CHOICE OF HERBS

A quick glance through this book will reveal that we use a very limited range of herbs. The ones that we discuss are those that we are familiar with and that we know to work. Some of these may be herbs that you, the reader, are not familiar with or cannot obtain. Fortunately, many different variations are possible, and we advise staying with the herbs that you know, rather than following too closely in our footsteps. It is much better to know a few herbs well than to have a superficial knowledge of many. It is for this reason that we have given an explanation of most of the suggested prescriptions and provided a brief materia medica. We hope this will be sufficient for the reader to work out satisfactory substitutes that are easily available.

SAFETY

Throughout this book we have tried to point out where the dangers lie. We think we have covered the most common ones, but inevitably there are rare conditions that may be dangerous that have not been specifically delineated in this book. We therefore advise parents to treat simple problems at home but never to hesitate in seeking advice from a competent practitioner.

THE BEST medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)

PRACTITIONER AND PARENT

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS: A UNIVERSAL medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)

Origins of the Theories in This Book

UPDATING THE TRADITION

We have found it necessary to introduce some changes to the traditional patterns when treating individual patients in the West because lifestyle is very different here from that of traditional China. The patterns seen in children who grow up under harsher physical circumstances and with iron discipline are somewhat different from those of a child

THE BASIS OF CHINESE medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com): BODY, ENERGY, AND MIND

a certain extent. For example, if a person catches a cold, he or she may feel somewhat tired as the energy is affected and may temporarily have a slightly negative attitude in life as it affects his or her spirit.

The great strength of Chinese medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) is that after millennia of observation, they have come to find exactly how the imbalances on one level affect another level. In this way a clear connection can be established between the state of energy and behavior patterns. In a book of this size we do not have space to cover these connections in detail.

Preface

OUR SOURCES AND RESOURCES

BRIEF HISTORY OF herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) IN THE WEST

The period that interests us starts in the fifth century BCE with the first books on medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), for it is from this time that we can follow the development of the fundamental ideas of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). Before this, a sophisticated medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) was practiced in Egypt, but only tantalizing fragments have come down to us. The first extant writing of importance is the Hippocratic corpus. This is clearly written by more than one hand and suggests that at this time there was already lively discussion on the ideas of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). One part, the aphorisms, is a collection of traditional sayings; another part, on the “sacred disease,” seeks to prove that epilepsy is not a visitation from the gods but is a purely physical illness.

The theoretical foundations of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) in Hippocrates, as with most traditional medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s, are the humors—four in Greek thinking: Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry. It was believed that illness arose when an imbalance of these occurred and that the role of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) was to restore balance. Also implicit in most of the writings, and occasionally explicit, was that the body was permeated by a life force (πνευμα).*

ments to come, but with the growth of the Roman empire, it was inevitable that Rome started to influence medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). The next major development was characteristically Roman, the foundation of the Methodist school. This school was completely materialist in its approach. It even rejected the idea of a life force, which was known in Roman medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) as the vis medicatrix naturae. The theoretical foundation of this school was that the body is nourished by blood, which flows through “pores”—what we would now call capillaries. It was thought that there were three basic states of illness: relaxation of the pores, constriction of the pores, and mixed states. Moreover, they were uninterested in the causes of disease. Another development associated with this school is the idea of impurities in the blood as causes of disease. This idea is still with us in various guises—in the field of herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ism we have alteratives, which are for altering the impure condition of the blood, and in the naturopathic field we have the idea of impurities reaching the blood via the leaky gut syndrome.

Thus we see that by the end of the third century BCE we have nearly all the fundamental ideas that are current in medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) today. Anatomy was well developed, as was surgery. (Proof of this is in a surgeon’s tool kit from Roman times, which was recently discovered in a sunken boat. The kit contains instruments that could be used today.) We have the humoral theory (which is still very much alive in modern medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) in the form of antiinflammatory drugs—medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s to reduce flame); we have the ideas of tension and relaxation, of tonics, and of lifestyle being both a cause and a cure of chronic disease. We have the interaction of mind and body as represented by the Asklepions, and we have materialism of the Methodist school, which so permeates orthodox medical thinking today. Interestingly, there were also very heated conflicts among the various schools.

These conflicts went on for some hundreds of years, until the foundation of the Eclectic school in the first century ACE. They sought to take the best of all systems and to try to reconcile differences between them. The reconciliation process continued for about a hundred years and found its fullest expression in the writings of Galen, who lived approximately from 130 to 210 ACE and became chief physician to the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Galen wrote an enormous number of books about all aspects of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), of which only a small proportion have survived. Among the books extant are descriptions of cures using herbs.

Preface xiii

medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). He certainly experimented with a wide range of different medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s, even though his only enduring legacy is the use of crude antimony as a curative element. It was not until the nineteenth century that allopathic medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) really took root.

Before the nineteenth century, medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) in the West was herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). Unlike Chinese medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), which used both animal and minerals, and Ayurvedic medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), which used toxic minerals prepared in a way to render them nontoxic, Western medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) was almost entirely plant based. It changed little beyond gradually relearning what had been forgotten from the ancients. The milestones in British herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) are books like Gerard’s herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)l (written at the end of the sixteenth century and revised in 1636). His book contains some lively interpolations based on his experience, but basically it is a compilation, in English, of the classical works. The same can be said of Culpeper’s A Physical Directory (1649), although this has the interesting addition of the astrologic influences of plants. Both of these works are based on a humoral theory and give specific indications of the “temperature” of the herb, that is, whether it is Hot or Cold.

On the other side of the Atlantic ocean, there were more interesting developments. The Pilgrim Fathers had encountered the North American Indians, who had helped them enormously. Not only did they teach the Fathers how to survive, but they also taught them medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). For the first time since ancient Greek times we see herbs used in a more sophisticated way. For the first time we see the ideas of toning and dispersing herbs and of stimulating and relaxing herbs. These are ideas that had not been seen for a long time and even to this day are not in widespread use in Europe. Not only were these ideas introduced, but also there were some wonderful new herbs added to the Materia Medica, such as golden seal Hydrastis canadensis and poke root Phytolacca americana.

As time passed, different schools of herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)-ism emerged. Foremost among these were the Thompsonians, the Physiomedicalists, and the Eclectics. The Thompsonians were the followers of Thompson, a fiery man who believed in heroic doses of herbs, especially of lobelia. For various reasons (some say because of his success, others simply because he had a difficult personality) he aroused the wrath of the American Medical Association (an allopathic group), which sought every means to discredit his work. The legacy of this is still with us, for in many countries lobelia, a very safe herb, is regarded as more harmful than the chemical paracetamol, which is known to be more toxic.

ever using poisons. They could never grasp the fact that something could have healing properties in small doses while being a poison in large doses. They had a simple black and white approach: Something either was a poison or was not.*

The Eclectics, taking their name from the ancient Greek school, went down a different route and were prepared to experiment with all the new chemicals that were available. It seems that they took a position halfway between the Physiomedicalists and the allopaths. They used chemicals, but on the whole they did more good than harm. Their great contribution was the development of essential oils, which can be of great use in the treatment of acute coughs and in the treatment of those with digestions too weak to digest herbs.

The analysis of herbs and diseases into Hot and Cold was never questioned until well after the invention of the thermometer by Fahrenheit in 1708. Without a thermometer to measure the temperature inside the body, there is no way of knowing whether a person really is hotter or colder in objective terms. So if a person were lying sick in bed, white faced, shivering, with their skin cold to the touch, it seemed obvious that they were cold. Only by using a thermometer could you prove that their inner temperature was in fact raised. As the thermometer became increasingly used, it came to be relied on more and more and subjective symptoms of Hot and Cold less and less.

At the same time there was a shift in emphasis away from humoral theories of illness in favor of the new sciences of physics, chemistry, and microbiology. With the development of these new sciences came new objective tests for specific conditions, and as time has passed, more and more reliance has come to be placed on these tests and less on subjective sensations. The microscopic components of the body are seen as more important and real than the

*Time has proved them wrong on this point, with a number of deaths in the last decades from an overdose of carrot juice. Carrots are one of the most beneficial foods, especially for young children, but when taken to extremes they become poisonous.

herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) Today

The herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) tradition is still very much alive in Europe and in the United States, despite its low profile and low funding. The gentleness and efficacy of herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) remedies make them attractive to those whose constitutions are upset by the harsher pharmaceutical medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s. In Britain and the United States we are especially fortunate in having the tradition of using herbs from both continents* and having place for different schools of herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ism.

Throughout Europe and the United States, herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) is experiencing a resurgence. In Britain herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) can be studied to degree level at universities, as well as numerous flourishing private schools. In the United States it can be studied at many naturopathic colleges. Despite increasingly restrictive legislation, the demand and availability of plant medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s continue to grow.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Monica Barlow for her invaluable help in reading the manuscript, Inta Ozols for suggesting the book in the first place, and all the staff of Elsevier Science who helped in the production of this book. We would also like to thank the many teachers we have had over the years from whom we have learned so much.

*Countries such as France and Italy, with a wider range of climate than Britain, have access to a wider range of indigenous herbs, but they do not benefit from the glorious North American herbs like golden seal Hydrastis canadensis or queen’s delight Stillingia sylvatica.

ENERGY

One of the basic concepts we use in this book is that of vitalizing energy, a concept overlooked in Western science. Everyone knows the feeling of having lots of energy—or of having very little, when we want to stay in bed all day. We live by virtue of this energy. It is this that dictates what we feel like doing every day. For children energy is even more important, and in healthy children it seems to overflow. In Oriental medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) this energy is called qi, ki, or chi; in Indian medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) it is called prana; in Ancient Greek medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), πνευμα (pneuma); in nineteenth century medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), the vis medicatrix naturae. It used to always be an important part of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), for it was considered the basic life force that governs our state of health and how we respond to illness.

Energy Types in Healthy Children

We all know what it is like to have lots of energy, and similarly, we have all experienced periods of less energy. When it comes to practice, one can, as a first step, try to determine whether a child has a lot or little energy. When one asks this question time and time again, one comes to the conclusion that there really are two types of children. Some children have lots of energy; some have less. This does not mean that the child with lots of energy is healthy and that the one with less energy is not. Both may be healthy—they are simply different types of healthy children. Each type has a different way of reacting to life and its situations.

This division is also significant in relation to illness and the medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s children need. A Strong child, with a good appetite and good energy, will typically have a good, reactive immune system. The paler, weaker child will often have a slower immune response. It therefore makes sense to give the weaker child something to boost the immune system. A Strong child will not need medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s to strengthen the immune system but rather something directed toward fighting the disease.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A HEALTHY CHILD’S ENERGY TYPE

We now discuss how to observe and recognize different energies in children. To simplify things for the purpose of this book, we have grouped children into the following three basic energetic types, and throughout this book we refer to these types of children.

It is important to understand that these are energy types during times of health as much as during illness. A delicate, low-energy child may never be ill; a Strong, full-energy child may often be ill. We describe the children in this way because when a child does becomes ill, each type of child tends to react to illness in a characteristic way. The stronger children tend to have vigorous reactions and fight the disease. The weaker children tend to be more submissive.

Description STRONG, FULL-ENERGY TYPE

Typically, Strong, full-energy children are strong in everything. They have sturdy bodies and strong likes and dislikes. They come into the world seeming to know what they want to get out of life, and with a determination to get it! They are not ones to give in easily and are not easily overwhelmed; rather it is their parents who get overwhelmed!

• Sturdy

• Red complexion

• Well built, strong bones

• Good appetite for everything

• Lots of energy

• Strong voice

• Not easily hurt by falls, scrapes, and bruises

DELICATE, LOW-ENERGY TYPE

Children classified as delicate, low energy are not so strong. When they come into the world, they do not have the same ebullient enthusiasm, and their energy is not so strong. They tend to spend their time doing less energetic things like reading, coloring, or just sitting. They also tend to be quieter children. You may also notice that they easily feel

Chapter 1 ENERGY AND HEALTH

HOT AND COLD

A factor of similar importance to the strength of children is whether they have Hot or Cold energy and, when it comes to illness, whether their illness is Hot or Cold in nature. Children with Hot energy look hot: They often perspire, they often have a red face, they cannot bear to have lots of clothes on, and they often throw off their clothes. At night, these children are often restless and may throw off their covers. The behavior of these children is often rather active. They tend to run around a lot and have difficulty in sitting still. They have a high metabolic rate (Box 1-1).

In contrast, children with Cold energy look pale, even white. They rarely perspire, even in hot weather, and they do not mind having lots of clothes on. At night they may wake up if they get the slightest bit cold. Their behavior tends to be rather less active, and they may prefer sitting still. They have a low metabolic rate (Box 1-2).

	Symptoms and Signs of Heat
● ● ● ● ● ● ●	Red face Red tongue Active Easily angered, but easily calmed Uncomfortable in hot weather Restless Large appetite ● Thirsty ● Sweats easily ● Hates lots of clothes ● Light sleeper ● Throws bed clothes off at night ● Sleeps on back with arms and legs stretched out

Mixtures of Types

We have presented pure “stereotypes.” In reality children are much more varied, but when all of the signs are considered together, you will usually find that there are clear signs of one of the types we have given.

Normal Variations

As the seasons change and the demands on the child come and go, the child’s energy and balance between Hot and Cold fluctuate. For example, toward the end of winter semester, children become more tired. In spring and early summer, children become somewhat hotter; in autumn, they are somewhat cooler. Comparisons of Strong and Weak types and Hot and Cold types are provided in Tables 1-1 and 1-2, respectively.

DELICATE TYPE WITH NERVOUS, HIGH ENERGY: A FURTHER DISCUSSION

Before we leave this introduction to children’s energy types, we shall spend a little time explaining how this pattern arises. It is a somewhat curious pattern, for these children manage to exhibit so much energy without the need for real food. They do it by living on nervous energy, or adrenaline. All children can do this to a certain extent; running around like crazy when very excited for a day or so while eating nothing, but the nervous energy type is in a state of more or less permanent stimulation. They keep themselves in this state by all sorts of means, including watching television, using computers, and playing electronic games, all of which stimulate the brain and produce rushes of adrenaline.

These children tend to avoid physical games and hate quiet, reflective games, preferring to rush around but in a rather jumpy manner. The consequence is that children with this pattern tend to spend more time in their heads—that is, thinking— and not enough time “in their body”—to the extent that they are almost unaware of their bodily needs. They even avoid eating too much food because it would bring them back into their body too heavily.

Another way that some of these children get their energy rushes is by being the center of attention. Anyone who has had to speak in public is familiar with the energy rush that this can cause. On a smaller scale, the same is true for these children. Being the center of attention, with everyone watching them, gives a boost of energy and a feeling of well-being. In extreme cases this type of child will go to great lengths to get attention: crying at the slightest thing, disobeying every instruction, refusing to go to bed, and insisting on “treats” before doing anything.

We do not want to give the impression that this type of child is more difficult than others. These children, like all others, are adorable most of the time but still capable of exasperating us. With these children, if things go to extremes, they eat little and use up too much nervous energy in excitement, making them vulnerable to illness.

How Do Things Get This Way? The pattern often starts when, for some reason, the parents have no power or ability to say no or impose some measure of discipline. This may be because the parents are exhausted or ill or in a difficult emotional state. It may be because they are reacting against the way that they themselves were brought up. It may be because they have strong principles about the freedom that children need and believe that it is wrong ever to say no to a child. Sometimes it is because they love their child so much that they cannot bear to hear him or her cry and simply cannot say the word no. Whatever the reason, it is easy for the parent to let the child watch television or play on the

Chapter 1 ENERGY AND HEALTH

Muscles Sturdy • Flaccid • A bit weak • Bones Strong • Thin • Thin • Boisterous, energetic games Likes • Dislikes • Dislikes • Voice Loud • Softer • Piercing • Rough games Likes • Dislikes • Dislikes • Appetite Good • Picky • Minute • Goes to bed On time • Early • Late • Needs to be center of attention Maybe • No • Yes • Hyperactive Maybe • No • Yes •

A child must have some guidelines by which to live; for example, ensuring that children do not play near cars or play with electricity because doing so is wrong and dangerous. By imposing rules and boundaries, one makes children feel secure and safe. The other aspect of life that makes children feel secure is routine. As adults most of us have routines that we are trying to get away from. Most children do not have enough routine, though, and need to be gently guided into one. Following a routine gives children a feeling of being in the right place at the right time, a feeling of comfort. Regular meals and a regular bedtime contribute to a secure and confident child. No one is suggesting this routine be imposed with iron discipline or corporal punishment; gentle firmness is often more loving to children than letting them have their own way in everything.

We would like to stress that we are not writing a parenting book and are not concerned with whether one way of bringing a child up is better than another. There is no way that is “right.” Different children respond better to different styles. Some need a very tight discipline, whereas others need great freedom and support. What we are concerned with is the way that upbringing affects health. If a child is perfectly healthy, then continue what you are doing. However, if one of these patterns emerges, it may be time to look at boundaries and decide whether they are too strict or too lax.

Energetic Approach. There is another way of explaining how this situation arises, from an energetic viewpoint. The relation between the mother* and the child is very strong. As a newborn, the two are virtually inseparable because the mother pro

*In this book we tend to be rather old fashioned and refer to the mother as being the primary caregiver and energetic supporter of the child, as was the case in days gone by. We are well aware that there are different scenarios these days, and the main caregiver may be the father, partner, or grandmother or may be two or three people within the family unit. Please do not take offense at the term mother, by which we mean the main caregiver for the child.

vides milk and warmth for her baby. In those early days of a new life, a mother gives unreservedly of her time, her body, and her energy. This is even more pronounced when the baby or child becomes ill, when the mother willingly provides all she has to help her child through the illness. It is common to see an ill child in the clinic looking exhausted, but what is just as common is that the mother looks equally tired even though she remains healthy. This is because she tends to give even more at these times, thinking only of her child, not of herself. This is a natural mechanism by which the mother actually provides her own energy for the child to help her child get well. You might call it support, or simple love, but it translates into an energy that is essential for healing. This is completely natural because a baby has little in the way of reserves of energy and has difficulty getting through an illness without help from outside.

Usually, as children grow, dependence on their mothers’ energy reduces. The children learn to live for themselves, feed themselves, and support themselves energetically. However, these nervous, energetic children continue to need their mothers’ support and never learn to make enough of their own energy. They are constantly demanding in some way and are therefore able to take a little “energy” from those around them. If their mothers become unable to provide energy in some form, these children find someone else to provide it. This is interesting because what you may notice in these families is that the parents or caregivers of these children become very tired even though they are healthy. Providing constant energy and stimulation is draining.

emotions, so much so that there is an entire industry devoted to their production. Woe betide the husband who does not give his wife flowers. There are florists in every town to supply the need. In the field of medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), this has been put to great use by the pioneering work of the Welsh physician Dr. E. Bach. His flower remedies are based purely on the wonderful effect that flowers have on our feelings.*

At a slightly more material level, plants have an effect on our grosser moods. Some have long been used to cheer humans up when they get a bit down, hence the old saying “borage for courage.” (At the time this saying was coined, the word courage, deriving from the Latin word for “heart,” cor, meant having a light and cheerful heart.) Similar effects are noticed by sensitive people from aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme, as well as rose petals.

At a more material level still, we can say that certain herbs are warming and others are cooling. Some are tonifying; some are dispersing. We can go even further and define the effects of herbs on specific organs. This is summarized in the action of a herb as given in the Materia Medica. So, for example, you will see in the Materia Medica that fennel Foeniculum vulgaris “aids digestion, relaxes spasms, soothes colic, mild expectorant, increases milk supply in nursing mothers.” These actions are a starting point for understanding the energy of a plant and are about as far as one can go in a book of this kind. For the purposes of writing an effective prescription, this is enough for most patients.

A simple summary goes nowhere near describing the full qualities of a plant. For example, there are plants such as centaury Centaurium erythraea and

*Dr. Bach believed that all illness was preceded by an emotional imbalance and therefore the way to cure the illness was to restore the emotional balance. To this end he developed his system of flower remedies, which are prescribed on the basis of emotional disharmony. They are extraordinarily successful in treating a wide range of illness. Children respond well to them, and their timely use can often avert an illness by treating it before the emotional imbalance has taken a firm hold.

gentian Gentiana amarella,* which have a very similar action at the physical level but which have a very different effect on the emotional level. It shows in their appearance: Looking at these two beautiful plants, one has a completely different feeling. Likewise, these plants are of benefit in very different emotional conditions, a fact that was put to great use by Dr. Bach in his flower remedies. Centaury is good for “those who are over-anxious to serve others,” whereas gentian is good for “those who are easily discouraged.”^†

In this book, our use of herbs is based predominantly on the energetic properties of the herb. In our experience this is most useful in clinical practice because it describes how a plant actually affects the human body. In particular, it enables one to tailor a prescription to an individual who has a specific pattern of illness. These energetic properties are also a distillate of practitioners’ experience over the centuries.

This is an interesting approach, but it is one that has yielded disappointing results. There are very few cases of an analysis of a plant’s compounds pointing the way to new cures for illnesses. For the most part, all the scientific analysis has done is confirm results already known from experience. What is more, by separating one compound from a great many that make up a plant, it often happens that a nontoxic plant is rendered toxic. A case in point is aspirin, which can be obtained from the Spirea family (from which aspirin takes its name), particularly meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria. Aspirin is known to cause stomach problems, but the whole plant actually cures stomach problems.

Here is a clash of cultures between orthodox science and experience. Our approach is to take the middle way. We believe that for clinical practice, the energy of the herb is of greater importance. After having worked with herbs for many years, we find it obvious that herbs are far more than a mass of chemicals. The entirety of the herb works in the body in a particular way, peculiar to that herb. On the other hand, measurements of the active principles of the herbs does provide us with new insights. Without these, we would not know about the similarities in the actions of foxglove Digitalis purpurea and squills Urginea maritima. It has been shown that the cardiac glycosides of these two herbs are almost identical. It is therefore pointless to give both herbs. One should choose one or the other. By contrast, the active principles of hyssop Hyssopus officinalis and coltsfoot Tussilago farfara are quite different, so one can give both in a prescription.

Tonic and Dispersing Herbs

Just as we can divide children into basic categories of Strong children (those who never seem to feel tired) and more delicate ones (those who tire easily and are more likely to burst into tears), we can also divide herbs into those that are appropriate to each category. The idea is simple, and a very old one. Tonic herbs are those that provide an extra bit of strength. They give the child that extra bit of energy. This enables the child to come back and face difficult situations in life, as well as to come back and fight a disease. One will use different medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s, so-called dispersing medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s, for stronger children. These medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s may tire the child out a bit, but they will have the effect of relieving an excess of intolerable buildup of pressure. Giving a dispersing medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) to a Strong child has few ill effects. The child has plenty of energy, so it does not matter if some energy is lost. It may calm the child down a bit, enabling him or her to sleep. The worst medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) to give such a child is a tonic because that would increase an already high pressure.

To give an illustration of these two types, first imagine a baby boy who is teething. He is very hot in the head. It is not just that the teeth are bothersome—he is irritated by everything. He cannot sleep and easily flies into a great rage. This child does not need a tonic because it might make things worse. A tonic might increase the pressure in the head and increase his temperature and rage. What this child needs is some way of “letting off steam” or some way of reducing the pressure in his head. This will enable him to relax enough to sleep. Once asleep, healing can take place. The dispersing herbs will do this.*

As another example, imagine a boy who is pale and floppy. He has a very poor appetite and is often constipated. A typical dispersing treatment would be a large dose of senna Cassia angustifolia to treat the constipation. Such a treatment could produce only bad results, for the child who is thin and eats poorly has no reserves. To give a purgative would be to drain him of

*Interestingly, the modern medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) paracetamol (sold under the brand names of Calpol and Tylenol) is a dispersing medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and is appropriate for these children.

Chapter 1 ENERGY AND HEALTH

Dose

At this point we should mention that dose is all-important. The tonic and dispersing effects are not really so evident at small doses. For example, it takes large doses of lobelia to cause violent sweating, whereas smaller doses seem almost to be tonic for the lungs. It takes large doses of poplar bark to give adverse effects in Strong patients.

The same is true for Hot and Cold. For example, in large doses, gentian Gentiana glabra is very Cold, but in small doses, this effect does not really come into play.

THE WAY CHILDREN BECOME ILL: PROBLEMS FACING THE NEWBORN AND CHILD

The main points of stress for children are as follows:

●

Digestion of food

●

Protection against the cold

Special Problems Facing Babies and Toddlers

It may be suggested that the first 2 or 3 years of life, although important, amount to only a very short time in a person’s life and that it is therefore somewhat out of proportion to focus on these very early years. However, we believe that these very early years are indeed of the greatest importance, for it has been our observation in clinic that ill health that appears in these early years is likely to remain with the child, perhaps even into adulthood.

There are various reasons why this is so. The baby’s immune system is immature and easily set off balance. A simple illness can often cause a great deal of distress to a newborn, whereas a 6-year-old may overcome the same illness in a day. What is more, once the system is upset, it can be hard for the baby to set it right again.

• Digesting food

• Keeping warm

• Breathing

Digestion and the Lungs Are Intimately Connected

In Western medical science, it is usually assumed that the lungs and digestion function independently. If you have a cough and seek medical attention, it is unlikely that the doctor will ask about what you eat! However, having observed many patients and having studied Chinese medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), we find it obvious that the state of the digestive system and what we eat have a profound effect on the way the lungs function.

This is a fundamental tenet of Chinese medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). At present, there is no commonly accepted scientific explanation for it. A possible reason may be that both the lungs and the intestines have a mucous membrane. When excess acids build up in the intestines (perhaps from eating excessively rich food), the digestive tract becomes mildly irritated and slightly inflamed.* In reaction to inflammation, the body produces a thicker layer of mucus

*This effect has been confirmed by scientists working on leaky gut syndrome, described later in this chapter.

Chapter 2 ENERGETIC PATTERNS OF ILLNESS

for protection. As the levels of mucus increase locally, they also increase throughout the body and in the lungs. What starts out as an irritation in the digestive system can end up as excess mucus in the lungs. This gives rise to symptoms such as a rattly cough, some sinus congestion, a runny nose, and generalized catarrh.

Another consequence of a digestive disturbance is that the fluid metabolism goes wrong. If the digestive tract is impaired, inflamed, full of mucus, or damaged, the amount of fluid absorbed is altered, upsetting a fine equilibrium. This in turn affects the levels of mucus and inflammation in the body, for if the body is somewhat dehydrated, not through drinking too little but because the gut is absorbing badly, then inflammation will worsen. Similarly, mucus production will increase, which impairs water absorption. In contrast, if too much fluid is consumed and the kidneys do not function well, the child can easily become waterlogged and the kidneys overworked. It is common to see children thin and almost dehydrated simply because they do not absorb water properly. Likewise, children may retain water because more fluid is being absorbed than can be excreted by the kidneys.

Children with impaired fluid metabolism may have squashy legs (i.e., slightly enlarged and soft to the touch), a puffy face, and a swollen abdomen. They may urinate little in the day but a lot at night, to the point of wetting their beds. Once again, When a child is waterlogged, do not just look to the kidney system and treat these problems with

astringents or diuretics, but look to the digestive system. Is it working well? The digestive system may need to be treated, not the urogenital system.

In the next few sections, we discuss common ways that digestion can go wrong. It tends to go wrong in very simple ways, leading to commonly seen patterns or types of digestive disturbance.

About Patterns in General

Patterns of illness are descriptions of a collection of symptoms and signs that often accompany one another. They are a way of classifying illness that helps in prescribing herbs. They are a sort of halfway between purely symptomatic prescribing and completely holistic prescribing. If you prescribe symptomatically (as is usually done in orthodox medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)), then the same medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) is used for the same symptom whenever it appears. Some herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ists use this approach too; for example, there are some who will always give gentian Gentiana lutea

Continued

Stagnant Food

This is a pattern that affects Strong children more. These children come into the world with energy and enthusiasm. Their enthusiasm extends to food, and they normally have good appetites—so much so that some of these children will eat anything that is put in front of them. Sometimes they will go on eating long after they have had enough to eat. And it is this—overeating—that is one of the common causes of this pattern. What happens is that children continue to eat until their stomachs are bursting. The stomach contains more food than it can easily digest, and it is eliminated either undigested or partly digested and partly fermented. Children exhibiting this pattern share some common characteristics (see also Color Plate 2-1):

The appearance of these children is simply due to a poorly functioning digestive system. They look like some adults feel after they have had a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner!

After further questioning and examination, you will find the following:

In addition to the preceding findings, the following may also be present:

EXPLANATION OF THESE SYMPTOMS

● Red cheeks: Red cheeks can occur in both adults and children and often result from eating too much.

Chapter 2 ENERGETIC PATTERNS OF ILLNESS

• Irritability, touchiness, bad temper: The stagnant food in the abdomen makes the child feel uncomfortable or even in pain, resulting in irritability.

• Swollen abdomen: If the food does not pass through the digestive system quickly enough, the warmth and moisture of the stomach allow the food to ferment. When there is fermentation gas accumulates, which results in distention. This fermentation also causes the stools to smell. If there is mild fermentation, the stools smell like cider; if fermentation is severe, the stools smell putrid. Constipation occurs because the food moves slowly and becomes stuck; it then ferments in the abdomen and is eliminated as loose stools.

• Catarrhal symptoms: These symptoms arise as a result of the systemic inflammatory process that causes mucus production, as explained previously.

• Poor sleeping: These children often have difficultly sleeping because of discomfort, nasal congestion, slight coughs, and so forth; in addition, heat in the system agitates the brain.

There are three main causes for this pattern: overfeeding, irregular feeding, and unsuitable food.

Overfeeding. These children have an enthusiasm for food, or perhaps are a little greedy, and take more food than can easily be digested. The food that is not digested begins to ferment and decompose.

Irregular Feeding. The digestive system works best when it is given food on a regular basis. If there are set times for meals, then the digestive organs start to accommodate to these. If the diet is very irregular, with large variations in the amount and time, then digestion never has time to settle down into a good rhythm and it starts to function poorly.

Unsuitable Food. When we talk about unsuitable food, we are not speaking moralistically. We are simply talking about food that does not suit an individual child. There are no absolute rules. What suits one child may not suit another. One child may have a gargantuan appetite and eat a wide range of “adult” foods and be perfectly well, whereas another child may have to be very careful about diet. In Chapter 3, we give a fuller discussion of what constitutes a suitable diet. Here we merely point out that high-fiber foods are often difficult for toddlers and children to digest, as are gluten and cow’s milk products.

Weak Digestion with Low Energy

This pattern is much more likely to affect the weaker children, although occasionally it may occur in Strong children who have been ill or who are eating food that they are allergic to. What happens is that something (e.g., an illness) causes their energy to drop. This means that they do not have much energy to devote to digestion. The lack of energy for digestion results in these children not being able to eat much food, and consequently, they do not obtain much energy from food. Thus a vicious circle is established, and they get stuck in the condition of low energy (see Color Plate 3-5).

When you first see these children, you will notice the following characteristics:

When you ask questions and start to feel the child, you will find the following:

Poor appetite, very picky and choosy over food (Box 2-1)

Often constipated; occasionally loose stools

Sensitive (cries easily)

• Excessive immunization

• Unstructured nursing and feeding

• Thin arms and legs or rather squashy arms and legs—without good tone

• Easily tired

• May want to sleep in the day

EXPLANATION OF THESE SYMPTOMS

All of these symptoms are simply the result of not having much energy. There are few that need explanation.

• The behavioral pattern of being shy and easily crying is because these children do not have enough energy to cope with the ups and downs of life.

• Constipation can occur because the energy in the intestines is low, so peristalsis is weak and slow.

• Thin arms and legs are common because these children are somewhat undernourished—simply because they do not eat much food.

• Squashy arms and legs are common because of mild water retention. When the digestive system is not working well, the fluid balance may be affected.

CAUSES

• Long labor

• Exhaustion of the mother

• Long illness

The first three factors are ones that tire the mother and child and weaken their energy. Excessive immunization causes the same types of problems as long illnesses, leaving the child feeling weak. This problem is discussed further in Chapter 5. The reason why unstructured nursing and feeding weaken digestion is given in Chapter 3.

Take time to find a regular schedule and suitable food for your child.

Weak Digestion with Nervous Energy

When you first see children with weak digestion and nervous energy, you will notice the following characteristics:

When you ask questions and start to feel the child, you will find the following:

When these children get to know you a bit, you will discover the following:

EXPLANATION OF THESE SYMPTOMS

The explanation of most of the symptoms is the same as listed previously. The difference, the behavior pattern, arises because these children live off

Chapter 2 ENERGETIC PATTERNS OF ILLNESS

nervous energy. Another way of looking at it is that this behavior pattern allows these children to attract energy toward themselves. By being the center of attention and irritating people, they find that they can pick up vital energy from those around them.

In addition to the preceding, another cause may be the following:

The reasons for the first four factors are the same as for the previous pattern. The reason why lack of routine encourages this pattern is discussed in Chapter 1.

THE PARENTS’ ENERGY DURING ILLNESS

LEAKY GUT SYNDROME

Leaky Gut and Patterns

In leaky gut syndrome, the digestive system becomes disturbed, as does the immune system. This means that from a disturbance in the gut, the whole body can be set off balance. The particular imbalance varies among children. Some children react by developing the stagnant food pattern, whereas others react by developing the weak digestion pattern. In yet others, the main symptom may be food allergy or respiratory allergy.

When it comes to treating with herbs, we normally do not focus on the fact that the gut is leaky; rather, we focus on the way the leaky gut has affected the child. The condition typically rights itself when the child is given the appropriate herbs, and the gut no longer leaks.

Leaky Gut and Antibiotics

Antibiotics have been shown to be an aggravating factor for leaky gut because the bacteria in the intestines are mostly beneficial. There are bacteria for breaking down bile and other large molecules such as hormones that are excreted into the bowels. When antibiotics are taken, the intestinal bacteria are seriously disturbed and the breakdown is no longer complete. The consequence of this is that bile and hormones that should have been broken down are reabsorbed through the leaky gut. The effect of antibiotics is to magnify the harmful effects of a leaky gut.

Using Patterns to Maintain Health

These patterns return again and again throughout this book. They are patterns that underlie many different conditions and diseases. However, your child, or a child brought to you, may have one of these patterns and, as yet, have no definite illness. If this happens, you do not have to wait for illness to come along in order to treat. We think it is much better to start treatment while a child is well, to prevent disease from occurring. One of the great uses of these patterns is that they show the way to an appropriate diet, prescription, or treatment.

As far as details are concerned, these are given in different chapters. In particular, if your child has weak digestion or the stagnant food pattern, refer to Chapters 10, 11, and 14 . Even though the particular child’s symptoms may be relatively mild, these chapters contain useful prescriptions and the effects of taking the herbs.

terns. Stagnant food Weak digestion Weak digestion and nervous energy

OVERFEEDING

One common problem is simply eating too much food (or milk in the case of a nursing baby). Some children are enthusiastic about eating, and their mothers are delighted to see them eating so much. There is something satisfying in giving food, and conversely, it is almost impossible to resist the demands of a child crying for food, even if the child is known to be full.

The pattern of overfeeding is less common among breast-fed babies, for there is a limit to the quantity of milk a mother can produce. It is possible for breast-fed babies to overconsume milk, though, if their mothers produce very large quantities of very rich milk.

IRREGULAR FEEDING

In the past, overfeeding was the most common cause of digestive complaints. Fast catching up is irregular feeding. This is simply because the whole pattern of life is becoming more irregular and less disciplined. Not long ago it was normal for the family to sit down to three meals a day. Nothing was eaten between meals, except perhaps a snack at well-defined times for the children. This pattern has now been replaced in many families by food taken directly from the freezer to the microwave, with each person eating when he or she feels like it. In some families, “grazing” is the norm; that is, everyone in the family continually snacks, but they do not really sit down to a proper meal. With this background it is not surprising that the same feeding patterns are extended to babies and toddlers. For some babies and toddlers, this is not a problem; however, there are many babies and toddlers whose digestive systems do not cope well. Their stomachs never completely empty, and they never feel properly hungry. This leads to one of two patterns: the stagnant food pattern or the weak pattern.

This applies to breast-fed and bottle-fed babies as well. Regular feedings in very young children are actually better for digestion. Feedings may be given as frequently as every 1¹�2 or 2 hours in young babies, but it is important to wait at least 1 hour between feedings. When the baby is ill or needs special comfort, providing regular feedings may be difficult, but in general, if the child has a regular feeding pattern from the very start, then a much healthier digestion develops than if the child is fed irregularly and very frequently.

How Irregular Feeding Leads to the Weak Pattern

Children who develop the weak pattern are those who never really eat a proper meal. They are not hungry at mealtimes and often eat next to nothing. Half an hour later, however, they start to feel hungry and then fill up on a snack. They snack all the time and consequently never get a full meal and never give their stomachs time to rest. Unlike other organs in the body, the stomach needs time to rest, so if it has to work all the time, it becomes weak. Over time, this weakness can spread to the rest of the body.

Chapter 3 DIET

DIET AND HEALTH IN PREGNANCY AND NURSING

We will not go into great detail but rather confine ourselves to a few of the most important foods and how they affect the baby through the mother. We wish merely to state the obvious—diet in pregnancy affects the baby! There are a few general principles to bear in mind:

• Eat good-quality organic food. The residues left in the food from nonorganic agriculture definitely affect the baby. In addition, nonorganic food is often deficient in trace minerals such as boron. Even important minerals such as calcium are often much reduced in nonorganic food. Locally grown fresh food may be a good second best if organic food is not obtainable.

• Take supplements during pregnancy. This advice applies especially to women who cannot obtain organic food. The vitamin and mineral content of food produced with fertilizers is now greatly reduced from what it was 25 years ago because the soil in which it is grown

has been depleted. Fortunately, this deficiency can be repaired by taking a good-quality broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement. (Caution: Never exceed the recommended dose. It is possible to overdose on vitamins and minerals.)

• Look after your energy as much as possible. If you are very tired during pregnancy, it makes sense to rest as much as possible. It will help the new baby and make life easier for you after the baby is born by ensuring that you have energy for all of the extra work that will need to be done.

• Seek alternative medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)s for ailments of pregnancy. Many therapies can help alleviate the common ailments of pregnancy (e.g., nausea, sickness, anemia, high blood pressure). Herbs, acupuncture, and homoeopathy are of enormous benefit. These are noninvasive therapies that have been used for centuries and are actually beneficial for the newborn.

• Remember that the baby lives your life. After about 4.5 months, everything you do is registered by the baby. The emotions you feel are directly felt by the baby too.

• Avoid oranges during pregnancy. Overconsumption of oranges is associated with babies becoming restless to the point of being hyperactive. There are not usually many long-term problems (after the first 3 years) for the child, but it is certainly a problem for the family to have a sleepless child.

This is a book about children, so we will not go into a full discussion of the best ways of overcoming common breast-feeding problems. Here we would encourage mothers who wish to breast-feed not to give up easily. Read about likely problems beforehand. Get assistance from a herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ist, a homeopath, an acupuncturist, or a breast-feeding adviser. All of these therapists can help in the treatment of common problems, such sore or cracked nipples, inflamed breasts (milk fever), and insufficient milk. Excellent information can be found in McIntyre’s book The Complete Woman’s herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) (1994) and many other herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) books related to treatment of women’s problems.

There is one remedy that we cannot resist mentioning—dill seed Anethum graveolens, which is a wonder herb for promoting milk production. Make tea from one heaping teaspoon of seeds in as much water as you would like to drink. Drink all of the tea. Take this three times a day or more if you like.

Chapter 3 DIET

First Foods

First solid foods should be very simple, for example, well-cooked cereal. Finely ground white rice, or white rice cooked until it is mushy, is well tolerated by most children. Wheat in various forms can also be given, although many children find it harder to digest. This is partly because there is more gluten in wheat and partly because modern strains of wheat are harder to digest. If wheat is given, the bran should be removed because it is also difficult for babies to digest. Spelt is an easierto-digest alternative to wheat.

For those who are committed to giving only whole foods, whole-grain millet is the easiest to digest. It is not as easy to digest as white rice, but it is the easiest to digest of the whole grains and substantially easier to digest than whole wheat. Some people criticize the use of millet because it is very low in protein, but in our practice, we have not noted any protein deficiencies resulting from a child being weaned on millet.

HOT AND COLD FOODS

In Chapter 1 we mentioned that children are either Hot or Cold in energy; the same can be true of herbs and food. One knows this instinctively: Most people prefer to eat a warming stew on a cold day and to eat a cooling salad on a hot day. The study of the energy and medical effects of foods is very interesting but beyond the scope of this book. Here we confine ourselves to the very basics. Table 3-2 lists the energy and function of a few of the most important foods.

A SUMMARY OF OUR DIET SUGGESTIONS

• Watch out for high-fiber foods. In the field of alternative medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), we meet many parents who have read about the benefits of whole food for adults, and they naturally extend this to their children. In our experience there are some children who can cope with this rough food, but the children who come to the clinic—those who are somewhat unwell—often have difficulty digesting fiber. There are many possible reasons for this, one of them being that the digestive tract is much shorter in children, meaning the food goes through much more quickly and there is not enough time for the fiber to be digested.

• Eat organic food if possible. Food that has been grown using modern methods contains pesticides and other poisons and is deficient in minerals and other substances essential for health. If organic food is unobtainable, fresh local produce is a good second best. (See following under Essential Fatty Acids.)

• Encourage breast-feeding. Numerous studies have proven the benefits of breast milk over all other forms of milk.

• Watch out for cow’s milk. Many children have difficulty digesting cow’s milk, even pure, unprocessed, organic cow’s milk. Many are even allergic to it. What is worse is that much of the milk sold today is very low quality, with

Table 3-2

The Energy of Some Common Foods*

FOOD ENERGY COMMENT

Rice Neutral This is one of the best first foods to start weaning.

Oats Slightly warm Oats are very suitable in cold weather.

Bread Neutral Bread tends to create fluid imbalances and mucus in many children. It is difficult for many children to digest.

Bananas Cold The Cold energy of bananas is often the reason for colic, especially in children who are already cold. On the other hand, they can be the secret of successful stools in babies and children who are constipated because of being too Hot internally.

Yogurt Cold Yogurt can also cause colic in Cold children. On the whole, we advise against yogurt unless it is both live and comes from organically fed cows. If you can get this sort of yogurt, it has a special use in restoring the intestinal flora during and after a course of antibiotics.

Milk Cool Organic, or better still biodynamic, milk is suitable for those who can digest it without problems. Other milk should not be used. Even good-quality milk can cause excess mucus production in many children.

Cheese Variable; most cheeses Cheese should be given only after about 2 years of age. If given late tend to be Cool, at night, it can cause nightmares, especially if given as grilled but the more pungent cheese sandwiches or Welsh rarebit. Once again, take great care cheeses, and those over the quality of the cheese. Highly processed and sterilized which crawl off the cheese is better not eaten. plate, tend to be Warm

Haricot beans Neutral All beans and bean products tend to cause abdominal wind and flatulence and therefore colic in babies and toddlers. This effect can be minimized if the beans are cooked with cloves.

Fruit Cool to Cold All fruit is Cool to Cold, with the possible exception of peaches. Raw apples are particularly Cold and can cause indigestion. They are better when cooked with cloves.

• Watch out for peanuts and peanuts butter. Peanuts and peanut butter tend to produce phlegm. In addition, we have seen many children who are allergic to them break out in a rash or even progress to anaphylactic shock.

• Watch out for gluten in foods for the first year of life. Gluten is hard for many babies and children to digest. A lot of children even have a mild allergy to it. Even for those who are not allergic, it may put too great a load on the digestive system.

Chapter 3 DIET

The Energetic Properties of Some Common Foods*—cont’d

FOOD ENERGY COMMENT

Fruit juice Cool to Cold Their cool effect is deliciously refreshing on a hot day, but if taken to excess, fruit juice can be a major cause of diarrhea.

Carbonated drinks Usually Cold The majority of carbonated drinks contain sugar, colorings, and sweeteners and should therefore be kept to a minimum.

Hamburgers Warm Hamburgers made from organic ingredients are an acceptable food for many children. The ingredients for hamburgers sold in fast-food chains is rarely of this quality and should be avoided.

Ices and ice creams Cold (obviously) Keep ices and ice creams to a minimum and try to give those made with good-quality ingredients. Although ices and ice creams are Cold, there are some herbal(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ists who give their herbs in ice sorbet or ice cream as a way of getting the herbs down the children with a minimum of fuss. The prescription is usually altered to include some extra ginger Zingiber officinalis to overcome the cooling effect of the ice.

Sugar Neutral Although it is neutral in small doses, in large doses it gives a “rush.” The children first become hyperactive, then about half an hour later become distressed and weepy. A small amount of sugar has always been thought to be beneficial for children, although we have treated some children who cannot take more than a teaspoon a week without becoming overwhelmed by runny nose and cough.

Chocolate Warm Chocolate can cause hyperactivity, although for some rather pale-faced children, it can help them get a bit of a grip on the world. This may be due to the caffeine that it contains.

*We were first alerted to the effects of food in children by Chinese sources, but the information given in this table is based on our own experience in clinic. For those who wish to learn more about the effects of food, we recommend Pitchford.

Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), as the name implies, are essential for a healthy body. There are two main families—omega-3 and omega-6—and research is now beginning to show that if the EFAs of the omega-6 family are taken in high amounts, they can have disastrous inflammatory effect on the body.

For these EFAs to be of optimal benefit to health, they must be taken in the correct proportions: a ratio of approximately 1 part omega-3 to 4 parts omega-6 (a ratio of 0.25). What we find today is that we are consuming relatively more omega-6 in our diets. In many diets the ratio is as low as

0.09. One of the reasons for this is modern farming methods. The ratio of 1:4 is found in nature in the whole plants from which many oils are extracted and in organic, naturally farmed food. As an example, in organic eggs the ratio of omega-3 to omega6 is found to be near 1:4. In factory farmed eggs, it is near 1:100. Similar statistics are found when comparing organic and intensively reared beef. Moreover, omega-6 is found in oils extracted from soy bean, sunflower, and safflower, the main oils used in the preparation of fast foods.

It is especially important for people who have allergies and skin problems to increase their dietary intake of omega-3 and reduce their intake of omega-6. This simple change can have startling effects in the treatment of these problems. Other conditions associated with deficient omega-3 are echo pattern, allergies, hayfever, premenstrual tension, and many of the autoimmune diseases.

Omega-3 is found in flaxseed, borage seed, evening primrose, canola, pumpkin, and walnut oils. Omega-6 is found in sunflower, safflower, corn, sesame, and wheat germ oils.

Difficulties Mothers Face When Trying to Change Their Child’s Diet

If the cause of the child’s problem is overeating, the obvious advice is to reduce the quantity of food given. This is not to say that it is not always easy to put this into practice. If the child is in the habit of eating a lot, it requires willpower and determination to reduce the quantity of food. This is especially true when the child is being breast-fed. If the baby is screaming and is normally comforted by being given the breast, it is very difficult to break the habit. The urgency of a screaming baby may override logical reactions.

If you are intending to make a change in your baby’s feeding pattern, do not expect it to be trouble free. Make small changes at first, and choose a time when you know you can implement the changes. What we have heard from many mothers is that any complaints about a new diet or feeding pattern can last 5 to 7 days, but after that the going is easy. Prepare for 5 to 7 days of struggle.

MAIN POINTS FROM THIS CHAPTER

• Overfeeding and irregular feeding are common causes of digestive disturbance.

• Breast milk is the best milk for babies.

• Some children do not do well on demand feeding and need to be taught a rhythm.

• Wean onto very simple foods.

• Children younger than 3 years find bran and fiber hard to digest.

• Many children find cow’s milk hard to digest.

• If there is a lot of mucus, suspect cow’s milk, peanuts, or sugar intolerance.

A DIFFERENT VIEW ON DISEASE

Infectious diseases such as fevers, coughs, and colds are common in early childhood and generally diminish with age. The commonly given explanation is that the immune system gradually “learns” to recognize different viruses and bacteria and develops protection against them. Although this is true, it is clearly only part of the picture. It does not explain why some children acquire diseases such as whooping cough and suffer very badly while others have only a mild form of the disease. In this section we look at this question and offer some answers. The view that we present is that there are really two types of infectious disease. One type is caused by attack by an infecting agent, such as a virulent strain that attacks even the healthiest body. The other type is the result of the body being already out of balance before the infecting agent came along. The resulting illnesses appear similar but need to be treated differently.

In orthodox medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) there is an unwritten assumption that most diseases are caused by viruses or bacteria. Bacteria and viruses are associated with many infectious diseases, from pneumonia and tuberculosis to whooping cough and the common cold. Recently, bacteria have even been associated with the development of stomach ulcers. The involvement of bacteria in disease was shown by Pasteur, and it soon became held as a general truth that it was the bacteria that actually caused the disease. It was assumed that if only we could avoid contact with these bacteria or viruses, we would not get ill. This view has now taken hold so completely that every supermarket is lined with rows of antibacterial soaps, washing powders, and so on. This theory is also the basis behind immunization. The unspoken assumption is that if we can boost our immune system to fight a virus or bacteria, we will never get ill.

We believe that this approach is too simplistic. There are many other forces at work that determine whether the infecting agent can take hold or not. This is not a new idea. Even in Pasteur’s time, opposing opinions were voiced. Pasteur’s great rival, Beauchamp, always maintained “c’est le terrain” (that it was the “ground” that was all important); in fact, in a celebrated public demonstration, he drank a glass of water known to contain cholera germs but did not contract cholera.

Since then there have been many other demonstrations that disease requires more than just an infecting agent. For example, Streptococcus bacteria can be found in the throats of many healthy people, and Pneumonococcus bacteria is found in the lungs of many healthy people. The bacteria are living there quite happily for month after month, but not causing disease.

More recently, research has been conducted by doctors in the Anthroposophical movement that more or less confirms Beauchamp’s position, rather than Pasteur’s. Their results imply that diseased tissue can cause otherwise beneficial bacteria to mutate into harmful ones.*

The Disease Process

So far we have described the circumstances for a disease to take hold. There must be an imbalance present, and there also must be some virus or bacterium to take advantage of that imbalance. How the disease progresses from here depends on a number of factors, and there are a number of possible outcomes. What we find is that there are circumstances when disease can lead to a worse state of health and

*Quoted in Husemann F, Wolff O (ed): Anthroposophical approach to medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), vol 3, Spring Valley, NY, 1989, Anthroposophic Press, p 10.

some circumstances when it leads to a better state. Which way it goes depends very much on the strength of the child before the disease process begins, whether the full immune response is evoked, and whether the child is allowed to recuperate. Let us look at the following situations.

1. STRONG CHILD, FULL IMMUNE RESPONSE, ALLOWED TO RECUPERATE

If the child is strong and is basically healthy, there is likely to be a full immune response. This may mean that the child is quite ill, for a full immune response often involves a very high fever. However, while the child has this fever, the underlying imbalance that allowed the infection to take hold is being corrected; to put it in naturopathic terms, the body is being cleansed.

The child will be tired after the fever, so at this stage it is important that the child be allowed to rest and recuperate. This was well understood in the past, when it was common to send a child away to the country to recover after a severe illness. The rule that we now give our patients is to keep their child home from school for at least as many days as the child had the fever. If the fever lasted 3 days, then the child should be kept out of school for at least 3 days after the fever has resolved.

The eventual outcome is that the child is much stronger. The basic imbalance has been corrected, and the child has had an opportunity to recover his or her energy and health.

Example. During the spring, a girl gets influenza and has a high fever. The fever lasts 3 days, peaking at 104˚ F (40˚ C). She is treated with herbs such as yarrow Achillea millefolium and sweats profusely. After the illness subsides, she is exhausted but is allowed to stay at home. The yarrow is continued until she is again feeling marvelous.

Chapter 4 FEVERS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Epidemics

What we have described so far relates to the normal coughs, colds, and fevers that are part of everyday life. This type of illness is often a beneficial illness and comes about when a body that is out of balance meets the appropriate infecting agent. The relatively mild irritant of the infecting agent provides the means whereby the child can get back to health. However, some truly virulent infecting agents exist and can cause dreadful diseases, such as the Ebola virus, against which the body has no protection. When the common cold was first introduced to the Eskimo population, there were widespread deaths because the population was being exposed to a completely new virus. In situations such as this, the orthodox

Chapter 4 FEVERS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

FACTORS IN LIFE THAT CAUSE DISEASE

We now discuss factors that influence the “ground,” the imbalances that enable an infection to take hold.

Potential Dangers

This discussion of the childhood illnesses does not mean that we do not take them seriously. We take them very seriously. Like any infectious disease, the childhood diseases can go the “wrong way,” and children can end up in a much worse state after the illness rather than in a better state. In circumstances of deprivation and poverty, such as are common in the developing world, many children die from the childhood illnesses.

What this means in practice is that there may be times when you want to prevent a child from getting a particular disease. If the child is very weak and there is a real danger of meningitis as a complication of getting measles, obviously you should do everything possible to prevent the child from having contact with measles. If the child is not really at risk (as the huge majority are not), then a properly nursed case of measles gives nothing but benefit to the long-term health of the child.

Echinacea

Echinacea has recently been promoted as the wonder way to health. One sees advertisements with beautiful bodies side by side with this beautiful flower, and one is led to believe that the combination of bee pollen and echinacea will boost the immune system and increase health and longevity. We believe that these implied claims are misleading. The proper time to use echinacea is in the early stages of an infection, just before the infection has really taken a hold. It has the effect of “rallying” the immune system, thereby temporarily activating it. If echinacea is taken continually, this effect wears

Chapter 4 FEVERS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

USE OF ANTIBIOTICS

Antibiotics have many uses. They have saved millions of lives. In addition, they have reduced the incidence of a whole class of illnesses—those caused by exhaustion from long fevers. However, let us not blind ourselves to their shortcomings. They have very pronounced side effects. The antibiotics commonly used today have the near disastrous effect of killing all of the beneficial flora in the body, as well as the disease-causing ones. In certain circumstances it may be worth tolerating this. Certainly, if a man is dying and the antibiotics will save his life, minor side effects are insignificant. On the other hand, if a child has an illness that she can easily get over by herself, then why give antibiotics? The illness may resolve a few days earlier with antibiotic use, but the body is put out of balance for weeks or months. Other problems may arise, such as the illness coming back again in the same form a few weeks later or leaky gut syndrome (mentioned in Chapter 2); in addition, the likelihood of resistant strains of bacteria developing is increased.

Plant Antibiotics

The antibiotics used by orthodox medicine(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) are broad spectrum. They kill a wide range of bacteria (although as time passes, resistant strains develop). Commonly, these antibiotics are made from very lowly plant forms, such as molds. It is not generally realized that there are other antibiotics that are developed from higher plant forms. Examples of these include the antibiotics found in horseradish Cochlearia armoracia, elecampane Inula helenium, and ribwort Plantago lanceolata. These antibiotics have a much more specific action. They are not like machine guns that destroy everything in their path. They are more akin to the magic bullet that was sought in the 1950s. For example, the Cochlearia armoracia antibiotic has a specific effect on bacterial cystitis. Extract of Inula helenium has a specific effect on the tuberculosis bacillus and Plantago lanceolata on Pneumonococcus. Because their action is so specific, they do not upset the balance of the body.

Plant Antivirals