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Robert McDowell's Herbal Treatments 11 June 2006 Herbal Help for Humans and their CompanionsElusive HappinessWinter Thoughts on Food and Health Winter is a time to rest, contemplate your life by looking inward and storing energy . Our kidneys promote energy and warmth and underpin and control the organs in the lower part of our body. Our ears are related to our kidneys and both become very sensitive in the winter months. Keep kidneys and ears both covered well when out in the cold winds and weather-singlets, coats and hats are the order of the day. The kidneys store some of our underlying fears so if they are not healthy it may be that you can feel anxious and alone and insecure during the winter months. Rosehips tea are a great source of nourishment for our kidneys so enjoy at least one cup per day. Alternate with chicory root as a coffee substitute which is an excellent bitter herb for winter. Winter is the time to take more bitter (it is said bitter foods put joy in your heart), dark and salty foods (but not too salty as it then can cause tightening, coldness and water retention). Try miso, soy sauce, sea vegetables, sardines, millet barley, black beans, potatoe, endive, turnip, quinoa, rye and oats. In winter use longer cooking methods, enjoy slow meals with family and friends, while at the same time avoid over eating of sweet foods, protein and rich foods. Give time to your self and avoid too much work! This week we feature:-
Feline - Cardiac Murmurs There are very specific herbs to support the heart insofar as its electrical regularity and the strength of the muscle are concerned. Heart problems have been a concern of mankind since time began. The following herbal extract combination provide the best chance of reversing the tendency of a heart murmur. Cardiac murmurs are favourably treated with the heart tonic, energy also improves in the more senior citizens. See: http://www.herbal-treatments.com/dog_heart_tonic.html and give 3 drops twice daily to see how it works in your own situation. See also my cat page which is new: http://www.herbal-treatments.com/herbal_treatments_for_cats.html Canine - Bowel Inflammatory Disease When treating this condition from a herbal point of view, we need to settle the metabolic disturbance that has resulted in an inflammation in the walls of the bowel and most likely also within the pelvic cavity itself. The dog's digestive system was probably always sensitive and originally reacted to something in the diet, probably a chemical or preservative. The process of inflammation then made the system even more reactive and the weakening that took place created the ideal host for an infection which thrives in such conditions. The waste products of infection are now building up in the blood and tissue surrounding the bowel and the situation will progress with more and more antibiotics and steroids hoping to hold the symptoms at bay while the system heals itself. The way out is to treat the dog for the underlying causes and the current symptoms together. This would involve the following program: Put the dog on a convalescent diet consisting of only 5 meals per week and each of them is nothing more than raw meat and bones, preferably with the meat still on the bone to reduce the speed at which she eats. This should be fed out in the yard to give her an opportunity to leave them around to ripen (so that they will be able to supply her with the appropriate gut flora) or to bury them (for the same reason). The two fasting days are to give the digestive system a complete rest. No treats, no commercial dog food; nothing else. If she finds something to eat in the yard, be it weeds, cat's stools or whatever, let her have what she wants instinctively. Only by allowing her to fast and have an empty digestive system for most of the time (see the article on the website at; http://www.herbal-dogkeeping.com/articles_digestive_system_ofadog.html ) can her system heal properly and clear the toxins that have built up. The medical treatment is to provide a herbal mixture to support the revival of her whole system, the Conditioning Mix, see link; http://www.herbal-dogkeeping.com/dog_conditioning_mix.html which will be given twice daily mixed into a teaspoon of Slippery Elm Powder that has been mixed into a paste with cold Chamomile Tea. If she doesn't take to this, you could make up a quantity of Rolled Oats Porridge, mix the slippery elm and herbs into a small quantity of this and feed it to her before her bones in the morning and in the evening when she is already hungry again. The oats are soothing to the gut and will not aggravate her condition, but I don't want her on massive amounts, only a little to take the medicine in. To do the job properly, a blood cleansing treatment can assist the diet and fasting regime and clear the toxic build-up. The mix I suggest can be found on the website at; http://www.herbal-dogkeeping.com/dog_blood_poisoning.html This treatment is advertised for skin conditions, but it works by clearing toxins through the liver, kidney, blood and lymphatics, the systems that we need to support. More porridge can be introduced as her system picks up, but not for the first three weeks at least. Equine - Sarcoids (see reader feedback below) Herbally, I work with the systems of the body giving rise to the condition in the first place. A sarcoid can be seen as an attempt by the immune system to package up and get rid of impurities within the blood or the waste products following a clash with an infection of some sort. Therefore, the herbs that I include in a mixture aimed at resolving the problem and facilitating the expulsion of the offending matter are as follows: Echinacea, Mistletoe and Equisetum as three of the most powerful and specific blood cleansers; Comfrey to support the immune system and assist with Equisetum in healing any damage caused by the presence of the Sarcoid insofar as it may have effected ligaments for example; Violet Leaves as a Lymphatic Tonic to further facilitate the cleansing via the lymphatic system and Vervain as a nervous system tonic supporting the whole process. Further description may be found on the link: http://www.herbal-horsekeeping.com/horse_sarcoid_mix.html I have developed a program of internal and external preparations that is very effective to deal with Sarcoids and any secondary fungal infestation which becomes involved. In addition to the external anti-fungal preparation I recommend is applied topically I have been having great results with an external wheat grass extract spray which combines healing and topical immunity tonic effects. The program may be used alongside of orthodox surgical or medical procedures although it is very often successful as a stand alone treatment as it addresses the causal factors. In any case the blood cleansers will certainly reduce the recurrence problems you are experiencing. Human - Horseshoe kidney Horseshoe kidney can be found more so in males then females & occurs at around 1 in every 400-800 births. If you have this condition you need to be made aware of the importance of the kidneys & how they function in the body & there is quite a lot of information on the web concerning this condition. Basically the kidney is the organ whose principal function is to filter toxins from the blood and maintain an appropriate chemical environment so that the body's other organ systems can function properly. Other functions that the kidneys serve include maintaining appropriate blood pressure and ensuring that enough red blood cells are produced by the bone marrow. By itself, the horseshoe kidney does not produce symptoms. However it is statistically more likely to be predisposed to a higher incidence of disease then compared to a normal kidney. This can be due to variable blood supply, presence of the isthmus , (the bit that joins the kidneys together) high insertion point, and abnormal course of the ureters, (the tubes that run the urine to the bladder), can all contribute to these problems. Because of this you may be more susceptible to kidney stone formation, infection etc. The treatment I recommend will be supportive of this condition to boost & maintain the health of the kidneys. Step 1; make Rosehips tea a regular drink as it contains all the ingredients to help maintain healthy kidney function. This can be drunk hot or cold. Sweeten with honey if needed as a hot drink. Cold; make up a litre with 2 t bags of rosehips & sweeten with Ribena/Blackcurrant juice, cool in fridge & you have a great tonic that tastes wonderful & will also boost the energy levels. Don't encourage caffeinated teas, coffees or any carbonated or alcoholic drinks, which will greatly stress the kidneys ability to function. Step 2; Is to maintain a strong immunity & the health of the kidney's, therefore I recommend the following herbal products. Maritime Pine Bark. At a dose of 10 drops 3 x daily. Kidney support mix; To maintain as optimum a health of the kidneys as possible. These treatments will be ongoing. Home Remedies - Water V Coke - Fascinating Reading WATER 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This likely applies to half the world population.) In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied (in a University of Washington study). Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8 to 10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. COKE In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield. FOR YOUR INFORMATION: The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the "Hazardous Material" place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! Reader Feed Back Thankyou to all you have contributed information for our readers on on the topic of dog food . " I have had sucess with using Purina One (contains no wheat) which is available at Woolworths. Probably at most other shopping centres as well. Also I use Nature's Gift Natural canned food. " Susan Hi All, I just wanted to comment on the sarcoid issue. We have a Quarter Horse mare that had a sarcoid on her neck. It was below the mane, fairly flat and grew to the size of a .50 piece. We were showing this mare at major futurities and tried everything to remove it for cosmetic reasons. One vet injected it, another 'froze' it, and another did major surgery to remove it. That was a big mistake. We spent $1000. for the surgery, and then almost two weeks later another $150. to have the sutures replaced because they didn't hold. We had to hand walk her for exercise during this time and she was not happy about that at all. She had about a 7" scar and, after all of that, the sarcoid grew back in the same spot... even larger. When we retired the mare from showing she was home and turned out daily. Every time, she'd go straight for a young oak tree and rub her neck on the trunk. The sarcoid would bleed, dry up and the next day it would get rubbed again on that tree. After about a month I noticed that the sarcoid was smaller. After 6 months it was much smaller, and finally it was GONE. All you see now is the fine line of the scar from the surgery! NO sarcoid. She has a second sarcoid on her chest that also had been frozen. It isn't large. I'm trying to figure out how to rub IT on the tree! :-) So overall I'd say we spent about $1500.00 dealing with the sarcoid unsuccessfully.... and then the mare went about removing it HER way. :-) Blessings, Joyce From my studies I know that White Oak Bark is one of the strongest astringent herbs available. It also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties . White Oak Bark's astringent properties tighten tissues and strengthen blood vessels. So it could well be useful in particularly the external mix for sarcoids. Thankyou to Joyce for noticing and sharing how her horse was treating itself. We value your feedback so much that we are making it easier for you to send us a sentence or two. Please fill in the form below and click 'Submit' Wishing you and your companions the best of health and happiness. Yours Truly, Judith Burton for Robert McDowell |
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