You can treat tension headaches with the same herbs and nutrients used for muscle spasms, especially magnesium and kudzu root. However, in many cases this may not be sufficient. The tension is often internal, so successful treatment requires herbs that relax us internally.

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She called him, and the old farmer came by. He listened to her story and looked over the field, and said simply – you need to check your well – might be something wrong with the water.  Sure enough, she checked her well and found that there were some contaminants leaking in. The he told her he could give her some quality topsoil at $25 a bag.  He explained how healthy water, sunshine and good topsoil were the basis of plant health, and that , while chemicals sometimes were needed, this had to be handled first. Not only that, if these three pillars of plant health were followed, often no chemicals were needed. Once she fixed this problem and added the topsoil, like a miracle, the plants began to grow and thrive.

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I would estimate that up to half the people who come to my clinic suffer from some sort of digestive problem. In such cases I must first identify and treat these conditions before I can focus on managing other health concerns. Digestive problems are often directly linked to improper dietary choices, already discussed in the previous section on nutrition. Beyond that, a comprehensive understanding of the GI system is your best bet for continued digestive health, so we are going to walk through it step by step and learn how to use herbs to repair digestive problems.

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The close link between the mind and the brain took a long time for us humans to discover. The ancient Chinese believed the heart was the true seat of the mind, while the brain was just excess bone marrow. The Greeks thought the brain worked like a radiator, cooling the blood. I remember talking to an old naturopath (Dr. Marsteller), who had participated in some early experiments in brain surgery at Hahnemann College in Philadelphia in the 1920's. He told me they knew so little back then he thought the practice fell just short of legal murder. Today, many of us think of the brain as a complex computer that processes information at lightning speed. Others say the best analogy is that of a hologram, reflecting throughout our physical being any and all changes in nervous system energy or function. But, whatever we think today, tomorrow it will be different.

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Tinnitus is the condition where the patients hears noise such as ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling or roaring, in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. It is usually associated with a loss of hearing. There is no easy treatment for this condition, because it is a symptom of multiple causes. It can be caused by obstruction of the ear canal, infections, inflammation, eustachian tube obstruction, otosclerosis, Miniere's disease, toxic reactions to chemicals or pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, acoustic blast injury etc. Hearing and imaging tests can differentiate between sensory and neural hearing losses, arterial obstruction and other causes.

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The liver metabolizes (burns) all three macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates and proteins), providing energy, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Composed of thousands of tiny functional units called lobules, this organ filters over 1,500 ml of blood per minute. If not functioning well, toxins spill into the bloodstream or out into the bile causing inflammation and oxidative stress.

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At the beginning stages, quick use of heat-clearing herbs can be of great benefit. Many people are aware that use of echinacea tincture, one teaspoon every two to three hours can often stop a cold in its tracks. Ginger tea and honey can also be useful.

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To prevent UTI's, women should wash the perineal area daily with a mild unscented soap, and change tampons and sanitary napkins frequently.  After using the toilet, wipe from front to back to keep bacteria away from the urethra.  In addition, wash the hands and genitals before and after sexual intercourse, and use lubricants to avoid bruising the urethra.  Avoid wearing tight clothing, which can increase heat.  Drink plenty of pure water each day.

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Any inflammation inside the eye is called uveitis. Depending on where the inflammation predominates, it is termed iritis (iris), pars planitis (ciliary body), and choroiditis (choroid). Because these areas are linked together and fed by the same vessels, they can be treated as a group. Patients often report seeing floaters, and complain of blurred vision as well as light sensitivity and redness, usually only in one eye. The eye doctor sees redness just outside the cornea, and detects cells floating in the anterior chamber. These are either white cells (inflammatory cells) that have leaked out of blood vessels or pigment from the iris.

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Vaginal yeast infection results from overgrowth of Candida albicans, a type of yeast normally present in small amounts in the digestive tract, vagina and mouth.  Over the past twenty years, new, more toxic yeast strains have developed as a result of overuse of antibiotics, so these infections have become very common, spurring rapid commercial growth of over-the-counter suppositories found in all drug stores.

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Dr. Mana points out that the elasticity of the vein depends on a normal expansion-contraction cycle controlled by the nerves (Bajracharya, 1988). If there is a constant dilation from pressure or neurological incompetence, the failure to expand and contract causes the tissue to dry out and lose elasticity. The resulting lack of motion allows the blood to stagnate.

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Weak digestion is a basic health problem that can become very serious, and is often the cause of many seemingly unrelated diseases. According to holistic physician Jonathan Wright, MD, weak digestion can contribute to arthritis (rheumatoid and degenerative), childhood asthma, acne rosacea, bursitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, diabetes (types 1 and 2), gallbladder attacks, lupus, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, shingles (herpes zozter), and many cases of cancer.

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