BEAR FooT DOCTOR ® In Step With Nature - Bear Foot Doctor's health blog

OH NO IS IT COVID TOE?

5/7/2020

“Covid toe” is a rash, very similar in appearance to chilblains. It has been noted on patients’ feet even when no other symptoms of Covid-19 are being manifested. This rash appears as asymmetrical chilblain type lesions around the hands and feet. It is often found in younger patients and these lesions can be itchy and painful. In extremely rare cases - approximately 6% - there can be Livido or necrosis.

“Covid toe” is thought to be a result of restricted blood circulation. Dr Lindy Fox who practices at the University of California, San Francisco, was suddenly inundated with patients suffering from these toe problems. A lot of these people had never suffered from chilblains in the past. Other doctors elsewhere have also had an increase in patients suffering from these lesions. Some physicians are now insisting that “Covid toe” should be a reason in itself to test for Covid-19.

As the majority of cases worldwide have so far presented in children and young adults, some professionals are postulating that “Covid toe” may be a healthy immune response as the body attempts too rid itself of the coronavirus. Fortunately it has been noted that most of the patients exhibiting this condition are getting better in themselves, so “Covid toe” should not automatically be regarded as a dangerous symptom if it presents, as it can follow a benign clinical outcome and resolve without treatment.

Some patients with this problem have tested negative for the coronavirus. This may be because they really are chilblains and have nothing whatsoever to do with Covid-19. This could be due to staying at home and walking around barefoot more than usual during lockdown. Alternatively they could be a preventative immune reaction that occurs before the virus actually takes a full hold.

Another possibility is that sometimes when patients actually test positive, the lesions may be an epiphenomenon. In other words, they are symptoms that accompany the disease without being causally related to it.

So currently considerable mystery surrounds the manifestation of “Covid toe”. We still don’t know if it will be possible or not to draw a definitive correlation from studying the condition as a way of determining how mild or severe the disease is within the patient’s body.

LIGHT ON THE HORIZON - WILL THE CORONA VIRUS STOP SPREADING SOON?

3/11/2020

The new virus on the block ……. SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it can cause COVID-19 are constantly in the news at present. On March 6th, statistics released indicated that 98,000 cases had been confirmed in 88 countries with many experts suggesting that this figure was currently still on the rise. Fortunately only a relatively small percentage of those that are infected have died, but none the less, it is unfortunately causing a considerable amount of public panic.

But and it is a big but, there may be a light on the distant horizon. As spring and eventually summer arrive will we start to see a decline in numbers especially here in the Northern Hemisphere? Obviously we all hope that this will happen and some professionals think that it is more than likely. John Nicholls a pathology Professor at Hong Kong University, reckons that he can predict when the corona virus will start to become inactive. He postulates that there are three things that the corona virus does not like, these are sunlight, high temperature and high humidity.

Those of us that understand Ayurveda can see the sense behind correctly balancing the Doshic principles of Vata, Pitta and Kapha during any healing process. In this case we can attribute sunlight and the open air to the principle of Vata, high temperature to Pitta and the principle of moist humidity to Kapha.

John Nicholls estimates that sunlight may be effective at stopping the corona virus growing by approximately 50%. Ian Lipkin who is the Director of The Columbia University Center for Infection and Immunity has also been studying the effect of sunlight on the corona virus. He suggests that UV light from the sun breaks down viral nucleic acid. If you are out in open air and sunlight, it’s generally “cleaner” than indoors simply because of the abundance of UV light on warm sunny days. The light from the sun is also an important source of vitamin D. This vitamin is a necessary component in a healthy immune system. You may need to consider supplementing it if for one reason or another you are deficient. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GCSXNGc7pfs&feature=youtu.be . Nursing people in the open air, was seen to be effective in the outbreak of Spanish flu in 1918 https://medium.com/@ra.hobday/coronavirus-and-the-sun-a-lesson-from-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-509151dc8065

High temperature can also inactivate the virus according to Professor Nicholls. Between 4 degrees and 10 degrees Celsius the virus remains intact, but at 30 degrees it becomes relatively inactive, or does it?

A scientific research paper - “Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent On Relative Humidity and Temperature” - Anice C Lowen, Samira Mubareka, John Steel and Peter Palese, was published in 2007. It looked at the pattern of spread in a population of guinea pigs intentionally infected with flu in a laboratory. High temperatures and specifically high humidity slowed the spread of the virus. At extremely high levels of humidity the virus was halted completely. Warmer air holds more moisture which prevents airborne viral infections travelling as far as they can in dry air. In humid conditions, any small liquid droplets in coughs and sneezes gather more moisture as they are expelled. This makes them heavier and unable to remain airborne; thus reducing the airborne ability for the disease to travel.

Interestingly, Nicholls also suggests that currently he doesn’t expect areas such as Australia, Africa and the Southern Hemisphere to have such large rates of corona infection that are being presented in the Northern Hemisphere because at the time of writing they are still experiencing the effects of summer. To conclude: let’s hope that most of us remain healthy and can eventually put this problem behind us. But please do not panic, as high levels of stress are detrimental to our immune systems.

CHILEAN NITRATE

12/1/2019

This iconic artistic masterpiece composed of art deco tiles is proudly positioned on the southern wall of the house of the late merchant Guillermo Cabrera Gutiérrez - standing at the entrance to O’Daly Street, Santa Cruz, La Palma in the Canary Islands.

It was created around 1929 by the artist Adolfo López-Durán, who later became a professor at the Madrid School of Architecture. The ceramics were painted and fired at the Valencian tile house of Ramón Costello.

‘Nitrato’ is an important organic fertiliser for assisting the growth of crops. It consists of nitrates from natural rock deposits found in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. The Atacama is extremely dry and is able to readily extract minerals from the air and sea. It is a natural non synthetic plant fertiliser containing 15% nitrate nitrogen and 2% potassium. Chilean Nitrate was imported to Europe in the 19th century, to enrich farm soil that had become nitrogen depleted. Thus it nourished and gave strength to plants, when they faced adverse environmental growing conditions. Which remind us, that healthy plants build healthy people. This statement is as true today, as it was then. So this work of art is not only a beautiful example of artistic advertising, but it also sends out a healthy message.

MEDITATION

10/27/2019

Excessive attachment to the body is a common cause of physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Meditation is good for treating psychological problems. These may range from depression, to extreme anxiety and panic attacks. It can be used to assist insomnia and also severe emotional disturbances such as grief and addiction. Meditation is an ideal treatment for stress on all levels.

It is beneficial in controlling pain and can be used to treat arthritis and joint problems, as well as a host of wide ranging health issues, both acute and chronic.

It can be used as a vital tool in the interview process: by encouraging the patient to adopt certain meditation techniques, we may be able to find out more about what’s troubling them. If the patient is relaxed by meditation, a fuller and deeper picture of their health can emerge.

When we go for a good walk in the fresh air, it is possible to meditate at the same time. Often when we go out for a walk, we are absorbed in our own thoughts and problems. It’s true to say that people sometimes find it easier to shift their fears and worries whilst walking. But if you leave your issues at home and simply walk and mediate, you may feel even better still!

To meditate whilst walking is really simple, you focus your thoughts on how each foot contacts the ground as it is doing so. You concentrate all attention on the experience of walking itself, whilst clearing your mind of all other thoughts. Just focus on the sensations in your feet and legs and nothing else at all. Why not try it for yourself for about 20 minutes a day and see if you feel any different afterwards?

ORGANIC HONEY

10/5/2019

Ayurveda considers that honey is Sattvic in nature and is regarded as the finest sweetener for food. Sattvic foods are foods that are abundant in Prana - the universal life-force that gives life to all sentient beings in both plant and animal kingdoms. They are foods such as fresh organic
untainted fruits, vegetables and honey.

Honey is sweet, astringent and pungent in taste, slightly warm in energy and sweet in post-digestive effect. It takes on the properties of the flowers from which it is made. For instance sage flower honey will have nerve calming properties. Honey tends to balance the three constitutional Doshas, but in excess it can aggravate Pitta, so like everything else, it should be consumed wisely and not excessively.

When it has matured slightly, it is the finest sweetener for a Kapha constitution.
Whereas fresh raw honey is better for both Pitta and Vata constitutions. Internally, honey works as a demulcent, emollient, laxative, nutritive and a tonic. It can help discharge phlegm, dissolves fat and nourishes the mind and senses. It is rejuvenating and is considered good for improving immunity. Royal jelly is considered by some to be superior in this regard. Raw honey can be used for convalescents and to build vigour in children.

Cooking honey is not at all a wise thing to do. This can denature it, resulting in the loss of its medicinal properties. So please only add honey to lukewarm food after it has been cooked and allowed to cool down slightly. Honey is a good Anupana and mixes well with health giving herbs helping to facilitate their penetration into the deeper tissues of the body allowing them to assist us. Externally, one can apply it to wounds and ulcers to utilise its excellent wound healing properties.

The Paradox Of Being Ginger.

9/24/2019

The Ayurvedic phrase “prabhava”, refers to the potential for medicinal plants and herbs to have special effects that are not necessarily just confined to their taste or energy. These can be physical such as cathartic or antitussive, or act on the mental emotional level, or indeed both. Sometimes prabhava is an unexplainable action that cannot be traced back to any logical reasoning;
it can be quite paradoxical in its nature.

For example, if we look at the properties of Zingiber officinale or ginger, we see its Taste/Rasa is pungent and sweet and its Potency/Virya is heating. These pungent and heating properties are useful for using in cases of digestive and respiratory problems as they promote good digestion and help rid the gut of toxicity. Ginger is also very rejuvenating and its pungent, sweet and heating qualities are good for the heart and circulation. It is also used for helping coughs and assisting breathing problems.

On the other hand however, ginger is also an excellent anti-inflammatory employed in cases of pain and arthritis; it also reduces oedema and swelling in the limbs, but because it is heating rather than cooling in its nature, as is normally the case with anti-inflammatory, herbs, one can become somewhat perplexed. But Ayurveda does not see this as being paradoxical or contradictory at all, as this is regarded as a special potential or “prabhava”.

It is interesting to be aware that sometimes the surface properties of a plant do not immediately reveal the complexities of all of the medicinal actions that it possesses underneath. We need to look much closer and deeper to see matters in their entirety.

BORAGE

7/25/2019

Borage (Borago officinalis) is part of the Boraginaceae family, it is very common in Britain. It is possible to make a tincture from the leaves and flowers. Its distinctive blue star shaped flowers (see photograph above) are part of the British summertime and are used to garnish the traditional English recreational beverage known as Pimm’s.

Constituents:

The flowers and leaves contain mucilage, tannin, saponins, essential oil, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, potassium, calcium, Vitamin C, volatile oil.

Properties:

Quality – Guna – Light, unctuous
Taste – Rasa – Astringent, sweet, salty, bitter
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Sweet
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Channels – Srotas – Rakta (circulatory), shukra (reproductive), mutra (urinary), prana (respiratory), majja (nervous), stanya (lactation).

Actions:

Artavashamana – regulates menstruation
Brmhana – nourishing tonic, anabolic
Jivaniya – promotes energy
Jwaraghna – relieves fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs & breathing problems
Medya – brain tonic, nervine
Medohara – regulates fat metabolism
Mutrala - diuretic
Rasayana - rejuvenative
Stanya – increases breast milk

Indications for internal use:

Tension, anxiety, convalescence, exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, depression, bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, emphysema, catarrh, sore throat, dry cough, pleurisy, fevers, obesity, inflammatory skin problems, eczema, psoriasis, poor milk production, boils, skin rashes including chicken pox & measles, inflammatory arthritis, dysuria, urinary infections, oedema and hypertension.

Indications for external use:

Soothes irritated skin conditions, itching, bruising, sores, ulcers and wounds, insect bites, soothes inflamed, painful arthritic joints and tissues, gargle and cleansing mouthwash.

Dose for internal consumption: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precaution: None.
Safety: No known relevant herb/drug interactions.

PLANTAIN

7/8/2019

Plantain basking in the sun

PLANTAIN

Plantain comes from the family of Plantaginaceae and Plantago lanceolata is common to British countryside and gardens.

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) leaf, is the seen in the illustration above, it can be easily distinguished by its distinctive lance like leaves. Its cousin Plantago major has broader leaves that are less pointed, but the actions of both plants are similar.

Constituents:
The leaves contain iridoids (aucubin, catapol), mucilage, phenols, flavonoids (apigenin, scutellarin, baicalein, nepetin, plantagoside), glycosides, tannins, silica, coumarins, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, saponins.

Ayurvedic Properties:
Quality – Guna – light, unctuous & soft
Taste – Rasa – Bitter and astringent
Post digestive effect – Vipak – Pungent
Potency – Virya – Cooling
Doshic signature – Reduces Pitta & Kapha. Increases Vata
Tissue affinity – Rakta (blood) & Rasa (plasma)
Channels – Srotas – Anna (digestive), Prana (respiratory), Mutra (urinary), Rakta (circulatory)

Ayurvedic Actions:
Jawaraghna – reduces fevers
Kasavasahara – relieves coughs and breathing problems
Kustthagna - alleviates skin conditions
Mutrala - diuretic
Raktapitta - curbs bleeding from excess Pitta
Raktashodana – purifies the blood
Ropana – heals wounds
Shirovirechana – clears congestion from the head
Stamphana – dries excessive secretions
Udaraprasamana – relieves allergies

Indications for internal use:
Diarrhoea, gastritis, colitis, GI infections, toxicity, fever, infections, colds, catarrh, allergies, hay fever, insect bites, coughs, bronchitis, chest infections, asthma, tonsillitis, sore throats, glue ear, ear infections, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, menorrhagia, wounds, inflammatory skin problems including acne and roseacea.

Indications for external use:
Astringent to stop bleeding, nosebleeds, anti-inflammatory for stings and insect bites, drawing remedy for infections such as boils and abscesses, infections in teeth and gums.

Dose orally: Tincture 2-4ml tds.
Precautions: Avoid in gastro-oesophageal reflux.
Safety: May decrease levels of Lithium and Carbamezepine. Avoid with Warfarin and other anticoagulants.

Preparing plaintain to make a tincture

SOME CANARY ISLAND MAGIC

3/27/2019

Astydamia latifolia is an endemic Canary Island plant that has been used in folk medicine over the ages. It has been utilised as a carminative to facilitate good digestion and expel intestinal gas, as a emmenagogue to increase menstrual flow, as a sedative to help sleep and also as a diuretic to assist oedema. Its tasty leaves can also be used as food in salads.

The Canary Island people have a long history of using medicinal flora to treat diseases, the effectiveness of which can often be supported by modern scientific research.

For example in 1996, at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Perez M et al researched several local plants to see if any had a diuretic action. Out of all the plants examined in the study, Astydamia latifolia showed considerable diuretic potential. They eventually concluded that infusions made from this particular plant was similar in action to the drug Furosemide thus reducing excess fluid in the body. Oedema can result from conditions such as heart failure, liver disease and kidney problems. Furosemide is also used to treat high blood pressure. As it is a loop diuretic, it works in the loop of Henle, facilitating the reabsorption of the electrolytes sodium and chloride from the urine. This action increases the amount of urine and also causes a reduction in blood pressure.

Under experimentation it was infusions of the whole plant that showed the diuretic effects rather than extractions, which suggests that this effect is mediated by the presence of salts, since, logically, these are found in larger amounts in infusion than in other extracts. Astydamia latifolia is a plant with high potassium content, useful in reducing the risk of hypokalaemia that can often be associated with the usage of loop diuretics, such as Furosemide.

Some of the common side effects of Furosemide include: nausea or vomiting, diarrhorea, constipation, stomach cramping, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and itching rashes.

The future usage of Astydamia latifolia infusions in mainstream medicine may, therefore, be of great benefit, as it is an effective diuretic avoiding the side effects associated with Furosemide. After all, anything that has the potential to do us good without causing harm can only be a good idea.

FEELING FRUITY?

1/5/2019

Fruit has many health giving properties and should play a central role in our diet. In general, it is very Sattvic and spiritual in its nature. We can use it to aid meditation and for establishing mental harmony and intelligence. It is light and cooling, but like all things must be eaten in correct proportion; an excess of fruit can lead us to become oversensitive, this can result in us feeling spaced out and unable to concentrate properly, fruit is after all associated with the ether element.

A diet composed of fruit alone is not enough to build and fortify us in our busy modern life styles. Ayurveda teaches us that living well is a question of achieving balance in all things. Too much fruit without other dietary ingredients can weaken our digestive fire that Ayurveda calls Agni.

Fruit is sweet, sour and sometimes astringent in taste. It is cool in energy and has a sweet post digestive effect. This increases our saliva and stomach secretions. Fruit tends to be thirst relieving, refrigerant, alterative (nourishing and improving health) and laxative. It contains lots of water. It cleans the blood and eaten in correct proportions, it has a reducing effect on the tissues. Fruit can create a lightness of mind and spirit and it can help to purify the body.

Fruit is best eaten by itself and not combined with other foods. Eating fruit along with other types of food can lead to an aggravation of Kapha which can hinder good digestion. If you have a juicer at home, you can make a fresh juice of mixed fruits and water to drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. After this it is best to wait a while for it to settle, then you may eat your porridge or equivalent. For this reason, I usually recommend that people should leave about an hour between eating or drinking fruit and then eating other types of food.