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Homeopathic Medicine For Liver

What your gums can reveal: is it true that I'm at risk for heart disease if my gums are unhealthy?

JOSEPH E. PIZZORNO JR., N.D., REPLIES:

The latest research does suggest that periodontal, or gum, disease increases your risk of cardiovascular disease by about 15 percent. This may not seem like much, but considering the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (it remains the number one killer in the United States), you should take whatever steps you can to minimize your risk--including preventing gum disease.

The most popular theory for why gum disease predicts heart disease is that inflamed gum tissue produces artery-clogging chemicals. However, according to one recent large study, simply treating chronic dental infections does not decrease the incidence of heart disease. A more likely explanation for the association between the health of your gums and the health of your heart involves nutrient deficiencies. Many of the same nutrients that keep your gums healthy--namely, coenzyme [Q.sub.10], folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc--also appear to prevent cardiovascular disease. For example, folic acid helps regenerate gum tissue and eliminates the artery-hardening chemical homocysteine. And zinc protects gum tissue and artery walls from chemicals that cause inflammation. Few people get enough of these nutrients through diet.

Fortunately, if you supplement with these nutrients you can decrease your risk of both periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. I'd suggest getting 400 mg of coenzyme [Q.sub.10], 400 mcg of folic acid, 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), and 25 mg of zinc every day. You may also want to rinse with a mouthwash containing zinc and folic acid. Look for this kind of wash in a natural food store.

Destress in the Bath

In the days before New Year's, I often feel overwhelmed. Is there a simple way for me to relax?

LAUREL VUKOVIC REPLIES: I find a long soak in a bath provides a simple and inexpensive antidote to any kind of tension. Using herbal essential oils improves your relaxation with little additional effort. And you'll really unwind if you add two cups of Epsom salts while filling the tub. Epsom salts relax your muscles, allowing your body to loosen up.

I combine Epsom salts with frankincense (Boswellia carteri), sandal-wood (Santalum album), and orange (Citrus sinensis) essential oils, plus almond oil. Frankincense and sandalwood are traditionally used as incense for meditation and have a calming effect on your body and mind, and orange lightens your mood. Almond oil softens dry skin and prevents irritation.

Add 4 drops of frankincense essential oil, 6 drops of sandalwood essential oil, 2 drops of orange essential oil, and 1 teaspoon of almond oil to your bath just before entering. Soak for at least 20 minutes.

Yoga for High Blood Pressure

I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. What kind of yoga is right for me? Are there any poses I should avoid?

JUDITH HANSON LASATER, PH.D., REPLIES: Yoga styles that emphasize relaxation, like classic hatha yoga, might be an excellent way to lower your blood pressure. But even if you do the slower types of yoga, you'll have to avoid certain poses. So, after clearing your yoga program with your health care practitioner, alert your instructor to your condition so she can modify your routine accordingly.

The most important pose to skip is the headstand, because it causes blood and other bodily fluids to rush toward your upper body and stresses your heart and blood vessels. Also keep in mind that it isn't always the poses themselves that aggravate hypertension, but the way you do them. For example, holding your breath during a pose can aggravate hypertension by stressing your thorax, the area behind your ribs and sternum.

For a simple way to lower your blood pressure, try this deep relaxation pose on your own for 20 minutes each day. (Set an alarm with a low tone to keep you from losing track of time; this will free you to relax more deeply.) To begin, loosen your belt and remove potential distractions like your watch and glasses. Find a quiet, comfortable place on the floor and lie on your back. Place a rolled towel or small pillow under your neck and head, and drop your chin slightly lower than your forehead. Place a large pillow under your knees and cover your eyes with a soft cloth.

Inhale slowly until your lungs feel almost full, and then exhale for the same amount of time. Continue to take these slow, even breaths for 2 to 3 minutes. Then allow your breathing to return to normal. Let your jaw grow slack and imagine that your body is melting into the floor. When your timer signals, come out of the pose by bending both your knees, rolling to your right side, and using your arms to sit up slowly.

Schedule Your Checkups

I'm a 45-year-old who hasn't been to the doctor in about 10 years. What tests does a man my age need?

ROBERT ANDERSON, M.D., REPLIES: Believe it or not, a good talk with a physician can be more valuable than any test. You should discuss your diet, exercise habits, sleep pattern, drug and alcohol use, work, leisure activities, social contacts, intimate relationships, and attitudes. These factors may better predict longevity and quality of life in later years than test results do.

Of course, your doctor will also need to physically examine you. He should measure your weight, height, blood pressure, and pulse, and check your skin, lungs, heart, abdomen, rectum, prostate, genitals, and extremities. Additionally, he might press gently on your eyeballs to check for glaucoma, compare blood pressure in your leg with the pressure in your arm (this can reveal early hardening of the arteries), measure your body fat with calipers, and insert a flexible tube into your rectum to look for polyps in your colon (this procedure is known as a sigmoidoscopy).

The remaining part of a regular checkup includes several laboratory tests: urinalysis; stool test for blood; and blood tests for liver, kidney, and thyroid function, and cholesterol and mineral levels. If you have high-risk factors for heart disease (such as a strong family history), ask for homocysteine and highly sensitive C-reactive protein tests (yes, that's what they're called).

Homeopathic Doses

Since homeopathic remedies are in such miniscule amounts, does it really matter which potency I use, say 6C or 30C?

JENNIFER JACOBS, M.D., M.P.H., REPLIES: Yes and no. Potency matters in the sense that remedies with lower potencies, like those you buy in a natural food store, have a broader range of action and are more likely to work for you if you are treating yourself. Higher potencies, on the other hand, must exactly match your symptoms and therefore should be prescribed by a homeopath.

The concept of potency can get confusing, so I'll try to sort out the issues. A homeopathic remedy is made from a plant, animal, or mineral substance that is dissolved in a water and alcohol solution and then diluted several times. Common over-the-counter potencies are 6X, 12X, and 30X (a dilution of 1 part mother tincture to 10 parts water and alcohol, repeated six, 12, or 30 times, respectively) and 6C, 12C, and 30C (a dilution of 1 part to 100 parts repeated six, 12, or 30 times, respectively). The greater the dilution, the higher the potency.

According to traditional physics, no molecules of the original substance can exist at a 30C potency. In spite of this, homeopaths often use potencies from 200C up to CM (a 1 to 100 dilution carried out 100,000 times). These potencies contain even less of the original substance than is in a 30C potency, but homeopathic practitioners believe that they are much more powerful in their healing abilities. Why is this? No one knows exactly why, but clinical experience over 200 years has suggested that it is true.

So back to your original question. You can use any of the lower potencies you find in your store, up to 30C, as long as you find a close match for your ailment. It is not necessary to get the exact remedy that you need at that point in time. This is why lower-potency remedies are good for self-treating a common acute problem, like a bruise.

Higher potencies have a more concentrated action and they demand an exact fit for your situation, This is why for chronic, complex, and serious diseases, it's best to see a homeopathic professional.

Have a Question?

If you have a health question you'd like our experts to answer, send it our way: Ask the Experts, Natural Health, 70 Lincoln Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111. You can also reach us via email at naturalhealth@weiderpub.com.

Herbal Birth Control

I've heard that herbs can be used for contraception. Is this a good idea?

ADRIANE FUGH-BERMAN, M.D., REPLIES: I wouldn't recommend it. Modern contraceptives are more effective and have been extensively tested for safety. By the way, the birth control pill was derived from an herb. Its progestin comes from a chemical isolated from the inedible Mexican wild yam (Dioscorea villosa). However, this plant is used traditionally for stomach problems, not contraception.

Some people have used herbs to prevent conception, like the seeds of Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota). But there's no clinical evidence of their efficacy and I wouldn't recommend taking your chances.

Several so-called contraceptive herbs are actually abortifacients and can be dangerous. These potentially deadly herbs work by poisoning the woman, who, being larger than the fetus, may survive the toxicity while the fetus does not. A recent review published in the Journal of Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology reported 57 cases of poisonings, including two deaths, due to plants used to attempt abortion between 1990 and 1997.

Quick Tip

TO MAKE A HOMEMADE COLD pack for a sports injury, fill a heavy-duty sandwich bag with 3 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol. Freeze, and use as needed.

-- Laurel Vukovic

Meet the Experts

Robert Anderson, M.D., is a semiretired family doctor and president of the American Board of Holistic Medicine. He is an advisor for the medical journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine and author of A Clinician's Guide to Holistic Medicine (McGraw-Hill, 2000).

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Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., teaches at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. She is on the executive board of the National Women's Health Network and is author of Alternative Medicine: What Works (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1997).

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Jennifer Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., is a licensed homeopath. She is clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine in Seattle and co-author with Wayne Jonas, M.D., of Healing with Homeopathy (Warner Books, 1996).

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Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., is a physical therapist who has been teaching yoga in the United States and internationally since 1971. Her most recent book is Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life (Rodmell Press, 2000).

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Joseph E. Pizzorno Jr., N.D., is a naturopath and co-founder of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., where he was president until the summer of 2000. He is also author of several books, including Total Wellness (Prima Publishing, 1996).

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Laurel Vukovic is an herbalist in Ashland, Ore. She is the author of Herbal Healing Secrets for Women (Prentice Hall, 2000). Her most recent book is Journal of Desires (Prentice Hall, 2001).

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