“Due to overconsumption of de-natured food, and a lack of exercise and fresh air, many people, especially in the second half of their lives, often become caricatures of themselves … Nowadays we rarely see a really beautiful and healthy looking person … we are either too far or too thin .. or legs are swollen, our feet flat, our backs, bent, our necks stiff. We lose our hair, suffer from dental decay, headaches, flatulence, constipation and depression; we tire quickly and worst of all, many of us no longer enjoy life. Many people never feel really well“. Naturopath, Jan de Vries, from 10 Golden Rules For Good Health (2nd edition 2008)
Not a very welcome message, perhaps, but a well meaning one from one of the most notable Naturopaths in the UK and beyond in recent years.
Alas, he is no longer with us, but for many decades Jan de Vries had a clinic in Troon, Ayrshire and people sought his advice from near and far.
He even had a slot on Gloria Hunniford’s BBC Radio show. He worked a 90 hour week which included writing many books!
I once had a consultation and his busy clinic was like a hospital out patient dept. He was much loved and is sadly missed.
The Naturopathic approach to health is focuses on the basics, recognising that the self regulating nature of the human organism works best when treated with respect. His five pillars to good health were nutrition, digestion, elimination, circulation and relaxation.
The 10 Golden Rules expand on the five pillars to include such as sleep, and mental health and mental attitude. Top of the list, always, comes nutrition. He tells us that the diets of western industrialised countries – especially the USA and Europe – have changed more in the last 100-150 years, than across millennia before.
Processed foods, sugar, excess alcohol, industrial farming and so on, are not what the body needs. Instead seventy percent of our diets should be of plant origin, and raw fruits and vegetables should be an important part of daily nutrition. Medical science has also come to appreciate the relationship between a healthy immune system and a healthy gut.
Obesity seems to have become rather an epidemic these days. In the past the poor were thin, as is still the case in the developing countries but the opposite seems to be the picture in the western world. And it is the western world that has suffered the most in this Covid-19 pandemic. Food for thought?
Flu medicine in homeopathy – they were once in common use. Pandemics of the respiratory sort are not new, there were at least three in the twentieth century (1918, 1957, 1968). The good news is that they did not last very long (but I imagine – as now – that it seemed so at the time). Even the infamous 1918/19 epidemic passed into history after a year.
I was born in Glasgow and my paternal grandfather was a victim of that pandemic. This heritage article gives you an idea of the impact.
Compared with medical knowledge today, facilities were modest; in 1918/19 there was no NHS, and many doctors were on active service overseas. Yet the basics of good health were known: nutrition, fresh air, rest, good habits were and still are fundamentals. Fundamentals that we forget amongst our busy lives.
My maternal grandmother also caught the misnamed 1918 ‘Spanish flu’ but survived thanks to good nursing at home. Fundamentals make a difference.
Dr Dorothy Shepherd 1885-1952 was in practice in London back then, and her little book on epidemics, which is still available, makes interesting reading. It is not a scientific text but contains some sound advice that is pertinent today:
‘It is the fashion to call every slight feverish chill influenza; but if after the temperature has come down, the depression, exhaustion and weariness is such that it is too much effort to do anything, that life is really not worth living, you know you will have had influenza; after a mere feverish chill you will feel as well on getting up as you did before the attack. Unfortunately many people take no notice of the danger signals of weakness and prostration, and insist on getting up, even returning to work before they are fit, thus laying themselves open to broncho-pneumonia…‘
‘During the feverish period the patient should be allowed nothing but raw fruit and fruit juices, and not synthetic bottled juices. Fresh oranges, lemon juice, apple drinks, grapefruit drinks at frequent intervals will cleans the system and prevent any undue strain being thrown on the gastric organs. No meat juices, no milk, are permissible. After the temperature is down, the diet may be increased and may include vegetable broth, Yeastrel drinks (Marmite?); wholemeal toast; gradually other foods may be added…’
Dr Shepherd was a medical doctor and homeopath, but foremost she recognised the importance of good self-nursing care.
The benefits of homeopathy are increasingly forgotten as I explain further in this related blog
That Winter is the cold and ‘flu season and as we know “coughs and sneezes spread diseases”. No surprise. It is the time for boosting immunity.
Some scientists suggest that fine aerosols suffice for transmission and not just droplets. Though the deluge of conflicting scientific data in the main stream media risks the conclusion that “to a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail”.
Consequently, be it droplets or aerosols, “social distancing”, wearing masks when in proximity, and washing hands seems like common sense. What then, cross fingers and hope for the best?
Simple self-help and low cost measures are drowned out in the clamour for vaccines and novel treatment. Let’s start with sleep. The body reinvigorates itself after good sleep. As you know, you are more at risk of catching a cold or worse when get tired from over work (or play), then you catch a ‘cold’ or worse.
Vitamins and minerals support the immune system. The protection offered by vitamin D is important, because sunlight is key to its availability, and there is not much sun to be had at this time of year. Here is a guide on dosage: How much vitamin D to take
So what if you go down with a respiratory infection?
Let’s start first with the basics: rest and take plenty of fluids.
In your cupboard have to hand some Echinacea and most certainly vitamin C (maybe in combination with zinc). Echinacea has benefits in the early stage of infection, just follow the instruction on the bottle. Vitamin C and Zinc both have strong anti-viral properties.
Being water soluble, Vitamin C does not accumulate in the body so is very safe (some looseness of bowel indicates saturation, at which point dosage should be reduced).
On day one take up to 1000mg per hour, then cut back to the same dosage every four to six hours. If zinc is not taken in combination with vitamin C, a safe dosage is 25 mg per day*.
Paracetamol or aspirin are common in cold and ‘flu preparations but best avoided, as they only provide symptomatic relief and do not improve resistance. They also suppress fever, which is the natural defence of the body to viral or bacterial attack. Importantly, give yourself time to recuperate (especially after a proper ‘flu).
*the doses suggested are for young adults upward, please check labels for guidance for younger children. Vitamin C is safe for all ages using the ‘loose bowel’ guidance above.
Disclaimer: I am a qualified professional homeopath and not a medical doctor. The NHS has many resources, and seeking the opinion of your GP is always of value.
Dibden Purlieu, Southampton