By Harry Benjamin N.D.
Compiled and edited by Ivor Hughes.
Part 2 Continued.
Low Blood-pressure. - Low blood-pressure is a condition in which the heart's action in forcing the blood through the arteries is weak, and is a direct outcome of a weakened and devitalised system. Like anaemia, it is not a disease, but a condition ; and the treatment for Anaemia given in this section can be followed by those suffering from low blood-pressure with the possibility of the very best results.
Nose Bleeding. - Although not a disease, nose bleeding can be very disagreeable in many cases, and a word or two about it will not come amiss in this section. As a matter of fact, bleeding from the nose is often a very good thing, albeit uncomfortable, as it is one of Nature's ways of relieving pressure and congestion in the head. (Those who suffer from nose bleeding will not have to worry about the possibility of having a paralytic stroke.)
As regards treatment, see First Aid Section on the self help section of the site library. Nothing should be done forcibly to stop the bleeding, such as placing wads of cotton-wool up the nose, etc. If the dietetic rules and rules for healthy living given in this book are carried out, the frequency of the attacks will gradually diminish, until their occurrence will be very rare indeed.
Pernicious Anaemia. - Pernicious ansemia, although of directly constitutional origin, like ordinary ansemia, is a far more serious condition indeed. With this complaint the symptoms of ordinary anaemia are very greatly intensified, and more often than not some definite organic disease or other is directly connected with the trouble. Treatment for pernicious anaemia, if left in orthodox medical hands, is useless, so far as a real cure is concerned. The latest fad is the feeding of liver extracts to the sufferer in the hope of increasing the tone and red cell-count of the blood. But such treatment never gets down to the root cause of the trouble, which is directly constitutional in character, and so little comes of it.
The sufferer from pernicious anaemia who would be really cured should enter a Natural-Cure institution at once. A protracted fast followed by the full milk diet has been the means of bringing to health again many sufferers from the complaint who were given up as hopeless by the medical profession. In the treatment of pernicious anaemia along the above lines, " Champneys," the Tring Natural-Cure Resort, has a very fine record indeed.
Phlebitis. - Phlebitis means inflammation of a vein or veins, and although the disease may occur in any part of the body, it is the large veins of the leg which are usually involved. It is most often associated with injury to a vein�especially varicose veins� and is a condition which demands careful and prompt attention. (Personal naturopathic advice should always be sought where possible.)
Pain, inflammation, and swelling are the usual signs of the trouble, with the affected veins tender, swollen, knotted, and hard. If the trouble is not treated properly right away, the whole limb becomes affected, and becomes hard and glossy and enlarged. (Injection treatment for varicose veins sometimes results in phlebitis, a most definite warning of the foolishness of such practices.)
Treatment. - The underlying cause of phlebitis is, of course, a highly toxic blood-stream, and the treatment is essentially the same as given for blood-poisoning in this present section. Only the complete cleansing of the blood and tissues can lead to the effective and early cessation of the trouble. The patient should stay in bed, and fast for from three to five, seven, or more days, according to the severity of the condition. The warm-water enema should be used to cleanse the bowels nightly during this period, and after if necessary. The affected limb should be raised above the general level of the rest of the body whilst lying in bed, by placing pillows under it, and hot and cold fomentations can be applied several times daily. (Wring out a towel in hot water, place it over the affected area for, say, three minutes, then apply another for the same length of time, and finish off with a cold one.) Great care in handling the affected limb is necessary to avoid thrombosis or other serious complications occurring during this stage.
When the more serious symptoms have disappeared, the full Epsom-salts bath and the Epsom-salts foot-bath can both be used with good advantage ( � Ib. of salts for the foot-bath) ; but these should not be attempted until the patient can be sure the affected limb can be trusted to stand the strain of sitting up or moving about. Once the inflammation shows definite signs of subsiding, the dietetic treatment should be a few days on the all-fruit diet, to follow the fast, and then the gradual adoption of the full weekly diet given in the Appendix. (At this stage the sufferer from phlebitis should turn to the treatment for Varicose Veins outlined in this section, and carry it out as thoroughly and carefully as he can. That is the only way to build up the tone of the veins and the bodily health generally.)
Poor Circulation. - Defective circulation may be due to three main causes :
(1) It may be the outcome of a heavily toxin-clogged condition of the blood and blood-vessels ; or
(2) It may be due to a debilitated condition of the system generally; or
(3) It may be due to heart trouble, either alone or coupled with disease of some other vital organ.
With regard to Group (1), the people so affected will often be stout or heavily built people, and their poor circulation is entirely due to the fact that the superficial blood-vessels of the body are so clogged with waste matter that an adequate supply of fresh blood cannot reach them properly, and so the external surfaces of the body are left in a permanently " half-active " condition, with resultant feeling of coldness, numbness of extremities, etc. In these cases the eating of excessive quantities of demineralised, starchy, sugary, protein, and fatty foods, the drinking of much tea and coffee and other stimulative beverages, over-clothing of the body (thereby preventing effective skin action), and lack of exercise are the chief factors at work in setting up the trouble.
In Group (2) a debilitated condition of the system due to prolonged previous disease, nervous exhaustion, excesses of all kinds, etc., coupled with defective nutrition due to malassimilation of food, is the cause of the deficiency of circulation in question. (Excessively thin people with poor circulation come under this group.)
With regard to Group (3) here it is inability of the heart to pump an adequate supply of blood through the system which is the direct cause of the deficiency of circulation, with wrong feeding and general wrong living�to say nothing of previous drug treatment�as the agents responsible for the setting up of the condition in the first place.
Treatment. - According to which group the patient comes under, so the treatment for poor circulation will necessarily be different. Those coming under Group (1) will find the treatment for high blood-pressure given in the present section not only the quickest and surest means of getting rid of their defective circulation, but of building up their whole general health as well. Those under Group (2) can carry out the treatment for low blood-pressure with equal assurance of good results accruing in due time both as regards their circulatory trouble and health generally. Those in Group (3) should turn to the treatment for heart trouble given in the section on Diseases of the Heart, Lungs, etc. or for that for the special organ such as the kidneys, lungs, etc., which may be responsible in their particular case.
All sufferers from poor circulation should see to it that they do not wear too many clothes, as this makes their condition really worse by preventing proper skin action ; underwear should always be light and porous, never of the heavy woollen variety. If any extra heavy clothing is needed at any time, it should be outside garments, not the inner garments, which should be considered for this. A fair amount of outdoor exercise should be taken daily by all desirous of getting the best out of the^treatment. Walking is the best form of exercise of all, irrespective of age.
Raynaud's Disease. - This is a disease in which there are functional changes in the blood-vessels of the fingers and toes generally, although other parts may be affected too. The bloodvessels become contracted, and there is pallor and apparent dead-ness of the skin. This condition is sometimes followed by dilation, and then there is a purple or red colour to the skin. In some cases the disease is accompanied by dizziness, disturbances of vision, fainting, etc. It is a condition very similar in many ways to frost-bite, and is nervous in origin, the vaso-motor nerves being those affected. The underlying cause of the trouble is constitutional, however, and wrong feeding and faulty living may be regarded as the chief factors involved, plus suppressive drug treatment of previous disease, and nerve trouble due to worry, emotional or mental disturbances, etc.
Treatment. - The treatment for Raynaud's disease should be in the hands of a Naturopath if at all possible, diet, manipulation, ray therapy, and massage being especially beneficial. As regards home treatment, the best plan is to follow the treatment given in the present section for High Blood-pressure and Arteriosclerosis. In addition to the Epsom-salts bath twice weekly, the affected areas can be bathed twice daily, night and morning, in hot water containing Epsom salts (in the proportion of one tablespoonful of salts to a cupful of hot water). Sun and air bathing are both good for this complaint; and, as already stated, manipulative treatment, massage, and ray therapy are especially useful.
Thrombosis. - This is a condition in which a blood-clot forms in a blood-vessel after injury. It is a condition which may have serious consequences if not attended to right away, and a Naturopath should be called in wherever possible. If this is impracticable, treatment should be along the lines given for Phlebitis in this section. Rest is essential.
Varicose Veins. - Varicose veins are veins which have become enlarged, dilated, or thickened. They may appear on any part of the body, but are seen most often on the legs. The veins of the legs are the largest in the body, and have the burden of carrying the used blood from the lower extremities back towards the heart; if circulation is sluggish, as a result of constipation, wrong feeding, lack of exercise, etc. a varicose condition of these veins often results. A vocation which demands many hours of standing daily often acts as a predisposing factor (but is in no sense a primary cause), as do also the wearing of tight clothing, garters, etc., etc.
The condition is a very painful one in many cases, and it cannot be said that much hope of cure is held out to the sufferer by orthodox medical methods of treatment. To-day, medical treatment consists of either operation or injection treatment. Results are far from satisfactory, for in neither of these attempts at " cure " are basic causes dealt with. Operation merely removes one affected vein, to pave the way for others to become affected. Injection treatment has, to the writer's personal knowledge, led to many serious complications in persons who have allowed themselves to undergo such treatment. One case developed blood poisoning, another phlebitis, and a third developed serious ear trouble, all as a result of injection treatment !
Treatment. - The only treatment for varicose veins which can really be successful must be one that aims at the removal of causes, not effects. Treatment must be constitutional in the highest degree. A fast for four to seven days, or from seven to fourteen days on the all-fruit diet, is the best way of beginning the treatment. The warm-water enema should be used nightly during this period, and if constipation is habitual, as it usually is in cases of varicose veins.
After the fast or period on all-fruit, the full weekly diet given in the Appendix should be adopted, and adhered to as strictly as possible. The diet should be plain and simple�fresh fruits and salads predominating�and all condiments, alcoholic liquors, coffee, strong tea, etc., should be avoided in future ; as also white-flour products, such as pastries, rich cakes, etc., and white sugar, and white-sugar products, such as jams, confectionery, etc.
Further periods on all-fruit, two or three days at monthly intervals, or a further short fast or two may be required in some cases, depending upon the progress being made, of course. The hot Epsom-salts bath is very valuable, and should be taken twice weekly; whilst the hot and cold sitz-bath (as described in the Appendix) will be found most beneficial, and should be taken every night of the week, if possible, excepting those nights on which an Epsom-salts bath is being taken. The dry friction and sponge or sitz-bath and the breathing and other exercises given in the Appendix should be gone through daily, and fresh air and outdoor exercise should take their due part in the treatment. All health-building measures are good. (After any hot bathing the affected parts should be well rinsed with cold water.)
As regards purely local treatment, the cold pack is most useful, and should be applied nightly before retiring, and removed in the -morning. (See the Appendix for details of application of the pack.) Spraying of the affected parts with cold water is also good. Another very good thing is to rest "the legs wherever possible by reclining on a couch with the legs at a higher level than the remainder of the body. Place cushions under the legs for this, or sit on one chair with the feet placed on a chair facing. This should be done between working hours for half an hour at a time if at all possible, and in the evenings for a longer period. Manipulative treatment at the hands of a good Naturopath or Osteopath is also very good in all cases of varicose veins. Obviously some cases will take longer than others to show results, but perseverance with the treatment will bring its due reward.
SPECIAL NOTE RE VARICOSE ULCERS. - The treatment for varicose ulcers is the same as for varicose veins, except that a fast of from four to seven days should be taken to begin with, followed by fourteen days on the restricted diet given in the Appendix, after which the full weekly diet given therein can be begun. Further fasts followed by periods on the restricted diet will no doubt be needed at two- or three-monthly intervals in most cases.
Besides the local treatment advised for varicose veins, the ulcer can be bathed several times a day in hot water containing Epsom salts ( � lb. of salts to a bowlful of hot water). Another thing which has proved very beneficial indeed in many cases is the use of clay packs. (For further information concerning clay packs see note at the end of Section 2 on Skin Diseases.)
Poultices made with " Slippery Elm Food " are also most valuable.
Further information may be gleaned by consulting the various sections of the site library or using the site search engine at the top right hand of the page.
