a helping of Vitamin D.

Excessive weight gain and heart problems could result if  your Vitamin D levels are low.   The sun’s rays help us to break down cholesterol.  Avoiding the sun completely can result in a build up of cholesterol which can cause us to  put on weight.

You might avoid skin cancer if you avoid the sun:  People with low Vitamin D levels have a lower risk of skin cancer than do people who get plenty of sun. However, there is a catch-22 with this.

Low Vitamin D Is Related To Internal Cancers: Research shows that sun lovers with a higher Vitamin D get fewer internal cancers  than the people with the low Vitamin D count who avoid the sun. You are more likely to develop breast cancer, or another internal cancer, if your Vitamin D levels are low.

Can coffee deplete Vitamin D levels?

This is a commonly asked question. The answer is yes.  Too much coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and many medications can lead to Vitamin D being leached from the body.

Bones and teeth and Vitamin D Deficiency.  On-going deficiency of Vitamin D and other nutrients can cause rickets in children, and osteoporosis in adults. Weak, chalky and sensitive teeth might be what happens if  your Vitamin D levels remain low over a period of time. Vitamin D helps us to assimilate calcium: even if your dietary intake of calcium is adequate, the calcium will not be absorbed in the body if your Vitamin D levels are low.

Arthritis and Osteoporosis Can Occur With Low Vitamin D Levels: If  Vitamin D levels remain low over a long period of time, the body will start to leach the calcium it needs from the bones.  The outcome of this depletion is arthritis and osteoporosis, and chalky teeth too.

Vitamin D is also essential  for healthy hair growth.

Other Necessary Minerals: For healthy hair, bones, teeth and nails, heart and brain function, we need a balanced diet which includes the trace elements of

Iodine, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese  and Selenium.

Be careful of the sun in the North Island of New Zealand.  It has become dangerously hot here since around 2011, the time of the dreadful Japanes tsunami and nuclear disaster, and many of us cannot go out into the sun for more than a few minutes at a time now.

I believe that radioactive particles from the Japanes nuclear disaster are now all over the world, high up in the atmosphere. Wherever the ozone layer is sorely depleted, more of this radiation is brought down to earth with the sun’s rays, which poses a risk of a form of radiation sickness.  Sensitive people will be prone to it. This could be a good reason to move to cloudy Dunedin, I feel.  Spending even 15 minutes in the North Island summer sun these days can result in headaches, sun-stroke or radiation sickness for me. Symptoms can last for several days.  I am very sensitive to radiation, so I expect that my reaction will not be a general one, although quite a few of my friends are now complaining of the same symptoms after several minutes of summer sun exposure.

The ozone-layer, which is sorely depleted in parts of New Zealand, means that we burn very quickly. If you live in North Island NZ, then before 9 am or after 5 pm is the safest time to take a short sun-bath for the purpose of absorbing Vitamin D.

Do not wear sun-block when you are taking Vitamin D into the body for health purposes. Sun-block will block the Vitamin D from being absorbed into the skin. Remember that if your skin is slightly oily, then you will absorb more of the vital sun energy – Vitamin D. So it is best to take your sun-bath several hours after showering, to give your skin a chance to restore some of the natural oils to the surface.

Applying a little olive oil, or avocado or grape seed oil, can be useful in restoring oily moisture to the skin before you take a sun-bath. Also remember not to wash directly after the sun-bath: the oil on the skin is still processing the Vitamin D from the sun for several hours after the sun-bath. Leaving your shower or swim for a bit will help the skin to absorb the valuable vitamins being processed.

The foods which contain high amounts of easily assimilated Vitamin D are fatty fish, fish oils, eggs, liver, and butter. Sardines, tuna, mackerel, and especially salmon, are all good sources.

Vitamin D is stored in fatty tissues, which means that it is stored in the body. Care is needed, therefore, not to overdose on Vitamin D through supplement additions to the diet.

The recommended dose varies depending on whether you get enough sun, how good your diet is, and what conditions you are treating, but a safe dose seems to be about 400IU daily for most people.

Some sources give between 400IU and 800IU per day, but it is better to be on the safe side. A large dose of Vitamin D over a period of about six months or less will cause many of the symptoms which you experience when your Vitamin D levels are low. Do not over-do Vitamin D.