holistic healing info

Childhood Stress Induced by Trauma Increases Risk of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2009-11-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

The following article first appeared in Naturalnews.com on February 16, 2009.

Childhood Stress Induced by Trauma Increases Risk of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

by: Bahrain Samah, RH (AHG), citizen journalist

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a condition marked by persistent cycles of fatigue and recovery accompanied by diverse symptoms affecting multiple organ systems. It causes long-term tiredness which cannot be relieved by rest or sleep.

There are a wide range of factors involved in the development of CFS which may include chronic viral infection, low blood pressure, immune system damage, malnutrition, intestinal permeability, impaired detoxification, immune system damage, food allergies, neurological malfunction, hypoglycemia, poor adrenal function and hypothyroidism, among others.

Childhood trauma is another risk factor as indicated by a study published in the journal, Archives of General Psychiatry. The study, which was headed by Dr. Christine Heim, concluded that exposure to childhood trauma was associated with a six-fold increased risk of CFS.

They also discovered that participants with CFS had very low levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex in higher levels during the body`s "fight or flight" response to stress. It is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body including blood pressure increase, insulin release, and glucose metabolism. Childhood trauma may elevate the production of stress hormones, including cortisol, to higher levels.

The authors conducted the study by recruiting 113 people with CFS and 124 other people without CFS as a control group from a general population of 19,381 adult residents living in Georgia, the United States. Participants completed a questionnaire on five different types of childhood trauma including sexual, physical and emotional abuse and also emotional and physical neglect. Their saliva was collected upon awakening to determine cortisol levels. Normally, cortisol levels are lowest at night and higher in the morning.

The study found that only participants with CFS and a history of childhood trauma had lower cortisol levels than those with CFS but were not exposed to childhood trauma. It was also concluded that low cortisol levels may actually point to a risk of developing CFS rather than being a sign of the syndrome itself.

People who experience prolonged stress are usually found to have higher cortisol levels. At one point, the adrenal cortex which secretes cortisol becomes exhausted and produces lower levels of cortisol. This, in turn, results in multiple symptoms that characterize CFS. Adult participants in the study with CFS who were exposed to childhood trauma may have experienced low cortisol levels sometime or long before the study was conducted.

The study also found that participants who were exposed to emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect were the most effective subscales in differentiating CFS cases from controls. It also found that the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms increases the risk of CFS.

The results of the study can be used as a guide for parents in raising their children. As low levels of cortisol has been implicated in the development of CFS, parents should try as much as possible to avoid the five forms of childhood trauma from their children as they induce prolonged stress and subsequently reduce the secretion of cortisol.

Further Readings:

Heim C., et al., "Childhood Trauma and Risk for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Association With Neuroendocrine Dysfunction." Arch Gen Psychiatry 2009;66(1):72-80.

Heim C., et al., "Early Adverse Experience and Risk for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Results From a Population-Based Study." Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006;63:1258-1266.

"Stress Hormone `A Marker for ME`." BBC News Health Jan 6, 2009.

Herbalist S. Bahrain, RH (AHG)

www.holistichealinginfo.blogspot.com

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Holistic Herbalism - Overview

2009-10-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since I registered the blog. It’s eight in the evening. I just finished having my dinner with my family.

I cooked some rice and prepared hot and spicy fish. The condiments I used including onion, garlic, galangal, ginger, dried chili paste. As I find that Himalayan crystal salt serves more benefits compare to sea salt, I added one half teaspoon to my cooking. Our food always tastes better.

My wife arrived home while I was in the kitchen preparing the meal. She gave me hug and disappeared to change her clothes. Afterward she brought plates, the rice as well as my hot and spicy fish to the dining table located just a few feet from the kitchen. We started and finished the meal with prayers, thanking Al-Mighty God for the meal and asking Him for blessings.

Herbalism. It is a terminology refers to the use of plants’ parts in helping our body to maintain good health, fighting or alleviating diseases. Herbs find its application either in acute or chronic health conditions.

Some acute conditions only need prescriptions of single or combined herbs while chronic conditions normally demands lifestyle changes. However, experienced herbalists will assist clients to have their lifestyles changed when they come for help with acute health conditions. This would result in decreasing the possibilities for recurrence of existing ailments as well as in preventing the occurrence of other health conditions.

Most discussion on etiologies are focused on cause and effects. I had the windows closed to prevent the rain from wetting my house appliances. Similarly, one has to abstain from taking certain foods or avoid certain conditions originating from his surroundings or environment so that these steps will eventually help organ system perform in proper manners - the body returns to its normal equilibrium much faster.

Happy family needs everybody in the whole family to involve. Hug and kisses help refresh my energy. Having meal together creates a sense of belongings. Each family members not only responsible for themselves but they always know that in order to gain something from other family members one has to always be receptive to others. When one the family member having trouble or having bad experiences, other member would definitely share the distress or sorrowfulness. Each family member takes care of each other in whatever conditions any of the family member experiences.

Similarly, performing holistically is a major aspect of organ system in order to maintain equilibrium. When disequilibrium occurs, other systems are affected as well. At times, the particular organ or system which experience a health condition manage to return to its normal function. At other times, it needs special kind of ‘nurture’ either from lifestyle changes alone or combined with herbs, food supplements or employment of certain types of modalities.

As other organ system of the body works together with the affected organ or system in maintaining good health and in alleviating health conditions, other particular organ system has to be either stimulated or toned. Analogously, when disagreement occurs between brothers and sisters, certain actions at times has to be taken by all parties involved in the discrepancy.

Evolution not only dealt by experts in paleontology, anthropology, biology and the like. However when I mention holistic herbalism, it does not mean that it also evolves from what was traditionally practiced by our ancestors. Today, herbalism has expanded by modern technologies and modern research findings.

Therefore, the most probable definition of holistic herbalism a modality used to maintain general health, prevent illnesess or curing diseases by taking into consideration of the holistic interrelationship of four elements: body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Holistic herbalism also combined the art and science of the past and present.

Herbalist S. Bahrain, RH (AHG)

www.holistichealinginfo.blogspot.com

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Herbs and Vegetables - Benefits or Taste?

2009-10-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

“Errggh….. ! Mummy. It’s so bitter!”

That’s a typical response almost every time I administer my eldest daughter a bitter herb concoction.

“You don’t have something taste pleasant, dad?”

“The bitter the better,” I normally reply with a smile.

Besides herbal medicine, it happens to vegetables as well. Most kids nowadays do not find vegetable palatable. Most of them find vegetables taste bland. They choose only few types that are appealing to their taste bud. There are several vegetables which are quite universally accepted such as carrot, broccoli, and iceberg lettuce (accompanies burgers, with very least available nutrients). They are positioned on top of the list as types of vegetables that children like the most.

There are children who dislike taking any type of vegetables. They always remind waitresses not to include any types of vegetables in their food they order. Do you think only children behave or have that kind of habit? The answer is there are adults who eat little vegetables. In fact, I know several persons who rarely take vegetables during large meals.

In several cases, I recommend friends and clients to take combination of raw vegetables. When I mention specific types of vegetables they have to take, some of them frown. Now, it’s not only the taste as main concern. Some people do not have ‘time’ to prepare it.

So, how would we tackle this type of situation?

Modernization has to do with the habit mentioned. People who live in rural areas consider vegetables as very palatable. They eat boiled corn, cassava or organic rice with vegetable soup. Nothing else. Recently, I watched a television program depicting how ethnic minorities of Vietnam and Cambodia live and conserve their culture.

These ethnics use firewood stoves to prepare their meal. Besides rice, they prepare leaves either from the surrounding jungle or from vegetables they plant around their house. They prepare the vegetable soup simply by boiling them in little water. They use no garlic, onion, chili, dried shrimp or small dried anchovy as normally used as condiments by people exposed to modernization.

My late grandmothers, her sisters, and many other older generations used to take a lot of bitter herbs and vegetables. I personally saw them taking herbal decoctions or eating vegetables of different kinds of taste. Once in a while they took slices of bitter gourd or bitter leaves as ‘ulam’. Ulam is raw or boiled (water removed) vegetables taken with ‘sambal belacan’or ‘sambal tempoyak’.

They knew that most herbs and vegetables especially bitter ones act as blood purifier. They also mentioned that frequent bitter herbs/vegetables intake would lessen the likelihood to get infected. It would also deter mosquitoes. I personally saw old folks who are used to taking bitter herbal concoctions received less mosquito bites.

As an herbalist, I love any kind of taste or after taste of herbs or vegetable I take. Local herb such as ‘Akar Seruntun’ or also known as ‘Putrawali’ (Guduchi, Tinosporia cordifolia) is very bitter and it leaves very unpleasant after taste. So does ‘Mambu’ (Neem, Azadiracta indica).

The fact that we will not be able to train everybody in this world to have the same taste bud as what we have as herbalists!

Modernization!

What’s wrong with modernization?

Nowadays most people exposed to modernization are used to take foods that suit their taste bud. Ethnic groups and people live in rural areas have no such choice as modern people do.

Most modern people expect to take herbs in encapsulated from without worrying about the taste of the herbs. They are willing to take herbal juices only when their original taste is modified. One such example is ‘mangosteen pericarp’ juice.

Why are herbalists or holistic healers so concern about taking herbs or vegetables even though most of them taste awful? Subtracting AIDS, chronic cancers, lethal epidemics, accidents, wars everybody knows that Homo sapiens has lived a wonderful life. Some lives to their eighties or seventies and some of whom seldom take vegetables or herbs.

One of the possible answers would be to prevent is better than to cure. Vegetables are not only known for its fiber contents. It provides carotenoids, bioflavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids, and sterols besides other beneficial nutrients including vitamins and minerals. Different species offer different proportions of the aforementioned phytochemicals.

These chemicals are not only beneficial to the plants to protect themselves from insects or weather but when ingested by humans, they result in various health benefits either in term of preventing illnesses, maintaining general health or curing diseases.

Am I anti-modernization then? No. I personally see that modern people should expand their perspective towards many uses as well as benefits of herbs and vegetables. They may be able to do so by feeling more responsible of their own well-being.

Herbalist S. Bahrain, RH (AHG)
www.holistichealinginfo.blogspot.com
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