Friday, October 8, 2010

Arthritis and Heart Problems

by Nelson, Dr. Christopher’s Herb Shop

If Dr. Christopher thoroughly understood anything in his practice, it would be arthritis and heart problems. These were the big health challenges he faced in his life, either one of which he was told he would die from before the age of thirty. Fortunately for him, he judiciously applied many natural therapies that greatly boosted his health and vitality so that this didn't occur.

His arthritis was with him until the end of his life, although by then he was out of the wheelchair and off of the cane. He also didn't have to deal with the crippling pain. When he received a physical in his 40's, he had a clean bill of health, and was told his heart was as healthy as a young man's.

After he became established in his practice, he was able to help his mother rebuild her heart. Heart disease was a hereditary problem in his family. His mother had strokes or heart attacks so frequently that it was table conversation. Usually when someone has a stroke, they can experience lifelong paralysis. This never happened with her. Dr. Christopher attributed the health of his family to the herbs they regularly used and the Mucus-less diet.

Most of Dr. Christopher's success with heart health came from two herbs: cayenne and hawthorn. He was so fond of cayenne he wrote the book Capsicum and suggested everyone take a full tablespoon of it a day! The very potent decoction of fresh hawthorn berries (amazingly enough, available as Hawthorn Heart Syrup to the public) was what he used to strengthen weakened hearts.

Given that heart disease is the number one killer in America, these are often what we resort to. The most important thing with this problem will always, always be diet. Yet cayenne is strong enough to stop a heart attack or stroke in progress (this has happened many times in the School of Natural Healing's history), making it worthwhile to have on hand even if someone is on a destructive diet.

First, we like to cleanse. Hardened arteries have arteriosclerosis that shouldn't be there. Cayenne is our favorite herb for not only equalizing blood pressure and rebuilding the circulatory system, but for assisting the body in removing this harmful substance from the blood vessels. When there is excessive cholesterol, this also needs to go. Garlic may also be used as a clinically proven herb to remove cholesterol.

Calcification of the arteries can also pose a problem. This can be an odd paradox: the arteries are weak and brittle because of a lack of calcium, yet there is calcium build up on the arteries! Dr. Christopher taught that this was due to inorganic minerals in food or water (calcium carbonate, etc.), or the bodies inability to remove excess minerals from the body and thus store it on the miles of arteries available. For this he simply used 1-2 TBS of apple cider vinegar and drank distilled water daily. If the calcium was building up in the body because of a lack of the trace minerals that are needed for it to be used, he used the Herbal Calcium Formula.

Dr. Christopher also put together the Blood Circulation Formula, which contains the garlic, cayenne, and other herbs useful for promoting healthy circulation. We have good case histories with this formula, provided they followed his mucus-less diet.

After cleansing, nourishing is the next step we take to heal. This is where the hawthorn comes into play. Hawthorn is almost a pure cardiac food. In fact, it is one of the few herbs that only has two or three practical uses (another being for edema, provided the kidneys are not in a critical state). Those who have suffered heart attack or stroke have benefited greatly from hawthorn, enough to make a rather long list attesting to its efficacy.

Motherwort is considered by some herbalists to be the ultimate heart tonic. It is a mild herb, so gentle that even large amounts may be safely consumed without ill effect. In older times it got this name because it was considered the 'Mother Herb'. If the heart is also strained due to stress, motherwort is also useful for calming the nerves.

When the heart beats weakly and rapidly, it may be a medical condition called arrhythmia. For this, our goal is to slow down and strengthen the heart. You'd have to make it yourself, but a combination of equal parts Valerian root, Motherwort and Hawthorn has been the best herbal support for this condition we know of yet.

Of course, lest we forget, heart disease is strongly linked to diet. The cholesterol, trans fats and mineral build up that is pulled out of arteries most often comes from the food we eat. Eating a diet composed solely of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds is one of the most heart healthy diets there is. In our own personal case histories, we have seen blood pressure dramatically drop down within four weeks! Doing so for two to six months is often all it takes to get the health to the desired level.

The number one strength of a plant based diet is heart health. Long term vegans may have some health problems to be mindful of when eating solely plants, but heart problems are not one of them. Usually a vegan (who is not eating junk, refined foods or carbonated beverages) will have blood pressure a little below 130/85, where risk for most heart problems is virtually zero. Occasionally you will find a vegan with genetically high cholesterol, but these are rare and still do pretty well.

Either Dr. Christopher's pamphlet The Mucus-less Diet, or Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live will provide the guidelines that we most often work with and see the best results with. These works of literature will provide a solid foundation for anyone serious about having a healthy heart.

You can find the books mentioned in today’s article here: http://www.drchristophersherbshop.com/books.html

Find Dr. Christopher's Herbal Formulas, single herbs, essential oils, books and more at Dr. Christopher's Original Herb Shop: www.drchristophersherbshop.com

NOTICE: All information in this newsletter is given out as information only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe.