Medical Articles, Medicine Information.

I f you’ve been feeling run-down, the problem could be your thyroid gland. Research suggests that hypothyroidism (thyroid deficiency) is far more common than previously believed. One study found signs of the disorder in 8% of women and 3% of men.

Hypothyroidism is especially common among older people. Over age 60, up to 17% of women and 8% of men have it.

The thyroid gland, located just below the Adam’s apple, is responsible for regulating body metabolism. Besides reducing your energy level, hypothyroidism can cause elevated cholesterol levels, weight gain, depression, constipation and/or brittle hair and nails.

The leading cause of hypothyroidism is scarring of the gland caused by inflammation. This condition is known as Hashimoto’s disease.

Other causes include viral infection, certain drugs (including lithium and iodine) and radiation therapy delivered to the neck for cancer.

Mild cases of hypothyroidism often go undetected—because the symptoms are too subtle to be detected by the individual.

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston studied a group of patients with mild hypothyroidism. Most of these patients thought they were well. In a double-blind study, each was treated, in turn, with thyroid and placebo tablets.

result: Most patients felt better when taking the thyroid tablets. Some felt more energy, others were less depressed or less constipated.

These findings suggest that low-dose thyroid treatment may be beneficial even for people who don’t know they have thyroid trouble.

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Elephantiasis is transmitted by a mosquito. The female bites an infected person, sucks in the blood and transmits the parasite to a healthy person’s bloodstream by another bite. Once the parasites, which we could call minute worms, are in the human blood, they multiply into the millions, causing fever and extreme enlargement of the lymphatics. Given time, the limbs may enlarge to the extent that they are two or three times their normal size. In fact, the disease got its peculiar name from this condition, for the legs come to resemble elephants’ legs in their bulk. But it is no laughing matter: elephantiasis is a sad affliction and one that is difficult to cure successfully.

I have also heard from doctors specialising in tropical diseases that malaria has not yet been fully eradicated in all parts of Sri Lanka. It is therefore advisable to sleep under a mosquito net and to take preventative medicines. There is, however, no danger in the mountainous areas of Sri Lanka where the strikingly beautiful tea plantations are to be found. Yes, tropical countries and islands might present an especially exciting and tempting attraction and no doubt offer plenty of beauty, yet caution is definitely called for because of the unknown dangers. As I have said before, I would not recommend a tropical vacation to just anyone; weak, sickly and especially older people should not even think about visiting the tropics.

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Stomach problems, while not the number one category of illness, have been on the increase. This is especially true in the United States, where people are in such a hurry all the time that they literally gulp down their meals, often not even taking time to sit down at a table because they do not want to lose time away from their place of work. If one has acquired the habit of eating food that is too hot or swallowing it too rapidly, it should not come as a surprise when gastric problems surface. It is just as harmful to hurriedly eat ice-cream on top of a hot meal. The extremes of hot and cold can lead to gastritis. And once the lining of the stomach has become chronically inflamed, one need not be surprised if this condition develops into ulcers. How ulcers are formed and some suggestions for their treatment is discussed in a later section (see pages 210-12). Although ulcers can be cured, it is clearly preferable to treat gastritis in good time, before it reaches the ulcerous stage.

For this purpose St John’s wort oil is excellent when taken in the morning and at night, a teaspoonful each time. And do not forget the help that can be obtained from natural remedies such as Gastronol, Centaurium, Hamamelis and Solanosan.

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In summary, I would like to stress that in cases of eczematous skin disorders the liver needs special attention and care. The same applies to the kidneys, which must be protected from exposure to damp and cold. Furthermore, take care that the skin does not come into contact with strong detergents, floor wax and other products containing turpentine. When the kidneys and liver are functioning properly the strain is taken away from the skin and the unpleasant, often unbearable, itching will subside. At the same time the lesions will also disappear.

For those who follow my suggestions conscientiously an eventual cure is certain, but those who think that drugs and chemicals alone will suffice may go for years without finding any relief. The more stubborn the case, the more patience is needed to obtain satisfactory results.

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There are different forms of angina pectoris, the peculiar disease that produces something like heart spasms. It is caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the walls of the heart, which in turn induces oxygen starvation. The serious symptoms do not appear all at once, but increasing instances of acute heart cramps accompanied by a feeling of tightness across the chest – called cardiac insufficiency – should be a warning that immediate action must be taken.

The newest treatment with hormones has yielded comparatively good results. There are, however, various homoeopathic and herbal remedies that should not be overlooked in the treatment of this disease. Correctly employed, they are invaluable. For serious acute cases Tabacum 6x is helpful, and Tabacum 12x for chronic conditions. The cramping heart pains which induce fear, dizziness and nausea, an irregular pulse and cold sweat will be relieved by

Tabacum. It is noteworthy that this remedy also works well in cases of nicotine poisoning, thus proving the homoeopathic principle, like cures like. Tabacum 6x will greatly improve the patient’s condition if he suffers from nicotine poisoning, which constricts the coronary vessels and causes the symptom-complex of angina pectoris.

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Dried herbs and spices are used in the making of pot-pourri, the scented mixture of flowers, leaves, roots and aromatic spices used in those little pottery jars, and bags or sachets. Believe it or not, the name comes from the French pourrir, to rot, and is derived from the original method of manufacture, semi-dried material being mixed with oils and perfumed waters and allowed literally to rot. The resulting sticky mess had to be put into opaque containers. But the perfume, using salt and orris root, benzoin gum, and various other preservatives, was delightful.

Nowadays, the most popular way to make pot-pourri is by the dry method. Dry some of the following; lemon balm, lemongrass, rose petals (the old scented “cabbage roses” are the best), lavender heads, violet petals, white jasmine, a small quantity of lemon or garden thyme, rosemary, orange and lemon blossom or dried orange or lemon peel, and leaves of the scented geraniums (rose and lemon are the best). Dry all these thoroughly separately, then mix together in a large container, together with a very small quantity of cinnamon, several blades of mace, or a few cloves if you wish.

Now pack a layer about 1 inch deep in the bottom of a half-gallon glassjar (a smaller glass jar will do for a smaller quantity), and sprinkle with a mixture of half salt and half powdered orris root. Fill up the jar this way with alternate layers, pressing it down tightly as you go, then seal well. (Orris root, by the way, is the rhizome of Iris germanica or Iris florentina, the common purple, mauve or white garden iris. It can be bought from herb stockists, but you can make your own by drying the roots as described here previously, and rubbing them through a fine grater or pulverizing them in a blender. They have no perfume when fresh, only when dried.)

Leave your jar now for one month. Then unpack, stir all around, and fill small pottery jars, decorative containers, or small dainty bags of silk or taffeta. This dry mix is ideally suited for making sachet bags for clothing cupboards and linen drawers, or for scenting a box of writing paper. Remember to stir the pot or rub the sachet occasionally: herbs release their perfume only when bruised.

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When dry, the root slivers can be powdered or pulverized in a blender and stored in glass jars to make a sedative tea. One teaspoonful of the powder to a cup of warm milk can be taken each day, the milk will help to disguise the strong flavour. Add a little honey if you like.

I can hear you saying, “Why should I drink a nasty brew like that when a clean pink sleeping pill will have a quicker effect?” The answer surely is in what other effects each one will have. Sleeping pills can make you feel dizzy and vague the next day, and do not really attack the cause of your problem; they only palliate the nerves by anaesthetizing them. They cost a lot, and you may find you need an ever-increasing dose to produce the same effect, with the possibility of permanent addiction. Nature’s way costs you only a small amount of time and virtually nothing in cash. You will have no side-effects (provided of course you apply commonsense and take only this recommended quantity), and it will strengthen the nerves, not anaesthetize them. Valerian’s high silica content and its natural phosphorus, too, will ensure this. If you don’t want to wait two years before having your own supply, plant your valerian and get your intermediate requirements from your natureopath or health food store.

Obviously, Mercury is given dominion over this herb: it acts on the whole nervous system and the senses too, the “communicators” of the body. It is sometimes used in herbal treatment of epilepsy, and in other diseases of a mental or hysterical origin, where nerve “messages” are not getting through correctly. Its other ancient name, “All-heal”, should speak for itself.

The pure valerian oil can be used externally for spinal rubs in diseases where the spinal cord needs stimulation or lessened sensibility to pain.

For the home gardener—plant valerian near vegetable rows, and use its cut tops and any small root remains in the compost. Its high phosphorus content seems to draw earthworms to the area, and this has been confirmed in field studies in America.

Keep valerian out of the kitchen, though. No culinary masterpiece can ever be created by the addition of a little valerian root powder.

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Mentha pulegium LABIATAE

“Pudding Grasse” is one country name for pennyroyal, which in Scotland was used to flavour the traditional haggis, “Lurk-in-the-ditch” is another, as indeed it does, growing in low, boggy ground with no apparent ill-effects. It is a creeping ground-cover, a very useful plant for carpeting a difficult shady corner with its minty bright green leaves. It flowers through the summer, with 6-inch stems of fluffy mauve whorls at each leaf junction. It will also grow quite well in full sun, provided it has ample water and perhaps some shelter given by surrounding plants.

Pennyroyal is easy to grow, free from insect pests, and very useful to plant anywhere you have ant-nests you want to eradicate. Crazy paving and flagstones often suffer from sandy little ant-mounds at a cracked joint; so plant pennyroyal here and there in pockets, and you will be ant-free in no time.

Not a generation ago, an ointment made from pennyroyal was used as a mosquito and flea repellent, and you can get the same effect when gardening or bushwalking by rubbing some fresh leaves briskly over exposed skin. It will also deter ants from raiding your kitchen shelves if you sprinkle crushed pennyroyal leaves about. The perfume is delightful to us, but ants will be off and away as quickly as they can.

In the days of the sailing-ships, dried pennyroyal leaves were added to the water casks to keep them fresh and wholesome.

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Florence Fennel Omelette

1 root Florence Fennel Shallots, lettuce leaves 1 tablespoon red capsicum 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 crushed garlic clove

3 tablespoons milk

2 well-beaten eggs

1 tablespoon wholemeal flour

Heat the oil, lightly fry the shallots, fennel, lettuce leaves, and capsicum, add the crushed garlic clove, and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the milk, and simmer a further 5 minutes, covering the pan. Then add the beaten eggs mixed with the flour, raise the heat slightly, and cook gently until the eggs are set. Cut the omelette in half, turn it upside down, and serve immediately with lemon wedges. The whole thing is best done in a traditional heavy omelette pan, but any heavy wide utensil will do.

Finocchi Siciliana

In Sicily, “Finocchi Siciliana” presents Florence fennel in a more subtle nest of flavour.

4 or 5 Florence fennel roots 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1 cup chicken broth

Parmesan cheese

Wash and drain the fennel roots, then cut them into sections lengthwise. In a heavy pan, saute the fennel in the hot oil for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent it catching. Add the broth and seasonings, cover and simmer slowly until the fennel is tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and brown under a hot griller for several minutes before serving.

Sweet fennel was used in ancient fertility rites, where its quick and prolific germination was part of the ritual. It was also one of the strewing herbs, used to cover cold stone and earth floors when carpets were only in the castles of kings and their noblemen. One Italian family told me that fennel is included in bouquets presented to young couples when entering their new home, symbolizing protection from fire, evil and accidents. It was one of the old “Witches’ Herbs”, used not by them but against them.

In pastures, fennel is grown to increase the milk yield of dairy cattle and goats, and is still used as a food supplement given at calving time.

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Green-Leaf Sauce

Pick some fresh soft greens from your herb garden or vegetable patch (salad burnet, sorrel, celery leaves, chives, parsley, silver beet, spinach, broccoli, etc.), chop them finely and add to a plain, rather thick white sauce. Stir and heat through, then serve over wholemeal toast or with brown rice.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cut brown wholemeal bread in wafer-thin slices, and butter lightly. Wash the cucumber well, and score the skin lengthwise with a fork. Rub the cut half of a lemon briskly over it, slice it thinly crosswise, and fill the sandwiches, sprinkling the cucumber slices with finely chopped salad burnet and a few chopped chives.

In the height of summer, when heavy, hot food is uninviting, a soup made from fruit and herbs can be a tempting appetizer to start your meal. Many different fruits can be used, but tart summer apples will always be a favourite.

Apple and Herb Soup

1 lb. cooking apples Celery tops, finely chopped J cup raw sugar Cinnamon, cloves 1 pint water

Shredded rind and juice of 1 lemon Salad burnet leaves

Cook together the apples, celery, sugar and spices in the water, having first peeled and cored the apples and cut them into small dice to shorten the cooking time. Add the lemon rind and juice in the last few minutes of cooking, stirring well through the apple mixture, which should be cooked to a coarse mush. Set this aside to cool, and before serving add individual leaves of salad burnet and stir well through the soup. A few extra leaves can be used on top to garnish. If you wish to make this your whole meal, serve it with rye bread topped with a bland cottage cheese.

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