Health and medical news blog

1. A little three-year-old had a heavy cold. When she was put to bed at night, she coughed continually. This was distressing to the child and also the parents. A heating compress was suggested, and it was applied as indicated in the pictures. Within ten minutes the coughing had stopped, and a good night’s sleep was enjoyed by all. The compress stimulated a healing reaction, and the little girl was soon over her cold.

2. Another family was travelling on a Queensland train overnight. One of the children, about nine years old, had a distressing cold, and nothing could ease the coughing. So, right there on the train, a wet heating compress was put on the child’s chest, and silence soon reigned.

Do not be afraid to use the wet heating compress. If the coughing does not cease in about ten minutes, then it is possible that it has not been applied correctly. Check to see that all air has been blocked from the chest. The cold, moist doth causes the body to react by heating this area with extra blood flow; hence the name, ‘heating’ compress. In addition to carrying away the poisons, the increased circulation causes relaxation of the underlying muscles and thus reduces nervous tension. Use on the throat in the same way. Place the wet handkerchief or cloth around and cover with plastic and I he warm cloth. This will relieve the sore throat and break up the inflammation.

This same basic treatment can be used for the elimination (if toxins via the skin by placing the whole body in a heating compress. Usually a chronically ill person will find this a mild and yet very effective means of eliminating poisons. If the patient is a person who is inclined to chill easily, put him into a warm bath or shower first for five or ten minutes to warm him up. Then proceed with the treatment as follows:

Wrap the body in a sheet wrung out of warm water using the same method as described for the wet sheet pack. During the wrapping process the warmth will diminish, mid the sheet will feel cool to the patient, but the fact that you did use warm water will be comforting to him. Next a plastic sheet is applied to help retain body heat. A woolen blanket is added to this, and, if necessary, another blanket over all. A cold cloth is placed on the forehead, and a hot water bottle is put at the feet. In a short time the face will reveal that the patient is sweating inside the pack. When a strong reaction has taken place, remove enough blankets to slow it down to a comfortable sweating. The patient will be your best indicator to determine when this has taken place. Enough body heat to keep the perspiration going is all that is necessary. Bathe the face in cool water quite often during the process which is usually continued for about two hours. When the treatment is over, have the patient take a cool shower. The treatment has brought the blood to the surface, stimulating the elimination of poisons through the skin, so they need to be washed away. You may be surprised how lovely and healthy the skin will feel and how relaxed the patient will be.

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In 1965, a strong and active young man of our acquaintance came down with a particularly severe fever. The cause was unknown, and it was puzzling and surprising that he should be so afflicted since he had been careful to obey the laws of health and was not especially aware of having violated any particular one.

His body was burning with fever, and he decided to commence with the cold sheet treatment at once, but he felt that the ordinary wet sheet was not cold enough to handle the heat his body was generating. So, he advised his assistant to place the sheets, after wetting them, in the deep freeze. This was done, and the sheets were duly delivered, as stiff as boards. He paused only long enough to thaw them till they were flexible and then applied them to his body. This proved to be effective, but even then it took twelve applications before the heat was drawn off and the fever abated.

In this case, the patient was intelligent in regard to the treatment, believed in it implicitly, and supervised the application himself. This meant that the powerful healing force of his mind was added to the treatment. The next day he was able to depart as scheduled on a very long and arduous journey. Curiously enough, while he has suffered various minor illnesses in the thirteen years since, he has never again come down with a severe fever. The treatment had assisted nature in its work, resulting in the strengthening of the area where the disease found entrance previously. Of course, it should be stressed that this patient was naturally very vital and strong so that the one course of treatment proved to be all that was needed to provide lasting protection. In a person with less vitality, the treatment may have to be repeated many times before immunity is achieved. In some cases, it might never be achieved. But, in any case, the patient will be considerably strengthened by the treatment, and for this reason alone it is well worth while.

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A good portion of the value of natural home treatments lies in the understanding of what is happening in the body. For this very reason, when the practitioner has decided upon a course of action to be followed for a problem, both the nature of the problem and the proposed course of treatment is openly discussed with the patient. This is of tremendous value because the more intelligent the patient is in this respect, the more his mind will cooperate with the treatment, making it more effective on the body.

The cooperation of the mind of the patient is very important to you, as the practitioner, and winning the patient’s confidence is the first requisite in a successful course of treatment. Many scientific studies have produced evidence leading to the inescapable conclusion that the mind has a great deal of influence over leading a person into or out of illness or even death. An article from Psychology Today, November 1977, by Dr. George Engel of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry revealed interesting results from several studies done on cases of sudden death. In an outstanding percentage of the cases studied, the victims were confronted with situations in which they felt as though they had lost control. Seeming to conclude that it was no longer worthwhile to try and change the situation, they mentally resigned themselves to death, and it was not long after that this result did indeed follow the assuming of this hopeless surrender.

The mind can have an effect just as powerfully positive as negative. The wise practitioner will do everything he can to remove the skepticism and enlist the willing cooperation of his patient, knowing that the result will be a significantly speedier recovery. When this relationship between the mind and the body is understood as it should be, it will be recognized that the best and most skillfully carried out treatments will bring little success if forced upon the patient against his will.

With this in mind, discuss with your patient, if he is of an age of understanding, what laws you think have been violated. Tell him when you think there is a congestion indicated by the pain he is having, and show him how the water, or steam, or whatever you will apply will increase the power of the circulation to take away poisons and wastes from this area toward the eliminative organs. When using natural treatments, every little thing will help and you should never feel that you are losing time by attempting to bring the patient’s body into a cooperative state through enlisting the support of his mind.

The effect of the influence of the health worker on the patient should not be underestimated. Each of us possesses an atmosphere around us that makes it impossible for us to live to ourselves. This personal atmosphere affects every person with whom we come into contact. And its effect is not neutral; it is either negative or positive. The successful health worker’s life will be charged with faith, courage, and hope. This is the only atmosphere that will be of benefit to the sick person who will be discouraged, morose, and faithless. Much of the patient’s final outcome depends on the practitioner’s attitudes and frame of mind.

It is the privilege of the home healer to be an instrument through which the healing power of Christ’s love may be conveyed to the sick one. As it is received, the love of Christ will be a vitalizing power that diffuses through the whole being. “Every vital part—the brain, the heart, the nerves—it touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the anxiety and care that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and composure. It implants in the soul joy that nothing earthly can destroy— . . . health-giving, life-giving joy.” The Ministry of Healing, Ellen G. White, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1942.

In this light it is to be seen how important love as a healing power really is. The power that Christ exercised to heal disease, cast out demons, and raise the dead was the power of faithful, never-changing love. His patients had faith in Him because they received from Him love which was so constant and unchanging that they knew His promises would always be realized. His word was sure. “The same power that Christ exercised when He walked visibly among men is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. … It is in these promises that Christ communicates to us His grace and power. . . . Nothing else can have such healing power.” ibid.

However, it is a fact that a person cannot give what he does not have. The healing power of love comes from God, for God is love. Only as the health worker receives Christ’s healing power into his own life will he be able to impart it to others, and the more of His love he receives, the more healing power he will have to impart.

The love that God gives is based on total freedom. Under His government compelling power is never to be found. Down through the annals of history it has been His policy to allow men to perish, if they so choose, rather than to force His will upon them, even though it would have been for their own good.

Likewise, we must in love give this freedom to our patients. If at any time the patient is hesitant or reluctant to proceed with a certain course of treatment, the practitioner should respect his wishes. He must never assert himself over a patient nor insist that the patient submit to a course against his will. It is a mistake to suppose that in doing this it would be done “for the patient’s own good.” The use of force is contrary to the principle of love and will inhibit rather than activate the healing powers of the body.

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There are three main types of prostate disorder — cancer of the prostate, prostatitis and prostatic hypertrophy or enlargement of the prostate. Cancer of the prostate is the third most common cancer experienced by males and is usually found in men over the age of sixty. Common symptoms are frequent and difficult urination and the presence of blood in the urine. Sometimes, however, there are no apparent symptoms. Prostatic examination by a medical practitioner is recommended for men in this age group.

Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate caused by bacteria and is treated with antibiotics. Enlargement of the prostate is a common complaint in men over 50. Symptoms include a lessening in the force of the urinary flow, difficult or patchy flow followed by dribble, and a feeling that the bladder is never completely empty. Some of these symptoms are a result of the enlarged prostate compressing the urethra, producing pressure on both bladder and urethra.

Treatment of benign enlargement of the prostate involves dietary, herbal and vitamin intake. Legumes, sprouted seeds and whole grains are valuable because of the hormones they contain. Other helpful foods include green string and red kidney beans, beetroot, cabbage, onions, parsley and pumpkin seeds. The herb saw palmetto forms the basis of herbal treatment and should be supplemented with horsetail. Anise is also recommended because of its mild oestrogenic action. Other herbal treatments are clivers, nettle, ginseng and couch grass. Zinc should also be taken as a supplement, as lack of zinc has been suggested as a possible cause of prostate enlargement.

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Eczema is a common, non-contagious rash in children. Generally, it starts between one month and two years of age, but sometimes it begins later. Eczema may disappear after two years of age, or it may appear oft” and on throughout childhood.

The cause of eczema is questionable but the condition is usually inherited. Eczema is a form of atopic dermatitis (any inflammation of the skin due to allergy). Children who have eczema often later develop other allergies, such as hay fever, asthma, and eye allergies.

Eczema sometimes is an allergic reaction to foods, beverages, and medications (including vitamin supplements). It also may be an allergic reaction to substances that come in contact with the skin. In some children, conditions such as heat or cold or emotions such as anger may cause itching and scaly skin all over the body.

Skin affected by eczema can easily become infected, especially if the skin is scratched. Common complications of eczema include infections with herpes simplex virus, vaccinia virus, and impetigo.

The eczema rash is dry, slightly scaly, pink, and itchy. The rash becomes red from rubbing and scratching. There is no fever or other symptoms, except when scratching causes an infection.

Eczema often begins on the cheeks (“clown” eczema) and around the mouth. It may also crop up on the buttocks or elsewhere. The most common location is behind the knees and in the folds of the elbows. Eczema rarely covers the entire body. It sometimes takes the form of round coin-like patches scattered on the body (nummular eczema). When it appears in this round patchy form, eczema may be confused with ringworm and pityriasis rosea. Often eczema occurs in combination with seborrhea (cradle cap).

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Want to live forever? Get religion.

The world’s major religions promise eternal life. They don’t all agree, though, on exactly how we get from here to eternity. But in a nice little cosmic twist, it turns out that spiritual beliefs may well delay our journey to the unknown, allowing us to shuffle along on this mortal coil longer. Numerous studies have suggested that aspects of spirituality contribute to better health, better quality of life, and yes, even longer years.

Just what is this spirituality thing? It is not the same as religiosity. True, religious people are spiritual, but spiritual people are not all religious, notes Krista Kurth, Ph.D., a management consultant in Potomac, Maryland, who specializes in spirituality in the workplace.

Dr. Kurth’s preferred definition of spirituality is “the Divine influence working in the human heart.” That’s “Divine” with a capital D. For those uncomfortable with the concept of “the Divine,” she offers this definition: “the sense that there is something more than us out there that connects us all.” Spirituality, she says, is “our recognition of our connection with the Divine,” or with that something greater, be it greater consciousness or greater sense of being.

Let’s say that you cultivate a sense of connectedness with the Divine. What is it going to do for you? Scientists who’ve tried to isolate God in the laboratory do have some answers.

Science Weighs In

Religiously active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the Mormons) live longer and have half the death rate from heart disease, cancer, and other debilitating diseases compared to the general population, says James Enstrom, Ph.D., associate research professor in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Enstrom knows. He has tracked 10,000 active Mormons for 14 years in order to relate their mortality patterns to their lifestyle. Active Mormons do not smoke, do not drink, and attend church regularly. Sure, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco helps. But it’s not the whole story.

Church attendance also appears to be a positive health factor. Dr. Enstrom is not sure how church attendance works its magic. However, he says, Mormon or not, people who attend church regularly generally are healthier than those who do not attend church. Dr. Enstrom is pretty sure because he also followed a large general population sample of nonsmoking people (in an effort to replicate the Mormon lifestyle in a non-Mormon population). What happened? “The nonsmoker who attended church regularly was healthier than the nonsmoker who didn’t attend church regularly,” he says. Research by other investigators has supported these findings.

But what of the spiritual folks who don’t attend church? Do they enjoy better health and a better sense of well-being?

Yes, according to the latest research. The “relaxation response” linked with meditation – a practice with multifarious spiritual origins – provides a plethora of health benefits, says Herbert Benson, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and author of Timeless Healing. Spirituality also advocates a healthier lifestyle and increases social support, which helps you deal with stress and improves your coping skills.

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