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The Herbalist |
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June 2005 |
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The Herbalist |
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June 2005 |
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In this months issue we are going to continue our discussion about a system of health care we call "The Program" as well as a brief discussion on changes to some of our distribution lines.
We are also doing something a little different this month by having a computer article. Computers have become such a common occurrence in many of our homes and work places that we thought we would discuss some of the important health issues that can arise from their use and what you can do to help reduce some of these effects.
The Program - Parasites
The term parasite is used to describe any living organism which receives its nourishment and shelter from another organism where it lives - there are 150 different species of parasites that are commonly found to infect our population.
It may be surprising to learn just how big an impact parasites can have on your health. It is not uncommon for a person to be infected with one or more species of parasites and not notice any symptoms. However, it is not uncommon to see the following symptoms or conditions to be associated with a parasite infection:
It may be even more surprising to learn just how many people are infected with parasites. It is estimated that 75% of New Zealand's population could harbor some form of parasitic infestation.
Many species of parasites show no socioeconomic boundaries and can be found in all climates. Evidence is now available which indicates that civilized countries can have the same if not worse infection rates as third world countries.
Once parasites have entered the body they can do damage in four ways:
The fast majority of parasites are not fatal and people often live their whole lives with these unwelcome guests coming along for the ride. Often these people are not sick, but they are also not in the peak of health either.
Doctors typically do not consider parasites as a possible cause of illness and even if lab tests are done to determine if these undesirable guests are present, they are hopelessly inadequate. This tends to be because:
Most diseases are not caused by a particular condition which is present in the body. For example an immune system deficiency may be caused by a lack of minerals and vitamins. Treating this condition by providing additional supplements may improve the condition slightly but if the person is suffering from a parasitic infection then the underlying cause of the deficiency in minerals and vitamins is likely to be caused by the parasites absorbing much of the nutrients that the body requires. Only by treating the underlying parasitic infection and then providing the body with additional minerals and vitamins can a total cure be provided.
Parasites are particularly difficult to treat. Many of them have a ninety day life cycle and typically only 30% of this time is spent in the lower bowel. Many parasites enter the blood stream and sit in points of genetic weakness. Often they can infect critical organs such as the liver and cause these organs to become deficient. Treating parasites with traditional pharmaceutical medicines can cause damage to the liver if used over a too long a period of time. Naturopathic approaches to the treatment of parasites takes ninety days to remove the parasites from the body.
If it has been found through an iridology examination or other method that you yourself have a parasitic infection then the second stage of the system of health that we call "The Program" deals with this infection. Our main product, Para, contains a number of herbs which naturally and safely remove parasites from the body. The use of this product is safe for both children and the elderly. Not only does this product remove the parasites from your body but it does something that no other pharmaceutical drug can do, it builds a resistance to re-infection.
During the elimination process (the time when your body eliminates these invaders from itself) you should be particularly careful not to spread the infection to others. The following tips are useful for reducing the risk of re-infection or infecting another:
You might also be interested to know that:
Michael has produced an audio CD regarding parasites. If you would like to learn more about parasites then please contact us for a copy of this CD. You may either borrow a copy of this CD from us or you may purchase one for $5.
Health Food Shops & Other Outlets
Many of you may have noticed that you can no longer purchase our formulas from certain health food shops and other outlets. This has been a conscious move on our part for a number of reasons. We felt that it was important to explain to you exactly why this has occurred.
Some organisations have suitably trained staff which known our formulas well enough to prescribe them properly. These include:
You may still purchase our formulas directly from our central Christchurch location. We also offer free shipping within the Christchurch area and will soon make an online shopping cart available through our web site (www.nzherbal.com). If you would like to place an order by phone or fax then please contact Marie on (03) 332 1786 or send her a fax on (03) 332 1486. We also accept orders through email. Just send us an email on orders@nzherbal.com.
Modalities (Techniques of Healing)
The term modality is used to describe a method or remedy that is used to affect a cure. In our practice we use four main types of modality:
By the time the symptoms of disease become apparent, the average chronic diseases has been present within the body (often unbeknown to the person) for at least seven years! Diseases are "mean, lean, and hungry"!
To beat a disease any health restoration program must not only be stronger and better organised then the disease but must aid the body in fighting the disease from all fronts. We understand that disease is not usually caused by a single component within the body that is not functioning in an optimal way. Instead we understand that for true and complete healing to occur a number of aspects must be addressed. We call these aspects The Four Golden Rules of Healing. These rules are:
We are not here to sell you products. We are here to deliver authentic advice and analysis which includes high quality and effective herbal nutrients. Often times we are trying to convince patients to take less. Some people almost beg for more!
We don't believe in taking too many supplements. No more than four that is our rule. Sometimes there are exceptions to this rule, but we will explain why if this is the case in your situation.
Most illnesses are able to be addressed effectively by using selections of herbal nutritional formulas from our range of products. Essentially any prescription should be accompanied by our two main formulas, Mineral Max and Blood Purifying Tonic. Almost all other formulas are for temporary use - yes there are exceptions to this (such as people with certain thyroid problems, they will need to continue to take Thyrogene for life), but again we will make this clear during your consultation.
Can Computers Effect Your Health?
And now for something a little different. Do you ever get sore eyes, headaches, feel tired all the time, or feel that your vision is deteriorating quicker than it should? Do these symptoms seem to occur or get worse when you are using your computer? Well you might find that it is your computer monitor that is the culprit.
There are two main types of computer monitors out there. There is the cheaper and more common CRT monitor (Cathode Ray Tube) and the more expensive LCD monitor (Liquid Crystal Display, also known as a TFT and flat panel display).
CRT Monitors
The CRT monitor is not much more than a television set. The technology used in CRT monitors first appeared in 1897 when Karl Ferdinard Braun created the first cathode ray oscilloscope but it wasn't until 1929 when Allen B. Du Mont created the first commercially practical and durable CRT for use in television sets that the technology started to enter the home.
We have come a long way since that time but the basics of the technology are still the same. Essentially the inside of your television and your CRT monitor looks like the image below:
How does the image get drawn on the screen? Well inside the screen there are three electron guns located at the back. There are three of them to represent each of the primary colours, red, green, and blue. The front of the screen is coated with three different colours of phosphor (which is essentially any substance that emits light when it is hit with radiation, in this case electron beams).
When an electron gun fires a series of electrons at a certain position on the screen the phosphor located at that position becomes excited and starts to emit light. In order to display a certain colour each electron guns strength is varied until the appropriate colour appears. For example to represent white, all three electron beams hit all three colours of phosphor located at a certain point on the screen at "full" strength (this will only be the case if the screen is set for maximum bightness). The combination of red, green, and blue causes a white dot to appear on the screen.
Once the phosphor has been hit by a beam of electrons it emits light for only a certain period of time. This means that electrons must continue to be fired at each point on the screen before the light emitted from the phosphor diminishes.
Now your monitor or TV set is split into a grid of phosphor. This means that the image that you see on the screen is actually made up of a large number of very small "squares". Each of these squares contains phosphor which must be hit by the electron beams in order to become illuminated. Since there are only three guns (and all three are required for each dot on the screen) and many dots, the image is drawn by directing the electron beams to each dot, exciting it, and then moving onto the next dot. All this is done very quickly and to us it looks like there is one static image on the screen. When a monitor begins to "flicker" then what is actually occurring is that the image is being redrawn on the screen in a rate that is slow enough for us to see this process occurring.
The image below shows you a CRT computer monitor displaying a static image. As you can see from the image there is a section near the top of the screen that is darker than that of the remainder of the screen. This is because the phosphor which is located at this position on the screen was the last to be hit by the electron beams and is therefore darker.
How quickly the image is drawn on a TV set is usually not changeable. Most TV sets draw their images at 60Hz (the entire screen is passed over by the electron beams 60 times a second) or at 100Hz (100 times a second). Many people can hear the noise that is generated by computer monitors and TV sets that run at 60hz (this diminishes with age since our ears loose the ability to hear high pitched sounds) but few say that they can hear frequencies higher than this.
At this stage you might be getting an idea about why you get sore eyes and headaches during computer use. Well it is because of this constant "refreshing" that these ailments can start to occur with some people. Unfortunately the default setting of your computer is to redraw the image on the screen 60 times per second (60Hz).
Although more controversial, issues regarding the amount of radiation that comes from these types of screens is also of some concern to some people. Studies have been conducted during the early 90's to see if there was a link between these types of monitors and certain diseases such as cancer. There appeared to be no obvious link although many still believe that there may in fact be a link there. The decision is yours regarding this, but needless to say that we have replaced all of our CRT monitors used in our office as a precaution.
What's The Solution?
There are two solutions to the problem of CRT monitors. One solution is to change the way in which you work with your computer. Try the following tips if you are having difficulty with your CRT monitor:
The most definitive solution to the problem with CRT monitors is to do away with the monitor all together! There is another type of technology that is starting to become popular (although the technology has been around in laptops for over 20 years). These types of monitors are known as LCD monitors and use totally different technology from that of CRT monitors.
What's the Solution? - LCD Monitors to the Rescue!
Although considerably more expensive then their CRT counterparts, LCD monitors do not produce the same health problems as CRTs do. This is because with an LCD monitor there are no electron guns, no constant redrawing of the image on the screen, and the amount of radiation emitting from them is significantly less.
CRT monitors work by creating light on a screen, LCD monitors work in the opposite way, they block light. This may sound strange until you understand what is going on. Behind the screen is a fluorescent light. The front of the screen is split up into a grid of small squares (much like that of the CRT monitor), but instead of phosphorus these dots are made up of thin film transistors (TFT) which have the ability to bend light (make it darker) or to block it altogether (representing black). Again there are three of these little bending transistors located at each dot on the screen to represent each of the three primary colours.
A particular colour is drawn by varying the amount of current applied to the each of the three transistors located at each dot on the screen. This in turn varies how much each transistor blocks (bends) the light coming from the back of the monitor. By varying the amount of light coming from each of the red, green, and blue transistors located at this one dot on the screen we can vary the actual colour that is displayed in the one dot (remember mixing different amount of red, green, and blue will give us different colours).
This means that they do not need to constantly redraw the image on the screen as a CRT monitor does. Below you can see two monitors, the original CRT monitor used above (the left image), and next to it an LCD monitor (the right image). Notice how the image is static without any flicker.
The ability for an LCD monitor to change from one image to another is known as its response rate. If this rate is too low, then you will see blurring when an image moves across the screen. Most modern LCD monitors have good response rates and watching DVD's on them or playing games isn't a problem. But there are specialised LCD monitors out there with much higher response rates to ensure that this blurring does not occur (or rather we can't perceive it).
The advantages of LCD monitors are:
Wishing you all the best this month from all the team here at New Zealand Herbals!
Team: Michael McCammon N.D. (practitioner, managing director), Christopher Toki (practitioner, naturopath), Marie Grant (secretary and coordinator), Alexander Brouwer (computer technician & programmer), Christine Chaston (herbal technician), and Rose McGown (herb & organic gardens). |
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If
you are interested in finding out more about these monitors or would like
to purchase one we recommend contacting On-Call Computer Services for a
competitive quote. You can contact them on 021 259 8732. They
specialise in at home repairs and will be able to deliver and install the
monitor at your premises.