Q.
Right to the point: our problem is
anal itch and irritation. We have really
noticed this since we have been eating
more naturally. We have whole wheat
breads, rye breads, more fruits and vegetables, cheese, less meats, no sugar except some turbinado. We stopped eating wheat germ and bran. We eliminate
(bowel movement) at least twice a day,
and some days more. It seems normal
enough to us. However, my husband, especially, has anal irritation or itch after
each elimination, and therefore, washes
afterwards to stop it. He does not use
soap, because this also irritates. I only
feel anal irritation now and then, mainly in the evenings. We are both in our
thirties. We take lots of vitamins and
supplements.
What can you recommend we do to
stop this bothersome itch? Are we getting too much roughage? Do we need
more oils, butters, in our diet? At times
we do eat some local "junk foods", but
generally, we try to eat right. Thank you
for any help. - J.L., San Diego, CA.
A.
Itching of the anus (medical term:
pruritus ani) can have many causes. It
can be caused by hemorrhoids, fistula,
fissure, or by pin or thread worms. It
can also be caused by an abnormal
"acidy" composition of feces, or by
chronic diarrhea or constipation. To
know the exact cause of your problem
is impossible without clinical examination and possible tests. I suggest that
you stop taking all vitamins and supplements for three weeks to see if any of
these contribute to your itch. Vitamin C
causes rectal itch in some people. Also,
since both of you have it, I suspect that
you may have thread or pin worms.
Check for this possibility. They are easily visible by eye as 1/4 inch long white
threads. When they move, they cause
itching. They are very common, especially in families with small children. If you
find that you do have worms, the very
simple and very effective way to get rid
of them is to eat a heavily salted diet for
a week or two. Sodium chloride (salt) is
a time-proven remedy for pin worms.
Garlic is another natural remedy used
for this purpose by natives around the
world. Both fresh garlic and garlic oils
or extracts are effective. Then, there are
herbs that have been used effectively to
expel all kinds of intestinal worms. The
proven herbs are: pinkroot, wormseed,
wormwood, male fern (aspidium) and
betelnut.
For unspecific anal itch, a hot sitz
bath daily (see instruction in my book,
How To Get Well) is beneficial. After
the bath, apply lemon juice or apple
cider vinegar to the affected area with a
piece of cotton.
Q.
I would like to eliminate all salt and
salt-containing foods from my diet.
However, isn't it necessary for a person
to get an adequate supply of sodium?
What are the dangers of an absolutely
saltless diet? What precautions, if any,
would you suggest on such a diet?
Would you recommend sea salt on its
benefits, or forbid it on its disadvantages; and, if it should be used, in what
proportion? - J.V.L., Augusta, Georgia.
A.
Our daily requirement of sodium is
less than one gram. Through natural
foods, even without added salt, we obtain about two grams of sodium. So, an
addition of salt is not really necessary,
especially for younger people. Sometimes older folks, whose digestion isn't
very good, can benefit from a small addition of salt to the diet, because salt
can stimulate the increased production
of hydrochloric acid, and thus be a digestive aid. Chlorine from sodium
chloride (salt) is used in the synthesis of
hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The
best salt for human consumption is a
whole sea salt, which, in addition to sodium chloride, also contains all the
other beneficial minerals and trace elements as found in sea water. Whole sea
salt is sold in health food stores.
Thus, a small addition of salt to the
diet (1-3 grams a day) is not considered
to be harmful, especially to older people, and if it is unrefined, sea salt. But,
too much salt (the average American intake is 10-15 grams a day!) is extremely
harmful and can contribute to kidney
damage, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure, skin disorders, heart trouble, and
even stomach cancer.
Q.
I am 30 years old, and for the past
seven years, I have had problems with
anxiety. It has been continuous, with
symptoms ranging from mild anxiety to
real fear and panic. The symptoms are
much worse when I am in public or social situations. I have consulted many
orthodox medical practitioners, psychiatrists, naturopaths, homeopaths, etc.,
with no results. I have tried a total
change of diet, juice fasting, meditation, and large amounts of vitamin and
mineral supplements, especially B
complex, C, A, D, calcium, and magnesium.
This problem, diagnosed as an anxiety neurosis, has also been complicated
by chronic sore throats, swollen lymph
nodes, and fatigue, especially over the
last year. - M.M., Chicago, IL.
A.
Judging from your description of
symptoms, I would seriously suspect hypoglycemia, a low blood sugar. If you
have never been tested for it, I suggest
you request your doctor to perform a
GTT (a 6-hour glucose tolerance test) to
confirm the diagnosis. If the test shows
that you have hypoglycemia, I recommend that you follow the diet and supplement program as outlined in my new
book, Hypoglycemia: A Better Approach, just off the press. It is available
from your health food store, or you may
order it from the publishers, Health
Plus, PO. Box 22001, Phoenix, AZ
85028.
Q.
I am almost 50, and for about two
years have had a soreness in the upper
back about 3 inches below the neck. X-rays do not reveal arthritis, but one doctor told me that most likely that's what
it is. The more I use my arm, the more I
notice it. Of course, it comes and goes,
but it gets very painful in the summer
when I do lots of gardening. Could you
suggest something? - B.W.H., Dennisport, Moss.
A.
If your backache is caused by arthritis, perhaps you should go on a therapeutic anti-arthritis program of an alkaline diet, with emphasis on vegetables
and fruits, and exclusion of animal proteins, including cow's milk and cheese.
The best foods for arthritics are cooked
and raw green vegetables, potatoes, bananas, cherries, and pineapple. The
best protein foods are: goat's milk, millet, rice, corn, and cat cereals. If you are
overweight, juice fasting is an excellent
way to detoxify the body and help to
correct arthritis, especially in its early
stages, like yours seem to be. You may
also try taking specific supplements
that have been found to be effective in
arthritis: yucca plant tablets, bromelain
tablets, alfalfa tablets, cherry juice,
cod-liver oil, potassium, and vitamins
C, niacin, and B complex.
Also, please read my article, Backaches: Modern Epidemic, in the December, 1975 issue of Let's LIVE.
[ Unfortunately, this is unavailable. ] It outlines
nutritional and other biological approaches as well as special exercises for
various forms of backaches. If you
don't have back issues of Let's LIVE on
hand, you can order them from 444 N.
Larchmont blvd., Los Angeles, CA
90004. Most issues are available at
$1.00 each.
Q.
Concerning your most interesting
discussion of the uses of vitamin B15 in
the past issues of Let's LIVE, and the
present situation in this country, where
mature individuals are not permitted to
decide for themselves whether or not
they wish to use it, something came immediately to my mind that needs further discussion. If we are unable to obtain B15 easily over the counter, are
there any foods where B15 occurs in appreciable amounts? Could we not get it
by that means, at least to some extent?
That approach was not mentioned in
your letter, and I am wondering if that
avenue is open to those who want to
follow it? - N. McF., Carmel, CA
A.
Yes, it is possible to obtain B15 from
foods. It is present in useful amounts in
most B-complex rich foods, such as all
grains, seeds, and nuts; whole brown
rice is an especially good source. Food
sources may be sufficient for prevention of B15 deficiency, if your diet contains plenty of whole grains, seeds, and
nuts. But, for therapeutic purposes, i.e.,
for the treatment of specific conditions
such as emphysema, cancer, heart condition, poor circulation, hardening of
the arteries, arthritis, etc, where B15 is
specifically required, you need large
doses of it daily - much more than even
a good diet can supply. The usual therapeutic dosage is 150 to 200 mg. daily.
Q.
Recently I had my blood tested and
found that I have a high triglyceride level and I have to go on a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet. One of the things that I
am to avoid are egg yolks.
Now, I read an article in the May
issue of Let's LIVE which says that beaten egg yolks are a good supply of lecithin, which is supposed to be good for
high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Can you enlighten me on this subject?
Also, would you have any information
on triglycerides? How much, if any, difference is there between triglycerides
and cholesterol? - W.B., Nowell, PA.
A.
The triglyceride level refers to the
general fat content of the blood. The
cholesterol level refers only to the amount of one special fat, cholesterol, in
the blood. The standard medical practice to ban eggs in a "low-cholesterol"
diet, is now largely discarded. Studies
have shown that the cholesterol content
of the foods you eat has very little, if
anything, to do with the cholesterol levels in the arteries. Furthermore, eggs
contain large amounts of lecithin, the
very substance needed to keep arteries
free of cholesterol. Lecithin is a natural
emulsifier of fat - all fat, both triglycerides and cholesterol - and taking
lecithin in supplement form will help to
reduce the level of both triglycerides
and cholesterol in the blood and arteries. I would, however, not go so far as to
infer that eating lecithin-containing egg
yolks will reduce blood cholesterol. An
egg yolk may contain enough lecithin to
offset its own high fat content - thus
making egg eating safe - but not enough
to add to the total lecithin balance in
the body. Where there is clinical evidence of high triglyceride and/or high
cholesterol levels in the blood, the corrective program should include reduction of the total fat in the diet, and taking one to two tablespoons of lecithin
granules daily. Also, all refined, processed foods should be eliminated,
especially cholesterol-producing white
sugar and white flour in any form. In
addition to a general supplementation,
the following vitamins and supplements
may be taken daily until the condition
is corrected:
Q.
As a very loyal and dedicated student of nutrition and health, I enjoy
your column in Let's LIVE every month.
In your December 1975, column, you
mentioned calcium orotate for the most
effective assimilative results. Is calcium
orotate as effective as calcium glycerophosphate? Where can orotate or glycerophosphate be purchased? I have
never seen either product in a health
food store. - H.H.I., Council Bluffs,
Iowa.
A.
I have never heard of calcium glycerophosphate sold as a food supplement, although I do not exclude the possibility that it may exist. It would be a
chelated combination of calcium phosphate, with phosphoglycerides, the lipids, which are also called glycerol phosphatides. Calcium orotate, on the other
hand, is now a very common food supplement, sold in most health fobd stores.
It is a so-called chelated mineral product - calcium combined chemically
with orotic acid for better assimilation.
It is not always called calcium orotate
on the label, but if you read the small
print, you will find the reference there.
Calcium orotate is an easily assimilable
form of calcium and it is often prescribed by biologically oriented doctors
for those who have difficulty with calcium assimilation. If your health food
store doesn't have it, they certainly can
get it from any of the major health-food
distributors.
Q.
I read your article entitled, "Birth
Control: A Biological Perspective", in
the June, 1976 issue of Let's LIVE, and
I'm hoping that you can supply me with
a little information concerning this.
I was a prolonged user of birth control pills (six years to be exact) until two
months ago when I began to continuously feel abnormal in many of the
ways you have mentioned in your article: "cramps; dry blotchy skin; mouth
ulcers; dry and falling hair; sleep disturbances; inability to concentrate; migraine headaches; depression, moodiness, irritability; darkening of the skin
of the upper lip and lower eyelids; sore
breasts; nausea; weight gain; fatigue;
dental cavities; swollen and bleeding
gums; greatly decreased sex drive;
Changes in blood and fat; visual disturbances; eczema and kidney failure."
Since I have stopped taking the Pill,
several of these side effects have subsided. However, I was wondering if
there are any vitamins or minerals that
would be beneficial in counteracting
the side effects more quickly. - Ms.
E.G.H., Clifton, NJ
A.
Prolonged use of the Pill causes severe physiological and biochemical disturbances in the body as well as specific
vitamin deficiencies, especially the deficiency of vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B12,
B5, biotin and folic acid.
To speed your recovery from the six year long pill trip, you should adhere to
a health-building Optimum Diet with
emphasis on whole grains, seeds, nuts,
vegetables, and fruits, mostly eaten
raw.
In addition, you should take the following vitamins and supplements daily
for 3 months:
Pruritus Ani (Anal Itch)
Salt
Hypoglycemia
Back Pain
Food Sources of Vitamin B15
Low Cholesterol And Low Fat Diet
Calcium Orotate And Calcium Glycerophosphate
To Counteract "Pill" Damage