COFFEE – MAKING SAUERKRAUT AT HOME (PART 1)
If you want to make your own sauerkraut, you might like to try the following recipe for sauerkraut with onion.
Shred a head of white cabbage, not too fine, not too coarse. Spread a layer about 2 cm thick (a little less than 1 inch) on the bottom of a container, preferably one made of wood or glazed earthenware. Scatter some juniper berries and mustard and coriander seeds over the cabbage and add a small pinch of salt. You can leave out the salt, but then add more mustard seeds to compensate. On top of this, place a layer of sliced onions about 1 cm (about Vi inch) thick. Add another layer of cabbage and seasoning, then onions; continue until the container is full. Press the cabbage and onions down firmly and cover the vegetables, using a lid or plate that will fit inside the neck of the container. Place a heavy stone on the lid to weigh it down, and allow the cabbage to ferment. If you want to speed up the fermentation process, dilute some yogurt ferment or whey concentrate with water and pour over the cabbage.
*1087/28/1*
SUGAR – THE GOODNESS OF DATES
The visitor to Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf is greeted by millions of date palms. Growing in unspoilt, mineral-rich soil, they bring forth thousands of tons of a wonderful fruit sugar year by year, the great benefits of which, however, rarely extend beyond these geographical borders. It is a joy to admire the Arab children’s beautiful teeth, but the sight also fills the visitor with sadness. Why? On the one hand we are glad for the Arab children, but on the other hand we are sad because the teeth of our own children and youths, according to the reports of school dentists, are in a very poor state indeed.
When I visited the ruins and vicinity of ancient Babylon, an Arab boy climbed up a date palm, happily and with enviable ease, picked some ripe dates and threw them down to me. It gave him great satisfaction to see that his generosity was gratefully acknowledged, his beaming smile showing a row of healthy white teeth. His firm and strong muscles and his lithe body, which gives those sons of the desert the agility of a wild cat, impressed me greatly. Although these children of nature can be presumptuous and brash, they do leave an unforgettable impression.
*1017/28/1*
HELPFUL DIETS FOR THE SICK A – FASTING (METABOLIC WASTES)
When a person fasts the body has an opportunity to rid itself of accumulated harmful metabolic wastes. From time to time it is a good idea to plan ahead to have a fruit juice day and follow this up with one or two days of taking only clean pure water. However, before you begin the fast, make sure the bowels are empty. Mucilage-producing substances such as linseed or psyllium seed, or a herbal laxative, perhaps manna, will help move the bowels. If your liver is in good order you can then begin the fruit juice diet with orange, grapefruit or grape juice, according to what is in season. During the berry season, add berry juice to the list. Any wastes in the body will be eliminated and your organs will begin to function more efficiently.
*946/28/1*
SESAME SEEDS – EXCELLENT FOR THE LIVER (SOLID FOOD)
Solid food should be avoided at this stage, because the disturbance will be cleared up much faster if the patient fasts. Rehabilitation will only be delayed by burdening the digestive system with food. In cases where the patient vomits bile, be sure to give him liquids afterwards. Horsetail (shave grass) or better still, dandelion tea will be excellent. You can use dandelion leaves and roots to make the infusion. An extract of dandelion called Taraxacum will be found most effective in such cases. Avoid cereal gruels, because they always contain some fat and in the digestive process the liver will be irritated. Taking solid food can serve no useful purpose and, again, the value of fasting during the first few days cannot be overemphasised.
Once the grated apple and any of the various fruit juices can be digested and the patient feels hungry again, try giving him wholefood muesli for breakfast and supper. At midday, a little salad may be eaten, taking care that the dressing contains only a little cold-pressed, unrefined vegetable oil, or no oil to start with, just lemon juice or Molkosan. For several days after recovery fried foods of any kind should be avoided, because a certain degree of sensitivity will remain. Even slightly heated oil or animal fat will soon cause the feeling of congestion in the back of the head or in the forehead to return. A peculiar feeling of nausea may manifest itself also, even though it may be slight. Until all germs, which may or may not be known, have been eliminated from the system, the normal diet should not be reintroduced.
*480/28/1*
CHRONIC CONSTIPATION – NATURAL REMEDIES 3
Whether you suffer from constipation or any other functional disorder, foods that tempt the taste buds but contribute to constipation should be firmly rejected. There are plenty of delicious natural foods that are good for the digestion and the bowels, so why not choose these instead? You simply cannot eat and live just any old way and then hope to overcome the resulting discomforts by means of pills and drops. This approach will only hurt you, and eventually lead to chronic ailments. We must subject ourselves to the demands of nature and only then, with the use of good natural remedies as well as appropriate adaptations to our lifestyle, will we achieve the desired results. There is no other way.
*424/28/1*
EPILEPSY – BASIC QUALIFICATIONS FOR STARTING A FAMILY
If two people who were both suffering from hypo-thyriodism were to marry, it is possible that some of their children might be myxoedemic and mentally retarded. The risks involved in cases of epilepsy are generally known, and epileptics are advised to forgo having children. Laws prohibiting marriage between close relatives have been made because the transmission of negative hereditary factors becomes stronger the closer the blood ties are between the two people.
Mature people, who are conscious of their responsibility towards their children, will not overlook the problems and precautions discussed above, but will give them due consideration. Only in this way may they be spared much possible suffering later on. And thanks to their reasonable and sound attitude they will have the opportunity to bring healthy children into the world.
*366/28/1*
HOW TO DETECT KIDNEY DISORDERS
Close attention should be paid to the kidneys because kidney problems do not always manifest themselves immediately by acute pain. If the amount of water passed is less than normal over a period of time, we should have a urine analysis made. This is also indicated if the colour of the urine changes and for some time is either too dark or too light, almost colourless. If we notice the presence of blood, cloudiness, or any other residue in the urine, this is also a cause for concern. A sediment of tiny crystals indicates that the person has a tendency to develop kidney stones or gravel. Do not wait for pain or a colic before doing something about it. Seek treatment at once.
If we examine the urine sediments under a microscope, we will be amazed at the diversity of the crystalline formations nature is able to produce even in the urine. All sorts of prismatic forms and bundles of needle-like crystals can be seen. They are in fact the crystallised forms of uric acid, sulphuric acid and benzoic acid. The amino acid leucine crystal is especially interesting, forming a bundle of ‘needles’ more compact than a snowflake.
*310/28/1*
CIRCULATORY DISORDERS – GANGRENE (INTRODUCTION)
Gangrene is a term associated with the death of tissues due to failure of the blood supply. The condition requires immediate attention. If neglected, the skin of the legs or feet turns a bluish-red colour, becomes shiny and hard and makes the patient feel extremely uncomfortable, especially at night, when the patches begin to burn to the extent that relief can only be obtained by moving the feet from under the blankets and exposing them to the cool air.
The symptoms usually appear in older people, but have their beginnings earlier in life, possibly when the person has been repeatedly exposed to cold and rain. Gangrene can also result from untreated frostbite. This is dangerous because the tissues and vessels of the feet suffer permanent damage. Another possible cause of gangrene is the sclerosing or drying-up treatment applied to varicose veins. Prolonged standing or sitting is harmful to an older person who suffers from gangrene because the venous blood circulation slows down. Sufferers usually benefit from having an occupation which allows them to move around; with increased mobility the pain will sometimes subside altogether. Even though the disease cannot be cured completely, it is possible to alleviate it with the help of natural remedies, to the extent that the patient may go without serious complications for many years.
*253/28/1*
STEPS THAT WOMEN CAN TAKE TO PROTECT THEIR HEARTS
It is true that women who develop heart attacks tend to be older than their male counterparts; and they are at more risk from heart attacks if they have high blood pressure and diabetes. So if you have one or the other, or both, of these conditions (they often go together), you must be particularly careful to keep it under good control.
For high blood pressure, that means
• Taking the correct antihypertensive drugs
• Having monthly blood pressure checks For diabetes, it means
• Strict control of weight—the BMI (Body Mass Index) should be strictly between 20 and 25, and preferably closer to the lower figure
• Frequent small meals containing large amounts of fiber
• Multiple injections of small amounts of insulin each day
• A daily diary of your blood glucose (booklets for keeping records of blood glucose, insulin doses, and food intake are available from your doctor)
• A monthly visit to your diabetic clinic
Hypertension among women has not been studied nearly as much as it has been among men. Some researchers question whether the findings about men apply directly to women. Several hypertension medications affect blood lipid levels and these effects may be different and perhaps counterproductive for women, possibly affecting their sex life. Potential changes in sexual response for women on certain blood pressure medications have been ignored by researchers and unquestioned by family doctors. These holes in research are rapidly being filled by current studies, so keep your eyes open for new information as it is released.
The female hormone estrogen appears to protect women against heart attacks—a protection that falls away after menopause. So why not try hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after your menopause to keep your heart attack risk low? In a large study of American nurses, HRT halved the risk of coronary disease in postmenopausal women. Worries that HRT might cause breast cancer appear to be unfounded, but there is very definite evidence that it greatly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer—and also, surprisingly, of rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, women who have many close relatives with breast cancer should probably avoid HRT; there may be a very small risk that it can accelerate the development of an already existing growth.
The good news for women about heart disease is that the very strong risk in men with high cholesterol levels probably does not apply to women. Younger women naturally have higher blood cholesterol levels than men of the same age, but most of it is of the beneficial HDL type. Only if there is obvious hyperlipidemia, or a history of early deaths from heart attacks in women in the immediate family, should a high cholesterol level in a woman be taken as something to worry about, and needing a special diet or drugs.
*105\86\8*
MANAGING ANGINA: THE CARDIOLOGY UNIT
The aim of a modern cardiology unit is to find the cause of your symptoms. Most of the time, in angina, this will be atheroma, affecting one, two, or all three of your coronary arteries. The tests to be performed in the clinic should identify the problem in sharp detail, so that any corrective treatment is planned for your own individual needs.
You will be asked to undergo exercise testing, special EKG tests, and X-ray investigations, including perhaps a radioisotope heart scan, an echocardiography, and finally a coronary angiogram.
The thought of all those tests, especially after you have been told you may have an at-risk heart, is daunting and frightening. Please do not let it worry you. In modern cardiology units, everything is done to make sure you are relaxed and calm. The staff are highly specialized, having concentrated on heart investigations for years, and know very well what entering such a unit means for their patients.
I have visited many such units, all of them staffed by cheerful, kind, and dedicated nurses and doctors, who can make even the most apprehensive patient feel relaxed. The atmosphere is never somber—there is no “gloom and doom.” The feeling is more of a professionalism dedicated to helping people back to a normal life, with much to look forward to. They have every reason to be cheerful, because they succeed in their aims with the vast majority of their patients, and since the development of coronary care units, the death rate from ischemic heart disease has dropped dramatically.
The first investigations aim to find the underlying cause of the symptoms. They will rule out such problems as heart valve disease (one clue being a heart murmur heard through the stethoscope), high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, or anemia. If patients are found to have one of these problems, they will be given treatment and their angina should recede. Sometimes the heart clinic finds evidence of esophageal spasm (a form of cramp), and will refer you to a gastrointestinal specialist for treatment.
Most of the rest of the patients seen with angina in the cardiology unit have atheroma affecting the coronary arteries. The next aim is to find out how serious they are, and to estimate the risks of a fullblown heart attack in the near future. That means getting as many details as possible of how the heart is performing at the time of an angina attack. The two ways of doing this, initially, are to use a stress test or a Holter monitor.
*85\86\8*
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