COMMON AILMENTS

 Acne

A common inflammatory condition characterised by papules, pustules, superficial pus filled cysts and sometimes inflamed purulent sacs affecting the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin.

Acne lesions predominate on the face but are also common on the neck, chest, upper back and shoulders. Scarring is common.

There is a complex interaction between hormones, keratinisation, sebum and bacteria and this determines the course and severity of the condition.

Acne begins at puberty, when the increase in androgens causes an increase in the size and activity of the pilosebaceous (hair) glands.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Drink plenty of pure bottled or filtered water daily.
•  Consider Bowel detoxification, and liver detoxification

•  Avoid all stimulants, tea, coffee, alcohol, fried foods, sugar, etc.
•  Start the day with fresh organic juice
•  Snack on seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin
•  Complex carbohydrates
•  Avoid saturated fats, red meats, dairy products
•  Avoid smoking
•  Do not use creams

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 Asthma

Paraxysmal (sudden spasm) dyspnoea (air hunger) accompanied by wheezing caused by a spasm of the bronchial tubes or by swelling or their mucous membranes.

Bronchial asthma can occur secondarily to a variety of stimuli.

It is most common among children under 10 years of age and males are affected twice as often as females.

Among the known stresses are viral respiratory infection, exercise, emotional upset, nonspecific factors (eg changes in barometric pressure or temperature), inhalation of cold air or such irritants as gasoline fumes, fresh paint and other noxious odours, or cigarette smoke, and exposure to specific allergens.

Persons whose asthma is precipitated by allergenic exposure (most commonly airborne pollens and moulds, house dust, animal danders), and whose symptoms are IgE mediated (allergy antibody), are said to have allergic or "extrinsic asthma".

These account for only about 10-20% of the adult population. In perhaps 30-50% of adult asthmatics, symptomatic episodes appear to be triggered by non allergenic factors (infection, irritants, emotional factors). These patients are said to have non allergic or "intrinsic asthma".

An asthma attack may begin acutely with paroxysms of wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath, or insidiously with slowly increasing symptoms and signs of respiratory distress. The cough during an acute attack sounds "tight" and is generally nonproductive of mucous. Except in young children, who rarely expectorate, tenacious mucoid sputum is produced as the attack subsides.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Reduce exposure to airborne allergens
•  Natural Salt Inhalation
•  Hot fomentations to the chest in acute attacks + hot foot bath with head kept cool
•  Identify and remove food allergies (elimination diet)
•  Drink plenty of pure water daily, avoid chlorinated water
•  Avoid all artificial food preservatives, additives, favourings and colourings.
•  Eliminate alcohol, caffeine, tobacco.

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 Constipation

Retarded bowel action, difficult or infrequent defecation.

Delayed transit of solid wastes through the colon results in irregular, infrequent or difficult bowel movements.

The longer the faeces stay in the colon, the more water is absorbed from them and the harder they become.

This increases the risk of faecal toxins passing into the blood stream and adversely affecting metabolism of the rest of the body.

In addition the other organs of detoxification (liver, lungs, kidneys, skin and lymphatics) have to work harder and eventually this leads to other health problems.

The root cause of constipation is usually dietary and poor bowel habits beginning in childhood.

Some factors

•  Insufficient fibre in the diet
•  Insufficient fluids
•  High in acid forming foods
•  Too high in animal protein
•  Lack of vitamins B1, B5, B6 and/or minerals potassium, magnesium and zinc.
•  Too much vitamin D
•  Too much aluminum or iron
•  Food allergies
•  Too little exercise
•  Tension, anxiety, worry, depression
•  Delaying opening the bowels
•  Abuse of laxatives
•  Hypothyroidism
•  Liver malfunction
•  Impairment of nerves supplying colon due to spinal abnormality or injury.
•  Imbalances of estrogen/progesterone, pregnancy.
•  Drugs, medication, antibiotics

Naturopathic recommendation

•  High fiber diet, complex carbohydrates
•  Eliminate junk food
•  Reduce animal protein
•  Juice therapy
•  Increase fluid intake
•  Eat foods slowly and in a relaxed environment
•  Eat raw vegetables and fruits
•  Colon Cleanse

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 Eczema

Superficial inflammation of the skin, characterised by vesicles (when acute), redness, oedema, oozing, crusting, scaling and usually itching.

There are a number of different types of eczema depending on their causes and where they appear on the body.

For example:

Contact dermatitis (skin irritated by chemicals, etc), atopic dermatitis (itching with a personal or family history of allergic disorders), nummular dermatitis (discoid lesions on buttocks and trunk), chronic dermatitis of hands and feet and seborrheic dermatitis (scalp and face).

Possible factors

•  Allergies
•  Food intolerance
•  Nutritional deficiencies
•  Hydrochloric acid deficiency
•  Leaky gut
•  Bowel toxaemia
•  Liver congestion
•  Emotional stress

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Alkaline diet
•  Detoxification of the bowel
•  Juice fasts
•  Eliminate allergy foods, esp. wheat and cow's milk
•  Whole food diet (remove refined sugar and flour)
•  Salt baths to alleviate the itch and add moisture to the skin. This relaxes the central nervous system.

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 Sinusitis

Inflammation of the paranasal sinus (situated near or alongside the nasal cavities)

There may be a number of causative agents including viruses, bacteria, fungal and allergy.

There may be predisposing factors such as inadequate drainage which may result from the presence of polyps, enlarged turbinates (shaped like an inverted cone) or a deviated septum.

Acute sinusitis is caused by streptococci, pnemonococci and staphylococci, and is usually precipitated by an acute viral respiratory tract infection.

Signs and symptoms

The sign and symptoms of acute and chronic sinusitis are similar. The area over the involved sinus may  be tender and swollen.

Maxillary sinusitis causes pain in the maxillary area, toothache and frontal headache. Frontal sinusitis produces pain in the frontal area and frontal headache.

Ethmoid (forms roof of nasal fossae) sinusitis causes pain behind and between the eyes, and a frontal headache that is often described as "splitting". Pain from sphenoid (large bone at base of skull) sinuses is less well localised and is referred to the frontal or occipital area.

There may be malaise; fever and chills suggest an extension of the infection beyond the sinuses.

The nasal mucosa is red and there may be yellow or green purulent exudates.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Netipot wash (saline solution)
•  Steam inhalations (add a few drops of tea tree or eucalyptus)
•  Bowel cleanse
•  Eliminate mucous forming foods such as milk, cheese, chocolate and white flour products.
•  Increase sulphur foods - garlic and onions
•  Eliminate all refined sugar
•  Eliminate possible intolerances eg. wheat, wine
•  Increase sulphur

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 Psoriasis

A chronic and recurrent disease characterised by dry, well-circumscribed, silvery, scaling papules and plaques of various sizes.

The cause is unknown but the physiological mechanism is that the new skin is being produced ten times faster than the old skin is being shed.

This creates an accumulation of new skin which forms thickened patches with the characteristic psoriatic scales. About 2-4% of the white population and far fewer blacks are affected. Males and females are affected equally.

A family history is common (approx. 50%) and it usually occurs between fifteen and thirty years of age, although it can manifest at any time.

Patients with psoriasis have a higher incidence of rheumatoid diseases than others.

Sign and symptoms

Onset is usually gradual and often preceded by a throat infection or tonsillitis. The typical course is one of chronic remissions and recurrences.

Flaking skin develops on knees, elbows, back, buttocks or scalp, especially behind the ears. The axillas, umbilicus or eyebrows may also be affected and occasionally the disease is generalised.

The patches are well defined, slightly raised, deep pink beneath their silvery scaling, and not necessarily sore or itchy. Nails may be affected, becoming thick, rough or pitted, or separated completely from the nail bed. In a few sufferers, joints of hands, fingers, knees and ankles may become inflamed and swollen.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Salt baths (neutral body temperature bath) - soak for 45 minutes and pat dry)
•  Juice fasts to decongest liver and clean blood
•  Reduce stress-increase exercise
•  Remove arachidonic acids (meats, dairy, eggs)
•  Eliminate alcohol
•  Eliminate saturated fats and increase omega 3's from flaxseed or cold water fish (salmon, mackerel, etc)
•  Eliminate nuts

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Kidney Stones

Abnormal concretions in the kidney (can occur in ureter, bladder or urethra). They are usually formed of crystalline urinary salts held together by viscid organic matter.

Commonly they are formed or urates, oxalates, phosphates and carbonates which vary in size from microscopic crystalline foci to small granular masses and up to an inch (2.5cm) and larger in diameter. The composition may vary with geographic location and age group.

Signs and symptoms

Many calculi present no symptoms. Back pain or renal colic may occur when the calculi from an obstruction either within the kidney or a ureter.

Typically symptoms or renal colic include excruciating intermittent pain. The urine may be normal despite multiple calculi however macroscopic and microscopic haematuria are common.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Apply hot packs to lower back (10-15 minutes)
•  Alkaline diet - remove high protein foods - especially red meats (uric acid)
•  1 teaspoon lemon juice every 1/2 hour for 2 days to soften stones
•  Alkalising herb teas
•  Increase pure filtered water intake (at least 8 glasses per day)
• Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices.
•  Eliminate or reduce foods high in oxalates: rubharb, chocolate, spinach, oranges, tea, grapefruit, strawberries, beetroot, peanuts
•  Eliminate cow's milk, cheese and ice-cream
•  Eliminate refined carbohydrates

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 Diarrhoea

Frequent passage of unformed, watery bowel movements. The large intestine does not absorb water from the faeces and transit time is speeded up.

Three of more loose motions per day is considered to be diarrhoea.

Chronic diarrhoea can cause potassium deficiency.

Acute

•  Infections inside gut (gastroenteritis) eg. food poisoning or drinking contaminated water.
•  Infectious outside gut eg. tonsillitis, ear infections, urinary infections.
•  Antibiotics and other prescription or OTC drugs.
•  Unripe or "greasy" foods
•  Too many pulses or prunes etc.
•  Anxiety, fear.
•  Commercial irritants in foods eg. preservatives, some artificial sweeteners.
•  Natural irritants in foods eg. salycilates
•  Antacids (inorganic Mg content)
•  Too much vitamin C.
•  Allergic reactions

Chronic

•  Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS)
•  Ulcerative colitis
•  Crohn's disease
•  Worms and other parasites eg giardia
•  Lactose intolerance
•  Other food intolerances eg. gluten
•  Lack of vitamin B3 or folate.

Naturopathic recommendation

•  Take no foods for 24 hours
•  If painful (eg. cramps), alternate hot and cold compresses to abdomen.
•  Fluid replacement - drink plenty of boiled cooled water with a little honey in it.
•  Electrolyte solution
•  Rice or barley water
•  Boiled, cooled water with oil of clove or rosemary (carminatives) - one drop only of each to a cup of water.
•  Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices.
•  Grain drinks
•  Fruit - blend organic apples in blender to applesauce. This pulp can be used as the first solid after the 24 hour fast.

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 Migraine

A migraine is a throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head but may affect the whole head.

Although the precise causes of migraine are unknown, it is thought that during migraine, blood vessels on the surface of the brain expand, causing the area around them to become inflamed and irritate nerve endings.

This dilation (expansion) and irritation may account for the pain you experience during a migraine. It may also lead to nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and other symptoms associated with migraine.

Not everyone will experience all of the symptoms, and symptoms may vary from individual to individual and from attack to attack.

Signs and symptoms

• Moderate to severe pain
• Pulsating or throbbing pain
• Worse pain on one side
• Worse pain when you move

• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and sound

• Stuffy or runny nose and watery eyes
• Dizziness
• Mood changes
• Tunnel vision or seeing "spots"
• Pain or pressure in the face, eye area, or sinuses

Naturopathic recommendation

• Identify triggers: stress, hormonal factors, menstruation, oral contraceptive, or foods rich in tyramine (an amino acid that affects blood vessels) such as: cheese, chocolate, eggs, oranges, spinach, tomatoes, wine, bananas.
• Try relaxation techniques to deal with stress
• Drink plenty of water per day (6-8 glasses)
• Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices to keep your immune system at optimum efficiency.
• Practise deep breathing (increases oxygen supply to the brain)
• Peppermint and lavender oils, applied to a cool compress will help to relieve symptoms.
• Add fresh root ginger to food (ginger may also play an important role in migraine prevention).

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 Cold Sores

Cold sores are fluid-filled blisters found either on the lips, mouth, on the skin around the nostrils or in the nostril lining.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. The virus is harbored by most people, most of the time, but is most likely to cause problems when the immune system is compromised, dealing with other viral infections such as as a cold, or when one is run down.

Signs and symptoms

• The first signs may be: fever, irritability, headache, and pain upon swallowing.
• Pain and soreness from the characteristic crusting blister.
• An itchy or a tingling sensation on the lips, followed in day or two by one or more fluid-filled blisters.
• These blisters soon rupture resulting in gray colored ulcers.
• These ulcers can be very painful and often interfere with a person's ability to eat.
• The ulcers will eventually heal within 10 to 14 days.

Naturopathic recommendation

• Do not touch the blisters, they are highly contagious
• Wash your hands carefully before and after applying any remedy and use a personal towel.
• Try relaxation techniques to deal with stress
• Replace your toothbrush. It can harbor the herpes virus for days, reinfecting you again and again after the cold sore first heals.
• Avoid chocolate, whole grain cereals, nuts, gelatin during an outbreak. These food contain a large amount of the amino acid arginine. (Herpes simplex virus needs the amino acid arginine for its metabolism).
• Apply ice directly to the affected area for several minutes several time a day to speed healing and reduce pain.
• Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices to keep your immune system at optimum efficiency.

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Part of the text taken from the Naturopathy Workbook© by Steven Langley with permission.

No part of this work may be reproduced mechanically or electronically processed,

or distributed without written permission of Nutri Info