Environmental and air pollution, the waste material from pur food, and the toxic substances we often inhale, are all detrimental to the lymphatic system. To counteract these influences which can hardly be eliminated by the individual, Dr Vogel has developed an excellent remedy, Kelpasan, to assist the lymph glands to function properly. Kelpasan is made from pure sea algae from the Pacific Ocean and, as a food supplement, it stimulates the cell metabolism of the endocrine glands. It is also an excellent detoxifier and indeed, in its role as a detoxification method for the lymph system, it is of great help.

The lymphatics, which need ample rest and sleep, are more numerous than the arteries and veins, and are connected with all parts of the internal organs. They pass through the skin of the body, face and scalp, and also have a strong influence on the thyroid gland. They carry sensory action to all parts of the body; for example, the sense of taste – good or bad – is affected by the condition of the lymph. The lymph system is also decisive in the action or movement in any part of our neck or hands. If the lymph system becomes heavy and sluggish, it gradually slows the action of the blood, as it is the task of these glands to strengthen the red blood supply. The more active the lymph, the more quickly the body will move.

The lymphatic system consists of a complex network which collects the lymph from various organs and tissues in the human body. It is a system of inter-connecting vessels which conduct the lymph from the different parts of the body to the large veins of the neck, connecting with the jugular and other less important veins, where the lymph is poured into the bloodstream. In the system of connecting vessels there are many lymph glands or nodes. These small nodes or sacs, which act as filters and separate one substance from another, resemble buttons on a string, placed at different distances apart. Starting from the head and face, if we draw an imaginary line from the throat back to meet the third cervical vertebra, which is the bone in the middle of the neck, we find these strings of lymphatic nodes occurring closer to the surface of the skin on the face. One branch, occupying the skin, travels up the jaw to the eye, while two other branches travel to the nose. Two important nodes lie between the ear and the cheek bone in a line from the ear to the point of the nose. From here the glands, fifteen to twenty in number, travel up both sides of the head. The role of these glands is to collect fats and waste material and carry them into the deeper regions of the body. Just above the collar bone, on either side of the neck, we find a group of small nodes, five or six on either side, extending down into the deeper part of the body with branches extending down through the flesh and connecting with the shoulders. These little nodes can be felt in many parts of the body.

The next group is located in the back of the neck, travelling up inside the skull, forming a drainage system from the four different parts, and continuing from there down to the lower extremes of the body. Heat control in the body depends greatly on the action of these lymphatic nodes.

If we direct our attention to the lymphatic system in the neck, starting beneath the chin and travelling along the two main arteries down the breastbone or sternum, there is a group of lymphatics descending from the collar bone to the solar plexus. There is a little string of lymph nodes, or buttons, that seem to extend from the spinal column, sending out or collecting branches to and from the various parts of the flesh and diaphragm. Now, when we return to just below the collar bone, we find a large knob with branches running in different directions, travelling beneath the flesh and extending into the armpits. From there many lymphatic veins travel down the arms on both sides, but the largest group inhabit the palms of the hands and fingers. Here, by feeling, we notice the relation between the lymphatic group and the conscious system which carries every sense of vibration in the body.

The next group of lymphatics extends from the shoulders and is seated more deeply in the flesh, extending down the trunk of the body, with branches going to the breast. The entire breast area is one solid network of glands, with the exception of the nipples. This network of lymphatics is of great influence on the mammary glands. In the lower part of the back, in the lumbar region, we find a large lymphatic gland similar to an artery. At this point the gland branches out and has approximately twelve nodes. Other strings of nodes extend down into the lower part of the body to the fallopian tubes, ovarian glands, uterus, vagina, and lower limbs. These glands collect the lymph from the lower extremities and carry it in the direction of the heart. There it connects with one of the main arteries and pours the lymph and chyle milk, which is a milky substance, into the blood. The lymph is carried around by the circulation of the red blood until the blood passes through the kidneys, where the detrimental substances are extracted and eliminated by the force of the urine channels.

Because so many problems can be traced back to the lymphatic system, I have tried to explain it in detail. It is the lymphatic system that is responsible for the proper elimination of waste material, and, accordingly, its functions affect the condition of skin and flesh of the body. It has been established that the lymphatic system will not flourish without adequate calcium supplies, and in many acne rosacea patients I have discovered a chronic calcium deficiency. The calcium preparation I mostly prescribe is called Urticalcin from the Bioforce range, as I believe that this is one of the most easily absorbed calcium supplements. Not only is this a homoeopathic supplement, so that there is no need to fear calcium deposits, but it is also mixed with nettle extract – Herb urtica. Urticalcin, as a homoeopathic calcium and silicic acid preparation, is to be used where a deficiency is indicated.

*21\147\2*

Chronos, from Greek, means “time.” Chronic diseases are distinguished from acute diseases because they are drawn out over time. The sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) often have acute phases, but almost all of them have a chronic phase. Their acute phase often involves a lesion, pain, and inflammation near the site of entry a few days or a few weeks after the onset of infection. But STDs cause their worst damage at more distant sites as a result of their chronic presence. This continuum between acute and chronic disease among STDs reveals a surprising inconsistency in generalizations about disease causation. STDs, and a few other diseases, such as tuberculosis, that demonstrate this continuum, have led to the recognition that infectious diseases can be chronic. But when it comes to chronic diseases that do not have a distinct acute phase, infectious causation is often either dismissed or not even considered. Peptic ulcers, for example, do not have a distinct acute phase, and the infectious causation of ulcers was dismissed for a century in spite of supportive evidence.

A shocking realization arrives when we notice the general trend of which peptic ulcers are merely a specific example. All the diseases that were accepted as infectious during the last quarter of the nineteenth century were either entirely or largely acute—the diseases were obvious because sufferers had obvious symptoms just after they were infected—but all the human diseases that have been accepted as infectious during the past quarter century have been entirely or largely chronic. They are the stealth infections.

Knowing the reasons for this turnaround provides a sense of what the future holds in store, and how we can make that future more healthy. But to fully understand these reasons we need to be part psychologists and part medical historians.

*17\225\2*

What is the “right amount” of glucose in the blood? In fact, what is sugar doing in the blood in the first place, and why does the body need a complicated system of hormones to keep it in balance?

Glucose is the favored energy fuel for most cells of the body. It is carried throughout the body by the blood. A relatively small amount of sugar can supply the needs of the trillions of cells in the human body. All the blood of an average-sized adult man usually contains just about a teaspoon of glucose. But a person’s blood sugar level is not the same all the time. It goes up shortly after a meal, when foods from the digestive tract are passing into the bloodstream; and it goes down when a person hasn’t eaten for a long time. During your long night’s sleep, you don’t eat anything, so your blood sugar level is generally lowest just before breakfast. (This is called your fasting blood glucose level.)

In a healthy person, the swings in blood sugar level are not permitted to go very far. When sugar floods into the blood after a meal, the pancreas quickly secretes insulin, which helps the body cells get the sugar tucked away into storage. When a person has fasted or is starved, glucagon keeps the blood sugar level from falling too low. In a healthy person, the blood sugar level rarely rises above a concentration of 160 milligrams in each 100 milliliters of blood (which is expressed as 160 mg%), even after a meal, or falls below 60 mg%, even during a fast. The normal fasting blood sugar level ranges from 70 to 120 mg%, or about 80 mg% on the average.

*13\268\2*

Montu was a very good badminton player and had been selected to represent his school in the interstate school championships. Unfortunately, he got a sudden fit of depression at the time he was supposed to leave by train. He was perforce left out of the team squad. He was so upset that he lost every hope of ever getting a chance to show his mettle in the game for which he had worked so hard. He lost all interest in studies and in everyday life, and spent most of the time in musing over his bright moments in Badminton matches played previously. A combination of Gorse (for hopelessness) and Honey Suckle (for freeing the mind from past memories) was continued for another week.

‘Mustard’ was also prescribed T.D.S alongside the other combination and this remedy was continued for 3 months after which Montu was freed completely from those fits of sudden and causeless depression which had once threatened to ruin his career.

*147\308\8*

Hence, we should be aware of the fact that one reason we may not be able to work well with this ‘non-grower’s-club’ segment of the population is because our assumptions about sickness and health, insight and consciousness may not apply to them. However, it is not the logical inconsistencies in the psychiatric paradigm which inhibit its usefulness, but its inability to fulfill its goals of getting the patient healthy again and behaving like others who do not burden the city. I think it is generally accepted today that cures for the main diseases have not been found. Research based upon the description of symptoms, symptom clusters or syndromes has focused on genetic inheritence, endorphine over or under production, dysfunctional communication systems in the family of origin, neurochemistry, ethology, cognition and learning theory without being able to explain the origins of the non-organic psychoses.

It could be argued that research has still not been able to progress sufficiently to produce the desired results. Certainly inconclusive research is no argument for dropping an organizing paradigm. The above difficulties, however, give us the impression that the mental health sciences are in the midst of a typical ‘pre-science’ stage of development characterized by either too many or insufficient paradigms. Thus, psychiatry is in the midst of a paradigm crisis.

*18\227\8*

A caloric is a unit of measure that indicates the amount of energy we obtain from a particular food. One pound of body fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. So each time you consume 3,500 calories more than your body needs to maintain weight, you gain a pound. Conversely, each time your body expends an extra 3,500 calories, you lose a pound. So if you add a can of Coca-Cola (140 calories) to your daily diet and make no other changes in diet or activity, you would gain a pound in 25 days (3,500 calories + 140 calories/day = 25 days). Conversely, if you walked for half an hour each day at a pace of 15 minutes per mile (172 calories burned), you would lose a pound in 20 days (3,500 calories + 172 calories/day = 0.3 days).

The two ways to lose weight, then, are to lower caloric intake (through improved eating habits) and to increase exercise (expending more calories).

Don’t forget, it took time to gain weight; it will take time to lose it. The best strategy is to go slow, set short-term goals, and stick to them.

*18/277/5*

There are three main types of tests for testing the blood for HIV infection. These include tests to (a) detect antibodies; (b) identify HIV itself and estimate the number of HIV virus in the body; and

(c) provide an estimate of the number of T cells in the blood. Of these three types, the most common are the tests to detect antibodies. Detailed below are the tests in each of these categories:

Tests to detect antibodies: The most common test to detect HIV antibodies is the ELISA test, which is a short form for Enzyme Linked Immune Assay. ELISA test is preferred as an initial test for HIV testing mainly because it is simple and sensitive. It is therefore suitable for testing large number of blood samples. It is important to remember that there are several ELISA kits available commercially but not all of them have been manufactured using recommended guidelines. It is therefore desirable that the ELISA test be performed in laboratories approved of supported by the National AIDS? Control Organisation. These centres use only standard kits.

The Government of India has recommended that a person should be suspected to have HIV infection only if two consecutive and separate ELISA tests have indicated the presence of antibodies. In case the ELISA test indicates presence of antibodies, further tests to confirm HIV infection are recommended. These tests axe expensive and therefore many medical practitioners recommend three consecutive ELISA tests to be done instead of doing a confirmatory test. If each of these tests indicates presence of HIV antibodies, the person is said to have HIV infection.

A person infected with HIV develops antibodies to it only after about three to six weeks. The period between the actual infection and the time when antibodies appear in the blood is called the window period. ELISA test will be negative if the blood is tested in the window period.

Other tests to detect antibodies include rapid tests such as “dot blot ” or “immuno blot”, dipsticks, etc., and simple tests. These tests are not routinely recommended because of the higher probability of laboratory errors and higher costs as compared to the ELISA tests. Rapid tests give results within fifteen to thirty minutes only. Even if the test result is positive, it is necessary to do ELISA and Western Blot test for confirmation. This is because rapid tests often show false positive results.

Urine and saliva antibody tests have also been developed to detect HIV antibodies in the urine and saliva respectively. Both these tests however do not replace the ELISA test.

The most common test used to confirm HIV infection is the Western Blot test. This test also detects antibodies to HIV. A Western blot test is said to be positive if the test shows reactions to the antigens of at least two of the following components of the virus: P-24, GP-41 and GP-160. A negative test is one which does not indicate antibodies to any of the above components of the virus. In case there is reaction to one or more antigens only, or if there is weak reaction, the test results is said to be doubtful.

It is important to remember that about fifteen per cent people who are not infected with HIV can also have doubtful test result. This is why Western Blot test is recommended only after two consecutive ELISA tests have been positive.

In India, standard ELISA and Western Blot test facilities are available in several major hospitals.

Tests to detect HIV: The most common test to detect HIV itself is called polymerase chain reaction or PCR test. These tests can indicate the presence of the virus in new born babies or adults within a week of their getting HIV infection. The PCR tests can also estimate the number of viruses in the blood and are therefore used to assess the progress of the disease.

Tests to estimate the number of T cells in the blood: Estimating the number of T cells in the blood or the total CD4 count in the blood is used for identifying the stage of HIV infection, plan the most suited treatment option and establish the diagnosis of AIDS. It can also be used to decide whether specific preventive measures are desirable for opportunistic infections or not. This is because a decline in CD4 cells indicates increased risk of getting infections.

*16\288\2*