Signs and symptoms

First symptoms are fever, malaise (body discomfort), headache, and sometimes signs of a common cold. The key symptoms are a marked loss of appetite (often with nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain) and the onset of jaundice (yellowed skin, yellowed whites of eyes, dark amber urine, and light-colored stools).

Jaundice lasts two to four weeks, followed by one to two months of diminishing fatigue. The liver often is enlarged and tender. Specific diagnosis (A type or  type) depends upon blood tests and must be made by a doctor.

Home care

If symptoms of hepatitis appear, isolate your child from friends, school, or work to lessen the chance of spreading the disease. Then call your doctor. Hepatitis must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. Your doctor will give you specific instructions for caring for the child at home and will probably recommend rest, liquids, and a low-fat diet that is easy to digest.

Precautions

• If your child is exposed to hepatitis, call your doctor. The child and other family members should be given preventive gamma globulin or hepatitis  immune globulin injections as soon after exposure as is practical and before symptoms appear.

• If you are caring for a child with hepatitis B, remember that this form is now known to be contagious (contrary to past beliefs). Practice good hygiene, particularly careful hand washing, to avoid spreading the disease.

Medical treatment

Your doctor may hospitalize your child for treatment. Tests are also available to determine when hepatitis  is no longer contagious.

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Farmers give their cattle antibiotics to speed their growth as well as hormones to increase the supply of milk per cow. A generation ago, an individual cow would produce approximately 9 liters (2 gallons) of milk per day; now it yields 56 liters (12 gallons) per day. These hormones must surely end up in the milk. At a time when you are trying to boost your fertility you don’t want excess hormones coming from outside, as it is crucial that your own and your partners hormones are within the normal range.

So, if you are buying dairy products, again buy organic in order to reduce your intake of chemicals and hormones. Organic dairy produce is available in most supermarkets.

Of all dairy foods, yogurt containing the culture Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is a natural inhabitant of our gut, is the most beneficial. When yogurts are heat treated they lose their original culture so no benefit is gained from eating them. Buy natural yogurt that is ‘live’ and organic. This can be marketed in different ways, so read the labels carefully. ‘Bio’ usually means ‘live’, and ‘bio’ yogurts will contain a culture like Lactobacillus. Avoid fruit yogurts which can have very high sugar content.

Taking Lactobacillus acidophilus as a supplement (available in capsule form from all good health food shops) can also be beneficial, as it lowers the level of the enzymes which reabsorb ‘old’ hormones. Each month your body should eliminate all the hormones it doesn’t need. But, unfortunately, it sometimes reabsorbs some of them, creating an imbalance. This imbalance can affect your fertility so anything that helps your body to excrete more efficiently is useful.

Margarine versus butter

Hydrogenated vegetable oil is listed in the ingredients of most margarines and also many fast foods, crisps, biscuits and crackers. The process of hydrogenation changes the essential unsaturated fats contained in the food into trans-fatty acids which have been linked to problems with absorption of essential fats and an increased risk of heart attack.

So I would recommend using moderate amounts of organic butter (most supermarkets now sell it) or unhydrogenated margarine (obtainable from health food shops) rather than ordinary margarine. Although margarine is manufactured from polyunsaturated fats it is made into a solid form through hydrogenation. Because these trans fats are not natural in such high levels and have a plastic-like quality, your body has great difficulty getting rid of them. Why put yourself under extra pressure to deal with a substance that you do not really need to eat? It’s better to make things easy for your body so that it functions efficiently and, in doing so, has the resources to heal itself and increase your fertility.

Semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from essential fatty acids so it is also important for men to avoid trans fatty acids. It is thought that the prostaglandins help to make the sperm motile and are crucial for their survival.

Health risks of saturated fats

1.     Becoming overweight

The more saturated a fat becomes, the harder it is to digest. So it ends up being stored in the body. Butter, coconut oil and palm oil are the saturated fats most easily assimilated by the body, so they are less harmful. Fat from beef, lamb and pork are the hardest to digest because they are hard at body temperature. And being overweight reduces fertility.

2.     Blocking nutrients

Saturated fats also interfere with your body’s absorption of the essential fatty acids which are vital for health and fertility. Trans fatty acids, often contained in fried foods and in margarines under the name ‘hydrogenated fats’, are the biggest culprit and should always be avoided.

*30/73/5*

Drive your car into a tree and it’s an act of stupidity. Put a patch of ice under your tires and suddenly it’s God’s fault. Though scientists hate the phrase “act of God,” everyday folks have been blaming not-so-everyday disasters like twisters, blizzards, and floods on random acts of the divine since Noah picked up his first two-by-four. The government has officially recognized acts of God as a public health concern since the 1600s. Insurance companies use the phrase to describe just about any major disaster. But the fact is that most of us are still as unprepared for sudden disaster as the folks who didn’t make it onto the ark.

“A lot of people have some of the things they need for a crisis, but since they never really think it’ll happen to them, they aren’t prepared to the extent they should be,” explains Nina Johnson, disaster manager at the American Red Cross, Lehigh Valley Chapter, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “And that can cause big problems when disasters strike.”

Hurricanes, tornadoes, snowstorms, and the like kill about 245 people each year, according to National Safety Council statistics. “And though these events are often unexpected, that doesn’t mean that they have to be unanticipated,” says Mary Hudak, public information officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Atlanta. The state and federal governments have great systems in place to help you out in times of crisis, but to survive, you need to educate yourself about your risk and be well-prepared. That means being able to survive 72 hours without assistance, and often electricity. Here’s what you need to know.

Winter Storm Warning

Just two blizzards-the first in March 1993, the second in January 1996-combined to claim the lives of 300 people in the eastern United States. And the majority of those who die in winter storms are men over 40. With the National Weather Service’s ability to predict storms well in advance, there’s really little excuse for letting Old Man Winter knock you out for the count. Next time, take these steps.

Take warning. “The most important thing is to listen to the watches and warnings,” Johnson says. “Watches mean that a storm could happen. A warning means that it will. A blizzard warning means that it’s going to be big. Watches change to warnings very quickly, so when you hear a watch, make sure that you stock up on the essentials like food, diapers, bottled water, and anything else you need.”

Get off the road. Seventy percent of ice- and snow-related winter deaths happen in cars, according to the American Red Cross. If you must go out, the organization recommends carrying a disaster supply kit in your car and filling your gas tank frequently to keep the fuel lines from freezing. If you get stuck, stay with your car. Just run the engine for 10 minutes every hour with the dome light on for visibility; crack a window to let some air in, and tie a bright cloth to your antenna.

Take shelter. Seventy-five percent of people who die from cold exposure are men. Stay inside, if possible. If you must go out, wear many loose-fitting layers of clothes, covered by a tightly woven, water-repellent coat. Cover your mouth with scarves to protect your lungs from the cold air, says Johnson.

Work lightly. “All the snow does not have to be cleared from your sidewalks within one hour after a snowfall,” Johnson says. Cold weather puts a strain on your heart, so regardless of your age or physical condition, you can have a heart attack while shoveling snow. Take frequent breaks.

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The experimental and clinical trial work which forms the basis for the answers which follow has been done using mussel extract produced by McFarlane Laboratories of Auckland, New Zealand. This company is believed to be the only one producing the pure extract.

To avoid the use of trade names under which this extract is marketed it will be referred to throughout as mussel extract. In all cases this reference specifically means the extract from the New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel.

So far, it is not clear just how the extract works. However, as a result of research work, several features of this substance have been discovered. These features, which relate to its possible way of working in human and animal patients, are very interesting in both a medical and biological way. The research work has been conducted in animals and humans and has been carried out at research laboratories, university medical schools, drug company establishments, hospitals, clinics and even private homes right across the world — in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, United States of America, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and the United Kingdom.

One of the first interesting features to be noted was that any attempts to refine or fractionate (split up into components) the product resulted in a loss of the activity. In other words, trying to find out if the activity against arthritis was involved with any specific component or group of components by separating the ingredients stopped the product from working. This is an interesting and important feature in that it suggests that the activity is due to a combination of two or more of the ingredients, or perhaps ingredients involved in more than one group, working together. If this is the case, then it would make the production of a synthetic version of this product not only very difficult but also improbable.

This aspect is one which is not unusual in a natural substance that has therapeutic effects. It is quite reasonable to accept that combinations of compounds or ingredients in a substance of natural origin may be so unique or so complex that all our present technology may fail in attempts to duplicate them. It may also be true to say that it could well be these unique combinations which cause or give the therapeutic effect. Thus we have the situation here of a substance which is effective therapeutically in the form of a ‘crude’ extract, to use a pharmaceutical term, but which loses its effectiveness upon being split up or refined.

During experimental work with the mussel extract preparation on animal subjects it became evident that this substance worked in a manner which was different from that of the usual anti-arthritic drugs. In very generalized terms, the mussel extract gave different results in trials with animal subjects to those produced by synthetic drug preparations.

The results were such that it might just be that the extract is attacking the cause rather than the effect of arthritis! The expression ‘might just be’ has to be emphasized because as yet no definite proof exists to clarify the possibility. What could stimulate such a dramatic thought?

It is based on the speculation that, as the standard anti-inflammatory treatments are known only to attack the effect of the disorder, i.e., the inflammation, and as the extract does not appear to attack inflammation directly, then it may be that the mussel extract is penetrating below mere symptoms to the cause itself. The results which provoked this line of reasoning came about through trials using rats in which inflammatory conditions ‘similar’ to those found in arthritic conditions are created in the animals by various means. The important fact is that these are inflammatory conditions, and they respond to treatment by anti-inflammatory drugs, but they are not of arthritic origin. They do not respond to treatment with the mussel extract, which suggests that the extract does not possess direct anti-inflammatory properties. However, inflammatory conditions which are of arthritic origin do respond to treatment with the mussel extract, which suggests that the anti-inflammatory properties of the extract are secondary and, that it might be working on the origin of the inflammation rather than on the inflammation itself.

A feature of the mussel extract which might add weight to these suggestions is that the pain and discomfort associated with rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis are relieved in subjects taking this product. It does not seem that any analgesic properties are present in the extract and therefore it might be postulated that the cause of the pain is being removed. If these factors are, in due course, proved to be true, then a very important step forward in the treatment of arthritic disorders will have been demonstrated. Just consider the significance of the difference between treating these conditions by reducing or removing the cause compared with just masking the pain and discomfort by palliatives. Not only would the disease be relieved effectively, but its progression and resulting deterioration of the afflicted person might also be stopped.

*13/48/5*

Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows it is extremely difficult to keep weight off once it is lost. Sure, she might shed a few pounds in the first weeks or so but, try as she might, that weight almost invariably returns. When it does, the person usually blames the diet or, more typically, herself. “It’s my fault,” she wails. “I have no willpower. I’m a failure-a washout.”

When I hear such remarks from a patient, I tell her as emphatically as I possibly can: “It is not your fault.” And I proceed to tell her about a scientific discovery that has revolutionized the way we think about body weight.

Simply put, that discovery-known as the set point model-has revealed that each person is biologically programmed to reach and maintain a body weight that falls within a certain, relatively narrow range. Within that range, body weight is strongly guarded against either increasing or decreasing substantially.

For the individual, the actual weight range is not a matter of personal choice or aesthetic preference, nor is it a response to cultural pressure. It is part of our genetic, physiological destiny (with perhaps some influence from the way we are fed in infancy). Just as we have no control over whether our eyes will be brown or blue, we have no choice over the body weight that our DNA says will be right for us.

The human body is an organic system that takes in and expends energy. Like the coal that stokes the furnace, food in the form of calories provides energy. Metabolism determines the rate at which our bodies convert the food into energy.

Normally, the metabolic rate represents a balance between intake and expenditure. If we consume roughly two thousan calories a day, we will usually burn off roughly two thousand calories a day. Such burning occurs actively, through work or exercise, or passively, through sweating or regulation of body temperature. The very act of thinking burns calories. Even when we are sitting or sleeping, we are burning energy at a certain rate. Our metabolic balance is controlled by interaction among a number of different factors, including hormones and their receptors in the cells, neurotransmitters, diet, amount of exercise, our genetic inheritance-even the temperature of the air around us.

The set point model, supported by much scientific evidence, shows that metabolism tries to reach and hold a certain weight level. Some people are naturally skinnier and others are naturally heavier. The set point model implies that different body weights are appropriate and healthy for different people.

A person biologically programmed to weigh 160 pounds is healthy and normal at that weight. If she suddenly dropped thirty pounds, her metabolism would react as though the body were in a state of siege-which, in a sense, is what starvation is. Her metabolism would slow down tremendously-by as much as a whopping 30 percent-to help conserve energy. Her body would take the few calories it gets and use them more efficiently until it returned to its higher weight. Conversely, someone who should weigh 100 pounds and who balloons up to 140 will experience an acceleration of metabolism, a cranking up of the physiological furnace in an effort to burn off the unwanted weight.

You can see the vicious cycle. A person decides to diet-say, by cutting down her food intake by 20 percent. She loses some weight. Her body senses the change and reacts as though it is in danger of starvation. Her metabolism then drops as the efficiency by which her body converts food to body weight increases.

Thus, although the dieter eats less food, her metabolism also decreases. A recent study on a group of women found that after nine weeks of dieting they had lost an average of 3 percent of their original weight. Yet their consumption of oxygen-which the body uses to burn energy and which thus fuels metabolism- dropped by a substantial 17 percent.

When weight rises beyond the set point range, the body burns off energy-by raising body temperature, for example. Conversely, loss of too much weight triggers a kind of biological blackout. The person will feel fatigued and may begin to sleep more. Body temperature may drop to conserve calories. As we have seen, anorexics often complain of feeling cold.

Menstruation also stops. There is genetic wisdom-I’m tempted to call it “bio-logic”-behind this development. A starving woman can’t spare the energy needed to build another human being. In the interest of survival of both the mother and her future children, the reproductive system shuts down.

By undergoing this radical energy-conservation program, the body struggles to push weight back up to the right level for this particular person. But when her weight starts to rise again-as it inevitably will-the dieter begins to panic. She may take even more drastic steps to lose weight, triggering further metabolic disruption. And so on.

*47/35/5*

Talk about your dynamic duo!

In the mid-1990s, Patti Pottebaum and her husband, Gary, kicked their 20-year smoking habits. The couple, who live in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, say that attacking the problem as a team helped them succeed.

But in the months that followed, the usually trim Patti and Gary found their waistlines expanding—a byproduct, they believe, of substituting snacks for smoking. In 2 years, they wound up gaining 48 pounds between them.

So, in January 1997,41-year-old Patti and 44-year-old Gary decided to slim down. “We were tired of having to loosen our belts and buy bigger clothing,” Patti explains. “Plus, we were beginning to experience some post-40 aches and pains. We just didn’t feel like ourselves.”

Because the team approach had worked so well when they quit smoking, Patti and Gary decided to use it again to lose weight. They agreed to cook and eat low-fat meals loaded with fruits and vegetables; red meats and fried foods were to be used only sparingly.

Although they initially exercised separately—she with step-aerobics classes, he with running—workouts became a team effort before long. “We have always been a couple who enjoys doing things together, so we started walking in the mornings before work,” Patti says. “I had an easier time staying motivated when I knew that I’d be exercising with Gary.” They even kept things interesting by golfing together and placing friendly wagers on each round.

Neither Pottebaum wants to let the other one down by blowing off a workout. For example, since Gary is more lively in the mornings, his get-up-and-go helps Patti get out of bed, even if she initially says that she’s not in the mood for walking. Their commitment to wellness and to each other resulted in Patti losing 25 pounds and Gary losing 23 in a little more than 9 months.

Now that they are back to their trim sizes—she a 10 or 12, he a 36-inch waist—the Pottebaums have no intention of falling out of shape. “I like being in good shape, and I feel so much better,” Gary says. “We want to stay active and healthy forever so we can enjoy the rest of our lives to the fullest.”

WINNING ACTION

Recruit your spouse as a workout partner. Getting active with your spouse has definite advantages. Because you live under the same roof you can keep tabs on each other and motivate each other. And you won’t want to let the other person down by reneging on your workouts. Not cohabitating? Exercise with a parent, sibling, or child—someone who cares about your health and supports your weight-loss goals.

*101\89\8*

Positive belief is an ancient concept. In the Scriptures we read: According to your belief is it done to you. I used to wonder about that. According to your belief in what? Now I understand it to mean according to your belief in yourself. Success, and failure, begin with your own beliefs.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius believed that “our lives are what our thoughts make of it.” More recently, Frank Lloyd Wright said: “The thing always happens that you believe in. And the belief is a thing that makes it happen. And I think nothing will happen until you thoroughly and deeply believe in it.”

I tell my patients that if they fill their heads with negations, they cannot help but be failures: failureson the job, in personal relationships and in health. But if they prime themselves with positive thinking, affirmations and visualizations, they are well along the road to success.

Put a positive goal in your mind; see it in your mind’s eye. Think of yourself as having already achieved the goal. Feel those winning feelings. Now you’re ready to be successful.

Make affirmations and visualization a daily habit. You can use some of the affirmations in this chapter, or devise your own. Say your affirmations 50, 100 times a day—you can’t overdo it. As you say them, visualize yourself being or doing what you want to do or be. Write your affirmations on a card and carry it with you. Look at that card often, and repeat your affirmations silently. You can say your affirmations any time, any place. While driving through the inevitable traffic on the way to the office, I say my affirmation on serenity.

Repeat your affirmations in the morning, afternoon, evening and night. Say them quietly, with feeling; say them loudly, with enthusiasm. I like to repeat my affirmations over and over in my head when I’m exercising. It doesn’t matter when or where you do them, as long as you mean them!

*149\80\8*

In addition to brisk walking, exercises that strengthen the back and stomach muscles are important. Seventy to 80 percent of adults have some form of lower back pain. Strengthening the back and stomach muscles helps prevent or alleviate the problem. People with chronic back pain are less likely to be physically active and more likely to be depressed. Getting rid of back pain allows you to be active again, and it helps get rid of or reduce depression. This, in turn, has a beneficial effect on your endorphins and health in general.

Here are three good exercises for the back and stomach. Take it easy in the beginning, adding repetitions as you go along. You’ll find yourself becoming stronger and more energetic as you continue the exercise.

Caution: Do not do any of these exercises if you experience any pain while exercising. Stop and check with your physician before continuing your exercises. I don’t believe that pain is necessary for gain.

Shoulder Lifts: This exercise is good for your upper-abdominal and lower-back muscles. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Clasp your hands behind your neck. Raise your shoulders up until they’re several inches off the floor. Don’t try to pull yourself up with your hands—use your abdominal muscles.

Do as many shoulder lifts as you can, even if it’s only a few. Gradually work up to 50 shoulder lifts, twice a day. Then slowly work up to 100 shoulder lifts, twice a day.

Bicycle Riding: This is a good exercise for the lower-abdominal muscles. Lie on your back. Put your arms alongside your body, palms down. This helps steady your body. Bend your knees, then lift your thighs until they’re at a 90-degree angle to your belly. Raise your legs so that they’re parallel to the floor and in position to pedal an imaginary bicycle.

Pedal the imaginary bike, pumping your legs out (away from your body) and back in (toward your chest). Pedal as long as you can. Your initial goal is to be able to pedal the imaginary bicycle 100 times, twice a day. Stay with it until you can pedal the imaginary bicycle 200 times without stopping.

*107\80\8*

For a quick, easy-to-prepare entree or side dish, simply wash your favorite vegetables, and place them in a steamer. Steam lightly, so vegetables are crisp and tasty. How long you steam each vegetable depends* on your taste.

Lightly steamed food is generally more nutritious than foods cooked in other ways. With steaming, there aren’t the high temperatures or cooking oil that destroy and leach nutrients out of the food.

My favorite vegetables for steaming include carrots, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, corn and cauliflower.

I put all the vegetables in the steamer at once and steam them together for 10 to 15 minutes. I use a double-decker steamer, putting the lighter, quicker-cooking vegetables on top and the heavier ones on the lower level. BAKED POTATO

A baked potato is a nutritious, low-calorie dish that’s easy to prepare. Preheat oven to 400° Wash and dry the potato; puncture it several times with a fork. Place on baking sheet, tinfoil or oven rack and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft. (Cooking time depends on size of potato and your taste.)

Don’t add butter, sour cream, cheese or other fattening toppings to your potato. Eat it plain or sprinkle on chives, parsley, mint, basil, nonfat yogurt or one of the dressings. Believe me, try it and you’ll love it just this way.

Another tasty way to prepare potatoes is to steam or bake a potato, then cut it into 1/2″ slices. Put the slices on a nonstick pan and bake in the oven.

*64\80\8*

A patient once said to me, “I don’t know why I keep getting colds. I guess a bunch of germs have decided to keep mugging me.”

I told this man that a painter cannot paint until the palette has been prepared: Neither can a builder build until the foundation has been laid nor an airplane land until a landing strip has been built. Disease cannot “strike” until and unless you allow it to.

Yes, we unknowingly invite disease by handicapping, even destroying, our natural defenses. And we’re doing ourselves more and more damage all the time. If we were to reverse this dangerous trend, if we would work instead to bolster our natural defenses, we could practically wipe out heart disease, eliminate much of the cancer striking us down and greatly reduce the incidence of arthritis, strokes, diabetes, colds, flus, depression, fatigue and many other problems that plague us. We could save billions of dollars in medical costs and increase our work productivity. We could add years to our lives and happiness to our years.

But as long as we think of disease as something that “just happens” to us because we’re unlucky, or because we get “mugged” by some germs, we will never take the necessary steps to prevent disease by strengthening our natural defenses. Instead, we’ll continue the many health-destructive habits that most of us unknowingly practice.

*20\80\8*