Jo's Health Corner: circulatory

Why Bears Are Not Extinct

I picked up the book, Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks..But People do! by Matthias Rath, M.D a few years ago. The title caught my eye in the book store. Rath explains in his book that animals can produce their own vitamin C which protects their blood vessels. Rath believes cardiovascular disease is an early form of scurvy. Clinical studies show that optimum daily intake of vitamins and minerals can reverse coronary heart disease.

Cholesterol
Bears and other hibernating animals have an average cholesterol levels of 400 mg per deciliter. If cholesterol causes heart attacks and strokes, the bear and other hibernating animals would be extinct long time ago as a result of heart attacks. The bears produce large amounts of vitamin C which stabilize their artery walls so they are unaffected by cholesterol.

According to Matthias Rath, the bears are not extinct because:

Elevated cholesterol blood levels are not the primary cause of heart attacks, strokes, or atherosclerosis.
It is more important to achieve and maintain stability of the artery walls through optimum vitamin supply than lowering cholesterol and other risk factors in the blood stream.
Cholesterol and other repair factors in the blood stream can only become risk factors if the artery walls are weakened by chronic vitamin deficiency.

The Paleo Diet is high in vitamins and other nutrients recommended in Dr.Rath Cellular Health Progam outlined in his book.

A large study about the importance of vitamins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease was performed in Europe. Cardiovascular diseases are more frequent in Northern European countries and Scandinavia, compared to Mediterranean countries. The vitamin intake is low in Northern Europe. The diet in the Mediterranean countries is rich in vitamins.

Professor K.F Gey, from the University of Berne in Switzerland compared the blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene as well as cholesterol to the rate of cardiovascular disease in these countries. He found that:

The people in northern European countries did not only have the lowest blood levels of vitamins but also the highest rate of cardiovascular disease.
The people in southern Europe had the highest blood level of vitamins as well as the lowest rate of cardiovascular disease.
A high intake of vitamin C, E, A had a greater impact on decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease than lowering the cholesterol.

The regular diet in southern Europe is high in bioflavonoids and provides an optimum amount of vitamins daily.

Source: Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks…But People Do! by Matthias RathPhoto Credit

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and an independent distributor of Young Living Essential Oils She is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives. She also runs Naturally Sports & Wellness together with her husband.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday, Sunday School Blog Carnival, Natural Living Monday, Fat Tuesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, WFMW, Real Food Wednesday, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday

11:05 PM | Read more...

Emergency Preparedness – High Blood Pressure

This is my third post in my Emergency Preparedness series where I address an important issue as lack of access to medicine and medical care in case of emergencies.

What if access to medication and medical care is denied?

In my first post, Emergency Preparedness, I was wondering how people on prescribed medications would handle an emergency situation if access to medication and medical care is denied. I won't bore you and repeat all I previously wrote so I encourage you to go back to my previous posts and read them. ( Some things on this post are a repeat but I felt some things needed to be repeated) My other posts cover a nxiety & depression, pain , diabetes and allergy.

I urge you to take charge of your own health so you're better prepared for any situation where you might not be able to fill your prescription or use any medical facilities.

Natural solutions

Below are some natural solutions to the most prescribed drugs in America today.

Why essential oils?

You can stockpile essential oils, and they have no expiration date if they are stored correctly. Herbs also lose their potency over time.
They are small enough so they can be put in a pocket if needed.
They are more potent so less amount is needed for healing. You have to drink 26 cups of peppermint tea in order to get the same healing effect as one drop of therapeutic peppermint essential oil.

Treat the body holistically
It is important to remember to take a holistic approach to healing and not only rely on natural remedies. Dietary changes, living a toxin free life, exercise, sufficient rest and sleep, and incorporating other healing therapies into your life should also be considered.

Okay, here we go:

#2 High Blood Pressure medications are some of the most prescribed drugs in our country

According to CDC, it is estimated that 68 millions of Americans high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk for stroke and heart disease, the leading causes of death in America. Instead of treating high blood pressure with dietary and lifestyle changes most Americans choose to take medication for their high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure according to Experts

Avoid all alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.
According to Battaglia, use garlic, onions and ginger in your cooking. He says garlic has been shown to decrease the systolic pressure by 20-30 mm Hg, and the diastolic by 10-20 mm Hg.
According to Dr.Mercola, cut back on the fructose. "Fructose is a major promoter of hypertension - far more so than salt the connecting link between fructose consumption and hypertension lies in the uric acid produced. Uric acid is a byproduct of fructose metabolism, and increased uric acid levels drive up your blood pressure" Mercola
Cutting out fructose and grains from your diet effectively eliminates one of the underlying causes of a number of health problems, including hypertension. (Mercola)
Make sure that the carbohydrates come primarily from vegetables. (Mercola)
Normalize your omega 3-6 ratio. Most are getting way too much of the omega 6 in their diet but not enough omega 3. (Mercola)
Start an exercise regimen.

Time for the oils:

According to Battaglia, essential oils will alleviate hypertension by their:

Hypotensive effect
Sedating and calming effect
Detoxifying effect

Battaglia thinks the most important oils for lowering blood pressure are lavender, ylang ylang and sweet marjoram.

Battaglia also recommends to use a selection of sedative, uplifting and antidepressant oils such as frankincense, Roman chamomile, bergamot, and neroli.

Remember

Never quit any prescribed medication on your own since it may be dangerous. Some medications needs to be weaned of slowly. Consult with your doctor first.

Thanks for reading and come back for my 4th part in this series to find out the solutions to the other medications on the list!

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Check out my safety page to make sure you are aware of any contrindications before you use essential oils. Some oils are not suitable when suffering from certain conditions. Also, Read this Before You Start Using Essential oils. Some oils should not be applied prior to sun exposure so make sure you check this list before spending time in the sun.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique

If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide.

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.

Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

Sources:

Connie and Alan Higley, (Twelfth Edition, revised 2010). Reference Guide for Essential Oils. Abundant Health
Gary Young, ND (2006). Essential Oils, Integrative Medical Guide. Essential Science Publishing

Salvatore Battaglia (1995). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion Pty Ltd

Julie Behling (2011). Medical Preparedness for Adults E-book

The Essential Oils Desk Reference. (Fifth edition 2011). Life Science Publishing

Photo credit

This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday

9:33 PM | Read more...

Varicose Veins - What to Do Naturally

Varicose veins are normally not a serious health threat if they are near the surface. They can be painful and the legs can feel heavy, tight, and tired. Swelling, leg cramps, and sore legs are some characteristics of varicose veins. Many women find these veins cosmetically unappealing and cover them up.

Varicose veins are a sign of poor circulation and venous valve collapse. These veins are abnormally enlarged due to a weakness of the valves inside the veins that allow blood flow back to the heart. When the valves are weakened the blood accumulates in the veins causing them to stretch which leads to varicosities. The veins of the legs are commonly affected due to the pressure standing has on the veins.
Be aware that there is a more serious form of varicose veins that involves the obstruction of and valve defects of the deeper veins. This type can lead to serious problems.

What to do
Even though I often write posts specifically about using essential oils and herbs it is important to remember that it starts with health building through diet, exercise, removal of toxins, and certain supplementation first. I have great success using herbs and essential oils myself, but I use them in addition to an already good diet.

Diet

If you haven't already, I advise you to remove all the refined carbohydrates from your diet and increase the intake of fresh vegetables and fruit.
A high fiber diet is important. If you increase your intake of vegetables and fruit you'll increase your intake of fiber as well.
Vitamin C may reduce tendency to blood clotting, and it aids circulation. It is hard to achieve a high amount of Vitamin C through diet alone so consider supplementing with vitamin C.
Flavonoid-rich berries may increase the integrity of the walls of the veins, so consider adding blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and hawthorn berries to your diet.
According to Battaglia, people with varicose veins don't break down fibrin as well and this leads to fibrin being deposited near the varicose veins. Ginger, garlic, cayenne, and onion increase fibrin break down so include them liberally in your diet.
Make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

The role of astringents
Astringents are needed to tone the blood vessels. Herbs with astringent effects are horsechestnut, rose hips, sage, butcher's broom, and witch hazel.

Aromatherapy
The main purpose of the treatment is to tone the veins walls to improve circulation and to support the surrounding tissues. When you start researching about using essential oils for varicose veins you find that there's a split opinion as to if the affected area should be massaged or not. I found that it is usually fine if the oils are applied on the location and rubbed gently. An aromatic spray or a compress can also be used for extremely painful conditions.

Gently massaging with essential oils may encourage lymphatic drainage and blood return. When treating varicose veins you want to use essential oils that have astringent, vaso-constrictive, anti-inflammatory, and slightly diuretic properties.

The essential oils

Cypress is a true venous decongestant as well as an astringent and should be included. Other oils historically used are lemon, geranium, cypress, rosemay, helichrysum, bergamot, juniper. It normally takes a while before improvement so it is important to be patient. It is important to change the essential oils after a while so don't use the same combination of essential oils all the time in your blends. For example, according to Battaglia, use lemon and cypress together with calendula infused oil and wheatgerm vegetable oil as a massage blend, and after a while alternate cypress and lemon with any other oils mentioned above.

According to Gary Young, tansy improves weak veins, cypress strengthens capillary walls, and helichrysum helps dissolve coagulated blood in surrounded tissues.

Oils to use for massage
Mullein infused oil has historically been beneficial in painful or inflamed conditions such as varicose veins. Arnica infused oil is traditionally used as an first aid oil for bruising and inflammation, but should not be used on broken skin. Apricot kernel oil is high in vitamins A and B. Calendula infused oil and wheatgerm vegetable oils are other suitable oils traditionally used. Wheatgerm is a valuable source of vitamin E and has historically been used to improve blood circulation. Calendula has traditionally been used to treat venous complaints, and has been known to if applied consistently, decrease the symptoms of varicose veins by inhibiting inflammation, toning tissues, and promoting blood supply to the tissues.

Pregnancy
Essential oils should not be administered topically, including baths, orally, or vaginally before 24th week of pregnancy. If the oil is not contraindicated, it may be used in a diffuser. Geranium (avoid first trimester), lemon, bergamot can be used when pregnant.

Oils to Use With Caution
According to Cooksley caraway, cypress, juniper, lavender, rose, rosemary (avoid first trimester) and peppermint ( avoid first trimester) can be used with caution.

Other things to consider

Avoid standing for a longer period.
Elevate your legs higher than your heart.
Don' sit cross-legged since the blood flow will be inhibited.
Don't restrict the blood flow with tight clothing.
Do gentle exercises such as walking, swimming, and yoga.
Wear support hose during daytime.

Once again, dealing with varicose veins takes time so keep that in mind. If pregnant, check out this page:
Is Aromatherapy Safe In Pregnancy?

As always, this information is for educational purposes only, and is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffer from a medical condition, consult with your health care practitioner prior to using essential oils.