Cheese Health Dictionary

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Cheese: From 1 Different Sources

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate to high Protein: Moderate to high Fat: Low to high Saturated fat: High Cholesterol: Low to high Carbohydrates: Low Fiber: None Sodium: High Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, vitamin D, B vitamins Major mineral contribution: Calcium

About the Nutrients in This Food Cheese making begins when Lactobacilli and/or Streptococci bacteria are added to milk. The bacteria digest lactose (milk sugar) and release lactic acid, which coagulates casein (milk protein) into curds. Rennet (gastric enzymes extracted from the stomach of calves) is added, and the mixture is put aside to set. The longer the curds are left to set, the firmer the cheese will be. When the curds are properly firm, they are pressed to squeeze out the whey (liquid) and cooked. Cooking evaporates even more liquid and makes the cheese even firmer.* At this point, the product is “fresh” or “green” cheese: cottage cheese, cream cheese, farmer cheese. Making “ripe” cheese requires the addition of salt to pull out more moisture and specific organisms, such as Penicil- lium roquefort for Roquefort cheese, blue cheese, and Stilton, or Penicillium cambembert for Camembert and Brie. The nutritional value of cheese is similar to the milk from which it is made. All cheese is a good source of high quality proteins with sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids. Cheese is low to high in fat, mod- erate to high in cholesterol. * Natural cheese is cheese made direct ly from milk. Processed cheese is natural cheese melted and combined wit h emulsifiers. Pasteurized process cheese foods contain ingredients t hat allow t hem to spread smoot hly; t hey are lower in fat and higher in moisture t han processed cheese. Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Content of Selected Cheeses Mozzarella Source: USDA, Nutritive Value of Foods, Home and Garden Bullet in No. 72 (USDA, 1989). All cheeses, except cottage cheese, are good sources of vitamin A. Orange and yellow cheeses are colored with carotenoid pigments, including bixin (the carotenoid pigment in annatto) and synthetic beta-carotene. Hard cheeses are an excellent source of calcium; softer cheeses are a good source; cream cheese and cottage cheese are poor sources. The R DA for calcium is 1,000 mg for a woman, 1,200 mg for a man, and 1,500 mg for an older woman who is not on hormone- replacement therapy. All cheese, unless otherwise labeled, is high in sodium.

Calcium Content of Cheese
Cheese	Serving	Calcium (mg)
Blue	oz.	150
Camembert	wedge	147
Cheddar	oz.	204
Cottage cheese
creamed	cup	135
uncreamed	cup	46
Muenster	oz.	203
Pasteurized processed American	oz.	174
Parmesan grated	tbsp.	69
Provolone	oz.	214
Swiss	oz.	272

Source: Nutritive Value of Foods, Home and Gardens Bullet in No. 72 (USDA, 1989).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food With grains, bread, noodles, beans, nuts, or vegetables to add the essential amino acids miss- ing from these foods, “complete” their proteins, and make them more nutritionally valuable.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Antiflatulence diet Controlled-fat, low-cholesterol diet Lactose- and galactose-free diet (lactose, a disaccharide [double sugar] is composed of one unit of galactose and one unit of glucose) Low-calcium diet (for patients with kidney disease) Sucrose-free diet (processed cheese)

Buying This Food Look for: Cheese stored in a refrigerated case. Check the date on the package. Avoid: Any cheese with mold that is not an integral part of the food.

Storing This Food Refrigerate all cheese except unopened canned cheeses (such as Camembert in tins) or grated cheeses treated with preservatives and labeled to show that they can be kept outside the refrigerator. Some sealed packages of processed cheeses can be stored at room temperature but must be refrigerated once the package is opened. Wrap cheeses tightly to protect them from contamination by other microorganisms in the air and to keep them from drying out. Well-wrapped, refrigerated hard cheeses that have not been cut or sliced will keep for up to six months; sliced hard cheeses will keep for about two weeks. Soft cheeses (cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, and Neufchatel) should be used within five to seven days. Use all packaged or processed cheeses by the date stamped on the package. Throw out moldy cheese (unless the mold is an integral part of the cheese, as with blue cheese or Stilton).

Preparing This Food To grate cheese, chill the cheese so it won’t stick to the grater. The molecules that give cheese its taste and aroma are largely immobilized when the cheese is cold. When serving cheese with fruit or crackers, bring it to room temperature to activate these molecules.

What Happens When You Cook This Food Heat changes the structure of proteins. The molecules are denatured, which means that they may be broken into smaller fragments or change shape or clump together. All of these changes may force moisture out of the protein tissue, which is why overcooked cheese is often stringy. Whey proteins, which do not clump or string at low temperatures, contain the sulfur atoms that give hot or burned cheese an unpleasant “cooked” odor. To avoid both strings and an unpleasant odor, add cheese to sauces at the last minute and cook just long enough to melt the cheese.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Freezing. All cheese loses moisture when frozen, so semisoft cheeses will freeze and thaw better than hard cheeses, which may be crumbly when defrosted. Drying. The less moisture cheese contains, the less able it is to support the growth of organ- isms like mold. Dried cheeses keep significantly longer than ordinary cheeses.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits To strengthen bones and reduce age-related loss of bone density. High-calcium foods protect bone density. The current recommended dietary allowance (R DA) for calcium is still 800 mg for adults 25 and older, but a 1984 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference advisory stated that lifelong protection for bones requires an R DA of 1,000 mg for healthy men and women age 25 to 50 ; 1,000 mg for older women using hormone replacement therapy; and 1,500 mg for older women who are not using hormones, and these recommendations have been confirmed in a 1994 NIH Consensus Statement on optimal calcium intake. A diet with adequate amounts of calcium-rich foods helps protect bone density. Low-fat and no-fat cheeses provide calcium without excess fat and cholesterol. Protection against tooth decay. Studies at the University of Iowa (Iowa City) Dental School confirm that a wide variety of cheeses, including aged cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Muenster, mozzarella, Port Salut, Roquefort, Romano, Stilton, Swiss, and Tilsit—limit the tooth decay ordinarily expected when sugar becomes trapped in plaque, the sticky film on tooth surfaces where cavity-causing bacteria flourish. In a related experiment using only cheddar cheese, people who ate cheddar four times a day over a two-week period showed a 20 percent buildup of strengthening minerals on the surface of synthetic toothlike material attached to the root surfaces of natural teeth. Protection against periodontal disease. A report in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Periodontology suggests that consuming adequate amounts of dairy products may reduce the risk of developing periodontal disease. Examining the dental health of 942 subjects ages 40 to 79, researchers at Kyushu University, in Japan, discovered that those whose diets regularly included two ounces (55 g) of foods containing lactic acid (milk, cheese, and yogurt) were significantly less likely to have deep “pockets” (loss of attachment of tooth to gum) than those who consumed fewer dairy products.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Increased risk of heart disease. Like other foods from animals, cheese is a source of choles- terol and saturated fats, which increase the amount of cholesterol circulating in your blood and raise your risk of heart disease. To reduce the risk of heart disease, the USDA /Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting the amount of cholesterol in your diet to no more than 300 mg a day. The guidelines also recommend limit- ing the amount of fat you consume to no more than 30 percent of your total calories, while holding your consumption of saturated fats to more than 10 percent of your total calories (the calories from saturated fats are counted as part of the total calories from fat). Food poisoning. Cheese made from raw (unpasteurized) milk may contain hazardous microorganisms, including Salmonella and Listeria. Salmonella causes serious gastric upset; Lis- teria, a flulike infection, encephalitis, or blood infection. Both may be life-threatening to the very young, the very old, pregnant women, and those whose immune systems are weakened either by illness (such as AIDS) or drugs (such as cancer chemotherapy). In 1998, the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released data identif ying Listeria as the cause of nearly half the reported deaths from food poisoning. Allergy to milk proteins. Milk is one of the foods most frequently implicated as a cause of allergic reactions, particularly upset stomach. However, in many cases the reaction is not a true allergy but the result of lactose intolerance (see below). Lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance—the inability to digest the sugar in milk—is an inherited metabolic deficiency that affects two thirds of all adults, including 90 to 95 percent of all Orientals, 70 to 75 percent of all blacks, and 6 to 8 percent of Caucasians. These people do not have sufficient amounts of lactase, the enzyme that breaks the disaccharide lactose into its easily digested components, galactose and glucose. When they drink milk, the undi- gested sugar is fermented by bacteria in the gut, causing bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and intestinal discomfort. Some milk is now sold with added lactase to digest the lactose and make the milk usable for lactase-deficient people. In making cheese, most of the lactose in milk is broken down into glucose and galactose. There is very little lactose in cheeses other than the fresh ones—cottage cheese, cream cheese, and farmer cheese. Galactosemia. Galactosemia is an inherited metabolic disorder in which the body lacks the enzymes needed to metabolize galactose, a component of lactose. Galactosemia is a reces- sive trait; you must receive the gene from both parents to develop the condition. Babies born with galactosemia will fail to thrive and may develop brain damage or cataracts if they are given milk. To prevent this, children with galactosemia are usually kept on a protective milk- free diet for several years, until their bodies have developed alternative pathways by which to metabolize galactose. Pregnant women who are known carriers of galactosemia may be advised to give up milk and milk products while pregnant lest the unmetabolized galactose in their bodies cause brain damage to the fetus (damage not detectable by amniocentesis). Genetic counseling is available to identif y galactosemia carriers and assess their chances of producing a baby with the disorder. Penicillin sensitivity. People who experience a sensitivity reaction the first time they take penicillin may have been sensitized by exposure to the Penicillium molds in the environment, including the Penicillium molds used to make brie, blue, camembert, roquefort, Stilton, and other “blue” cheeses.

Food/Drug Interactions Tetracycline. The calcium ions in milk products, including cheese, bind tetracyclines into insoluble compounds. If you take tetracyclines with cheese, your body may not be able to absorb and use the drug efficiently. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are drugs used to treat depression. They inactivate naturally occurring enzymes in your body that metabolize tyra- mine, a substance found in many fermented or aged foods. Tyramine constricts blood ves- sels and increases blood pressure. If you eat a food such as aged or fermented cheese which is high in tyramine while you are taking an M AO inhibitor, your body may not be able to eliminate the tyramine. The result may be a hypertensive crisis.

Tyramine Content of Cheeses High Boursault, Camembert, Cheddar, Emmenthaler, Stilton Medium to high Blue, brick, Brie, Gruyère, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Roquefort Low Processed American cheese Very little or none Cottage and cream cheese Sources: The Medical Letter Handbook of Adverse Drug Interactions (1985); Handbook of Clinical Dietetics ( The A merican Dietet ic Associat ion, 1981). False-positive test for pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytomas (tumors of the adrenal glands) secrete adrenalin that is converted by the body to vanillyl-mandelic acid ( VM A) and excreted in the urine. Tests for this tumor measure the level of VM A in the urine. Since cheese contains VM A, taking the test after eating cheese may result in a false-positive result. Ordinarily, cheese is prohibited for at least 72 hours before this diagnostic test.

Health Source: A Nutritional, Medical and Culinary Guide
Author: Health Dictionary

Caseation

A process which takes place in the tissues in TUBERCULOSIS and some other chronic diseases. The central part of a diseased area, instead of changing into pus and so forming an ABSCESS, changes to a ?rm cheese-like mass which may next be absorbed or may be converted into a calcareous deposit and ?brous tissue, and so healing results in the formation of a scar.... caseation

Casein

That part of milk which forms cheese or curds. It is produced by the union of a substance, caseinogen, dissolved in the milk, with lime salts also dissolved in the milk – the union being produced by the action of rennin, a ferment from the stomach of the calf. The same change occurs in the human stomach as the ?rst step in the digestion of milk, and therefore when milk is vomited curdled it merely shows that digestion has begun.... casein

Calcium

The metallic element present in chalk and other forms of lime. The chief preparations used in medicine are calcium carbonate (chalk), calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), liquor of calcium hydroxide (lime-water), calcium lactate, and calcium phosphate. Calcium gluconate is freely soluble in water and is used in conditions in which calcium should be given by injection.

Calcium is a most important element in diet; the chief sources of it are milk and cheese. Calcium is especially needed by the growing child and the pregnant and nursing mother. The uptake of calcium by the baby is helped by vitamin D (see APPENDIX 5: VITAMINS). A de?ciency of calcium may cause TETANY, and an excess may result in the development of CALCULI (stones) in the KIDNEYS or gallbladder (see LIVER).

The recommended daily intakes of calcium are: 500 mg for children, 700 mg for adolescents, 500–900 mg for adults and 1,200 mg for pregnant or nursing mothers.... calcium

Moclobemide

A reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (see MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIS)), this drug is used as second-line treatment for patients with severe DEPRESSION. As with all MAOIs, those taking moclobemide should avoid too much tyramine-rich food – mature cheese, yeast extracts, fermented soya-bean products – and they should not take the drug with another antidepressant (see ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS).... moclobemide

Tyramine

A variety of the chemical compound amine, which is derived from ammonia. A sympathomimetic agent with an action which resembles that of ADRENALINE, tyramine occurs in mistletoe, mature cheese, beers, red wine and decaying animal matter. This adrenaline e?ect is potentially dangerous for patients taking MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIS) – ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS – because, when combined with tyramine, the blood pressure rises sharply. Such patients should avoid taking cheese, beers and red wine.... tyramine

Vernix

The white, cheese-like substance that covers the skin of a newborn infant. It consists of dead cells in a fatty secretion, protects the infant’s skin, and helps lubricate its passage through the cervix and vagina during delivery.... vernix

Necrosis

The death of tissue cells. Necrosis can occur as a result of ischaemia (inadequate blood supply), which may lead to gangrene; infection, such as tuberculosis; or damage by extreme heat or cold, noxious chemicals, or excessive exposure to X-rays or other radiation.

In necrosis due to tuberculosis, the dead tissue is soft, dry, and cheese-like. Fatty tissue beneath the skin that has died as a result of damage or infection develops into tough scar tissue that may form a firm nodule.... necrosis

Benefits Of Lapsang Souchong Tea

Lapsang Souchong tea is a type of black tea originating from China. Out of all the types of black tea, this one is special thanks to its history, rich taste and health benefits. Find out more about the Lapsang Souchong tea in this article. About the Lapsang Souchong tea Lapsang Souchong tea is a type of black tea originating from China, from the Wuyi region of the Fujian province. It is the first type of black tea in history, having been discovered around the beginning of the 19^th century. Later, people started to move the tea bushes even outside of China, for example to India or Sri Lanka. The flavor of this tea is smoky, rich and fruity. It goes well with salty and spicy dishes, as well as with cheese. Lapsang Souchong tea - a smoked tea It is said that the lapsang souchong tea was discovered by accident. During the Dao Guang era of the Qing Dynasty, an army unit passed through Xingcu village and decided to set camp at a tea factory filled with unprocessed tea leaves. The workers could only return at the company after the soldiers left. Discovering that they didn’t have enough time to let the leaves dry, the workers decided to speed up the process. What they did was to place the tea leaves into bamboo baskets and dry them over fires made from local pines. This is how the lapsang souchong tea was discovered. Because of this, it is also called “smoked tea”. Seeing as they are smoke-dried over fires made from pine wood, the lapsang souchong tea has a strong, smoky flavor. How to make lapsang souchong tea To make lapsang souchong tea, you need one teaspoon of leaves for a 6 ounce cup. Leave it to steep for 3-4 minutes before you remove the leaves. You can later use the leaves to resteep, but the flavor might differ after each steeping. The lapsang souchong tea is usually drunk without milk or sugar. People either love its taste, or completely hate it, so there’s no need to change it. Benefits of lapsang souchong tea The lapsang souchong tea, just like all other types of black teas, has many health benefits that should encourage you to drink more of it. First of all, drinking lapsang souchong tea can reduce your chances of getting cancer. It also helps reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, as it lowers the cholesterol in your blood and helps the blood flow better in your veins. The lapsang souchong tea helps strengthen your immunity, protecting you from viruses that lead to colds, the flu or other diseases. It also helps you fight against various types of inflammations. During diets, it is recommended to drink black tea; this includes the lapsang souchong tea, as well. It helps burn fats faster and, therefore, helps you lose weight. Side effects of lapsang souchong tea The side effects of the lapsang souchong tea are those found at other types of black tea, as well. They are related to the caffeine found in the tea’s composition, and drinking too much tea. If you know caffeine isn’t good for you, be careful when drinking lapsang souchong tea. It may cause you to experience the following symptoms: insomnia, anxiety, headache, dizziness, irritability, blurred vision and skin rashes. You also have to be careful if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. In the case of pregnancy, the caffeine in the lapsang souchong tea (and caffeine in general) can cause miscarriages and birth defects. If you’re breastfeeding, lapsang souchong tea can affect the baby, who might get insomnia, heart palpitations and tremors. Also, if you’re suffering from ulcer, don’t drink too much lapsang souchong tea. The caffeine in its composition may increase the production of stomach acid and, therefore, aggravate the ulcer symptoms. It is recommended that you not drink more than six cups of tea per day. Otherwise, it might end up becoming harmful rather than helpful. The side effects that you might get are headaches, dizziness, insomnia, irregular heartbeats, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. If you encounter any of these symptoms, reduce the amount of tea you drink. This applies to all types of tea, including the lapsang souchong tea. If you want a special kind of black tea, try the lapsang souchong tea. The smoky, fruity flavor will definitely charm you. And don’t forget, it’s also good for your health!... benefits of lapsang souchong tea

Blue Mallow

Malva sylvestyis. N.O. Malvaceae.

Synonym: Cheese Flower, Common Mallow, Mauls.

Habitat: Around ledges and roadsides.

Features ? Several erect, hairy stems, two to three feet high. Leaf and flower stalks also hairy. Roundish leaf has five to seven lobes, middle one longest. Numerous flowers (June-September), large reddish-purple, clustered four or five together on axillary stalk.

Part used ? Flowers, herb.

Action: Demulcent, mucilaginous, pectoral.

1 ounce to 1 pint infusion makes a popular cough and cold remedy.... blue mallow

Bread

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate Protein: Moderate Fat: Low to moderate Saturated fat: Low to high Cholesterol: Low to high Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Moderate to high Sodium: Moderate to high Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins Major mineral contribution: Calcium, iron, potassium

About the Nutrients in This Food All commercially made yeast breads are approximately equal in nutri- tional value. Enriched white bread contains virtually the same amounts of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates as whole wheat bread, although it may contain only half the dietary fiber (see flour). Bread is a high-carbohydrate food with lots of starch. The exact amount of fiber, fat, and cholesterol in the loaf varies with the recipe. Bread’s proteins, from grain, are low in the essential amino acid lysine. The most important carbohydrate in bread is starch; all breads contain some sugar. Depending on the recipe, the fats may be highly saturated (butter or hydrogenated vegetable fats) or primarily unsaturated (vegetable fat). All bread is a good source of B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin), and in 1998, the Food and Drug Administration ordered food manufactur- ers to add folates—which protect against birth defects of the spinal cord and against heart disease—to flour, rice, and other grain products. One year later, data from the Framingham Heart Study, which has followed heart health among residents of a Boston suburb for nearly half a cen- tury, showed a dramatic increase in blood levels of folic acid. Before the fortification of foods, 22 percent of the study participants had a folic acid deficiency; after, the number fell to 2 percent. Bread is a moderately good source of calcium, magnesium, and phos- phorus. (Breads made with milk contain more calcium than breads made without milk.) Although bread is made from grains and grains contain phytic acid, a natural antinutrient that binds calcium ions into insoluble, indigestible compounds, the phytic acid is inactivated by enzyme action during leavening. Bread does not bind calcium. All commercially made breads are moderately high in sodium; some contain more sugar than others. Grains are not usually considered a good source of iodine, but commer- cially made breads often pick up iodine from the iodophors and iodates used to clean the plants and machines in which they are made. Homemade breads share the basic nutritional characteristics of commercially made breads, but you can vary the recipe to suit your own taste, lowering the salt, sugar, or fat and raising the fiber content, as you prefer.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food As sandwiches, with cheese, milk, eggs, meat, fish, or poultry. These foods supply the essen- tial amino acid lysine to “complete” the proteins in grains. With beans or peas. The proteins in grains are deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and isoleucine and rich in the essential amino acids tryptophan, methionine, and cystine. The proteins in legumes (beans and peas) are exactly the opposite.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Gluten-free diet (excludes breads made with wheat, oats, rye, buckwheat and barley flour) Lactose-free diet Low-fiber diet (excludes coarse whole-grain breads) Low-sodium diet

Buying This Food Look for: Fresh bread. Check the date on closed packages of commercial bread.

Storing This Food Store bread at room temperature, in a tightly closed plastic bag (the best protection) or in a breadbox. How long bread stays fresh depends to a great extent on how much fat it contains. Bread made with some butter or other fat will keep for about three days at room tempera- ture. Bread made without fat (Italian bread, French bread) will dry out in just a few hours; for longer storage, wrap it in foil, put it inside a plastic bag, and freeze it. When you are ready to serve the French or Italian bread, you can remove it from the plastic bag and put the foil- wrapped loaf directly into the oven. Throw away moldy bread. The molds that grow on bread may produce carcinogenic toxins. Do not store fresh bread in the refrigerator; bread stales most quickly at temperatures just above freezing. The one exception: In warm, humid weather, refrigerating bread slows the growth of molds.

When You Are Ready to Serve This Food Use a serrated knife to cut bread easily.

What Happens When You Cook This Food Toasting is a chemical process that caramelizes sugars and amino acids (proteins) on the surface of the bread, turning the bread a golden brown. This chemical reaction, known both as the browning reaction and the Maillard reaction (after the French chemist who first identified it), alters the structure of the surface sugars, starches, and amino acids. The sugars become indigestible food fiber; the amino acids break into smaller fragments that are no longer nutritionally useful. Thus toast has more fiber and less protein than plain bread. How- ever, the role of heat-generated fibers in the human diet is poorly understood. Some experts consider them inert and harmless; others believe they may be hazardous.

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Freezing. Frozen bread releases moisture that collects inside the paper, foil, or plastic bag in which it is wrapped. If you unwrap the bread before defrosting it, the moisture will be lost and the bread will be dry. Always defrost bread in its wrappings so that it can reabsorb the moisture that keeps it tasting fresh. Drying. Since molds require moisture, the less moisture a food contains, the less likely it is support mold growth. That is why bread crumbs and Melba toast, which are relatively mois- ture-free, keep better than fresh bread. Both can be ground fine and used as a toasty-flavored thickener in place of flour or cornstarch.

Medical Uses and/or Benefits A lower risk of some kinds of cancer. In 1998, scientists at Wayne State University in Detroit conducted a meta-analysis of data from more than 30 well-designed animal studies mea- suring the anti-cancer effects of wheat bran, the part of grain with highest amount of the insoluble dietary fibers cellulose and lignin. They found a 32 percent reduction in the risk of colon cancer among animals fed wheat bran; now they plan to conduct a similar meta- analysis of human studies. Breads made with whole grain wheat are a good source of wheat bran. NOTE : The amount of fiber per serving listed on a food package label shows the total amount of fiber (insoluble and soluble). Early in 1999, however, new data from the long-running Nurses Health Study at Brigham Women’s Hospital/Harvard University School of Public Health showed that women who ate a high-fiber diet had a risk of colon cancer similar to that of women who ate a low fiber diet. Because this study contradicts literally hundreds of others conducted over the past 30 years, researchers are awaiting confirming evidence before changing dietary recommendations. Calming effect. Mood is affected by naturally occurring chemicals called neurotransmitters that facilitate transmission of impulses between brain cells. The amino acid tryptophan amino acid is the most important constituent of serotonin, a “calming” neurotransmitter. Foods such as bread, which are high in complex carbohydrates, help move tryptophan into your brain, increasing the availability of serotonin.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Allergic reactions and/or gastric distress. Bread contains several ingredients that may trigger allergic reactions, aggravate digestive problems, or upset a specific diet, among them gluten (prohibited on gluten-free diets); milk (prohibited on a lactose- and galactose-free diet or for people who are sensitive to milk proteins); sugar (prohibited on a sucrose-free diet); salt (controlled on a sodium-restricted diet); and fats (restricted or prohibited on a controlled-fat, low-cholesterol diet).... bread

Flour

See also Bread, Corn, Oats, Pasta, Potatoes, R ice, Soybeans, Wheat cereals.

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): High Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Low to high Sodium: Low (except self-rising flour) Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins Major mineral contribution: Iron

About the Nutrients in This Food Flour is the primary source of the carbohydrates (starch and fiber) in bread, pasta, and baked goods. All wheat and rye flours also provide some of the food fibers, including pectins, gums, and cellulose. Flour also contains significant amounts of protein but, like other plant foods, its proteins are “incomplete” because they are deficient in the essential amino acid lysine. The fat in the wheat germ is primarily polyunsaturated; flour contains no cholesterol. Flour is a good source of iron and the B vitamins. Iodine and iodophors used to clean the equipment in grain-processing plants may add iodine to the flour. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration ordered food manufac- turers to add folates—which protect against birth defects of the spinal cord and against heart disease—to flour, rice, and other grain products. One year later, data from the Framingham Heart Study, which has fol- lowed heart health among residents of a Boston suburb for nearly half a century, showed a dramatic increase in blood levels of folic acid. Before the fortification of foods, 22 percent of the study participants had a folic acid deficiency; after, the number fell to 2 percent. Whole grain flour, like other grain products, contains phytic acid, an antinutrient that binds calcium, iron, and zinc ions into insoluble com- pounds your body cannot absorb. This has no practical effect so long as your diet includes foods that provide these minerals. Whole wheat flours. Whole wheat flours use every part of the kernel: the fiber-rich bran with its B vitamins, the starch- and protein-rich endosperm with its iron and B vitamins, and the oily germ with its vitamin E.* Because they contain bran, whole-grain flours have much more fiber than refined white flours. However, some studies suggest that the size of the fiber particles may have some bearing on their ability to absorb moisture and “bulk up” stool and that the fiber particles found in fine-ground whole wheat flours may be too small to have a bulking effect. Finely ground whole wheat flour is called whole wheat cake flour; coarsely ground whole wheat flour is called graham flour. Cracked wheat is a whole wheat flour that has been cut rather than ground; it has all the nutrients of whole wheat flour, but its processing makes it less likely to yield its starch in cooking. When dried and parboiled, cracked wheat is known as bulgur, a grain used primarily as a cereal, although it can be mixed with other flours and baked. Gluten flour is a low-starch, high-protein product made by drying and grinding hard- wheat flour from which the starch has been removed. Refined (“white”) flours. Refined flours are paler than whole wheat flours because they do not contain the brown bran and germ. They have less fiber and fat and smaller amounts of vitamins and minerals than whole wheat flours, but enriched refined flours are fortified with B vitamins and iron. Refined flour has no phytic acid. Some refined flours are bleached with chlorine dioxide to destroy the xanthophylls (carotenoid pigments) that give white flours a natural cream color. Unlike carotene, the carotenoid pigment that is converted to vitamin A in the body, xanthophylls have no vita- min A activity; bleaching does not lower the vitamin A levels in the flour, but it does destroy vitamin E. There are several kinds of white flours. All-purpose white flour is a mixture of hard and soft wheats, high in protein and rich in gluten.t Cake flour is a finely milled soft-wheat flour; it has less protein than all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is flour to which baking powder has been added and is very high in sodium. Instant flour is all-purpose flour that has been ground extra-fine so that it will combine quickly with water. Semolina is a pale high-protein, low- gluten flour made from durum wheat and used to make pasta. Rye flours. Rye flour has less gluten than wheat flour and is less elastic, which is why it makes a denser bread.:j Like whole wheat flour, dark rye flour (the flour used for pumpernickel bread) contains the bran and the germ of the rye grain; light rye flour (the flour used for ordinary rye bread) The bran is t he kernel’s hard, brown outer cover, an ext raordinarily rich source of cellulose and lignin. The endosperm is t he kernel’s pale interior, where t he vitamins abound. The germ, a small part icle in t he interior, is t he part of t he kernel t hat sprouts. Hard wheat has less starch and more protein t han soft wheat. It makes a heavier, denser dough. Gluten is t he st icky substance formed when k neading t he dough relaxes t he long-chain molecules in t he proteins gliadin and glutenin so t hat some of t heir intermolecular bonds (bonds bet ween atoms in t he same molecule) break and new int ramolecular bonds (bonds bet ween atoms on different mol- ecules) are formed. Triticale flour is milled from triticale grain, a rye/wheat hybrid. It has more protein and less gluten than all-purpose wheat flour.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food With beans or a “complete” protein food (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese) to provide the essential amino acid lysine, in which wheat and rye flours are deficient.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Low-calcium diet (whole grain and self-rising flours) Low-fiber diet (whole wheat flours) Low-gluten diet (all wheat and rye flour) Sucrose-free diet

Buying This Food Look for: Tightly sealed bags or boxes. Flours in torn packages or in open bins are exposed to air and to insect contamination. Avoid: Stained packages—the liquid that stained the package may have seeped through into the flour.

Storing This Food Store all flours in air- and moistureproof canisters. Whole wheat flours, which contain the germ and bran of the wheat and are higher in fat than white flours, may become rancid if exposed to air; they should be used within a week after you open the package. If you plan to hold the flour for longer than that, store it in the freezer, tightly wrapped to protect it against air and moisture. You do not have to thaw the flour when you are ready to use it; just measure it out and add it directly to the other ingredients. Put a bay leaf in the flour canister to help protect against insect infections. Bay leaves are natural insect repellents.

What Happens When You Cook This Food Protein reactions. The wheat kernel contains several proteins, including gliadin and glute- nin. When you mix flour with water, gliadin and glutenin clump together in a sticky mass. Kneading the dough relaxes the long gliadin and glutenin molecules, breaking internal bonds between individual atoms in each gliadin and glutenin molecule and allowing the molecules to unfold and form new bonds between atoms in different molecules. The result is a network structure made of a new gliadin-glutenin compound called gluten. Gluten is very elastic. The gluten network can stretch to accommodate the gas (carbon dioxide) formed when you add yeast to bread dough or heat a cake batter made with baking powder or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), trapping the gas and making the bread dough or cake batter rise. When you bake the dough or batter, the gluten network hardens and the bread or cake assumes its finished shape. Starch reactions. Starch consists of molecules of the complex carbohydrates amylose and amylopectin packed into a starch granule. When you heat flour in liquid, the starch gran- ules absorb water molecules, swell, and soften. When the temperature of the liquid reaches approximately 140°F the amylose and amylopectin molecules inside the granules relax and unfold, breaking some of their internal bonds (bonds between atoms on the same molecule) and forming new bonds between atoms on different molecules. The result is a network that traps and holds water molecules. The starch granules then swell, thickening the liquid. If you continue to heat the liquid (or stir it too vigorously), the network will begin to break down, the liquid will leak out of the starch granules, and the sauce will separate.* Combination reaction. Coating food with flour takes advantage of the starch reaction (absorbing liquids) and the protein reaction (baking a hard, crisp protein crust).

Medical Uses and/or Benefits A lower risk of some kinds of cancer. In 1998, scientists at Wayne State University in Detroit conducted a meta-analysis of data from more than 30 well-designed animal studies mea- suring the anti-cancer effects of wheat bran, the part of grain with highest amount of the insoluble dietary fibers cellulose and lignin. They found a 32 percent reduction in the risk of colon cancer among animals fed wheat bran; now they plan to conduct a similar meta- analysis of human studies. Whole wheat flours are a good source of wheat bran. NOTE : The amount of fiber per serving listed on a food package label shows the total amount of fiber (insoluble and soluble). Early in 1999, however, new data from the long-running Nurses Health Study at Brigham Women’s Hospital/Harvard University School of Public Health showed that women who ate a high-fiber diet had a risk of colon cancer similar to that of women who ate a low-fiber diet. * A mylose is a long, unbranched, spiral molecule; amylopect in is a short, compact, branched molecule. A mylose has more room for forming bonds to water. Wheat flours, which have a higher rat io of amy- lose to amylopect in, are superior t hickeners. Because this study contradicts literally hundreds of others conducted over the past 30 years, researchers are awaiting confirming evidence before changing dietary recommendations.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Allergic reactions. According to the Merck Manual, wheat is one of the foods most commonly implicated as a cause of allergic upset stomach, hives, and angioedema (swollen lips and eyes). For more information, see under wheat cer ea ls. Gluten intolerance (celiac disease). Celiac disease is an intestinal allergic disorder that makes it impossible to digest gluten and gliadin (proteins found in wheat and some other grains). Corn flour, potato flour, rice flour, and soy flour are all gluten- and gliadin-free. Ergot poisoning. Rye and some kinds of wheat will support ergot, a parasitic fungus related to lysergic acid (LSD). Because commercial flours are routinely checked for ergot contamina- tion, there has not been a major outbreak of ergot poisoning from bread since a 1951 incident in France. Since baking does not destroy ergot toxins, the safest course is to avoid moldy flour altogether.... flour

Listeriosis

A rare disease, although the causal organism, Listeria monocytogenes, is widely distributed in soil, silage, water, and various animals, with consequent risk of food contamination – for example, from unpasteurised soft cheese. Neonates are mainly affected – often as a result of a mild or inapparent infection in the pregnant mother. The disease presents in two main forms: MENINGOENCEPHALITIS, or SEPTICAEMIA with enlarged LYMPH glands. Elderly adults occasionally develop the ?rst form, while younger adults are more likely to develop a mild or even inapparent form. The disease is treated with ANTIBIOTICS such as ampicillin (see PENICILLIN) or CHLORAMPHENICOL.... listeriosis

Caraway Tea For Flatulence

Caraway tea is well known for its carminative, antispasmodic and diuretic action, being consumed worldwide due to its pharmaceutical benefits. Caraway Tea description Caraway is a biennial plant which distinguishes itself through an erect branching stem. It grows wild in Europe, North Africa and Asia. Caraway is best known for its long, brownish and rib-shaped seeds, which are used as a condiment to add flavor to several types of food like soups, pasta, breads, cheeses, cakes, biscuits, rice and seafood. Caraway is also part of the Indian, Dutch, German, Russian, and Scandinavian dishes. Caraway is available in capsule form and through brewing it turns into Caraway tea. Caraway Tea brewing To prepare Caraway tea:

Infuse 1 teaspoon of crushed caraway seeds into a cup of boiling water.
Allow this mix to steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

Caraway tea can be drunk three times a day. Caraway Tea benefits Caraway tea is successfully used to:

soothe the digestive tract and relieve colic, cramps and flatulence
promote gastric secretion and improve the appetite
fight diarrhea
ease menstrual cramps, as well as gallbladder spasms
fight bronchitis and cough
increase the production of breast milk
freshen the breath

Caraway Tea side effects Pregnant and nursing women should ask their doctor before consuming Caraway tea. Caraway tea is a healthy beverage, efficient in dealing with cramps, colic and flatulence, but not only.... caraway tea for flatulence

Eosinophilia

A group of conditions having the characteristic elevation of eosinophils. These somewhat mysterious granulocytic leukocytes (white blood cells filled with cottage cheese) are definitely involved in parasite resistance, seem to initiate strong inflammation under some conditions, can facilitate clotting by inhibiting heparin, yet also are a part of the process of healing and inflammation control as an infection winds down. Eosinophilia is on one hand an inherited condition associated with atopic dermatitis (common, relatively benign, and irritating as hell), but, when acquired from chemical contact, drug reaction or spontaneously surfaced auto-immune response, it can destroy muscles, nerve, lungs, even kill. It caused the notorious string of chemical reactions that was triggered by tainted Japanese tryptophan.... eosinophilia

Food Intolerance

This is divided into food aversion, where a person simply avoids a food they dislike; food intolerance, where taking the food causes symptoms; and food allergy, where the symptoms are due to an immunological reaction. Some cases of food intolerance are due to idiosyncrasy – that is, a genetic defect in the patient, such as alactasia, where the intestine lacks the enzyme that digests milk sugar, with the result that individuals so affected develop diarrhoea when they drink milk. Intolerance to speci?c foods, as distinct from allergy, is probably quite common and may be an important factor in the aetiology of the IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS).

For the diagnosis of true food allergy, it is necessary to demonstrate that there is a reproducible intolerance to a speci?c food; also, that there is evidence of an abnormal immunological reaction to it. Occasionally the allergic response may not be to the food itself but to food contaminants such as penicillin, or to food additives such as tartrazine. There may also be reactions to foods which have pharmacological effects, such as ca?eine in strong co?ee or histamine in fermented cheese, or such reactions may be due to the irritant e?ect on the intestinal mucosa (especially if it is already diseased) by, say, highly spiced curries.

Testing blood and skin for food allergy is beloved of some alternative practitioners but, in practice, the results of tests do not necessarily agree with what happens when the food is taken. Therefore, a careful history is as useful as any test in making a diagnosis.... food intolerance

Vegetarianism

Restriction of one’s diet, for health, cultural or humanitarian reasons, to foods of fruit or vegetable origin. Most vegetarians, while excluding meat and ?sh from their diets, include foods of animal origin, such as milk, cheese, eggs, and butter. Such a diet should supply an adequate balance of nutrients, although people with special dietary requirements – such as pregnant or feeding mothers, and very strict vegetarians – may require dietary supplements (see APPENDIX

5: VITAMINS).... vegetarianism

Celery

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Moderate Sodium: High Major vitamin contribution: Folate Major mineral contribution: Potassium, phosphorus

About the Nutrients in This Food Celery has moderate amounts of dietary fiber and small amounts of the B vitamin folate. One-half cup diced raw celery has one gram dietary fiber and 17 mcg folate (4 percent of the R DA).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Fresh, filled with cheese to add protein.

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Low-fiber diet Low-sodium diet

Buying This Food Look for: Crisp, medium-size pale green celery with fresh leaves. Darker stalks have more vitamin A but are likely to be stringy. Avoid: Wilted or yellowed stalks. Wilted stalks have lost moisture and are low in vitamins A and C. Yellowed stalks are no longer fresh; their chlorophyll pigments have faded enough to let the yellow carotenes show through. Avoid bruised or rotten celery. Celery cells contain chemicals called furocoumarins (pso- ralens) that may turn carcinogenic when the cell membranes are damaged and the furocou- marins are exposed to light. Bruised or rotting celery may contain up to a hundred times the psoralens in fresh celery.

Storing This Food Handle celery carefully to avoid damaging the stalks and releasing furocoumarins. Refrigerate celery in plastic bags or in the vegetable crisper to keep them moist and crisp. They will stay fresh for about a week.

Preparing This Food R inse celery under cold running water to remove all sand and dirt. Cut off the leaves, blanch them, dry them thoroughly, and rub them through a sieve or food mill. The dry powder can be used to season salt or frozen for later use in soups or stews.

What Happens When You Cook This Food When you cook celery the green flesh will soften as the pectin inside its cells dissolves in water, but the virtually indestructible cellulose and lignin “strings” on the ribs will stay stiff. If you don’t like the strings, pull them off before you cook the celery. Cooking also changes the color of celery. Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, is very sensitive to acids. When you heat celery, the chlorophyll in its stalks reacts chemically with acids in the celery or in the cooking water to form pheophytin, which is brown. The pheophytin will turn the celery olive-drab or, if the stalks have a lot of yellow carotene, bronze. You can prevent this natural chemical reaction and keep the celery green by cooking it so quickly that there is no time for the chlorophyll to react with the acids, or by cooking it in lots of water (which will dilute the acids), or by cooking it with the lid off the pot so that the volatile acids can float off into the air.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Contact dermatitis. Celery contains limonene, an essential oil known to cause contact der- matitis in sensitive individuals. (Limonene is also found in dill, caraway seeds, and the peel of lemon and limes.) Photosensitivity. The furocoumarins (psoralens) released by damaged or moldy celery are photosensitizers as well as potential mutagens and carcinogens. Constant contact with these chemicals can make skin very sensitive to light, a problem most common among food work- ers who handle large amounts of celery without wearing gloves. Nitrate/nitrite poisoning. Like beets, eggplant, lettuce, radish, spinach, and collard and turnip greens, celery contains nitrates that convert naturally into nitrites in your stomach and then react with the amino acids in proteins to form nitrosamines. Although some nitro- samines are known or suspected carcinogens, this natural chemical conversion presents no known problems for a healthy adult. However, when these nitrate-rich vegetables are cooked and left to stand at room temperature, bacterial enzyme action (and perhaps some enzymes in the plants) convert the nitrates to nitrites at a much faster rate than normal. These higher-nitrite foods may be hazardous for infants; several cases of “spinach poison- ing” have been reported among children who ate cooked spinach that had been left standing at room temperature.... celery

Galium Verum

Linn.

Habitat: Kashmir, Lahul and other west Himalayan regions, at altitude of 2,000-3,000 m

English: Lady's Bedstraw, Cheese Rennet.

Action: Herb—diuretic, used for kidney stone, gravel, gout. Used topically for poorly healing wounds.

The plant contains the iridoids including asperuloside and galioside; flavonoid glycosides; quercetin-3-glu- coside, quercetin-7-glucoside, quer- cetin-3-rutinoside, luteolin-7-gluco- side; anthraquinone derivatives, including alizarin, and large amounts of salicylic acid. Its high organic acid content causes curdling of milk. The root contain n-alkanes.... galium verum

Acid Foods

Foods that produce acid when metabolised. Ash from these foods contains sulphur, phosphoric acid and chlorine, all essential for efficient metabolism. Breads, cereals, cheese, chicken, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cranberries, eggs, fish, flour, fowl, grain products, lentils, meats (lean), nuts, oats, oatmeal, oysters, pasta, peanuts, peanut butter, pearl barley, plums, prunes, rhubarb, rabbit, rice (white), sugar, sweet corn, tea, veal, wholemeal bread, wheatgerm. ... acid foods

Banana

Nutrient food.

Uses: Low fat, low calorie food for weight control. Rich in potassium, pectin, Vitamin B6, inositol. Part of Cape Canaveral astronaut’s diet to counteract rapid heart beats in inter-space flights. Gastric ulcer: diet on bananas and cheese for one month or two. (Jamaica traditional) ... banana

Bedstraw, Ladies

Cheese rennet. Galium verum L.

Action. Alterative, diuretic.

Uses: Kidney stone, gravel, gout.

Preparation. Tea: 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes. Dose, 1 cup freely. ... bedstraw, ladies

Eggplant

Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: High Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin C (low) Major mineral contribution: Potassium (low)

About the Nutrients in This Food Eggplant is a high-fiber food with only minimum amounts of vitamins and minerals. One cup (100 g/3.5 ounces) boiled eggplant has 2.5 mg dietary fiber and 1.3 mg vitamin C (2 percent of the R DA for a woman, 1 percent of the R DA for a man). In 1992, food scientists at the Autonomous University of Madrid studying the chemistry of the eggplant discovered that the vegetable’s sugar content rises through the end of the sixth week of growth and then falls dramatically over the next 10 days. The same thing happens with other flavor chemicals in the vegetable and with vitamin C, so the researchers concluded that eggplants taste best and are most nutritious after 42 days of growth. NOTE : Eggplants are members of the nightshade family, Solanacea. Other members of this family are potatoes, tomatoes, and red and green peppers. These plants produce natural neurotoxins (nerve poisons) called glycoalkaloids. It is estimated that an adult would have to eat 4.5 pounds of eggplant at one sitting to get a toxic amount of solanine, the glycoalkaloid in eggplant.

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food The eggplant’s two culinary virtues are its meaty texture and its ability to assume the flavor of sauces in which it is cooked. As a result, it is often used as a vegetarian, no-cholesterol substitute for veal or chicken in Italian cuisine, specifically dishes ala parmigiana and spaghetti sauces. However, in cooking, the egg- plant absorbs very large amounts of oil. To keep eggplant parmigiana low in fat, use non-fat cheese and ration the olive oil.

Buying This Food Look for: Firm, purple to purple-black or umblemished white eggplants that are heavy for their size. Avoid: Withered, soft, bruised, or damaged eggplants. Withered eggplants will be bitter; damaged ones will be dark inside.

Storing This Food Handle eggplants carefully. If you bruise an eggplant, its damaged cells will release polyphe- noloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the eggplant’s flesh, produc- ing brown compounds that darken the vegetable. Refrigerate fresh eggplant to keep it from losing moisture and wilting.

Preparing This Food Do not slice or peel an eggplant until you are ready to use it, since the polyphenoloxidase in the eggplant will begin to convert phenols to brown compounds as soon as you tear the vegetable’s cells. You can slow this chemical reaction (but not stop it completely) by soaking sliced egg- plant in ice water—which will reduce the eggplant’s already slim supply of water-soluble vita- min C and B vitamins—or by painting the slices with a solution of lemon juice or vinegar. To remove the liquid that can make a cooked eggplant taste bitter, slice the eggplant, salt the slices, pile them on a plate, and put a second plate on top to weight the slices down. Discard the liquid that results.

What Happens When You Cook This Food A fresh eggplant’s cells are full of air that escapes when you heat the vegetable. If you cook an eggplant with oil, the empty cells will soak it up. Eventually, however, the cell walls will collapse and the oil will leak out, which is why eggplant parmigiana often seems to be served in a pool of olive oil. Eggplant should never be cooked in an aluminum pot, which will discolor the eggplant. If you cook the eggplant in its skin, adding lemon juice or vinegar to the dish will turn the skin, which is colored with red anthocyanin pigments, a deeper red-purple. Red anthocyanin pigments get redder in acids and turn bluish in basic (alkaline) solutions. Cooking reduces the eggplant’s supply of water-soluble vitamins, but you can save the Bs if you serve the eggplant with its juices.

Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Nitrate/nitrite reactions. Eggplant—like beets, celery, lettuce, radish, spinach, and collard and turnip greens—contains nitrates that convert naturally into nitrites in your stomach, and then react with the amino acids in proteins to form nitrosamines. Although some nitrosamines are known or suspected carcinogens, this natural chemical conversion presents no known problems for a healthy adult. However, when these nitrate-rich vegetables are cooked and left to stand at room temperature, bacterial enzyme action (and perhaps some enzymes in the plants) convert the nitrates to nitrites at a much faster rate than normal. These higer-nitrite foods may be hazardous for infants; several cases of “spinach poisoning” have been reported among children who ate cooked spinach that had been left standing at room temperature.

Food/Drug Interactions MAO inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase (M AO) inhibitors are drugs used as antidepressants or antihypertensives. They inhibit the action of enzymes that break down tyramine, a natu- ral by-product of protein metabolism, so that it can be eliminated from the body. Tyramine is a pressor amine, a chemical that constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. If you eat a food rich in tyramine while you are taking an M AO inhibitor, the pressor amine can- not be eliminated from your body, and the result may be a hypertensive crisis (sustained elevated blood pressure). Eggplants contain small amounts of tyramine. False-positive urine test for carcinoid tumors. Carcinoid tumors (tumors that may arise in tis- sues of the endocrine and gastrointestinal systems) secrete serotonin, which is excreted in urine. The test for these tumors measures the level of serotonin in your urine. Eating egg- plant, which is rich in serotonin, in the 72 hours before a test for a carcinoid tumor might raise the serotonin levels in your urine high enough to cause a false-positive test result. (Other fruits and vegetables rich in serotonin are bananas, tomatoes, plums, pineapple, avo- cados, and walnuts.)... eggplant

Diet - Low Protein

Reduce intake of foods, taking small helpings: meat, eggs, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, dried peas and beans, pulses, nuts, bread, pasta, wheat flour.

Accept: rice, cornflour, honey, salad vegetables, all fruits, preserves. ... diet - low protein

Diet - Thin People

Often more difficult to ‘put on’ than to ‘take off’ weight. Eat plenty of carbohydrates: bread and wholemeal products. Butter, margarine and other fats, meats, eggs, cream and cheese. In order to metabolise these effectively, without kidney or liver congestion, large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables and juices should be eaten. Increase daily Vitamin B-complex intake. See: THIN PEOPLE. ... diet - thin people

Malva Rotundifolia

Linn.

Synonym: M. neglecta Wall.

Family: Malvaceae.

Habitat: Simla, Kumaon and plains of North India.

English: Round-leaved Mallow, Drawf Mallow, Cheese Cake Flower.

Ayurvedic: Suvarchalaa.

Unani: Khubhaazi, Gul-Khair.

Action: Leaves—demulcent, emollient; used in glycosuria, stomach disorders and as emmenagogue; used as poultice for maturing abscesses. Seeds—demulcent; prescribed in bronchitis, cough, inflammation of the bladder and haemorrhoids.

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is a different herb.... malva rotundifolia

Mao Inhibition

The suppression of monoamine oxydase (flavin-containing amine oxydase). MAO is critical in modifying nerve-ending storage of certain monoamines (in this case, epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine...another type of MAO works on histamines), and MAO inhibitor drugs were, along with tricyclics, the first wave of anti-depressants. The problem was that if you ate brie cheese or chopped chicken livers while taking the drugs you could get a nosebleed or cerebral aneurysm...a double adrenergic whammy, since some foods are also strongly MAO-inhibiting (at least functionally). Although most current manuals (Merck’s and Harrison’s among others) consider these first generation drugs as safer and preferable to the recent Prozac and such, fashion am fashion, with docs as much as patients. Most of the patients a doctor sees are People That See Doctors (most Americans have infrequent medical contact). Some come with clippings in hand, a few find out about new stuff before their doctor does (they only have ONE patient..themselves) and the pressure for gilt-edged newness is hard to resist all around. The only herb I know of with any consequential MAO inhibition is Hypericum, and its effect, although not to be ignored, is less than French semi-soft cheeses.... mao inhibition

Migraine

The word migraine derives from HEMICRANIA, the Greek for half a skull, and is a common condition characterised by recurring intense headaches. It is much more usual in women than in men and affects around 10 per cent of the population. It has been de?ned as ‘episodic headache accompanied by visual or gastrointestinal disturbances, or both, attacks lasting hours with total freedom between episodes’.

It usually begins at puberty – although young children can be affected – and tends to stop in middle age: in women, for example, attacks often cease after MENOPAUSE. It frequently disappears during pregnancy. The disorder tends to run in families. In susceptible individuals, attacks may be provoked by a wide variety of causes including: anxiety, emotion, depression, shock, and excitement; physical and mental fatigue; prolonged focusing on computer, television or cinema screens; noise, especially loud and high-pitched sounds; certain foods – such as chocolate, cheese, citrus fruits, pastry; alcohol; prolonged lack of food; irregular meals; menstruation and the pre-menstrual period.

Anything that can provoke a headache in the ordinary individual can probably precipitate an attack in a migrainous subject. It seems as if there is an inherited predispostion that triggers a mechanism whereby in the migrainous subject, the headache and the associated sickness persist for hours, a whole day or even longer.

The precise cause is not known, but the generally accepted view is that in susceptible individuals, one or other of these causes produces spasm or constriction of the blood vessels of the brain. This in turn is followed by dilatation of these blood vessels which also become more permeable and so allow ?uid to pass out into the surrounding tissues. This combination of dilatation and outpouring of ?uid is held to be responsible for the headache.

Two types of migraine have been recognised: classical and common. The former is relatively rare and the headache is preceded by a slowly extending area of blindness in one or both eyes, usually accompanied by intermittent ‘lights’. The phenomenon lasts for up to 30 minutes and is followed by a bad, often unilateral headache with nausea, sometimes vomiting and sensitivity to light. Occasionally, passing neurological symptoms such as weakness in a limb may accompany the attack. The common variety has similar but less severe symptoms. It consists of an intense headache, usually situated over one or other eye. The headache is usually preceded by a feeling of sickness and disturbance of sight. In 15–20 per cent of cases this disturbance of sight takes the form of bright lights: the so-called AURA of migraine. The majority of attacks are accompanied by vomiting. The duration of the headache varies, but in the more severe cases the victim is usually con?ned to bed for 24 hours.

Treatment consists, in the ?rst place, of trying to avoid any precipitating factor. Patients must ?nd out which drug, or drugs, give them most relief, and they must always carry these about with them wherever they go. This is because it is a not uncommon experience to be aware of an attack coming on and to ?nd that there is a critical quarter of an hour or so during which the tablets are e?ective. If not taken within this period, they may be ine?ective and the unfortunate victim ?nds him or herself prostrate with headache and vomiting. In addition, sufferers should immediately lie down; at this stage a few hours’ rest may prevent the development of a full attack.

When an attack is fully developed, rest in bed in a quiet, darkened room is essential; any loud noise or bright light intensi?es the headache or sickness. The less food that is taken during an attack the better, provided that the individual drinks as much ?uid as he or she wants. Group therapy, in which groups of around ten migrainous subjects learn how to relax, is often of help in more severe cases, whilst in others the injection of a local anaesthetic into tender spots in the scalp reduces the number of attacks. Drug treatment can be e?ective and those a?icted by migraine may ?nd a particular drug or combination of drugs more suitable than others. ANALGESICS such as PARACETAMOL, aspirin and CODEINE phosphate sometimes help. A combination of buclizine hydrochloride and analgesics, taken when the visual aura occurs, prevents or diminishes the severity of an attack in some people. A commonly used remedy for the condition is ergotamine tartrate, which causes the dilated blood vessels to contract, but this must only be taken under medical supervision. In many cases METOCLOPRAMIDE (an antiemetic), followed ten minutes later by three tablets of either aspirin or paracetamol, is e?ective if taken early in an attack. In milder attacks, aspirin, with or without codeine and paracetamol, may be of value. SUMATRIPTAN (5-hydroxytryptamine [5HT1] AGONIST – also known as a SEROTONIN agonist) is of value for acute attacks. It is used orally or by subcutaneous injection, but should not be used for patients with ischaemic heart disease. Naratriptan is another 5HT1 agonist that is an e?ective treatment for acute attacks; others are almotriptan, rizariptan and zolmitriptan. Some patients ?nd beta blockers such as propranolol a valuable prophylactic.

People with migraine and their relatives can obtain help and guidance from the Migraine Action Association.... migraine

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (maois)

These are drugs that destroy, or prevent the action of, monoamine oxidase (MAO). Monoamines, which include NORADRENALINE and tyramine, play an important part in the metabolism of the BRAIN, and there is some evidence that excitement is due to an accumulation of monoamines in the brain. MAO is a naturally occurring ENZYME which is concerned in the breakdown of monoamines. MAOIs were among the earliest ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS used, but they are now used much less than tricyclic and related antidepressants, or SELECTIVE SEROTONIN-REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (SSRIS) and related antidepressants, because of the dangers of dietary or drug interactions – and because MAOIs are less e?ective than these two groups.

An excessive accumulation of monoamines can induce a dangerous reaction characterised by high blood pressure, palpitations, sweating and a feeling of su?ocation. Hence the care with which MAOI drugs are administered. What is equally important, however, is that in no circumstances should a patient receiving any MAOI drug eat cheese, yeast preparations such as Marmite, tinned ?sh, or high game. The reason for this ban is that all these foodstu?s contain large amounts of tyramine which increases the amount of certain monoamines such as noradrenaline in the body. (See MENTAL ILLNESS.)

There are also certain drugs, such as AMPHETAMINES and PETHIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE, which must not be taken by a patient who is receiving an MAOI drug. The MAOIs of choice are phenelzine or isocarboxazid because their stimulant effects are less than those of other MAOIs, making them safer.... monoamine oxidase inhibitors (maois)

Vitamin

A term applied to a group of substances which exist in minute quantities in natural foods, and which are necessary to normal nutrition, especially in connection with growth and development. Some – A, D, E and K – are fat-soluble and can be stored in the body. The remainder – C, B12 and other members of the B complex – are water-soluble and are quickly excreted. Most vitamins have now been synthesised. When they are absent from the food, defective growth takes place in young animals and children, and in adults various diseases arise; whilst short of the production of actual disease, persistent deprivation of one or other vitamin is apt to lead to a state of lowered general health. Certain de?ciencies in DIET have long been known to be the cause of SCURVY, BERIBERI, and RICKETS. A diet containing foods such as milk, eggs, butter, cheese, fat, ?sh, wholemeal bread, fresh vegetables and fruit should contain su?cient vitamins. Details of the various vitamins are given in APPENDIX 5: VITAMINS.... vitamin

Withania Coagulans

Dunal.

Family: Solanaceae.

Habitat: Drier parts of Punjab, Gujarat, Simla and Kumaon.

English: Vegetable Rennet, Indian Cheese-maker.

Unani: Desi Asgandh, Kaaknaj-e- Hindi, Paneer, Paneer-band. Akri (fruit).

Siddha/Tamil: Ammukkura.

Action: Alterative, emetic, diuretic. Ripe fruits—sedative, CNS depressant, antibilious, emetic, antiasth- matic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory; used in chronic liver troubles and strangury. Dried fruits— carminative, depurative; used for dyspepsia, flatulence and strangury. Leaf—alterative, febrifuge. Seeds— anti-inflammatory, emetic, diuretic, emmenagogue.

Though known as Desi Asgandh, the root is not used in Indian medicine. Ashwagandhaa (Bengali) and Ashwa- gandhi (Kannada) are confusing synonyms of W. coagulans. In the market no distinction is made between the berries of W. coagulans and W. somnifera.

The berries contain a milk-coagulating enzyme, esterases, free amino acids, fatty oil, an essential oil and alkaloids. The amino acid composition fairly agrees with that of papain. The essential oil was active against Micro- coccus pyogenes var. aureus and Vibro cholerae; also showed anthelmintic activity.

The withanolides, withacoagin, coagulan and withasomidienone have been isolated from the plant, along with other withanolides and withaferin. 3- beta-hydroxy-2,3- dihydrowithanolide E, isolated from the fruit showed significant hepatoprotective activity and anti-inflammatory activity equal to hydrocortisone. The ethanolic extract of the fruit showed antifungal and that of the leaves and stem antibacterial activity.... withania coagulans

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Also known as MAOIs, one of the 3 main types of antidepressant drug.

They work by preventing the breakdown of certain neurotransmitters by the enzyme monoamine oxidase.

The increased levels of neurotransmitters that result are associated with improved mood.

Common drugs include phenelzine and isocarboxazid.

All MAOIs interact with certain other drugs and foods such as cheese and red wine; but moclobemide is known as a reversible , which makes the adverse reactions less likely to occur.... monoamine oxidase inhibitors

Lactalbumin

n. a milk protein present in milk at a lower concentration than *casein. Unlike casein, it is not precipitated from milk under acid conditions; it is therefore a constituent of cheese made from whey rather than curd.... lactalbumin

Lactic Acid

a compound that forms in the cells as the end-product of glucose metabolism in the absence of oxygen (see glycolysis). During strenuous exercise pyruvic acid is reduced to lactic acid, which may accumulate in the muscles and cause cramp. Lactic acid (owing to its low pH) is an important food preservative. The lactic acid produced by the fermentation of milk is responsible for the preservation and flavour of cheese, yoghurt, and other fermented milk products.... lactic acid

Penicillium

n. a genus of mouldlike fungi that commonly grow on decaying fruit, bread, or cheese. The species P. rubrum is the major natural source of the antibiotic *penicillin. Some species of Penicillium are pathogenic to humans, causing diseases of the skin and respiratory tract.... penicillium

Zosima Orientalis

Hoffm.

Synonym: Z. absinthifolia Link.

Family: Umbelliferae; Apiaceae.

Habitat: West Asia. Recorded from Maharashtra.

Action: Herb—used for cough and bowel disorders.

The fruits and roots yield a mixture of coumarin lactones, 1.5% and 3.2% respectively; these include two isomeric dihydrofurocoumarins—zosimin and deltonin. On saponification, zosimin yielded a hydroxyacetone called zosi- mol and cis-2,3-dimethyl acrylic acid. It showed antitumour activity against Ehrlich ascites cells in vitro.

Herbal cheese is prepared from the fresh leaves and stems in Turkey.... zosima orientalis

Actinomycosis

A suppurative disease from hard surfaces that soften and form punctured holes in the skin (multiple sinuses). Primarily a disease of cattle (hard mouth), infectious to man. Can affect lungs, abdomen, throat and mouth. Draining fistulas and ‘holes’ produce a pus with gram positive micro- organism (actinomyces israeli) which causes abscesses and hard swellings.

Differential diagnosis: tuberculosis and cancer.

Conventional treatment: antibiotics and surgical excision.

Herbal treatment: antiseptics, anti-microbials, vulneraries. In addition to basic formula, they will be given according to the organ or system involved. for skin give basic formula.

Alternatives. Basic formula: Combine: Echinacea 4; Goldenseal 1; Yellow Dock 2. Preparations: powders, liquid extracts, tinctures; doses taken in water or honey thrice daily.

For the lungs: add Balm of Gilead 1.

For the abdomen: add Sarsaparilla 2.

For the throat: add Red Sage 2.

For the mouth: add Myrrh quarter.

Powders. 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon).

Liquid Extracts: mix. Dose, 15-30 drops.

Tinctures: Dose, 30-60 drops thrice daily.

Dr Finlay Ellingwood. Echinacea liquid extract: 60 drops in water every 2 hours. Where ulcerative lesions are present: 10 drops in water applied externally.

Topical:– Lotion: 1 part oil Eucalyptus to 9 parts glycerine. shake well.

Diet: The fungus is more likely to become established where health is poor. Regular raw food days. Avoid liver-clogging eggs, ham, bacon, cream and excessive cheese. ... actinomycosis

Bladderwrack

Black tang. Fucus vesiculosis L. German: Algen. French: Algue marine. Italian: Alga marina. A sea-plant which transforms inert inorganic substances from the sea into organic minerals capable of nourishing the human body. One of the richest sources of minerals (micro-nutrients) chiefly iodine, sodium, manganese, sulphur, silicon, zinc and copper.

Keynote: thyroid gland.

Action: anti-hypothyroid, anti-obesic, anti-rheumatic, blood tonic, adaptogen, stimulates the circulation of lymph. Endocrine gland stimulant. Laxative. Antibiotic. Diuretic (mild).

Uses: Thyroid disease, thyroxin deficiency, simple goitre. Obesity of low-thyroid function, myxoedema (adaptogen). Faulty nutrition, listlessness, rickets, glandular ailments, general debility; to build up old broken-down constitutions. Cases requiring increased body heat – hypothermia. Allays onset of arteriosclerosis by maintaining elasticity of walls of blood vessels. Beneficial to male and female reproductive organs, liver, gall bladder and pancreas. Militates against onset of rheumatism and arthritis. Contains Vitamin K for prevention of strokes.

Combination. Burdock root, Clivers, Ground Ivy and Bladderwrack. (Heath and Heather)

Preparations: Thrice daily.

Teas: half teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes. Half-1 cup.

Liquid Extract: 1:1, 25 per cent ethanol, 5-10 drops.

Tincture, BHC Vol 1. 1:5, 25 per cent ethanol, Dose: 4-10ml.

Powder: important to those who do not eat fish or sea-foods. Added to soups, salads, cottage cheese; sprinkled on muesli or on a cooked meal.

Tablets/capsules. 300mg Kelp BHP (1983) with 12mg Kelp extract. 1 tablet or capsule thrice daily after meals. Not for children under five.

Diet: Combination rich in essential nutrients: Kelp powder, Alfalfa tea, Soya bean products, Dandelion (coffee). ... bladderwrack

Brucellosis

Undulant fever. An animal disease which may invade the human specie through contact with an infected animal (cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs or horses) or by consuming infected milk, cream or cheese. After drinking raw unpasteurised milk a hospital nurse suffered severe brucellosis; five patients quickly followed.

It is a disease of the slaughter house, veterinary surgeon, farm and meat trade worker. Young males are particularly at risk. In cows, infection may precipitate abortion of a calf but it does not affect the foetus in humans. May produce a rash on the arm of a vet handling a case.

Resembles glandular fever in the acute stage, with fever and high temperature, shivering, headache, profuse sweating, fatigue and anxiety-depression. Symptoms include enlargement of the spleen, liver, lymph glands, sore throat, possible rash, tremor and irritability. In long-standing cases a reactive arthritis may attack the joints. Often, it assumes an attack of influenza, its real nature remaining undiagnosed. Treatment. By medical practitioner. Herbal antibiotics may be regarded as a supportive role. Antibacterials: Garden Thyme, Garlic, Elecampane, Burdock root, Pulsatilla, Echinacea, Poke root, Myrrh, Goldenseal.

Tinctures. Formula. Blue Flag root 30ml; Poke root 15ml; Fringe Tree 30ml; Echinacea 60ml. Dose: 1-2 teaspoons in water every 2 hours (acute); 1 teaspoon thrice daily (chronic condition). ... brucellosis

Tuberculoma

n. a mass of cheeselike material resembling a tumour, seen in some cases of *tuberculosis. Tuberculomas are found in a variety of sites, including the lung or brain, and a single mass may be the only clinical evidence of disease. Treatment is by surgical excision, together with antituberculous drugs.... tuberculoma

Candida, Vaginal

Fungus infection by Candida albicans and other organisms including Torilopsis glabrala. Causes: oral contraceptives, broad spectrum antibiotics, iron deficiency anaemia, diabetes, steroid therapy, pregnancy, high sugar diet, alcohol. When sexually transmitted may appear together with mixed organisms which prove difficult to eliminate.

Greater incidence of the condition is found in women. By interfering with the hormone balance The Pill raises the female body to a constant state of false pregnancy. This affects the character of vaginal secretions and favours growth of fungi. Oestrogens in contraceptive pills create a tissue climate conducive to Candida. Vaginal deodorants and scented soaps irritate. Because of its effect upon the Fallopian tubes it is a common cause of infertility.

Symptoms. Vulva itching, soreness, white discharge of watery to cheesy consistency. Urination painful, recurring cystitis, irritability, premenstrual and menstrual problems, anxiety, heartburn and dyspepsia. Alternatives. Teas. Agnus Castus, Balm, Barberry bark, Chamomile, La Pacho (Pau d’arco), Sage, Thyme.

Tablets/capsules. Agnus Castus, Goldenseal, Pulsatilla, Poke root, Thuja, Garlic, La Pacho.

Tincture Thuja. 15-30 drops in water, once daily.

Tinctures. Combination for the average case. Echinacea 30ml; Calendula 15ml; Goldenseal 15ml; Ladysmantle 15ml. Dose: one 5ml teaspoon thrice daily. (Brenda Cooke MNIMH, Mansfield, Notts) Topical. Tea Tree oil pessaries/cream. Alternative:– (1) Impregnate tampon with plain yoghurt and insert into vagina. Or: inject with spermicidal cream applicator or cardboard tampon applicator 2-3 teaspoons yoghurt into vagina 2-3 times daily. The theory is that the lacto-bacilli in the yoghurt competes with the candida and finally reduces it to normal levels.

(2) 2-3 teaspoons Distilled Extract Witch Hazel to cup of water for cooling antiseptic lotion.

(3) 1-2 drops Eucalyptus oil well-shaken in 4oz (120ml) Distilled Extract Witch Hazel. Reputed to kill colonies of candida albicans and allay irritation.

(4) Aloe Vera gel.

(5) Capricin.

(6) Cloves are anti-fungal and may be chewed.

(7) Calendula and Hydrastis pessaries.

Avoid surgical spirit antiseptics. A smear of Olive oil or yoghurt or No 3 above to allay irritation. Frequent washing, hot baths and use of soap at first soothe, but later exacerbate. Use water only. When washing, wipe from front to back to avoid spreading spores from bowel. No smoking.

Diet. Gluten-free, low fat, high fibre.

Acidophilus. A large mixed salad once daily. Cooked vegetables, seafood, Vitamin A foods. Replace salt with Celery, Garlic or Kelp powders. All meats, game and chicken to be from animals raised on steroid-free fodder. Replace alcohol with fresh fruit and vegetable juices. Eggs.

Reject: Dairy products (butter, cheese, milk). Brewer’s yeast. Foods and drinks with which yeast has been associated: bread, beer, homemade wines. Dried fruit, mushrooms, monosodium glutamate, pickles and preserves, smoked fish and meats, foods known to be allergic to the patient, sugar, syrup, sweeteners, chocolate, puddings, pastry, white flour products.

Supplements. Daily. Vitamin A 7500iu, Vitamin C 200mg. Zinc. ... candida, vaginal

Candidiasis

Systemic Candida. An infection by the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans.

Causes: Impaired immunity as in AIDS. High sugar diets (yeasts thrive in the presence of sugar), alcohol, broad spectrum antibiotics, iron deficiency anaemia, diabetes, steroid therapy. A common cause frequently overlooked is the reaction between yeasts and mercury from amalgam dental fillings when methyl mercury is created in the intestine. For treatments to be effective silver fillings should be removed. A favourite breeding ground for the fungus is the low bowel.

Alternatives. Teas. Balm, Chamomile, Gotu Kola, La Pacho (Pau d’arco), Rosemary, Thyme. Tablets/capsules. Aloe Vera, Caprycin, Echinacea, Garlic, Goldenseal, Poke root, Thuja. Candidiasis of stomach and intestines. Caprylic acid derived from coconut inhibits growth of Candida in the intestines and colon without upsetting the balance of the intestinal flora.

Horseradish. Success reported: (Rudat K.D. 1957. Journal Hyg. Epidem. Microbiol. Immol. Prague 1:123)

Garlic. Inhibits growth of Candida. (Tynecke Z, and Gos Z)

Formula. While a practitioner’s treatment will be prescribed according to the specific requirements of the individual, the following combination may be used for the average case:–

Tinctures: Echinacea 50ml, Poke root 15ml, Vervain 15ml, Galangal 15ml, Calendula 15ml, Clivers 20ml. Mix. Dose: one 5ml teaspoon thrice daily. (Brenda Cooke MNIMH, Mansfield, Notts)

Diet. High fibre food essential for efficient daily clearance. Low fat, low salt, gluten-free, little milk only. 2 teaspoons Olive oil thrice daily. Reject: refined foods, yeasts (no bread), mushrooms, mouldy cheese, sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol.

Supplements. Vitamin A, C, E, biotin, Calcium ascorbate, Zinc, Lacto-bacillus.

Chelation therapy. Anti-fungals. ... candidiasis

Roseola

R. infantum. ‘Rash of Roses’ consists of small separate irregular rose-pink spots with a pale halo which appears after feverishness has abated. Spots that fade on pressure first appear on trunk and neck, spreading to the face and buttocks, remaining for a short duration – half to 2 days. This is the commonest cause of high fever in children under three. Causal agent: herpes virus, human, HH6. Differential diagnosis: from German Measles where rash accompanies fever. Internally: German Chamomile tea freely. See: SKIN, above entry.

Teething. Teas: Spearmint, Roman Chamomile, Peppermint. 1 heaped teaspoon to cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes; frequent teaspoon doses. Alternative: place one Chamomile flower in feeding bottle. Essential oils: rub gums with diluted oils: Spearmint, German Chamomile, Peppermint or Mullein. Urinary Tract Infection, Cystitis or urethritis.

Teas: Horsetail, Couch Grass, Golden Rod, Rosehip. Dandelion coffee. For pus in the urine: 1-5 drops Tincture Myrrh in cup of warm water: Dose: 1-2 teaspoons thrice daily. Fullness under the eyes may indicate Bright’s Disease for which specialist opinion should be obtained without delay.

Diet. Wholegrain cereals, wholemeal bread, pasta, two servings fresh fruit and vegetables daily. Little lean meat, poultry, fish. Dairy products: yoghurt, cheese, milk in moderation. Fresh orange juice, raw fresh vegetable salads. Oatmeal (porridge oats) is sustaining to the nervous system.

Avoid: crisps, fizzy drinks, hamburgers, biscuits, chocolate, sugar-filled snacks, alcohol, strong tea and coffee.

Supplement. Most children may benefit from one zinc tablet weekly.

Medicine doses. See: DOSAGE.

Fish oils. As well as to help children guard against winter illnesses, Cod Liver oil supplements may help them later in life against arthritis, heart disease, psoriasis, eczema and other inflammatory disorders.

Aspirin. It is clear that a link exists between Reye’s syndrome and aspirin. Aspirin is not advised for minor viral illness in children. ... roseola

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a porridge-like substance found in animal fats: cream, whole milk, cheese, butter, meat, eggs, bacon, etc. There are two kinds of cholesterol in human blood serum, one of which is beneficial; the other, harmful if in excess. The beneficial, known as high density lipoprotein (HDL) is believed to keep down concentration of the harmful variety – low density lipoprotein (LDL). The desirable blood cholesterol level should be less than 5.2 mmol per litre. (Government: “Health of the Nation”)

Cholesterol is necessary for maintenance of brain and glandular system, the production of bile salts and certain hormones.

Excesses plug arteries with a gluey consistency. Fats may start furring up arteries from childhood, yet it may take many years for symptoms to develop. The more meat and dairy products eaten the more cholesterol is produced. 90 per cent cases of gall stones are composed of cholesterol. A link between coronary heart disease and high cholesterol levels is strong and consistent. Anger and hostility raise cholesterol level.

The first indication of narrowing of the arteries may be an attack of angina, severe chest pain occurring on exertion due to an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. No one should exceed a fat and cholesterol count of 40 per day. For those of moderate risk level, a count of below 30 is advised.

Dr Paul Durrington, consultant physician, Manchester Royal Infirmary and researcher in lipids, believes that ‘reducing the amount of saturated fats in the diet and reducing weight are the most effective ways of lowering cholesterol levels’.

Treatment: same as for HYPERLIPIDAEMIA.

Diet. See: DIET – CHOLESTEROL. ... cholesterol

Chromium

Trace element. Essential to human life. RDA 0.05 to 0.2mg. Key element in the glucose tolerance factor. Required by the pancreas to combat stress and to control blood sugar. The key metal in the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) known for its role in maintaining the correct balance of blood sugar. Low levels place pregnant mothers at risk.

Deficiency. Rare. Hypoglycaemia, arteriosclerosis, heart disease. Depression, irritability, sudden mood swings. A lack of Chromium may result in diabetes in young adults, and a craving for sweet foods (sugar, chocolate).

Body effects. Metabolism of sugars and fats. Blood sugar regulator. Builds up muscle. Lowers cholesterol levels. Encourages the body’s insulin to perform effectively. Suppresses appetite – especially craving for sugar, chocolate etc. Sportsperson’s mineral to build muscle and reduce fat.

Sources. Red meat, liver, kidney, cheese, mushrooms, wholegrain cereals, brewer’s yeast, fresh fruits, nuts, honey, molasses, corn oil, raisins, grapes, beets, peppers, shellfish. ... chromium

Diabetes, Mellitus

Sugar diabetes. Chronic disorder of fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. A decrease of insulin by the pancreas gives rise to high level blood sugar (glucose) which is eliminated in the urine by the kidneys. With low insulin production the body cannot convert food into energy. In Britain over 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. One in five people go blind because of diabetes. The genetic factor is important; it may run in families due to defect in the immune system. Women who have German measles during the first three months of pregnancy can have a child who develops diabetes during adolescence.

Etiology. The more severe form, in younger patients, needs insulin treatment, without which ketosis and diabetic coma are possible. The milder form in older patients can be managed with diet and hypoglycaemic agents. Now considered due to auto-immune attack on Islet of Langerhams cells in pancreas which secrete insulin. “The Pill” often raises blood sugar. Lack of trace minerals (chromium and zinc). Zinc is a component of insulin and Chromium produces enzymes to stimulate metabolism of sugars. Diabetes can cause heart attack, stroke, hardening of arteries, blindness. It is the leading cause of kidney failure and gangrene.

Symptoms. Great thirst. Urine of high specific gravity. Weakness, emaciation, skin ulcers, loss of tactile sensation in the fingertips (Vitamin B6). In men there may be inflammation of the glans penis and in women, itching of the vulvae. Boils are common. In spite of large appetite there may by severe weight loss. Magnesium deficiency.

Diabetics are subject to glaucoma and detachment of the retina. There is a high incidence of cataract of the eye. While surgery may be necessary, effective supportive herbal treatment can do much. Regular visits to the Hospital Specialist help detect in time future eye, kidney and circulation damage.

High fibre, low fat, high carbohydrate. To help control blood sugar a diabetic must avoid sweets.

Exercise lowers blood sugar.

Agents used with some success: Alfalfa, Damiana leaves, Fenugreek seeds, Aloe Vera juice, Dandelion, Fringe Tree, Guar gum, Garlic (anti-diabetic action shown by Dr Madaus, West Germany, 1967), Bilberry berries, Goat’s Rue (dried aerial parts reduce blood sugar BHP (1983), Olive leaves, onions, Nettles, Pipsissewa, White Horehound, Sweet Sumach, Jambul seeds rapidly reduce sugar in the urine. Karela. Gurmar, (Gymnema sylvestre) leaves are chewed in India to reduce sugar in the urine (mild cases). Balsam pear. Bitter melon (Momordica charastia).

Hypoglycaemic herbs can be effective where the pancreas still functions. Type 1 diabetes, suffered by children whose insulin-producing cells have been destroyed and who produce no insulin at all will always require administered insulin. Maturity-onset diabetes (Type 11) occurs in middle life, insulin- production being insufficient. This form is usually associated with obesity for which herbs are helpful.

Diabetics are specially prone to infections; a course of Echinacea at the onset of winter is beneficial. Coronary artery disease is common in diabetics (especially women) who may develop atherosclerosis at an early age. High blood pressure places undue strain upon kidneys which may excrete too much protein (Yarrow, Lime flowers, Hawthorn). Lack of sensation in the feet exposes the subject to unconscious bruising and injury from which septic ulceration may arise (Chamomile foot baths).

Alternatives. Liver herbs work positively on the pancreas. Diabetic cases should receive treatment for the liver also, Dandelion and Fringe Tree being a reliable combination. Dr John Fearn, California (Ellingwood) used Fringe Tree for all his cases of sugar in the urine: 10 drops, Liquid Extract, 4-5 times daily.

Tea. Equal parts: Peppermint leaves, Dandelion leaves, Goat’s Rue leaves. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water infuse 5-15 minutes. Cup 2-3 times daily.

Teas from any one of the following: Bilberry berries or leaves, Nettles, White Horehound, Alfalfa, Olive leaves.

Decoction. Fenugreek seeds. 2 teaspoons to each large cup water simmered gently 5 minutes. One cup daily, consuming the seeds.

Powders. Equal parts: Sweet Sumach, Jambul seeds, Dandelion. Dose: 750mg (three 00 capsules or half a teaspoon) thrice daily.

Tinctures. Formula. Equal parts: Jambul, Fringe Tree, Goat’s Rue. Dose: 1 teaspoon thrice daily and at bedtime.

Tablets. Dr Alfred Vogel: tablet containing: Bilberry, Kidney Bean, Tormentil, English Walnut leaves, Alfalfa leaves, Cuckoo flowers.

Karela (Momordica Charantia) Hypoglycaemic action gave good results in clinical trials. Daily dose: 50/60ml fresh juice.

Evening Primrose. See entry.

Guar Gum. 5g unit dose sachets (Guarina) containing dispersible granules. This gum has shown beneficial effects for insulin-dependants.

Hypoglycaemics (second degree). Allspice, Bugleweed, Burdock, Ginseng, Lily of the Valley, Wormwood, Nettles.

Diabetic gangrene. Tinctures: equal parts, Echinacea, Thuja. Internally and externally. Internal dose: 30- 60 drops.

Diabetic neuralgia. Cayenne pepper (Capsicum). Frequently successful.

American traditional. It is claimed that 500mg Bayleaf, Cinnamon, Cloves and Turmeric halve the need for insulin in diabetics.

Diet. Dietary treatment has changed over the past few years. Patients are now advised by the British Diabetic Association to eat food rich in complex carbohydrates (starches) and high in fibre as in wholemeal bread, oats and wholegrain breakfast cereals, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, beans and lentils, vegetables and fruit. Fat intake should be carefully watched (lean meat); skimmed milk, polyunsaturated or low-fat cheeses and salad dressings. Certain foods are known to encourage the pancreas to produce more insulin: banana, barley, cabbage, lettuce, oats, olive, papaya, turnip, sweet potato.

Coffee intake should be limited to prevent hypoglycaemic symptoms.

Barley. A study has shown that the use of barley flour as a substitute for wheat in bread helps to control diabetes, in Iraq. (Naismith D, et al, ‘Therapeutic Value of Barley in Management of Diabetes’: Annals Nutr Metab, 35, 61-64 1991)

Supplementation. Vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, F. Vitamin B6. Brewer’s yeast. Minerals: Chromium 50mcg; Manganese 15mg; Magnesium 300mg; Zinc 25mg; to normalise glucose metabolism.

Note: Over 400 traditional plant medicines have been documented for diabetes, but few have been evaluated for efficacy. In the undeveloped countries they are chiefly used for non-insulin dependent diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 1989, Sept 12, p553)

Insulin dependents. Whether adults or children, insulin dependents should under no circumstances discontinue insulin injections.

Treatment by or in liaison with general medical practitioner.

Information. British Diabetic Association, 10 Queen Anne Street, London W1M 0BD, UK. Send SAE. ... diabetes, mellitus

Diet - Cholesterol

To lower cholesterol. Avoid all animal fats and dairy products, bacon, ham, lobster, shell fish, milk (use skimmed), rich sauces, gravies, the use of cream, eggs, offal, ice cream, cheese (cottage cheese accepted), cream puffs, fried foods, crab, salami, pork, beef steak, veal, baked custard, mayonnaise made with eggs, milk chocolate, fried fish and chips. Alcohol, refined sugars. Accept: white fish, lean meat, chicken, skimmed milk, Tofu products, nuts except cashew and coconut, bread, breakfast cereals, cottage cheese, plenty of fruits and fruit juices, raw green vegetables and salad materials. For cooking – polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower, corn or Soya. No more than 3 eggs per week. 2-3 fatty fish meals each week to prevent clumping of platelets. Artichokes. Dandelion coffee. ... diet - cholesterol

Diet - Low Salt

Salt is present in most foods. Spices, herbs and peppers (Black or Cayenne) may be used for flavouring. No salt should be used in cooking or added at table. Salty foods such as the following should be avoided:

Reject: canned foods (except fruit), packet mixes, all bought cooked meats – sausages, bacon, ham. Cakes containing baking soda, chocolate, toffee, treacle, bought biscuits, kippers and other smoked fish, yeast extracts, chutneys, sauces, excessively salted cheeses, butter and margarine.

Accept: rice, pasta, cereals, home-made cottage cheese, eggs (3 per week), all meats, chicken, poultry, whitefish, shellfish, herring, salmon, unsalted bread, butter, margarine, vegetable oils, restricted milk and cream, all vegetables and fruits, fruit juices, brown sugar, wines.

Excess salt leads to retention of fluid in body tissues and adds to work the heart will perform. ... diet - low salt

Diet - Skin Disorders

Low fat, low salt, high fibre. Dairy-free (no milk, cream, cheese, eggs). Soya milk is more suitable for children and adults than cow’s milk and provides protein, calories, calcium and vitamins. Polyunsaturates: oils of safflower, corn, Soya, sunflower seed, etc which are rich in essential fatty acids, low levels of which are frequently found in the blood of those with chronic skin disorders. Evening Primrose oil is a rich source of EFAs. Gluten-free diet has proved successful in some cases.

Accept. Goat’s milk, yoghurt, eggs – twice weekly. The high potassium and low salt content of bananas help reduce itching. Lecithin. Oily fish. Purslane is a non-fish source of EPA and suitable for the vegetarian approach. Cottage cheese. Pumpkin seeds as a source of zinc. Dandelion coffee. Artichoke: such as Schoenenberger plant juice. Salad dressing: emulsify 1 teaspoon Cider vinegar to each 2 teaspoons safflower seed oil.

Reject: Fried and greasy foods, pastries, chocolates, sweets, ice cream, spicy foods, seasoning, sausage meats, white flour products, white sugar products, alcoholic drinks, meat from the pig (ham, pork, bacon), peppers, horseradish, condiments. Powdered kelp in place of salt, powdered garlic or celery.

Foods known to contain artificial colours and preservatives. All soft drinks, except those made at home from fresh fruits or raw vegetables; coffee, strong tea, oranges. Cola drinks, chocolate, milk, cream, cheese, whey.

Supplement. Beta carotene.

Study. A flare-up can be caused by nuts, jams, fruits, artificially coloured or flavoured foods. (British Journal of Dermatology, 110, 457, (1984)) ... diet - skin disorders

Diet - Slimming

Diet should be based on 1200 calories a day, eating habits being changed to a simple regime. Low-fat, high carbohydrate and fibre.

Eat plenty of fresh fruit and raw vegetables for vitamins and minerals as well as for fibre. As a substitute for mayonnaise use low-fat plain yoghurt. Vegetable fats should replace animal fats: instead of butter – margarine from Sunflower or Safflower oils.

Carbohydrates. At liberty: porridge, muesli, wholemeal bread and wholegrain products, pasta, potatoes, beans, peas, brown rice. These are high in fibre and low in fat. Processed foods should be avoided and those with natural goodness preferred, except for All-Bran which is rich in iron.

Protein. Meat should be taken in small quantities only – turkey, poultry, steamed fish, replace red with grilled lean white meats. Chicken is the most versatile, least expensive and most nutritious of meats. Cottage cheese is low in calories. Food should not be fried but grilled, roasted or baked.

Fluids. Juices, or drinks made with skimmed milk, herb teas. Dandelion coffee. In place of alcohol – carrot, tomato and other fresh vegetable juices.

Reject. Fried foods, white and brown sugar products, honey, sweets, contectionery, jams, biscuits, chocolates, canned fruits, thick soups. Frankfurters, beefburgers, hamburgers, everything from the pig: bacon, ham, pork, lard. Avoid between-meal snacks but chew a carrot or piece of other raw vegetable or fresh fruit.

There is increasing support for a well-balanced vegetarian diet for weight reduction as it contains no animal fats. Protein is preferred from such foods as beans, pulses, nuts, eggs; and calcium from cottage cheese and milk. The Hay Diet also has been found to be frequently effective. ... diet - slimming

Enuresis

Bed-wetting. Unconscious persistent discharge of urine in bed by children over three years. Possible hereditary tendency. Some cases psychological in origin: lack of security, marital disharmony, etc. Adenoids or worms sometimes responsible. Occurs mostly in boys where foreskin is too tight. Circumcism may be necessary. Parents should not scold but reserve extra affection and attention to patient.

Treatment. No drinks at night. Empty bladder at bedtime. Wake child 2 hours later to again empty bladder. During the day all caffeine drinks should be avoided: coffee, tea, Cola, etc.

Alternatives. Day-time drinks. Teas from any one:– American Cranesbill, Agrimony, Heartsease, Corn Silk, Liquorice root, Marshmallow root, Mullein, Raspberry leaves, Vervain, Shepherd’s Purse, Ladies Mantle, Uva Ursi. Formula. Bearberry 1; Cornsilk half; Skullcap 1. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes; half-1 cup hour before bedtime.

Tablets/capsules. Cranesbill (American). Passion flower. Valerian.

Formula. Equal parts: Ephedra, Valerian, Cranesbill (American). Dose. Powders quarter of a teaspoon. Liquid Extract 1 teaspoon. Tinctures 1-2 teaspoons. In water or honey, early evening and at bedtime. Eclectic School, America. (1) Horsetail 1; Cramp bark half. (2) Mullein 2; Cramp bark half. (3) Oil Thyme, 3 drops night and morning. (4) Oil Mullein (traditional, but still effective) 5 drops.

Thuja. “I have never failed to cure eneuresis in children and young people 3-15 years by giving 2-15 drops Liquid Extract Thuja in a tablespoon of water before each meal and at bedtime. (J.M. Stephenson MD)

Practitioner. Dec Jam Sarsae Co Conc BPC (1949), 1 fl oz. Liquid Extract Rhus Aromatica (Sweet Sumach) half a fluid ounce. Liquid Extract Passiflora 60 drops. Syrup Althaea 2 fl oz. Aqua to 8oz. Dose: 2 teaspoons in water thrice daily; last dose at bedtime. (Arthur Barker)

Tinctures. Formula. Equal parts: Agrimony, Corn Silk, Horsetail. Dose: 15-60 drops in water thrice daily.

Tincture Arnica: 1-2 drops in water at bedtime; not under 5 years.

Tincture Sweet Sumach. 10-15 drops in water thrice daily.

Diet: piece of cheese or peanut butter at bedtime helps level off the blood sugar level during sleep – important for normal brain function. Citrus fruits and chocolate aggravate. Cow’s milk suspect. ... enuresis

Goat’s Rue

French Lilac. Galega officinalis L. Dried leaves and stems.

Constituents: flavonoids, saponins, galegine.

Action: anti-diabetic, hypoglycaemic, diuretic, diaphoretic, galactagogue.

Uses: Diabetes mellitis; to reduce sugar in the urine. Insulin must be continued until improvement is clinically confirmed. Increases secretion of milk in women and animals. For women anxious to increase size of the breast (daily tea). Combines well with Agnus Castus for the latter.

Combines well with Fenugreek seeds for increase in milk and breast development. Preparations. Thrice daily.

Tea. 1 teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes. Half-1 cup.

Liquid extract BHP (1983) 1:1 in 25 per cent alcohol. Dose, 15-30 drops (1-2ml). Tincture BHP (1983) 1 part to 10 parts 45 per cent alcohol: dose, 30-60 drops (2-4ml). Note. An alternative to rennet in cheese-making. ... goat’s rue

Listeria

Listeriosis. A form of food poisoning by the bacterium listeria monocytogenes which from the soil enters the human food chain on unwashed vegetables, infected milk through udder infection or faecal matter or the carcasses of slaughtered animals. A common route is unpasteurised milk in soft cheeses. The organism can survive a long time in extreme conditions of heat or cold – even microwave cooking.

At risk: pregnant females, babies, the elderly and immuno-suppressed groups. Notifiable disease.

There may be few gastrointestinal signs but it may lead to endocarditis and CNS disturbance: encephalitis and meningitis. When faced with a previously healthy person with acute diarrhoea and vomiting, food poisoning should be suspected.

Treatment. Dosage: thrice daily (chronic conditions); 2-hourly (acute conditions).

Formula. Equal parts: Wild Yam, Goldenseal, Valerian. Dose: Liquid Extracts: 30-60 drops in water. Powders: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon). Tinctures: two 5ml teaspoons. Tablets: one tablet of each taken together.

Diet. Slippery Elm gruel. No tea, alcohol or caffeine drinks. Lemon balm tea freely. Listeria is inhibited by unsaturated fatty acids.

Prevention. 2 Garlic tablets/capsules at night.

Treatment by or in liaison with a general medical practitioner. ... listeria

Gall-stones

Any obstruction to the free flow of bile causes stagnation within the gallbladder. Deposits of bile pigments form (bile sand). Under chemical change, these small masses become encrusted with cholesterol and converted into gall-stones. Common in overweight middle-aged women, “fair, fat and forty”. Fifteen per cent of the world’s population are affected. Pain may be mistaken for heart disorder.

Stones are of two main types: cholesterol and bile pigment. Cholesterol stones are composed of about 70 per cent cholesterol. Bile pigment stones are brittle and hard and brown or black. Stones cause gall duct obstruction, inflammation of the gall bladder and biliary colic.

Biliary colic can be one of the most excruciatingly painful conditions known.

Symptoms: extreme tenderness in upper right abdomen, dyspepsia, flatulence, vomiting, sweating, thirst, constipation. Prolonged obstruction leads to jaundice. Pain should be evaluated by a competent authority: doctor or hospital. Large stones will require surgery.

Alternatives. Combinations should include a remedy for increasing the flow of bile (cholagogue); to disperse wind (carminative); and for painful spasm.

BHP (1983) – Barberry, Greater Celandine, Balmony, Wahoo, Boldo, Chiretta, Dandelion.

Indicated: Cholagogues, Bitters to meet reduced secretion of bile. To prevent infection – Echinacea. Preventative measure for those with tendency to form stone – 2 Blue Flag root tablets/capsules, or half a teaspoon Glauber salts in morning tea, or 420mg Silymarin (Milk Thistle), daily.

Teas. Boldo, Black Horehound, Horsetail, Parsley Piert, Milk Thistle, Strawberry leaves, Wood Betony. Dr Hooper’s case: “An Indian Army officer suffered much from gall-stones and was advised to take Dandelion tea every day. Soon the symptoms left him and he remained free from them for over 20 years.” (John Clarke, MD)

Decoction. 1oz each: Milk Thistle, Centuary, Dandelion root, in 3 pints water. Bring to boil. Simmer down to 2 pints. Strain. One cup 3 times daily an hour before meals.

Tablets/capsules. Cramp bark (acute spasm). Wild Yam (spasmolytic and bile liquifier).

Powders. Equal parts: Cramp bark, Wahoo, Dandelion. Dose: 750mg (three 00 capsules or half a teaspoon) every 2 hours for acute cases.

Study. Silymarin 420mg daily on patients with a history of gall-stones. Results showed reduced biliary cholesterol concentrations and considerably reduced bile saturation index. (Nassuato, G. et al, Journal of Hepatology 1991, 12)

Captain Frank Roberts. Advises Olive oil and Lemon treatment (see below) followed by his prescription: Liquid Extract Fringe Tree 1oz (30ml); Liquid Extract Wahoo 1oz; Liquid Extract Kava- Kava 1oz; Liquid Extract Black root 1oz; Honey 2oz. Dose: teaspoon after meals – minimum 3 meals daily – in wineglass tepid water.

Liquid Extract Barberry: 20-60 drops in water every 2 hours.

Finlay Ellingwood MD. Liquid Extract Fringe Tree bark 10ml; Liquid Extract Greater Celandine 10ml; Tincture Gelsemium 5ml. Dose: 10 drops in water half hourly for acute cases.

Alfred Vogel. Suggests Madder root, Clivers and Knotgrass have solvent properties.

Juices believed to have solvent properties: Celery, Parsley, Beet, Carrot, Radish, Lemon, Watercress, Tomato.

Olive oil and Lemon treatment. Set aside a day for the operation. Take breakfast. No meals for the rest of the day. About 6pm commence by drinking 1 or 2 ounces of the oil. Follow with half-1 cup fresh Lemon juice direct from the fruit in a little warm water. Dilute no more than necessary. Alternate drinks of Olive oil and Lemon juice throughout the evening until one pint or more Olive oil, and juice of 8-9 Lemons been consumed. Drink at intervals of 10 minutes to half an hour. Following 3 days pass stools into a chamber and wash well in search for stones and ‘bile sand’.

Practitioner. For spasm on passing stone: Tincture Belladonna: 20 drops in 100ml water: 1 teaspoon hourly.

Compresses: hot wet. Castor oil packs, or hot water packs over painful area.

Enema. Strong Catmint tea – 2 pints.

Diet. Commence with 3 day juice-fast: no solid food. Turmeric used at table as a condiment. Avoid cheese, sugar. Vegetarian diet. Studies show those who eat meat are twice as likely to develop stone. Less saturated fat and more fibre. Vegetable margarine instead of butter. Dandelion coffee or juices in place of caffeine beverages. High vegetable protein; high carbohydrate; high fibre. Oats. Artichokes, honey, molasses, unrefined cereals. Vegetable oil in cooking.

Supplements. Daily. Vitamin C, 2-3g. Vitamin E, 500iu. Choline 1g.

Note: Subjects with a sensitive skin who enjoyed sunbathing are at a raised risk of having gallstones. (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)

Gall-stones may form if weight is lost rapidly when on a low calorie diet. ... gall-stones

Hypertension

High blood pressure. The World Health Organisation defines high blood pressure (arterial hypertension) as that with a persistent sphygomanometer reading of 160/90, and over. Average blood pressure is 120/80 for men but lower in women. The diastolic pressure (lower figure) represents pressure to which the arterial walls are subject and is the more important figure.

Main causes of a raised pressure include increase in blood thickness, kidney disorder or loss of elasticity in the arteries by hardening or calcification.

Well defined physical problems account for 10 per cent of high blood pressure cases. By the age of 60, a third of the peoples of the West are hypertensive. Other causes: genetic pre-disposition, endocrine disorders such as hyperactive thyroid and adrenal glands, lead and other chemical poisoning, brain tumour, heart disorder, anxiety, stress and emotional instability.

Other causes may be food allergies. By taking one’s pulse after eating a certain food one can see if the food raises the pulse. If so, that food should be avoided. Most cases of high blood pressure are related to lifestyle – how people think, act and care for themselves. When a person is under constant stress blood pressure goes up. It temporarily increases on drinking the stimulants: alcohol, strong tea, coffee, cola and caffeine drinks generally.

Symptoms. Morning headache (back of the head), possible palpitation, visual disturbances, dizziness, angina-like pains, inability to concentrate, nose-bleeds, ringing in the ears, fatigue, breathlessness (left ventricular failure).

Dr Wm Castelli, Director of the Framlingham Heart Study in Massachusetts, U.S.A., records: “The greatest risk is for coronary heart disease (CHD). Hypertensives have more than double the risk of people with normal blood pressure and seven times the risk of strokes.”

In countries where salt intake is restricted, a rise in blood pressure with age is not seen.

Simple hypotensive herbs may achieve effective control without the side-effects of sleep disturbance, adverse metabolic effects, lethargy and impaired peripheral circulation.

Essential hypertension is where high blood pressure is not associated with any disease elsewhere; it accounts for 90 per cent cases. Most of the remainder have kidney disease except for a few other abnormalities.

Alternatives. Balm, Black Haw, Black Cohosh (blood pressure of the menopause), Cactus, Cramp bark, Chamomile (German). Garlic, Buckwheat, Lily of the Valley, Balm, Mistletoe, Motherwort. Passion flower, Nettles, Lime flowers, Wood Betony, Yarrow, Rosemary, Hawthorn flowers, Olive leaves, Dandelion. Where there is nerve excitability: Valerian.

Tea No 1. Equal parts: Hawthorn leaves and flowers, Mistletoe, Lime flowers. Mix. 2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes. 1 cup 2-3 times daily. Alternative:–

Tea No 2. Equal parts: Nettles, Lime flowers, Yarrow, Passion flower. Mix. 2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes. 1 cup 2-3 times daily.

Nettles. Nettle tea is capable of removing cholesterol deposits (“fur”) from artery walls, increasing their elasticity. Like so many herbs they are rich in chlorophyll. The tea may be made as strong as desired. Mistletoe. 2-3 teaspoons cut herb (fresh or dried) to cup cold water. Allow to infuse overnight (at least 8 hours). 1 cup morning and evening.

Garlic. Juice from one Garlic corm expressed through a juicer taken morning and evening. Garlic dilates blood vessels. Alternative: 2-3 Garlic capsules at night.

Blood pressure of pregnancy: See – PREGNANCY.

Tablets/capsules: Cramp bark, Mistletoe, Motherwort, Rutin, Garlic.

Powders. Formula. Buckwheat (rutin) 1; Motherwort 1; Mistletoe half; Valerian quarter. Dose: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon) thrice daily.

Liquid extracts, tinctures. Formula. Equal parts: Cactus, Mistletoe, Valerian. Dose: liquid extracts, one 5ml teaspoon; tinctures, two 5ml teaspoons; thrice daily.

Practitioner Formula. Tinctures: equal parts: Lily of the Valley, Mistletoe, Valerian. Dose: 30-60 drops thrice daily.

Where high blood pressure is due to faulty kidney function diuretics such as Dandelion or Bearberry will be added according to individual requirements. Dandelion root is one of the most widely-used potassium-conserving agents for increasing flow of urine, as well as being a mild beta-blocker to reduce myocardial infarction. Broom (Sarothamnus scoparius) (diuretic) is not used in cases of high blood pressure. It is good practice to assess kidney function in all new cases of hypertension for renal artery stenosis.

Evidence from two major studies confirms that diuretics rather than beta-blockers should be the treatment of choice for most elderly hypertensives. The addition of a diuretic (Yarrow, etc) to prescriptions for the elderly is commended.

Prevention. Chances of developing high blood pressure are said to be reduced by a daily dose of Cod

Liver oil. Results from studies at the University of Munich, Germany, show that when an ounce of Cod Liver oil was added to the typical Western diet, better pressure readings and lower cholesterol levels followed. When the flavour renders it objectionable to the palate, taste may be masked by stirring briskly into fruit juice.

General. Stop smoking. Watch weight. Moderate exercise. Avoidance of stress by relaxation, yoga, music, etc. These relieve constriction of peripheral blood vessels. Curb temper

Diet. Avoid processed and fast foods high in fat and salt, and empty calories. Cheese and meat sparingly. Eat plenty of natural foods. Positively reject coffee, strong tea and alcohol. “There is a significant drop in plasma Cortisol with a fall in blood pressure after stopping alcohol.” (Dr J.F. Potter, University of Birmingham, England) It is well-documented that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower blood pressure.

Salt. The association of salt with blood pressure is larger than generally appreciated and increases with age and initial blood pressure. Even a small reduction in salt (3g) may reduce a systolic and diastolic pressure by 5mmHg and 2.5mmHg respectively. All processed foods containing salt should be avoided. Supplementation. Inositol, zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6. (Dr C. Pfeiffer) Vitamin E to improve circulation. Check with practitioner pressure level before starting 200iu increasing to 400iu daily. Magnesium: 300mg daily. Choline.

See: BLOOD PRESSURE. ... hypertension

Antidepressant Drugs

Drugs used in the treatment of depression.Most of the commonly used antidepressant drugs belong to one of the following groups: tricyclic drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). These drugs are usually successful at relieving the symptoms of depression but often take 2–3 weeks before benefit is felt. Treatment usually lasts for at least 6 months, and the dosage is reduced gradually before being stopped altogether.

Tricyclics may cause drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, urinary difficulty, and irregular heartbeat.

SSRIs may cause nausea, indigestion, and loss of appetite, or allergic reactions but are less dangerous in overdose than other antidepressants.

MAOIs may interact with foods containing tyramine (for example, cheese) and other drugs to cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure, although one , moclobemide, is less likely to cause problems.

Antidepressants are not addictive, but abrupt withdrawal of some types can result in physical symptoms and should be avoided.... antidepressant drugs

Lip-reading

A way of understanding speech by interpreting movements of the mouth and tongue. Lip-reading is often used by people who are deaf.

liquid paraffin A lubricant laxative drug obtained from petroleum. It can cause anal irritation, and prolonged use may impair the absorption of vitamins from the intestine into the blood. lisinopril An ACE inhibitor drug commonly used to treat hypertension. lisp A common speech disorder caused by protrusion of the tongue between the teeth so that the “s” sound is replaced by “th”. Sometimes the cause is a cleft palate (see cleft lip and palate). In most children, there is no physical defect and lisping disappears by the age of about 4. listeriosis An infection that is common in animals and may also affect humans. It is caused by the bacterium LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES, which is widespread in the environment, especially in soil. Possible sources of human infection include soft cheese, ready-prepared coleslaw and salads, and improperly cooked meat.

In most adults, the only symptoms are fever and aching muscles. There may also be sore throat, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. Pneumonia, septicaemia, and meningitis may develop in severe cases. However, listeriosis can be life-threatening, particularly in elderlypeople, those with reduced immunity, and newborn babies. In pregnant women, infection may cause a miscarriage.

The condition is diagnosed by blood tests and analysis of other body fluids, such as urine. Treatment is with antibiotic drugs, such as ampicillin.... lip-reading

Vitamin K

A fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for the formation in the liver of substances that promote blood clotting. Good sources are green vegetables, vegetable oils, egg yolk, cheese, pork, and liver. Vitamin K is also manufactured by bacteria in the intestine.

Dietary deficiency rarely occurs.

Deficiency may develop in people with malabsorption, certain liver disorders, or chronic diarrhoea.

It may also result from prolonged treatment with antibiotics.

Newborns lack the intestinal bacteria that produce vitamin K and are routinely given supplements to prevent deficiency.

Vitamin K deficiency may cause nosebleeds and bleeding from the gums, intestine, and urinary tract.

In rare, severe cases, brain haemorrhage may result.

Excessive intake of vitamin K is not known to cause harmful effects.... vitamin k

Mao Inhibitor

(MAOI) a drug that prevents the activity of the enzyme *monoamine oxidase (MAO). MAO inhibitors include phenelzine, isocarboxazid, and tranylcypromine. These drugs are irreversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A, whose use as antidepressants is now restricted because of the severity of their side-effects. These include interactions with other drugs (e.g. ephedrine, phenylephrine) and with foods or drinks containing *tyramine (e.g. cheese or red wine) to produce a sudden and dangerous increase in blood pressure. *Moclobemide is a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA), with less severe side-effects. See also selegiline.... mao inhibitor

Caraway

Carum carvi

FAMILY: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

SYNONYMS: Apium carvi, carum, caraway fruits.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A biennial herb up to 0.75 metres high with a much-branched stem, finely cut leaves and umbels of white flowers, with a thick and tapering root. The small seeds are curved with five distinct pale ridges.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to Europe and western Asia, naturalized in North America. Now widely cultivated especially in Germany, Holland, Scandinavia and Russia.

OTHER SPECIES: There are several varieties depending on origin – the English, Dutch and German types derive from Prussia, which are distinct from the Scandinavian variety. Those plants grown in northerly latitudes produce more oil.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: Used extensively as a domestic spice, especially in bread, cakes and cheeses. Traditional remedy for dyspepsia, intestinal colic, menstrual cramps, poor appetite, laryngitis and bronchitis. It promotes milk secretion and is considered specific for flatulent colic in children, according to the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

ACTIONS: Antihistaminic, antimicrobial, antiseptic, aperitif, astringent, carminative, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactagogue, larvicidal, stimulant, spasmolytic, stomachic, tonic, vermifuge.

EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the dried ripe seed or fruit (approx. 2–8 per cent yield).

CHARACTERISTICS: Crude caraway oil is a pale yellowish-brown liquid with a harsh, spicy odour. The redistilled oil is colourless to pale yellow, with a strong, warm, sweet-spicy odour, like rye bread. It blends well with jasmine, cinnamon, cassia and other spices; however, it is very overpowering.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Mainly carvone (50–60 per cent) and limonene (40 per cent), with carveol, dihydrocarveol, dihydrocarvone, pinene, phellandrene, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Non-toxic, non-sensitizing, may cause dermal irritation in concentration.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE

Respiratory System: Bronchitis, coughs, laryngitis.

Digestive System: Dyspepsia, colic, flatulence, gastric spasm, nervous indigestion, poor appetite. See also sweet fennel and dill.

Immune system: Colds.

OTHER USES: Used in carminative, stomachic and laxative preparations and as a flavour ingredient in pharmaceuticals; also to mask unpleasant tastes and odours. Fragrance component in toothpaste, mouthwash products, cosmetics and perfumes. Extensively used as a flavour ingredient in most major food categories, especially condiments. The German brandy ‘Kummel’ is made from the seeds.... caraway

Tansy

Tanacetum vulgare

FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)

SYNONYMS: Chrysanthemum vulgare, C. tanacetum, buttons, bitter buttons, bachelor’s buttons, scented fern, cheese.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A hardy perennial wayside herb, up to 1 metre high with a smooth stem, dark ferny leaves and small, round, brilliant yellow flowers borne in clusters. The whole plant is strongly scented.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to central Europe; naturalized in North America and now found in most temperate regions of the world. The essential oil is mainly produced in France, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the USA.

OTHER SPECIES: Closely related to the medicinal herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), the marigolds and daisy family.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: Traditionally used to flavour eggs and omelettes. It has a long history of medicinal use, especially among gypsies, and is regarded as something of a ‘cure all’. It was used to expel worms, to treat colds and fever, prevent possible miscarriage and ease dyspepsia and cramping pains. Externally, the distilled water was used to keep the complexion pale, and the bruised leaves employed as a remedy for scabies, bruises, sprains and rheumatism. It was also used generally for nervous disorders and to keep flies and vermin away.

The flowers are still current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific (used externally) for worms in children.

ACTIONS: Anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, febrifuge, nervine, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge.

EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the whole herb (aerial parts).

CHARACTERISTICS: A yellow, olive or orange liquid (darkening with age) with a warm, sharp spicy herbaceous odour.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Thujone (66–81 per cent), camphor, borneol, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Oral toxin – poisonous due to high thujone content. Abortifacient.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE None. ‘Should not be used in aromatherapy whether internally or externally.’.

OTHER USES: Occasionally used in herbaceous-type perfumes. The oil used to be used in alcoholic drinks – it is no longer used for flavouring.... tansy

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