As well as diabetes, other conditions linked to refined carbohydrates include varicose veins, coronary artery disease, appendicitis, cholecystitis, diverticular disease and more.

There is a singularly interesting chapter detailing the relationship between peptic ulcer and refined-carboyhydrate intake.

Cleave also has convincing ideas regarding the role of overconsumption of refined carbohydrates in the causation of hiatus hernia and gout.

This man has many papers and books to his name extending over many years, and there are many other researchers and doctors who back up his theories, but he seems to have been forgotten or ignored. – Francesca Tox, Nesbon, Cheshire

She decided she didn’t want to keep taking western medicine, so she went to a Chinese herbalist and was given medicine in the form of a pill to take in conjunction with a tea infusion (again, we do not know the content of these medicines). She followed this regime for about 20 days and was again cured. Three days ago (a year later), she felt pain on urination and on wiping, noticed blood. It seems to me that the stress and fatigue felt at the original emergence and recent reappearance must be contributing factors to her cystitis, but are they the cause? If not, what is and what can she do to cure this illness? C D, Tokyo, Japan…….

A:Stress and tiredness aren’t the cause of the problem, but they are the trigger. Cystitis in a sense is “caused” by the Escherichia coli bacteria, which resides in the urinary tract of all healthy individuals. Although most of us have certain factors in our urine and bladders to keep this bacteria in check by flushing it out of the body, some people, mainly women, may be genetically more predisposed to getting cystitis. Physical disturbance, such as caused by catheters or diaphragms and spermicides all appear to make women more susceptible to infections, as does, occasionally, sexual intercourse. And of course stress and fatigue lower the body’s immune system, making it more susceptible to infections of any variety.

It’s likely that your doctor gave your wife an antibiotic, which is the mainstay of cystitis treatment. The big drawback is that if she is prone to repeated infections, she will be dosed up with repeated courses of antibiotics, which can so alter gut flora in the body that she will be left open to candida albicans infections. Her body must also resist the antibiotics when she really needs them.

The effectiveness of cranberry extract in treating urinary tract infections (UTI) has long been known for some 35 years (and far longer in gypsy and other naturopathic medicines). Recent studies offer scientific proof that cranberry juice prevents E coli from attaching itself to the cells of the urinary tract (Medical Clinics of North America, 1991: 272-86). In one study, between 12-30 ounces of raw unpasturized cranberry juice was a good preventive treatment for many types of urinary tract infections (New Eng J Med, 1963; 268: 57).

Because cranberry extract is found to be the most potent way to take it, naturopaths in America and the UK have had success with several new products designed for acute infections and then maintenance in women who are susceptible. Biocare in the UK offer a cranberry powder (CP227), a teaspoonful of which is taken in a little water twice a day over four days. Once the infection is cleared, a maintenance product (UR228) provides lower dosage of cranberry as a once a day capsule for a month. Biocare combines the product with acidophilus, theoretically to help restore gut flora, an upset of which can help E coli to proliferate.

In the US, Solgar also offers a cranberry extract in capsule form, taken twice a day. All extract products should be taken a half hour before meals.

Rohan Mehta, the highly knowledgeable owner of the NutriCentre, England’s largest natural pharmacy, suggests that if the cystitis returns, repeat the four-day acute stage followed by one-month maintenance regime.

Besides cranberry, your wife should drink lots of water and follow meticulous personal hygiene, perhaps using acidophilus baths, and avoiding bidets, notorious for spreading E coli. For excellent suggestions on preventive measures, get hold of Angela Kilmartin’s seminal book on the subject, Understanding Cystitis (Arrow, London, 1985).

But first your wife must be properly diagnosed and a culture taken to confirm that the problem is bacterial and caused by E coli, rather than fungal. Oftentimes cystitis is blamed when the real culprit is the yeast candida albicans, which will not respond to cranberry. It’s also vital that your doctor determine whether the infection is higher up in the urinary tract often the reason for blood, and not simply the usual symptoms of cystitis such as discharge, burning and a need to urinate frequently. A UTI may turn out to be serious, affecting the kidneys, if it isn’t treated. If it does turn out to be an UTI, and it doesn’t always respond to cranberry (as they don’t in some cases), your wife may have to have antibiotics and medical supervision. After it is cleared, she can follow the preventive measures with cranberry taken as maintenance to avoid a recurrence.

A final recommendation is for you to resolve the stress which does seem to trigger her illness. And the next time your doctor or alternative practitioner gives you a drug, it’s always prudent to find out what it is and any potential side effects before swallowing.

I also believe that the current violent behaviour – terrorism, road rage and the like – are due to thought waves transmitted via the Field and picked up by receptive individuals who then, via their own thought transmissions, influence others. This would account for crowd violence and riots, where normally inoffensive people are drawn into situations they would usually avoid.

The reason for this letter is to tell you about a new arthritis treatment. There is a plant I have learned about from one of my clients, David Cowles, a businessman who lives in Las Vegas. If you log on to http://www.nesgadol.com, you can download his essay on marsh pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata).

He is trying to find someone who will analyse the plant to discover its constituents because he has discovered that it has remarkable curative powers. He has cured himself of arthritis, gout, scleroderma, emphysema and Raynaud’s disease. It heals the kidneys, too.

His wife, who suffered from cystitis for 30 years – which no amount of expensive medical treatment had managed to cure – ate just two leaves of pennywort a day and, after five weeks, she was completely cured.

Finally, Russ Maslen, the author of the book Arthritis BC: Before Centella that I published, has discovered that he is suffering from pancreatic cancer. But because he has been eating Centella asiatica (gotu kola) leaves for the past 11 years, the tumour has stopped growing and is now about the size of a walnut.

His oncologist thinks he may have had this tumour all that time and – get this – Russ has foregone all forms of conventional therapy, has not lost weight and is still functioning normally. When I met him recently at his home in New South Wales, Australia, he was fit enough to take my son and me out and about to show us the sights. – Kenneth V. Jackson, Centella Probe (UK), via e-mail

On investigation, his prostate was not enlarged, and his rate of urinary flow was normal. He had no urinary tract infection or bladder cancer, neurological disorder or sexually transmitted disease. A cystoscopy, performed during a period of remission, revealed bladder-wall inflammation, but no glomerulations – pinpoint bleeding caused by recurrent irritation. A biopsy of the bladder wall revealed the presence of mast cells, suggestive of allergic or allergy-like reactions.

When Mr K.R. came to see me, there was blood in his urine, so I tested him for schistosomiasis (a parasitic infection endemic in Africa), which was negative. He reluctantly agreed to a second cystoscopy, carried out while he was not in remission and with a full bladder. This time, glomerulations were indeed observed, explaining the blood in his urine.

Given the absence of other diseases to account for his symptoms, and the cystoscopic evidence of bladder-wall inflammation and glomerulations, I diagnosed interstitial cystitis (IC).

The patient went back to his urologist, who agreed with this diagnosis and presented him with three choices of treatment:

* Bladder distention, or stretching the bladder. Symptoms may worsen for 24-48 hours after the procedure, but should either return to predistention levels or improve (in about 35 per cent of cases, it’s believed) after three or four weeks;

* Bladder instillation in which, every two weeks, 50 mL of dimethyl sulphoxide (50 per cent solution) is instilled into the bladder, retained for 15 minutes and voided by the patient. Hypersensitivity reactions and bladder spasms may occur, and longer-term use requires eye (for possible cataracts), kidney and liver assessments at six-month intervals;

* The oral drug pentosan polysulphate sodium (PPS; Elmiron), 100 mg three times a day. Clinical trials have shown improved symptoms in 38 per cent of PPS-treated patients, although the changes may take up to six months to become evident. In addition, the drug is known to adversely affect liver function and, therefore, needs to be monitored.

Mr K.R. declined all three options and came back to me for alternatives. I prescribed the homoeopathic combination remedy Cephyl (by Boiron of Lyon, France), which helped. But what was even more beneficial was transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Gentle stretching exercises further relieved his IC symptoms – the unpleasant pressure pain was under control and the episodes of blood in the urine seemed to be fewer and farther between.

He later came to tell me that while taking antihistamines for his hayfever, the whole IC problem improved considerably. This suggested that there was an allergic component to his condition.

While there is no scientific evidence linking IC and diet, anecdotal reports do suggest links between bladder irritation/inflammation and certain foods such as alcohol, tomatoes and other nightshades (e.g. potatoes and aubergines), spices, chocolate, citrus, caffeinated drinks, high-acid foods and artificial sweeteners.

By eliminating these items from his diet and reintroducing them one at a time, he was able to determine which, if any, affected his symptoms. Mr K.R. also quit smoking (tobacco is a nightshade) as the habit is known to be a major cause of bladder cancer. When he excluded chocolate, coffee, tea, red wine and cola drinks from his diet, his urination urgency and frequency problems totally disappeared; blood in his urine has also not recurred in four years so far.

Harald Gaier
Harald Gaier is a registered naturopath, osteopath, homoeopath and herbalist. He can be contacted at The Diagnostic Clinic, London, tel: 020 7009 4650

In the case of cystitis, gypsies use either the tough little leaves of the wild cranberry (also known as the cowberry), or its close relative, the upland cranberry (or bearberry). One heaped teaspoon of the leaves is added to two cups of water and then boiled down to one cup (Planta Medica 18:1-25 1970; J Uriology, AE Sobota, 131 pp1013, 1016, 1984).

For fluid retention, gypsies expose sufferers to the rising smoke of smouldering juniper berries. Although an infusion made from juniper berries is an excellent diuretic, gypsies know that prolonged exposure can cause kidney infections and contractions in pregnant women. The smoke from juniper berries, which give off volatile oils, has a gentler diuretic effect (M Raida, “Zigeunermedizin”, reference as above). For resistant urinary tract infections, gypsies use a three day course of infusions of juniper berries (in non pregnant patients only) (Arzneimittel Foprschung, V May and G Willhun 28, 1-7, 1978). There is also evidence to suggest that it promotes interferon like (interferon is a protein which induces immunity to viruses) activity in cell culture and chicken embryos (Acta Pol Pharm, T Skwarek, 326:715-720, 1979).

To treat frequent urination, gypsies prescribe a tablespoon of dried yarrow with a teaspoon of arnica blossoms in half a litre of boiling water. This is allowed to draw for five minutes and then half of it drunk before bed. The rest of the mixture, slightly warmed, is then drunk the following morning on an empty stomach. Yarrow is believed to stimulate the body’s resistance to disease generally and is often used as a preventative medicine (H Wagner and A Proksch, Economic and Medicinal Plant Research, vol 1, London Academic Press, 1985).

For cystic catarrh or bladder inflammation, Romany medicine prescribes two handfuls of dried chopped black elder bark boiled in half a litre of water.

Leave to draw for 10 minutes, strain, and then drink the entire quantity in small cups throughout the day (Martindale 26th ed; Brit Phamacopoaeia (1934); Merck Index; Brit Herbal Pharmacopeia (1976) vol 1).

For weak bladders, spiny restharrow in pyelonephritis and the leaves of sugar beet are prescribed (RF Weiss, Herbal Medicine, Gothenburg; A B Arcanum, English translation 1988).

Harald Gaier is a registered naturopath, homoeopath and osteopath.

Although you might feel embarrassed if you have urinary incontinence, you should nevertheless let your doctor know about it. It could be a symptom of a disorder that could lead to more trouble if not treated.

Causes


In most cases, the problem is curable and treatable.

Two categories of urinary incontinence are acute incontinence and persistent incontinence.

The acute form is generally a symptom of a new illness or condition (e.g., bladder infection, inflammation of the prostate, urethra or vagina, and constipation).

Side effects of some medications, such as water pills, tranquilizers, and antihistamines can also result in acute urinary incontinence.

Acute urinary incontinence comes on suddenly. It is often easily reversed when the condition that caused it is treated.

Persistent incontinence comes on gradually over time. It lingers or remains, even after other conditions or illnesses have been treated. There are many types of persistent incontinence. The 3 types that account for 80 percent of cases are:

• Stress Incontinence – Urine leaks out when there is a sudden rise in pressure in the abdomen (belly). The amount ranges from small leaks to large spills. This usually happens with coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting, jumping, running, or with straining to have a bowel movement. Stress incontinence is more common in women than in men.
• Urge Incontinence – This inability to control the bladder when the urge to urinate occurs comes on suddenly, so there is often not enough time to make it to the toilet. This type typically results in large accidents. It can be caused by a number of things, including an enlarged prostate gland, a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease.
• Mixed Incontinence – This type has elements of both stress and urge incontinence.

Other types of persistent incontinence are:

• Overflow Incontinence – Constant dribbling of urine occurs because the bladder overfills. This may be due to an enlarged prostate, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis.
• Functional Incontinence – With this, a person has trouble getting to the bathroom fast enough, even though he or she has bladder control. This can happen in a person who is physically challenged.
• Total Incontinence – In this rare type, with complete loss of bladder control, urine leakage can be continual.

Treatment


Care and treatment for urinary incontinence will depend on the type and cause(s). The first step is to find out if there is an underlying problem and to correct it. Treatment can also include pelvic floor exercises, called Kegel exercises, and other self-care measures (see Self-Care Tips in this section on pages 172-173). Medication, collagen injections (for a certain type of stress incontinence), or surgery to correct the specific problem may be needed.

Your primary doctor may evaluate and treat your incontinence or send you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in treating problems of the bladder and urinary tract.

Questions to Ask

Have you lost control of your bladder after an injury to your spine or back?
Do you have these problems? Fever and shaking chills Back pain (sometimes severe) in one or both sides of the lower back or just at your midline Nausea and vomiting
Does your loss of bladder control come with any of these symptoms? Loss of consciousness Inability to speak or slurred speech Loss of sight, double or blurred vision Sudden, severe headaches Paralysis, weakness, or loss of sensation in an arm or leg and/or the face on the same side of the body Change in personality, behavior, and/or emotions Confusion and dizziness
Is the loss of bladder control more than temporary after surgery or an abdominal injury?
Do you have any of these problems? Burning Frequent urination Blood in the urine or cloudy urine Abdominal or low back pain
With the loss of bladder control, do you have diabetes or any of these symptoms of diabetes? Extreme thirst Unusual hunger Excessive loss or gain in weight Blurred vision Easy fatigue, drowsiness Slow healing of cuts and/or infections
If you are a man, do you have any of these problems? Dribbling urine and/or feeling the need to urinate again after you have finished urinating Voiding small amounts of urine often during the day The need to urinate while sleeping An intense and sudden need to urinate often A slow, weak, or interrupted stream of urine
Do you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, run, or lift heavy objects?
Did you lose some bladder control only after taking a new medicine or after taking a higher dose of a medicine you were already taking?

Self-Care Tips

• Avoid or limit drinks, foods, and medicines that have caffeine (e.g., coffee, tea, colas, chocolate, and No-Doz).
• Limit carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus juices, greasy and spicy foods, and items that have artificial sweeteners. These can irritate the bladder.
• Drink 1–2 quarts of water throughout the day.
• Go to the bathroom often, even if you don’t feel the urge. When you urinate, empty your bladder as much as you can. Relax for a minute or two and then try to go again. Keep a diary of when you have episodes of incontinence. If you find that you have accidents every 3 hours, for example, empty your bladder every 21/2 hours. Use an alarm clock or wristwatch with an alarm to remind you.
• Wear clothes you can remove quickly and easily when you use the bathroom. Examples are elastic-waist bottoms and items with velcro closures or snaps instead of buttons and zippers. Also, look for belts that are easy to undo, or don’t wear belts at all.
• Wear absorbent pads or briefs.
• Ask your doctor if you would benefit from using self-catheters. A self-catheter is a clear, straw-like device, usually made of flexible plastic, that you insert into the opening of the urethra; it helps you empty your bladder completely. Your doctor will need to show you how to use one. You need a prescription for self-catheters.
• Empty your bladder before you leave the house, take a nap, and go to bed.
• Keep the pathway to your bathroom free of clutter and well lit. Make sure the bathroom door is left open until you use it.
• Use an elevated toilet seat and grab bars if these will make it easier for you to get on and off the toilet.
• Keep a bedpan, plastic urinal (for men), or portable commode chair near your bed. You can get these at medical supply stores and drugstores.

Kegel Exercises


To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, do Kegel exercises . They can help treat or cure stress incontinence. Even elderly women who have leaked urine for years can benefit greatly from these exercises. Here’s how to do them:

• First, identify where your pelvic floor muscles are. One way to do this is to start to urinate, then hold back and try to stop. If you can slow the stream of urine, even a little, you are using the right muscles. You should feel muscles squeezing around your urethra and anus.
• Next, relax your body, close your eyes and just imagine that you are going to urinate and then hold back from doing so. You should feel the muscles squeeze like you did in the step before this one.
• Squeeze the muscles for 3 seconds and then relax them for 3 seconds. When you squeeze and relax, count slowly. Start out doing this 3 times a day. Gradually work up to 3 sets of 10 contractions, holding each one for 10 seconds at a time. You can do them in lying, sitting, and/or standing positions.
• Women can also use pelvic weights prescribed by their doctor. A woman inserts a weighted cone into the vagina and squeezes the correct muscles to keep the weight from falling out.
• When you do these exercises:
  • Do not tense the muscles in your belly or buttocks.
  • Do not hold your breath, clench your fists or teeth, or make a face.
  • If you are not sure you’re doing the exercise right, consult your doctor.
• Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles right before and during whatever it is (coughing, sneezing, jumping, etc.) that causes you to lose urine. Relax the muscles once the activity is over.
• It may take several months to benefit from pelvic floor exercises and you have to keep doing them daily to maintain their benefit.

Urticacea

Names: Stinging Nettle

Habitat: Everywhere!

Collection: The herb should be collected when the flowers are inbloom.

Part Used: Aerial parts.

Constituents: * Chlorophyll in high yields * Indoles such ashistamine and serotonin

* Acetylcholine * Vitamin C and other vitamins, protein anddietary fibre.

Actions: Astringent, diuretic, tonic, hypotensive.

Indications: Nettles are one of the most widely applicable plants wehave. They strengthen and support the whole body. Throughout Europe they areused as a spring tonic and general detoxifying remedy. In some cases of rheumatism and arthritis they can be astoundingly successful.They are a specific in cases of childhood eczema and beneficial in allthe varieties of this condition, especially in nervous eczema. As anastringent they may be used for nose bleeds or to relieve the symptomswherever there is haemorrhage in the body, for example in uterinehaemorrhage.

King’s Dispensatory gives these specific indications and uses: “Chronicdiarrhoea and dysentary, with large mucous evacuations; profuse secretions ofgastric juice, with eructations and emesis; choleraic discharges; summer boweldiseases of children, with copious watery and mucous passages; chroniceczematous eruptions.” Conditions that benefit from its use include: diarrhoea,dysentery, hemorrhoids, hemorrhages, febrile affections, gravel, nephriticcomplaints, chronic diseases of the colon, eczematous affections, eczema of theface, neck and ears, chronic cystitis.

Combinations: Nettles will combine well with Figwort and Burdock in thetreatment of eczema.

Preparations & Dosage: Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water ontol-3 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for l0-l5 minutes. Thisshould be drunk three times a day. Tincture: take l-4ml of the tincture threetimes a day.

Citations from the Medline database for the genus Urtica

Planta Med (1989 Oct) 55(5):452-4

Compositae

Names: Gravelweed, Joe-Pye Weed, Queen of the Meadow.

Do not confuse with Boneset: Eupatorium perfoliatum

Habitat: USA

Collection: The root and rhizome should be dug up in the autumn after the plant has stopped flowering. Wash thoroughly, slice and dry.

Part Used: Rhizome and root.

Constituents:

• Volatile oil, of unknown composition
• Flavonoids, including euparin
• Resin
  

Indications: Gravel Root is used primarily for kidney stones or gravel. In urinary infections such as cystitis and urethritis it may be used with benefit, whilst it can also play a useful role in a systemic treatment of rheumatism and gout. Ellingwood considered it to have the following symptomatology: “Irritation of the bladder in women from displacement and chronic inflammation of the uterus; and suppression of urine, partial or complete, during or after pregnancy.” He recommends in following conditions: dropsy, strangury, gravel, haematuria, disease of the kidney and bladder from an excess of uric acid, chronic endometriosis, leucorrhoea, chronic uterine disease, threatened abortion, ovarian and uterine atony, dysmenorrhoea, dysuria, constant desire to urinate, intermittent fever, severe bone pains.

Combinations: For kidney stones or gravel it combines well with Stone Root, Parsley Piert, Pellitory of the Wall or Hydrangea.

Preparations & Dosage: Decoction: put l teaspoonful of the herb in a cup of water, bring to the boil and simmer for l0 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day. Tincture: take l-2 ml of the tincture three times aday.