|
|
|
Aromatherapy & You
Aromas are inescapable! Think about how you encounter them on a daily basis from roses in the garden, a cup of steaming mochacchino or soothing jasmine tea, basil that permeates spaghetti sauce, and fresh citrus juices. Noses detect hundreds of...
Ephedra - 101
What is ephedra? Ephedra, which is also known as Ma Huang, is a 5000 years old natural remedy. It grows mainly in Mongolia and the bordering regions of China. It has been used in Chinese medicine and has become a popular herbal dietary supplement in...
Memory Herbs: Why Gingko Doesn't Always Work
Q: When reading, I can't seem to focus or retain information as I once did. I was wondering if you had any suggestions, herbal remedies, or insight to offer. I appreciate your assistance. A: Memory function is a complex issue that an overly...
The Politics Of Massage: Alternative or Mainstream Treatment?
I tend to view massage therapy independently of broader
categories of therapy, healing or other restorative practices or
systems. I am inclined to do this because I am cautious about
allowing massage to be classified as a traditional...
Why Should You Meditate?
Everyone's mind needs a little downtime. We all need time to focus on one task, instead of multi-tasking all day and night. In fact, your mind doesn't take a complete rest when you sleep. Your mind moves from dream to dream for about two hours per...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Herbal Remedies To Prevent Travelers Diarrhea
Travelers visiting many tropical, sub-tropical and developing
countries run an increased risk of suffering a gastrointestinal
illness. These are usually caused by bacteria, parasites and
viruses. The microscopic bugs at the top of these rather gut
wrenching (for all the wrong reasons...) charts are E Coli, the
staphylococci, shigella and salmonella species, campylobacter
jejuni, cryptosporidiosis, and hepatitis A.
Infected food is the biggest culprit, with water coming in
second. Ice cream, cocktails served in re-used coconut shells,
raw seafood, ice, and food from street vendors are potential
risks that can interrupt your adventure with less salacious
memories to pass on to family and friends.
The nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea from such acute
infections usually sorts itself out after a few days (unless of
course you have contracted hepatitis A, or something like
giardia). Certainly, if you are unlucky enough to be sick after
a few days, you should see a doctor.
Fortunately, there are remedies you can take that will
strengthen your immune and digestive system and hopefully give
your body a better chance at dealing with its new environment.
The herbs I describe below would make an excellent travelers
mix. The best form to take them in would be as a tincture, which
can be made up by going to a local herbal dispensary if you have
one in your area, or alternatively, a local herbalist.
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)
Astragalus is a good anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and
anti-microbial. The polysaccharides in it support the immune
system. Astragalus increases the activity of phagocytes, natural
killer cells, and the levels of antibodies in the blood.
Picrorrhiza (Picrorrhiza kurroa)
This is an Ayurvedic herb that is best given in low doses, as
higher doses can cause diarrhea and flatulence in more sensitive
people. Its a bitter herb, so it stimulates the digestive
system. It is also anti-malarial, supports the immune system,
and protects the liver. Picrorrhiza encourages all aspects of
the immune system, such as B and T cell activity, and the
activity of phagocytes. This herb is used in Ayurvedic medicine
for liver related problems and immune problems.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis)
Goldenseal is a gut antibiotic, which for example helps reduce
adhesive e coli, and encourages some immune functions of the
body. For example, berberine, which is one of its active
constituents, has been shown to increase the activity of
macrophages, which digest bacteria and viruses. Barberry also
contains berberine, so more information on this very valuable
constituent is below. Goldenseal, being a bitter herb, it is
also good for the digestive system. If you are pregnant or
suffer from hypertension, however, you should not
take
goldenseal.
Barberry (Berberis Vulgaris)
Berberine, one of the active constituents in this herb is an
anti protozoic, which helps protect travelers against giardia,
leishmania, and treponema pallidum. Other notable effects of
berberine are its activity against giardia, dysentery, and
candida, as well as the cholera vibrio. The active constituents
berberine and palmatine are also anti-bacterial. And berbamine,
which like berberine is an alkaloid, is a strong anti-bacterial
which seems to work by increasing white blood cells and
platelets. The constituent palamtine is a uterine stimulant,
however, and as such pregnant women shouldn't take this herb.
Barberry is another gut antibiotic, but it is also anti-malarial
(though no self-respecting herbalist would recommend anything
other than doctor's treatment if you do contract malaria).
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea or augustifolia)
Echinacea is an immune stimulant. Its main active constituents
are the polysaccharides and the alkamides (especially the
isobutylamides), which are both immune stimulating, and the
polyaceytlenes, which are antibacterial, anti-viral, and
anti-fungal. Echinacea supports the activity of phagocytes,
which are part of the immune system, and is also considered
anti-viral and anti-microbial. One of the ways echinacea appears
to work is by inhibiting the action of the enzyme hyaluronidase.
This enzyme is used by micro-organisms to break down the
connective tissue that prevents them from entering and spreading
through the body. For these reasons, it is excellent as part of
a travelers remedy mix.
These remedies are not designed as a prophylactic, like a
vaccine. They work on the principle of giving your body an
increased chance at staying healthy. But nothing replaces common
sense. Wash your hands before eating. Don't drink ice or from
water bottles where the seal has been broken. Drink cocktails in
glasses, not cute but probably old coconut shells. Don't eat
anything fresh that you can't peel. Don't eat ice cream or drink
unpasteurized milk. Be wary of eating from street vendors. Some
people do, and are fine. But they are a risk factor with
gastrointestinal upsets. Its a good idea to pack some oral
hydration salts as a precaution.
But above all, enjoy your holiday!
Refrences: C Fisher & G Painter, Materia Medica of Western Herbs
for the Southern Hemisphere
Class notes from Ses Salmond, certified Natural Therapist and
Herbal Medicine teacher
About the author:
Rebecca Prescott is the author of the website
www.vitaminstohealth.com which publishes information on herbs
such as echinacea, and provides natural alternatives for many common health
problems.
|
|
|
|
|
| National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health |
| Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine offers access to health information for consumer, patient, and physicians ... |
| www.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Health and Medical Information produced by doctors - MedicineNet.com |
| Doctor-produced health and medical information written for you to make informed decisions about your health concerns. |
| www.medicinenet.com |
|
| Medicine in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Collection of sites for health professionals, with sections on specific disciplines, organizations, continuing education, conferences, publications, ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine |
| Health information from the National Library of Medicine. Easy access to Medline and Health topics, medical dictionaries, directories and publications. |
| medlineplus.gov |
|
| Medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Medicine is a branch of health science and the sector of public life ... The practice of medicine combines both science as the evidence base and art in the ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Journal Home - Nature Medicine |
| Nature Medicine has a vacancy for a Locum Assistant Editor for six months. The position involves working in all aspects of the editorial process, ... |
| www.nature.com |
|
| The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on ... |
| The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial ... |
| content.nejm.org |
|
| eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base |
| eMedicine features up-to-date, searchable, peer-reviewed medical journals, online physician reference textbooks, and a full-text article database in 62 ... |
| www.emedicine.com |
|
| Open Directory - Health: Medicine |
| the entire directory, only in Health/Medicine. Top: Health: Medicine (11429). Description · Medical Specialties (4888); Surgery (2265) ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| the www virtual library biosciences medicine |
| www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/wwwvl/ - Similar pages |
|
|
| Medicine - home |
| Bimonthly journal covering the latest results in clinical investigation relevant to hospital and office practice. |
| www.md-journal.com |
|
| Institute of Medicine |
| The Institute of Medicine serves as adviser to the nation to improve health. |
| www.iom.edu |
|
| ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News |
| Medical Research News. Health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. Full-text, images, updated daily. |
| www.sciencedaily.com |
|
| Google Directory - Health > Medicine |
| Search only in Medicine Search the Web. Medicine. Health > Medicine, Go to Directory Home. Categories. Alternative Medicine (6308) Basic Sciences (66) ... |
| www.google.com |
|
| the world wide web virtual library biosciences medicine |
| www.mcb.harvard.edu/biopages/medicine.html - Similar pages |
|
|
| PLoS Medicine - A Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journal |
| PLoS Medicine is a peer-reviewed, international, open-access journal published ... Every issue of PLoS Medicine contains a selection of readers' responses. ... |
| medicine.plosjournals.org |
|
| Medicine On-Line - Medicine Online -The International Medical Journal |
| Medicine Online - independent and peer reviewed journal published by Priory Medical Journals - priory.com. |
| www.priory.com |
|
| Entrez PubMed |
| PubMed is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for ... |
| www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
|
| Stanford University School of Medicine |
| Home Page of the Stanford University School of Medicine. |
| med.stanford.edu |
|
| Medicine OnLine |
| Meds.com offers medical information and education on cancer (lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia) and HIV / AIDS for patients, ... |
| www.meds.com |
|
|