Mustard Plasters And A Grandmother's Dilemma

11/30/07

This Week In HealthBeat News:

• Mustard Plasters And A Grandmother's Dilemma
• And Another Mustard Plaster Success Story
• What About The "Good Sugars?"
• What are "ketones" and "ketosis?" Isn't Ketosis dangerous?
• L5HTP vs Paxil vs St. Johns Wort: Which to use?
• Laughter is the best medicine: 11 people on a rope...

Mom Wishmeyer's Mustard Plaster generated a lot of response here; It seems folks like these "old timey" remedies because they really work. What follows is one of the more interesting questions on this subject, with an alternative treatment:

J writes;

Hello, Dr. Myatt!
Can you use this same recipe on a 3-yr. old? Thanks so much.
Blessings ~ J

Dr. Myatt replied;

Yes, but with utmost care. Their skin is more tender, so use much less heat. Watch the skin VERY carefully to be sure you don't cause a burn (pink is good; blistered is NOT good!).

Hot and cold hydrotherapy may be better suited for a child unless you feel totally confident in what you are doing (a 3 year old isn't as able to give good feedback as an adult is).

Apply a towel that has been wrung out in hot water to the chest (again, hot but don't burn). Leave on for about two minutes. IMMEDIATELY follow by wrapping the torso of patient in a sheet that has been soaked in ice cold water, then wrung nearly dry. Wrap a wool blanket on the outside of this. Cover patient with another blanket and let then sweat (they will warm the cold up quickly with body heat, then go into a sweat). They will also have a great nap after this. Be sure to keep the feet warm, perhaps using a water bottle if needed.

Children respond really well to natural therapies, but they require additional care because they can't give the same feedback; they respond quickly to both treatment AND to the disease itself; and their immune systems are not up to full maturity.

If there is any doubt about the nature or severity of a child's illness, a visit to the doctor for diagnosis is a good thing.

In Health,
Dr. Myatt

J wrote back to thank Dr. Myatt who then asked "What do we have going on with this small person?" The email exchange went as follows: (edited for brevity)

Hi, Dr. Myatt!

My grandbaby always sounds as though she has a cold (for over a year), her voice is hoarse, her sinuses stuffy, and she has a cough. When the symptoms started her pediatrician put her on antibiotics, it seemed to clear it up for a couple days and then it returned, several times. My daughter took my grandbaby back to the doc who said she's fine. I don't believe it and I am very concerned. She will expel green phlegm from her nose, and she had a severe nose bleed. My grandbaby's breath and body stink!!! Like dog pooh!!! I have never smelled anything like it on such a small child ~ my experience has always been that babies have sweet smelling breath, and when they are clean, they smell yummy! I have sent her [some supplements]. However, they seem to get used only when I am there, and when I leave so does any consistency in their use.

Unfortunately, my grandbaby eats way tooooooooooooooo much sugar and processed foods, which I believe is a huge culprit!!! I feel that her little body is very toxic, already .

I am most grateful for any thoughts and insights you might share. I so want to help this little girl in any way I can. Thank you so much.

Blessings ~ J

Dr. Myatt's advice? Read on...

This little one is suffering from probably food allergy AND toxicity due to sugar consumption. Read about the many dangers of carbohydrates (especially sugar) here: http://www.healthbeatnews.com/CarbsMycotoxins_I26V7.htm

Sugar suppresses the immune system.

Unfortunately, when a child has a mom that doesn't "get" the importance of diet, it's difficult in your position to make recommendations. You'll only be seen as "meddling.' In the mean time, mom is putting this Babe at risk because of faulty dietary practices.

Interesting, isn't it? We understand that our car needs a particular type of gas and correct maintenance, but we often don't "get" the importance of good diet and health!

Of course, diet, food sensitivities and digestion are "outside the scope" of conventional medical practice, meaning the Babe's mom is quite unlikely to hear anything about this from the pediatrician. Instead they'll wait until the Babe has an infection, then prescribe antibiotics. Or wait until the ears are plugged, and
recommend ear tubes.

I am available for consultation by telephone and could set the record straight on how to get this little one healthy if you can interest Mom in the idea.

Good luck with this. Being a Granny can be a challenging position to be in --- wanting to do the right thing without being an "evil Meddler."

Let me know how things work out!

In Health,
Dr. Myatt

And another Mustard Plaster Success!

Louis is a patient of ours, who has a long history of recurring lung troubles and infections. He wrote Dr. Myatt because he had developed yet another chest infection, and was getting ready to go and see a "doc-in-a-box" (an "Urgent Care" drop in clinic doc) because of this. Dr. Myatt suggested that he try the Mustard Plaster first and also Castor Oil Packs for his abdominal complaints. He wrote back next day, very pleased with the results - and never did have to go see the "doc-in-a-box" to be given the inevitable antibiotics...

Louis wrote:

Much improved this AM. Sick feeling is pretty much gone, feel much stronger. Lower ab tenderness still present, but much improved; did castor oil pack again this morning and will continue for awhile; decent BM last evening. Upper respiratory feels much better, breath feels normal...dynamite mustard pack, eh! I have a pronounced rectangle of new "tan" where the pack was, but no blisters...just quite red...is that normal?

Thanks again for timely advice and for being there.
Louis

Dr. Myatt wrote back to say:

Hi Louis:

Welcome to a genuine naturopathic remedy. (Or as we say around our house, "There's no tech like low tech") Yup... the "mustard plaster tan" is normal.  That is evidence of the strong "draw" of circulation to the chest.

Lay low today, using the COP [Castor Oil Pack] on your abdomen until the bowels feel back to normal is a good thing, as are clear soups and broths. Don't forget the garlic!

In Health,
Dr. Dana

What About The "Good Sugars?"

By Nurse Mark

"You advise that consumption of sugar is a no-no for someone with cancer. I eat a lot of fruit which of course is high in sugar, I know there are different types of sugar: glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, etc, so my question is which can I consume without feeding the cancer?"

Whew! This is a really good question - and far more complicated than it might seem at first blush.

You are right - we do caution our cancer patients that sugars are a no-no. This is because cancer cells are generally ill-equipped to get their energy from anything other than monosacchrides (simple sugars such as glucose, fructose, and galactose) and most cancer cells certainly do not do well with ketones, which the rest of the body considers to be a fine energy source. Without energy, the cancer cells starve - they may cease to grow and may become more vulnerable to the body's own healthy immune responses which "clean up" aberrant and damaged cells. On the other hand, providing cancer cells with a simple, ready energy source such as fructose, glucose, galactose or mannose is like throwing gasoline on a fire - in our experience it almost always results in an explosive growth of cancers.

Sugars are simple carbohydrates. The "sacchride" is the basic unit, and sugars include monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides and the oligosaccharides. In practical terms, most carbohydrates are converted by our bodies to glucose, fructose, or galactose. Monosaccharides include fructose, glucose, galactose and mannose. Disaccharides are found mostly as sucrose (cane or beet sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose.

So, in the "real world" of reading "Nutrition Facts Box" labels, which sugars are OK? The brief answer is "NONE OF THEM!" The longer answer is more complicated - there are certain "sugars" and "sugar alcohols" that are not readily absorbed by the body and generally do not get used by the body as an energy source. These are often used in "low carb" products. Other forms of sugars function as insoluble fiber and are found in good, low carb fiber supplements. Interestingly, even these forms of sugars, though not useable for energy, are still carbohydrates and contribute to the carbohydrate count on the label. This is where the "Effective Carbohydrates" calculations come into play - but that is an article for another HealthBeat!

What should you be watching for when you look at "Nutrition Facts Box" labels? The first clue is the carbohydrate count. Next, look for "sugars" - if they are present they'll be listed. Don't be fooled by food manufacturers who may try to bamboozle or impress you by listing their sweeteners by different names - often trying to make them sound "natural" or "organic." Some of these may include cane molasses, cane juice, Demerara, Florida Crystals, Jaggery, Muscovado, Panela (or pilloncillo), Steen's cane syrup, Sucanat, Turbinado sugar, sugar beet molasses and sugar beet syrup, Jallab, Pekmez, Amazake, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, malt, Mizuame, agave syrup, birch syrup, maple sugar and maple syrup, palm sugar, honey, sweet sorghum and sorghum syrup, natural brown sugar, and molasses . That's quite a list, and many of those can be made to sound very healthy indeed - but in truth they are all just sugar by another name. The starches - corn starch, tapioca starch, rice, wheat, potato, arrowroot and many more - are also metabolized promptly into sugars, so watch for these as well!

For those who don't already know, Dr. Myatt's Super Fast Diet is the premier anti-cancer, health-restorative, weight-loss diet available today.

What are "ketones" and "ketosis?" Isn't Ketosis dangerous?

By Nurse Mark

Ketones are the common name for a basic chemical unit or molecule that the human body can utilize for energy. Ketones are the product of the breakdown of fatty acids into energy by the body.

Ketosis is a metabolic state that our bodies enter when we do not consume sugars or carbohydrates which make sugars available to the cells for energy. Ketosis is not dangerous - it is a normal and healthy state for anyone who is consuming proteins and fats without carbohydrates, or for someone who is fasting.

The term "ketosis" is often confused with "ketoacidosis" which is a dangerous condition experienced by uncontrolled diabetics. It is the "acidosis" part of this that is dangerous - as the term implies, the pH of the blood becomes excessively acidic. (Our blood is normally mildly acidic) In ketoacidosis there is dehydration and extremely high blood sugar. Kidney damage results from the high blood sugars, and makes the dehydration and the acidosis even worse.

Ketones are so important that Dr. Richard Veech, a noted scientist at the NIH, calls ketones "magic" for their ability to increase metabolic efficiency, while decreasing production of free radicals, the damaging byproducts of normal metabolism. His research has shown that ketones may treat neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and the heart and brain operate at least 25% more efficiently using ketones as an energy source.

References:

Y. Kashiwaya, T. Takeshima, N. Mori, K. Nakashima, K. Clarke and R. L. Veech (2000). "D-beta -Hydroxybutyrate protects neurons in models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease". PNAS 97 (10): 5440-5444. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.10.5440.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.97.10.5440

Y. Kashiwaya, K. Sato, N. Tsuchiya, S. Thomas, D. A. Fell, R. L. Veech and J. V. Passonneau (1994). "Control of glucose utilization in working perfused rat heart". J. Biol. Chem. 269 (41): 25502-25514.
http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/269/41/25502

L5HTP vs. Paxil vs. St. Johns Wort: Which to use?

By Nurse Mark

Greetings!
I understand that Lithium Orotate can be used as an alternative measure to managing Bi-Polar II ( Cyclothymia ).
I have tapered down and discontinued my intake of Prozac.
Now, I want to make sure of the following:
1) What is the average suggested daily dose of Lithium Orotate as elemental lithium?
2) Can Lithium Orotate be taken with other mood enhancers?
3) If the answer to 2) is yes, is 5-HTP the recommended product or is St John's Wort more appropriate?
Thank you for your help.
Best Wishes,
N M, London, Great Britain

Okee-Dokee then! I'll do my best to answer these questions for you, but as with most things medical the answers are rarely as simple as we would like.

1) Lithium Orotate can indeed be a very useful substance in the treatment of bi-polar neurological illness and is less potentially toxic (partly because it appears to be effective at lower and therefore safer doses) than the more commonly prescribed Lithium Carbonate.

Lithium and Prozac are two entirely different things - with very different indications for their use. Lithium Orotate is not a "natural alternative" to the drug Prozac. Lithium, as you would guess from it's name, is a mineral which is often found to be lacking or deficient in those with bipolar and other neurological disorders. Prozac is not a mineral, and is not a substance that is naturally present or ever found to be "deficient" in anyone - healthy or not. The drug Prozac is a SRI - a Seratonin Re-uptake Inhibitor - which causes the body's "feel-good" hormone seratonin to "hang around" longer in the synapse - the part of the nerve cells where information (data) is passed by the neurotransmitters.

Please see our page on Lithium for more details, including guidelines for use.

2) That depends upon the "mood enhancer"! There are any number of things that might be considered "mood enhancer's" - from chocolate to alcohol to valium and other pharmaceuticals, to marijuana, or to a good shopping trip or a walk in the park or even good sex (which releases "feel-good" hormones called endorphins).

3) Both L5HTP and St. Johns Wort are well-studied and highly effective substances. L5HTP is a substance that is necessary to our body's production of seratonin - that "feel-good" hormone (or neurotransmitter) that I mentioned earlier. Supplementing with L5HTP can allow the body to produce more seratonin which will tend to elevate or improve mood. (Paxil does this by making the body get more use out of whatever seratonin is present - this works for a while...) L5HTP can be considered "nutrition for your brain." St. Johns Wort is also extremely well-proven (over 1500 patients in over 25 double-blind studies) as a mood enhancer. We generally suggest using either L5HTP or St. Johns Wort, though occasionally we will recommend that both be used together.

Please see our pages on L5HTP and St. Johns Wort for more details, including guidelines for use.

As an aside, you may find that L5HTP is very difficult, even impossible to obtain in Britain, Canada, and many other countries. Big Pharma sees this substance as a direct competitor to it's overpriced and toxic chemical offerings.

Finally, here is a question and some free advice:

Why are you "shooting in the dark" on this? Your letter mentions nothing about your condition other than a diagnosis, Bipolar Disorder and a drug that you've been put on, (probably inappropriately,) Prozac. You make no mention of whether any testing of your neurotransmitters has been done, though I'm guessing not. Neurotransmitter testing is not performed in conventional medicine - mainly because no matter what the results, conventional medicine has only those tools given to it by conventional Big Pharma - a motley collection of sedatives, stimulants and re-uptake inhibitors, with a few other miscellaneous toxins that can be tried if nothing else works.

Here is the "free advice" - arrange a telephone consultation with Dr. Myatt - we have quite a few patients in Britain - and have a Neurotransmitter Profile test done. You will learn exactly what deficiencies and imbalances exist in your neurotransmitter hormones, and you will be able to make very targeted corrections.

Treating neurological conditions without knowing what neurotransmitter levels are is rather like driving your car down the road while blindfolded - you only know to make corrections when something goes very wrong! We wouldn't tolerate that on our roads, but it is considered "Standard Of Care" in conventional medicine - go figure!

Laughter is Good Medicine:

11 People on a Rope

There were 11 people hanging on a rope under a helicopter - 10 men and 1 woman.

The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to leave, because otherwise they were all going to fall.

They weren't able to choose that person, until the woman gave a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return.

As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping.