Medical Weblog

Nothing exciting happened to disturb the peace and pleasure hours of leisure. No noise and no radio programmes subjected the body to further tension and no television shows demanded the undivided attention of the viewer. In the place of these canned programmes there was often heard rising from the valley a beautiful song that refreshed the singer and the listeners alike. These aspects of life led to wholesome relaxation which we search for today but seldom find in spite of all the money spent. Often, sound sleep escapes those who did not retire early enough, not wanting to miss out on some nocturnal pleasure. For them the hours of the night become more arduous than even their work during the day, but sleep is an indispensable and natural requirement.

While some people are never able to relax, there are others who cannot do enough to make money. Some workers, for example in the catering industry, do not enjoy their days off as a time of rest and relaxation, but to make more money they accept casual work as well. Such demands on the body may be possible for a little while but they will sap the person’s energy reserves in the long run. We must recognise that the rhythm of life consists of periods of tension and relaxation, the latter being necessary to recharge life’s batteries. Another modern tendency is to seek the necessary relaxation in sport, but unfortunately this often degenerates into competition and the body is overtaxed once again.

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Sure enough, what she remembered confirmed my suspicions because she told me that her husband had been spraying the trees round about that time; in fact, the girl had walked straight into the poison cloud. From that moment onward, her mother said, the trouble started. I was in no doubt at all that the circumstances and symptoms proved what the cause really was.

Now all I wanted to know was whether the doctors had been told of the incident, and she said that they had. Yet only one doctor at the hospital considered pesticide poisoning to be the cause of the girl’s condition, whereas his colleagues flatly rejected this opinion. It was perfectly clear to me, however, why penicillin could not even relieve the symptoms, because it would have given at least temporary improvement if bacteria, instead of chemical poisons, had been the cause of the illness. Having made the correct diagnosis, I had no problem in choosing the appropriate treatment and remedies, and I suspect, no, I am convinced, that the natural treatment and necessary natural remedies helped the little girl to recover.

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Oils and fats have not escaped being tampered with either. By being refined and solidified, and by having emulsifiers added, they have received a bad name, and rightly so. Not only polyunsaturated fatty acids, but the whole structure of natural products with all their known and still undiscovered qualities, has been thrown off balance. Every oil or fat, left as nature made it, would provide us with what we need to meet our nutritional requirements. It is only when we interfere by introducing chemical and technical methods in the manufacturing process that damage is done and loss of value ensues. More often than not these interferences cause health problems. Of course, oils have been refined, and their taste improved, for many years, but simpler methods were used in the past. Oil was refined by means of wood ashes, because their alkaline substances removed some of the excess acid in the oil, thereby improving its taste. A further advantage of the old methods was that large quantities of oil were not stored, but a fresh supply was pressed from time to time. Oil-bearing fruits keep longer than the oil once extracted.

It is especially harmful when fats are hardened by electrolysis, as metal salts are used in the process. Although this method destroys much of the goodness in the natural product, this is not the only bad result. The traces of metal salts remaining in the oil can cause further damage to health by acting like poisons in homoeopathic potencies. Scientific research, as well as information disseminated by groups promoting a more natural way of life, have accomplished a great deal of good by encouraging greater awareness of these problems in recent years.

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Some people assume that it is permissible to combine fruit and vegetable juices, such as orange with carrot juice. This, of course, is no better than eating fruit and vegetables at the same time, which, as already discussed, is apt to cause fermentation and flatulence, especially in sensitive people. Generally speaking, one juice can be mixed with another of the same kind, so that the best way is to take, for example, carrot and beetroot juices at one time, and orange and another fruit juice some other time. This way your digestion will not suffer. As a rule, it is better to drink only one juice, not a mixture. What is more, sipping is much better than gulping it down, because little sips, properly insalivated, will avoid flatulence or any other digestive disturbance. The curative effect will be greater too. Insalivating well helps to warm ice-cold juice in the mouth and so avoid chilling the stomach. A bite of crispbread or rusk with each sip of fruit juice will help to neutralise the acidity somewhat and protect the stomach lining.

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If you want healthy vegetables they must be grown organically. They depend upon the soil in which they are grown and for the soil to be healthy it must be worked and looked after properly. If you live in the country, take advantage of the various edible plants growing wild in the woods and fields. You will find wild spinach and many other wild vegetables, all tasty and nutritious. Do not neglect to gather and eat them. Bear’s garlic (ramsons), for example, is a prized vegetable, one of the best blood-purifying plants there is, and it should be gathered and eaten in the spring. It regenerates the blood vessels, and lowers and normalises blood pressure. The blood pressure problems that often accompany old age, brought on by the loss of elasticity of the arteries, can be effectively counteracted with brown rice, bear’s garlic and mistletoe tea, if taken on a regular basis. Young nettles, finely chopped and mixed in with salads or steamed like spinach, are also very good for the blood.

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