How to Prevent Colon Cancer Disease

There are many cases of colon cancer today, with significantly more people being diagnosed with this potentially deadly disease below age 50 than previously. Colon cancer used to be considered a disease of the elderly, but nowadays many younger people are diagnosed with this kind of disease. This is more because of unhealthy lifestyles such as eating habits, lack of exercises and many other factors.

People tend to consume junk food and any other foods that are over-processed and contain high fat and sugar. This allows the chemically-laced food to sit in colon for longer time and lead to the cancer disease.

Several ways to keep your colon healthy:

1. Balancing your diet

A balance diet will supply your body with sufficient nutrition: balance in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. It will be better to get all these nutritions naturally by consuming healthy foods such as: fresh vegetables and beans, fish, fruits, seafood and milk. Taking daily supplements also will help.

2. Reduce over-processed foods

Reduce intake of over-processed foods, especially fried foods because these foods contain of high fat that is dangerous to health. You can also choose organic foods that are higher in nutrition. Avoid sausage, hot dogs, ham, and many of which contain salt, sodium nitrites and sodium nitrates, which play big role in leading to colon cancer.

3. Exercise regularly

Do exercise at least 3 times a week is adequate to maintain your stamina and health. If you have any disease, it would be wise to consult with your doctor what exercise suits your current condition.

4. Drink eight glasses of water daily

Adequate water is essential to your body and will help to clean your system by gently washing out offensive bacteria and germs that can harbor in the colon and lead to illness or problems.

5. Colon cleansing

Colon cleansing method has been so popular as an option to keep your colon healthy. Consult with your doctor if you wish to take this method.

6. Visit your doctor and have an annual medical check-up to prevent diseases.

J. Raizel is the owner of Beauty, Health and Fitness blog and Beauty, Health and Fitness eStore. You will find updated news, information, tips and articles about health, beauty and fitness and related products.

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Hodgkin's Disease

Lymphoma, better known as Hodgkin's Disease, is a condition characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. In addition to Hodgkin's, there are many other lymphoma diseases which are known as Non-Hodkin's lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma incidences become more and more common with age, whereas Hodkin's lymphoma is common between ages 16 and 35, and over 50.

The most common sign of Hodgkin's lymphoma is swollon lymph nodes, mainly in the neck. This is not painful, however some of the other expected symptoms are. These other symptoms are unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, itchy skin, low grade fevers, and night sweats. As these are common symptoms of any infection, the only accurate diagnosis is through lymph node biopsy and blood testing.

Unlike Hodgkin's lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer. In the united states, 5% of cancer victims are due to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Signs of this disease are similar to that of Hodgkin's, with a few differences. As well as in the neck, swollon lymph nodes are common in the underarm and groin. And in addition to itchy skin, patients will notice unexplained red patches.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma must be tested for as well, using things such as X-rays, MRI's, CT scans, PET scans, and Lymphangiogram, which are pictures of the lymphatic system taken with x-rays after a dye is injected to differentiate the lymph nodes and vessels. These tests are due to the simple fact that the symptoms are common in many other, less critical, conditions.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the article, this caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Tyler Brooker is the owner and operator of Lymphoma Disease - http://www.lymphoma-disease.com, which is the best site on the internet for all lymphoma related information.

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Mouth Cancer: A Painful Disease that can Strike Anyone

Mouth cancer is a painful disease. It can affect your lips, tongue, cheeks and even your throat in a short period of time. The first sign is a non-healing mouth ulcer or a red or white patch in the mouth.

This disease can affect anyone. It does not matter if you are a young or an old person. The important thing is the way of leading your life, because experts believe that mouth cancer is increasing probably due to drinking alcohol and smoking in huge quantities, and to a poor diet also.

It is believed that these people are up to 30 times more likely to develop this type of cancer than those who do not smoke nor drink alcohol.
The British Dental Health Foundation estimates mouth cancer kills 1,700 people in the United Kingdom every year, meanwhile 4,300 new cases are diagnosed. Thereby the importance of warning people of all ages to check their mouth regularly, since if mouth cancer is diagnosed early, it can be treated successfully in most cases.

Remember that the way to diminish considerably your risk of being affected by mouth cancer is leading a healthy lifestyle, giving up smoking, cutting down on alcohol and eating a healthy diet.

Regular self-examination is very important too, because you shall visit your doctor or dentist if you notice persistent ulcers, lumps or red or white patches in your mouth.

Article written by the staff of cancer - 10.com a website edited by Hector Milla. If you want to read more articles about mouth cancer information visit http://www.cancer-10.com, you can reprint this article in your website or ezine always mentioning the author above and keeping a live link to his website.

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The Most Deadly Disease of All: Denial

No matter what the statistics show about Heart Disease or Cancer, or any other disease, the disease of DENIAL kills more people every year than any other disease. It isn’t just that it kills more people every year; it also maims, cripples, disables, and incapacitates more people and those close to them, than anything else.

Denial is the greatest stumbling block anyone can have. Denying that anything is wrong, making excuses, being a victim, and accepting the status quo will never move us towards a better life. We are either moving forwards or sliding backwards, there is no middle ground. Denial will always cause us to slide backwards and create a downward spiral.
To get beyond denial, it is required that you conduct an honest evaluation of where you are and how you got there. If you want to know what your choices have been, concerning life up to this point, take a good look at where you are at today. Your life is the result of all of the decisions that you have made up to this point of your life.

If you are overweight, don’t blame it on your thyroid – blame it on your lack of making a decision about not doing anything about your thyroid. If you have adult onset diabetes – you may want to take a hard look at your diet and how much exercise you get. If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, or a fungus under your toenail – well you’re getting the picture – what choices did YOU make that brought on the condition?

Developing awareness of your situation is the first step. Taking responsibility for the condition you have is the second step in getting beyond denial. Once you own the problem, then you can do something about it. If you give control to others, or to the environment, or anything outside of yourself, it becomes impossible to better the situation. It is only when you are making decisions about your life, making the choices that allow change to take place that your life can begin to change. It is only with change that your lifestyle will begin to improve. (This is not to say that you shouldn’t collect data and evaluate the information before you make any decisions. Intelligent decisions are arrived at only after collecting as much information as one can assimilate.)

The third step towards improving your life is moving into action. You can change the mind to change the body. Everyone operates from a belief of some sort. Too often a belief is labeled with a tag of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but in reality, a belief is only enabling or disabling. Enabling beliefs assist in moving us towards what could be called a positive direction – to a better position is life, better health, more abundance in our lives, and more faith in a Higher Power. A disabling belief might be considered to bring chaos or dysfunction into our lives, to take us in a negative direction, so to speak.

People practice simple disciplines or they practice slight errors in judgments on a daily basis. Are the choices you make constructive or destructive, are they enabling or disabling? Once you recognize and realize that the choices you make are just choices, (nothing more, and nothing less, only choices!) then you can start asking yourself: Are these choices mine? When you take responsibility for your choices, then you can start asking yourself: Will this choice I make put me in a better place or take me further into my affliction? No matter what you decide, at least you will know that you are making a conscious decision and not leaving it to the subconscious or the automatic pilot inside you.

A second way to approach action is to realize that we can change the body to change the mind. It is said that what is in the subconscious is scattered throughout the musculature. In other words, our posture is determined by our disposition and our attitude. By physically standing up straighter and adopting a different posture than you are accustomed to, will force a change in the attitude and affect your belief.
Whether you decide to change the mind or change the body, understand that the task that you are undertaking, while simple in concept, may be difficult to implement. Old habits die hard. We must continue to impress our new desires upon our bodies and minds to develop those new beliefs and habits.

There are two definitions of denial that I know of:

1. Refusing to believe, accept or acknowledge is the first.

2. The second is a river in Egypt – De-Nile

Feel free to chose the definition that works best for you. Acknowledge what’s going on in your life or continue to float down that river in Egypt – the choice is yours.
May you have tremendous success as you trudge the road to happy destiny. Some days it’s going to rain and some days you’ll have more sunshine than you can ever want, whatever the day is like. I urge you to stay on the path and find the real you. The YOU that you truly desire!

Michael McCright is a Holistic Health Practitioner, educator, coach, and motivational speaker. His website: http://www.bodymindconnection.com covers a variety of health concerns. Michael is co-producer of an informative and educational DVD: “TMJ Relief”. For information and holistic solutions regarding TMJ disorder, go to: http://www.holisticspecifics.com
© 2005 Michael McCright – Reprints allowed as long as copy is complete with last paragraph and copyright information.

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Bent Penis: Peyronie's Disease

Three of 100 men suffer from Peyronie's disease, a bending of the penis during erection. The penis contains balloons that fill with blood to cause an erection. These balloons can develop a scar that prevents them from expanding normally during an erection, causing the penis to bend toward the scar. If you take a balloon and put a piece of Scotch tape on one side and then blow up the balloon, it will bend toward the side that has the Scotch tape. A report from Italy shows that Peyronie's disease can be cured by taking weekly injections of a medication to treat high blood pressure plus a drug that carries fat into cells.

Usually this is a harmless condition that requires no treatment because the scar disappears, with no treatment, within five years on the average. Impotence associated with Peyronie's disease responds well to all available treatments for impotence, such as Viagra. Doctors treat Peyronie's disease only when it hurts to have an erection or prevents a man from making love.

Surgery often fails to cure this condition, but Peyronie's disease can be cured by injections of verapamil directly into the scar in the penis (5 mg twice a week for 10 weeks) plus a 3-month administration of propionyl-L-carnitine (2 g/day). Check with your doctor.

For journal references on the studies mentioned in this article see http://www.drmirkin.com/men/1241.html

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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No More Heart Disease - How Nitric Oxide can Change Your Life

How NITRIC OXIDE can prevent – even REVERSE HEART DISEASE AND STROKE.

One out of EVERY TWO Americans will die from Cardiovascular Disease – which in almost every case could have been prevented. DON’T let you be one of them!

What is Nitric Oxide (NO)?

Though you may never have heard of NO, scientific research around the world has demonstrated that NO may influence the functioning of your lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach, and heart. Our vascular system uses NO to control blood flow to every part of the body. Not only can NO relax and dilate the blood vessels, thus ensuring that the blood can efficiently nourish the heart and tissues of the entire body, NO can also support healthy blood pressure when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.

The Cardiovascular system plays a powerful regulatory role in every major bodily function and organs, more specifically, every cell in the body. If the system is compromised, if vessels become constricted and hardening plaque builds up in them, you become a prime candidate for a heart attack and stroke, often without notable symptoms.

Most Cardiovascular Disease doesn’t have to happen. When you hear the words “CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE” most people automatically think of heart attacks. Cardiovascular Disease actually covers a much wider scope of serious health problems – heart attacks are just one type of Cardiovascular disease. Fortunately NITRIC OXIDE can positively affect virtually all of them.

Some of the most common forms of Cardiovascular Disease are:

High Blood Pressure

NITRIC OXIDE can help dilate the smooth muscle of the blood vessels. With this dilation, the vessels can relax and allow blood to flow easily through them and quite possibly lower the blood pressure.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

When you are young, the vessels around your heart are flexible. As most people age, the smooth inner walls of the arteries gradually thicken and lose some of their elasticity, at the same time, fatty deposits – or plaque are accumulated on the arterial walls. This is called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries and when that occurs it can reduce the diameter of the arteries and impair normal blood flow. When the body is manufacturing adequate and even excess NITRIC OXIDE, plaque formation and atherosclerosis are much less likely to occur and may be reversible.

HEART ATTACK

A blood clot in your coronary arteries may be only a fraction of an inch thick, but if it even slightly or completely deprives your heart of oxygen, it chokes off nourishment that the heart cells need and can cause a heart attack. Heart attacks can be triggered by more than blood clots. Excessive plaque in the arteries or a temporary but sudden contraction or spasm of the artery called a vasospasm that impedes blood flow can also cause heart attacks. Deprived of oxygen, a section of the heart tissue will “starve” and start to die. Serious damage can happen very quickly. NITRIC OXIDE can offer protection by acting to lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol and improve Circulation.

STROKE

Although heart attacks strike the heart, and strokes attack the brain, they have more in common than you might think. Both can be triggered by blood clots, although with strokes, these clots settle in the vessels leading to the brain rather than the heart. When that happens, the clots can interfere with normal blood flow and deprive the brain cells of oxygen. The outcome can be brain damage, disability and even death. The most common sites for these blood clots are the carotoid arteries, which are located on either side of the neck. When normal production of NITRIC OXIDE is impaired within the vessel walls, you are much more susceptible to clotting and strokes.

Two of NITRIC OXIDES critical functions – preventing the formation of blood clots and keeping the arteries free of plaque – work specifically against the occurrence of stroke.

LIFESTYLE CHOICES YOU MUST MAKE

Though some risk factors are beyond your control, such as family history or Cardiovascular disease, age and gender, you can influence many others with the lifestyle choices you make, because preventing Cardiovascular Disease always goes back to the choices YOU make.

• Stop smoking

• Lower your blood cholesterol level

• Control your blood pressure

• Keep your blood sugar under control

• Drink alcohol in moderation

• Maintain your weight at normal levels

• Exercise regularly

• Reduce stress, anxiety, loneliness and depression

If Cardiovascular health is your goal, NITRIC OXIDE needs to be on the front lines of your heart healthy program. Many heart attacks and strokes are preventable. You can put a stop to the progression of Cardiovascular Disease even if you already have it.

This article began with the sobering statistics that one out of two Americans will die of Cardiovascular disease – which in most cases could have been prevented. You can beat those odds, even if you currently have high blood pressure, have suffered a heart attack or at a high risk. The power to lead and entirely new and healthier lifestyle is in your hands.

Lynette Dollard works from home in the Health & Wellness Industry. She is supported by a network of renowned Doctors, a team of dedicated Scientists with all the latest information on health and wellness issues.

If you would like to find out more on how to change your heart health and diet whilst assisting your energy, circulatory and immune system functions please email me at lynetted@aapt.net.au or visit my website: http://trimtheweight.org/?refid=niwor-37446

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Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms

Chronic Lyme Disease, or late disseminated Lyme disease, is the third stage of this multi-system, multi-stage illness. Various factors may contribute to chronic Lyme disease. Not all people infected with the Lyme bacteria develop the same symptoms, and a correct diagnosis is difficult. Chronic Lyme disease can occur when people have not been properly diagnosed or treated, or if they have received inadequate treatment. If all of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease are not killed off, the illness can move into a chronic stage, resulting in arthritis, chronic fatigue, poor concentration skills, and more.

Patients who are diagnosed immediately after getting infected seem to have the best chance of quick and complete recovery when they begin antibiotic treatment immediately. Yet Lyme Disease, which has been nicknamed the Great Imitator, can mimic the symptoms of at least a hundred other medical conditions. Unsuspecting patients and their physicians simply may not know which tests to administer in the face of so many possibilities. Lyme disease is so often misdiagnosed that if and when the patient does eventually receive a correct diagnosis, their condition may have already become chronic.

According to some medical experts, if the Lyme Disease patient does not receive antibiotics for a long enough period of time, the symptoms may become chronic. Misdiagnosis can contribute to chronic Lyme Disease when doctors subscribe medications for diseases or conditions they believe their patients have, but in fact they do not. This can have disastrous results. For example, the use of cortico-steroids will replicate the spirochetes (bacteria) that cause Lyme Disease. Therefore, steroids are to be avoided where Lyme Disease is suspected, and they are contraindicated. Some Lyme-literate doctors believe that steroid use while Lyme bacteria are present will cause chronic Lyme disease. But, ignorant of the possibility of Lyme bacteria, Lyme-iliterate MDs have mistakenly prescribed steroids to control inflammation, with calamitous results for their patients.

Many people who have been labeled with another chronic disease such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, and others, may indeed have a condition that could be effectively treated with antibiotics. Lyme bacteria may be the underlying cause of their current condition, or at least a contributor. Many MDs are Lyme-illiterate. This is unfortunate considering the alarming rise in the number of proven Lyme Disease diagnoses. Incurious doctors may simply never suspect infection and therefore, never administer a test for Lyme Disease or one of the many coinfections with which it is frequently associated. They may go on wrongly treating a misdiagnosed patient for years. The patient, for their part, may continue being sick with chronic Lyme Disease, never understanding why the medicines they consume aren’t making them any better.

Rampant misdiagnosis, unreliable tests and contentiousness between medical experts regarding the correct treatment of Lyme Disease has created a milieu wherein patients are typically aware that they must advocate for their own healing path. But how can Lyme Disease patients advocate the best treatment for themselves if they remain ignorant of the underlying cause of their illness? And why are many medical experts ignorant of and uninformed about this rapidly spreading disease, now verging on epidemic?

Medical insurance constraints on long-term treatment of chronic Lyme Disease contribute to the problem. Many clinics, doctors and hospitals, are heavily lobbied by wealthy insurance companies who refuse to acknowledge the evidence put forth by Lyme-literate experts that long-term care is necessary for treating chronic Lyme disease successfully. Many MDs simply adhere to the stringent definition of this damaging disease posited by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Typical CDC protocol followed by many uninformed, Lyme-iliterate MDs is to administer a 30 day prescription of antibiotics, and assume that the bacteria will be killed off and the patient recovered by the end of the month. In some cases this is probably sufficient. But given the extremely complicated nature of a correct diagnosis, the varied symptoms of Lyme Disease patients, and the confusion of MDs over how best to treat Lyme Disease, it’s little wonder that in most cases, 30 days of antibiotic treatment does not cure the patient. In fact, according to one line of Lyme expert thought, this course of treatment is to blame for the disease moving into a chronic stage.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Copyright © 2005 Suzanne Arthur. All rights reserved.

Suzanne Arthur is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to the Lyme Disease Research Database. Learn how to defeat Lyme, join the Lyme Disease Research database- http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com

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Top 5 Ways to Diagnose Acid Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, also referred to as GERD or acid reflux disease, is an illness where the liquefied contents of the sufferers stomach backs up into their esophagus. The stomach contents that is regurgitated contains acids and pepsin that may cause quite severe damage to the esophagus although this only happens in very few cases. Acid reflux disease is a chronic disease and once you contract it you are likely to become a lifelong sufferer. If the esophagus does become damaged this is also a chronic disease. Treatment can be given to improve the state of the esophagus wall but if the treatment is stopped the problems can return within a matter of weeks.

1- Heartburn is by far the most common symptom of acid reflux disease and if a doctor suspects your heartburn is cause by acid reflux disease he or she will prescribe you with a medicine that stops the production of acid in your stomach. If it stops then it is assumed that you do indeed have acid reflux disease. This approach of diagnosis can be unreliable.

2- An endoscopy is another way of diagnosing acid reflux disease. A tube is swallowed so that doctors can see exactly what is going on inside your body. However, a esophagus of a patient suffering from the disease ordinarily looks quite normal so this method of diagnosis will only directly work for those patients whose esophagus has been damaged by their acid reflux disease. However, if an ulcer or other ailment that can cause similar problems is spotted then it may be possible to discount acid reflux disease.

3- Biopsies can be used to search for the existence of cancer. They can not be used to look for evidence of acid reflux disease but alternative causes of symptoms may be found.

4- Examining the throat and larynx is an approach that is sometimes consider for the diagnosis of acid reflux disease. Inflammation of either may indicate that a patient has acid reflux disease but there a number of other problems that may cause these symptoms too.

5- Esophageal acid testing is probably the most accurate way to test for acid reflux disease but is the most obtrusive as well. A tube is placed through the nose and into the esophagus where it remains for 24 hours. This tube has a sensor on the end and measures the amount of reflux generated over 24 hours.

John Mancini has been writing about Acid Reflux online and offline for a long time. Visit http://acid-reflux-cures.net or http://acid-reflux-solutions.info to read more about matters like acid reflux disease and acid reflux diet.

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The Use of Chinese Herbs for Lyme Disease

A number of Chinese herbs can be useful for the many different facets of Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is a bacterial infectious disease caused by the spirochetal organism, Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is usually caused by a tick bite. The prevalence of the disease is greatest in the northeastern United States, but there have been cases of the illness in all lower 48 states. The disease is easy to treat with antibiotics in its initial stages, but it is often not detected at that point. There is a bull’s eye rash that is characteristic of the disease, but many people never get the rash. The rash looks different in people with darker pigmentation, making it easy to mistake it for other skin conditions, including bruising or eczema. The wide variety of symptoms that a person can have in its later stages makes it hard to obtain a proper diagnosis, and the medical testing for the illness is still not very accurate in many cases.

People with later stages of Lyme need treatment on a number of different levels. At the very basic level, herbs that are anti-bacterial, specifically against spirochetal bacteria, are an important component of treatment. Herbs that have been shown to have activity against spirochetal bacteria include coptis (huang lian), andrographis paniculata (chuan xin lian), isatis (ban lan gen/qing dai), phellodendron (huang bai), scute (huang qin), forsythia (lian qiao), smilax (tu fu ling), and gardenia (zhi zi). Garlic is also a useful antibacterial supplement for those with Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease can lower body temperature and create poor blood circulation. A person is also likely to feel cysts, lumps, and swellings in different areas of their body that often change and move. The bacteria walls itself off, and creates an environment in which it can grow and thrive and the person with the disease ends up in severe pain, with horribly low energy, and neurological problems. The disease thrives in a low temperature, low oxygen environment, and that is the environment it creates within the body. People with the disease often have signs and symptoms similar to someone with severe altitude sickness (also caused by a low oxygen environment). Chinese herbs that clear blood stasis and break blood stagnation can be very useful for this aspect of the disease. The herb, pseudoginseng (san qi), can be extremely beneficial for people with Lyme Disease. It promotes blood circulation and oxygenation in the body, and can force open the cysts that protect the bacteria from being killed off. It also can help clear some of the brain fog that people with this disease have by improving blood circulation and oxygenation to the brain. Frankincense (ru xiang), and myrrh (mo yao) can also help by improving blood circulation, especially to the joints, where the bacteria often hides in cartilaginous tissue where blood circulation tends to be poorer. An herb that is frequently used by people with Lyme Disease, teasel root, is beneficial because it improves circulation in the body and also has a warming affect. All of these herbs can help significantly with the intense and chronic pain that those with later stages of Lyme disease experience.

Certain Chinese herbs can be used to reduce the person’s sensitivity to cold and improve microcirculation in the body. Herbs such as clove, cinnamon, ginger, and siegesbeckia can be useful for this purpose.

The lymphatic system and the metabolism are often compromised in people with Lyme Disease. The bacteria frequently hides inside the walls of white blood cells, and results in swollen and congested lymph glands. People with the disease often have symptoms of hypothyroidism and a slowed metabolic rate even if all of their thyroid tests are normal. In Chinese Medicine, herbs that treat phlegm are frequently used for conditions related to a slow metabolism and a congested lymphatic system. The Chinese herb, prunella vulgaris (xia ku cao), and scrophularia (xuan shen) are very useful for inflammation, congestion, and infection of the lymphatic system. Herbs such as citrus aurantium, kelp, epimedium, and Siberian ginseng, can be beneficial for improving a sluggish metabolism in people with Lyme Disease who have signs or symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

Another aspect of Lyme Disease is severe and debilitating fatigue and a total lack of energy. This can be due to a host of different factors. Poor oxygenation and blood circulation and lowered metabolism and body temperature are part of the picture. The person’s adrenal glands may not be functioning properly either. Someone with Lyme Disease may also have a host of digestive problems that result in a lack of adequate nutrition. The disease itself can trigger chemical changes in the brain that create severe depression and an inability to concentrate, which is debilitating as well.

In Chinese medicine, herbs that nourish the qi and blood can help this lack of energy. The herbs can improve the person’s digestive functioning, support the functioning of the brain, support proper functioning of the adrenal glands, and improve the person’s ability to handle stress. They can also help the proper functioning of the mitochondria in their production of ATP in the cells, which helps a person’s energy at a very fundamental level. Siberian ginseng, schizandra, licorice, and astragalus are all good herbs for improving a person’s energy level, digestive functioning, and their ability to handle stress. White peony, dong quai, and wolfberry nourish the blood and reduce fatigue. Polygonum and eucommia can help improve a person’s adrenal response and can improve brain functioning. Bupleurum, longan fruit, zyzyphus seed, dragon bone, oyster shell, and magnolia bark can be beneficial for the depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, and sleep problems that people with Lyme Disease experience.

As you can see, Lyme Disease is a complex illness with many facets. Chinese herbal medicine has numerous herbs in its pharmacopia that can treat the many different aspects of this disease in a comprehensive and holistic manner.

Farah Khan is a licensed acupuncturist and Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She developed an interest in Lyme Disease after contracting the illness in October of 2001, and developing late stage Lyme Disese by June of 2002. She has used numerous methods to recover from this insidious illness, including her own training and expertise in Chinese herbal medicine. She offers herbal and essential oil formulas related to this condition on the web at http://www.yinessence.com/home.htm. She can be reached at farah@yinessence.com.

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Leptospirosis - Deadly Disease Rains Down in the Fall

Fall through December is the prime season for leptospirosis,
a disease spread by wild and domestic animals. This disease can
attack a dog's kidneys, liver or blood vessels with serious and
even fatal consequences.

The problem is that this is the rainy season and rains wash the
spiral-shaped leptospires into ponds and other bodies of water while
the water temperature encourages the bacteria to survive.

Dogs can contact the disease directly from other animals or by contact
with soil or water containing the bacteria thanks to contaminated urine
or poop, Louise Louis of www.ToyBreeds.com stated.

Getting outdoors with your dog can be a great experience but it exposes
your dog to this bacterial disease. "Outdoors" especially includes dog parks
which I hate. Many owners do not have their dogs vaccinated and many, many
owners are irresponsible about picking up dog poop.

Contacting the disease isn't necessarily fatal. Common symptoms include fever,
loss of appetites, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and reddening of
the eye area. Some dogs manage to clear the infection through their systems
with minimal problems.

Other dogs, however, can suffer kidney or liver failure if the disease goes
untreated. Tufts Veterinary School reports that about one in five dogs die
from the disease.

There is a vaccination for leptospirosis although it covers only four strains
of the disease. Recently, veterinarians are seeing increasing incidences of
the disease as well as new strains of the disease that vaccines don't protect a
gainst. It's estimated that more than 200 strains exist worldwide.

Be aware that humans can contact leptospirosis so it is important to protect
your dog as well as yourself. In addition to talking to your vet about vaccinating
your dog, here are a few tips to prevent disease.

1. Avoid high risk areas such as dog parks.

2. Don't let your dog drink from ponds, lakes and other public water areas.
Give him tap water and take containers with you for him when you do on hikes.

3. Clean up your own yard, both of your dog's poop and any leavings from
other animals that might wander into your yard. Remember animals includes
rodents, raccoons, skunks, moles as well as other domestic animals.

4. Wash your dogs after handling your dog and anything that might have
his urine or poop on it.

5. Clean potentially infected surfaces with an antibacterial solution
or a homemade mixture of bleach and water.

6. Most important - if you suspect your dog may be sick or infected,
get him to a vet as quickly as possible. The earlier the treatment, the
better the outcome.

Louise Louis is a certified canine specialist and
creator of the popular website on small dogs,
http://www.ToyBreeds.com

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