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BACK TO ASK THE HERBALIST
INDEX
ANSWERS FROM CARLOS:
QUESTION:
I read the content on your website -very good info. I
was wondering if you can answer a couple of questions.
My Doc says I have to much protein in the urine, 335
mg/per h. I understand that is mild condition. I
am 56 years of age and not diabetic and don't have high
blood pressure. I am taking Nexium once a day and
another medication for the thyroid.
Do you have any advice on how to correct this protein in
the urine condition. Not sure, but I believe this
condition only started appearing within the last few
months.
ANSWER:
My first suggestion is that you observe a low protein
diet.
That means eliminating animal foods. In particular all
read meats and pork. Avoid also alcohol, white sugar and
excessive dairy.
Eat good protein sources. include beans, lentils,
millet, peas, soybeans, and whole grains in your
diet. Enhance your diet with plenty of fresh fish,
salmon and mackerel in particular, fresh garlic and
onions, honey and brown rice. You also need to increase
your daily fiber intake. Eat plenty of local fresh
fruits and vegetables.
You should also increase your calcium intake since the
daily intake of protein will double the excretion of
calcium in the urine. You may want to supplement this
with Calcium carbonate 1,000mg 2xs day. When you look
for a calcium supplement, be sure the number of
milligrams on the label refers to the amount of
elemental calcium, and not to the strength of each
tablet.
It may be only a mild condition, but you need to avoid
uremia which is an excess accumulation or protein in the
urine. Kidney stones is also another condition you may
want to keep in check.
One good remedy that comes to mind is the Ganoderma
mushroom.
I would also include Dandelion root tea 3xs day to clear
out any toxins.
ANSWERS FROM LORHYL:
QUESTION:
I have interstitial cystitis and have been taking
elmiron for over a year and it seems to be getting
worse. Is their anything else I can try to relieve the
symptoms? I am currently taking peppermint pills for
bacterial overgrowth.
ANSWER:
The first thing you need to do is body cleanse in order
to bring your body back to a state of more normal
functioning. We carry a good cleanse formula called
Life Force with Triphela. Raw fruits and vegetables and
fresh, raw vegetable juice is essential for improving
general body health. You also need to drink adequate
clean water. Google 'the Water Cure'. Be sure and take
enough whole sea salt as in Celtic Sea Salt as it
contains the full range of trace elements the body needs
for daily living. Adding a pro-biotic to your diet will
help bring your digestive tract back to a healthy
balance. I have attached our body cleanse regimen for
your information. We have an excellent bladder/kidney
formula, Pee King, that we recommend. Also our blend
Free n Clear with Chinese herbs. Reduce or eliminate
white flour products, dairy, white sugar, alcohol,
tobacco, tea and coffee from your diet, too. Here is a
list of other herbs you can add to your diet, and daily
intake as well: - aloe vera juice, 1/3 c three times
daily; - acai berry juice, 1 oz three times daily: 3
cups of fresh raw juices, like a mixed vegetable, or
mixed fruit, the live enzymes will help you
tremendously; papaya juice, or papaya enzymes before
meals
QUESTION:
My son 14 years old has problem in left ureter i.e. left
ureter is partially dilated in the level of iliac vessel
crossing. Please advice for medicine to cure this.
ANSWER: Here are some suggestions, as to the
support you may chose to use for your son. Not knowing
if this is a genetic predisposition, or if it is
something that has occurred as he grew older, I will
suggest the following:
- take a close look at his diet, refined sugars,
chemical dyes ( such as in Tang orange juice, or
products like it
- look at the downloads below, for ideas on cleansing
and cleaning and healing for the body
- herbs to take:
- calendula pills, 3 in AM, 3 in PM
- astragalus pills, 2 -3times per day
- our formula, Fee n Clear for the urinary system
Please email us back with information on what the
symptoms are that your son is exhibiting, so that we
can be of further service to you.
ANSWERS FROM KAREN MALLINGER
UTI IN A CHILD
QUESTION: I was on the website and saw that there
was a question about urinary reflux
of a 4 year old. I have an almost 6 month old daughter
that has been diagnosed with this. She has already had
one UTI so was then tested for the reflux. She has also
been treated with antibiotics to be taken for a year. I
don't want her to be on the antibiotics for that long.
Already we have been fighting yeasty diaper rashes and
now thrush. She has it in her mouth and as I'm
breastfeeding on my nipples. I'm not sure what to do
now. I know that I can't effectively fight the thrush
with her still on an antibiotic that is killing all the
good bacteria also.
ANSWER: Well you're right to avoid the
antibiotics in my opinion. For the UTI, cranberry juice,
natural, not cocktail, is the best thing going. Of
course it's very bitter, so you may have some trouble
getting it into her. You need to eliminate all sugars
from both of your diets while this is going on. That's
probably contributing to the yeast infection.
For the thrush, you might apply tea tree oil
to the nipple area several times a day. Pau d'arco tea
is also very effective. Also, crushed garlic, believe it
or not, may be very helpful for you and your little one.
If she has thrush and you're nursing, you are in danger
of getting into a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
Keep everything scrupulously clean, you, the baby's
mouth etc. Try rinsing or swabbing the inside of her
mouth with gauze soaked in salt and garlic.
QUESTION:
Hi, I am 34 year old woman that has had a bladder
dysfunction all her life. When I was pregnant with my 4
children this basically stopped. I wet the bed about 2-3
x a week . Not always a lot but enough to make me fell
"not so great about myself" Is there any herbal that
would help me with this problem. I already watch what I
drink before bed etc. Remember I am 34, I don't really
need tips, unless they lead to a cure.
ANSWER:
I don't know what you expect me to give you besides tips,
34 or not. There is no "Cure" that will work 100% of the
time and anyone who tells you there is, is pulling the
wool so to speak. Have you talked to a doctor about this
at all to ensure there is no infection of any kind? If so,
have they given you anything? There's a lot of unanswered
questions here. If it is due to an infection, you can
actually drink cranberry juice that will help, as it
doesn't allow the infection to cling to the walls of the
bladder. There are also cranberry pills, which I
personally prefer since I hate cranberry juice! The
leakage could be due to the size of your babies, but
nightly bedwetting could be something else. Without a firm
diagnosis, it's hard for me to send you in the right
direction.
QUESTION: My 4 year old daughter has urinary reflux (stage 2). She
has now been put on once a day antibiotics to prevent the
infections. But I am really worried that she will be on
them for far to long. Every thing else they have gave her
has become resident to the infections. And she is till
wetting herself all the time. She just cannot hold it. I
am very happy with her doctor, who has just been wonderful
in trying everything to help her. He even sent her to a
urologist who was suppose to be the best in our state...I
was not impressed with him at all. He wants he to stay on
this medication till she out grows her problem. And if it
stops working he want to do surgery. She is starting pre-k
this year and I know she needs to get everything under
control so she can enjoy being with other kids her own
age, and not worry about wetting on herself or more
infections. What can I do? I am willing to try anything at
this point. I am sick of seeing her hurt. and I am so
scared of her being on antibiotics for so long. Any help
would be so wonderful.
ANSWER: I like cranberry juice for any bladder or
urinary tract infections. Only pure juice, not the
cocktail. You can also get cranberry capsules as cranberry
juice is quite tart. Horsetail is also effective. Golden
Root and Corn Silk are anti-inflammatory. Share this with
your doctor as drub interactions with herbs can cause
additional complications sometimes.
INFECTIONS:
QUESTION:
Do you have any ideas on why if I drink water that
hasn't been filtered, I get symptoms of kidney/bladder
infection? This started about a year ago. I'm 49,
female, with a history of kidney/bladder infections
going back to childhood. I would very much appreciate
any help you can give me on this.
Thank you in advance for your time.
ANSWER:
I think the symptoms you described answer your question.
"Regular" water from the tap is filled with chemicals. I
don't even let my dogs drink tap water! (We live in a
very toxic area of western New York) We only drink
distilled water. If the only change you are seeing is
drinking undistilled water, then I would say there's
something in the treatment of the water there that is
causing an infection. Make sure that's the only change
that brings these on. (diet, sexual activity, nylon
panties, lots of things can bring on a bladder
infection)
QUESTION:
I was wondering if you can help me figure out what my
father in law is trying to describe to me. He said 'back
in the old days' people used to use a herb called - his
pronunciation - Ratsbain as a cure for bed wetting. They
made a tea out of it. I cannot find anything on this -
or anything even close to that spelling.
ANSWER: What your
father-in-law is referring to is Chimaphila maculata,
pronounced, [ky-MAF-ih-luh mak-yuh-LAH-tuh]. It is also
referred to as dragon's tongue, pipsissewa, ratsbane,
rheumatism root, spotted pipsissewa, wild arsenic,
wintergreen, and striped prince's pine. The leaves and
fruit have been used to increase urine flow, as a tonic,
and for treating diarrhea, syphilis, nervous disorders,
and ulcers. The plant has an antiseptic influence on the
urinary system and is sometimes used in the treatment of
cystitis. An infusion of the plant has been drunk in the
treatment of rheumatism and colds. A poultice of the
root has been used to treat pain while the plant has
also been used as a wash on ulcers, scrofula and
cancers. All parts of the plant can be used, though only
the leaves are officinal.
ANSWERS FROM DAVID BRILL
URINARY
TRACT INFECTIONS
QUESTION: what type of herbal product would you recommend
for urinary tract infection in a man, burning upon urination.
ANSWER: The following herbs have been used for this
problem in the past.
Agrimony, Latin Named: Agrimonia spp
Cleavers, Latin Named: Galium Aparine
Sheperd's Purse, Latin Name: Capsella burse-pastoris
Kava Kava, Latin Named: Piper methysticum
Honeysuckle, Latin Named: Lonicera japonica
Sweet Birch, Latin Named: Betula lenta
Cranberry, Latin Named: Vaccinum macrocarpon or V. oxycoccus
Pipsissewa, Latin Named: Chimaphila umbelata
Couch grass, Latin Named: Elytriga repens
Corn silk, Latin Named: Zea mays
Goldenrod, Latin Named: Solidago odora, S. Virgauria
Hydrangea, Latin Named: Hydrangea arborensis
Usnea, Latin Named: Usnea barbata
A good combination would be Kava and Hydrangea for pain, Agrimony
and/or Pipsisewa for infection and Corn Silk for soothing the bladder
and UT and to help repair and rebuild tissue in the UT.
Lower sugar intake and use unsweetened cranberry juice or a cranberry
extract/pill like Cranactin.
You can also use the two herbs Boldo or Buchu if you can find them.
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