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BACK TO ASK THE HERBALIST
INDEX
ANSWERS FROM LORYHL:
QUESTION:
I need help with finding something to increase my energy
level. I am 59 years old I take Maxzide (diuretic) and
Aceon (High blood pressure) and Ultram ER for pain for
arthritis. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis, high
cholesterol and high blood pressure. We were recently
blessed with the birth of our first grandchild. At
eight and 1/2 months she wears me out. I seem to need
at least 10 hours of sleep to get going and during the
work week that is impossible as we usually get her from
4-8 and sometimes all weekend so her mom can work(she is
a single mom).What can I take to get some energy I'm so
tired of being tired. I tried taking multiple vitamins
and supplements but stopped because I wasn't getting
better after two months. I need help.
ANSWER:
A lot of the problem is like with most North Americans,
it is the wrong foods, for many years, and toxins, and
drugs, stress, etc.
Please read the downloads, I am sending you, if
you can find out your blood type, that will help
tremendously.
You can have the blends of herbs made up by me to
assist you in energy, arthritic pain etc. These are anti
oxidant as well, and coupled with the right foods for
your body, you will see a improvement, according to how
far you want to go. Our formula, Thumper, is excellent
for energy, as well as our Green Alkinalizing mix. I
notice a real difference when I take the Green mix and
Thumper two times daily.
Take note of the nightshades, the group of foods
most of us in North America eat which is causing
hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, arthritis
etc. It has been researched and clinically proven, that
certain chemicals in our foods, and the group of
nightshades, are indeed culprits in the arthritic
problems, that are epidemic. Potatoes ( sweet potatoes
are OK), tomatoes, eggplants, green pepper, red,
yellow, tobacco, are all nightshades, and all are in the
same plant family, as Solanacea, or as it was known
anciently, deadly nightshades. Deadly because we consume
them as food, instead of medicine, and they do cause
arthritis, as above.
ANSWERS FROM KAREN MALLENGER
FREQUENT TRAVELER FIGHTS FATIGUE
QUESTION: I have taken nearly a year off from
work to do some traveling and generally
laze about, and am soon to return to a very busy, hectic
job. Among my many responsibilities will be to travel
extensively around Europe and from Europe to the US,
visiting as many as three cities in three days on some
occasions. Although jet lag is somewhat of a concern for
the US trips, most of the trips are short-haul and the
time difference is only an hour or two. I am
more concerned about general fatigue from flying and
being constantly on the move. I am a generally high
energy person but I sometimes find flying to be very
drying and tiring, and I will be alone in various hotel
rooms trying to eat right, hunched over my laptop. I
wonder if you might recommend some herbs or vitamins
that I might take to keep my immunity and energy levels
balanced and to mitigate the effects of being a modern
workaholic?
ANSWER: Well, you should be taking vitamins A, C,
E and selenium as a regular course. I usually up the C
to 2000 mg if I suspect situations that may attack my
immune system, which adds stress and changing times will
certainly do. Also, a sub-lingual vitamin B complex is a
very good idea.
www.trivita.com has an excellent one that I highly
recommend. As for herbs, acacia, cayenne, ginkgo biloba,
gotu kola, guarana and Siberian ginseng are all helpful
in fighting fatigue. Also, bee pollen is very good, but
it needs to stay refrigerated. Try to get all of these
from a
reputable herbalist. Lastly, workaholic or not, you
need to eat well, avoid caffeine, white flour
and sugar. These things will sap your energy more than
you know. Also, try to get a full 8 hours of sleep each
night. It's very important. To reduce the jet lag, get
yourself on the time zone of the country you're in as
quickly as possible. Try chamomile, lemon balm or
valerian to help you get
to sleep. Enjoy your travels! I have lots of co-workers
in London as well as family, so I've done the cross
Atlantic traveling. It can wear you down if you aren't
careful.
NEW MOTHER NEEDS ENERGY
QUESTION:
I am a 25 year old woman, with a 13 month old baby, it's
hard enough trying to keep up with her, but recently my
energy levels have gotten so low I just don't want to
get out off bed until evening and even then I still feel
tired. I have been diagnosed with a lot of problems
over the years, depression, hypothyroidism, reoccurring
glandular fever, anemia and just recently I've found out
I've had Crohns Disease for quite a while, as you can
imagine all of these do no help with my problem. I'm
looking for something that could boost my energy, maybe
even pick me up, that doesn't effect my illnesses or
medication (it would be great if it wasn't too expensive
either). Please can you help me, I'm at my wits end.
ANSWER:
Since I don't know what medications you're taking, I
can't advise on that basis. I don't usually recommend
mixing herbs with prescription medications. The
interactions can cause more harm than good. Aloe vera,
burdock root, echinacea, fenugreek, licorice,
marshmallow root, pau d'arco all support digestion,
cleanse the blood stream and reduce inflammation. I
would check with your doctor before taking any herbs for
the possible interactions with your meds. I can make a
custom formulation for you if you're interested, but
would need to know what specific meds you are on and
what they are for.
ANSWERS FROM DAVID BRILL
DOZING
DRIVER
QUESTION: my husband is a truck driver he needs to stay
awake for long periods of
time once in awhile i don't lie him to take the pills at the truck
stops
because i don't know what is in them can you tell me something that
might help?
ANSWER:
I am sorry I do not recommend herbs for this use, most of the no doze
products out there will injure him whether herbal or natural. My
only advice is pull over and sleep to save his life and/or someone
else's life.
ENERGY
LOSS
QUESTION: I am 22 years old and in relatively good physical
shape. I take multiple
vitamins on an almost daily basis and eat relatively healthy.
However, over
the past year or two, I have noticed a decrease in my energy level.
I would like to find some supplement and/or tea that I can take on a
regular
basis to increase my energy level. This supplement should be
reasonably
priced (less than a couple dollars per day) and should be safe to take
long
term.
ANSWER: If you are in good shape and eat well, take care
of stress in your life, aren't on any medication or supplements which
could cause this, I would be looking for a reason for you decreased
energy.
If everything checks out, I would try Siberian Ginseng, it is a tonic
herb that can be taken every day and will give you a little energy.
You can take it as a pill, tea or extract or simply ingest it with
oatmeal or on salad if you get the powder.
For convenience I would suggest the extract.
HERBS
FOR ENERGY
QUESTION: Is there a better herb to take if you want to maintain or lose weight, gain energy; however, have been diagnosed with Lupus (about 10 years ago) currently in remission.
I am not currently taking any prescription medications, due mainly because I don't care for the side effects. I am looking for something that will help me gain energy so that I can exercise more frequently to lose weight; however, I don't want to take anything that will create difficulties for me in dealing with my Lupus.
Any assistance or suggestions you can give me are greatly appreciated.
ANSWER:
Most of the Ginsengs are adaptogens and help the body deal with stress, including Siberian Ginseng which is not a true Panax Ginseng Species. These type of herbs can potentiate immune function, since Lupus is thought to be an autoimmune disease, these herbs could be contraindicated for you.
If you would like to try a herbal adaptogen which can be used with Lupus try Licorice, additionally the medicinal mushrooms, Ganoderma (Reishi), Maitake and Shitake are immune amphoterics, raising hypo immune systems and lowering hyper immune system responses such as in the case of the autoimmune disease, Lupus.
You may want to read my other answer on Lupus online.
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