Some interesting herbs/plants

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Boost your immune system against Swine flu

The Swine flu virus will only multiply and lead to disease if the immune system is weak. Most viruses become less aggressive over time because they want to spread and not kill their hosts. Hence the general advice, cover your face when sneezing, and WASH YOUR HANDS. If Swine flu kills its hosts they will die as well.

The following advice will help to strengthen your immune system in preparation for viruses such as Swine flu. You will increase your resistance if you have a good digestive system. Take probiotics daily, available in health food stores in the form of yogurt culture, and also chocolate.

Get plenty of sleep, the body knows how to heal, and it does this best when sleeping. You can increase your resistance to disease 300% if you get enough rest.

Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, this allows the body to flush toxins.

Exercise increases your resistance to disease. It stimulates the cleansing blood flow. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Science has shown that walking daily is good for your health and well being. Sunshine can also help, as this increases the level of vitamin d within the body.

In a small town called Chirchik, Russia, a flu epidemic swept the town. When many adults and children did not get sick scientists wanted to know why they were immune to the disease. It turns out that all of them used the berries from an herb called Shizandra.

Goldenseal strengthens the immune system, cleanses and detoxifies the body. It has anti bacteria properties.

Astragalus boosts the immune system and generates anticancer cells in the body. It is also a powerful antioxidant and protects the liver from toxins. This makes this plant ideal for people suffering from dark circles due to liver problems and depressed immune system. IMPORTANT: Do not take this herb if fever is present.

Include in the diet chlorella, garlic and pearl barley. These foods contain germanium, a trace element beneficial for the immune system. Also giant red kelp contains iodine, calcium, iron, carotene, protein, riboflavin and vitamin C, which are necessary for the immune system’s functional integrity.

Kept From A Dying Partner's Bedside

What a senseless infliction of suffering on a couple already in pain. What is it going to take to put compassion before politics, prejudice, stupidity, and insane legalities? What is it going to take to change laws that are just plain wrong?

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From a May 18 New York Times article by Tara Parker Pope

KEPT FROM A DYING PARTNER'S BEDSIDE

"When a loved one is in the hospital, you naturally want to be at the bedside. But what if the staff won’t allow it?

That’s what Janice Langbehn, a social worker in Lacey, Wash., says she experienced when her partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, collapsed with an aneurysm during a Florida vacation and was taken to a Miami trauma center. She died there, at age 39, as Ms. Langbehn tried in vain to persuade hospital officials to let her visit, along with the couple’s adopted children.

“I have this deep sense of failure for not being at Lisa’s bedside when she died,” Ms. Langbehn said. “How I get over that I don’t know, or if I ever do.”

The case, now the subject of a federal lawsuit in Florida, is being watched by gay rights groups, which say same-sex partners often report being excluded from a patient’s room because they aren’t “real” family members."

Grands Rounds at Health Blawg

Some interesting posts. Check it out.

Easy way to beat heart disease

An easy way to beat heart disease,and strokes is quite simple, eat tomatoes!

Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene
Scientists say a natural supplement made from tomatoes, taken daily, can stave off heart disease and strokes.
The tomato pill contains an active ingredient from the Mediterranean diet - lycopene - that blocks "bad" LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries.
Ateronon, made by a biotechnology spin-out company of Cambridge University, is being launched as a dietary supplement and will be sold on the high street.
Experts said more trials were needed to see how effective the treatment is.
Preliminary trials involving around 150 people with heart disease indicate that Ateronon can reduce the oxidation of harmful fats in the blood to almost zero within eight weeks, a meeting of the British Cardiovascular Society will be told at Ateronon's launch on Monday.
Our advice to heart disease patients or those at high risk is to rely on proven medications prescribed by their doctor, and aim to get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg
Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation
Neuroscientist Peter Kirkpatrick, who will lead a further research project at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on behalf of Cambridge Theranostics Ltd, said the supplement could be much more effective than statin drugs that are currently used by doctors to treat high cholesterol.
But Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said: "As always, we caution people to wait for any new drug or modified 'natural' product to be clinically proven to offer benefits before taking it.
"It will take some time, and several clinical trials, to provide such evidence for Ateronon.
"In the meantime, our advice to heart disease patients or those at high risk is to rely on proven medications prescribed by their doctor, and aim to get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg."
He said the British Heart Foundation had supported some of the basic science at Cambridge University underpinning the development of the product.
Professor Anthony Leeds, trustee of the cholesterol charity Heart UK, said: "The new lycopene product Ateronon represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of high blood cholesterol and opens up the exciting possibility."
He said the preliminary findings were "very promising".
Lycopene is an antioxidant contained in the skin of tomatoes which gives them their red colour. But lycopene ingested in its natural form is poorly absorbed.
Ateronon contains a refined, more readily absorbed version of lycopene that was originally developed by Nestle.
Dr Peter Coleman of The Stroke Association said: "We know that diets rich in antioxidants are beneficial in reducing the plaque build up and welcome the findings of this research."


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How Have Your Parents & In-Laws Reacted to Your Illness?

Both Richard's parents died before I met him so I have no in-laws. My own parents were in their 70's when I first developed a chronic pain condition. Their reaction was surprising, although it shouldn't have been. They both backed away and assumed that Richard and I would handle it just fine.

We were not a family that discussed personal matters, and I guess illness is a personal matter. Or perhaps more accurately, the illness of an adult child, which in my family's taxonomy falls into the category that contains topics like sex, birth control, divorce, and emotion.

I think that my parents' reluctance to dive into my illness any more deeply than asking "How are you?" does not stem from indifference or callousness. Quite the opposite. I think it is their way of defending themselves against the consummate horror of knowing their child is in pain and getting sicker, and they are helpless to make it all go away.

Eventually they began phoning more frequently. My mother started sending me quarts of her home-made pea soup by mail (she shipped them frozen overnight and they would arrive partially thawed). I always felt their love, if not their caretaking.

What has been your experience (both as the ill and well partner) with parents and in-laws?

A Good Day

Beautiful day. Pink cherry tree blossoms exploding. Sidewalks carpeted in dogwood petals. Air smells green and hopeful. Pain is a whisper I have to really listen for if I want to notice it.

Richard greets me at the back door as I return from yoga class. He smiles like he's a five year old kid and I'm a chocolate ice cream cone. We talk about what kind of wine to bring to a barbecue tonight.

Today is a good day for me.

How would you describe what a good day is like for you?