May 19, 2012

Dong Quai: Natural Menopause Treatment

How to Balance Low Female Hormone Levels during Menopause. Dong Quai is a Natural Herbal Remedy to Increase Estrogen and Progesterone.

 

Benefits of Dong Quai

Over its million years of existence Dong Quai root has had a variety of medicinal uses. Ancient Chinese civilization used to use it as a sedative, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antispasmodic and is often referred to as the “female ginseng.”

Dong Quai root contains phytoestrogens, which have been proven to have a biological structure, which is chemically similar to estrogen. This component of many phytoestrogenic plants is capable of regenerating diminished estrogen levels. Estrogen is a key part of the body and an imbalance can cause a number of painful or embarrassing menopause symptoms for women approaching middle age.

Chinese herbalists usually soak the root in wine or boil it in water, discard the root and drink the liquid as a tonic. Apart from being helpful in soothing menstrual issues, Dong Quai root is also used to combat high blood pressure and anemia.

Dong Quai Root is also known for being able to treat the following effectively:

  • Sleep disturbances
  • Relief from menstrual disorders such as irregular bleeding
  • The relaxing of peripheral blood vessels
  • Spasms
  • Relief from menopausal symptoms

Advantages of Dong Quai

  • Dong Quai root as a viable option to female hormone replacement therapy: Dong Quai is useful for treating hot flashes, night sweats and sleeplessness, the latter usually occurs as a result of night sweats and sometimes itching. For maximum effect Dong Quai should be taken with black cohosh.
  • Dong Quai root as treatment for other conditions: Dong Quai is also used for effectively treating PMS, arthritis, and lowering blood pressure.
  • Dong Quai root is an efficient treatment method for menopause symptoms: This herb aids in regulating the levels of estrogen in your body, which also assists in relieving menopause symptoms. Moreover, Dong Quai is a mild sedative that will help reduce mood swings and stress related to menopause.

Cautions

If you are taking an anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medication or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (such as ibuprofen), check with your doctor before trying Dong Quai as it will have additive blood thinning and anti-inflammatory properties. Dong Quai also contains substances called psoralens that can react to sunlight, especially in fair-skinned people. Dong Quai may have a mild laxative effect, and menstrual bleeding may increase when taking Dong Quai. Stop taking Dong Quai if a skin rash or photosensivity develops. Don’t take Dong Quai if you are pregnant or nursing. Dong Quai root has also been linked to aggravate the spread of breast cancer cells. As with all herbal and dietary supplements, you should always inform your physician about what you are taking in order to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions.

The Natural Way

Traditional Chinese medicine refers to Dong Quai as the Queen of female herbs because of its beneficial effects on the female reproductive system in much the same way as ginseng is popular for increasing potency of men. In fact, Dong Quai ranks only next to licorice in frequency of use in Chinese herbal medicine. Its optimizing effect on female hormones, its healing properties for uterine disorders and its richness in nutritional supplements make it valuable as an aphrodisiac for women.

Dong Quai:

  • May be used as a general woman’s tonic for female reproductive health
  • Promotes hormonal balance
  • Helps maintain healthy estrogen and progesterone levels in menopause symptoms
  • Promotes emotional balance to address PMS “blues”
  • Provides long-term benefits for female health

Order Dong Quai HERE.

 

 

Dealing with Stress and Cortisol Control

Many of us stuffer with stress, some of us more than others. However, few of us are really aware that stress impacts our health. Fear not. There are simple steps you can take to help better manage it.

Usually associated with the physical and mental side-effects of a busy lifestyle, stress is rampant during times such as this. For many people, a bad economy is at the root of money worries, leading to high anxiety. During periods of stress, the body generates chemicals called cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Coritsol is commonly known as the “stress hormone,” this very important hormone is produced and secreted by the adrenal gland. It helps regulate numerous body functions including blood pressure, insulin release, glucose metabolism, immune function and inflammatory response. It also plays an important role in the regulation of emotion, cognition, reward, and energy utilization.

Why do we need to control cortisol?

It’s simple. Excess cortisol is secreted during times of physical or psychological stress, which can alter the normal pattern of cortisol release. When hormones are imbalanced, often due to stress, lack of exercise or a poor diet, a person can experience symptoms such as depression, mood swings, low libido and fatigue.

Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and helps maintain blood sugar levels, which may cause an increase in appetite and cravings for high-carb, high-fat foods. Not surprisingly therefore, high levels of cortisol can also contribute to weight gain and even affect where you put on weight. Studies show that stress and elevated cortisol levels actually cause an increase in visceral fat in the abdominal area, the worst place to store excess fat. There is a strong correlation between abdominal fat and cardiovascular disease.

Lifestyle Changes to Control Cortisol

Sleep is a very important component of any healthy lifestyle. Making sure you get an adequate amount of sleep each night can help keep hormone levels in an ideal range. According to nutrition4health.org, the key to a rejuvenating sleep  is having a normal cortisol rhythm during the day that leads up to a restful nights sleep. In other words, the two go hand in hand.

Although caffeine can function as an effective way to boost metabolism, making sure you don’t exceed 400mg each day is important where cortisol is concerned.

Vitamin C is thought to be a stress buster that can have a positive impact on the hormone cortisol. Psychology Today declares that vitamin C helps reduce the physical and psychological impact of stress. “In one study German researchers subjected 120 people to a sure-fire stressor….Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Such signs of stress as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who got vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin,” reports Psychology Today.

Refrain from drinking alcohol. High levels of intoxication could stimulate cortisol release. A study titled  Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that long-term chronic drinking produces an increase in cortisol both during intoxication and withdrawal.

To keep cortisol levels balanced or as the experts call it, in a homeostatic state, relaxation techniques can be very beneficial. Everything from Yoga, to listening to music, to exercising regularly can have a positive effect on the body’s response to stress.

So, how do you recognize when your stress level may be too high?

Stress Symptoms

  • Feeling excessive guilt when you’re relaxing, and not always staying busy
  • Having trouble getting to sleep
  • Finding it hard to concentrate
  • Experiencing an unusually high level of sensitivity
  • Tension in your body
  • Indigestion, loss of appetite or eating purely for comfort

Stress Management

Making some simple lifestyle changes should help ease many of the symptoms associated with stress. If however, you are experiencing stress or anxiety that is a real cause for concern, you should always talk to your doctor.

  • Take things one step at a time. It’s ok to say no when demands are too high.
  • Talk to someone who is positive and will offer you useful advice.
  • Let out your frustration in a healthy way. Try shouting out load, screaming or even hitting a pillow!
  • Use relaxation techniques such as yoga to help calm your body and mind.
  • Become physically active. Exercise releases endorphins into your blood stream, giving you a feeling of happiness and improved sense of well-being.
  • Take time out from your usual daily routine. Socialize with friends or take time to be at one with yourself.

Stress, high levels of these cortisol can raise blood pressure, increase heart rate and make you sweat more. In addition to this, too much cortisol circulating in the body can lead to weight gain. Excessive amounts of cortisol releases fat and sugar into your bloodstream and even preventing the immune system from functioning properly. Do all that you can to be stress-less!

God’s Prescription for a Healthy Heart

Precision Blood Pressure Design

Like the concert virtuoso who sets the tension on a violin string with precision, the Grand Maestro of the Universe determined a specific blood pressure, which would be essential to healthy human life. In the Garden of Eden, God looked at the living bodies he meticulously fashioned and said, “It is good.” In other words: even down to the diminutive details we all take for granted or never slow down to notice, all things both micro and macro, internal and external, are now perfectly set for healthy life to flourish and thrive.

Stating the obvious, without blood pressure, life is over. However, too much, or high blood pressure results in the delicate and intricate harmony of every bodily system breaking down. Vascular health determines the well-being and longevity of every cell and organ in the body.

Next time you find yourself sitting with someone both to your left and to your right, one of the three of you is likely suffering from high blood pressure. Researchers report that in 90-95% cases of hypertension (aka, high blood pressure) no known cause can be found. Of course Newton’s Law remains true that to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. That being said, something is boiling the blood of millions of people even if the majority of causes are not directly identifiable as medical in nature.

Merry Medicine for the Heart

The Bible says a lot about the heart, and even about the importance of having a healthy heart. Something as simple as joy directly affects blood flow. “A merry heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) Aside from the astonishing fact that this verse was written a couple millennia before modern medicine discovered the role of the bones in making blood for the heart, there is this now documentable reality that these seemingly non-biological factors directly affect us physically. This monthly column on the Spiritual Dimensions of Wellness is devoted to what was obvious even to healing practitioners in the ancient world – that a wide range of intangible dynamics, especially emotional factors and spiritual forces, directly impact our bodies for good and for bad.

At funerals I often quote the verse which states how, “None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself,” which in context, refers to how dependant we are on God, each other and our environment. If things are not right in any of those three areas there is a direct correlation to our bodies breaking down. Before God ever created human life, he worked for a number of days on the ideal environmental conditions.

Secondary Blood Pressure Contributors

Those who research the mysteries of hypertension often mention in their medical journal articles how, in Eden-like settings like the tropical rain forests, no one has high blood pressure. Granted, these remote tribal peoples often have high mortality rates, but the point is these unknown factors contributing to hypertension are apparently not present.

Chocolate lovers will no doubt delight to know of the 2003 Harvard Study that uncovered the relationship between the Kuna Tribe in Panama having perfect blood pressure and the fact that tribal members drink five cups of cocoa each day. Chocolate has a relaxing effect on blood vessels due to the presence of flavonoids (a type of antioxidants). Flavonoids stimulate the production of nitric oxide, which acts as a blood thinner and increases blood flow.

Dr. Don Colbert in his book The Seven Pillars of Health asserts that something as simple as water will do wonders for our blood pressure as most of us are at least mildly dehydrated each day. Aging and family history of hypertension are considered related but secondary contributors.

Even more significant,...


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Hypertension – “The Silent Killer?”

Vital Signs 101

Dave initially came in over a year ago wanting help to get off of his medications for diabetes and hypertension.  He was getting weak and tired, partly because numbness and tingling in his feet kept him up at night.  His blood pressure was poorly controlled, even on three medications.  Over the next six months he was able to get it down from about 220/110 to 146/88 – after stopping his medications.  At the same time, he lost weight, feels better and has more energy, plus he sleeps all night because his feet don’t hurt.  Dave had a metabolic syndrome that often causes the blood pressure to go up.  He was taking medication for each symptom of the syndrome, none of which helped his condition.  When we addressed the underlying condition the blood pressure finally improved.  While it’s important to look at hypertension, it’s more important to look at the cause.

The best way to look at blood pressure is as a “vital sign” like the temperature.  If you came in to my office and your temperature was 102 degrees Fahrenheit, I could diagnose “hyperthermia” (fever) and prescribe a medication to lower your temperature.  If I just sent you home with a prescription for Ibuprofen I could miss a serious infection.  A doctor needs to address not the fever, but rather the cause of the fever.  The temperature will drop by itself when an infection is treated.

Stalk the Silent Killer

Blood pressure is similar.  There are hundreds of reasons why your blood pressure might go up (WrongDiagnosis.com lists 398). When you find and treat the cause, then the blood pressure will come down to normal without ever taking a pill for it – just like curing a pneumonia will bring your fever down without Ibuprofen.  Remember, hypertension isn’t the cause of illness, heart disease, stroke, or arterial disease. It’s just an associated symptom.

Dave was put on...


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Celebrity Chefs Low Blood Pressure Recipe Tips

3 Tips From Celebrity Chefs to Lower Your Blood Pressure

Eating to control your blood pressure is what celebrity chefs are experts at.  Take some of their advice and tips for cutting down on fat, cholesterol and salt without loosing flavor or fun.

Here are some Celebrity Chef tips and recipes on how to make your diet blood pressure friendly.

1) Giada De Laurentiis, of the cooking show Everyday Italian, says that naturally fat-free lemon juice is the most essential ingredient in her kitchen.

She flavors salmon fillets with lemon juice, white wine, rosemary, and capers, so they need just a pinch of salt, which cuts out half the sodium found in this fattier seafood sauce.

Quick tip: Toss the salt in favor of lemon juice often enough, and you may even lower your blood pressure. [Read more...]

Lower Blood Pressure Using Fighter Pilot Technology – Like Grandma Barton Did!

Grandma Barton Reports from the Cockpit!

I’d like to tell you a quick story about how I (Grandma Barton) recently lowered my blood pressure using a hand-held “video game” type device, which was developed based on some curious results reported from fighter pilots, and favorably reported on in the Harvard Heart Letter for reducing hypertension.

Now, I hate flying.

I haven’t flown in an airplane for over 15 years… It would’ve been 40 years if I hadn’t flown to Mexico to receive some alternative health care for my fight against breast cancer (which I beat!! Yeah!)

Anyway, for the past few years, I had high blood pressure. My doctor had me on blood pressure medications, but even then my blood pressure was usually around 150/90.

Don’t Play a Game with Your Health

Recently, Joe Barton (my son) was given a gift from a friend of his who works with a company called Zona Health. They make a product called the Zona Plus, which is a hypertension relief “game-like” device created with fighter pilot technology.

He gave this to me, and asked me to use it for a month to test lowering my blood pressure and relieve the effects of hypertension.

To remind myself to use the Zona, I printed out a picture of my 8-year old grandson making a goofy face, taped it next to my computer, and wrote in big letters, “Do the Zona today?”

Medication Costs Too High – So is Your Blood Pressure

I have been using the Zona Plus for a couple weeks now, and already...


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Advanced Artery Solution™

Oral Chelation with EDTA

Advanced Artery Solution™ is an Amino Acid supplement that works to reduce cholesterol by a process called Chelation. Advanced Artery Solution™ is designed as an “all-natural formula that is intended to be used as part of a cholesterol-reducing regimen” at home.  It is safe, natural and assists your body in making healthy arteries.

Advanced Artery Solution™ is formulated with:

  • Disodium EDTA (or EDTA for short)—Given to heart patients for over 50 years, this amino acid helps promote healthy arteries and circulation throughout your entire body, including your extremities.
  • Malic Acid—In tandem with EDTA, malic acid helps remove heavy metals from your body to fight memory loss and even unexplained fatigue.
  • N-Acetyl-Cysteine—To help offset the damages of premature aging and stimulate collagen production for younger, healthier-looking skin.
  • Vitamins C, E and Selenium—To help fight free radicals.
  • Folic Acid and Tri-methyl Glycine—To help regulate dangerous levels of homocysteine in your bloodstream.
  • Vitamin B12—To help protect your heart cells and regulate arterial inflammation.
  • Magnesium—To help maintain healthy arteries and blood vessels… promote normal blood pressure… and keep your heart beating strong and steady.
  • Bromelain—Widely used in traditional medicine. Helps to reduce minor joint pain, promote normal blood clotting, boost your immune system, and soothe inflammation.

These ingredients assist in producing an effect called “Chelation,” which is the process of removing toxins and deposits in the bloodstream. By cleansing and removing plaque, this will improve blood flow and eventually restore health. Consider it as an alternative to balloon angioplasty and bypass surgery.

Stay Healthy with Advanced Artery Solution™ oral chelation!

  • Reduce Cholesterol
  • Improve Circulation
  • Better Blood Pressure
  • Regular Heart Beat
  • Higher Energy
  • Increased Sexual Desire
  • Sharper Memory
  • Clearer Vision

The build up of plaque and calcium on human cardiovascular system is a slow process that can literally go unnoticed for many years. If left unchecked, this will eventually lead to hardening of arteries & blocked arteries. When this happen, it will cause angina pain, strokes and heart attacks in some cases.

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